The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

That night, the camp was quiet.

Zhang Mao was woken up by someone, and in his sleepy eyes, he learned that his son and Ma Yi were leading the troops to attack first.

"This scoundrel... actually dares to make his own decisions!" Zhang Mao came up and became furious.

But after calming down for a while, his mood stabilized.

The two generals who came to deliver the order also looked at Zhang Mao curiously. They didn't seem to understand the relationship between Zhang Mao and Zhang Rui, father and son... If Zhang Mao is the father and the commander of the army, how brave is Zhang Rui? , How dare you disobey the coach’s orders?

And what happened to Ma Yi sending troops? Didn't it come from Zhang Mao's military order?

Zhang Mao said: "They attacked first. As a vanguard, how could I not know about it? I just never thought that they could send out troops so quickly. If nothing is gained, I will still come to help them! You suppress the news first, so as not to worry about it. The morale of the military is shaken."

"Yes." The two generals were a little relieved.

It turns out the coach knew about this.

Zhang Mao waved his hand and said: "I still need to rest and recuperate. I will send out troops tomorrow morning. As long as there is no urgent war situation, there is no need to disturb us!"

"Yes."

After the two generals retreated, Zhang Mao covered his heart and almost couldn't breathe.

"Surely he is really a wicked son! He doesn't even give his father face? This is a shame! But that's okay. If he wins, he will be the heir apparent, representing the Zhang family... Even if he The army was defeated and I didn't lead the main force to attack, so I can clear my relationship with him..."

Zhang Mao is a very thief.

The angry son disobeyed orders and went out with the army.

Fortunately, his son did not take his men with him, but went with Ma Yi on the expedition. In this way, even if he lost the battle, Zhang Mao would have reason to cut off from his son.

After all, Ma Yi couldn't produce Zhang Mao's order to mobilize troops, nor could he find someone to testify that it was Zhang Mao who ordered the troops... In this way, Zhang Mao was in a position where he could advance or retreat. In the position, it’s just...

It seemed like he was going to pity Zhang Rui.

Once Zhang Rui is defeated, this son may really have to be sacrificed.

"It was like this in Pianguan, and it is like this now. It seems that you still have to make some sacrifices for the Zhang family."

Zhang Mao seemed to be well prepared. Whether it was at the Biantou Pass, where his son and Ma Yi each led an attack, or when the two of them sent out troops again now, Zhang Mao had the intention to sacrifice his son to fulfill the family.

……

……

The land of the Loop.

Wang Qiong's subordinate was not in a good mood that night.

Zhang Mao thought that Wang Qiong led his troops into the grassland to shine. Only Wang Qiong and his generals knew how bad the environment of the grassland was. They finally made a surprise attack to the northern edge of the Hetao land and were about to cross the Yellow River. , but learned that there was not even a trace of Tatars around.

"...The British army has already passed Yansui. Calculating the days, they will cross Huamachi in these two days. The Tatars' previous border area was Huamachi. If the British army sends troops from Huamachi, , there is a chance to pursue the remnants of the Tatars.”

"After Xin Xinbo entered the grassland, although there was no news, there was no news of defeat. Moreover, his troops were well equipped, and most of them had the experience of marching directly into the grassland with him. It was possible for the soldiers to retreat with their hearts intact. Sex is big.”

"As for Anbianhou and Jingshanbo, their troops also sent troops from Jizhou. Although there is no news, it is expected that they can penetrate directly into the hinterland of the grassland, and it is very likely that Cai Guogong will personally dispatch troops in Jizhou."

……

The person who reported the war situation to Wang Qiong was Xiangcheng Bo Li Ao.

Li Ao fought with Wang Yue at the first battle, then moved to the northwest, and then after Wang Qiong took office as the trilateral commander-in-chief, he was transferred to the deputy commander-in-chief of Yansui, mainly because he was involved in the Zhu Hui case. This time, Li Na himself wanted to take this opportunity to send troops to regain his reputation.

As a result, it was obviously not smooth after entering the army. After leaving the pass, there was no chance to fight the Tatars head-on.

There is a map in front of Wang Qiong. Looking at a map, it is almost midnight.

Wang Qiong didn't seem to hear much of what Li Na said.

"By the way, Wang Zhitai, I heard from Anyuan Hou Liu Jing that the British Duke was a little confused after sending troops this time. In fact, he did not gain much credit in the battle at Pianguan, or there were cases where he falsely reported military achievements. You see, Don’t you want to… impeach him in advance?”

Li Wei may have thought that what he said before was all bad news.

Now for the "good news".

That is, the situation of the British public is not much better. After all, Liu Jing is our "eyeliner" there, and he will tell us about Zhang Mao's situation.

Wang Qiong raised his head and said, "Whether he wins or loses, how much does it have to do with us?"

Li Tao said: "What do you mean by Zhutai? We have only one way to win, and we don't need to worry about him. After all, your Majesty doesn't have any expectations for him, right?"

