Chapter 66 unexpected reunion

The next day, when the leaders of the battalions gathered in the big camp, Sun Jiaji announced to everyone that the imperial court had decided to send troops to the west, and discussed the Yuyao army's own strategy of action, and finally determined a goal, which was to concentrate on the current With limited troops, they managed to launch an attack from the weakly defended areas of Haining and Haiyan, and by restraining the Qing troops in Jiaxing, Suzhou and other places, they cooperated with the main force to cross the river to the west from the side.In order to implement this idea, Sun Jiaji also decided to merge the soldiers who belonged to each battalion together, weed out the sick and weak, and implement reorganization in order to form a relatively elite army; secondly, to step up the raising of food and salaries.In order to solve the latter big problem, Sun Jiaji and some wealthy leaders decided to take the lead in selling their property;In addition to these two major events, it is natural to intensify the maintenance of weapons, prepare ships, train soldiers and so on.

The camp that had been deserted and silent for a long time finally came alive.However, there was one more important thing, but Sun Jiaji was a little undecided, that is, who would lead the reorganized army in the future?Because Sun Jiaji officially stated that he was sick and had a cancerous tumor on his back, he could only stay in the camp and could not go out with the army.Therefore, it is necessary to select another talented person from among the generals and schools under his command.In this regard, two people volunteered, one is the supervisory censor Wang Zhengzhong.The man from Hebei was the magistrate of Yuyao not long ago. Because of his great efforts to rectify the law and order during his tenure, he made great contributions to protecting the land and protecting the people. He was recently promoted to his current position and his ambitions are full.The other is Huang Zongxi, the head of the staff and supervisory censor, who has been holding his breath for a long time and wants to try his skills.Sun Jiaji saw that both of them were eager to try and refused to give in, so he didn't make a decision yet.However, he didn't know whether it was out of partiality or for other reasons, but he sent Wang Zhengzhong alone to lead a thousand soldiers to carry out smuggling from the mouth of the Qiantang River and attack Gapu City at the southern end of Haiyan County. It seemed that he wanted Wang Zhengzhong to show off his ability.Unexpectedly, although Wang Zhengzhong once attacked Ganpu, he lost many soldiers because he was outnumbered. Even his deputy Han Wanxiang was killed in the city, and he had to flee back in embarrassment.In this way, the important task of leading the Yuyao soldiers to cooperate with the main force in the expedition fell on Huang Zongxi indisputably.

Now, after several days of intense merger and reorganization, an elite army of 3,000 people has been initially formed.The food and grass accompanying the army are also stepping up preparations.On this day, because the Fire Attack Camp had reported in advance that a few newly-made firearms were going to be demonstrated, Huang Zongxi was invited to invite relevant generals and schools to watch.So when he got up early in the morning, after washing and dressing, Huang Zongxi went out of the camp and mounted his horse. A group of personal soldiers led the way with flags on their shoulders, and walked slowly towards the fire attack camp under a small hillock.

This year's season is obviously a bit abnormal. Although it really rained a lot on the day after Huang Zongxi went to see Sun Jiaji ten days ago, but after that, the sun is still shining every day, and it is not at all close to the edge of the rainy season .But in this way, it facilitated the preparations in the army.Take the present as an example, on the open ground below the river embankment, groups of soldiers have been led by military academies, facing the dawn that has just appeared, and practicing seriously.When they waved the weapons in their hands vigorously, there were bursts of shouts of killing.This situation made Huang Zongxi quite satisfied, but at the same time a little uneasy, because anyway, it was the first time for him to lead so many troops and bear such a heavy responsibility.Although he resolutely stepped forward and accepted it out of deep concern about the situation of self-defense, Fang Guoan, Wang Zhiren and other warriors supporting themselves for self-enrichment, and a strong awareness of the duty and mission of being a gentleman, but he really took the responsibility. Can you afford it?What will the future hold?You must know that the enemy has already received a large number of reinforcements, and the future battles will definitely be more brutal. If things go wrong, there is a possibility of death on the battlefield at any time. "However, can you survive without doing this? Unless you humiliate yourself and become a bull and horse at the mercy of the Tartars! But, what's the point of surviving like that? It's the same as dying? A man is born in the world, If you can't show off your ambitions and live proudly, you would rather die vigorously! Although there is still an old mother in the house, and the children are still young, but the wife is still there, and the younger brothers are still there, so don't worry too much. Besides, under the nest In the whole world, there are more than tens of millions of people who have been tortured like this? You really shouldn't worry too much!" Thinking of this, Huang Zongxi's heart gradually hardened, and he focused his thoughts on the imminent All kinds of military affairs, and continued until they arrived at the fire attack camp.

