Eighth year of Chongzhen

37 The Great War 1
In the late autumn, the grass and trees are withered, and the fields are deserted.

At about Chen's hour, on a mountain ten miles southeast of Ruyang City, Runing Prefecture, Henan Province, Lu Xiangsheng, Prime Minister of the Military Affairs of the Five Provinces, was on the top of the mountain observing the bandit camp tens of miles away.He was tall and thin, wearing a chain mail, an eight-petal helmet, and iron arms on his left and right arms.Yang Maogong, an officer in the Tianxiong Army, stood by his side, and Wu Dading, Lu Xiangsheng's personal bodyguard, stood behind him holding a twenty-jin long knife.

After observing for a long time, Lu Xiangsheng frowned, turned around and walked down the mountain, Yang Maogong and Wu Dading hurriedly followed behind.

Yang Maogong asked, "Commander, the bandits are powerful, how should we deal with them?"

Lu Xiangsheng walked without turning his head and said, "The intruder has always been our biggest opponent. There are many Fan Han cavalry under his command. It is easy to defeat him, but it is almost impossible to kill him. This time the intruder cooperated with Zhang Xianzhong. The sudden increase to hundreds of thousands of people is indeed difficult to defeat in one fell swoop, after returning to the camp, call the generals to discuss!"

After arriving at the main tent of the big camp at the foot of the mountain, Lu Xiangsheng ordered to summon more than a thousand officers under his command, as well as Liaodong Zu Kuan, Li Chongjin and other generals dispatched by the Ministry of War to discuss matters.

After a while, the generals of the Tianxiong Army came to the big tent one after another, while the Liaodong generals such as Zu Kuan and Li Chongjin arrived late.

After everyone arrived, Lu Xiangsheng looked at them calmly, and said slowly: "The thieves and thieves have besieged Ruyang for several days, and the city is in danger.

As the imperial court officers and soldiers, we naturally take it as our duty to suppress thieves and defend the land.

This officer has just checked the enemy camp, although there are many of them, but there is no camp at all outside, the defense is extremely slack, only when they are close to the city, can they see a slightly more orderly camp.

It can be seen that it is just a group of mobs. Our army is currently on the flank of the bandit army. I decided to shoot with a bow and crossbow first, and then attack with cavalry.

This battle does not seek to kill the intruders in one fell swoop, but seeks to kill and injure the main force of their old battalion, weaken their vital strength, and lift the siege of Ruyang.

After each general returned to the camp, he buried the pot to make food, and then launched an attack. What do the generals think? "

The Tianxiong Army was built by Lu Xiangsheng from the Daming Mansion, and he was loyal to him, and he took orders from Yang Maogong and down.Over there, the subordinates of Zu Kuan and Li Chongjin were buzzing with discussion.

Lu Xiangsheng looked at the past. Zu Kuan, who was thick and bearded, stepped out and clapped his hands: "Commander, the bandit army is very powerful, with hundreds of thousands of troops. Commander's Tianxiong Army only has 5000 troops. The last general has no more than 1 cavalry, and General Li has only [-] cavalry. This total is less than [-] horses. If you want to attack hundreds of thousands of bandits, you may suffer a lot of losses.

The last general is not afraid of the enemy, the last general doesn't pay attention to these bandits coming out of the valley, but there are so many bandits, the last general is afraid that his sons will suffer too much damage! "

Yang Maogong and other generals of the Tianxiong Army saw him confronting the commander-in-chief, they were very angry, and they looked at Zu Kuan with unkind eyes.These barbarians from Liaodong, relying on their own elite, are arrogant and domineering, and no one takes them seriously.

Lu Xiangsheng remained expressionless, and said, "What does General Zu think it should be?"

Zu Kuanman said indifferently: "The general thought that the bandits would break through Ru Ning in a few days. After breaking the city, the bandits would surely plunder the whole city, and the bandits on the periphery would also participate in the looting. At this time, we will follow up and cover up the kill, and we will surely defeat the bandits!"

The generals in Liaodong echoed one after another, supporting their chief general's plan.

