In Songshan Castle, in the official hall of the main palace of Governor Ji Liao, Hong Chengchou's face was as calm as ever. He looked at the generals below who were talking about each other and did not say anything to stop them.
Zhang Ruoqi is the commander-in-chief of the army, and his duty in Liaodong is to urge the war. Even though he has other ideas in his mind due to profit, he does not dare to go against the wishes of his own soldier Chen Xinjia.
"Ahem..."
He coughed a few times first, but the general's majesty was still very strong, and the hall suddenly became quiet.
Zhang Ruoqi was deeply satisfied with this. He pretended to be majestic and glanced at the generals in the palace, but he couldn't help but look proud. He raised his eyebrows slightly and said in a deep voice: "The generals have been fighting hard for days and the army is exhausted. I also know that, but today At that time, he received a message from the Ministry of War to urge the war. The princes in the court were very concerned about the war in Songjin.
Especially in the Ministry of War's message, it is said that after this war is over, the imperial court will reward the generals based on their merits, and will never let the generals' merits be buried. This is the responsibility of the army, but only strive to be the first, and I will repay you in front of the king. .
The supervisory army is also aware of the difficulties of the generals. However, the generals are in trouble, and I, the soldier, are even more in trouble. Our financial resources are exhausted and it is difficult to raise money and food. Now, all the food and food we have here are obtained by Chen Benbing from various yamen. "
He then sighed and said: "The plan now is to take advantage of the victory and march forward with courage, and work hard to relieve the Jinwei to comfort the Holy Heart!"
After Zhang Ruoqi finished speaking, he no longer looked at the generals below, but turned his gaze to Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao who was sitting in the middle seat above, and asked: "What do you think, Governor Hong?"
Hong Chengchou didn't want to express his position so early. He turned a blind eye to Zhang Ruoqi's question and listened as if he didn't hear it. His face was as elegant as ever, with a slight smile.
Qiu Min, the governor of Liaodong, was sitting across from Zhang Ruoqi. Seeing that Hong Chengchou was unwilling to pay attention to Zhang Ruoqi, he hurriedly reminded him: "Supervisor, the bandits have increased their numbers recently, and there are rumors that the bandit leader Hong Tai is here. Don't underestimate the enemy!"
His words once again aroused discussions among the officials and generals in the palace. After all, the name of Hongtai, the leader of the captives, was much more resounding in the Ming Dynasty than Dorgon and Jierhalang.
When they heard that Mrs. Hong had come personally, all the officials and generals in the palace couldn't help but be shocked. They all speculated that since Mrs. Hong had come personally, how many troops had been added to the bandits?
"Mrs. Hong's arrival means Jinzhou is in danger!"
Sure enough, there was a sigh from the general's seat, but it was Zu Dalue who looked worried and said worriedly.
Wu Sangui also missed his uncle in Jinzhou City and implored him: "Master Governor, Jinzhou must be rescued immediately. If we don't rescue him now, when the army of bandits and thieves come and surround us to death, the city will fall in a matter of seconds!"
Hong Chengchou's eyebrows relaxed a little, but he still had no intention of saying anything. His eyes began to patrol back and forth in the hall, and suddenly stopped on Zhang Cheng.
At this time, although Zhang Cheng was sitting firmly in his chair like an old monk in trance, he was watching all directions and listening in all directions. The performances of many people in the hall were recorded by him.
Seeing Hong Chengchou looking at him at this moment, he showed a smile at the corner of his mouth and said lightly: "My lord, the general sent his sentry cavalry and risked his life to find out that a new camp was set up on the north side of Shimen Mountain. It was surrounded by a yellow curtain and was forbidden. The guard was tight, and a large dragon flag appeared, which was larger than the ones used by Dorgon and other slave thieves."
Zhang Cheng was also cunning. When he saw Hong Chengchou looking at him, he did not talk about military strategy, but only about the military intelligence reports.
However, Hong Chengchou did not want to let Zhang Cheng go. He suddenly asked: "According to this, it seems that the captive chief Hong Tai has arrived in front of the Jinzhou army. According to General Zhang, how should the Jinzhou war be carried out?"
