Liu Chengzong's letter took only four days to be sent to Xining City, a thousand miles away.
But this is not because his messenger has a pair of scuds, but because he is too calm. Mr. Liu was so panicked in Xining that he could not sleep for a long time, and specially sent more than 800 people to the south of Qilian Mountain. The foothills formed a temporary express delivery shop for rapid message transmission, covering all mountain passes that might be used to convey military information.
The most cutting-edge express delivery shop has even reached Sunan at the northern foot of the Qilian Mountains. The shop commanders simply moved into the tribe of Huang Fan Wu.
Although the situation in Hehuang was very critical last month, Liu Xiangyu had no choice but to carry the message to Liu Chengzong, so he could only carry it by himself.
I didn't talk about the battle situation here because I didn't want Liu Shizi to worry; I didn't ask about the battle situation over there because I couldn't help him.
In fact, this is strange to say. Liu Chengzong, who led his troops to the east, was not panicked by the battle situation. Liu Chengyun, who was guarding Hehuang, panicked and stopped panicking. Only Liu Xiangyu, who was unable to contribute, was extremely panicked.
Even if Chengyun repeatedly sent people to comfort him, telling him not to panic, the situation was stable, and as long as Lanzhou was fine, the Ming army would not dare to invade Hehuang.
Liu Xiangyu said it was okay every time, so I didn't panic. I turned around and set up two temporary express delivery shops, each with more than 800 people, running from Xincheng to the northern foot of Qilian Mountain. There was almost no one person every mile.
The other route is from Xinchengpu to Dongguan, a 300-mile area, with more than 900 people, all of whom are good shooters. This time they don’t even have to run. The militiamen from the five towns are responsible for delivering meals to these people. One hundred and twenty steps alone, a big arrow stack eight feet square was set up next to it. He stood there every day and shot away any news that came.
The panic was on the one hand, but mainly because Master Liu had done some calculations since his two sons went north to Gansu, and found that although Shiba took away most of the savings of the handsome family last year, they had turned around this year.
Under the management of Mr. Liu, Xining Mansion was extremely productive, and a group of hungry and anxious people from northern Shaanxi almost doubled the amount of land they cultivated.
They originally had 650,000 acres of grain-growing land in Hehuang. The year after they came here, they opened 73,000 acres of military farmland in Xincheng. After the Hehuang War, they opened up 70,000 acres of irrigated army farmland in the Yaoshui River Valley south of Xincheng. , last year also opened 140,000 acres of military land north of Xining and west of Xincheng.
Moreover, under their influence, the leaders of the native people living in the Hehuang Mountains are also frantically reclaiming the fields in the mountains... Food can be exchanged for money, and with money, they can buy everything they want in the world at the Baigong Bureau.
In the past, grain could be exchanged for money, but in the past, the locals in Hehuang grew oil-producing crops and did not have such a big demand for grain. It is different now. No matter how much grain you have, as long as you can buy things from the Marshal's Mansion, the Marshal's Mansion is willing to accept it. Your food.
Mr. Liu was originally a man who lived a tight life and was very careful with his budget. However, after doing calculations this year, he found that the Marshal's Mansion had become rich.
Although they are in a drought year, the impact of the melting water from the snowy mountains has little impact on the Hehuang harvest. This year, they can earn more than 150,000 dan from the army alone. The policy of buying grain through equalizing the land will make them even better. Buy more than 300,000 shi of grain.
This is actually about the same as the grain received last year. It is not a fortune in itself, but there is a problem this year. There is no one in Hehuang who eats grain in the Marshal's Mansion.
When there was no one in the Xining government office, Liu Xiangyu chuckled happily when he thought about this: everyone who ate food had gone out to fight.
Over the years, ever since his son's incident, Mr. Liu has been thinking about math problems every day when he wakes up. How many people need to eat how much food? When will the food on hand be enough? Next month, the next month, and so on. Where will we get next year's food?
