Haisheng Mingdi

Chapter 466 Dingguo
"Prepare the horse, go to Daqiu!"

In Yongcheng County, Fatty Wang, the garrison, shouted orders, looking a little impatient.

"My lord, what happened?"

Fatty Wang had just returned from visiting his old boss Xu Dingguo in Suizhou City, "The sky is about to change!" his confidants yelled.

The three-way northern expedition of the Ming army made the Qing court panic, especially after Zhu Yihai took Denglai directly and wiped out the two kings Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming, the Qing court couldn't sit still.

Not only did they dispatch troops to the south, but they also issued multiple orders to Henan.

Henan Province, which originally did not have an admiral, also added a new admiral in Henan, and sent back Xu Dingguo, Liu Zeqing and other generals who had been idle in Beijing before.

Xu Dingguo was granted the title of Admiral of Henan, and Liu Zeqing was appointed Admiral of Shandong.

Xu Dingguo is Fatty Wang's old boss. He was sent to the Qing Dynasty after trapping and killing Gao Jie in Suizhou. He served as the vanguard of the Qing Dynasty and attacked Xuzhou and Yangzhou.

Even in order to make Xu Dingguo work hard, the Qing court promised him that when the situation in Henan was stabilized, he would be allowed to lead his troops to the south, and at that time, the land of Luzhou Prefecture would be sealed off as a feudal clan, and he would be named Luguo in advance. male.

He also specially granted his son Xu Er'an as the commander-in-chief, and the other two sons were also named deputy generals.

Xu Dingguo's task is to return to the Henan he is familiar with, appease the local fortresses in Henan, wipe out these gentry and local bandits who are defending themselves, and prevent the Ming army from causing further disturbances in Henan. Huainan has already abandoned, so Henan can no longer go out Messed up.

The Eight Banners and Lvying who were originally stationed in Henan had to be transferred to Jinan and Xuzhou to reinforce the garrison. Xu Dingguo went south and had no soldiers, so he had to figure out a way by himself.

Anyway, if you want money or food, the Qing government also expects him to join forces with Liu Zeqing to recruit troops and buy horses by himself, to wipe out the villages in Shandong and Henan provinces, and suppress the hungry people at the same time.

Fatty Wang was Xu Dingguo's confidant and former subordinate. As soon as Xu Dingguo returned to Henan, he immediately called him over. After confiding his heart, Xu Dingguo promoted Fatty Wang as a guerrilla general and gave him [-] troops.

But he was also given a task to quickly recruit [-] soldiers and prepare for battle.

Xu Dingguo's first battle plan was to join forces with Liu Zeqing to suppress the 36th-floor earth fortress in Chengwu County, Yanzhou Prefecture, which is across the Yellow River from Guide Prefecture, and Manjiadong in Jiaxiang County. There are two big earthen villages, Shu Tian Da Wang Gong Wen Cai.

Manjiadong Tuzhai forces have more than 100 people, occupying more than [-] caves that used to be quarried and milled, mainly engaged in stonework. They used to have a close relationship with Dashun, located by the Yellow River, and in Yanzhou, Zhu Yihai's hometown. Therefore, Yang Fangxing, the governor of Hedao, has been writing to the court, thinking that the local villages in Yanzhou should be wiped out first, so as to prevent them from secretly colluding with Zhu Yihai to make trouble.

Yu Guangdou had 36 watchtowers in Heyiji, Chengwu County. There are more than ten thousand people.

In addition, Sun Jihong also owns four villages with more than [-] people in Yangshan, which is adjacent to Manjiadong.

In Langshanji in Jiaxiang County, there are [-] local village alliances with more than [-] people.

In Juye County next to it, there are twelve village alliances including Lijialou and Houjialou, with more than [-] people.

These villages with tens of thousands of people have many forces. Under the planning of Yang Fangxing, the governor of the river, they plan to jointly encircle and suppress the area between the Yanzhou Prefecture Canal and the Yellow River. The villages here are the strongest.

