The late Ming Dynasty in the living room

Chapter 162: The Governor of Baoding Farewell (I)

Of course, now except for Mr. Fang in Xincheng, no one knows the final outcome of this war.

Before this, the Baoding generals were most worried that their friendly troops would disobey orders and find excuses to shirk the war. It was not just Zuo Liangyu who disobeyed orders. The local armies were also unwilling to go out to fight, not only because they were afraid of death, but also because the local gentry were trying their best to prevent them. If the army was wiped out, what would they do if bandits appeared in the local area? Who would protect their thousands of acres of fertile land and the silver winter melons hidden in the cellar? At that time, only their 40,000 Baoding troops would go to Kaifeng. Wouldn't it be like throwing meat buns at a dog, with no return?

Now hearing that all the friendly forces had already set out on schedule and had sent messengers to make contact, the generals in the hall all showed relieved smiles on their faces.

Even the head coach Yang Wenyue stroked his beard and nodded frequently, with a look of joy on his face.

Before going into battle, any general would do a simple math problem - that is, the comparison of the enemy's and our own military strength: Although Li Zicheng claimed to have a million soldiers (the actual number was just over 500,000), he had recently occupied a large territory, which was not very stable, and he needed to send a large army to garrison and suppress it. He had to send people to collect supplies and protect family members (for example, tens of thousands of family members were left in Tang County). The number of troops actually brought to the outskirts of Kaifeng was only about 200,000.

The key point is that these two hundred thousand or so are not a real number. Most of them are civilians who have been forced to flee. They have no fighting power. Many of them are equipped with bamboo spears and cannot even get a broken knife. If we count them as combat soldiers, it would not exceed 80,000.

The imperial court had a real force of 180,000 troops.

Uh, General, why are you still frowning? Are you lacking confidence? Well, we can add another 60,000! There are still 60,000 defenders in Kaifeng City, which is just around the corner. They are well-equipped and most of them are soldiers who retreated into the city from nearby counties and prefectures.

Now it is exactly two hundred and forty thousand.

Two hundred and forty thousand versus eighty thousand, with more than three times the number of troops, a direct crushing victory... Anyone can solve such a simple math problem, and the strategy of this battle is already obvious - cooperate inside and outside, and attack from both sides.

In this way, even if this battle cannot destroy Li Zicheng, at least the siege of Kaifeng can be lifted. When we arrive in Kaifeng, Li Zicheng may see that our force is strong and flee without a fight. This is a credit that we have picked up for free!
The solemn atmosphere in the lobby of the county government office disappeared in an instant.

While others were still gasping for breath, Kang Shide, the commander of the vanguard camp who had just entered, stepped forward quickly, bowed joyfully, clasped his fists, and said loudly: "I congratulate Governor Yang! We will surely return victorious this time. The rebel is just a clown, born in a humble family, with a mean temperament, and has a few tens of thousands of rabble. He dares to call himself the 'Marshal of the Heavenly Advocate', which is ridiculous! This time, my 400,000 troops are attacking the city, and the rebel will surely be afraid. If he surrenders with his face bared, it will be fine, but hehe... If he dares to resist stubbornly! As soon as Governor Yang raises his flag, we will rush over and kill him, and make him disappear into ashes!"

Before they knew it, Condusi had taken the lead, and the others were extremely upset.

But there is no such thing as too much good words. At that moment, Yang Dezheng, the general of Baoding, Liu Chao, the deputy general of Baoding, and Jiang Mingwu, the deputy general of Tongzhou who served as the commander of the central army of the Dubiao Camp, all stepped forward to speak. Some scolded Li Zicheng for overestimating his own abilities and being a monkey in a human form; some compared the strength of both sides, saying that data and facts proved that our side would win; and some congratulated Yang Du in advance on his victory and return to the court, and then immediately made him a marquis and brought him glory for generations - the civil officials of the Ming Dynasty were powerful, but it was extremely difficult to be conferred a title, so this was a good flattery. The joyful and confident atmosphere in the lobby also infected the local officials in green and blue robes outside.

They all came from nearby counties to meet the governor in order to be dispatched. When the army passed through the area, it needed to purchase a large amount of supplies and recruit local civilians. All these things required the cooperation of local officials. After listening to the various discussions inside, they also showed excitement on their faces. Under the premise of not harming their own interests, the civil officials of the Ming Dynasty, regardless of their rank, were on the side of the court. After all, Li Zicheng was cruel and unbelievable (mainly cruel to the gentry, which was unacceptable), and the Manchu Qing Dynasty was even more barbaric. If the Ming Dynasty could cheer up, it would be the best choice for them.

Many people were also hesitant, wondering if they should take the opportunity to congratulate the Governor when they meet him later. Of course, they were all well-read, and could not be as blunt as those crude warriors in the poem, and flatter the Governor without shame. If they could come up with a few exquisite poems now, it would be great. Maybe if Governor Yang was happy, they would change the color of their official robes.

Without mentioning the psychological activities of the various civil and military officials, after Yang Wenyue finished dealing with military matters and left the lobby, he first showed up in the flower hall, where two tables of banquets had been set up. The guests were all prestigious scholars, gentry or retired officials who had come from nearby counties and prefectures. These people were not in the court, but they had enormous power and the relationships behind them were complicated. Yang Wenyue had to give them face.

During the banquet, Yang Wenyue seemed to be in good spirits. He picked up the wine glass and took two sips of wine. After listening to a very good poem, he even asked the other party's name and background (from the imperial examination), which attracted a lot of envious and jealous looks.

Later, Yang Wenyue got up and left the hall.

In this short flower path leading to the back hall, the gentle expression on Yang Wenyue's face quickly turned cold.

Fighting a war is never a simple math problem!
240,000 versus 80,000? Haha, are you sure the 60,000 people in Kaifeng dare to fight? They have all been defeated many times and are frightened and defeated.

Zuo Liangyu's 80,000 troops were bought by the emperor. Are troops bought with money really reliable? Zuo Liangyu has always been conservative in strength!

Furthermore, most of Li Zicheng's troops were civilians who were coerced. It was true that they had no fighting power, but did the soldiers of the garrison have fighting power? They were driven to work by their superiors from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. Their lives were miserable and they were like slaves. They had no time and energy to hone their fighting skills. When such an army arrived outside Kaifeng City, it faced Li Zicheng's "peasant army" with bamboo guns. Who was stronger and who was weaker? Yang Wenyue had no idea.

The imperial court has invested all its resources in this war. If it is defeated in the end...

Yang Wenyue was thinking about this terrible outcome: The emperor was furious! Kaifeng was lost! The Central Plains was completely lost! The Grand Canal was cut off! The capital was in danger!
Even in the hot weather of July, Yang Wenyue still felt cold all over.

(End of this chapter)