prosperous age

Chapter 1049 Kill All

Outside the city of Yongning in western Guizhou, the Ming army set up a large military camp, where the troops Li Chengliang had summoned from Sichuan, Guizhou and other places were all stationed.

A few days ago, Li Chengliang had received an official document from Wang Ning, the governor of Yunnan. He knew that given the current situation in Yunnan, it was obvious that the Burmese king was intent on rebellion, and the war was just about to spread to the Ming Dynasty.

"Father, when will we send troops into Yunnan?"

At this time, there were only Li's father and son in the military tent, and they were discussing what steps to take next.

Although the father and son of the Li family were officials from Beijing, the local forces were intertwined and everyone maintained superficial respect for them, so the so-called Left General could not put on airs and could only pretend to be submissive.

Fortunately, there were imperial orders, so they did not dare to delay in providing Li Chengliang with soldiers and food as he needed.

"Has this batch of food and supplies arrived?"

Li Chengliang did not answer Li Rusong's question just now, but asked about the food and supplies that the army had requested before.

"According to reports, the grain transport team has already arrived in Zhenning, and will reach Yongning in another five or six days."

Li Rusong had no idea what Li Chengliang's attitude was, so he had to tell him everything he knew.

"But father is now in Yongchang, Yunnan"

Li Rusong wanted to say more, but was interrupted by Li Chengliang's wave of his hand.

"Rusong, why do you think I didn't send troops immediately after receiving Wang Ning's letter?"

This time, Li Chengliang chose to answer Li Rusong's question.

"Please tell me, Dad."

Upon hearing this, Li Rusong hurriedly lowered his head and said.

"Fool, do you think war is all about who wins on the battlefield?"

Li Chengliang glanced at Li Rusong, and then his eyes fell on Li Rubai, Li Ruzhen, Li Ruzhang and Li Rumei.

This trip to the southwest was related to the rise and fall of the Li family, so Li Chengliang called all the children in the family.

One is to increase their experience in the army, and the other is to prepare to report their merits and get them an official position.

Li Chengliang was an outstanding military general in the late Ming Dynasty, but he was not a pure military general. He was good at using the skills of civil servants. Perhaps this was the reason why he had been seeking to pass the imperial examinations for a long time.

However, Li Chengliang's path to the imperial examination only stopped at the level of a scholar, and it was difficult to make any further progress.

After all, it is not easy for candidates from Liaodong to stand out in the capital to take part in the provincial examination.

Li Chengliang may be the only general in the middle and late Ming Dynasty who saw through the political games in the capital.

Although many people expressed disdain and doubt about his so-called great military achievements, there is no doubt that he became one of the few generals in the middle and late Ming Dynasty who was awarded a title based on his military merits.

If Nurhaci had not become powerful because of him, perhaps Li Chengliang's life would have been perfect.

And now, Li Chengliang is teaching his sons, making them understand that, at least, there is one concept, that is, no matter whether you are a civil servant or a military general, the rules of officialdom are ultimately rules and cannot be violated.

Seeing Li Rusong bow his head, the other four sons bowed their heads one after another. Li Chengliang then said, "When I left the capital, the imperial court issued an order saying, 'Act at your convenience.' But do you really think the imperial court is willing to hand over the southwest troops to you and me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, before the other four people could react, Li Rusong suddenly raised his head and looked at his father.

"Acting at your own convenience is nothing more than giving your father the right to mobilize troops and prepare. Go out and take a look at the military camp outside. This is the result of the court giving you the right to act at your own convenience.

Otherwise, do you think that just based on that piece of paper, the imperial army would really come here and sleep in the open air?"

Having said that, Li Chengliang glanced at Li Rusong, then looked at his four sons who were still lowering their heads, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

Among his sons, it seems that only Li Rusong can achieve great things.

He dared to lead soldiers to fight in the war when he was just a teenager, while other children only liked to hide in the back even with his military orders.

That’s not true. Li Rubai and Li Ruzhen were also forced by him to go to the battlefield and kill the enemy once.

A son of a general, does it mean that four of my five sons are cowards?

Thinking of this, Li Chengliang couldn't help but feel angry.

"Father, now that the Yunnan Governor Wang Ning has issued a document saying that Yunnan is in danger, why haven't you sent troops yet?"

After all, it was Li Rusong who was the only one who spoke at this time.

"Wang Ning sent a document that only mentioned the situation on the Yunnan border, but did not ask me to send troops. Why should I send troops?"

Li Chengliang said with a sarcastic smile on his face.

"This"

  Li Rusong was very puzzled. Since there was already enemy presence in Yunnan, shouldn't they rush to reinforce immediately?

Why did my father say that?

