In a ruined temple next to Sheqiao Village in Runing Prefecture, Henan, and in the Chinese military tent of Fu Zonglong, the governor of Shaanxi and the three border areas, Yang Wenyue, the governor of Baoding, said seriously: "Brother Yuan Xian, we want to take it, so please give it to me; First take one step back, then two steps forward.
This war is naturally about virtual reality and real reality. It is impossible to fight a decisive battle with the bandits from the beginning.
We are temporarily avoiding the thieves and bandits in order to save these tens of thousands of troops for the imperial court. When the thieves find an opportunity to take advantage of them, we can then find a way to win. This is the best strategy! "
Fu Zonglong had nothing to say at this moment. Although he was still a little reluctant, he couldn't help but think that Yang Wenyue's words were indeed very reasonable.
However, in his heart, he still felt that even if he was shattered to pieces, he would still be unable to repay even a ten thousandth of the emperor's kindness, so he couldn't help but sigh deeply.
Since all the people along the way fled before the officers and soldiers arrived, not only was the information unclear on Fu Zonglong's side, but it was also very difficult to replenish food and fodder.
The night after sending Yang Wenyue away, Fu Zonglong paid homage to him and told him that he and the governor Yang Wenyue had joined forces in Xincai, and that they would work together to suppress the rebellion in order to relieve the imperial court's worries.
But even though he said this on the application form, he also knew that it was all lies, so he still felt very heavy. He had a premonition that his future was uncertain and his hope of success was slim.
After watching his soldiers ride away, Fu Zonglong returned to his military tent, hesitant and couldn't help but twirling his beard and sighing.
He had been traveling continuously these days, and although he was tired from poking and riding, he was so worried that he really had no intention of sleeping. Fu Zonglong walked out of the military tent, feeling the late autumn night wind.
Suddenly, he discovered that a few miles away, several villages were bursting with flames, rising into the sky and appearing particularly bright in the silent night sky.
Fu Zonglong was startled and hurriedly asked Lu San, the servant who was following him: "Why did those villages catch fire?"
Lu San seemed to know about this, he lowered his head and eyebrows, and said softly next to Fu Zonglong: "Please open your eyes, sir!"
Fu Zonglong didn't understand the inner meaning of this. His original intention was to prevent this kind of thing from happening, but then he also thought that this was a lack of pay and a lack of food and grass. If he wanted to forcefully stop the officers and soldiers from looting again, How is it possible to commit adultery and burn down a house?
But he was also more worried. He couldn't help but think about how such an army and in such a situation could fight against the bandits?
But Fu Zonglong was unable to do anything about it. Only then did he feel his helplessness. He just looked at it silently for a while, then sighed, shook his head and returned to the tent.
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At dawn the next day, after a good meal, the soldiers of Fu Zonglong and Yang Wenyue set off north towards Xiangcheng.
Fu Zonglong rode his horse and stood on the south bank of Ru River, supervising and urging the soldiers to build several pontoon bridges on Ru River and the flood.
In fact, he had already issued the military order to build the bridge before it was dark yesterday, but the soldiers in the army delayed it in every possible way. In addition, more wood was needed, so many houses were demolished.
Therefore, these pontoon bridges were not completed until about 6 o'clock today. After the men and horses of Fu's and Yang's armies had crossed the Hongshui River, it was already past noon.
In this way, we traveled north for a while, and that night we set up camp in a town called Longkou, which is about fifty miles south of Xincai County.
Less than a hundred miles to the north is Xiangcheng, 20 miles to the northwest is Shiyangbu, and 25 miles to the northeast is Wadian. They are all big towns in this area. It can be said that Longkou is well connected in all directions and has convenient transportation. Critical place.
Although today's march was only a few dozen miles, after being on the road for days, both men and horses were exhausted, especially the infantry, who seemed to be quite complaining.
Yang Wenyue had long been accustomed to these complaints, but Fu Zonglong had just been released from prison by the emperor. He had not been in charge of the army for a long time, and he did not seem to adapt to it. He vaguely felt that this seemed extremely terrifying.
In the army, there were also some cronies who were planted or bribed by Fu Zonglong. They quietly told Fu Zonglong: In addition to cursing the hard work of marching, the most important thing the soldiers had was their opinions on the arrears of pay.
They even cursed and complained, working for the imperial court in vain, it was so damn boring, who would be willing to fight to the death against thieves!
Complaints like those among the Shaanxi and Trilateral Ming armies led by Fu Zonglong were also common among armies elsewhere in the Ming Dynasty. The Ming army was not incapable of fighting, but as the soldiers said, who would go hungry without getting paid? To fight the enemy to the death?
The officers of each battalion, who usually drank the blood of soldiers, did not dare to ask more questions about the complaints of their subordinates. They pretended to ignore them, fearing that if they aroused the resentment of the sergeants under their subordinates, they would be killed on the battlefield. It's easy to be hacked by your subordinates without knowing it!
