The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 347 Grace and Power
"General Gao is really an excellent actor."

In the Chinese military tent, Chen Wanggao sat at the front seat, slowly drinking tea to sober up.

"If someone hadn't reported to me that tens of thousands of thieves entered General Gao's central military tent late at night and stayed there for a whole hour, I'm afraid the boat would have really capsized in the ditch this time."

Chen Wang's voice was neither loud nor heavy, but in Gao Qian's ears, it was as cold as the cold wind in winter.

Chen Wang, as the commander-in-chief and the general with the seal, instead called him General Gao, which was undoubtedly a knock on him.

Gao Qian knelt on the ground and did not dare to move. He pressed his body as hard as he could, lowered his head, and his whole body could not help but tremble.

He had no doubt that Chen Wang could capture him on the spot because of this incident.

If it were other commanders and generals, Gao Qian would definitely not have much fear.

But now the person sitting at the top is none other than Chen Wang.

When he was in the North Kingdom, Sun Chuanting, as the supervisor, gave Chen Wang a Shangfang sword and asked Chen Wang to kill Chen Guowei, who was the commander-in-chief of a town at the time.

Although he knew it was unreasonable, Chen Wang still obeyed the order.

And Chen Wang really led his cavalry to march hundreds of miles a day and gallop at starry night, straight into the barracks in Jizhou Town.

In front of thousands of soldiers from Jizhou Town, he invited Shang Fangjian to kill Chen Guowei, the commander-in-chief, on the spot.

"General..."

Gao Qian's throat surged, and he wanted to defend himself.

When Chen Wang led the cavalry of the Hanzhong Army to turn around, Gao Qian already knew that something was wrong.

So soon, after a fierce ideological struggle, Gao Qian ordered his troops to really attack the formation of the Ten Thousand People's Army.

The Wan Min Army has been defeated, and Gao Qian does not want to accompany the Wan Min Army to the bottom and be buried together.

It's just that I never expected that the Wan Min Army said they were cooperating with him, but they were secretly guarding against him, causing heavy losses to the people under his command.

Gao Qian wanted to defend himself and Li Yanxu by pretending to agree to Li Yan's request to make him take it lightly, and then launch a sudden attack at the last moment.

But when the words came to pass, Gao Qian was unable to say them out in the end.

For some reason, a chill slowly rose from the bottom of Gao Qian's heart. He had a feeling that if the following words were spoken, he would not be far from death.

There was silence in the big tent, and you could hear a needle drop.

Gao Qian was kneeling on the ground, thick cold sweat oozing out from the back of his hands and body.

"General, because I was resentful of the high patrol officer, I lost my mind in anger, so I colluded with the army of thieves."

"Now that I have come to my senses, I regret my humble position."

Gao Qian clenched his fists, and now, in order to save his life, he had completely risked his life.

"If the general doesn't give up, I hope that in the future I will be humble and follow the general's lead. I will be the general's lackey and try to make up for my mistakes!"

Arguing is definitely a dead end. Gao Qian is convinced of this. He can feel the fierce murderous intention in Chen Wang.

If he said anything wrong, he might not be able to get out of this military tent.

This was the only way Gao Qian could think of to keep him alive after much thought.

In the west of Kaifeng City, his troops had more than 400 cavalry, but none of these cavalry were the elite of his own army.

Not many of Gao Qian's servants died in the battle. Most of the cavalry who died were the remnants of the remaining battalions who fled to Xiangfu. He just unified them.

Now in Xiangfu, among the defeated troops, Gao Qian has the highest military position, so Gao Qian is in charge of all the defeated troops in Xiangfu.

Gao Qian knelt on the ground, gritting his teeth, waiting for the final judgment.

I don't know how much time had passed, but just when Gao Qian was about to faint due to kneeling for a long time and high mental stress, Chen Wang's voice sounded in Gao Qian's ears.

"Xiang Fu, how many soldiers are there now?"

Chen Wang's light words made Gao Qian almost cry with joy.

Because when Chen Wang asked this question now, he was undoubtedly promising to spare him.

"Reporting back to the general, Xiangfu originally had four thousand soldiers. They were all remnants of the army who had been defeated in Zhengzhou. They were all cavalry."

"After yesterday's battle, more than 400 horses were lost, and some of them were unusable because of excessive horsepower consumption when they rushed back."

"There are still more than 3,800 people, and there are only more than 3,100 war horses left."

The current defeated troops in Xiangfu County are all cavalry, not infantry.

