In Fengxiang Mansion, north of Baoji City, the Ming army camp was in a state of mourning.
The soldiers are solemn, the sharp men are firing their arrows, and the horses are being dispersed to keep a tight guard.
One after another, Ming soldiers wearing mandarin duck robes stood behind the camp wall and stood ready, scanning the surrounding fields with vigilant eyes.
Looking through the tall camp gate, a huge green curtain military tent is the most conspicuous among the layers of military tents and pieces of halberds.
In front of the Qingmu military tent, Chen Wang stood upright wearing a net scarf and a red arrow suit.
Outside the tent, all the soldiers were wearing robes and belts, standing upright with their swords drawn.
There are many banners and banners, and there are many flags distributed one after another.
In front of the tent, a large flag with a height of one foot and eight feet was erected, with five Chinese characters written on it - "Chief Military Officer for Assistance and Suppression".
Here is Cao Wenzhao's Chinese army tent.
Although Chen Wang could control the expression on his face, he could not control the thoughts in his heart or the expression of emotions in his eyes. He was not that good at cultivating qi.
According to Hong Chengchou's military order, Liu Chenggong led his battalion to Yansui Town to replace Yu Chongxiao, the commander-in-chief of Yansui Town who died in the battle, to stabilize the situation in northern Shaanxi.
Zhang Quanchang and He Renlong led troops to stabilize the situation in Fuzhou, and at the same time went north to Yan'an Prefecture to suppress Li Zicheng and Prime Minister Hui Deng.
The order from Cao Wenzhao should be to suppress the bandits in Xi'an Mansion. Why are they in Fengxiang Mansion now?
Chen Wang's eyebrows were slightly lowered, and his heart was dark. The reason why he was here was precisely because of the letter from Cao Wenzhao.
There are no redundant words on it, just two words - "Hanzhong."
Although there are only two words, each word is like a huge weight, weighing on Chen Wang's shoulders.
Hanzhong is exactly where he wants to go.
In the past few months, all Chen Wang has done is prepare to enter Hanzhong and seek development.
However, Cao Wenzhao revealed what he was thinking in one sentence, which did not frighten Chen Wang.
No matter how good you are at cultivating qi, how can you calm down on this kind of thing?
Chen Wangjing stood in front of the Chinese army tent, thinking about his actions along the way.
He also knew that there were some things he did that were a bit obvious, but there were legitimate reasons for them.
After all, he has recruited so many new soldiers under his command, and leading these new soldiers requires energy, which is not an easy task.
Chen Wang glanced slightly sideways, looking at Chen Ming who was standing in front on the right, and then turned to look at the soldiers outside the tent.
He is familiar with many of these people. Apart from Chen Ming, there are several others who are related to him by blood and are members of the Chen and Hu families.
Chen Wang wanted to see some clues from their eyes and expressions, but he was disappointed without exception.
On the way here, Chen Wang also asked Chen Ming, but Chen Ming almost didn't know anything about it. He just said that Cao Wenzhao wanted to see him.
The only thing I know is why Cao Wenzhao is in Fengxiang Mansion.
The reason why Cao Wenzhao stationed troops in Fengxiang Mansion was that he took the initiative to ask Hong Chengchou for orders to first wipe out the remaining bandits in Fengxiang Mansion, and then wipe out the bandits in Xi'an Mansion along the way, and eliminate the bandits in all the prefectures in the west of Shaanxi Province in one fell swoop.
However, in Chen Wang's eyes, Cao Wenzhao's request for help was just an excuse, and his real purpose was probably to find him.
Chen Wang looked at the closed Chinese army's tent in front of him. He had been standing outside the tent for half an hour, and the armored soldiers on guard and patrol had all changed ranks.
However, the curtain of the Chinese army's tent was still not opened. Chen Wang even suspected that Cao Wenzhao was not among them at all.
Chen Wang's eyes flickered, and he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy in his heart.
The words "Hanzhong" appeared in Cao Wenzhao's letter to him, which means that his purpose has been discovered.
Cao Wenzhao summoned him, probably to ask about this matter.
The cold wind is like a cold knife scraping bones, and the autumn and winter in Shaanxi are getting colder day by day.
Although Chen Wangli was wearing a thick winter coat, it was still difficult to hold on.
The north wind whistled in his ears, and Chen Wang, who was freezing, felt that his ears and cheeks were gradually losing consciousness.
But the colder it gets, the clearer Chen Wang's thoughts become.
He was confident. No one knew why he did what he did and why he insisted on going to Hanzhong.
Chen Wang knew very well that at this time, no one felt that the Ming Dynasty was in the sunset, and no one knew as accurately as he did that the national destiny of the Ming Dynasty would take a sharp turn after the thirteenth year of Chongzhen, and finally stop in the seventeenth year of Chongzhen.
Absolutely no one will know the real reason why he went to Hanzhong Mansion.
