On November 30, the angel lieutenant who came to Kaifeng to convey the imperial edict of the current emperor entered the camp of Zhang Cheng's army.
Because the infantry camp and the chariot camp have been moved out in advance, there are now only the cavalry camp and the escort of more than 2,000 sergeants in the camp. Although it is not as majestic as the nearly 10,000-strong army before, there are many horses, mules and horses in the cavalry camp and the escort, and the camp occupies an area of Still very broad.
In the large tent of the Chinese army, the eunuch who came to deliver the edict was a young eunuch in his thirties. He did not hesitate and read out the edict directly, because the eunuch came to deliver the edict on behalf of Emperor Chongzhen. The eunuch stationed in Kaifeng Governor Li Xianfeng, Inspector Gao Mingheng and others also rushed over to accompany Zhang Cheng to receive the order.
The imperial edict was very simple and clear. It first commended Zhang Cheng, and then came to the key point. Zhang Cheng was promoted to the chief military officer of Henan's aid and suppression, specializing in suppressing bandits in Henan.
In fact, the main reason why Zhang Cheng was promoted to the commander-in-chief of the aid and suppression campaign was to encourage him to serve his duties with sincerity and to suppress bandits with sincerity. The secondary reason was that Chen Jiugao, the deputy commander-in-chief of the Beijing camp who was originally sent to Henan to suppress bandits, had to lead the army to pass the real limit. .
Chen Jiugao's unit had a lot of firearms, including more than ten Hongyi cannons. However, the sergeants lacked fighting spirit and marched slowly along the way. They even delayed deliberately. The excuse was that the Hongyi cannons were heavy and difficult to move. .
It was precisely because of Chen Jiugao's delay that the march was slow. Only Zhang Cheng's guest army rushed to Henan to assist in the suppression, so he was promoted to the chief military officer of the suppression to strengthen Zhang Cheng's determination to suppress the bandits.
After receiving the imperial edict, Zhang Cheng wrote a thank you note and gave Lin Fangping a wink. He understood the situation and hurriedly took out one hundred taels of silver and secretly handed it to the lieutenant.
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On the second day, Zhang Cheng led the army to Luoyang, and Henan Governor Li Xianfeng also led a guerrilla soldier to Shunde Prefecture to coordinate and help Chen Jiugao come to Henan as soon as possible.
Before Zhang Cheng and Zhang Guangda led the cavalry battalion to Zhengzhou, they received reports from Zhang Guodong and Wei Zhice in front, saying that Dengfeng Li Jiyu had joined forces with Dazhong, Shen Jingbang and other thieves to besiege Mi County.
On the fifth day of December, Zhang Cheng led the soldiers of the cavalry battalion to Xushui Town, 20 miles west of Zhengzhou, and met with Zhang Guodong and Wei Zhice's troops stationed here.
Just the day before, the intruder Li Zicheng entered Luoyang City and set up the Chinese army camp in the Zhougong Temple four miles west of Luoyang City. The bandits under his command set up camps outside the city and surrounded Luoyang City. .
Li Zicheng besieged Luoyang City a full month earlier than in history, and Li Zicheng broke into Henan from the Sichuan-Shaanxi border nearly two months earlier than in history. I don't know if Zhang Cheng's crossing caused some changes, but Fortunately, the general trend of history has not changed yet, but some details are already changing.
In the military camp on Xuanfu North Road, Xushui Town, the generals in Zhang Cheng's Chinese army tent were discussing matters.
"The intruders have set up camp outside Luoyang City, and the encirclement is gradually forming. According to military reports, Wang Bingbei and Wang Zongbing's reinforcements have also entered Luoyang. A big battle is inevitable! "
Looking at the huge map of Henan in the Chinese army's tent, Wang Yuanjing pondered for a long time, stroking his beard and speaking slowly.
Zhang Cheng suddenly felt his eyes light up when he heard what he said. Wang Yuanjing was originally a painting of his in the counselor's office of the shogunate, and now he is a painting of praise with the army. After these two years of training, he has changed from the temperament of a weak scholar.
