national surname chiming

Chapter 240
Cars rattled, horses rustled, flags fluttered, and dust billowed.

Tens of thousands of soldiers and horses gathered on the land of Xinyang Mansion like a trickle to return to the sea, meandering all the way northward, gathered in Ruyang, and passed Shangcai.

And as the gathering place of the officers and soldiers moved forward, the atmosphere of the outbreak of war became more and more intense.

Li Zicheng's army on the opposite side has also gradually divided up from outside Kaifeng City and moved southward, returning to the area around Yancheng, back to the front line where it had fought with Zuo Liangyu half a year ago, and confronted the Shen family's army that had just gone north.

The only difference is that Yancheng was still in the hands of Zuo Liangyu half a year ago, but now it has been controlled by Li Zicheng.Therefore, if Shen Shuren wanted to go north on this road, the geography would be even more unfavorable, and there would be more key nodes to overcome.

This geographical disadvantage, of course, is clear to all those who know how to fight, and naturally because of this, they will be even more unfavorable to Shen Shuren.

Today is September 5000th.A Ming army of about [-] men, led by a general who looked like Zhang Fei with a steel needle-like beard, marched slowly to Ruyang.

This person is Huang Degong, one of the four towns in Nanming in history.

It has been almost half a year since he was put under the control of Shen Shuren in March this year.This is the first time that Huang Degong has received a combat mission to join the friendly army to fight side by side.

Who made it so that there were no thieves to fight around the jurisdiction he was in charge of before.After Lin Chengcheng surrendered in the first lunar month, the surrounding area of ​​the Dabie Mountains was completely peaceful, and Huang Degong's troops were idle for a rare half a year.

At most, it was just to warm up those fleeing bandits who were not restrained by Lin Chengcheng, and to maintain their state.

As a digression, Huang Degong's troops are considered elite among the Ming army, at least they are definitely not bad among the troops in the southern towns, and they are second only to the Liaodong frontier army.

Among his 5000 men, there are also 6000 cavalry, which is a force that cannot be underestimated.Before that, Shen Shuren had been farming for so many years, and repeatedly beat Zhang Xianzhong to snatch the horses of the old camp in the north, but he only gathered [-] cavalry, and of course Huang Degong's troops were not included in the [-] people.

After Huang Degong and Shen Shuren joined forces, the total number of cavalry in Xinyang's army could exceed [-].

At this moment, Huang Degong's troops were still more than [-] miles away from Ruyang City, but they suddenly saw smoke and dust billowing from the north, and a group of cavalry came towards them, but there were not many of them.

Huang Degong wasn't overly on guard, he just pressed the lance stick in vain, and when there were only two or three miles between them, he had already seen the opponent's flag clearly, and it turned out to be Zuo Zixiong, the commander-in-chief of Wuchang, so he relaxed.

After a while, Zuo Zixiong galloped up to Huang Degong, got off the saddle, and bowed his hands in salute: "I have seen Mr. Huang, and Futai has been waiting in Ruyang City for a long time. Please discuss the military plan with Mr. Huang."

Huang Degong didn't expect the other party to dismount at first, so he had to dismount when he saw this, but he was not so strict in returning the salute, he just bowed his hands casually, unlike Zuo Zixiong who leaned forward and bowed slightly.

While returning the salute, he sighed in a complicated tone: "Brother Zuo, why bother to be so polite, you and I are both general soldiers, so we can't be."

Zuo Zixiong is very sincere: "Deserve it, why not! The general will always remember that three years ago, we were only a thousand households under Mr. Huang's command. To Zongbing.

General Huang still admires Huang Zongzhen's tactics, army management, and martial arts to this day.If Huang Zongzhen had the opportunity to serve under such a well-known official as Shen Futai, he might have been granted the title of uncle and general. "

Huang Degong blushed when he was flattered by his old subordinate. Fortunately, he also knew the character of a rough man like Zuo Zixiong back then. He knew that the other party was telling the truth, not flattery, which made him feel better. .

However, although Huang Degong is also a rough person, after all these years of experience in the officialdom, there are some factors in Zuo Zixiong's remarks that may offend others, and he still has to correct them.

Huang Degong coughed lightly: "The court is fair, the emperor is a sage, and those who make meritorious deeds should be rewarded. You can be the leader of the army, that is the result of your own hard work. Of course, there is a civil servant who is willing to report the military achievements of his subordinates fairly. It is also very important and indispensable.

Huang was in the position of general soldier, and he stayed for three or four years, but I had no chance to make meritorious service and had no battle to fight.Governor Shi was also very kind to me back then, and I was the one who didn't live up to it. "

Huang Degong had to say these words, after all, there were so many generals from the Paoze Department listening.

Zuo Zixiong could say that he was lucky enough to follow the right civil servant. If Huang Degong didn't say so, wouldn't he be forgetting his origins and "thinking that Shi Kefa is not a good leader, at least not as good as Shen Shuren, and he won't be promoted if he follows Judge Shi Ke".

No new boss dares to reuse a person who forgets his roots.

