Facing Hong Chengchou's inquiry, Xie Sixin also looked helpless. He smiled bitterly and shook his head and said: "Although I am close friends with my eldest uncle, and my eldest uncle is also a young hero and a leader in Liaodong generals.
However, it has to be said that Chang Bo is far inferior to General Zhenshuo! "
When Hong Chengchou heard this, he sighed with emotion: "Yes."
He also understood in his heart that although Zhang Cheng was also from the Xuanfu military sect, he became famous after the death of his uncle, General Zhang Yan. It can be seen that he rose almost by his own strength without any help from his family.
In fact, no matter what era we live in, it is always difficult for those at the bottom to get ahead, especially in the army at the end of the Ming Dynasty. Even if they achieved some military exploits, they were likely to be corrupted by superior officials and taken for themselves.
But if he could fight his way out in such a harsh environment and get promoted step by step, and those who hold high positions are all resolute and decisive people, in comparison, Wu Sangui's promotion process seems to be too smooth.
The essential comparison between the two sides is like the difference between an egg and a solid rock!
Hong Chengchou was filled with emotions. Although he had begun to vigorously support and support Wu Sangui in the Liaodong Army since he took office as governor of Jiliao, he has now been promoted to the post of chief training officer of the Ningyuan regiment.
But this was due to both Wu Sangui's own efforts and the support of the huge family and sectarian forces behind him, and Hong Chengchou's support and support was only a boost, which made this result occur earlier.
Therefore, if you want to use it to compete with Zhang Cheng, you have to say that the effect of Hong Chengchou's operation is still too weak.
Since the army aiding the Liao Dynasty arrived in Songshan, they still had to look at the Xuanfu army at critical moments, and Zhang Cheng's presence has become the spirit and backbone of the hundreds of thousands of troops aiding the Liao Dynasty.
But now, Zhenshuo General Zhang Cheng is not only responsible for the combat power of the Ming army, but also the source of their confidence in defeating the Tartars. He is also a slave thieves who are so rampant that they are the source of nightmares.
Now among the officials and generals of the Ming Dynasty in Liaodong, who dares to be disrespectful to Zhang Cheng?
As for Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, he only dared not to use Zhang Cheng, but he did not dare to disrespect Zhang Cheng. If he went too far, Zhang Cheng would not give him a good face.
At this time, Xie Sixin looked deeply into the distance and suddenly said: "Zhang Cheng is a man of strategic ideas and full of treachery. If he was born in a ruling world, he should be a capable minister, but now students are afraid that he may become a tycoon in troubled times! "
Hong Chengchou's body trembled slightly. Although the expression on his face did not change, if you are careful, you may find that Xie Sixin's words deeply touched him.
I just heard him say in a deep voice: "Sun Baigu once told me in the past that Zhang Cheng seems to be a respectful and virtuous person, but in fact he is a hawk with a hawk's eye, a very deep-minded person, and a hidden ambition.
But I didn't take it to heart. Back then, Zhang Cheng was just a guerrilla, but now..."
When Hong Chengchou said this, he slowly raised his head and looked at the rising sun in the east. Although it was very bright at the moment and the light was everywhere, making people feel warm, it was not impossible to look directly at it.
Suddenly he said again: "General Wanwang Zhenshuo can keep in mind the principle of loyalty to the country, otherwise, he may be more terrifying than the Dongnu and the bandits."
This is really "the day when the Duke of Zhou is afraid of rumors, and when Wang Mang is humble and humble."!
Hong Chengchou was worried about Zhenshuo General Zhang Cheng at this time, but he never thought that it would become his own fault in the future.
Historically, it was during this Battle of Songshan that the Ming army lost hundreds of thousands of capable troops, and Hong Chengchou himself was captured by the Qing army when Songshan City was destroyed.
However, he failed to remember the principle of loyalty to the country, and finally surrendered to the Qing Dynasty. From then on, he became a traitor and was despised by the world.
At first, Emperor Chongzhen thought that he had died for his country, and issued an edict praising "Hong Chengchou for his fierce devotion" and instructing him to "quickly issue a high-quality banner to appease your loyalty." Later, he issued an edict to grant nine altars to Hong Chengchou and set up an ancestral hall. The posthumous title was agreed upon.
However, Hong Chengchou's performance after surrendering to the Qing Dynasty was even more impressive. He was awarded the authority of "the Taibao and the Prince's Grand Master, managing the five provinces of Huguang, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Guizhou, and being the governor of military affairs and in charge of food and wages." The Qing emperor further The purpose is "the officials and soldiers must not be constrained, and the household department must not be delayed".