Only this year, Lanzhou has Lanzhou's grain, Gansu has Gansu's grain, and all those who eat grain in Xining have gone out to fight, and they can save three to four hundred thousand shi of grain at once.
Happy, so happy.
He was so happy that Liu Xiangyu took Yang Dingrui and mobilized the original team of people who built the warehouse in Xining to plan a large warehouse in the west of Xining... The grain could not be eaten all, so they had to find a place to store it.
With this financial foundation, Mr. Liu set up two express delivery routes, and he didn't feel distressed at all. However, when his son's letter arrived, Mr. Liu closed his eyes with mixed feelings when he saw it.
Fortunately, the war in the north went smoothly. There was a map of Gansu hanging in the Xining government office. He read it three times a day. As long as there was a place on the map or the location mentioned in the letter, Mr. Liu could tell where it was when he closed his eyes. where.
Counting from the arrival of the army outside Jiayuguan Pass, it took three months to capture forty-six castles and fortresses in one pass, four cities, and annihilate, defeat, and collect them, and reduce the strength of eight battalions of the Ming Army. The progress of this war cannot be simply described. It went smoothly.
Liu Xiangyu can be sure that Hong Chengchou of Zhuanglanghe will most likely launch a mad counterattack against Hehuang in a short time, otherwise his army will have no choice but to retreat towards Ningxia, because as the news of this great victory spread throughout Hexi, the Ming army became fully powerful. Withdrawing from Longxi is inevitable.
Because Longxi is no longer safe for the Ming army to defend, has no food supplies, and no soldiers to use, it is senseless to expect Hong Chengchou to have more than 20,000 people to fight against the 70,000 troops from Gansu and Lanzhou, the Marshal's Mansion, at the Zhuanglang River. talk.
To be precise, it is 80,000, because now there are two battalions of the Eight Kings of Xiying stationed on the north bank of the Yellow River and the west bank of Zhuanglang River to confront the Ming army.
Cao Wenzhao tried to be a reckless man and easily defeated Xie Erhu and entered Hehuang.
Xie Erhu knew this famous barbarian and would not fight him at all. As long as you dare to enter Hehuang, I will dare to retreat, and if you don't engage in an organized retreat, we Mongolians will retreat directly. We run very fast and have the guts. You chased me after a while.
Cao Wenzhao suffered a loss and did not dare to disperse the army, so he pursued slowly. When he reached Dongguan Town and saw the five sharp-angled enemy towers built by Liu Chengzong, his back felt cold and he did not dare to move forward. He turned around again , finding no one behind him, quickly broke camp and ran back.
The three battalions behind him, Chai Shihua, Bai Guangen, and Ding Shaoyin, were all held back. If he ran for an hour late, Wang Wenxiu could successfully mobilize a heavy army to encircle him and trap him between Dongguan and Hekou.
But because Cao Wenzhao ran away, the marshal's army suffered a small loss in that battle. The main reason was that there was a Ming army spy in Shixiang's Lintao brigade. He Renlong found out about it when the troops were mobilized. This guy found an opportunity to beat Shixiang. In one meal, more than three hundred people died.
However, apart from the personnel, the losses were not big, because after the battle was finished on the front foot, He Renlong's baggage team was detained by the Yan'an God of War Yang Yanchang.
While Ren Quan'er wrote an apology letter to He Renlong, "I'm sorry, General He, our God of War's eyesight has been bad lately. When he saw the convoy, he thought he was a bandit." At the same time, Ren Quan'er asked his men to pack up the loot and send it back to Lanzhou City.
Zhang Xianzhong lived this month like the Chinese New Year. He had never felt such a sense of security in his life. Even though the Ming army was so close, he did not dare to step forward. Ever since the Marshal's Mansion abandoned Zhuang Langwei, Zhuang Langhe's front line The dilemma lies here. The Marshal's Army occupied the west, south, and east sides of the Zhuanglang River. The Ming Army entered the pocket formation when it came down from the Zhuanglang River and was beaten on three sides.
