The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Yunyang Mountain is located in the middle of the country. It has big mountains, deep valleys, dense forests and fertile soil. Those who get it can even covet the world by using it as their foundation.

At the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang sent Deng Yu to lead a large army to drive away the residents of Yunyang mountainous area, and listed Yunyang as the largest forbidden mountainous area.

"The land is empty, and no one is allowed to enter." Heavy troops were set up to guard and inspect the area, and no one was allowed to enter.

After the mid-Ming Dynasty, as land annexation intensified, and due to successive years of natural and man-made disasters, millions of farmers lost their land all over the country.

There are vast fertile mountains and fertile soil in the Yunyang Mountain area. Coupled with the long-term ban, more and more people are gradually making desperate attempts to escape into the mountains to survive.

The Ming court expelled them several times and even sent troops to suppress them, but in the end they had little effect.

In the 12th year of the Chenghua reign of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming court changed its strategy and believed that blocking was better than sparing.

Therefore, it was convenient to establish Yunyang Prefecture on the basis of the original Yunyang Fucheng, which governed Yunyang Fucheng, attached local registration to the refugees, and directly managed the refugees in the Yunyang Mountain area.

Because the problem of refugees spread all over the country, the area governed by Yunyang Prefecture continued to expand. At its largest scale, it once governed four provinces, eight prefectures, nine prefectures, and 65 counties.

Yunyang Prefecture is different from other prefectures. It is actually more like a special zone, a special zone with great power.

The person in charge of Xunyang Mansion is called Yunyang Admiral Xingtai, or "Yuntai" for short.

Later, in order to coordinate the handling of refugees in the four provinces of Hubei, Henan, Sichuan and Shaanxi, the location of the Huguang Xingdu Division was also located in Yunyang Fucheng, the prefecture of Yunyang Prefecture.

The Huguang Xingdu Division was divided into seven guards and eight divisions, and the number of officers and soldiers at its peak even reached 10,000+.

Although Yunyang Fucheng is just a prefecture, its actual scale is not smaller than the provincial capitals of various provinces.

Yun County is no longer a small county under the jurisdiction of Junzhou, Xiangyang Prefecture, but has become an important town connecting the four provinces of Shaanxi, Huguang, Henan, and Sichuan.

Chen Wang naturally knew these things.

In the battle of Baituguan, the reason why Chen Wang took the initiative to attack after the rogue bandits and personally led his troops to pursue them for more than [-] miles was precisely because Chen Wang had the intention to plot against Yunyang.

Chang Guoan, the king of Tuotian, was deliberately let go to the north by Chen Wang, while Wang Guoning, the king of the whole world, led his troops to the south, but Chen Wang let him go.

The bandits fled in two groups, one in the south and one in the north. This was Chen Wang's arrangement.

If the vigor of the bandits outside Baitu Pass is severely damaged, and the bandits pose no threat to the Yunyang Mansion, Yang Sichang will definitely let Chen Wang go south to pursue him.

Of course, Chen Wang was not stupid enough to stay in Hanzhong Mansion, but led his troops to follow Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai to eat dust.

The current situation is developing according to Chen Wang's wishes. The discord between Yang Sichang and Shao Jiechun caused Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai to flee to Sichuan, leading to a crisis in Jingzhou Prefecture in central Huguang.

Yang Sichang led his troops back east to Xiangyang and handed over all the defense responsibilities of Hanzhong and Yunyang to him.

Chen Wang will naturally make good use of the power given by Yang Sichang.

After Chang Guoan fled into the northern part of Yunyang Prefecture, he broke into the countryside and plundered various counties.

For urgent military matters, there must be no delay in delivery at the post station and must be expedited for [-] miles.

When Chen Wang received news of the turmoil in the northern part of Yunyang Mansion, Yang Sichang soon also received urgent messages from Yunyang Mansion.

