Ping An Biography

() Feng Youxian led the army to return to Changde immediately, and Zhang Ning also embarked on the return journey.

The Battle of Yuelu Mountain is not over yet, so it will be handed over to Zhu Heng and Zhou Mengxiong, with Zhu Heng in charge of strategic decision-making and Zhou Mengxiong in charge of military affairs; I believe that the two of them are not inferior to Zhang Ning in terms of combat.He said that he wanted to go back to Changde to preside over many matters in person, but the real reason was that Yao Ji and his wife were both in a critical city, and only he knew about the joints, but he would not say them out.

If you want to fight for the world, you must be willing to give up some personal affairs, just like when Liu Bei's wife jumped into a well; of course Zhang Ning would not say that my wife is still in Changde, and I want to go back to save them. How can I do this? What does it look like?Even Zhou Mengxiong didn't mention his daughter at all, as if the woman is an insignificant existence in the overall situation.

But if Zhang Ningshe really wants to, I'm afraid he can't do it, he thinks he hasn't reached that state yet; instead of constantly suffering psychological torture for the loss of the past in the rest of his life, it's better to cherish now.

The cavalry brigade returned west along the official road, and it was already afternoon when they set off, and it happened to be close to the river bank that was ambushed yesterday at the end of the evening.Zhang Ning then ordered to camp by the river to rest. ..

All the troops were busy setting up tents at the foot of the mountain, making fire and cooking.On a whim, Zhang Ning asked Feng Youxian to accompany him for a walk up the hillside.Does this hillside have a name?Zhang Ning asked the attendants on the left and right, but no one knew it. It turned out to be just a small hillside with no name.

Climbing up the mountain wearing heavy armor, Zhang Ning felt a profuse sweat in his vest, so he simply asked his followers to help him remove the armor, and immediately felt a lot lighter all over his body.

Feng Youxian on the side is very physically strong, he is still wearing heavy armor, and he climbed the mountain with a calm expression and he was not out of breath.Seeing Zhang Ning standing there looking down the mountain again, he said casually: "The governor is a civil servant, and he stood here yesterday to give orders and plot against us, so he should not be wearing armor."

Zhang Ning looked back at Feng Youxian and smiled meaninglessly.Most likely Feng Youxian said that after hearing him mention Yu Qian several times.

Thinking of Yu Qian, Zhang Ning had very complicated emotions in his heart.Among many emotions, only the most simple and direct feeling is the strongest, and that is anger.It's like being unbearable to a dangerous person who wants to kill himself.Zhang Ning secretly admitted that it was indeed not that noble.

In addition, he has another kind of shame because of his self-confidence being hit and humiliated.This feeling is like having a fight with a person when I was a child. I was beaten up and humiliated by the other party because I was not strong enough.

The Suzaku Army's truly cohesive and resilient troops actually only have a few thousand standing soldiers, and most of them have already entered the main force of the Eastern Expedition; [-]% of the defenders in Changde Mansion are peasant soldiers.Those who have only been trained for three or two months, if they don't have advanced firearms, their combat effectiveness is not as good as the regular army of the Ming army, and they are not much better than the real rogues.Zhang Ning is not optimistic about how long Changde Mansion can hold on.

In addition, the main force of the Suzaku Army, which has advanced to the west bank of the Xiangshui River, has to walk more than 300 miles to return to Changde to fight immediately after the battle, and it will take more than 600 miles to go back and forth; I am afraid that the large army, including more than [-] cavalry units, is not optimistic.The Suzaku army didn't have many horses, and the infantry marched basically on their feet, and it was not as simple as walking. A single soldier's armor, weapons, dry food, and ammunition weighed dozens of kilograms, so marching was not an easy task.

At this time, Zhang Ning even began to question whether the strategy of the Senate that he finally decided was wise?

In fact, as long as the reaction of the officers and soldiers is a little more relaxed, perhaps Zhu Heng's strategy is likely to succeed... Yu Qian, oh Yu Qian.I really want to stab|kill you!

Zhang Ning looked down and saw that there were many footprints on the ground, perhaps Yu Qian left them among them.He somehow imagined that standing in front of him was a young man in a red robe and official uniform, maybe this person's face was mature and older now...

Zhang Ning asked silently: "You are just a civil servant. If you work hard as an official, you will have a bright future. Why do you come to Huguang to fight?"Even if the emperor takes a fancy to you, wouldn't it be settled if you just said you don't know the soldiers?What's the advantage of coming to Huguang to fight? Don't tell me you want to be a Marquis and Earl through military merits after you finish the Jinshi exam?

Yu Qian: I am for the peace and contentment of the common people in the world. Only by eliminating turmoil and restoring centralization can peace be achieved. This is the current general trend. You are going against the sky, stop it!

Zhang Ning: I knew you would say that.

Yu Qian: Sure enough, the opponent knows me best, and many people don't believe me.

Zhang Ning: But in my opinion, you are just self-righteous, thinking that one person is the savior?Are you right?Jianwen is not only the eldest grandson of Taizu, but also the monarch passed on by Taizu himself. No matter how you say it, Zhu Di's family, the king of Yan, is usurping the throne. You are helping a person who seeks to usurp the throne. How is it in line with etiquette and morality?

Yu Qian: The past is in the past, and now the world has regained its heart and discipline has been re-established. It is no longer possible for millions of people to be killed or injured to settle the grievances of the royal family.The world is the world of the world, not the world of one person.