Lu Xiangsheng was furious, but he didn't show it on his face. He said, "General Zu is from the perspective of the strategy of leading troops to fight. This method is certainly feasible, but have you considered the officials and people in Runing City? Now, according to the nature of the bandit soldiers, how many families will be ruined among the people in the city?"

Zu Kuan raised his eyes to the sky and said proudly: "We are the imperial court's officers and soldiers, and we only care about suppressing thieves. As for the common people, that is the government's business and has nothing to do with us!"

Lu Xiangsheng finally couldn't hold it back, his face showed displeasure, and his tone became severe: "Since you are an official of the imperial court, you should take the responsibility of protecting the environment and the people! I have been ordered to be the prime minister of the five provinces' military administration, and I must not sit back and watch the tragedy of the city's destruction and death in this country. Happened under the nose of the officer!
General Zu needless to say, the Ministry of War dispatches you to wait for the Liaodong soldiers and horses to come under my jurisdiction, so you must obey my orders!Once the cavalry assaults, the officer will be the first to charge, go back and prepare! "

The generals of the Tianxiong Army knelt on one knee to accept the order, Zu Kuan was still waiting to continue to disobey the order, Li Chongjin who was behind him secretly pulled his armor, and he gave up resentfully.

Then he hurriedly rushed to Lu Xiangsheng, cupped his hands, and led his subordinates away.

After the generals in the tent left, Yang Maogong said angrily: "That Liaodong barbarian surnamed Zu is so arrogant, the commander-in-chief should order him to be killed for disobeying his orders! Destroy the prestige of the Liaodong guys! Dare to speak to the commander-in-chief like this, does he still have the court in his eyes?"

Lu Xiangsheng shook his head, and said: "How can there be such a thing as killing a general before the war?

The generals in Liaodong have developed arrogance and domineering posture because the imperial court relied on them to resist Jianlu. Now the 18 horses in Liaodong have become a force that cannot be lost. I can let it go!

Alas, for the current plan, only after the extermination of the thieves can we find a way to solve these problems! "

Yang Maogong showed a perplexed look on his face, and said, "Commander, can these thieves still be wiped out? Since the second year of Chongzhen, my subordinates have followed the commander-in-chief to fight in all directions, but the number of thieves has grown from tens of thousands at the beginning to now. Tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands, more and more suppressed, the last general and all the old brothers under him feel less and less confident!"

Lu Xiangsheng slowly walked up to Yang Maogong, looked at this beloved general who had been with him for six years and experienced hundreds of battles, put his hands on Yang Maogong's shoulders, and stared into his eyes with bright eyes.

"Hanchen, you have followed me for so many years. We have fought side by side and fought out of the sea of ​​corpses and blood several times. In name, I am your superior, but in reality I treat you as a nephew. The friendship and family relationship between you and me Same.

I have also been as confused as you are now, the road ahead is difficult and dangerous, and I don't know where to go.

When I was tired from socializing, I also missed my sick old mother in my hometown and the beautiful scenery in the south of the Yangtze River.

But now the border affairs of my Ming Dynasty are completely destroyed, the Central Plains is full of thieves, natural disasters and man-made disasters follow one after another, the people are displaced, and their families are destroyed.As a courtier of the Ming Dynasty, I have read the books of sages and sages, and I know that I must stand up and shoulder my share of responsibility. As for the result, God will arrange it for himself!
You and all the brothers in the Tianxiong Army, we are all for a common goal, which is to clarify the world and return the people to a peaceful world, so that the people can live and work in peace and contentment, and no longer suffer from war disasters.

Just last month, I received a secret letter from the Holy Majesty. In the secret letter, the Holy Majesty admitted that he was too hasty in suppressing the bandits, and asked Hong Du and I to change the original strategy of suppressing the bandits in a timely manner and take it slowly.

