The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 334
Tomorrow time.

The battle on both sides of Huangshui has not yet completely subsided, and there are red and white ice and snow mixed with blood everywhere.

When Lu Wan's Chinese army arrived, the Ming soldiers almost massacred the clansmen of Duoyan and Taining, not to mention their cattle, sheep and livestock.

Zhang Heling's face was sullen, his face was covered with ice and snow, and only a little heat was still coming out of his two nostrils. He walked a few steps, and his feet suddenly sank into the water. Only then did he realize that he was actually standing on the ice of Huangshui. face.

"Shou Ninghou, are you alright?"

The general next to him hurriedly supported him.

"Where is Governor Lu? Where are the others?" In the previous battle, the team was scattered.

Even Zhang Heling, who had never been on the battlefield seriously, felt that the killing last night was completely chaotic.

The general said: "Master Lu has led his troops to the north to ambush the soldiers and horses on the other road. Only more than 1 horses and horses were left on the river bank to clean up the mess. There were more than 3000 prisoners, but a group escaped and a group were killed. …Now there are not even 600 people.”

"Why did you escape?" Zhang Heling frowned.

At this time, Zhang Yong also crossed the ice and came to the south bank of Huangshui. When he saw Zhang Heling, he didn't panic to find Lu Wan. forward.

"Marquis Shouning, we have to evacuate quickly! From here to the east, there are troops from the Chahar tribe, and the escaped Wuliangha people are going in all directions. This road is difficult and there is no way to chase them."

Zhang Yong came to urge Zhang Heling to prepare to lead his troops to withdraw eastward.

Zhang Heling said: "Didn't that Governor Lu lead his troops to the north? Don't wait?"

"The errands are different! They are going to stop the Tartars from retreating eastward. What does it have to do with us? Let's clean up the mess and retreat quickly. From here to Shenyang Zhongwei, we may not be able to go back for ten or eight days. We have already penetrated deep into the grassland. The hinterland!" Zhang Yong sighed.

Zhang Heling was excited all over, and asked: "Old Zhang, is our place far from the boundary of Daming, or is Weininghai far from the boundary of Daming?"

Zhang Yongdao: "Of course it is far from here. Let alone four hundred miles, Weininghai is only two hundred miles away from Datong..."

"My old lady said that you cheated me. You really know how to cheat me. I haven't seen the tartars all the way. I thought I was still wandering in the territory of Ming Dynasty. Feelings made me go to the back of the tartars to die. ? Let's go, let's go!"

Zhang Heling was scared when he heard it.

At the beginning of the march, because there was no snow and the road was not very fast, Zhang Heling had a horse to transfer, and he felt good.

He has been busy chasing these two days, suffering from the limit of his body, he didn't care how far he ran, and now he knows... It turns out that I went deep into the grassland this time, deeper than Wang Shouren and Ma Yi. , is farther away from the garrisoned gates of Daming... I was simply tricked into boarding a pirate ship!

Seeing Zhang Heling's cowardice, Zhang Yong suddenly understood why Lu Wan and Wang Xian didn't bring him with them when they led troops to fight against the other group of Duoyan Sanwei.

Probably someone like Zhang Heling, even if he is the commander-in-chief, is only suitable for cleaning up the mess.

"You don't need to be alarmed, Shou Ninghou. There are [-] to [-] soldiers and horses in the two armies of the Ming Dynasty. Even the Tartars who escaped from the battle last night can't judge the number of soldiers and horses in our three armies. We don’t need to be afraid of the tribe. After cleaning up, the three armies will retreat first after rectification, and then station and rest after walking fifty miles away. The river here is narrow and the current is fast, and the river has not completely frozen, so it is not suitable for garrisoning troops.”

"Let's go!"

Zhang Heling couldn't help saying that he just wanted to go back to Daming as soon as possible.

Even now he is very tired, but thinking that he is in a dangerous place, he would rather take a nap on the horseback than stay a moment longer to be more dangerous.

……

……

The first ambush was fought across the north and south banks of Huangshui, and the battle was almost flawless.

But after the end of the first battle, when he wanted to go north to double-team Fuyu, Duoyan and other troops who had split their way, they could only chase after him.

"Lu Zhongcheng, I can't chase anymore."

Wang Xian, as the coach of another team, met Lu Wan who had just rushed over.

