Chapter 150 A clever plan
Zhang Hu and others who fled to Cangxi gathered up the defeated troops and only stopped for one day. They knew that Sun Jie could not get away from a lot of messy things such as wiping out the remaining enemies, taking over the treasury, and restoring order in the city for two or three days. Moreover, recovering the city is a great achievement. As usual, you have to stay there for a while - with so much wealth, whoever leads the army will have to make a fortune! Anyway, if you die without any evidence, you can stare with your eyes and say that the thieves took you away, ruined it, packed it up and threw it into the river... No one can do anything to you, right? This is a common practice for everyone. To this day, news of Li Zicheng's treasures, Zhang Xianzhong's gold and silver, and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's huge wealth... are still flying all over the sky, and aren't there still so many people who firmly believe that they will spend all their money to find them? But despite this, Zhang Hu still didn't dare to wait any longer: Sun Jie was a famous general, and if he bit him, he would be in big trouble.
And thankfully so.
After Sun Jie sent away his elder brother Ma Qiancheng, he left General Ishii and his Panshi Camp guard Baoning to wait for the Third Division of Sichuan Province to send people to take over. On the third day, he led the main force and the whole army went north to pursue them.
In addition to the massive amounts of grain and military supplies, Boryeong's official silver of more than 350,000 taels was neatly piled in the bank. When he first entered the city, Zhang Hu did stay in the bank for a long time, staring at the white flowers in the room and drooling. However, he never saw this much money again, and Zhang Hu didn't even see the big girls he robbed. He would sleep with money in his arms, and it was even more impossible to use the money to build a bed for himself. After much deliberation, it was the safest way to send personal soldiers to watch over it and put it in a ready-made bank. When the city was broken and they fled for their lives, the soldiers randomly grabbed some silver ingots and ran away with Zhang Hu. Therefore, all the silver in the treasury was now in Sun Jie's hands.
In fact, this is only a part of Zhang Hu's total wealth - Zhang Hu hid all the jewelry he gained from plundering thousands of miles in the Baoning Mansion where he lived, and he also had no time to take it away. And it was precisely these things that saved Sun Jie's future at the critical moment. This is a story for another day.
The loyal Sun Jie did not take all the property for himself like other generals. Of course, he would not be so stupid that he would not commit any crime - if he relied entirely on the official documents of the court, within a year, his soldiers would They all have to starve to death! The old Sun family has been in power for two hundred years and has never failed in any major aspect. However, if you want to survive in this environment, you must know how to adapt. Naturally, the auxiliary troops were allowed to move as much food and military supplies as they could carry. They were indispensable in fighting the war. The treasury left hundreds of thousands of taels of silver and asked Mr. Shang to make a register in an orderly manner. Of course Brother Ma's share will not appear in the book - just these hundreds of thousands taels are enough for the new prefect to deal with for a while. If it were another military town, it would be 100% impossible to even get a copper plate. Leave it to you!
In order to save physical strength, three battalions of soldiers and the same number of supporting auxiliary soldiers carried necessary supplies and took boats up the river to pursue them. All other supplies were handed over to the remaining auxiliary soldiers who followed slowly behind. The cavalry moved forward and maintained contact with the rear. Harassment at any time.
Contrary to what most people imagine, the most important thing in a pursuit battle is not speed, but controlling the rhythm. If the enemy pursues too fast, knowing that there is no hope of escape, he will make a desperate counterattack, and the battle situation will turn into a confrontation between the two sides. At this time, in order to escape, the fleeing enemy will do their best, and the morale of the pursuing party will be lower than that of the opponent. It is hard to say who will win. Just like the famous fable of "The Fox and the Hound", the hound asked: "I usually run faster, why can't I catch up with you?" The fox replied: "If you can't catch me, you're just hungry. If I don't fight hard, I will become your dinner." On the contrary, if you keep in contact at all times, you will be unable to run away or fight, and if it drags on for a while, the one who is always in a state of high mental tension will collapse sooner or later. , at that time, the victory of chasing troops will be within easy reach.
Zhang Hu was miserable. The official road heading north is not far from the Jialing River, which means that the road from Langzhong to Zhaohua is nearly 500 miles. Sun Jie can take a boat and catch up behind him in a leisurely manner, thus preserving the physical strength of the troops to the greatest extent. As long as you catch up, you can get off the boat and start fighting directly! Zhang Hu's deserters, a mixed force of combat auxiliaries, had less than 2,000 deserters in total. They had no baggage and no food. No matter how tired they were, they had to find food by themselves as long as they stopped. What's even worse is that the cavalry team that is clinging to Sun Jie's back is not that large in number, only one hundred and forty or fifty, but they can't get away no matter what! Several times Zhang Hu set up his formation and wanted to fight, but Shangguan Fei, the registered general who led the team, would not be fooled. No matter how Zhang Hu scolded him, he would only smile coldly from a few dozen feet away and would never rush into the formation. Coming up, the cavalry turned their horses and retreated. Anyway, two legs could never outrun four legs. However, as long as Zhang Hu rested, he would encounter a stormy charge from time to time. Of course, it was all a bluff so far, but Zhang Hu had to get up and prepare for battle every time. As a horseman, he knew that as long as he was caught by the opponent once, the feint would immediately turn into a one-sided massacre!
