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

Chapter 535
The Ming army successfully captured Shimen Mountain and completed the first step of the strategy. Hong Chengchou, Zhang Ruoqi, Wang Chengen and others were overjoyed.

Hong Chengchou immediately ordered the Shanhai Navy and the Miyun Army to guard the mountains and valleys, making sure that these important places are firmly in the hands of the Ming army. He also congratulated Ma Ke, Tang Tong and others in the Governor's camp.

For this battle, his governor, Xingyuan, has temporarily moved from Songshan Fort to the east of Huangtuling, just behind Wu Sangui and others' camp.

All the soldiers in Songshan, the important lieutenants of each battalion, and the generals all participated in this victory celebration banquet.During the banquet, Ma Ke and Tang Tong were elated, obviously proud of their achievements. In order to appear to have worked hard, the two deliberately made themselves ashamed, as if they had just come off the line of fire.

However, there was a farce before the banquet, because the Miyun Army did not cooperate in time, and the Shanhai Navy suffered heavy casualties, which made the generals of the Shanhai Town battalions angry.Although Ma Ke was still very close to Tang Tong when he met Tang Tong, but the generals in his town did not have this city mansion. After seeing the officials and generals in Miyun Town, everyone couldn't help but sneer and speak harshly.

The generals of Miyun Town were not willing to be humiliated, so they immediately fought back, and each of them went from a verbal quarrel to a fist fight. It was the Ningyuan Army generals who tried their best to persuade them to avoid a bloody tragedy.

Regarding why the Miyun Army did not launch an attack from behind Shimen Mountain, Tang Tong defended himself when he met Hong Chengchou after the battle.He said that although the Tartars in Shimen Mountain were defeated and fled at that time, the main force of the Tartars was on the opposite side of Xiaoling River. Whose is it?
Moreover, Shanhai Town has a large number of soldiers and horses, and Wu Sangui's tens of thousands of troops are behind him, so there is no danger of danger, but his Miyun army is facing the main force of the Tartars.

He was eloquent and eloquent. Tang Tong had always been eloquent and eloquent. With a few words, he cleared himself of the responsibility.

In his words, he also vaguely pointed out that the Shan Haijun was greedy for meritorious service, which resulted in the loss of soldiers and generals.

The fact is the same, even at the most critical moment, Ma Ke did not ask Wu Sangui for reinforcements, was he afraid that the Ningyuan army would take his credit?
The fight between Shanhai Town and Miyun Town caused Hong Chengchou and Wang Chengen a lot of headaches.

At the juncture of the war, any action to deal with the general before the battle is unlucky.Tang Tong's achievements this time are also obvious, and the reasons are also upright. Although there were some mistakes, if he dealt with the Miyun Army just because of this incident, it would inevitably hurt the hearts of the frontline soldiers.

The Ji Liao army is one, and Hong Chengchou is unwilling to see any splitting behavior between them. Therefore, after Tang Tong and Ma Ke returned, Hong Chengchou only slightly reprimanded Tang Tong and asked him to keep the overall situation in mind and cooperate closely with his allies. He comforted Ma Ke and promised to make up for his lost soldiers and horses as much as possible.

Letting go of this matter, Ma Ke showed the style of a general, and instead spoke for Tang Tong, making Hong Chengchou nod secretly.

Although the Shanhai Navy suffered a defeat in the west of Songshan Fortress a few days ago, his performance in the battle of Shimenshan in this battle can be described as remarkable.

Only Tang Tong was a little surprised. He knew Ma Ke's nature well. When did he become so easy to talk to?

Although Ma Ke, Tang Tong, Wu Sangui and others formed a faction at this time, there was no struggle between them.On weekdays, Ma Ke was domineering in front of him, but today's incident, Tang Tong didn't want to let Ma Ke suffer a bit. Ma Ke's magnanimous appearance made him uneasy.

On the bright side, this matter is over, Hong Chengchou and others are not even willing to let the conflict between the Ji Liao army be made public and exposed to everyone.

