The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 364: Hold the troops
On the north bank of the Han River, there is the Hanzhong Army Camp in Fancheng.

Zhao Huailiang hurriedly walked towards the location of the central military tent, followed closely by a dozen armored soldiers in robes and belts.

Zhao Huailiang was recognized by all the guards guarding outside the Chinese army's tent, so naturally they would not stop him.

Zhao Huailiang had an unimpeded journey. At the entrance of the Chinese army's tent, two personal guards even raised the tent curtain in advance.

Zhao Huailiang lowered his head slightly, crossed the tent opening, and stepped into the Chinese army tent.

"Zhang Xianzhong, lead the troops out of the city!"

Zhao Huailiang performed a military salute first, then suppressed the excitement in his heart and reported to Chen Wang.

In the account.

Chen Wang is standing in front of a huge sand table.

There are many mountains and rivers on the sand table.

Cities and armies everywhere are clearly marked.

The scope of the sand table is quite wide. In addition to Yunyang and Xiangyang Prefectures in Huguang, Hanzhong Prefecture in Shaanxi, Nanyang and Runing Prefectures in Henan, and parts of Southern Zhili are also included.

On the sand table, purple, blue, red, and yellow flags fluttered.

The blue flag is the soldiers and horses under Zhang Xianzhong.

There are only twenty or thirty branches in Xiangyang and surrounding areas.

The red flags naturally represent the various Ming armies entering and suppressing them.

The towns under Zuo Liangyu's command, as well as the soldiers and horses who followed Yang Sichang into Huguang, were all marked with flags.

In Henan, there are also many red flags flying.

Each of these flags represents a thousand people.

However, in Henan, there are more purple flags.

These purple flags are not the bandits in the territory, nor are they the Ming army.

The purple flag represents the army under Chen Wang.

Hanzhong Prefecture has the most, followed by Yunyang Prefecture, and then Henan Prefecture and Kaifeng Prefecture.

On the far right side of the sand table are the Ying and Huoshan Districts in South Zhili.

In the Ying and Huo Mountain areas, ocher yellow flags are densely planted.

Now the fighting is in full swing over Ying and Huoshan Districts.

Under the leadership of Li Yan, the Wanmin Army entered the northern part of Nanzhili. Therefore, many officers and soldiers of Nanzhili were transferred north.

Naturally, the forces of officers and soldiers in Ying and Huoshan Mountain Areas are relatively weak.

The Fifth Battalion of Gezuo seized the opportunity and attacked repeatedly. Although they were not able to break out of the Ming army's encirclement network yet, they also achieved considerable results.

Chen Wang was not surprised at all by Zhao Huailiang's arrival.

Zhao Huailiang walked all the way from outside the Chinese Army, and the personal guards guarding outside had already reported the news to him.

Chen Wang stared at the sand table in front of him and asked.

"Zhang Xianzhong, are you leading the troops to the southeast?"

"The general town knows things like a god."

Zhao Huailiang looked at Chen Wang with admiration and nodded.

"What kind of thing is this?"

Chen Wang smiled and shook his head.

"Now Wan Yuanji is leading the main force of the campaign in Jingzhou Prefecture in the southwest. They cannot capture Fancheng and cannot move north."

"Zhang Xianzhong can only go southeast at this time. Going southeast is the only way to survive."

Zhao Huailiang listened respectfully, waited until Chen Wang finished speaking, and then reported.

"According to the reports from the Supervisory Office, as expected by the general town, Zhang Xianzhong did not abandon Xiangyang. He left more than 10,000 troops to guard Xiangyang, opened warehouses to release grain, and recruited a large number of refugees into the army as help."

After hearing the news, Chen Wangcai withdrew his gaze from the sand table and looked up at Zhao Huailiang, with a solemn look in his eyes.

Zhang Xianzhong is somewhat talented in military command, but his strategic vision can only be said to be quite satisfactory.

The intelligence obtained by the Supervisory Office showed that after Zhang Xianzhong entered Xiangyang, he changed his past style, rectified military discipline, and prohibited burning, killing, and looting.

After Zhang Xianzhong entered the city, he only attacked the wealthy and powerful families, and did not harm the ordinary people in Xiangyang.

Then they opened warehouses to release grain, recruited refugees to join the army, organized and trained the army, and made flags. The military system used was the same as that of the Jiubian garrison.

This time, people were sent to stay in Xiangyang, and additional refugees were recruited into the city to assist in the defense.

This was indeed somewhat beyond Chen Wang's expectation.

Chen Wang had thought that Zhang Xianzhong would leave an army to guard Xiangyang.

But what was expected was to leave a dead force behind.

But now Zhang Xianzhong left more than 10,000 soldiers and horses, and recruited refugees to help defend. It was obvious that he really wanted to occupy Xiangyang as a stronghold.

Chen Wang's eyes flickered, he looked at Zhao Huailiang and asked in a deep voice.

"Who is the general who will stay in Xiangyang?"