After being defeated like a mountain, Li Yan led the army to attack Kaifeng non-stop after winning the Battle of Zhengzhou.

Along the way, they chased down the defeated troops who had retreated from the Zhengzhou battlefield. The infantry had no chance to escape back to Kaifeng.

The Ming troops who fled outside Kaifeng City were all cavalry without exception.

Most of them didn't even dare to rest along the way, and they all tried their best to escape all the way back to Kaifeng.

Gao Qian swallowed his saliva. With more than three thousand cavalry, this was all his bargaining chip at this stage.

"Three thousand eight hundred people..."

Chen Wang put down the tea cup in his hand, sat up straight, and looked down at Gao Qian, who was kneeling on the ground and didn't even dare to breathe.

Gao Qian did not argue, but chose to beg for mercy, which indeed saved his own life.

Chen Wang's original plan was to kill Gao Qian and temporarily take over the broken army currently stationed in Xiangfu, and then look for opportunities to make arrangements.

But now that Gao Qian is so knowledgeable, Chen Wang has a better way.

"You are indeed a smart man. Since you want a chance, I will give you a chance."

Chen Wang leaned forward slightly, with one hand on his knees and the other leaning on the armrest of the seat, looking at Gao Qian who was kneeling on the ground.

"The ground is cold, get up and answer."

"I will report back to the Commander-in-Chief, saying that you got my order, and you and the army of thousands of thieves were in vain, and paralyzed the thieves. Everything was according to the plan."

"If the documents reporting victory are passed down like this, you may even get a blessing out of misfortune, and it is not impossible for you to be promoted to a higher level."

"When the edict is passed, the title should be changed and I will call you Senior General."

Gao Qian straightened up and stood up, but when he heard Chen Wang's last words, he immediately pushed Jinshan and fell to his knees again.

"General, this is a great kindness. This humble duty... humble duty... humble duty must be remembered in my heart!"

Because he was too excited, Gao Qian was already a little incoherent at this time.

From hell to heaven, everything is just because of Chen Wang's light words.

Originally, Gao Qian felt that he was not far from death, and it was a blessing to be able to save his life.

But now not only has his life been saved, but he has even been promoted to the rank of staff general.

Although the imperial edict has not yet come down, Chen Wang has already spoken.

As the greatest contributor to this battle, Chen Wang undoubtedly had a great influence on the discussion of military exploits.

Although the military and political affairs in Kaifeng City are still nominally under the jurisdiction of Gao Mingheng, they have actually been taken over by Chen Wang.

After the defeat of Zhengzhou, Chen Wang now has the largest number of troops, the greatest power, and the highest official position in Henan.

Even if the new governor arrives in Henan, he will probably have to rely on Chen Wang for the campaign.

Today's world is becoming more and more chaotic. The more soldiers a general has in his hands, the greater his power...

"The night is deep. I still have military affairs to deal with, so I won't stay in Gao as a guerrilla." Chen Wang picked up the tea cup in his hand and issued an order to expel the guests.

"General, please rest early. I will resign from my humble position."

Gao Qian knelt on the ground and bowed once more before daring to retreat outside the tent.

Just when Gao Qian pushed to the curtain and was about to leave the tent, Chen Wang raised his head at this moment and slowly said "Yang", causing Gao Qian's figure to freeze in place. .

"A tall bird roosts in a good tree, a wise minister chooses a bright leader and supports him, and turns his back to the dark to turn to the bright. This is an ancient rule."

"Decades later, when Gao Guerrilla looks back on this moment again, he will definitely thank himself for making this choice."

Gao Qian's face turned pale, his legs were shaking like chaff, and even his teeth couldn't help chattering, and cold sweat was constantly oozing out from his forehead.

What Chen Wang said was too familiar to him.

Because these words were what Song Xiance, the military advisor of the Wanmin Army, said to him in his tent a few days ago.

There is no difference at all between what Chen Wang said and what Song Xiance said, except that the word "general" became guerrilla.

Standing at the tent door, Gao Qian felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. His hands and feet were cold and it was difficult to think.

In the tent at that time were either his confidants, the military academy, or his personal bodyguards.

How could Chen Wang know what Song Xiance said and know it so clearly.

Gao Qian's heart felt cold, and there was no luck in his heart.

He raised his head with difficulty and looked at Chen Wang, who was sitting at the top of the tent.

Chen Wang still maintained his previous sitting position, drinking the tea in his cup slowly and methodically, his eyes still as calm as before.

But when Chen Wang's eyes moved towards him, Gao Qian felt that he had no secrets in Chen Wang's eyes, and his every move could not escape Chen Wang's eyes.