However, each of the upper peaks has a tacit understanding, which does not mean that the subordinates have this awareness. No, the victory celebration banquet has not yet started, and the officials from Shanhai Town and Miyun Town almost fought together, making Wang Dou, Wang Pu and others really watch it The excitement made Ma Ke and Tang Tong annoyed for a while.

Of course, apart from this episode, at this banquet, Ma Ke and Tang Tong were in the limelight. Not only were Hong Chengchou highly praised by the officials, but even Wang Dou went up to toast.

No matter what thoughts they had in the past, at least Ma Ke and Tang Tong performed well today, so Wang Dou did not hesitate to praise them.

"Today Ma Shuai and Tang Shuai gave their lives to serve the country, fought bloody battles, greatly boosted the morale of our army, and thwarted the fierce flames of captives. They should be role models for all generals!"

Ma Ke and Tang Tong were greatly honored by Wang Dou's praise in front of everyone.

Ma Ke smiled with a greasy face: "Uncle Zhongyong is too famous. Compared with your ministry, Ma has a lot of shortcomings."

Tang Tong was also a little flattered, he said: "Tang is lucky not to disgrace his life, and this is all thanks to the great blessing of the Holy Spirit, the merits of Hong Du and the army supervisor, the last general has a little merit!"

He raised his wine glass and said in a loud voice: "The last general proposes a toast to Governor Hong, Supervisor Zhang, and Supervisor Wang!"

Ma Ke glanced at the pretty boy next to him, but said with a smile: "Tang Shuai is right, let's drink this cup!"

For a while, everyone stood up, Hong Chengchou and others were satisfied, no matter how good Tang Tong's fighting skills were, at least he had a way of knowing people.

Hong Chengchou stood up with a smile, and raised his voice in his Mandarin with a Fujian accent: "Today's good news came, and it is the result of General Ma, General Tang serving the country with all his strength, and General Wu bravely coping. Fear? Come, everyone, please drink this cup to the brim, congratulations to the Holy Son of Heaven, congratulations to my Great Ming, and congratulations to the generals!"

Everyone shouted loudly: "Congratulations to the Holy Son of Heaven, congratulations to the Ming Dynasty, and congratulations to the soldiers!"

Afterwards, the tent was very lively, Zhang Ruoqi also stroked his beard and smiled, Ma Ke, Tang Tong and others captured Shimen Mountain and won the victory, he can also share in the praise of the painting.

The rules of the Ming Dynasty were like this, the civil servants drew up the strategy, and the military generals beheaded the generals to capture the flag. Although the strategy was written by Wang Douxian, merits such as praising paintings will only be recorded on the heads of Hong Chengchou, Zhang Ruoqi, Qiu Minyang and others.

During the banquet, the military affairs for tomorrow were also discussed, and the preliminary strategy has been completed. Tomorrow, Wu Sangui, Ma Ke, and Tang Tong only need to put on a pose to cross the river to attract the attention of the Tartars.The key is whether the main force of the Tartars will be attracted to the Daughter River when the main force moves westward. If not, Wu Sangui and others will not dare to cross the Xiaoling River.

It can also be seen from the terrain that from Shimen Mountain to the edge of the Xiaoling River, due to the narrow terrain and not much land in Pingchuan, our own soldiers and horses cannot be deployed, and we can only pass slowly in waves of thousands of people. He belongs to the refueling tactic.The Qing army, on the other hand, can deploy several times, or even ten times the strength, in the east and north of Jinzhou City at one time.

This is also the reason why Wang Dou does not advocate the main force to attack from this side. No matter how many troops there are, they cannot be deployed here.

The combat power of the Ming army was already weaker than that of the Qing army, and if they were defeated by many, the consequences would be disastrous.

However, Wang Dou believed that the slave chieftains did not dare to bear the consequences of the main force of the Ming army crossing the Nvnv River. In this way, the garrison of Jinzhou South, Jinchang Fort, and Baimiao Fort would be too much of a threat.Huang Taiji is not an idler, he will not fail to see this, he will definitely gather heavy troops to intercept, and the two sides will fight on both sides of the Nuru River.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Wu Sangui and others can cross the Xiaoling River. Although Jinzhou City is now heavily surrounded, Zu Dashou in the city is also an extraordinary figure. Wu Sangui and others have a chance of winning.