Moreover, his military burden is not heavy. After all, Zhang Xianzhong is an independent leader. Even if he has made an agreement, his first priority is to preserve his own strength. He will not join forces with something like Cao Wenzhao that seems difficult to fight. .
Zhang Xianzhong actually didn't pay much attention to promises, but the Marshal's Mansion was like a mountain, and it was the only mountain he could rely on, so promises must be taken seriously.
However, in his opinion, the cost of killing Cao Wenzhao alone was too high. He was more willing to cooperate with other marshal's troops to kill this guy with a plan and tactics.
He really needs a stable rear. In fact, he has thought a lot about it in the past two years. It is too difficult to gain a foothold in the hinterland of the Central Plains.
Especially after Liu Chengzong ran to Qinghai, he was the first among the Shaanxi heroes to lead his troops to the west. He wanted to enter Sichuan, but found that he could fight Zuo Liangyu back and forth, but he could not defeat Qin Liangyu. Had to quit again.
Especially when he just saw Wang Wenxiu transferred to try to surround Cao Wenzhao's army. Wang Wenxiu's army was completely different from the armies of other Shaanxi leaders. They were completely self-sufficient in weapons and equipment. Therefore, Zhang Xianzhong wanted to go to the west at that time, to the west of Liu Chengzong's territory. .
Liu Chengzong proved that people can live a good life outside. Didn't he just bring ten or twenty thousand people to Qinghai, and he has done well in the past few years.
Zhang Xianzhong likes Liu Chengyun too much. He knows that Chengyun can't fight, but he doesn't appreciate people who can fight. Who can't fight? I am the best at fighting in the world. If these little bastards under my command listen to me, they will definitely win the battle.
What he lacks is someone like Cheng Yu who can keep the rear in good order. Even though he clearly doesn't know how to fight and only has a group of Mongolians who are about to collapse, he still dares not to move the Lanzhou Army into Hehuang to ensure the current strategy of the pocket formation and the overall situation. Extraordinary courage and wisdom.
You need courage and courage, you need talent and talent, talent!
Zhang Xianzhong respects talents the most. In his two battalions, apart from elite soldiers, they are masters, and no other idlers are left. What is a master? Just a scholar.
Regardless of whether you are a child or a scholar, or even a storyteller who can read and write, whether you are willing or not, as long as we, the eight kings, see you, we will kidnap you and make you a master. The whole battalion of sergeants will eat sorghum noodles and millet rice, but the master cannot do it. , even if it was a robbery, Zhang Xianzhong would give them rice and noodles, silk and satin, gold and silver jewelry, and whatever they asked for.
For learning.
Zhang Xianzhong didn't have the opportunity to study when he was young. As a policeman, he often came into contact with scholars. He knew the importance of studying very well. Now that he is able, he lets the military master give him lectures every day. Many things that may sound drowsy to others, But he listened with great interest.
Because the same thing has little practical significance to others, but he can fully use these things in life. He not only learns it himself, but also asks his trusted generals and adopted sons to learn it together.
These things cannot be left to oneself. For example, the Book of Rites says that admonishment is the courtesy of a minister. If one does not show admonishment, and if one does not listen to three admonitions, he will run away.
It makes sense. Not listening to the advice three times shows that the monarch and his ministers have different views on the matter. There must be a big fool among them, but it is not clear who is the big fool, so we will look at it separately. look.
Therefore, Zhang Xianzhong discovered that Liu Chengyun was a talented person, but he could not kidnap him away, so he specially threw his adopted sons to Liu Chengyun and asked them to follow their uncle's butt, serve tea and water, and study hard.
Only later did he realize that the place occupied by Marshal Liu was farther than his knowledge of the world.
That's too far, farewell!
Therefore, Zhang Xianzhong always approaches Chengyun recently and asks, "Third General, tell us the truth. What is the relationship between the Generalissimo and the three Tibetan Tatar brothers?"
