Not long after Zhang Cheng left the North Road of the town, he wiped out the bandits on the North Road. Since then, he has been sending out several groups of rangers to patrol the bandits on the East Road.
Especially after he established the shogunate, there was a military intelligence department dedicated to this matter. In the name of exterminating Zhao Shihu, he went to the East Road Security Guards to suppress bandits.
According to the inspection by the Military Intelligence Office, there are still more than a dozen groups of stubborn bandits, large and small, in Yanqing Prefecture on the East Road. The largest group among them is this stubborn bandit known as the "Tianbawang".
According to investigation, there are nearly a thousand bandits under the "Tianbawang", and they are entrenched in the mountains east of Yongning. They are quite cunning and have failed to eradicate them several times.
"Tianbawang", whose original name is Chen Yuzhu, is a famous generation of bandits on Xuanzhen East Road. He is as famous as "Fan Tianwang" on South Road and "Sitting Dragon" on West Road, and is known as the Three Thief Kings of Xuanzhen.
I heard that during the Wanli period, his ancestor was once a camp commander in the local camp, but he turned into a bandit for unknown reasons. His descendants became bandits for generations, and the reason has not been verified.
In short, Chen Yuzhu came from a bandit family and was deeply "influenced by his ancestral industry." He has been exposed to it since he was a child, and he has long been proficient in the ways of banditry.
And the origins of his bandits are also diverse, including horse thieves, swordsmen, ruffians, old bandits, and even Northern captives among them.
Chen Yuzhu's mountain stronghold has three locations, all of which are located in areas with high mountains and dense forests and sparsely populated areas. If there is an attack by the army and there is a crisis, you can gather your troops to fight together. If the army is strong, you can escape into the mountains and forests. Don’t worry about not having a place to stay.
Moreover, Chen Yuzhu adheres to his family education and is extremely cunning in his actions. He also knows the truth that "rabbits do not eat grass beside their nests, and eagles do not hunt down their feet to eat". He will never allow his bandits to commit crimes in the fortress near the mountain village, otherwise they will be traced to the end. Never take mercy lightly.
Therefore, although the officers and soldiers on the East Road conducted many encirclement and suppression campaigns, they all failed and returned without success. It is not unreasonable. This may not be the result of local soldiers and civilians informing the bandits. , which has the eyes of the Dongshan bandits.
Most of these stubborn thieves go deep into Huailai, Baoan and other places, and even go to Longmen Pass to plunder, but they rarely cause trouble in Yanqing Prefecture. Sometimes they gather into large gangs, sometimes they divide into small groups, robbing and killing pigs and sheep. , raped and raped civilian women, and the people on the East Road suffered greatly.
Originally, Zhang Guowei and Chen Yuzhu were getting along well, but after Zhang Cheng arrived at the North Road, Zhang Guowei felt that the Yali Mountain was huge. The bandits on the North Road had been wiped out, but there was no movement on the East Road.
Especially after Zhang Cheng was ordered to supervise the military affairs of the North Road, Zhang Guowei could not control himself. He sent troops to suppress the bandits several times, but was defeated one after another. From then on, he took over Liang Zi with the Dongshan bandits.
After finding out the information about the bandit, Zhang Cheng, because the deputy commander Zhang Guowei was stationed here, has never entered the Yanqing area to avoid further irritating Zhang Guowei.
But he never thought that even if he did this, Zhang Guowei still couldn't tolerate it and would actually attack his family members, so he used ruthless tactics to get rid of them completely.
Now that he has received orders from the Ministry of War, he can openly lead the army into Yongning City on the East Road. On the one hand, he can eliminate the bandits in Dongshan, and on the other hand, he can also take this opportunity to bring Yongning's troops under his command.
…………
In the official hall of the General's Office in Chicheng, Zhang Cheng said loudly: "Everyone, the giant thief on the East Road, the 'Tianbawang', violated the laws of the Gu Kingdom. Not only did he cause trouble in all parts of Xuan Town, but he also broke into Yongning City and set fire to the Deputy General's Office. Not only did he cut off Deputy Commander Zhang's head, he also killed all thirty-one members of Deputy Commander Zhang's uncle Zeng Jinlai's family.
