stubborn thief

On March [-]th of the seventh year of Chongzhen, the Qingshui Fort in the southeast of the Acropolis of Suzhou was waving banners, and there was an endless stream of people and horses outside the fort.

Qingshuibao is the protruding part of Jiuquan Oasis to the east. It is surrounded by the Gobi desert on the south, north and east sides. It is 150 miles away from Gaotai Camel City in the desert.

The Sixth Battalion of the Marshal's Mansion stationed troops all over the Jiuquan Oasis. There was only one reason why Liu Chengzong chose to convene the generals in Qingshui Fort, which was closer to the front line. There were no people in this place.

There are too many people running around on the Jiuquan Oasis at this time of year. The Marshal's Mansion is about to divide the fields, and the summer grain is about to mature. The people are busy harvesting the beans in their own fields before dividing the fields. Report their intelligence to the east.

The good thing about Qingshui Fort is that it is desolate, and the surrounding army fields have all been deserted. The soldiers don't want to stay here, let alone the common people.

When Liu Chengzong arrived at Qingshui Fort with his guard team, more than 200 guards had gathered in this disrepaired loess fortress, and all the senior generals of the Marshal Army had arrived to welcome him outside the gate of the fort.

Everyone then entered the garrison office in the fort. Everyone knew that the Generalissimo called the meeting for the deployment of the next battle, so everyone had a serious face. They had prepared a map and other military equipment in the official office, just waiting for Liu Chengzong to open it. discussed.

Not only Yang Yao, Mo Yujing, Gao Yingdeng, Wei Qian'er, Zhang Tianlin, Feng Fen, and Tang Bingqian Chief Ma Xiang participated in the discussion, but also He Huchen, Yang Qi, Wang Chengen, and Li Bei who were staff officers of the Huben Camp.

As well as the leader of the Three Tribulations, Wang Ziyong, the surrendered general Hu Zhishen of the Suzhou camp, Song Xian, the governor of the Suzhou Weitong, the general of the Chahar camp, Ji Tu, and Huang Shengxiao who stayed behind and besieged Jiayuguan.

"Everyone has been exhausted all the way here. At the moment of the war, everything is kept simple, and any shortage of supplies in each battalion will be reported."

After Liu Chengzong sorted out the wooden figurines placed on the map, he listened to the reports from the generals one by one. Among them, only Ma Xiang and Zhang Tianlin were meaningful.

Ma Xiang, the general manager of Tangqi Qian, said that they were short of tea, sugar, and salt, which were necessary supplies for Tang soldiers. Fortunately, there were not many shortages, so Liu Chengzong asked Hu Zhishen and Song Xian to solve them.

Zhang Tianlin was more straightforward, took out the list written in advance and read it, tent blankets, axes and shovels, rope sacks, artillery ammunition... attracted Liu Shizi's attention, waved his hands and said: "Don't read, I will take care of all the things that are missing. I know, go down and find Han Shipan to call you, Suzhou has them all."

The most outrageous one was Wei Qian'er. He said that he lacked weapons and food. Liu Shizi rolled his eyes. This kid came to show off his superiority.

He was ordered to take over the various forts in Suzhou and incorporated a thousand headquarters. The standard battalion of 600 people became a reinforced battalion of 800 people. If there are too many people, there will naturally be a shortage of food and grass, but Liu Shizi can't understand the matter of weapons and equipment. It stands to reason that the surrendered soldiers brought their own weapons and equipment.

Wei Qian'er explained with a smile: "Marshal, there are armors for surrendering soldiers, but that's too bad. I lack 480 heavy guns and 110 carrying guns. If I can get Huang Shen to cast me another A thousand catty red cannon would be even better."

Isn't this daydreaming?
In Suzhou, where did Liu Chengzong go to conjure up a complete set of new ordnance.

He said unhappily: "Don't count on heavy guns and heavy guns. There is still a possibility of heavy guns, but you'd better not use them." …

The generals roared with laughter. Huang Shengxiao, who is currently besieging Jiayuguan, was ordered to cast cannonballs. The purpose of casting cannons was to make up for the damage of old cannons during use. If they used newly cast heavy cannons, it would only mean that the offensive was contained by the Ming army. .

