In the main hall of the Empress's Palace, Commander-in-Chief Zhang Ruoqi looked gloomy and uncertain, seeming to be pondering what Zhang Cheng had just said.
He also knew in his heart that as the commander-in-chief of the division to aid the king of Liao, he had already surpassed Qiu Minyang, the governor of Liaodong, and became the second-ranking figure after Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao.
This includes both the majesty of the current emperor and the trust of my soldier Chen, so that he can have such a say in Liaodong.
Furthermore, as Zhang Chengzhi said, whether he is in government or in opposition, he cannot do without the support of powerful local factions. After all, activities in Beijing require funds, and this is not a place where you can take advantage of others, so you can only rely on the filial piety from below.
And Zhang Cheng is indeed rich and powerful. In the past two years, he has sent regular money to his house every month. He is indeed more willing to give up than others. Moreover, he has tens of thousands of elite soldiers in the house and a forest of strong generals.
Even more so, with the protection of His Majesty the Emperor, and the support of his own soldier Chen Xinjia, it seems that it is hard for him to offend him, and he may have to rely on his relationship to take another step forward at some point.
With this in mind, Zhang Ruoqi naturally knew how to get along with Zhang Cheng.
After he stood up slowly, with a smile on his face, he stepped forward and held Zhang Cheng's hand tightly, and said enthusiastically: "Oh! How can Zhang Shuai talk like this? You and I are brothers, how can I treat you like this?" Zhang Shuai has doubts."
Zhang Ruoqi turned around and glanced at Wang Pu. The coldness in his eyes made Wang Pu tremble all over.
He lowered his voice and continued to speak to Zhang Cheng: "There were outsiders here just now, so my brother wanted to save some face. This was to prevent the incident from spreading. Everyone said that Zhang Shuai took advantage of the situation to bully the superior, and it also gave his brother a bad reputation. "
At this time, Zhang Ruoqi pinched Wang Pu with the corner of his eye again and said: "There are no outsiders now, so we naturally regard Zhang Shuai as our respecter. Although Tianshi is a few years older and is considered his elder brother, it is just a title within the family and matters outside the family." It’s all up to Zhang Shuai to make the decision.”
After hearing this, Wang Pu already knew what he should do.
He suddenly stood up from his seat, clasped his hands and said to Zhang Ruoqi: "Director Zhang, please bear witness for me."
Wang Pu's next operation really surprised everyone. He actually knelt down on one knee, clasped his fists in front of Zhang Cheng and bowed: "Zhang Shuai, I declare to be one of the great ones. Last time, King Qin, brother, I was unlucky because of something." Able to fight side by side with Zhang Shuai against the Tartars.
This time I declare that we will support Jinzhou with a large number of troops and horses. Brothers should follow the lead of our brothers. I declare that we are one and everything will depend on our brothers. Wang Pu will not say a single word to him. "
When he said this, he stood up and took a step forward, came to Zhang Cheng's side, and said sincerely: "Although Wang Pu is a little older, he is not an ignorant person. His ability to be loyal is far superior to that of Pu. Running the army and fighting in wars is the crown of my greatness, and I admire you from the bottom of my heart.
I would like to ask Director Zhang to be my witness. From now on, we in Datong Town will serve as the Xuan Mansion and act with due diligence. All military affairs will be determined by Brother Zhang’s word. "
Seeing the two of them like this, Zhang Cheng knew it was time to end it.
At that moment, he grabbed one of their hands with his backhand and said: "Brothers, why are you like this? You are Zhang Cheng's brothers and my confidants who are both teachers and friends.
From now on, Cheng should share the joys and sorrows with his two elder brothers. As long as Zhang Cheng has it, the two elder brothers can use it. If Zhang Cheng has a sip of soup, he will not deprive the two elder brothers of their meat. "
"Hahaha……"
…………
On August 28, at midnight, the sky was pitch black and it was impossible to see anyone in the wilderness.
But on the south bank of the Nvnu River in the west of Jinzhou, there are bright lights. Because it is already night, people no longer shout horses neighing during the day, but it is a different scene.
If you stand on the heights of Rufeng Mountain or Shimen Mountain and look down, you can see that extending east and west for more than ten miles along the south bank of the Nuer River is a sea of light composed of long torches, piles of bonfires, and strings of lanterns.
Prince Dorgon of the Qing Dynasty led the Zhengbai Banner, the Tatars of the Blue Banner of Prince Zheng Jierhalang, and some Mongolian Eight Banners soldiers and horses had been confronting the Ming Dynasty's Ji Town and Liao Town officers and soldiers here for a whole day.
Both sides fought from Si Shi to Shen Shi, and they were equally exhausted and tired. They had a tacit understanding and returned to their camps at Shen Shi.
Since Cao Bianjiao and Wang Tingchen came in for reinforcements, and the governor of Jiliao Hong Chengchou personally came to take command, the Ming army has firmly established its position. They fought fiercely with the Tatars for half a day today. Although there were many casualties, fortunately the line was stable and was not attacked. The Tatars broke through.
Unlike Dorgon who was shocked, Hong Chengchou seemed quite calm. He even put on his armor and personally inspected the camp to stabilize the morale of the soldiers.