Zhao Huailiang recalled it and replied.

"The chief general of Xianjun who stayed in Xiangyang is named Zhang Dingguo. He is the right camp general of Xianjun and one of Zhang Xianzhong's adopted sons."

Chen Wang raised his eyebrows slightly and raised his voice subconsciously.

"Zhang Dingguo?"

"Correct."

Zhao Huailiang looked puzzled, because Chen Wang seemed to care about this name.

Chen Wang didn't notice the doubt in Zhao Huailiang's eyes. He had already lowered his head again, his eyes fixed on Xiangyang City on the sand table.

Chen Wang would naturally care about this name.

Zhang Dingguo, many people have never heard of this name, but if it were changed to Li, it would be different.

Li Dingguo is still called Zhang Dingguo now. Li Dingguo only restored his surname after Zhang Xianzhong's death.

Since the Qing army entered the pass, it has been advancing with great momentum.

Under this situation, Li Dingguo led his troops to the expedition and became king twice, which shocked the world.

This shocked the Qing court and the public, who trembled when they heard Li Dingguo's name, and even had the intention of abandoning the southwestern provinces.

Li Dingguo was the pillar of Nanming at that time.

Chen Wang's original plan was to wait until Zhang Xianzhong led the main force southward, and then look for an opportunity to regain Xiangyang.

But now the person guarding Xiangyang is Li Dingguo, and there are more than 10,000 armored soldiers beside him.

Although there are quite a few new soldiers, there are at least a thousand veterans.

Zhang Xianzhong had more than 5,000 veterans under his command, and he would always leave some to Li Dingguo.

Chen Wang's eyes were solemn and his expression was serious.

Li Dingguo's current ability is definitely inferior to that of when he became king twice in history.

Li Dingguo was thirty-two years old during the two famous kings. He had rich experience and had been in charge of one side and had fought for many years.

And now Li Dingguo has just reached the age of twenty. He has always followed Zhang Xianzhong in the north and south, and does not have much experience in leading troops on his own.

But even so, Li Dingguo still cannot be underestimated.

In terms of talent in military command, Li Dingguo can definitely be called a monster.

Li Dingguo joined the army at the age of ten and was adopted as an adopted son by Zhang Xianzhong. He followed Zhang Xianzhong all the way and it has been ten years now.

In the army, Li Dingguo was famous for his bravery and was convinced by the army. He was also known as the enemy of ten thousand people. He had outstanding abilities and was highly valued by Zhang Xianzhong.

Zhang Xianzhong has been fighting for many years and has many loyal and outstanding generals under his command. But letting Li Dingguo stay in Xiangyang and take charge of Xiangyang's defense has already reflected that Li Dingguo's current ability is not bad.

I just don’t know to what extent.

"Zhang Dingguo..."

Chen Wang looked at Xiangyang City on the sand table, his expression not changing much.

There are not many benefits he can get from regaining Xiangyang, that is, he can get some property that Zhang Xianzhong cannot move away, and he can also hand over a pretty good news.

Nowadays, money is not in short supply for Chen Wang.

Li Yan broke through Luoyang and several surrounding cities, and plundered a lot of gold and silver from the wealthy households in Prince Fu's Mansion and Henan Mansion.

Even if they are not taken away, there are millions of them hidden in various places in the mountains.

Li Yan indeed marked the locations of these gold and silver items honestly. Chen Wang then asked Hu Zhiyi to lead his troops on a return trip, and they found the hidden gold and silver vessels.

The gold and silver hidden in the mountains are now being transported to Hanzhong Prefecture in batches through caravans under the names of several merchants originally established in Yunyang Prefecture.

Chen Wang did not transport the hidden grain and grass back to Hanzhong Prefecture. Instead, it remained in the mountains and was just slightly concentrated.

Today's Henan is actually a semi-controlled area under Chen Wang's control, with full management of military affairs and extremely high autonomy.

Due to natural disasters and military disasters, a large amount of land and mines in various governments have become ownerless. With the power in his hands, Chen Wang is also constantly grabbing benefits and holding these resources in his hands.

Only the power to handle people's livelihood and political affairs is still in the hands of Henan Governor Gao Mingheng.

As for the good news, the reward from the court will not be much.

The left and right were nothing more than honorary titles and some gold and silver cloth. Those things were indeed very attractive to ordinary generals, but to Chen Wang they were better than nothing.

"It just so happens that we are all tired after marching all the way north and south for such a long time. The soldiers below will only be more tired. Now it is logical that we can have some time to breathe."

Chen Wang smiled and said.

"After all, we have to thank Zhang Xianzhong this time."

Zhang Xianzhong's move can be regarded as helping Chen Wang.

Chen Wang got a lot of benefits from entering Henan, many of which he didn't even have time to laugh at.

Many problems within Hanzhong Mansion and Yunyang Mansion have been piling up and have not been resolved.