The key to this battle is to quickly capture Shuangzi Mountain and Maojiagou before the Tartars react, and clear away the obstacles to the confrontation.According to the vision of the Chief of Staff of the Jing Frontier Army, when the main force of the Ming army marched westward, the Qing army would be confused for a while, but they would soon realize that it would not be so easy to cross the river with heavy troops responding quickly.

However, for the Ming army, it is secondary to not being able to cross the Nuerhe River. As long as the main force of the Qing army is attracted to rescue Jinzhou, it will be a victory.

The atmosphere in the tent is calm, tomorrow's battle is no small matter, if one thing goes wrong, it will be a decisive battle between the two sides.

Opposite is the ferocious Tartars, these hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses are torn apart, life and death are unpredictable, misfortunes and fortunes are only fleeting, no matter whether you are a general or a soldier, you may die on the spot, Bai Guangen is a lesson from the past.

Hong Chengchou tried his best to cheer up the generals, while Wang Chengen also said darkly that in tomorrow's battle, if anyone dares to retreat timidly and not serve the country well, he will truthfully write a letter of impeachment.

Zhang Ruolin also said a lot of words of encouragement, which aroused the morale of the generals, especially Li Fuming, the commander in chief of Shanxi, and Zuo Guangxian, the commander in chief who helped suppress him, were even more enthusiastic.

After joining the aid of Liaodong, the two generals did not have any outstanding performance. Seeing that the other generals have contributed a lot, they are naturally unwilling. Among them, Zuo Guang first roared like thunder, and he must let all the troops see the demeanor of their Qin army.

Although Zuo Guangxian is Hong Chengchou's direct descendant, he left Shaanxi with Hong Chengchou back then, but now, he is becoming more and more marginalized.

At present, in Hong Chengchou's eyes, he only valued Wu Sangui, the commander in chief of Ningyuan, and paid less attention to Zuo Guangxian, which is also related to the combat power of his troops.In history, the Qin army didn't have any outstanding performance. They could beat the peasant army, but they couldn't get on the stage when they beat the Qing army.

Among the generals in Liaodong, Wu Sangui's troops were already strong in combat, and their relationship in Liaodong was even more intertwined. This is why Hong Chengchou did not reuse Zuo Guang first, but wanted to win over Wu Sangui vigorously.Zuo Guangxian has a rough appearance, like Zhang Fei, but he also has a delicate side, so he is naturally unhappy and wants to change this situation.

……

After leaving the tent, the sun is setting and the night is gradually falling. Looking at the past, whether it is Shimen Mountain in the north, Huangtu Ridge in the west, or Niangniang Palace in the south, they all become a sea of ​​banners and military camps. The big flag fluttered in the wind.

The lights of the various camps have been lit up. Many of these camps are still camps of soldiers and civilians. They are building equipment in full swing overnight.

Tomorrow's battle, whether it is Wu Sangui, Ma Ke and others crossing the Xiaoling River, or Wang Dou and others crossing the Nuer River, will require a large number of wooden rafts and floating bridges. The more these equipment, the better.Not only that, Qiu Minyang, the governor of Liaodong in charge of logistics, under the supervision of Wang Chengen, the superintendent, also found some fishing boats and went up the Xiaoling River north, so that they could quickly build floating bridges for Wu Sangui and others.

Daming's emaciated camel was bigger than a horse, and the frontline army was running at high speed, and a steady stream of supplies came here.

Of course, these fishing boats sailed along the west and north banks of the Xiaoling River, so as not to be attacked by the Qing army and destroy the boats.

Tangtong's army camped along the long and narrow river valley. With the cautious style of the Miyun army, they sent out many dense patrols on the bank.

Part of Ma Ke's mountain navy camped in Shimen Mountain. They were also very careful and dug multiple trenches in the area around West Shimen Mountain to prevent sneak attacks by the Qing army in Rufeng Mountain.

Banners spread all over, densely packed tents spread out, people shouted and neighed, and there was an aura of gold and iron horses.

