The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

"Say what you just said again..."

Yang Sichang slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with a captivating cold light.

His voice was so cold that the atmosphere in the military tent was instantly suppressed.

Yang Sichang has been in a high position for a long time. Not only did he serve as governor, in charge of the military and political power of several towns, he also served as an official in the court, serving as the Minister of War to control the towns, and then he was promoted to the cabinet. He was prominent throughout his life. He can be said to be a well-known minister with his own So majestic.

The messenger kneeling in the tent was lying on his knees, just lowering his head and trembling all over.

All the generals did not dare to look directly, they all lowered their heads to look at the ground, they were all cautious and did not dare to speak.

It was so quiet inside the tent that you could almost hear a needle drop. No one dared to touch Yang Sichang at this time.

"Didn't you hear what I said clearly?"

Yang Sichang spoke again, his voice cold, as terrifying as if it came from under the Nine Netherworld.

The tone was as calm as water, and there seemed to be no fluctuation at all.

But everyone knew that Yang Sichang was definitely on the verge of rage.

All the pressure was concentrated on the messenger who was kneeling on the ground.

The messenger tried his best to control his body and open his mouth to tell the news he said not long ago, but all had little effect.

The pressure brought by Yang Sichang was far beyond what he could bear, and the messenger was so frightened that he became speechless.

"explain."

Yang Sichang's cold voice sounded again, as if it was a pardon order, making people dare not refuse from the bottom of their hearts.

The messenger who was kneeling on the ground froze, his heart even more frightened, but this time he spoke out all the words.

"Zhang Xianzhong's troops suddenly turned south from Taiping County, passed from Dongxiang to Dazhou, and then headed north to Bazhou..."

"it is good."

"it is good."

"very good……"

Yang Sichang stood up slowly and said hello three times.

His eyes were condescending and slowly glanced over the generals in the tent.

Yang Sichang's face was as dark as water, and he did not hide the fierce light in his eyes.

"Cao becomes a dragon."

"The end will be here."

Cao Bianjiao, who was standing on the left side of the tent, took a step forward, half-knelt on the ground, and responded crisply.

"Fifteen days."

"I'll give you fifteen days."

Yang Sichang's eyes were cold and his voice was cold.

"Within fifteen days, I want to see Zhang Zuokai's head in the tent."

As Yang Sichang finished speaking, the already depressing atmosphere in the tent became even more depressing.

"I will obey the Prime Minister's military orders!"

Cao Bianjiao immediately bowed his head, stretched out his hands, and respectfully took the handed Shang Fang Sword.

Yang Sichang's power can be said to be the greatest among all previous governors and prime ministers.

As a cabinet minister, he served as the prime minister of the six provinces. He was ordered by the emperor to lead the reinforcements and suppress the towns. All the troops and horses in each battalion were under his command, and all the governors in various places were under his control.

Shang Fangjian was given to him, and the imperial edict clearly stated that those below the deputy commander-in-chief and staff general could behead first and then report.

The military order issued by Yang Sichang now is to kill Sichuan general Zhang Zuokai, which is reasonable, legal and legal.

All the military academies in the tent were watching with their eyes, nose, and heart. No one made any sense, nor did they have any thoughts of death, because Zhang Zuokai really deserved to die.

After learning that Zhang Xianzhong was heading north to Taiping County, Yang Sichang ordered Chen Wang to guard the provincial border, and at the same time urgently ordered Qin Liangyu to go north from Wanxian County and stationed in Dongxiang County north of Dazhou to block Zhang Xianzhong's retreat.

As long as Qin Liangyu rushes to Dongxiang County, he can completely cut off Zhang Xianzhong's way and trap Zhang Xianzhong in Taiping County. Catching Zhang Xianzhong will be as easy as catching a turtle in a urn.

Zhang Xianzhong was blocked in Taiping County, basically a trapped beast, with only three ways to go.

One is to go north and go straight to Shaanxi to join forces with Li Zicheng.

The second is to go east and return to Huguang to make peace with Luo Ru.

These two routes are the most likely choices, so Yang Sichang continued to mobilize troops and generals to enhance the strength of the two routes.

The third path is to go south into the hinterland of central Sichuan. This path is the least likely to happen.

However, Yang Sichang chose to send troops to defend out of caution.

Chen Yilong and Wu Shenghua initially confronted Zhang Xianzhong for a long time in Dazhou. Although the defeat caused Zhang Xianzhong to go north to Taiping County, they persisted for a long time, guarding the pass to central Sichuan, and did not let Zhang Xianzhong escape into the hinterland of Sichuan.

The strength of the two battalions was severely damaged, so Yang Sichang moved General Zhang Zuokai's troops originally stationed in Bazhou to Dazhou.

Then Zhang Xianzhong suddenly took the route south, exceeding everyone's expectations, bypassing Dongxiang County and heading straight for Dazhou.

Chen Yilong and Wu Shenghua joined forces with Zhang Zuokai to resist.

