In the eyes of the Mongols, Guo Ning's headquarters is naturally the troops led by Guo Zhongyuan.
Guo Zhongyuan took up this post and was very cautious.
After he defeated the troops of surrendered general Zhao Jin and others, he quickly moved closer to Yidu, but did not enter the city.
Most of the garrison originally stationed in Yidu Prefecture were brought to Linzi, an important military town west of the Zi River, by Wanyan Sala. Currently stationed in Yidu are two local militia leaders, Zhang Lin and Yan Ning.
Zhang Lin is a native of Yidu and has a reputation for bravery. Yan Ning, on the other hand, was from Juzhou and served as an official in Juzhou for prosecution.
Both generals are talented, but when they suddenly take on a big responsibility, how can they not be nervous?
Five days ago, the two of them were overjoyed when they heard that Dinghaijun Jiedushi defeated the Mongolian army at Xiangshan Pass outside Yidu City and sent envoys one after another to contact them. In order to cover up the fact that his army was not led by Guo Ning, Guo Zhongyuan could only treat them lukewarmly. Moreover, the troops did not enter the city and were temporarily stationed at the former site of Dongyang City to the north of Yidu City, across Yangshui River.
Dongyang City was a fortified city built by Emperor Wu of the Song Dynasty in the early years after he conquered Murong Chao and pacified Guangguang. It faces the two cities of Nanyang City south of Yangshui River, embracing the water like a crescent moon. Originally, the two cities were combined as the seat of Yidu. Later, during the Jingkang period, Jurchen soldiers went south and burned down Dongyang City, which has been abandoned to this day.
Zhang Lin and Yan Ning, for the sake of their own safety, really hoped that Minister Guo Ning would be stationed in Dongyang City, so they sent people overnight to deliver food and supplies.
Who would have expected that two days later, Guo Ning's troops would set off in a hurry again with great fanfare.
Zhang Lin asked: "Did Guo Ning ever say why he left?"
The official said: "We still haven't seen Guo Jiedu, but the commander Guo Zhongyuan came forward. According to him, it was because the Laizhou stronghold was attacked by the Mongolian army."
General Yidu was surprised when he heard this.
Yan Ning asked repeatedly: "How come there is a Mongolian army in Laizhou? Our Yidu Mansion is obviously still there, and the two defense lines of Zishui and Qushui are also there... How can there be any reason for the Mongols to sneak across and attack Laizhou?"
The official was stunned, where could he answer?
Zhang Lin took a few steps back and forth in the room and snorted coldly: "I think it was Guo Ning who was reluctant to put his elite in Yidu, just looking for a reason! Hey, he is the military commander of the Ding Navy, and he fought for us. Zhao Jin, Yang Wan and other generals have surrendered their troops, and they have tried their best. Now that they are gone, can we still force them to stay?"
Yan Ning lowered his head and thought for a moment, then asked the official: "Guo Jiedu's troops had a fierce battle before, and there were many wounded. Now that their headquarters has returned to the division, where are the wounded?"
"There are really a lot of wounded people. They have set up a camp in Dongyang City. The camp is not small. It is roughly estimated that there are more than a thousand people housed, with varying degrees of serious injuries. Those who came with me were in charge of this wounded camp. Officer, he will go to the city to hire a doctor soon."
"Thousands of people? That army came with great force. So there were so many casualties?"
Zhang Lin shook his head repeatedly: "I have heard for a long time that although Guo Ning is young, he is a frontier hero, brave and good at fighting, and has a reputation as the boss in Zhongdu City. Now it seems that with five thousand elites against the long-distance attacking rebels, they have to win miserably. ...It’s so famous that it’s hard to live up to it!”
Yan Ning was beside him, shaking his head slightly. His family knew their own affairs, and his and Zhang Lin's armies totaled five to six thousand men. However, when Zhao Jin's troops passed through Yidu, the two of them huddled in the city and did not dare to move. It would be ridiculous to laugh at Guo Ning now.
If Guo Ning is not worthy of his name, what do Zhang Lin and Yan Ning mean? Wanyan Sala, the commanding general of the Shandong Army, was under his command. What were so many generals? What do the thousands of troops and horses in the military prefectures of Hebei count?
