A small soldier of the frontier army in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 409 Response to Xiangyang

In the battle of Luoyang, the Chuang army was defeated thousands of miles away, the bandits ran away, the road was blocked by cars, and the officers and soldiers pursued closely.Li Zicheng fled all the way, and the officers and soldiers chased them all the way, from Luoyang, Yiyang, Yongning, and Lushi, until they rushed into the mountains.

Hundreds of thousands of thieves descended, and Yidougu and others who had been watching the battle without moving their troops were shocked when they saw King Chuang's defeat, and immediately broke out of camp and fled for their lives.On the way, all the thieves broke up, or disappeared, or surrendered to the officers and soldiers. Only some confidants escaped with Yidougu and others.

The officers and soldiers seized countless weapons and luggage during this battle. When cleaning the battlefield, they found a large amount of grain discarded by the invading troops in various camps. According to the statistics of the income from the Jianshan grain depot, they obtained a total of more than [-] stones of wheat and beans, and more than [-] heads of cattle. , hundreds of mules.

The gold and silver left by each battalion was not much, only more than [-] taels of silver, presumably it was not easy to carry food and grass, these light and soft things were taken away by the old battalion of the Chuang army when they retreated.

However, after cleaning the barracks, more than 4000 women were found left behind, and relatives were asked to claim them. There were more than [-] mouths left, which were sent to nunneries in various temples for support.

While cleaning the camps, it was also found that the camps were extremely filthy, with dead bodies all over the camps, broken hair all over the ground, and the intestines and lungs of cattle, donkeys, and horse skins among them, and the stench was overwhelming.Wang Yinchang, the deputy envoy of military preparations, ordered local soldiers and civilians to bury it on the spot, and it could not be cleaned up for many days.

The officers and soldiers pursued the intruders for several days, until the 14th day of the first month of the 1641th year of Chongzhen ([-]) when the pursuers turned around.

Not to mention the captives, nor the rogues who surrendered, in this battle alone, many generals who broke into the camp were beheaded, including Li Shuangxi, Zhang Ding, Li Mo, Ma Shiyao, Xie Junyou, Wu Ruyi and others.

Others don't know, but Wang Dou knows the weight of this list.Not to mention Li Shuangxi and Zhang Ding, they were both adopted sons of Li Zicheng, and Zhang Nai was even named Marquis of Righteousness in the future.Li Mo is Li Yan's elder brother, Ma Shiyao, Xie Junyou, and Ma Chongxi are all important generals of the Five Battalions in the future, and Wu Ruyi was also named Taiping Bo.

Li Zicheng was completely defeated in this battle, but unfortunately, although the chasing officers and soldiers claimed that the intruders only had dozens of riders fleeing into the mountain, according to the confidential information of Yebu received, Wang Dou knew that Li Zicheng's men and horses, the old battalion Jiacai team, and the backbone were still there. More than 1000 people.

Wang Dou sighed: "I can't kill Li Chuang in the end, Li Zicheng's ability to escape is not as good as mine!"

……

The great victory in Luoyang, like a thunderclap, spread in all directions at a fast speed.Not to mention the excitement in Henan Prefecture, but the good news spread to Kaifeng Prefecture, Nanyang Prefecture, Guide Prefecture, Runing Prefecture and other places. There was a sound of ecstasy and celebration, the morale of the officers and soldiers was high, and the bandits everywhere were sluggish.

The name of Wang Dou was well-known in the Central Plains, and scholars spread it. Everyone knows that there is an army in Xuanfu Town called the Shunxiang Army.

The governor of Henan, as well as Fu Wang, Bing Bei, and the magistrate of Luoyang City jointly played a concert, explaining the causes and consequences of the war in detail, listing a detailed list of merits, and several lists of impeachment and criticism, and sent them to the capital quickly.

The news spread, the capital was a sensation, the courtiers congratulated him like a wave, and the Emperor Chongzhen breathed a sigh of relief. Not only was his uncle safe, but at the moment when the Battle of Songshan was about to start, the victory in Luoyang was like a shot in the arm, which would benefit the morale of the army. And metaphor.

