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Chapter 278 Preparing to Pull Hair
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The fall of Xi'an was indeed not the fault of the war, but the fault of people.And the root of the negligence lies in the position of young master Zhang, the new governor of the five provinces.Just as Song Xiance, the anti-bone master, said, how could Sun Chengzong, who is a scholar of the Dongge University, the current emperor's teacher, the former minister of the Ministry of war, the former governor of Liaodong and the current governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, tolerate a man who is about the same age as his grandson? Young Master Zhang is his boss?Tell him what to do?If it were you, would you be able to swallow this breath?
In all fairness, Sun Chengzong and Hong Chengchou did not do badly in Shaanxi. The mess left by Yang He and Hu Tingyan was also sorted out by them. The main force of the rebels once gathered in Shanxi, which put heavy pressure on the Shanxi defense line of the Xuanda army. , a very important reason is that the main force of the rebels was frightened by Sun Chengzong and Hong Chengchou, and they were driven to Shanxi.But it is a pity that Sun Chengzong and Hong Chengchou were doomed early on to not be able to completely rebellion in Shaanxi!The key to this reason is food and military pay!One of the key reasons why Young Master Zhang was able to win successive victories on the battlefields of quelling chaos, fighting against Tatars and building slaves is that Young Master Zhang's army has always been well-fed and paid. The young master provided all kinds of powerful and expensive new weapons, but Sun Chengzong and Hong Chengchou did not have any of these.

The military salary of the slave slaughtering army is 12 taels per person per year, which ranks among the top in the country. The food of the army is comparable to that of ordinary landowners, or even worse. The treatment is definitely the number one in the Ming army!The military pay of the Shaanxi army generally ranges from four to six taels per year, and the grain and grass are mainly brown rice and black noodles. Intermittently, it is not uncommon for soldiers in remote prefectures to eat tree bark and grass roots to satisfy their hunger. Sun Chengzong and Hong Chengchou were able to stabilize the army and effectively control most of the Shaanxi prefectures under such difficult circumstances. Can describe.But Sun Chengzong and Hong Chengchou put in so much hard work and sacrificed so much painstaking effort, but in the end what they got in exchange was accusations and curses from the government and the public for their ineffectiveness in suppressing the rebellion, as well as Young Master Zhang, the immature boss, not to mention Sun Chengzong Even Hong Chengchou and most of the Shaanxi soldiers will not be psychologically balanced.

Under the extremely unbalanced psychology, the root of the disaster was also planted. In order to save face and prove his own worth, Sun Chengzong, who has always been known for his prudence, personally led the army to attack, and planned to win a big victory before Young Master Zhang took office, and give Young Master Zhang a blow. , As a result, Fan Wencheng, who also understood Sun Chengzong's character, seized the loophole and formulated an ambush plan to lure the enemy deep.In the Battle of Liupanshan, the [-] Ming army led by Sun Chengzong who was short of food and wages was surrounded by thieves ten times more than his own army, and he broke out of the siege only after paying a heavy price.Immediately afterwards, Hong Chengchou, who was good at field battles but underestimated the guards, made another mistake. Regardless of the danger that the main force of the Shaanxi army had been too divided, he did not recall the army that was still in Yan'an, the lair of thieves, and took the risk to rescue Sun Chengzong, who did not need to be rescued. It is a pity Hong Chengchou's weakness of emphasizing the power of the front and neglecting the defense of the rear was once again caught by the rebels, and once again he went deep away from Xi'an alone. As a result, the gate of Xi'an, which had less than [-] defenders left, was opened by the rebels. The main force of the rebels led by Li Zicheng himself After entering the city, Zhu Yifeng, the military officer of Xi'an, and Zou Jiasheng, the magistrate, both died for their country, and the incomparably precious food, grass, weapons and supplies for the Shaanxi army were all at the hands of the rebels.

After failing to suppress the thieves, he lost his base camp. After receiving the news that Xi’an had fallen, Sun Chengzong, who was already injured, was so angry that he vomited blood. , "The whole army returned to Xi'an. Xi'an was lost in the hands of the old man. The old man wants to take it back with his own hands and give an explanation to the court!" The grief-stricken Shaanxi generals suddenly agreed, and under the leadership of Sun Chengzong and Hong Chengchou, they turned around and went back to the city of Xi'an. Launched a fierce attack on the thieves in Xi'an.Li Zicheng, who had no choice but to get Fan Wencheng's advice and advice, was too cunning. He still couldn't hold out even when his troops surpassed the Ming army. When they were exhausted, all kinds of rebels entered the city one after another for reinforcements, and gradually formed an absolute superiority in strength over the troops of Sun Chengzong and Hong Chengchou.At this time, the letter of Young Master Zhang was also delivered to the city of Xi'an and handed over to Sun Chengzong...

