On March 23, the second year of Wanli, Li Chengliang, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, led a cavalry army of 16,000 and an infantry of 35,000. A total of more than 50,000 people deployed a large bag with a radius of more than ten miles in Liaoyang and hit a big enemy. War of annihilation.
In this battle, a total of 11 generals including Shu Bahai, the leader of the Tumote tribe, Ji Qing of the Taining tribe, and two generals were killed. Five generals under Wang Gao such as Lai Lihong were killed. Weizheng, the leader of the Taining tribe, was captured alive. Among the more than 7,500 people of the Tartar coalition, 6,003 were beheaded on the spot and 620 were captured.
The only regret is that Wang Gao's body was not found on the battlefield. It is not known whether he escaped or died in the rebel army.
After winning this great victory that had not been seen in decades, Li Chengliang was so happy that he immediately planned to reveal his victory, but was strongly dissuaded by his eldest son Li Rusong.
That night, at the Liaoyang Guard Camp, Li Chengliang gathered all the generals and drank happily. The Liaodong Army was also full of joy. After getting drunk, General Li composed a poem: "Kill all the monsters and purify the heads. In order to repay Liaoyang, I have sacrificed my chieftain to repay your kindness. The general will be granted the title of marquis immediately." After hearing this, everyone praised and congratulated Li Chengliang. With this merit, you will definitely get the World Voucher.
In the early morning of the next day, Li Chengliang woke up after being drunk, but his son Li Rusong dispelled most of his complacency. At that time, Li Rusong withdrew from the left and right sides and earnestly advised: "Commander Father, the Liaodong Army cannot take full credit, or even great credit, for this battle!"
Li Chengliang was silent for a while and then said slowly: "Tell me about it."
Li Rusong said: "Father, when we report the victory, the first credit should be given to me. Before, our troops fought against the eastern and northern barbarians, and we have never received accurate information like this battle. The Jin Yiwei informed the Tartar barbarians of the time, place and number of people who breached the border. Only in Liaodong can we have the opportunity to deploy calmly. Today's Jin Yiwei was ordered by the emperor. How could we be so capable before? This is one of them."
"Secondly, the emperor asked Liu Shouyou to bring a long letter and a secret decree, granting his father the full authority to command the battle, and explicitly ordered Governor Ji Liao not to interfere. The letter gave instructions on how to 'lure the enemy deep', 'strengthen the wall and clear the field', and 'annihilate the enemy in pockets' Regarding strategy, although the emperor spoke modestly, saying that everything would be subject to the commander-in-chief’s decision at the opportunity. But the oral decree granted the commander-in-chief the privilege of using space for time when necessary without incurring any crime, so we dared not to provoke them and lured them into our pocket. In the past, 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed at Tianshui Fort alone, so half of our huge contribution will be taken away!"
"Thirdly, my father has been in charge of the army in Liaodong for nearly eight years. I, the son of the Li family, and my father's adopted son are entangled with each other. Isn't it taboo for the central government? Although the emperor doesn't say it, one day he feels a thorn in his heart, but again It can’t be pulled out!”
"Fourth, the emperor is not old, so he must have a youthful mind. He planned this battle unparalleled, and the battle developed exactly as he expected. If the father's commander fails to show his ability when he reports victory, the son is afraid that although the father's commander is wise, Gaining rewards actually creates disaster.”
"Fifth, the establishment of Liao Town has made great achievements that have not been seen in decades, and no one can deny it. At this time, being humble and harmonious is better than being arrogant. With the wisdom of the father, he will definitely see this, and the son will not elaborate."
"Sixth, the emperor sent the 'Hollow Phalanx' formation map to the nine sides last winter, so that the infantry on each side could practice it, calling it a formation to restrain the cavalry. Although the emperor suggested it, the commander-in-chief did not dare to do it in public at the time. It is ridiculous to say that the emperor does not understand military affairs! Today, I used a solid phalanx to block the enemy's cavalry, but I discovered that once a fierce general breaks in, the formation will be in chaos."
"But the hollow square formation does not have such disadvantages. If it can be practiced, it may be a good way for the infantry to restrain the cavalry. And our army has not learned the formation diagram, how can the Jin Yiwei not respond? Father, these are all hidden worries—— Our family didn’t pay much attention to Jinyiwei before, but now it seems that there are many people sitting here in Liao Town and up and down the town?”
Seeing the nervous look on Li Chengliang's face, Li Rusong explained to his father again: "The emperor has put the matter of the royal guards in the open, and has set up spies for the ministers and general soldiers, but he has no intention of hiding it. At first glance, it seems You don't trust us, but if you think deeply, this is the emperor's method to protect his heroes, so my father must investigate." He also learned the conversation between Wang Lihai and Wang Lihai to Li Chengliang.
Li Chengliang thought for a moment and understood what his son meant, and nodded in agreement.
