In the eleventh year of Chongzhen, November 24th, noon.
While the Qing army was conferring, outside the Ming army camp outside Zhending City, Sun Chuanting and Lu Xiangsheng were standing opposite each other.
Sun Chuanting was still the same as before, wearing fish scale armor, a bright iron helmet on his head, a helmet decorated with cloud wings, and a red tassel on the top. Under the armor, he was wearing crimson civilian uniform, and his big sleeves had already been tied up with armbands.
His spirit and appearance remained the same, not much changed from when he left the capital a few years ago.
If it must be said that there is, then it is more powerful and powerful, and the power is obvious every time he looks at it.
But today's Lu Xiangsheng is no longer as high-spirited as when he took office as prime minister of the seven provinces.
Sun Chuanting looked at Lu Xiangsheng in front of him. Despite his toughness, he could not help but be moved by it.
Lu Xiangsheng was wearing a white robe and a white scarf on his head. His father died on the way back home. It was during the period of his father's mourning and the country was experiencing difficult times.
Lu Xiangsheng had frost on his temples, many scars on his armor, his robes were torn, his body was covered in dust, and his face was full of exhaustion.
There has never been a man who commanded the world's reinforcements and held the square sword with the courage he deserved.
Only one pair of eyes is still bright and hot.
Chen Wang also wore a robe and belt, and stood beside Sun Chuanting along with Cao Wenzhao, Cao Bianjiao and He Renlong.
Beside Lu Xiangsheng, Datong Commander-in-Chief Du Wenhuan, Xuanfu Commander-in-Chief Yang Guozhu, and Shanxi Commander-in-Chief Hu Dawei stood according to their seniority positions.
Yang Guozhu, the commander-in-chief of the Xuan Mansion, wore a three-flag moonlight helmet on his head, a black armor, and a battle robe, with his right sleeve exposed. He looked modest and stood with his sword in hand.
Sensing Chen Wang's gaze, Yang Guozhu nodded slightly, then turned to look at Chen Wang, and then quickly looked back.
Chen Wang also nodded slightly as a greeting, and then turned his gaze to a rather burly general standing next to Yang Guozhu, with a beard and a suit of silver-white fish scale armor.
The general with a beard and a slightly darker complexion was none other than Hu Dawei, who was the commander-in-chief of Shanxi Province at the time.
Hu Dawei and Meng Ruhu are both Mongolians. In the early years of Chongzhen, they came from outside the Great Wall and joined the Ming Dynasty. Their names were changed by the governor of Yansui at that time, and they were called "Two Generals of the Fierce Tiger".
Hu Dawei served in the army with meritorious deeds and served as a general in Shanxi. He provided support for the suppression of Shaanxi and replaced Wang Zhong as the commander-in-chief of Shanxi.
When Chen Wang looked at Hu Dawei, Hu Dawei's gaze also happened to come to him.
Their eyes met, and Hu Dawei grinned slightly, showing a smile, which was regarded as a greeting.
Finally, Chen Wang's eyes rested on Du Wenhuan. The storm caused by the flapping wings of his butterfly changed many things.
Wang Pu, who was originally supposed to be the commander-in-chief of Datong, was demoted due to a crime and was not destined to be the commander-in-chief of Datong.
The commander-in-chief of Datong fell on Du Wenhuan, unlike the timid and incompetent Wang Pu.
Although Du Wenhuan had shortcomings in personal ethics, he was first-class in both command and combat, and his prestige in the army was extremely high.
Du Wenhuan served as the commander-in-chief of Yansui in the two towns, and repeatedly invaded and invaded the Mongolian tribes. Later, he added the commander-in-chief of Sichuan and aided the Pingshe Chongming rebellion in Chengdu and made many achievements.
Even after many years of dismissal, all the generals and soldiers in Yansui Town still respected Du Wenhuan's name very much.
In the fourth year of Chongzhen's reign, Shen Yiyuan besieged Qingyang, but Du Wenhuan relieved the siege.
Wu Zong, the imperial censor, impeached Du Wenhuan's general for killing Yanchuan refugees and impeached him again, and Zhang Chengzhao impeached him again. Du Wenhuan was imprisoned and dismissed from his post.
