Chapter 342
The cold wind blowing from the north was chipping away at the city walls of Pingding Prefecture. Snow powder and ice particles hit like bullets, hitting their faces with severe pain. The eyebrows and beards of the Ming Dynasty officers and soldiers guarding the city were covered with a layer of frost. They had put on all the clothes they could find, and they looked as bloated as bears.
It's cold, it's really too cold. If you don't wear gloves, it's basically impossible to coexist peacefully with the weapon in your hand. If you're exposed to the cold wind for less than half an hour, the skin of your palms will freeze with the weapon. Together, if you want to get rid of weapons, you have to tear off a layer of flesh and blood!
But even if the conditions are so difficult, they still stick to their posts, standing guard and patrolling back and forth, for no other reason than because they are Ning Haijun.
The Battle of Pingding Prefecture finally came to an end. However, in this battle, Ning Haijun also suffered huge losses. Li Dingguo led 800 cavalry to fight, but only 104 came back, and more than 30 seriously injured people did not survive. Cheng Shijie led more than 2,000 elites, plus 300 personal guards, totaling more than 3,140 cavalry. Now only less than 30% remain.
Ning Haijun also suffered more than 1,300 casualties. Of course, the heaviest casualties were the defeated troops organized by Xie Zhiliang. He stopped more than 2,000 defeated troops and defended Pingding Prefecture. In the end, only the survivors Four hundred and sixty-two people remained.
Shuolei sent out more than 20,000 civilians to arrest, but only the four to five thousand children were saved by Li Dingguo's brave and decisive attack. The old man had the Pingding Prefecture defenders shoot them all with crossbows from the beginning, and thousands of women When Li Dingguo was trapped in a tight siege, he pounced on the Mongolian army escorting them.
They scratched with their nails, bit with their teeth, and hit them with stones. They were entangled with the Mongolian army and were almost killed by the Mongolian army. And among the piles of women's corpses, you can see the corpses of many Mongolian soldiers. Their faces were scratched to pieces with nails, their eyeballs were gouged out, and their throats were torn open with the teeth of these desperate women. They were terrified. The disbelief and disbelief were solidified on their faces. Even after they had been exhausted for a long time, even if their faces had been scratched to pieces, it was still so clear. Probably until they died, they could not believe that these weak women could explode like this. Horrible, right?
Cheng Shijie's eyes lingered among the piles of civilian corpses for a long time, and his lips almost bled from biting them. Don't drag innocent civilians into the flames of war. This is his principle. He has been abiding by this principle for so many years. However, now the Mongolian army seems not to follow his rules!
Hou Si said sadly and angrily: "Nearly ten thousand women have died! The few who were lucky enough to survive have also gone crazy! These dog Tatars are not human beings!"
Cheng Shijie said: "I will get this debt back with interest!"
Cheng Shijie led the soldiers of Ning Haijun and Tianxiong Army and decided to start the battle to regain Taiyuan. In fact, the battle of Taiyuan was not difficult at all. With the defeat of the Chechen Khan Shuo's base, the Mongolian army stationed in Taiyuan City had already escaped.
Those original rebels from Taiyuan Prefecture have long since fled to who knows where.
Cheng Shijie thought that most of the entire Taiyuan Prefecture, except Xie Zhiliang, had surrendered. However, what Cheng Shijie did not expect was that the town of Taiyuan Prefecture was called Sanguan Town, which is also commonly known as the Outer Sanguan Town. After Datong Town, it started With the function of supporting and strengthening Datong Town, preventing the enemy from deepening, and guarding against the invasion of Mongolian tribes in the north and west of the Ming Dynasty, it was the latest to be established among the Nine Borders along with Guyuan Town.
The three passes of Biantou, Ningwu and Yanmen are collectively referred to as the "Three Outer Passes" of the Inner Great Wall. The walls of the Great Wall are mostly made of heavy boulders. "The mountains are continuous and are dangerous and solid made by nature." It governs the three passes and the 19th pass. At Kou and Thirty-nine Forts, there is one Shanxi general officer, one deputy general officer, six separate guard generals, one guerrilla general, one camp officer, thirteen guards, and two conduct officers.
After arriving in Taiyuan City, Cheng Shijie learned that among the six generals in Taiyuan Town, except for the general He Sui who was roped in, the other five generals Yang Liuqing, Li Dongping, Ning Shiwu, Zheng Zanyi, and Cai Lingwu were all killed in battle. The sacrifices were extremely tragic, especially Generals Yang Liuqing and Li Dongping. Li Dongping was penetrated by more than a dozen throwing spears. He did not fall down until he died because of the support of the spear poles, while Yang Liuqing was burned from the calf. , burned to the waist, but the upper body was almost not burned.
Obviously, Yang Liuqing was tortured to death. In the entire Taifu City, more than 6,000 Ming army soldiers were killed. However, they did not command effectively and were defeated one by one...
When he arrived at Taiyuan City, Cheng Shijie could no longer recognize him. The city had become ruins, and the corpses of murdered civilians were everywhere. Due to the cold weather, the corpses did not rot and still maintained the shape of ice sculptures. No matter how full the people were, With a horrified face, he was hanged from a tree by the Mongolian Tatars, and there were piles of corpses on the wall.
