Crazy at the end of the Ming Dynasty

The peasant rebel army opened a gap here at Wang Pu, but the number of people who crossed the river was 10,000+. As long as the other troops of the Ming army arrived in time, it would be impossible to wipe out the peasant rebel army, but most of them could be left behind.What are the other Ming troops that can form an encirclement circle doing?

robbery!Brazen robbery!

Gao Yingxiang's false surrender was quite successful, making most of the Ming army think that the peasant rebel army had really surrendered this time, and the battle to wipe out the Shaanxi bandits was basically over.

So these Ming soldiers, in addition to having a sense of success and fame, also have a deep sense of loss.Because, they will no longer be able to make a lot of war money in the future.

For this reason, with the mentality of getting the last vote, Cao Wenzhao, Zuo Liangyu and other ministries, at first, soldiers went out of camp in twos and threes to rob nearby, and then the middle and low-level military officers led the team.In the end, even if Cao Wenzhao, Zuo Liangyu and others felt that the peasants' rebellion against the army might make a false surrender, they could not control the army anymore.

If you don't let your soldiers let go to rob, you will lose your mind immediately, and it must be difficult to lead the team.Therefore, under the tacit consent of these generals, the Ming army marked out their respective plots, and frantically robbed the people in the plots.

This is no longer scratching the ground.Because these Ming army soldiers are more vicious than bandits and peasant rebel troops.When bandits and peasants rebelled against the army, they robbed property and seldom hurt people.However, as soon as these Ming soldiers saw people who were not pleasing to the eye, they would immediately cut off their heads, killing good people and pretending to be meritorious.And the surrounding area was devastated.

However, generals such as Cao Wenzhao and Zuo Liangyu also have their own sense of proportion.As long as they are officials and eunuchs, they still dare not move.However, folk property is basically concentrated in the hands of officials and eunuchs, so if you want to get a higher harvest, then the robbery of the people will be even crazier.

So when the peasants rebelled, the army broke through the gap of Wang Pu's department.After crossing the Yellow River on ice, Cao Wenzhao, Zuo Liangyu and other generals couldn't gather their troops for a while.By the time they managed to gather their troops to pursue them, the peasant rebel army had already crossed the Yellow River.

However, after receiving the imperial decree in late October, Henan Governor Xuan Mo did not dare to neglect.On the one hand, he sent Kuaiqi to alert the Henan army stationed along the Yellow River, and on the other hand, he immediately gathered the Henan army near Kaifeng to support and strengthen the defense of the Yellow River.

However, Xuan Mo, the governor of Henan, only took office this spring, and the relationship between the branches of the various troops in Henan has not been completely straightened out, so whoever is sent to send troops has been negotiating and compromising for nearly ten days.

Then add the Ming's poor communications and shoddy army mobilization until November 27, more than a month later.Only more than 3000 troops were assembled and set off from Kaifeng.

And when November 29th.When the governor of Henan received the urgent report from the Yellow River, the army to support it had only left Kaifeng for more than 100 miles.

The Henan Ming army defending the Yellow River defense line was even more unprepared. They were also infected by the joyous atmosphere that the peasant rebel army was about to surrender.So when the peasant rebel army crossed the Yellow River, Yuan Daquan, an officer in the Henan River Defense Army, rushed to fight and was shot dead by the peasant rebel army.The main force of the rebel army broke through the natural danger of the Yellow River in one fell swoop.Leave behind the heavy troops transferred by the Ming government.Since then, the peasant rebel army has galloped back and forth on a wider ground.

Henan is the heart of the Ming Empire.Militaryly, it is the land of four wars.The defense force of the Ming government here is relatively weak, and the civil and military officials have no experience in fighting the rebel army.Therefore, Xuanmo, governor of Henan Province, on the one hand mobilized troops from all over Henan to gather in Kaifeng City, and on the other hand urgently asked the imperial court for help.

Facing the sharpness of the peasant rebel army, Henan Governor Xuan Mo did not dare to send troops rashly. He recalled the more than 3000 Ming troops who had already set off to Kaifeng City.And concentrated all the more than 1000 Ming troops near Kaifeng to ensure that the big city along the Yellow River was not lost.In other places, until the imperial court's reinforcements arrive, they can only resign themselves to their fate.

December [-]st and [-]rd.The news of the peasants' rebellious army crossing the Yellow River was sent to the imperial court successively from the supervisory army and the Henan governor's yamen.Emperor Chongzhen was furious when he heard the news.But this time, the ones who made mistakes were all the military attaches with heavy soldiers in their hands and the supervising troops sent by the inner court.Therefore, under the persuasion of the first assistant Wen Tiren and Wang Chengen, Emperor Chongzhen temporarily suppressed his anger and ordered the generals and local officials in Henan to commit crimes and make meritorious deeds.

On the fourth day of December, Zhu Youjian ordered: "Since the thieves are crossing the river, it is advisable to strictly guard against rushing to the border areas of Henan. Qin and Yunzhun respectively selected and dispatched soldiers to briefly intercept and suppress them. Yu and Jin Fujian urgently supervised Zuo Liang. Yu and others joined forces to pursue them, and still strictly ordered the officials of the provinces, prefectures and counties to encourage the township soldiers to try to block them. They should clean up regularly, and if they continue to make mistakes, they will not be lightly loaned."

However, after the peasants' rebellious army crossed the river, they quickly got rid of the pursuit of the Ming army with a high-level situation and achieved a leap forward.In just one month, the footprints of the rebel army were almost all over the counties in western Henan, and then rushed to the bordering Huguang, Anhui and Sichuan.For the Ming court, the original local problem has since become a serious problem.