Huosong Camp is said to be a military camp, but it is actually more like a large factory.The bamboo shed inside is full of sulfur, saltpeter, black charcoal and various bamboo and wood materials, as well as many strange-shaped iron utensils and tools.When Huang Zongxi walked into the gate of the Muzha camp, he found that some generals had already arrived, and they were surrounded by the leader of the fire attack camp - Zhang Qinchen was talking enthusiastically.Seeing Huang Zongxi coming, Zhang Qinchen's bony and thin face showed a look of surprise, and he immediately stepped over and greeted him.

Huang Zongxi is no stranger to the other party.He knew that this skilled craftsman was originally from Shaoxing, and later moved to Yuyao. He opened a gunpowder workshop with his wife, Jin, hired a few helpers, and made a living by making firecrackers and fireworks.Last June, when Sun Jiaji raised his righteous voice against the Qing Dynasty, both his husband and wife went to the front of the army to serve in the army, and since then they have transformed firearms for use by both the navy and the army.I don't know where he learned a set of skills, not to mention those ordinary things, even some new firearms can still be made.Although it is not his own invention, it is rare to be well-made and powerful.On the Qiantang River in August last year, Huang Zongxi used a mine he made to sink a Qing army ship.Since then, the two have been in contact with each other from time to time.What is rare is that although Zhang Qinchen didn't study much, he understood righteousness and was extremely intelligent. Therefore, Huang Zongxi admired him quite a lot.

"I heard that Mr. and Mrs. Xian have recently created a 'ten thousand bomb landmine cannon'. Today I will see it!" After meeting with several other generals, Huang Zongxi turned to the thin man again and smiled. say. "Hehe, I'm joking!" Zhang Qinchen shook his hands quickly, and said in fear, "This thing has actually existed for a long time. It's just that I'm stupid, and I haven't made it until now. It's really not a new thing!" "But I don't have soldiers yet, and I've never seen him before, so he's a new guy!" Zha Jizuo, the head of the staff, said from the sidelines.He was originally from Haining, and he was entrusted by the local rebel army to come across the river to pay a visit to the King of Lu in June last year.He was going to go back to report, but the uprising in Haining soon failed, so he had to stay and is currently serving in the Yuyao army.

"Huh, could it be this thing?" Huang Zongxi pointed to and asked because he caught a glimpse of a few colossal objects in a nearby straw hut, and a group of soldiers were busy nearby.Seeing Zhang Qinchen nodding his head, he took the lead and walked over.The others saw it and followed curiously. It turned out that there were several big pottery altars, most of which had been tightly sealed with soil.Soldiers are filling the remaining two pottery with gunpowder.There is a small hole drilled beside the mouth of the altar, and a lead wire is pulled out from the inside, and the outside is covered with a bamboo tube, and a small steel wheel is installed in the bamboo tube. According to Zhang Qinchen's explanation, it is a mechanism for making a fire.

"Old Zhang, I heard that this 'thousand bomb land mine cannon' was set up, flying sand and flying stones, and it was heard for miles. It's very powerful. I don't know, but?" Wang Zhengzhong was the one who spoke.Although a few days ago, he suffered a defeat because of the attack on Ganpu, so he could only take the post of lieutenant general of the new army, but what is rare is that he doesn't care about it, is still full of energy, and willingly obeys Huang Zongxi's command. Unexpectedly, Zhang Qinchen shook his head: "This thing is said to be powerful, so it is naturally powerful; it is not powerful, but it is not powerful."

"Oh? How do you say that?" Seeing that everyone was confused by the words, Wang Zhengzhong couldn't help asking again. "It's all because when the mine is buried, pebbles must be piled on top of it. It's all about the fire to stimulate the thunder, and the rocks fly up to hurt people. Therefore, although the mine is extremely powerful, the place where it is buried is not found. Pebbles, the power will be greatly reduced, and the enemy will not be hurt much!" After listening to his explanation, everyone understood.Zha Jizuo rolled his eyes, and suddenly said: "Oh, the students know that it's because of Haining and Haiyan ground, where pebbles are everywhere, so you made this mine specially!"

