In the twelfth year of Chongzhen, March 12th.
Even though it is already spring, the wind blowing from Saibei is still cold.
The sky was depressing and terrifying late at night, with dark clouds covering the stars and moon in the sky, leaving no trace of light.
The lights are brightly lit under Qingshan Pass, and the rays of light fill the countryside and foothills of the pass, like a sea of stars in the sky.
In contrast, there is the almost dim Qingshan Pass City.
This once brightly lit Guancheng city now has only a few dimly lit braziers burning.
On top of the dilapidated Guan City, Chen Wang stood at the entrance of the crenellations, leaning on the cold blue bricks, looking at the dark outside of the Guan City.
In history, the Wuyin Incident had a profound impact.
The Qing army entered the customs for half a year and captured more than 460,000 people, a total of one million taels of gold and silver, and countless pieces of cloth that were left intact.
The two wing armies defeated a total of fifty-seven formations of the Ming army, captured Jinan Prefecture, three prefectures, and fifty-five counties in Shandong, killing two Ming generals and more than a hundred generals above the garrison. Defan also fell, which was a great shame for the country.
The disastrous defeat of the Ming army in Beizhili not only caused heavy losses to the elite troops of the Ming Dynasty, but also made it difficult to suppress the rogue bandits in the south.
A large number of troops went north for King Qin, and the number of troops in the south naturally decreased accordingly.
Many of the bandits who have surrendered are still pretending to surrender without sincerity.
As Hong Chengchou, Sun Chuanting, and Lu Xiangsheng led most of the elite troops northward, the Ming Dynasty could no longer maintain a stable situation in the south.
Zhang Xianzhong, Luo Rucai, Li Zicheng and other bandits launched a rebellion again, and finally got out of hand.
Due to the Wuyin Incident and a series of chain reactions that followed, the Ming Dynasty's national power took a turn for the worse and was no longer able to restore the overall situation.
Although now because of his own appearance, history has changed a lot.
During the Wuyin Revolution, they recaptured a total population of 140,000, more than 200,000 taels of gold and silver, a lot of cloth and utensils, and a lot of food, grass and baggage.
The reason is that now every town can raise wages and have enough food to eat.
Naturally, they not only relied on the food and wages transported from Beijing, but also directly used the recaptured harvest for military purposes.
On this point, Sun Chuanting had already submitted a memorial and obtained Chongzhen's permission.
In times of emergency, extraordinary measures were taken, and those captured could be sent to the army. However, in order to avoid killing good people and taking credit for their merits, and looting local areas, there were also many restrictions. Not only factory guards, but also officials from the Ministry of War came to monitor.
This time during the Wuyin Incident, the Qing army achieved far fewer results and suffered far more heavy losses.
More importantly, the victory at Qingshan Pass gave the soldiers up and down Jiubian a different kind of momentum, and the fear of establishing slaves in their hearts was much weakened.
The Qing army's great momentum also declined.
In the past twenty years, in Liaodong and Mobei, the Jurchens have been victorious in almost every battle, and they have been unstoppable along the way.
It is precisely because of this that the Jurchens will become stronger as they fight.
Just like the Jin people who rose during the Song and Liao Dynasties.
As a victorious army, there will be a momentum in the army, and they believe in destiny, thinking that they will never be defeated!
Therefore, even if the casualties were heavy, the Qing army would rarely retreat. Even if the battle situation was unfavorable, they could still maintain extremely high morale and would not retreat after the bloody battle.
And because of this, victory tends to favor such an army more.
But now, the myth that a man with less than ten thousand people is invincible has been shattered.
A thousand-foot embankment collapsed with holes of ants. A room a hundred feet tall is burned with smoke from the cracks.
Now, many things have changed, but the torrent of history is still moving forward, and the general path today has not changed much.
However, the development and changes in the world's structure have already completely changed beyond recognition.
Chen Wang slowly closed his eyes, feeling the mountain wind blowing by his side, and his thoughts involuntarily returned to the Hutuo River that was always flowing eastward.
The Hutuo River, which originates from the Taihang Mountains, rushes eastward, roaring and rolling, as it has for thousands of years.
Only this time, Chen Wang's heart calmed down, he was no longer as hesitant as before, nor was he as hesitant as before.
The country is in danger and riddled with holes, and the enemy invaders have invaded and wreaked havoc for thousands of miles. How can we bear the humiliation and sit back and let the slaves come and go?
Chen Wang clenched his fists. Along the way, he had a clear conscience.
He really tried his best without any reservations.
From Zhending to Jinan, then to Wuqing, Dong'an, and finally to Qingshan Pass.
The three thousand soldiers who followed him from Hanzhong Mansion all the way north to Qinwang were now almost all injured, with more than a thousand dead.
More than ten people from the Chen and Hu clans in Liaodong who came to help him control the military and political affairs also died in the war.
