The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 321 Losing control

The Zhufang campaign ended with Wang Guoning leading his troops to surrender.

During the campaign of suppression, Chen Wang sent troops from his headquarters to attack as a practice for actual combat.

However, most of the main attackers were Huguang soldiers under Chen Hongfan.

As auxiliary soldiers, the soldiers from Yunyang Guard were just there for a formality.

Zhang Er and Huang Long, Chen Wang directly supported them to lead the troops to guard the periphery, and did not even participate in the battle, but they were naturally rewarded with military exploits.

The reason for this arrangement is simple, because the Huguang soldiers originally under Chen Hongfan will be taken away by Yang Sichang sooner or later. After all, Chen Hongfan's resignation was implicated by Huguang Governor Fang Kongzhen.

Chen Hongfan had a close relationship with Huguang Governor Fang Kongzhen, so after Huguang Governor Fang Kongzhen resigned, he also resigned due to illness.

Chen Hongfan has been in officialdom for many years and knows that Yang Sichang never spares any effort in attacking political opponents.

Although Chen Hongfan is not famous, not many people in later generations know about him.

But his status among the military officials was not much inferior to that of Cao Wenzhao.

He has been through the three dynasties of Wanli, Tianqi and Chongzhen, and can be regarded as a veteran, from Liaodong to the three sides, from the north to the south.

Although he is not as illustrious as Cao Wenzhao in battle, he can be said to be a hard-working and accomplished veteran general. The most important thing is that he is widely known in the army and respected by the generals.

Historically, if Chen Hongfan was still in Huguang, the war situation in the Southern Kingdom might have eased a lot.

It's a pity that there is no if in this world.

Chen Hongfan's resignation now not only brings no harm to Chen Wang, but also gives him more power and benefits.

The biggest benefit is that Chen Wang has obtained more than 400 servants who have followed Chen Hongfan in the north and south.

Chen Hongfan had known about his resignation for a long time. He left his job and returned to his hometown. Although Chen Hongfan's family was considered a wealthy family in Liaodong, it was impossible to support so many servants.

Even if they could afford it, the court would not allow such a thing to happen.

Therefore, Chen Hongfan has only two choices, one is to dismiss him, and the other is to find another way out for him.

Chen Hongfan did not choose to be dismissed. Most of these servants had followed him in the wars for many years. Apart from developing skills that could be used on the battlefield, they had no skills to make a living.

If they were dismissed directly, most of them would probably end badly.

Chen Hongfan is from Guangning, Liaodong, and Chen Wang is also from Guangning. Not only are they from the same hometown, but they both have the surname Chen.

In this era, people from the same hometown and provinces would gather together to keep warm, and people with the same surname would naturally become close to each other because of this.

I can't write two characters in one sentence. If I dig deeper with the genealogy, maybe the two families have a close relationship, maybe even from the same clan.

Therefore, Chen Hongfan approached Chen Wang and entrusted all his servants to Chen Wang.

Naturally, Chen Wang had no reason to refuse the elite soldiers who came to his door.

The servants of this era were all skilled in bow and horse, excellent in martial arts, and capable of conquering those who were good at fighting.

Moreover, these servants also come with their own equipment, including bows, horses, swords, guns, and armor, so there is no need to add any additional equipment.

Chen Hongfan had a total of 473 servants under his command, but only ten of them were taken away, while 463 remained.

Under normal circumstances, the master is removed from his post to find a way out for his servants. Many servants will still choose to leave to make a living on their own.

However, during the handover between Chen Wang and Chen Hongfan, no such thing happened, and all the servants stayed.

There are two important reasons why they all chose to stay.

Most of these servants were born in Liaodong, and they were all Liao people, and many of them were even from Guangning. Part of the reason was because they were from the same hometown.

To a greater extent, it is due to the influence of Chen Wang's reputation, a person's name, and the shadow of a tree.

They had a long-standing feud with Jiannu, and they were all excited after hearing about the great victory at Qingshan Pass. Now that they had the opportunity to join Chen Wang's command, they naturally rushed to it.

