Daming talker

Chapter 599: Confused General Li!
Although Lin Tailai was not optimistic about Ma Gui's attack on the city, he did not stop him in the end.

War is not just about fighting and killing, it also involves human relationships. Stopping Ma Gui will not only not earn you gratitude, but will instead earn you resentment.

Anyway, in the original history, Ma Gui failed to capture Ningxia City before Li Rusong arrived.

If the butterfly effect really occurs and Ma Gui succeeds in attacking the city accidentally, then it can only be considered that Li Rusong in this time and space is unlucky.
At the beginning, Ma Gui wanted to use some tricks to lure the rebels out of the city to fight.

After all, any normal person knows that defenders who go out of the city to fight are much easier to deal with than those who rely on the city walls to defend themselves.

Ma Gui first sent hundreds of loud-voiced soldiers to the city wall to curse Haobai, trying to provoke Haobai to fight.

But in the end it was in vain, as Haibai was as steady as an old dog and did not fall for it.

Then Ma Gui organized a failed siege and pretended to be defeated and fled, trying to lure the rebels out of the city and pursue them.

As a result, Haobai was still as steady as an old dog, and the rebels resolutely stayed in the city and refused to come out.

Previously, Ma Gui had been the general in Ningxia Town for more than ten years, and Haibai had been under Ma Gui's command at that time. He was very familiar with Ma Gui's habits and way of thinking, so it would be a miracle if he could be fooled.

After two consecutive small tricks failed, Ma Gui had no choice but to launch a brute force attack and assigned tasks to each general.

Ningxia Town General Dong Yikui was in charge of the south of the city, Guyuan Deputy General Li Xu was in charge of the west of the city, former General Liu Chengsi was in charge of the north of the city, and former General Niu Bingzhong was in charge of the east of the city.

Ma Gui and Xiao Ruxun each led a part of the government army, responsible for supporting various places and guarding against surprise attacks by the enemy cavalry.

As the military supervisor, Lin Tailai did not participate in the operation, but still stood outside the South City and watched.

The government troops first bombarded the city wall with less accurate cannons for a while, and then used Portuguese cannons to fire accurately at the top of the city.

After the artillery fire briefly suppressed the rebels defending the city, large groups of government troops, under the urging of the generals, rushed forward and began to attack the city with manpower.

Looking at the siege scene where human lives seemed worthless, General Lin sighed inwardly.

For Lin Jianjun, this siege was a political battle and he had to fight.

If I don't fight, I will be constantly impeached for being afraid of the enemy and cowardly, and Ma Gui will also hate me.

It is because of these political issues that people are constantly losing their lives here today.

Today, Lin Tailai personally experienced the saying "A merciful army cannot be commanded".

Under Ma Gui's direct command, the siege lasted for more than ten days, but facing the tall and solid city walls and tenacious rebels, no progress was made at all.

Ma Gui's mentality also changed from full of expectations to numbness. When he reported the losses to Lin Jianjun, he said in disbelief:

"The rebels were completely surrounded by the army and could only defend the isolated city. It was unexpected that they were still so tenacious."

General Lin looked at the casualty statistics sent in by each camp and resisted the urge to say, "I don't want casualty figures, I just want the city of Ningxia."

Hearing Ma Gui's doubts, Lin Jianjun replied: "If I were Haobai, I would say the same thing to the rebels.

Now that they have all committed the crime of treason, the only way they can survive is to defend the city with all their might and force the imperial court to surrender!
With this mentality, how can the rebels not defend the city tenaciously? "

Ma Gui suddenly realized, and after thinking about it carefully, he realized that this was indeed the truth.

If the Liangshan heroes had not defeated the government troops repeatedly, would they have been recruited by the government?
Lin Jianjun asked again: "Li Rusong will arrive in three days, will you still fight?"

Ma Gui felt like he had missed out on 100,000 taels of silver by failing to capture Ningxia City before Li Rusong arrived.

After a moment of silence, he said dejectedly: "The soldiers are tired and short of equipment. Let's rest for a while."

Three days later, Li Rusong, the first-rank governor-general, the head of the rear army governor's office, and the commander-in-chief of the Shaanxi anti-rebelion military affairs, led new reinforcements to Ningxia City.

The officers in other camps continued to be on guard against the rebels, only Dong Yikui and Ma Gui from the main camp in Nancheng went out to greet Li Rusong.

Military Supervisor Lin Tailai thought about it and decided not to put on airs, so he went to the camp gate to greet them.

After all, we cannot treat Brother Li Rusong the same way as other military officers. We still have to give him some face.

When Li Rusong saw Lin Jianjun, he laughed and said, "Hahahaha, I never thought that I would be able to go on an expedition with Brother Lin.

It is so exciting to see you all gather together thousands of miles away and work together for the king's cause!"