Therefore, Chen Wang naturally did not waste time. After explaining everything about Hanzhong Mansion to Chen Gong, Chen Wang sent an order to the three armies, ordered the headquarters to reorganize the barracks, and mobilized three thousand local soldiers, and ordered Ma Yuanshan and Ma Yuying to go north to Yunyang together. Mansion.

It is nearly four hundred miles from Xing'an to Yunyang Fucheng, but because there is a waterway connecting it, there is no need to carry too much luggage.

Marching inland, there was no need to worry about the enemy's danger, so Chen Wang led the army in a hurry. At noon on the sixth day of departure, they had already arrived at the west side of the county border of Yunyang Fucheng.

"General Qi, we can reach Yunyang Fucheng by walking another thirty miles to the east."

Beside the official road, a scout cavalry carrying a command flag respectfully reported to Chen Wang the situation discovered.

"Thirty miles..."

Chen Wang holds the riding whip in his hand, presses the bridle and walks slowly, looking into the distance to the east.

Thirty miles is not a long distance. It is just after noon. Although the army is marching slowly, it will be enough to reach Yunyang Fucheng by dusk.

Behind Chen Wang, a group of bodyguard cavalry followed closely, all carrying bows and sabers.

There was one more person accompanying him than when he set off from Xing'an.

This person is naturally Hu Zhili, who appeared in Yunxi not long ago.

"Instruct the whole army to move two miles south and set up camp by the river today."

Chen Wang did not order the march to continue. Chang Guoan had been active in the Yunxi area according to his plan and did not go to Yunyang Fucheng.

He came here nominally to clear out the bandits in the mountainous area in the north of Yunyang. Firstly, there was no legitimate reason to go to Yunyang Fucheng, and secondly, there was no need to go to Yunyang Fucheng.

However, Chen Wang himself had to go to Yunyang Fucheng.

Chen Wang left Hu Zhiyi to command the troops and horses, and did not take Ma Yuying or Ma Yuanshan with him. He only took Hu Zhili alone and more than a thousand cavalry from the First Cavalry General Qian, and went straight to Yunyang Fucheng.

Although the largest group of bandits in the northern part of Yunyang Mansion is now under the control of Chang Guoan, Chang Guoan is now under the control of Chen Wang.

But there are still a small number of wandering bandits in many places, ranging from a few hundred to several thousand.

If you bring too few soldiers, the ship may capsize in the ditch.

The distance of thirty miles does not take much time for the cavalry.

In just an hour, Chen Wang had already led a group of soldiers to the western suburbs of Yunyang Fucheng.

Chen Wang had already sent cavalry to report in advance when he arrived. However, because the rogue bandits had been raging in Yunxi and other places before, the large group of cavalry roaring from afar still aroused the panic of the people in Yunyang Fucheng.

There were still four or five miles away from the city wall near Yunyang Fucheng. Chen Wang had already ordered the cavalry to move slowly. At the same time, he also began to observe the terrain around Yunyang Fucheng.

Yunyang Fucheng is consolidated by mountains and rivers. Yunyang City is high in the northwest and low in the southeast. It faces mountains in the north and is surrounded by the Han River in the east, south and west, like a huge dustpan.

There are many official and private houses in the city, half on the plain and half on the mountain, creating a prosperous scene.

There is an endless stream of boats on the water outside the city, and as far as you can see, it is full of sails.

On the pier, people were coming and going, traffic was busy, people were shouting, and people were sweating like rain.

"When I passed by Yunyang Fucheng, I was in a hurry and didn't take a closer look. Now I take a closer look and realize that Yunyang does have some skills."

Hu Zhili frowned slightly and stared at Yunyang City not far away.

"With this kind of terrain, without the assistance of the navy, it would be difficult to capture it."

A moat was dug in the east of Yunyang Prefecture to block the city. The Han River was a natural moat in the west and south, and a city wall was built in the mountains to the north.

Except for the urn city that has not been built near the mountain in the north, there are urn cities at the east, west and south gates of Yunyang Mansion.

What Hu Zhili said was indeed correct. It was indeed extremely difficult to capture Yunyang Fucheng.

