stubborn thief

Yang Zhengfang initially received the news that Zhang Tianlin persuaded him to surrender, but he was unwilling to surrender.

Because his army did not suffer much losses, there were originally 7000 people, but after an afternoon of fighting, there were still more than 6000.

Although he knew that he would definitely not be able to win on this battlefield, he also felt that surrendering like this was too frustrating.

Even if he abandoned his equipment and ran to the river all at once, running from the pontoon for those who could, and swimming across the Weishui River for those who couldn't, he would still be able to bring back at least 5000 people.

After all, his soldiers all grew up among the five streams, and everyone knew how to swim.

The more important reason is that Zhang Tianlin doesn't speak well.

Opening your mouth means that you have to pick your feet. Think about it for yourself. 7000 people were pressed down and beaten by 5000 of me. Now our army has [-] people. If we really attack, I will beat you to the ground in an instant. Now, take advantage of the big situation. Shuai appreciates you, why don't you surrender and wait for reincarnation?
Let's not talk about anything else. When Yang Zhengfang saw this letter, it was like riding out alone to challenge Zhang Tianlin.

He thought that if our cavalry hadn't been stupid and lost their flank cover, how could my seven thousand mountain soldiers be beaten by your five thousand cavalry?
On the spot, a reply letter claiming to fight to the death with 2 marshal's troops was sent to Zhang Tianlin.

However, this reply was not unexpected for Liu Shizi.

Liu Shizi knew very well that Zhang Tianlin looked down on his defeated generals, and the reason why he still asked Zhang Tianlin to persuade him to surrender was to take advantage of this trait of his.

People need to compare.

Without Zhang Xianzhong, how can Two Hundred and Five reflect Marshal Liu's concern for his subordinates?

Without Zhang Tianlin's arrogance, how can we embody the courtesy and courtesy of the generalissimo?
A moment later, an orderly soldier from the Marshal's Mansion with a small flag on his back took Liu Chengzong's handwritten letter of surrender and galloped into Yang Zhengfang's military formation.

Yang Zhengfang has already ordered the army to prepare for a fight to the death. Officers at all levels of the Zhenjun Army are boosting morale and trying to revive the tired military spirit.

They told every soldier that there was still an hour before the sun set. As long as we could hold on until then, we could leave our equipment and swim across the river at night.

But before that, you can't flee. There are many enemy cavalry. Once you break up and flee, you will be chased by the enemy cavalry to the water's edge and drowned.

They were all villagers from the same place, and the soldiers had great trust in Yang Zhengfang. Now they knew that they were in a desperate situation, so everyone promised not to leave the formation until dark.

Therefore, Yang Zhengfang threw the second letter of surrender on the ground without even looking at it. She even wanted to step on it to show her determination not to surrender.

Fortunately, the messenger was eloquent and courageous, and he was not afraid of being in the enemy's position. He bent down to pick up the surrender letter, handed it over with both hands expressionlessly again, and said: "General, it's written by the Generalissimo. It's better to read it."

Yang Zhengfang was stunned when he heard the Grand Marshal's handwriting.

Looking at the firm gaze of the uploading soldier, Yang Zhengfang finally took the letter and said: "Since it is the marshal's handwriting, I will take a look."

But as soon as she got the letter and saw it for the first time, Yang Zhengfang's pupils suddenly dilated.

On the envelope: Dear brother.

"Today we fought on the plateau. We had more troops than the enemy. General Zu Kuan was killed in the formation and was wounded in seven places. General Lei Shisheng was defeated and fled to Henan. Only the Zhenjun army led by my brother formed a formation and fought in Hebei. He is temperate, shrewd, loyal and conscientious, and I admire him very much."

"The matter has come to this, and the responsibility for the defeat does not lie with my brother. The Wei River is still blocking my return home. I have the right time and place in my hands. It is better to be reorganized by me. The commander-in-chief is willing to use the establishment of two generals and four thousand soldiers to serve as vacant posts. I don't know what brother is doing. What do you think of the brothers in the camp?"