Seeing this, Lieutenant General Da, who was following General Lin, thought secretly that it was rumored that Li Rusong was quite arrogant and did not even yield to the governor in terms of etiquette.

How come the Li Rusong whom I saw with my own eyes today seemed to be such a kind person?

Lieutenant General Da had just thought of this when he saw Li Rusong waving to others, "Please step aside for now. I want to talk to Brother Lin first."

Then Lieutenant General Da understood that it was not that Li Rusong was a kind person, but that he was only kind to General Lin.

Ma Gui shook his head helplessly, turned around and left.

He finally understood how much face Lin Jianjun had given him by allowing him to attack the city first.

If someone else had been the military supervisor, he would have made things difficult for me long ago and would have been waiting for his good brother Li Rusong to come and deal with me.

It's a pity that I didn't seize the opportunity and let down General Lin's indulgence. I can't blame anyone else.

After the others had left, Lin Jianjun invited Li Rusong to talk in the tent.

Li Rusong sat down and drank a few sips of tea, then he pretended to be a bit arrogant and said, "It is said that you forced Haibai to rebel, and now you have to trouble me to clean up the mess for you."

Lin Tailai refuted it bluntly, "Nonsense! Haibai had the intention of rebellion in his heart a long time ago, just like An Lushan of the former Tang Dynasty. How can it be said that he was forced to rebel?"

Li Rusong chuckled and said, "Are you comparing yourself to Yang Guozhong?"

Lin Tailai changed the subject and said, "I asked you to do something meritorious, but you still say so many weird things!"

Li Rusong sighed deeply and spread his hands, saying, "What's the point of me being a first-rank military governor, the head of the rear military governor's office, and the son of the Ningyuan Earl? Can I be given a duke or marquisate?"

Lin Tailai: "."

It seems like Brother Li is getting too cocky. Becoming a "general" commanding 50,000 to 60,000 soldiers, is his excitement not over yet?
Don't underestimate tens of thousands of people. After the Battle of Tumu and before the end of the Ming Dynasty, military generals who could command an army of 50,000 or 60,000 were extremely rare.

If the commander-in-chief can be respectfully called a "general", then Li Rusong, the commander-in-chief among all the commanders, can definitely be called a "great general".

Even as a favorite general of the emperor, Li Rusong could not avoid this kind of vanity.

After the greetings, Li Rusong's expression gradually became serious. He said to Lin Tai: "You and I have never worked together directly before, so you may not be very familiar with my distinctive working style."

Lin Tailai looked at General Li with a squint and said, "Isn't it a bit presumptuous of you to talk about "distinctive style of doing things" in front of me, Lin?"

Li Rusong continued: "If we want to win the battle, we must first unify the command among the army.

There are too many soldiers outside Ningxia City now, which is a very obvious drawback. Ma Gui's previous unauthorized and forced attack on the city is a clear proof that even you, the military supervisor, can't stop such arrogant and brave soldiers. "

Lin Tailai: "."

I don’t know what to say, anyway, General Li, your comprehension ability is perfect.

Then I heard Li Rusong say fiercely: "So I must seize power first! I must win over the generals, or at least make sure they don't pretend to obey me but actually disobey me!"

Lin Tailai replied: "That makes sense."

Li Rusong said considerately: "You may not be familiar with military affairs and human relations, so just watch from the side."

Lin Tailai continued to answer simply: "Okay."

After he finished speaking, he suddenly felt that his lines were a bit like a supporting role.
So Lin Tailai added very professionally, "What do you want to do?"

There was nothing to hide from Lin Tailai, so Li Rusong answered frankly: "Look at my official title, it's 'Commander-in-Chief of the Anti-Rebellion Army', right?

What is the meaning of "Admiral"? It means general manager, right? So I am the general manager of the anti-rebelion military affairs."

Lin Tailai nodded. This was indeed true in the literal sense. In the Ming Dynasty, the terms admiral and governor-general were often used interchangeably.

For example, the director of the East Factory was the admiral of the East Factory, and there was also the governor-general of the East Factory.

Li Rusong continued, "Since I have been sent to take charge of the anti-rebelion military affairs, I should not be controlled by the governor!

While on the road, I had already submitted a petition to the court, requesting that I no longer need to be controlled by Ye Mengxiong!"

Lin Tailai: "."

He could not comment on Li Rusong's thoughts and actions.

When serving as the commander-in-chief of a local garrison, you had to be on equal footing with the governor; when going on an expedition, you did not want to accept the leadership of the governor. Only you, Li Rusong, could do this.

In the original history, Li Rusong's death was so strange that even if Lin Tailai was not a conspiracy theorist, he couldn't help but be suspicious.

Finally, Lin Tailai sighed, "Aren't you asking for trouble?"

