Starting in Saarhu, it is a bit difficult to make a comeback.

Chapter 88 Ye He is in a hurry (please subscribe for a monthly ticket)
Xiong Tingbi was very emotional when he saw Pinglu Fort, but this also strengthened his determination to "support the other side with one side".

The Liaodong borderland must not continue to be abandoned like this!
It seems that the restoration of farming in these border areas will only be possible under the leadership of the government.

After discussing with Yuan Yingtai, he felt that policy incentives were still necessary. Zhou Yongchun's previous policy of "tax exemption in the first year and half tax in the next three years" was still good.

It is planned to trial and promote it in border areas, especially Qinghe Road, which was most seriously damaged by the rebels.

However, this will have to wait until the Liaodong border wall is repaired, otherwise not many people will be willing to go back to farming.

Heading north from Pinglu Fort, after crossing Chaihe River, you enter the territory of Kaiyuan Road.

The situation here is much better. Since the border wall has been repaired and the Ming army has increased sentry cavalry and sent troops to garrison the beacon tower, the sense of security has been greatly improved.

There are also some brave people who try to farm here. Although there are no vast tracts of farmland like Pinlupu, there are still some scattered green wheat seedlings!

Mao Wenlong said: "In front is Songshan Fort. After here, 30 miles to the north is Kaiyuan City."

However, Xiong Tingbi said: "Let's not enter Kaiyuan first. Let's go east directly to Nanguan."

Kaiyuan Nanguan is Guangshun Pass.

Outside the pass is the territory of the former Haixi Jurchen Hada tribe, but now it directly borders Jianzhou.

The horse market at Guangshun Pass is a relatively large horse market in Liaodong. It was once an important trading point between the Jurchens and the Ming Dynasty.Now, with the war between Jianzhou and the Ming army, the horse market here has been completely abandoned.

Guangshun Pass has the heaviest defensive task among the three passes in Kaiyuan.

Gao Zhen, the general of Kaiyuan, heard that Liaodong Manager Xiong Tingbi and others were coming, and hurried out of the customs to greet them.

Xiong Tingbi made this sudden attack just to see the real situation in Nanguan. After a few words of greeting, he went up to Nanguan with everyone to check.

The situation at Nanguan Pass is somewhat similar to that at Fushun Pass. A lot of artillery is concentrated on the city.

The difference is that although there are trenches outside the pass, there are only two trenches, and they are not dug criss-crossing.

Xiong Tingbi asked: "Why isn't Nanguan dug a trench so that the enemy can't pass?"

Gao Zhen said: "This is General Li's request. First, if we dig too much, we are afraid that it will be difficult for the prisoners to attack the city. Second, it will not be convenient for my army to leave the customs!"

Everyone was also surprised. Is there anyone who actively hopes that others will break the barrier?
Gao Zhen continued to explain: "According to General Li, our Ming Dynasty spent countless money on food, soldiers and horses to build Xiongguan. If we don't find a way to let the enemy come over and break our heads and bleed, wouldn't it be a waste of money?"

"Jianzhou is mostly a mountain city, and it is extremely difficult for us to attack it. If the Ming Dynasty organized a large-scale attack, it would cost at least 10 taels, and as many as millions of taels. It would be a rare victory to kill thousands of enemy soldiers. .”

"With such a waste of money on soldiers, horses and food, why not let Jianlu take the initiative to send a wave of heads?"

If you think about it carefully, this is really true.

The Ming Dynasty's so-called plowing and sweeping holes meant that they would stop for a few years, and they would come back soon.

Xiong Tingbi said: "It seems that General Li's thinking is really different from ordinary people. No wonder he can do things that ordinary people cannot do."

Yuan Yingtai on the side was somewhat disapproving and said: "It costs money to go out to fight, but this silver cannot fall into the hands of the Jianlu. If the Jianlu attack comes in and I rob the wealthy people of the Ming Dynasty, we will also suffer heavy losses, and This money fell into Jianlu's hands."

Gao Zhen said: "What Governor Yuan said is true, but as long as we have strong troops in hand, even if the enemy breaks through, they will not pose much threat to us."

"A few days ago, the Huahua Department also invaded Xiguan, but in the end we didn't get anything. We were blocked in the pass and killed 1800 people. A few days later, General Li led his army to sweep their camp and gave them another chance. It was severely damaged, and now the Mongolian sentries outside Xiguan can no longer be seen."