"If you are willing to accept my control and control, shake hands and make peace, return to the family, and work together to plan great things, then you will be able to manage minor injuries and provide sufficient food for the troops. I will pay 4000 taels of silver for the two newly attached battalions, and another two thousand soldiers who insist on returning home will be discharged. In addition to ordnance, each of them will be given five coins of silver for travel expenses back home."

"I wrote the book in the formation, but my ink is limited and I can't finish what I want to say. Brother Wanwang, considering the lives of the soldiers, carefully considered it. Our army will be camped here for three moments, waiting to return the book - brother, Liu Chengzong."

Yang Zhengfang was dumbfounded.

Who the hell is this!
If you want to persuade someone to surrender, shouldn't you say something about the situation and the situation?That's good for you. Just treat minor injuries when you come up, provide adequate food for the troops, pay the troops who surrender, and pay travel expenses for those who don't surrender?
Am I a beggar?
We even decided on the number of people who would surrender and those who wouldn't surrender, so they took in four thousand and gave me the other two thousand to go home honestly. What do you mean?

Yang Zhengfang is not that old yet, just thirty this year. He has been fighting on the front lines with rebels, bandits, and peasant armies all year round, and has done a lot to persuade soldiers everywhere to surrender.

But even if he persuaded others to surrender, his replies were not as polite as Liu Chengzong's.

Yang Zhengfang managed with a strong facial expression, controlled the corners of his mouth to droop downward, and handed the letter of persuasion to surrender to his general Zhang Shangxuan expressionlessly. In the general's confused eyes, he did not say a word.

Zhang Shangxuan was happy when he saw the letter urging surrender, and said to Yang Zhengfang: "General, he called you brother!"

He is an old subordinate of Yang Zhengfang. The two grew up together in the guard station since they were young, and their fathers were killed together in the Battle of Pingbo. They have been on the battlefield together for ten years and have been inseparable. They are as close as brothers and have a profound friendship on the battlefield.

Yang Zhengfang said seriously: "It's just to win people's hearts."

After all, my facial expression management failed after all, and the corners of my mouth curled up uncontrollably.

Who doesn’t like to be praised!
After just laughing, Yang Zhengfang asked in a low tone: "What do you think we should do?"

Zhang Shangxuan and Yang Zhengfang looked at each other and shook their heads in a subtle way.

Surrendering is not that simple. Even if you are in a desperate situation, sometimes it is easier to be captured than to die, and to die is easier than surrendering.

It's not because of the legitimacy of the Marshal's Mansion's rule. For warriors like them, having strong soldiers and horses is, to a large extent, legitimacy in itself.

Liu Chengzong led his army to massacre all sides in the Guanzhong Plain. He swept two battalions in a row and defeated tens of thousands of troops until they were defeated. The net surrounding them had been torn.

If they were the army in Guanzhong, they could surrender with almost no psychological burden.

But they were guest troops from Huguang, and their family members and clans were all in Huguang. That was not the area ruled by Liu Chengzong, and it would be difficult for it to become the area ruled by the Marshal's Mansion in the foreseeable half a year or even a year or two.

This matter is easy to handle for the soldiers. The Ming court does not care whether the soldiers surrender or not, but for a general like Yang Zhengfang, if he surrenders here, the entire family will be humiliated and suffer disaster.

But if he doesn't surrender... Yang Zhengfang is not a fool.

No matter how kindly Liu Chengzong writes in his letter, it will not make people ignore what kind of person he is.

In troubled times, soldiers cut off half of the country, marched east and west, and destroyed lives. Even the most unruly people bowed to him. He was by no means a good man or woman.

Just call him brother and have fun listening to it. Whoever takes it seriously is a big fool.

Liu Chengzong said in the letter that when he wrote a letter in the military formation, he had limited paper and ink, so he could not finish what he wanted to say.

Yang Zhengfang knew what he had not finished saying. There was still an hour before dark, and the marshal's troops were encamped for three seconds, which was an ultimatum given to him.

Obviously, Liu Chengzong is confident enough to complete today's formation. If he does not surrender, there are only five seconds left to defeat his remaining 6000 people.

Soon, within a moment of sending the letter, the messenger rushed into the Chinese army with the reply.

Liu Chengzong opened the letter, frowned slightly, squinted his eyes and thought for a moment, then smiled and said: "This is not bad!" Then another reply letter was sent to the Zhenyun Army Formation.

