Qingzhou City.
At this time, there were Ming army camps all over the north of the city. Jimo Camp Staff General Zhang Youxun, Wendeng Camp Staff General Lu Tingyan, and Dengzhou Camp Staff General Han Xu gathered in Zhang Youxun's Chinese army tent and sat speechless.
"How many days has it been? Why is your Lingshan Guard Officer Liu Yan not here yet?"
Faced with the question from General Lu Tingyan of Wendeng Camp, Zhang Youxun immediately retorted: "I have already brought four thousand soldiers and horses from Jimo Camp, almost all of my family members, but you, General Lu, only brought more than three thousand old and weak soldiers. , and you, General Han, although you have brought more than 8,000 people, they are all ordinary Dunjun troops. Where are the elite soldiers of your camp? Why do you want to question me when your own elite soldiers are not here? !”
Han Xu said with a smile: "Haha, how can General Lu Shen and I compare with you? No matter what elites we have in our hands, they are not as good as the new army of Lingshan Guards under your command, which is huge The elite of the main force of defeated slave thieves!”
"Now Lu Duchen, Yan Futai, and King De are all trapped in Jinan Fucheng by the main force of slave thieves. However, because the main force of your Jimo camp is not strong enough, we have been unable to go north to rescue. Once Jinan city is destroyed, who will be responsible? Come and bear it!”
Zhang Youxun immediately shouted: "No one can blame me, I'm not afraid! If you have the guts, let's break camp and go north now. Do you want to do it?"
Lu Tingyan and Han Xu immediately stopped talking. If it weren't for the military emergency, the two of them would not have come here at all. They had already gathered their elite troops to defend the Wendeng Camp and Dengzhou Camp. Who would go to Jinan like a fool to fight for their lives? ?
Now the whole Shandong Province knows that there is a powerful new Lingshan Guard army in the Jimo Camp. Without Liu Yan, neither Lu Tingyan nor Han Xu will give the order to go north. In particular, one of the soldiers, Ye Bushou, captured a defeated soldier, who was a soldier from Liu Zeqing's Zhenbiao camp. Knowing that Liu Zeqing had been defeated and died, they did not dare to act rashly.
Zhang Youxun looked at the two of them and said angrily: "Even if Liu Yan leads his troops here, he can't fight this battle alone. He only has nine thousand people, but there are one hundred thousand slaves and thieves! Once the Lingshan Guards The new army is defeated, and none of us can survive."
"cut!"
Lu Tingyan suddenly sneered and said: "If Liu Yan's elite are defeated, then we will stop fighting and return to our respective bases to wait for reinforcements."
Zhang Youxun was furious when he heard this, and was about to explode when Han Xu stood up and said, "What do you think of the Dubiao Battalion under Lu Duchen? At present, Lu Duchen is leading his troops to defend Jinan Fucheng. With the combat power of the Dubiao Battalion, Maybe we can hold on to the city and defeat the slave thieves under the city, and then it doesn’t matter if we don’t go.”
"Yes, yes, you're right!"
Zhang Youxun suddenly became angry and realized that he had nothing to talk to these two guys, so he waved his hands impatiently, letting Lu Tingyan and Han Xu disperse, and called the guards outside the tent. , we need to send someone to urge Liu Yan to speed up and come to join them.
At this moment, several people heard the sound of war drums coming from outside. Han Xu was the first to jump up and said with a smile: "Listen to the order, this is the arrival of friendly troops. It must be the new Lingshan Guard Army led by Liu Yan." !”
Lu Tingyan suddenly changed his expression and said in a deep voice: "Commander Liu has been working hard all the way. We are going to greet him and prepare food and drink for the new army soldiers to reward them!"
Han Xu repeatedly said yes, and the two of them walked out of the Chinese army's tent and left Zhang Youxun here.
"These two bastards!"
Everyone relied on Liu Yan in this battle. Even though Liu Yan had the lowest official position, Lu Tingyan and Han Xu tried their best to win over Zhang Youxun, which made Zhang Youxun feel as sick as if he had eaten a fly.
Not long after, Liu Yan led the soldiers from the seven battalions of Lingshan Guards to the Ming army camp. After settling the soldiers in each battalion, Liu Yan took Chen Xun, Wang Yue, Wang Bo, Zhang Yi, Shen Tuo, Miao Shao, Xu Ming's seven thousand commanders, as well as the town governor Xun Jingyun, came to Zhang Youxun's Chinese army tent together.
