Beginning of winter is the first solar term in winter. It also represents the beginning of the whole winter and is the beginning of March. Beginning of winter, Beginning of spring, Beginning of summer, and Beginning of autumn are collectively called the "Four Lis", which correspond to spring planting, summer working, and Autumn harvest and winter storage.
All things in the world sprout in spring, grow in summer, harvest in autumn, and then enter a state of collection and recuperation in winter.
The literary work "The Collection of the Seventy-Two Hours of the Moon Order" compiled by Wu Cheng, a scholar of the Yuan Dynasty, said: "Li is the beginning of the establishment", and also said: "Winter is the end, and the collection of all things."
The beginning of winter means that vitality begins to stagnate, and all things enter a state of recuperation and storage. The grass and trees wither and the stinging insects go dormant. As said in "Xiao Jingwei": "Douzhiqian is the beginning of winter. Winter is the end, and everything is stored. also."
It is now the second day after the beginning of winter. Although the snow is not as heavy as yesterday, it is still falling non-stop. The inside and outside of Jinzhou City are already silvery white, and the ground is covered with a foot of snow.
In the white snow, although there were still scout activities from both the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there was no more fighting. They trudged forward in the thick snow, especially since the Xuanfu army scouts had all put on white cloaks. Already blended into the snow.
Looking from a distance, you can occasionally see slightly raised snow packs here and there. Some are dug out by scouts from both sides to avoid wind and snow, while others are naturally formed by wind blowing snow. They all look the same, and outsiders cannot tell them apart at all. .
They each chose a high place near their respective camps, dug out snow nests, and hid themselves inside to secretly observe each other's movements. Occasionally, they would shoot one or two arrows at the opposite side.
However, it is not easy to observe in the wind and snow, that is, you can see some people's shadows, and the accuracy of the arrows is not as good as usual. Although arrows occasionally fly back and forth, they rarely hurt people.
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Jinzhou City is also like a snow-white castle. The walls and gate towers on all sides are covered with snow. The occasionally exposed corners of the gate tower or the crenellations of the city walls seem to show everyone the stubbornness of this Ming Dynasty military town.
Outside the west and south city gates of Jinzhou, rows of flags were planted at regular intervals to remind the Ming soldiers that there were still deep trenches dug by the Qing army.
Nowadays, these deep trenches have been covered by the white snow. On the surface, they look the same as anywhere else. But once you accidentally step on them, you will immediately fall into the deep snow. After being completely buried by it, it will be very long. It's hard to climb up again.
Although it has been snowing heavily for two days and one night, those trenches are filled with floating snow blown in by the north wind and do not have any load-bearing capacity. However, if heavy objects fall on them, they will instantly fall to the bottom of the trenches. .
With these rows of flags marking the edge of the trench, the scouts in Jinzhou City who went out for inspections could avoid such risks.
In fact, the Liao soldiers in Jinzhou City did not pay much attention to the sentry inspection in the west area of the city. After all, they could just stick to the city gate. On such a snowy day, the Qing army would not come to attack.
But it was different outside Yong'an Gate in the south, because the temporary headquarters of Jiliao Governor Hong Chengchou was temporarily located in Tucheng outside Nanguan, and Zu Dashou needed to go to the camp from time to time to attend military meetings.
Therefore, although the snow outside Yong'an Gate in the south of Jinzhou is as thick as elsewhere, a six-foot-wide road has been cleared in the middle, leading to outside Nanguan.
From here to the south, the snow has not been completely cleared, but a row of slightly messy horse hoof marks can be seen, which is obviously left by the knights who passed messages between Jinzhou and Tucheng in the south.
…………
In the south of Jinzhou, on the wall of the north gate of Tucheng, Xie Sixin, a close aide to Jiliao Governor Hong Chengchou, looked at the sparse snowflakes floating in the sky. Looking around, his eyes were filled with silvery white.
“The north wind at the beginning of winter brings lots of ice and snow, but the south wind at the beginning of winter brings no rain or snow.”
He couldn't help but sigh, and then added: "This snow has been falling for two days in a row, and it's time to stop."
Zhang Cheng was beside Xie Sixin at the moment. Although he was also looking at the silvery white in the north, he was more concerned about the movements of the Qing army. He then continued what Xie Sixin said: "A foot of snow will make it difficult for military vehicles to move, and slaves and thieves will be cut off." Will not attack at this moment.
However, with such heavy snow, their food and grass supplies will be interrupted just like mine, and I'm afraid they won't be able to stay here with us for a long time. Mr. Xie, can you estimate when the slave thieves will retreat? "
Xie Sixin also had a slight smile on his face, and he continued: "Thanks to the foresight of General Zhongchen, our army to aid the King of Liao has already transferred enough food and fodder here, and it is not enough to hold on for ten days.
