Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 785 A Hat Causes Blood
The rainy season in Qinling is very frequent.

This sudden heavy rain has been brewing for a long time.

When it suddenly broke out, the bean-sized raindrops were torn into a white rain line and fell heavily on the ground.

The mountains were filled with water vapor and the ground was filled with turbulent currents, which soon turned into a torrent of turbid waves.

The mountain path turned into a river path.

The Song army, which was marching along an ancient mountain trail, quickly fled to the dense forests on both sides as the heavy rain began.

They took advantage of the cover of the dense forest and set up a simple rain shelter.

In the dark sky, a ferocious purple snake-like lightning flashed from time to time, followed by thunder that made the earth tremble.

Yang Yuan’s location was naturally the best, and he didn’t even need to set up a tent.

Because the crazy army at the outpost found him a spacious cave.

The bonfire was lit, and after the initial smoke caused by the humidity dissipated, the fire was blazing and the temperature in the cave rose rapidly.

It was still late afternoon, but because of the heavy rain, the weather had darkened early.

It was not yet time for dinner. The march in the mountains was tiring, so after taking off his clothes that were wet by the rain, Yang Yuan got into his sleeping bag.

He wanted to take a short nap, but just as he closed his eyes, Qingtang and A'man, each wearing only small clothes, squeezed into his sleeping bag.

It’s not impossible to take a nap together, Yang Yuan hugged one of them with each hand.

With the two little girls' youthful and energetic bodies snuggling up to me, the sleeping bag quickly became warm.

However, Qingtang and A'man were both at an energetic age, and were naughty and lively, so they were unwilling to sleep obediently.

After a while, the two men began to harass Yang Yuan.

Sometimes there was a gentle kiss on the cheek, and sometimes there was a strand of hair scratching the tip of the nose.

After a while, Qingtang's little hands became more and more naughty.

Seeing this, the competitive Ah Man simply crawled deeper into the sleeping bag.

"Don't make trouble!"

Yang Yuan felt amused and helpless, so he caught Ah Man.

"Dinner will be served soon. Why are you making such a fuss? Take a rest."

Yang Yuan patted Ah Man's little butt and said something lovingly.

Ah Man pouted and put her arms around Yang Yuan's neck in a naive manner.

Qingtang on the other side was not willing to be outdone.

Then, Yang Yuan's neck was embraced by four arms, and two thighs were placed on his stomach from both sides.

"Uncle, there is a major discovery!"

Outside the cave, a loud shout was suddenly heard from Yang Shou.

Then the sound of footsteps came in.

In a flash, Qingtang and A'man disappeared.

The two little girls crawled down and stuck close to Yang Yuan. At first glance, Yang Yuan was the only one lying in the sleeping bag.

"Xiaoshou, what did you find?"

Yang Yuan was very calm.

Yang Shou didn't notice anything, nor was he surprised why Yang Yuan was lying so calmly in the sleeping bag.

He handed over something that was wet and stained with grass leaves and stems.

It was clearly visible under the campfire. It was a hat, a white felt hat of a rather strange style.

"This is……"

"The military cap of the Jin army!"

Yang Shou said loudly: "I found it on a mountain path. The mountain path turned into a river, and the flood was raging. The hat rolled to the edge and was caught by a small tree. I found it, hehe."

"This is happening!"

Yang Yuan jumped out of the sleeping bag straight away, just like pulling out a carrot.

Fortunately, he was facing Yang Shou, a stubborn man, who was not at all curious about why Yang Yuan's posture when he got out of bed was so strange.

Yang Yuan, wearing a small coat, took the white felt hat and walked quickly to the campfire to inspect it.

"Xiaoshou, the mountain torrents are flowing here from the direction of Qinzhou, right?"

"Well, the terrain is higher over there."

Yang Yuan clenched the white felt hat in his hand.

He could already imagine what was going on.

From the direction of Qinzhou, there should be a Jin army rushing towards this side along the ancient mountain road, trying to outflank the rear of Dasan Pass.

Due to heavy rain and mountain floods, the Jin army urgently retreated to the two banks to avoid rain and floods.

The hat of a lieutenant in the Jin army was accidentally blown into the flood by the wind and rain, and then rushed here and was caught by the branches of the bushes on the roadside.

The reconnaissance range of a scout is usually five to ten kilometers. In mountainous areas or areas with dense water networks, the lower limit is usually five kilometers.

For plains suitable for horse riding, the maximum distance for reconnaissance is generally twenty to thirty kilometers.

Of course, if it is a vast prairie, the reconnaissance range may even be expanded to 80 kilometers.

This is an ancient mountain road in Qinchuan. It is the only passage that passes through Qinzhou and goes around to the rear of Dasan Pass.

The mountain road was rugged and winding, and Yang Yuan's army's reconnaissance range was only seven or eight kilometers.

This military cap looks quite new, not an old cap that has been thrown away for many years.

So, the Jin army in Qinzhou really wants to use the same old tricks to attack me from behind. Are they right in front?