What was even more frightening was that as soon as the peasant rebel army arrived in Henan, it merged with the local poor peasants, forming a surging torrent of rebellion.Due to the three, four, five, and six years of Chongzhen, Henan suffered severe drought year after year, and the Ming government not only did not provide relief, but also "inflicted punishment on demand, and focused on supply."Therefore, the strength of the peasant rebel army, which has been joined by a large number of refugees, has grown sharply.

At this time, the peasant rebel army also divided into two groups.Among them, those who wanted to go back to their hometown in Shaanxi all the way, under the leadership of Rampage Wolf, Yidougu, Sweeping King, Mantianxing, etc., a total of more than [-] people from the Eighth Battalion entered Wuguan, and then Shanyang, Zhen'an, and Shangnan fell on the same day. .Then go north to Luonan and advance to Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi.

This sudden return of the carbine shocked Hong Chengchou. He hurriedly mobilized Heyang, and the Hancheng garrison intercepted him head-on.The peasant rebel army turned around and went south, and captured Xunyang on the [-]th day of the first lunar month in the seventh year of Chongzhen.After that, Ziyang, Pingli, and Baihe were also conquered one after another.When Hong Chengchou's army arrived, the peasant rebel army had already gone south to Sichuan.

And the other peasant rebel army is the main force.They included Gao Yingxiang, Li Zicheng, Ma Shouying, Zhang Xianzhong and other ministries, and entered the Lushi Mountains.

The terrain of Lushi Mountain is very dangerous.There used to be a group of local mine thieves who had lost their land and were forced to defy the imperial court's ban to mine mines for a living.

When the peasant rebel army arrived, the miners actively participated and acted as guides, leading the rebel army from the mountain path to the inner countryside, and then went south to Yunyang and Xiangyang in Huguang through Dengzhou and Xishui.From the end of December of the sixth year of Chongzhen to the first month of the seventh year, the rebel army defeated Yunxi, Shangjin, Fangxian, and Baokang counties.It's like walking straight into an empty space.

It should be said that because of the long conversation between Wu Shigong and Qin Gonggong, Emperor Chongzhen did pay more attention to the danger of the peasant rebel army breaking through the encirclement and crossing the Yellow River.However, due to various reasons, history has corrected Wu Shigong's influence and brought the historical process back to the original track.

And when Wu Shigong also learned the news from the Ministry of War on the second day of December, he was also ready to leave immediately, rushing back to Runing to preside over the overall situation.

This time when Wu Shigong went back, he would just bring his own guards and ride on horseback day and night.And his wife, Xue Yufei, will stay in the Xue residence to recuperate.The other wives and Wu Chengying will slowly drive back to Runing in a carriage under the protection of Xue's guards.Of course, Wu Shigong did not forget Father Carrera, and he will also travel with the convoy of the wives.

The reason why these wives are sent back to Runing is because Wu Shigong knows the safe period too well.Because it is not possible to have intercourse during the filial piety period.But without intercourse, how could Carelli and Manling get pregnant?

Of course, Wu Shigong didn't know there was such a rule, it was his father-in-law Xue Lian who told him.But since this is already the case, it is better to send it to Runing, where the sky is always high and the emperor is far away.If the two wives who are waiting to give birth are left in the capital, it will always be a trick for Wu Shigong.

And the day before Wu Shigong left the capital, his father-in-law Xue Lian wrote more than forty letters to Wu Shigong, and those letters were all letters of introduction written by Xue Lian to his old friend and Nanjing Xungui.Xue Lian told Wu Shigong to rely on these letters of introduction to ask for help in case of need.As for those old friends and Nanjing Xungui who still sell the face of the Yangwuhou Xue Lian who has lost power, that is only resignation.

In the early morning of the fourth day of December, Wu Shigong took these more than 100 guards and left the capital again when Deshengmen opened the city gate.Half a day later, the official document submitted by Wu Shigong to the Ministry of War and the private letter to Eunuch Qin were sent to their respective locations by the servants of the Xue family.The reason why Wu Shigong did this was because he was afraid of being intercepted and delayed his return to Runing.

But Wu Shigong was too worried.In this difficult season, it is a great thing for the court to have a military officer willing to take the initiative to go to the front line. Which official will take care of the trivial matter of whether he keeps his filial piety?

Wu Shigong still walked along the Grand Canal and returned to Runing through Guide.Although this was a long way around, after all, Wu Shigong had too few people around him.Don't say that you may encounter peasants rebelling against the army, but you may encounter some large groups of bandits and refugees. People like Wu Shigong may be in danger.

Wu Shigong hurriedly wanted to return to Runing to take charge of the overall situation, but the Runing army had already started to act according to the predetermined plan.

On November [-], after receiving an urgent report from secret sentries along the Yellow River, the Runing Army began to mobilize.Xue Yongli, who was in charge of military operations, finally led his troops out for the first time.

Xue Yongli ordered Zhou Xun to stay behind, and he took Zhang Biao's cavalry regiment of more than 300 people (the horses Wu Shigong bought in the capital have not yet arrived), plus more than 800 cavalry from other troops in the headquarters, on the third day of December Go ahead.

Li Sanhe led the Teaching Corps, the Artillery Corps directly under it, and the Engineer Corps directly under it, a total of 600 people (the cavalry battalion was missing), followed closely behind.They will join Hefei's Nanyang Army with more than 800 people in Nanyang (the rest of the Nanyang Army will stay behind under the leadership of Shumo), rush out of their defense zone, and take the initiative to attack the peasant rebel army.

The Runing Army is on the march! (To be continued..)