Chengyun knew what Zhang Xianzhong wanted to do and quickly waved his hand: "That place is too high. My brother didn't even dare to go up from Qamdo. Brother Bingzhong, just stay in Hezhou Wei. You will die if you climb up there." Where are the people.”
Zhang Xianzhong was stunned when he heard this, staring at Cheng Yun with a pair of big nervous eyes, like a tiger that chooses people to devour.
He was originally a taciturn policeman. Over the years, he had escaped from death and fought all over the world. Every day seemed like the last day of his life. He didn't even get a good night's sleep for a few days. He would often just set up camp and turn off the fire to go to sleep, and suddenly get up and wake up. Ordered to break camp and continue walking.
The severe lack of security in his life made him depressed and restless. It wasn't just him. Almost all the adopted sons and generals around him had this condition. This kind of thing was created by experience and had nothing to do with blood.
It's just that Zhang Xianzhong likes Chengyun so much that he actually stared at Liu Chengyun and forcefully adjusted his manic depression. His expression suddenly changed and he smiled and said: "Haha, I don't know where Qamdo is, but I have been fighting for so many years. I want to take a break, but the ball is dead!"
Chengyun accompanied him with a smile. He was very familiar with Zhang Xianzhong's neurotic and crazy feeling. When the Lion Battalion moved to northern Shaanxi, he was in charge of wounded soldiers. Many people had this look. The person with the most obvious symptoms was his second brother Liu Chengzong. .
Sometimes I am energetic, sleepless, talkative, easily distracted, and my mind wanders. I often think of other things suddenly when I say this; other times, it feels like my brain is rusty, and I won’t talk, move, or eat. Not sleeping, feeling depressed.
But his second brother is not the one with the most severe symptoms. In addition to those abnormal behaviors, many people also have more terrifying rage and self-destruction. If they are slightly dissatisfied, they will hit or scold others, or have serious self-destructive tendencies. , for example, when General Feng Lun was hungry, he didn’t want to live because of the smallest thing.
Chengyun once thought that this was a disease related to the mental stress people bear, but he didn't know how to cure it. He only knew that this condition usually occurs when the pressure is too high. If the pressure can be released, the symptoms will be alleviated.
For example, his second brother would lift stone locks and sweat every day, which would make him feel better. After winning a battle and leaving corpses everywhere, he would immediately turn into the normal version of the compassionate Liu Xiucai.
However, it seemed that when his second brother's symptoms were at their most severe, they were much milder than Zhang Xianzhong's normal state.
As far as Chengyun is concerned, why would you mess with such a person, right? He smiled and said: "Since Brother Bingzhong wants to find a place, he will stay in Hezhou Weitun first. When my second brother comes back, I will go and tell him, don't worry, there are so many people in the world, and my brother values Shaanxi the most." All township parties, as long as they are township parties, can talk about it, and there is nothing that cannot be discussed."
Zhang Xianzhong was also happy and geared up: "Three generals, don't worry. I can kill anyone the generalissimo wants me to kill. There is no one I can't kill!"
While Chengyun and Zhang Xianzhong reached a basic agreement, on the other side of Hehuang, Mr. Liu was busy writing with a look of displeasure. He finally managed to save some money in Hehuang this year. A letter came from his second son. Happy times are always there. So short!
Immigrants, immigrants have to eat food again.
However, regarding Liu Chengzong's request, Mr. Liu was just like Liu Chengzong when he saw Bai Yiqing's long letter lamenting Gansu's long-standing shortcomings: "In the past, Dingkou was the biggest problem in Hehuang, but now this problem does not exist. Just say how many people you want, not just one person." Ten thousand households, whether it is 10,000 households with 20,000 households, or 10,000 households with 30,000 households, we can all move it for you!"
Good morning!
The Marquis of Duolu and Zhang Xianzhong wish readers a New Year’s greetings, give me a kowtow!
I wish everyone good health and all the best in the new year!
(End of chapter)
