A century-old family that runs through the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 374 Starfall

After hearing this, the Minister of Hubu stood up and said:

"Your Majesty, there are only three thousand taels of silver in the treasury, and there is no more money to spare."

The emperor's smile suddenly froze.

Are you already so poor?

Fortunately, Liu Yuliang said at this time:

"Your Majesty, gold and silver are not enough to demonstrate the illustrious achievements of Governor Hong. I would like to grant you a knighthood for Governor Hong."

Zhu Yousong suddenly laughed.

This is indeed a method. The title is an iron rice bowl, and it is a very high honor. More importantly, it does not cost him money, but it can also show the emperor's attention. Although the title comes with a salary, the court has already delayed even the military pay, so it doesn't seem to be a big deal to delay the nobles - at least it sounds nicer than delaying the rewards for heroes.

"Hong Chengchou was granted the title of Nan'an Bo, a Taibao, and a python robe and jade belt."

The ministers felt that this reward was quite reasonable, so they all praised it, and Zhu Yousong's eyes turned to Liu Yuliang again and praised:

"The chief assistant is still quick-witted and can share my worries. In this battle, the chief assistant is also sitting at the rear and strategizing. He should be rewarded!"

Liu Yuliang's lips curled up unconsciously.

Chen Yan was on the side, but he couldn't see his arrogance. He signaled his subordinates with his eyes, and someone else immediately stood up:

"Your Majesty, Mr. Chen, the second assistant, should be rewarded for being able to calmly manage and make suggestions for Your Majesty before the war."

He raised his head and looked at Luoyang City in front of him.

Sun Chuanting was not the only one who received the news of Wang Chongzu's attack failure.

He squinted his eyes and met Chen Yan's somewhat provocative gaze.

No matter how Wang Chongzu led his army to the north, there were still 60,000 defenders left in Luoyang City. Sun Chuanting only had 80,000 men. It was almost impossible to break through this strong city.

"That way, there will be no worries!"

Hearing the news, he couldn't help but smile:

"well!"

Zhu Yousong nodded and gave Chen Yan a reward, but the other party declined and accepted it. This made Liu Yuliang a little dissatisfied, and he felt that his limelight as the chief assistant had been robbed.

"Sir, the siege of the capital has been lifted!"

"What Ai Qing said makes sense."

Under the city of Luoyang, amidst the thunderous artillery fire, Sun Chuanting received the report from his subordinates.

There seemed to be sparks in the eyes of the two people looking at each other.

Although it has experienced wars and Wang Chongzu visited Luoyang twice, as the capital of Dashun at this time, it has still been well repaired. The city wall is tall and strong. Behind the female wall are countless cannons, aiming at the people below. enemy.

Sun Chuanting made a prompt decision and ordered.

……

Now, with the retreat of Wang Chongzu's army, the crisis in the capital was relieved, but he was the one in danger.

He also succeeded. Wang Chongzu hurriedly retreated south. In addition to knowing that it was impossible to capture Beijing, he also had some thoughts of rescuing Luoyang.

Therefore, the Ming army's siege strategy was to use a large number of artillery and muskets as the forward, with golden drums and flags waving in the rear, making a grand appearance, frightening the defenders in the city, and putting pressure on the main force of the Northern Expedition. , forcing it to return aid.

"Send the order, stop the attack, pack your bags, break camp and return to Huguang tomorrow!"

Zhang Xianzhong also received the news.

The past few years have not been easy for him. Sun Chuanting worked hard and steadily in Huguang, constantly consolidating and expanding his jurisdiction. In the east, the Jiangsu and Zhejiang military governments occupied Jiangxi, which put him under great pressure.

Fortunately, at this time, Sun Chuanting led his army north to King Qin, and not long ago he had defeated all the bandits in northern Huguang. After some discussion, the escaped "Cao Cao" and "She Taotian" went south to join him, and then Its strength increased. Taking this opportunity, he immediately expanded his power and successfully occupied several cities.

"Father, I think this is an opportunity." The adopted son Sun Kewang said:

"Sun Chuanting came out in full force to sneak attack on Wang Er's back. However, the cities under his command are very tightly defended and difficult to attack. Instead of wasting his general's strength here, it is better to go north to intercept and kill Sun Chuanting."

"Their army must have been exhausted after fighting for so many days. Our army will take this opportunity to defeat the Ming army. If we can defeat Sun Chuanting and make him lose his troops and generals, we will have a great advantage in Huguang."

Zhang Xianzhong couldn't help but nodded after hearing this. Sun Chuanting was pressing hard in Huguang, which was a serious concern for him. If he could take this opportunity to severely damage him, he would have the upper hand in Huguang.

In mid-May of the first year of Hongguang, Zhang Xianzhong sent several of his men to attack the city in northern Huguang that was newly occupied by the Ming army. He led an army of 200,000 troops directly into the Henan border, preparing to intercept and kill Sun Chuanting.

During the march north, the Ming army deployed a grain storage area in the rear, but it was discovered by Zhang Xianzhong's sentry. Zhang Xianzhong was overjoyed and immediately led his troops to turn around.

Soon after, the Western Army suddenly appeared under Xinye City, the Ming Army's food supply area, and began to attack fiercely.

Sun Chuanting also received the news that Xinye was attacked by Zhang Xianzhong. At this time, he had only four days of rations left, so he rushed to rescue Xinye.

However, before he arrived, Xinye had already fallen. Zhang Xianzhong turned his horse and faced the Ming army.

With Li Dingguo as the vanguard, he led the elite soldiers of the old battalion to attack fiercely and fight regardless of casualties. The Ming army was exhausted from the long-distance attack. The Western army, which should not have been its opponent, had the upper hand at this time. After a day of fierce fighting, the Ming army retreated with casualties. tens of thousands, and was forced to return to Dengzhou for rest.

Zhang Xianzhong took the opportunity to lead his army to Dengzhou and began to attack the city.

The 200,000 troops of the Western Army are very high-quality, and at least 70,000 to 80,000 of them are newly gathered refugees and cannon fodder. However, even though Sun Chuanting's men are elite, they are short of men and horses, and they are also short of food, and their combat effectiveness has plummeted.

Sun Chuanting held on for ten days, but more than half of his men were lost. At this time, Liu Zongmin, the general of the Shun Army, also led more than 10,000 cavalry in a rapid march and arrived at the gate of Dengzhou City.

On the thirteenth day, the city had been without food for several days. Facing the attack of the Western Army and the Shun Army, the city finally fell.

……

Sun Chuanting's armor was in pieces, arrow feathers were stuck on it, and the long sword in his hand was also chipped.

He had multiple injuries on his body.

After many days of fierce fighting, he had no way to save himself.

Only the most loyal soldiers were left, desperately resisting the approaching bandits.

"Whoever kills Sun Chuanting will be rewarded with a thousand gold coins, please pay homage to the general!" A shout came from somewhere, making the soldiers of the Western Army go crazy.

Today, it seems, is the end.

"What a pity, I can no longer kill thieves for Your Majesty..."

He sighed softly.

On the opposite side, the resisting figures fell one after another. The Western soldiers held swords in their hands and broke through the weak defense line of the pro-army like evil wolves, staring at his head with glowing eyes.

"kill!"

Sun Chuanting let out a final roar, raised the broken long knife with his scarred hands, and struggled forward.

Fight to the death.

(End of this chapter)