Back to Daming to be a genius

Chapter 232 Ambush Location
Xuanda's army, which once drove the main force of the rebels to the Yulin Mountains, was forced to switch from offensive to defensive and abandon the pursuit of the rebels. They crossed the Yellow River and returned to Xuan Great retreat.In fact, after hearing the news, the happiest people were not the gangsters on the 29th Route who were already dying of hunger, nor Fan Wencheng, the hardcore traitor who dreamed of making Master Zhang live in dire straits, but Sun Chengzong, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, and Hong Chengchou, the governor of Shaanxi. !Because both Sun Chengzong and Hong Chengchou knew very well that the main army of the 29th Route rebellion would rather give up the opportunity to go south and penetrate the hinterland of Shaanxi-Gansu during this period, and would rather stay on the Xuanda border. The eastern part of Xuanda, which was devastated by the war, is now forced to retreat by the Xuanda army. Not only did the main force of the rebels see the opportunity to get their wish, but also let Sun Chengzong and Hong Chengchou see a glimmer of hope to completely quell the flames of war in Shaanxi.

Let me state here that the reason why Sun Chengzong and Hong Chengchou dreamed of driving the thieves to Xuanda was not because they hated Young Master Zhang like the governor of Liaodong, and wanted to make trouble for Young Master Zhang, so that Young Master Zhang could not develop comfortably or Simply let Young Master Zhang die tragically in the overwhelming crowd of thieves.On the contrary, Sun Chengzong knew very well that he, an old member of the Donglin Party, was able to come back in the general trend of the eunuch party's power in the court and regain his appointment in the court. It was entirely the result of Young Master Zhang who risked falling out of favor to persuade Wei Zhongxian; Being able to jump from a fifth-rank chief secretary to a provincial governor is also because of Young Master Zhang's recommendation at the court against all opinions-it can be said that Young Master Zhang is a kindness to Hong Chengchou.Moreover, Sun Chengzong and Hong Chengchou also admired Young Master Zhang for his military and political genius, his extraordinary courage, sharp vision and magnanimity. Ask for advice.If you insist on saying that Sun Chengzong and Hong Chengchou have any dissatisfaction with Young Master Zhang, then it is dissatisfaction that Young Master Zhang has never been willing to suffer strategically, whether it is the same for the enemy or the friendly army.

In fact, Sun Chengzong and Hong Chengchou also understand the reason why Young Master Zhang refused to suffer. Unlike Shaanxi and Gansu, the Xuanda Northern Line can be said to be able to resist the pressure of the entire Mongolian grassland. Before the threat of Lin Dan is completely eliminated or Lin Dan is seriously weakened, It is beyond reproach that Young Master Zhang is unwilling to consume too much Xuan Da's strength, and Sun Chengzong and Hong Chengchou can also understand it.But the problem is that the situation on Sun Chengzong and Hong Chengchou's side is really bad. Shaanxi and Gansu have been suffering from severe drought for years, hungry people are everywhere, and the imperial court has been unable to provide money and food to relieve the victims. The morale of the Shaanxi-Gansu army, which was short of food and salaries, was low. They were powerless to suppress the bandits, and finally drove the bandits to the border of Xuanda. Of course, Sun Chengzong and Hong Chengchou were unwilling to let these bandits turn around and enter the hinterland of Shaanxi At that time, Sun Chengzong and Hong Chengchou would have no face to meet their elders in Shaanxi and Gansu, and they would not be able to explain it to the court.So after seeing a glimmer of hope to bring disaster to the east, Sun Chengzong and Hong Chengchou, who have read the books of sages, didn't care about the kindness of knowing them and not doing to others what you don't want to do to others, and chased after the ass of the main force of the thieves. I dare not expect to completely annihilate these thieves who run faster than rabbits and whose vitality is more tenacious than cockroaches. I only hope that they will be driven into Xuanda to relieve their own pressure, so that Sun Chengzong and Hong Chengchou will have a chance to free up their hands and completely solve the problem. Internal problems in Shaanxi and Gansu.

