Daming talker

Chapter 596 Who is in charge? (Please give me a monthly ticket!)
Anyway, after wandering around Shaanxi for more than a month, Lin Taifu finally settled down temporarily in Qingyang.

The reason he made public was that, as the first deputy leader of the current literary world, he wanted to pay tribute to the memory of the former literary leader Li Mengyang.

As long as you open the Northwest Transportation Map of the Ming Dynasty, you can see that Qingyang is the only way from the hinterland of Shaanxi to Ningxia Town.

The only official road from the Guanzhong Plain to Ningxia Town passes through Qingyang and then enters Ningxia Town. The official road from Yan'an Prefecture in the east to Ningxia Town also passes through Qingyang.

So Taifu Lin's 200 servants and 1,000 standard-bearers finally got a thorough rest. Of course, they still had to maintain light training. Taifu Lin did not allow his men to slack off too much.

In addition, taking advantage of his position as supervisor of logistics, Lin Taifu allocated a large number of excellent horses, weapons, armor, and equipment to his own camp, and the rest were equipped to the servants.

Most of the money was withheld from military supplies being transported to Ningxia Town.

There was even enough spare capacity to organize a camp of 500 militiamen in Qingyang. Those selected were the unemployed soldiers of the garrisons, and they were given 2 taels of silver as a resettlement allowance when they entered the camp.

Anyway, the withheld military supplies cannot be used up, and the expenses are all from the court. Having five hundred more people under your command means a greater sense of security.

As a result, the combat force directly under Lin Taifu increased to 1,700 people. They were well-equipped, each with two horses, had high morale, and were rich in various combat experiences.

If he had not been afraid of being misunderstood as rebelling, Lin Taifu would have wanted to expand his army by a few thousand more.

The Ming Dynasty's supervisory system was very developed, with cross-monitoring everywhere. Immediately, the governor and inspector of Shaanxi and the governor of Ningxia Town submitted memorials to impeach Lin Tailai for arbitrarily withholding military funds and training troops without authorization.

Lin Tailai impeached them immediately. Ningxia Zhen Haibai and his son demanded a large number of replacements for weak military horses and accumulation of food, fodder and equipment. They must have ulterior motives!

The Ningxia Town Inspector General submitted a memorial saying that Haobai and his son had military talent, but Lin Tailai framed Haobai and his son out of personal grudge.

Lin Tailai impeached again, and found that Haibai and his son frequently contacted their old subordinates in private, plotting something bad!
And so, the argument went on back and forth for nearly a month.

The court's attitude was still mainly to smooth things over. At the same time, it did not think that Haobai would really rebel. It just asked Lin Tailai to stop causing trouble.

In mid-February, looking at the imperial edict sent to him by the court, Lin Taifu could not help but sigh and compose a poem:

"The spring chill on the frontier chills the bones, and the worried generals have white hair.

Why would you hesitate to throw the rest of your life into the hands of wolves and tigers? As a group, we should think about how to control dogs and sheep.

Human affairs are like chess, and the uncertainty is endless. But the grace of the king is unforgettable.

My shoulders seem to bear a heavy weight, and I hope to receive the sword from you."

Lieutenant General Dadonglou standing next to him didn't quite understand what was said, but he just felt that Imperial Concubine Lin might be in a bad mood.

Lin Tailai turned around and asked, "Do you understand my poem?"

Lieutenant General Da shook his head honestly, "I don't quite understand it."

Lin Tailai said angrily: "In order to spread my ideas in border areas with a relatively low cultural level, I have made my creative ideas as simple as possible. How can you still not understand?"

Lieutenant General Da did not want to discuss poetry with Lin Tailai, so he just asked, "What did the court say to General Lin?"

Lin Tailai said in dissatisfaction: "The court actually severely reprimanded me and ordered that this incident should not happen again!"

Lieutenant General Da: “.”

It's over as long as it doesn't happen again. What else are you dissatisfied with, Mr. Lin?

If someone else dared to act so recklessly, he would have been dismissed from office and sent home, or exiled on the spot!
Maybe this is called prestige?