Whenever discussing matters, he can speak freely and analyze all matters very thoroughly. Seeing the continuous growth of his subordinates, Zhang Cheng is naturally secretly happy.
"How does Yuan Jing think this Luoyang offensive and defensive battle will end?" Zhang Cheng asked with interest.
As Zhang Cheng's army scribe and pre-army eulogist, Wang Yuanjing was able to accompany Zhang Cheng's army. Given this good opportunity to gain experience, he naturally had to seize it and perform actively.
He bowed his hands to everyone in the account and said: "The wealth of Fu Fan is well-known throughout the world. If the intruders can capture Luoyang, they will have countless gold and silver goods. The grain and baggage can be used to support the army and can be used for military purposes." To buy people's hearts with invitation,
At this time, when hungry people are everywhere, there must be millions of people calling out, and their momentum will set a prairie fire, which will not be easy to extinguish. With these many benefits, the students thought that the intruder would surely win the heart of Luoyang! "
Wang Yuanjing stood up and walked to the big map and said: "However, the city of Luoyang is as strong as Kaifeng. Not only is the city wall high and thick, but it also has urns, gate towers, turrets, and numerous enemy towers. It is indeed easy to defend but difficult to attack. If there are enough soldiers, well organized, and can work together as one, it will be impossible for the intruders to break through the city even if there are many people."
Wei Zhice continued: "What Yuan Jing said is true. The city of Luoyang is indeed tall and thick, but it is not that easy to attack."
Wang Yuanjing smiled brightly and said: "The land in western Henan has been suffering from droughts for many years and locust plagues. The people have been hungry for a long time. However, the Fu clan is still extravagant and extravagant. They are obsessed with money and are extremely stingy. They are not willing to give out any grain or rice. Relieve the victims in the city.
The current military report shows that both the soldiers and the people in Luoyang City are very resentful towards him. The intruders are known to make up songs to incite people's hearts. There may be talented people among their thieves. Now that people are divided, if disaster strikes Xiao Qiang, No matter how thick and solid the city is, it is still in vain! "
Everyone in the military tent was silent, thinking deeply about what Wang Yuanjing said. Everyone felt that what he said was very likely to come true. After all, he was a scholar, and his knowledge was extraordinary.
After a long time, Zhang Chengcai said: "What Yuan Jing saw is indeed thorough. In your opinion, now that the intruders are besieging Luoyang, how should our army be arranged?"
Wang Yuanjing thought for a while and then said: "Although Fu Fan is corrupt and evil, in Yuan Jing's opinion, if intruders besieged Luoyang and were in danger, the commander could arrive in time and turn the tide, save the building from collapse, and relieve Fu Fan from falling. In times of crisis,
Then the reputation of the commander-in-chief, and the reputation of the army on the north road of the town, will surely shake the world. At that time, the gentry will spread the word, and the court will rely more on the commander-in-chief, which is very necessary for the future development of the commander-in-chief. "
Zhang Cheng fell into silence after hearing this. According to his feelings, he had an extremely unfavorable opinion of Fu Fan and others.
In this poor place, Henan, many vassal kings gathered, and their farmland took up more than half of the land in Henan. They were like vampires, exacerbating the poverty of the people in Henan.
Especially Fu Fan.
People say that in the early Ming Dynasty, the feudal vassal kings were more powerful than the last, but in the late Ming Dynasty, each vassal king was more like a pig than the last one.
This Fu Fan is one of the most typical ones. Today, people in Henan have reached the point where they cannibalize each other, but the people of Fu Fan are still living a debauched and shameless life, watching dancing and playing with women all day long. .
Even if his weight is not the legendary 360 kilograms, he must be around 200 kilograms!
Of course, maybe this is what the court wants to see. Since the time of Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty has been extremely strict with the various vassals and raised them like pigs.
It is normal for the people under his rule to complain. If the feudal vassal has a "virtuous" reputation, it will inevitably be suspected of "inviting people to buy people's hearts and plotting evil intentions." However, as the officials hope, the Fu vassal only knows how to eat, drink and have fun. He will never hand over guests, is greedy by nature, and is extremely stingy. This is how he can be "safe at home and abroad."