Needless to say, there is no need to mention the stragglers - every time the cavalry rushes over like a fierce wind, a few, a dozen, or even dozens of heads will be thrown over. The soldiers in formation look at the grinning heads of their comrades, starting with Anger, but soon turned into helpless fear, and now, has become numb. Zhang Hu knows that if this continues, the morale of the army will collapse soon, and then everything will be over!
The hatred in Zhang Hu’s heart was: Aren’t you officers and soldiers? Why don't you need the first-level skill? Each one is worth five taels of silver at least, right? You don't want the money, just throw it here to scare me, that's so damn wicked! On the fourth day, Zhang Hu finally figured it out: all the money he threw at Baoning fell into the hands of these guys. Of course they didn't care about the few taels of silver for each head! However, there is still nothing that can be done about it. We are only halfway through the journey, and the second half will be much more dangerous.
In fact, there is another point that neither Zhang Hu nor Shangguan Fei has figured out: except for a few die-hard brothers, the reason why the defeated soldiers are still following Zhang Hu is not because of any loyalty or illusions. , but the fear of death - Shangguan Fei couldn't bear the thought of being blocked at Nanjing Pass for more than half a year, so he killed all those who fell behind, fell alone, and surrendered without leaving any survivors, and then threw their heads over to destroy the opponent's morale and lead them. He had to resolve his hatred by himself, so the defeated soldiers could only follow Zhang Hu and run down. If they could see a glimmer of hope, there might not be many people left around Zhang Hu. Later generations such as Seng Gelinqin, Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang all learned their lesson and promised to surrender to Changmao but not to kill them - but then regretted it in the end, what can you do?
It's not far from Jianzhou, where there is a camp of Fang Ge. But Zhang Hu wouldn't even think about running there.
Because there is no boat.
It is indeed possible to grab three or five small boats nearby. But it would take at least a whole day for 1,500 to 600 people to ferry back and forth across the river on a few small boats that could not carry more than a dozen people each. The horse team that was clinging to them behind them could not grow old. If you stare at the excitement honestly, you will definitely take turns to attack and cause trouble. At that time, those who had not crossed the river were afraid that they would be left behind, so they would rush to the boats and throw themselves into the water. Those who had crossed the river would never wait on the shore for Sun Jie's fleet to catch up, and would just step ashore. He must run away to Jianzhou... once he crosses the river, the army will completely collapse!
Zhang Hu knew the cavalry's tactics very well.
Thinking of Fang Ge's troops in Jianzhou, Zhang Hu became worried again: I wonder if there will be a fight with the army from Shaanxi - now all hope lies with brother Fang. If he loses, everyone will die in Sichuan Got it!
Lord Xiu Weixiu, who was in command and led the army, was the Minister of Industry. Before this, Mr. Xiu had never had any contact with being a soldier in his life experience. But whether it is the emperor, the cabinet, the six ministries, or even the officials, they all take it for granted that civil servants lead the army: everything must be based on its origin! What is Ben? Of course it is the teachings of the sages. Mr. Xiu was well-read in poetry and literature, and he came from an upright family background. He had also been admitted to the Imperial Academy, and his wealth of knowledge naturally included strategies for defeating the enemy and reassuring the people. Is there anything doubtful about this? As for the marching route, camp site selection, daily food consumption, how to arrange reconnaissance and cavalry guards, various battlefield communications... these are all details, don't you have a master? What, the master doesn’t have much experience? It's okay, isn't this what you have experienced? All in all, the great Xiu people will not care about the matter of putting aside the fundamentals to pursue the inferior! Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you that Mr. Xiu has read "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu!
How about it, are you scared?
Master Xiu himself is also full of confidence in leading troops to suppress rebellion. Why? Not only Master Xiu himself, but in the eyes of all adults, what do you rely on to fight a war? Loyalty and bravery! Just say it is right or not! As long as you are loyal to the court, the rest depends on the courage of the military commanders. The brave will win when they meet on a narrow road, have you heard that? Isn't that just slashing the head with a knife? Look at General Lu Guangyu, how powerful he is. With such a big bull head, he can chop off three of them one by one without even breathing heavily!
