Liaohaiwei and Sanwanwei were both established in the mid-Hongwu period. They initially had more than 10,000 soldiers, but they quickly declined. During the Chenghua period, they were in disrepair. The soldiers fled, the fields were deserted, and there were only two or three soldiers out of ten.
By the end of Wanli, the two guard posts combined had less than 3,000 soldiers, of which the field army, the iron-fried army, and the iron-fried army accounted for half.
On the second day after the Battle of Kaiyuan, two civilian-looking commanders led two thousand guardsmen to come for reinforcements.
A group of skinny people who looked like beggars stood shivering in the cold wind, and an elderly soldier fainted from hunger.
Liu Zhaosun looked at the group of guardsmen in front of him, and then looked back at the two commanders with broad hearts, fat bodies, and elegant demeanors. He shook his head helplessly. The decline of the Ming Guards had come to this.
However, he still decided to learn from these two fat men when he had time, how to make money legally in Kaiyuan.
As compensation, and in order to build a good relationship with the two commanders, the general gave each of them a plate of fried noodles.
Liu Zhaosun's heart bleeds when he sees the guardsmen happily going home carrying Jiannu's fried noodles.
The compassion of the Lord Councilor made Kaiyuan City, which was not wealthy, even worse.
Kang Yinggan shook his head and sighed, "It's not worth wasting food to make friends with two bumpkin commanders!"
"Saving one life is better than building a seven-level pagoda. Besides, I am in Kaiyuan to guard the territory and the people, and I cannot do without these guard households."
In the context of aristocratic and military elites, it is normal and not surprising for a civil servant of Kang Yingqian's level to show extreme contempt for the Wei Suo army.
However, in Liu Zhaosun's view, these rural places far away from the city are where the future direction of the world will be determined.
Of course, the premise is that this force must be well organized and used for one's own use.
As the saying goes, the countryside surrounds the city...
On March 27, the 47th year of Wanli, Xiong Tingbi, the right minister of the Ministry of War and the censor of the right capital, led the Liaodong manager Xiong Tingbi. He led the generals such as Xiao Ruxun, the commander-in-chief of the aid and suppression campaign, Li Huaixin, the deputy commander-in-chief, and Chai Guozhu, the staff officer, all the way along the city. From the north, enter Kaiyuan City through the main gate.
Kaiyuan Counselor Liu Zhaosun, together with Supervisor Kang Yingqian, Liaohaiwei and Thirty Thousand Guards commanders Yang Qilong and Ding Guozhen, as well as Qianzong Wang Erhu, Deng Changxiong and others, went out of the city three miles to greet them.
The tall Xiong Tingbi stood with his head held high, and beside him stood Xiao Ruxun, Li Huaixin and others. Qiao Yiqi stood beside the generals, and there were some civilian staff around him.
After Liu Zhaosun saluted Xiong Tingbi according to official etiquette, he also saluted Xiao Ruxun and Li Huaixin.
When I raised my head, I couldn't help but take another look at Xiao Ruxun. Xiao Ruxun was about fifty years old, tall and tall, quite majestic, with a calm face that was not angry and intimidating, and the beautiful beard growing on the chin was quite a bit like the second master Guan.
"I wonder if eldest brother Wei Zhongxian likes this person. If there is a chance, I would like to introduce them to him."
In fact, this second master Guan was impeached and dismissed from office by Wei Zhongxian in history... Of course, Liu Zhaosun didn't know this.
This first Confucian general in the late Ming Dynasty not only had great military achievements, no less than Juniper and Liu Wei, but his writing and calligraphy could also rival those of literati, and his poems were passed down to future generations.
According to the original historical plane, Xiao Ruxun would be transferred to the Capital Divine Machine Camp in the first year of Tianqi, that is, next year.
However, due to the emergence of Liu Zhaosun, some changes occurred in the historical trend of the late Ming Dynasty. The Battle of Kaiyuan broke out in advance, Xiong Tingbi entered the Liao Dynasty in advance, and Xiao Ruxun and several other famous historical figures were also recruited to Liaodong.
Only then did Liu Zhaosun turn his attention to Xiong Tingbi. He was tall, burly and majestic. He was wearing a third-grade official uniform. On his chest was a third-grade civil official patch with a golden pheasant stepping on the clouds and the sun. He was covered with a layer of chain mail and worn at the waist. Holding a Shangfang sword.
Liu Zhaosun's eyes paused on Shang Fang's sword for a moment, then raised his head and looked away.
Last night, Kang Yingqian made repeated analysis and concluded that Lord Xiong's visit would not be detrimental to Liu Zhaosun.
