Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 397 Northern Expedition to the Grassland!

"Brothers, go out and kill the Tartars!"

Zhang Lexing shouted and urged his horse to gallop, looking very excited.

Behind him, the Tang army cavalrymen let out strange cries upon hearing this.

"Ow! Ow!"

"Kill the Tartars, long live the Tang Dynasty!"

The group of people were very excited.

The sound of horse hooves rumbled, and smoke and dust billowed on the road, with snow flying.

……

Although it is the beginning of spring, the climate on the grassland is still very cold.

The cold wind blowing from Siberia was howling like sharp knives, cutting people's faces and causing pain.

There is still a foot of snow in many places.

Wherever the horse's hooves stepped on, snow holes the size of bowls were created, which were big enough to cover the horse's hooves.

Countless horses have stepped on the snow, which was originally soft, and it has been trampled hard.

After leaving the pass, these Tang soldiers dismounted from their horses and began to walk, leading their horses.

The main reason for this is to save horsepower.

If they were really allowed to ride horses all the way to attack the Sunite tribe, even if the horses could run over, by the time they reached the battlefield, they would probably not have much combat effectiveness left.

The reason why cavalry are called cavalry is that they fight on horseback.

When they are marching on ordinary days, they are actually no different from ordinary infantry.

They all walk on two legs!

Although horses can carry supplies and their marching speed is definitely faster than that of infantry, it is not much faster.

If you can walk more than a hundred miles a day, it's already pretty good.

Zhang Lexing was wearing a thick dog-skin hat and walking with one foot deep and one foot shallow as he led the horse, his leather-gloved hands pulling the reins of the warhorse.

Next to him, a short and sturdy man with a distinct highland red on his face and a typical Mongolian appearance was reporting something to him.

The man's name was Sarge. During the Battle of Nanjing, he was a member of Senggelinqin's army.

After Senggelinqin was defeated, he surrendered and joined the Tang Dynasty.

Later, because of his Mongolian identity, he was recruited by the Military Intelligence Department and sent to the grassland to collect grassland intelligence.

This time, Zhang Lexing led his troops to the Northern Expedition, and Sarige was ordered to follow the army, responsible for providing combat intelligence and opinions to the army.

Well, the Tang army is going to march north to the grasslands, and it cannot do so without the help of Mongolian traitors.

Sarige is this traitor!

"Commander, according to the information obtained by the Military Intelligence Department."

"The Sunite tribe is currently camping around the Aruyinchadamu Lake to survive the winter."

"After a winter, the Sunite tribe suffered heavy losses. The horses lost weight, the cattle and sheep froze to death, and the entire tribe was at its weakest."

"After a winter of consumption, the Sunite tribe's supplies have reached the red line."

"Even if they learn that the Tang Dynasty is on the Northern Expedition and want to flee, we won't have the supplies to support them."

"That is to say, if our army wants to destroy the Sunite tribe in this battle, we only need to march out of the pass and head straight to Aruyinchadamu Lake."

The winter on the grassland is much more difficult to endure than that in the interior.

Severe cold and heavy snow can easily take a person's life.

After a winter, the supplies that the Sunite troops had looted in Zhangjiakou have almost been used up.

At this time, although it is the beginning of spring, the weather has not yet warmed up completely. If the Sunite troops want to retreat northward without sufficient material support, they will really freeze to death.

The reason why the Tang Dynasty chose to send troops to the North at this time, rather than waiting for a while for the weather to warm up, was based on this consideration.

Now the Sunite troops have almost run out of supplies, and it is so cold that they can’t escape even if they want to.

But if the weather gets warmer, the Sunite tribe might drive their cattle and sheep to graze elsewhere.

That would be hard to catch!
Zhang Lexing heard this, nodded slightly, and then said.

“So best!”

"If we can defeat the enemy in this battle, then we can show the power of our army."

Upon hearing this, Sarig also spoke hurriedly.

"Master, what you said is very true."

After saying this, Zhang Lexing said nothing more and continued to lead the horse and walk forward.

Take out the map from time to time to check to ensure the marching route is correct.

The army marched northwards...

……

At night, the temperature dropped sharply.

It's much colder than during the day.

Seeing this, Zhang Lexing had no choice but to order the army to find a place sheltered from the wind to set up camp and rest for a while.

A simple wooden fence was put up.

Bonfires were lit.

The soldiers gathered around the campfire to keep warm, and the horses were placed aside to rest.

There are special people who feed the horses and comb their hair.

It is wartime now, and we cannot feed the horses with just grass. We need soybean meal, refined grains, fine salt, and even eggs.

Horses are extremely precious animals. Even the Mongolian horse, which is famous for its toughness and endurance, is still a boss.

If you don't take good care of me, I will die of illness at any time and anywhere.

But there are no such conditions on the grassland in winter!

After a winter, one can only imagine how fat the horses of the grassland tribes would be.

