After the intruder Li Zicheng teamed up with the Cao thief Luo Rucai, the land of Zhongzhou was disturbed. Fu Zonglong, the newly appointed governor of Shaanxi and the three sides of the Ming Dynasty, also died in Xiangcheng.
However, Yang Wenyue, the governor of Baoding, withdrew his troops from Chenzhou, and the commander Ding Qirui kept his troops in the Guangshan and Gushi areas. However, he reported to the court that he was fighting with the traitor Zhang Xianzhong's troops and was unable to rescue others.
The Chuang Cao Allied Forces, who no longer had any opponents, began to march across the land of Zhongzhou. They sent out all their troops to attack and plunder various places, and began to actively plan a second attack on Kaifeng Prefecture, an important town of the Ming Dynasty in Henan Province.
However, even Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty did not know about the death of Fu Zonglong, the governor of the three sides, and Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao who was in the important border area of eastern Liaoning in the Ming Dynasty, was even less aware of the changes in southern Henan.
Now, Hong Chengchou was in extreme excitement, and there was a Lubutang newspaper on his case, which was the victory document from Zhang Cheng, the commander-in-chief of the Xuanfu.
Not only Hong Chengchou was extremely excited, but also the staff in the palace, as well as Liaodong Governor Qiu Minyang, the commander-in-chief Wu Sangui, Chen Jiugao, Cao Bianjiao, Wang Tingchen and others were also shocked.
They gathered the troops of six generals, plus the troops of Hong Chengchou and Qiu Minyang, and fought hard for several days, but they were able to kill only a few thousand captives.
However, many of the corpses of the Tartar rebels were snatched back by the captives, and the actual number captured by the generals was less than a thousand. In view of such a victory, they also paid more casualties than the Tartar thieves to obtain it. .
In their opinion, Zhang Cheng had just returned to support the Xingshan defense line and was able to capture more than 4,000 Tartar heads?
Moreover, they also beheaded the generals and captured the flag. With the soldiers and horses in the Xuanfu town, they beheaded the leader of the Qing Dynasty's Xiangbai Banner, Prince Duduo of Yu, as well as Manchuria's Zhenghuang Banner Gushan Ezhen Ashan and Xiangbai Banner Baya La Zhuzhang Jing E Shuo.
This was the first time in more than ten years since the Ming Dynasty fought against the Tartars that a prince-level figure could behead the Tartars in front of the battle, not to mention the corpses of Duduo, Ashan, Eshuo and others, as well as the clothes they were wearing. Armor, seize them all.
"This is an amazing achievement!"
Qiu Minyang, the governor of Liaodong, opened his mouth wide and could not be disturbed for a long time. He continued: "In one battle, we captured more than 4,000 Tartar heads. This was the first time since our Ming Dynasty started the war with the slaves. And killing the prince of the slave thieves in front of the battle was also a great achievement. This is the first time since the war between Ming Dynasty and slaves!"
Unable to calm down his excitement for a while, Qiu Minyang continued excitedly: "Zhang Cheng is amazing, and the Xuanfu soldiers are mighty!"
He turned to look at Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, and said: "With Zhang Cheng in our Ming Dynasty, we no longer have to fear the enemy's military front. Governor, you should immediately report your victory to the court and the emperor."
I believe that when the emperor hears the report of the great victory here, his holy heart will be very happy. "
Hong Chengchou's face was as dark as water, as calm as ever, but he was also extremely excited in his heart. Such a great victory had never happened before. It not only comforted the Sacred Heart, but also allowed him to offer sacrifices to the Ancestral Temple and comfort his ancestors.
But this great victory was achieved by Zhang Cheng of the Xuanfu who was unruly in front of him. This was what worried him!
"How wonderful it would be if the eldest uncle obtained this special merit." The first thought in Hong Chengchou's mind.
And his second thought was: "Even if Uncle Chang didn't get this special merit, then it makes sense that General Xiao Cao got this merit."
When he thought of this, he couldn't help but look at Cao Bianjiao, and thought: "Even if Wang Tingchen has achieved such military success, it is better than that unruly Zhang Cheng!"
At this time, Xie Sixin, a close aide of Hong Chengchou, said: "Such a great achievement should be reported to the court immediately. However, how to write this document to report the victory requires careful consideration by the two adults."
"Um……"
Hong Chengchou was also brought back to reality by Xie Sixin's words. Indeed, as Xie Sixin said, such a greedy achievement must be reported to the court as soon as possible.
However, how to write this memorial is the key!
In the final analysis, how to share this special merit is the topic that everyone in the military tent is most concerned about today.
Zhang Cheng's first achievement, Xuanfu's first achievement, naturally no one can compete with him, and everyone knows that they can't compete with him, even if it is the achievement of killing slaves, thieves and false kings, including Nagushan Ezhen Ashan, Baya No one wanted to fight for the title of Lazhang Jing E Shuo.
