Chapter 81 Join forces
Guan Shengyun, who was still on the road from Mianchi to Xin'an, heard that the officers and soldiers were waiting at Hangu Pass. He glanced at Luo Yong, who was walking side by side, and said: "The dog officers and soldiers are coming so fast."
Luo Yonghao responded: "I heard from Ma Wensheng that this Magistrate Qi in Luoyang is indeed very capable, much better than Xiao Changhua and his ilk. We should be more careful."
Guan Shengyun nodded and sent the order: "Send the order. The old battalion's baggage immediately stopped where it was, and the two battalions of Youfu Tianbu stayed behind to protect it. Let Zhang Ding be optimistic about the way back to Shaanzhou, and never allow it to be lost, and wait for my commander's order. Let Guoqing Lin send it as soon as possible. Five thousand auxiliary troops are assisting in the battle. The remaining military camps gathered outside the west gate of Xin'an and lined up in armor to prepare for the battle. Let's explore again. The personal military camp will follow me and enter the city first." He clamped his legs lightly and started to trot on his horse.
How could Guan Yehuo and the other twenty-odd horse guards allow the commander to run at the front? After hearing the order, he went out, whistled, and galloped towards Xin'an first.
Luo Yonghao opened his mouth to stop him, but when he saw that Guan Shengyun had already galloped four or five feet away, he shook his head and sighed softly - Gu Baisong's cavalry was pressing down behind the palace, and even if an order was sent to protect Guan Shengyun, it would be too late. The not-wide mountain road was crowded with unarmored warriors carrying only weapons. Behind each warrior team was a cart transporting its armor, flags and golden drums. Before the horse team could get halfway through, the commander had already entered the city. ! It seems that if there is a chance, I have to persuade the commander-in-chief. Now he is not the king of the mountain, and he takes risks alone on impulse. Fortunately, the officers and soldiers have already occupied Hangu Pass, which can be defended with danger, and they should not take the risk of abandoning the pass... So, he also patted his mount, shook the reins, and followed Guan Shengyun along with the running Poxiao camp. Go eastward from behind.
In the prefect's Yamen, Qi Xiaoguang, Ding Shichang and other officials were discussing city defense.
Qi Xiaoguang said to the officials: "My lords, King Shou is a thousand years old and virtuous. He has graciously allocated 10,000 shi of grain, 20,000 taels of silver and me to defend the city. He also sent the royal guards to command General Sun to lead the troops. The elite guard Hangu Xiongguan. The imperial court has used the name of His Highness Chitose and asked for the prince's golden seal to report the military information of the bandits' large-scale invasion at a cost of 600 miles. It is expected that the provincial capital Kaifeng will be able to do so by this evening. We have received a warning. We only need to hold on to the city for a while, and strong reinforcements can be expected. How to defend it, please come together with me, sir."
Ding Shichang cupped his hands to Qi Xiaoguang, then turned to the crowd and added: "Your Highness is wise, Lord Qi is a talented person. I think that in the imperial court, the water far away cannot quench your thirst, and the one-way journey is two thousand miles (there was no tunnel through the mountain in the Ming Dynasty, so you have to go around it) Road), it would take seven or eight days for a 600-mile stagecoach to come and go, not to mention reinforcements - it would take five or six days for the army to cross the Yellow River alone, and it would definitely not be expected in a short period of time. What can be expected, the one that is near, is The royal guards commanded by Sun held off the thieves at Hangu Pass for as long as possible; far away, the governor of Kaifeng, the provincial capital, Mr. Lu, could mobilize troops and horses from the province as soon as possible for reinforcements. It would be better if Huguang, Shandong Province, could also send reinforcements. However, especially in Shaanxi, if we can leave Tongguan and capture Shaanzhou and defend it, we will block the way of the thieves. When reinforcements arrive, the thieves will be the turtle in the urn."
