Sanyuan County, in the Zhenwu Army barracks.
Wang Muzhi, Zhu Chenjie, Xue Heping, Qin Guang and other senior generals of the Zhenwu Army gathered in the camp. Under the dim lights, everyone fell into silence, with extremely serious expressions on their faces.
Looking around at the expressions of the people around him, Wang Muzhi knew that at this time, as the leader of the Zhenwu Army, he must not fail. With Chen Dechang dying and Gongsun Heng rebelling, if he, Wang Muzhi, was defeated by the predicament, then this army would The Zhenwu Army, which Mr. Shouxing spent countless money and food and planned for many years, is completely finished...
Taking a deep breath, Wang Muzhi looked at everyone and said loudly:
"Why are everyone so sullen?"
"The situation of our army is indeed not good, but what does it matter?"
"Our army still has tens of thousands of soldiers and horses in hand. We are only one step away from Yutai County. We are far from exhausted. As long as we cross the Bohai Sea and return to Dengzhou Commander-in-Chief Shen Lang, we can reopen Qingyan. Get out of the territory!”
"At that time, our army will move from east to west, and the Chief Assistant will move from west to east. Naturally, we will be able to annihilate all these rebels. At that time, all of you here will be heroes of the new dynasty, and they will be famous for generations and be respected by future generations... ·········”
Wang Muzhi became more and more excited as he spoke, and his eyes seemed to glow, as if what he was talking about was so close and within reach.
I have to say that Wang Muzhi still has some charming personality. After hearing the pie he drew, the gloomy expressions of Zhu Chenjie and Qin Guang also eased somewhat, and they were no longer as pale as before.
Seeing this, Wang Muzhi quietly gave Qin Guang a look. After receiving Wang Muzhi's hint, Qin Guang immediately understood, put on a very excited look and said loudly:
"The general is right! We still have tens of thousands of soldiers and horses. What are so many people afraid of!"
"It's damn best if Ye Mingsheng chases him in person, so I can just twist off his head and hang it on a tree!"
Although everyone knew that Qin Guang was exaggerating here, everyone felt a little more relaxed when they saw Qin Guang's confidence. Immediately, several people stood up and cursed Ye Mingsheng and the Fengzhou Army generals one after another. At this time, everyone seemed to have forgotten the dangerous situation, and smiles returned to their faces...
After boosting everyone's morale and re-establishing their confidence, Wang Muzhi let most of them leave, leaving only three or four of his most trusted generals to stay and continue to discuss countermeasures.
"Ye Mingsheng sent Guo Zhiping, Zhu Lin, Fang Dawei and a few people with 50,000 horses to chase after him!"
Facing the eyes of his subordinates, Wang Muzhi did not hide anything, and told the latest military information very candidly!
After listening to Wang Muzhi's words, Xue Heping, Zhu Chenjie and others, who had just built up some confidence, fell to the bottom again. Since Wang Muzhi chose to run away a few days ago, everyone in the army, from the commander-in-chief to the soldiers and cooks, have It is understood that Zhenwu is over.
In such a situation where the morale of the army was disorganized and everyone was in danger, many people quietly deserted. At the beginning, Wang Muzhi dealt with it seriously, beheading many people and using their heads to intimidate the soldiers.
However, it was soon discovered that even beheading could not stop the soldiers from escaping. In just a few days, they had gone from more than 35,000 people when they first escaped to less than 30,000 people now. These Liaoyang natives Soldiers, don’t want to be buried on board the Zhenwu Army ship that is doomed to sink...
Seeing Zhu Chenjie, Xue Heping and others didn't speak. Wang Muzhi couldn't help but asked anxiously:
"How are your men doing?"
After hearing Wang Muzhi's question, Zhu Chenjie, who knew he could not escape, shook his head and whispered:
"The situation is not very good. More than 500 people ran away from my place last night, and among them all the soldiers and horses of one sentry escaped!"
Wang Muzhi's heart sank immediately after hearing this. Although deserters appeared frequently in the army in the past few days, they were basically individual actions, or three or five people acted together. There was no such organized escape, and now there is this This situation undoubtedly shows that the current crisis of Zhenwu Army has become even more serious.
"Sir, we can't drag it on any longer. If this continues, all our troops will be gone before the Fengzhou Army comes to fight!" Qin Guang gritted his teeth and said to Wang Muzhi:
After listening to Qin Guang's words, Wang Muzhi felt something moved in his heart and asked him:
"Tell me what you have in mind!"
After receiving Wang Muzhi's permission, Qin Guang said directly without any scruples:
"Under the current situation, it is impossible to take away all the tens of thousands of soldiers and horses! There may not be that many ships in Yutai County. Our army now needs to immediately identify those who are willing to share the difficulties with our army. These soldiers are then allowed to take these people away with huge profits. Only in this way can our army move faster!"