Lin Tailai put down the imperial edict, and seemed to be in a low mood. "It's a pity that I am full of passion and want to eliminate traitors for the country, but no one can understand me. Instead, I am reprimanded. How embarrassing!

It’s still a bit chilly in the early spring at the border, so I guess the magnolias in my hometown have already bloomed, right?”

Lieutenant General Da was a little surprised and responded, "I didn't expect that General Lin would be so sentimental. Is he homesick?"

Lin Tailai explained: "You don't understand. The dredging project of the lower reaches of the Wusong River, which I led and cost three or four hundred thousand taels of silver, should have been completed last autumn and winter.

Next, we need to vigorously promote the work of port construction, smuggling and maritime trade, and layout of ports.

It's a pity that I can't be in two places now. Thinking about the work waiting for me, I feel anxious. "

When he heard the number "three or four hundred thousand taels", Lieutenant General Da was completely confused and could not understand Lin Taifu's anxious mood at all.

He just said dazedly: "Then General Lin should ask for leave and go back."

Lin Tailai said painfully: "But if he doesn't rebel, I can't leave. I can only stay here!"

At this time, a spy sent to Ningxia Town suddenly came to report that Haibai and his son were in turmoil and surrounded the governor's headquarters and the general's mansion!
"Finally here!" Lin Tailai immediately ordered Admiral Da: "All troops, get ready! Move out at any time!"

Although Dayun always heard Lin Tailai say that Haobai was a rebellious person, he still felt incredible when he saw Haobai actually rebel.

"How dare Haibai?" Commander Da couldn't understand.

Lin Tailai briefly explained: "First, Haibai is arrogant by nature and inexplicably despises our Ming army. I don't know why he thinks that the Ming army will definitely not be able to defeat him.

Second, Haibai relied on external aid and believed that he could lead several northern barbarian tribes to join him in the invasion.

Third, many of the generals in Ningxia Town are old subordinates of Haibai. "

In the middle of February of the 19th year of Wanli in this time and space, Haibai and his sons and their generals started a rebellion, killed the governor and the general, and occupied the town of Ningxia.

Then the rebels launched a massive attack and occupied the 47th Fort in Hexi, Ningxia Town in one go! Immediately, the whole of Shaanxi was shocked!

Logically speaking, Governor Zheng Luo should be responsible for leading all the troops to suppress the rebels, but Governor Zheng was pinned down in the direction of Xihai and Gansu at this time and could not leave.

Therefore, the court urgently appointed Shaanxi Governor Ye Mengxiong as acting governor-general, granted him the Fang Sword, and gave him full responsibility for suppressing the Haobai rebels.

At the same time, Lin Tailai, the Shaoqing of the Shaanxi Provincial Ministry of the Imperial Household, the military counselor and the person in charge of food and salaries, was appointed as the military supervisor.

Without waiting for Governor Ye Mengxiong to arrive, General Lin ordered his camp to set out first!
Lieutenant General Da asked, "The rebels have occupied Hexi. The next step is to cross the south of the river and invade the land of Hedong. Lingzhou is the key point of Hedong and we must not lose it.

Should we go directly to Lingzhou, or should we first join forces with the government troops in nearby Guyuan Town?"

Lin Tailai replied: "The rebels are very powerful. How can we, with only 1,700 people, stop them head-on?
Don't confront the rebels head on for now. The first step is to go around to the northernmost part of Ningxia Town, which is the rear of the rebels, and harass them."

The Hexi area of ​​Ningxia Town occupied by the rebels is a narrow strip of land sandwiched between the Helan Mountains and the Yellow River.

It is long from north to south, about three or four hundred miles; and narrow from east to west, averaging about one hundred miles.

Generally speaking, the war zone was not too large, mainly fighting within a radius of about 200 miles around the town of Ningxia, which was very convenient for cavalry mobile support.

The rebels are currently on the offensive, generally moving from south to north.

"Hargue the rebels from behind?" Although Dayun understood General Lin's strategic intention, he still faced technical difficulties.