"Zhang Haogu, the dog day, what do you think of the Shaanxi army?" After reading this letter written by Shi Kefa, which is full of contempt and disdain, and was sent by the young master Zhang [-] miles, it is a pity. Sun Chengzong has read the books of sages and sages, and he has a very good self-cultivation. He couldn't help cursing in anger. He slapped the table and shouted: "Don't repeat the mistakes of Xi'an? It means that if my Shaanxi army doesn't go to Tongguan, Yang Zuoji's Henan army will be able to defend it." Tongguan, my Shaanxi army has gone to Tongguan to hold back, Yang Zuoji will definitely not be able to defend Tongguan?"

"Damn it, this little stray dog ​​is too deceitful!" The Shaanxi generals standing on both sides of the row also cursed with red eyes, so angry that they almost wanted to eat Young Master Zhang who despised them like nothing.After reading the letter, Hong Chengchou, number two in Shaanxi, was also so angry that his face was livid, and he hummed, "Wushuang national scholar? Is he worthy of a great responsibility? I don't know if Zhang Haogu's good friend Yang Zuoji is a peerless national scholar and worthy of great responsibility. But one thing I know very well is that the old, weak, sick and disabled of the garrison teams in those places in Henan are not worthy of carrying shoes for our Shaanxi men on the battlefield! Zhang Haogu pinned his hope of sticking to Tongguan on them, and waited to see how Tongguan would be. Lose it!"

"That's right, I know the situation in Henan the best." Hong Chengchou's right-hand man, Du Wenhuan, deputy commander-in-chief of Shaanxi, also sneered: "There is not even a commander-in-chief, and most of the soldiers have never fought in their lives. The army has never been on the battlefield in their entire lives! I bet that if the rebels really hit the city of Tongguan, at least half of the defenders would flee without fighting, and half of the soldiers would faint from fright when they saw blood. Run as fast as you can! Hold Tongguan and go dreaming!"

"Elder Ge, Zhongcheng, generals, in fact, you don't need to be angry." At this time, Zuo Liangyu, who was highly appreciated by Sun Chengzong and Hong Chengchou, who had already served as a general, suddenly spoke surprisingly, and said with a smile: "Since the governor of the five provinces Zhang The ministry will not let us go to reinforce Tongguan, so let’s not go, and when he comes to Shaanxi to take office, how exciting will his expression be when he sees that Tongguan has fallen?"

"That's right, that's it. We'll see how he responds when the time comes." The Shaanxi generals cheered.After thinking for a long time, Sun Chengzong suddenly said: "No, we can't ignore Tongguan. We must send an army to Huayin to reinforce Tongguan at any time."

"Why?" All the generals in Shaanxi asked in surprise.Sun Chengzong didn't answer, but Lu Shanji, Sun Chengzong's aide, smiled and said, "Everyone, don't you understand the meaning of Ge Lao? Zhang Haogu thought that we couldn't hold Tongguan, but we managed to hold it, and the whole army collapsed in Henan. Timely helped Yang Zuoji to defend Tongguan - wouldn't the expression on Zhang Haogu's face be more exciting when he saw this situation?"

"Yes, that's the truth." All the generals in Shaanxi suddenly realized and applauded.Sun Chengzong said again: "It's not that the old man deliberately fought against Zhang Haogu. The key is that Tongguan is equally important to us. If Tongguan falls, the food, grass and luggage sent by the imperial court cannot be directly sent from Jiangnan to Shaanxi. We can only go Sichuan or Xuanda detour is extremely detrimental to our Shaanxi army, so we must help the Henan army defend Tongguan and keep our grain road throat." After that, Sun Chengzong pointed to Zhang Yingchang, the general soldier of Yansui, and ordered: " General Zhang, you will set off immediately with [-] troops from your headquarters and rush to Huayin to station. Once the rebels attack Tongguan from the east, you will immediately enter Tongguan and assist Henan Governor Yang Zuoji to resist the enemy. Remember, the survival of Tongguan is of great importance, and it must be defended! "

"The general will follow orders!" Zhang Yingchang clasped his fists in agreement, and hastily led away.Sun Chengzong added fiercely in his heart, "Zhang Haogu, I want to show you how the army trained by the old man can hinder the Tongguan army!"