Wang Muzhi felt a little disappointed when he heard this. He thought Qin Guang would give him a good plan, but he didn't expect it to be a strong man's wrist-cutting move...
Wang Muzhi has naturally thought of this move. In fact, he has been hesitating whether to do it these days. He is not willing to abandon so many soldiers like this, so during this period he has been trying to revive the morale of the army. It is precisely because of this that the Zhenwu Army stayed in Sanyuan County for a long time.
Wang Muzhi knew that once a strong man broke his wrist, the current Zhenwu army would be completely disheartened, and the number of soldiers willing to go to Qingyan with him would only be a few thousand at most.
They went to Dengzhou to fight, and they wanted to continue to cooperate with Shangguan Hongyuan, the chief assistant, to attack from east to west, and from west to east. If only this few people went to Dengzhou, at least in a short period of time, they would be very successful. If it is difficult to achieve anything, then the strategy of Shangguan Hongyuan, the chief assistant, is actually bankrupt.
However, if the warrior does not break his wrist and continues to struggle here, the situation will be difficult to change. Once the pursuers sent by Ye Mingsheng catch up, let alone thousands of people, it will be difficult for one person to leave by then. ·············
Looking at Wang Muzhi with a tangled expression, Qin Guang anxiously advised:
"The green hills left behind by your Excellency are still there, so you don't have to worry about running out of firewood. Although we have fewer soldiers going to Dengzhou now, our brothers will be more united. With your ability, it won't take long before we can pull out a number of soldiers again." A team of ten thousand people is coming!”
Feeling the expectant eyes of the generals around him, Wang Muzhi finally made a decision in pain, closed his eyes, nodded and said:
"Go get ready!"
"Yes!" The generals took the order and left.
···················
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three days later
Dongning City Ye Mansion
Ye Mingsheng, who was busy writing and giving instructions on several documents in the study, heard a burst of footsteps outside the study, and asked Qi Dechao who walked in:
"Is there news from Guo Zhiping?"
Qi Dechao heard this and reported:
"Yes, General Guo reported that Wang Muzhi had broken his arm and left behind a large group of Zhenwu soldiers in Sanyuan County. He only took thousands of soldiers loyal to him and rushed to Yutai County overnight. After General Guo got the news, he immediately Send cavalry to chase!”
"However, because we were blocked by the remnants of the Zhenwu Army in Yutai County, Wang Muzhi escaped by boat a step too late. However, he also killed the rebel general Qin Guang and more than 2,000 rebels, and captured the enemy. More than 30,000 people and thousands of horses..."
Ye Mingsheng frowned slightly when he heard the news, but after thinking about it, he still ordered:
"Let's give the reward!"
"Yes!" Qi Dechao responded:
Although it is a bit regretful that Wang Muzhi was not killed, the results of this battle were brilliant and huge, and it was of great political significance. It meant that there was no longer a military force in Liaoyang that could confront the Fengzhou Army head-on, so Ye Mingsheng still had to discuss it carefully. Merits are rewarded!
After giving instructions, Ye Mingsheng prepared to handle the official documents. After writing a few words, he found that Qi Dechao had not left, so he raised his head and asked Qi Dechao:
"Is there anything else?"
Upon hearing this, Qi Dechao raised his hands and congratulated Ye Mingsheng and said:
"Congratulations, sir, there is news from the imperial court on the southern tour. They have appointed you, sir, as the third-grade governor of Liaoyang and the commander of the military army! The emperor's envoy has set out from Sichuan and Shu with the imperial edict and will arrive in Liaoyang in a few days!"
After hearing the news, Ye Mingsheng continued to ask calmly:
"What official positions do Cui Shao and Murong Yuliang have?"
"Cui Shao is the chief envoy to Liaoyang of the third rank, and Murong Yuliang is the inspector of Liaoyang of the fourth rank!" Qi Dechao replied:
When Ye Mingsheng heard this, a satisfied smile appeared on his face. During this period, while Ye Mingsheng was dealing with affairs in Liaoyang, he was also paying special attention to the affairs of the world. Since the Luo'an Incident broke out, Lin Shize and the conspiracy teamed up and failed to deal with Shangguan Hongyuan. , was forced to lead his troops to withdraw from Luo'an and go to Sichuan...
Although the conspiracy between the family and the clan did not succeed, it does not mean that Shangguan Hongyuan's life is easy. On the contrary, although Shangguan Hongyuan now fully controls Luo'an, the center of power in the Great Zhou Dynasty, his situation has also changed very much. It's tough.