It was the charge of traitors such as Hong Chengchou and Wu Sangui that accelerated the demise of the Ming Dynasty, allowing the Qing Dynasty to dominate the world with only 200,000 people.
It is precisely "Xiang Shi died at the beginning, and who knows whether he will be true or false throughout his life."!
Just imagine, if Hong Chengchou really died for the country along with Qiu Minyang, Cao Bianjiao, Wang Tingchen and other loyal ministers and generals when Songshan City was destroyed, wouldn't he be the same as them?
How can a loyal minister shine through the annals of history and be famous for centuries?
…………
The sky gradually became brighter, and the entire ten-mile camp of the Ming Army suddenly became lively.
Such a large-scale military operation only requires secrecy and even deception during the planning stage, in order to catch the enemy off guard. However, if it really comes before the war, there is no point in keeping secrets and deception anymore.
After all, the war is coming, and our side also needs to make arrangements and preparations. Not only the army is mobilized and dispatched, but also various fortifications need to be built, and the equipment required for various wars must also be transported to the front line as soon as possible.
On the south bank of the Nv Nv River, there is the sound of people shouting and horses neighing, occasionally mixed with the "creak" sound of carts lumbering forward.
In the Chinese army tent of Shanhaiguan Commander-in-Chief Ma Ke, the deputies, counselors, and soldiers of each battalion in Shanhai Town gathered here. Ma Ke was making the final mobilization for today's battle.
I only heard him say to the generals: "Everyone knows that last time He Shenjiang's camp was blown up, which caused the whole army to flee. I spent a lot of time with the governor to redeem myself.
Today's battle is indeed no small matter, and it is a good opportunity for us to redeem ourselves. "
He looked solemnly at the generals Ma Zhiyong and Du Si Ma Zhiren of the main barracks standing below him, as well as guerrilla Zhao Junchen, Bao Guangfu, Du Si Hu Zhongxin and other generals, as well as the former right wing camp general He Zhong.
However, the right-wing battalion was already abolished at this time. After the previous defeat at the northern foot of Shimen Mountain, Ma Ke took the opportunity to cancel the left-wing battalion, and the remaining infantry and cavalry officers and soldiers in his battalion were also absorbed into his main battalion. .
Even He Zhong, the former commander of the left wing battalion, now leads more than a hundred servants of the former general He Youren, plus more than 200 elite cavalry, and more than 500 infantry, and has become a general of Ma Ke's main camp.
Marco glanced at the generals before continuing to shout loudly: "I have pledged my pledge to the governor and issued a military order. If we cannot attack across the river, I will go to see the governor with this melon in my head." .
Today, it is convenient for all of you to keep your ugly words in your head, and the general attack will begin later. If any one of you does not work hard, he will act like a monkey here with me, refusing to sacrifice his life in front of the battle, and bravely kill the slaves.
Our family was the first to behead him! "
Having said this, the expression on Ma Ke's face was already a little distorted, and he finally shouted: "Go back and tell the soldiers, we are all grasshoppers tied to a vine, no one can live alone, not even me.
If you want to survive, just rush over to me and fight to the other side of the river. Not only will you survive, but you will also receive a reward! "
All the generals cheered in unison. Although it didn't look very enthusiastic, it was obvious that everyone understood what Marco meant, that is, if the battle went unfavorably, he might be really ruthless and punish everyone.
Although everyone is a military commander of the imperial court, not his military commander, but today is different from the past. During the war, if you are defeated, then there will be too many reasons and excuses for others to punish you?
But after the previous defeat, the estrangement between the generals of Shanhai Town and Ma Ke became deeper and deeper. In order to clear himself, Ma Ke not only shared the responsibility for the defeat with all of them, but also continued to live and die after the war. Ate the left wing battalion.
The appearance of his food was so ugly that everyone in Shanhai Town's guerrilla and military divisions was in danger. They were worried that if they lost the battle, they would also be eaten by Ma Ke in order to expand his own power.
After the generals dispersed, Ma Ke ordered his general Ma Zhiyong, as well as the commander-in-chief Ma Zhiren and He Zhong to go down and make preparations. It was estimated that he would launch an offensive before the sun rose.
While Ma Ke was sitting alone in the Chinese army's tent, he always felt upset. He drank two large gulps of water, but he couldn't calm down. He couldn't help but think of "two flats are not as good as one round".
There are times when he is upset, and he often looks for happiness and excitement in this "two flats are not as good as one round", and he can always forget the upset things.
But this time, in order to show his determination to fight against the slaves to Governor Hong Chengchou, he actually left the actor who usually accompanied the army in the rear camp. Now that he thinks about it, he regrets it.
