On the night when the battle at West Shimen ended, Li Fuming, the commander-in-chief of Shanxi Province, went in and out of the governor's quarters, asking several times to see Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, and several trusted aides around him to praise the painting.
He had only one purpose, and that was to get Yang Guozhu's Xuanzang troops and horses to strengthen his own strength. After all, he knew the importance of troops and horses in order to survive in troubled times.
For this reason, Li Fuming even spent a lot of money and used most of the soft goods he carried with him for packing. He originally had 5,000 troops, but most of them were miscellaneous soldiers who had attracted a lot of momentum. During the war, he arranged them to serve as cannon fodder. , most of the casualties were these people.
Therefore, although nearly half of them were lost in this battle, their strength was not reduced much. However, compared with other generals, their momentum was much lower.
When he asked to see Governor Hong Chengchou, he even blamed his lack of troops and lack of military power for the unfavorable march to Shimen in the West, hoping that Hong Chengchou would allocate troops and horses to him in order to contribute to the country.
Several staff members praised the painting and said that they were willing to speak for him in front of the governor, but Hong Chengchou did not make any commitment, and the big stone in Li Fuming's heart never fell.
In desperation, he was ruthless and gave up all the gold and silver he had accumulated over the years. He went to see Zhang Ruoqi, the commander-in-chief, and Qiu Minyang, the governor of Liaodong, all night long. He really did not hesitate to spend money to achieve his goals!
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Early in the morning of the next day, when it was just dawn, the south gate of Songshan City was opened, and several generals rushed into the city. They went straight to Yang Guozhu's mourning hall.
After some worship, they all knelt in front of Zhang Cheng and Guo Yingxian, their eyes full of grief and indignation, and some even had tears in their eyes.
They were Xuanzhen guerrillas He Zhenxiong, Kuang Yongzhong, and Dusi Tang Xiancheng, as well as several thousand generals under their respective command. They came just because of the rumors about the division of troops.
After listening to their chatter, Guo Yingxian had no expression on his face and said coldly: "Shuai Yang's body is still cold, but these guys are planning to annex our Zhenbiao camp. What a bunch of bastards!"
But he has been in the army for a long time, and he has seen this kind of thing before. Now that there is such a rumor, it must not be groundless. Suddenly, Guo Yingxian turned his head to Zhang Cheng and said: "I have Deputy Commander Zhang here in Xuanzang Town." , how can we divide the troops of Xuanfu and force other towns?"
After hearing his words, He Zhenxiong and everyone else also looked at Zhang Cheng, quietly waiting for his statement.
Zhang Cheng first raised his eyes and glanced outside the mourning hall, and then said to everyone: "There are too many people here to talk, and it is not a place for discussion!"
He waved to Zhang Jintai and told him to take his sign and go to see the military commander Zhang Ruoqi. He made an appointment and he would go to see him at his door.
Then, he stood up and led Guo Yingxian, He Zhenxiong and others into the inner room behind the mourning hall, while the generals who followed the generals stayed in the mourning hall.
The exception is that Huang Baozhong and Tan Zhenlin, the two general managers of Yang Guozhu's retainer team, also came in. As the only two remaining chief managers of Yang Guozhu's retainer team, although their official positions are not high, their status is not low.
If the leaders of the servant teams like Huang Baozhong and Tan Zhenlin were placed outside, they would at least be the commander-in-chief. If they were older and more stable, or even guerrilla generals, it would not be impossible for them to hold the position of garrison.
After all, they are in charge of the most powerful team of servants under Yang Guozhu, and their attitude will more or less affect several Xuanfu Town generals.
After Zhang Cheng waited for several people to sit down, he bowed deeply to Guo Yingxian and others. This operation immediately stunned them. They all stood up from their seats and kept bowing to Zhang Cheng.
Seeing them like this, Zhang Cheng felt a little satisfied. He waved his hand to stop everyone, and after sitting down again, he said: "I bowed just now, because I want to thank you for protecting Yang Shuai until the last moment;
I also express my deep apologies, sincerely leading the rescue force was unable to do so. If I could have arrived a moment earlier, I might have saved Yang Shuai's life. Every time I think about it, my heart is cut like a knife!"
After everyone listened in silence, Guo Yingxian said: "Deputy Commander Zhang, there is no need to say anything. You have experienced the bitter battle with Yang Shuai together with Yang Shuai, and now you are leading the army to rescue us. What's more, we all belong to the same town of Xuanfu.
Today, the officials are thinking of detaching me from the various battalions in Xuan Town to the generals in other towns. I, Lao Guo, was the first to refuse. Now I want to ask Deputy General Zhang to say something. Now that Xuan Town respects you, can you do it for me?
Can you do this?"
It was obvious that Guo Yingxian's words were somewhat coercive, but in fact he was helping Zhang Cheng. In fact, he had heard some rumors last night and thought about it all night. He felt that instead of being sent to various town generals, it would be better for everyone to return home.
Under Zhang Cheng's command.
