Ping An Biography

Flowers bloom and fall in spring and summer, and dreams come and go in autumn and winter.Preparations for this war began in the first half of the year. I remember that during the first battle of Changde, the weather was so hot that people panicked. Now it has gradually entered the early winter.For many months, you come and I come, big and small battles, costing a lot of casualties, it seems that the final decisive moment has come.

Xue Lu, Marquis of Wuyang, was sitting in the old yamen house, discussing several official documents with his staff and confidantes, one of which was the official document of the Ministry of War.Hu Ying, who had just served as the right servant of the Ministry of War and the governor of Huguang, brought it here. He and Lu Shangshu, the guard of Jinyi, came directly from Yangzhou to Changde City.

It was raining lightly outside the door, and the weather was a bit cold.The most uncomfortable thing when the south enters winter is the rain. Generally, the rain is not heavy, but it is enough to make the road muddy.It's okay to stay in the city.

The article written by the Ministry of War seems to be ambiguous, and it believes that the previous strategy is a good strategy to adapt to local conditions to maximize strengths and avoid weaknesses. However, in view of the leak of military aircraft, the governor of Huguang can adapt to this situation in due course.When Hu Ying came to Changde City for the first time to meet, she also appreciated the progress made by Huguang officers and troops. Both sides suffered mutual losses and captured Changde and other important towns. The Ministry of War's affirmative attitude towards the Huguang War.

Xue Lu's expression seemed confident, he should still be very optimistic about the situation.The staff around him also said: "The rebel army suffered a lot in the battle of Changsha, and the defenders of Changde City were exhausted. The military supplies in the city suffered heavy losses. Now they have lost Changde and retreated to the poor place of Chenzhou. There is no food, no food, no land. Our army has already taken advantage of the situation, and it is only a matter of time before Huguang is pacified.”[

Then the staff member whispered again: "Hu Shilang replaced Yu Futai. It is obvious that this person doesn't know about military affairs, and he just arrived in Huguang and didn't know the situation. Everything depends on the Marquis. After the battle, both the government and the people should know that the greatest contribution is still yours, Lord Marquis."

Hearing these words, Xue Lu seemed to think that it was a good thing that Yu Qian was caught, yyng... he could monopolize the great achievements, and suddenly felt that it was inappropriate. Although no outsiders were present, he still said: "The strategy proposed by Yu Futai before, although I also knew it at the time I don’t quite agree, but it’s appropriate after thinking about it later. Yu Futai has a lot of insights into military affairs, especially the method of using the terrain to deal with the rebels’ firearms. How can you not understand the method?"

The aide said: "However... Yu Futai has been taken captive by the rebels. I'm afraid it will not be his turn to make great achievements."

Xue Lu was noncommittal, and reminded the generals earnestly: "When you see Hu Shilang in the future, you must not be contemptuous of etiquette. After we go to war, Hu Shilang will transfer the military and government, and the coordination of all parties depends on Mr. Hu. .”

"Yes, yes, the last general waits to follow Lord Hou's instruction."

Another general asked impatiently, "When shall we go to battle?"

Xue Lu looked at Xiaoyu outside the door, and said, "I'm going to set off when the rain stops. I can't wait. I don't think the rebels dare to attack Changde City. They will most likely go to Baoqing Mansion for food."

Xue Lu did not make this judgment out of thin air. There are indeed many signs recently.

Let’s just talk about the letter from the prefect of Baoqing received by the Huguang Political and Envoy Secretary a few days ago, saying that the local government encountered a public wexe.The letter sealed by the Senate of the rebel army clearly requested the Baoqing government to open the border and not obstruct the delivery of materials at various passes, otherwise it would capture Baoqing mansion and treat the officials with no mercy; Baoqing mansion is close to the area where the rebels are active. Naturally, people are in panic, maybe they turned a blind eye to some things before, but this time they were publicly wexeed, and there are documents and letters. , and then reported to Shangfeng.

In addition, the secret work of the officers and soldiers found a lot of wood transported downstream on the river in the southeast of Chenzhou, and the direction was Baoqing Mansion in the southeast.Xue Lu has rich experience in marching and fighting, and believes that these logs are military supplies prepared by the rebels in advance, mainly for the later construction of camps.Chenzhou Mansion borders Baoqing Mansion, but the distance between the two cities is [-] miles. If the rebels want to attack Baoqing City, they must consider building a larger camp for supplies.

There are various indications that the rebels can't survive in Chenzhou anymore, they will abandon their old nests and open up new territories.As for the mysteries of the world structure and the unwillingness of the rebels to run around, etc. that Yu Qian explained before, Xue Lu thinks it is not very reliable... This rebellion must be won first, and the rebels will starve to death in Chenzhou. If they don’t go Why do you have to risk your life to fight the [-] to [-] troops against the weaker Baoqing Mansion?

If the rebels fled to the south, Xue Lu led the army to follow slowly, regained an empty city, lost another city, and captured it.Wouldn't it be suffocating to fight this battle?

After discussing with the generals, Xue Lu has already made a plan for the next step.