Since Wang Dou arrived in Henan, from the great victory in Ruzhou to the great victory in Luoyang, he has made great achievements in saving the vassals. How to award rewards needs to be discussed carefully by the courtiers.

At this time, it was time for Wang Dou to leave, and on the day the victory report was delivered, Wang Dou decided to leave Luoyang.

The general trend of Luoyang has been decided, Yang Sichang urged him again and again, especially since the changes in Xiangyang in history were imminent, he needed to rush there, make great achievements and become famous in Huguang.

Wang Dou remembered clearly that in history, on the fifth day of February in the 14th year of Chongzhen, Zhang Xianzhong used tactics to attack Xiangyang.According to the current distance, from Luoyang to Xiangyang, there are eight hundred miles if not one thousand.

And it has to be a few days early to prevent things from changing.

There was a cold light in Wang Dou's eyes, and he let Li Zicheng run away in Luoyang City. This time, Zhang Xianzhong in Xiangyang will definitely not allow him to run away again!
Later generations of the Qing Dynasty blamed Zhang Xianzhong for Tu Chuan's evil deeds, but Zhang Xianzhong was not said to be a good guy because of this. Looking at his life, killing people and massacring cities is common.They are no different from the Qing soldiers. The bastard looks at mung beans, let alone the second brother.Wang Dou didn't have the slightest liking for these peasant army leaders in the late Ming Dynasty.

On the 14st of the first month of the 21th year of Chongzhen, Wang Dou led his army to leave Luoyang.

Among the people who saw him off were officials from Luoyang, including Chen Yongfu and his son, who will be stationed in Luoyang for a period of time.Looking at Chen Yongfu's red face, one can tell that he is satisfied in his heart, and also, this battle is a great victory, not to mention military exploits, the Henan General Army can't escape, and the capture share is still quite a lot.

Of course, Wang Dou was also satisfied in his heart, he also gained a lot from this battle.

He looked at the veteran's vigorous face, and said with a smile: "When the last general comes back again, he will be called Chen Zhen!"

Chen Yongfu laughed: "To each other, why not General Wang?"

That's right, after this battle is rewarded, Wang Dou can't escape as a commander in chief. If he can control a town, he can be called the commander in chief.

In the Ming Dynasty, the governor was called the governor, and the governor was called the military gate, but the name of the general soldier was not fixed in each era of the Ming Dynasty.

Jingtai and Chenghua were formerly known as "Zong Rong".Since the mid-Wanli period, the titles of "Marshal" and "Grand General" have become popular, and even courtiers can't stand it. Emperor Shangshu called for a stop.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, most of the soldiers in a town were called "zhen" and "general town". I am fierce town" and other words.

Of course, if it is printed, it is more noble to call it a title.

The two exchanged a few more words of greeting, and Chen Yongfu said: "The journey is smooth, the old man is waiting in Kaifeng Mansion for the return of General Wang's victory, and then we will have a good time."

Wang Dou nodded, he knew what Chen Yongfu was thinking, besides making friends with himself, he also wanted to send his son Chen De to the East Road Lecture Hall.Wang Dou also intends to lay a pawn in Henan, and agreed to Chen Yongfu's request, but this will have to wait until he returns from leading the army.

However, before leaving, Wang Dou was slightly worried about the situation in Luoyang. Hundreds of thousands of intruders surrendered. Luoyang's government is the same as Ruzhou's government. Except for recruiting some young and strong soldiers, the rest will return to the fields. Will these people end up? Become a future trouble?

But that was the case at that time, officers and soldiers surrendered to thieves, and thieves surrendered to the government. I don't want to interfere too much with the local internal affairs, so I can only wish them good luck.

The old man brings a cup of rice wine, the cup is very large, this is the local custom of Luoyang "Farewell Wine", which means that the old man travels far, if he is not drunk at this time, when will he wait?

The old man held the cup, and all the people said in unison: "The general will drink this cup to the brim, and the journey will be smooth. The people of Luoyang will never forget the great kindness of the general."

Their voices were very simple, but they came from the heart. Wang Dou's eyes were a little wet, looking back at the looming figure in the ancient capital, and then at the people living in the land in front of him.