Zhang Qinchen didn't answer, just nodded with a smile.Even so, everyone could still imagine how once the rebels possessed such a powerful landmine, they would be even more powerful and deal a fierce blow to the enemy, so everyone's faces showed excited expressions. "Okay!" Huang Zongxi swung his fist violently and said loudly, "Very good! With this thing, our soldiers will not only fear the Tartars on the water, but also on the land!" Then he asked: "Don't What about it? Besides this thing, is there any other powerful guy?" Zhang Qinchen still just smiled and made a gesture of concession.So everyone followed him and began to visit the workshops one by one.It was only at this time that Huang Zongxi and his generals really saw Zhang Qinchen's ability. Those firearms not only had strange names, such as "a handful of lotus", "fire beehive", "shenshui sprayer", "flying sand barrel" ""Shenji Pomegranate Cannon", "Iron Rod Thunder Flying Cannon", "Underwater Dragon King Cannon", "Mother and Child Thunder", "Shenhuo Flying Crow", "Fire Dragon Out of Water", etc., there are many types, and there are many types that kill the enemy by burning. There are those that kill the enemy by explosion, and those that kill the enemy by projectile; some are used on land, and some are used in water.What is particularly surprising is that those rockets are so exquisitely made that it is unimaginable that different types can be used according to different needs, or they can be launched in parallel, or with flying wings, or with multi-stage launches, or even multiple volleys.While watching, everyone listened to Zhang Qinchen's introduction. Although the performance test had not yet started, everyone had listened with gusto and kept expressing sincere amazement.Among them, Huang Zongxi was the most excited.Because as the chief general, he understands the situation of the army better than others. He knows that due to the shortage of expenses, many necessary weapons and equipment cannot be bought. Patch after patch to deal with wear.Relying on such wealth, how to fight against the well-equipped Qing soldiers on the battlefield is really a problem worth worrying about.Now with this batch of powerful firearms, the situation is very different. "Well, in the future to defeat the enemy, it seems that we will rely more on it..." Thinking this way in his heart, he heard someone loudly reporting in his ears. He turned his head and found a small school standing in front of him with a greeting card in his hand. "I'm here, and someone is chasing me to visit? Who could it be?" He thought suspiciously, and then he took the post, and saw that it read: Huang Zongxi was slightly taken aback: "Zhang Zongzi? How did he find him?" Even so, since the other party is a close friend and a famous person in front of Lu Jianguo, Huang Zongxi is not easy to neglect, so he pointed the post to Wang Zhengzhong As soon as he handed it over, he asked everyone to wait a moment, and then hurriedly greeted him out of the camp gate alone. "Hey, too fast!" Huang Zongxi had just seen a shadowy person standing outside the camp gate, when Zhang Dai's cry had already been heard from afar. "This Zhang Zongzi is already in his early fifties, and he still has such an indulgent and willful temper!" Huang Zongxi thought helplessly, so he could only walk over quickly. "Tai Chong, who do you think I brought you?" Zhang Dai shouted excitedly when Huang Zongxi came up to him. Huang Zongxi couldn't help being startled, only then did he realize that there were two people behind Zhang Dai, one fat and the other thin, with a pair of heads shaved to the point where no hair remained, glowing blue under the shadow of the sun.That chunky old man has black pockmarks all over his face... "Ha, tell me, tell me quickly! Who are these two?" Zhang Dai urged cheerfully. Huang Zongxi blinked his eyes in doubt, and suddenly, his heart moved, and he cried out: "What? Kuntong! Father Liu! It's you! Hey, why are you here?" "Why are you here?" Zhang Dai imitated Huang Zongxi's tone and said, "I came to see you, Mr. Huang! Hmph, you have to thank me for it! If it weren't for me, the two of them would not know that brother was here, nor would they know How did you find it!" "Yes, if it wasn't for the kindness of brother Zongzi leading the way, brother Shen and Xiao Lao would not know where to visit brother!" Liu Jingting confirmed with a smile. However, Huang Zongxi was no longer in the mood to listen.He took two steps forward suddenly, grabbed Shen Shizhu's hands in his hands, then turned to Liu Jingting, and said loudly, "Hey, Kuntong! Father Liu! I can see you back! How did