He also stated his unconditional trust and support for me and Governor Hong, let us do whatever we want, and don't have to be afraid that the court's remarks will be unfavorable to us, and the Holy One will bear all the consequences!
Hanchen, do you know?Before June, in order to complete the task of suppressing thieves within half a year assigned by the Holy Majesty, I was so anxious in my heart, for fear that my lack of ability would delay the important task of suppressing the thieves of the Holy Majesty!

You also know that in order to chase down the thieves and complete the mission, I used to stay awake for several days, just because I was afraid of disappointing the expectations of the Holy Majesty!

Even though I know it's impossible, I still try my best to fight!Thank you also to those old brothers who have been with me for many years, who have been away from home for several years and have never returned home to visit. Many brothers have died in foreign lands! "

Speaking of this, Lu Xiangsheng's eyes were slightly red, and his voice choked up.

Soon he adjusted his mood, put his hands down from Yang Maogong's body, walked slowly in the big tent with his hands behind his back, and said as he walked, "Han Chen, I can feel the change of the Holy Majesty from the letter, although this change is very subtle. , but I still noticed it.

The Holy Majesty seemed to be a different person, no longer irritable and irritable, no longer competitive.To be calm and peaceful, to be wise and responsible, is very inspiring to me!Hanchen, let me tell you, the Holy One thinks that my ministry has always been short of food and salaries, and has allocated money and food from internal funds to me. Because of the unrest in the place, the food and salaries have been shipped to Ruzhou!

After the fight is over, I will lead you to Runing to collect food and pay, and make repairs on the spot, so that the soldiers can report the safety of the family, and send the money back to the family to subsidize the family.

Hanchen, in this battle, we must beat the intruders and drive them back to the mountains, so that the people in the Central Plains can have a little peace of mind. You go and tell the news to your brothers, so as to boost morale stand up! "

Yang Maogong admired Lu Xiangsheng from the bottom of his heart.

As an important minister of the imperial court, every time he faced the enemy, Lu Xiangsheng charged forward as a civil servant, and his courage was unstoppable, which greatly boosted the morale of the whole army.

There was no food in the army for three days, and Lu Xiangsheng also did not eat or drink, so he won the hearts of the soldiers and fought forward bravely.

In the case of lack of food and salary, Lu Xiangsheng could only infect his subordinates with his personality charm, take the lead, share the joys and sorrows with his subordinates, and always inspire loyalty. Only then did the Tianxiong Army gradually grow into an elite army in the world.

Now hearing that the emperor allocated the food and salary, Yang Maogong, who hadn't seen the military salary for more than a year, was as happy as a child. He clenched his fist and waved it, then grinned and laughed.

Smiling and laughing, tears slowly flowed down from the eyes, the laughter gradually turned into sobs, and finally broke down in sobs.

Lu Xiangsheng sympathized with Yang Maogong's behavior.

Tianxiong's army has been cut off for more than a year, and the food is also intermittent.

When chasing Laohuihui, Guotianxing and other bandits in Yunyang, he lived with soldiers and servants in the deep mountains and valleys, thousands of miles of uninhabited places, without food and grass, and endured hunger for several days.

It was in this state that he led his subordinates to kill tens of thousands of bandits, winning nine battles and finally making the bandits in Yunyang disappear.

He walked over and patted Yang Maogong on the back, and said with a smile, "What? Are you so happy to hear the payment?"

Yang Maogong stopped crying, touched the tears on his face with the back of his hand, and said with red eyes: "The general thought of those brothers who died in battle. Their families still don't know the news of their passing away. The young and old in the family are still looking forward to them. I can send my salary back home to support my family!

The general thought about it just now, and divided his salary into several shares, and sent them to the homes of the brothers who died in the war who were close to the general. "

Before he finished speaking, he choked up again.

Tears rolled down Lu Xiangsheng's eyes, he choked up several times, and it took him a long time to calm down.

He opened the mouth with a solemn expression: "Since the second year of Chongzhen, the brothers who have followed Lu in the battle, hundreds of people have died in battle, and more than a thousand have been disabled. Lu is ashamed of his father, wife and children in his family!
Although the court has a system of pensions, but for a living life, that pension is insignificant.