Anyway, Zhang Cheng is already the deputy commander-in-chief of Xuanzhen, and is more likely to become the commander-in-chief of Xuanzang in the future. Now that Yang Guozhu has sacrificed his life for the country, if everyone can become Zhang Cheng's subordinates, it will be a good way out. The total score will be given to others.
Control is better.
Sure enough, after hearing Guo Yingxian's words, everyone in the inner room looked at Zhang Cheng expectantly, waiting for his decision.
Zhang Cheng glanced at everyone with cold eyes for a long time before saying: "Whenever a general is killed in battle, most of his troops are divided into various battalions. This has always been a common practice. It can prevent the troops from collapsing without a leader after the general is killed.
It can also enhance the strength of other battalions."
When he said this, he paused briefly and observed the expressions of everyone in the inner room. After seeing that each of them had firm eyes, he continued: "Although Cheng is of the same mind as you, the matter depends on the supervisor."
Sir, it’s not something I can say for sure.
However, since your trust is more important than sincerity, I will definitely strive for this matter so that our Xuanzhen army can still gather in one place, share life and death, and work together to defeat the powerful enemy."
After Zhang Cheng finished speaking, Guo Yingxian stood up abruptly, knelt down on one knee and clasped his fists and said, "Deputy General Zhang treats me with kindness. He loves his soldiers like his own son, and he has never withheld soldiers' pay and food. I, Lao Guo, am in the town."
, I have already heard that for the sake of the generals and officers of the army, I am willing to follow Zhang Shuai and work together to defeat the powerful enemy!"
He emphasized the last word "strong enemy" very seriously, as if he meant something else. The rest of the generals did the same thing when they met the veteran general Guo Yingxian, so they naturally had no objections.
He Zhenxiong, Kuang Yongzhong, Tang Xiancheng, Huang Baozhong, Tan Zhenlin and others also knelt down and saluted, and expressed their willingness to follow Zhang Cheng's command.
Except for Guo Yingxian, the people in the inner hall are all guerrilla generals, and the rest are at least guerrillas and commanders. Even Huang Baozhong and Tan Zhenlin, although they are not 100 generals, their status is not inferior to that of Kuang Yongzhong, who is a guerrilla general. They are very concerned about the Ming army at this time.
Those conventions are naturally known,
I came here today not to resist the governor's proposal to divide the troops, but to find a good way out for myself and my soldiers.
At the beginning, in order to better control the new army's troops, Yang Guozhu appointed all the generals as newly promoted candidates. They did not have a deep foundation in Xuanzhen and obeyed the military orders of the commander-in-chief Yang Guozhu.
This operation will naturally make it easier for Yang Guozhu to control the strength of this new army, but its disadvantages are also obvious. As it is now, once the leader Yang Guozhu is killed in battle, they will become a rootless tree, like duckweeds floating in the water, no matter who they are.
at the mercy of.
Several of them came to look for Guo Yingxian today, not only because he is a staff general, the oldest among them, and has the highest military position, but also because Guo Yingxian is close to Zhang Cheng.
After all, everyone was a general in Xuanfu Town. In the past few days, Zhang Cheng and Yang Guozhu had moved around frequently, and they were already familiar with each other.
Moreover, although Zhang Cheng was extremely strict with his subordinates, he never deducted food and pay from his sergeants. This was rumored among the generals in the Xuanfu. During the period when he joined Liaodong to aid, officers and soldiers at all levels came into contact, which further confirmed this matter.
Just like Zhang Chengxuan's Northern Army, firstly, it does not deduct food and pay, secondly, it has strict military discipline, and thirdly, it is a large army with sophisticated armor and equipment. No soldier would want to join it.
Rather than saying that He Zhenxiong and others came to Guo Yingxian to find a solution, it is better to say that they came to Zhang Cheng, not only to express their feelings, but also to test whether he was willing to take in the generals and soldiers.
They were seen kneeling on one knee, cupping their fists and saluting. New Army guerrilla He Zhenxiong said: "Deputy Commander Zhang, I have already made a decision when I came here. From now on, I will only follow Vice Commander Zhang's lead and am willing to follow him through fire and water."
He spoke in a firm tone, and everyone else nodded. After all, Tan Zhenlin was relatively young and was not as calm as everyone else. He actually said: "Li Fuming of Shanxi was cowardly and incompetent. He failed to advance, so he defeated the master."
Even if I die for my country, I will not become his subordinate.
What's more, Yang Shuai also said before he died that our troops in Xuan Town must not be left in the hands of outsiders, and we asked Vice Marshal Zhang and General Guo to bring us back to Xuan Town."
After hearing Tan Zhenlin's words, everyone was filled with righteous indignation. They all blamed Li Fuming for his inability to advance the army and the failure to rescue him. In this way, they became more determined to follow Zhang Cheng and asked Zhang Cheng to take him in.
In fact, Zhang Cheng didn't want to take the nearly 10,000 soldiers left behind by Yang Guozhu under his command. Not to mention the hundreds of remaining servants who were all brave and capable, there were more than 2,000 cavalry under Guo Yingxian's command, which was a rare thing in Zhang Cheng's army.
.