Wang Qiong would not answer such a sensitive question, but instead asked: "If you were to send troops, where should you cross the river and in which direction? With the current provisions and equipment, you should also know. Do you think it will take a few more days to send troops?" Suitable? What I’m talking about is, if you don’t encounter an enemy, how many days can you last at most?”

No matter how awesome Wang Qiong was in front of him, he still had to consider his own way out.

There is no big trouble in leading troops into the Hetao. After all, basically no Tatars dare to come to the Hetao. Those who come are all small and medium-sized tribes who dare not confront the Ming Dynasty head-on.

But if you cross the Loop and enter the hinterland of the grassland, the situation will be different.

If you can't guarantee your escape, it won't be as simple as being held accountable. It could range from loss of official position to serious... Zhu Hui is also a role model.

Zhu Hui's experience has caused a chilling effect in the army... It turns out that not working hard and missing the opportunity is a great sin. It is no longer like it used to be, as long as it looks like you have worked hard. Now the emperor has to pursue results.

Li Wei said: "If we cross the Yellow River and encounter a large group of Tatar cavalry, we..."

"Uncle Xiangcheng, I hope you hear the question clearly. How many days do you think is the upper limit?" Wang Qiong obviously didn't like Li Wei's speaking style.

Li Ao was worried about the Tatar invasion, but what he, Wang Qiong, was worried about was that he could not meet the main force of the Tatars after entering the grassland.

Li Tao said: "For four or five days, we marched hundreds of miles a day. Walking so four or five hundred miles is the limit that the soldiers can bear. After all, coming back is not as fast as leaving. Even if we come back here and retreat to Yulin Guard, it will still take a long time." Time.”

"Ah."

Wang Qiong nodded, seeming to think that Li Wei's analysis made sense.

It takes six days to send troops, and another four or five days to cross the river, which equals a journey of about eleven days...The troops will be withdrawn, and it will take another ten days to return to Yulin Guards...The soldiers could not bear a month of continuous marching, and they walked Twenty days or so seemed to be the limit of continuous marching.

Li Ao asked again: "Tatars are supposed to be around here to make Taiwan. Do you think that if we enter the grassland like this, the Tatars will deliberately avoid us? If we don't encounter the enemy, we will withdraw our troops." , they will definitely come and harass." Wang Qiong said: "I am not afraid of them coming. What I am worried about is the sudden abnormality of the weather. If we enter the ice and snow environment, it will be difficult for our firearms to be effective. By then...bows or crossbows They still have the power to fight. In addition, their horses are more adapted to this extreme climate, which may be very detrimental to us. "

Obviously Wang Qiong's ideas are those of traditional civil servants, and they also coincide with the ideas of Liu Jian, Li Dongyang and others.

Going to the grasslands to fight in the winter, the time, place and people are not occupied. If they encounter extreme weather, the Tatars can give full play to the advantages of cold weapons... After all, artillery and muskets are very important in the cold climate. It is also easier to get stuck if it is lowered.

Li Bo said: "Perhaps Uncle Xin Xin has gone further than us."

"We are different from him." Wang Qiong mentioned Wang Shouren with some helplessness, "Bo'an has been in the northwest for several years and has experienced a lot of such wars, and with his character, it is easier to gather military morale. But I am just here for the first time. There is no room for failure in this battle.”

Even Wang Qiong realized the gap between himself and Wang Shouren on the battlefield.

Wang Shouren has accumulated experience and reputation. Others know that he is good at doing this, so they feel confident to fight with him like this.

Although Wang Qiong had the experience of winning in Ningyuan before, he was always from a professional background. As an instructor in the Yanwu Hall, he was very knowledgeable, but his experience and reputation on the battlefield were always insufficient.

"Is the river frozen?" Wang Qiong asked.

Li Tao said: "I sent people to investigate and found that it is not freezing. At least the horses cannot cross the river."

"Then build the pontoon bridge, follow the method taught before by Yanwu Hall..." Then Wang Qiong thought that Li Nao was more serving on the front line, and he didn't practice much in Yanwu Hall. He didn't even learn the courses of building pontoon bridges. Pass.

Wang Qiong added: "The team of craftsmen I brought here will be put to use tomorrow. Within three hours at most, the entire army will cross the river."

Li Ao asked worriedly: "If the Tatars invade at this time..."

Wang Qiong looked very indifferent and said: "I can't ask for it."

……

……

There are three camps in Jizhou Town.

Zhang Zhou met the special envoy of Duoyan Sanwei in person that day, and the so-called "negotiations" before ended in nothing... As long as Zhang Zhou came forward, the conditions he proposed were very simple.

Either you cooperate with Ming Dynasty, or we come up and destroy you.

