Chapter 472: The Duke dies and the empire mourns

Style: Historical Author: Shredded Pork Rice NoodlesWords: 4143Update Time: 24/01/18 10:39:26
It has never been an easy task to conquer grassland nomads through farming in the Central Plains. Nomadism in the grassland from sheep back to horseback is just like the wind on the grassland, it never has a fixed place.

If a strong enemy comes, retreat. If the enemy retreats, then return. Beyond the Great Wall, in the vast desert grassland, even familiar people can go astray. The lessons learned by General Second Division have been kept in mind by generals since ancient times.

The vast grasslands and long supply lines are the most important problems facing the Central Plains army. Beginning in the 24th year of Hongwu, Zhang Zhiyuan joined the Beiping Dusi, was shortlisted in the Prince of Yan's Mansion, and led troops outside the customs for a long time.

The core of his military strategy is very simple. Use a small number of troops and horses to conquer the grasslands and defeat the enemy. If you have fewer soldiers and horses, you can turn the enemy's materials into your own supplies after conquering the tribes scattered across the grassland like stars.

The number of soldiers and horses under Zhang Zhiyuan ranged from ten to a hundred, and then to a thousand. And now he is already the commander of the capital of Peking, and the commander of the guard of the Prince of Yan's palace. With his power and the king of Yan's trust and respect for him, he is enough to mobilize more than 10,000 troops in Peiping to go out for conquest.

However, Zhang Zhiyuan still maintained a force of no more than 3,000 troops to clean the grasslands for the Ming Dynasty.

The reputation of the Little God of Killing came from the Mongolian Tatar tribe. When Zhang Zhiyuan roamed the grasslands on the east side of the Great Wall under the name of the Little God of Killing, the Mongolian Tatar tribe finally figured out his method of using troops.

The upper echelons of the Tatar tribe even intended to use Zhang Zhiyuan's help to promote the gathering of ethnic groups scattered on the grasslands, so that they could more effectively rule the forces on the east side of the Great Wall.

On the grasslands, people always believe that people from the Central Plains will eventually leave after they come. The land on the grassland can only grow pasture, but it can never grow crops.

"Retreat troops! Recall all teams!"

"Retreat troops! Recall all teams!"

"Retreat the troops! Recall all the teams!" When the messengers rode through the smoke, the sky was already bright. The smoke floating in the air was accompanied by the smell of blood, which was difficult to dissipate all night long.

Tent after tent disappeared into nothing. The meadow, which was green but started to turn yellow due to the season, was dyed red with blood.

The panicked cattle and sheep trampled countless marks. Far away, on the high hills and in the ravines, they looked in horror at their homes that had been trampled back and forth by the Central Plains people.

"Collect cattle and sheep, collect dried meat, collect corpses." The new orderly soldiers received the new military order and began to ride horses on the battlefield after the end.

The officers and soldiers of the Ming army, who were strictly executing the military order of leaving no survivors alive, began to gather together under the call of their respective small flag officers, chief flag officers, and hundreds of households.

Then new military orders began to be implemented. The purpose of collecting cattle and sheep is to bring them back to the pass as a reward. The purpose of collecting dried meat is to ensure that the army has sufficient supplies of food and grass on its way to the headquarters.

As for collecting corpses, this is to prevent the enemy's corpses from being exposed on the grassland and triggering possible plagues.

Tang Keke stood on a pile of hay collected by herdsmen and looked around: "Where's my knife!" On the haystack beside him, there was a long spear picked up from nowhere. There was so much blood that it clung tightly to the gun barrel, and the blood spread ferociously from the tip of the gun into the haystack.

No one paid attention to Tang Keke's shouts. When a Tatar tribe is completely wiped out, as a conqueror, it is already a matter of luck to still stand and shout.

"We can't kill anymore. Only when all the troops behind the Great Wall are mobilized can we achieve military success." Zhang Zhiyuan, whose mask was dented inside, held up a curled knife and walked up to the haystack from a distance. He spoke tiredly and sat on the haystack with a knife in his hand.

Zhang Zhiyuan propped his legs on the haystack and put his hands on his knees. In just a few moments, the power of the earth began to pull the blood that soaked into his robe, and it dripped down drop by drop and merged into the haystack.

Tang Keke spit out a mouthful of blood, snorted coldly and sat next to Zhang Zhiyuan: "You have been killing all night, and you are still thinking about killing people? Do you really think of yourself as a little murderer?"

"I can't do it without killing!" Zhang Zhiyuan shook his head and smiled dryly: "In the past few years, the imperial court has successively destroyed the country during the Southern Expedition and the Eastern Expedition. The imperial court has repeatedly added new roads. Jiaozhi Road and Zhancheng Road north to transport grain and grass supplies, Yingzhou is a place Millions of gold and silver are supplied every year. But the prosperous age has not yet come, because our biggest enemy is still here!" Tang Keke turned his head and rolled his eyes at Zhang Zhiyuan: "This is not something you should think about. The court has to think about it. Decision." Zhang Zhiyuan, who had regained his breath, still held up his hands with some strength, and took off the helmet on his head with difficulty, revealing a face full of blood stains, and drops of blood began to drip from the scattered ends of his hair.