After a series of bloody battles, Chen Wang also truly understood the meaning of Ci not taking charge of troops.
After all, Chen Wang's heart is made of flesh, not really made of iron.
On the battlefield, in order to win victory, Chen Wang could make himself ruthless and issue orders without hesitation.
But after the war, when he saw the casualty lists one after another, the wounded soldiers staying in the wounded barracks, and the cold corpses lying on the ground, Chen Wang's heart felt like a knife. , he didn't even turn a blind eye to it.
Man proposes, God disposes.
He has tried his best now.
Chen Wang took off the bamboo basket hanging from his waist and began to play slowly, playing the most familiar ancient song in the memory of the original owner.
The sad and sad sound of the bamboo basket is like weeping and complaining, accompanied by the cold wind blowing from outside the Great Wall, fluttering down the mountains.
The deep sound of the 筚篛 was spread slowly in the silent night, and the minds of all the soldiers in Qingshan Pass were also affected by the sound of the 筚篛.
The real name of Zhuozhen is Beizhen. He comes from a border area, and his sound is also sad.
Because of its timbre, it became a musical instrument in the military, used for giving orders and gatherings.
However, the 筚篥 is not only used as a command. More often, soldiers in the army will play the 筚篥 in memory of their dead comrades.
For thousands of years, countless people have been buried in the north and south of the Great Wall, and countless people have died.
In the end, what accompanied their souls to heaven and earth was the sound of the 筚篯, which was softened by sadness.
The north wind is getting stronger, the clouds are thinner, and the bright moon hidden in the clouds and mist is also showing a little bit.
The cold moonlight fell on the blood-stained Qingshan Pass, and in the north of Guancheng, the faint shadow of a watchtower could be seen through the dark night shadow.
The watchtower stood quietly on the top of the peak, and the bright moonlight shone on it, as if it was covered with a layer of misty brilliance.
Chen Wang slowly put down the wooden bamboo basket in his hand, because there was a person standing next to him.
"General..."
Cao Wenzhao raised his hand to stop Chen Wang who wanted to bow down.
Looking at this servant who has been by his side since he was a child, Cao Wenzhao felt a lot of emotion in his heart.
the student surpasses the master.
Zhending battle, Jiazhuang charging into battle, Jinan rushing to help, arrow setting public tree platform!
Four battles, 500 heads of slaves, and one head of Gushan Ezhen.
Chen Wang's reputation rose to the pinnacle of the generals, his merits reached the top of the generals, and his reputation was unparalleled.
The emperor personally ordered Chen Wang to follow him to Beijing and enter the platform to meet the saint.
Those who can enter the platform to meet the saints, without exception, have the rank of general at the rank of general.
Chen Wang was the only general who was allowed to enter the platform because his title was deputy commander-in-chief, which was enough to show that the emperor valued him.
With so many rank cuts and such outstanding military exploits, one's rise to fame can only happen overnight.
“The mountains echo and the valleys respond, the wind rises and the water surges.”
Cao Wenzhao stood beside Chen Wang and sighed, his eyes full of solemnity.
"There will be chaos in the south, and Xiong Wencan is far more incompetent than expected."
"Ma Shixiu and Du Yingjin had already surrendered in Xuzhou and went to project Li Wanqing from the sky. Li Wanqing led tens of thousands of troops to cover several towns and went straight to Zhenping Pass in order to join forces with the two thieves."
"Zuo Liangyu guards Zhenping Pass with a lone army. If Zuo Liangyu cannot defend Zhenping Pass, the Fu Bureau will be overturned overnight."
Cao Wenzhao narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a deep voice.
Zhang Xianzhong, Luo Rucai, Liu Guoneng, Wang Guangen and other departments still retain great autonomy.
Zhang Xianzhong, Luo Rucai and others plundered many times, but were suppressed by Xiong Wencan.
If Zuo Liangyu cannot hold Zhenping Pass, I am afraid that the bandits who have already surrendered will be cheered by the victory of She Tuotian.
The entire South will be engulfed in flames in an instant.
Chen Wang's heart moved slightly. He knew a lot about the rebellion in the south.
What he knows is probably even more than what Cao Wenzhao knows now.
"Zong Bing Zuo's troops are so strong that they can shoot down the sky with just one shot. Even if they cooperate inside and outside, they will not be able to defeat him."
Chen Wang remembers the historical situation very clearly.
Historically, Ma Jinzhong did not follow Sun Chuanting north to King Qin, because Ma Jinzhong was still in Henan in history.
It was because he changed part of the historical process that Ma Jinzhong led his troops to wander in Shaanxi.
Zuo Liangyu encountered a more dangerous situation in history. Ma Jinzhong and Li Wanqing joined forces to besiege him.