At the foot of Huangtu Ridge, Wang Dou, Yang Guozhu, Wang Pu, Li Fuming, and Fu Yingchongce watched Shimen Mountain in the north quietly on their horses. The generals were not far behind, and the generals under their command also stood quietly on their horses. Even a little noise.

The battle is about to start, looking at Yang Guozhu and Li Fuming, they both have calm expressions, and the wind is about to come, but there is no emotion on their faces.

Only Wang Pu kept rubbing his nose. Seeing his expression, he was nervous and even more excited. Fu Yingchong's body trembled slightly. It was obvious that the big battle tomorrow would put him under a lot of psychological pressure.

The breeze is blowing, and the weather is getting colder. During the Little Ice Age, winter always came early.

Seeing Wang Pu sucking and rubbing his nose beside him, Wang Dou smiled and said, "Why, General Wang is very nervous?"

Wang Pu was taken aback for a moment, and immediately puffed out his chest and belly, and said loudly, "Don't be nervous, you're just a Tartar, I've seen you a lot."

Fu Yingchong echoed while trembling: "At the point of my Shenji camp's flag, all the ugliness will surely be wiped out. Mere Tartars, what's the point?"

The people around him all laughed, Wang Dou said with a smile: "Indeed, you are just a Tartar, don't be afraid."

After a pause, he said: "Tomorrow's battle, you will definitely be famous in history!"

A smile blossomed on Wang Pu's face: "This is all the praise of Uncle Zhongyong."

Fu Yingchong said: "Yes, it all depends on Uncle Zhongyong's promotion and cultivation."

Looking at Wang Pu's smiling face, Wang Dou felt a strange feeling in his heart. In history, Wang Pu was a famous escaped general. The performance of other people is remarkable.Perhaps, this is the so-called redness near vermilion, and blackness near ink.

He smiled and said, "You two generals are welcome!"

He looked forward, his eyes narrowed habitually, and countless memories flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern.

He remembered his vow to make the land of China a paradise, so that all kinds of regrets in history would never happen again. The Battle of Songshan was one of his regrets, and he would definitely change it!
……

After the generals left, Hong Chengchou also had ups and downs and couldn't settle down for a long time. After pacing back and forth in the tent, he decided to go out for a walk to relieve his nervous mood.

He brought Xie Sixin, his confidant and aide, and some personal guards, to the Xiaoling River. There was a cool breeze blowing by the river, and from time to time, there was a sea breeze blowing up the river, bringing a feeling of bleakness.

Looking up, the surrounding military camps are lit up with dots of lights, reflecting the stars in the sky.

Seeing Hong Chengchou's silence for a long time, Xie Sixin beside him asked, "Director Hong, are you worried about tomorrow's battle situation?"

Hong Chengchou sighed: "Yes, the soldiers are fierce and dangerous, and the slave chieftains are powerful. One mistake will destroy the elite. If so, how can I have the face to meet the Holy Son of Heaven, and how can I be worthy of the great trust of the Holy Majesty and the court!"

Xie Sixin caressed his beard and said: "You don't have to worry, Governor Hong. Our division's combat strength is about equal to that of Nuyou. As long as we use our troops carefully and step by step, our chances of winning are still high. Besides, with Uncle Zhongyong and General Zhenshuo here, tomorrow's battle will be fought against the enemy. There must be no worries!"

Hong Chengchou sighed, "I hope so."

He glanced at Xie Sixin, the Xie Sixin in front of him was in the late [-]s, a native of Xin'an, and had a lot of friendship with Hong Chengchou. Hong Chengchou used Xie Sixin as the governor of Jiliao to visit Liaodong, and he used Xie Sixin to join the army, which was quite important.In history, after Hong Chengchou surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, when he led the Qing army to the south, Xie Sixin rejected Hong's solicitation and replied four poems to express his position.

Because of Wu Sangui's strong wooing, Xie Sixin also became close friends with Wu Sangui at this time. During the Battle of San Francisco, Wu Sangui's army was strong, and with a long whip pointing at him, Hunan, Guangxi, and Sichuan fell in anticipation. He sent envoys to Huizhou to hire Xie Sixin, Xie Sixin He also refused, and replied with a poem, accusing Wu Sangui of treachery and treachery.