This time he was released from prison and took over as the commander-in-chief of Datong Town.
In history, Lu Xiangsheng had only five or six thousand soldiers and horses left under his command at the end of November and almost December.
Yang Sichang mobilized his troops several times to continuously weaken Lu Xiangsheng's military strength, just to prevent Lu Xiangsheng from going to war.
Lu Xiangsheng and Yang Sichang were at odds with each other because of their different political opinions. Lu Xiangsheng reprimanded Yang Sichang for "the crime of suppressing the master and supporting the bandits." Yang Sichang forced Lu Xiangsheng to use Shangfang's sword against him, and they broke up on bad terms.
Not long ago, part of the troops commanded by Lu Xiangsheng were handed over to Chen Xinjia to guard the Changping Imperial Tomb.
Then Yang Sichang once again transferred the Datong army under Lu Xiangsheng on the grounds that there was a police presence in Datong, resulting in Lu Xiangsheng's military strength being extremely weak.
But now, Lu Xiangsheng still has more than 8,000 people under his command, and Du Wenhuan is still following Lu Xiangsheng.
An alarm also came from Datong, and the Ministry of War did issue a message to return to defense, but Du Wenhuan did not lead all the soldiers and horses in Datong Town to return for reinforcements like Wang Pu.
Instead, he ordered the other two battalions to return to aid Datong, and led his own regular soldiers to still follow Lu Xiangsheng.
Chen Wang felt strange. At this time, Yang Sichang was suppressing Lu Xiangsheng mercilessly.
Yang Guozhu and Hu Dawei followed because they were under military orders. Du Wenhuan had an excuse, but unlike Wang Pu, he didn't take the opportunity to escape. Instead, he followed Lu Xiangsheng deep into the tiger's den, but something was wrong.
Chen Wang's eyes were slightly focused, observing Du Wenhuan who was standing not far away without any trace.
Du Wenhuan, wearing a general's armor and an Ming iron helmet, stood beside Lu Xiangsheng.
He has an upright appearance, calm eyes, and not much anger. He does not look like a military commander, but more like an ordinary rich man in the countryside.
Chen Wang had some impressions of Du Wenhuan, but was not familiar with him. The reason why he remembered something about Du Wenhuan was because of Juniper.
Du Wenhuan's qualifications are quite old and his prestige is high. He is several points higher than Cao Wenzhao, but he is not as good at conduct as Cao Wenzhao.
I heard that he used to be arrogant and domineering, but now there is no trace of the legend.
Chen Wang was thinking in his mind when Du Wenhuan, who was standing not far away, seemed to notice something and turned his gaze slightly sideways.
During eye contact, Chen Wang's heart sank involuntarily.
However, Du Wenhuan's eyes only glanced briefly and then quickly looked back.
Chen Wang frowned slightly and withdrew his gaze from observing Du Wenhuan.
No matter what Du Wenhuan thinks, all this has nothing to do with him now. He does not need to follow Lu Xiangsheng to stay in Zhending. He will soon follow Sun Chuanting to break camp and head north towards Baoning Mansion.
The main force of the Qing army has passed Baoning at this time. Baoning Mansion is now safe for the time being. There is no Qing army at all in Baoning Mansion. Going north to Baoning, you can get a short period of peace.
only……
Chen Wang turned his gaze back to Lu Xiangsheng, who was standing in front of him, and his mind couldn't help but sink...
…
Sun Chuanting stared at Lu Xiangsheng standing in front of him, but for a moment he didn't know where to start.
"Brother Boya is willing to part with part of the military rations. It's rare. Don't worry about the lack of money and rations."
Lu Xiangsheng took a step forward. He saw Sun Chuanting's thoughts in his eyes, but he did not use this as the starting point of the conversation, but sincerely stepped forward to thank him.
Sun Chuanting's expression moved slightly, he subconsciously glanced at the north, and then couldn't help but sigh.
"I heard that there was a fight against the sun in the temple, but I didn't expect it to have reached this point."
