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The imperial army suffered a rout.
And the defeat was unclear.
Liang Fuchen gathered an army of 140,000 people, divided into three groups: left, center and right. They marched boldly and high-spirited into the depths of the grassland, hoping to find the main force of the Ordos tribe and annihilate them in one fell swoop.
Then, before the imperial army could find the enemy, a snowstorm came without warning!
For a time, the sky was dark and the earth was dark, and the people were on their backs. The imperial army soon fell into a situation of falling apart and being leaderless!
Many of Liang Fuchen's arrangements were ineffective, and everything fell into unprecedented chaos and disorder - the soldiers could not find their generals, the generals could not command the soldiers, the organized army had lost its direction, and countless soldiers were buried In the snow!
Before the war even started, the imperial army had already suffered heavy losses!
Objectively speaking, this sudden snowstorm only shows that Liang Fuchen was very unlucky, and it cannot be regarded as Liang Fuchen's responsibility.
But Liang Fuchen must be responsible for the next scene.
That is - Liang Fuchen ignored the determination and madness of the Ordos tribe to regain the Hetao Plain!
It stands to reason that in the face of such a large-scale blizzard, the Mongolian army would have no time to protect themselves and would never be able to take the initiative. However, the Ordos tribe knew very well that this was their only chance to retake the Hetao Plain and they had to take the risk. , No matter how big the loss is, you have to bear it!
At the same time, it is not known what kind of benefits the Ordos tribe promised, and the tribes on the right side of Mongolia also sent troops to help despite the risks.
After the blizzard subsided, Liang Fuchen was eager to organize and gather the imperial army again, but he ignored the most basic precautions. The Mongolian cavalry took the opportunity to drive straight in and raid the middle of the imperial army!
What follows is a desperate escape, a sheep-like pursuit, and an unprecedented rout!
Liang Fuchen finally gathered more than 20,000 troops and horses, but most of them were quickly lost in the rout. Only eight or nine thousand men were left, and most of them lost their weapons, horses, and fighting spirit!
If this situation continues, not only will the imperial army be wiped out by the Mongolian cavalry, but Liang Fuchen will also die on the battlefield.
But fortunately, there is still a saying in this world that "it will come to an end in peace".
On this day, after Liang Fuchen encountered the worst misfortune in his life, his luck finally did not deteriorate!
Seeing the Mongolian cavalry chasing closer and closer, his troops were no longer able to resist. When Liang Fuchen couldn't help shouting "God will destroy me Liang Fuchen", his savior appeared.
This savior is none other than Guan Wuyuan who was "ambushed" not far from the battlefield by accident!
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Guan Wuyuan's whole body is full of shortcomings, including selfishness, greed, cowardice, incompetence, and pretentiousness.
But after all, he still has one advantage, that is, he is obedient—mainly listening to Zhao Junchen!
After Guan Wuyuan received Zhao Junchen's secret letter, he was convinced of Zhao Junchen's judgment and believed that the imperial army must not take the initiative to attack at this time, otherwise it would be asking for death!
Therefore, when Liang Fuchen proposed a quick decision and took the initiative, Guan Wuyuan was immediately frightened and stood up to express his firm opposition. He even went so far as to argue with Liang Fuchen in public, even if it directly destroyed the two of them. The honeymoon period of cooperation is also not spared.
But in the end, Guan Wuyuan was still unable to stop Liang Fuchen from going his own way, and the imperial army took the initiative to attack.
At this time, Guan Wuyuan proposed that he should stay in the camp and sit in the rear. Anyway, he would not dare to fight, but as a "famous general in the world" and "one of the first generals in the Shaanxi-Gansu War", he was currently the most prestigious and At the height of the limelight, how could Liang Fuchen allow him to stay in the rear with his overqualified and underutilized troops?
Therefore, Guan Wuyuan still led the troops to the expedition and became the commander-in-chief of the rear army.
After hearing Liang Fuchen's appointment, Guan Wuyuan almost cried on the spot.
However, Guan Wuyuan has another advantage, that is, he is good at hugging thighs. He can also lower his body when hugging thighs, completely shameless.
When he found out that he had to go on an expedition, he immediately used Zhang Chengxun again - he knew that Zhang Chengxun's military skills and courage were far superior to his own, and his previous great military exploits all relied on Zhang Chengxun's efforts, so he also considered Zhang Chengxun. I can't bear the contradiction and conflict between myself and Zhang Chengxun. I just hope that Zhang Chengxun can help me again.
Zhang Chengxun is also a person who understands the general situation. He knows very well that he has the mark of Zhao Junchen on his body. In the future, he will definitely be secretly suppressed by the court. It is difficult to rise to a high position in a short time. On the contrary, Guan Wuyuan, a silver-like wax spearhead, Soon he will be promoted step by step and will become an important part of Zhao Junchen's plan. At this time, he must be protected.