After chopping melons and cutting vegetables to disperse the thieves in Mizhi City, Mizhi County, which had changed hands many times between the army and the thieves, finally returned to Sun Chengzong's control. The roof tiles were blown off most of the county government. Sun Chengzong led a group of Shaanxi, Gansu, civil and military officials just to sit down, and the news that the main force of the rebels had begun to cross the Yellow River to invade Xuanda was sent to Sun Chengzong almost at the same time.Hearing this news, the civil and military officials from Shaanxi, Gansu and Gansu, who had been battered for a long time, including Gao Hongtu, the prefect of Yan'an, who had also received the favor of Young Master Zhang, were all ecstatic, laughing so hard that they could finally breathe a sigh of relief. .

"Okay." Sun Chengzong, who was already sixty-five years old, also let out a long sigh of relief, twirling his silver-white beard that no longer had a variegated color, and smiled bitterly: "Although I am very sorry for Xuanda's colleagues, but anyway, the main force of the thieves Leaving Shaanxi is indeed a great thing for our Shaanxi-Gansu army and the people of Shaanxi-Gansu."

"Mr. Sun Ge, why don't we take the initiative to contact Xuanda, and strive to join forces to trap the rebels between the Yellow River and the Fen River?" Gao Hongtu had a bit of conscience, and suggested: "When necessary, we in Shaanxi and Gansu The army can also fight across the border, and join forces with Xuanda's army to wipe out the main force of this rebellion."

"Lord Gao, you don't need to worry about Zhang Xiantai." Lu Shanjiyin, the chief aide under Sun Chengzong's command, said with a smile: "There are only 10,000+ rebels in the area, and Zhang Xiantai, who uses soldiers like a god, is as long as he is willing to wipe them out. Want our Shaanxi army to help?"

"Mr. Lu, Zhang Xiantai really uses his troops like a god, and he fights head-on. I also believe that there is no army in the world that can compete with him head-on." Gao Hongtu retorted unconvinced: "But Mr. Lu, don't forget that Zhang Xiantai took over Xuanda Before, the half of Shanxi to the west of Fenshui had been completely corrupted, and it was also a situation where groups of thieves rose together. If more than 20 thieves roamed about in this half of Shanxi, Zhang Xiantai would also care about one thing and lose another, just like us, and it would be impossible to guard against."

"Master Gao is really righteous, and he never forgets the kindness of Zhang Xiantai's recommendation and recovery." Lu Shanji smiled bitterly: "Since Mr. Gao insists on joining forces with Xuanda's army to suppress bandits, it doesn't matter, as long as Mr. Gao can guarantee that Shaanxi There is no shortage of money and food for the Gan army to fight across the border, they are also serving the court, I think Elder Sun Ge is also willing to send troops to cooperate with Xuan Da's army to fight." Gao Hongtu was speechless, if the army's food and grass in Shaanxi can be guaranteed If there was enough supply, then Gao Hongtu might have wiped out the rebels in Yan'an Prefecture in the first year of his tenure, and then Young Master Zhang would be forced to recommend Sun Chengzong to come back, and sponsor the imperial court to promote Hong Chengchou?

"Stop arguing. It's not impossible to discuss with the Xuanda army to wipe out the rebels in the west of Shanxi, but now is not the time to discuss this matter." Sun Chengzong waved his hand to stop Lu Shanji and Gao Hongtu's heated argument , and said: "The first thing we need to do now is how to completely drive the main force of the rebels out of Shaanxi, and prevent them from making a comeback, turning around and killing us in Shaanxi."

"Elder Ge's words are very true." Du Yingfang nodded in agreement, "Students went north to Shenmu a few days ago, and saw Zhang Xiantai's slave slaughter army with their own eyes. They are indeed well-disciplined and well-equipped. Each of them can stand up to ten, and their combat effectiveness is extraordinary. Unusual. Although Zhang Xiantai is now forced to go north for reinforcements because of the Tatar invasion of the country, it is not ruled out that he left some of his elite troops and commanded the army by remote control, driving the main force of the rebels back to Shaanxi. If we do not seize this opportunity to do Get ready, the main force of the rebels will be beaten back to Shaanxi by Xuan Da's army, then our previous efforts will be wasted."

