Prime Minister

Chapter 698 Famous generals are piled up from resources (two updates in one)
All the ministries involved in the siege that day suffered heavy casualties.

The leaders of the various ministries in the big tent hung their heads and did not speak. They were unwilling to participate in the war against the Song Dynasty. If it were not for the fact that they had made grammar and pledged alliances before going out, they would have retreated a long time ago.

At this moment, Mu Zheng's face was ashen, because his younger brother Ba Zhanma was shot through the chest by Song Jun's bed crossbow and killed on the spot.

Mu Zheng glanced at the corpse of his younger brother Ba Zhanmo, pulled out a waist knife and wiped his fingers, and then wiped the blood horizontally on his forehead one by one.

The leaders of the various tribes originally planned to ask Mu Zheng to withdraw their troops, but Mu Zheng didn't say a word.Blood revenge is the most important thing in the Tibetan tribe. If there is a grievance, several generations will not let it go, until they have to take revenge on the other party with their own hands.

What Mu Zheng did meant that between him and Song Jun who killed his brother, only one person could live.

Mu Zheng's face was like blood and he said: "Ali Gu and Dangxiang people have been watching for a long time, now it's time for them to act!"

Mu Zheng's original intention was not to let Dong Zhan and Dangxiang people intervene, and he also meant to show his strength through this, so that in the future he could have a place in the battle against Dong Zhan and Dangxiang in the land of Hehuang.

Now Mu Zheng has to pull down this face.

At this moment, the Song army camp was full of jubilation. During the day, the Fan cavalry suffered a lot of casualties, but under the defense of the camp, the Song army used bows and crossbows to defend the enemy from a long distance, but there were not many casualties. Only Zhang Sai The forward battalion guarded by the Guangrui Army in the Ministry suffered only 30 casualties.

At night, the Song Army camp was brightly lit.

The camp had been built to a height of more than ten feet, two trenches had been dug, and it was half a mile closer to Muzheng's big tent, completely under Muzheng's nose.When Mu Zheng's soldiers wanted to go out to fetch water, they were all within the range of the Song Army's bow and crossbow.

As for the place where the camp leads to the city, a corridor was also built.

Zhang Yue went out of the city overnight to inspect the army, but he was very pleased to see that the morale of the soldiers was very high.

Taking advantage of the cessation of fighting between the two sides, the commanders of each battalion went to the Chinese army to discuss matters. Everyone thought that the Fan army was vulnerable, and several generals even released bold words that they would take the head of the army tomorrow, and even Jing Sili underestimated the enemy.

Zhang Yue thinks that although Mu Zheng is not as good as Dang Xiang, he is still the hero who defends one side anyway, so he is not so vulnerable.But I don't understand military affairs, so I just listen to Jing Sili's arrangement.

What Zhang Yue is going to do now is to first reward the soldiers who have done meritorious service today in the account.When Zhang Yue came out of the city, he brought a basket of gold and silver directly, and Zhang Yue rewarded the meritorious soldiers brought up by the generals below without saying a word.

Just like that, Zhang Yue grabbed a handful of gold and silver from Zhang Gong who was holding a basket behind him and put them in the soldier's felt hat.

That's right, our tipping is so rough and domineering.

In the end, Zhang Yue personally toasted each other with a bowl of wine. When every soldier who had done meritorious service saw that Zhang Yue, who was the sheriff, personally toasted them, their faces were flushed red, and their blood rushed upwards.

As for those who made great contributions, Zhang Yue didn't hesitate, and gave him an official position on the spot.

That's right, this is the power given to him by the emperor, almost as if he had been entrusted with it.Except for Gao Zunyu and Jing Sili who are in the top ranks, the generals of the ambassadors, the more difficult it is to award them themselves, the rest can be appointed officials first, and then ask the court for a paper appointment.

This is the power of the big officials in the frontier.

Among them, the five soldiers who made meritorious deeds were all beheaded by Fanjun Jiaqi several times in a row, and one of them beheaded five or six people in a row.