"How do we get through the rebel-occupied forts and reach the north, which is behind the rebels?"

Lin Tailai pointed to a point on the map and said, "Go out of the side wall from Huamachi and go around the side wall!
Doesn't Haibai like to rush out from outside the wall? Why wouldn't I, Lin Tailai, dare to do the same? "

Dayun could not help but advise, "It is still very dangerous to march outside the border wall. If we run into hostile enemy cavalry, it will be easy to get into trouble in a hasty battle.

"You are so precious, why would you take such a risk?"

Lin Tailai replied: "Don't worry! Even if I am captured by the enemy cavalry, it won't be a big problem.

Since leaving Xi'an, I have been gathering my strength to cope with this kind of risk! "After making a good marching plan, the entire battalion of 1,700 people set out immediately, rushing from Qingyang to Huamachi, and after a short rest and replenishment, they set out again!

From Huamachi, drive north across the border wall for 200 miles and you will reach the northernmost tip of Ningxia Town.

For a cavalryman with two horses, two hundred miles is not a very long distance.

After setting up the temporary camp, Lin Tailai sent out scouts to investigate the surrounding situation.

Half a day later, a scout came back to report, "Pinglu Fort at the northern end of the town has not been lost! Thousands of rebels are still attacking Pinglu Fort!"

Lin Taifu opened his eyes wide and shouted in great surprise: "There is still an isolated city in Hexi that is holding out! We came at the right time!"

Lieutenant General Da: “.”

Mr. Lin, can your acting be more exaggerated?

Did you know that Pinglu Fort was still holding out, so you would rather take the risk of driving 200 miles outside the border wall to the north?
But how did General Lin know that Pinglu Fort was still holding out from hundreds of miles away?
Historically, during the initial stage of the Ningxia War during the reign of Emperor Wanli, when the rebels launched a full-scale offensive, all 47 forts in Hexi were lost, except Pinglu Fort, which remained standing.

The defender of Pinglu Fort, Xiao Ruxun, and his wife Yang, gave away all their property and refused to surrender.

The rebel general Tu Wenxiu had been attacking the city, while Haibai's adopted son Haiyun led the Northern Tartar's Litu tribe to Pinglu Fort.

Under such circumstances, the defending general Xiao Ruxun miraculously set an ambush to defeat Zhulitu's troops, killed Haiyun, and then repelled Tu Wenxiu.

So Lin Tailai led his surprise troops across hundreds of miles just to speed up the process of victory.

"Eat and drink first! When the rebels attack the city, attack them from behind!"

Later, Lin Taifu led 1,700 cavalrymen to attack the rebels from behind under the wall of Pinglu Fort.

With the joint efforts of the defenders, the rebels were defeated on the spot and the rebel general Tu Wenxiu was killed.

Three days later, Lin Taifu cooperated with Xiao Ruxun, the defender of Pinglu Fort, to ambush the Litu cavalry and defeat them, beheading Haibai's adopted son Haiyun and capturing countless people and livestock.

Lieutenant General Da was infatuated. How could it be so easy to win a great victory by following Lin Tailai? Is fighting a war so simple?

After the great victory at Pinglu Fort, Lin Tailai led his troops away in a hurry, taking a detour outside the border wall again and returning to Huamachi.

Here, General Lin met Governor Ye Mengxiong.

At this time, the army transferred by the court from other towns had not arrived yet, and Governor Ye was still hesitating between attacking and defending, unable to make up his mind.

General Lin strongly advocated using the existing forces to launch a counterattack immediately.

After all, the sooner the war ends, the less damage and losses it will cause.

Lin Jianjun advised Governor Ye: "The rebels may seem powerful at the moment, but in fact their offensive is already at its end!

The only people with strong fighting ability under the father and son of Haibai are actually just a few thousand private soldiers.

Although the rebels occupied 47 forts in Hexi, they did not have enough reliable troops to guard them.

Many defenders were caught off guard and unable to resist.

Moreover, they still had a lucky mentality in their hearts, thinking that if they were regarded as mutiny and appeased, then everything would be fine.