Therefore, under Guan Wuyuan's initiative to please and deliberately ease the relationship, Zhang Chengxun finally returned to Guan Wuyuan and became Guan Wuyuan's deputy general again.
On the second day, when the imperial army set out for the expedition, Guan Wuyuan was reluctant in every possible way and tried every means to delay the march. He was soon severely reprimanded by Liang Fuchen.
At this time, Liang Fuchen had begun to doubt Guan Wuyuan's true talent and learning.
But for Guan Wuyuan, it doesn't matter if he shows off his timidity or is punished. The most important thing is to save his own life. Therefore, he is still unswervingly delaying the march, just thinking of leaving a way out for himself. He will be the first to flee for his life when he sees something wrong with the limelight.
Precisely because of this situation, Guan Wuyuan's troops quickly fell to the rear of the imperial army, more than thirty miles away from Liang Fuchen's middle army.
If it hadn't been for the sudden appearance of this blizzard, Liang Fuchen would have changed his generals at this time and dealt with Guan Wuyuan with military law.
But this is the reality. Luck cannot be stopped. In the chaos, there are always embroidered pillows like Guan Wuyuan who rely on luck to stand out.
The distance between Guan Wuyuan's troops and the main army of the imperial court was getting farther and farther, but he also discovered the appearance of the snowstorm in time. There happened to be a low mountain nearby, so he used the terrain to avoid the most violent stage of the snowstorm. .
Therefore, when the imperial army fell into disintegration under the power of nature, Guan Wuyuan's army miraculously maintained its intact structure.
After finally waiting for the blizzard to subside, seeing the chaos of the main force of the imperial army, Guan Wuyuan was about to lead his troops to rush to support, but soon received news that the Mongolian cavalry had marched in and the imperial army had been completely defeated, so Guan Wuyuan immediately retreated. After going back, he still stayed behind the short mountain to observe the development of the battle.
In fact, if it weren't for Zhang Chengxun's strong advice, Guan Wuyuan would have already galloped on horseback and fled to Shaanxi and Gansu.
Then, when Liang Fuchen was running away, he accidentally escaped to Guan Wuyuan's hiding place, which made Guan Wuyuan even more panicked.
Just when Guan Wuyuan was reciting scriptures secretly and praying to gods and Buddhas again, Zhang Chengxun, who had real talent and knowledge, discovered the opportunity on the battlefield in time!
Although the Mongolian cavalry seemed to have the upper hand when chasing and killing, and Liang Fuchen's troops were unable to fight back, in fact, there was not much difference in the strength of the two armies.
The Mongolian cavalry launched a surprise attack despite the blizzard. At this time, they also suffered heavy losses. They did not have much strength advantage and had already exhausted their strength. They just gritted their teeth and persisted with a desire to regain their homeland. It's just because the imperial army has completely collapsed and cannot organize a counterattack. Otherwise, the outcome of the two armies will still be 50-50.
At this time, if Guan Wuyuan's troops can be divided into two groups, one of which cuts off the Mongolian cavalry's retreat, and the other slightly hinders the Mongolian cavalry's pursuit so that Liang Fuchen can reorganize his army to counterattack, there is a high possibility that a battle will occur. A great comeback from defeat to victory.
In particular, among the Mongolian cavalry chasing Liang Fuchen, you can also see the royal flag of the Ordos tribe, which obviously contains a big fish!
Thinking of this, Zhang Chengxun immediately took action, arranging the division of troops, finding fighter planes, and deploying tactics. For Zhang Chengxun, these things were not too difficult. The only difficulty was trying to win Guan Wuyuan's support.
Guan Wuyuan only wanted to avoid the Mongolian cavalry, so he was naturally unwilling to risk going into battle at this time. However, Zhang Chengxun was not willing to waste time, but simply ignored Guan Wuyuan, and then issued military orders in Guan Wuyuan's name.
Then, just like Zhang Chengxun's arrangement, Guan Wuyuan's troops were divided into two groups. They first delayed the Mongolian cavalry's pursuit, and then cut off the Mongolian cavalry's retreat. Liang Fuchen had always been determined and resolute. After seeing this scene He was immediately overjoyed and immediately reorganized his team and launched a counterattack.
On the other side, the Mongolian cavalry army did not have a strength advantage to begin with. At this time, it was already at the end of its war effort. Seeing that the enemy had reinforcements and was cut off, its fighting spirit and morale were greatly frustrated.
So, the situation of the battle reversed!
*
About an hour later, the battle finally came to an end.
