Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 652: Transfer to Wuzhou in the northwest
"Drive, drive!"

“Everyone, keep up and don’t fall behind!”

At the south gate of the capital, a large group of people escorted the carriage out of the city. The people around them had seen it early, so they all got out of the way and stretched their heads to look over curiously.

Ma Mengquan led a large number of imperial guards to escort him along the way. The soldiers in black clothes and armor were majestic and majestic.

Just after leaving the south city gate,

On the official road,

Ma Mengquan pinched the horse's belly, walked straight to the carriage of Mr. Yun, and said;
"For Eunuch Yun, the team has already left the south gate of the capital. The journey was smooth and nothing unusual."

"Ma Jian works hard, and the Za family sees it. When he returns to the palace today, he will definitely report to his godfather. Although the trip was uneventful, we can't let down our guard until we get to the capital camp!"

Eunuch Yun sat in the carriage, closed his eyes and replied in a low voice. He didn't know if it was perfunctory. Thinking of the important things his godfather told him, he squeezed Fo Chen's hand and turned white with nervousness.

"Thank you Eunuch Yun for your teachings. I will keep my humble position in my heart."

"Okay, Commander-in-Chief, please."

Who knows,

"What do you mean, father-in-law, General Gu's 30,000-strong army can't be found now?"

Wang Ziteng took the lead and gave a military salute.

Wang Ziteng's expression did not change. First, he asked Jia Lian to lead his troops to escort the delivered wages back to the camp. The other looked at the reinforcement generals behind him and said calmly,
"Back to my father-in-law, I originally thought about going south after today, but the court also knows that the troops from Hedong and Hexi counties are still resting and recuperating. I want to wait for two more days before going south, and some of the food, grass and baggage will be ready. We have already moved on, we won’t have to wait too long,”

"I accept the decree."

"Father-in-law, go this way,"

Eunuch Yun obviously wanted to talk alone, so the two of them walked to the left of the camp gate and stopped about fifty steps away.

Wang Ziteng retracted his hand, walked over, and said with fists in his hands;

"I understand this matter in my heart. Please rest assured, Eunuch Yun and the Governor. I must be careful. We can't wait any longer for the time to go south. Without any further delay, we will go to the palace with my father-in-law to meet the Holy Spirit."

Lu Daiyuan didn't say anything, Sizhou He Yong also said,
"Envoy Lu Jiedu, why are you ignoring us? Could it be that you are dismissive?"

The two people's questions one after another made the eldest son Lu Congyun who was following Lu Daiyuan furious.

The person who spoke had a bold tone and a loud voice. He was not asking in a low voice. Lu Daiyuan's eyes were a little bored. When he looked up, he looked up and saw that it was Hongnong Dianwei Hu Le. It was him. The Jia family was old. Why did he speak first?

"Hmph, Commander-in-Chief is discussing important matters there, but you guys dare to talk nonsense here, how can you put the imperial court in your eyes,"

In fact, Eunuch Yun didn't know what was going on over there in Jingnan. The imperial court was in a fog now, and the information from the Imperial City Division was intermittent. He always felt like someone was behind it, so his godfather became suspicious.

Wang Ziteng frowned. This was not good news. He also expected that, according to the discussion between Baoning Hou and Luo Yun Hou, the army would set off and go straight to Linshan County, using the county town as a base camp and having official warehouses. Food and treasury are used as payment, and the Taiping Sect is fighting steadily. If Linshan County is lost, the consequences will be disastrous. No, where is the Jingnan General Gu Ping?
Thinking of him, Wang Ziteng asked anxiously,

Seeing this, Wang Ziteng's heart skipped a beat. What does it mean to have no news? Did he get separated, was surrounded, or was he captured?

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty."

While the two were discussing there, the generals at the camp all lowered their heads to talk.
"Lu Jiedushi, guess what Jiedushi and the others are talking about?"

"I've met Eunuch Yun."