Zhang Yue looked at the other party's name, Ma Kui, a tall and burly military man in his 20s.Zhang Yue immediately held a bowl of wine and offered it to the other party.This person drank three bowls in a row, Zhang Yue praised Jing Sili and other generals every time he offered a bowl: "What a good man!"

The left and right echoed, "What a man!"

After drinking three bowls in a row, Ma Kui blushed so much, Zhang Yue said with a smile, "Why can't a good man know how to drink?"

After speaking, all the soldiers laughed.

Zhang Yue said: "Ma Kuiru has made outstanding military exploits this time, and his military rank has been promoted from Jiatou to Zhengming general, and he is appointed as the capital!"

Ma Kui immediately bowed down and said, "Thank you for your kindness!"

After Ma Kui withdrew from the tent, the left and right soldiers all congratulated him, and Ma Kui himself looked extremely proud.

As for Zhang Sai, who was in command temporarily, Zhang Yue said: "You have made great achievements in conquering the enemy this time, so you will be promoted from general to palace attendant!"

After the mutiny, Wu Kui and other generals of the Guangrui Army were all imprisoned by the court for questioning, so it was Zhang Sai's turn to take the temporary command as the head of the capital, and now he was promoted to the palace servant.

Zhang Sai choked with sobs and said, "The last general is a body to be punished..."

Zhang Yue waved his hands and said, "I don't like to hear these words, since there are no criminals in our army."

"Yes, the last general is convicted!" After Zhang Sai finished speaking, all the generals laughed again.

Jing Sili said: "My brother is under Zhang Longtu's order, not to mention today's palace attendant, but in the future I can call my brother a Taiwei."

Everyone laughed and said: "What you said is very true."

This is the case with the title of the Song Dynasty. It can be said to be not rigorous, or it can be said to be exaggerated.

Zhong Shiheng was only a dyeing envoy from the seventh rank back then, but everyone in Kansai called him Zhong Taiwei.

But the servants of the palace have no grades, and they are still three ranks short of borrowing from the third class of the ninth rank.

Even so, they are all carried in sedan chairs, but it sounds delightful.

Although Zhang Sai knew that it might not be possible for people to be called a Taiwei in this life, but in this atmosphere and in this scene, how could he not be filled with emotion?
It is worth my life to be able to get this word.

"Do it well!" Zhang Yue patted Zhang Sai on the shoulder.

Rewards are not overdue, and punishments are not moved.

This is the teaching of the sage, of course Zhang Yue resolutely implements it.Civil servants who lead troops may not be professional in war, but the power of rewards and punishments and the power of finances must be firmly in their hands, so that these arrogant soldiers can truly return to their hearts.

Of course, we won the battle today, and there is no chance of punishment, but after being rewarded by Zhang Yue, the morale of the three armies is very high.

Zhang Yue warned Jing Sili a few words, telling him not to be negligent, and at the same time ordered people to replenish the arrows and gunpowder poisonous smoke from the city overnight, and also replenished [-] elite and strong Fan army archers, of which [-] were replenished. He joined the Vanguard Battalion of the Guangrui Army.

Before dawn the next day, the horns of the Fan Army resounded among the battalions.

During the chilling autumn wind, Mu Zheng's Fan army regrouped. Compared with yesterday, Dong Zhan and Dang Xiang's team also appeared in Mu Zheng's left and right flanks.

Jing Sili was full of armor, looking from the watchtower that had just been set up, with a serious expression on his face, and immediately ordered the soldiers to eat immediately, and sent someone to inform Zhang Yue.

Zhang Yue immediately strengthened the city's defenses. Now Guangrui Army and Jing Sili's troops are outside the city, and only the Fan Army's archers are stationed in the city. They only have defensive strength, and it is difficult to talk about going out of the city to support.

As for the Song soldiers in the camp, they were all busy eating. Fortunately, the meal was not overcooked, but the soldiers had to squat under the barracks.