This Gao Zhen is very good at talking. Nanguan does seem to be heavily guarded, and the soldiers are well-trained.

However, he still didn't quite believe that his soldiers were fully manned, so he asked, "I heard that all the Kaiyuan troops are now fully manned?"

Gao Zhen said: "It is true. Now we have full numbers everywhere in Kaiyuan, and no empty numbers. The total number of troops in Nanguan at the end is 2600, and they can be reviewed at any time."

Seeing that Gao Zhen was so confident, Xiong Tingbi also believed it, so he said: "There is no need for a review. I don't trust General Gao in this book. Besides, didn't Supervisor Yan just come here for a review a few days ago."

Kaiyuan had previously been involved in a spy case due to the theft of an arsenal, so Yuan Yingtai had done some homework.

In addition, Gao Zhen made him a little unhappy, so he said: "Isn't that right? I remember that General Gao Shen's staff should have 3000 people. Why are there only 2600 people?"

Gao Zhen quickly explained: "Although there are still 400 people under the banner of the last general, they are now organized into the assault battalion and are on standby in Kaiyuan."

Yan Mingtai said: "This 'assault battalion' is a light cavalry unit formed by General Li in order to cooperate with the 'Liaodong Iron Cavalry' operations. He selected elite soldiers from the Kaiyuan and Tieling departments, with a total of 2500 people."

"Although they are called 'light cavalry' by General Li, they are all equipped with heavy cloth armor."

Yan Mingtai's words shocked Xiong Tingbi and others.

Although cloth-faced armor such as "Blue Armor" is lighter than solid iron armor such as "Piece Armor" and "Fish Scale Armor", in fact, the protection of the two has its own merits, and overall it is only slightly inferior.

Such equipment was usually only equipped by elite servants in the Ming army, and the cloth-faced armor was also called "iron armor."

But when Li Xianzhong came here, he was actually called a "light cavalry". How annoying is this?
Mao Wenlong was so envious that he almost drooled with envy. Among the 500 people under his command, only he and a general were wearing fish scale armor, and less than 30 were equipped with cloth face armor.

Xiong Tingbi said: "If a worker wants to do his job well, he must first sharpen his weapons. It seems that it makes sense for General Li to be able to repeatedly inflict heavy losses on the enemy."

This is also where he feels helpless. Apart from a rich family like the Li family, who can afford the "Liaodong Iron Cavalry"?
Li Xianzhong now holds two armored cavalry in his hands. It seems that the equipment of the cavalry driving the original route is the best in Liao Town. Even if it is said to be the best in Nine Sides, it is not an exaggeration.

Of course, equipment does not completely determine combat power.The equipment of the cavalry that Yang Hao left for him was not bad, at least one third was equipped with cloth armor, and its combat power was really hard to describe. The 300-man escort cavalry could not cope with the surprise attack of thirty Tatars.

Originally, Xiong Tingbi was a little uneasy because such a big thing had happened when opening the original route, fearing that the armaments here would be lax and allow Jianlu to take advantage of the loophole.

After all, this place has always been Marin's territory before, and Xiong Tingbi still knows how much this "second generation ancestor" weighs.

He did not expect that Li Xianzhong would regain these border warriors so quickly.

From Gao Zhen's performance just now, it is obvious that he is sincerely convinced of Li Xianzhong from the bottom of his heart, rather than flattering him on the surface.

Xiong Tingbi had impeached Li Chengliang before, so his impression of the Li family was not good.However, it seems that not all the generals are dandies. This Li Xianzhong is indeed not simple.

Originally, several people were preparing to head to Kaiyuan City after completing their inspection.

Unexpectedly, they saw smoke billowing from the pass and a large number of cavalry coming from the direction of Kaiyuan.

Yan Mingtai said with a smile: "I'm afraid General Li knew that we were visiting Nanguan and came here to greet us!"

But I heard Yuan Yingtai on the side snorted coldly and said: "Our Commander-in-Chief Li is really putting on a big show. Judging from the number of cavalry, there are no less than a few thousand people. Is he here to greet us or to demonstrate?"

Even Xiong Tingbi had a look of displeasure on his face and said, "You are indeed the 'young general' of the Li family in Liaodong. He has the demeanor of Ning Yuanbo Li Chengliang back then."

Yan Mingtai secretly thought: Oops, Xiong Tingbi has an old grudge with Li Chengliang, and he probably doesn't have a good impression of Li Xianzhong either.