Sun Chuanting felt cold in his heart. He only knew that Lu Xiangsheng and Yang Sichang were at odds. Lu Xiangsheng was in charge of fighting and Yang Sichang was in charge of caressing. Several conflicts broke out between the two.
I thought it was just a dispute over political opinions in the court, but Yang Sichang actually reached this point.
Yang Sichang held military power and restricted everything, forcing Lu Xiangsheng not to go to war by cutting off food and pay.
Lu Xiangsheng's army had been short of food and hungry for several days. If it were an ordinary army, it would have triggered a mutiny.
However, Lu Xiangsheng had a high prestige in the army. When Lu Xiangsheng took office as the governor of Xuanda, most of the soldiers in the two towns of Xuanda were hungry, insecure and in rags.
It was Lu Xiangsheng who clarified the official administration, promoted farming, and brought in food, wages, and clothes, so that they no longer suffered as before.
During the period of lack of food and pay, Lu Xiangsheng shared the joys and sorrows with the soldiers. He did not even eat at all for several days.
Lu Xiangsheng's eyes moved slightly, and there was no expression on his face, but Sun Chuanting still saw the helplessness deep in Lu Xiangsheng's eyes.
Sun Chuanting was moved, and after thinking for a long time, he couldn't help but say.
"The force of establishing slaves is strong, the armor is strong and sharp, and the soldiers are sharp and hard to withstand. The border troops are weakened for a long time, and the soldiers who dare to fight are cherished. If they are defeated in one battle, the country may be in danger of overthrowing."
"Jiandou..."
Sun Chuanting didn't finish his words because he saw the answer in Lu Xiangsheng's eyes.
Lu Xiangsheng's eyes were calm, like a silent ancient well.
"I understand, I know, I understand..."
Lu Xiangsheng's tone was calm, but his trembling hands still showed the turmoil in his heart.
"They established slaves and joined the bandits, burning, killing, and looting all the way, trampling the cities and counties, plagiarizing, and committing sexual acts."
"I led the troops out of the capital and headed south. Everything I saw along the way was devastated. People were disemboweled and disfigured. Their heads were missing, and their bodies were exposed in the wilderness."
"The city of Gaoyang was destroyed, and Taifu Sun died in the city. I was sitting in Baoning, but I was unable to save him."
"Build slaves and capture my people, destroy my cities, kill my people, disperse my race, and exile me as slaves all over Zhili!"
Lu Xiangsheng clenched his fists and looked directly at Sun Chuanting. His original peaceful look was gone, and his eyes were full of anger.
Gaoyang City was besieged, but he could do nothing. Sun Chengzong, an important minister who became an official, led his family to defend Gaoyang City. In the end, the city was broken and he was captured. He hanged himself and died. His five sons, six grandsons, two nephews, and eight grandnephews all fought. Death, more than a hundred members of the Sun family were killed and martyred for the country.
"How can we tolerate such blood feud and national shame?!"
"It is true that Jiannu is powerful and has sharp soldiers, but Jiannu is not invincible!"
Anger flowed in Lu Xiangsheng's eyes. Lu Xiangsheng tried his best to suppress his emotions and said in a deep voice.
"The reason why the slaves entered the pass was not to capture cities and expand territory, but to plunder money, food, and people."
"Jiannu took advantage of the internal turmoil in our court to cause rebellion in Liaodong and strengthened it. Mongolia was separated due to the death of Khan, so Jiannu was able to gather the Mongolian tribes for war."
"The Mongolian tribes have always come when they hear of gains. If there is no gain, they will retreat. Their fighting spirit is not strong. This time they follow Jiannu and go south, just for the gold and silver treasures."
"Although there are differences between Jiannu and Mongolia, the purpose of going south this time is the same. They also come to plunder wealth. Once the casualties are too heavy, their troops will retreat without fighting."
Lu Xiangsheng looked gloomy and said in a deep voice.
"The population of slave-building is sparse, with only a few hundred thousand Ding population and tens of thousands of fighting soldiers. Most of the so-called one hundred thousand army are Mongolians and Ding descendants. They have different ideas and are strong on the outside. Only a few thousand of the main force of the army can be killed and wounded. His muscles and bones are injured, and the army has no will to fight."