Li Rusong said nonchalantly: "If it works, it will be even better; if it doesn't, it can also shock the generals!
Otherwise, facing so many senior generals, how can I quickly establish my prestige?
Seeing that I dare to challenge even the Governor, do they still dare to act rashly? "

Lin Tailai could only do his duty and say, "As long as you are happy."

Finally, Li Rusong concluded with great confidence: "Don't worry, after we calm down and subdue all these people in the military camp, we two will have the final say in this army!

No matter the governor or the military leaders, no one can suppress us!

As for what the court says, it all depends on your sweet words!
I am the commander-in-chief, and you are the military supervisor. We both deserve the greatest share of the credit for this rebellion!"

Facing the passionate General Li, Lin Tailai remained calm, "Each of you generals have your own thoughts. This is too complicated. It's hard to say now. Let's wait and see."

Li Rusong said doubtfully: "You seem to have no confidence in me? It's useless to say more now. I'll let you see the results in a few days!"

After talking with Lin Jianjun, Li Rusong was busy setting up a new camp and inspecting the old camps.

Two days later, an imperial edict was delivered to the Ningxia army, severely reprimanding Li Rusong, the commander-in-chief of the anti-rebelion army.

Let Li Rusong just focus on commanding the army and defeating the enemy, instead of having the delusion of competing for power with the governor!

"This is as expected!" Li Rusong said to Lin Tai as if everything was under control.

"I will spread this decree immediately. I want all the generals to see that I, Li Rusong, dare to compete with the governor for power and still be safe and sound. Who else dares to disobey me?
After two days of fermentation, I will call all the generals to hold a military meeting! In your jargon, it means officially raising the flag! "

Before leaving, Li Rusong asked with some doubt: "Why can Governor Ye stay in Huamachi and not come to Ningxia City to save face when I am fighting for power with him so much?"

Lin Tailai replied: "Maybe Governor Ye is broad-minded and humble, so he won't argue with you."

General Li, who was focused on establishing his authority and unifying the army's commands, didn't think much about it and continued to patrol the camp.

Two days later, General Li sent out an order, inviting the other six generals to come for a meeting!
The closest former commander, Dong Yikui, arrived first. After entering the tent, he asked, "Why don't you see Supervisor Lin?"

Li Rusong replied: "Today is a meeting of generals on military affairs. I will report the results to the military supervisor immediately afterwards."

The second person to arrive was Ma Gui, the actual commander of the siege in the previous stage. After entering the tent, he also asked, "Isn't Lin the military supervisor here?"

"He's not coming today!" Li Rusong became a little impatient by answering the same question repeatedly.

The third person to come was Xiao Ruxun, who was promoted after defending the lonely city. He still asked, "Is there no Lin Jianjun?"

Li Rusong was a little puzzled. Are there things wrong with these generals? Why do they come in and ask General Lin?

After that, Niu Bingzhong and Liu Chengsi, two "former generals" who did not have much say, appeared.

The two of them didn't say anything and just sat in the corner in silence.

The last person to enter the big tent was Li Xu, the deputy general of Guyuan Town, who sounded the clarion call for counterattack and recovered lost territory.

"Is General Lin sure you won't attend the meeting?" Li Xu looked around and asked again.

Li Rusong replied for the last time: "He was not invited to today's meeting!"

After thinking about it, Li Xu said honestly, "Then there is no need to hold this military affairs meeting, right?"

Li Rusong slammed the table and shouted at Li Xu, "What do you mean? Are you trying to neglect the military affairs?"

At the same time, the idea of ​​killing a chicken to scare the monkey quickly came to General Li's mind! He would use Li Xu, who dared to challenge his majesty, to establish his authority!

At this time, Ma Gui suddenly joined in and said, "If Lin Jianjun is not present, the military affairs meeting will probably not produce any results, and it is indeed meaningless."

After two generals protested in succession, Li Rusong felt a little confused. It was possible to kill one chicken, but it was difficult to kill two.

Then he turned to the steady and experienced former general Dong Yikui and said, "What do you say?"

Dong Yikui sighed, "What they said makes sense. How can the military meeting be without Lin Jianjun?"

Xiao Ruxun, who had just asked about Lin Tailai, also echoed, "Without Lin the military supervisor, there's really no need to start this military meeting."

Seeing a bunch of generals expressing that they couldn't do without General Lin, General Li Rusong was completely confused!
Among the six generals other than himself, except Niu Bingzhong and Liu Chengsi who had no say at all, the other four powerful and prestigious generals all supported General Lin without exception!

He had always dreamed of punching the governor, kicking the generals, and then unifying the military power!
After all this trouble, it seems that my dear brother Lin is the real devil who is preventing me from controlling the military power?

No wonder he provoked the governor, but Governor Ye ignored him and did not come to Ningxia City to demonstrate!
Perhaps in Governor Ye's eyes, he had chosen the wrong person to compete for power with, and there was no point in arguing with his childish self.

(End of this chapter)