Chapter 309 Wanting to see the first vertical, abandoning the child for merit(1/2)
Although drinking is a taboo thing when facing the enemy war, Li Meng still drank a glass of wine with Yan Jizu. Li Meng also realized that Yan Jizu is now using various methods to show kindness to himself. If such a civil servant can stand on the same front with him, it will be a good thing.
When Yan Jizu saw Li Meng able to drink and knew that his kindness had already played a role. He also knew the proper behavior. He no longer disturbed him now and said goodbye to his residence.
The Shandong governor was already in a state of excitement when he watched the game during the day. After much trouble at night, he felt really tired and went back to his residence and fell asleep.
The eunuch Chen Min and the Jinyiwei were also enclosed in tents. The Jiaozhou camp had a document holding the current battle situation and beheadings, and asked the eunuch to report his merits to the court. The group was really happy and worried. They were happy that they were asking for the army to supervise themselves. There was always some military merits, and there should be some promotion and wealth. However, Luoyang fell and King Fu was killed. This was a serious crime of losing his relatives. Even Yang Sichang wanted to commit suicide. It seemed difficult to say whether the one who urged to send troops here would be implicated.
Whether it is a civil servant or a eunuch, they are very upset. In the current situation, the generals have made a huge mistake. As long as their troops are still in place, the court will at most be removed from their posts, and then they will have to temporarily take charge of the general. This is not much different from not punishing. However, as long as civil servants and eunuchs commit crimes, they will be imprisoned immediately.
In recent years, killing civil officials and killing internal officials is like killing chickens. The emperor has never ruthlessly. This time, King Fu's fall has nothing to do with the speed of Shandong's troops. Chen Min has calculated in private that even if he had just urged him to send troops along the Yellow River, he should have fallen there before he arrived in Luoyang.
But the explanation of this was to the top, and the emperor and the cabinet ministers would not pay attention to it at all. At the moment, Chen Min and his group of people were Li Meng who did whatever they said, hoping to share the military functions and reduce their guilt.
Yan Jizu and Chen Min went to rest after they were busy. There was no entertainment in the military camp and they fell asleep soon. However, as the commander of the army, Li Meng could not be as leisurely as them. His night had just begun.
After it got completely dark, the horses that followed Hao Yaoqi's troops from far away also returned to the military camp. The horse team of Jiaozhou camp chased after thirty miles from the river beach. Hao Yaoqi ran fifteen miles more than the horse team of Jiaozhou camp, spread the stalls there, and began to gather the defeated troops.
Refugees and refugees are originally a group of loose sand. For them, being disbanded by the government army is common. When the time comes, they will find someone to surrender and join in.
Although Hao Yaoqi's army did not take any advantage in today's battle, neither the basic leader nor the large number of soldiers suffered much losses. Moreover, the only thing worthy of surrendering to in Henan today is the King of Chuang. The refugees were chased by the horse team and ran around the mountains and fields.
But after the Jiaozhou Camp's horse team stopped chasing, they gathered towards Hao Yaoqi's gathering place. Hao Yaoqi's army saw that it had already destroyed 80% of his strength during the day, but when he gathered the defeated troops in the army, he immediately recovered 80% of his 90% of his strength.
The so-called refugee army is really troublesome. It cannot be completely killed. As long as there are natural disasters, as long as it is annexation, as long as it is officials and gentry do not have to pay taxes and labor service, the refugee army will always have a steady stream of troops, and will always be restored if it is broken up.
However, the reason why it can be collected is that the Shandong soldiers did not open the killing orders. The cavalry chased them. Facing those enemies with their backs to themselves, as long as they were slashed down by a sabre and stabbed out by a wooden spear, it would be a life and a reward for beheading. Moreover, the cavalry kept controlling their speed. If they chased at full speed, they could circle almost all the infantry in, and then they would be massacred.
The distance between the defeated soldiers was indeed safe for Hao Yaoqi for the time being, but at this location, it was only about 35 miles away from Kaifeng City. Li Zicheng, who besieged Kaifeng City, directly felt the danger on the flanks.
Hao Yaoqi's defeat naturally caused a quick horse to spread the news to the King of Chuang. The army immediately dispersed a team of tens of thousands of people to set up defenses on the west side of Kaifeng City.
This time, less than 100,000 soldiers were divided into 20,000 to block the official army. The siege of Kaifeng City can no longer be ambushed on ten sides, but can only attack a few key areas. Kaifeng City can already convey messages to each other outside the city.
The news of Hao Yaoqi's defeat also spread to Kaifeng City. During the day, the counterattack on the city became even more intense. That victory inspired morale.
