Candles had already been lit in the tent, and the candlelight reflected in Cao Wenzhao's eyes.
Cao Wenzhao's eyes were as bright as lamps, as if they could penetrate people's hearts.
Chen Wang's heart trembled slightly. He had already prepared a reasonable explanation.
This rhetoric began to be conceived when he received Cao Wenzhao's letter. It was a very reasonable explanation.
However, after seeing the look in Cao Wenzhao's eyes, Chen Wang changed his mind. Maybe he should tell some real inside information.
Whether it is Cao Wenzhao, Zuo Liangyu, Gao Yingxiang, or Li Zicheng, they all have their own thoughts and will.
They are not cold names in history books, but living, real people.
Chen Wang had a feeling in his heart that if he told the story he had originally prepared, Cao Wenzhao would definitely start to alienate him and no longer regard him as a confidant.
Chen Wang looked solemn, his eyes were focused, and he said in a deep voice.
"I was born in Liaodong, and I have a blood feud with Jiannu. I want to train myself as a soldier and return to Liaodong to take revenge!"
The last words were what Cao Wenzhao said to him outside Pizhou City, and now he returned them to Cao Wenzhao.
"Training troops is not easy, and various military affairs are even more difficult. The general knows this better than me."
"In battles in Liaodong, our army has always lost more than won. Liaodong is like a bottomless hole. No matter how many generals have filled it, no matter how many soldiers have filled it, it can't be filled. It can't be filled..."
Cao Wenzhao looked slightly moved, but he was not clear about what Chen Wang said.
Today's Liaodong is a mess, a bottomless pit, and millions of Liao's salaries affect not only the generals of Liaodong, but also the adults in the court.
Which of the senior officials in the three provinces and six ministries really have clean hands? Hundreds or even thousands of them all distribute money from Liaodong every year.
The current situation in Liaodong can be said to be caused by the imperial court.
It’s not that we can’t get peace, it’s that we don’t want to get peace.
In the past, Qi Jiguang submitted a letter asking for 300,000 taels of silver to supervise the construction of warships. However, when the memorial was submitted, only 3 million taels of silver were approved.
Of course, this batch is for three million taels, but actually implementing it is another matter...
Corruption has become a common thing in the Ming court at this time. It would be abnormal if there were upright and strict officials.
Even if they are in a high position, those who cherish feathers are not willing to join the others, but they dare not and will not tell the inside story.
Everyone knows where the shortcomings are, and everyone knows how to change them, but everyone is pretending to be deaf and mute, pretending that nothing exists.
"I can't control the situation within the imperial court, but I know that if I don't interfere with the situation in Liaodong, if I want to alleviate it, I must have an elite force that dares to fight to take charge of the overall situation."
"I went to Hanzhong for military training."
Chen Wang raised his head and looked at Cao Wenzhao. This time he did not avoid Cao Wenzhao's gaze, because everything he said was the truth, not a lie.
There is an art of speaking in this world, that is, even if it is true every sentence, it is actually a lie, because there are many words in it that Chen Wang has not finished.
Military training is only one of the purposes. Chen Wang's real purpose is to complete the actual separatist rule in Hanzhong.
"In this humble position, I don't want to...end up with the same fate as Commander Ai, Deputy General Liu, and Commander Yu..."
Chen Wang clenched his fists and carefully considered his words as much as possible.
"Running back and forth, constantly going back and forth, the soldiers will be exhausted. No one will judge the merits of the victory. If the defeat is defeated, all the blame will be placed on them."
"I hold a humble position in Chunhua. When I see General Liu Shen, it is almost difficult to recognize him."
"The humble post has been following the general's tent since the seventh year of Tianqi. In the past eight years, he has been involved in hundreds of battles, large and small."
Chen Wang looked solemn and talked about the past of the servant.
Cao Wenzhao's expression softened slightly. Chen Wang talked about the old affairs of his servants, which also brought him closer to Cao Wenzhao, who was already a little stranger.
"What I remember most clearly is the past seven years of Chongzhen. In July, the slaves entered the pass in large numbers and plundered all the way. When they turned back, they attacked the Victory Fort first. Li Shen committed suicide and died for his country."
"Then the Jiannu ganged up with soldiers to attack Huairen County, Jingpingbao, Yingzhou and other places. We, along with the general and Governor Zhang, stationed in Huairen to hold on."
"In August, Huairen lifted the siege, and we followed the general to move troops to the town, and then fought against the Jiannu army outside the town."
"The soldiers in each battalion were afraid to move forward. Only the general led us out of the city to fight. We fought alone and were ultimately defeated."
"In November, the imperial court issued a decree. Those camp generals who were afraid of advancing were fine, but the generals and governors were convicted and sentenced to be exiled to the border guards..."
Chen Wang stepped back a little distance, bent down, and whispered.
Cao Wenzhao's eyes flashed, his eyebrows were lowered, and his expression was gloomy.
Ai Wannian had sent a message to him at the beginning. The soldiers in each battalion were all exhausted and timid. More than half of the soldiers under his command had suffered casualties in successive years of suppression, and their morale was difficult to boost.