However, the story of Yuan Dudu carrying Shang Fang's sword and beheading Mao Wenlong on Shuangdao was so shocking that Liu Zhaosun, who knew the aftermath, had to be on guard.
Rumor has it that Xiong Tingbi's fiery temper is much bigger than that of Yuandudu, and it is not impossible to kill him if he disagrees with him.
Just in case, Liu Zhaosun made preparations in advance in the city, asking each gate to send additional troops to guard against a surprise attack by soldiers and horses in Jizhen. He also transferred dead soldiers from the Chinese army to strengthen the escort. At the same time, he was determined not to attend meetings alone or leave the city alone. .
In short, the handsome man Liu Zhaosun is ready and will not let Mr. Jinglue have any undue thoughts about him.
Xiong Tingbi was about to talk to Liu Zhaosun, but when he saw that he kept looking at him, he said:
"General Liu Shen, I and your adoptive father Liu Wei have been acquaintances for many years..."
Liu Zhaosun counted with his fingers. This was the third big boss who said that he and Liu Wei were dead brothers. It seemed that his adoptive father was quite popular. Ma Lin and Kang Yingqian were pretty good, but he didn't know if the Xiong Manzi in front of him was the right one. What a friendship.
"I have quite some friendship with your adopted father when he traveled to Liaodong. I heard that he died for his country in the Hunjiang River. I was in Jiangxia at that time, and I was heartbroken. Now that you have defeated the slaves in Liaodong and made great achievements, Mr. Liu's spirit is in heaven. It’s gratifying.”
Liu Zhaosun was slightly startled. He didn't expect Xiong Tingbi to say this when they met. Thinking that he was so guarded against others, he really judged a gentleman with a villain's heart. But then he thought about it. Before Yuan Chonghuan killed Mao Wenlong, his acting skills were also Remarkable.
He and Mao Wenlong drank and talked freely, from the sunset outside the Great Wall to the broken bridge of the West Lake, and also talked about women such as Bai Suzhen. In the end, they fell out with each other.
It can be seen that the words of these economic and strategic supervisors cannot be fully believed.
Liu Zhaosun bowed his hands to Xiong Tingbi, and after saluting, he said in a calm tone:
"Lord Jinglue is overly praised. With the full support of the Holy Emperor and the planning of several superior officials, Lord Jinglue rescued the slaves in time and struck a thunderous blow against the slave thieves. Only then did he win the victory in Kaiyuan. The last general was just a warrior who only knew how to charge into battle. , just a few lucky Tatar heads..."
Before Liu Zhaosun could finish speaking, a general standing next to Xiong Tingbi stood up, interrupted Liu Zhaosun, and said loudly:
"General Liu Shen, please be humble, Mr. Jinglue. You are really climbing up the ladder. You don't even mention our Ji Town, how shameless!"
This sudden change caused a commotion among everyone around them, and they all looked at the Jizhen general opposite.
Among the crowd, only Xiao Ruxun and Xiong Tingbi remained unchanged.
Liu Zhaosun raised his head and looked over there. The person speaking was Chai Guozhu, the general of Jizhen. He was quite energetic, with slightly bulging shoulders and arms, a typical image of a military general.
Liu Zhaosun still had some impression of this person.
After the Battle of Saarhu, the Mongolian Hu Duntu took the opportunity to invade the border and invaded Ji Town. Chai Guozhu led his troops to repel them, and was later transferred to Shenyang to defend against the slave establishment. However, he returned to his hometown under the pretext of illness.
Because of Liu Zhaosun's time travel, the date of the Battle of Kaiyuan was greatly advanced, and the Crouching Rabbit also invaded Ji Town earlier than in history.
When the Mongols came, Chai Guozhu was not well prepared, and his men suffered many casualties, including the death of several servants.
Because the Mongols took advantage of the disastrous defeat of the Ming army in Sarhu, all the reasons were due to the Taicai of the Ming army in Sarhu.
Chai Guozhu hated the Ming army on the four routes of Sarhu. He suspected that Jun Song, Li Rubai, and Jian Nu were in collusion, and that Liao Town was full of Tatar spies.
Chai Guozhu was very reluctant to be mobilized to aid Liao this time, but because of Xiao Ruxun's face, he reluctantly came to Kaiyuan. He had a fight with the Tatars a few days ago, and more than a dozen servants died, but he didn't get much money. , feeling very angry.
The Jizhen army leader was very calculated and prepared to lead his troops into the city to make a profit. Unexpectedly, Liu Zhaosun refused again, saying that the army was defeated and the army was defeated.
We are both frontier soldiers and have been foxes for thousands of years. Everyone knows that no one should lie to the other, condone the retreat of the army, and take advantage of the fire.
