On the third day of October, at the end of noon, Zhang Cheng was riding beside his uncle Zhang Yan on his way to Changling.
Changling, located at the southern foot of the main peak of Tianshou Mountain outside Changping City, is the joint tomb of Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, and his queen, Xu. It is the ancestral mausoleum among the Thirteen Tombs.
Among the Thirteen Tombs of the Ming Dynasty, the Changling Tomb has the largest architectural scale and covers an extremely large area. Its plane layout is in the shape of a circle in the front and a back. The square part in the front is composed of three courtyards connected from front to back. The circular part in the back is a treasure trove. The city is shaped like a castle, with a tall enclosure inside.
There is a gate in the center of the south side of Baocheng, and you can go up to Daming Tower along the Deng Road.
The Ming Tower is square in shape, with gates on all sides, a cross-shaped vaulted ceiling running through it, and a mountain-style roof with yellow tube tiles and double eaves. Under the eaves, there is the word "Channgling" written on the forehead. There is a stele in the middle of the building with the seal script "Da Ming" written on the forehead. "", and the body of the stele is engraved with the seven characters "The Mausoleum of Emperor Cheng Zuwen".
He was given the title of Shangshu of the Ministry of War and the Censor of the Right Capital, and was given Shang Fang's sword. He was the governor of the world and the king's troops and horses. Lu Xiangsheng, the governor of Xuan, Da, and Shanxi, didn't even have lunch, so he rode his favorite horse Wumingji and walked in the middle. , with the generals, deputy generals, staff generals, guerrillas and other officers from the three towns of Xuanfu, Datong and Shanxi around, they entered through the Dahongmen carrying the sacrifices prepared on the way, and went all the way to Changling to pay homage to Emperor Chengzuwen, who had great martial arts achievements. Zhu Di offered sacrifices.
Zhang Cheng happened to come to greet Lu Duchen. Fortunately, he caught up and was called by his uncle, General Zhang Yan, to accompany Lu Duchen and other generals to Changling to participate in the worship of Emperor Yongle.
At this time, Zhang Cheng knelt behind his uncle Zhang Yan and secretly glanced at Lu Xiangsheng, the governor of Xuanda, who was kneeling on the ground. He looked very young, less than forty years old, with fair skin and a slightly dusty look. The chin is a bit pointed and looks very thin.
Sure enough, as the history books said, he was fair and thin, with a sparse beard on his chin. He looked exactly like a scholar, not at all like a man who was good at riding and shooting, and who could lead the charge and lead the charge. But his sword-shaped eyebrows, towering cheekbones, and broad forehead carry a calm and resolute air.
Historical records record that Lu Xiangsheng was not only extremely strong, but also had superhuman martial arts. He often used a sword weighing nearly a hundred kilograms as a weapon. He was also good at archery, both on foot and on horseback. What is even more rare is that he was a scholar, but he was good at running the army and training soldiers. He was able to share the joys and sorrows with the soldiers, always charging forward personally, and never losing against the bandits. He could be regarded as an outlier among the military commanders in the late Ming Dynasty.
Moreover, Lu Xiangsheng was not only good at running the army, but also good at farming. During the two years when he was the governor of Xuanda, he not only reorganized military affairs and trained all the soldiers of Xuanda into a strong army of the Ming Dynasty, but also encouraged reclamation of wasteland. In two years, he accumulated two tons of grain and rice. One Hundred Thousand Stones is truly a versatile man in both civil and military affairs and a pillar of the country. Unfortunately, he turns out to be a tragic hero in the end.
In my ears, I heard the governor Lu Xiangsheng kneeling on the ground, choking and blessing: "I hope to rely on the spirit of my second ancestors to annihilate the Tartars and strengthen our border defense, so as to fulfill the duties of a humble minister. I am willing to do this even if my brain is wiped out!"
Zhang Cheng knelt down and listened to the congratulations of the governor Lu Xiangsheng. His heart couldn't help but surge, and a force shouted in his body. Only such people are worthy of his respect and worthy of his death protection.
He knew that only Lu Xiangsheng was the hero who could save the Ming Dynasty, but the Battle of Julu not long after was the place where this hero fell. He knew all this, but he was powerless, and he was filled with a sense of emptiness and powerlessness. Tears were shed unconsciously in his heart.