In fact, even the generals of each battalion were not willing to fight against the bandits. Everyone hoped to save their own lives. Therefore, when they heard that the troops were going north to Xiangcheng, they were naturally happy. .
After the Ming army settled in Longkou Town, the surrounding area was the same as it was in Xincai. Fires were shooting into the sky everywhere, against the backdrop of thick smoke billowing upwards, and faint cries could be heard from a distance.
All these made Fu Zonglong, the governor of Shaanxi and the three sides, restless in the military tent.
That night, the Runing magistrate sent two more urgent official documents and a letter in his own handwriting, saying that Chuang and Cao's men were about to attack the city in a large scale and requested Fu Zonglong and Yang Wenyue to rescue them immediately.
At this time, Fu Zonglong himself also received detailed information. He knew that the vanguard of the Chuang and Cao thieves had indeed appeared near Sheqiao. It was reported that many ladders were being built there to attack the city.
Just around midnight, Commander-in-Chief He Renlong also sent someone to report: When his rangers were sentrying toward the She Bridge, they saw bandits building a slug on the Hong River, only ten miles away. pontoon.
It is estimated that there are about 10,000 to 20,000 bandit soldiers on the other side of the river waiting to cross the river. It seems that they really want to march towards Runing.
Fu Zonglong also felt helpless about this. He thought in his heart: If Chuangni really attacks Runing, if Runing makes a mistake and King Chong is killed, then he will not be able to escape the blame.
So, he immediately found Yang Wenyue, the governor, and convened a meeting with the generals from each battalion overnight to discuss countermeasures.
In the military tent, all the generals were silent, and no one wanted to speak first. The general congratulated Renlong from time to time, looking at the mighty generals of the true protector.
Since Hu Dawei was transferred to the post of Shanxi Commander-in-Chief and was transferred to the post of Commander-in-Chief of the True Security Guards, he has been under the control of the governor Yang Wenyue. At this time, he was already a trusted general who Yang Wenyue trusted and relied on.
At this moment, Hu Dawei knew that although Yang Wenyue was the governor of Baoding, there were not many soldiers and horses in the towns under his jurisdiction who could fight.
And when he himself was transferred to the position of Chief Soldier of the True Security Guards, he only brought a few hundred servants. Although he had devoted himself to the task for the past two years, the troops under his command were only somewhat semblance-like. Although they could barely fight, their combat effectiveness was worrying.
At the same time, he also knew that the Shaanxi soldiers brought out by Fu Zonglong also had no fighting spirit. After all, Fu Zonglong had just held the seal of the governor of the three sides and had not yet had time to reorganize the Shaanxi army.
Just like He Renlong, the commander-in-chief of the Qing Dynasty, who was quite powerful. Although his troops were capable and brave enough to fight, they were in a state of disobedience, which was quite difficult to deal with.
However, Hu Dawei also knew that these thoughts of his should not come out of his mouth, so as not to fall into the truth. He only looked at Baodu Yang Wenyue frequently with a wink.
I hope that Yang Wenyue can put forward prudent opinions in time, so as not to rush into a decisive battle with the intruders, resulting in a huge defeat and no hope of coming back.
How could Yang Wenyue not understand the meaning of tiger's great power?
In fact, he also knew that several generals in Baoding were unwilling to fight against the bandits, and he himself also knew that the officers and soldiers at this time were by no means a match for the bandits.
Yang Wenyue was like a clock, sitting as steady as a mountain. Not only was his body motionless, but even the expression on his face remained unchanged, as calm as water.
He Renlong and Hu Dawei were unwilling to say such prudent words, so how could Yang Wenyue, the governor of Baoding, say it casually?
Although he knew in his heart that the only way to be cautious at the moment was to avoid the rogue bandits temporarily, he was afraid that if these words came from his mouth, Fu Zonglong might criticize him in the memorial for "being timid in the face of battle and wasting the opportunity of the war." .
Yang Wenyue knew very well that the current emperor was a suspicious person, and his temper had been extremely bad in recent years. If this happened, he would definitely be punished.
In addition, although he and Fu Zonglong were both governors, and it was said that he was promoted to governor a year earlier than Fu Zonglong, the emperor asked him to obey Fu Zonglong's control after joining forces with Fu Zonglong.
This also made him very unconvinced!
It was precisely because of Yang Wenyue's dissatisfaction that he hoped to leave the burden of decision-making before the war to Fu Zonglong, the governor-general of the three sides.
At the same time, Yang Wenyue was just like Fu Zonglong, fearful in his heart. If he really did not save Runing, once Runing fell and King Chong was killed, both he and Fu Zonglong would be convicted for this, and they might even be imprisoned until they were released from Beijing. Beheading is not impossible.
After a moment of silence in the military tent, Yang Wenyue finally looked at Fu Zonglong and said, "This matter is very urgent. Whether to save or not, I would like to ask Governor Fu to come up with an idea so that the generals can discuss it later."