In the past, it was on the border between the two provinces, so it was extremely difficult to suppress.

Of course, the imperial court wanted to suppress Gong Wencai and Yu Guangdou first because they claimed to be kings, but also gathered thieves, defied the imperial court, resisted tax and service, possessed weapons privately, and even blatantly equaled the government.

Another reason is that these villages are very powerful. Although they were not the strongest group since Chongzhen, they are the strongest group that can survive until now. They have stood in Henan for many years and have accumulated A lot of weapons, money and food.

Manjiadong and Heyiji are both earthen villages with at least [-] people and tens of thousands of shi of grain storage. For the Qing army who is currently in short supply of money and food, this is a mouse hole rich in grain, of course they have to dig out.

Since the turmoil at the end of the Ming Dynasty, in places such as Henan, Shandong, and even Shanxi, there have been self-defense everywhere. These villages are also divided into several categories. Tenants waited to defend, and even some village owners were former imperial officials, etc., and through official channels, they could get artillery and guns to help them defend. Ordinary officials and bandits dared not touch them.

Another category is the stockades built by ordinary people, mainly for the hungry. They built stockades in some dangerous places in mountainous areas, and even in some mines. Relying on looting, some also reclaimed wasteland and farmed land.

The other is purely a stockade composed of bandits, thieves, horses, and bandits. This is a bandit village.

After more than ten years of turmoil, especially the Tuzhai in Henan has also undergone great changes. For example, the leaders of several Tuzhai in the last years of Chongzhen, Liu Hongqi, Li Jiyu, etc., claimed to occupy 20 or [-] counties, with [-] million people and hundreds of people. The chief of the village.

Even the Ming Dynasty and the Shun Army are vying to win him over.

For example, Liu Hongqi, once even Hong Guang wanted to win over him to give him the title of commander-in-chief. Liu Hongqi was recruited by Chen Qianfu, the former imperial minister of Zhu Yihai, but was later defeated by Li Zicheng's general Yuan Zongdi, so he had to leave Huguang and voted for Zuo Liangyu. In Henan, it was surrounded and wiped out by the Qing army.

Another big leader, Li Jiyu, was a private salt dealer who didn't want to study when he was young and devoted himself to learning martial arts. Raid Shaolin and rob Shaolin of money and food.

Last year, he was forced to submit to the Qing army. At that time, he claimed to lead 25 troops to surrender.

However, this person was not very honest after he joined him, and he has been refusing to leave Western Henan. Originally, the Qing court planned to kill Li Jiyu this year, but now there is such a big turmoil.

The Qing court had no choice but to grant Li Jiyu the title of Chief Military Officer of the Henan Regiment, and even promised that in the future, Shouzhou would be entrusted to him to open the feudal town of Yongzheng, and he would be named Duke of Shouguo, so that Li Jiyu would lead the native soldiers of the headquarters to reorganize into the Henan Regiment, and accompany them to attack Manjia. hole etc.

Over the past decade or so, countless villages have emerged in Henan, and there are often two or three hundred villages in a single county.In fact, except for those prefectures and counties in Henan, only these villages still exist.

Other villages basically have nothing to survive.

Some of the earthen villages here and there once belonged to the Shun army, some were recruited by the court to help fight the Shun army, and many of them immediately joined the Qing court after the Qing army went south, and some remained independent, and even some Those who directly call themselves the king and so on.

Not counting the mobile thieves.

The two forces of native villages and bandits, one lies in defending the native villages, and the other lies in fleeing.

Fatty Wang was named a guerrilla, was promoted, and got three thousand guerrilla battalion quota, but the problem is that he now has dozens of servants who can fight, and a hundred bastards, even his original garrison battalion is not satisfied. To recruit 3000 people and immediately go to Yanzhou to encircle and suppress the local bandits, is this fatal?

And he didn't even have food.

On the way back, he had already made up his mind, now he had no choice but to find his sworn brother Zhao Zhongyi who had just worshiped not long ago.