He is quite a person with a position.

Hong Chengchou pondered for a long time, and finally said: "Gong Xie, look at Wang Dou and the elder uncle, which of the two is better?"

Xie Sixin shook his head and smiled wryly: "Even though Changbo and I are best friends, and Changbo is also considered a young hero, I have to say that Changbo is far inferior to loyal and brave uncle."

Hong Chengchou sighed, "Yes."

He knew in his heart that Wang Dou was born in a reckless commoner. No matter what era, it is always difficult for people at the bottom to get ahead, but if he can rise to a high position step by step, he is always a resolute and decisive person. In comparison, Wu Sangui's journey has been very smooth.The essential comparison of the two is like the difference between an egg and a solid rock.

He sighed in his heart, although in the Liaodong Army, he vigorously supported Wu Sangui to fight against Wang Dou, but the effect was too weak.At critical times, it depends on the Jingbian army, and the existence of Wang Dou is also the spirit and pillar of the 10,000+ army in Liaodong. No one dares to disrespect him.

Xie Sixin's eyes were deep: "Wang Dou is a man who is capable of governing the world, and a hero in troubled times."

Hong Chengchou said in a deep voice: "Bai Gu once told me in the past that Wang Dou was a man who looked at wolves and cared about wolves, and his thoughts were very deep. I didn't take it to heart. Back then, Wang Dou was no match for a guerrilla attack. Now..."

He said: "Uncle Wanwang Zhongyong remembers the principles of loyalty and righteousness for the country, otherwise, he will be more terrifying than Dong Nu and the bandit."

……

The night was quiet, under the Shimen Mountain, in the main camp of Marko's army.

Marco stood up in his clothes, feeling upset and unable to fall asleep for a long time.

In the past when he was upset, he would often be able to fall asleep soundly under the effect that two flats are not as good as one circle, but today this effect seems to have disappeared.

Hearing the faint sound of drumming outside, he stood up annoyed, lit a candle, and walked back and forth in the tent.

The candlelight was flickering, and his heart was also up and down. Will the battle of tomorrow be bad or good?

Today's tragic battle is still fresh in his memory. Thousands of Tartars, many of whom were not armored soldiers, caused heavy casualties to the battalions in his town.Tomorrow's battle will see the main force of the Tatars drawn to the Daughter River. It must be a bloody battle. How many soldiers will be left in the town then?He wasn't sure.

Thinking about the expressions of dissatisfaction with him by some generals in the town after today's battle, he felt annoyed in his heart. These Qiuba are becoming more and more domineering, and it is time to find a chance to punish them.

But then he was depressed, and after tomorrow, he was in the barracks and still didn't know the outcome of his life or death?

Thinking about the hard-working battle today, I felt a little regretful. Under the panic that day, I subconsciously wanted to see the relationship, and by the way, I wanted to make some contributions, so that I could look up in front of the generals, and let Wang Dou see that I am not a coward.

However, the result of hard work is the loss of soldiers and generals. For him, it is not easy to raise soldiers. Is this result worth it?
He thought of Tang Tong again, and his heart was even more annoyed. This insidious guy, although he had plausible arguments and various reasons, Ma Ke could see through his intentions at a glance. on the head.Thinking of Wu Sangui, he was also dissatisfied, he didn't move a single soldier, and in Hong Du's mouth, he actually got the credit for supporting him, it's really unfair.

Hmph, none of them are good things, you are not benevolent and I am unrighteous, if the battle of tomorrow is not a stumbling block for them?
However, in tomorrow's battle, I and them are leeches on the same rope. If they make mistakes, my Shan Haijun will not be much better.

After the investigation, Hong Chengchou and Wang Chengen will not let themselves go.

Originally, Tang Tong and I had a hat of self-redemption for crimes and meritorious service on our heads, and we made some mistakes...

Ma Ke's heart was full of ups and downs, and it was difficult to make a decision for a long time.

……

Lao Bainiu: There are many things to do after arriving in Xiamen. Fortunately, I am a little free today.

(End of this chapter)