Follow Zhu Yuanzhang to conquer the country

Chapter 120 Cheng Cheng divides his troops to go to Huaiyang, Zhu Yuanzhang disrupts the plot of the landlords and bureaucrats
Emperor Yuan Shun was originally afraid that Tuotuo, who had all the power in the government and the public, would become the second Boyan, which would make him an emperor in name only.

Therefore, after seeing the memorial from Yuan Saiyin Buhua, he also made up his mind to depose Tuotuo.

However, he did not choose to remove Tuotuo immediately. Instead, he sent an order to remove Tuotuo's younger brother and Timur from his official position first, in order to test Tuotuo's reaction.

After Tuotuo learned that his brother had been dismissed, he guessed his fate, so he called Duo'er and said:
"I may have my military power reduced soon. Next, it will be up to you to suppress the bandits, especially in Jiqing. We cannot let the bandits really gain a foothold in Jiqing!"

Duo'er only nodded: "Prime Minister, don't worry, the thieves in Jiqing are just a coincidence, they are not strong, and they are just operating around Jiqing now."

"It can be seen that apart from being able to stay in Jiqing, this bandit army can no longer send more troops to attack other wealthy counties in the south of the Yangtze River."

"Now, our troops have begun to set off. Prime Minister, don't worry. It is expected that we will be able to recapture Jiqing this month and wipe out this bandit army."

"We cannot underestimate this bandit army!"

"They are not attacking other wealthy counties in the south of the Yangtze River for the time being, perhaps because they have a bigger plan. After recapturing Jiqing, they need to conduct multiple investigations to find out why this bandit army did not capture Jiqing and then plunder Pingjiang and other places. "

Tuotuo said with a solemn expression: "I have always felt that this bandit army is not simple. The rumored Mr. Zhang is probably the leader of the current chaos in the entire Jiangnan and Jiangbei, and this person's strategy should be more... Smart, on the surface, after taking Jiqing, his people did not go to plunder other wealthy counties in the south of the Yangtze River, but in fact, he may be quietly digging for the foundation of my Dayuan."

Tuotuo then sighed and said: "It's a pity that Timur was incompetent first, Hezhou also fell, and Chuzhou was not able to be massacred!"

At this time, Tang He couldn't help but say something.

"According to the latest news, his brother Timur has been dismissed from office, and he himself has been impeached by the censor. This is a very important signal, indicating that he will be dismissed from office next!"

Tuotuo smiled bitterly, replied helplessly, and looked up to the sky and sighed:
"It's not even a hundred years yet! I, a nobleman of the Yuan Dynasty and the Manchu Dynasty, are just like the noblemen of the Jin and Song Dynasties in the past, living like flies and dogs, working in treacherous ways and not doing business!"

Zhang Cheng said: "That's right! Yuan Bing doesn't want us to stay in the colorful world of Jiangnan for a long time, so let's go to the Huaiyang area of ​​​​Jiangbei to make trouble. It is also a land of plenty, and there are many villages there waiting for us to build a foundation."

Duo'er only said: "Don't worry, after recovering Jiqing, I will definitely recover Chuzhou as soon as possible. No matter how powerful the demon thief Mr. Zhang who lives in Chuzhou is, unless he can escape out of thin air, otherwise, he will definitely be allowed to join all the Han people in Chuzhou." Death without a burial place!"

As soon as the New Year in the fifteenth year of Zhizheng year passed, Zhang Cheng's rebel troops in Jiqing began to withdraw from Jiqing one after another, leaving only some secret communication stations and scattered in the countryside. guerrilla organization as preparation for possibly crossing the river again in the future.

All the officers and generals were shocked.

"According to the latest news, Yuan soldiers from Yangzhou Road, Huai'an Road, Zhenjiang Road, Taiping Road, and Changzhou Road are all gathering in the direction of Jiqing. Many Yuan soldiers from Jiangbei have already crossed the river, so we are going to It is suitable to divide the troops and go to Yangzhou and Gaoyou to disturb the rear of the Yuan army's base camp."

"Even Your Majesty doesn't want to see that the world can only be cleaned up by taking off things."

"Going to Yangzhou and Gaoyou?"

"But there is Tuotuo and his army of millions, fighting against Zhang Shicheng."

On the seventh day of the first lunar month, Zhang Cheng also put forward his new ideas at the military meeting of his rebel army.

Duo'er only said: "Prime Minister, if the imperial edict to remove you really comes, don't go and pick it up yet. Why not wait until the news of the victory of recovering Jiqing and Chuzhou comes in? In this way, His Majesty will surely know how important you are. You will not be dismissed."

Zhang Cheng said: "Tuotuo probably won't be able to hold military power for long!"

"It's no wonder that Mr. Zhang would rather be a thief than a minister of my Great Yuan."

"Do you think it's because there are too many old nobles from the Jin and Song Dynasties left behind, and they haven't all been eliminated, that's why my Yuan Dynasty has been corrupted so quickly?"

"That way it won't just be dismissed, but I won't be allowed to live."