"The Oara tribe sent envoys to Yingtian." Zhang Zhiyuan lowered his head and said, and then said: "You and I both know that the power of the Tatar tribe has been concentrated in several places through our hands. The imperial court As long as the impact of the New Deal is digested and the effects begin to appear, the troops and horses invested in the Southern Expedition and the Eastern Expedition will be mobilized to the nine sides. At that time, it will be the final battle for our Ming Dynasty to truly enter the prosperous age!" Tang Keke's eyes were fixed. He looked at Zhang Zhiyuan intently and sneered twice: "How can you and I have any say in the national war? By then, you will not be qualified to lead hundreds of thousands of troops. You will be the vanguard of an army at most. What you should be thinking is, When can I respond to Tiancheng and live a truly peaceful life with my sister-in-law and my children?"

"This is not something we can imagine." Zhang Zhiyuan reached out and wiped his face, trying to wipe away the blood stains that were starting to become sticky.

Tang Keke let out a long sigh, put his hands behind his back, and looked up at the increasingly blue sky: "What the court has done over the years is to allow people like you to reunite with their families one day."

"If I sacrifice my life, the generations to come will last forever. This is my expectation, Zhang Zhiyuan!"

"That doesn't make sense to you!" Tang Keke cursed, stood up, patted his butt, and looked around.

"I'm going to find my knife!"...

"knife……"

"Take...my...sword..." Daming. Zhongdu. Fengyang City. Xinguo Gongfu. In the main room of the front yard, the male and female descendants of the Tang family of Duke Xinguo's Mansion stood all the way from the house to the outside.

All around, the servants kept their hands and feet down, not daring to make any movement. Outside the front yard, the stewards have begun to send out messengers all the way to deliver messages to the homes of meritorious officials in various places in Zhongdu. There is also a group of people heading straight out of Fengyang City to Yingtian City, the capital.

The merits of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the founding of the country, the sincere Xuanli military ministers, the honored officials, the Zhuguo, and the salary were three thousand stones. They believed in the Duke Tanghe. It has reached the day when the medicine and stone are difficult to cure, and the oil is exhausted and the lamp is dry.

"Bring me my knife!" In the back room, a man with a spotted face and pale hair suddenly had bright eyes and a flushed face. He straightened his upper body and roared angrily at his wife and children beside the bed.

"Get the knife!"

"Get the father-in-law's sword!"

"Get father's knife quickly!" Beside the bed, Tang He's wife and children screamed sadly outside the house. Tang He, who originally stood up on the bed, heard his wife and children's roars, a smile appeared on his face, and he slowly lay back on the bed.

"You want me to follow Prince Xu in the fifth year of Hongwu to conquer the outside world with that sword!" In the fifth year of Hongwu, Tang He, as the right deputy general, followed the then general Xu Da in the Northern Expedition. He encountered the enemy at Duoling Mountain and was defeated. Unfortunately, the commander Zhang Cundao was killed in battle.

The emperor did not pursue this matter, and asked Tang He and Li Shanchang to station at Zhongdu Palace together. Then he went north to guard Beiping and built Zhangde City.

Later, Tang He continued to follow the general Xu Da to conquer the grassland, defeated Kuakuo in Dingxi, pacified Ningxia, pursued northward to Chahannaoer, captured the Mongolian general Hu Chen, and captured tens of thousands of horses, cattle and sheep.

Then he continued to use troops to conquer Dongsheng, Datong, and Xuanfu. After five consecutive years of war in Hongwu, Tang He was awarded the title of Marquis of Zhongshan for his merits.

That was the most important year when Tang He became the Duke of the Ming Dynasty. Six years later, in the spring of the eleventh year of Hongwu, Tang He and the Duke of Jin Xin participated in military affairs and trained local military horses.

"Five years after taking Hongwu, you will be granted the title of Marquis and carry a sword!" In the room, there was no need for Tang He to urge him, and his own children shouted outside.

Tang He was lying on the bed. The scars left by the northern and southern wars in the early years seemed to have reawakened, torturing his body and soul, but there was only that wisp of sadness on his face. smile.

Just like when the Ming Dynasty's national title first sounded in Yingtian City.

"What else do you want?" Mrs. Xie, Mrs. Xinguo, with red eyes, sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her husband on the bed affectionately.

"I really want to go back to Yingtian again..." There was a hint of bitterness in the smile on Tang He's face.

"I have sent people to report the news." Tang He turned his head with difficulty, looked at the crowded crowd in the room, and smiled: "Prince Xu is gone, Prince Chang is gone, I am leaving too, but I am leaving too. The prosperous age of the Ming Dynasty is coming..." Tang He said the last few words very forcefully.

Wails resounded in the room again.