It can be seen that many people were driven directly into courtyards, and then set fires around them. Some people were burned alive, and some were choked to death. There were women's corpses everywhere, swaying in the wind. As they stood, their mouths opened extremely wide, as if they were accusing, as if they were choking.
Cheng Shijie's face was so gloomy that he said: "We must settle this account!"
…
Beijing City, Forbidden City.
Since the appointment of Cheng Shijie as the Prime Minister of Jiubian, Emperor Chongzhen has stopped expressing his opinions during court meetings and put all issues on hold. This is not a good sign. On the eve of the storm, this kind of silence and silence makes people feel To uneasiness.
Cheng Shijie told Chongzhen that the king of a country cannot admit his mistakes. He is the emperor, God's favorite, and he will never make mistakes. Even if the emperor really made a mistake, he still couldn't admit it. If he really wanted to admit it, he would have to wait until he died, and then his successor would admit his mistake on his behalf. This has been the case since ancient times.
Cheng Shijie was defending him, and all the ministers in the world wanted Chongzhen to issue an imperial edict and admit his mistakes. This was a matter of principle.
"Your Majesty!"
Wang Chengen said: "You'd better eat something quickly and drink a few glasses of wine to regain some strength... The battle is not over yet. Who knows what will happen next? How can you cope with it if you don't have the strength."
Emperor Chongzhen's facial expression moved stiffly: "What's going on with Guan Ningjun now?"
Chongzhen was an emperor, and it was understandable that the bandits in the world rebelled, because the imperial court was sorry for them, but the imperial court was worthy of Guan Ningjun! They spent all their national assets to support those hundreds of thousands of proud soldiers and enable them to live a prosperous life, but they dared to fall out of control at a critical moment.
Wang Chengen said: "Reporting to your Majesty, the Ministry of War has received a letter of invitation from Zu Dashou, and they are requesting to go to war!"
"Now does Zu Dashou know that he's moving?"
Emperor Chongzhen smiled lightly and said: "So, General Cheng has won..."
Just as he was talking, Ning Haijun announced his victory from outside: "The Great Victory in Pingding Prefecture. Cheng Shijie, Prime Minister of the Nine Borders, led Ning Haijun, with the support of the Tianxiong Army, to defeat the Chechen Khan tribe in the first battle. Now the Chechen Khan tribe has fled. !”
This news made Emperor Chongzhen believe that Zu Dashou must have received Cheng Shijie's battle report in advance and knew that the Ming Dynasty would win this battle. Only now did his Guan Ning army know how to move. They were not fighting, but snatching the fruits of victory.
Emperor Chongzhen did not speak, but thought in his heart: "In the future, all the generals in Liaoxi will be killed, no chickens or dogs will be left, and all the officers and soldiers of Guan Ning will be relegated to lowly status. Otherwise, I will not be able to eliminate my resentment!"
In fact, Zu Dashou was really unjustly accused this time. He had decided to change his past, but the problem was that Guan Ningjun was full of misdeeds. He was like an old thief who said he had quit, but he didn’t. People believe.
Emperor Chongzhen naturally believed that Zu Dashou saw that Cheng Shijie had hope of defeating the Mongolian army in Mobei, and Zu Dashou wanted to pick peaches.
Emperor Chongzhen looked at Wang Chengen and said, "Wang Banban, what do you think Cheng Qing will do next?"
"This... old slave... according to the laws of our ancestors, eunuchs are not allowed to interfere in politics!"
"I forgive you!"
Wang Chengen muttered: "I'm afraid this disaster will have to wait until spring to resolve!"
Emperor Chongzhen shook his head and said: "Wang Banban, what I'm asking is not this, but whether Cheng Qing wants to be Cao Mengde or Wang Mang in the future!"
These words are too serious. When the emperor asks a minister whether he wants to be Cao Cao or Wang Mang, there is basically no friendship between the monarch and his ministers, and there is only life and death.
Of course, Emperor Chongzhen is now doubting one thing. Is Cheng Shijie now a party member? Now more and more officials are impeaching Cheng Shijie, and Cheng Shijie is about to be impeached. But the problem is, Qin Hui also has three good friends, why does Cheng Shijie have no friends?
Although Cheng Shijie does not have Wang Mang's good reputation, he can be Cao Cao.
Wang Chengen didn't know what Emperor Chongzhen was thinking, but he knew that he and Emperor Chongzhen were one. If there was a rift between Cheng Shijie and Emperor Chongzhen, the Ming Dynasty would collapse.
In this situation, if not Cheng Shijie, who can turn the tide, and who can protect Emperor Chongzhen from the wind and rain?
"This slave dare not say anything!"
"But I let you say it!"
Wang Chengen looked at Emperor Chongzhen and said, "Your Majesty, don't you believe in General Cheng?"
"Wang Cheng'en, don't think that I don't know that you took Cheng Qing's money!"
