As Chen hour was about to pass (around nine o'clock in the morning), the sun was slanting in the sky and there was a feeling of heat. Outside Fusi, Jinyiwei North Town, Chang Yu solemnly said to Wu Mengming: "Be careful, be careful, be careful again, keep secrets strictly and do not leak them, and send extra personnel to be on guard." He is not allowed to see anyone except the Emperor!"
Wu Mengming nodded vigorously: "This is our money. I will be careful if I am humble. Don't worry, boss. When I escorted him to Beijing, I didn't even know who he was, let alone others. Apart from my subordinates, I also have your subordinates." Outside the Black Tiger Camp, even the people in the Beijing Camp don’t know about it!”
"That's all, be careful. If there is an accident, you won't be able to carry it with ten heads," Chang Yu warned. Wu Mengming made a grimace: "I finally understand what you mean by being hot!"
Chang Yu chuckled, patted Wu Mengming on the shoulder and turned to leave. He walked to the intersection and got on a carriage. Chen Suole led dozens of personal guards to follow the carriage and went straight to Guangqumen in the outer city.
In the car, Chang Yu was lying down with his eyes squinting, still very sleepy. Chunxiang sat opposite and softly reported to him all kinds of things happening in the city recently, but Chang Yu had no trouble in his ancient well.
Until I heard: A few days ago, three troops of Gao Jie, Liu Zeqing and Liu Liangzuo fought fiercely with the rebels outside Puzhou City for half a day and each retreated ten miles!
Chang Yu suddenly opened his eyes. In the past half month, he had sent troops from Zhending Mansion to the north to King Qin and then fought several battles with Dorgon. He had no time to pay attention to the battle to suppress the bandits in Nanbian. He was naturally shocked when he heard the news.
Puzhou, also known as Yongji in later generations (renamed during the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty), was also the location of Pujin Ferry, an ancient ferry on the Yellow River. Unexpectedly, Gao Jie and others had chased the rebels to the Yellow River!
"I'm afraid that the bandit army has crossed the river!" Chang Yu sighed, Chunxiang didn't know: "How can we see this? The intelligence did not give details."
"Gao Jie and the other three soldiers should have the upper hand after chasing them all the way. Why did the intelligence say that the battle in Puzhou was stalemate? Why did the rebel army suddenly increase in combat power?"
"Cover the main force to cross the river!" Chunxiang reacted: "Otherwise, we wouldn't be so desperate!"
"Come on, I didn't expect them to do anything to the intruder. It's better to wait until I have time to deal with him." Chang Yu said with regret. If Dorgon hadn't suddenly entered the border, Li Zicheng would have been in his hands. He couldn't help but With a long sigh, this may be fate. A lot has changed since he traveled through time, but some things still happened as usual, such as the Qing army still entering the country!
God obviously won't let him have smooth sailing.
"The three dogs Gao Jie are chasing the intruders for thousands of miles just for money. They should be mainly engaged in robbery and will not fight against the intruders." Chunxiang's teeth itched with hatred: "Since they have been bitten for thousands of miles and have not let go, it can be seen that They also got a lot of sweet things, brother, these people's wealth and people's anointing are really given to them, can't they get some back in the name of the imperial court?"
Chang Yu smiled bitterly: "You want to come back? Don't be naive. If they don't turn around and cry and beg for reward from the emperor, they will burn incense." He sighed: "There are very few people who can contribute at this time. No matter how hateful he is, he is still doing it for some dogs." The food has helped, and things have been done with it, so just take it and wait for two or three years and I will slowly take care of them."
"Then what should we do next? Let them go back individually or call in support?" Chunxiang asked.
Chang Yu frowned: "At this time, I don't know what the specific situation is over there. Even if the bandit army crosses the river, it's just my guess. You need to confirm it and report it to me in time for further discussion." He smiled bitterly and shook his head: "What if those three gangsters If you want them to rush thousands of miles to rescue and kill the Tatars, hehe, I’m afraid I won’t see anyone until the end of the world, unless… there is dog food!”
When the car came out of Guangqumen, Chunxiang jumped out of the car, got on his horse and returned to the city with a few Dongchang fans. Lao Jiu, who had been waiting for a long time, led the Black Wolf Battalion to follow the car in the east-west direction. Chang Yu was exhausted physically and mentally and whistling in the car. Big sleep.