The addition of these servants instantly made up for Chen Wang's cavalry losses in King Qin's battle, and even made Chen Wang's cavalry more powerful than at the beginning.

Although the Liao cavalry under Zhang Waijia were elite, they were ordinary cavalry in the end. Even after two or three years of fighting with bandits and long-term training, they could only be regarded as first-class cavalry.

And these servants under Chen Hongfan are truly top cavalry.

Of course, military pay cannot be as high as it was when they were servants under Chen Hongfan, but it is still paid according to the highest standards for cavalry.

As a result, the number of the First Cavalry Thousand Headquarters under Chen Wang expanded to 1,500. Zhang Er and Huang Long also had more than 1,000 cavalry under their command.

After Wang Guoning surrendered, the remaining two thousand men were organized into a battalion, and five hundred cavalry were also retained.

Of course, in order to get more military pay, more than a thousand cavalry were reported.

The cavalry under Zhang Er and Huang Long, as well as the cavalry under Wang Guoning's command, after changing their equipment and equipment, although their combat power is not first-class, it is not much different. After all, they are all carefully selected from among the veteran bandits. Chosen.

Not counting the scout cavalry of each battalion and the escort cavalry of the generals and generals, the total number of cavalry under Chen Wang has now reached three thousand. This number of cavalry is relatively small in the north, but it is more than enough in the south.

No more words will do. The first is that raising cavalry is much more expensive than raising infantry. The second is that Chen Wang's current development does not require too many cavalry.

It was only a day after the news of the great victory in Zhufang was passed on. Chen Wang was still reorganizing his army in Zhushan when he received an urgent order from Yang Sichang from Guizhou.

Chen Wang was sitting on the general platform, and above the school grounds were a group of soldiers who were training.

"What a great Cao Cao, what a great Luo Rucai..."

Chen Wang's eyes flickered, looking at the military order in his hand, he couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

Zhang Xianzhong's direction was completely different from that in history. He had no spare energy to rush to the aid of Luo Rucai, but rushed to central Sichuan.

Only Luo Rucai is left to face the invading army alone. Luo Rucai is probably in trouble and will be wiped out soon.

But I didn't expect that Luo Rucai could escape in this way.

The people standing beside Chen Wang had different expressions. Except for Hu Zhiyi, the other generals were curious about the content of the military order.

Ma Yuanshan and Ma Yuying frowned slightly, Zhang Er and Huang Long looked surprised, and Wang Guoning looked complicated.

Hu Zhiyi rushed back to Yunyang Mansion from Hanzhong Mansion not long ago.

Hu Zhili was left behind in Xing'an by Chen Wang to coordinate all matters of the Military Law Department, and at the same time secretly acted as the guard of Qianhu Station in Xing'an.

Chen Gongyuan left Hanzhong Mansion. The situation in Hanzhong Mansion eased, and Hu Zhiyi naturally had nothing to do.

Chen Wang had no one around him for a while, so he transferred Hu Zhiyi back.

Zhang Ling was not on the general platform. Zhang Xianzhong marched west into Sichuan. Chen Yilong and Wu Shenghua defeated Dazhou. Zhang Ling was ordered to go south to clean up the mess and lead his troops to pursue Zhang Xianzhong.

Chen Wang stood up and handed the military order to Zhao Huailiang who was standing aside, without concealing the content of the military order.

"The strong man Luo Rucai broke his wrist, and the golden cicada escaped from the Xing and Gui Mountains. Now it turns to the west and rushes into Kuizhou Prefecture in eastern Sichuan again."

"Then this military order is..."

Zhang Er and Huang Long looked at each other and said tentatively.

"The military order told us to break camp and go south to prevent Luo Rucai from entering Sichuan from the west."

Chen Wang signaled to Zhao Huailiang and asked him to pass the military order in his hand to the rest of the people.

Luo Rucai escaped from Xing and Gui Mountains, which made Yang Sichang furious.

Before Yang Sichang had time to receive the "Jietang News" from Chen Wang to Yang Sichang, he had already ordered Chen Wang to divert south to attack Luo Rucai.

