"Liangdao?"
Qiu Minyang asked with doubts: "Mr. Zhenzhong, are you saying that Zhang Cheng believes that food roads should be the most important thing?"
"Yes, Master Futai."
"Is it also the words passed on by the adopted son?"
"yes."
Qiu Minyang put down the letter in his hand and said to Hong Chengchou: "Director Hong, you can send Zhang Cheng's adopted son to come and reply. Maybe Zhang Cheng has other explanations, who knows!"
Hong Chengchou also nodded frequently. Li Song glanced at Xie Sixin beside him, then stood up and walked outside the tent.
After a while, Li Song led a military junior high school student who was younger than the weak champion into the inner tent. As soon as he entered the military tent, he bowed down and bowed, saying: "Zhang Mingyuan, a member of the Chinese Army under the command of Zhang Cheng, the chief military officer of Xuanfu Town, pays homage to Zhang Mingyuan." Governor Hong, pay your respects to Qiu Futai!"
Everyone in the tent looked away at the sound, only to see a heroic military academy kneeling there. His voice was crisp and clear. Although his body was not tall, he was very stocky and strong. Although his armor was full of dust, he was also very strong. tidy.
"Get up and answer the question." Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, said calmly.
Zhang Mingyuan stood up immediately after hearing this and stood upright in the middle, waiting for a reply.
Xie Sixin looked at Hong Chengchou, then at Qiu Minyang, and then asked first: "Zhang Mingyuan, let me ask you, apart from this letter, does Mr. Zhang of the Xuan Mansion have any other instructions?"
Zhang Mingyuan stared at a pair of big eyes. Although he was not familiar with Xie Sixin, he had been with Zhang Cheng before. Naturally, he had met Xie Sixin, Qiu Minyang and others many times. He immediately replied: "In reply to Mr. Xie, when my father is leaving, there are It is said that the elite slaves, thieves and cavalry are hiding in the dark, and they seem to have a major plot. This coincides with the newly obtained information, so I ask Governor Hong to be careful and guard against it."
"Just this sentence?"
"That's all."
Xie Sixin looked back at Hong Chengchou, and the two exchanged glances for a moment before Hong Chengchou asked Zhang Mingyuan to tell him about the Xuan army's attack on Huangtu Ridge.
Zhang Mingyuan was Zhang Cheng's deputy in the Chinese army and knew very well about the battle to attack Huangtuling. He immediately started talking about it, which made everyone in the tent secretly admire him.
Not only were they amazed by the strength of Zhang Cheng's troops and horses, which had been demonstrated during the previous battle at Shimen Mountain, but they were even more impressed by Zhang Cheng's strategy and tactics.
For Hong Chengchou and Jiliao's army, Zhang Cheng seemed to be a divine help sent by God.
For the Ming Dynasty, which has been passed down for more than 200 years, I don’t know if Zhang Cheng’s arrival is a blessing or a curse?
For the Qing Dynasty, which is rising in Liaodong, Zhang Cheng is like a bug of God, and it is developing into a system, and will eventually become the only force in this world that prevents the rise of the Qing Dynasty.
Perhaps, what he wants to stop is not only the Tatar family, but also the Li Chuang and Xian thieves, the Zheng family of Jiangnan pirates, and even the fate of the Ming Dynasty is unknown!
Although Hong Chengchou and Qiu Minyang could not see it so far away, the shock Zhang Cheng brought to them was obvious to all.
From the military meeting when Zhang Cheng first arrived in Ningyuan, he has continuously refreshed the understanding of the officials and generals in Liaodong. It seems that everyone will never be able to understand the depth of Zhang Cheng's heart.
Every time during military discussions, he had some strange ideas, which refreshed everyone's understanding time and time again.
Even the defense system on Changling Mountain was astonishing even to Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao who fought in the battle, let alone the remaining officials and generals.
Moreover, in just a few years, he managed to mobilize a powerful army of tens of thousands of people. How did Zhang Cheng do it?
