Eighth year of Chongzhen

Chapter 104 Meeting
After dark, Huang Degong led more than ten soldiers out from the north gate, drove northward for a few miles, then detoured eastward, and finally saw Chen Qiyu in a ravine ten miles east of Shouzhou City.

At this time, an army of tens of thousands of thieves had gathered in the east of the city.It took several hours for Guo Tianxing and Hun Shiwan to lead their troops to set up camp within a few miles outside the city, and wait for dawn to attack the city from the east wall.The reason why they didn't choose to attack the city overnight was mainly because most of the people at this time lacked nutrition and generally suffered from night blindness.If you light a torch and light a fire, it will become a pointing target for the archer at night.

Fengyang reinforcements packed the narrow ravine to the brim. There are more than 3000 Xuzhou soldiers and 2000 Xinfengyang Guards. Except for Guo Taihe's more than [-] personal soldiers who have horses, the rest are all infantry.

Chen Qiyu led his troops to the vicinity of Shouzhou around noon, and Mrs. Guo's personal soldiers were sent out as scouts, first to investigate the enemy's situation, and second to find a camp for the army to hide and rest.

After finding this ravine, Chen Qiyu came to check it out in person, and was very satisfied with the place, so thousands of officers and troops stationed here.

On the way from Fengyang, Chen Qiyu met the messenger from Shouzhou halfway.After setting up the camp, Chen Qiyu sent several people to return with the messenger, preparing to inform Shouzhou of the arrival of his army.

These people were not far away when they met the soldiers sent by Huang Degong, so they returned to the camp with Huang Degong's soldiers, met Chen Qiyu, and returned to the city to report to Huang Degong after receiving the order.

The movement of the bandits to the east gate was detected by Tanma. In order not to expose the target, Chen Qiyu decisively ordered all the scouts to be taken back. The whereabouts of the army.In fact, the thieves have never paid much attention to the issue of sentry and scouting, but just in case, the officers and soldiers still strictly implemented the military order.

The reason why Chen Qiyu is so cautious is because he intends to make a surprise attack from behind when the rogues attack the city, trying to hit the rogues hard in one fell swoop.Give the emperor and the court a surprise, and completely eliminate the negative impact caused by the loss of the carriage gorge.

In a large cowhide tent with a faint candle, Huang Degong met Chen Qiyu.

Although Huang Degong has never met Chen Qiyu, he still admires this famous first governor of the five provinces.Although he was in office for less than a year, under the command of Chen Qiyu, the Ming army dealt a heavy blow to the bandits who seemed to spread throughout the Ming Dynasty.Although the ending is not perfect, his vision is broad and his strategy is far-reaching, which is rarely dissatisfied among generals in the army.

Due to the dim lights and unclear vision, Huang Degong couldn't see clearly the people in the tent.After respectfully giving the military salute to Chen Qiyu, who was wearing a red official robe, Huang Degong was still a little surprised: Mr. Chen should be sitting in the main seat, but why is there a general sitting side by side with him?Shouldn't that be? When we soldiers see a high-ranking official like the governor, we can only stand under the tent!
Just as he was pondering, Chen Qiyu called his trumpet and said with a smile: "Hushan, come and see Duchen Lu!"

Duchen Lu?
Huang Degong was stunned for a moment, and a name appeared in his mind like lightning!

Lu Xiangsheng!
Sitting side by side with Chen Qiyu, the person in armor is actually Lu Xiangsheng, the prime minister of the five provinces!
Huang Degong stepped forward quickly, knelt down on his knees, and shouted his name in excitement: "Huang Degong, the deputy general of Shandong Province, sees the governor! I have admired the governor's name for a long time! I never wanted to see the governor in Mr. Chen's tent! Disrespectful! "

"General Huang, please stand up! I heard that the general is the emperor's favorite general. Now he obeys the order and travels thousands of miles to help. He is really a conscientious general!" Lu Xiangsheng said with a gentle smile.

Huang Degong stood up, cupped his hands and replied: "Master Chen, as a general of the Ming Dynasty, it is his duty to obey the orders of the Ming Dynasty, and he should not be praised by adults!"

Lu Xiangsheng praised: "If the generals of the Ming Dynasty are like General Huang, why worry about the thieves not being wiped out!"

Chen Qiyu smiled and said: "Hushan, you are surprised, why did Duchen Lu appear in my tent?"

Huang Degong hurriedly cupped his hands and said: "I'm really a little confused! I know that the governor was in Chuzhou area before, and I thought it would take a few more days for the governor to lead the army to arrive. I didn't expect to see the governor here tonight!"