"That's right, that's the truth." Sun Chengzong shook his head, waved his hands wearily, and said, "Let's all discuss it. What should we do next, so as to prevent the thieves from fleeing back to Shaanxi?"

"Two methods." Although Lu Shanji's temperament is a little narrow, but as the chief staff officer under Sun Chengzong's command, he still has a tactical vision. He raised two fingers and said: "The first method, Mr. Ge You personally led the army northward to capture Jiazhou, preventing the rebels from going south from Xuanda and killing them back to our Shaanxi territory. After the bandit was hit head-on by the Xuanda army, he returned to Shaanxi by the same route."

"The method is good, but the problem is that Hongfutai only has [-] troops in its hands. Is it enough?" Du Yingfang asked, "Moreover, Hongfutai took the mountain road to the north to drive out the rebels. It is inconvenient to transport food and supplies, and it is difficult to supply them. I'm afraid the food and grass brought with the army is almost the same, and there is no food in Fugu and Shenmu, can we count on the lone army without food and support in Hongfutai to stop the tide of rioters from counterattacking?"

"Brother Du Nian is right. Relying on Hong Futai alone to block the counterattack of the thieves is a bit insufficient." Lu Shanji frankly admitted that his first method was not reliable, and smiled: "So I am very inclined I hope Mr. Ge can adopt the second method. Mr. Ge, you can send an army to attack Jiazhou. You don't want to wipe out the enemy. You only need to drive the thieves entrenched in Jiazhou city across the Yellow River to protect our retreat. Grain road. At the same time, Mr. Ge, you personally lead the main force to go north, not only to send urgently needed food supplies to Hongfutai, but also to strengthen the defense of Shenmu and Fugu, to ensure that there is nothing wrong with this place." Speaking of this, Lu Shanji had a gloomy look. Said: "Besides, after Mr. Ge led the main force to go north, when necessary, Mr. Ge can also use the excuse of assisting Xuanda's army to suppress the thieves and quell the chaos, and take the initiative to send troops to Xuanda..."

Although Lu Shanji didn't speak, everyone guessed the second half of his sentence, and took the initiative to send troops to Xuanda—to drive the main force of the rebels farther into the hinterland of Xuanda!
"Mr. Lu, you..." Gao Hongtu was furious, and just about to criticize Lu Shanji for his shameless actions, he suddenly remembered one thing—Master Zhang sent troops to Shaanxi to fight across the border. The main force rushed into the hinterland of Shaanxi?Young master Zhang did the first grade, so why can't the Shaanxi-Gansu army do the fifteenth grade?

"Good idea!" Except for Gao Hongtu, almost every Shaanxi-Gansu civil and military official supported Lu Shanji's eye-for-an-eye and tooth-for-a-tooth from the bottom of his heart!Over there, Sun Chengzong also secretly resented Young Master Zhang's previous plan to lure poisonous water to the west. Now that Lu Shanji proposed this method of tit for tat, Sun Chengzong only thought about it for a moment, and immediately nodded and said: "That's it, the old man personally leads the main force to go north and take over Fugu, Shenmu and other places. Lieutenant General Yang Chun led [-] troops to seize Jiazhou, and must drive the rebels entrenched in Jiazhou across the Yellow River." Speaking of this, Sun Chengzong glanced at Gao Hongtu, a member of the Gou Shao Party, After pondering, he ordered: "Zi prison (Gao Hongtu characters), you go back to Yan'an mansion and supervise the supply of grain and grass on the front line."

………………

When the Shaanxi-Gansu army was still rushing to the Fugu area to prevent the rebels from counterattacking back to Shaanxi, the offensive and defensive battle under Kelan City had already started.As Young Master Zhang expected, in order to prevent the Xuanda army from having time to react, the frantic and hungry thieves dispatched reinforcements to reinforce Kelan, leaving behind the slow-moving family members, old and weak women and children, and gathered all the forces capable of fighting At the same time, Gao Yingxiang also led Li Zicheng and his elite army into the battlefield. Thirty thieves assembled more than [-] troops, and it took more than two days to finish the battle. Advance to the city of Kelan.The guard of Kelan City, Shanxi Deputy Commander He Renlong, was outnumbered and dared not go out to fight, but closed the four doors tightly to take precautions.