Fu Zonglong was also very embarrassed about this, but Yang Wenyue had said this and he could no longer avoid it. He had to come up with an idea.
He was in a nervous mood, his gray beard was shaking wildly on his chest, and even his fingers were trembling. However, he spoke generously: "I have been in prison for two years, and now I have been pardoned by the Emperor. With the heavy responsibility of sealing the territory, and now being ordered to suppress the bandits, he could only die to repay the emperor's favor.
Zong Long is already nearly sixty years old. He has never been a deserter in his life. Today, he would rather die than flee from the commander. I have made up my mind to march into Runing tomorrow morning to fight the bandits.
I also hope that all of you will rise up in front of the battle to repay the mighty grace of the Holy One, fight with all your strength, and defeat the rebellion in one fell swoop! "
When the generals in the military tent heard that Fu Zonglong had made such a decision, they all chose to remain silent for a while. No one dared to say inappropriate words, but in their hearts they all had their own agenda.
The security guard Yang Wenyue saw that Fu Zonglong had decided to fight the thief tomorrow.
He was also ordered to come to suppress thieves, so naturally he could no longer voice his different opinions, but he was thinking in his heart: Tomorrow's decisive battle, nine times out of ten, he will be defeated, but I hope the defeat will not be too severe, and then we can still fight again. Advise Fu Zonglong to conserve some troops.
Yang Wenyue didn't say much. Seeing that the military meeting had been decided, he stood up and said goodbye: "Since Governor Fu has decided to fight the thieves tomorrow, I will go back to the camp and prepare overnight."
He then looked at Hu Dawei and said, "General Tiger, you should go back to the camp quickly to prepare for the battle tomorrow."
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Fu Zonglong sent Baoding generals such as Baoding Governor Yang Wenyue and Zhenbao General Hu Dawei out of the tent. He saw the two Shaanxi Army generals, He Renlong and Li Guoqi, also preparing to leave.
He then said to the two of them: "Please stay a moment, two generals. I have some words to say."
After He Renlong and Li Guoqi heard this, they were no longer in a hurry to leave. They stood in the tent and listened to the instructions of Governor Fu Zonglong.
Fu Zonglong looked at the two people with deep affection in his eyes and said to them: "It has been more than ten years since the bandits were suppressed. As a general, none of them can work together, causing the bandits to become more and more prosperous day by day, and the overall situation of the country is becoming more and more dangerous. day.
Today, I and Governor Yang join forces in southern Henan. They can no longer avoid fighting as they did in the past. This time they must go all out to eliminate this serious problem in the Central Plains for the imperial court.
The two generals are following the governor to send troops from Shaanxi today. Success or failure depends on this move. I hope that the two generals will fight hard tomorrow to atone for their past mistakes and achieve great success.
Never let down the imperial court or let me down my high hopes! "
Although He Renlong and Li Guoqi had their own thoughts, they both pretended to be moved at this moment. They said loudly: "Yes, yes. I will definitely serve the court with all my loyalty. Tomorrow, we will send troops to fight against the bandits. There must be progress and no retreat, please rest assured, Governor Fu."
Fu Zonglong was satisfied when he heard this and felt deeply comforted in his heart, but he was also afraid that the words and deeds of the two Shaanxi army generals were inconsistent and they would just treat him perfunctorily.
Therefore, Fu Zonglong said to them again: "As long as the two generals fight against the thieves tomorrow and make a small contribution, even if they have done something unfavorable to the emperor in the past, they can be regarded as using their merits to cover up their mistakes, and they will completely forget about it.
The governor will definitely report to the court and implore the emperor to show special kindness to the two generals and reward them for their great service. "
He Renlong and Li Guoqi hurriedly promised again and again: "I will obey the orders of the governor and the army, fight to the death to kill the thieves, make contributions to the country, report the kindness of the emperor, and live up to the governor!"
Seeing them like this, Fu Zonglong was greatly relieved and sent them out of the tent himself.
But in his heart, he still felt a little confused and unsure about whether he could fight the thief tomorrow or whether he could defeat the thief in the decisive battle.
He looked at the Shang Fang sword given by Emperor Chongzhen, sighed, and said to himself: "Your Majesty, Zong Long is old. I will fight with the thieves tomorrow. If I don't succeed, I would rather die on the battlefield. I am determined not to be a fugitive commander!"
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For two consecutive days, "One Tiger" Li Guo stationed troops near Sheqiao Village.
While he sent people to spy on the movements of the official army, he waited for the arrival of the army of infantry and thieves behind him. At the same time, he pretended to be about to attack Runing Fucheng.
Li Guo ordered his thieves to quickly make ladders and other siege equipment, and also collected large quantities of saltpeter, sulfur and other materials from nearby villages and towns to prepare gunpowder, making it look like he wanted to blow up the city...