Zhang Cheng and Hong Chengchou looked at each other, and the eyes of other people in the palace were also focused on Zhang Cheng. There were Zhang Ruoqi's expectations, Wu Sangui's prayers, and other officers and generals' eyes full of jealousy...
"My lord, in accordance with the general's opinion, the best strategy is to fight with the bandits to waste their lives."
Hong Chengchou looked at Zhang Cheng and continued to ask: "How to spell it? I would like to hear the details."
Zhang Cheng clasped his fists and saluted, and said: "The captive leader Hong Tai is here, and he will definitely bring many troops and horses. According to the information of the sentinel, the captive camps outside Jinzhou City are connected, and there are nearly 30,000 to 50,000 soldiers and horses."
There were more than 100,000 captives in the Shimen Mountain, Huangtu Ridge, Zijing Mountain, Mopan Mountain and other military forts, plus Liushui Fort, Jinchang Fort, Shahe Fort, Dasheng Fort and other military forts.
At the same time, there are still 30,000 to 40,000 captive cavalry stationed on the banks of the Nuerhe River in the west of Jinzhou City. Therefore, a conservative estimate is that there are about 150,000 captive cavalry and horses between Song and Jin.
The troops and horses of my army to assist the King of Liao are as good as mine. "
While everyone in the store was in astonishment, Zhang Cheng changed the topic and said: "Supervisor, Director Zhang, gentlemen, imagine that I am aiding the King of Liao's army with 150,000 to 60,000 troops, and the money and food consumed every day is useless.
From Ningyuan to Songshan, there are granaries along the way. Convoys of grain are transported by civilians day and night. They also benefit from the waterway. A lot of grain and grass are transported directly to the mouth of Xiaoling River. Even so, they can only survive. "
He paused for a moment and then continued: "Please think about it, everyone, with the national power and people's power of the captives, even if Mongolia and North Korea are helping them, how can they compare with our Ming Dynasty.
In the same way, troops are stationed in Songjin, and the bandits come from all over the country. How long can they hold on? As long as they persist, the slaves will collapse.
At that time, our army will go forward, chase the enemy with cavalry, and then advance slowly with infantry and camp. If everything goes well, we may be able to regain Yizhou in one fell swoop to the north, seize Shisanshanyi and Panshanyi to the east, and then threaten Guangning.
It’s not impossible! "
"Hey hey hey..."
The commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan, Ma Ke, sneered and said: "Not bad, not bad, really good, a good one to hold a stalemate with the slaves. The thieves and slaves besieged Commander Zu day and night, but we stood still. If the city of Jinzhou is broken and falls into the hands of the slaves, what will happen?" Who should bear the responsibility?"
After he finished speaking, he poked his head out again, glanced sideways at Zhang Cheng, and continued: "I believe Mr. Zhang will be happy to take on this responsibility!"
Zhang Cheng frowned when he heard this and couldn't help but turn his head to look at Ma Ke. His face was gloomy and he was not angry, but he actually saw Ma Ke looking away unconsciously and looking elsewhere.
Then, he felt that as a veteran of Liaodong, he shouldn't show weakness to Zhang Cheng. He turned around and looked at Zhang Cheng again, not to be outdone, but unexpectedly, Zhang Cheng no longer paid attention to him, which made Ma Ke heartbroken. A moment of irritation.
Zhang Cheng doesn't care about Ma Ke, but that doesn't mean others do the same.
In recent days, Wang Pu has always regarded himself as the eldest brother, and now he jumped out to stand up for Zhang Cheng.
He raised his voice slightly and said, "Humph, your feet are on your body. If you need to be rescued, you can come to rescue at any time. Why don't I stop you?"
Chen Jiugao, who was also nearby, echoed in a weird voice: "Yes, soldiers are dangerous in battle, and there is a clear lesson from ancient times. This soldier... the soldier... is an ominous... weapon. It is not a gentleman's weapon. It should be used as a last resort!"