Sun Chuanting frowned slightly. Although what Lu Xiangsheng said was reasonable, if he went to war rashly due to the current situation, the probability of defeat was over 80%.
Although Lu Xiangsheng is known as the governor of the world's reinforcements, there are only 8,000 soldiers still following Lu Xiangsheng at this time.
Except for the Tianxiong Army of the Du Biao Camp under his command, there are only the main barracks under the three generals Du Wenhuan, Yang Guozhu, and Hu Dawei.
According to the intelligence reports from various places in the past few days, the number of Qing troops who invaded was nearly 100,000. Now there are 40,000 to 50,000 people entrenched in Zhending and Hejian. The gap between the strength of the troops is huge, and the chance of winning is too small... …
"I already know the pros and cons, Brother Boya, there is no need to say anything more."
Lu Xiangsheng interrupted Sun Chuanting's movements by cupping his fists, and said in a deep voice.
"I will never go to war rashly. To protect the country and the people, we must first protect ourselves. I know it."
Sun Chuanting opened his mouth, but after all, he could no longer say any words of persuasion.
Lu Xiangsheng had already spoken to this point, so what could he say.
It's not that Lu Xiangsheng doesn't know, he knows everything. It's just that Lu Xiangsheng has no way to sit high in the temple like Yang Sichang and watch ordinary people being displaced and robbed as slaves...
It is difficult to tell what is right and wrong. The matter between Yang Sichang and Lu Xiangsheng is too complicated. He cannot drain this muddy water, nor can he control it.
Allocating seven or eight days of military rations to Lu Xiangsheng was already his greatest authority and the best thing he could do.
In the long run, Yang Sichang seems to be right. Now that the country is in trouble, if we want to fight against the outside world, we must first settle down at home.
Otherwise, when fighting on two fronts, the generals, soldiers, and soldiers will rush back and forth, and they will be too exhausted to fight. A war on two fronts means division of troops, which means weakness.
Moreover, the country's finances are becoming more severe year by year, and the court really has no money...
If the internal troubles caused by the rogue bandits are not eliminated, the country will not be at peace. The rogue bandits will destroy every place they go, and there will be no way to collect taxes from the places where the rogue bandits go.
If the slaves are established, they will be pacified, and the troops at the border will be temporarily suspended, so that they can concentrate on solving domestic worries.
At that time, the domestic worries will be eliminated, and it will not be difficult to have strong power in hand, eliminate the ills of Liaodong, unite the world and strengthen the army, expedition to the north to restore the land, and avenge the old hatred.
but……
Along the way, the once prosperous Beizhili is now in a state of decay.
The slaves burned, killed, looted, destroyed the city and massacred. The villages and towns around Zhending City were all turned into ruins. The dead were piled on top of each other, and the corpses were exposed in the wilderness. There were purgatory-like scenes everywhere.
Seeing such a scene, how could one allow Jian Nu to be so unscrupulous?
As Lu Xiangsheng said, what the slaves did was gold and silver. They could not accept a large number of casualties. Once the casualties were about to reach a critical value, they would voluntarily evacuate outside the customs.
"Take care of yourself."
Sun Chuanting gently clasped his fists, and all the thoughts in his heart finally turned into a sigh.
Lu Xiangsheng bowed slightly, lowered his head, and returned the gesture with his fists clasped. He knew that everything Sun Chuanting did was sincerely considering him and the country.
The horses neighed, and a burst of rapid hoofbeats came from far away, interrupting the dull atmosphere among everyone.
"The main force of Jiannu turned south and advanced south quickly through Wuqiang, Wuyi and Hengshui in the northeast of Zhending Prefecture!"
"The vanguard of Jiannu has passed through the Tuoshui River, and eight counties including Jizhou, Zaoqiang, Xinhe, and Nangong are in urgent need!"
…
"History of the Ming Dynasty·Biography 149·Biography of Lu Xiangsheng":
"In the army, I have tasted three days' worth of pay, and when the elephant rises, the water slurry cannot be swallowed. Therefore, I win the hearts of the officers and men, and I will always be successful in battle."
(End of chapter)