When 10,000 troops were assigned to defend the east side and to support the defeated soldiers, Hao Yaoqi could only attack Kaifeng City in the west gate area. Moreover, this attack was even more important to restrain the defenders in the city. At present, the camp was in danger of being attacked by inside and outside.
The glass of wine he had just drunk made Li Meng a little drunk. After the leader of the Discovery Horse reported, he just asked the Discovery Horse to continue staring at Hao Yaoqi's movements.
Li Meng was not worried about what other actions Hao Yaoqi would do in the past few days. In today's battle, Shandong soldiers and horses have always been in a very restrained state. I believe the other party can understand it.
Looking at the few personal soldiers standing in the tent, although they looked elsewhere, they all looked full of concentration. Li Meng couldn't help laughing and said:
"You guys, you guys, have an idea. Did you think you were going to dispatch troops when you heard the horse probing the horse report Hao Yaoqi's movement?"
Those personal soldiers were all embarrassed to laugh when Li Meng talked about the central matter. Li Meng waved his hand and said:
"Let Wang Hai strengthen the defense and alert in the camp. I don't need anyone to serve you anymore. You can go down and rest."
Knowing that Hao Yaoqi was gathering the defeated soldiers, did not respond to any response? The personal soldiers were quite surprised, but they still saluted respectfully and walked out of the military tent.
Li Meng looked at the beating candlelight on several tables, slowly narrowed his eyes, and thought to himself: Li's posture has been done, can he see clearly, it's your business.
In the camp of the rebellion army under Kaifeng City, the camp of the rebellion king Li Zicheng was brightly lit. The rebellion king and his generals and counselors gathered together. Hao Yaoqi's failure made everyone in the rebellion army panic.
A small school was standing in the middle and answering the question from the owner of the tent. Li Zicheng wanted to pick up the water bowl beside him and drink water, but he touched the wound on his arm. He couldn't help frowning. Li Guo, who was standing next to him, quickly handed over the water bowl. Before Li Zicheng could drink, he heard a person on his left roar loudly there:
"Old Hao is too useless. Could it be that after eating for half a month, his stomach is so full, and his mind is also confused? Our 20,000 elite troops cannot defeat 20,000 soldiers from Shandong. How can we fight this battle?!"
The man sitting and roaring at the bottom of the man said slowly:
"Brother Liu, Brother Hao is not a person who can't fight. Let's first hear what's going on. Didn't Brother Hao send all his younger brothers here? I guess he's just letting King Chuang and us hear about this."
The popular man named "Brother Liu" looked at the persuasion man with a humming glance and said:
"Speak quickly, talk quickly, this battle is really a suffocating."
King Chuang took a sip of water, shook his wrist, but laughed out loud, and said to the school who was standing in the middle and was full of discomfort:
"Liu Zongmin is so angry that he is prone to worry. Xiao Hao, you come here overnight, it's also hard. You don't have to be polite here. You can move a chair and sit down. First, take a rest and have a drink of water. Then tell us all about what's going on."
Sitting on the right hand of King Chuang Wang, there was a scholar who was about forty years old and was always very respectful and silent, but the scholar was always looking at the reactions and states of the people in the account. King Chuang Wang, who was sitting in the middle, was indeed the hero who was about to accomplish great things.
Liu Zongmin, the first in the left head, is the leader of the general who broke into the camp. He has a hot temper. However, who knows whether his condition is true or pretending, it should be true. The reason why he is the leader of the general is probably because Li Zicheng trusts his loyalty and courage.
Li Guo, who is standing next to Li Zicheng, is about the same age as Li Zicheng and is the son of Li Zicheng's brother. His eyebrows and eyes are quite similar to Li Zicheng. He rarely sees Li Guo speak or express opinions, but Li Guo is the most regular one when doing things and training.
Gao Yigong, who had just eased the atmosphere, was the best among the generals in the camp. Gao Yigong controlled the logistics supplies and dispatch distribution of the entire army, but he never was too arrogant because of this threat. As long as the other party really needed it, he would always try his best to prepare, and every leading general was in charge.
As for Tian Jianxiu, he could sit down on the lower head on the left and lead the troops to fight desperately, but as soon as he was discussing matters in this military tent, he looked like he was not awake and kept bowing his head there. Although the rebel army started out as a rampant, these military generals had their own differences.
Not to mention that the scribe was observing and thinking there, the school that was already sitting down was narrating the daytime battle. Liu Zongmin's scolding just now made the school quite embarrassed. Therefore, when it comes to the combat effectiveness of Shandong soldiers and horses, he dared not hide the slightest bit of it. He dared not exaggerate it. The people in the camp were all military generals who had fought old wars, so how could they deceive them?