you get here?" When did you come here? This, this is not a dream, right? " "It's not a dream! It's not!" Shen Shizhu also replied excitedly, holding Huang Zongxi tightly, and tears welled up in his eyes.Indeed, in Fushe in the past, Shen Shizhu was one of the best friends with Huang Zongxi.But since the Qing soldiers went south, there have been continuous wars, each other is separated from each other, and they don't know life and death. Although they have missed them hard, they can't even find out.Now that they meet again unexpectedly, the feeling of mixed feelings cannot be expressed in words. "Don't cry, don't cry!" Seeing Shen Shizhu breaking free from his grasp, covering his face, and crying loudly, Huang Zongxi persuaded him with concern.However, after only a few words of persuasion, he couldn't stop his emotions from agitating, his throat was choked, and he burst into tears. This first scene, if unchecked, might have continued.However, Zhang Dai finally spoke.So everyone managed to control their emotions, wiped away their tears, and greeted each other again.Afterwards, Huang Zongxi let the guests sit in the bamboo shed in the camp, and ordered the school to serve tea. In the ensuing conversation, it is natural to first ask the guests about their experience here.It turned out that Shen Shizhu and Liu Jingting went south from Nanjing and defected here.Originally, Yu Huai was with him, but in order to find Maoxiang, Yu Huai went to Yixing halfway.Ten days ago, Shen and Liu came to the other side of the Qiantang River, just as the battle on the water had just ended, and the Qing soldiers were particularly strict in guarding against it.They bought a local fisherman with a lot of money, and sneaked across the river in a small boat at night. Soon after landing, they encountered rebel patrols and were sent to Shaoxing after several twists and turns.While waiting to be summoned by Lu Jianguo, I happened to meet Zhang Dai, and after chatting, I learned that Huang Zongxi was here, so I hurried to meet him today... "This expedition to the west," Zhang Dai said, "is because the two of them spied on the news on the way and learned that the reinforcements of the Tazi brigade were about to arrive, so they deliberately rushed to report day and night without avoiding dangers, and the supervisor made this decision. Yes. I have done a lot of credit!" "Okay, okay!" Huang Zongxi said repeatedly, looking movedly at the dusty, tanned faces of the two friends, and the bald heads that were obviously used to conceal their identities, once again a sense of fortitude and generosity was stirred up in his heart, and he felt With such a group of loyal friends who shared life and death together, there should be great hope for the anti-Qing cause.Even in case of misfortune, if you sacrifice your life for this, you will have no regrets!So, with a deeper love for this kind of friendship, he began to ask the other party about the situation of the old friends, about Gu Gao, about Wu Yingji, about Chen Zhenhui and Hou Fangyu, and about Zhang Zilie and Mei Langzhong.Although there are many situations that Shen and Liu are not clear about, but even if it is only sporadic news, it is enough to make Huang Zongxi excited... "Hey, I almost forgot about one thing!" Shen Shizhu, who was talking happily, suddenly lowered his voice, "I heard that Qian Muzhai is planning to resign from the Tartar position and return to Jiangnan!" "Brother, you mean Qian Muzhai?" Huang Zongxi was a little suspicious and didn't hear clearly, but when he saw the other party nodded, his expression suddenly changed, "Hmph, he still has the face to come back? What is he doing back!" "Hey, brother, listen to me!" Shen Shizhu shook his hands quickly and said, then lowered his voice, "I heard that Qian Muzhai dedicated the city that day, and it was because Hongguang had already fled, and Zhao Zhilong refused to defend him. In order to save the lives of the people in the city, he had to do it. Afterwards, he regretted it deeply, but because of the situation, he had to go north as usual. Covenant, I vowed that my heart is in Daming, and if I get a chance, I will repay it!" After saying this, seeing that the people present were silent for a while, he added: "Liu Rushi told my younger brother about this personally. When my younger brother came to the south, Liu Rushi also asked me to report this to the Lu supervisor." country!" This is another unexpected news.But even so, Huang Zongxi didn't believe that Qian Qianyi had such courage at all, let alone that this person would do anything real.He shook his head and said angrily: "Just listen to this kind