Seeing Li Rusong's puzzled look, Li Chengliang shook his head gently and said, "Rusong, you must always remember that the soldiers we lead are the soldiers of the imperial court. Only the imperial court can mobilize them."

"Father, you won't wait for the documents from the capital, right?"

Hearing Li Chengliang's words, Li Rusong reacted instantly and asked anxiously.

"Why can't it wait?"

Li Chengliang put away his previous smile and said nonchalantly.

"This"

Li Rusong really didn't know what to say about Li Chengliang's question.

"In the court, the civil officials have the final say, and military generals like you and me don't have the right to speak.

Whether we win or lose this battle, whether my father and I should be rewarded or punished, actually all depends on their decision.

If we had only relied on the documents from previous years, my father and I would have led the troops to the battle and won. It was Wang Ning who made the greatest contribution.

If we lose the battle, you and I, father and son, will be scapegoats and will have to accept punishment from the court.

  Do you really think that even if you win, the matter will be over?

Who knows if you might offend some important figure in the capital one day and he might find an imperial censor to sue you.

Don't give any other excuses, just say that you led the troops to win this battle, but you led the army into Yunnan without the imperial court's order to mobilize troops and go to war with the foreign vassal. How do you think the imperial court will deal with us?"

When Li Chengliang said this, there was a sneer on his face.

He had long seen clearly the moral integrity of civil servants, and he would use them to his advantage and not to his disadvantage.

"Rusong, you must remember one thing: to lead troops into battle, you must see a military order. Without a troop dispatch document, you don't have to care about anyone else's orders.

Because if something happens, the person who gave the order will never stand up to defend you.

Because you are of no use to him anymore."

Li Chengliang specifically reminded Li Rusong.

Although this son was intelligent, he was also a bit fierce in fighting and liked to lead charges.

Li Chengliang didn't like this very much.

He did this when he returned to Liaodong in order to gain a foothold in the army.

Now that he has stood firm, he naturally does not need his children to risk their lives as he did in the past.

  Why put yourself in danger when you can win with the right strategy?

The other four sons would not lead the charge, but this was too timid, which also made him unhappy.

A military general is unqualified if he does not have the courage to fight to the death.

Headache. This time, Li Rusong lowered his head and thought for a long time, then raised his head and asked: "Father, if it is as said before, my father and I led the troops into Yunnan and won the battle because of Governor Wang's letter.

Afterwards, if someone impeaches my father and me, how will the court deal with us?"

"Ok?"

Li Rusong's question surprised Li Chengliang a little. He didn't expect that Li Rusong was considering this.

After a moment of confusion, he understood.

His eldest son was too arrogant. He had never lost a battle when he followed him in Liaodong over the years. Perhaps the word "lose" did not even exist in his dictionary.

Therefore, whenever he considered a problem, he would consider what would happen after he won.

Li Chengliang didn't care about this.

With the powerful Ming Dynasty as their backing, it would be quite difficult to lose a war, especially since the current imperial court was willing to spend money on the military.

Previously, the northern border troops had received a large number of the most advanced firearms manufactured by the Beijing Camp, ranging from bird guns to Portuguese cannons, enough to fill most of the military forts in the border towns.

All of these were spent real money by the Ministry of War, because these firearms have proven their effectiveness in actual combat and are very useful.

With so many firearms firing down upon us, even if we cannot defeat the enemy, at least we will have no problem defending the city.

As for the attack, according to the drill manual issued by the Ministry of War at that time, it was the chariot camp.

Of course, this set of tactics is aimed at the grassland people.

Cheying is still effective in the southeast of Liaodong, after all, there are fewer steep mountains. However, it is not very feasible to go north.

The same is true in the southwest region, where chariot camps are not suitable for the battlefield environment.

However, the soldiers in the southwest region are not even close to those in Liaodong.

During this period, the father and his sons were training hard to familiarize themselves with the use of firearms.

Yes, the father and son of the Li family not only know how to use cavalry, but also firearms.

When we arrived in the southwest this time, we found that there were very few firearms in the garrisons here. The first step was to ask Nanjing for a lot of firearms support.

During this period, there were rumbling sounds of gunfire outside the city of Yongning, and the soldiers in the southwest were familiarizing themselves with the use of firearms.

Thanks to Wei Guangde's entry into the cabinet and the alliance, as well as Zhu Heng's control of the Ministry of Works and Tan Lun's control of the Ministry of War, the Ministry of War was willing to spend money to manufacture firearms, and the Ministry of Works strictly controlled the quality acceptance of firearms. Although we cannot say that the firearms used by the Ming army are 100% qualified, the quality is acceptable.

At least, soldiers would not have to worry about firearms exploding and endangering their lives.