"Come here from afar. Eunuch Yun has worked so hard. It means nothing but respect."

There were no words all the way,
Follow the official path,

Mr. Yun's face, which was still warm at first, suddenly turned pale.

"Jingying Jiedushi Wang Ziteng listened to the decree and conveyed His Majesty's oral instructions. Under the guidance of Wang Ziteng, he led the generals who went south, including Daliangcheng Jiedushi Lu Daiyuan, Hongnong Dianwei Hu Le, Sizhou General He Yong, and Hexi County Guard Dong Dawang. , Peng Shiying, the governor of Hedong County, came to see him immediately."

Everyone knew that the consequences of missing on the battlefield would be disastrous. It seemed that Gu Ping could no longer be counted on, and his thoughts changed accordingly.

After walking for less than half an hour, they arrived at the Anhu camp. Wang Ziteng, who had received the letter long ago, took a bath and changed clothes, put on new clothes and armor, and led the generals to wait in front of the camp gate.
I saw the frame arrived,

As soon as the carriage stops,
Eunuch Yun stood there, received the salute calmly, walked over slowly, pinched the drake's throat and shouted;

"In this way, Commander Jie is already confident. The Za family would like to congratulate Commander Jie. His achievements are right in front of us. However, the Governor has one more thing that he wants to discuss with Commander Jie."

"Eunuch, can the Governor have any inside information?"

"Um,"

immediately,

After Ma Mengquan finished speaking, he didn't dare to speak anymore. Now, Eunuch Yun has gradually begun to take charge of the affairs of the Supervisor of Ceremonies. He has to intervene in all matters, both internal and external. It was also approved by the Governor. The people below can see it clearly and act more carefully.

"Commander Jie, there are a few confidential things. Please pay attention to Commander Jie. The first is the treasury of Linshan County. It needs to be thoroughly investigated to see if there is food and money in the official warehouse. In addition, pay attention to the chief envoy of Jingnan and so on. Officials, you still need to be careful about specific matters."

Eunuch Yun complimented him a lot and saw that Wang Ziteng must have set a date for sending troops south, so he stopped trying and just thought of doing what his godfather told him.
Wang Ziteng's heart skipped a beat, knowing that the Governor had something secret to tell him, he reached out sideways and made a gesture of invitation.

With a stern look on his face, Wang Ziteng bowed in the direction of the capital. The generals behind him, including Lu Daiyuan, the governor of Daliang City, all lowered their bodies and made themselves smaller. They were very sincere. This scene fell on Eunuch Yun. There was a calculation in his eyes, and he thought of his godfather's explanation, and asked without hesitation;
"May I ask Commander-in-Chief, how many days have the reinforcements arrived? How long do they need to rest before they can go south?"

"Yes, nothing left,"

Eunuch Yun nodded, and the atmosphere condensed for a moment.

Wang Ren, who was following behind him, had already understood the situation and carefully handed over a stack of banknotes.
When Eunuch Yun saw it, he smiled without saying anything. He reached out to take it and retracted it into his sleeve. When he came out again, the banknote in his hand was gone.

"Eunuch Yun, does the Governor know anything about General Gu Ping in southern Beijing? What's going on in Lin Yue Mansion now?"

"To be honest, commander-in-chief, news came from the south that Lin Yue Fucheng had been occupied by the rebels. Fortunately, guard Qin Yunjiang led a part of his troops to break out and joined General Gu's remaining troops. But now, there is no news about the two troops. I don’t know where it is?”

"Commander Jie is still so polite. Today, in addition to conveying His Majesty's oral instructions, I will give Commander Jie three months' salary. Your Majesty has decreed that everyone in the army going south will receive an additional month's salary."