After saying this, Liu Chengzong turned to look at Gao Yingdeng, and said: "General Gao should have told you about the situation on the front line. If you have any opinions on the next battle, just say it."

This is the topic of the military discussion.

When Liu Chengzong spoke, several guards under Gao Yingdeng were lying on the map to arrange wooden figurines, and a line of defense had been deployed at the location of Gaotai Qianhusuo.

The brigade commander Yang Yao stared at the map, pondered for a moment and asked: "Commander, the enemy general Li Hongsi once served in Shaanxi, do you want to send someone to communicate and try to recruit him?"

Liu Chengzong knew that what Yang Yao said was actually a reward.

It means that if Li Hongsi is willing to surrender, what position can the Marshal's Mansion provide to accommodate him? After all, Li Hongsi is no stranger to many generals in the Marshal's Mansion.

"If he is willing to surrender, the commander-in-chief can give him the post of brigade commander, and he will still lead the original soldiers." Liu Chengzong said with a smile, "Can anyone recruit him to surrender?"

Liu Chengzong was not optimistic about the idea of ​​recruiting Li Hongsi, because he was no stranger to the generals in the Marshal's Mansion, but the problem was that Yang Yao, Gao Yingdeng and others knew Li Hongsi, but Li Hongsi might not know them.

What's more, it was quite difficult for former subordinates to persuade the chief to surrender.

But no one expected that Yang Qi spoke suddenly, and the guy clasped his fists and said, "Master!"

"Oh?" Liu Chengzong said happily, "Can General Yang persuade you to surrender?"

Yang Qi's brain was shaking like a rattle: "No, the general recommends it, and I ask General He to go and persuade Li Hongsi to surrender."

He Huchen was staring at the map beside him in a daze, studying military issues very seriously, his brows were furrowed together, lamenting Yang Jiamo's vicious eyes.

Suddenly, he seemed to hear someone calling him. He looked up with a mask on his face, and saw that the generals of the entire government office looked at him with sympathy: "Huh?"

He didn't know what happened at all, so he opened his mouth with his fists in his hands and came: "Commander, Yang Jiamo is difficult to deal with with his military skills, and the general thinks that this battle should be settled quickly."

After finishing speaking, He Huchen felt that the atmosphere was a bit strange. Why are these people still looking at him?

Seeing Yang Qi at his side nudging him with his elbow, he said in a low voice, "General He, that's not what the Marshal is asking. To recruit Li Hongsi, you know him well."

He Huchen was thinking that I am not familiar with Li Hongsi!
After being stunned for a moment, he finally realized what was going on, and after a long time he was recommended.

Although he already knew that Yang Qi beside him was not a thing, He Huchen felt that he still underestimated the extent to which he was not a thing. Moreover, the general and General Yang Qi are really not familiar with each other, they just happened to be colleagues, he doesn't know me."

After finishing speaking, he felt that his speech was a bit stiff, so he clasped his fists and said, "If the commander-in-chief needs it, he can write a letter of persuasion to surrender to Li Hongsi at the end, but he has a very bad temper and quarrels with everyone, so he may not be willing to surrender."

Wang Chengen on the side watched the two of them making jokes, and then he said: "Li Hongsi has a weird temper, but he will be hard-working to the court's orders, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to persuade him to surrender. In the end, the general thinks it's better to fight quickly, so he quickly defeats his defense line. Prevent Yang Jiamo from joining him." …

Liu Chengzong just laughed it off, he could see that among the three general officers, Yang Qi had the strongest desire to perform, and he could lead troops as soon as possible, but he was not very reliable.

As for He Huchen and Wang Chengen, they are truly reliable people, but Liu Chengzong is more willing to find opportunities for Wang Chengen to lead the army, while He Huchen is more inclined to train officers and train troops.

