The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Huguang, Chengtianfu, Dangyang County.

At the end of the Han Dynasty, Zhang Fei guarded Dangyang Bridge and drove back the pursuing tiger and leopard cavalry of Cao's army, covering the retreat of the main force and allowing Liu Bei's army to turn the corner.

Dangyang is also known to people all over the world.

Now, thousands of years later, we are still in Dangyang and Jushui. Compared with the past, more soldiers gathered on the waterside on the outskirts of the city.

Countless crimson flags are scattered outside Dangyang City. At a glance, they are all densely packed with army camps. Tens of thousands of soldiers rushing south to reinforce are divided into camps to assist each other. The company's camps stretch for nearly ten miles.

As the sun sets, the smoke from the kitchens slowly rises between the camps, like a circling smoke dragon.

Yang Sichang was wearing a dark blue cloak and a Taoist robe underneath, with a gloomy look and dim eyes. He stood on the camp wall and looked at the rolling mountains to the west.

A group of military generals stood quietly under the camp wall with their helmets on their heads and their armor in the wind and snow.

The cold wind is biting, like a steel knife scraping bones. Even if you are wearing a cloak and a cotton coat, it is still difficult to resist.

All around the camp, all the soldiers on duty and patrol looked exhausted, their exposed hands and faces were red from the cold, and many of them could not help but tremble.

But all of this was not taken into consideration by Yang Sichang.

Yang Sichang's eyes were cold, and his heart was chilling to the bones. The thick and exquisite cloak and cotton clothes on his body did not make him feel the slightest warmth.

The reason why he felt chilly in his heart was not because of the physical cold, but because of the reports coming from the front line.

"It's a step too late after all..."

Yang Sichang slowly closed his eyes. His hands and feet were cold, and his heart was cold.

Luo Rucai led his troops across Sichuan and rushed into Jingzhou Prefecture. In mid-December, they invaded Yiling.

Fang Kongzhen, the governor of Huguang, ordered Huguang deputy general Yang Shien and Jingmen guard Luo Anbang to rush to the rescue. The troops arrived at Hou'er Cave in Yangping.

When Yang Sichang received the news, he knew something was wrong, because after crossing Yangping, the mountain road was narrow and it was easy to set up an ambush.

The reason why Yang Sichang was able to secure his position as Minister of War at the beginning was largely due to his strategy of spreading the net in four directions, six corners and ten sides.

Therefore, Yang Sichang knew the geography of each province and was very familiar with the tactics of rogue bandits.

After all, if you know yourself and your enemy, you will be able to fight a hundred battles.

This time, because he was implicated by Xiong Wencan, he was forced to go south to supervise the division.

Yang Sichang naturally did his homework well. As early as when he decided to go south in the capital, he collected information, checked the terrain, and planned encirclement and suppression.

After arriving in Xiangyang, the first order Yang Sichang issued after arresting Xiong Wencan was to collect topographic maps of mountains and rivers in various prefectures and check the local topography.

With Yunyang Mansion as the center and the terrain of several surrounding provinces, Yang Sichang Bowen has already firmly memorized it in his mind. As long as he mentions it, he can know where it is and what the terrain is.

Therefore, when the Tang newspaper arrived, saying that Yang Shien and Luo Anbang were leading troops across Yangping, Yang Sichang knew that something was wrong, and immediately sent a military order to instruct the Yang Shien and Luo Anbang battalions to turn back.

But the recall order was issued too late.

The high mountains hindered the spread of military orders until the messenger sent by Yang Sichang caught up with the two battalions of Yang Shien and Luo Anbang.

Yang Shien and Luo Anbang had already passed Yangping, and went deep into Zuoyu and Chongyangping. They rushed to Maliangping to join forces and were entering the encirclement net set up by Luo Rucai's department.

Yang Shien and Luo Anbang led the troops and retreated in the battle, but were finally besieged by Luo Rucai in Xiangyouping.