Just like the pikas and rabbits on the grassland, no matter how well they are hidden, they cannot escape the eyes of the hawks in the sky.

Gao Qian smiled bitterly in his heart. Some of his confidants must have switched to Chen Wang's sect.

Otherwise, Chen Wang wouldn't be able to know the inside story so clearly.

Originally, Gao Qian had some other thoughts in his mind, but now he can no longer have such thoughts.

As long as he makes any changes, Chen Wang will be informed in advance.

As for finding out who among his subordinates had switched to Chen Wang's sect, Gao Qian didn't have the guts.

Gao Qian knew very well that as long as he dared to investigate this matter, his head would soon be removed from his body.

"Humble position...resign..."

Gao Qian knelt down again, lowered his head with difficulty, bowed deeply to Chen Wang, and exited the tent.

After Gao Qian left the tent, Zhao Huailiang, who had been standing aside, stepped forward.

"Headquarters..."

Chen Wang didn't turn his head, he just lowered his head and took a sip of the tea in his hand, and said slowly.

"You want to ask why I didn't kill Gao Qian but kept him, right?"

"The wise general of the town, this is exactly what I want to ask."

Chen Wang smiled and did not directly answer Zhao Huailiang's question.

"What do you think of Gao Qian?"

Chen Wang trained Zhao Huailiang as a future general.

Regarding the matter of establishing his own business in the future, it has been revealed a long time ago.

Therefore, Chen Wang often encouraged Zhao Huailiang and others to ask them questions related to running the army.

Chen Wang was actually quite happy about Zhao Huailiang's question at this time.

There are indeed geniuses in this world, but even geniuses are not born with knowledge.

It is absolutely impossible for him alone to carry out a thorough reform, clear away the eight wastelands, and unite thousands of miles.

Zhao Huailiang frowned slightly, and after pondering for a moment, he replied.

"This person has mediocre abilities, weak will, and unstable mind. He is based on the foolish opinion of his humble position. It would be better to kill him than to keep him."

Chen Wang nodded slightly, first agreeing with what Zhao Huailiang said before, but then the conversation changed slightly.

"What you said does make sense, and your understanding is correct. Gao Qian is indeed mediocre in ability and weak in will."

"However, keeping Gao Qian is far more useful than killing Gao Qian."

"us……"

Chen Wang pointed at himself, then at Zhao Huailiang, and said.

"After all, he is a foreign soldier, you know what I mean."

Zhao Huailiang's eyes were slightly focused, and he understood the implication of Chen Wang's words in an instant.

"A humble position, I understand."

Zhao Huailiang lowered his head and surrendered happily.

It is indeed easy to kill Gao Qian, but after all Gao Qian is a veteran in Henan.

Killing Gao Qian, even if there is a legitimate reason, will inevitably make other Henan generals feel sad.

Especially after the disastrous defeat in Zhengzhou, heavy losses in various towns in Henan, and most of the military generals were killed or injured.

"Gao Qian's matter is not a secret. It is also a good thing to keep Gao Qian and let the generals in Henan return to their homes."

"Moreover, you also said that Gao Qian's ability is mediocre. It is precisely because of his mediocre ability that it is easy to restrict him."

"In addition, with the eyes and ears of the Supervision Office included, Gao Qian's every move cannot escape my eyes. He...cannot cause any trouble..."

Chen Wang's eyes were indifferent. Whether Gao Qian wanted to kill him or keep him alive, it was just a matter of a thought.

The value of his existence is greater than the value of his death, so he can live, that's all.

Gao Qian's ability is indeed mediocre, but Gao Qian is a person who understands current affairs and is a smart person.

Under the combination of kindness and power, Gao Qian will never have any thoughts of rebellion.

Gao Qian could hear the first meaning of his words, and he would also be able to hear the second meaning.

The tall bird is perched on the good tree, and the wise minister chooses the wise master to assist him.

After Gao Qian returned to the camp, he thought carefully about these two sentences, and he was afraid that he would break out in a cold sweat again.

Song Xiance's words to persuade Gao Qian when he was in Xiangfu were well known to Chen Wang.

Gao Qian's dissatisfaction with Ming Ting had already reached its peak.

In the future, when he has enough strength to raise the flag openly, Gao Qian will definitely stand with him.

It doesn't matter if your abilities are mediocre. There are many generals in this world with mediocre abilities.

Chen Wang put down the tea cup in his hand and focused his attention on the letters on the desk again.

Everything is ready, only the east wind is owed.