The 200,000 Forbidden Army, which was originally the most elite force in the world, was in his hands. Due to the Luo'an Incident, not only was its vitality severely damaged, but it was also split into two. Tens of thousands of Forbidden Army soldiers followed Lin Shize and Prince Zheng. Jiang Guang went to Sichuan and Shu. According to the news from Luo'an, Shangguan Hongyuan's current number of troops does not exceed 150,000 at most.
To be honest, although the military blow was traumatic, Shangguan Hongyuan could still withstand it. The real huge threat that the Luoan Incident brought to Shangguan Hongyuan was politically.
Previously, Shangguan Hongyuan held the young emperor Jiang Rui firmly in his hands. It could be said that he was holding the emperor to order the princes. No one in the world would dare to disobey him. In the local vassal towns, although the princes kept secretly making small moves, they were openly doing so. They all have to obey Shangguan Hongyuan's orders.
Just like Song Wenhui, the former governor of Liaoyang, Shangguan Hongyuan recruited troops to establish the Zhenwu Army in his territory. Even though his teeth were itching with hatred, he could only grit his teeth and swallow it, not daring to say a word no. , and even have to continue to pay a tax and fee to the court controlled by Shangguan Hongyuan...
But it is different now. In addition to the young emperor Jiang Rui and the Queen Mother who were taken to Sichuan and Shu by Lin Shize and Prince Zheng Jiang Guang, nearly half of the ministers from the six departments and other departments of the imperial court also followed. Then, just like those years ago with Shangguan Hongyuan, They joined forces. This time, Lin Shize, the former chief minister of Sichuan and Sichuan, and King Zheng Jiang Guang, who represented the power of the clan, jointly announced that the emperor's southern tour would reorganize the court in Sichuan and Shu. Lin Shize returned as the chief minister, and King Zheng Jiang Guang served as the admiral of the imperial army.
The most important thing is of course the southern patrol of the imperial court, announcing Shangguan Hongyuan as a treasonist, and calling on the world to punish Shangguan Hongyuan!
With Jiang Rui's deadly weapon in hand, and the fact that the princes of the world had long held a grudge against Shangguan Hongyuan's dominance over the years, Lin Shize and Jiang Guang's Sichuan-Shu court was immediately harvested by Jiang, King of Qin in Yongliang, as soon as it was established. Town, Youyan Governor Zhao Fuqu, Huainan Commander-in-Chief Chen Ce and other officials supported him.
Although Shangguan Hongyuan also announced that Lin Shize, Jiang Guang and others had conspired to kidnap Hui Emperor Jiang Rui, his court in Luo'an was still orthodox. He would lead his troops to Qing Jun to kill Lin Shize, Jiang Guang, and the young emperor Jiang Rui. He took it back, but under such a loud condemnation from the hostile forces, his announcement seemed very weak...
Although Ye Mingsheng was not interested in Lin Shize and the power of the clan and had not had any contact with them before, as the saying goes, the enemy of his enemy is his friend.
Therefore, in the face of the common enemy Shangguan Hongyuan, Ye Mingsheng was naturally prepared to choose to support Lin Shize, and then let the Southern Inspection Court recognize that he was in power in Liaoyang. Ye Mingsheng planned well, but for a while he was not able to communicate with the Southern Inspection. The channel of communication between the imperial court.
But Ye Mingsheng soon found the person who connected him with the Southern Tour Court!
After Ye Mingsheng decided to join forces with the Cui family, he planned to ambush a chess piece. This chess piece was Murong Yuliang, who had previously cooperated with him in Fengzhou.
Ye Mingsheng originally planned to use the reputation of Murong Yuliang and the Murong family to check and balance the power of the Cui family in the Liaoyang government. But for Murong Yuliang, troubled times were coming and the world was falling apart. In order to maintain the glory of the family, the Murong family ensured that the family If the lintel does not fall, it is natural to diversify risks and ensure that they will always be the winner. Therefore, they need not to put their eggs in one basket and let family members invest separately.
After seeing Ye Mingsheng's methods, the development speed of the Fengzhou Army, and realizing Ye Mingsheng's ambition, Murong Yuliang decided to represent the Murong family and continue to serve in the Fengzhou Army to help The Fengzhou Army developed in order to obtain its own interests.
Therefore, under the temptation of power given by Ye Mingsheng, Murong Yuliang, after careful consideration, was willing to accept the political task assigned to him by Ye Mingsheng to compete with the local faction headed by Cui Shao.
This time, it was after Murong Yuliang sent a family letter to Murong Lun, who continued to serve as the Minister of Household Affairs in the Southern Inspection Court, that Ye Mingsheng got in touch with the Southern Inspection Court and quickly reached a series of political consensuses. To each his own has achieved a lot of political results!
