Ping An Biography

() "I can't stay here until the big thing is done." Yu Qian said solemnly, "When he judged the merits and demerits, if I am guilty today, I am willing to die to apologize."

At this time, the rebel army had just approached Yuelu Mountain, and there was still time for a few high-level officials to escape; but once the rebel army blocked several important roads, they could only wait here to die.Yu Qian's words obviously meant to run away.

The army was in a death situation, and the chief officer wanted to run away, but he was able to speak so righteously; the commander-in-chief Meng Guang and other generals had no choice but to obey.

Yu Qian said before that "my life is not important". At that time, he was thinking about the important consequences of this war compared with a person's net worth; now he behaves as if his life is important again.He can speak righteously when the two have completely contradictory meanings.

The generals felt that Yu Qian was very sincere based on their feelings; but they didn't really know this minister from Beijing, and no one knew how much his words were true or false.If it is fake, this person must be shameless to a very high level, or to be an official requires such a powerful cultivation base? . .

Meng Guang, the commander-in-chief of the South Route, was upset, but he was not ready to have a complete confrontation with Shangguan, so he said casually: "Futai is going north to take care of the overall situation. Serve the country!"

However, Yu Qian didn't seem to appreciate his kind words, and said coldly: "My official's ugly words are up front. The southern army below General Meng must hold here for ten days, and [-] people occupy a favorable high ground to defend against the attack of more than [-] rebels. Hold it for ten days, if you can't, I will have my own way to make you suffer!"

Meng Guang and the commanders of the various guards looked at each other in blank dismay, and there was a moment of silence.

They could be skeptical about Yu Qian's words before, but everyone has to believe this sentence.It's no secret about Yu Qian's background. Yang Shaobao, the core important minister in the court, is the favorite student of Yang Shiqi, and he has such a good relationship with his father and son; and it is rumored that what Yang Shaobao said in front of the emperor is rarely unacceptable.If Yu Qian was annoyed by the generals and really wanted to deal with them, the generals would feel that the consequences would be serious.

After a while, Yu Qian said again: "But if the generals can fight hard and defend Yuelu Mountain for ten days, I will protect you and add officials to the ranks. Even if someone dies in battle, I will find a way to make you a posthumous reputation. Not only will you keep your parents and wives safe, but you will also be sympathized with by Meng Feng. Yu Mou will do what he said, and today he will leave a written proof."

This sentence is not only a promise of benefits, but also another threat, "Keep your parents and wives safe" This sentence is understood by all the military officers who have served as the commander of the guard.

The flesh on Meng Guang's face stiffened, he realized that this normally pleasant civil servant was not a kind person, but a ruthless character. Cao|His|mother's, to threaten other people's family members, is less moral than the green forests of the rivers and lakes.

But what can you do?Eating the food of imperial food, the arms can't twist the thighs, and there are people in the court, and the thighs, who can fight with the local military officers present?

"I... the last general... the last general, I will throw my head and fight to the death with blood." Meng Guang bowed with a sullen face.

Yu Qian nodded, and said with a stern face: "Today's talk is to Mingli, I hope Meng Jiangjun can do it for himself... Yuelu Mountain, other places are steeper, and large groups of people can't spread out or climb it. Only the northeast corner of the terrain At the very least, General Meng should build fortifications in advance in the northeast and focus on defense."

"The general obeys orders." Meng Guang bowed.

At this moment, Wang Jian beside Yu Qian said: "Men, please allow the students to stay here."

Yu Qian frowned and looked at him very puzzled. Although Wang Jian was his confidant, Wang Jian had no prestige to play any role when the army was in crisis. He could only rely on Meng Guang and others.Wang Jian is just a literati, and he passed the exam, so what's the use of him asking Ying to stay?To die in vain?

Wang Jiandao: "Students have followed their teacher for many years, firmly believe in the righteousness of this, and today they testify with their lives."

After hearing this, Yu Qian was slightly moved, so he stopped persuading, and just said: "[-] of my soldiers have shed blood and sacrificed here, how is my own life compared with it? I know that the responsibility is heavy, and I will never live in a hurry. However, compared with the billions of people of my Ming Dynasty, how important is it?"

Wang Jian bowed deeply and said: "Students are taught by their mentors who value the common people in the world, and they do not hesitate to value righteousness and despise life. The Tao of Confucius and Mencius has been passed down for thousands of years. It is a pity for a scholar to die for righteousness. Although I am a scholar Glad to go."

The generals heard the words of each of the governor, teachers and students. Although they did not study much, they were born in the Confucian value system, so they were moved, and they believed Qian's words a little more.

Looking back at the generals on the left and right, Yu Qian said solemnly: "I didn't intend to put all the soldiers and brothers to death, but the strength of the rebel army is obvious to all. Strategies can stabilize the situation. I have already ordered the horsemen on the North Road to leave the army temporarily and rush to Changde Mansion, and they will arrive soon. If the rebels want to try to annihilate the South Road Army, as long as you delay, I will go to the North Road to supervise the battle , Take down the thief's nest and rush south to help; the rebels want to save Changde Mansion, and the siege of the South Route Army will be solved by itself. Thousands of soldiers have heavy responsibilities. If Huguang cannot be calmed, they will kneel outside the Meridian Gate on some other day. Begging the emperor to execute him at the last minute, in order to repay the spirit of the warriors! If all of you here today fail to fight with all your strength and let the whole battle come to naught, those brothers who died in battle will die in vain, how will you face your own conscience?"