Such behavior really shows contempt for our generals in Xuanzhen. Regardless of what others think, I was the first to bear it. The dignified deputy commander-in-chief of Xuanzhen was actually killed by thieves in the official office. The person who died was Zhang Guowei. It was embarrassing. But I am waiting for all the gentlemen here. "
When he said this, his eyes shot out a cold light, scanning the people in the hall, and continued: "I have received a message from the Ministry of War and transferred my commander to the east road to eradicate all the bandits in the territory. I will call you here today. It’s for this reason.”
Zhang Cheng stopped, took a sip of tea, and continued: "Although I went to the East Road to take charge of the suppression of bandits, the good situation on our North Road was hard-won, and we cannot let it go to waste. This is the foundation of all of us. , there must be no room for error.
Lord Yan Qingrong stayed in Chicheng as the commander of the Kaiping Guards and took charge of the reclamation and military affairs on the Xiabei Road on his behalf. Chicheng garrison Zhang Guodong was responsible for camp operations and defense matters.
Commander Jin Xinpeng continued to stay in Dushikou to take charge of the overall situation of the North Road, and was in charge of all things in the Wei Department. Liu Zhi was the governor, Cao Jinwang was the assistant, and Chen Zheng of the Dushi Buying camp was in charge of camp operations and defense matters. "
Everyone whose name was called accepted the order one after another. If there were still people who were dissatisfied before, no one was dissatisfied today. At this moment, everyone sitting in the hall is considered to be close to Zhang Cheng. They have a deep understanding of Zhang Guowei. Everything was actually clear in their hearts, but no one dared to say it. They were all intimidated by Zhang Cheng.
Especially Jin Xinpeng, in addition to admiration in his heart, he is also extremely grateful. In just over a year, Zhang Cheng has already saved the life of his only son, Jin Xiaoguo, twice. How can he be dissatisfied and how can he not be grateful? .
If we talk about the last time, it was Zhang Cheng who had just arrived at Beilu, and there was a possibility of wooing him, but this time, although Zhang Cheng's wife and uncle were there, the disaster was caused by Jin Xiaoguo.
Not only did Zhang Cheng not scold or punish him, he even risked entering Yongning City and killed Zhang Guowei, the deputy commander-in-chief. Who was so brave in the Ming Dynasty today?
Zhang Cheng looked at the people and said in a deep voice: "This time we go out to suppress the bandits on the east road, we will mobilize Cui Shijie from the left of Dushi Infantry Camp, Chen Dakuan from the left of Chicheng Infantry Camp, the cavalry and light cavalry troops of the cavalry camp, plus the chariots The camp had one heavy supply and one chariot, plus 500 infantry led by Gao Jinggong who were guarding Longmen, and 300 cavalry led by Xu Jinyong from Dishuiya Thousand Households followed the army.
All armies gathered together and were personally commanded by this general. The infantry camp was led by Wu Zhizhong, the chariot camp was led by Wei Zhice, and the cavalry camp was led by Zhang Guangda. All ministries were prepared. Two days later, they would follow my commander to send troops to the east to eliminate all the bandits! "
"Here!"
All the generals in the official hall stood up and shouted in unison to receive the order.
…………
On August 1, the 13th year of Chongzhen's reign in the Ming Dynasty, it was a sunny day without rain. Outside the Dading Gate south of Chicheng Castle on Xuanzhen North Road, officers and soldiers from various ministries stood in neat formation. There were nearly 6,000 soldiers, plus two chariots and chariots. They were all prepared and formed a huge military formation.
Outside Nanguan, many soldiers and civilians in the Red Castle came out of the city to see each other off, and more importantly, they came to watch the excitement. It had been a long time since there had been such a large-scale formation on the North Road.
The sergeants from the right section of the Chicheng Infantry Battalion and the newly formed central section formed formations on both sides of the military formation to see each other off. A loud military song sounded, instantly forming a resonance that resounded throughout the earth...
"Don't you see, the Han Dynasty's army has weak crowns, and the prisoners are asking for long tassels.
I don’t see you, Ban Ding is far away, Jueyu Qingqi urges Zhan Yun!
A man should be in a dangerous career, why should he let a scholar's crown ruin his life?
Kuang Nai's country is in danger as if it were full of eggs, and the feathers and feathers are racing without stopping!
Abandon my old pen and keep my wartime pen,
At one call, more than 100,000 comrades sang war songs and joined the army.
Cleanse yourself from the dust and vow to sweep away the Tartars regardless of your own safety! "
