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The wind howled, whipping up a cloud of dust and rustling the leaves on the trees. 。With a splash, Wang Dou lifted a bucket of water from the river's surface, shattering the calm ripples. 。He carefully placed the bucket by the bank and, taking the opportunity, washed his face. The cool river water invigorated him. 。After straightening up, Wang Dou let out a long sigh and looked into the distance, his eyes squinting as usual. 。The scene before me was vastly different from the picturesque beauty of the Jiangnan region. There were towering mountain ranges, vast and boundless plains, sparse trees dotting the landscape, and distant fortified villages that appeared as mere specks. The vista evoked a sense of desolation and grandeur, stretching endlessly to the horizon. 。This is Xuanfu Town, a town in the northern border of Ming Dynasty. 。"It's been sixteen days since I came to this world? Time flies." 。Wang Dou silently thought to himself. 。Okay, while this Wang Dou in front of us is a person from the Ming Dynasty, his spirit and soul aren't from this world. They belong to a history teacher from the 21st century, over thirty years old, from the future. 。In simple terms, it's that Wang Dou traveled through time, the process being very inexplicable and undocumented. Anyway, it boils down to Wang Dou from the future possessing this ordinary Ming Dynasty foot soldier, 。It's also a coincidence that the owner of this one is also Wang Dou, but the difference is that this Wang Dou from the Ming Dynasty's "dou" refers to a small "dou," while the "dou" in later generations' Wang Dou refers to "struggle." Although both are "dou," their meanings are completely different. 。As for what happened to him, Wang Dou couldn't explain it. He had no chance to find someone who could help him unravel the mystery, so he could only keep it to himself silently. 。But whoever happened to experience this strange thing would be terrified, Wang Dou was no exception. 。Fortunately, Wang Dou was a man of steady mind and sound character in later times. Just days after the events transpired, he came to terms with what had happened and began to carefully consider how to proceed in the future. 。When Wang Dou was in his prime, he also had the memory thoughts of that time, which caused him a lot of unnecessary trouble. From the memories in his mind and his own silent understanding over these days, he roughly understood his current situation. 。I came to this world on the 28th day of July in the seventh year of Chongzhen. In a blink of an eye, ten days have passed, and now it is the 13th day of August. 。This place is located in the Ba'an Prefecture area on Huai Long Dao East Road, Xuanfu Town. He was an ordinary garrison soldier from Jingbian Dumpling under Dongjiazhuang, Shunxiangbao in the jurisdiction of Bao'anzhou. He had an elderly mother and a unmarried daughter-in-law. His role was to support his family. 。The king Dou of this world was twenty-two years old, much younger than the Dou in later generations. He was tall and strong, not only proficient in boxing and kicking but also skilled in using spears and bows. This made the Dou of later generations who often lived in sub-health conditions feel envious. However, it was a pity that this Ming Dynasty Dou, although tall and strong, was naive and cowardly. He was frequently bullied without daring to resist, which made the current Dou, who possessed his memories, feel sorry for him and angry at his inaction!However, in later times, Dou's characteristic was prudence and calmness. Therefore, after possessing this body, he did not rashly do anything out of line. Instead, he observed his surroundings coldly while recalling the history of the late Ming Dynasty he knew... 。After Wang Dou's passing, his descendants taught middle school history in a certain place in Fujian. He himself was well-versed in late Ming Dynasty history and had a profound understanding of geography, especially the regions of Hebei and Shanxi. 。As far as he knew, the late Ming Dynasty could be described as a period of external threats. Decades of continuous disasters gave rise to endless bandit uprisings and wars, until they finally destroyed the last vestiges of this nation. In the end, this vast empire collapsed with a thunderous roar, and the fruits of victory were stolen by foreign tribes. 。It was a very chaotic time, where it was better to be a peaceful dog than a person in the world. Human life was as cheap as grass. Even if one were a soldier, one's life could not be guaranteed from day to day. 。The more Wang Dou understood this history, the more worried he became about survival in the future. 。Sometimes, in the quiet of night, Wang Dou would think of his parents and wife from the future generations, thinking that he could never see them again in this life, his heart ached. 。However, deep down inside, Wang Dou still felt a thrill about having arrived in this world. 。In later generations, he was a man who refused to be ordinary. He wielded great power, but unfortunately, fate played tricks on him, and he never had the opportunity to rise to prominence. Perhaps in this era, he could have lived a different life. 