The sounds outside became increasingly noisy in his ears, and he felt more upset in his heart, as if he had hit fifteen buckets, up and down.
"Will today's battle be a bad one? Or a good one?"
Today's battle is too important for him. This is a battle that cannot be defeated. If he loses this battle, his half-life hard work will be wiped out, and his reputation will probably be ruined.
The scene of the previous defeat was still fresh in his memory.
At that time, there were only more than a thousand Tatar cavalry on the front, and there were only a few thousand Beibei cavalry on the wings. They killed the two elite battalions of his Shanhai Town and fled in great defeat.
When I think about the battle that is about to begin today, not only will we be fighting against the main force of the Tatars, but we will also have to fight hard. I can no longer be vague. I think about how many soldiers in my camp can survive after this bloody battle?
He wasn't sure, but there was a pain in his heart that was like dripping blood!
When he thought about the lecturing in the tent just now and the obvious dissatisfaction of the generals in the town with him, he felt angry: "These Qiuba are getting more and more domineering. I wonder if I won't find a chance to rectify them." wait."
However, Marco's expression then became depressed again. He couldn't help thinking that after today's war, he still didn't know how many soldiers were left in his regular barracks. Will it still exist?
"Why!"
Marco sighed heavily. Compared with his own life, the main barracks seemed not so important. For him, although it was not easy to raise soldiers, it was the most critical moment now, so he had to go up.
At this time, he actually thought of Bai Guangen again, and he suddenly became even more angry: "This insidious and ungrateful guy is usually a brother to me, but at the critical moment, he cheated me to death.
If he hadn't refused to save him and kept him out of the camp, how could he have suffered so many casualties? "
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became: "Huh, you're really not a good guy. You deserved to have your Ji Town camp breached by the Tatars, and the casualties were even worse than mine. You really deserved it!"
In the end, he even cursed angrily: "Bai Guangen, you were the first to be unkind, so don't blame me for being unrighteous. When I get the chance, I will call you this unjust villain. I can't bear to eat and walk around, so I can know better." We are great."
At this moment, Commander-in-Chief Ma Zhiren opened the curtain and walked into the Chinese army's tent, saying softly: "Commander, it's almost time. Will you come to the battle formation in person to command the army?"
Ma Ke didn't come back to his senses until this moment. Without saying a word, he strode out of the tent with rapid strides. When he reached the felt curtain, he suddenly stopped and shouted: "Ma Zhiren, what about our sword belt?" Come on, if that little brat dares to kill slaves bravely and is afraid of the enemy, we will be the first to chop off his head."
After saying this, he ignored Ma Zhiren, who was stunned in the tent, and headed straight to the bank of the Nuer River with his servants.
Here, Ma Zhiren was stunned in Ma Ke's central army tent. His hands were obviously shaking. After a long time, he remembered to go to the weapons rack to get Ma Ke's sword.
At this time, Ma Zhiren was still panicking in his heart. You must know that he usually relies on talking, but the depressive atmosphere before today's war has already made him very uncomfortable.
Especially what Marco said just now sounded to his ears as if it was said to him specially. How could he keep his mind calm?
Ma Zhiren calmed down, hurriedly took off Ma Ke's waist knife, and ran out of the military tent directly to look for Ma Ke on the river bank. He was afraid that if he went slower, he would be the first to be stabbed!
…………
On September 24, the 14th year of Chongzhen, the first ray of sunshine shone on the land of Liaodong, and the sky was still a little dark. On the north and south banks of the Nuer River, there was already a lot of noise inside and outside the Ming and Qing garrison camps.
If you could grow a pair of wings at this moment and soar in the sky, looking down at the land through the clouds and mist, you would see that the wilderness is picturesque and the houses in Jinzhou City are like a grid.
But outside Jinzhou City, each camp is like a small bulge, growing like mushrooms. Especially on both sides of the Nuerhe River in the south and west of Jinzhou City, there are even denser small packages, one after another.
However, between the inside and outside of these small bags, there are shadows as big as ants. They are constantly moving around, looking nervous, busy, and orderly.
At this time, people flowed in and out like ants, never stopping, it was like the storm was about to come and the wind filled the building!
The Nerv River also has a jade belt flowing from west to east, and merges into the Xiaoling River in the southeast of Jinzhou. Standing on a high place and looking at the north bank, you can see flags like a sea and endless lines, and continuous camps cover the land.
From these camps, some capable Qing army sentries with small flags on their backs rushed out from time to time. They ran to the bank of the Nuer River and carefully observed the movements of the Ming army on the opposite side who were making various preparations for crossing the river. Then he rode back to the camp.
(End of chapter)