Seeing that the cavalry of the Fan tribe were gathering, many soldiers were afraid that it would be too late, so they directly picked up the tea soup and poured it into the rice, and just started eating like that.Being able to eat a hot meal at the end of the bitterly cold autumn can generate a lot of strength for the next big battle.

"Mother, coming to die in such a hurry makes me feel uneasy about eating!"

The soldiers of the Song Dynasty cursed as they slurped up the rice.

In the cold wind, Mu Zheng's gaze under the big banner was awe-inspiring. He drew his sword on the spot and said to the left and right: "Today, my Song army here will sacrifice Ba Zhanmo with blood, so as to heal my sorrow!"

When Mu Zheng said this, he certainly had enough confidence. He felt that the two-day attack had already tested the Song Army's falsehood. Today, he invested tens of thousands of troops in three directions to attack.

Not long after, the Fan cavalry began to attack, and the Song army was not to be outdone, and returned it with bows and crossbows.

After a while of the battle, when the Fan tribe rolled out wooden ladders and building carts, but when they arrived in front of the Song army's formation, the camp in front began to spew out fire dragons that were more than ten meters long.

The general of the Dang Xiang Army, who had been at war with the Song Army for a long time, was familiar with the Song Army's tactics. Seeing this scene, he was surprised: "Why did the Song Army move the fierce fire oil tank to the camp?"

It turned out that the Song Army's northwest cities and fortresses all dug the ground to make large ponds, more than ten feet in length and width, which were specially used to store fierce fire oil.

The so-called fierce oil is petroleum. People in the Song Dynasty made a cabinet made of cooked copper. The cabinet has four legs and four copper pipes on it.The front part of the pump is a fire tower containing gunpowder. When in use, the gunpowder is ignited to make the pump pressurize the oil tank, and then spray a fierce fire.

The fierce flames erupted as long as five or six feet away, and the wooden ladders and building carts of the Fan army caught fire immediately. Many Fan soldiers fell from the building carts covered in flames, and the rest of the Fan army who were covered in fire oil also fell. It was rolling on the ground in a rage.

In front of each camp of the Song Army, there were such scenes of wheezing and wheezing.

In addition to the fierce fire oil tank, the Song Army also had firearms such as flying cannons, caltrop fireballs, thunderbolt fireballs, and poison smoke balls.

The so-called flying cannon is to use a trebuchet to throw fireballs of caltrops, thunderbolt fireballs, poison smoke balls, etc.

The so-called caltrop fireball, thunderbolt fireball is a bamboo tube filled with gunpowder, broken porcelain pieces and iron pieces, as well as barbed caltrop and so on.

From time to time, Fan Jun saw all kinds of things flying out of the Song Army's formation, and then smashed heavily on the ground, blowing up nearby soldiers of the same clan to be covered in blood.

As for the poisonous smoke ball, it is more ruthless. It contains gunpowder and poisonous substances such as chamaejasma, croton, aconitum, arsenic, etc., and then it is sealed with a thick coating of external medicine.When using it, first use a red-hot soldering cone to burn through the spherical shell, and then use a trebuchet to throw it until the enemy bursts and the poisonous gas disperses.

This is especially effective against the cavalry of the Fan army, and the horses will go crazy when they smell the gas...

Fan Jun had seen these firearms yesterday, but Song Jun was clearly prepared to use them from the very beginning today.

At this moment, the Song army's position seemed to be in a hall, with the sound of gunpowder explosions one after another, and Fanjun's encounters were all fatal, or it seemed that the whole hall was opened. Countless gunpowder smoke and poisonous smoke rolled up with the explosion, and the nearby Fanjun They covered their noses and coughed one after another, and fled in all directions.

These firearms were originally used to defend the city, but Zhang Yue used them to build Weiyuan Fort.As a privy envoy, Wu Chong, his father-in-law, was worried, so he ordered the South and North Workshops and Bow and Crossbow Making Academy in Kaifeng to give priority to supplying Qinfeng Road.