"This battle concerns the whole world. Once the battle is defeated, there will be no more soldiers in Huguang near the left. The disaster of the rebellion cannot be solved quickly. The rebels will definitely take Wuchang, echoing the rebels of the King of Han in Nanjing, and the great river will be lost..."

……

Zhang Ning was also in a dilemma at this time. He took out a wooden compass and measured the approximate distance on the map and ruler.The post road from Lizhou to Changde is nearly two hundred miles away; when the urgent report came out, the cavalry of the officers and soldiers was fifty miles north of Lizhou, and it is estimated that they have reached Lizhou now.At the usual marching speed of the entire cavalry unit of the Ming army in the interior, if the road conditions are good and there is no delay, they can reach the city in at most three days.

However, Changde Mansion is far away from Chenzhou Mansion, more than 400 miles away. Yesterday's order to transport field guns to Chenzhou could no longer be carried out under the threat of cavalry. A long-barreled cannon weighing six to seven hundred catties would have to travel 400 miles. Dolly, it is very risky when the cavalry of the officers and soldiers goes south; there is Lao Xu staying behind in the Senate, and he should also have such a little adaptability.But the matter is not too much trouble, Zhang Ning first sent another fast horse to deliver an order to cancel yesterday's military order.

Zhu Butang's face was obviously haggard, and the white hair on the temples was more obvious because he hadn't washed it for a few days. Zhu Heng didn't say anything, but Zhang Ning could see that he was under a lot of pressure.

Zhang Ning doesn't blame Zhu Heng in his heart, he has tried his best; although Zhu Heng admires Zhang Ning, he is probably not Yu Qian's opponent. You can't blame a person with limited strength for not being able to carry a weight of three hundred catties.

The strategy put forward by the Senate headed by Zhu Heng in this battle is not perfect, and its weakness is that the fault tolerance rate is too low.The success of the overall plan is only based on the completion of most of the steps as scheduled. Once there is a major obstacle in the middle, it will affect the success of the entire strategy; just like the current accident, the South Road cannot be wiped out quickly, and the North Road The road cavalry suddenly drove south alone.

It's just that the Senate failed to come up with a better solution... and now the situation seems to be getting worse.

"The cavalry of the officers and soldiers drove south, so they must lack siege equipment, which is not conducive to attacking the city. It's just that our troops are too small, and Changde may be in danger." Zhang Ning pondered.

Zhou Mengxiong said from the side: "As long as you surround it on all sides, build flying ladders to attack everywhere to disperse the defense of the defenders, and ride the spear to suppress the city; for a big city like Changde, if there are not enough defenders, it will not last long."

At this time Zhu Heng opened his mouth and said in a deep voice: "The officers and troops on Yuelu Mountain have nowhere to go, they must fight to the death, our army will not be able to easily take them down; if we withdraw our troops now and return to our defense as soon as possible, we should be able to arrive before Fucheng falls. "

After hearing this, Zhou Mengxiong said: "Even if we withdraw now, it's too late. It's more than three hundred miles back to Changde City, which is longer than the journey of the cavalry on the north road of the officers and soldiers; moreover, the cavalry on the south road fled north. In case they were ordered to turn around and harass along the way, When can we rush back to Changde City?"

Zhang Ning suddenly had a feeling: Zhu Heng had been worried that he would be dissatisfied if he took Lao Xu's position as Senate President, but it was not Lao Xu who was really dissatisfied with Zhu Heng, but Zhou Mengxiong.

The situation no longer allowed Zhang Ning to have too much distraction. He was trying to clear his mind: to rescue Changde Mansion at this time, the only way to send the army back on horseback was either cavalry or infantry on the horses of the cavalry regiment.

But there is a problem in the middle: the Suzaku Army has not been established for a long time, each department has its own training content, and there are not many general talents.Most of the cavalry don't know how to operate matchlock guns and artillery, and they can't learn it in a short time. There are ten prescribed steps from loading to firing muskets, and they also need to coordinate orders. Obviously, it can't be done in three to five days. Relying on firearms, the cavalry is very difficult to defend the city; most infantry can use firearms, and many of them can't ride horses. Most of the young and strong soldiers in the army grew up in the south of Huguang. It is not something that ordinary families have. Although riding a horse is relatively easy to learn, the army moves in camps, and it is very easy for novices to form a cavalry team.

"Let Feng Youxian's cavalry regiment rush to the aid of Changde City." Zhang Ning said in an orderly tone.

The atmosphere in the small circle suddenly became cold for a while. Everyone realized that the cavalry was not good for defending the city. The cavalry regiment had less than two thousand soldiers, and it was impossible to defeat the official cavalry outside the city.Zhang Ning gave the order without hesitation... He had already thought about the pros and cons, and there was no other way.

Someone asked: "Do you want to continue to arrange an attack on the Yuelu Mountain official army?"

Everyone looked at Zhang Ning, waiting for his decision.But he thought about it for a while, and then said: "The South Army can't run away. How can we lose the opportunity to weaken the strength of the army now? The main force of our infantry will continue to attack Yuelu Mountain until it is wiped out or forced So far as you surrender, what do you guys think?"