Chapter 16: Zhang Cheng is a man who seeks the country
Facing Hong Chengchou's question, Zhang Cheng smiled calmly and said: "Returning to the governor, I have gathered only a thousand remaining soldiers since the battle of Julu. After that, I was ordered by the emperor to go out to the town of Xuanbei, rectify the troops in the forts, and inspect the fields.
After the remaining troops were eliminated, bandits everywhere were recruited, and new soldiers were recruited. The full quota of the guerrilla camp was only about 2,500 soldiers."
He went on to say: "After the ranger camp was trained and formed into an army, the general will, in accordance with the Holy Majesty's decree, train an additional five thousand new warriors to serve His Majesty, and then lead the army to Henan Province to aid and suppress the rebellion, and recruited tens of thousands of Dengfeng Li Jiyu's troops
The thieves selected eight thousand young men from among them, dispersed them and mixed them with the old troops into car camps, leaving only more than two thousand men and horses to be led by him personally.
In addition, thousands of bandits led by Du Youwei, the remnants of Yidou Valley in Henan Province, were also recruited. This time they came to aid Liaodong, and the general will bring them all so that they can fight for national affairs and atone for their sins."
Zhang Cheng here exaggerated the number of bandits he recruited in Henan. Only in this way can he reasonably explain the fact that he led nearly 20,000 troops. Otherwise, he would not be able to bear the responsibility of privately recruiting troops to expand the army.
Sure enough, Hong Chengchou was satisfied with his answer. He stroked his beard and smiled and said: "That's right. You and other thieves should not have caused trouble to the place. Now that you can get this opportunity to serve the country and redeem yourself with meritorious service, it is indeed a great honor."
Good luck to you."
He then asked Zhang Cheng: "What positions will the Dengfeng thieves Li Jiyu and Du Youwei be given after they are recruited?"
"Li Jiyu is now a guerrilla in Xuanzang, and Du Youwei is now the commander-in-chief of the Chinese Army under the last general." Zhang Cheng replied.
"Okay. Zhang Cheng, you are so courageous!"
Hong Chengchou couldn't help but praise him, and he went on to say: "Not only did he keep his old subordinates, but he was also placed close to him, so that he could keep an eye on him nearby and gather everyone's attention.
Zhongchen, you are not simple!"
Zhang Cheng's expression was calm. Although he was praised by Hong Chengchou, he did not show any joy. He stood up and replied respectfully: "The governor has given me too much praise. Zhang Cheng has long promised his loyalty to the country. He only knows how to be loyal to the king and does not dare to care about his personal power."
Hong Chengchou nodded and said: "Since most of the troops are recruiting bandits and bandits, I have observed that your army's chariots and chariots are all equipped with large and small Fran cannons. How do you have so many firearms?"
Zhang Cheng replied: "Reporting to the governor, after Zhang Cheng went out to control Xuanbei, he concentrated the craftsmen from various forts in Yunzhou to focus on making firearms. Later, your Majesty sent Eunuch Li Guofu to supervise the army when Xuanbei was under control. Eunuch Li once helped
Then he sent craftsmen from the palace and the capital to the last general.
Therefore, the craftsman camp in Yunzhou was able to produce so many firearms, and it was all thanks to your majesty’s protection, and the care of the officers from the Ministry of War and the governor, that Zhang Cheng’s car camp today was possible.”
Zhang Cheng's reply brought out Li Guofu, the eunuch who was supervising the army, and hinted that Hong Chengchou, whose backing was Chen Xinjia, the Minister of War, was the governor of Xuanda and connived at him. Even the current emperor acquiesced in all this and reminded him not to interfere too much.
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"I see!"
Hong Chengchou really understood and did not ask further about the matter. He changed the subject and said: "What do you think of the Liaodong military and loyalty?"
Zhang Cheng was speechless. He sat here with himself without even drinking a sip of tea. First he was interrogated for a while, and now he was going to test himself again. Fortunately, he had already had his own thoughts on the Liaodong War.
Just listen to him say: "My supervisor, Zhang Cheng believes that the war in Liaodong should be slow rather than fast, stable rather than hasty, and prudentness should be the top priority!"
"Being cautious is the best thing... Do you also think that being cautious is the best thing?"