Yang Sichang sent several troops to help, but the water far away could not quench the thirst of the people nearby, and Luo Rucai also expected that the Ming army would rush to help, so he sent more soldiers and horses to set up ambushes. As a result, the reinforcements suffered losses, and they did not dare to rush forward.

Yang Shien, Luo Anbang and others were trapped for several days, with no water source. The soldiers were extremely hungry and thirsty, and a little snow water was not enough to relieve their hunger and thirst.

Breaking through Huanglianping, they were ambushed again. Both Yang Shien and Luo Anbang were killed in the battle. The troops in the camp under their command were destroyed. As a result, the morale of all the camps was greatly reduced.

Luo Rucai changed his route and entered Yiling again, plundered the surrounding areas, and became famous. Mountain bandits and water thieves from all over Jingzhou Prefecture joined forces one after another, and Luo Rucai's reputation surged.

"Zuo Liangyu and Zu Dabi are indeed arrogant and powerful generals who are difficult to mobilize."

Yang Sichang lowered his eyes and looked cold. The people he sent to rescue Yang Shien and Luo Anbang were Zuo Liangyu and Zu Dabi.

However, the two passed the blame and the rescue progress was slow. It took two days after Yang Shien and Luo Anbang died in battle before they arrived at Huanglianping.

Among the four battalions going south, Zu Dabi was not chosen by him, but because Zu Dabi was the commander-in-chief of Ningxia Town, he came with him.

The ancestral family has huge power and is deeply rooted in Liaodong, so it can be said that it has actually completed the separatist rule.

Liao's salary system was intertwined, linking Liaodong and the central government with interests. Even after winning the victory at Qingshan Pass and reaching the peak of his reputation, Yang Sichang did not dare to touch Liao's salary.

As Zu Dashou's biological brother, Zu Dabi went to Ningxia to serve as the commander-in-chief. There were deep-seated reasons for this. As the commander-in-chief of Ningxia, he had always taken care of himself.

Even Hong Chengchou back then often had no way to control Zu Dabi and just let it go.

Yang Sichang sighed softly, feeling exhausted. The Southern Kingdom was originally in a good situation, but Xiong Wencan made it into a mess, dragging him down and being forced to fall into it.

Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai divided their forces to fight. The sudden chaos in Henan and Shaanxi forced him to also divide his forces to pursue them.

Huang Digong and Sun Yingyuan led the Yongwei Battalion to fight against the 5th Gezuo Battalion in South Zhili.

He Renlong followed Zheng Chongjian to Henan, while Chen Wang, Cao Bianjiao, and Chen Hongfan stayed behind in Yunyang.

So now he has almost no generals available.

Except for the two towns of Zuo Liangyu and Zu Dabi, the only troops he led were from Huguang.

"If Chen Wang and Cao Bianjiao were here, how could we allow Luo Rucai to be so rampant?!"

Yang Sichang's expression was gloomy, and he could not suppress the anger in his heart. He had never endured such resentment in the court.

"General Cao has been ordered to lead his troops south. Now they have arrived at Jingmen. They will arrive in Dangyang tomorrow. When General Cao arrives, the current dilemma will be solved."

Seeing Yang Sichang's anger, the scribe standing not far from Yang Sichang took a step forward and reported to Yang Sichang in a low voice.

The scribe named Ye Guanming, also named Fuguang, was the chief staff member under Yang Sichang and often offered advice.

In the Ming Dynasty, when the county magistrate took office, he would hire a master to assist in management, and the same was true for the prefect of the prefecture. The master was not part of the official establishment.

In the central government, many high-ranking civil servants hire staff to assist in official affairs.

The general Cao Bing mentioned by Ye Guanming naturally refers to Cao Bianjiao.

Chen Wang led his troops to capture Chang Guoan in Yunbei and wiped out all his troops, completely eliminating the threat to Yunbei.

Today, Yunyang Mansion only has the threat of rogue bandits from the southern mountainous area of ​​Fang County, which is no longer something to be afraid of.