But the more the school said, the more strange the people sitting on both sides looked, and Liu Zongmin couldn't sit still. He stood up suddenly, pointed at the school and shouted angrily:
"Zhi Niang, if you lose, you lose. It's so powerful that you can say that these things are so scattered. Is the one who fights Lao Hao an official dog or a heavenly soldier and general? It's so powerful."
Hao Yaoqi's younger brother was speechless immediately, thinking that he was telling the truth, why did others have such an impression?
Everyone in the tent showed a look of confusion. How could the Shandong soldiers and horses seem to be gods? They are completely fighting against Hao Yaoqi's army? Not to mention that there are such sharp firearms. How could this be the Ming army? It is indeed incredible.
Seeing everyone's expressions, Hao Yaoqi's brother's family was also anxious. He got up from the chair and knelt directly on the ground, swearing and saying:
"How dare I tell a lie in front of the King of Chuang and the generals? Even if we General Hao comes, I will say this. If you don't believe it, the young man is willing to chop off his head, and there will be no lie!"
With such a swearing, Gao Yigong, who was sitting on the left, persuaded Liu Zongmin a few more words, but also said in contemplation:
"King of Chuang, everyone, Shandong soldiers are not only like Liu Zeqing's idiots in the past, but I have heard from brothers who have been to Shandong that there is a military general named Li Meng there, and the military training is somewhat different from the other side."
The generals under Li Zicheng had been to Henan before. During the day, Liu Zeqing, the general of Caozhou in Shandong, led a large army to suppress the thieves, but he ended up blocking the camp by the river. He was beaten to death and was in a mess. He was completely a joke among the generals who broke into the camp.
During the day when Gao Yigong went to Shandong to borrow money from Li Meng and the Qingyan business, only Li Zicheng and Li Guo knew about these people here. This was unruly and was an extremely secret matter, so I explained it for a few excuses.
When Gao Yigong borrowed money, he saw Li Meng and his soldiers. Although he was in the middle of his scrutiny and could not see the panoramic view, he also felt that his troops and horses were not the same as those of the Ming Dynasty. They were much more powerful, and Li Meng's style of conduct was even more strange.
When everyone in the camp was silent when they heard Gao Yigong's words, the small school looked at Gao Yigong with gratitude.
Li Zicheng said in a deep voice:
"The news came from all over the country this afternoon that Luoyang had been taken over by Zuo Liangyu, and Shao Shuban was also killed by the bastard. The troops led by Yang Wenyue, the governor of Baoding, to the north, will arrive in Kaifeng City in four days. There is such a strange thing in the east. We can no longer delay the Kaifeng City. After returning to the camp tonight, we will hurry back and prepare. Didn't Zuo Liangyu go to Kaifeng? Then Nanyang must be empty, let's go there!"
Since the King of Chuang issued the order, several generals in the military tent stood up and held their fists to take the order, but Li Zicheng immediately said:
"Most of Chen Yongfu's subordinates in the city are horse teams, and the Shandong troops are so difficult to deal with. When the army evacuates, they will probably chase them from behind. That's a huge trouble. I'm going to take the brothers from the Old Eighth Team to cut off the rear..."
If the Henan general Chen Yongfu was alone and even if the army retreated, he would not dare to catch up with him. He might swallow him up in one go. With this inexplicable Shandong army and the two armies combined, Chen Yongfu would definitely be brave.
If the Shandong soldiers and horses were really as powerful as the school said, it would be really troublesome to chase them. There is a common example of using troops, which is the so-called elite soldiers to cut off the rear. It is natural for the King of Chuang to take the elite soldiers to cut off the rear. He looked at the people present and prepared to call the generals and let one of them lead the troops and horses to cut off the rear with him.
In the camp, troops were sent to fight, but no one was on stage fright. From Liu Zongmin to Tian Jianxiu, everyone showed expectant expressions. The king of Chuang looked around and was about to speak, but was interrupted by the sitting scholar next to him. The scholar said gently:
"King, generals, do you have a saying for students not to say it or not?"
Li Zicheng laughed loudly and said cheerfully:
"Mr. Niu is the military advisor in my rebellion army. He is a person like Zhuge Liang. If you have any strategy, just say it directly. Why be so polite?"
This scholar is Niu Jinxing, a scholar from Henan who joined the riot army. For Li Zicheng, a famous scholar who came to join him, the meaning of this is really extraordinary. Even if Niu Juren does not have real talent and knowledge, Li Zicheng will still treat him like a thousand-month horse bones.