of talk first! Besides, I'm afraid that Liu Rushi's wishful thinking is nine out of ten, and Qian Muzhai may not have such a heart! Well, we Leave him alone. Let’s talk about the two of you, since it’s hard to get this, don’t hurry away, and stay here for a few days, so you can talk freely! By the way, I still have a little heart, why haven’t I seen you yet? Could it be that Chen Dingsheng stayed behind? Can't it work in Yixing?" "Brother, I was sent here by the king of Ruichang," Liu Jingting said in a deep voice, "Now that I have been sent to the Ming Dynasty, I have to return to Liudu as soon as possible. For some reason, brother Danxin still hasn't come. It's really worrying." "Hey, why don't dad go back and return first, and younger brother stay here and wait for him?" Shen Shizhu suddenly opened his eyes wide and suggested. Liu Jingting glanced at him: "But, the matter here has been done..." "What's over? It's early!" Shen Shizhu waved his hands excitedly and stood up, "Don't you see that the army is raising horses and horses here, and a big battle is about to happen? Ha, if Brother Taichong is willing to accept the younger brother and become a lieutenant general—— No, it’s okay to be a boss first. When the time comes, the younger brother will just ride on the horse like this, with a wave of his long knife, and lead the thousand carved-faced villains, rushing towards the Tartars and dogs, killing them! Hey, again How delightful!" he said while shaking his head, his eyes sparkling with excitement, and he danced with his hands and feet. Seeing him like this, everyone was a little dazed at first, but then they remembered: Although this Shen Shizhu was born thin and small, even if he was held in his hand, it would be no different from carrying a chicken, but he was always proud and proud. As a self-promised general, he yearns for talking about soldiers in barracks, leaping on horses and killing thieves, and his daily speech is full of terms in military books, which is often used as a joke among friends.Looking at the appearance in front of him, it is natural that the old problem has relapsed.Therefore, everyone couldn't help exchanging glances and showing knowing smiles. "Okay, since that's the case, brother Kuntong will stay!" Zhang Dai made a straightforward gesture, "Anyway, there is brother Taichong, the commander-in-chief, here, so don't worry about not having any soldiers to take with you! It's just that But my brother is going to leave first!" Saying that, he also stood up. Huang Zongxi was thinking about how to answer Shen Shizhu, when he heard this sentence, he was taken aback for a moment, and quickly asked: "Why, brother are you leaving now?" Zhang Dai nodded: "It's not just about leaving this place. Brother, do you remember what I said to brother when I was watching the battle in Xixing a few days ago? My brother is going here to go to the mountains, and I won't care about world affairs from now on!" "What? Brother, you want to go into the mountains with your hair loose and don't care about worldly affairs?" Huang Zongxi asked with his eyes wide open in shock, "At this moment?" Zhang Dai smiled wryly, and said mockingly: "My brother is just a dandy disciple. I know that I will only live in peace and contentment in my life. I can't learn books, swords, etiquette, and essays. I can't learn immortals, Buddhism, agriculture, etc. If you don’t succeed in school, you’re just a prodigal son and a waste! Staying in the court is just a waste of salary, not enough success, more than failure. It’s better to leave as soon as possible, and it will be beneficial to the family and the country!” He slandered himself so mercilessly, obviously after a long time of deliberation, and it seemed that he had made up his mind, which could not be redeemed by a few words.Therefore, for a while, Huang Zongxi only opened his mouth wide, but couldn't utter a word. "Okay, it's getting late, so let's go! If the sky is full of people, we will meet you again!" After saying this, Zhang Dai cupped his hands, turned around, and didn't look back. go outside. ... "Hey, he, he just waited to leave?" After a while, Shen Shizhu murmured in confusion. "Hmph, he wants to leave, so let him go!" Huang Zongxi, who felt that he had been attacked by an accident, waved his hand roughly, and looked away from the place where Zhang Dai's back disappeared, and then remembered something, So he looked at the guests and said loudly with sudden excitement: "Hey, let's talk about other things later! Today there is a firearms demonstration here. If you two are interested, you can go in and watch it together. How about it?"