"This slave has accepted General Cheng's money. If the emperor really wants this slave to speak out, then this slave will do it!" Wang Cheng'en said: "Now the soldiers on the east road of Xuanfu can no longer be trusted. Datong, as well as Shanxi, The nine-sided army is no longer trustworthy. What are you going to do? Kill them all? Or replace them all?"
Emperor Chongzhen was really frightened by this time. Qiao Zhaolin from Jingan Fort abandoned the city and fled. If Cheng Shijie hadn't taken the lead, the Mongolian army would have reached the capital city. From the Guan Ning Army to the Nine Border Army, no one is worthy of trust.
But the problem is that Cheng Shijie actually turned around such an unfavorable situation this time. With more than 2,000 cavalry, he gave up the advantage of field battle and defeated the strongest Chechen Khan tribe in Mobei while defending the city. He had to flee in embarrassment.
Emperor Chongzhen sighed and said: "Cheng Qing's military exploits this time are comparable to those of Yu Shaobao back then. Cheng Shijie's name as the God of War is resounding throughout the world! Now as long as Cheng Shijie raises his voice, the entire Liaodong Peninsula will be followed by clouds of followers. , Jiubian will respond in the northwest again, whether it is a separatist regime or going north to compete with Jiannu, it will all happen naturally. Will Cheng Shijie give up such a good opportunity? I'm afraid that even if Cheng Shijie wants to give up, the tens of thousands of soldiers of the Ning Navy will not be willing to do it, right? "
"It turns out that Your Majesty misses General Cheng so much. If General Cheng knows that His Majesty misses him so much, I'm afraid General Cheng will be heartbroken!"
Chongzhen responded with a sneer. He was already very suspicious, but after this heavy blow, it became even more serious. The Ming Dynasty had raised Qiao Zhaolin for generations, but Qiao Zhaolin betrayed him. The Ming Dynasty devoted all its efforts to support Guan Ning's army, which made the world full of chaos, but Guan Ning's army Woolen cloth? How did they repay Daming?
Sit on the wall and watch, as motionless as a mountain.
Emperor Chongzhen now forgot that it was Cheng Shijie who stepped forward, regardless of his own life, but only remembered that Cheng Shijie was more famous and had the strength to threaten the Ming Dynasty.
Wang Chengen felt like he was in an ice cellar. Chongzhen actually missed Cheng Shijie so much. Didn't Emperor Chongzhen know how strong Cheng Shijie really was?
However, looking at Emperor Chongzhen's attitude, Wang Chengen kowtowed to the gold brick (floor): "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you can't..."
Wang Chengen did not say this but said this. After saying this, Emperor Chongzhen did not listen to a word. He only remembered that Wang Chengen received money from Cheng Shijie.
Once the seeds of distrust are planted, it becomes magical and suspicious.
This is like a woman suspecting that the other party is having an affair. Once this suspicion arises, she can't help but add all kinds of "favorable" evidence. For example, why did he take a shower? Are you afraid that I will smell the other person's scent? Why does he wash his face? Do you want to see each other cleanly?
Why doesn't he play with his mobile phone anymore? Are you afraid that I will find the other party chatting? He must have made an appointment, and as long as he went home he wouldn't send a single message, that was definitely the case.
Human logic is so strange, and people are very good at making assumptions.
But the problem is that the content of the imagination is very consistent with the reality.
…
Just when Emperor Chongzhen doubted Cheng Shijie's loyalty to him, Zhou Ning, Ning Haijun's chief of staff, was actually thinking about where Ning Haijun would go from here.
The Mongolian army from Mobei moved south, exposing the true strength of Ning Haijun to the world. Cheng Shijie mobilized more than 70,000 troops from Liaodong. This was not a 70,000-strong army filled with civilians, but real soldiers. Looking at the entire Jiubian Army, there are more than 500,000 to nearly 600,000 troops in the Ministry of War's military register. I'm afraid there are only 70,000 soldiers who can actually fight.
It is no exaggeration to say that if Ning Haijun is willing, he can use Ning Haijun in Cheng Shijie's hands to play a game of changing flags on the nine sides at any time. It is just a pity that Cheng Shijie will definitely not do this.
Zhou Ning looked at Sun Zhiwan, the director of the management committee beside him, and said, "Master Sun, have you ever thought about the future?"
"after?"
Sun Zhili was slightly startled: "What will happen next? Could it be that the imperial court will go down to the house and take out the stairs?"
"It's hard to guess the minds of those in the imperial court!"
Zhou Ning said with a helpless smile: "In Master Sun's opinion, do we, Ning Haijun, still have any choice? This officialdom is like sailing against the current. If we don't advance, we will retreat! But the problem is, we can't retreat. Once we retreat, those who People will rush towards us like hungry wolves, tearing us into pieces and swallowing even the bones and dregs!"
Sun Zhiman said in confusion: "What do you mean?"
"Be prepared for any disaster, we need to open up the situation!"
Zhou Ning said solemnly: "We have to prepare for the worst!"
"What does it mean?"
Sun Zhili smiled bitterly and said: "Throughout the ages, we have achieved great success, but we have never had a good ending!"
PS: I'm very sorry, I'm too sleepy and confused. Please refresh it so that the content will never be repeated.
(End of chapter)
