Zhang Ruoqi, who was sitting at the top, had been watching with cold eyes, and now he was stroking his beard and smiling. However, Fu Yingchong, who was sitting in the second place opposite Zhang Cheng, said carelessly: "I said that Korean Jiedushi, what do you mean?
Is our food bad?"
Lin Qingye had calmed down his excitement at this moment, and also knew the identities of the people in the tent. At that moment, he stood up again and went to the center of the military tent. He knelt down and saluted everyone in the tent and said: "Korean National Peace Road Soldiers
Lin Qingye, the envoy of Ma Jiedu, comes to see all your lords!"
After he got up, he did not go back to his seat directly. Instead, he stood there and said apologetically: "Xiaguan was so excited when he met you sirs for the first time that he made such a joke. It is really that I am too reckless.
It’s a mistake, I hope you all can forgive me and don’t blame your subordinates for this.”
After hearing this, everyone shook their heads and smiled. Lin Qingye was indeed reckless. He actually mistook Zhang Cheng for Wu Sangui and even praised Wu Sangui in front of everyone.
Even Zhang Ruoqi and Zhang Dou, who were sitting in the first place, shook their heads. After all, today the two armies were attacking the mountain separately, and there was already some competition between them.
But this guy was so praising Wu Sangui and Ning Yuan's army right here and now, why didn't he make everyone in the military tent feel secretly excited!
Lin Qingye also knew his fault, but he had already spoken, so he could only hold on. Now he was looking at Zhang Cheng dryly with his small eyes, but he didn't know how to speak for a moment, and he was extremely embarrassed.
"What did Lin Jiedushi do wrong? General Wu is so brave and brave that I admire him very much. Today, General Lin Jiedu mistook me for General Wu. I am very happy, so how can I blame him?"
Yu Lin Jiedushi!"
Zhang Cheng saw that Lin Qingye's words were sincere and that he was not too embarrassed, so he spoke to relieve him, only to hear him continue: "It is fate that I can see Commander Lin here today.
What's more, Commander Lin still cares about the Ming Dynasty. Even though he is in danger, he still tries his best to help us. From this point of view, it is us who should thank Commander Lin!"
There is still a trace of memory left in Zhang Cheng's mind, that is, during the decades after the fall of the Ming Dynasty and the rise of the Qing Dynasty, there were indeed many people in North Korea who still loved the Ming Dynasty. They were even more loyal to the Ming Dynasty than the officials and generals of the Ming Dynasty.
Ming dynasty.
At this moment, Zhang Cheng also believed that what the Ping'an Dao military commander in front of him said was true. As a person bent on seeking change, he also wanted to establish his own connections in North Korea.
"Befriend far away and attack close by" is the way to plan things!
For example, when Zhang Cheng returned to Xuanfu for the first time after serving as King of Qin, he arranged for Zhang Guodong and others to take advantage of the opportunity of escorting Lu Xiangsheng's coffin back home to try to contact Zheng Zhilong, a generational maritime tycoon in Fujian.
Unfortunately, at that time, Zhang Cheng was of low power and unknown, so Zheng Zhilong ignored him at all.
After that, it was not until Zhang Cheng was appointed as the counselor of the Xuanfu to guard the North Road that Zheng Zhilong replied to him a letter, but he did not take him seriously. He only said that one could take care of each other in the south and one in the north, but there was no further text.
Now that he was sending troops to aid the Liao Dynasty, he unexpectedly got acquainted with the military envoy of North Korea's National Ping An Road. Zhang Cheng would not let go of this excellent opportunity, and he would definitely make a good friend.
Zhang Cheng's words just now completely resolved Lin Qingye's embarrassment, and also took the opportunity to elevate his status, making him gain face in front of everyone.
It’s true that people in sedan chairs carry people. No one doesn’t like to be praised, especially when they have really accomplished something, they want to be seen and mentioned by others.
.
Lin Qingye stood in the middle of the military tent and was about to say something when he heard Zhang Cheng say again: "Envoy Lin Jiedu, come back quickly and sit down. Today, you and I have been fighting hard all day, so it's time to take a good rest and use it."
It’s time to have some food and chat about home cooking.”
Seeing what he said, Lin Qingye stopped insisting. He walked back to his seat, sat down and started eating.
To be honest, although they came to support the Tatars as friendly forces, the treatment they received was not that of friendly forces. Even the most basic food became a problem.
Just like Lin Qingye, although a large amount of grain and rice were shipped to the Tatars from North Korea, their own meals could only wait for distribution from the Tatars, and they were often full and hungry.
Even so, they would inevitably be used as cannon fodder and abandoned sons in wartime. No wonder the Korean monarchs and people did not turn their hearts to the Tatars.
Now think about the Ming Dynasty. When they marched into Korea to help them repel the Japanese slaves, even the grain they ate had to be transported laboriously from Liaodong. It can be seen that it was not only the kindness of rebuilding Korea, but also the favor of the Celestial Empire.
The love for the people is inside.
Lin Qingye was also hungry. After eating some random meals to satisfy his hunger, he stopped.