Originally, the battle situation was stalemate at first. Although the rogue bandits attacked fiercely, after Chen Yilong and Wu Shenghua were defeated for the first time, they began to continuously build camp defenses and fill up the defense line. Therefore, the rogue bandits were never able to break through the defense line and cross the thunder pool.

However, during the fierce battle, a group of rogue troops broke through the outer defense line.

Zhang Zuokai was afraid of the enemy and abandoned the camp and fled. As a result, the entire Dazhou defense line was broken and collapsed.

The rogue bandits took advantage of the situation to cover up the attack, broke in through the gap, and defeated the Sichuan army guarding Dazhou in one fell swoop.

Deputy Commander-in-Chief Chen Yilong died in the battle. He was stabbed four times and shot three times. All his servants died in the battle.

General Wu Shenghua was seriously injured, but his servants fought hard to get him back, so he was lucky enough to stay.

The two battalions originally had 8,000 soldiers and horses, but only 5,000 were left after the war, with more than half of the casualties, including nearly ten guerrilla and garrison generals and above.

Yang Sichang stood on the first seat and looked at the generals in the tent. His tone was cold and evil.

"From now on, if there is anyone who fears the enemy and fights cowardly, or who avoids fighting and flees, no matter who he is or why, he will be killed without mercy!"

……

After leaving the Zhongjun tent, Yang Sichang looked gloomy and went straight back to the camp.

After arriving at the camp, Yang Sichang could no longer suppress the anger in his heart.

Zhang Xianzhong fled into central Sichuan and headed straight to Bazhou.

Now that most of the troops and horses in Sichuan Province have been transferred to the north to suppress Li Zicheng, it is the most empty time.

When Zhang Xianzhong went to Sichuan, he felt like a fish in water.

"The anger is extremely harmful to the body. Please take care of yourself, Ming Gong."

Ye Guanming followed Yang Sichang into the big tent. He waited for Yang Sichang to vent his anger and then stepped forward to comfort him. Although Yang Sichang is only fifty-two years old this year, he has never been in good health because he suffered from a serious illness when he was young.

In his middle age, he served as a military officer in Liaodong, and then served as governor of Xuanda. He was often in bitter cold places, so his physical condition worsened.

But this time when he went south to supervise the army, the wind and frost along the way, coupled with the acclimatization after arriving in the south, Yang Sichang actually had some problems with his physical condition.

Yang Sichang's face now showed a sickly flush, and the violent fluctuations in his mood had a great impact on him.

"Zhang Xianzhong is going to Sichuan, and all deployments will be changed accordingly. If there is another accident in the subsequent suppression campaign, not only Sichuan, but the entire southwest will be affected."

Due to the persecution of rogue bandits in Shaanxi, Shaanxi, Henan, Huguang, Nanzhili and other places, tax revenue has been declining year by year, and the country's finances have become increasingly difficult.

Sichuan is not only a strategic location, but now also a tax- and food-rich province.

Although the She'an Rebellion that broke out in the southwest was suppressed, the poison is still there, and the chieftains in many places have rebellious intentions. If Zhang Xianzhong gets involved, it will probably make the originally stable southwest region more complicated.

Nowadays, in all directions of the Ming Dynasty, the northwest is constantly suffering from famines and has been tortured by rogue bandits for a long time. The northeast is threatened by Jurchens, and there are wars every year. The situation is getting worse year by year.

Tens of millions of Liao salaries were a drag on the imperial court's finances every year.

Only the southeast and southwest are still peaceful, supporting the important tasks of taxation and grain.

If Sichuan is hit by a disaster, the southwest will also be affected. How can the southeast alone support the entire country?

"Zhang Xianzhong has now rushed into Bazhou, and the road into central Sichuan is now clear."

"The force going to the center of Sichuan is like a horse galloping into the plains. It has a smooth journey of thousands of miles. It is no more than a fool's dream to destroy it in a short period of time."

The most important thing is that in order to wipe out Zhang Xianzhong, he wrote a letter asking for salary and increased the salary, which is 7.5 million taels of silver per year.

Although at the time of the report, Yang Sichang said that it would not increase the burden on the people too much.

But in fact, Yang Sichang knew very well the impact of such additional personnel.

Increasing rates means drinking poison to quench thirst.

But in the current situation, if you want to quickly deal with the many bandits in the pass, you must drink this poisonous wine.

Before the soldiers and horses move their food and grass, it has become a normal thing for the towns in the pass to be in arrears with pay. In many cases, the soldiers are not paid, and the generals cannot command their troops at all.

After more than a year of rest and reorganization, Zhang Xianzhong, Luo Rucai, Li Zicheng, Gezuo Fifth Battalion and other troops are no longer what they used to be, and they can no longer be viewed with the same eyes as before.

It is necessary to mobilize a large number of troops, fully pay them, and strengthen their armaments in order to win the battle.