"Yang Shou!"

"The general is here!"

When Yang Shou heard Yang Yuan calling him by his full name, he knew that they wanted to discuss important official business, so he stood up straight with his chest puffed out and answered loudly.

"The Mad Demon Army will rest immediately. Ganquan's Firearms Battalion will take over the setting up of camp. The Mad Demon Army will have their meals served in advance."

Yang Yuan said: "No matter whether the rainstorm stops or not, three quarters of an hour after dinner, the Crazy Demon Legion will sneak forward along the mountains on both sides and attack the enemy!"

"I will obey your orders!"

Yang Shouxing took the order and left immediately.

When they heard that there was a war to be fought, the three armies immediately became excited.

After the military reform of the Song Dynasty, Yang Yuan made more detailed settings for the legions under his command on this basis.

In the military, there are two types of merit: combat merit and military merit.

Merits can be directly converted into material rewards and promotions in military rank.

Military merit naturally refers to the merits gained from fighting wars and killing enemies, and it also has its own set of detailed assessment standards.

For example, cutting off an ear is counted as merit, collective merit is given based on the victory or defeat of a battle, etc.

Military merit, on the other hand, refers to many achievements in auxiliary fields.

For example, secretaries, gate officers, senators, or logistics troops, they rarely have the opportunity to participate in front-line combat.

Therefore, it is difficult for them to achieve military merit.

If there is no corresponding military merit assessment, then the only rewards and qualifications can be obtained when the entire army wins a great victory.

This will seriously dampen the fighting enthusiasm of these soldiers.

It would be different if they had "military merit" specially designed for them.

Through their job activities, they can directly obtain military performance assessment merits, combat experience merits, etc.

In heavy rain like now, the combat capability of the Firearm Battalion was greatly restricted. Yang Yuan directly used them as logistics soldiers, allowing the Crazy Demon Legion, which was about to go into battle, to rest.

However, since there are separate military merits to be earned, doing well in setting up camp, cooking, etc. can also be recorded as a separate military merit for assessment. Whether the tasks are completed in a timely manner and with what quality all determine the size of their military merits.

Therefore, the officers and soldiers of the Firearms Battalion who accepted the task of setting up camp were equally active, conscientious, meticulous and responsible in their work.

Dinner was served early, and the 2,500 officers and soldiers of the former Tongchuan First General and Second Army, that is, the Crazy Legion, were the first to enjoy the hot dinner.

A lot of dried meat was also put into the porridge to ensure their physical energy consumption.

After they finished eating, each of them was given two large rolled-up pancakes with shredded pork and dried vegetables spread with sauce, which were wrapped in oil paper and put into the arms of each soldier.

Such treatment is only possible because of good logistics.

Not only did Yang Yuan mobilize for war for nearly a year, but he also paid the most attention to improving military equipment and enhancing logistics efficiency when he took charge of Tongchuan and began to reorganize Sichuan and Gorges and actively prepare for war.

Now, the soldiers who were about to go to the battle drank the steaming hot meat porridge and held a chewy pancake with meat and vegetables in their arms.

These two simple things are impossible to find in other armies.

That pot of meat porridge and two large pancakes are a reflection of logistical work. Its value has long surpassed the value of the food itself.

After dinner and a rest for quarter of an hour, the Crazy Legion began to prepare to set off.

The Crazy Demon Legion was not wearing armor, but cloth clothes. They had all changed into light new straw sandals. They only carried light weapons that were easy to carry, and wore straw raincoats to avoid the rain and keep warm.

Although it is summer now, it is cool in the mountains at night. Coupled with the heavy rain, the body heat is consumed very quickly.

Yang Shou led the Crazy Demon Legion and set off.

The most skilled men in the Mad Demon Legion were sent as scouts to explore the way ahead.

Because of the dark night, wind and rain, the vision and hearing are greatly affected.

Now they only knew that there were Qinzhou Jin troops ahead, but they didn't know the exact distance and location.

The Jin army in Qinzhou must have also had scouts deployed ahead of the army to serve as secret sentinels.

Fortunately, in such bad weather, even if the Jin army's secret sentries discovered something, they had no better way to alert the enemy and could only walk back to report.

In this way, the scouts of the Crazy Army who came into contact with the enemy first would have to fight against the scouts of the Jin Army.

Killing them would cut off their warning signals, allowing the enemy's main force to be attacked suddenly without knowing it.

……

Under heavy rain and mountain torrents, the Jin army in Qinzhou was forced to retreat to the mountains on both sides to take shelter and camp.

Their camps were not as neat and complete as those of Yang Yuan's army, and the rations they carried were not as abundant and nutritious as those of Yang Yuan's army.

That would be fine, but the most important thing is that their armaments and military discipline are far inferior to those of the Jin Dynasty during its heyday.

When the Jin Dynasty was at its most powerful, each heavy cavalryman had three horses.

A horse carries armor, military rations, medicinal materials and other supplies.