Guo Kui of Qinfeng Road knew what Wu Chong meant, and gave Zhangyue priority over other prefectures and villages.

So much so that there was only a small Weiyuan Fort, and there were so many firearms used for defending the city, such as fierce fire oil tanks, flying cannons, caltrop fireballs, thunderbolt fireballs, poison smoke balls, etc. In the end, even Zhang Yue couldn't figure out how many firearms were hidden in his city.

Of course, the development of Hehuang is now the most important thing on the minds of the officials. There is nothing wrong with the procedures of Wu Chong and Guo Kui, and the reason is also open.

Now firearms are Zhang Yue's political resources, and Jiangong Hehuang is his political capital.

In this way, the firearms were wholesaled to Mu Zheng in one go.

Seeing the Song army's weapons in full swing, Zhang Yue, who was watching the battle from the tower, couldn't help but excitedly picked up his whip and swung forward, swearing violently.

"Hit the motherfucker!"

Mu Zheng, who was going to make a big effort, couldn't help being dumbfounded when he saw that Song Jun used firearms more than ten times more frequently than yesterday.

The soldiers of the Fan Army, who were ready to attack overnight, were blown up by the Song Army's firearms to the point of crying.

But seeing the Song army's camp full of Fanjun running around... Mu Zheng's lips trembled. This was not a crime of war, but the Song army's weapons were too powerful.

Aligu, the adopted son of Dong Zhan, was also a well-known general with many battles. At this moment, a fireball of caltrops exploded not far in front of him, and two battle-tested warriors from the Fan tribe were killed on the spot.

Ali Gu, who was familiar with the details of the Song army, couldn't help cursing: "It's just a fortress, where are there so many firearms? I'm afraid the armory in Qinzhou City has been emptied!"

What Ali Gu didn't know was that it was impossible to know whether the armory in Qinzhou City had been emptied, but the armory in Bianjing City had really been evacuated.

The ordnance in Bianjing City was under the control of Yantie judge's "Houjia case". Zhang Yue had served as Yantie judge, and Wu Chong had also served as Yantie's deputy envoy and third envoy.

Which official in charge of this line, that subordinate staff, has never dealt with Zhang Yue and Wu Chong?
What's the matter with the old superior wanting to use your lighter?How big of a deal is this?Do you dare not give it?

As for the party general who was "fake fighting" at the side, he began to secretly rejoice that so many firearms had been emptied of the Song Army's inventory. Fortunately, the Song Army general did not know how to fight and used him on the weak Qingtang and Tibetan tribes instead of us Party people.

Then there was a loud bang!
The Song army camp itself was also hit. It turned out that the generals of the Song army were too greedy and piled up too much gunpowder all at once. As a result, they accidentally ignited themselves, and killed more than a dozen Song soldiers operating the flying artillery.

Seeing this scene, Zhang Yue couldn't help feeling distressed, not because he felt sorry for these valuable firearms, but because he felt sorry for his own soldiers.

At noon, Muzheng's attack on the Fan army suffered heavy casualties.The Song army greeted with bows and crossbows. When the enemy army finally approached the camp, they used all kinds of firearms to blast them out, and then the Fan army retreated in embarrassment...

After a while, the Fan army came again. The Song army first shot with bows and crossbows, then exploded with firearms, and the Fan army retreated again...

Just as Zhang Yue was waiting, Jing Sili thought that Mu Zheng's Fanjun skills would stop at this time, and the situation of the battle changed suddenly.

It turned out that Ali Gu watched the battle for a long time and saw that all the battalions of the Song Army fought very well, but the battalion in the rear was a bit weaker, so Ali Gu thought of giving it a try, and led [-] cavalry to bypass the front of the Song Army and surprise the Song Army. The rear camp.

It was Li Kui who was in charge of guarding the rear camp.

Because the rear camp was next to the Song army's city wall and could be guarded by the city, Jing Sili didn't put the elite here.