We must be cautious, not reckless, and not rash. If I make a mistake in aiding the Liao army, whose responsibility will it be? "
Hong Chengchou quietly watched the quarrels in the hall, his face expressionless, as if he was indifferent to it.
His eyes were always looking at Zhang Cheng, and he said slowly: "The leader of the evil slaves has come and besieged Jinzhou heavily. The whole city is desperate for help, and Fengjiang City is in danger.
Our aid to the King of Liao's division is Jincheng's only hope. We must be cautious and do not go out into battle lightly. Otherwise, Jincheng will collapse without help.
General Zhongchen, what do you think? "
Hong Chengchou didn't ask anyone else, but caught Zhang Cheng alone and kept asking questions. His intention was very obvious, which was to use Zhang Cheng's mouth to block the mouth of the military commander Zhang Ruoqi.
How could Zhang Cheng not be aware of his intentions? He just wanted to do something for the Liao Dynasty, so he could only perform a nice double act to cater to him.
"The bandits and soldiers are surrounding Jinzhou. Their intention is with me, not with Jinzhou!"
A light flashed in Hong Chengchou's eyes, and he continued to ask with a smile: "Oh, the traitor's intention is me? General Zhongchen, can you tell me in detail?"
The eyes of the officials and generals in the palace were once again focused on Zhang Cheng, especially Shanhaiguan Commander-in-Chief Ma Ke. His eyes were full of jealousy, and he expected that what Zhang Cheng was about to say would make him embarrassed in public.
The look Zhang Ruoqi looked at Zhang Cheng was quite complicated, with several hidden meanings, including resentment, admiration, and even a hint of surprise.
When he first met Zhang Cheng, he was already a doctor in the Ministry of War. At that time, Zhang Cheng was promoted to a staff general and needed to go to Beijing to thank the emperor for his great kindness. He also went to the Ministry of War to check his identity, receive official documents, and personal seals.
At that time, Chen Xinjia was still the Governor of Xuanda, and the Minister of War was still the cabinet minister Yang Sichang. They all tried their best to win over Zhang Cheng, and even the current emperor could be regarded as Zhang Cheng's nobleman.
Zhang Ruoqi saw that Zhang Cheng was extremely favored by both the cabinet ministers and the Xinjiang ministers, and gained the trust of Emperor Chongzhen, so he couldn't help but want to make friends with Zhang Cheng, and even wanted to join the sect with Zhang Cheng at one time.
But this time when he was supervising the army in Liaodong, he was also a little distracted, and seeing Zhang Cheng constraining him everywhere, he couldn't help but feel resentful for a while, but as time went by, his desire to fight was not as eager as before.
Looking back and thinking carefully, I found that Zhang Cheng's words were always to the point. His military strategy seemed to be superior to that of the Liaodong generals. Now he has succeeded Yang Guozhu in commanding the entire Xuanzhen army, and his momentum is at its peak.
As a result, his mind became alive again, and he considered how he should get along with Zhang Cheng, whether he should still respect him as before, and even flatter him occasionally.
At this time, I heard Zhang Cheng eloquently say: "The bandits have been surrounding the city for more than a year, but they have not broken the city. It is not that they cannot break it, but they are unwilling to break it! At the beginning of the month, when we were fighting against the slaves, their muskets and cannons were roaring, and our master Wang With an army of tens of thousands, only Chief Chen's Shenji Battalion can suppress it, as you all have seen with your own eyes.
Now, opposite our army, tens of thousands of bandits have been stationed. If they were just plotting against Jinzhou City, why did they wait until today? "
He took a cursory glance at the people in the palace and saw that most of them were deep in thought, and then continued: "Everyone is gone, but now I know that my king's division has arrived in Songshan. Not only the captive chieftain Hong Taiqin has come, but also the whole country has been mobilized." , all the captive men over the age of fifteen gathered around Jinzhou.