In history, Li Zicheng swept through various provinces with great momentum, but he could not capture the city of Yunyang, and watched helplessly as it pierced his belly like a thorn. Several times they gathered heavy troops to attack Yunyang Fucheng, but in the end they returned with no success each time with the loss of troops and generals.

"It's easy to defend and difficult to attack. Compared with other characteristics of Yunyang Fucheng, it's not worth mentioning at all. Sometimes you shouldn't always look at the surface."

The reason why Chen Wang wanted to control Yunyang Fucheng was not just because it was easy to defend but difficult to attack.

"Yunyang Fucheng is located at the intersection of three rivers. It can reach Bashu through the Duhe River, Shangluo from Danjiang, Hanzhong through the Han River, Jingxiang, Wuchang and Nanjing from the bottom. It can be called the thoroughfare of six provinces. "

Hanzhong is a land of abundance. Liu Bang once started his career in Hanzhong and went on to dominate the world.

However, time has passed and the stars have changed. Although Hanzhong Prefecture is still the land of abundance, it only occupies Hanzhong Prefecture, so it is difficult to dominate the world.

After thousands of years of development and change, the South has gradually become the center of economic and cultural importance.

Nowadays, Yunyang Mansion is the real place of dominance.

Later generations used one sentence to completely describe the importance of Yunyang Mansion's terrain.

It is close to Xiangfan in the east, Xinghan in the west, Wudang in the south, and Shangluo in the north. It strangles the gateway of Yongliang and is the throat of Qin and Yu, and is the screen of Jingxiang.

"Yunyang Mansion is the gateway and chokepoint of Shaanxi, Huguang, Sichuan, and Henan. Business travel is constant, and official documents are spread everywhere. Controlling Yunyang means firmly holding the initiative in your hands."

By controlling Yun County, one can control the political, military, and economic centers of almost the entire Han River Basin.
"And the most important thing is that if we can control Yunyang Mansion, these thousands of miles of fertile fields can provide us with sufficient food and grass."

"The mountain people in the mountains are the best soldiers, and the victims fleeing famine in Henan are the best manpower."

The people in Yunyang Prefecture are large and strong, but because of the famine in Henan, Yunyang Prefecture is now full of displaced people, and there is no shortage of manpower.

There are thousands of miles of mountains, dangerous terrain, big mountains and deep valleys, dense forests and fertile soil, abundant water sources, and thousands of miles of fertile fields.

"It's a pity that the time has not come yet..."

Chen Wang's eyes narrowed slightly. It was impossible for him to actually control Yunyang Mansion in this situation.

Now, as the commander-in-chief of Hanzhong Mansion, he has reached the limit of being able to control the soldiers and horses of a town.

The affairs within the Hanzhong Mansion are also controlled by Chen Wang through various channels, and are not under Chen Wang's control.

With the passage of time and the turmoil in the world, the Ming court's control over local areas was indeed gradually shrinking.

Otherwise, Chen Wang would not be able to secretly control Hanzhong Wei and develop the Arms Bureau at the same time.

But it is far from the time of collapse, and there is still no soil for separatism in the local area.

The three parties of Fuzhou, Weisuo, and Yingzhen are clearly distinct from each other above the local level and are basically not allowed to be under unified control.

The reason why Chen Wang was able to take charge of the Hanzhong Guard as the general of Hanzhong Town was also because the Hanzhong Prefecture at that time was short of troops and faced huge threats.

Because of this, coupled with Sun Chuanting's eclectic and unconventional arrangements, Chen Wangcai was able to take charge of Hanzhong Wei for a period of time.

However, as the danger was resolved, after King Qin, Chen Wang's identity as Tongzhi, the commander of the Hanzhong Guard, was quickly taken back.

Because of the lessons learned from Liaodong, both Chongzhen and the civil officials in the imperial court had always been on strict guard against military generals.

The purpose is to prevent generals from being able to raise food and pay themselves while controlling the army, thereby forming a separatist regime.