For this reason, they even gave up the plan to suppress Wang Guoning.

Chen Wang's eyes quietly swept across everyone's faces.

The successive battles had already made all the generals exhausted. One wave after another, and before they had even had a day or two to rest, another military order for conquest came, leaving them with no time to breathe. But at the same time, they cannot tolerate their rejection.

Military orders are like mountains and cannot be disobeyed.

In everyone's mind, they can only choose to comply with such a thing.

Even the soldier general who was often recruited had a look of helplessness on his face.

Ma Yuanshan and Ma Yuying looked at each other, their eyes full of helplessness, and all the generals couldn't help but start talking.

Chen Wang understood in his heart but remained calm. He did not forcefully suppress the discussion at this time. He did not issue the order again until everyone stopped talking.

"The battle has just ended and we haven't had any rest before we have to break camp again. Although I know the hard work here, there is nothing I can do about it."

Chen Wang spoke slowly, attracting everyone's attention to himself.

In the turbulent era of the late Ming Dynasty, rebellions continued in various places, and there were many bandits and thieves.

Stability is a real luxury, and the court's method of deploying troops is indeed a helpless move in many cases.

But it is precisely because of this that the Ming army spent most of their time traveling back and forth, and they were so exhausted that they were defeated and died. Since the beginning of the civil uprising, such deeds have been rare and common.

The civilian officials are bossy and treat the military generals as pigs and dogs, and they can be dispatched at will, not to mention the soldiers at the lower level. It is normal to be short of pay and food.

What caused all this was the disastrous impact of the imbalance between civil and military affairs.

The Ming Dynasty used military force to establish the country, conquered the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty in the north, and recovered rivers and mountains. At the beginning, the status of military officials was extremely high, so military officials were respected and civilized officials were humble.

The Ming Dynasty at that time had great ambitions, intending to destroy the Meng Yuan Dynasty and restore the glory of the Tang Dynasty!

If it weren't for the continuous melee at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, which caused the mountains and rivers to be broken and the people to live in dire straits, the Ming army would definitely have been able to go further.

Until the Zhu Qizhen period, even though the country's power had declined several times due to civil wars, the generals on the frontiers were still ambitious. If the Ming Dynasty at that time could produce a hero with the same ambitions and outstanding talents.

The Ming Dynasty may have embarked on the path of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, expanding outward all the way.

It's a pity that the Ming Dynasty did not usher in a heroic lord, but ushered in an extremely absurd and mediocre lord.

The battle of Tumubao directly led to the civil and military imbalance in the Ming Dynasty.

In this environment of imbalance between civil and military affairs, civilian officials dominated, while military ministers had a low status. Soldiers had no dignity at all, and were even worse than pigs and dogs.

Over the past hundred years, the status of warriors and soldiers has not only not improved, but has become even lower.

However, with the turbulent wars inside and outside the pass, military officials became more and more important, and so did the soldiers.

However, the situation of the civilized and military inferiors did not change much, and it even got worse.

Chen Wang knew very well that all of this would turn into a bitter pill and repay the past.

"Military orders are like mountains and cannot be disobeyed. Military sentiment is like fire. Each battalion will immediately return to camp to organize and prepare for the march. Tomorrow, we will prepare meals at the fourth watch, break camp at the fifth watch, and head south to eastern Sichuan."

After Chen Wang gave the military order, he did not stay on the general platform, but returned to the camp.

On the general platform, Chen Wang saw something more from the helplessness on the faces of the generals.

There is unwillingness, pain, and anger.

Especially anger, what Chen Wang needs is this anger.

The anger that exists in the hearts of everyone will not disappear or leave a trace, it is all accumulated in the deepest part of their hearts.

All this anger will completely burst out at the final moment...

"Luo Rucai is faster than us. The soldiers and horses under his command are all cavalry. The forced march from Badong to Wushan only takes one day, and the emergency march only takes two days."

Hu Zhiyi followed Chen Wang into the camp and frowned.