Yang Sichang had no generals available, so he immediately called Cao Bianjiao to lead his troops.

Yang Sichang's expression softened slightly when he heard this. After years of ups and downs in the officialdom, Yang Sichang was able to control his emotions well. The reason why he lost his composure now was actually because the suppression campaign was too weak. Zuo Liangyu and Zu Dabi even dared to disrespect his orders and fought with him. The gap was too huge when he was in power.

Cao Bianjiao is Cao Wenzhao's nephew. The relationship between Yang Sichang and Cao Wenzhao is very close. With the help of Cao Bianjiao's power, he can suppress Zuo Liangyu and Zu Dabi to some extent. "Fu Guang looks calm, and he must have a well-thought-out plan."

Yang Sichang regained his composure. He looked at Ye Guanming beside him, no longer feeling any emotion.

"I don't dare to deceive Mr. Ming. The current situation is not out of control. The students do have a way to break the situation."

Ye Guanming bowed respectfully and responded.

"Ming Gong can only worry about two things now."

"First, Yang Shien and Luo Anbang were defeated and died, which had a heavy impact. The campaign for many months had little effect. They were criticized by the court officials, so they were alienated by the emperor."

Yang Sichang nodded. His biggest worry still lay with the northern court.

Chongzhen hated parties the most, so Yang Sichang did not join any party.

Although Yang Sichang also had some direct descendants, he was actually alone in the court.

During the Wuyin Revolution, due to the rampage of the Qing army, the imperial court's memorials criticizing him were like snowflakes.

The current failure of the southern campaign will inevitably lead to constant criticism from the DPRK and China against ministers who have always been hostile.

"Ming Gong actually doesn't need to worry about this matter."

Ye Guanming took a step forward again and said in a deep voice.

"Yang Shien and Luo Anbang were defeated and died. However, the order to persuade Yang Shien and Luo Anbang to rush to Yiling was issued by Chu Fufang Kong Zhen, not Duke Ming."

In the Ming Dynasty, when the governor of a place was called, he usually did not call the name of the province, but used the single character of the province.

Huguang was called Chufu, Shaanxi was called Qinfu, and Henan was called Yufu.

"After Ming Gong received the Tang report, he immediately sent an order to call him back, and sent soldiers from the Zuo and Zu towns to meet him, and made timely remedies... This matter was just like Luo Rucai's escape into Jingzhou Mansion. It has nothing to do with Duke Ming..."

Ye Guanming didn't finish speaking and stopped talking at the last moment.

Yang Sichang's eyes narrowed slightly. He was so smart. If he wasn't smart, how could he have been so successful all the way? He had already figured out the key in just a moment.

He does not need to bear the responsibility for the defeat of Yang Shien and Luo Anbang. This matter can be entirely pushed to Fang Kongzhen, and it was indeed Fang Kongzhen who issued the military order.

At the same time, it can also be used to attack Shao Jiechun, the governor of Sichuan, accusing him of disrespecting orders and allowing the bandits to escape, killing two birds with one stone.

When Ye Guanming saw Yang Sichang's eyes twinkling, he knew that Yang Sichang had understood what he meant, and then he continued.

"Ming Gong went south to supervise the army, but within two months, he had already captured Bai Gui, the young king of Qin, and Chang Guo'an, the Tuotian king. These were all due to Ming Gong's planning, but they had little effect."

"You don't need to pay attention to the imperial court's criticisms of Duke Ming. The more criticisms there are, the more stable the position of governor of Duke Ming will be, and the emperor will be more trustworthy."

The authorities are confused, but bystanders know clearly. Yang Sichang has also come to his senses at this time.

The more officials impeach and criticize him, the more they can confirm his status as a lonely official.

Today's Holy Emperor hates cliques the most, but this can make his position more stable.

"The second point that Duke Ming is concerned about is that Zuo Liangyu and Zu Dabi are arrogant and domineering and difficult to control."