Sun Chengzong disobeyed his order and sent troops to reinforce Tongguan. This move was certainly out of anger with Young Master Zhang who despised him, but on the third morning after the reinforcements were dispatched, Sun Chengzong began to feel grateful for his decision to be angry——early morning of the third day , the scouts of the Ming army reported that Luo Rucai and Zhang Xianzhong, the rogues who had replenished food, grass and weapons in Fengxiang Mansion, suddenly detoured Qianyang, passed through Jingyang and took Tongguan directly, and at the same time scouted the scouts, the rogues Ma Shouying and other troops who went south from Fugu also directly From Fuping to the east, the same soldiers pointed directly at Tongguan City, the throat of the Central Plains.In this way, if Sun Chengzong did not divide his troops early to reinforce Tongguan, he would have to face the difficult choice of continuing to attack Xi'an with all his strength or abandoning Xi'an to reinforce Tongguan. A little carelessness may lead to the collapse of the situation in Shaanxi. , Advance can attack and retreat can defend.

"Huh!" Sun Chengzong breathed a sigh of relief, wiped his cold sweat and said, "Unexpectedly, the thieves did not flee into the hinterland of Shaanxi, but instead set their sights on Tongguan. Fortunately, the old man made preparations in advance, otherwise we will go to reinforce Tongguan now, can we be in time?" Arriving is always a problem, if the thieves in Xi'an send troops to pursue them, our main force will be flanked by front and back." At this point, Sun Chengzong suddenly felt a 'squeak' in his heart, he began to wake up, and muttered He said: "No, Yang Zuoji served as Governor of Henan Province for seven years, during which he only returned to the capital once in Tianqi's four years. Zhang Haogu's boy Tianqi only entered his official career in five years, and he has never been to Henan, and he has never seen Yang Zuoji. After meeting, how could it be possible that Yang Zuoji and Yang Zuoji are life and death friends...?"

"Oops!" Thinking of this, Sun Chengzong patted his gray hair, and said angrily: "I am so angry that I have been fooled by this kid again. This kid has already assumed the old man's thoughts and reactions!"

........................

When Sun Chengzong was annoyed outside Xi'an and was slapped hard by Master Zhang, on the seventh day of February in the ninth year of Tianqi, Master Zhang's army had already crossed the Yellow River in Mengjin, and all entered the territory of Henan Prefecture. Because the military situation in Shaanxi was in an emergency, Henan Governor Yang Zuoji Bao Qimo, the inspector, had rushed to Tongguan early to personally supervise the battle, commanding the army to guard against death, so the only ones who came to meet Young Master Zhang at the wharf were Liang Zhidong, the censor of Henan Province, and Chen Qiyu, the prefect of Luoyang.When the host and guest met, Young Master Zhang asked in the first sentence: "How is the military situation in Tongguan? Have the rebels invaded Tongguan?"

"Back to the hall, I just received the Tang newspaper. Two days ago, more than [-] rebels from Shaanxi had arrived in Huayin. If there is no accident, war has already started at Tongguan." Liang Zhidong replied respectfully.Young Master Zhang was startled, and hurriedly asked again: "Then Mr. Sun Ge from Shaanxi, did you send reinforcements to Tongguan?"

"Sent." Liang Zhidong's answer made Young Master Zhang heave a sigh of relief, "General Zhang Yingchang, the Yansui General Soldier sent by Sun Ge, arrived in Huayin five days ago, and he also accepted Yang Zhongcheng's invitation to lead the three Thousands of troops moved to Tongguan to help defend the city."

"Thank God." Young Master Zhang wiped off his cold sweat, patted his chest and said, "I know Zhang Yingchang, since the sixth year of Tianqi, he has been active on the battlefield of calming chaos, and he has made a lot of contributions from a general to a general. With him helping in the battle at Tongguan, I can rest assured." After that, Young Master Zhang quickly asked again: "By the way, Lord Liang, Lord Chen, how is the army guarding Tongguan in Henan? Tell me everything you know. "

"Thank you for your concern about the situation in Henan." Liang Zhidong cupped his hands to thank him, and introduced: "Butang, because we have no wars in Henan for a long time, we have not set up a general army since the founding of the Ming Dynasty. Except for the local garrison, there are only two lieutenants, Chen. The troops under the command of Yongsheng and Rui Qi were stationed in Luoyang and Kaifeng to assist in guarding the area, but the strength of the two generals was only 5000. This time Yang Zhongcheng urgently dispatched troops to reinforce Tongguan, and only about [-] troops were dispatched in total. Tongguan originally had more than a thousand troops, so the Henan army that can participate in the battle is only about [-] people."