Hong Chengchou looked at Zhang Cheng with some doubts. It wasn't until Zhang Cheng nodded to him solemnly that he spoke again: "During the military meeting just now, you asked for a detailed reconnaissance to find out the distribution of the slaves and thieves.
But when we marched into Songjin and proposed the joint training of all towns, the intention was to delay..."
When Hong Chengchou said this, he raised his hand and tapped the tea table gently. Seeing Zhang Cheng nod again, he added: "But even so, it can drag on for a few days."
Zhang Cheng saw that all the light in his eyes was gone, and his expression could not help but darken a bit, so he sighed in his heart: If it is like history, this Hong Chengchou really does not dare to take on this matter!
He knew it was impossible, but he still wanted to give it a try, and hurriedly said: "Supervisor, although the slave thieves are very anxious to attack Songjin, they cannot be defeated in ten days. According to Zhang Cheng's opinion, the slave thieves want to
In our division, not the Songjin Forts."
Hong Chengchou was already a little discouraged, but when he saw Zhang Cheng talking about the Liaodong military again, he suddenly became energetic again. He looked at Zhang Cheng with bright eyes and motioned for him to continue talking.
"The slave bandits are on the front line of Songjin, with 60,000 or 70,000 soldiers. If they want to capture Jinzhou and Songshan, they have already been attacking day and night. Why have they surrounded Jin until now without increasing their troops or retreating?
Its intention is not to protect the Jin Dynasty, but to support the army that supports the Jin Dynasty. The purpose of surrounding the Jin Dynasty is to bring reinforcements!
Today, our division has sent troops to Ningyuan, and sent many sentries and cavalry to stay at night. It is necessary to explore the layout of the slaves and bandits on the front line of Songjin, and also to explore the situation in the daughter valley road. At least before the slaves and bandits' layout is not clear, they cannot advance into Songjin.
In this way, our division will have at least one month to practice the joint training of all armies. If the governor can work harder, we may be able to see the situation again in March and May, and we can make long-term plans before advancing the army."
"March or May?..."
Hong Chengchou murmured softly for a while, and then asked Zhang Cheng: "In your opinion, who should be in charge of the joint training of the towns?"
This time, it was Zhang Cheng's turn to be confused. He didn't know what Hong Chengchou meant. How could he, the deputy commander-in-chief, be the one to intervene in the matter of presiding over the joint training of soldiers and horses in various towns?
But since Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, asked, he had no choice but to not answer. Even if he could deal with it, he still had to have an attitude.
Zhang Cheng straightened his posture and said calmly: "Zhang Cheng has just arrived in Ningyuan and is not familiar with everything. Moreover, the joint training of the armies is of great importance, so how can the last general comment on it?"
Hong Chengchou looked at Zhang Cheng with deep eyes and said warmly with a smile on his face: "Zhongchen, I see that you have a groove in your chest and a strategy in your belly. You are far from being comparable to other generals. If you have something to say, there is no harm in saying it."
Zhang Cheng was speechless. Hong Chengchou was unwilling to give up. Looking at this posture, he might not be able to choose one or two people if he didn't name one or two. He immediately said seriously: "This joint training is intended to fight against the Donglu in front of the formation. We should do it in Liao Dynasty."
It will be appropriate for the town to select one or two generals to preside over it."
The smile on Hong Chengchou's face became even stronger, and he asked: "Who is suitable?"
Although Zhang Cheng was reluctant in his heart, he had to answer, and he replied: "In my opinion, Commander-in-Chief Liu of Liaodong and Commander-in-Chief Wu of Ningyuan are both famous generals in Liaodong. They have been in Liaodong for a long time and are familiar with the tactics of Donglu.
It should be an excellent choice to host joint training.”
Hong Chengchou nodded slightly, as if he was very satisfied with what Zhang Cheng said. He nodded with a smile and said: "What Zhongchen said today is all about the country's interests!"
After he finished speaking, he took the teacup in his hand and blew the hot air away with his mouth from time to time without saying a word.
Zhang Cheng naturally knew that this was Governor Hong Chengchou's hint to see him off, so he hurriedly stood up to leave. Hong Chengchou did not try to persuade him to stay, but politely sent him to Yimen.