Ye Guanming looked at Yang Sichang's expression and continued.

Yang Sichang nodded slightly, and Ye Guanming knew that his calculation was good.

"Cao Bianjiao's men are mostly northern cavalry. Fighting in the mountains is not his specialty. Although he is brave, the number of soldiers under his command is only 3,000. After all, it is difficult for him to defeat four people with two fists."

"Zuo Liangyu and Zu Dabi were friends with their uncle Cao Wenzhao, and even if they were controlled by Cao Bianjiao, they would not be able to fight vigorously."

Yang Sichang frowned slightly. The arrival of Cao Bianjiao can indeed improve some of the current situation, but the improvement effect is not significant.

"As Ming Gong said, General Cao's arrival can only improve the situation a little."

Ye Guanming straightened his body slightly and said with a smile.

"So the students did not place all their hopes on Mr. Cao from the beginning to the end."

Yang Sichang's eyes dimmed and he cast his gaze on Ye Guanming.

"The situation in Shaanxi is now in chaos. The general Li Zicheng escaped from northern Sichuan and jumped into Fengxiang Mansion, causing turmoil and stirring up trouble in the five mansions."

"Shaanxi Province is now very empty. Some of the province's troops and horses are stranded in the north, and some are led by Qin Fu Zheng Chongjian to maintain stability in Henan. The remaining troops and horses are simply unable to withstand Li Zicheng's army."

"On the 20th, Li Guoqi's troops marched north from Hanzhong Prefecture into Shaanxi. However, they lacked troops and could only protect the territory of Xi'an Prefecture."

"Since Zu Dabi is arrogant and difficult to control, we might as well transfer him directly back to Shaanxi and let him fight with Li Zicheng. Zu Dabi and Li Zicheng have an old grudge, so they will definitely not show mercy. Now the situation is just right to let him return to Shaanxi."

Yang Sichang frowned slightly, his eyes always on Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai.

As early as when he went south, Chongzhen gave him an explanation.

Zhang Xianzhong's crime was so heinous that he once shocked the ancestral mausoleum and must not be pardoned. The remaining bandits can be suppressed and used together.

The Fengyang Imperial Tomb was excavated, and one of the masterminds was Zhang Xianzhong. The reason why Chongzhen was willing to agree to Zhang Xianzhong's care was that he was holding back a sigh of relief.

Facing the Qing Dynasty, which was constantly growing in the North, Chongzhen wanted to put more power in the North, so he agreed to recruit.

Zhang Xianzhong's resurgence in Gucheng completely ignited Chongzhen's anger.

Yang Sichang would naturally abide by the secret edicts issued by Chongzhen himself. He knew very well that the source of his power was because of Chongzhen's trust.

Moreover, Zhang Xianzhong's tribe was the strongest among the rebels at that time. If Zhang Xianzhong's tribe could be annihilated, it would be easier for other tribes to deal with it. It would kill two birds with one stone and there would be no conflict.

But now, more troubles are arising, especially the situation in Shaanxi is changing day by day.

Li Zicheng fought consecutive battles in Shaanxi, and the soldiers and horses in each town were scattered and scattered. They were defeated by him one by one. His power expanded greatly and his momentum became more and more powerful.

"Li Guoqi is not capable enough. Shaanxi really needs a major general..."

Yang Sichang pressed the jade belt around his waist with one hand and stroked his beard with the other, already making a decision in his heart.

Zu Dabi was arrogant and domineering and difficult to command. Now he was in Huguang. Not only was he useless in the campaign, but he also set a bad example and affected other camps and towns.

The situation in Shaanxi is not optimistic. Sending Zu Dabi to Shaanxi can not only eliminate these effects, but also relieve the crisis in Shaanxi.

Butterfly wings have flapped.

Li Zicheng did not start his career in Henan as in history, but remained in Shaanxi.

I have completely sorted out the plot, and there should be no interruptions in the follow-up updates!