However, the slave thieves may not have such foresight. Sixin estimated that their food and grass could last for three to five days at most, and I am afraid that they will withdraw within these two days. "
Zhang Cheng couldn't help nodding in agreement, but he also sighed secretly: Hong Chengchou was surrounded by talented people. Among the military generals, there were not only Cao Bianjiao, Wang Tingchen, He Renlong, etc. who were brave and good at fighting, but also Zuo Guangxian, Li Fuming, Bai Guangen, etc. , Ma Ke, etc. are not ordinary people.
Let's just say that Chen Zhongcai, the deputy general of the Biao Battalion he supervised, was also a rare warrior, and Zhang Zhongping, the commander-in-chief of Qian who was ordered to deliver orders to the army, was also very brave and resolute.
This shows how well Hong Chengchou managed the army.
There are also many literati and staff under Hong Chengchou, such as Xie Sixin, Li Song and others, who are just the best among them.
Being moved by the scene, Zhang Cheng couldn't help but sigh: When can he be like Hong Chengchou, with not only powerful generals under his command, but also civil servants and staff as talented as Hong Chengchou.
Perhaps, my reputation and prestige are still not enough. I hope that after the war in Liaodong is over, my prestige can reach a higher level and I can recruit celebrities from all over the world for my own use!
Thinking of this, Zhang Cheng actually blurted out: "Mr. Xie, when you have some free time, can you go to the Xuan Mansion to get together so that Zhang Cheng can ask for advice in person and listen to your teachings?"
This made Xie Sixin lose his ability to play. He was slightly stunned at first, but then he recovered and smiled very enthusiastically: "General Zhenshuo is so kind, how can Xie refuse?"
He paused for a moment before continuing: "When the Liao affairs here have calmed down for a while, Sixin asked Governor Hong for leave and went to Xuanfu to see for himself how General Zhenshuo trained such a strong army. "
As he spoke, he raised his finger and pointed at the Xuanfu Army soldiers guarding the city gate...
…………
It turned out that Xie Sixin had been with Zhang Cheng a lot through Wu Sangui when he was in Ningyuan City. He was already very familiar with each other and could talk more easily than others, so Hong Chengchou asked him to come and find out Zhang Cheng's background. .
For Hong Chengchou, among the many generals who aided the Liao Dynasty, only Zhang Cheng made him scratch his head the most. For some reason, he always felt that he could not get Zhang Cheng's trump card.
Moreover, Zhang Cheng's performance is always unexpected. You can say that he is loyal to the Ming Dynasty, but he secretly entangles with Wang Pu and Li Fuming in order to strengthen his own power.
You could say that he was not loyal to the Ming Dynasty, but he still fought to the death in every battle. Among the generals who aided the Liao Dynasty, he was the only one who had the most outstanding military exploits and killed the most slaves. Not only did he kill the slave thief Prince Duduo of Yu, but also He was the first person to open the Jiejin Channel.
What's more, Zhang Cheng sometimes argued hard and refused to give in an inch of his achievements, but sometimes he was very sensible and generous, and was willing to share the great achievements with others, so that many people benefited from him.
In Hong Chengchou's view, the reason why Zhang Cheng refused to give in was to establish his authority; and the reason why he gave in was to secretly win people's hearts. This shows how difficult it is.
However, he happened to have the strongest army to aid the Liao in his hands, and he had the emperor's everlasting favor, and was under the care of his own soldier Chen Xinjia. Even Hong Chengchou, the governor of Ji Liao, could do nothing to him.
However, for the sake of the overall situation in Liaodong, he still sent Xie Sixin to explore Zhang Cheng's background in a private capacity, and wanted to know what his attitude was during the battle of crossing the river to the north to relieve the Jin siege.
What did Zhang Cheng think about his great achievement in solving Jinwei? How much military merit did he want to get?
Of course, the most important thing is whether Zhang Cheng is willing to leave the second position of Jie Jin Military Merit to Wu Sangui.
Xie Sixin spoke very tactfully at the beginning, but Zhang Cheng made it clear to Nao. He made it clear: The main reason why he strives for military glory is for the brave soldiers who follow him, and he cannot let them sacrifice their lives for the country in vain.
Zhang Cheng even bluntly stated to Xie Sixin that he and Wu Sangui were as close as brothers. Although they met late and only for a short time, they fell in love at first sight.
He was not cold-hearted for the sake of his soldiers, and also for their future, but he could only hold on to the first achievement of Jie Jinwei, and naturally he would not care about the others.
On the contrary, Zhang Cheng made it clear that he strongly supported Wu Sangui's second place. After all, Ning Yuan's army was quite capable and performed very well in every battle. This was due to his own strength and loyalty to the Ming Dynasty. from.