"The Bawu River will block Luo Ru for at most one or two days, and we only have four days at most. Most of the roads we pass south from Zhushan are mountainous areas. Even if we march quickly, it will take seven or eight days to arrive."

"If we were to bring all the cavalry and travel lightly, we would only be able to arrive just when Luo Rucai crossed the Bawu River."

Hu Zhiyi had a very good understanding of the battle situation. He had been leading troops for a long time. He had read all the military books such as the New Ji Xiao, Army Training Records, and Formation Disciplines. He was extremely talented in command and strategy, and could be said to be a natural general.

Just walking back from the general platform to the camp, Hu Zhiyi already had a very clear plan for the situation.

"Luo Rucai escaped this time. Yang Sichang didn't expect it. I probably lost an inch when I went south. I am not willing to give up even if there is a glimmer of hope."

Chen Wang sneered, sat on the seat in the tent, and then pointed to the chair next to him and motioned for Hu Zhiyi to sit down.

Chen Wang had a clear insight into Yang Sichang's current psychology. He really knew what kind of person Yang Sichang was.

"Then what should we do next?"

Hu Zhiyi understood the war situation and was good at leading troops in combat, but he was indeed not sensitive to the development of the current situation. He did not have the ability to control a force and have both sides.

But he doesn't need to, because Chen Wang has such ability.

Chen Wang narrowed his eyes slightly, and after a short period of thinking, he already had a plan in mind.

"Yang Sichang's orders must be obeyed, at least for now."

Yang Sichang is still powerful today, and Chen Wang is very clear about his own strengths and weaknesses. He is different from Zuo Liangyu in history. Although the troops under his command are strong, they don't have much on the surface.

If he had disobeyed Yang Sichang's orders, I'm afraid that when Yang Sichang struck, he would be really resolute.

Now he only has one house in Hanzhong, and Yunyang House barely controls half of it. It's not time to completely fall out.

"The South must go, and go quickly."

"You will leave the camp later, and all the cavalry in the general will be ordered. Tomorrow at five o'clock, I will lead the cavalry to go south first, and you will lead the army behind."

Chen Wang felt calm. The biggest reason why he chose to follow Yang Sichang's general order and go south was to further win Yang Sichang's trust.

This will lay the foundation for the subsequent suppression of rebellion in Henan.

Following Yang Sichang into Sichuan and pursuing Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai would not gain any benefits at all. On the contrary, it would delay development and even risk defeat.

Many places in Sichuan have high mountains and long rivers, which are very suitable for ambushes. If you are not careful in pursuit, you may be ambushed.

Chen Wang was in Yunyang Mansion, and the Supervisory Office took the lead and brought news about Henan Mansion.

The civil unrest in Henan has intensified and is on the verge of getting out of control.

A month and a half ago, Li Yan started an uprising in Henan, setting off a huge wave. He defeated Henan and marched to suppress troops and horses. He raised the royal flag, shouted the slogan of equalizing land and exempting taxes, and composed songs that were sung everywhere.

The elites of each town are scattered in Shaanxi, Sichuan, Huguang, Nanzhili and other places, while those in Henan are all weak troops.

Within this month and a half, Li Yan not only defeated various intruders and suppressed the government troops, but also defeated several county towns.

These county towns were all destroyed because of the internal and external integration. Li Yan occupied the cities, took in the hungry people, and opened warehouses to relieve the hungry people.

Hungry people from far and near rushed to pick up the hoe, and those who responded were like running water, day and night, with millions of people calling out, and the civil upheaval was like a prairie fire.

Because of the failure of the officers and soldiers in Henan's campaign, more and more bandits and bandits appeared, and more and more civil commotions occurred. In addition to Li Yan, dozens of small and large forces of civil commotion appeared in Henan.

It won't be long before Henan will fall into complete chaos just like in history.

No.

This time Henan may be even more chaotic than in history...

　The difference is a bit big and it gives me a headache. Let’s leave it at that for the time being. I’ll try to update it steadily.

　　(End of this chapter)