Furthermore, He Zhenxiong, Tang Xiancheng's new army still has more than 3,000 soldiers. If the wounded soldiers are added, the army will be nearly 4,000. This is Yang Guozhu's hard work for more than two years. How can Zhang Cheng allow him to do it for nothing?
fell into the hands of outsiders.
Even Kuang Yongzhong's troops, although not Yang Guozhu's direct descendants, could still be considered a strong army in Xuanzhen, otherwise Yang Guozhu would not have sent this troops to accompany the army to aid the Liao Dynasty.
The reason why Zhang Cheng has not made his attitude clear is that he is actually observing them. If a few people sincerely surrender, he will put more thought into it and try his best to promote this matter.
If they were not sincere, they would only strive to command Yang Guozhu's servants and Guo Yingxian's elite cavalry. After all, Zhang Cheng was not the only commander-in-chief in Songshan.
Moreover, there are also governor-general Hong Chengchou, commander-in-chief Zhang Ruoqi, governor Qiu Minyang and other senior governors here. This kind of matter is not something Zhang Cheng can make a decision on, so he can only try his best to do it.
But if Guo Yingxian, He Zhenxiong, Tang Xiancheng, Kuang Yongzhong and others are really sincere and cooperate with them, maybe they can give it a try.
After all, I still have the favor of the current emperor and my soldiers, and even in Songshan City, I still have the full support of the general commander Zhang Ruoqi!
At that moment, Zhang Cheng said to several people: "I have fully understood what you mean. Now when you return to your base camp, you must restrain your subordinates. You must not leave the camp unless something happens. You must not cause chaos at this time."
Everyone agreed in unison, went out of their inner rooms, and led their subordinates to quietly exit the city.
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Only Zhang Cheng and Guo Yingxian were left in the inner room. They looked at each other. After a moment, Guo Yingxian said: "Zhang Cheng, now you are the deputy commander-in-chief, only one step away from the position of commander-in-chief.
With the strength of the Xuanbei Army under your command, after the current Liaodong war, the credit will be great. It is not difficult to be promoted to the commander-in-chief and guard one place, and there is a high probability that you will succeed Yang Shuai and serve as the commander-in-chief of Xuanzang Town."
He suddenly stopped when he said this, stared at Zhang Cheng, and said: "Zhang Cheng, these soldiers and horses are the hard work of Yang Shuai. You must keep them in Xuan Town and not let outsiders take them.
Especially Huang Baozhong and Yang Shuai's servants led by Tan Zhenlin. Even if others want them, they have to be willing. You can directly take them under your command, and others have nothing to say.
As for the fine cavalry of Zhenbiao camp under my command, there are still more than 2,000 men and horses, all of whom have been with me for many years. I wonder if I can take charge of this on my behalf. If I don't go anywhere else, I will join your Xuanbei army.
I think that although you have brought nearly 20,000 horses to aid the Liao Dynasty, you only have less than 3,000 cavalry. This is your shortcoming. You should take advantage of this opportunity to recruit them under your command to strengthen the army."
Zhang Cheng stepped forward, took Guo Yingxian's hand, and said with some excitement: "Uncle Guo, Cheng is young and lacks qualifications and prestige. Even if he takes the position of commander-in-chief of the Xuanfu, he may not be able to convince the town."
Those military families.
In the future, I will rely on Uncle Guo for a lot of support, and Zhang Cheng has nothing to repay, so please accept my respect!"
As he spoke, he bowed down and Guo Yingxian stood up quickly to support you and said excitedly: "Boy Cheng, let alone my friendship with General Zhang, I have watched you grow up.
From a young boy to the deputy commander of a town, I have done everything in a unique way, and I have been treated very generously. I have the demeanor of a general. Although I am old, I can still protect you from the wind and rain for a few years.
From now on, in front of everyone, you will be our Lao Guo's commander-in-chief. You must not call me like you do now, otherwise it will make it difficult for me."
Zhang Cheng no longer had any scruples at this point, and immediately clasped his fists and said: "In this case, Zhang Cheng will do his best and will do his best so that my brother Xuanzhen can be together, share the joys and sorrows, and fight against the Tartars!"
With tears in his smiling eyes, Guo Yingxian said to Zhang Cheng: "Commander, He Zhenxiong and Tang Xiancheng are the two new armies. Yang Shuai has devoted his heart and soul to them. If possible, they will stay in Xuanzhen."
Zhang Cheng stood up and sat back in his chair, saying: "Please be at ease, General Guo. I will try my best to ensure that all the brothers can stay in the Xuan Mansion. This will comfort Commander Yang's soul in heaven and calm the hearts of all the soldiers in the army."
Guo Yingxian also smiled at this time and said: "Don't worry, Commander, we will also go to Governor Hong to petition, and we will never ask Commander-in-Chief to fight alone."
Zhang Cheng nodded, and then he discussed with Guo Yingxian how to stabilize the morale of the army and how to petition. Then he got up and left Yang Guozhu's mourning hall, took Zhang Chengfang and Zhang Jintai with him, and went to the governor's palace to find the commander-in-chief Zhang Ruoqi.