Lu Tingyan and Han Xu also came over and sat down in the Chinese army tent with a smile.
"The last general has met Sir General, General Lu and General Han!"
"Haha, Commander Liu, there's no need to be polite. Sit down and have a rest. You've worked hard all the way."
Zhang Youxun said with a smile, then glanced at Lu Tingyan and Han Xu, and then said to Liu Yan: "Commander Liu, how many troops will you bring this time?"
Liu Yan looked at the three of them. Just from the way these three generals greeted him, he could tell that they were determined to regard him and the new army soldiers as the vanguard in this battle, so they stopped being polite and prepared to go all the way. benefit.
"Lord Qi, my subordinates have brought all seven battalions of the New Army, totaling more than 9,000 soldiers."
"good!"
Zhang Youxun laughed and said: "With Commander Liu and nine thousand new troops here, our army will definitely be able to break the siege of Jinan!"
Lu Tingyan and Han Xu also praised Liu Yan repeatedly, saying that Liu Yan was awe-inspiring, righteous, loyal, and a tiger general, etc.
Mr. Qian, who was standing by, his eyes widened when he saw them, and whispered to Chen Xun: "My darling, these two superior officers are really powerful. They can flatter others better than me. It's really rare to see them!"
Chen Xun glared at Wang Yue and said, "This is indeed a rare sight!"
Seeing the three superiors boasting like this, Liu Yan smiled and clasped his fists and said, "My lords, the military situation is urgent at this time. The general has something to ask for."
Without waiting for Zhang Youxun to speak, Lu Tingyan waved his hand and said: "Commander Liu is the main force of our army in this battle. If you have something to say, it doesn't matter. The three of us will give our full support!"
Zhang Youxun also said yes repeatedly, while Han Xu paused and then nodded.
"The military situation is urgent this time. In order to rush for time, the general did not bring too much money, food and supplies, and there are very few artillery in the army. Therefore, I ask three adults to support some money and food. It is best to support the general with some sophisticated artillery."
Zhang Youxun, Lu Tingyan, and Han Xu were all dumbfounded and looked at Liu Yan. They were obedient and good subordinates just now, but now they have changed their attitude and are asking for money, food, and artillery!
Lu Tingyan and Han Xu immediately shut their mouths, not daring to answer the conversation at all. Zhang Youxun frowned and said: "Now everyone is in a hurry to lead his troops out, and they are not rich in money and food, otherwise... "
Liu Yan didn't wait for Zhang Youxun to finish, and said loudly: "What we fight on the battlefield is money and food. If our army cannot supply money and food, then more than 9,000 soldiers will forcefully go north. Wouldn't they be asking for death? Not only will they not be able to solve the siege of Jinan, It will also cost the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers in vain! Forgive me for my powerlessness. Without money, food and artillery, my subordinates will not go north. There are three superior officers in front of me to support everything. In the future, if the court blames me, it will not fall on me. On the head!"
"you!"
Zhang Youxun didn't expect that Liu Yan would directly contradict him, and he immediately felt that he had lost face. Lu Tingyan and Han Xu were also happy to watch the joke, but they didn't expect that Liu Yan stood up directly and said to the two of them: "This battle is not just my own business in Jimo camp. , but it is a matter of Shandong Dusi, and both of you have a share in it. In my opinion, if General Zhang is really in trouble, how about you help me, too!"
After speaking, Liu Yan clasped his fists and said to the three of them: "The words have been spoken. The general will go back and wait for orders. The three adults will discuss slowly and say goodbye!"
Looking at Liu Yan walking away, Zhang Youxun finally realized the benefits of having a strong army, and he could do whatever he wanted even with Shangguan.
"Boy, how do you think this matter should be handled?"
Zhang Youxun kicked the ball back directly. Lu Tingyan and Han Xu looked at each other. The two originally wanted to watch the excitement, but Liu Yan pulled them in together. Now that he and Zhang Youxun were tied together, he could only We discussed it together.
"Senior General Zhang, your subordinate Liu Yan is really powerful. Isn't it just because he has a new army in his hands? How unbecoming is it to show off his power in front of three superior officers!"