At this time, it was still the eighth year of Chongzhen's reign. The prestige of the Ming court was still there, and the control of the Ming court was still there.
I am afraid that Cao Wenzhao was not the only one in the army who saw his purpose. As the governor, Hong Chengchou had a clearer view of the overall situation than Cao Wenzhao. I am afraid that Hong Chengchou also had doubts.
But why didn't Hong Chengchou say anything and let him continue to lead the pursuit?
Chen Wang guessed that Hong Chengchou was just suspicious and had not made a decision yet, and the reasons he used along the way were all reasonable.
Although there are some strange places in many places, there is nothing that can be done to correct them.
Whether it was chasing Li Guo all the way but not killing him, or not doing enough to defeat Li Yangchun, Lin Shengquan and others in Sanshan, it can all be explained.
And now Hong Chengchou still needs him to suppress it.
The current situation of Hanzhong Mansion is not good. There are hundreds of thousands of bandits scattered around Hanzhong Mansion. Sometimes they gather in the mountains and forests, and sometimes they join forces to attack cities and plunder prefectures, disturbing the chickens and dogs in Hanzhong Mansion.
Hong Chengchou's campaign of suppression for so many years has only yielded benefits in the early stages, but it has not produced any great results until now.
Even during his term of office, rogue bandits invaded Southern Zhili, directly attacked Fengyang, the central capital, and dug up all the imperial mausoleums in Fengyang Mansion.
Although Hong Chengchou was not convicted for this, he also lost Chongzhen's attention.
Lu Xiangsheng was appointed because Chongzhen believed that Hong Chengchou did not have the ability to take care of several provinces, so he handed over the power to Lu Xiangsheng.
Hong Chengchou's authority has now been greatly weakened, and he has limited military generals under his command. He is only in charge of the military affairs of Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces.
However, Lu Xiangsheng is now in charge of the military affairs of the five provinces of Henan, Huguang, Sichuan, Shandong, and South Zhili outside the Pass.
After Chen Wang's memory strengthened, he remembered particularly clearly some of the book records he had seen in the past.
It is recorded very clearly in the Chronicle of Duke Sima Lu of the Ming Dynasty.
"In December, Gao Yingxiang and Li Zicheng were trapped in the southern city of Guangzhou. They pursued them to Xinyang, where they were defeated in Queshan and beheaded more than 500 people..."
"The emperor then knew that the Duke was in a big deal, so he went to the Ministry of War to serve as the right minister, and he was assigned to Dushan and Shaanxi. He gave Shang Fangjian so that he could do things conveniently."
In December of the eighth year of Chongzhen, Lu Xiangsheng defeated Gao Yingxiang and others in a row, and took charge of Shanxi and Shaanxi. He gave Shang Fang a sword and the power to do things expediently.
Hong Chengchou's authority was weakened again, and a lot of authority was taken away by Lu Xiangsheng.
Chen Wang felt that the biggest reason why Hong Chengchou didn't send someone to question him now was probably that there were not many generals under Hong Chengchou to mobilize.
Hong Chengchou now has no troops available in Shaanxi, and Zuo Liangyu has now been transferred to Lu Xiangsheng's command, and his troops are even more stretched.
The situation in Hanzhong Mansion was deteriorating for a long time. No matter what intention he had to enter Hanzhong, he still had to obey Hong Chengchou's orders after entering Hanzhong Mansion.
This guerrilla of mine was promoted through Hong Chengchou. He had just been promoted for more than a month, and Hong Chengchou would not slap him in the face even if he wanted to do something.
No matter what, the corrupt situation in Hanzhong Mansion can be solved.
The situation in Hanzhong Mansion is already dilapidated enough anyway, and it can't get much worse no matter how bad it gets.
Moreover, Hong Chengchou probably felt that he was just a guerrilla, so he didn't take him too seriously, and his status in his heart was not high.
As the governor of the three sides, it is only a piece of cake to manage a small guerrilla.
Even someone as powerful as Cao Wenzhao would still bow his head, let alone a small guerrilla like him.
At this time, as the military governor, he could easily decide the career of his generals.
As the commander-in-chief of a town, Mao Wenlong was killed by Yuan Chonghuan without an imperial edict. In the end, the matter was ignored. This is evident from the status of military attachés and generals compared to civilian officials.
Chen Wang's thoughts were racing, the cold wind was whistling in his ears, and his mind became clearer and clearer.
The situation in Guanzhong is not much different from that in history. The Ming army was victorious and the rogue bandits could not attack for a long time, but the rogue bandits succeeded in their purpose.
They advanced eastward into Henan and successfully escaped again. They escaped from the Ming army's encirclement and suppression, escaped from Shengtian, and found a way to survive.
Hong Chengchou now has very few military forces under his command, and the Superintendent Biao Battalion under his command has suffered a lot of losses due to previous fierce battles.
For this reason, the soldiers under Gao Jie were even recruited as the standard camp, which is enough to show that the troops are sparse.