But in the final analysis, Zhang Cheng came to Liaodong as a guest army to aid in the suppression. If all the merits of this greedy attack were attributed to him alone, I am afraid that other generals would have resentment in their hearts, even the Liaodong military gate fighting at home. You will definitely be angry with him.
Therefore, in the eyes of Hong Chengchou, Xie Sixin and others, Zhang Cheng and the Xuanfu generals cannot keep all the heads of these four to five thousand slaves!
Li Song saw that Hong Chengchou just said "hmm" but did not say anything, so he continued Xie Sixin's words: "Normally, we should not be greedy for the military merits that the Xuanfu soldiers fought to the death."
When he said this, he changed the subject and continued: "But such a great achievement was achieved through the concerted efforts of our Liaodong generals and the generals who aided Liao.
It turned out that it was not the result of Zhang Cheng and Xuanfu. "
After Li Song finished speaking, he looked up at Xie Sixin and signaled him to continue what he was going to say.
Xie Sixin was also a very clever person, so he didn't understand what he meant, so he immediately said: "The governor is in the middle of the situation, and the strategizing work must not be hidden.
Qiu Fuchen discussed military strategy with Zhang Jianjun and others. He participated in planning and making decisions, and even risked his own life. This contribution of assistance cannot be ignored. "
Qiu Min, the governor of Liaodong, heard that Xie Sixin actually mentioned himself. Although he was deeply satisfied, he still had to make superficial remarks. He was about to speak modestly.
But I heard Li Song say again: "All the generals fought bravely. They not only contained the army of slave thieves, but also killed many slave thieves. Although the number of heads obtained was less, it cannot be dismissed because of this." It’s useless.”
Only then did Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, speak: "Mr. Zhenzhong, please write me a memorial to report my victory, and tell the heavens to hear the glorious achievements of my Ming Dynasty king.
As for the specific performance of the generals in this battle, I will report it separately after I have reviewed them one by one! "
When everyone in the military tent saw what Hong Chengchou said, they no longer expressed any objection.
Governor Qiu Minyang praised: "Director Hong was very thoughtful. Such a great achievement should be reported to the court first to make the emperor happy. As for the contribution of each general, there is no rush."
His words were clever. He not only expressed his agreement with Hong Chengchou's decision, but also expressed his support for everyone's desire to share Zhang Cheng's military achievements.
Everyone then discussed some military affairs, and they were still in a confrontation with the captives led by Dorgon.
However, the situation on Songshan's side has now changed from offensive to defensive, with the Ming army defending the front line of Rufeng Mountain and Shimen Mountain, while the Qing army has become the attacking party.
If we look at the previous situation, in fact, the Ming army also won a great victory in the Battle of Shimen Mountain, although it could not completely relieve the siege of Jinzhou.
However, the Ming army that occupied the back of Shimen Mountain also had the initiative and could send out all its troops at any time to threaten the slave thieves on the south bank of the Nv'er River, or even break through to the north bank of the Nv'er River to relieve the siege of Jinzhou in one fell swoop.
But when they learned about Zhang Cheng's military exploits at Xingshan, everyone was silent for a while. Compared with Zhang Cheng, all their military exploits and results combined could hardly match half of Zhang Cheng's military exploits.
After the generals retreated, Hong Chengchou and his close aides Xie Sixin, Li Song and others had a secret discussion on the specific content of the victory report.
In order to gain the support of Commander-in-Chief Zhang Ruoqi, it was natural to exaggerate Zhang Ruoqi's role in this battle, especially his attitude of urging the return of aid to Xingshan!
…………
On the fifth day of September, in the Empress' Palace in the south of Songshan City, Zhang Ruoqi's hands were shaking so violently that even a piece of paper in his hand seemed to be about to fly away.
Now, Zhang Ruoqi finally knows what "a word of gold" means!
Even though an hour had passed, his mood still failed to recover, and even his eyes were still filled with tears of excitement.
He looked at Zhang Dou, Wang Pu, Fu Yingchong, Wei Zhice, Li Fuming and others, and murmured: "Great work... great work... this is a great achievement!"
When he said the last sentence, Zhang Ruoqi was nearly hoarse. Not only was his voice extremely loud, but his expression was extremely exaggerated, completely losing the demeanor of a military commander.
Just when everyone was confused, Zhang Ruoqi vigorously shook the letter in his hand and said: "Zhang Bingxian, you'd better take a look for yourself. I don't know how to tell you, this is the result of greed." ah!"
Military commander Zhang Dou, Datong general Wang Pu, Shenji battalion deputy general Fu Yingchong, Xuanfu guerrilla Wei Zhice and others were originally stationed in various places to prevent the Tatars from crossing the river again to attack.
Today, everyone does not know why General Commander Zhang Ruoqi hastily summoned everyone to come to the Empress' Palace to discuss matters.
Seeing him like this at this moment, everyone was suspicious in their hearts, although some people had vaguely guessed that Zhang Cheng, who had returned to Xingshan to aid, might have made great contributions again.
But Zhang Ruoqi's performance was too exaggerated, which made no one dare to speculate without permission. Even Ning Qianbing, who had experienced military affairs for a long time, felt a little confused.