It turned out that early this morning, Hong Chengchou got the report: Miyun Commander-in-Chief Tang Tong had collected tens of thousands of defeated soldiers and fled civilians, and was reorganizing at the foot of Shimen Mountain to the east of the army's station. It was expected that they would arrive to join them at noon.
Considering that the morale of these defeated soldiers was already in chaos, if they were not properly cleaned up and rushed to the front line, they were afraid of fleeing again and causing the entire army to retreat.
Hong Chengchou specially ordered Tang Tong to send only the cavalry under his general general to join them, while he led the infantry to station on the spot, and guided the defeated soldiers and civilians to return to Songshan Fort through the East Shimen to camp outside. After the troops returned here, they would conduct a purge. Regroup.
Tang Tong was also exempted from the responsibility of failing to join Wu Sangui as scheduled. For him, it was a blessing in disguise. He not only retained the success of conquering the East Shimen, but also got the lucrative job of gathering the defeated soldiers and civilians, not to mention the need to come to the front line again. Fight against the Tatars.
Hong Chengchou had just finished handling Tang Tong's matter when he received news that Ma Ke, the commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan, led more than 2,000 elite cavalry from the main barracks under his command, and the third battalion of Shanhai Town came to collect the crime.
Because of the same concern, Hong Chengchou temporarily refused to allow his Shanhai Town soldiers and horses to enter the camp. But now that they had arrived, he was afraid that the morale of the soldiers would be chilled, so he could not just let them leave, so he ordered him to station five miles east of the army. camp.
After Ma Ke entered the Chinese military tent of Jiliao Governor Hong Chengchou, he first accused Shanhai Town Counselor He Youren with snot and tears, and placed all the blame for the defeat of Shanhai Town on He Youren's left-wing battalion.
Shanhai Town Staff General He Youren is also in the army at the moment. He came with Shanhai Town guerrilla Bao Guangfu.
He Youren did not refute what Ma Ke said. He very frankly admitted that his command was inappropriate and did not pay too much attention to the accompanying soldiers and civilians. In the end, the civilian soldiers fled, causing the entire army to collapse.
But He Youren changed the topic and claimed how he had painstakingly led his servants to accompany him when the entire army was defeated, and tried his best to drive the defeated soldiers to flee to the two wings to avoid colliding with Ma Ke's main camp.
In particular, his general He Zhong fought bravely to cut off the enemy's rear, and single-handedly delayed the Tatar pursuit, allowing most of the battalion to escape.
In this regard, Hong Chengchou did not listen to his words. After questioning and confronting people, it was found that many officers and generals in the Zheng Barracks had seen He Youren, He Zhong and other elite cavalry driving away the defeated soldiers.
But even so, it still cannot eliminate He Youren's guilt!
Therefore, Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, ordered that Shanhaiguan Counselor He Youren be immediately dismissed from his post and imprisoned until the war here is over before he is charged.
However, He Zhong, the commander of Shanhaiguan's left-wing battalion, was dismissed from his post due to the incident of dispersing the defeated army, and was temporarily placed under the control of Ma Ke, the commander-in-chief of Shanhai Town, in order to gain merit for his crime.
This result was exactly what General He Youren expected. The only shortcoming was that He Zhong was not completely hijacked by Bao Guangfu according to his wishes.
Of course, although He Youren was a little dissatisfied with such an ending, he could still accept it. In fact, with his dying body, even if it was an unacceptable ending, what could he do?
Among the towns that have been defeated, only Bai Guangen of Ji Town is still missing. Many people are secretly speculating that he may have died, either at the hands of the Tartars in front of the battle, or at the hands of the defeated soldiers during the rout.
In fact, if Bai Guangen really disappeared, Governor Hong Chengchou would probably think that he died fighting the Tartars in front of the battle, even if the soldiers and horses of Jizhen were eventually defeated.
However, Bai Guangen is still a loyal minister and general of the Ming Dynasty who sacrificed his life for the country while fighting against the Tartars. He will be praised in his hometown and may even be listed in the local county annals and his name will remain in history.
It's a pity that God doesn't fulfill one's wish!
Of course, these are all things for later, let’s not mention them for now.
It is said that after Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, dealt with Tang Tong and Ma Ke, he began to plan the military strategy for the day against the Tatars.
As far as Hong Chengchou's personal wishes are concerned, he does not want to stalemate with the Tatars here. However, now that the two sides are evenly matched, neither one can defeat the other in a short time.
Tartars are good at fighting in the field, but not good at defending.
The Ming army was just the opposite, good at defending camps but not good at field battles.
Therefore, today, the Qing army attacked repeatedly, but the Ming army only defended but did not attack. They relied on their own camp to hold on. At most, they formed a formation with car camps and built a large number of muskets and artillery to provide mutual aid to their own camp. They were determined not to engage in field battles with the Tartars. Wave war.
After fighting fiercely for most of the day, there were casualties on each other, so they each withdrew their troops and returned to camp.
…………
At this moment, Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao in the Ming Dynasty, was discussing with the officers and generals in the Chinese army's tent. There was only one central issue, whether to send troops to assist Xingta direction, and the other was the treatment of Bai Guangen, the commander-in-chief of Jizhen.