This has always been a mystery in everyone's mind!
No matter how you look at it, what Zhang Cheng thinks and does is inconsistent with his age and life experience. According to the ignorant thinking of people in this era, only the reincarnation of the stars in the sky can reasonably explain all of this.
Although Hong Chengchou and Qiu Minyang did not believe in the reincarnation of the stars in the sky, this was a very confusing idea, but it was difficult to question it openly. After all, they did not have a more reasonable explanation.
Qiu Minyang, the governor of Liaodong, chose to believe Zhang Cheng's words. He said: "Xuanda has strong soldiers and horses, and all the generals fought bravely in front of the battle line, which is why they achieved such a record. The general of Datong King has his heart in mind for the whole army and is willing to personally lead the army to guard the mouth of the river and store food. It is indeed rare." valuable."
Hong Chengchou also nodded in agreement, but he was unwilling to discuss military aircraft in front of Zhang Mingyuan. He comforted Zhang Mingyuan with gentle words, and then ordered the Chinese army to rest and wait until dawn tomorrow before returning to Huangtu Ridge to resume their duties.
After Zhang Mingyuan withdrew, Li Song spoke first: "Master Governor, Futai, there are more than 10,000 Haoge tribesmen and horsemen on the east bank of the Xiaoling River, and we also have more than 20,000 Dorgon tribesmen and horses on the east bank of the Xiaoling River, and there are more than 20,000 Dorgon tribesmen and horses on the opposite side, plus the Mongolian troops. There are more than ten thousand captives from the north.
There are still more than 30,000 captives and horses, and their whereabouts are unknown. This is indeed a cause for concern! "
Xie Sixin said: "Didn't the Xuanfu sentry cavalry detect tens of thousands of captives stationed around the Baimiao Fort on the Nerv River in Jinxi?"
"You mean...the rest of the captives are on the south bank of the Jinxi Nuerhe River!"
Li Song also remembered this matter after hearing this, and started thinking about it in his heart. After a moment, he said, "How can we determine that the captives we are waiting for are not slaves from Baimiao Fort?"
Xie Sixin stood up and poured tea for several people in person. After returning to his seat, he said: "The slaves and thieves are all out of the Eight Banners, only about 60,000, and the slave chief Hongtai is guarding his own troops, at least several thousand."
What can be determined now is that there are nearly 20,000 captives on the opposite side of us, and there are more than 10,000 slaves on the other side of Huangtu Ridge. What we can know for sure is that there are more than 30,000 captives, and we have occupied eight banners. Half of the army. "
Qiu Minyang answered: "So, there are still half of the captives in Baimiao Fort?"
Li Song smiled, looked at Xie Sixin and said: "Our important food road areas should focus on Xingshan and Tashan. There are already two generals, Zuo Guangxian and Liu Zhaoji, stationed there. They are like slave thieves. The plan is over there, so it’s not too much to gather 30,000 troops!”
Xie Sixin had some doubts and only heard him say: "The mouth of Xiaoling River is close to the base of Xuan Army. It is not far to go south, and there are no dangers. It is convenient for rescue. There are thousands of slaves and thieves. Even if they all cross the river to attack, it will take time. In this way, our army can send troops to help."
After everyone listened, they all felt that what he said was reasonable and nodded.
Xie Sixin continued: "Although there are soldiers and horses from Zuo and Liu Towns stationed at Xing and Ta Liang Road, their troops are already few and weak, and even though the original defenders have many people and horses, they are even more unbearable." Even defending the city is very difficult.
If I were Hongtai, the slave chief, I would definitely plot the Xing and Ta grain roads. Although it would require more soldiers and horses and the distance would be far, if it were accomplished, it would be beneficial in two ways! "
Qiu Minyang seemed to be quite interested. He raised his hand and said, "I would like to hear the details."