It wasn't that he could keep his composure, but that Dorgon had already jumped out of the encirclement and headed south at high speed. He wanted to pursue him but was unable to do so. His troops were exhausted from several battles, otherwise even if the exhausted troops caught up, they would lose their lives.
And he needs to think carefully about the next response. He must chase, and it depends on how he pursues, because as long as he catches up, it will be a fight, and both sides will definitely leave no room. He has to deal with it carefully.
As for the hostage Azig, after discussing with Emperor Chongzhen and the cabinet bosses last night, he temporarily decided not to take the initiative, not refuse, and not be responsible!
In short, whoever proposes peace talks first loses!
As for when to talk and how to talk, it all depends on who is at a disadvantage and who raises the issue first. Therefore, the performance of the Ming army is particularly important next. As the old saying goes, the battlefield determines the negotiation table!
We walked leisurely and rested all the way. When it got dark, Chang Yu stopped at Xianghe County, a small town that managed to survive the violent storm.
At this time, Huang Degong's main army was resting outside the city. Li Yanbu, Tengxiang Guards and Jinwu Guards were also nearby. Li Yan was recuperating in the county government office.
The city of Xianghe is small, but the people are unprecedentedly enthusiastic. After all, their lives were saved by these Ming soldiers who fought bloody battles. They are so grateful that they have the money and strength to help the Ming soldiers save lives, heal the wounded, make fires and meals, donate food and money... ...Wait a minute, the Ming army refused to donate money!
Chang Yu entered the city without alarming many people. He, Huang Degong, Zhou Yuji and others entered the county office and saw Li Yan's face was pale and bloodless. He was really angry and distressed in his heart: "General Li, you have suffered!"
Although Li Yan had several wounds on his body that were not life-threatening, they were still seriously injured. When he was confused, he heard Chang Yu's voice and woke up instantly. He struggled to get up but was held down by Chang Yu: "No need to be polite."
"I have shouldered the responsibility of the factory governor for my humble position, and I am willing to be punished by military law!" Li Yan said weakly, Chang Yu smiled bitterly and shook his head: "General Li completed the task of sniping the enemy beyond expectations and captured the Tatar Prince Azige for his unparalleled achievements. I, the governor, Last night I sent a petition to the Emperor to plead for merit for all the officers and men, and the Emperor himself said that General Li will be rewarded heavily for his first meritorious service!"
All the generals were overjoyed and congratulated Li Yan one after another. Li Yan could not hide the joy on his face: "I am ashamed to receive it, I am ashamed to receive it!" In these days, both civil and military personnel regarded the royal award as the supreme honor of honoring their ancestors, and expressed their gratitude to Li Yan. For a surrendered thief like Yan, it is even more thirsty for him. How can he not be happy that he finally got fame after working hard for it?
In the evening, the soldiers brought food to them, and everyone sat around and feasted together. Chang Yu personally fed Li Yan, which made all the generals envious. Li Yan even choked with excitement. Even Li Muxian, who has always been mean, did not speculate that the little eunuch was deliberately trying to win people over. Or maybe he has a deep brotherly relationship with Li Yan.
Before getting down to business, Chang Yu first told the story of Gao Jie and the other three chasing the thieves to the Yellow River for a big battle. After hearing the news, all the generals were shocked and spoke happily, while the heads of counselors such as Li Yan and Li Muxian were spinning rapidly. I have thought that the intruders may have crossed the river to the west.
"If the intruders cross the river to the west, they will not be able to catch up. It is better to mobilize Gao Jie and others to surround and annihilate the Tatars. However, their troops are so stubborn that they will definitely refuse to go if there is no benefit to them from this thousands of miles away. Do you have any good strategies?" Chang Yu? Patting his head, he was unable to do anything. He was trying to figure out how to transfer Gao Jie along the way, but to no avail!
Hearing this, everyone shook their heads. Everyone knew what Gao Jie, Liu Liang, Zuo and Liu Zeqing were like. They couldn't afford to get up early. They had to fight the most powerful Qing army on such a long journey. Turned over.
"What if we use the Tatar captives to lure them?" Li Yan suggested. Chang Yu thought for a while and shook his head, "The three of them are all human spirits. Not long after the Tatars entered the customs, we were chasing them all the way. The captives were all ordinary people." , this little oil and water cannot arouse their interest."