Wang Dou took the wine glass and drank it down in one gulp.

……

Before leaving Luoyang, Wang Dou once held a military meeting, and he personally led his own guard chief, as well as Wen Fangliang's second department, Li Guangheng's Geng's department, and Gao Shi's Yinren department to go straight to Xiangyang.These sergeants are either cavalry or horse infantry, and they move like the wind, and it is easy to go a hundred miles a day.

In the army, Wen Daxing led two teams to accompany him at night, Wang Tianxue and other medical officers, the governor of the Central Military Department, some staff officers Zan Hua, etc.This is Wang Dou in order to seize the opportunity, so the infantry, artillery, and supply teams all stayed behind.

In order to speed up, the kitchen carts are not accompanied, and each person only carries bags of fried noodles, dried meat, etc., which can be eaten for fifteen days.Since the horses need a lot of beans, they are accompanied by a large number of horse mules, and some necessary supplies and tents are also carried by horse mules.

Wang Dou led the more than 3000 people to go first, and the rest marched normally and followed the army.Wang Dou also sent an order to Sun Sanjie, the head of the supply chain in Ruzhou, to lead the supply team to transport all the harvest from Luoyang to Ruzhou, and then transport all the grain and grass to Jiaxian County, and use it as an important place for grain storage.

After the Luoyang War, Wang Dou received 7 shi of wheat and beans, which was the 10 taels of silver owed by Henan officials to Li Xianfeng, the governor of Henan, and some of the captured shares that the army should have received.From Kaifeng to Ruzhou, all the way to Luoyang, counting the time in Henan, the Shunxiang Army has obtained 2000 taels of silver, [-] shi of grain and grass, and more than [-] horses and mules, which is a good harvest.

From Luoyang to Ruzhou, more than a hundred miles away, Wang Dou led 21 cavalry from Luoyang on the [-]st, and arrived at the city of Ruzhou in the evening.At this time, the great victory of Luoyang had already spread to the territory, and the soldiers and civilians of Ruzhou were even more awed.

Wang Dou had an important matter to attend to, and after summoning Sun Sanjie to explain the matter, he rushed to Baofeng the next day.

Luoyang, Ruzhou, Baofeng, Yexian, Yuzhou, Nanyang, Xinye, all the way to Xiangyang, this is Wang Dou's marching route.

The army marched all the way, avoiding ghosts and ghosts. Wang Dou's army is all armored, and everyone has a horse. At first glance, they are elite officers and soldiers. Who dares to provoke them?
It is said that small chaos avoids the city, and large chaos avoids the countryside.Troubled times are coming, from Luoyang to Nanyang, there are people forming villages everywhere to protect themselves.

The common people are very sensitive to the premonition of troubled times. Any village or Zhuangzi is surrounded by rammed earth walls, deep trenches are dug around Zhuangzi, suspension bridges are used for entry and exit, and archery towers are built at the four corners. People can watch it 24 hours a day.

Zhuangzi, who is a little richer, still has walls built with bricks and stones. He has a big surname and a big clan, and he has a deep walled village and a Ruojun fortress.

Small and undefended villages like those in the peaceful and prosperous times do not exist today. Not to mention the large bandits, there are now so many bandits and horse thieves that all the villages have built walls.

Of course, many villages and villages seem to be civilians, but in fact they also act like bandits from time to time.Not to mention some weak passing merchants and ordinary people, even officers and soldiers who look weak dare to rob.Those who are not capable cannot travel far.The more troubled the world is, the more prosperous the Escort Martial Arts School will be.

However, Wang Dou led the army all the way to the south, and everything was safe and sound. On the 27th day of the first lunar month, the army passed through Nanyang without stopping.

At this time, the line of the Huaihe River in the Qinling Mountains was passed, and the fields in the wild were no longer full of wheat and rapeseed, but some rice fields appeared.There are also roof tiles, which gradually appear lighter.

The wilderness is getting more and more green. Although it is arid, it is much better than Hebei, Zhongzhou and other places.Unlike those places, except for the yellow land, it is still yellow land, and there are not even trees in the field.

