The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

When Cao Bianjiao returned to Guancheng, the sun just disappeared among the mountains.

Chen Wang led his troops out of the pass and then Cao Bianjiao went to the pass.

"How's it going?"

After boarding the tower, some guards brought chairs. Chen Wang and Cao Bianjiao sat down and started talking.

"The rogue bandits gathered in the Zhuxi area are the main force under Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai. They number at least more than [-]."

"I don't have many soldiers. The camp of the rogue bandits is set up in a more organized manner than before, and the area for exploration is limited."

Cao Bianjiao took the tea cup and took a sip of tea, then placed it on the square table beside him.

"As you predicted before, and also corroborated by the battle reports coming from the eastern front, the majority of the bandits in the Zhuxi area are infantry, with only [-]% of the horse soldiers being elite cavalry."

Chen Wang reached for the teapot on the side and poured another cup of tea for Cao Bianjiao. After pondering for a moment, he frowned.

"In April, the imperial court reported that Zhang Xianzhong had four battalions of soldiers and horses under his command at that time, with a total strength of more than [-]. Over the past year, he had obtained more than [-] armors of various types through various excuses and bribes. Leader, all kinds of weapons are enough for Zhang Xianzhong to arm more than [-] troops."

"When Luo Rucai arrived in Gucheng, there were only more than 2 soldiers and horses. By April this year, the number of troops had expanded to [-]. They also acquired a lot of ordnance and military equipment. The armament is also different from what it used to be."

Cao Bianjiao picked up the tea cup again, his eyes slightly gleaming, and he said in a deep voice.

"The rogue bandits are indeed different from what they used to be. Their combat power is more than twice as strong as it was back then."

If it were in the past, where he wanted to go, how could anyone resist?

This brief confrontation with the bandits on the way to explore has already proved the changes of the bandits.

"There are three formations of rogue cavalry to intercept me. Each formation has a thousand men divided into 25 teams. They are waiting for me with a net. No matter where I attack from, I will be surrounded by more than three teams of soldiers and horses at the same time."

"The rogue cavalry is well-armed, mostly wearing cloth-covered iron armor, and has a clear division of labor. Some are stalking the enemy, some are engaging the enemy, and some are blocking the enemy. They are much stronger than a few years ago, and they are not much worse than the elites in the border towns."

Cao Bianjiao paused and thought for a moment before continuing.

"The ones who appeared on the Eastern Front were basically the elite cavalry troops of rogue bandits, numbering more than [-] people."

"If the previous investigation by the imperial court was accurate, the number of Zhuxi bandits should indeed be only 5."

"5 million people..."

Chen Wang narrowed his eyes slightly. This number was similar to his previous estimate.

However, the 5 people concentrated in Zhuxi at this time did not have much impact on Chen Wang.

Chen Wang knew very well that this time the rogue bandits attacked Hanzhong Mansion, which was actually just a strategy to attack the east and attack the west.

The real purpose of Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai was to enter Sichuan first.

Chen Wang glanced at Cao Bianjiao out of the corner of his eye. He originally wanted to say that he would stick to it for the time being, but he changed his tune in the end.

"What do you think of the current war situation?"

Cao Bianjiao tilted his head slightly, looked at Chen Wang and smiled.

"There is no need for you and me to be so cautious. When you joined the army, I was a servant just like you."

"Now that you are the Pingthief General, the Yangge Department has asked you to take charge of the Western Route Army to coordinate the suppression. Naturally, you will take charge of this strategy."

Chen Wang also laughed. Cao Bianjiao's words could be said to have relieved him, and also narrowed the distance between the two of them.

Cao Bianjiao was Cao Wenzhao's nephew. When he first joined the army, he also started as a servant.

Among Cao Wenzhao's servants, there were many children of the Cao clan, then the children of the Chen and Hu surnames, and finally the good players recruited from all over.

When Cao Bianjiao was promoted to guerrilla, he also accumulated military exploits from being a servant and jumped into Cao Wenzhao's sight, including Cao Dingjiao.

“Looking back on those years, it’s really amazing.”

A look of reminiscence appeared on Cao Bianjiao's face.

"I still remember what you said, which made my uncle break the military rules he had set."

Cao Bianjiao indeed still remembers everything that happened that day.

At the recruitment office in the first year of Chongzhen, two young men knelt on the ground and asked to join the army.

Because of the last words spoken, his uncle broke the rules he had set.

Those two young men are now Chen Wang and Chen Gong.

After joining the army, Chen Wang was taciturn and extremely diligent. If others practiced for an hour, he would practice for two hours.

Others practiced every three days, but he practiced every day. He ranked at the top in all assessments and was at the top, and was selected into the rank of servants.

In the first battle with the enemy, he captured and beheaded one of Hou Jin's horse-armored soldiers. From then on, he charged forward in all subsequent battles and made gains in every battle.