The family struggles to survive the pain of losing a loved one!It's just that although I want to, I can't change these.

Fortunately, we have Mingjun in power!Hanchen, the holy majesty has issued a decree to the world, all those who bravely killed the enemy in the battle against the bandits and slaves will be rewarded with 100 taels of silver for their families, [-] acres of Yongye farmland, and half of the disabled!
The Holy Majesty will also build a shrine and erect a stele in the capital, engrave the names of all the soldiers who sacrificed for the country on the stele, and send officials to sacrifice every festival, so that the Ming Dynasty will not perish, and the incense will continue!

I also just read the news from the mansion newspaper. You should tell the news first. After the war, I will ask the clerk to work with you to count the names and places of origin of the dead and disabled soldiers in the past six years, and then report it to the Ministry of War. , The Ministry of War will handle the matter according to the regulations.

In order to prevent embezzlement of the pension money, the Holy One specially asked the Ministry of War, the Inspectorate, and Jin Yiwei to send their own personnel to supervise the matter. With such a wise king, why worry that the soldiers will not fight the enemy bravely?There is a lot to be done to wipe out the thieves! "

Yang Maogong couldn't believe his ears, he was stunned for a while, and shouted loudly: "Marshal Du, is what you said just now true?!"

Lu Xiangsheng looked at him with a smile, nodded his head with an affirmative expression, and Yang Maogong turned around and rushed out of the big tent with a howl.After a while, what Lu Xiangsheng said quickly spread throughout the entire Tianxiong military camp, and deafening cheers rang through the entire military camp.

In the Liaodong cavalry camp not far from the Tianxiong Army camp, Li Chongjin was persuading Zu Kuan in his big tent.Zu Kuan thought it was too hot in the tent, so he took off his armor and was naked from the upper body, exposing the thick chest hair, and was swearing.

Li Chongjin, who is in his twenties, is younger than Zu Kuan, and his ancestors were born in Li Chengliang's family.

Li Chongjin learned horsemanship since he was a child, but because the Li family has long since fallen, he did not get credit. He also strived for success, starting from a small soldier, and gradually promoted to Liaodong guerrilla generals. The Hundred Horses became a force to be reckoned with among the Liaodong warlords.

He opened his mouth and said: "General, we are the imperial army after all, so we can be more relaxed in our daily life, but this time the Ministry of War dispatched us to the mainland to serve under the command of Commander Lu, because we took a fancy to the sharpness of our Guan Ning cavalry.

Now we are in Henan, not in Liaodong, if Commander-in-Chief Lu chops off our heads for disrespecting the order, it would be wronged!

General, bear with me for a while, isn't it just the local bandits in front of you?No matter how many people there are, in our eyes, we are still chickens and dogs. After the game is over, let's find a reason to return to Liaodong.When we go back to our hometown, it’s okay for us to make a fuss, don’t you think? "

Zu Kuan squinted at him, and said, "He dares! If he dares to cut off my head, he will be against the entire Guan Ning Iron Cavalry. When the brothers in the family start a quarrel, the court will definitely kill him Damn it, civil servants are worthless now, those of us with guns, knives and horses are the masters!"

Li Chongjin smiled apologetically: "Of course the humble official knows that what the lord said is true, but a hero doesn't suffer from immediate losses, so let's just take it as a face for the court!"

Zu Kuan snorted, Li Chongjin made a show, and Zu Kuan's personal soldiers came over to put the armor on him.

Li Chongjin said: "I'll go back and greet the sons and daughters for dinner. Let's see if Dushuai Lu will really charge forward when the battle starts. If that's the case, I, Li Chongjin, will obey him!"

Zu Kuan curled his lips in disdain, and said, "When did you ever see civil servants rushing to the battle? It's not just playing tricks. Later, we have to count on our fathers to work hard, and all the credit will be theirs in the end! Damn, I get angry just thinking about it." Panic, as you said, if he, Lu Xiangsheng, dares to charge forward, even if he didn't kill a thief, I will obey him!"

(End of this chapter)