Ai Wannian, Liu Chenggong and others combined to form a total of 3,000 people, who were ordered by Hong Chengchou to go north to suppress them.
Ai Wannian had also made the judgment at the beginning that he should not attack at this time, but his opinion was rejected.
The result was that Xiangle was defeated and died in the battle formation.
And his defeat in Datong made him completely see the officialdom and the battlefield clearly.
If you do more, you will make more mistakes; if you do less, you will make more mistakes; if you do less, you will make more mistakes.
As long as there is a lot of money, even a defeat can be written as a victory, even if you are huddled in the city, you can be written as a meritorious service against the enemy and a successful defense of the city.
"The reason we pursued Li Guo and didn't kill him in time was to train our troops."
"I'm afraid that once I defeat Li Guo, I will be immediately transferred to Xi'an Prefecture, and then sent to Yan'an and other places for suppression."
"The new recruits recruited during the Chunhua period are now just able to line up and change formations. It is lucky that they are not in chaos when approaching the battle. They cannot withstand the attack of the rogues' elite cavalry. Forcing them to the battlefield will only become a flaw and weakness."
"Mihara Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong are said to have hundreds of thousands of combined troops. I don't want to be used as cannon fodder..."
Cao Wenzhao slowly sat down and sighed in his heart.
Everything Chen Wang said and the choices he made were undoubtedly correct and reasonable.
Cao Wenzhao knew Chen Wang's military training skills very well, but Cao Wenzhao also knew that no matter how powerful the military training method was, there was no way to train a group of hungry soldiers with extremely low morale into an elite and brave soldier within a month. .
The recruits that Chen Wang recruited under Pizhou City were able to shine because of the glory of other troops and firearms.
In that battle, only the cavalry under Zuo Liangyu and Cao Bianjiao were actually in direct contact with the enemy. At that time, all the infantry only fired guns and artillery from a distance.
It wasn't until the enemy's army collapsed that they went to pursue them with swords and guns, but at that time they were pursuing the enemy whose back was turned to them.
Chen Wang's idea of relying on actual combat training is indeed correct.
And if Chen Wang had eliminated Li Guo early, there was a high probability that Hong Chengchou would be transferred to Xi'an Mansion with several urgent orders. By then, the thousands of men under Chen Wang would definitely be the vanguard of the subsequent war.
After the Battle of Miyuan, only nearly half of the two thousand men under Gao Jie's command were left, and the rest had died as a result of the Battle of Miyuan.
Even Gao Jie himself was seriously injured. He was wounded in three places by swords and guns, was hit by five arrows, and his clothes and armor were stained with blood.
If Chen Wang were in Sanyuan, he would probably be like Gao Jie and suffer heavy losses among his troops, and he himself might also be seriously injured.
"go on."
Cao Wenzhao spoke slowly, his voice slightly hoarse for some reason.
"I had no idea of going to Hanzhong Mansion."
Chen Wang clasped his hands in his fists, he was not completely telling the truth here.
"I just want to force him to Gongchang Mansion, where there are no bandits, and then wipe him out in one fell swoop. I will temporarily retain troops in Gongchang Mansion, and then go east to Fengxiang Mansion to suppress them."
"Use the thieves of Fengxiang Mansion as materials for advancement and training."
"But I didn't expect that two groups of bandits from Fengxiang Mansion would break into Gongchang Mansion."
"By the time we reacted, it was already too late. We still couldn't keep Li Guo under Qinzhou City. In the end, Li Guo joined forces with Li Yangchun and Lin Shengquan. It was completely unexpected."
Chen Wang was not lying here. The appearance of Li Yangchun and Lin Shengquan was completely unexpected and almost disrupted all his plans.
Fortunately, Li Zicheng not only sent him a large amount of armor and gold and silver, but also four crucial artillery pieces, so he was able to win the Battle of Three Mountains so easily.
"It was at that time that I came up with the idea of chasing them to Hanzhong Mansion."
"The situation in Yan'an Prefecture and Xi'an Prefecture is complicated. Maybe the bandits will go to Shanxi again. Once they get there, they will be exhausted from running back and forth. It is better to go to Hanzhong Prefecture."
In history, Li Zicheng did run to Shanxi and then to Henan.
"Hanzhong Prefecture is located in the middle and is relatively isolated from other prefectures. The situation in the prefecture began to collapse a few years ago, and the banditry in the prefecture has not been solved for a long time."
"After entering Hanzhong Prefecture, you will probably be able to stay in Hanzhong Prefecture for a long time to carry out the campaign. You don't have to travel to several provinces and prefectures, and you can concentrate on training your troops."
"I want to train an elite army in my humble position, and then rush to Liaodong to expel..."
What Chen Wang said before was all true, and he didn't say anything in the last paragraph.
His last sentence was a complete lie, but he still had to say it that way.
Unless he has tens of thousands of elite troops under his command and can be independent, he absolutely does not want to go to Liaodong.
Liaodong is now a dead end, and anyone who goes there will die.
After going to Liaodong, the biggest enemy was not Hou Jin. The biggest enemy was actually the Liao pay interest group with Liaodong generals as the main body.