But now, as the Song army approached the wooden tent for nearly half a mile, the defense area of ​​the rear battalion suddenly expanded, and the gap was exposed.

Ali Gu led the army to storm the rear camp, but after a while Li Kui was in charge of the rear camp and was breached by Ali Gu.

The fall of the Queen's Battalion was beyond the expectation of everyone on the battlefield, and Ali Gu didn't expect that he would succeed in such a casual attempt.

The remaining six camps of the Song Army were defended by the Fan Army for three days, but the rear camp was breached after only a moment of defense.

As soon as the rear battalion was broken, the panicked Song soldiers fled towards Weiyuan Fort under the cover of the Ali bone cavalry.They piled up in front of the castle and wanted to escape into the castle, crying and clapping on the gate, begging to let them in.

But the gate of the castle was still closed, and Zhang Yue was so angry that he cursed at the defeated army below the city: "Where is Li Kui? I will behead him with military law."

At the moment when the rear camp was breached, Li Kui wanted to rush forward to fight Aligu to the death, but his entourage refused to do so. They even unloaded his sword and forcibly surrounded him and fled towards Weiyuan Fort.

Li Kui also wanted to resist and struggle, but the thought of fear of death surged up in an instant, and he couldn't move a finger all over his body, so he was embraced by his subordinates and fled towards the city.

At this time, I heard Zhang Yue on the tower chanting his name and cursing.

Li Kui woke up suddenly, his face was extremely ashamed, now he would die if he ran away, if he didn't run away, he would have a chance of life.

Thinking of this, Li Kui struggled from the left and right and said loudly: "The gates of the city will not be opened. Now it is death to advance or retreat. It is better to serve the country with death!"

The soldiers in the city begged to open the city gate, and the soldiers of the Song army saw that the city was really closed, and they were stunned when they heard Li Kui's words.

Li Kui drew out his knife and said, "Follow me and kill back!"

Immediately, Li Kui led the Song army under the city gate to return to the camp to kill. At this time, when they learned that the rear camp had fallen, Jing Sili's Chinese army and the support camp sent troops to rescue.

In addition, Li Kui turned around and fought back at this time, and finally drove out all Ali Gu's men and horses.

"Keep it, keep it!"

The Song army who took back the rear battalion raised their flags and cheered, while Zhang Yue, who was standing on the top of the city, also breathed a sigh of relief.

As for the leaders of the tribe, such as Mu Zheng, who thought that the situation of the war had been reversed, their morale was also depressed when they saw that the Song army had taken back the rear camp.

In this battle, the casualties of the various tribes of the Fan army amounted to more than a thousand people. Although there were still thousands of fresh troops that could be used, the leaders of the Fan tribe had no intention of fighting again.

Mu Zheng was also completely discouraged, and led his army to retreat the next day.

Two days later, Wang Shao led reinforcements out of Qingyu Fort!
It turned out that under Guo Kui's strict defense, Liang Yibu returned without success, so he ordered Wang Shao to lead an army from the Tongyuan Army to rescue Weiyuan Fort.

After entering the city, Wang Shao knew that Zhang Yue had defeated Muzheng in Weiyuan Fort, so he invited him to attack Lintao City together.

However, Zhang Yue refused on the grounds that his subordinates suffered too many casualties.

Wang Shao looked embarrassed when he heard this, but he was overjoyed in his heart, so he led his army to pursue Mu Zheng alone.

Jing Sili asked: "Although there were casualties in this battle, our army was not damaged. Now that Mu Zheng's army is broken, it is our opportunity to seize Lintao City in one fell swoop. Why should Longtu be so cautious?"

Zhang Yue said with a smile: "It's not being cautious, but judging the situation. Brother Jing, now you and I have broken the wooden sign. The credit is too dazzling, and no one can erase it. Why don't you share some with others? You can't take all the credit alone. , Wouldn’t it be nice to let Wang Zichun get some credit? You can also get a favor.”

Jing Sili was stunned upon hearing this.

(End of this chapter)