What's more, Shi Kefa treated Huang Degong really well in the past few years, and his treatment was at least equal.It's just that he himself doesn't have the ability to make meritorious service and get promoted quickly, so naturally he can't take Huang Degong along with him.

Shi Kefa is purely lacking in ability, not in character.

"President Huang is right. The last general made a slip of the tongue. Let's stop talking about this. We can't make Shen Futai wait any longer. Anyway, this big battle is just around the corner. Follow Shen Futai, and you will definitely have meritorious service." A chance to be rewarded. Liu Guoneng was granted the title of General Polu last year, and Mr. Huang is loyal and courageous, so will it be far behind?"

Zuo Zixiong obviously realized that he had offended someone with his words, so he quickly made amends.Originally, he didn't mean to praise one or trample on the other, but Shen Futai was really awesome, to tell the truth, he could make other colleagues look unsightly.

Only then did Huang Degong nod in satisfaction, and he had a thorough understanding of his old subordinate's intentions. At the same time, the other party's testimony filled him with enthusiasm, and he secretly thought that this time he must follow Shen Shuren and get a general title as well.

……

A group of people quickly entered Ruyang City and met with Shen Shuren.

Shen Shuren also had a happy face. In the past few days, he temporarily requisitioned the county government office in Ruyang City as a temporary camp, and summoned the generals to discuss matters.Huang Degong just arrived today, and it is necessary to set up a welcome wine.

Of course, alcohol is prohibited during wartime in the army, but there is no need to be too serious when the troops have just joined forces.Moreover, Shen Shuren also knew that Huang Degong was addicted to alcohol, and would "drink more than a fight" every time before charging to fight, so it was impossible to control alcohol thoroughly.

"Mr. Huang, don't come here safe and sound. I haven't seen you for a few years. With you and General Liu working together, our army will surely save Kaifeng in this battle."

As soon as the two sides met, Shen Shuren was very friendly, completely disregarding the dignity of civil servants, and got along with the generals.

"Shen Futai is being polite, the final general is just fighting with everyone. We can fight as Futai tells us." Huang Degong also hurried over to pay his respects, and he couldn't help but compare Shen Shuren and Shi Kefa in his heart.

Shi Kefa is also very upright, he will not take the credit of his subordinates, and rewards and punishments are clearly defined.It's a pity that Shi Kefa, as the leader of the Donglin Party, always feels alienated from generals.

As for Shen Shuren, he could not see any pride in the two ranks of Jinshi. Even Liu Guoneng, a general who was once a bandit, could change cups with all his heart, and Liu Guoneng was so moved that he didn't want it.

After a few drinks, Liu Guoneng couldn't help talking about Shen Shuren's righteousness back then: Not only did he send troops to reinforce him, but he also took his son to Nanjing to enter the Imperial College, and he was a decent "shadow prison", so that his old Liu family could also Since then, he has become a scholar.

If there was no Shen Shuren, he might have died in Ye County and Yancheng last year.So whatever Shen Futai told him to do, he would do.

(Note: In history, Liu Guoneng was attacked and killed by Li Zicheng in Ye County and Yancheng in the 14th year of Chongzhen).

Huang Degong had heard about these things before, but today was the first time he witnessed Liu Guoneng's respect and obedience to Shen Shuren with his own eyes, and he was secretly startled and a little hotheaded.

However, after all, Huang Degong still knows the soldiers, and he also knows the current strength gap between the two sides. Li Zicheng has 40 to [-] horses, how can the official army easily attack and defeat him?

After Liu Guoneng drank too much, in order to show his loyalty, he blindly preached that "as long as Shen Futai lets us attack, we will do everything we can to attack, and we can't let Shen Futai down", which also made Huang Degong a little worried.

He found an opportunity and asked tactfully: "I don't know how I am equal to Ruyang when I gather in Futai. How do I plan to fight against the intruders and rescue Kaifeng? The intruders have just defeated Yang Ge and Governor Sun, and they are in full swing. And Yang The morale of our army is hard not to be affected by the old and the new."

As soon as Huang Degong said this, Shen Shuren just smiled slightly, but before he could answer, Liu Guoneng was upset.He is not as good at drinking as Huang Degong, and when he got a little excited, he patted the table and said:
"Huang Chuangzi! Everyone in the world says that you are brave and not afraid of death, but it seems that you are still inferior to us. I will fight as Shen Futai tells us to fight! I don't even frown!
As for the old man Yang Ge who just died of illness, can this also be used as a reason for cowardice?Both Shen Futai and us have been appreciated and supported by Mr. Yang Ge, just to repay the favor, this is called the mourning soldier must win! "

Huang Degong didn't have a good temper either, and directly retorted: "Who is afraid of death! This is not to ask Futai what's the plan. If I can kill more enemies and serve the country, I will rush faster than you!"

Shen Shuren saw that both of them were about to quarrel, so he quickly talked and laughed and said peace: "Now that the two generals are going to work together, how can we argue about such a little conflict of spirits?
Mr. Huang was worried that I would put all my eggs in one basket, which is understandable.But don't worry, do I look like that kind of reckless guy?Of course, Mr. Yang Ge's kindness must be repaid, and the reason why the mourning army must win is also true, but I will never worry about it. "

When Shen Shuren said this, he paused for a while without anger, and glanced at Liu Guoneng and Huang Degong, and they both fell silent.