Of course, this good is only relatively speaking. In the 14th year of Chongzhen, even Suzhou Prefecture was severely drought, and the whole place was full of locusts, and the price of rice cost four taels of silver for one stone.At this time, Daming, regardless of whether it is north or south, is at a difficult juncture.

On the 14th of the first month of the 28th year of Chongzhen, near noon, the boundary of Xinye, not far from the county seat.

With the sound of hooves like thunder, along the official road not far from the west bank of the Feishui River, an unknown number of cavalry came rushing in black.

The smoke and dust rose to the sky, and the ground shook. Judging by the momentum, it seemed that even the city walls and mountains were about to collapse.Pedestrians and merchants walking on the road quickly retreated to the side of the road, looking at these knights who didn't know where they came from in horror.

It seems that they are officers and soldiers, and everyone is more careful, lowering their heads and obeying their eyes. Many people even knelt down.

Fortunately, these knights ignored them and galloped rumblingly, passing by them one by one.Everyone could only feel the vibration under their feet, the trees beside them, and the dead branches on the ground, were all jumping non-stop.

The sound of hoofbeats continued like thunder. After a long time, it finally passed. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and got up to discuss where the officers and soldiers came from.

Someone took a sneak peek just now. These knights are all in bright red armor, covered in cloaks, and all the horses under their crotches are horses. Good guys, they look like elites in battle.I don't know which governor or pacesetter under the governor's command.

Look at the leader's banner is "Wang", which general has the surname Wang?
Not to mention the secret discussions of these common people, Wang Dou led the army rolling forward, ignoring the biting cold wind at all.They are all in a row of five cavalry, the guards are always in the lead, followed by Li Guangheng's cavalry, Wen Fangliang and Gao Shiyin, although the ranks in the gallop are not chaotic.

When such a powerful cavalry arrived, the defenders of Xinye City on the other side of the river had already noticed that their faces changed drastically. Jump.

Wang Dou raised his hand, and immediately the sharp horn of the Central Military Department sounded.

"Stop moving forward!"

During the neighing of the healthy horses, all the knights stopped quickly. Apart from the snorting of the horses, there was no other sound from the whole team, which showed that they were well trained.

Wang Dou came out on his horse and looked thoughtfully at Xinye City on the other side of the river. Officials from the Central Military Department, as well as Wen Daxing, Wen Fangliang, Li Guangheng, Gao Shiyin and others also gathered around Wang Dou.

Wang Dou carefully looked at the two banks of the river. The river is wide and surrounded by plains. However, Xinye City on the east bank is not large, and the city walls are quite dilapidated. There is a small pass around the city.Not far from the team, there is a pontoon bridge, which crosses both sides of the river and leads to the South Pass of Xinye City.

Wang Dou said with great interest: "If you are an official, if you hold Jinwu, you should marry a wife like Yin Lihua. I heard that Yin Lihua is from Xinyeren?"

Qin Yi, who praised the painting, smiled and said: "Yes, general, not only that, Xinye was already famous in the Three Kingdoms, and it is a household name to invite Zhuge three times to burn Xinye."

Pointing to the land around him, he said: "Besides, Xinye Baili Pingchuan has Jishui in the east, Bishui in the north, Wushui in the west, and turbulent waters. Here it is.

Wang Dou nodded. Judging from the march, although refugees and beggars were seen in Nanyang, Xinye and other places, at least the lives of the people were relatively stable.

At the same time, shadows flashed in my heart. According to history, after Zhang Xianzhong captured Xiangyang, he fell into Dangyang, Guangzhou, Suizhou, Xinye, Yexian, Shucheng, Bozhou, Biyang and other places in a few months. , Burned and slaughtered, this Xinye City will inevitably suffer disaster.

However, when I arrived in Xinye, I could reach Xiangyang in one day. According to history, when Zhang Xianzhong attacked Xiangyang, there were only two thousand elite riders, and most of the rest were tens of thousands of people. They were all in Yicheng, more than 100 miles away from Xiangyang City, led by Luo Rucai .

Hmph, I have brought three thousand cavalry with me, and I am determined to kill every single one of him.

(End of this chapter)