"Since that's the case, why not settle him on the spot and guard the Yellow River defense line to prevent the intruders from taking advantage of the Tatar rebellion to send troops again..." Li Muxian said softly. After all, the main opponents of the Ming Dynasty at the moment were the rebels and the Qing army, and at the same time When fighting the Ming army, if Chang Yu had not been in the court, he would have been helpless and waiting to die. However, even if the little eunuch was so busy, he could only hold on to prevent the building from collapsing, but he could no longer withstand the slightest disturbance from the outside. The Qing army Since they can take advantage of the rebel army's chaos and enter the pass, if they can't keep it together, the traitor army will also take advantage of the Qing army's troubles and make a comeback.
You must know that when the Qing army entered the pass, Li Zicheng was retreating south, and then he was chased and killed all the way. He abandoned his helmet and armor and was in extreme embarrassment. He lost sixty-seven percent of what he gained along the way. He didn't even hear about the Qing army's entry into the pass. But if he crossed the river to explore When the Ming and Qing armies entered the Pass, who can guarantee that they will not do another Eastern Expedition!
Therefore, troops must be stationed along the Yellow River to keep an eye on him!
This was something that the court would also think of later, but Li Muchian proposed it first.
Chang Yu could also think of this, but he didn't want Gao Jie to garrison him at all. Firstly, if Li Zicheng made a comeback, these guys might not be able to intercept him. Secondly, his troops were in disarray and looked like thieves. The local people were in trouble. According to his opinion, it was best to take them wherever they went, so that this group of people would not dare to be lawless.
The best candidate for the garrison is none other than Zhou Yuji. Regardless of his connections in Shanxi, his influence, and his familiarity with the local terrain, no one can match him. Moreover, he dares to fight!
However... Zhou Yuji wants to follow him to pursue the Qing army, but Shanxi cannot be defended without troops!
"Nothing is absolutely perfect, so how about ordering Gao Jie and other troops to defend Shanxi, and then adjust the defense after the Tatars are driven away?" Li Yan suggested, and everyone agreed.
Chang Yu nodded slightly, Shanxi cannot be defenseless for a day, and although Gaojie's tribe is a scourge, it can still scare the rebels. Besides, he has no bait to send them to come for reinforcements at this time. Even if they agree to send troops for reinforcements, they are waiting for them thousands of miles away. Here we are, already in the Year of the Monkey!
In three days at most, news came that the intruders were crossing the river to the west. At that time, the imperial court must have also thought about the garrison in Shanxi. If they were left to argue, the porridge would be cold, so Chang Yu decided to immediately send people back to Beijing to report to the imperial court. The Ministry of War issued an order to station Gao Jie's troops along the Yellow River to prevent the bandits from coming back.
When Chang Yu was in trouble, he had outstanding military exploits. In addition, the big boss of the Ministry of War, Shi Kefa, the governor of Jingying Camp, Wang Jiayan, and even the chief assistant had good intentions towards him. Therefore, nine out of ten times, the court agreed to his proposal, and they were very willing to have someone to support him. , after all, Chang Yu took the blame for whatever went wrong, and they stood aside to watch the joke.
That's right, the court at this time was such a piss-poor, not to mention the ministers, even Chongzhen was like this! Historically, when Li Zicheng marched north to the capital with his sword, the court was still arguing over whether Wu Sangui should come in for rescue. No one dared to stand up for such a simple matter. Chen Yan and Wei Dezao in the cabinet just kept putting off doing it. , why, just for fear of taking responsibility. Once Wu Sangui enters the customs, Ningyuan outside Shanhaiguan will be occupied by the Qing army, and Emperor Chongzhen will definitely take the blame on them. This matter can be seen from the fact that whenever Wu Sangui enters the customs, ministers will be dragged away Caishikou, such as Chen Xinjia, etc...
Then why didn't Chongzhen take the initiative to issue an edict that could be decided by the emperor? He didn't want to take responsibility, otherwise the cabinet would make him guilty of his own edict every day in the future, and scold you every day for issuing the edict to let Wu Sangui enter the pass. Now Ning Yuan Throw it away...
The king and his ministers just played football like this for fear of taking responsibility, and in the end, Ming Dynasty was compensated.
So now the big guys in the court are gossiping about the little eunuch, and are jealous that he is favored for his meritorious service, but at the same time they are secretly happy that this guy really likes to be the first in everything, and he takes advantage of everything.
fuminglu
fuminglu