Although my good brother is young, he is very experienced in dealing with others. He should not have such a domineering character. What is going on today?

Even Gao Zhen on the city felt something was wrong. The cavalry in the pass could not see the end of the road. Not only the "Liaodong Iron Cavalry", but even the "Assault Battalion" was probably all dispatched.

It looks like something big happened!

Sure enough, Li Xianzhong, fully armored, appeared at Guangshun Pass not long after.

Yan Mingtai quickly asked: "General Li, you have brought out all the best generals, but what big thing happened?"

Li Xianzhong said: "The general will pay homage to Xiong Jinglue and Governor Yuan. Supervisor Yan's guess is correct. Something did happen, but it was not me who drove the original route, but Ye He's tribe."

"News just came from the Mongolian Fried Flowers Department. Bell Ming'an of Horqin Mongolia accepted Nurhachi's request and sent troops to attack the Yehe Department together. Troops should have been sent out by now."

"The Ye He tribe has been keeping Jianzhou in check for the Ming Dynasty. If even Ye He is annexed by Jianzhou, then Nurhaci will completely unify the Jurchen tribes. Our situation in Liaodong will also be in danger. I also ask General Xiong Jinglue for permission to send troops to help. .”

Li Xianzhong was also depressed. It happened that Xiong Tingbi came to inspect this juncture, so he had to come and report.

If he had made his own decision long ago, he wouldn't have wasted his time like this.

Xiong Tingbi naturally knew the importance of Ye He to the Ming Dynasty.If Yehe City was captured, the result would be no less than if one of Ming Dynasty's own roads was captured.

It's just that this thing happened too suddenly.

Xiong Tingbi said: "This matter is not trivial. Is the Mongolian news reliable?"

Li Xianzhong said: "The news is absolutely true. I have also received a request for help from Ye He's tribe, saying that there are signs of gathering in Jianzhou in recent days and that Ye He may be attacked at any time."

At this time, Yuan Yingtai on the side said: "Everyone knows that His Majesty has granted marriage to General Li and Ye Hegeghazia. Could it be Jianlu's plan to lure the tiger away from the mountain?"

Xiong Tingbi said: "Ye He is extremely important to our Ming Dynasty, so we naturally have to save him, but what Governor Yuan said is not unreasonable. We also have to be careful that this is Jianlu's trick. I wonder how many good people General Li is planning to bring?"

Li Xianzhong said: "The Jianlu and Horqin tribes have a large number of troops. In the end, the general is preparing to take away all the [-] cavalrymen of the 'Liaodong Iron Cavalry' and the 'Assault Battalion'."

Xiong Tingbi was experienced in military affairs and knew that Jianzhou and Horqin had tens of thousands of cavalry. It would not be helpful if Li Xianzhong had few troops and horses.However, by doing so, he was taking away all the elites who had opened the original path. It was too risky!

Said: "What if Jianlu takes the opportunity to attack Nanguan?"

Li Xianzhong said: "I have ordered the men and horses of Tieling Guard to be ready to support Nanguan at any time. In addition, the general has ordered 300 cavalry of Pinglu Guard to come to Nanguan and be on standby to ensure that nothing goes wrong."

Yuan Yingtai said sarcastically: "With just the few people in Pinglubao, we can be foolproof. Isn't General Li too trusting?"

This Yuan Yingtai would make sarcastic remarks all day long, and Li Xianzhong had long been unhappy with him.

However, he still suppressed his anger and said: "Although the Pinglu Guards have a small number of troops, they do have 100 of the latest Rumi guns. If the Jianlu Guards don't come, that's it. If they dare to come, they will definitely look good."

"In addition, the last general has another merciless request. The supervisor Yan Mingtai is good at defending the city and has experience fighting against the elite soldiers. The last general asked Yan to supervise the army in Nanguan. It can take as little as two days and as long as three days. Eventually he will return."

Although Xiong Tingbi still had doubts, since Li Xianzhong was so confident, he agreed.

Said: "General Li, feel free to go, I will let Yan Supervisor and Mao Wenlong stay to help guard the pass."

When he heard the words "Mao Wenlong", Li Xianzhong was stunned for a moment. He actually let himself miss such an outstanding person.

But at this moment, he was not in the mood to think about poaching people. After thanking Xiong Tingbi, he led the army towards Beiguan.

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　　Not much more to say, the old slave has rested for a long time, and the war is about to begin!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)