The general judge Mei Tingfang (also known as Yingxue) snorted heavily: "Master Qi and Master Ding, what you two have seen is very true. However, I think that Shaanxi Province is definitely out of reach! Judging from the route of the thieves, , no need to ask, they just ran from Shaanxi Province! Otherwise, if the thieves went south from Shanxi Province, how could they cross the river from the Shaanzhou Waterfall? Don't all thieves have wings? Divert the trouble eastward and blame your neighbors. Humph, so vicious!"
The Ming Dynasty relied on literature to control military affairs. Luoyang's deputy general Kou Zhizhang usually didn't see many people, but because it was related to guarding the war, he was summoned to sit down at the bottom. Hearing this, he cursed with a sense of presence: "Straight bitch, you let out such a large number of thieves in one breath, and now you still pretend to be dumb like no one is okay. It's like a fucking pockmark knocking on the door - you've tricked people! It's the end of the world. Don't give up!" As he spoke, he slapped the armrest of the chair hard, and quickly glanced at Qi and Ding who were looking up.
Qi Xiaobald replied casually without raising his head: "General Kou, don't be anxious. Don't say that I will definitely report this matter to the Holy Emperor. King Qiansui of Longevity will definitely have something to say. However, the top priority is how to resist the enemy. General Kou Is there any good strategy?"
Kou Zhizhang was able to rise from deputy general to deputy general in more than ten years not because of his merit but because of Wei Buqun, the governor of Henan Province: Wei Buqun's first wife was Kou Zhizhang's biological sister!
It stands to reason that in the Ming Dynasty, civil servants were superior to military officials, and civil servants rarely married military officials. This man was no exception - the old man of the Kou family had been elected, so of course he was from a scholarly family. Kou Zhili, the eldest young master of the Kou family, and Wei Buqun were not only fellow villagers and Jinshi scholars in the same year, but also good friends, so it was natural for their biological sister to marry classmate Xiao Wei. Unfortunately, Mr. Kou may have chosen his name incorrectly. The god of destiny misunderstood the word "zhizhang" in Mr. Kou's name as "mentally retarded" - although this young master has been academically weak since he was a child. Rotten wood is hard to carve, but he is outstanding at making trouble and causing trouble. Let’s put it this way, Mr. Kou hired five gentlemen one after another in the past few years. The one with the best temper did not stay at the Kou family for more than three months. Either half of his beard was burned off, or his shoes were all over his feet when he got up. Foot shit... At first Mr. Kou was too old to fight, but later he really couldn't fight anymore. Later, the young master caused trouble that injured and maimed people in his hometown. The old man was cruel and pretended that he had never given birth to this little ancestor. He begged his grandpa to sue his grandma and change his military status - a low status is a low status, at least he can Leave a life behind.
Wei Buqun's second uncle, Wei Shixun, served as the imperial censor of Zuodu of the Imperial Procuratorate, and his uncle was the Yin of Shuntian Prefecture. With such a background, his official career was of course as prosperous as cheating, but he also had troubles: he could not refute his friend's reputation, let alone stand up to him. Every now and then, my wife would burst into tears to attack Dafa, so the uncle followed his brother-in-law all over the official career... At this moment, Lieutenant General Kou was eager to show his loyalty. Qi Futai asked, where and how to resist the enemy? In desperation, he stammered and replied: "That, that... I will all obey the orders of the adults..."
Mei Tingfang ignored him and quietly sighed to Qi Xiaoguang: "It's fortunate that the thousand-year-old vassal of the longevity king is in this mansion. Both the provincial government and the imperial court will treat it as a top priority - the fall of the late emperor." Neither the Ministry of War nor the provincial government can bear the crime of genocide, such as pro-vassaling, and they will not argue with it like other things."
Qi Xiaoguang sighed: "Having said that, Lin Mao (Ding Shichang) is right. Water from afar cannot quench the thirst of the people nearby."
