Eighth year of Chongzhen

Chapter 255
In late June of the tenth year of Chongzhen, after more than half a month of long-distance marching, Mao Yuanyi, the deputy commander of the Yongwei Battalion, led an army of [-] to Songshan. After a brief greeting with Shen Shiyu and Zhang Dou who came to greet him, the army entered the baggage Camped in a simple military camp outside Songshan City, Mao Yuanyi, accompanied by Shen Shiyu and Zhang Dou, entered the city to meet Hong Chengchou.

"I've heard of Zhisheng's reputation of both civil and military skills for a long time, and I finally meet you today! The military preparations Zhisheng has cultivated are complex, inclusive, broad and profound, and they are really magnificent works! In my spare time, I especially like to read under the lamp. I will be amazed, and when I have something in my heart, I can practice it on the battlefield, and the effect is excellent! I can't match the talent of stopping life!"

In the study in the backyard of the Songshan City Garrison Office, Hong Chengchou held on to Mao Yuanyi's hands, making no secret of his admiration for this great talent.

Mao Yuanyi's military preparation book was written in the Tianqi period, with 240 volumes, consisting of five parts: military tactics review, strategy test, formation training system, military resources, and accounting. Great work of history.But at that time, it was not paid much attention by the imperial court, so the number of printed volumes was not many.Hong Chengchou was lucky enough to collect a whole set and carry it with him. He often looked through it in his spare time when he was suppressing thieves. He highly praised Mao Yuanyi's talent, but he never had the chance to meet him in person.

"Duke Hong is too famous! This official is only good at talking about soldiers on paper! When it comes to suppressing thieves and appeasing the people, Hong Gong's ten-year achievements have attracted the attention of the world. This is the pillar of the country. I am afraid that this official will never be able to match Hong Gong! Why is it too late? If you say that, I am ashamed to be an official!"

Although Mao Yuanyi was the deputy commander of the Yongwei Battalion, Hong Chengchou treated him like a civil servant, and his speech was also called by the tone of a scholar.Although Mao Yuanyi has never been in the pilot test, he has always regarded himself as a literati, and he is also from an official family, so he is neither humble nor overbearing when facing important officials such as Hong Chengchou.

After seeing the ceremony, the four of them were divided into guests and hosts.Fang Yizao, the governor of Liaodong, said that the illness had not yet arrived, but Hong Chengchou, the general of Liaoxi, came without a word.

After the soldiers served tea and retreated, under the signal of Hong Chengchou, Shen Shiyu left his seat and stood sideways, giving a brief explanation of the enemy situation in Yizhou according to the map hanging on the wall, and the pre-war negotiations officially began.

"Hong Gong, I don't know how many enemies there are in Guangning? It is only a few dozen miles away from Yizhou. If its defense is weak, why not take it together and take it down? This will add another layer of barriers to the northeast of Jinzhou, and then send out civilians." Repair the abandoned Dalinghe Fort, and in this way, western Liaoning will be as solid as gold!"

After looking at the map and understanding the general situation, Mao Yuanyi cupped his hands and asked.

In his view, Yizhou, where less than [-] Jianlu were stationed, is at your fingertips, so it is better to take the opportunity to expand the results of the battle and extend the front to the northeast.

"I have also considered what Zhisheng said, but the time is not yet ripe. Although Guangning is occupied by the enemy, there are only a few hundred guards and builders. It is not difficult to capture, but it is tasteless to eat! Gein The surrounding area of ​​Guangning is a large area of ​​plains, where the most powerful cavalry is galloping. The enemy's strength and our trap are also. Uiju stands on the back of the river, and there are dangers to defend, but Guangning is not. Therefore, it is impossible to capture Guangning. How beneficial it is; the Holy One intends to gather heavy troops to attack Liaodong in the next spring, I believe that Zhisheng has heard about it; but after I came to see the terrain, I felt that although the attack is possible, the strategy must be changed; I intend to stick to Yizhou and Jinzhou. To lure the main forces of Jianlu to gather here, take advantage of Ningjin's long and narrow terrain to fight decisively with them, strive to inflict heavy damage on their main forces in one battle, and then send troops northward to attack Huanglong!"

Guangning protrudes from the northeast of Jinzhou, and unlike Yizhou, which is built by a river, it has a geographical advantage. Its city is not large and can only accommodate thousands of soldiers.If you send troops to defend the city after taking it, once the Jianlu army gathers to attack the city, then Jinzhou and Yizhou will send troops to rescue, which means fighting Jianlu in the field. Outside Guangning City is the vast and flat Liaozhong Plain. It is the best battlefield for cavalry to exert their power.Hong Chengchou had no confidence in the field battle with Jianlu.

"It's still Hong Gong who thinks too far, and Meng Lang is dismissed! If that's the case, let's take Yizhou first and then talk about other things!"

Mao Yuanyi admired Hong Chengchou's explanation.Although I have great military works, and I usually consider myself a soldier, but compared with Hong Chengchou who has experienced countless vicious battles in the past ten years, my vision is still not long-term, and I never thought of combining the immediate battle with the next year's war.

"The talent of Zhisheng is far superior to that of many courtiers, but he lacks the experience of being in battle! I have heard for a long time that the Yongwei Battalion is a first-class strong army in Ming Dynasty. It is good at using all kinds of firearms. It is very similar to the Shenji Battalion created by Emperor Taizong. What is unique about the siege that Sheng led this time?"

Hong Chengchou comforted him with a smile. Although he had heard the name of the Yongwei Battalion and knew that it was a strong army that the emperor relied on most, he didn't know its real combat power.

