Eighth year of Chongzhen

Chapter 257
In the Liaodong Governor's Yamen in Jinzhou City, Hong Chengchou finally met the long-famous Zu Dashou.

Zu Dashou, who was dressed in a unicorn men's suit, was short and stocky, with a long face, a high nose, and a wide mouth. A thick beard under his jaw was neatly trimmed, and a pair of long and narrow eyes were shining brightly, giving people a cold-blooded and ruthless feeling.

"Duke Hong supported half of the Ming Dynasty by himself. After ten years of hard work, he finally made the world clear. Zumou admires him very much! We finally meet again today, he is indeed a hero! Mr. Hong holds the high position of a scholar, and this time he is the governor by imperial command. From then on, Zu must respect Duke Hong everywhere and listen to Duke Hong's order!"

Zu Dashou was the first to clap his fists with a smile.

Hong Chengchou smiled and cupped his hands in return and said: "Young Master Zu is too famous! The so-called merits of ten years are just the result of my emperor's wisdom, the support of courtiers, and the hard work of soldiers. How dare Hong dare to covet the achievements of heaven! Shaofu has guarded the border for generations and climbed the ice Lying in the snow, resisting the captives with their bodies, and finally making the captives peek at the border and not be able to cross, this is the one who has contributed to the country! Before Hong left Beijing, the Holy Lord specially ordered that when he met with Shaofu, he must convey his respect to the soldiers of Liaoxi , and said: The rumors in the market are not good for Shao Fu, who is really jealous of his achievements and his position; looking at Daming, which general can achieve Shao Fu's achievements today? My emperor's words hit the key point, Hong I also feel the same way. This time I was ordered to supervise the teacher outside the pass, and I also made a plan in my heart during the journey, and I will cooperate sincerely with the young master to prevent the captives and thieves together.

Hong Chengchou, who has been an official for many years, opened his mouth to talk nonsense, and blocked Zu Dashou's hypocritical obedience.

In particular, Zhu Youjian didn't like Zu Dashou in his heart, and it was impossible to praise Zu Dashou in front of Hong Chengchou. Hong Chengchou's words were just to appease Zu Dashou, and Zu Dashou couldn't go to the emperor to verify it anyway.

Zu Dashou certainly did not believe that the emperor would make such a rational evaluation of himself.Just listen to this kind of words.After bowing his hands to thank Southwest in a pretentious manner, he solemnly invited Hong Chengchou to take his seat.

Zu Dale once listened to orders under Hong Chengchou's account, so he stepped forward to salute his old boss again. Hong Chengchou smiled and praised, then turned and sat down.

Because Hong and Zu were of equal status, they sat facing each other, avoiding the embarrassment of who was in charge.

Although the Ming Dynasty has always been rich in literature and military, everyone knows that in western Liaoning, Zu Dashou is the king.

Hong Chengchou sat at the head of the guest seat on the right, followed by Liaodong governor Fang Yizao, Li Qide who participated in politics, Zhang Dou who supervised the army, Mao Yuanyi, the deputy commander of the Yongwei Battalion, and Shen Shiyu.

On the left side of Zu Dashou, Zu Dale, Zu Dabi, Zu Zerun and Wu Sangui sat first in turn.

"Zumou heard that Duke Hong wanted to take Yizhou. Dare I ask Duke Hong if he has a good strategy? Although the Yongwei camp is good at fighting, the Jianlu is tough and hard to control, and there are also Tartar cavalry. The Jianlu are used to field battles. You will not rely on the city to defend, if you are not sure of victory, it is better to be cautious!"

After the servant served tea and left, Zu Dashou spoke.

Although it is known that the Yongwei Battalion had severely damaged the Azig tribe in Changping, everyone in Liaoxi believed that it was the Yongwei Battalion relying on the city as the backing to achieve such a result.If they met Jianlu on the plains, no matter how strong the Yongwei Battalion was, they would not be able to escape being slaughtered.

And this time when the army is dispatched, the Jianlu sentry will definitely know early on, don't forget that there are only [-] Jianlu guarding the city, and there are only [-] cavalry, but they will never stick to the city, but will go out to guerrilla.The infantry without the cover of the cavalry may not be able to please the Shangjian cavalry, and there is a risk of losing even though there are many numbers.

"It's not a good strategy. The Yongwei Battalion brought a lot of cannons this time. Since it is to attack the city, it is enough to form an army and take it by force. After discussion, the official decided: 2 people from the Yongwei Battalion will go out of Jinzhou to form an army. , After arriving at the city of Yizhou, divide 1 troops each to attack the east and west gates, and the main force is [-] people to attack the south gate. According to what Zhisheng said, the Yongwei Battalion usually practiced the method, this battle does not need to be attached to the city, and directly bombards the city with artillery After that, the infantry drove straight in! Ningjin cavalry sent out [-] troops, one to cover the two wings of the infantry, and the other to cruise around the south bank of the Daling River in the east of Yizhou City, and intercept and kill the defeated Jianlu soldiers!"