From last night to now, Lu Wan's group of troops is the most tiring, but they don't get much military exploits. Most of the credits are basically taken by Wang Xian's ambush troops.

Wang Xian pointed to the messy scene along the way in the distance, and said: "When the Tartars retreated, they threw away everything they could discard, just to avoid annihilation of the entire army. If you continue to chase, you will easily encounter the main force of the Tartars!"

Lu Wan said, "Is it only a few dozen miles away?"

Wang Xian sighed: "There are no more ambushes in front of us. Going forward, there will be more changes on the road, and there will be more tribes of Tartars. If it is a sunny day, we can push all the way, but the number of our troops and artillery Not allowed."

"Report..."

A messenger brings news.

"Speak!" Lu Wan didn't seem tired at all.

In comparison, the troops led by Wang Xian were even more tired.

"62 Tatar prisoners were captured, and more than [-] cattle and sheep were captured."

"take away!"

Lu Wan had to bow his head now.

When they came from the southern line, Fuyu and Duoyan had already gone for about [-] to [-] miles, and there was no sign of catching up for a while. The road was full of abandoned cattle, sheep and goods. Escaping for his life, he really almost lost his family fortune.

Lu Wan said with a full face of regret: "It is my great regret that I have not been able to wipe out the three guards of Duoyan in this trip."

Wang Xian said: "Very good."

Lu Wan turned his head and glared at Wang Xian. Although the tactics were completed by double-teaming together, the main credit for killing the enemy was in the ambush, and it was the [-] soldiers and horses brought by him, Lu Wan, who made the hard journey. Also the most.

While Wang Xian was full of cavalry all the way, Lu Wan's side came all the way with all kinds of cannons weighing three or four hundred catties.

Peng Quan rode over and said nervously, "My lords, we have sent out spies to investigate. The Tatars have traveled nearly a hundred miles to the west. According to the current speed of advancing troops, it will only take two or three days to catch up."

Wang Xian said: "Let's move away."

Peng Quan asked, "Should we withdraw in the direction of Daning, or Shenyang?"

This involves a problem.

Wang Xian and Peng Quan came from Jizhou, that is, from the southern route.

Lu Wan came from the eastern front, that is, from Shenyang Zhongwei in Liaodong.

Before Wang Xian could answer, Lu Wan's attitude was firm and said: "If you go south to Daning, although the road is much shorter, you may encounter the main force of the Tatars. The men and horses take care of each other, and the Tatars dare not attack directly."

On the issue of troop withdrawal, Lu Wan still has enough say.

It seems that Wang Xian and him each brought a group of troops.

But Wang Xian was just a temporary general, just like Wang Shouren who led the troops into Weininghai at that time, he had the power to lead troops but did not have a high official position.

Lu Wan was the governor of Liaodong. In the mid-Ming period when there was no economic strategy, Lu Wan could be said to be the highest military and political officer in Liaodong.

Moreover, Lu Wan also proceeded from the actual situation and analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of going south and going east.

Peng Quan just looked at Wang Xian. He came with Wang Xian. In the minds of the soldiers, there is a clear distinction between who leads the troops and who is in charge of the deployment.

Wang Xiandao: "What Lu Zhongcheng said is very true. If you go south, it is easy to set up an ambush for the Tatars to intercept along the way. Even if the road is short, it is easy for the main force of the Tatars to outflank. Although it is a long way to go east, it is extremely difficult for the Tatars to go around and outflank. The two sides are advancing in a straight line, and the chances of the Tartars catching up are slim."

The road is short, but it is also short for the Tatar pursuit.

And it can also double-team from the south.

Going east, it was once the territory of Duoyan Sanwei, and the Tatars came from the west if they wanted to chase it.

Originally, it was Daming's men who were chasing the three guards of Duoyan. If Dayan Khan's main force came, it would become their army chasing Daming. Naturally, it would be safest to go straight.

"Order the three armies to go east! Let's rest after nightfall!"

Lu Wan also knew that the soldiers in the army had reached the limit of their physical strength, but they couldn't rest until now.

It is also necessary to wait for the battlefield area to reach an area where the terrain is relatively easy to resist the Tatars, and then rest.

……

……

The army of the Ming Dynasty entered the grasslands in two ways, and when they left the grasslands, they merged into one road.