Although the battle of Miyuan was won in the end, each ministry also suffered a lot of casualties.
News of defeat came from all sides, but only good news came from his side.
With a force of 4,500 men, including nearly 3,000 new soldiers, they defeated Li Yangchun, who was famous for his defense, in one fell swoop. I think he had completely fallen into Hong Chengchou's eyes.
First he defeated Li Zicheng and then defeated Li Yangchun. Now Chen Wang can be regarded as having outstanding achievements.
Hong Chengchou should now put himself on the same status as Tang Jiuzhou and other generals, and regard himself as a sequence of elite soldiers.
Time passed by, the sun went west and gradually set down the Western Mountain, and the sky slowly became dark.
Chen Wang still maintained an upright posture, his back was not bent, and his eyes became brighter.
Over the past few days, countless heavy military tasks have been backlogged on him.
Leading troops in battle, marching and setting up camp are not easy tasks. Chen Wang has never had much time to think.
Now standing outside the Chinese army's tent, waiting to be summoned by Cao Wenzhao, Chen Wang had enough time to think.
At first, Chen Wang was a little flustered, but as time went by, the more he thought about it, he became clearer and calmer.
Chen Wang looked down slightly, staring at the gradually moving shadow at his feet.
The sky was getting darker and darker, and he had been standing here for an hour and a half, almost three hours.
When he first arrived at the military camp on horseback, it was almost dusk in the afternoon. Now it was almost dusk and it was going to be night.
Chen Wang didn't have much fear in his heart at this time. He had regained his composure and began to think of other things that needed attention.
But just as he was thinking, a familiar voice appeared in his ears.
"Chen Wang."
Chen Wang raised his head and saw that the person coming was an acquaintance of his - Cao Dingjiao.
Cao Dingjiao pressed the Yanling knife, his body was covered with dust and his expression was slightly tired.
"The general summons you to his account."
"Follow the order."
Chen Wang moved slightly and remained standing. Although he moved a little during this period, his body was still a little stiff.
He spoke first, then answered with his hands clasped into fists.
Cao Dingjiao knew that Chen Wang had been standing there for a long time and waited for him for a while before walking towards the Chinese army tent.
Chen Wang took a deep breath, moved his stiff legs and feet slightly, and then stepped forward.
Although his physique is very good, no matter who stands for three hours at a stretch before taking a step, he will feel uncomfortable to some extent.
The Chinese military tent was empty, with not many utensils placed.
Cao Wenzhao was wearing a blue cloak, a red flower hood, and a net scarf. He stood on the first seat, with his back to the curtain, looking at a map hanging behind the first seat. .
Cao Bianjiao, dressed in red military uniform, is sitting on the right.
There is a square table next to the seat on the left, and there is a cup of tea on the table, which should be where Cao Dingjiao is sitting.
Chen Wang followed Cao Dingjiao into the Chinese military tent and felt the eyes of Cao Wenzhao and Cao Bianjiao almost at the same time.
"Chen Wang, a humble official, comes to see the general."
Chen Wang clasped his hands in his fists, bowed respectfully, and saluted loudly.
Cao Wenzhao slowly turned around, without saying a word, he just raised his finger and pointed at Chen Wang, and then tapped the position beside him.
Chen Wang was slightly startled and did not react for a moment, but Cao Dingjiao, who was standing beside him, gently pulled his robe, and Chen Wang understood instantly.
Chen Wang stood up, and Cao Wenzhao wanted him to step forward.
Chen Wang calmed down and walked forward, all the way to the side of Cao Wenzhao.
When he walked closer, Chen Wang also saw where the map in front of Cao Wenzhao was.
This map depicts the five prefectures of Pingliang, Gongchang, Hanzhong, Xi'an, and Fengxiang. There are also many red and black dots, as well as red and black lines, drawn on the map.
The red dots and black dots represent the Ming army and the rogue bandits respectively, while the lines in the two colors represent the marching route.
The map in front of Cao Wenzhao described everything in great detail, even the garrison and population of each city.
The number and distribution of rogue bandits are also extremely clear, and are ten times more detailed than Chen Wang's map.
"Have you figured it out?"
As soon as Chen Wang stood still, Cao Wenzhao's voice sounded in his ears.
"I figured it out."
Chen Wang lowered his head slightly, cupped his fists and responded.
After standing for the first hour, he already understood what Cao Wenzhao meant.
"There are hundreds of millions of people in this world, and there is never a shortage of smart people."
Cao Wenzhao tapped his hand lightly on the location of Hanzhong Mansion and spoke in a low voice.
"I can read your thoughts. I'm afraid those at the military gate know better than me."
Cao Wenzhao slowly turned his head.
Chen Wang's expression was slightly condensed, and he felt that Cao Wenzhao's eyes were as sharp as an eagle.
"I would like to know."
"Why?"
(End of chapter)