Order the rest of the South Route Army to march from Changsha to Baoqing Mansion in advance. Changsha's journey southward is shorter than that of the rebels, so they should arrive in advance for reinforcements.Conscripted civilians from Hengzhou and Yongzhou to transport grain and fodder from Baoqing Prefecture to prepare for the needs of the army, and deployed troops from the city defense to supplement the soldiers of Baoqing Prefecture.

The main force of the North Route Army marched westward from Changde City along the Yuanshui River, approaching Chenzhou, and occupied the mountainous land wexe the rebels took action.As a result, it will be very difficult for the rebels to capture Baoqing Mansion.If they don't want to sit still, and don't want to attack the main force of the army, the only way out is Baojingzhou in the west. Baojingzhou is located in a mountainous area, it is very difficult to rule and collect money and grain, and there are many local ethnic chieftains, rebels, etc. In the past, there were many troubles and a dead end.

Xue Lu had to report the proposed arrangement to the governor before it could be implemented, because it involved all matters such as the allocation of food and troops from various prefectures, and it was more convenient to use the authority of the governor.

There are a few houses outside the Changde Mansion Yamen, which are the residences used by the local government to entertain the officials. There are six departments, including the Metropolitan Procuratorate and the Third Department of the Province. There are places with free board and lodging, which are similar in function to guest houses, but with higher standards.After Hu Ying arrived in Changde City, he lived in the military hotel. He was very disciplined when he first arrived, and he did not do anything against the law.

Xue Lu reported his battle plan to Hu Ying, and then went to the hotel to meet.

Hu Ying looked old again, and all the hair protruding from the sides of the fringe on her head had turned gray.This rumored bureaucrat who doesn't understand military affairs at all, actually sat there and looked at it carefully after getting the battle strategy... Xue Lu originally thought that it was just a seal and a few polite words. [

After becoming the governor of Huguang, Hu Ying knew that some people secretly thought that he was here to pick up a bargain.But Hu Ying knew in his heart that fighting a war is risky, and there is a huge difference between waiting for benefits and waiting for punishment... What's more, what's the use of him thinking he should contribute?

Ever since Emperor Yongle died and was excluded from that circle, Hu Ying already felt that entering the center of power, age is not forgiving, and it is difficult to have such an opportunity; decades of officialdom and three dynasties, he has seen too many ups and downs , I have long understood my situation.His official career has basically come to an end now. At first he had the idea of ​​retiring and returning to his hometown, but he has been a minister all his life, and it would be good to be a mediocre official for a few years; Aging faster.

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Hu Ying almost finished reading Fanglue word for word, raised her head and said, "I don't intend to raise any objection to Marquis Wuyang's Fanglue, but I just want to say a few words to remind Marquis Wuyang."

Xue Lu said politely: "Futai has something to say." Maybe he wanted to fart as soon as he said it.

"The strategy written by the former Minister Yu in the memorandum is to make progress slowly and look for opportunities to annihilate the remaining bandits; if the victory is sure, there is no rush to fight, and only to prevent the bandits from becoming bigger again. Although this strategy of Marquis Wuyang is somewhat similar to the previous ones , but upon closer inspection, it is aggressive and eager for success..."

Xue Lu interrupted Hu Ying somewhat unceremoniously: "Master Hu, you use real swords and guns every step of the way, why are you so eager for success?"

Hu Ying was stunned for a moment, and still said calmly: "Forgive me for the wrong words, but I think the strategy of this battle is indeed different from the description in the memorial sent by Yu Shilang to the Ministry of War. Marquis Wuyang will transfer troops to Baoqing Mansion , and we are going to push Chenzhou again, just like Go, this is a situation of chasing and fighting hard."

Hearing this, Xue Lu almost laughed: "There is still a difference between chess and battle formation."

"The old man said in advance that he didn't intend to reject Marquis Wuyang's strategy." He glanced at the seal on the case, but did not stamp it, "I will send someone to Marquis Wuyang's mansion after I use the seal tomorrow."

Xue Lu looked at the sky outside again: "When the rain stops, troops will be dispatched, and the opportunity must not be missed. I hope Futai will make a decision as soon as possible."

Hu Ying said: "The old man has to ask someone to make a copy and send it to the Ministry of War, and submit a memorial. This is just a routine, and it doesn't take much time. It will be done tomorrow."

Xue Lu said: "Don't worry about Futai, now is a great opportunity to pacify Huguang, and the Ministry of War will not object... Think about it, tens of thousands of people are here, how much food and silver will be spent every month, how much money will Huguang have? Foreigners are transferring money to this place, and no one in the imperial court is willing to delay, and the tens of thousands of people in Yangzhou want money."

"It's reasonable, it's reasonable." Hu Ying nodded, not arguing with Xue Lu.

After Xue Lu left, he called the scribe to copy a copy of Fang Lue, and then wrote the memorial by himself.Hu Ying was very familiar with this kind of memorabilia, and after thinking about it for a while, she described today's conversation and first recorded her own opinions, in which she warned the commander-in-chief, Marquis Wuyang, to be cautious about marching into Yunyun.There is almost no substantive content, but if the battle is lost, this memorial will be strong evidence to alleviate his guilt; if he wins, of course there is no harm in saying this, who cares about the arguments before the war after winning the battle ?