"Duo'er, you don't understand the ways of the court after all. The people who are most worried about me putting an end to the chaos in the world right now are actually not the monsters and thieves, but the people in the court!"

……

After that.

"Otherwise, Yuan Ting would not have taken action against Tuo Tuo's men when he was still leading the army. And taking action would only mean that Yuan Ting had deliberately replaced him, so he dismissed his younger brother first and tested him. Reaction."

As Zhang Cheng spoke, he ordered Qi Xiang: "Show everyone Hu Yuan's Di Bao, which records the news of Tutuo's impeachment and removal of Timur."

"Yes!"

After reading the content of "Di Bao", Zhu Wenzheng and other officials became more convinced of Zhang Cheng's words, and were quite interested in going to Gaoyou and Yangzhou.

Zhang Cheng finally discussed with these officers and generals and decided:

Let Tang He and Wang Guangyang serve as commanders and instructors of the First Route Army, respectively, to develop in the direction of Zhenzhou and Yangzhou, mainly by water route and supplemented by land route;

Hua Yun and Shu Anguo served as commanders and instructors of the Second Route Army respectively, developing in the direction of Tianchang and Gaoyou;
Mao Guang and Yang Xian were respectively appointed as commanders and instructors of the Third Route Army, developing in the direction of Shiliang and Huai'an.

Zhang Cheng himself led Generals Xie Cheng and Song Lian of the Shenji Battalion to stay at Waliang Base to train new soldiers, cultivate talents, and develop skills.

Zhu Wenzheng took the new recruits of the Shenji Battalion to attack the surrounding areas such as Liuhe and Lai'an, which had been re-captured by the Yuan soldiers, to strengthen the defense around Waliang Fort, and at the same time, it also gave the new recruits an opportunity for practical training.

After Zhu Yuanzhang also repelled the Yuan soldiers who had reorganized and attempted to recapture Hezhou, he also began to rebuild farming and other production orders while attacking surrounding strongholds, such as the Jilong Mountain area. Yuan soldiers stationed troops to ensure food routes. Major fortresses were established in order to consolidate Hezhou's strongholds.

However, during this period, Sun Deya, the former commander-in-chief of Haozhou, was also eating in Hezhou area due to lack of food. After learning that Zhu Yuanzhang occupied Hezhou, he requested to temporarily stay in the city for a few months.

Many rebel leaders in this era actually fought guerrillas, but their guerrillas only had the consciousness of traveling and fighting, and did not have the consciousness of building base areas. The so-called food often meant looting everywhere. Even if they occupied a city, they would just sit back and wait for food. There is no intention of building a stronghold if we go elsewhere once it is empty.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that the official army often comes to encircle and suppress the rebels who capture a city very quickly, so that the rebels do not have time to realize the construction of strongholds.

This is the case with Sun Deya.

But because Sun Deya had a large number of soldiers, and Zhu Yuanzhang had just occupied Hezhou, there were only a few thousand veterans around him, and the rest were recruits. Moreover, he was also worried that if he refused, Sun Deya would fall into the nearby camp and cut off his food route. and Yuan Bing on the retreat had no choice but to agree.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang still reported the matter to Guo Zixing.

When Guo Zixing found out, he immediately changed his expression: "Doesn't Zhu Yuanzhang know that I was insulted by Sun Deya?! He wouldn't just kill him for me, but he actually took him in!"

"Commander, calm down!"

"Master Zhu has stated in his report that he does not have enough troops and is worried about asking Sun Deya to surrender if he refuses, so he has to allow him to enter the city. If the commander really wants to settle old grudges with Sun Deya, he might as well lead his troops to Hezhou to see Sun Deya. At that time, Sun Deya's life and death will only depend on the commander's thoughts."

At this time, Li Menggeng persuaded Guo Zixing to come.

Guo Zixing nodded: "That makes sense."

Guo Zixing, who had always been resentful about Zhao Junyong and Sun Deya cheating on him, was naturally unwilling to let go of such an opportunity to take revenge on Sun Deya, so he actually led his troops to Hezhou. Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly became nervous about this. He knew that Guo Zixing had a suspicion towards him, and now he came in a hurry to blame him for taking in Sun Deya.

As soon as Guo Zixing arrived in Hezhou, he did question Zhu Yuanzhang:

"Who are you doing this for?!"

Zhu Yuanzhang hurriedly replied: "Yuanzhang is guilty! But my father, handsome, family affairs can be delayed for a while, but foreign affairs cannot be delayed. They must be dealt with quickly!"

Therefore, Guo Zixing had to temporarily put aside his idea of ​​criticizing Zhu Yuanzhang and asked: "What foreign affairs?"

"The matter about Sun Deya."

"Right now, he must know that Commander-in-Chief is coming. He is afraid that something might happen due to his fear of revenge from Commander-in-Chief. It is better for Yuan Zhang to invite him first, without telling Commander-in-Chief that he is here, so that Commander-in-Chief can also take Sun Deya hostage. The one who controls him.”

Zhu Yuanzhang said.

Guo Zixing nodded: "Very appropriate."

But that night.

Sun Deya already knew about Guo Zixing's coming, so he took the initiative and said to Zhu Yuanzhang: "If Weng comes, I will leave."