"The next official has been in the Yongwei Battalion for nearly two years. Although he has never been in contact with the rest of the Ming Dynasty, he is still quite confident in the combat power of our Yongwei Battalion! The Yongwei Battalion has now expanded to more than [-]. Treat each other, the whole army has sufficient food and wages, and there is no such thing as cruelty to the soldiers! The daily drills are constant, the morale of the whole army is high, and they all have a fearless heart, vowing to repay the grace with death! Among the others, there is the [-]-day heroic army under the command of the former Grand Master Lu, who has been in battle for a long time, and is loyal and available! There are [-] medium-sized Frang machine guns in the army, each weighing about [-] catties. The guns are reloaded and released very quickly, so they can do great damage to the enemy's dense formation! There are also ten heavy-duty Hongyi cannons, each weighing about [-] catties, pulled by a bullock cart. Enemies a few miles away can do a lot of damage, so it’s great for attacking the city! After capturing Yizhou, place it at the head of the city. Hong Gong just sit on the sidelines and watch!"

When mentioning the Yongwei Camp, Mao Yuanyi's tone was full of pride.

As far as he knew, among the hundreds of thousands of Ming troops, only the Yongwei Battalion and Jingying Battalion were mainly armed with firearms.Everyday when he led his troops to drill, the improved firearms and gunpowder were amazingly powerful, which boosted the morale and confidence of the whole army.

Although Hong Chengchou led the army for ten years, the frontier army he led was still dominated by long spears, broadswords, bows and crossbows, and very few soldiers used firecrackers.Since it has been a mobile battle for a long time, the artillery is bulky and inconvenient to carry. There are only a small number of tiger squatting cannons in the army, and cannons such as the Frang machine have never been equipped.He has some understanding of the power of artillery, but he has never seen this kind of combat method of an official army equipped with a large number of firearms.Therefore, when he heard that there were actually one hundred French cannons and ten Hongyi cannons in the army of 2 people, and Mao Yuanyi's confident words, he was not only surprised, but also dubious in his heart.

"Hehehe! Since Zhisheng is sure about taking Yizhou, I am relieved! This battle is of great importance, and there is no room for error! Although the number of enemies in Yizhou is small, their combat power is extraordinary; This time they are all infantry, in order to prevent the Jianlu from attacking with cavalry, Ning Jin must send a cavalry to cover the two wings of the infantry, after everything is properly arranged, the army can move out!"

To be on the safe side, Hong Chengchou decided to draw the cavalry from the Liaoxi generals to prevent the Yongwei Battalion from being defeated under the impact of the Jianlu cavalry.

As soon as the Yongwei camp arrived at Songshan, Zu Dashou of Jinzhou got the news. For this reason, he specially sent his two cousins ​​Zu Dabi and Zu Dale, as well as Zu Zerun, Zu Kuan, Wu Sangui and other outstanding members of the next generation They gathered together to discuss the matter of the capital's sudden dispatch of troops to leave the customs.

"First, Hong Hengjiu supervised Ji Liao with the title of a university scholar. Hong has not yet made any move, and then suddenly sent another [-] elites to Ningjin. Could it be that the imperial court wants to deal with me? You and I have guarded Liaoxi for many years. How many relatives and children have died here, dare the court not to miss any old love? We spent so much money, and when the matter came to a head, why did those important ministers not reveal the slightest word?"

Zu Dashou, who was seated upright, frowned slightly, and his tone was slightly irritated.

Zu Dale and Zu Dabi looked at each other and said comfortingly: "Brother, don't make random guesses. If the imperial court wants to deal with us, it is worth dispatching soldiers? Come a group of eunuchs and factory guards, and ask the crime with the imperial decree. We dare to rebel No? I have been suppressing thieves in the pass for nearly two years. I heard that the emperor is very tolerant. I have never heard that the emperor arrested this and that like before. We in Liaoxi can still come in handy. The emperor is a sensible person. As for falling out! Uncle, do you think so?"

Zu Dale and Wu Sangui once served under Hong Chengchou's command. He knew that Wu Sangui had a lot of friends and knew more secrets about the court than him, and he was also very well informed.Although his intuition told him that the imperial army was not here to deal with the ancestors, but he still asked Wu Sangui when he was uncertain.

Seeing that everyone in the study room was looking at him, Wu Sangui, who understood that the coming of the army might be related to the Mingchun war, said, "Third Uncle's words are very reasonable, and my child also feels that the imperial court sent troops to come here this time." It's not about my affairs in western Liaoning, maybe it's for the sake of conquest of Jianlu, and by the way, to warn me that I can't succeed in western Liaoning? My boy is on good terms with Mr. Shen, the staff member of Governor Hong's tent, why don't you go and find out?"

Zu Kuan said carelessly: "Uncle, don't worry too much. Our ancestors are not traitors. They are worthy of the imperial court's use of soldiers? Besides, we have also obeyed the imperial court's orders in the past few years. Remember our kindness! If the court convicts me, I will go to Dushuai Lu to ask for favors, and I am sure nothing will happen! But since the eldest uncle is familiar, then hurry up and inquire about it, don’t scare the uncle at night. Can't sleep anymore! Hahahaha!"

Zu Dale scolded angrily: "Da Kuan, you're not sure what to say, right? No matter how big or small, I'll hang you from a tree and beat you to death!"

Zu Kuan smiled and turned his head away, Zu Dashou didn't have the time to argue with this bastard nephew, but ordered repeatedly: "Uncle Chang, take a lot of money and go to Songshan to find Mr. Shen, and come back and report if you have anything to do!"

　Thanks to the book friend Long Ziyan for the reward and long-term support, and also to the friends who insist on reading. If the writing is not good, please bear with me.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)