Xie Sixin took a sip of tea before continuing: "The slaves and thieves have gathered a large number of troops not only to plot our Xing and Ta grain roads, but I am afraid they also have the intention of cutting off our retreat and disrupting the morale of our army."
"ah!"
Qiu Minyang, the governor of Liaodong, was shocked when he heard this. If it was true as Xie Sixin said, and the slave thieves were really allowed to break through the Xingshan and Tashan defense lines, it would be difficult to transport military supplies, and it would be difficult to support the huge expenses by sea alone.
Not to mention that the fortresses in Xingshan and Tashan were attacked by slaves. Even if these castles and fortresses could be defended, if the slaves built defense lines between Xingta and dug trenches to block the return of the Ming army, it would be difficult to protect the Ming army. Not messy.
"Master Governor, the slave thieves are vicious. Xingta needs the land, so we must be on guard." Qiu Min listened to Xie Sixin's analysis and was extremely worried about Xingta's food supply.
As the governor of Jiliao, Hong Chengchou was in charge of the overall situation of the war to aid Jin. He was as steady as ever. At this moment, after hearing Qiu Minyang's worried words, he said: "The slaves, bandits and captives are scattered in all directions. One of them is surrounding Jin, and the other is waiting for us." On the opposite side, the third one is on the east bank of Xiaoling River, with a total of more than 100,000 people in these three places.
Even if there are some Tartars Aha accompanying them, the number of armored soldiers should be between 80,000 and 90,000. From this, it can be roughly deduced that the number of armored cavalry prepared but not used by the slaves and thieves is only 30,000 to 40,000 horses. "
Li Song also responded at this moment: "As the governor said, Zuo Guangxian and Liu Zhaoji can surely cope with the thirty to forty thousand slave thieves. If not, our army still has three teams of elite cavalry who can quickly come to the rescue. As long as Xingta If we can hold on to the walled city for two or three days, it won't be a big problem."
"Don't be careless!"
Xie Sixin rushed to say: "Xingshan and Tashan are not only the important places for our division to store and transport grain, but also the retreat route for our Wang division's army. Once they are attacked and cut off by slave thieves, and the Songshan front line is cut off from Ningyuan, the morale of the army will be chaotic, and the slave army will be in chaos." If thieves take advantage of the situation and attack, Liao's affairs will be worrying."
After he finished speaking, he looked at Hong Chengchou, his determined eyes full of prayer.
"Well, Mr. Xie is right."
Hong Chengchou was also very worried about Xie Sixin's concerns, and immediately ordered: "Please, Mr. Xie, please write a letter on my behalf to teach Zuo Guangxian and Liu Zhaoji to take strict precautions. If there is any trouble, send someone to deliver the message immediately."
"Who do you want to send?"
"Let Zhang Zhongping make a trip. You can give some more instructions and ask him to pay more attention to the situation of the troops stationed in the Apricot Tower and report to me as soon as he returns."
"Yes, Governor."
…………
The autumn wind is bleak, and the smoke from the kitchen is rising and gradually disappearing into the dark sky.
No matter how intensely hot the autumn weather is during the day, when the sun disappears and sets, there is still a cold wind blowing and bursts of chill.
At this time, it was already late autumn, and the days were getting shorter and shorter. In addition, the Qing army camp was disrupted by Ming general Cao Bianjiao, and there were burned remains everywhere.
As a last resort, they retreated five miles to camp, which gave the Ming army an excuse, that is: Cao Bianjiao was so brave that he led his army to create a slave camp and forced the slave thieves to retreat twenty miles to camp.
Although it is a bit exaggerated, it is also well-founded!
Precisely because the Qing army moved its camp, today's meal was a little later than in the past. The order to eat was not given until it got dark.
There were 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers in their armored company, and they set up more than ten camps from the foot of Rufeng Mountain to the bank of the Ner River, and the company's camps stretched for several miles.
If you look down at this place from the air, from top to bottom, the lights of Rufeng Mountain and Shimen Mountain are like sparks, dotted almost everywhere in the mountains.