Therefore, the rebels are not loyal and will rebel again as soon as the army arrives."

One advantage of Governor Ye is that he is more receptive to advice than Governor Zheng.

So Governor Ye personally took charge of the crucial Huamachi and ordered the military supervisor Lin Tailai and the deputy general of Guyuan Town Li Xu to garrison Lingzhou in Hedong.

In addition, he ordered guerrilla general Zhao Wu to lead a detachment to contain the rebels in the southwest and prevent them from moving further south.

After the rebels took over Hexi, they rested for a while and then attacked Hedong, with Lingzhou City being the first to be hit.

Haibai's dream is to emulate the past of Li Yuanhao of Western Xia, so he must conquer territory in Hedong.

In mid-March, outside Lingzhou City, Lin Tailai and Li Xu defeated the rebels led by Hai Chengen and won a great victory in Lingzhou.

Admiral Da who participated in the battle was once again intoxicated. Could a great victory be as easy as eating and drinking?

Subsequently, Lin Tailai and Li Shu led their troops forward and counterattacked to Hexi.

After the situation became unfavorable, the rebel leader Haobai could no longer sit still in Ningxia Town, and personally led his troops to attack Yuquan City occupied by Zhao Wu, a detachment.

He planned to first defeat the weaker Southwestern Division led by Zhao Wu, and then turn around to fight Lin Tailai and Li Xu.

However, Zhao Wu also held on to Yuquan City, and Haobai was caught in a dilemma.

At the end of March, Lin Tailai and Li Shu led their troops to Yuquan in time, and defeated the rebels by attacking them from both sides.

After the victory at Yuquan, Haibai fled back to Ningxia town and held his ground.

Admiral Da was fascinated. From Xining to Gansu and then to Ningxia, what was it like to win five major victories in half a year?
No wonder Lin Taifu said when he was in Xining that if promotions were really based on military merit, he would not even be worthy of the promotion to the position of Prime Minister!

Lin Tailai could finally breathe a sigh of relief. He had traveled hundreds of miles in the past month and finally achieved the great victory in the early stage.
No, it successfully accelerated the process of victory and reduced the trauma of war.

From then on, the rebels completely lost their ability to attack, and the government troops easily recaptured the 47 forts in Hexi except Ningxia Town.

At this point, the first phase of the Wanli Ningxia Campaign was basically over, nearly a month earlier than the original history, and this was the credit of Lin Tailai.

Ningxia Town, which is Yinchuan in later generations, is a powerful city in the northwest today, with tall and strong city walls.

Although the rebels of Haibai had lost their ability to attack, they were able to gather 20,000 troops to defend the city by retreating, and there were also roaming cavalry outside to provide support.

With the existing government troops participating in the war, they were unable to attack Ningxia City, let alone lay siege to it.

If you don't have a force several times larger than that of the defenders, don't even think about attacking the city.

Moreover, the war is unfolding too quickly, and now the government troops are running out of food and fodder.

Therefore, they could only wait for the foreign troops mobilized by the imperial court to come for support before they could proceed to the next stage of the siege.

It is reported that the court has appointed Ma Gui to lead the Datong garrison, Li Rusong to lead the Xuanfu garrison, and Dong Yikui to lead the Yansui garrison to rush to Ningxia for support.

At this time, Governor Ye could finally feel a little relieved.

At least we have turned the situation around as quickly as possible and have not let the court down. I'm sure His Majesty the Emperor will feel very pleased!

During the rest and preparation period, Governor Ye summarized the battle reports of the first phase and sent them to the court.

The great victory of Pinglubao on the northern front, Lin Tailai, Xiao Ruxun and Da Yun;

The Lingzhou victory on the southeastern front, Lin Tailai and Li Xu and Da Yun;
The Yuquan victory on the southwestern front, Lin Tailai, Li Xun, Zhao Wu and Dayun.

After reading the battle report, the emperor and his court officials began to question themselves.

Who was in charge of the Ningxia campaign? Why was Lin Tailai so common?

Is Governor Ye Mengxiong’s only task to write war reports?

(End of this chapter)