Lu Xiangsheng replied with a smile: "I led the cavalry to the left and right around the time, and the infantry was still a hundred miles away. Along the way, I scouted around and found Lord Chen's camp, so I came to contact Master Chen!"

Huang Degong suddenly realized.Lu Xiangsheng has Liaodong cavalry under his command, among which Ye Bushou is an elite soldier who has experienced many battles.Although the Fengyang army was hidden in the mountains, they still left many traces.The bandits were only patrolling around their own camp, and did not send anyone to look around. The two armies were not far apart, but they were not discovered by the bandits.

However, Liaodong Yebu sentry has a very large range of detection, not only tens of miles ahead, but also the hills and grass on the left and right sides, in case of being ambushed.One Yebushou discovered the camp of the Fengyang Army when he was looking from a distance on a nearby hill.

When Lu Xiangsheng learned that there were government troops camping nearby, he already thought that it was reinforcements from Fengyang.After instructing Li Chongjin to find a suitable place to hide, he came here with a few soldiers.

While waiting for Huang Degong's arrival, Lu Xiangsheng resolutely refused Chen Qiyu's invitation to let him sit on the throne.Chen Qiyu's qualifications are much older than his own, and he is also a senior scholar in the middle school for many years. He is a senior in the officialdom and examination field, and Lu Xiangsheng also admires Chen Qiyu's talent very much.Finally, Chen Qiyu suggested that the two sit side by side, and Lu Xiangsheng reluctantly agreed.

Chen Qiyu opened the mouth and said: "I and Duchen Lu have already reached a conclusion today. Since Hushan is here, please ask Duchen Lu to tell Hushan the strategy of this battle, so that all parties can act according to the plan!"

Lu Xiangsheng is no longer modest. After all, he is the imperial minister in charge of the military affairs of the five provinces and has the final command and decision-making power.

He said softly: "This time our army has arrived with several troops, and the two thieves who broke in and offered are negligent. Arrive later!"

Huang Degong was very excited when he heard the words: he had never participated in such a large-scale battle. Tens of thousands of officers and soldiers attacked hundreds of thousands of thieves in three ways, and there were two famous civil servants supervising the battle. This battle will surely win!

Lu Xiangsheng continued: "After the discussion, General Huang returned to the city and immediately set up the city defense. It is expected that the bandits will attack with all their strength tomorrow. General Huang will defend the city at all costs and wait for the Tianxiong army to arrive! Shouzhou is like a fortress, blocking the way of the bandits. , and there is still a threat of pursuers behind him. When the old soldiers of the bandit master are exhausted, the official and Mr. Chen will split up and attack, and the bandits will be caught off guard. General Huang must kill from the south gate in time. Under the attack, the bandits will be defeated !"

Huang Degong clasped his hands together and said, "Don't worry, my lords, I will definitely be able to defend Shouzhou, so as to provide time for the army to arrive! It's just that I have a policy, don't know if I should say it or not?"

Lu Xiangsheng and Chen Qiyu said at the same time: "Speak!"

Huang Degong said: "I have checked the bandits' formation in the city. Although there are many people and the camp is wide, the situation is chaotic! I want to send people to attack the bandit camp tonight! Disrupt the bandits and attack the subordinates tomorrow, and delay them. The siege time is given to give the governor's army more time to move around!"

Lu Xiangsheng and Chen Qiyu thought about it, and after a while Chen Qiyu said first: "This plan is very good! The thief may know that there are reinforcements in the city, but because of the large number of people, they have never paid attention to the reinforcements! They never thought of our army Dare to attack at night! If this plan succeeds, it will definitely demoralize him!"

Lu Xiangsheng also said: "I agree with Mr. Chen's words! This strategy is feasible! But a backup must be reserved at the gate of the city in order to deal with the night attacking army. Furthermore, it is necessary to bring more fire and flammable objects, and set fires everywhere to make the thieves mess up. It would be even better if we could find the camp of his cavalry! He set off a fire to burn his fodder and disturbed his horses.

Chen Qiyu praised: "Duchen Lu's words are wonderful! If the night attack goes well, the bandits will lose their power! Perhaps Shouzhou will be the place where trespassers sacrifice their bones!"

Lu Xiangsheng continued: "The target of this night attack is the camp of the bandit army in the south! The number of enemies in the east is slightly smaller, and they are partial divisions of the bandits. I judge that the south is where the bandits' old camp and cavalry are located! Therefore, if you want to fight, fight At the crucial point! General Huang, everything is up to you!"

(End of this chapter)