"Where's the knife?" Tang He's voice became lower and lower, and he couldn't see his own sword. There was finally a little more fear in his eyes, not the fear of death, but the fear that no one could tell.

"Armor..."

"Go to the front hall..." Tang He said his request quietly, and then slowly closed his eyes, leaving only the last wisp of breath in his nose that refused to break for a long time.

Xie hesitated for a moment.

"Put on your armor for me! Go to the front hall!" One of Tang He's children roared. People finally reacted and started getting busy.

The crowded crowd in the room was driven away. Tang He's sons and daughters personally carried the soft couch and moved Tang He to the couch. Then they drove away the servants who wanted to come forward and carried the soft couch forward themselves. Hall rushed to.

The armor stomach, which had been sealed in the Xinguo Duke's Mansion for many years, was found and wiped clean. People walked very slowly, but seemed very fast.

Everyone knew Tang He's wish at the moment, which was probably to see him wearing armor and go to Yingtian City again.

It is impossible to go to Yingtian City, but Zhu Jia's last wish must be fulfilled. After a while, everyone in the Tang family finally carried Tang He to the front hall.

Tang He, who had been lying on the soft couch with his eyes closed, had begun to breathe in less and out more, seemed to feel something in his heart and opened his eyes.

"Give me some medicine..." Tang He's voice started to tremble weakly. As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the front hall finally began to cry loudly.

Give medicine. After drinking the medicine, the energy that can be poured into it will no longer be able to make a cup of tea. The medicine was delivered quickly.

Also delivered were Yuwa's battle armor and saber. After taking the medicine, Tang He, whose face was pale, finally felt a little more alive, and his face also exuded a strange crimson color.

In full view of everyone, Tang He actually sat up on the soft couch with his hands on his hands.

"Wear armor!" Tang He shouted in a strong voice, just like when he was in the army and ordered his soldiers to wear armor for him.

Mrs. Xie and her children helped Tang He up from the soft couch with reluctance and regret on their faces. Tang He opened his arms and put them on his children's shoulders.

Mrs. Xie led her children and began to put on the Ming army uniforms one by one for Tang He, attach the battle armor piece by piece, and put on the bright red cloak.

Outside the front hall, people from Tang Mansion were already kneeling on the ground. Finally, Mrs. Xie and her children finally prepared the left and right stomachs for the soup.

The general's chair was placed in the hall. Tang and Zhang pushed the tiger to sit on it, holding a long knife in both hands and straightening their backs, looking straight ahead.

Sit north and look south. Nanan. It's Yingtian.

"Are I strong?"

"My lord, you are so strong!"

"Is this good?"

"Master, you are so majestic!"

"I am willing to fight for the Ming Dynasty for another forty years!"

"Your Majesty, the Three Armies Come..." Forty years ago, in the twelfth year of Zhizheng, Tang He led more than a dozen warriors to join Guo Zixing's Red Scarf Army, and was awarded a thousand households for their merits.

Xin and Zhu Yuanzhang were invited to join the rebel army. The opening of Ming Dynasty is like this. After forty years, if you tolerate it now, your achievements will soon pass away.

"I am so majestic!"

"I'm so strong!"

"I bravely preach to the three armies..." Three heroic words came out in succession, but one word fell. The sound has stopped.

Buzzing. The general is sitting upright with his sword in hand, as motionless as a mountain and as a mainstay! Xie raised her head in panic, with sadness in her eyes and tears streaming down her face.

"The Duke of Mingxin has passed away!" The steward cried loudly to the sky with tears in his eyes.

"The Duke of Mingxin has passed away!" the servants began to cry out. Outside the front hall of the hall, the stewards and servants had already made preparations, and the lingering sounds lingered around the beams.

Da da da. Horse hooves trampled on the streets and alleys of Fengyang City, which looked a bit messy.

"quick!"

"Faster!" Zhu Yunwen opened the curtain, looked at the road ahead, and shouted hoarsely at the driver. Behind the swaying curtain, a bride was sitting in the carriage.

The carriage even arrived in front of Duke Xinguo's mansion. Before it stopped, Zhu Yunwen stumbled out of the carriage.

"Uncle!"

"Sir!" Zhu Yunwen rushed into Duke Xinguo's mansion and stood in front of the hall. Looking at Tang He sitting motionless in the hall, wearing armor and holding a knife, his eyes suddenly turned red.

...It started to rain in Yingtian City. In this late autumn, there is a bit of desolation. The mist pours out from the soil, making people sit around the fire to warm themselves early.

An autumn rain and a cold. It seems that the winter of the 28th year of Hongwu came earlier than usual.

A group of people in plain clothes landed from Longwan Pier, led their horses out, and drove their horses into Waijinchuan Gate.

No one dared to stop him, not even the officers and soldiers guarding the city. The plain clothes bear the banner of the Duke of Mingxin.

This is a funeral! The first founding hero of the Ming Dynasty who was raised at home in honor has passed away! ………………Monthly ticket recommendation ticket