Not long ago, most of the Mongolian pursuers, who were showing off their power and force, had been annihilated by this time, and only a few people were able to escape.
However, the imperial army also suffered heavy losses. Liang Fuchen's middle army alone suffered tens of thousands of casualties. Thousands more soldiers and horses lost contact and trace in the snowstorm, and it is not known whether they are dead or alive.
You must know that the middle army under Liang Fuchen can be said to have gathered all the elites from Shaanxi and Gansu. They are all veterans of hundreds of battles, especially the "Guoguo Army" - the former "Qi Bin's New Army" - This elite team was the work of Liang Fuchen and Qi Bin during their lifetimes!
After counting the casualties, Liang Fuchen suffered a huge blow. He ignored the majesty of the court elder, and his old face was full of tears. He grabbed the arm of Guan Wuyuan, who had just arrived here to investigate the situation, and cried: "I regret it! I didn't listen to General Guan's good advice yesterday, which is why we suffered heavy casualties today! Most of the elite troops on the three sides of Shaanxi and Gansu were lost in this battle! How can I go to see the people from all over Shaanxi and Gansu in the future? Folks? It’s obviously a great situation, and we can win completely as long as we fight steadily. However, because of my eagerness for quick success and instant benefit, I took the risk and ended up in such a miserable situation... I’m so ashamed! I’m so ashamed!”
Seeing Liang Fuchen crying and blaming himself, Guan Wuyuan immediately wanted to ask loudly, "Do you know how to blame yourself now? I have already said that you should not take risks and go out to attack. How can Mr. Zhao's words be false?"
However, Guan Wuyuan still remembered that the person in front of him was a court official and a close official of the emperor, and he could not be offended easily, so he just said slowly: "Alas! The reason why I opposed our army's initiative to attack in the first place was because he was worried about the bad weather in Hetao. Changeable, but this matter cannot be blamed on Mr. Ge. We can only blame God for not being kind. If it were not for this snowstorm, our army may not have suffered the heavy losses today! But in any case, as long as Mr. Liang Ge is fine , there will be opportunities in the future... Although today’s battle was a tragic victory, we still won in the end!”
Liang Fuchen said with a sad smile: "The elite divisions in Shaanxi and Gansu have suffered heavy losses, and their fighting spirit and morale have been destroyed. Under such circumstances, what can we do even if there are ten or a hundred people? It's just ridiculous. I saw General Guan deliberately delaying Due to the speed of the rear army, I mistakenly thought that you, General Guan, had a reputation that was too great to live up to, and that you were timid and incompetent. Now I realize that this was General Guan’s precautionary plan and a complete strategy! This time, it was all thanks to General Guan that the situation was saved!
After withdrawing the troops and returning to the camp today, I will apologize to the court and Your Majesty, and at the same time ask for credit for General Guan, and then hand over all military affairs to General Guan. I will never dare to interfere in war decisions in the future. If Your Majesty goes forward, If you are still willing to keep me, I will help General Guan handle some logistical chores. However, all combat command matters are entirely up to General Guan. I hope General Guan will not refuse. At this time, only General Guan can take on this responsibility. Heavy responsibility..."
Obviously, Liang Fuchen was hit hard by this day's heavy lesson and had the idea of retreating behind the scenes.
After hearing what Liang Fuchen said, Guan Wuyuan was a little hesitant. Taking sole control of the military was certainly a good thing, but he was not sure whether he should take over this mess.
After this battle, the imperial army suffered heavy losses and may not have the ability to stabilize the war situation and regain the Hetao.
Therefore, Guan Wuyuan hesitated but did not agree.
Just when Guan Wuyuan was hesitating, a young officer of the "Guoguo Army" walked quickly carrying a Mongolian head.
This young officer was none other than Zhao Junchen's distant cousin Zhao He.
After Zhao He was placed into the "Guoguo Army" by Zhao Junchen, he changed his surname to Li He. After Zhao Junchen's various methods, he has now won the support of all the soldiers of the "Guoguo Army" and became the "Guoguo Army". The most prestigious rising star in the army, he has also won the trust and trust of Liang Fuchen during this period.
In today's war, Guan Wuyuan, who had the performance of "turning the tide", was undoubtedly the one who gained the most. But besides Guan Wuyuan, Li He had the greatest gain.
He first saved Liang Fuchen's life from the pursuit of the Mongolian cavalry, and his performance during the counterattack was also remarkable, so he was increasingly trusted and valued by Liang Fuchen.