Therefore, Chen Wang has always acted cautiously and cautiously, trying his best not to do unnecessary things and attract unnecessary attention.

The most extraordinary things Chen Wang did in the local area were to build water conservancy projects, acquire unowned acres, and develop an arms bureau.

And Chen Wang only dared to do these things because Sun Chuanting was the one taking care of them.

If there is not enough excuse or reason to intervene in local affairs, once he is involved, the court will definitely send people down to investigate strictly, not to mention any major changes.

However, this does not mean that Chen Wang has no way to control Yunyang Mansion.

The reason why Chen Wang forced Chang Guoan to flee north, sent Hu Zhili and Chang Guoan to secretly collude, and even led the troops to go north to Yunyang Mansion in person, all of this naturally had a purpose.

He came to meet the governor of Yunyang Mansion this time just so that his future actions in Yunyang Mansion would be fair and aboveboard.

Hu Zhili frowned, pulled the reins, and steered the horse closer to Chen Wang again.

"Brother Wang, Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai may seem powerful at the moment, but this time more than [-] soldiers and horses from the four provinces have gathered to encircle them from all sides. The soldiers and horses of the four provinces are all led by famous generals from the four provinces."

"I feel that Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai are more likely to be in trouble than good. If they are wiped out, the situation in the south will be stable..."

Chen Wang's eyes moved slightly, and he raised his whip to stop Hu Zhili's subsequent words. He knew exactly what Hu Zhili wanted to say.

"Nowadays, the combined forces of the four provinces to encircle and suppress the enemy seem to be powerful, but in fact Yang Sichang's so-called four-right, six-corner and ten-sided net is full of loopholes."

"Huguang soldiers and horses have been in peace for a long time and cannot bear the war; Sichuan soldiers are capable of fighting. Qin Liangyu has already sent soldiers from Shizhu to help, but Sichuan governor Shao Jiechun and Yang Sichang have different political views."

"Shaanxi soldiers and horses and Henan soldiers and horses were divided into suppressing the civil uprising in Henan. Li Zicheng led the elite cavalry into Xi'an. Now the north is in chaos."

"Zuo Liangyu and Zu Dabi are capable of fighting, but they have limited troops. Zuo Liangyu is disheartened after the previous battle. After these days, he has been unable to work hard. No matter what Zu Dabi is After all, bravery cannot be sustained alone.”

In today's situation, the Ming army is powerful, but in fact it is strong on the outside and cadre on the inside.

Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai seemed dangerous, but in fact they had a huge advantage.

Yang Sichang is good at strategy, but short on tactics. This fatal weakness will be exposed soon.

Chen Wang was not worried about the future situation. Hu Zhili only saw the superficial affairs, but failed to see that the Ming court was already riddled with holes at this time.

"Yang Sichang's Li Ling was out of his wits. In order to pacify Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai, he increased his salary by 750 million, which simply added fuel to the fire."

Originally, due to successive years of natural disasters and heavy taxes, the people were already suffering unspeakably.

This time Yang Sichang increased his salary and increased the amount step by step, and the turmoil in the world will inevitably become more intense.

Chen Wang turned his head to the north and looked at the mountains to the north with a calm expression.

Without Zhang Xianzhong, there is still Zhao Xianzhong, without Luo Rucai, there is still Qian Rucai, the Ming court has been rotten from the foundation...

The potential of a prairie fire has already begun. How can it be extinguished with the water of a mere river? !
The reason why civil affairs are not developed is because it is far from time.

I know that many novels involve various drastic reforms in the early and middle stages, such as setting up schools and reforming civil affairs.

But this was really unrealistic in the late Ming Dynasty, and it was basically impossible for the court to allow such a thing to happen.

Liao Zhen had learned from the past, and the Ming court was on strict guard against military generals.

Book friends, don’t worry, wait until the 14th year of Chongzhen, when the Battle of Songjin begins, and after the rise of the peasant army in the south, the Ming court loses control of the current situation in the south.

Chen Wang will begin to develop and reform in a drastic way.