Eighth year of Chongzhen

Chapter 60 The Pursuit Part 2
Under the guidance of Xu Zhiyuan, Lu Xiangsheng went straight to the government office after entering the city. After arriving at the second hall, Lu Xiangsheng took the main seat, and Xu Zhiyuan and others sat sideways to accompany him.

After the servant brought the tea, Xu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Minister, the thief is far away, why don't you take off your armor and change into casual clothes, and relax. The lower officials have arranged a banquet in the flower hall to cleanse the minister."

Lu Xiangsheng took a sip of tea, put down the teacup and said with a smile: "Thank you for your kindness, the banquet is unnecessary, just a light meal; wearing armor is a habit, and after a long time, I forgot that I am still a civil servant, haha! Wait!" The cavalry returned after chasing the thieves, and the statistics of the battle situation were completed. The whole army rested for an hour after eating. The officer will lead the army northward to chase after the bandit headquarters. Today's defeat is not the bandit headquarters. Gao Yingxiang is my confidant. Exterminate them, and the rest of the thieves will die!"

Xu Zhiyuan said with a smile: "The governor is really the pillar of our dynasty. He acts like a civil servant and wins every battle. It is said that the thieves fear the governor so much that they even call him the "King of Hades". It can be seen that the governor The resounding reputation is enough to make the thieves flee, and the lower officials are all ashamed of themselves, hehehehe!"

Wang Renyuan and Zhao Yuzhi were also full of praise for Lu Xiangsheng's talent. Lu Xiangsheng shook his head with a wry smile and said, "How can there be a victorious general in the world? I just want to repay the holy grace wholeheartedly, not afraid of life and death." , fought against the thieves for several years, and there were countless hardships and obstacles during the period. It was all because of the loyalty of the soldiers to the court that they survived. After several years of fighting, I don’t know how many good sons and daughters were buried in foreign lands. Thinking of it, I feel ashamed Their parents and relatives!"

Wang Renyuan cupped his hands and said: "What I admire most is the loyalty of the governor. I heard that in every battle, the governor is not afraid of arrows and stones, and actually takes the lead in the charge. What kind of courage is this! Don't hide it from the governor. When the thief climbed into the city, the lower official also held a sharp knife in his hand, and wanted to fight the thief himself, but the bloody aura on the battlefield rushed towards his face, and the bandit was fierce and brave. Thinking of the bravery of the governor, the lower officials throw themselves to the ground!"

Zhao Yuzhi also praised: "My lord Wang's words are also the heartfelt words of the officials. It is also the first time for the officials to go into battle. Finally, they have seen the dangers of battle. This is just a battle of defense, and it cannot be compared with the battlefield experienced by the governors." In theory, it is such a small-scale battle, the lower officials don't want to go through it again; the governor is also a civil servant, and even a Jinshi, and he was born and died for the Ming Dynasty. He is indeed a model for our generation and the pride of our civil servants!"

Xu Zhiyuan continued: "Xiaguan and others can be regarded as people who have experienced life and death. Shicai city is about to fall, and we are also planning to die with the city. Fortunately, the governor arrived in time and saved our lives. Others I don't know why, after experiencing life and death, I seem to have seen through everything. Forgive me for saying that if the chaos of the thieves is put down, with the loyalty and talents of the governors, if I don't join the cabinet, I will be extremely disappointed in the court !"

Wang Renyuan and Zhao Yuzhi nodded again and again. The few of them were suffering together, and the heart of attacking and calculating each other was still gone. At this moment, the state of vision has been sublimated. What I said just now is from the heart, not flattery Flattery, although Lu Xiangsheng is an important minister, but after all, he is practicing martial arts, so he has very little say in the court.

Lu Xiangsheng waved his hand and said: "Your mansion's heart is taken by me. I don't do it for glory and wealth, but I can't bear to see the people's lives in misery and being displaced. The emperor entrusted me with such a heavy responsibility. I am also trembling all day long, like walking on thin ice, for fear of being killed." I owe the trust of my emperor; fortunately, my emperor is wise and decisive, and has given me great support from many aspects. From the second half of the eighth year of Chongzhen to the present, the situation has improved greatly in the past year. My official is in the south. In the north, if this situation continues, the bandits will eventually be wiped out, I firmly believe it!"

After drinking tea for a while, Lu Xiangsheng asked about the specific situation of Chuzhou's offensive and defensive battle. Xu Zhiyuan recounted the battle, including the final preparations for the three of them to go to disaster, and omitted the section of entrusting Dong Qigao to escort the young to flee to Nanzhili. , all three of them were full of praise for Dong Qigao's talent and courage, and expressed that they were going to present the book to the court to show Dong Qigao's merits.