And on the plains at the northern foot of the two mountains, there were even more lanterns and bonfires scattered like stars, as brightly lit as the bustling city centers of later generations. Unfortunately, they didn't have the time to appreciate it all.
"It's so hateful that Na Ming Gou escaped!" Azig cursed angrily. His face was flushed and he seemed to be full of anger.
The other people in the Chinese military tent were also not very interested. They defeated the Ming army barracks one after another today. They thought they could defeat the Ming army on the south bank of the daughter river one by one in one go.
Unexpectedly, when they encountered Wu Sangui, a tough nut to crack, the great situation was suddenly blocked by Ning Yuan's army.
As for Wu Sangui, he fought with the Tatars in Liaodong for more than a day or two. They all knew Wu Sangui's name for a long time. The army failed to break through Wu Sangui's defense line, and everyone could accept it.
After all, they defeated the Ming army in Shanhai Town and Jizhen one after another. Although they were blocked by Wu Sangui during the pursuit, they were unable to kill all the defeated troops. The prisoners were returned to supplement the slaves of each banner master.
However, the two battalions of Ming army officers and soldiers captured a lot of armor and weapons, and the harvest was so rich that it had already exceeded everyone's expectations.
But the appearance of Cao Bianjiao was like a basin of cold water poured on the red coals. It immediately extinguished the enthusiasm of this group of Qing kings and generals, and ignited their raging anger.
Du Du was also unwilling. He continued Azig's words and said angrily: "Cao Bianjiao, I can't wait to cut him into thousands of pieces. It's really abominable."
Jilharang was extremely calm. When he saw that everyone was so angry, he lowered his eyebrows and lowered his head. He did not participate in their conversation. He just ate the roast horse meat on his table calmly and listened to the anger of everyone. scold.
At this time, seeing that everyone was almost angry and full, he spoke slowly: "Today, we have obeyed His Majesty's decree and are here only to contain the reinforcements from the Southern Dynasty."
He looked at everyone and said, "Do you know what restraint is?"
Jierhalang's words made everyone confused and didn't know what they meant, so no one answered.
Just listen to Jierharang continue to say: "What is containment? It is to tie the main force of the Southern Dynasty's reinforcements here so that they cannot rescue elsewhere. But if this is the case, our army's strength cannot be less than that of the Southern Army. If the strength is obviously Weak, how can we contain the Confederate army?”
When he said this, everyone seemed to understand the meaning of his words, and many people couldn't help but nod.
Seeing this, Ji'erharang continued: "In today's battle, all our warriors competed for the lead, defeating over ten thousand troops of the Southern Dynasty and capturing many more. This was all due to your majesty's clever planning and the might of our warriors from the Qing Dynasty.
In the Southern Dynasty, although Wu Sangui stood in the way and Cao Bianjiao attacked our camp, our warriors suffered few casualties. Even if some military tents and grains were burned down by the Southern Army, so what?
As long as we, the warriors of the Qing Dynasty, are still there, we can seize it from the Southern Army again! "
Jierhalang's calm analysis made everyone in the big tent wake up one after another. The atmosphere suddenly changed and everyone became excited again.
Zhen Dudu, the leader of the Xilan Banner Gushan, also immediately echoed: "What Prince Zheng said is absolutely true. The grain and grain lost in the military account today must be returned to the Southern Dynasty ten times."
"No. I want him to pay back a hundredfold!"
"Yes, I want him to pay back a hundredfold."
"That's right, just go to the Southern Dynasty army and snatch it back..."
"As long as my Qing warriors are here, I'm afraid I won't be able to grab these grains..."
Dorgon remained silent. He held a small knife and slowly cut the horse meat on his table. His eyes were tilted to Jierharang.
I couldn't help but think: This old man is sober and calm, and he has a good tongue. He can boost morale and cheer up the generals with just a few words. It's really not easy.
He thought to himself: "It seems that I am right to be wary of this old dog."