If Chen Wang had shown his ability to lead troops in battle earlier, he would have been promoted long ago, and he wouldn't have waited until now.

However, it is not too late.

Cao Bianjiao turned to look at Chen Wang.

"It's been eight years. In fact, I wanted to say thank you to you for a long time, but I never had the chance, and I couldn't save my face."

Cao Bianjiao raised the teacup in his hand and said solemnly to Chen Wang.

Chen Wang also raised his tea cup. Cao Bianjiao was undoubtedly talking about what happened in Qiutou Town.

"After I returned to the camp, I learned from Dingjiao how dangerous the situation was."

"If it weren't for your reminder, I'm afraid...I would regret it for the rest of my life..."

Chen Wang noticed that Cao Bianjiao's hand holding the tea cup was trembling a little, and his eyes were a little red.

"The war is approaching and it is inconvenient to drink. Today I would like to express my gratitude to you with tea instead of wine."

Cao Bianjiao drank all the tea in the cup and thanked Chen Wang solemnly.

Although Cao Wenzhao was only his uncle, he was already as kind as his father.

The reason why Qiutou Town was surrounded was entirely because he was careless, underestimated the enemy and rushed forward, pursuing them all the way.

Cao Wenzhao was worried that his lone army would be besieged by rogue bandits, so he led his army to follow closely, but did not have time to send reconnaissance cavalry to reconnoiter all directions, so that he almost fell into the encirclement net by mistake.

Fortunately, Chen Wang's reminder and final performance prevented the situation from worsening.

If Cao Wenzhao really died in battle because of him, Cao Bianjiao himself would not be able to forgive himself.

Therefore, since the battle of Qiutou Town, and in all subsequent wars, Cao Bianjiao has never underestimated the enemy's aggressive advance. He has always made a decision before making a move, calculated the gains and losses and the situation, and only then attacks when he is sure. He no longer rushes blindly like before. Hit hard.

Because of this, after encountering the obstruction of rogue bandits this time, Cao Bianjiao chose to preserve his strength and give up when he was ready.

If it had been before, Cao Bianjiao would have led his cavalry to charge and kill several formations in succession.

"Shuai Cao is also kind to me."

Chen Wang picked up the tea cup and drank all the tea in the cup.

"Now that I can be the commander-in-chief of a town, it would be impossible without the help of Commander Cao."

The commander-in-chief is already at the peak of his military career. Along the way, he has achieved most of his military exploits by himself.But without Cao Wenzhao's encouragement and advice, I'm afraid he would have stopped at the middle road.

Chen Wang put down his teacup. The relationship between generals was often much simpler than that between civil servants.

With just a few words, the slight barrier between Chen Wang and Cao Bianjiao disappeared.

"You should already have a strategy in mind on how to deal with rogue bandits."

Cao Bianjiao put his hand on the table, leaned slightly and asked.

The estrangement was eliminated and the relationship between the two became much closer.

Cao Bianjiao was not jealous of Chen Wang, but admired him more.

The great victory at Qingshan Pass greatly boosted the morale of the towns.

In half an hour, three battalions were defeated.

During the bloody battle at Gongshutai that followed, he stood on the high slope of Dongshan Mountain and could see everything clearly with a telescope.

"It's hard for a good woman to make a meal without rice. There is no guarantee of victory in the current situation. I think it is better to stick to it."

Chen Wang shook his head at the current situation.

Even if he could beat Zhang Xianzhong, he would not do it, let alone the current situation where the odds of winning were unclear.

He doesn't have many soldiers and horses under his command now. He can only count over 2 people in full.

There are four battalions of Sichuan troops, two battalions of Zhang Ling and Chen Yilong, Wu Shenghua's reinforcement battalion, and one battalion of Tujia soldiers, a total of 1 people.

There are three battalions of Shaanxi soldiers, one battalion of surprise soldiers led by Li Guoqi, and two other battalions of guerrilla soldiers, totaling [-] soldiers and horses.

Cao Bianjiao has [-] cavalry under his command, and Zhang Er and Huang Long's guerrilla battalions are estimated to only add up to [-] after reorganization.

The main barracks led by Chen Wang have not yet been reorganized and replenished, and there are still only 2000 people. There are only more than 300 veterans left in Hanzhong, and the total number is only more than 2.

The combat capabilities of each battalion vary greatly. Among the five thousand soldiers and horses from Shaanxi, the only ones that can be seen are Li Guoqi's troops. The other two guerrilla battalions are not even as good as Zhang Er and Huang Long.

Sichuan soldiers can fight, but their weapons are not good. The southwest climate is humid and armor is not easy to preserve.

Because the country has been in constant war in recent years, most of the weapons and equipment have been transferred to the north, so there are very few armors available for the Sichuan soldiers.

Those Tujia soldiers were recruited temporarily, and many of them did not have armor.