He carefully took the letter and held it tightly in his hand, as if he was afraid that it would fall to the ground accidentally. It was as if the two pages weighed more than a thousand pounds.
"Bang!" There was a loud sound.
Zhang Dou just glanced at it briefly and said loudly with excitement: "Okay, okay, great!"
Amidst the suspicion of the remaining people, Zhang Dou said again: "The formation killed the slave thief Prince Duduo of Yu, and even killed a member of Gushan, and pulled out a tooth to pull down a member of Zhangjing. Zhang Cheng is awesome, awesome!"
He stared at the letter intently, read it carefully again, then handed it to the commander-in-chief Wang Pu, and said loudly: "It is our great fortune to have Zhang Cheng in our Ming Dynasty. It is really a blessing for Liaodong and my Ming Dynasty." ah!"
Wang Pu was also like Zhang Dou. After just a few glances, he shouted excitedly: "How did Marshal Zhang do it when he beheaded more than 4,000 slave thieves?"
Next, the same goes for Fu Yingchong and Wei Zhice. Although Wei Zhice knows his general master better and the soldiers and horses of Xuanzhen, he also fully believes that Zhang Cheng will be able to defeat the slave thieves when he returns to Xingshan to aid.
But it seems that such an ending was something he could not have expected, but compared to Fu Yingchong, he was extremely calm. Fu Yingchong, the deputy general of the Shenji Battalion, had a pair of big eyes staring at him and his mouth was so wide open that he couldn't even close it. .
The officials and generals in the Empress' Palace were obviously much happier than the officials and generals in the Governor's Palace. After all, they could all be said to be members of Zhang Cheng's faction, and such a great achievement had many people from their battalions involved.
Not to mention that both Wang Pu and Li Fuming had elite cavalry under their command. As Zhang Cheng and Guo Yingxian returned to support, even Fu Yingchong also supported Zhang Cheng with many small artillery pieces such as Baizigun, as well as nearly a thousand gunners.
The commander-in-chief of the army, Zhang Ruoqi, and the military commander, Zhang Dou, also supported Zhang Cheng's return of aid. In the future, they would be rewarded based on their merits, and naturally they would be given a certain amount of military merit.
That night, a draft memorial document was sent to the governor's residence, and Zhang Ruoqi was very satisfied after reading it.
Because this memorial letter did not mention much about the other generals. It only said that a detailed report would be made in the future after the merits of each general were verified.
However, apart from mentioning that Zhang Cheng's troops killed the slave traitor and puppet king Duduo in one fell swoop when returning to Xingshan, as well as Gushan Ashan and Baya Lazhu Zhangjing Eshuo, they only mentioned the governor Hong Chengchou and the chief military officer. Zhang Ruoqi and Governor Qiu Min admired the contributions of these three people.
It was obvious that the three of them, plus Zhang Cheng, were the first batch of meritorious officials to whom Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, made a petition for success in this battle.
After repeated exchanges of letters and negotiations, a letter from Lubujie was finally sent to the capital of the Ming Dynasty.
…………
"Rewards must be heavily rewarded!"
Emperor Chongzhen was dancing back and forth in the Qianqing Palace. At this moment, he was like a naughty child, without any trace of a king.
Perhaps he has been depressed for too long by the heavy national affairs, or perhaps he has been depressed for too long by the constant stream of bad news.
In short, it seems that His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Empire has not been as happy as he is today for more than ten years. Even three years ago, when he heard that the intruder Li Zicheng had been executed in Tongguanyuan, he was not as happy as he is today.
He suddenly stopped in front of the carved window, looked up at the white clouds outside the window, and roared in his heart: "Ancestors, do you know? I, the Ming Dynasty, have won the battle. Since the Battle of Sarhu, I have fought against slaves for two times. For more than ten years, my Ming Dynasty...
My Ming Dynasty finally won a great victory, killing tens of thousands of slaves, beheading more than 5,000 slaves, and beheaded the slave thief and false king Duduo, as well as more than a hundred generals and officials below Gushan. "
A string of tears fell from the corners of his eyes, and he actually said: "I can finally comfort my ancestors!"
The eunuch Wang Chengen, who was kneeling on the ground, the eunuch Wang Chengen, crawled forward in a hurry and kowtowed to Emperor Chongzhen: "Old slave, congratulations to the emperor, congratulations to the emperor..."
He choked up as he spoke, to the point where he could not utter a single word, and could only weep with Emperor Chongzhen.
Excited, these two words can no longer describe their mood at this moment. Emperor Chongzhen's heart that had been suppressed for many years was completely relieved at this moment.
A feeling of elation arose spontaneously, and he seemed to feel that he was really the Ming Dynasty's Ming Dynasty. It seemed that it was not far away to revive the Ming Dynasty and make all nations surrender.
As for Wang Chengen, it was the first time in more than ten years that he saw the rejuvenated emperor as happy as he is today, and he was so excited that he burst into tears uncontrollably.
(End of chapter)