Although the attack on Kelan was a desperate effort by the Thirty Routes of Rebels, after arriving at Kelan City, the Thirty Routes of Rebels still did not act impulsively. What made the Thirty Route rebels ecstatic was that within tens of miles of Kelan City, the terrain was open and the trees were sparse, and it was impossible to deploy ambushes. In the only dangerous Kelan Mountain Range, all the hills were bare, and there were not half of them. ambush.Therefore, every rebel scout dares to guarantee with his own head that within [-] miles from the southeast to the northwest of Kelan City, there will never be another army except for the army of He Renlong, the deputy commander of Shanxi who is guarding alone in the city. Two Xuanda troops!

After confirming that Kelan City was not a trap set up by Young Master Zhang, the morale of the whole army was greatly boosted. In the early morning of the next day, which is also the [-]th morning of the seventh month of the eighth year of Da Ming Qi, the [-] rebels marched from the east at the same time. He Renlong led the army to defend Kelan City from three directions: north, west, and north, and launched a fierce confrontation with the army of rebels.It was only at this moment that the thirty-thirty thieves were pleasantly surprised to find that He Renlong's army seemed to be smaller than expected, and many soldiers who went up to the city wall to defend the city did not even have military uniforms and flags. They seemed to be escorting food, grass and supplies The number of ordinary civilians who actually wear military uniforms does not exceed [-] at most!Moreover, these soldiers are all second-rate troops in the Shanxi army, and their combat effectiveness is limited compared to the bandit soldiers.

Not to mention, He Renlong, who can only be regarded as a second-line general under the command of Young Master Zhang, really has two brushes in defending the city. After half a day of bloody offensive and defensive battles, the numerous thieves failed to break through his city wall defense line. The death squads of the thieves rushed up the city wall several times, but were cut down by the death squads of the Ming army under his personal command. Afterwards, their eyes became red from killing, and He Renlong, who was over fifty years old, simply took off his armor and went into battle shirtless. Fighting hand-to-hand with the rebels on the front line, the morale of the soldiers of the Ming army was also greatly boosted, shouting and hacking so that the rebel soldiers retreated steadily, unable to climb the city wall.Although the rebels had many troops, they were unable to attack the city due to the lack of siege weapons. Wang Jiayin, who suffered heavy losses, had to order his troops to withdraw.

"Damn it, when did He Renlong become so unafraid of death?" Wang Jiayin yelled, "The last time I fought Hequ, this old man led an army to rescue. Run away, why did you die so desperately today?"

"Pigeons! My lord, look quickly, pigeons are flying out of the city!" A rebel soldier pointed to the sky and shouted.The thieves looked up, and they saw three snow-white carrier pigeons flying out of the city, spreading their wings and flying to the north.Fan Wencheng hurriedly shouted: "My lords, quickly send cavalry to chase and shoot down with bows and arrows!"

Probably because he hasn't fought a city defense battle for many years. He Renlong even forgot that he had to choose to release the carrier pigeon in the evening during the siege battle. He released the carrier pigeon before the sun set, and was immediately surrounded by Kelan City. The soldiers of the rebels found that dozens of archers chased after them on horseback. After shooting hundreds of feathered arrows, one of the arrows finally hit a carrier pigeon. But luckily escaped the robbery and disappeared in the northern sky.Taking a closer look at the letter carried by the carrier pigeon, everyone in Wang Jiayin couldn't help but be overjoyed—it turned out that in today's city defense battle, it was unknown whether Wang Jiayin and the other bandits were lucky or He Renlong was unlucky. He Renlong was shot in the lower abdomen with an unbiased arrow, and he was seriously injured. At the same time, the defenders also suffered heavy losses in the first day of battle. He Renlong knew that it would be difficult to continue to lead the army to defend the city, so he planned to burn the food, grass and supplies in the city He led the army to break through and asked Ma Shiying, the governor of Xuanda who stayed in Shanxi Town, to send troops to respond, so as to prevent the defenders of Kelan City from being surrounded by rebels and encountering the misfortune of annihilating the entire army.