From this it can be seen that the captors’ plan is not the commander-in-chief of Jinzhou Ancestor, but to help me to aid the Liao army. Hong Tai, the captor chief, has a very grand plan. He wants to bury us under Jinzhou City so that we, the Ming Dynasty, will have no army. Tune, and from now on, there is nothing to stop its iron hoof from moving horizontally. "
He continued: "Based on the current situation, as long as our army is still there, the bandits will not really attack Jinzhou. They will keep Jinzhou as a bait to hang my army of hundreds of thousands on the front line of Songjin." .
And if we are defeated by the bandits and have no external reinforcements to restrain us, not to mention that Jinzhou can be defeated in a day or night, even the Song, Xing, Gao, and Ta fortresses behind us will not be spared!
At that time, there was no danger to defend outside the pass, and our Ming defense line had to retreat to Shanhaiguan. "
In the main hall of the governor's residence, all the officials and generals looked at Zhang Cheng's talk. Everything he said was true and insightful, and they couldn't help but express admiration.
It seems that Zhang Cheng's rapid rise from a small Qianzong to where he is today is no fluke. Only Ma Ke, the commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan Pass, felt jealous when he saw that Zhang Cheng was once again in the limelight.
At this time, Zhang Cheng said again: "All the signs are already obvious. The bandits are using the strategy of siege and reinforcements. Now that our army is unmoved, the bandits do not dare to attack Jinzhou City.
And if our army rushes forward in a hurry, the captors will even pretend to retreat in order to lure me to pursue them, so that they can find an opportunity to intercept and kill our army, or they may take advantage of the weak defense behind to attack our army's retreat with surprise troops. "
"If this is true, our army is in danger!"
Wu Sangui exclaimed: "The thieves are really vicious!"
Zhang Cheng smiled and said: "General Chang Bo has been in Liao Town for a long time. Your understanding of Hong Tai, the leader of the captives, is far better than that of Cheng. Do you think what I said is reasonable?"
When Wu Sangui was asked this question by Zhang Cheng, he immediately replied: "Captains are always cunning and cunning. What General Zhang said must not be ignored!"
After hearing Wu Sangui's answer, everyone was stunned, and no one said anything yet. Ma Ke couldn't help but sneered again: "What is Mr. Zhang doing to entertain us?
According to what you said, is it possible that we can break the siege of Jinzhou by just sitting outside Songshan City and eating free meals all day long? "
He chuckled and said: "Does General Zhang think that these hundreds of thousands of troops in Songshan are all private servants of the Erxuan Mansion and can't be manipulated by you?
If Jinzhou falls into the hands of bandits because of this, can you bear this heavy responsibility? "
Zhang Cheng immediately flew into a rage and yelled: "How outrageous!"
He stepped out from the crowd, raised his finger and pointed at Marco's nose, shouting angrily: "I, Zhang Cheng, plan for the country with all my heart, how can I allow you, a treacherous villain, to slander me at will?"
His eyes were cold and he said in a cold tone: "You have made sarcastic remarks and opposed me several times. Mr. Ma, what do you want?"
Zhang Cheng's sudden outburst caught Marco by surprise, and Zhang Cheng's merciless verbal questioning made him unable to stand down in front of everyone.
Ma Ke's face turned green and white for a while. It was only then that he suddenly realized that what he had just done was a big mistake. However, he was already riding a tiger and it was difficult to get off. He had to hold on and replied: "Mr. Ma It’s just a matter of fact.”
"Discussing things as they are? Is this your attitude of discussing things as they are?"
Zhang Cheng put one hand on his back and pushed towards Ma Ke step by step. He asked coldly: "I know that you have been dissatisfied with me for a long time. Is it because you stole Rufeng Mountain but didn't get the first success? The merit has not yet been determined, so you are jealous of us?
You saw that I was temporarily the commander-in-chief of the Xuanfu, and you were jealous that I took charge of the soldiers and horses of Xuanzhen, but you didn't get anything. You have resentment in your heart, right? "
Zhang Cheng took a step forward, and Marco took a step back. Big beads of sweat trickled down from his forehead. The cold murderous aura on Zhang Cheng's body made him almost breathless.
"Today's military meeting, everyone should speak freely. You have no strategy, but you have made sarcastic remarks and ridiculed me many times. What are your intentions?"