Drinking poison to quench thirst is acceptable, as long as Zhang Xianzhong, Luo Rucai, and Li Zicheng can be completely wiped out within one year or two years, all of this is acceptable.

As long as they are wiped out, the remaining bandits will be beheaded out of fear, and ordinary people will be forbearing out of fear, and the direction of the civil uprising will completely change.

When the extra taxes are subtracted, everyone will be happy.

"The situation has deteriorated to this point, and I am already fully to blame."

Yang Sichang's face was gray and his voice was low.

"If Zhang Xianzhong went north to Shaanxi, or went east to meet Luo Rucai, it proves that although Zhang Xianzhong has restrained himself a lot, he still has the habit of being a rogue bandit."

"But Zhang Xianzhong's trip south to Sichuan has already proved that the situation is developing in the worst direction."

Yang Sichang sat back on the seat, looking extremely tired.

"Zhang Xianzhong kills people like crazy, has a cruel personality, and is murderous by nature, but he is able to hide his capabilities and bide his time for a long time, which shows that his intentions are very big."

"It is absolutely impossible to choose to go to Sichuan unless you have the intention of separatism and the hidden ambition to dominate the world."

Ye Guanming's expression was solemn, and he had actually seen what Yang Sichang said.

But at this time, Ye Guanming knew very well that he could not echo Yang Sichang.

Although Yang Sichang understood this in his heart, if he echoed it at this time, it would inevitably make Yang Sichang feel even more depressed.

"The defeat of Dazhou caused Zhang Xianzhong to flee into Sichuan. The matter was irreversible."

"Although Zhang Xianzhong's entry into Sichuan is a bad thing, it is not completely beneficial to the current overall situation."

Ye Guanming took a step forward and spoke seriously.

"The cabinet department went south to supervise the division, and military orders were conveyed to various towns, but it was often difficult to implement them."

"Because they have been in arrears for a long time, their combat power is weak, their morale is low and they are difficult to obey orders, such as Chen Hongfan, Fang Guoan and other battalions."

"There are also generals in important towns who are arrogant and domineering because of their own achievements, and they avoid fighting by taking responsibility, such as Zuo Liangyu, Zu Dabi and other generals."

"There are many governors from all over the country who have other thoughts, headed by Shao Jiechun, the governor of Shu."

Ye Guanming walked closer and said in a deep voice.

"After Ming Gong sent General Cao to kill Zhang Zuokai, all the towns will be frightened by Ming Gong's power. Ming Gong will only need to be kind and powerful in the future, and the towns will not dare to disobey easily from now on."

"Ming Gong's power is enough, and the follow-up will only depend on the reward."

"Now that Luo Rucai has retreated from Yiling and been defeated by our army, he has retreated to the Xing and Gui Mountains. It would be better to give rewards according to the level of military merit when the various ministries are advancing to suppress the army."

Yang Sichang adjusted his eyebrows slightly, having recovered from his previous depressed mood, but his brows were still frowning.

"I'm afraid these methods won't deter Zuo Liangyu much."

Ye Guanming bowed his head and spoke.

"Zu Dabi has left, and after General Cao's soldiers went south, Zuo Liangyu has also changed from his past arrogance. Now is the time to accept his heart."

"Zuo Liangyu and Xiong Wencan have been grudges for a long time. This time Xiong Wencan goes north and is handed over to the Ministry of Criminal Justice for trial. Ming Gong can use the execution of Xiong Wencan to gain Zuo Liangyu's loyalty."

"Liu Guoneng, Wang Guangen and others who surrendered to the rogue bandit all looked up to Zuo Liangyu. If Ming Gong can win Zuo Liangyu's heart, it will be easy to control the other camps."

Yang Sichang's expression softened slightly. What Ye Guanming said was indeed reasonable, and it did wake him up.

He was temporarily blinded by anger before, but he did not think of these deeper things.

Cao Bianjiao was extremely angry when he sent Cao Bianjiao to kill Zhang Zuokai. The main purpose was just to kill Zhang Zuokai and then quickly, for the purpose of killing chickens to scare monkeys. He didn't think much about the rest.

"The Lord shall not be angry and raise an army, nor shall he be angry and cause war. This sentence is indeed correct."

"This time, I lost my temper."

Yang Sichang sighed softly. The failure of his plan ultimately prevented him from keeping a calm mind.

Ye Guanming came closer, then lowered his voice slightly and continued.

"And most importantly, Zhang Xianzhong's entry into Sichuan Province just solved one of the biggest problems for Ming Gong."

Yang Sichang's expression was slightly condensed, and Ye Guanming's words made him a little confused.

Zhang Xianzhong's entry into Sichuan Neizhong obviously brought him huge troubles, so how could he solve the troubles for him instead.

The confusion on Yang Sichang's face was not concealed, and it was all caught in Ye Guanming's eyes.

Ye Guanming smiled lightly and slowly said three words.

"Shao Jiechun."

Yang Sichang's eyes lit up and he understood.