。It's all well and good to have ideals, but reality is always cruel. Right now, I'm just a negligible little soldier on the Fire Path Road. My previous reputation for weakness means anyone can walk all over me. Sure, Wang Dou has been quiet and brooding lately, giving off an air of being hard to mess with, but until he actually does something, people still see him as nothing more than a pushover. The menial and dirty jobs are still the first thing they ask me to do. Like this water-carrying job I have to do every day, which is miles away from our camp. 。Years of drought had caused the wells at Wang Dou's Jingbian Fort to run dry. The daily water needs of the garrison and their families now fell on his shoulders. He had to carry water, making several trips back and forth between the river and the fort every day. 。This river is known locally as Dongfang River. It originates from the mountains in the south of Baoshan Prefecture, flowing through Huayao Fort, Shunxiang Fort, and Dongjiazhuang before continuing downstream for ten miles. It then joins the later renowned Sangqian River. At this point, the river known as Hunhe... 。Looking out, the Dongfang River is clear and its banks are covered with grasslands and trees. However, after crossing the river, you'll see vast stretches of dry land. A gentle breeze can easily stir up clouds of dust. 。On both sides of the river, there were some military encampments or farmlands belonging to civilians. The river meandered northwestward, continuously irrigating and nourishing the land along its banks. However, due to prolonged drought, the water level of this river had dropped significantly, leaving only a narrow stretch of water beyond the riverbank. 。Wang Dou finished his work and calculated that after this trip for water, today's quota would be complete. He could relax a little. 。At this time, he was wearing a worn-out red cotton jacket. The originally vibrant color had almost faded away. The red military cap on his head was also missing half of it. His feet were clad in equally worn-out red shoes. 。This is the Ming army uniform he wore: a Mandarin duck battle waistcoat. 。In the past, Ming army soldiers received new mandarin-style battle jackets every three years. However, many border troops at this time probably hadn't had their uniforms changed in ten years. Wang Dou's uniform was also ragged, though patched up it was washed very clean. This was all thanks to his foster daughter-in-law Xie Xiulan; her diligence and kindness were well-known. 。Around Wang Dou's waist hung a plaque indicating his position. The plaque was made of wood, with the inscription "Dun Army Guard Wang Dou" engraved on the front. On the left side were the characters "Security Defense Brave Number 845". The back was inscribed with the words "All Dun Army Guards who carry this badge, those without it will be punished according to law. Borrowers and lenders are equally guilty." 。This is an important proof that Wang Dou defended the Jingbian Fort, and losing it would be a serious crime. 。Besides the bucket, there was also his long gun. 。Wang Dou picked up his spear, a sense of determination surging through him. In this tumultuous era where life hung by a thread, this spear was his greatest guarantee of survival. 。Wang Dou held a gun in his left hand, bent over to pick up the bucket, and habitually glanced around cautiously. 。Wang Dou couldn't help but be careless. Although most of the Later Jin army had already moved to the area around Daichi, there were still small cavalry units active near Baan State and Huailai Guard. He had to be careful not to encounter them. 。In early July of the previous month, Nurhaci, the Khan of the Later Jin dynasty and known to the Ming as Huang Taiji, took advantage of the pretext that Ming troops were harassing his borders, killing his people, and sheltering fugitives. He led tens of thousands of troops to breach the Shangfang Fort, then rampaged through Xuanfu Town, besieging the city. The defenders of Xuanfu fired cannons, repelling Huang Taiji's forces who then retreated to the vicinity of Daitong. 。After news of the Jurchens' advance reached the Ming court, the capital was thrown into turmoil. On the 9th day, martial law was declared in Beijing, and the Ministry of War urgently ordered Chen Hongfan, the general commanding the troops in Baoding, to garrison Juyongguan, while Quan Dingkui guarded Zijin Pass to prevent the Jurchens from entering the vicinity of the capital. 。On July 23rd, five days before Wang Dou arrived in this world, the Later Jin army captured Baoning Prefecture. The military and civilians suffered countless casualties, and the prefect Yan Shengdou committed suicide to show his loyalty. 。Subsequently, the Jurchens of King Zhonglu retreated under the leadership of Azhige to Datong to join forces with Huang Taiji. When Wang Dou arrived in this world, all over Baoning Prefecture was still devastated and in ruins. 。According to Wang Dou's understanding of history, although the main force of the Later Jin army should have been in the vicinity of Daitong at this time, they would not fully retreat to outside the pass until the 8th lunar month. He still had to be careful. 