Cao Wenzhao's expression softened a lot, and he also remembered a lot of things.
Chen Wang had been paying attention to Cao Wenzhao's expression. All his previous remarks were just foreshadowing. Seeing Cao Wenzhao's expression slow down and his eyes becoming colder, he knew that now was the opportunity.
Next is the time when the real picture comes out.
As time passed and the war progressed, Cao Wenzhao's thoughts began to change.
Nothing is accomplished overnight, and the transformation of Zuo Liangyu and He Renlong has a process.
And now Cao Wenzhao is no longer just the passionate general he was before. His corners have been almost flattened by the officialdom, and his spirit is not as sharp as before.
Ai Wannian's death, Liu Chenggong's experience, and Yu Chongxiao's deeds all changed Cao Wenzhao.
"General Zuo taught me a truth when he was in Chunhua."
"Military pay, money, food, military status, everything is vain to us warriors."
"Only the soldiers and horses under your command and the weapons in your hands are the real power."
"As long as the troops and horses are not lost and the strength is not compromised, the court will not punish and reprimand easily..."
…
It was an hour after night fell when Chen Wang left the Zhongjun tent.
After leaving the Zhongjun tent, Chen Wang did not stay, but directly accelerated his horse and led a group of guards to leave Baoji.
When he came to Baoji to meet Cao Wenzhao, everything was done in secret. He traveled lightly and simply, and it was not a formal summons.
Therefore, Chen Wang must rush back to Gongchang Mansion immediately. The soldiers under his command are still chasing Li Yangchun and others. Chen Wang is a little worried that there will be trouble in Gongchang Mansion.
After Chen Wang finished his last words, Cao Wenzhao was silent for a long time and finally asked him to walk out of the camp.
Chen Wang didn't know how much influence his words would have on Cao Wenzhao.
But Chen Wang knew that the relationship between him and Cao Wenzhao would not change much.
Cao Wenzhao will still regard him as a confidant after this summons, and the slightly estranged relationship between them has now become closer again.
There are some things that Zuo Liangyu can see clearly and He Renlong can also see clearly. Cao Wenzhao naturally knows it more clearly than the two of them.
In troubled times, storms are rising from all directions, and those who have soldiers are the grass-headed kings.
But Cao Wenzhao still had a firm belief in his heart, and he was still loyal to the Ming Empire.
Even after experiencing injustice, suffering and suppression, the passion in Cao Wenzhao's heart was not completely extinguished.
However, passion and loyalty will eventually be gradually worn away under constant blows. The reality is cruel and desperate.
When Chen Wang rushed all the way to Qishan, only three days had passed.
Li Yangchun, Lin Shengquan, and Li Guo had already crossed Li County, and even crossed Xihe and Cheng County. Now they have arrived at Weizhou, and it won't be long before they reach Yuguan.
The three groups gathered their troops again. Although there were warnings before, some people who could not escape were still trapped inside.
The strength of the three bandits has once again expanded to nearly 30,000 people, and they will attack Yuguan soon.
And just when he arrived at the camp on his front foot, a messenger came on his back foot bringing news from the east.
Gao Yingxiang led Li Zicheng and other troops to the east of Zhuyang Pass, met Zhang Xianzhong and Lingbao, joined forces, and fought against Zuo Liangyu and Zu Kuan in Nuxiang.
Zuo Liangyu and Zu Kuan were unable to resist, and their troops were defeated and fled, resulting in the fall of Shaanzhou.
Gao Yingxiang officially raised his banner, divided into 13 families, raised 72 battalions, and numbered a million troops. He marched into Luo with great force and marched eastwards.
According to the investigation reports: Tuo Xianling and Zhang Xianzhong had about 200,000 troops, Gao Yingdeng had 170,000 troops, Gao Yingxiang troops had 120,000 troops, and the three major divisions totaled 490,000.
There are now more than 700,000 rogue bandits distributed in eight provinces...
Lu Xiangsheng: "Lu Zhongsu Gongji" Volume 11, "Eight Poems Written by Wu Kui'an with Shao Si":
The past two months have been extremely busy traveling between Ru, Wan, He and Luo. The thieves were numerous and unruly, and even though thousands of them were captured and killed, it was still not possible to defeat them all. All the Chuang Wang group must be wiped out within the first, second and third months of the ninth year, and then the remaining thieves can be annihilated one by one. There are about 70,000 thieves who invade the king, including 10,000 to 20,000 women, 12,000 strong men, and 30,000 to 40,000 elite cavalry. This thief will not let An, Shi, and the temple know. Since the Qin Dynasty, Hong Henglao (referring to Hong Hengjiu, that is, Hong Chengchou) fought with him three times. Approaching the land of Yu, I fought with him twice. It is estimated that 20,000 birds can be killed, wounded and scattered, but now there are still 50,000, and they are still powerful enemies. Furthermore, he had five or six groups of thieves. When he saw that the suppressing troops were gradually gathering, they all joined forces with the intruders, thus increasing their power. Now we are heading to the southeast, Chu, Huang, Feng, Si, Huai, and Yang, all of which can be considered. An old star flies south
(End of chapter)