"you,"

He Yong was scolded, his breath condensed, and he didn't know how to defend himself, but Hu Le laughed and said,
"He must be the eldest son of Lu Jiedu. Now he is like the Jiedushi envoy and has a heroic spirit. He was originally a rough man, but he was curious and not very smart, so he asked the biggest official here. Don't be surprised. "

After saying that, he gave a silly smile, and his honest face made people approach him. But the more he acted like this, the more cautious the Lu family became. It seemed that the two of them had joined forces.

"Haha, General Hu is still so heroic. He is far behind. As for the matters discussed by the Commander-in-Chief, how do I know about it? We from Daliang City are also the last to come to the capital, and General Hu is the earliest. If you don't know, I don't know. Jiedushi doesn't even know," Lu Daiyuan replied with deep meaning. Everyone present was moved in their hearts, especially Dong Dawang and Peng Shiying, who looked at everyone carefully.

"Haha, Ambassador Lu Jiedu is still so cautious. How could Hu know?"

Hu Le laughed and covered it up. Under that honest laughter, he didn't know how many words were true and how many were lies.

The voice just fell,

Wang Ziteng and Eunuch Yun had already turned back.
"Everyone, mount your horse immediately. The commander-in-chief will enter the palace to meet the Holy Spirit without delay."

"Yes, Commander-in-Chief."

Everyone stopped thinking about anything else and immediately called for the soldiers to bring their horses over. Then they got on their horses. Even Eunuch Yun followed. Under the escort of the Royal Guards, a group of people galloped straight to the capital.

Jingnan,

Southwest of Chenzhou,

On a high slope,

Gu Ping sat on his horse with a weathered face, looking at Chenzhou City in the distance. The flag of the Taiping Sect was raised, and elite soldiers were all on the city wall. There were densely packed arrows on it, which looked as solid as a rock.

How could he look like an elite member of the imperial court and become a member of the Taiping Sect?

In contrast,

Chai Qing, the guard general of Chenzhou City and the left guard general under the former prince, stood on the city tower and looked at the soldiers and horses outside the city. Although he looked tired, he was murderous and looked like a difficult opponent.
"General, where did these soldiers and horses come from? The number of people cannot be estimated to be less than 30,000."

The deputy general Jiang Yong behind him swallowed his saliva. He really didn't expect that there were soldiers and horses from the imperial court in the south. Could they be from Lin Yue Mansion?

"If my guess is correct, they should be the remnants of Gu Ping's troops and Lin Yue Fucheng. Those thieves of the Taiping Sect were short-sighted and let these 30,000 people go, wouldn't they just cause trouble for us."

Chai Qing was not afraid. There were 20,000 elite troops in Chenzhou City, and Master Zuo had already gathered 50,000 troops. Most of them were troops from Weizhou, Zhaozhou, and Dingzhou. They were just waiting for news from Linshan County. The city changes hands in an instant.

It just adds to the variables in front of us, as long as we can't survive in Chenzhou City.

While thinking,
But I saw that the army outside the city had changed and was heading west. This is it!
"Jiang Yong, send scouts to follow them and see where they went?"

"Yes, General!"

Jiang Yong immediately led people down the tower, and then several groups of cavalry quickly left the city.

On the gentle slope in the southeast outside the city,
Gu Ping was speechless for a long time.

Most of the thieves' army was in great shape and fully equipped with armor. In addition, they even had bed crossbows to guard the city. These were sharp weapons in the army. How could they have spear-throwers in their hands? Without a large-scale weapons workshop, they would not be able to refine them.

It's impossible to go north.

Linshan County is not safe, and Song Liang is always with him, but he doesn't even go back to recover. The people in the Imperial City Department are so slack.
What's more, the men and horses under his command are already outnumbered and have no food and grass. How can they continue to fight? There are wolves in front of them and tigers in the back. There is nothing they can do.

"General Gu, the bandit army has been prepared for a long time and has all the weapons and armor. It is impossible to cross the boundary of Chenzhou."