The subordinates of the surrendered generals were also Mongolian troops. So far, only Guo Ning's troops can defeat the Mongolian army in the field! How can we underestimate them?
Thinking of this, Yan Ning stood up and said: "Those wounded soldiers are all heroes who fought against the Mongols. They should not be ignored. You go back immediately and ask the officer to wait for a while. I will accompany him to recruit a doctor. In addition, I will also serve you some food and wine." "
Seeing Yan Ning's sudden solemnity, Zhang Lin smiled and said, "Yan Tikong, why are you so attentive?"
His tone was relaxed and somewhat mocking.
It turned out that Zhang Lin was a local hero in Yidu and had a strong influence in the local area. After Wanyan Salara led his troops out, he used Zhang Lin to know the power of Yidu Prefecture and govern the country.
Yanning, on the other hand, was a foreigner, and his serious boss was Hengsi, the governor of Juzhou.
Yan Ning's prosecution position is one of the official positions that have suddenly become popular in the past two years. Because the imperial court's military strength in the border areas was on the verge of depletion, a large number of local garrisons were withdrawn, leaving a huge void in local security affairs. As a result, local militia leaders were frequently given official positions, such as being called commander-in-chief, or being called commander-in-chief, or being called missionaries, or being called subordinates, and so on.
Yan Ning was the leader of the local militia in Juzhou. He was young and promising, good at bow and horse, and quite capable of running an army. Therefore, he was appointed as the commander by the new Juzhou governor Hengsi.
However, both inside and outside Juzhou have been almost completely controlled by the rebel Yang An'er in recent years, and Hengsi himself can only sit and guard the city. What does a Juzhou prosecution mean?
A few months ago, Yanning, as the representative of Hengsi, came to Yidu to request Wanyan Salara, the commander of the army, to send troops to quell the rebellion, but Wanyan Salara ignored him. As a result, not long after, they encountered the Mongolian invaders. Wanyan Sala led his army out. At this moment, he remembered that there was Yan Ning, so he handed over the entire Yidu City to Zhang Lin and Yan Ning.
Zhang Lin and Yan Ning were not of the same line. After Yan Ning settled in Yidu, it was inevitable that he would expand his military strength. Therefore, he and Zhang Lin seemed to be in harmony, but there was quite a bit of intrigue beneath the surface.
Zhang Lin saw that Yan Ning cared so much about the wounded soldiers, so he only thought that he wanted to recruit old soldiers from the wounded soldiers.
But the officials also said that the injuries of the wounded soldiers varied in severity; moreover, those people were abandoned by Guo Ning after a battle... Guo Ning did not value them, which shows that their elite level is very limited! Maybe the old soldiers were not recruited, but instead got their hands wet with flour, getting themselves into trouble and spending a lot of money and food!
Zhang Lin thought of this, without waiting for Yan Ning's answer, he raised his head and laughed, and strode away.
Yan Ning stood in the empty hall with a complicated expression. After a while, he said to the official: "You come to lead the way. I'll go see the officer who ordered the navy."
Half a moment later.
Yan Ning exclaimed and stepped back until she bumped into a chair in the small hall and fell down.
On the contrary, it was the young officer of the navy, although his position was only a lieutenant, and one of his arms was broken and was tied to a board with linen cloth, and his face was not good, but he was proud and full of momentum.
Yan Ning asked solemnly: "Your Excellency, are you saying that the thousands of people in your department are not Guo Jiedu's headquarters, but Guo Zhongyuan, the subordinates of Commander Guo?"
"That's right!" the young officer replied proudly.
After a pause, he continued: "Thousands of us are a temporary gathering of soldiers. If Guo Jiedu's elite soldiers were here, they could wipe out those rebels with a flip of their hands, so why bother! "
Yan Ning couldn't help but say "Hey!"
He pressed the armrests of the chair with both hands, and when he was about to stand up, he couldn't help but ask again: "You also said that Guo Jiedu himself was in Laizhou, setting a trap for the Mongolian army, and was about to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop? Is that so? Really?…Not a joke?”