Originally, the three guards of Duoyan were prepared to negotiate terms with the Ming Dynasty, but when they heard that Cui Yuan and Zhu Feng's troops had already gone north, they turned back and headed towards Daning. The tribal troops who could keep them behind at any time around Daning After being completely annihilated, the three Duoyan guards could only choose to accept Zhang Zhou's conditions honestly.

"My lord, I think these people cannot be trusted."

When Sun Shangqi accompanied Zhang Zhou back to the governor's Yamen, he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

Sun Shangqi talked to them a few days ago, and they made various conditions. However, when Zhang Zhou came forward, this group of people honestly accepted the condition of unconditional cooperation. This made Sun Shangqi feel that these people were just bullying the weak and afraid of the strong, and they It is impossible to faithfully abide by the agreement to send troops.

Zhang Zhouren looked relaxed and content in the carriage and said: "Right now, they are not a threat to the Ming Dynasty. They are just using them to destroy the internal stability of the grassland. People's hearts are moved, and this is enough. As for half a year later, or even two months later, whether we should Sending troops to completely conquer them are all variables... They don’t have to abide by our agreement, and we don’t have to pay attention to our agreement with them."

Who said that the Ming Dynasty, as a powerful state in the Celestial Empire, must maintain the demeanor of a great nation like the Duoyan Three Guards?

You have always had different ideas, but now we are just exchanging interests. If we feel unhappy, we can send troops to destroy you first.

They say trust is mutual.

As for foreigners, distrust is the norm. There is no need to wait for others to break the balance of trust. We can also take the initiative to break it at any time.

……

……

When Zhang Zhou arrived at the governor's office, Sun Shangqi first went to see the sentries returning from the front line, and then came to Zhang Zhou to report the war situation.

"Jingshanbo sent troops with less than a thousand men along the way, diagonally inserted into the east road of Daning, forming a flanking attack. Duoyan Wei's troops south of Daning hurriedly moved to the north of Daning, while the troops of the other two guards Di Yi has even retreated more than a hundred miles north, and there is no news of their stationing yet."

When Sun Shangqi said this, he was very excited.

Obviously, Zhang Zhou's casual deployment of troops to threaten the troops and horses of Duoyan's three guards was enough to scare them into running away. Even so, it seemed that he was not afraid of these people messing around.

Zhang Zhou didn't say anything.

Sun Shangqi smiled and said: "It seems that they are indeed nothing to worry about, but I can't figure out how such a group of drunkards can help us attack the little Tartar prince?"

Zhang Zhou said: "Don't underestimate the enemy."

Sun Shangqi asked: "Then, sir, will you teach the envoys who come here a lesson? Just say that among them there are some craftsmen of the little Tatar princes. Grab a few of them at random, kill them and sacrifice them to the flag. I don't think they dare to tell anyone." "

Zhang Zhou was somewhat surprised when he heard this.

Jin Yiwei's actions were indeed unreasonable.

Even someone like Sun Shangqi, who seems to be honest and honest, will use conspiracy methods to frame and frame people at will... It seems that this is what Jin Yiwei is good at.

"There's no need for extraneous matters." Zhang Zhou smiled and said, "Let them go back tomorrow, let them send troops as agreed, and send people to urge them at any time. Let Cui Prince Consort and An Bianhou send two groups of troops to supervise the battle, no matter they march Whether urgent or slow, urge them to enter the battlefield as soon as possible. In addition, they will gradually occupy their pastures. Only when they complete the established plan will the pastures be returned to them. Otherwise, some small and medium-sized tribes will be used to grant them in the name of the court. Those small tribes have made it impossible for the people of Duoyan Sanwei to even get the pasture they need to survive."

"Yes."

Sun Shangqi took the order.

He was about to retreat to do things when he suddenly thought of something and reminded him: "My lord, your Majesty sent Eunuch Lin from the East Factory earlier... He was assisting Eunuch Li in the East Factory. He came and said that Your Majesty allowed you to come early." Come back to Beijing soon."

"No need," Zhang Zhou said, "I haven't finished my work yet. Besides, I still have to supervise the construction of the port."

"Will your lord lead the troops into the grassland?" Sun Shangqi said with great expectation.

If Zhang Zhou leads his troops into the grassland, he can follow him and gain military exploits. Perhaps even greater wealth is waiting for him.

Zhang Zhou said: "For the time being, let the generals who lead the troops complete the matters on the battlefield. I don't have to go to everything personally. If your Majesty has orders, I must go, only for the crucial battle... I am indispensable. Otherwise, I would rather be a bystander, even if I am criticized...how would I care about those gossips?"

Sun Shangqi cupped his fists and said, "Your Majesty's open-mindedness is admirable. Moreover, the other courtyard has been tidied up again, and all the people you sent have arrived."

"Yeah." Zhang Zhou nodded and said, "Speaking of which, I really should go over there and take a look later. Speaking of which, the Three Tun Camps are really a bit boring." (End of Chapter)