Li Rusong laid out the six points one by one, and they were reasonable and well-founded. Li Chengliang listened carefully, his eyes filled with admiration. He gently patted his eldest son on the shoulder and said: "My son has a lot of experience, but he is not as good as you as a father! You are really my family's thousand-mile horse!"
Li Rusong thought about these words all night, and felt greatly relieved when his father listened.
After having an exchange with Wang Lihai yesterday, he realized that today's Jin Yiwei is completely different from before. Unknowingly, he has penetrated deeply into the blood and bone marrow of Liao Town. In the future, when he is an official or a general, he will have to sleep with one eye open.
After this great victory, if the Li family gets carried away with their success, the cause of their disaster will be deep and unknowing. Therefore, after careful consideration, he persuaded Li Chengliang not to send out the good news.
Li Chengliang pondered for a while and asked his son: "In your opinion, what kind of reward can the court give you this time?"
Li Rusong had thought everything through last night and said with a smile: "Father, my son thought that if my father showed sincerity and humility in the memorial, he would be rewarded generously. It's a pity that Wang Gao was not found, otherwise the four chiefs would have been killed in one battle." , the position of earl is guaranteed!"
Li Chengliang nodded and said with a smile: "If Wang Gao died in the chaos, his body would be found sooner or later; if he ran away, humming, unless he remained anonymous and became a lone hunter, as long as he showed his face, no matter which Jianzhou company The tribe must be kidnapped for reward!"
Seeing the disbelief on Li Rusong's face, Li Chengliang smiled and said: "You don't believe it? Just wait and see. - After this battle, the Liaodong invaders will disappear for many years. How will Liao Town develop in the future?"
Li Chengliang's family was poor when he was young. He came to Beijing as a student to inherit a military position at the age of forty, so he attached great importance to his official position. With the strength of Liao Town at this time, it was impossible for Wang Gao to become bigger. However, in the past few years, Li Chengliang had consciously or unintentionally had some thoughts of raising captives for self-importance that he was not even aware of, which made Wang Gao become a certain climate.
This time, under the emperor's planning, he worked hard and achieved great success in one battle. But after the victory, I was a little worried about the decline of Liao Zhen's status - this question would never come up unless father and son asked it.
Li Rusong pondered and said: "My son thinks that although the emperor is young, he has already shown the signs of a powerful master with this military strategy. If God can take the New Year off, the days when my martial arts family will develop its ambitions will be in the future, so father does not have to worry."
Li Chengliang remembered the military strategy described in the emperor's letter to him. Although it only had the gist and no details, it was precisely because of this that it appeared to be a majestic and formidable military strategy. He nodded in agreement and said: "God bless the emperor, this hero is born. My father is old. From now on, the Li family will depend on you!"
Li Chengliang is now forty-nine years old and has become a grandfather. At this time, he never imagined that he would be ninety years old, so he said this.
When Li Rusong heard this, he smiled narrowly and said, "My father is still in the prime of life. He is still able to draw a strong bow and control many women at night - how can he be called 'old'?"
Seeing that his son was actually making fun of his ridiculous things, Li Chengliang wanted to keep a straight face but couldn't, so he laughed and cursed: "You evil beast, are you making fun of your father? Did the book get into the dog's belly?" After saying this, he couldn't hold his hands. Open your mouth and laugh.
...
On March 26, Lu Bu, the commander of the Liaodong General Army, arrived at the capital quickly, causing a sensation among the officials and the people. The next day, the victory memorial from Governor Ji Liao and the detailed report from Jin Yiwei arrived. The Ministry of War and the Cabinet compared the three reports and confirmed that the "Liaoyang Great Victory" was not a false report.
In the original time and space, Li Chengliang first ambushed Wang Gao in Wuweizi Fort and beheaded more than 200 people. The following year, Gule City was defeated and 1,800 people were beheaded. Emperor Wanli immediately offered sacrifices to the Ancestral Temple and rewarded Liaodong from top to bottom.
In this time and space, although Liaodong paid the price of thousands of soldiers and civilians such as Tianshui Station, it fought a large-scale annihilation war with superior troops. In one battle, two Mongolian chiefs were killed and one was captured. The formation killed more than 6,000 Tartars and captured more than 600 prisoners. Liaodong had been plagued by captives for many years, but most of them were resolved in one day. The results of the war were so great that they had not been seen for many years after Qi Jiguang fought against the Japanese.
The congratulations from the ministers seemed to be flying into the cabinet. Putting aside the congratulations for the time being, Zhu Yijun put down what he had been thinking about for a month and went to the Ancestral Temple to report the good news to his ancestors. After hearing the good news, the Queen Mother of the two palaces praised Zhu Yijun, Zhang Juzheng and Li Chengliang again and again. Queen Mother Li wrote the word "submit" to Zhu Yijun from the bottom of her heart, and her face was full of joy for several days.
On the day when the results of the battle were confirmed, Zhu Yijun convened the cabinet and the main officials of the Ministry of War, Ministry of Rites, and Ministry of Personnel to discuss the reward for Liao Town.