Although the Ming troops in the southwest cannot be said to be elite soldiers due to the short period of training, they are far better than when they were first summoned.

If Li Chengliang brought such soldiers to Yunnan, he would have no idea how he would be defeated.

As long as we proceed step by step, we are not afraid of fighting the Burmese army.

Even if the enemy has elephants, what can they do? We can fire a volley of falconets at them. I don’t believe that those big guys won’t feel the pain and will continue to rush forward fearlessly.

Yes, after Li Chengliang arrived in Guangxi, he also inquired about how the people in Myanmar fought.

Cavalry is rarely used there, and although there are war horses, they are really useless.

Like the Sichuan horses that Li Chengliang saw in Sichuan, although they can also carry cavalry charges, their speed is not to be mentioned.

Li Chengliang was well aware that Sichuan horses were good at transporting goods over long distances but not good at charging into battle.

However, although cavalry was not used much, or was used very little, in wars in the southwest region, they did have another powerful weapon, which was elephant soldiers.

Several people sat on elephants heading north, directing them to attack local defense lines, and their power was quite great.

However, Li Chengliang was also familiar with the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and knew how Zhuge Liang dealt with the elephant soldiers. He also asked about the story of how Prince Mu defeated the elephant soldiers with firearms, so he was not worried about encountering them at all.

The firearms used by the Ming army now are more powerful than those used by Prince Mu in the past.

As for the question about his son Li Rusong, Li Chengliang did not answer immediately. After thinking for a while, he said: "Although there is an impeachment by the censor, the key still depends on the attitude of His Majesty towards you.

If His Majesty thinks you are useful, then impeachment will be ineffective and will be thrown aside by His Majesty like waste paper.

But if His Majesty thinks that your presence or absence does not affect the overall situation, then it may be dangerous.

Perhaps, in consideration of your many years of service, you will be allowed to return home to retire, or you may be punished for it."

Li Chengliang expressed his guess.

Although this speculation was based on analysis from the emperor's perspective and was suspected of trying to guess the emperor's intentions, there were only a few of them, father and son, in the military tent with no outsiders, so they were naturally not afraid.

"As long as the court thinks you are still useful, there will be no danger?"

Li Rusong repeated the meaning of Li Chengliang's words.

Li Chengliang also nodded slightly, which was considered as approval.

"After father wiped out Wang Gao's army, he did not send troops to capture Wang Gao's sons, A Tai and A Hai, even though he knew their whereabouts. Is that why?"

But I didn't expect that Li Rusong would actually ask about the previous incident.

Li Chengliang glanced at Li Rusong, and finally nodded slightly, then a bitter smile appeared on his face and said: "I just didn't expect that the court didn't want me to stay in Liaodong in the end, but sent me here."

"Then father, do you think that you and I are still useful to the court in its eyes?"

Li Rusong suddenly spoke and continued to ask.

“This expedition against the Burmese army is an opportunity to prove ourselves.

If the war goes badly, we will lose everything and become officials with empty ranks but no real power. "

Li Chengliang saw it very clearly. Although Wei Guangde said that he valued him very much and therefore transferred him from Liaodong to the southwest, it was just a euphemism.

The real purpose is actually to see the quality of the father and son of the Li family.

In his eyes, Ma Fang proved himself in the battle with Altan Khan, while Yu Dayou and Qi Jiguang proved their strength in the anti-Japanese war in the south and in the north.

Only he, General Li of Liaodong, only used force against the Tuman and Jurchens.

Well, the Tuman and Jurchen tribes seemed to be the weakest, and were certainly no match for Altan Khan.

Although in the eyes of border army generals, the Japanese pirates are actually the weakest.

“Therefore, in this expedition to Burma, we must win and not lose. We must incorporate the land of the Toungoo Dynasty of Burma into the territory of the Ming Dynasty, the real territory of the Ming Dynasty.

This is also what Lord Wei said when I left Beijing.

Not only that, once the war breaks out, we must not only not advance rashly, but must advance steadily and completely control the areas we occupy. This is the purpose of our war.

In the south of Myanmar, Yu Dayou's navy will also come over to open up a battlefield along the coast of Myanmar and disperse the Burmese army's strength."

When Li Chengliang said this, not only Li Rusong widened his eyes, but the four brothers Li Rubai, Li Ruzhen, Li Ruzhang and Li Rumei also looked up and looked at him in surprise.

"The court's goal is to govern Burma, which will be the gateway to the West Sea for the Ming Dynasty."

After Li Chengliang finished his last sentence, he let out a long sigh.

"Then kill all those chieftains. Otherwise, there will be no way to govern Myanmar."

But in the next moment, Li Rusong said something that terrified everyone.