Tongpan (the post of Tongpan has no quota, there are two in Luoyang Prefecture) Xie Yuanbin (also known as Jiacai) echoed: "That's exactly what it is. What your lords said is absolutely true, and I also think that Shaanxi province can't be counted on. This is true. The guys in this group colluded and secretly opened Tongguan to let the thieves enter Henan. At this moment, they must close the door and pretend to be deaf and dumb. It is absolutely impossible for them to attack Shaanzhou and cut off the thieves' escape. We still have to find a way to hold on ourselves. "
Lower-level officials such as recommendation officers and experience also participated in the topic cautiously.
Yu Province is located in the Central Plains and has been at peace for a long time. Due to the increasing financial burden, the health offices originally established by Taizu have been abolished, and most of the remaining ones have become decorations in name only. Whether it is a garrison or a garrison, soldiers are no different from farmers - oh, well, different - they are serfs, poorer than ordinary farmers, and have no personal freedom. The so-called Governor's Office of the Fifth Army exists in name only. The real power lies in the hands of the imperial military department. There are inspection departments in various states and counties responsible for protecting the country and the people. However, it can be known from its administrative level of ninth grade: these people bully the common people. Good at dealing with petty thieves, turning away and running away when encountering bandits, and fighting with real swords and guns? Haha, a guy whose head would be crushed by a door would let them go to war!
There are more than 2,000 miscellaneous soldiers in Luoyang Mansion in name. Qi Xiaoguang has a good official conduct. He is not very greedy. It is just that his officials, big and small, who have some backgrounds, eat some necessary free money - when the water is clear, there will be no fish. This principle Qi Xiaoguang understood, so he turned a blind eye and turned a blind eye. In addition, Luofu was a prince's vassal, and the local officials were somewhat scrupulous. Therefore, Kou Zhizhang still had about 1,230 troops. Of course, these people have no combat experience - that is much better than having no troops at all, right?
Finally, everyone agreed: First use King Shou's money and food to recruit homeless people to help defend the city. This is a top priority.
I heard that you can eat twice a day at Shangqiang Station. Many people came from Fucheng and the surrounding villages. After some selection, more than 5,000 men were selected, and the weapons and weapons were opened in the arsenal. Everyone carried the thing in their hands, stepped on the high wall under their feet, and filled their stomachs, and suddenly they became much more courageous. Kou Zhizhang suddenly saw so many people and horses appearing out of thin air in his hand, and he began to show his dignity.
Those who were not selected to defend the city were all sent out to cut down trees, dig trenches, and also take care of food.
All the trees in the fields around Luoyang for more than ten miles were cut down. Those that could be transported were brought back, and those that could not be transported were burned on the spot. People were moved into the city. Their houses were burned as soon as people left. Bring all the grains left into the city and fill the wells with whatever they can, or throw them in with feces or ownerless corpses dug out of wild graves... This is called clearing the country with a strong wall, and it will greatly hinder the difficulty of the enemy's garrison, supply and attack. It's too late to bury the plum blossom piles, so let's work together to dig trenches in the wild land outside the city wall, especially the official road leading to the city gate. There are big holes everywhere, and temporary wooden boards are laid to facilitate communication with letters. Pass through Guguan, wait for the enemy to approach and then withdraw the boards - if you don't fill them all up, the thieves' siege weapons will be difficult to move. Dig ditches along the walls in the city, dig wells in the city, store water on the walls, and paint the gates and buildings. Wet mud... these are all routine tasks for defending a city.
The government offices of the Ming Dynasty were similar to today's prefecture-level cities, but the staffing was much smaller. Except for the Shuntian Prefecture in the capital, which had more than 200 people, the other government offices in other prefectures only had a total of more than a hundred people. At this time of year, even the most idle guy was extremely busy. For a moment, Luoyang City started rumbling like a huge mechanical monster that had been awakened.
After hastily making these arrangements, Qi Xiaoguang temporarily handed over the city defense work to Ding Shichang, brought dozens of his own bodyguards, and ordered a thousand and five homeless people to serve as auxiliary troops. Qi Xiaoguang hurried to Hangu Pass to meet with Sun Fugui who was ahead Join forces to control the pass and the clouds will rise outside the pass.