Yang Zhengfang's reply was to negotiate terms. The condition was that he would not surrender and let his deputy general Zhang Shangxuan lead the army to surrender. He hoped that Liu Chengzong could understand his difficulties.

Liu Shishi understands, so understanding.

He could guess the reason why Yang Zhengfang and Zhang Shangxuan made such a decision. It was simply that Yang Zhengfang could bear the responsibility for the defeat when he returned, so that the family of the surrendered officer would not be angered by the court. Even if he was punished, he could still protect Zhang Shangxuan's family.

On the other hand, if Yang Zhengfang surrenders, Zhang Shang will choose to go back and he will not be able to protect him.

This result is not the best for Liu Chengzong, but it is acceptable.

He could see clearly from the mountain, and he had no intention of leaving all 6000 people behind.

The reason why 2000 troops were allocated and [-] men were sent home was because Yang Zhengfang's army was not all elite soldiers, and it was not possible for all of them to be equipped with armor.

In this battle, among the four battalions of the Ming army, only the Liaodong battalion carried a small amount of looted goods. The others came naked and only carried a few days' rations with the army.

So there is no doubt that at the battle level, according to Liu Shizi's economic theory, this battle was a bloody loss.

It would be even worse if everyone was left to eat their own food and receive their own pay, and in the end they had to be re-armed.

But it will be different when a group of people are put back. When these people return to Huguang, they will spread the kindness of Marshal Liu in giving travel expenses and weaken the fighting will of other troops in Huguang.

As for Yang Zhengfang, Liu Shizi also felt that it would not be a bad thing to let him go back, and maybe he would be able to retain some love in the future.

Is there anything in this world where you can become fat after one bite?
Soon, following the military order, the suppressing troops in the center of the battlefield were suddenly disarmed. People placed their armor and weapons in the open space. The soldiers were divided into two formations, with those who wanted to surrender on the left and those who wanted to return home on the right.

As Liu Shizi waved his hand, Huben placed a table on his desk, approving the military status of the returning soldiers and paying them travel expenses.

Not to mention how beautiful Liu Shishi was in his heart, the Huben camp set up the Chinese military tent and prepared to welcome a group of Huguang officers.

He turned to Zhang Tianlin and smiled: "Don't be so sullen. They faced off against the cavalry athletes for two hours on the battlefield and were not defeated. What tough guys they are. Now that they have been given a thousand taels of silver to let them disarm and return to the field, isn't it a blessing?"

Until now, Zhang Tianlin was still upset because she couldn't blast Yang Zhengfang with a rocket. He looked at the Huguang officer who had taken off his armor and came over from a distance, not looking at Yang Zhengfang who was leading the horse at the front.

He said in his heart: Damn it, if you don’t surrender even if I persuade you to do so, forget it. The commander-in-chief personally persuades you to surrender, but you still won’t surrender?You're so shameless, why didn't I set off a rocket to blow you up earlier!
After listening to Liu Chengzong's words, Zhang Tianlin nodded, still a little unconvinced and said: "The commander-in-chief said that they are quite good at fighting."

Gao Yingdeng on the other side was different. He clearly agreed with the second half of Liu Chengzong's words. He nodded and said, "Yes, Marshal. Zu Kuan worked hard for a long time, but in the end, the Marshal surrendered his troops and paid them. Ha ha!"

Where can anyone bring money for war? Liu Chengzong wanted to pay the soldiers, and Gao Yingdeng picked up the silver from the ground one penny at a time.

Zu Kuan Qian Yu Qi can't do anything else, but he is the best in the world when he explodes gold coins!

This matter made Liu Shizhi very jealous of Zu Dalue's survivors of more than a thousand riders on the south bank of the Wei River. If it hadn't been getting dark, he would have crossed the river and kicked Zu Dalue.

If he really delayed any longer, he would not be able to go back to the north to eat horse meat and burn it. Even though time was tight and the task was heavy, he still asked Wei Qian'er to lead the camp to station on the north bank of the Wei River, and watch Zu Dale gather the defeated troops on the south bank.

The task he gave Wei Qian'er was to put up the pontoon bridge tonight and find an opportunity to kick Zu Dale tomorrow morning to see if he could still get some gold coins.