A marching pot was set up.

The pure white snow was poured into the pot and soon melted into clear warm water.

A Tang army cook stepped forward, opened a box, and took out small cubes wrapped in oil paper. He opened the oil paper packages and found pieces of compressed dry food inside.

The cook broke the compressed dry rations into small pieces and threw them into the marching pot.

He threw a few pieces in a row and stopped when he felt that it was enough.

Pick up a spoon and start stirring.

This compressed dry food is made of fried noodles, lard, dried meat, preserved fruits, salt, sugar and other ingredients.

Although the taste is not very good, it is nutritious and easy to eat.

When eating, boil a pot of water, throw in two pieces of compressed dry food, and cook it for a while to make a pot of hot thick porridge.

If you don't have time to boil water, you can just eat it directly. Although it may choke a little, it can fill your stomach and meet the needs of the human body.

Very suitable for military marching!

Therefore, various units of the Tang army purchased a large amount of it for use during wartime.

At this moment, a young man nearby took out an iron box from his backpack.

"Hey, everyone, look what this is?"

The people around unconsciously looked over.

"Wow, canned food! This is a rare thing."

"Jin Zi, where did you get this thing?"

"..."

Everyone was asking questions.

Jin Kuiyong took out the can, scratched his head and said with a chuckle.

"Didn't we have a day off before we set out from the capital?"

"When everyone was going to brothels and restaurants, I went to a newly opened department store in the capital and saw canned food for sale, so I bought a few boxes."

"This stuff is not cheap, one box costs one silver cent."

When everyone heard this, they couldn't help but laugh and curse, but no one took it seriously.

Although the Tang army had strict military discipline, it only required soldiers not to forcibly seize women, otherwise they would be subject to military law.

As for visiting brothels, they turned a blind eye to it.

Men, all have needs.

Especially for these strong men, their needs in that area are even stronger.

It's normal to spend some money to solve the problem when your wife is not around.

As an army transitioning from the feudal era to modernization, the Tang army was able to spend money visiting brothels instead of raping women, which was actually quite good.

Jin Kuiyong took out the dagger from his waist and started opening the cans.

In order to prevent canned food from spoiling, the seals of canned food these days are made very tight, and it is very difficult to open them without a special can opener.

Jin Kuiyong fiddled with the dagger for a long time before he finally opened the can.

When you open the can, the first thing you see is the fat that has solidified at low temperature and the pieces of pork belly with an attractive rosy color.

"How is it? Is this canned braised pork delicious?"

Jin Kuiyong said somewhat ostentatiously.

"Stop showing off and heat it up."

The cook at the side gave Jin Kuiyong a displeased look, took the can from his hand, and heated it up on the campfire.

The outer shell of the can is made of iron sheet. When it is hot, you can just put it on the flame to heat it. It is very convenient.

As the cans were placed on the campfire, the solidified grease soon began to melt.

Gradually, the smell of braised pork began to spread in the air.

Everyone couldn't help but sniff.

Soon, the porridge made from compressed dry food was ready.

Everyone took out their lunch boxes, scooped a full box, picked up a piece of the heated braised pork, and began to eat with a slurp.

Jin Kuiyong had no objection to this.

Since he took out the can, he was ready to share it with everyone.

Besides, we are all brothers who share the same destiny, and we can rely on each other on the battlefield.

It’s just a can of food, nothing to be reluctant about!

It is a great enjoyment to have a hot meal in this cold snowy field.

After dinner, the Tang army began to take turns on duty and rest.

Although the tent was leaky, everyone was wrapped in blankets, and since we were crowded together, it wasn't particularly cold.

Soon, they all fell asleep!
The next morning, Jin Kuiyong and others got up early, began to pack their luggage, and continued to head north.

Zhangjiakou is nearly a thousand miles away from the destination, Arunchadamu Lake. Even at their marching speed, it will take at least ten days to reach the battlefield.

This journey has not been easy!
Time passed quietly, and the Tang Army's Northern Expedition marched northward.

The Tang army set out from the capital on the tenth day of the first lunar month, just a few days after the beginning of spring.

When we arrived in Zhangjiakou, it was the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

Afterwards, the Tang army marched northward again, sleeping in the open air. By the end of the first lunar month, thousands of Tang troops finally arrived at the outskirts of the Sunite tribe's pasture.

Looking at the grassland in front of him, which was still yellow and slightly green, Zhang Lexing stopped his horse.

He took off his dog-skin hat, revealing his head that was still steaming, and turned around and shouted.

"Brothers, the Tartar camp is thirty miles ahead, right under our noses!"

"Pass on my military order. The whole army will set up camp and rest for the night."

"When tomorrow morning comes, the entire army will attack and assault the Sunite camp!"

As soon as Zhang Lexing finished speaking, the Tang army behind him responded in unison.

"Here!"

"Follow military orders!"

(End of this chapter)