After hearing this, Lu Xiangsheng also expressed his deep appreciation for the integrity of the three of them. He said, "The three lords and that Dong Shoubei can fight against the bandits without losing ground in such a situation where the strength of the enemy and us is so disparate. At the meeting, I would like to show my merits for several people; our Tianxiong army suffered a lot of casualties in this battle, especially some seriously wounded ones, who need to rest and recuperate, and our army is about to go out again, so I would like your government to temporarily resettle these wounded ones, it is best If you can invite a doctor with superb medical skills to treat you well, you need someone to take care of you daily. It is best to be a poor woman in the countryside. After all, women know how to take care of people. I will leave money for medical servants , I will definitely not make your house difficult, and I will leave a few people to take care of them, and when their injuries are completely unharmed, I will leave together!"

Xu Zhiyuan said sternly: "Don't worry, the governor, the soldiers were injured just now to relieve my danger in Chuzhou. I am duty-bound in Chuzhou for this matter, and I will make the injured soldiers take good care of themselves; as for the money matter, the governor's words It’s really hard for a lower official to accept it, I am a grateful person from all over Chuzhou, if the lower official spreads the news, I believe the gentry and the common people will rush to donate to support!”

Lu Xiangsheng smiled and cupped his hands in thanks: "What your mansion said is reasonable, but I'm being hypocritical, hahaha!" Everyone laughed heartily together.

At this time, the servants came to report that the banquet was ready, and invited all the adults to the table, Lu Xiangsheng then went to the flower hall to eat, Wu Dading and Hu Chun were accompanied by people from the government office.

During the banquet, Lu Xiangsheng did not drink alcohol. After tasting a few delicious dishes, he ordered meals. Because he had been in the army for a long time, coupled with his daily martial arts training, Lu Xiangsheng had a surprising amount of food. Chuzhou is still north of the Yangtze River, so the staple food of the local people is also steamed buns. Lu Xiangsheng ate eight big steamed buns one by one, which stunned Xu Zhiyuan and the others. They never thought that a civil official who was born as an upright Jinshi would gobble up his meal without any elegance. People were filled with emotion, and their admiration for Lu Xiangsheng increased a little.

After eating, Lu Xiangsheng wanted to return to the barracks. Xu Zhiyuan and others sent them to the gate of the city. Lu Xiangsheng rode away with Wu Dading and Hu Chun on horseback.

Back at the camp that had been simply set up, Li Chongjin, who was chasing the defeated bandits, had already led his troops back. The cavalry took off their armor, unloaded their saddles and other things, and were standing in the cleaned Chushui to wash their horses. It can be seen that this pursuit has gained a lot, and the infantry of the Sichuan soldiers are all smiling.

Countless gentry and common people came to the camp, they came spontaneously, and they brought piles of military goods, wine, meat, vegetables and food everywhere, after they expressed their gratitude, they left their things and left, people kept coming back to the city, people kept coming, the whole The camp was as lively as a market. All this moved the Liaodong cavalry and the Sichuan army who had always regarded the people like pigs and dogs. Many people began to change their mentality.

After arriving at the big tent, Lu Xiangsheng sat behind the big case. Yang Maogong, a lieutenant officer in the Tianxiong Army, Li Chongjin, who had been promoted to deputy commander, Qin Yiming, the commander of the Sichuan Army, and Gao Qixun, a guerrilla, stepped forward to report the battle situation one by one.

The officers and soldiers won a complete victory in this campaign. From the beginning of the infantry battle to the pursuit of the cavalry and the Sichuan army, a total of nearly 4 thieves were beheaded. The Liaodong cavalry chased for more than [-] miles. Fleeing to the north, the horsepower of the officers and troops was also exhausted, so Li Chongjin just gave up and searched for the corpses on the way back, everyone gained a lot.

The officers and soldiers suffered more than a thousand casualties, among which 430 were killed and seven people were injured, and 650 were injured. After a stumble and fall, he was hacked to death by the thief. The Sichuan army had a short pursuit distance and was good at fighting in groups, so no one was killed in battle, only a few people were slightly injured.

Lu Xiangsheng said with a smile: "This big victory is rare, I will give the court a book, detailing the battle, and the generals will just wait for their merits and deeds to reward!"

All the generals are overjoyed, it seems that everyone will be promoted again this time.

Lu Xiangsheng continued: "You just saw how the gentry and common people in Chuzhou treated the officers and soldiers kindly. Regardless of the common people or the officers and soldiers, they are all the subjects of the emperor, so all the bad habits in the army must be corrected before, so that they can live up to the common people. Love!"

Li Chongjin and the second general of the Sichuan Army chatted endlessly. The Tianxiong Army has always been strict in military discipline, but the other two armies have often harassed and harmed the people. It seems that these problems will have to be corrected in the future, several people thought at the same time.

Lu Xiangsheng went on to say: "The whole army has additional meals, and the baggage battalion is the same! After eating and resting for two hours, the whole army will leave the camp and head north. We are going to meet the burglar Gao Yingxiang again!"

　According to historical records, although Lu Xiangsheng is from the south and looks thin and thin, his strength is astonishing. The broadsword he usually uses in martial arts weighs more than a hundred catties, so the author guesses that he must have eaten a lot, or he has no strength at all.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)