"That's all? After so many years of peace, the military equipment has been too relaxed." Young Master Zhang frowned again.Liang Zhidong said with a wry smile: "What the Ministry said is very true. Henan's military equipment is indeed too slack. But there is another bad news. The Ministry probably doesn't know it yet. Because there has been no war for a long time, the Henan army is very short of pay and food. Seriously, the soldiers haven't received their military pay for nine months at the longest. Thanks to Yang Zhongcheng's popularity, he promised to pay them as much after the war, so they didn't make a fuss, and honestly followed Yang Zhongcheng to Tongguan to fight However, Yang Zhongcheng had no choice but to deal with the issue of food and grass—the food and grass in Tongguan could only last for half a month at most. Yang Zhongcheng sent people to urge him countless times, but it was still uncertain when the food and grass from the Ministry of Households and the Ministry of War would be delivered to the front lines. .”

"This is a complete mess, how did Yang Zuoji persist?" Young Master Zhang gasped.Chen Qiyu, the prefect of Luoyang next to him, said tremblingly: "Zhang Butang, if you want to get food locally in Luoyang when you pass through Luoyang this time, you will be damned as humble. I can only say sorry to you. There has been a severe drought in Henan for eight years. In the eight years of the locust plague, the government grain storehouses have long been empty, and the low-ranking officials can’t even produce a single grain.”

"Don't be afraid, I have enough food and grass, barely enough to go to Tongguan." First Young Master Zhang's words made Chen Qiyu put his heart in his throat, but the next words made Chen Qiyu fall to his knees in fright——Zhang Da The young master smiled and said: "This time Xi'an fell, the food and grass in Xi'an must have suffered a heavy loss. Before the military rations from the imperial court reach the front line, the Shaanxi army will be supplied with food and grass. I hope Lord Chen's Luoyang Mansion will help us a lot."

"Zhang Butang, kill the humble official!" Chen Qiyu kowtowed desperately, hugged Young Master Zhang's leg and cried loudly, "There is food that the humble official can't get out, really can't get it out! I said I'm not afraid of the Ministry Don’t you laugh, it’s not spring yet, many of the servants in the humble yamen are already unable to open the pot, and they are still waiting for the imperial court’s food relief to arrive before they can drink a bowl of porridge.”

"Master Chen, please get up." Young Master Zhang was both angry and funny, he helped Chen Qiyu and said, "Master Chen, don't worry, I just asked your Luoyang Mansion to help temporarily support the Shaanxi battlefield, and I didn't say that I would force you You get food. The disaster in Henan is so severe, of course I know you can’t afford food, but I also know that in your Luoyang city, there is one person who can afford food and military pay to support the front line.”

"Zhang Butang, the person you are talking about is Lord Fu?" Chen Qiyu asked tentatively, wiping away tears.Young Master Zhang smiled slightly, and replied: "Who else can there be besides him? With a salary of more than 2 taels a year, and thousands of salaries earned, he is the richest prince in the world. This time If he doesn’t pay for it, who will pay for it?”

"Zhang Butang, stop this dream." Liang Zhidong and Chen Qiyu said in unison: "You probably don't know about Butang. In the seventh year of the apocalypse, the imperial court ordered the kings to donate money and food, and more than [-] people from all over the country donated money. This time, Yang Zhongcheng supervised the battle at Tongguan. He also asked him before leaving, and said that he only borrowed some money and food, and would return it to him when the court issued it. He didn’t even borrow a penny. I didn't give you a single grain!" After that, Liang Zhidong added, "What's even more exasperating is that when I accompanied Yang Zhongcheng to visit his palace to borrow grain, he was so stingy that he couldn't even part with a cup of tea. What he gave us was Baishui—the cold well water that is not willing to use firewood to boil!"

"What else is this? Lord Fu is so stingy?" Young Master Zhang didn't believe it.Liang Zhidong and Chen Qiyu nodded solemnly together, expressing that this matter is absolutely true.Young Master Zhang smiled again, and said: "Unexpectedly, Prince Fu is even more economical than I imagined, but it doesn't matter, it is a good thing to save a little-it proves that his bank and grain depot are about to burst, and we will also save money." You can ask for a little more."

"Butang, excuse me for saying something unpleasant." Liang Zhidong said with a wry smile: "You dare to bet your head, even if you are the governor of the five provinces and the Minister of the Ministry of War, Lord Fu will not sell your face and lend you one." Food and one or two taels of silver. Our Prince Fu is really irritating."

"Come here." Young Master Zhang beckoned Liang Zhidong and Chen Qiyu to the front, and whispered in their ears: "As long as you cooperate with me in a play, then I promise to get food and money from Lord Fu. As well as the food and silver of your Henan army, I can also get it..."

(End of this chapter)