There is a limit to the number of soldiers and armor that can be prepared in the arsenal under the Xuanwei Division, and no more is allowed.

The combat capabilities of troops with armor and those without armor are completely different.

Chen Wang felt that if he did not count the troops under his command, the Shaanxi soldiers and Sichuan soldiers might not have as many armors as the rogues.

"Hold on?"

Cao Bianjiao frowned slightly.

He did not object to guarding the pass. In the Battle of Qingshan Pass, he stormed the fortress and suffered heavy losses among his servants, although Sun Chuanting did select elite soldiers to make up for him.

However, the new soldiers who were transferred were still not as useful as the original servants. In fact, their combat effectiveness was still greatly affected.

"If we stick to it blindly, I'm afraid it won't be easy for the Yang Ge Department to explain."

Cao Bianjiao felt a little embarrassed. The Eastern Front suffered setbacks one after another. Yang Sichang would probably urge them to launch an offensive to relieve the pressure.

"It's okay."

Chen Wang smiled. He had naturally expected the pressure from Yang Sichang.

"Yang Ge's department will definitely give an explanation, and they will definitely fight. It's just a matter of how."

Yesterday, Yang Sichang had already issued a military order, asking him to wait for an opportunity to launch an attack on Zhuxi after arriving in Pingli to cooperate with the Eastern Route Army's offensive.

Yang Sichang went south to take over the post of prime minister and vowed to the three armies. Naturally, he wanted to gain military exploits quickly.

Only by gaining military exploits can one account for Chongzhen.

As for Yang Sichang's military orders, we still have to abide by them for now.

Historically, Zuo Liangyu did not listen to orders because the rogue bandits had grown big at that time, and he had tens of thousands of troops under his command, so he had the conditions to support his troops and respect themselves.

Chen Wang naturally does not have these conditions at the moment, and Chen Wang is not prepared to follow the path Zuo Liangyu took in history.

"The time is not yet ripe. My troops suffered heavy losses at Qingshan Pass and have yet to be replaced. We have only recruited troops from Hanzhong Mansion to replenish them. It will take time to restore our combat strength."

"I have already submitted the situation of the Sichuan and Shaanxi soldiers to the Yangge Department. For the time being, I will focus on defense and send cavalry to harass, so I can give an explanation."

Chen Wang had already arranged everything. He had already expected it when he set out from Xiangyang City.

He now explained to Yang Sichang that he was unable to attack because of insufficient troops. It was basically impossible for Yang Sichang to force him to attack.

Everything he said is true, plain facts.

On the surface, he really only has these soldiers and horses under his command.

On paper, Hanzhong Town now only has these [-] soldiers and horses under his command, and there are still [-] capable guards.

As for the "newly recruited" thousands of soldiers and horses, it is naturally impossible to have any combat effectiveness.

The remaining more than 2000 battalion veterans in Hanzhong Town are stationed in Ningqiang Prefecture in the west of Hanzhong Prefecture under the leadership of Zhou Yumao.

Northern Sichuan is now a pot of hot porridge. Li Zicheng has been fighting all the way in northern Sichuan, winning consecutive battles, almost invincible, and turning like the wind.

After the Sichuan soldiers' defense line at Long'an Mansion was broken, the loopholes expanded and they could only defend in multiple places to block Li Zicheng's offensive.

Zhou Yumao defended Ningqiang Prefecture to prevent Li Zicheng from going north.

"If you send cavalry to harass, you can get some heads. With these heads, you can write a few more reports. The cabinet will not blame too much."

Yang Sichang had very little contact with Chen Wang, but from what is known from historical records, Yang Sichang was more concerned about whether his subordinates obeyed his orders than winning military exploits.

Therefore, Chen Wang was naturally prepared to follow Yang Sichang's instructions.

Regarding Chen Wang's arrangement, Cao Bianjiao was noncommittal. Cao Wenzhao had already explained it to him when he went south.

Chen Wang has always been cautious and cautious, and is accustomed to making decisions before taking action. After several years of ups and downs in officialdom, the rules and principles are already clear.

As long as you follow Chen Wang's lead and don't do anything outrageous, nothing will go wrong during your march south.

Cao Bianjiao doesn't care about military exploits or anything like that now.

Anyway, he is already the commander-in-chief of Lintao Town, and his official career has basically reached the top. After that, he will be the commander-in-chief of an important town, and then add some titles such as Prince Shaobao, Prince Shaobao, and some honorary titles, but there is not much practicality. significance.

If you go down steadily step by step, you can get these things in the future even if you don't have much military exploits.

After observing Cao Bianjiao's attitude, Chen Wang became determined.

Many plans that were originally shelved may be put back on the agenda.

　The following plot will correspond to the title of the volume "The World's Chess Game". Chen Wang has already dropped the first stone and started planning in Hanzhong.

　　(End of this chapter)