After noon, the soldiers couldn't walk anymore, especially those infantry who walked on two legs. Even though the wind and snow had stopped at this time, there was so much snow on the road that they couldn't even tell where they came from. , The gray sky is connected to the vast white grassland, and you can only walk forward in one direction. Only the people in charge of opening the road in front know what the road ahead is, and the rear is walking according to the ruts and footprints that opened the road in front.

Seeing that the soldiers were unable to march, Lu Wan could only order the three armies to garrison. In this kind of weather, it was very difficult to even make a fire and cook food. Fortunately, the army also brought charcoal and so on. After barely lighting the fire, they could finally eat. A mouthful of hot soup and hot rice.

Inside the Chinese army tent.

Lu Wan took off his official uniform that was almost frozen by ice water. As a civilian officer accompanying the army, he would not know how to wear armor on this journey.

There was a cloak outside, but because of the heavy snowstorm last night and the tossing along the way, when I took off my clothes, I found that the official uniform inside was covered with a layer of ice.

"The water is freezing!"

Wang Xian brought Ma Yongcheng into the tent. Ma Yongcheng wanted to drink water, but found that the water in the leather bag had already frozen.

Wang Xiandao: "The soldiers outside have already started chewing snow water. If we continue walking like this, we don't know how many will fall down when it gets dark."

"Report... Zhang Zongbing's troops are five miles to the south, and the vanguard troops have entered the camp to meet up..."

The troops led by Zhang Heling and Zhang Yong to clean up the mess joined the main force.

After waiting for a long time, Zhang Heling and Zhang Yong also appeared in the big tent of the Chinese army. At this time, except Peng Quan who was still in charge of patrolling the cavalry, the rest of the big men gathered in a tent Inside.

Ma Yongcheng asked Zhang Yongdao who had just entered with excitement, "How many heads and prisoners are there?"

Zhang Heling cursed and said, "Why do you have the nerve to ask? There are headless half bodies everywhere on the river bank, bloody and bloody. You are also greedy, and you don't even want to keep a head?"

Ma Yongcheng looked embarrassed.

In Daming, the rules for the first gong still haven’t been fundamentally improved. After the battle last night, Wang Xian and Peng Quan’s ambush troops were afraid that Lu Wan’s chasing troops would steal the merit. He was cut off, tied to his own horse, and then went after him.

This made it difficult for Zhang Heling and others who cleaned up the battlefield to take over the former prisoners, and it was difficult to find a leader to do some credit.

Wang Xiandao: "The number of heads taken away is about 600. The blown ones are not counted, but there are also intact ears that have been cut off. Not counting the left and right ears, but both ears."

Zhang Heling sat down, grabbed the freshly boiled water, wanted to drink it but found it was very hot, and was still cursing: "Aren't those ears all the same? Do you have to make a pair? Looking for ears all over the place? Daming didn't have any." Such a rule."

The most depressing one is Zhang Heling.

But in fact, he is also the most brisk.

As the commander in chief and the leader of the army, it's nothing for him to go to the battlefield to charge and fight. There are so many complaints about cleaning up the battlefield, but after a battle, Zhang Heling's inner growth is also the smallest, because others are very clear that he came here for military merit... Zhang Heling hasn't returned to what he was doing until now.

I feel like I’m being tossed about by others. It’s none of my business to fight. When I cleaned up the battlefield, I found that my heads were all cut off. I took a bunch of prisoners and ran away a lot.

What is the point of tossing around for so many days?
Zhang Heling was about to doubt his life.

Lu Wandao: "Total up here, the first merit is about 300. Whether it reaches [-] or not, we have to calculate again. As for the prisoners, many were captured before... Some were directly shot to death, and it was inconvenient for the old and the weak Those who are taken away are probably going to be killed...to gather, there are about four or five hundred prisoners..."

Ma Yongcheng said happily: "It's pretty good, and it's more than 2000 military exploits."

Lu Wan said with a stern expression: "It's just that compared with the loss of the previous battles in the Ming Dynasty, Liaodong has tossed so much in this battle, but the credits gained are disappointing."

Let’s just say that the main task of dispatching troops is our Liaodong, and you guys from Jizhou just set up an ambush, and your heads were taken away, and the prisoners are also taken by you. It’s a matter of loss of feelings. We go, but you We eat meat and drink soup?
The two sides did not cooperate sincerely on the battlefield, but now that the war is over, the resentment has deepened.