A horse is used for daily riding and marching.

A horse used in battle is covered with armor and used as a war horse.

Ordinary cavalry also had two horses, one for use and one for reserve.

But now, even though they are Qinzhou soldiers and are already in a horse-breeding area, due to the lack of military funds, they can only provide two horses for each heavy cavalryman and one horse for each ordinary cavalryman.

Even worse was the combat discipline.

Previously, the Jin army implemented the Meng'an Mouke system. If a thousand-man leader died in battle, the centurion leader would also die. If a centurion leader died in battle, the ten squad leaders under him would all be executed.

If a sergeant died in battle, the two squad leaders under him would be executed.

If a squad leader dies in battle, the four soldiers under him will all be executed.

In this way, as long as the generals are brave and lead by example, the soldiers under them will not be afraid to risk their lives.

The general led by example and forced his men to risk their lives.

Therefore, when the Jin army just invaded the south, Li Ye, a minister of the Northern Song Dynasty, went to the Jin army camp to negotiate.

He witnessed such armaments and military discipline with his own eyes, and came back to say that the Jin army's "men are like tigers, horses are like dragons, they climb mountains like monkeys and dive into water like otters. Their momentum is like Mount Tai, and China is like a pile of eggs."

As a result, he was ridiculed by the Northern Song Dynasty court and even the people, and was given a nickname: "Liuru Jieshi".

Later, he was slapped in the face by the Jin soldiers.

However, the current Jin army is really not as strong as it was back then.

Military horses, equipment and supplies are not what they used to be.

Military discipline is no longer what it used to be.

The Meng'an and Mouke system had collapsed, and the army was supplemented by a large number of forcibly conscripted Han soldiers.

Qinzhou's military commander-in-chief Wang He and deputy commander-in-chief Zhang Boya were stationed in camps on the hillsides on both sides.

They walked around in straw raincoats for a long time, taking deep steps and shallow steps.

When they returned to their makeshift tent, their boots were covered in mud and seemed to have weighed ten pounds in an instant, leaving them exhausted.

They found that the deployment of camp and defense was full of loopholes due to laxity.

Although they also felt that they would not encounter the enemy during the march, they were still frustrated by the Jin army's slackness.

Those soldiers, they are cavalry.

But because of a rainstorm, they were too lazy to take good care of their most relied-upon old friends on the battlefield - their war horses.

The two veterans, who are nearly fifty years old, have been with the Jin Dynasty since its heyday.

They can see these changes that are visible to the naked eye most clearly.

The soldiers nowadays are so far inferior to those I had back then!

This is the common lament of Wang He and Zhang Boya.

By dawn, the rain had stopped for more than half an hour.

After being washed by water, the Qinling Mountains have lush vegetation and fresh air.

The mountains and rivers are shrouded in curling mist, like a fairyland.

Because the turbid waves in the valley, which still roared like the mooing of cows, were covered by the fog and could not be seen at all.

At this moment, the sound of warning clappers suddenly rang out in the Jin army camp.

The Crazy Legion killed the Jin Army's outpost scouts and sneaked out of the Jin Army camp.

They sat on the wet grass, ate the bread, took a few gulps of wine from the wineskins they carried with them, and rested quietly for two quarters of an hour.

Afterwards, they threw away their raincoats that were used to shelter them from the rain and keep them warm, pulled out new spare straw sandals from their waists and put them on, tightened their leggings, took off their rain hats, and rushed into the Jin army's camp like cheetahs, cunning foxes, and vicious wolves pouncing into a sheepfold.

The crazy army that once frightened the three barbarians of Xuzhou like ghosts, now found a place where the time, location, and people were all perfect for their combat expertise. Like a ghost from the gates of hell, they rushed out from the mist and broke into the camp of the Jin army.

Screams, cries for help, panicked warnings, the morbid laughter of crazy soldiers, the clashing of weapons, and the sound of sharp blades entering the body, all intertwined in the fog to form a heart-pounding symphony.

On the grass in the forest that had been flattened by the crazy soldiers, Gao Gan's brave soldiers were advancing lightly and rushing forward quickly.

Among the troops in the central route of Lizhou, the most elite are Shi Han's cavalry and Gao Gan's infantry.

They marched quickly along the mountain path trampled by the Mad Demon Army until...

They clearly heard the shouts and screams.

Then they stopped, quickly regrouped, and abandoned their supplies.

Like a mad army, they prepared themselves for battle in a very short time and then pounced forward.

At this time, the sky cleared, the fog dissipated, and the sun jumped above the mountains.

At that moment, everything in Qinling Mountains was covered with a layer of moving colors.

The adorable golden monkey squatted on a tall tree on the top of the mountain, broke off a branch, chewed the tender new leaves, and looked curiously towards the valley near the mountains.

The sun hasn't yet shone there.

There were strange noises coming from there that made the monkeys feel uncomfortable, and they instinctively didn't want to get close.

(End of this chapter)