It turned out that when the war between the Ming and Qing Dynasties was in full swing, Zhang Cheng, the chief military officer of Xuanfu Town, led more than a hundred elite cavalry under his command to the Chinese army camp in Hong Chengchou.
Almost at the same time as him, Bai Guangen, the chief military officer of Ji Town, and his remaining soldiers were less than 10,000 people. However, they were prohibited from entering the camp. Even Bai Guangen, the chief military officer of Ji Town, could only fight with his men in the main camp. Set up camp five miles east and wait for the summons.
Because the officers and soldiers in all the battalions performed very well today, Hong Chengchou took the Chinese army general Chen Zhongcai with him to inspect each battalion to boost morale after withdrawing his troops.
Here, his aides Xie Sixin, Li Song and others have been accompanying Zhang Cheng, while Qiu Minyang, the governor of Liaodong, is currently sitting in Rufeng Mountain with the troops of Fubiao Camp, but he has not yet come to the front line.
The two of them followed Hong Chengchou's instructions and never talked about the reinforcement of Xingshan. They tested Zhang Cheng with words from time to time and asked about various details of the attack on Huangtu Ridge and the defense of the river mouth.
After the soldiers of each battalion had dinner, and the sky was already completely dark, Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, accompanied by Chen Zhongcai, returned to the Chinese army's tent.
Also accompanying him were Ningyuan Commander-in-Chief Wu Sangui, ASEAN Commander-in-Chief Cao Bianjiao, former Tun Guard Commander Wang Tingchen and others. They also came to discuss the military affairs together after they heard that Zhang Cheng had brought military information about Xingta.
After a big battle, it was natural for everyone to greet each other. They took advantage of the opportunity when Governor Hong Chengchou came in to change clothes, and started talking freely in the big tent.
Naturally, everyone first briefly told their respective battle experiences. At every critical moment, there was a cry of exclamation, and when talking about Ma Ke and Bai Guangen, they were filled with regret.
After a while, Hong Chengchou had taken off his armor, changed into the casual clothes he usually wore, and came out of the inner tent. Everyone hurriedly came forward to greet him, and then sat down again.
When everyone was ready, Hong Chengchou ordered people to go down and serve food and wine quickly. Since Zhang Cheng, Wu Sangui, Cao Bianjiao and other generals were not the only ones today, Hong Chengchou also ordered a few more tables and tables to be prepared, and ordered Xie Sixin, Li Song, Chen Zhongcai and others to also come. Sit down and have a meal.
Although, while changing clothes in the inner tent, he had listened to Xie Sixin and others briefly describe the attack on Huangtu Ridge and the defense of the river mouth, etc., at this moment, he asked Zhang Cheng again about the details and praised Zhang Cheng's whimsical ideas from time to time. think.
Everyone was talking and eating like this, and the atmosphere was very harmonious, as if this was not a battlefield where armies from both sides were fighting to the death.
Perhaps because he had a good fight with the Tartars today, Hong Chengchou was so happy that he made an exception and poured a full bowl of rice wine for everyone, but it was only this bowl.
After everyone had a meal, Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, asked Zhang Cheng: "General Zhongchen, what do you think of the slaves and thieves disturbing the Xingta grain road?"
I don't know when it started. All officials and generals in Liaodong seemed to ask Zhang Cheng's views and opinions on everything. Everyone was not surprised by this.
Zhang Cheng came running all the way. Accompanied by Xie Sixin and Li Song, he drank some tea just now. Now he was really hungry.
At this time, when he heard the governor's question, he put down his bowl and chopsticks and replied: "Reporting to the governor, I thought I should help Xingta as soon as possible, but I'm afraid it will be too late!"
Xie Sixin continued from the side: "General Zhang thought that reinforcements should be sent to the direction of Xingshan as soon as possible, but Xie does have some concerns here. I wonder if I should ask?"
"Mr. Xie, if you have any concerns, it's okay to talk." Zhang Cheng said politely.
Xie Sixin didn't seem to have a big appetite. He waved his hand and removed the food and wine on the table, replacing them with tea, some snacks, and a small plate of dried fish cut into pieces.
At this time, dried fish products have become irreplaceable in Liaodong.
Not only is it improving the food and providing meat and fish for all the soldiers in the army, but now even the high-ranking men in the past can no longer do without dried fish. There are many people like Xie Sixin who cut the dried fish into pieces and serve it as snacks when drinking tea.
Xie Sixin took a sip of tea and then said slowly: "As General Zhang said, the Tatar thieves are hiding the elites of the Eight Banners, and they must have a secret plan. Now, what can be determined is that the slave thieves Hauge Zhenglan Banner is on the east bank of the Xiaoling River. Ergon's Zhengbai Banner and Jilhalang's Xianglan Banner are opposite our army.
According to the military information brought by General Zhang, it was learned that the white flag of the slave thief Duduo appeared in Changling Mountain in the direction of Xingshan. The only remaining two yellow flags led by the slave chief Hongtai and the two red flags of the slave thief Daishan were missing. . "