The most important thing is that Li He's prestige in the military has long been sufficient. It is only because he is too young, has too little qualifications, and has too little experience that he did not become the chief general of the "Guoguo Army". But after today's After a battle, most of the more senior, experienced, and older officers in the "Patriot Army" had been killed or injured. This means that all the obstacles for Li He to fully take over the "Patriot Army" have been eliminated. No longer exists, and will soon become the chief general of the "Patriot Army".
This also means that the most elite army of the Ming Dynasty will soon fall into Zhao Junchen's hands.
At this time, after Li He walked up to Liang Fuchen with a head in his hand, he couldn't help but look happy and congratulated loudly, "Congratulations to Mr. Liang Ge! Congratulations to Mr. Liang Ge! In this battle, our army not only won a great victory Complete victory, when I was cleaning the battlefield just now, I even discovered the body of Qi Gemu, the current leader of the Ordos tribe!
A few days ago, after our army broke through the Tartar king's tent, they captured Qiyan, the previous leader of the Ordos tribe, but his son Qigemu escaped. Now Qigemu has also died at the hands of our army. The Ordos tribe has been severely weakened and leaderless. The tribes on the right side of Mongolia have no reason to send troops to help. They will inevitably retreat soon. It is just around the corner for the imperial court to completely regain the Hetao! "
As he spoke, Li He raised the head in his hand and said in a louder voice: "Mr. Liang Ge, this is the head of Qie Gemu!"
After hearing Li He's report, Liang Fuchen's expression changed quickly and was very interesting.
He was stunned for a moment at first, with the look of sadness still on his old face, then it turned into a look of disbelief, and finally his face was full of ecstasy and joy.
After Liang Fuchen carefully looked at the head in Li He's hand for a moment, he laughed loudly and said: "Okay! Okay! Great! Kill Qigemu, and the Ordos tribe will soon fall apart, and the Mongolian tribes will also retreat one after another. , this war will be over soon! Haha! God has eyes! God has eyes!"
On the other side, Guan Wuyuan also beamed with joy after hearing such good news. At the same time, he looked at Liang Fuchen eagerly, hoping that Liang Fuchen would still remember his promise just now.
Liang Fuchen just wanted to entrust the whole battle of the Hetao to Guan Wuyuan, but Guan Wuyuan did not agree immediately because he was worried that the chances of winning the subsequent war were low and he might be responsible.
But now, with the death of Qie Gemu in the battle, the court's chances of winning the battle to regain the Hetao have greatly increased and are certain. The remaining thing is to clean up the stragglers of the Ordos tribe. It only takes half a month at most. The army can completely control the Hetao area.
As a result, Guan Wuyuan certainly changed his mind and couldn't wait for Liang Fuchen to fulfill his promise, allowing himself to take sole control of the military and achieve great success.
However, perhaps because he was in such a happy mood, Liang Fuchen seemed to have forgotten his previous promise. He just repeatedly praised "God has eyes" and sent a large number of cavalry to contact the surrounding friendly forces and report the good news of Qigmu's execution. .
Next, Liang Fuchen made a high-profile statement that he wanted to take credit for all the soldiers, and by the way, he also set the tone for today's war - this was not a tragic victory, but a great victory!
Killing the enemy leader and establishing the future victory in one fell swoop, what is this if not a great victory?
As long as such a goal is achieved, Liang Fuchen will be worthy of the important role given to Emperor Deqing and will still be the pillar of the country with great military achievements. His mistakes will be inconsequential flaws and his political life will be continued... As for the soldiers The heavy casualties are just a series of insignificant numbers, and they are also a "price that must be paid." Except for the families of the dead and wounded soldiers, not many people will really care.
Liang Fuchen's grief and self-blame just now were certainly not false, and he did feel guilty for the casualties of the soldiers, but this guilt would not last long, let alone allow him to take the initiative to end his political career.
Liang Fuchen has been in officialdom for many years. Although he cannot be called a conspirator and has some moral bottom lines, he still knows how to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages.
At this time, there is no such thing as petitioning for apology or giving up power to the wise.
Therefore, no matter how heavy the damage was, this was still a great victory! A great victory without a doubt! It was a great victory under the wise command of Liang Fuchen!
Therefore, he forgot his recent promise to gain his own merit and glory over the corpses of the soldiers!
Therefore, Guan Wuyuan, who did not get any benefits, was also very disappointed and stayed up for several nights, only hating his initial hesitation and timidity.
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There have been strong winds recently, and the grassroots level has to protect the forest from fire. We have been waiting for a long time, and the update will be resumed today.
In addition, Chongzi is really not good at describing wars, and he is not willing to spend too much space describing side plots, so the content of this chapter is transitional.
I wrote 8,000 words yesterday. I found that if I described the war in detail, I would be unable to end the plot, so I deleted it and rewrote it, which is today’s chapter!
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