Wang Xiandao: "What is Lu Zhongcheng talking about? This battle was won by both of us, regardless of each other."

Zhang Heling got annoyed when he heard it, and cursed: "Then you still cut off all the heads that can be chopped off? You don't even let the ears on the broken heads go? How do you play when you perform the merit?"

Ma Yongcheng asked: "Has the credit been credited?"

Lu Wan shook his head and sighed: "From here to the south, it is still two hundred miles away to Daning, and it is more than four hundred miles from the old site of Daning back to Daming Pass. Let's talk about the military achievements after returning to Daming Pass."

"Two hundred plus four hundred..." Zhang Heling suddenly thought of something and asked, "How many miles have we entered the grassland now?"

Before Zhang Yong told him that it was more than four hundred miles away from the grassland, which made him feel that he had been tricked, but now the conversation of this group of people made him realize that it was not only four hundred miles away.

Wang Xiandao: "This place is about seven or eight hundred miles away from Shenyang Zhongwei..."

"How many?"

Zhang Heling stood up with a cry.

Wang Xian frowned and said: "Marquis Shou Ning, you have traveled for so many days after leaving the fortress, almost day and night, don't you even know how far you have traveled?"

Zhang Heling said angrily: "After leaving the pass, everything is so desolate, except for the grass and the mountains. How can I know how far I have traveled?"

Lu Wan was too lazy to argue with Zhang Heling. In order to prevent Zhang Heling from making trouble for him, they could travel more than a hundred miles a day, and they told Zhang Heling that they only traveled fifty or sixty miles... Anyway, Zhang Heling didn't have any concept of distance. Zhang Heling's request was just not to make trouble for himself.

"The top priority right now is to get out of your body." Lu Wandao, "Everyone, when you give credit for your contribution, I hope you will be merciful."

The muscles on Wang Xian's face moved.

Now Lu Wan is putting pressure on him.

Although Wang Xian, like Lu Wan, had no actual experience in leading troops before, this time he made a contribution that others could hardly match, so he just let it go... Who will accept it?
Neither Lu Wan nor Wang Xian are the kind of people who are easy to get along with. Both of them can later become ministers of the Ministry of War. They must have their own unique aspects in governing the army, and they will protect the interests of their own units. It is also the demeanor that a general should have.

……

……

"Master Wang, you heard what Master Lu said just now, what exactly did he mean?"

After leaving the tent of the Chinese army, Wang Xian took Ma Yongcheng to his camp.

Wang Xiandao: "Eunuch Ma, don't you understand? The Liaodong side thinks that their contribution is too small, and they feel that their contribution is no less than ours, or even more than ours."

Ma Yongcheng frowned and said, "What's the use of having too many of them? We did the fighting on the battlefield. Don't look at how many people we lost here? They just followed suit."

"You can't say that." Wang Xian actually had a headache.

When you come, you can divide your troops, you can't see each other, and there is not so much collusion.

But now when the troops are withdrawing, the trouble comes. The big trouble is that people have to bow their heads under the eaves...Who made Lu Wan have a strong army? He has 7000 troops, while he has only less than [-] cavalry. Woolen cloth?
The direction of withdrawal is not to Jizhou, but to the hinterland of Liaodong to the east.

After this is over, for some credit, fight again...

"Eunuch Ma, no matter how Lu Zhongcheng reports it, we must also report it ourselves. When we meet the supervisory censor of Liaodong later, we don't have to be polite to them. After all, our report... there is no evidence for it, we still have to read the first report." Where is the grade?"

Wang Xian was sympathetic to Lu Wan in name, but secretly he couldn't give in.

Ma Yongcheng asked: "What if they rob us?"

"It's not enough on the grassland, but if we enter the fortress, there will be an explanation! We can't wait for the soldiers in Liaodong to report back, and send people in advance, using the excuse of spying on the military situation, to send more people back to the capital first... That’s the only way for now.”

Wang Xian looked at the gray sky in the south with emotion on his face.

"The most important thing right now is to get out of your body. And I think that the omnipotent Zhang Shilang in the court will be able to figure out what we have experienced and pave the way for us. The matter of military merit, now Worrying is futile."

(End of this chapter)