Zu Dale and his gang were originally scared away. Lei Shisheng's army was forced to land by Zhao Zhirui on the north bank. More than a thousand people fled to the south bank and were gathered up by Zu Dale.

Liu Shizi estimated that since the Marshal's Mansion had won a great victory on the north bank, the newly formed defeated army camp was probably already in disarray and would not be able to reorganize the army to fight again in a short period of time. Wei Qian'er should be able to drive them away and disperse them as soon as he crossed the river.

It doesn't matter if it doesn't disperse, so just scare them.

As long as he is not allowed to surrender the soldiers who were deliberately released by the Marshal's Mansion.

Anyway, Liu Chengzong didn't plan to recruit too many troops to support him.

With the experience and lessons of commanding and dispatching the Ming army in this battle, Liu Chengzong did not want his Marshal's Mansion to become that virtuous.

Economy is the basis of war. The Ming army fell into this situation because there were too many troops and the economy plummeted, causing problems with the original command system.

Originally, it was a complete command system with the general and deputy commander in charge, with battalions of soldiers conducting mobile operations and several flag troops pursuing and interdicting on the periphery, forming a complete encirclement to defeat the enemy in a battle of annihilation.

However, due to insufficient military pay and insufficient supply of military rations, the garrison has exhausted its fresh blood in the decades-long war. Once the troops are sent out to fight, the general, generals, and guerrillas each lead a thousand people to form a battalion. soldiers.

A few general soldiers come together to form several battalions for joint operations. Isn't this nonsense?Who listens to whom on the battlefield?

So this further strengthened Liu Chengzong's will. The Marshal's Mansion only wanted high-quality talents, guys like those who sleepwalked in battles, and he didn't want them for free.

Yang Zhengfang was not afraid of stage fright. He led a group of officers to the camp. When he saw Liu Chengzong in front of the camp from a distance, he knelt down and saluted.

Liu Chengzong raised his hand and let Yu Linqi step forward to help him up. He smiled with a bit of regret and said: "It's a pity that the general insists on returning home and can't conspire with me on big things. Since then, the mountains and rivers have been high, and I don't know if I will be destined to meet the general again. "

"I have a hundred crossbows and a hundred spears ready for the general to guard against wild beasts on the road. There are also a hundred taels of silver for food on the road, and a glass of wine to relieve fatigue."

Liu Shishi smiled and asked someone to bring the tray to him, poured a glass of wine himself, and then asked Yu Linqi to pass it to Yang Zhengfang.

It's not that he wants Yang Zhengfang to be flattered and suddenly change his mind and not go back, but he wants to make a gesture to show to the newly demoted Zhang Shangxuan and the officers at all levels of the Zhenjun Army: I, Liu Shizi, am so kind to this person who is not of use to me. , let alone you?

Yang Zhengfang was indeed flattered. He didn't even understand why Liu Chengzong valued him so much. His eyes widened and he was speechless.

Liu Shizi was very satisfied with his expression and said in his heart that you are the key for my old Shaanxi people to march into Huguang in the future!

Not to mention 100 taels, he can afford even 1 taels!
Yang Zhengfang drank the wine and apologized willingly: "The commander-in-chief also found fine wine on the battlefield to entertain me, the defeated general. I would like to thank the commander-in-chief for his kindness!"

"It doesn't take any effort."

Liu Shishi smiled and waved his hands, his face full of contentment: "Zu Kuan robbed it, borrow flowers to offer to Buddha."

After that, he spread his arms and said: "Then let's say goodbye. General, walk slowly. See you again if we have the chance!"

Yang Zhengfang nodded one after another, then looked at Zhang Shangxuan, who was about to say goodbye, clasped his fists and saluted again, and then walked south, where the Zhenjun soldiers who had been paid tolls were waiting for him in large groups.

But only he himself knew how heavy the footsteps of leaving were.

In short, Liu Chengzong looked at his leaving back, looked around the battlefield where the corpses had been collected but the blood was still wet, and he took a deep breath, showing his contentment and complacency.

He turned around and said to the generals: "Send the order to all camps, pull out the entire army and go north!" (End of this chapter)