After all, apart from his son in Qinghai, He Huchen's family papers are all in Baoding. Liu Chengzong doesn't know how Emperor Chongzhen treats his family papers. He is probably locked up in prison.

It was almost their consensus that the war should be resolved quickly, while Gao Yingdeng, Wei Qian'er, Zhang Tianlin, Feng Ruo and others agreed. These people didn't care how to fight, only whether they were allowed to fight.

Because to a certain extent, the generals of the Ming army and the generals of the Marshal's Mansion have the same views on strategic choices, and whenever there is an opportunity, they will choose a quick battle.

Under such circumstances, Li Hongsi ran over in a hurry, slammed on the brakes and built fortifications on the spot, which meant that he did not have enough belief in winning, so he turned to passive defense.

It's just that Liu Chengzong doesn't know the reason why Li Hongsi turned to the defensive for the time being, because there are too many reasons, such as insufficient troops, disorganized soldiers, and low morale?It's all possible.

In this era, there is a lack of objective conditions for planning and then acting.

Just when Liu Chengzong was about to issue an order to attack the fortifications, he noticed that the surrendered general Hu Zhishen standing at the end of the main hall of the official office was eager to try.

To be honest, Liu Chengzong did not expect any return from the generals in Suzhou. The only military commander among the generals left behind in Suzhou, Wang Yanming, was killed in the uprising, and Hu Zhishen, who was a hereditary commander, did not have any leaders. experience.

Counting on him for military issues is basically a luxury.

However, Liu Shizi felt that since he had called someone over, he wanted Hu Zhishen to say something to increase his sense of belonging, seeing the eagerness to try, so he said, "General Hu has something to say? Speak freely."

Hu Zhishen wanted to say it, but if he really wanted to say it, as soon as the eyes of the surrounding generals passed by, Suzhou Wei's useless Xiaodian became nervous again, took two steps forward, and insisted on organizing his words for a long time.

Liu Chengzong thought, how can he be a battalion general with this appearance?
He comforted: "General Hu, we are all on our own, so don't worry too much, just say whatever you want, it doesn't matter if you say something bad."

With Liu Chengzong's guarantee, Hu Zhishen nodded repeatedly, and then said: "Commander, generals, I don't know whether this matter should be said, it seems that it has nothing to do with the war... It is Li Hongsi, the deputy general of Suzhou. , I haven’t been to Suzhou since he took office, I guess he doesn’t know the way.”

Liu Chengzong was dumbfounded, and he exchanged glances with the left and right generals, everyone looked like they had seen a ghost.

He is the deputy commander of Suzhou, you said he doesn't know the way of Suzhou, so why not go to the grave to burn newspapers and play tricks?
Who can believe this?
Wei Qian'er was already looking at Hu Zhishen with sorrow, thinking that this man was a traitor.

When all the generals in the Marshal's Mansion looked at Hu Zhishen with unfriendly expressions, it was Wang Chengen who jumped out again to rescue the general.

Although Wang Chengen also felt that this was a bit ridiculous, but after careful consideration, he still frowned and said: "Commander, Li Hongsi took office until I was ordered to be transferred to Hehuang. He has been fighting rebellion in Shaanxi, has he really been here?" The possibility of Suzhou.” …

With Wang Cheng'en's testimony, people looked at Hu Zhishen no longer so strangely, but in people's eyes, this matter seemed to be worse than Hu Zhishen being a traitor.

Liu Chengzong gave Hu Zhishen a thumbs up with a smile: "General Hu is amazing, these news are indeed our weaknesses, this matter is very useful, is there any other news?"

In fact, Li Hongsi didn't recognize the news, and he didn't know what it was useful for now, but he praised Hu Zhishen...too many seemingly powerful people in this world have fallen into the hands of harmless people.

What's more, such news may be useful in the following battles.

However, Liu Chengzong's praise was of great significance to Hu Zhishen. As a hereditary commander, the military households below were unworthy, and the officials above were too lazy to respond, so that no one praised him in this life.