Looking at Lu Tingyan who was venting his dissatisfaction, Zhang Youxun smiled bitterly and said, "I can also punish Liu Yan. We can also not give him money, food and artillery. The result is that Liu Yan will stand still. Or we can lead his troops north to die. Or sit back and watch the fall of Jinan Fucheng, and then be punished by the court together, and ride in a prison car to Caishikou of the capital. Anyway, you will die. You two tell me, I will listen to you."
Lu Tingyan was speechless now. He looked at Han Xu next to him and tapped the armrest of the chair with his left hand, signaling Han Xu to say a few words.
Han Xu coughed to cover up his embarrassment, and then said: "Let me see, we might as well collect the amount of money and food in each camp and see how much we can give to Liu Yan. If we can get it together, things will be fine. It’s done, can’t we risk our lives for something that can be solved with money?”
Zhang Youxun nodded in agreement. Anyway, the money and food cannot be attributed to him alone. It is best to share it equally among the three families.
Lu Tingyan asked: "What about the artillery?"
"This will be easier to do!"
Han Xu said: "Give Liu Yan all the artillery from our three military camps. We don't plan to go north anyway. We just use the artillery to calculate our combat effectiveness. In the future, if Liu Yan really wins the battle, we can share the profits with the artillery." Why not do military exploits?"
"good!"
Zhang Youxun immediately praised and applauded. Lu Tingyan also laughed and said: "Let's do it as we say and call the quartermaster in the camp for questioning immediately!"
About an hour later, Liu Yan was called to the central army tent in Jimo Camp again. As soon as Liu Yan entered the tent, Zhang Youxun asked directly: "Fifty thousand shi of food and sixty-seven thousand taels of military pay, are they enough?"
Liu Yan smiled and said, "Okay, then I'll accept it!"
Zhang Youxun, Lu Tingyan, and Han Xu breathed a sigh of relief.
"What about the artillery?"
Zhang Youxun replied: "I discussed with Generals Lu and Han and prepared ten Folan cannons. They will be transferred to you together with the gunners. It will be regarded as our support for Commander Liu. How about it?"
Liu Yan frowned slightly. While he was waiting for the news, he had asked Miao Shao to lead people to investigate in the camp. Although Jimo Camp, Wendeng Camp, and Dengzhou Camp were not elite, there were two or three in each camp. There were only ten artillery pieces in the three military camps. Liu Yan was suddenly dissatisfied.
"I want thirty French cannons!"
"What!"
Liu Yan said: "Anyway, looking at the posture, the three adults do not intend to lead their troops to Jinan Fucheng. These artillery are just for display. Why not give more to the general?"
Lu Tingyan gritted his teeth and said, "Liu Yan, don't go too far!"
Han Xu pulled Lu Tingyan, and then said: "We have a lot of artillery in the army, but most of them are not very well made. If Commander Liu dares to use them, there is no harm in giving them to you."
Liu Yan frowned slightly, and then said: "That's it, the general will send people to inspect the camp, and all the usable artillery can be taken away by the general. How about that?"
Lu Tingyan was so angry that he didn't speak, Zhang Youxun nodded with a straight face, and Han Xu said, "Okay, it's a deal!"
Then Liu Yan and the three men came to the camp, called General Qian Qian, and began to select artillery in the Jimo Camp, Wendeng Camp, and Dengzhou Camp.
But after some selection, both Liu Yan and Qian Chong were greatly disappointed. What Han Xu said is true. There are more than 80 artillery pieces of various types in the three military camps. However, the number of artillery pieces that are not in danger of exploding and can be used with confidence is only 18 pieces, and they are all small Franco machine guns, and one heavy artillery piece. There are no doors.
Seeing this, Liu Yan was not polite and asked Qian Qian to lead people to take away all the eighteen Franco machine guns, along with the gunners, ammunition and gunpowder.
"These eighteen artillery pieces are individually organized into one sentry."
After Liu Yan finished his instructions, Zhang Youxun came over and asked, "Commander Liu, when are you going to send troops?"
Liu Yan looked at the three of them and said: "As long as the money and food can be delivered in full tonight, the general will lead his troops northward at the end of tomorrow morning to help Jinan Fucheng!"
Some people died, but not completely...