Zuo Liangyu took the initiative to lead an attack at Zhenping Pass and defeated Ma Jinzhong's troops. He then pursued all the way and defeated Li Wanqing at Qilihe in Zhangjialin. The two were afraid of Zuo Liangyu's reputation and did not dare to resist, so they led their troops to surrender.
Ma Shixiu and Du Yingjin, who rebelled near Xuzhou, also confessed and surrendered again when they saw Li Wanqing surrendering.
At this time, Zuo Liangyu was not the famous "Long-legged General" who only knew how to escape.
At this time, Zuo Liangyu's troops were strong, and among the towns in the south, Zuo Liangyu was now the number one in all towns, both in terms of combat power and military exploits.
The seventy-two battalions of rogue bandits were invincible at the sight of Zuo Liangyu's troops and flags, and they did not dare to fight against them.
This time, Zuo Liangyu had to deal with Li Wanqing, and he was naturally able to catch him.
But no matter how cruel Zuo Liangyu is, the governor is not Zuo Liangyu after all.
The governor is Xiong Wencan from beginning to end.
And Xiong Wencan's appeasement is a joke.
The reason why Zhang Xianzhong was beaten was because Zuo Liangyu almost collapsed after being beaten.
If Zuo Liangyu is given another two or three months, he will probably capture and kill Zhang Xianzhong.
Zhang Xianzhong was almost forced into a desperate situation by Zuo Liangyu, but was blocked by the profit-driven Xiong Wencan.
In order to quickly bring peace to the situation, Xiong Wencan even ordered that "whoever kills the thief must pay for it with death." This means that the person who kills the thief must pay with his life. This is simply outrageous.
The bandits refused to surrender, and even sent people to buy them with gold, silk, wine and meat, which was called "seeking thieves", in the hope that the bandits would be appeased.
How could such flattery not be a joke?
Recruitment made the officers and soldiers exhausted, but it gave the bandits the opportunity to cultivate themselves and even develop their own regimes.
Xiong Wencan was in the south and was at odds with all the soldiers in the towns. Zuo Liangyu was even more incompatible with him.
The so-called pacification bureau has actually collapsed. The rebellious intentions of Zhang Xianzhong, Luo Rucai and other bandits in the 72nd Battalion are clearly revealed, but the war has not completely broken out yet.
The 72nd Battalion is waiting for an opportunity, and this opportunity is about to come.
"Dry locusts in the north of the Yangtze River are in exile, and there is famine in Henan. A large number of hungry people are fleeing towards the Xiangshui and Hanshui. Every day, tens of thousands of people arrive between the two rivers."
"Hungry people gathered in the two rivers. Zhang Xianzhong, Luo Rucai and many other bandits who were investigating had sent many people to infiltrate the ranks of the hungry people, which shows their ambition."
Cao Wenzhao looked serious and sighed.
"The situation in the south has become extremely dangerous."
"When you return to Beijing this time, after meeting the Holy Spirit on the platform, I'm afraid you may need to walk non-stop to the south."
Chen Wang's eyes moved slightly, and after thinking for a while, he asked.
"Has it been agreed?"
"It's agreed."
Cao Wenzhao nodded slightly, and Chen Wang also got another answer from Cao Wenzhao's eyes.
If Cao Wenshao is so certain, there is only one possible source of the news.
The news must have come directly from Yang Sichang.
At this time, there is only one person in the world who can influence Chongzhen's decision, and that is Yang Sichang.
After receiving the positive news, Chen Wang's tense heartstrings were finally relieved.
Although he had already learned the news from Cao Wenzhao before, he would follow Yang Sichang south to put down the rebellion.
But I haven't heard any news and rumors, so it's natural to feel uneasy after such a long time.
Now that he got the exact news, Chen Wang was relieved.
When Cao Wenzhao saw Chen Wang's expression, a slight smile appeared on his face, but the smile was quickly hidden by him.
"I know that you use military skills to maintain stability, so I won't tell you those instructions."
"The Transforming Dragon will also go south with you. People's hearts are unpredictable. The relationships between the towns in the south are complex and the gap in combat power is extremely wide. It is difficult to work together. The two of you must look after each other."
Cao Wenzhao gently patted Chen Wang's shoulder. He did not continue to stay on Guancheng. After saying his last words, he had already left Guancheng.
Chen Wang stood on top of Guancheng and watched Cao Wenzhao's figure gradually go away.
After Cao Wenzhao's figure completely disappeared from sight, Chen Wang gave a final deep salute to the place where Cao Wenzhao left.
Cao Wenzhao really regarded him as his nephew.
Without Cao Wenzhao, no matter how hard he fought, he would not have been able to reach his current position so quickly.
All he can do is live up to Cao Wenzhao's trust in him and his expectations!
Fulfill the vow he made - take back his homeland and take revenge!
"Tongdian" "Juozhen, whose real name is Beizhen, comes from Hu Zhong, and his voice is sad.
(End of chapter)