Not to mention that Liu Chengzong still praised him in front of a group of arrogant soldiers, making Suzhou Wei's waste snacks a little smug, especially caring about Liu Chengzong's encouragement, he really wanted to say another useful news, but he himself was not sure What news is useful.

Racking his brains, Hu Zhishen deliberated for a long time, and then asked timidly: "Commander, there is something that I shouldn't say, if I say something wrong, I hope the commander-in-chief will be more generous, and don't be as humble as a low-ranking officer. "

Liu Chengzong nodded, guessing that Hu Zhishen might have something related to the military, he said, "But it's okay to say."

Hu Zhishen took a cautious look at Yang Yao, Wang Chengen and others, then cupped his hands to Liu Chengzong and said: "I feel that it is not appropriate to fight quickly at this time, especially not to attack the defenders on the high platform to win the victory."

Liu Chengzong was noncommittal about this, and didn't speak immediately, but Song Xian who was on the side was anxious: "It's not appropriate to win quickly, and you, General Hu, are getting rations for an army of [-]?"

No one wants Liu Chengzong to rush to Ganzhou more than Song Xian.

The entire Suzhou has a household of less than [-] and a population of less than [-]. The Marshal's Mansion has [-] troops and horses and livestock stationed here. After their food is exhausted, the army of the Marshal's Mansion may not necessarily collapse, but the Suzhou Guard will definitely collapse. Time is no longer a matter of forced requisition of supplies, it will kill people.

After all, Hu Zhishen is a hereditary commander, his mentality is different from others, after experiencing the initial nervousness, now he is at ease being scolded by Song Xian, and he shook his head very calmly: "I can't get the military rations, but the commander, the Great Wall's Dunbao is called Dunbao in other places, only the ones with high platforms are called dams, because the high platforms are planted with paddy fields, and the special product is rice.”

"There are many rivers and lakes around the high platform. There are seven rivers, more than 30 main canals, and countless branch canals. There are many commanders and horses. It is impossible to run away from that place."

Not only can't run away!

The 3-[-]-strong army of the Marshal's Mansion opened up and charged forward. If there is no fight, it will be divided by the main canal. Let alone a quick victory, it will hurt your spirit if you are tied by a small number of officers and troops, or you will be repelled if you are serious. Even the artillery had to be left there.

Hu Zhishen brought too many surprises to Liu Chengzong. He first turned his head and glanced at Gao Yingdeng and Ma Xiang. Although he didn't say anything clearly, the second general immediately understood.

Only then did Liu Chengzong look at Hu Zhishen again, and asked: "Since General Hu knows the geography here, can he have a strategy to defeat the enemy?"

"The commander-in-chief thinks too highly of humble officials." Hu Zhishen clasped his fists apologetically and said, "The humble officials have no knowledge and skills, and only have some knowledge of the locals. By the way, commander-in-chief, the suppressing barbarian guerrilla Tang Mingshi, he robbed me of my official position."

Just when Liu Chengzong wondered why this guy suddenly talked about grabbing an official position, Hu Zhishen explained: "Zhenyi is an isolated fortress. In the past, trapping thieves often passed through Zhenyi, which was especially dangerous. Now that trapping captives have been eliminated and pirates have disappeared, That year there was a vacancy for the Zhenyi guard, and the lowly position had ambitions for this, but the imperial court insisted on the old way, saying that the Zhenyi guard must be a brave and strong man, and chose Tang Mingshi, who was born in a hundred families in Liangzhou."

Hu Zhishen's meaning was obvious: the imperial court scolded me for being cowardly, and the commander-in-chief wanted to vent his anger on me.

"enough!"

Liu Chengzong applauded and said: "General Hu has already revealed the secret of our army's victory. If the geography of the high platform and the guard's mentality are as General Hu said, the victory in this battle should be your first contribution."

After finishing speaking, Liu Chengzong leaned down and followed the map, and said to the crowd: "Sun Tzu's art of war says that a good fighter can kill people but not others... Everyone, mobilize them and let them come out of the hole and fight with me!"