"Of course it's true."
The young officer's name was Guo Alin, and he was Guo Zhongyuan's good friend in Zhongdu and a close confidant in the army. He had already received Guo Zhongyuan's instructions before and knew that the decisive battle was coming. There was no need to hide anything anymore. He immediately told Guo Ning and other generals' calculations one by one.
Finally, he said: "The defense line set up by Wanyan Commander-in-Chief in Yidu is just like paper in the eyes of the Mongolian army. The commander of the Mongolian army, the Fourth Prince Tuo Lei, is an old enemy of my family. , as long as he knows about my Jieshuai's movements, he will definitely come to challenge... But he will never dare to confront my Jieshuai head-on, and he will definitely come up with the trick of siege and reinforcements. And this is all within my Jieshuai's plan, and it happens to be A big victory will determine the situation in Shandong in one fell swoop."
Guo Alin's eloquence was not very good, and his words were a bit confusing. Some words were obviously copied from Guo Zhongyuan's original words and he said them several times.
But precisely because of this, Yan Ning did not doubt the authenticity of these words.
He slumped in his chair and was stunned for a long time before saying: "Since the Mongolian army broke into Yanshan, it has broken through dozens of military prefectures and defeated more than ten imperial soldiers and horses, with 200,000 to 300,000 people. They are invincible. But Guo Jiedu could not reach Shandong. Do you dare to fight the Mongolian army in half a month? How brave is Guo Jiedu to such an extent?"
Guo Alin laughed and said: "This is not the first time we have to talk about a decisive battle with the Mongolian army."
"How do you say this?" Yan Ning stood up and asked urgently.
"A few months ago, Marshal Zuo Dujian Pucha Ali led a large army to protect the current emperor when he went to Beijing. As a result, he encountered the Mongolian army heading south and was defeated in a battle. Thanks to my family's commander-in-chief, he led thousands of troops and fought against the enemy in Tangbo, Hebei. He defeated several thousand Mongol troops in one breath and snatched away the emperor... That's why the fourth Mongolian prince Tuo Lei was extremely afraid of my commander-in-chief!"
The reason behind the encounter between Guo Ning and Tuo Lei was very complicated, and it also involved the direction of the court, so Guo Ning did not explain the inside story in detail to the soldiers.
As a result, the soldiers inevitably inquired about each other, and passed it around, and it became like this when it reached Guo Alin's ears. Fortunately, it's pretty much the same, and the cowhide is not blown out.
Yan Ning sighed dejectedly, took two steps back, and sat down in the chair again.
After a while, he whispered: "That Guo Ning is really so powerful!"
Yan Ning was also young and promising, and had many deeds of defending his hometown and repelling bandits. He was also quite proud of his own bravery and talents.
But at this moment, he suddenly felt that his pride was a joke. Guo Ning was about the same age as himself, but he moved to northern Xinjiang to fight against truly powerful enemies and won many times. If he can defeat the Mongolian army this time, he will definitely become famous and become a star shining in Shandong.
Compared with Guo Ning, I, Yan Ning, am far behind.
If Guo Ning fights fiercely with the Mongolian army, but I sit and defend the city, fearing the battle and not moving... the situation will only get worse in the future!
He was stunned. Guo Alin and the officials were embarrassed to disturb him and waited aside.
After a while, Yan Ning made up his mind.
"Commander Guo left this morning, right?"
Guo Alin said: "Yes."
Yan Ning turned to the official and said: "You accompany Lieutenant Guo and organize things in the city. Everything Lieutenant Guo needs, whether it is doctors, medicine, grain, armor and equipment, tents, horses and livestock, whatever you have is given to me. Just put it on Yan Ning’s head.”
Guo Alin didn't expect Yan Ning to be so generous, so he was overjoyed and saluted immediately.
Yan Ning nodded to him and stepped out.
The leader of Yan Ning's cavalry escort, the fierce-looking Wang Bao'er, came up to him: "Charge..."
Yan Ning said simply and neatly: "The cavalry of our headquarters is ready immediately. Bring enough weapons, supplies, and water to set off with me within an hour!"
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