He suspected that Liu Zhaosun had robbed a lot of money in the city, so he refused to let Ji Zhen enter the city.
He had been holding back his anger for a long time. He came out of the camp today and was about to enter the city through the west gate. Qiao Yiqi also said that he would take a detour to the north gate to enter the city.
Of course, a warrior like Chai Guozhu didn't know the political significance of entering the city through the main entrance.
He came all the way furious and didn't eat anything, so he listened to Liu Zhaosun bragging in front of Lord Xiong, talking about strategizing and charging into battle, without even mentioning Jizhen's aid. He was furious at the moment, not caring about the presence of two superior officers, Xiong Tingbi and Xiao Ruxun, and cursed angrily. stand up:
"I, the people from Ji Town came all the way to rescue you, and hundreds of them died. You just don't give food and grass to the guest soldiers, and you still make sarcastic comments here. I think you guys from Liao Town are all white-eyed wolves! You deserve to be killed by the Tatars." !”
The surrounding area suddenly exploded like a nest. Before they even entered the city, both sides were about to start fighting.
Jin Yuji and several Qianzongs all put their hands on the scabbards of their swords and raised their heads to look at the General. They were just waiting for Liu Zhaosun's order to kill this man.
Xiao Ruxun looked back at Chai Guozhu, and the manager Xiong Tingbi coughed. Chai Guozhu was a little frightened, but he had already said the words and could not take them back.
Li Huaixin, deputy commander of Jizhen Town, took a step forward and nodded slightly to Chai Guozhu. They relied on the tens of thousands of people in Jizhen Town and did not take Liu Zhaosun seriously. Li Huaixin said:
"Master Xiong, General Xiao, and General Chai Shen are just stating the truth, don't blame me! We from Jizhen worked hard to come to Kaiyuan, risking our lives to kill the Tatars, and repay the emperor's favor. However, the soldiers are still in arrears with their food and wages, so we can't Let everyone drink the northwest wind, General Liu Shen, the food and grass you gave yesterday was too little. You have captured so much food for the slaves, so what if you give some to your brothers?"
Liu Zhaosun looked up at the sudden appearance of Deputy General Li, feeling as if he was treating Kaicheng like a piece of fat.
Liu Zhaosun looked at the two people opposite him with a smile and listened patiently to what they had to say. When he heard that they had confiscated food for the slaves, he could no longer stand still.
Yesterday, he had sent someone to deliver several carts of grain and grass to the west of the city, which was enough to give Ji Zhen some face.
It should be noted that Kaiyuan had just experienced a bloody battle and was attacked by rebels. Much of the food and grass in the city was burned. The captured food and grass for the slaves were life-saving food for his men, and he could not hand over a grain of rice.
This time Xiong Tingbi was planning a campaign in Liaodong, and the emperor gave him full support. In terms of salary and silver alone, he was given one million taels, and grain and grass were piled up like mountains.
The food and grass distributed by Xiong Tingbi to them is completely enough, and now he has to reach out to himself to ask for food. This is too dark.
Attacking him like this in front of all his subordinates, if Liu Zhaosun is so cowardly, what prestige will he still have in front of his subordinates in the future?
He strode forward and said loudly:
"What General Chai Shen and General Li said are very reasonable. When the guest soldiers pass through the border, the area under their jurisdiction should provide food and grass supplies. However, Kaiyuan has just been besieged by Jiannu, and all the food and grass in the city have been lost. The food and grass seized from Jiannu is only enough." There is not much left for living people to eat. If you want food and grass, I suggest you go to Haiphong Road to Mr. Zheng. He should have some."
"Also, the troops under my command are all southern soldiers. They are helpless and have only a heart of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism. We are not Liao Town. Let me remind you, don't blame Liao Town wrongly. This is on the ground in Liaodong. , Li Chengliang Quan knows something and will blame you,"
The words were sharp and the atmosphere around him became even more tense. The servants around Chai Guozhu put their hands on the scabbard.
Everyone knew that Mr. Zheng had died for his country, and even a fool could tell that Liu Zhaosun's words meant that he would not hesitate to start a war.
Kang Yingqian tugged on his fat jacket and signaled Liu Zhaosun to put it away.
Although Mr. Kang was also dissatisfied with General Jizhen, he never thought of breaking out like this and embarrassing Xiong Tingbi and Xiao Ruxun.
He looked back at Liu Zhaosun, trying to get him to restrain himself.
Under the gaze of everyone, Liu Zhaosun's eyes were like fire, his hand held the heavy knife, and he strode towards Chai Guozhu.