As for logistical support, well, isn’t it left to Mr. An? Speaking of Mr. An, tsk tsk, just be sure, you can’t go wrong! Why? Do you know which prisoner An Gonggong is? Directly to the Palace Supervisor! Let me tell you, if Mr. An can sweep the floor, it will be called clean! Such a careful father-in-law is still a member of Shengtianzi's family. Say it yourself, what do you have to worry about!
Master Xiu's rebellious army marched all the way to Lueyang in Hanzhong Prefecture. To the west, the Xihan River (also known as the Rhinoceros River), Zhuoshui River, Niyang Water, and Hechi Water merge into the Jialing River and rush down. To the east, the Baibadu River joins the Jialing River again in the south of the city. Master Xiu knew at a glance that this was a strategic location, so he set up the Chinese Army command post here. In order to coordinate the dispatch of supplies, Mr. An, who supervises the army, also stayed here. Next, it’s time to see how General Lu defeated the bandits.
General Lu Guangyu, who had been arrogant and confident along the way, felt a little weak at this time. This is not because General Lu is timid. General Lu was born at the foot of Phoenix Mountain in Qinzhou, Shaanxi (now Tianshui, Gansu). General Lu’s father, Commander Lu, had a large military camp there with beautiful scenery, so he moved his home there. Stay there. General Lu knew from a young age that he would inherit his father's position and become a glorious Ming general when he grew up. Therefore, even though he was not very literate, he still asked his master to carve a private seal of "Phoenix Guards" to remind him to never forget his original intention and his roots. ...Do you think General Lu can be timid?
General Lu had never been on the battlefield before. Seeing that he was about to engage the enemy, he was a little nervous. This was normal. What's more annoying is the soldiers under his command! On the way here, not to mention rummaging through boxes and cabinets one by one, chasing down the people who were escaping from husband's labor, well, especially those village women, they were simply ferocious and invincible. But seeing that they were getting closer and closer to Guangyuan, these guys all became dejected, and their legs seemed to be tied with lead weights. They all dragged their feet on the ground, causing dust to fly on the official road. More and more guys were trying to escape. In desperation, General Lu ordered that everyone use hemp ropes to tie their ankles together when camping. If the soldiers escape, kill the small flag officer. If the small flag officer escapes, kill the general flag. If the general flag escapes, kill the general flag. Killing hundreds of households... this evil trend was stopped. General Lu's move won high praise from Master Xiu. He wrote four powerful characters for him in his own handwriting: "Run the army well". The power of his writing was truly penetrating. Even though General Lu only knew two of them, he was grateful and treated them like treasures and asked his soldiers to keep them. He only waited for someone to make a plaque and hang it in the commander's hall after returning to the division after the victory. Oh, okay, a great victory, I will definitely be promoted to the capital commander, you can’t go wrong! Ha ha.
For Mr. Xiu to be such a high-ranking official in the imperial court, it is necessary for him to have a sharp eye. I could see that General Lu was a little nervous, so he gave him three tips based on "The Art of War" that he had read and recited on the way here, and said: Without wisdom and bravery, victory will be impossible. Said: First be the invincible and then win. Said: Better than easy to win.
Seeing Lu Guangyu staring with his big eyes and waiting to hear the next sentence, Master Xiu sighed, knowing that this guy didn't understand at all, so he had to tell him the original text: Those who were good at fighting in the past first thought they were invincible before waiting for the enemy to be defeated. win. The invincible lies with oneself, but the victorious lies with the enemy. Therefore, those who are good at fighting can be said to be invincible, but those who cannot make the enemy victorious are certain. Therefore, it is said that victory can be known but cannot be done...
Just as he was about to give him a detailed explanation of the first paragraph, General Lu smiled. Master Xiu was very happy: The boy is teachable! You see, one point reveals everything... At this time, Lu Guangyu praised: "Master, you are so good at telling tongue twisters!" Master Xiu was so angry that he almost fainted on the spot.
Forget it, you can't afford to waste time playing the piano to a cow, just tell him plainly: "You are not famous, thieves will despise you, and arrogant soldiers will be defeated, so you can definitely win. Be invincible first." , in front of you is Yangping Pass. Since it is called "Guan", it is an invincible place. Hurry up and let me guard it! When the thieves show their flaws, it will be an 'easy victory'. At that time, rush over and chop them down, and you will Victory! Do you understand? If you understand, go to Yangping Pass and help me defeat the thief! Get out!"
Regardless of the scolding, General Lu fully understood Master Xiu's three clever tricks, regained his confidence again, scolded and slapped him, and took his group of "killers" to Yangping Pass.
[There is half an easter egg buried in today’s section. Have readers discovered it? There will be another half tomorrow, hehe. 】