The King of Chuang Li Zicheng has already had ambitions and aspirations for the world. If you want to win the world, it is not enough to rely solely on the army composed of these refugees. It is necessary to have literati join.
But in this world, scholars are often from the families of landlords and gentry, and the mortal enemy of the rebel army and the target of the battle are these landlords and gentry. Both sides hate each other, so how could scholars and scholars join? The dignified juren Niu Jinxing's resignation was really a surprise.
Niu Jinxing's exemplary role is very obvious. At least some characters like scholars have begun to actively approach the camp, and gradually some have taken the initiative to surrender.
Moreover, Niu Jinxing's help to the camp was not only the role of a thousand-gold horse bone. After joining, he put forward the slogan "Welcoming the King of Chuang will not pay food", and advised Li Zicheng not to rely on the brigade's wandering war, but to select troops from the refugees, so that he can achieve great things.
The slogan of "not paying food" quickly spread to several provinces. In the past, attacked local county towns and rural forts. Although the military discipline of the camp was rigorous, the local poor people still took the initiative to help the powerful and officials defend the city, for fear of refugees entering the city and plundering. However, this slogan spread, and many places took the initiative to open the city and invite the army to enter. Now, people came to join in Henan, even in Shanxi and Beizhili.
So no matter from that aspect, Li Zicheng attaches great importance to Niu Jinxing, so as soon as Niu Jinxing entered the army, he was immediately named the military advisor. This position is equivalent to Li Zicheng's chief planner, and he was already a person in the first few days in the camp. Now when he heard Niu Jinxing's words, Li Zicheng asked the other party to tell him.
"Listen to the description of this military academy in General Hao's camp, the soldiers and horses in Shandong should have the ability to annihilate General Hao's army, right? What the students said was a bit unpleasant, so don't blame me, generals."
This was indeed unpleasant. As soon as he said it, Liu Zongmin's eyes immediately glared, and the other few people looked bad, but no one had any attacks, because from the story of Hao Yaoqi's brother, that's not the case. The school gritted his teeth and nodded and said:
"Those official dogs just rushed with their horses, and did not run quickly, nor did they kill enemies, as if they were driving sheep..."
"Driving your mother's sheep..."
"Zongmin, let Mr. Niu ask, don't speak randomly!!"
Niu Jinxing heard this and said with a smile:
"To say that others are motivated, the Shandong soldiers defeated General Hao's brigade in two or three hours. If he really wanted to rescue Kaifeng City, his entire camp should have advanced. I am afraid that the camp was already on the west side of Lanyang City at this time, but the news we inquired was that he was still on the river beach and the entire army did not move."
All the people here are military generals who are fighting old wars, so they naturally understand what Niu Jinxing said. In fact, no one thinks it thoroughly. Niu Jinxing said this layer of window paper, and everyone has come back to the scene. Liu Zongmin, Gao Yigong, Li Guo and several others look at each other, and they are a little confused. Even Tian Jianxiu, who has always been dozing, has opened her eyes wide and sat upright.
What they were confused about was not what Niu Jinxing said, but why the commander of Shandong did this? King Li Zicheng of the King of Rebellion covered the wound on his other arm with his hands, pondered Niu Jinxing's words, and said in a deep voice:
"What the military advisor said makes sense, but why did the Shandong general do this? Li Meng, I haven't heard of this name in recent years..."
In fact, Li Zicheng really had some impression of the name Li Meng. However, the military general who came to Henan to sell salt and borrowed money from Shandong, who was actually the general of Shandong and could train such an army. King Chuang felt it was a bit incredible, thinking that such a person could lead good soldiers.
Li Guo, who was standing behind him, said in a muffled voice:
"This is Li Meng three years ago. When the Tartars entered Northern Zhili and Shandong, they won a battle with the Tartars in Jinan Prefecture, beheading nearly a thousand people. Then they were promoted from the lieutenant general to the position of general. I have never heard of any wars from Shandong soldiers and horses, that is, the group of people "Song Jiang" was disbanded by them some time ago."
Everyone knew that in the rebellion army, Li Guo was also responsible for inquiring about information and spying secrets in the task of inquiring about information and stinging secrets. He had a deep relationship with the so-called Green Forest Road, Jianghu Road, and this should be the news he inquired about.
Gao Yigong said hesitantly:
"Song Dagang and others are all idiots, but the Tartars are so strong that the Shandong soldiers are really..."
"How strong can the Tartars be? Our Shaanxi officers and soldiers fought with the Mongolian Tartars for so many years. What losses have they suffered? The officers and soldiers are too stupid. Let's wait. Then we will have one day to fight against the Tartars in the camp. At that time, we will know who is stronger and who is weak!"
To be continued...