After the Governor-General of Xuanda, Lu Xiangsheng, finished his congratulations, he offered sacrifices to Emperor Chengzu Yongle. After all the worship procedures were completed, everyone followed the governor Lu Xiangsheng and left Changling together.
…
Governor Lu Xiangsheng's Governor's Camp was stationed in Changping City, and his governor's headquarters was also located in the city. Surrounded by his generals and governor's staff, Lu Xiangsheng rode his beloved Wumingji into Changping City.
The camps of soldiers and horses from the three towns of Xuan, Da, and Shanxi, which came with the governor Lu Xiangsheng, were all located outside Changping City. Among them, the reinforcement camp of Xuanfu Town was located in Changping City according to the deployment of the governor's camp. This area to the east.
About a few miles away from the east gate of Changping, there is a small place called Changjin Village. Not far to the east, there are lakes and rivers flowing through it. A few miles to the north, there are many mountains, and there is no shortage of wood. It is indeed a march. Great place to camp.
At this time, the reinforcements of Xuanfu Town had erected dense wooden fences outside the camp, and were repairing the tall camp gates and watchtowers. Zhang Cheng followed Zhang Yan and rode into the camp.
As soon as they entered the camp, they saw the soldiers setting up tents, building stables, and digging toilets. The entire camp was busy and busy.
This time Xuanfu Town was ordered to defend the capital and dispatched a total of more than 10,000 elite horse and infantry soldiers.
Among them, Yang Guozhu, the commander-in-chief of Xuanfu Town, personally led more than 3,500 people from the main barracks to come in for reinforcements, including more than 2,000 cavalry. He had already arrived in Changping with his general, the guerrilla officer Guo Yingxian, and the remaining infantry were restricted within three days. When he arrived here, his Chinese army tent was located in the middle of the entire Xuanfu Town camp.
Zhang Cheng's uncle, Zhang Yan, the general of Xuanfu Town, was originally the commander of the right wing battalion of Xuanfu Town. This time, he also led more than 2,500 troops to help. More than 1,200 internal cavalry have already arrived. In Changping, four posts were led by Zhang Cheng, his nephew, Cavalry Commander Qian, and one post of the Chinese army was commanded by Zhang Yan himself as his bodyguard. The remaining infantry, with more than 1,200 people, was also ordered to arrive within three days. Changping, his camp was placed on the left side of the main camp of the Chinese Army, Yang Guozhu, the commander-in-chief.
The remaining guerrilla generals Li Jianming and Wen Hui of Xuanfu Town were responsible for the two battalions of the south defense camp and the west defense camp of Xuanfu Town. This time, they each brought 2,000 infantry soldiers to the reinforcements. The same horses marched three steps and seven, the same cavalry rushed to Changping first, while the infantry also took three days to arrive. Their camps were placed on the right and rear of the main camp of the Central Army, Yang Guozhu, the commander-in-chief.
The above are all the troops and horses ordered to defend the capital of Xuanfu Town this time. The total strength of the reinforcements is about 10,000. What has arrived now are the cavalry from each battalion, about 4,000, all of whom are the elite of Xuanfu. There are nearly 6,000 infantry left, and it will take three days to reach here.
When we returned to General Zhang Yan's camp, Zhang Yan's Chinese army tent had been set up, and two soldiers were standing guard outside the tent door.
He jumped off his horse and said to his nephew Zhang Cheng, "Cheng'er, let's have lunch in uncle's tent."
"Yes, my nephew will come over as soon as he returns to camp." After Zhang Cheng finished speaking, he rode away.
About a quarter of an hour later, Zhang Cheng rode his horse back to Zhang Yan's tent, dismounted, handed the horse to Zhang Yan's soldiers, and walked into the tent.
The layout in Zhang Yan's tent is quite simple, with only a large wooden table placed in the upper middle position. Now there are some meals on it, which are also very simple, with only some bacon, steamed buns, rice soup and the like.
The border troops in Xuanfu Town and Datong Town were influenced by Governor Lu Xiangsheng. Most of the generals were very simple in normal times. Especially now when they were marching and the camp was newly established, they were very simple and couldn't be picky.
Zhang Cheng sat down on a wooden pillar in front of the big case, picked up a piece of steamed bun and took a bite. Just as Zhang Yan walked out of the tent, he had already taken off his armor and changed into regular military uniform.