Hong Chengchou said solemnly in a non-negotiable tone.

"It's okay for me, Ning Jin, to send out the cavalry, but can this artillery blast open the city gate? This is the first time I've heard of it! Zhisheng, can this method work?"

Zu Dashou looked at Mao Yuanyi and asked.

There is also a Hongyi cannon at the head of Jinzhou City, but it is too heavy to move at all.What's more, Jianlu also used cannons to attack the city, but they were all aimed at the top of the city. I have never heard of bombarding the city gate with artillery.

"Our army has practiced this method countless times, and its effect is very good! Last year, Li Chen also used it in the battle of Zhushan in Yunyang Prefecture, and it is even more confirmed that this method is feasible! Zu Shaofu will come to watch the battle in person at that time. Let's see how our army destroys the enemy!"

Facing Zu Dashou, who was like the top of the generals, Mao Yuanyi did not salute, but replied in a cold voice without false words.

In his early years, he followed Sun Chengzong, Yuan Chonghuan and others to inspect Liaodong, and personally participated in the construction of the Liaoxi defense line. During this period, he met Zu Dashou several times, but they were not close friends, they were just acquaintances.Mao Yuanyi hated and felt helpless for some of Zu Dashou's subsequent actions, so today there is no scene where the old people are happy after meeting each other.

A little embarrassed, Zu Dashou clasped his fists at Hong Chengchou and said, "Since Mr. Hong's plan has been decided, then the Liaoxi officers and soldiers can follow the order! I don't know when they will send troops? Somebody can summon troops and horses to fight together!"

"Three days later, the Yongwei Battalion and the Baggage Battalion moved from Songshan to Jinzhou. Five days later, the horse infantry set out from Jinzhou. The cavalry marched ten miles forward, accompanied by infantry. The terrain to the north of Jinzhou is open, and Shaofu also asked Shaofu to send scouting horse vanguards to investigate the enemy's situation. In case of accidents, I will go out with the army five days later, I wonder if Young Fu will go with me to watch the battle?"

Hong Chengchou asked with a smile.

"With Mr. Hong's wealth as a civil servant, he dares to go to battle, so why should a certain martial artist of the ancestor be afraid of it? Then he will accompany him!"

Zu Dashou replied generously.

Although he stayed in Jinzhou City for many years and strictly ordered his subordinates not to leave the city to fight Jianlulang, Zu Dashou also knew that Huang Taiji had sent the main force to the west.The enemy in Yizhou is only a thousand or so, and there will be no major Jiankui within a few hundred miles. There is almost no possibility of losing this battle, so why not go out with the army?Just by the way, let's take a look at how powerful the legendary Yongwei Battalion is.

Five days later, on the wide and flat field on the north bank of the Xiaoling River in the north of Jinzhou City, Hong Chengchou, wearing black gauze on his head and a crane mending suit, and Zu Dashou in chain armor were riding side by side.As far as the eye can see, there is a large cloud of dust floating in the air in the distance, and a large group of Ning Jin cavalry is marching towards Yizhou in a trotting manner on horseback.

"Sure enough, he looks like an elite soldier! Not only is Zhisheng outstanding in literary talent, but he can also lead a good soldier! It seems that our army has a great chance of winning in this battle! Congratulations to Hong Gong, when you come to Ningjin for the first time, you can regain the lost land, I don’t know how happy the Holy Majesty will be when he finds out!”

Fang Yizao, who landed half a horse's body beside Hong Chengchou, praised.

The [-] infantry of the Yongwei Battalion faced north and were divided into several large square formations and arranged neatly on the north bank of the Xiaoling River, with the supply battalion and artillery battalion at the end.

There are more than ten thousand people, and there are no boundaries. The large formation composed of 2 people could not see the end at a glance, even Hong Chengchou and others riding on horseback could only see a small part not far away.

Zhu Youjian invested a lot of money in Yongweiying.All the soldiers wore black armor and shoulder pads, hat-shaped iron helmets, knee-length iron mesh skirts, and combat boots.Generals wear a full set of armor and helmets with iron armguards, and flags of various colors on their backs so that their soldiers can see themselves during battle.Countless flags fluttered slowly in the summer breeze, and the [-] soldiers holding all kinds of weapons and firearms were silent, and the expressions on their faces were proud and stern. The rows of soldiers stood proudly and silently, giving people a strong feeling oppression.

"out!"

Following Hong Chengchou's nod, Mao Yuanyi not far away gave an order, and the soldiers around him waved the red flags in their hands, and more than a dozen war drums beat at the same time, and the sound of the drums resounded through the sky.After hearing the sound of drums, the spear phalanx at the front started marching in neat steps under the command of the battalion leader, aiming at Yizhou, a hundred miles away.

(End of this chapter)