Now being blocked to the north of Xiangyang, it can be used as an excuse to stay in Xiangyang Mansion for a long time to solve these breeding problems.

"That's what the main town said."

Zhao Huailiang's expression was slightly condensed, and he was also a little emotional.

When war breaks out, he often leaves home thousands of miles away and cannot return home for several years.

The imperial court ignored them and just ordered the suppression.

To be honest, many high-ranking officials in those temples did not regard the ordinary soldiers below as extraordinary people.

"It's just...Zhang Xianzhong is heading south to Jianghan now, and our army will be stationed in Fancheng and stand still. Is it..."

Zhao Huailiang was hesitant. The defense in Jianghan area was weak, and Zhang Xianzhong leading the army south would definitely turn it upside down.

Wan Yuanji's soldiers had low morale and limited combat power. Naturally, they did not dare to fight easily at the critical moment when Yang Sichang died of illness.

The 20,000 remaining soldiers under Wan Yuanji's command are already all the field forces that can be mobilized in Huguang. Once defeated, Zhang Xianzhong will really be unstoppable.

Under this situation, they stayed put in Fancheng, fearing that they would be questioned by the court.

The court's rebuke and sentence were not painful, at most they were just a few symbolic words of rebuke, a demotion of several levels of official position, and a return to the original position for meritorious service.

But what I was afraid of was the suspicion and suspicion of the court.

Now Chen Wang's men can't withstand much investigation.

Yunyang Mansion and Henan Mansion managed to cover up the matter, but things in Hanzhong Mansion were not easy to hide.

It can still be concealed now. First, the guard station is relatively independent and is not under the jurisdiction of the prefecture.

Second, Chen Wang has been running things up and down, and officials in Hanzhong Mansion, including the prefect, have taken a lot of money.

Although the Jinyiwei were abolished shortly after Chongzhen ascended the throne, there were still three pounds of nails in the rotten ship, and there were still many spies.

When these spies get the order and go to Hanzhong Mansion, things will become big.

The giant waterwheels, large workshops, and strong fortresses in Hanzhong Mansion can never be hidden.

It’s impossible to explain these things. Which town’s commander-in-chief is not trying to make money in every possible way.

Even Cao Wenzhao also had property, but he did not embezzle military pay because he needed to support his family.

They are all trying to make money out of their pockets, but they will take money out of their own pockets to develop the place.

What do you want to do if you use the money in your pocket to develop places?
Apart from saints, these people are only rebels.

"Who said we would just stand still in Fancheng?"

Chen Wang's eyes glanced across Zhao Huailiang's face.

He also considered the issues that Zhao Huailiang considered.

He has always maintained the image of a loyal minister in order to prevent the court from becoming suspicious.

"The next step...is the siege of Xiangyang..."

Zhao Huailiang was slightly startled, a little confused.

There are more than 10,000 armored soldiers in Xiangyang City, as well as tens of thousands of refugees helping to defend themselves.

And now they count the soldiers and horses coming from Yunyang Mansion and the militiamen in Fancheng, and they only have 7,000 people.

Not to mention besieging the city, just surrounding it is quite difficult.

Chen Wang lowered his head and looked at Jingzhou Mansion, which is southwest of Xiangyang on the sand table.

"Didn't Yang Sichang entrust Zuo Liangyu to me to control him?"

"Send a message to Zuo Liangyu and ask him to lead troops to Xiangyang."

"Zuo Liangyu..."

Zhao Huailiang frowned slightly and asked.

"Will he come?"

No wonder Zhao Huailiang had doubts, Zuo Liangyu was indeed very domineering now.

Yang Sichang was a trusted minister of the emperor, a cabinet minister, and the governor of six provinces.

However, Zuo Liangyu dared to disobey Yang Sichang's orders.

"When Zuo Liangyu comes, we will surround Xiangyang City with troops."

"If Zuo Liangyu doesn't come, now I have only 6,000 soldiers and horses under my command, and I can't attack Xiangyang at all. The person who will be held accountable by the court will be Zuo Liangyu, not me."

Chen Wang was not worried about the issues that Zhao Huailiang was thinking about.

Regardless of whether Zuo Liangyu comes or not, it will not have any impact on the overall situation.

Moreover, according to Chen Wang's understanding of Zuo Liangyu, Zuo Liangyu will definitely come.

"He will come."

Chen Wang's tone was very certain.

Zuo Liangyu will definitely come to Xiangyang, because in a sense.

Zuo Liangyu was from the same group as him.

"Reply to Wan Yuanji."

"Let's just say that the Xian bandits are divided into two groups. One will go south to Jianghan, and the other will stay in Xiangyang City. Our army does not know the details and dare not move without permission."

"Ask them to divide their forces to chase down the Xian bandits who went south to Jianghan. After our army recovers Xiangyang and resolves the obstacles, they will then come to rush for reinforcements."

Chen Wang looked at the mountains and rivers on the sand table, and his mind was extremely clear.

(End of this chapter)