Zhang Ning: Okay, let's put aside the etiquette for now, and let's not talk about the past, but the future.The transmission of King Yan's lineage to Xuande may have brought temporary peace to the world, but with this trend of governing the country, can it really preserve the long-term peace of Ming Dynasty?If I can be in power, it will definitely make Ming Dynasty stronger; when the Central Plains dynasty was strong, we did not work hard to govern, but were content with pleasure and did not think about making progress. Do we want to leave disaster and weakness to future generations?

Yu Qian: If you think you are right, that's fine.But you raised your troops for this?Are you afraid that it is more because of your own ambition and desire?

Zhang Ning: You saw through it...

"My lord." A reminder made Zhang Ning wake up from a dream.

Only then did he realize that the sky had dimmed, and the road below the mountain was lit with fire, and thousands of people gathered together as if they were having a grand party.He casually pulled out the sword from his waist. Although this brand new sword had no chance of killing enemies and being used as a decoration, it still had a cold front of steel.Zhang Ning raised his sword and pointed forward.

The generals and guards watched his actions silently. When a person has power, he has freedom. He can do whatever he wants, and no one can control him.

...The Suzaku Army's cavalry regiment had less than 2000 soldiers, so they were relatively flexible. When they rushed back to Changde City, the cavalry from Guanjun North Road had not yet approached, but they were not far away.

The brigade of cavalry marched straight from the main road in the south of Changde City, and the smoke and dust could be seen from a long distance, and the city gates were closed and martial law had long been enforced.When the army arrived at the city, they saw battle flags erected on the tower and many soldiers standing there.Feng Youxian immediately stepped forward and shouted to the city: "Your Majesty is back, open the door to welcome you!"

The generals in the city looked there for a while, confirmed that it was his family, and ordered to open the door.The dusty cavalry quickly filed in, their iron hooves rumbling on the ground.

Zhang Ning rode to the intersection of Shizijie, and saw the officials headed by Xu Guangchen bowing on the road.Zhang Ning jumped off his horse, took off the iron helmet on his head and threw it to the soldiers, then turned to Feng Youxian and said, "The cavalry regiment is disbanded, you take all the troops back to the camp for a rest." Feng Youxian bowed: " order."

"My lord is back, the old minister will feel at ease." Lao Xu stepped forward and said.

Zhang Ning asked: "How far is the forward of the official army?"

Old Xu pondered for a moment, then said: "I'm afraid there are only forty or fifty miles away at this time. If you don't stop tomorrow, you will be able to approach the north city. The old minister has sent an order from the Senate Department to order all the defenders to prepare for war."

"Let's go to the armory of the Weapons Bureau first." Zhang Ning looked around, "Where's Ma Tiju?"

"He should still be working in the Weapons Bureau." Old Xu replied.

Zhang Ning said: "Let's go there first and send someone to inform Ma Tiju."

He didn't take a breath, and then got on his horse again, and went straight to the arsenal of the Weapons Bureau in Xicheng with Lao Xu and other officials.

A while ago, the Ordnance Bureau spent a large amount of military expenses to cast a new batch of field long-barreled guns. During the test guns, those with internal injuries were eliminated, and the remaining finished products totaled [-] guns.After being cast, it is stored in the arsenal and has not yet been used, just like new ones.However, an aftertaste of nitrate can be smelled at the muzzle position, which is only left over from the test of the gun.

Zhang Ning touched the cold iron on the gun barrel with his hand, feeling an indescribable feeling in his heart.The cold long cannon seems to be alive, and it contains huge power.They are the unique magical weapons of the fifteenth century, sharp swords that should not have existed in this era.

However, the sword can hurt others as well as oneself.Zhang Ning took great precautions against these artillery falling into the hands of the officers and soldiers, especially Yu Qian.

It can be imagined that when they roared at the Suzaku army camp, the shells with a huge muzzle velocity could directly penetrate the depth of the phalanx. Once they broke through the phalanx and formed a gap, the large cavalry roared and charged... Zhang Ning felt that the little capital in his hand If you can't stand a few blows, you have to finish the game.

"It's blown up! Ma Tiju, you must immediately gather people to blow them up." Zhang Ning said coldly.

"What... what?" Ma Dapeng was stunned.Zhang Ning spoke clearly, he must have heard clearly.

So Zhang Ning just looked at him and didn't repeat it.After a few moments, Ma Dapeng solemnly clasped his fists and said: "Yes, my subordinates immediately ordered people to blow up this batch of eighteen artillery pieces."

"Hurry up." Zhang Ning said again, "In addition, destroy all the drawings, files, registers and large tools that cannot be taken away from the Weapons Bureau. Gather the personnel before dark and prepare to leave the city."

"Yes." Ma Dapeng said.He may have understood the reason for doing so. It is no secret that a large number of officers and soldiers approached Changde City.

After arranging the affairs of the Weapons Bureau, Zhang Ning began to ask about the city defenders. Obviously, in his opinion, losing the field artillery was more important than losing Changde City.

Perhaps Feng Youxian's cavalry regiment should not be stationed in the city to defend the city. The entire Suzaku army is not good at defending the city, and the cavalry is even less good at it; garrison.

Now that Zhang Ning wanted to choose a general to defend the city, he had no intention of staying in the city to be surrounded, it was meaningless.

"Changde City has to be defended as much as possible. Otherwise, the main force of our army will not even have a barrier in the northwest. We can defend as long as we can, and buy some opportunities for the army."

At this moment, Old Xu said: "The old minister asks you to stay and take charge of the defense of the city. The old minister has also led soldiers, mainly because he still has some prestige among the defenders, and he can hold down those generals."