Zhu Yuanzhang was shocked and hurriedly informed Guo Zixing of the matter, saying that Sun Deya already knew about his coming to Hezhou.

Guo Zixing glanced at Li Mengeng and others beside him.

For a moment, he didn't know who leaked the secret, and suddenly understood something, so he told Zhu Yuanzhang: "Then you go and send him away. Since someone wants us to fight with him at this time, we won't let him." Some people get what they want!”

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but look at his handsome father again, cupped his hands and said: "My father is wise!"

Guo Zixing stood up tiredly, holding on to the armrests of his chair and said, "In that case, I will also lead the troops back. Chuzhou also needs someone to take charge."

"Father, you should also pay attention to rest and not work too hard."

Zhu Yuanzhang saw that Guo Zixing's face was getting darker and bloodless than before, so he supported him and said something distressed, and then said:
"However, since Commander-in-Chief Father wants to let him go, Sun Deya, it is better to let Sun Deya go first and Commander-in-Chief Father after him, so as to prevent the two armies from leaving together and fighting each other again due to old grudges."

Guo Zixing nodded and said: "Yuanzhang, you are right. Then go and tell Sun Deya and let his people go first."

Zhu Yuanzhang said yes, and to reassure Sun Deya, he and Guo Zixing had no intention of killing him while his front army was leaving, but led troops out of the city first to clear the way for Sun Deya's troops.

But after Zhu Yuanzhang led Wu Zhen and several other cavalry to clear the way for Sun Deya, about twenty miles away from the city, and Sun Deya himself left the city with his army, Guo Zixing sent his general Shao Si to invite Sun Deya to see him.

"Our commander-in-chief said that if Commander-in-Chief Sun is still a man, go and see him. Don't be like a coward who only knows how to hide. It is obvious that he is afraid of our commander-in-chief! In the future, he will only make the world laugh at him!"

After Shao Si said that, Sun Deya was immediately furious: "Mother, whoever is afraid of Guo Zixing, just go!"

With that said, Sun Deya rode back to the city.

After Sun Deya returned to the city, Guo Zixing was quite impressed: "Surnamed Sun, I thought you didn't dare to come, but I didn't expect you still dared to come. In this case, let's not mention the old grudges in the past, let's drink this bowl of wine first!"

As Guo Zixing spoke, he pointed at the bowl of wine on the table in front of him.

"Just drink!"

"Forgive me that if Guo Zixing wants to kill me, he won't poison the wine."

As he spoke, Sun Deya actually raised his wine and started drinking, and drank it all: "Have a great time!"

Guo Zixing smiled: "It is indeed the Sun Deya we know!"

So, the two started drinking together and chatting happily, as if they had really let go of their old grudges.

Zhang Mian, who was accompanying Guo Zixing here, glanced at Wanhu Song Chaoyong, Guo Zixing's personal soldier beside him, and whispered: "This is an opportunity for the second son to get rid of Zhu Yuanzhang."

Song Dynasty nodded and came out to whisper a few words to Xue Youliang, the governor.

And not long after, Zhu Yuanzhang had many cavalry coming out.

There were both Sun Deya's cavalry and Zhu Yuanzhang's cavalry.

Zhu Yuanzhang's cavalry was led by Wu Liang himself and came to tell Zhu Yuanzhang that Sun Deya's soldiers and Guo Zixing's soldiers had a dispute in the city. The two sides had fought and killed many people.

Zhu Yuanzhang felt bad after hearing this, and realized that this might be a conspiracy hatched by the villain around his father, behind his father's back, and wanted to use Sun Deya's hand to get rid of him.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang hurriedly ordered Geng Zaicheng, Wu Zhen, and Wu Liang around him: "You go back first and be sure to tell your father about this!"

"Yes!"

These people rode back to the city first.

Sun Deya's soldiers didn't pay much attention to Geng Zaicheng and others, so they let them go back. They only began to draw their swords to cut off Zhu Yuanzhang's retreat.

Sun Deya's younger brother even shouted at this moment: "Kill Zhu Yuanzhang, it was he and Guo Zixing who wanted to kill our commander and avenge our commander!"

Sun Deya, a general named Zhang, said: "Don't kill him! The life or death of the commander is unknown. Killing the commander now will give Guo Zixing a reason to kill our commander. Some people also took the opportunity to use Guo Zixing's hand to kill the commander." He is handsome and then gives him a chance to become a handsome man!"

As a result, Zhu Yuanzhang was not killed, but only surrounded.

Wu Liang and others also turned around and saw this scene, but they did not say anything and hurried back to the city. They met Xu Da first as soon as they returned to the city.

And Xu Da came to Guo Zixing.

Guo Zixing and Sun Deya soon learned about this from Xu Da, and couldn't help but tremble.

Sun Deya looked at Guo Zixing and said, "There are villains trying to instigate this! They won't let my two families reconcile!"

Guo Zixing also darkened his face and glanced at the scribes and staff such as Li Menggeng, Zhang Mian and Song Chaoyong.

(End of this chapter)