After carefully reading the request letter written by He Renlong himself, the thirty thieves roared with joy, regardless of the fact that their own army also suffered heavy casualties in the siege battle, let alone what it means to preserve their strength, they unanimously demanded to attack the city overnight. Taking advantage of people's illnesses kills people!Although Fan Wencheng over there thought that there might be a better way to break the city, but considering that for Jiannu, the more Han people died, the better, so Fan Wencheng didn't bother to say anything, and let these rookie thieves take their lives To fill in the walls.

When the siege of the city was launched overnight regardless of fatigue, the number of casualties of the main force of the rebels reached its peak at once. One time, he was beaten back by the defenders. The bows and arrows in the sky were like locusts, shooting blood from the rebel soldiers; , the densely packed rebel soldiers were on fire; from time to time, a few iron mines that ignited the fuses were dropped, and the heads and faces of the rebel soldiers were blown up; The rocket turned one after another of the rebel soldiers into flaming fire men, howling and screaming and running around, rolling all over the ground until they were burned alive.Seeing this familiar scene, Fan Wencheng couldn't help yelling, "Damn it, you are indeed Zhang Haogu's subordinate, the little mad dog, who really learned everything about the little mad dog!"

Victory is just around the corner, no matter how heavy the casualties are, the thieves can't take care of them. After being beaten back many times in a row, the thieves are completely red-eyed. Charged to the Kelan city wall in person, Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong, two rebel geniuses, rushed to the front with the death squads, climbed up the ladder with their weapons in their hands, and swung steel knives to kill the Xuanda soldiers at the top of the city wall.However, the tenacious fighting will of the Xuanda army trained by Young Master Zhang has far exceeded the imagination of the Thirty Thirty Bandits. The damned city wall defense line, on the contrary, also paid for a few thieves who personally led the charge. Zhang Xianzhong, who once took care of all the Dongchang masters, was also cooperated by six Xuanda soldiers after cutting down three Xuanda soldiers. During the siege, he was stabbed twice in the body and was forced to jump off the city wall to escape with injuries.After a day and night of bloody battles, the lost troops of the rebels quickly exceeded the [-] mark, but Kelan City still stood still, and none of the rebel soldiers could enter the city.

"Damn it, is this Kelan city made of iron? So many people have died? Why haven't they captured it yet?" When the sky was twilight, he saw the corpses of elite soldiers piled up like a mountain and the corpses still standing. Kelan City was in motion, and Wang Jiayin was completely crazy. He yelled: "Wang Guozhong, Zhang Liwei, you two lead me to charge personally, and we must take down this Kelan City! Who will be the first to charge?" Enter Kelan City and reward a thousand taels of silver!"

"No!" At this time, Fan Wencheng finally realized that something was wrong.Because the sky brightened and the field of vision widened, Fan Wencheng suddenly discovered a major problem—the clothes of the soldiers of the Ming army on the city wall were all clean!You know, the Kelan defenders with insufficient troops have been fighting bloody battles for a day and a night. Even if they are not injured because they occupy a good location, their clothes will definitely be stained with the blood of the enemy, or the blood of soldiers stained on the arrow stacks on the city wall. No matter how bad it is, you have to touch, roll, and crawl to rub dirt and dust. It is absolutely impossible to be as clean as it is now, as if you have just put on a new military uniform that has been cleaned.

Thinking of this, Fan Wencheng's heart skipped a beat, his handsome face suddenly turned gray, and he murmured: "Understood, it really is a trap! Such a scary little mad dog Zhang Haogu, it's just something out of nothing! I found Ke There is no place to ambush the army around Lancheng, so they ambushed the main army..."

(End of this chapter)