。... Wang Dou carried the water towards the east. This man was truly imposing, with a tiger's back and a bear's waist. Even though he was carrying two heavy buckets of water for several miles, it seemed effortless to him. 。All the way forward, it was flat land. Looking around, the terrain was open and spacious, with good soil quality. 。This Baoshan prefecture was the later Zhuolu County, but at this time, Baoshan Prefecture was much larger than the later Zhuolu County. The later Xinbao in Huailai County, Dongbali (eight miles east), Xibali (eight miles west), Shacheng, and Sangyuan were all important castle towns under the jurisdiction of Baoshan Prefecture. 。The area of Baan State enjoys a superior environment, known as "a thousand miles of mulberry and hemp, only the rich are in Zhuolu." Along both banks of Sangqian River and Yanghe River, the land is fertile and irrigation is convenient. Here, even rice can be cultivated. 。Especially on the south bank of the Sangqian River, with canals widely distributed and serving as an important area for farmland cultivation in Xuanfu Town. To protect this vital farmland from disturbance, fire watchtowers were built in this region. 。However, in the area around Shunxiang Fort, irrigation is not very convenient due to its proximity to hills and mountains. Coupled with increasingly large-scale droughts recently, besides the fields near rivers and canals, Wang Dou saw that many fertile lands were wasted. 。Walking more than a mile further, in the distance, one could see on a slightly elevated mound a towering fire watchtower standing majestically. The tower was over ten meters high, its entire shape resembling an inverted dome. At the top, one could see the hall building and lamp posts with military flags. Around the tower, there was a horse pen wall over thirty meters long. Outside the wall lay a moat. This was the Jingbian Tower, one of the four fire watchtowers under the jurisdiction of Dongjiazhuang in Shunxiangbao. There were seven soldiers guarding it, and Wang Dou was one of them. 。During the Ming Dynasty, watchtowers were extensively built throughout the Nine Border regions. Generally, there was a tower every three miles and a watchtower every five miles. In some crucial areas, even towers were built every mile. Those near the border were called border towers, while those located in inland areas were known as fire-road towers or relay towers. Each tower was guarded by five or seven soldiers. Across the entire defense perimeter, there were over forty different types of towers and watchtowers. 。The Jingbian Fort where Wang Dou was located was just an ordinary watchtower, so the entire fort was built of rammed earth and not brick-laid. 。If a package brick, it is called the building stage, the surrounding horse circle walls can reach over a hundred meters long, the outside moat deeper, but to build a building stage required blue bricks up to five eight thousand pieces, white ash nearly a hundred stones, with the Ming Dynasty's financial resources, only in some important places to build platform 。As he neared his home, Wang Dou felt joy and quickened his pace. Soon, he arrived at the moat outside the J???边墩 wall. This wall was about four meters high, with a large gate facing south. Above the gate was a plaque inscribed with the three large characters "Jingbian Dun". 。Above the gate there is a suspended pavilion. It has guard stones and soldiers, who also control a drawbridge. When garrison troops from the Jingbian Fort need to leave, they have to rely on this bridge. 。Wang Dou carefully avoided several hidden pitfalls beside the trench and came to the front of the gate. He shouted from under the suspended tower, "I'm back, quickly lower the drawbridge!" After shouting for a while, after a long time, a head poked out lazily from the top of the suspended tower. Seeing that it was Wang Dou, the man laughed, "Wang the Fool is back? You're quick to fetch water, did you meet any Tartars on the way?" Wang Dou knew this person was Yang Tong, a flatterer who usually followed Captain Zhong Dayong around, pretending to be powerful and often taking pleasure in mocking Wang Dou. Wang Dou had always disliked him, ignoring him, he just shouted, "Quickly lower the drawbridge!" Yang Tong felt bored, so he cursed, "Damn it, what are you rushing for? Didn't I just lower the drawbridge?" He grumbled as he lowered the drawbridge and shouted to those around the wall, "Wang the Fool is back, quickly open the gate" 。Then, the drawbridge lowered quickly, and the gate leading to the platform opened. A chorus of male voices came out, several heads appeared in sight, all staring at Wang Dou with smiles. One even exclaimed, "Wang Dashanzi is back? Wasn't he captured by the Tartars?"Wang Dou walked onto the bridge carrying two heavy buckets, causing the wooden planks beneath his feet to creak and groan. He kept a stoic face, ignoring those people, and walked straight into the courtyard. 。 |
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