He has been in contact with Zhao Zhongyi for a while, and he feels that this little brother is able to get along with him, he knows how to advance and retreat, and he does not hesitate to show respect to him. He also knows that Zhao Zhongyi organized a red gun club in Daqiu, and many people joined the club Practicing guns, even secretly smuggling salt and selling cloth, etc., these Wang Shoubei knew, but after collecting the money, he turned a blind eye and closed his eyes. If he really wanted to suppress smuggling, he might not be the opponent.

After drinking a few times, I feel that this little brother has more appetite.

Before that, I also led him to set up the training camp of the Yongcheng Regiment, and also took him to set up a card to collect taxes, and suppressed a group of Nian thieves who fled into the country. The cooperation was good.

Those red guns are quite effective.

He is planning to recruit Zhao Zhongyi's team now, so that he can directly change to the banner of the Yongcheng Guerrilla Battalion.At that time, he will be dragged to Yanzhou to suppress the bandits, and he can still make meritorious service to earn face.

"Will Zhao Zhongyi agree?"

The servant team is asking.

Zhao Zhongyi's Red Spear Club is somewhat different from ordinary villages. It is no longer limited to one village and one village, but exists in many villages, and even develops in some other villages.

They are mainly young and middle-aged in ordinary villages. Under the banner of practicing guns, they open forums and spread the word. They mainly focus on self-defense, and they also do some smuggling business secretly.

"I plan to ask Zhao Zhongyi for a garrison post, do you think he is willing?"

In troubled times, people with swords and guns can ask for official positions.

Although Zhao Zhongyi is white, there are many people in the Yongcheng Red Spear Club, and a fifth-rank garrison is not out of the question. Originally, the Qing army would set up a garrison in each prefecture to manage the local green camps.

For example, Fatty Wang was originally on guard in Guide, because Guide later set up a general army, which was one of the three towns in Henan, so he moved to Yongcheng.

"Zhongyi is my adoptive brother, and Admiral Xu is my adoptive father. Zhongyi is naturally Admiral Xu's adoptive son. He brings a red gun to meet men and horses. Shouldn't my adoptive father give him a garrison?" Fatty Wang thinks Zhao Zhongyi will definitely agree.

Those who can recruit people to form some kind of secret society these days must be ambitious, even more ambitious than those who set up local villages, so he was very happy to get him a Yongcheng regiment before.

Now give him a garrison, he will definitely be more happy.

Now that the Qing government asked Xu Dingguo to return to Henan, it was to let him re-establish a rural army, and then wipe out the local villages. No matter what villages he had, they had to disperse them and return them to farmers, so that the Eight Banners and the Green Camp could fight the Ming army in front of them with peace of mind.

At the same time, they also want to squeeze money and food from these local villages to alleviate the urgent problem of military supplies.

Xu Dingguo was in Guide Mansion last year. Before he killed Gao Jie and surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, he had already wiped out many villages in the territory. He had a good record. Basically, no village could stop him. Ningling's officers and soldiers resisted and were all defeated by him. Then looted the whole city.

Xu Dingguo gained a great reputation in Guide, Tuzhai trembled when he heard his name, and the children stopped crying after being famous.

After he entered Beijing last year, he had joined the Han army with a white flag and was conferred the title of first-class son. This time, he was directly named the Duke of Lu, knowing that the Qing court was also helpless. He was asked to be an admiral of Henan, but he had no soldiers and no pay.

After Xu Dingguo arrived in Henan, he could only sign a bunch of letters of appointment. The former old ministries were promoted and promoted, and some village leaders who had been recruited by him were also given official positions, so they must gather their troops and join him.

"This time, not only do you have to find Brother Loyalty to pull people, but you also have to borrow some money from him!" Fatty Wang hurriedly said, "Brother Loyalty should be satisfied with a fifth-rank defense, right?"

　Thanks to Zhongliang Li Laiheng for the reward, thank you!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)