And when Shen Shuren continued to sweep towards Zuo Zixiong, the other commander who accompanied him at the end, Zuo Zixiong directly stated that he would follow his orders, and the atmosphere in the venue was completely calmed down, and no one dared to talk anymore Tongue, all listen to Shen Shuren's orders.

Only then did Shen Shuren nod, and continued: "For today's plan, the enemy is strong and we are weak, but our army can last for a long time. It is beneficial for us to continue the stalemate. What we want is to make every step of the way, ensure the food road, and build a stronghold." Play dumb and advance.

In this way, we can force Chuangjun to fight with us, instead of us going to Chuangjun for a decisive battle. At that time, the right time and place will be on our side, and when the weather cools down, it will be even more unfavorable to the attacker, and Chuangjun will inevitably bear more weakening.

The grain stored around Kaifeng Mansion was barely sufficient until this year's autumn harvest. Li Zicheng attacked from April to September, destroying Henan's year-round farming. It is said that the Chuang army had already started eating people.

Now our autumn grain has just been harvested, but the two or three mansions closest to the burglars have almost nothing to harvest. In July, Liu Zongmin and Li plundered Huaiqing and Wei Hui and snatched some unfinished summer grain.

If it dragged on, as long as Li Zicheng hadn't breached Kaifeng City in winter, he would probably kill each other, starting with the old and weak in the army, or at least eat the women and children he captured, and the morale of the army would also be low. "

Liu Guoneng and Huang Degong listened very quietly. After being analyzed by Shen Shuren in this way, they became more confident, and their determination and confidence in serving Shen Shuren became more abundant.

I know that this is a good leader who takes the lives of soldiers and soldiers seriously, not those civil servants who only regard casualties as numbers and have no idea.

But things are definitely not that simple. Huang Degong has fought for so many years, and he also knows the importance of logistics, so he immediately pointed out a little common sense:
"Although our army has food after the autumn harvest, can the defenders in Kaifeng City last that long? Will they run out of food? According to common sense, the food stored in each city is usually after the autumn harvest, and at most there is a little surplus It’s autumn harvest time now, and there is no new food supply in Kaifeng City, so it must be exhausted soon, right?”

Shen Shuren nodded approvingly: "Of course, both sides will think about these things. A siege battle, the first one or two months, may be a fierce attack. Once the two months cannot be stormed, the remaining time will definitely be the same as the attacking side. Morale is already low, and it is difficult to quickly win and break the city by relying on tough battles and piles of lives.

Li Zicheng besieged Kaifeng. From April to September, it was clear that there was no surety of quick victory. I guess from July onwards, he had already made the idea of ​​'waiting for the people in the city to starve to death without food and soldiers without the will to fight'. Hope to use the siege and so on to transfer.

That's why in July, Liu Zongmin and Li sent excessive troops to attack Huaiqing Weihui, which caused His Majesty to mistakenly think that Sun Chuanting and Yang Ge would take the opportunity to defeat the Chuang army one by one - but it was a misjudgment after all.

For the current plan, what we have to consider is how to ensure that our grain road can be advanced as close as possible to the place where it is possible to leave the seal, and how to fortify the frontier and store more grain.Then try to divide the troops to open one direction of the besieged camp, and try to send a batch of food and supplies and ammunition into the city.

As long as the food roads can be opened up, the morale of the Chuang army will naturally collapse after the Chuang army realizes that their offensive has weakened and the months of siege that counted on running out of food were wasted. "

Huang Degong frowned when he heard this, but felt that this Shen Futai was a bit idealistic: "Don't seek a decisive battle with the Chuang army, but want to realize the delivery of food to Kaifeng City? How should this be done?"

Shen Shuren: "We don't know yet, but we can take the first few steps first, step by step, and create opportunities for the enemy to make mistakes first.

At the same time, we must try to create momentum and disperse the troops of the intruders, so as to ensure that when we advance, there will never be too many enemies in the front, at least we don’t have to face all the troops of the intruders at the same time-I have some ideas for this step, but at present Can't say yet, let's just see the result.

Three to five days at the most, six or seven days later, you can see that the invading army in Yancheng will divide its troops. At that time, our pressure will be even less, and it will be much easier to continue to advance. "

Shen Shuren knew that in Liu Guoneng's army, there were some individuals who had been inextricably linked with the bandits.Before he completely reorganized the troops, it was better for his confidants to know some things.

After all, the deceitful and counterintuitive actions of Wendou do not require military commanders to intervene, and it is enough to have civilian staff to handle them.

Liu Guoneng and Huang Degong didn't object, and didn't feel that Shen Futai was wary of them, so he happily accepted this setting and decided to follow Shen Shuren to observe for a few days.

Let Shen Futai handle the matter of using the brain, they are only responsible for the part of moving the knife after Futai gives the order.At least for now, Shen Futai's thinking and general policy are correct.

(End of this chapter)