…………
It was with Zhang Cheng's promise that Xie Sixin had the leisure and elegance to talk about the weather with Zhang Cheng, but he did not expect that Zhang Cheng would suddenly invite him to visit Xuan Mansion.
"I am lazy to write new poems with a frozen pen, and the wine is warm in the cold furnace. When I am drunk, I look at the ink flowers and the white moon, and I feel as if the village in front is full of snow."
Zhang Cheng continued: “Mr.
Sir, what do you think? "
Xie Sixin did not refuse, he smiled and said: "Of course it is better to obey than to be respectful."
But then he said to Zhang Cheng with a serious face: "General Zhenshuo, Sixin has another invitation here, I hope you can accept it. Otherwise, Sixin will never dare to eat and drink today's food and wine."
This time it was Zhang Cheng's turn to be stunned. He asked with a puzzled look on his face: "Mr. Xie, what are you asking for? But it doesn't matter. As long as Zhang Cheng can do it, there will be no ambiguity."
"Hahaha……"
Xie Sixin stopped laughing and then said to Zhang Cheng: "Although the relationship between Sixin and General Zhenshuo was short, it felt like meeting a lifelong confidant. Later you and I will have a drink at the same table and have a very pleasant conversation. The general left One mouth sir, the other mouth sir, don't you just ruin the scenery!"
Zhang Cheng had originally intended to make friends with Xie Sixin, but now that he was playing into his own hands by saying this, he hurriedly asked: "What Mr.
Then...according to Sir's opinion, how should we call it? "
When Xie Sixin saw Zhang Cheng asking him the question, he immediately replied: "How old is Sixin Zhizhichichi? If General Zhang doesn't give up, how about you and I treat each other as brothers in private?"
"Good, very good, so good!"
Zhang Cheng naturally made no sense to this, and he couldn't help but cheered again and again.
In fact, Zhang Cheng has been suffering from the fact that there is no one like Xie Sixin around him to help him make suggestions and share some daily chores.
There was originally a scholar named Wang Yuanjing, but now he stayed in Miuhe, Henan to assist Chen Zhong, and was responsible for collecting taxes at Chaoguan in Miuhe, but he did not go to Liaodong with the army.
There is another Wei Zhice who can also be used, but he is a versatile man in both civil and military affairs. He is still needed to lead the army in the war, but he cannot be spared.
Nowadays, although Zhang Cheng's army still has Zhang Chengfang, Zhang Mingyuan and other adopted sons, serving around him and being driven by him, even if they are roughly literate, they are still a group of children after all. How can their experience be compared with that of people like Xie Sixin? .
Now, Xie Sixin actually proposed this idea, and Zhang Cheng readily agreed, but he knew clearly that even if Xie Sixin had been following Hong Chengchou for a long time, he couldn't bear to leave him.
But he is a man of great talent, and he has many acquaintances from his hometown, classmates, and classmates. It would also be good if he could introduce one or two people with real talents and knowledge to him!
What's more, if he forges a good relationship with Xie Sixin today, which brings the relationship closer between the two and enhances their mutual understanding, maybe Xie Sixin himself will become his staff in the future.
After all, based on Zhang Cheng's native memory, although incomplete, it seems that Xie Sixin did not die in the historical Battle of Songjin, which is enough to show that he did not always assist Hong Chengchou.
…………
It was early morning on the ninth day of October in the fourteenth year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty.
As soon as his genius was revealed, Zhang Cheng was shouted angrily by his adopted son Zhang Chengfang: "Father, the slaves are retreating."
"What?"
Zhang Cheng was also shocked when he first heard the news that the slave thieves had retreated. Although he and Xie Sixin had already guessed such an ending before, they were still a little surprised when it came to the end.
"Commander Father, the scouts reported that the slave thieves have left camp and the slave thieves camp in the west of Jinzhou City is empty." Zhang Chengfang replied.
Zhang Cheng looked at the very excited Zhang Chengfang and asked, "Is this news true?"
Zhang Chengfang replied: "General Zhang has sent another scout to investigate. I guess there will be more news later."
Even so, Zhang Cheng still felt a little incredible, and he asked again: "Does the governor's residence know about this news?"
"This... Cheng Fang is not sure."
Zhang Chengfang didn't know how to answer this question. He thought for a moment and then continued: "The road has been blocked by heavy snow for days. There are no cases in other camps where sentries are not sent out at night."
He continued with a slight hesitation: "I'm afraid the governor's office hasn't heard about this news yet."
Zhang Cheng also felt that Zhang Chengfang's analysis made some sense. The north wind was howling, and the sky was filled with heavy snow. All the people in other towns were lying in the camp at night, but the Xuanfu army still went out as usual to monitor every move of the Qing army. .
Even so, it was only after the Qing army retreated that they became aware of it. What's more, there was no news about those military towns that did not have strong troops to stay out at night.
(End of chapter)