Qin Yunjiang looked at the heavily guarded Chenzhou City with an ugly face. Behind him were tired soldiers. Even his brothers in the old camp were miserable. They had already exhausted their strength after eating one meal a day.

and,

Qin Yunjiang discovered that in a dense forest in the distance on the east slope, there were vague flags flashing, fearing an ambush.

"Then don't go. Our troops are no longer able to fight anymore. It seems that the bandit army has been on guard for a long time, but I don't know what happened to Linshan County. I feel like it's dark. I'll send scouts to check. Now, the whole army has diverted and headed straight for Wuzhou City. , get supplies and go to the important town of Anyang immediately without delay, Chai Ding sent the order."

"Yes, General."

Lieutenant General Chai Ding looked unwillingly at Chenzhou City not far away in front of him. Behind it was Linshan County. It was very close, but it seemed that it was far away and unable to turn back.

"Send the general's order to turn northwest to Wuzhou."

"Send the general's order to turn northwest to Wuzhou."

One after another, the soldiers passed on the order, causing a little commotion in the army. After just a moment, the team settled down, turned to the northwest, and left quickly.
"General Gu, how should the court explain this when I leave?"

Although Qin Yunjiang was bold, the magistrate and others conspired to cover up the affairs in Lin Yue Mansion. After the city was destroyed, they were buried and no one knew about it.

unfortunately,

Now that they have circled the city and gone to Wuzhou instead, people in the imperial court will definitely know about it. By then, the Ministry of War will not say anything because they are afraid that the emperor will be suspicious.

Gu Ping's face was covered with frost, and he was no longer as high-spirited as when he left a month ago. Now that Feng Dian has been sleeping in the open for more than a month, his mood has also been beaten by the battle in the Fallen Leaf Valley, and he has lost the aloofness he once had.
"Now it's time to survive. The imperial court will wait until we reach the important town of Anyang. We will write a memorial and rush it for 800 miles to send it there. We will explain ourselves. Nowadays, the most important thing is to keep the 30,000 soldiers and horses in our hands. If These 30,000 men and horses cannot be saved, and our heads will also be lost.”

Gu Ping got on his horse and his hoarse voice followed. Qin Yunjiang was stunned and drove the horse away.

"General, what General Gu said is true. It would be better for us to consider our retreat. Linshan County still has 30,000 soldiers, and there are also 50,000 young men and horses recruited. Linshan County is a strong city, and General Kou trains day and night. , Defending the city should be no problem.”

Lieutenant General Lan Xiao comforted him,

Qin Yunjiang nodded, followed the horse's belly, and muttered:
"Kou Zijing, he is the confidant of the Chief Minister Yu, so I think he will be fine."

The two rode horses forward for a few steps when Qin Yunjiang suddenly spoke and asked,
"Lan Xiao, since Linshan County is clear, why did General Gu decisively change his route when he encountered obstacles? Why? I always feel that something is wrong."

"General, something is wrong. I think General Gu is too cautious."

Lan Xiao looked around. The terrain around the army was flat and everything was calm. The rebel army did not leave the city to pursue them. Why were they so cautious?

wrong,

Definitely not a prudent thing to do;

"Lan Xiao, in addition to the secret message from Song Liang, a hundred households in the imperial city, can you tell whether anyone from the county, especially the chief envoy, Mr. Yu, has been sent?"

Lieutenant General Lan Xiao sat on his horse and tilted his head and thought for a moment. After leaving Fallen Leaf Valley, they seemed to have been forgotten. No one from the imperial court came. Even Song Liang, a hundred households in the Imperial City who was supposed to go back first, unexpectedly Stay silently,
All this seemed normal at the time, but now it seems too abnormal.

"General, you are saying that General Gu is at odds with the officials of Linshan County and is isolated."

Qin Yunjiang shook his head. It's not as simple as isolation.
"I feel that not only because of this, but also because they may be members of the Taiping Sect who have infiltrated Linshan County a long time ago, and their status is not low, not even one or two people. As soon as we leave, the county will be finished, hey."

(End of this chapter)