Zhang Ruoqi, who was sitting high on the throne, saw him put down his bowl and chopsticks, and then he stroked his beard and said, "Lin Qingye, I have an important military situation to tell you about slaves and thieves. Can you tell me now?"
Although Zhang Ruoqi's words were soft, he spoke with dignity and ease while sitting at the top.
Lin Qingye stood up hurriedly after hearing this. He straightened his tattered clothes first, then made a long bow and said: "Director Zhang, please forgive me. You are all a low-ranking official Leng Lang. You are all loyal ministers and good generals of the Ming Dynasty. How dare you
Do not believe!"
He went on to say: "When I was in the Tartar camp, I accidentally overheard three pieces of news. I secretly speculated that I must inform you all, otherwise I am afraid I will miss important events."
When everyone heard what he said so solemnly, and there were three items in total, everyone couldn't help but tense up, and they all listened to Lin Qingye's next words attentively.
"Your Majesty, I heard that the Tatar army is short of food and grain. Even so, with the combined efforts of the whole country, it is estimated that it may be able to sustain it for more than a month, and at most three months, the thieves will definitely run out of food. This is one of them!"
After everyone listened to Lin Qingye's words, they suddenly felt much more at ease.
Previously, Ming Dynasty officials, including Governor Hong Chengchou, all believed that if this war continued in a stalemate for a long time, the Tartars' food supply would be a problem.
In addition to the food for the more than 100,000 soldiers and servants, there are also beans and fodder for the war horses. You must know that these war horses can eat better than people. Not only can these beasts eat all of them, but they will not starve. Otherwise,
You can't ride a horse or run.
If there is really a shortage of food and grass, a person may be able to hold on for two or three days, but a war horse cannot. These big animals are very expensive!
War horses are nothing like humans. If they don't eat for a whole day or even for one meal, they can't go on the battlefield. War horses with weak legs are the knight's biggest enemy.
Not only must they not be hungry, but if a fierce battle is expected on the second day, they usually feed the horses the best food on the first day, and also add a picnic to the war horses so that they can be full and have enough strength to carry the knights and escape the next day.
gallop.
Think about it, the Tartars also have more than 100,000 troops. Although the number of people alone is indeed much less than that of the Ming Dynasty, the number of horses in their army is probably more than twice that of the Ming army, or even close to three times.
Such a large herd of war horses would require a huge amount of fodder in a day. What's more, the war horses also need to drink water. The daily amount of water consumed by such a large animal is staggering.
This is also one of the reasons why the Tatars have occupied the Nvnu River and Xiaoling River before!
But even if everyone knows this, they still can't estimate how long the Tatars can last with their current grain.
After all, we have heard that the Tatars not only requisitioned a large amount of grain from their own country, but also transported a large amount of grain from Mongolia and North Korea. Although a rough estimate can be made, it cannot always be accurate.
The reason why the Ming Dynasty and the Tatars were defeated in every battle was not only that their fighting spirit was not resolute and their military morale was lower than that of the Tatars, but the biggest reason was that the intelligence work behind the war was not done well.
The Art of War goes like this: "Know yourself and the enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles without danger"!
But for so many years, the Ming Dynasty has always been like a blind man feeling an elephant, relying almost entirely on guesswork for the information from the Tartars, and there is no certainty.
On the other hand, the Tartars had laid countless secret lines in various parts of the Ming Dynasty early on, and all kinds of intelligence continued to flow in. Even the military strategy that was only agreed upon in the Ming court was not known to the generals going into battle, but the Tartars had complete control of it.
Just imagine, with such a gap in intelligence, how can we fight this battle?
Therefore, the information Lin Qingye said today is very valuable. If the information he obtained is conclusive, then the bottom line for the Tartars is only three months.
In other words, the Tartars are now more anxious than the Ming army because they don't have much time.
If they cannot completely resolve the Jinzhou war within three months and defeat the Ming Dynasty's aiding Liao army in one fell swoop, then the danger of national subjugation is likely to be waiting for them!
Therefore, if this battle of Jinzhou really turns into a protracted war, it will be the result that the Tartars least want to see.
But just when everyone was rejoicing at the news, Lin Qingye broke another shocking news: "I heard that someone in China seems to be having an affair with the Tartars."
"What?"
Bingxian Zhang Dou was the first to stand up. He put his hands on the armrests of the chair and his body was trembling slightly. He looked very angry and shouted: "Who is this person? Tell me quickly!"
He was so excited that he startled Lin Qingye. He suddenly stood up from his seat and replied in a trembling voice: "I... I'm an official, I also... I don't know... I don't know... who... specifically?"
Zhang Ruoqi seemed calmer than Zhang Dou. Maybe he hadn't realized the danger of this matter, or maybe he didn't care too much.
Just imagine, those who could have contact with the Tartars at this time must be the officers and generals of Jiliao and Jilin. The generals of Xuanda and the Shenji Camp had no contact with the Tartars before. Even if they wanted to surrender to the enemy, they would have no way.
But the officers and generals of Jiliao were different, especially the officers and generals of Jizhen. They had been in Liaodong for a long time, and they had not fought against the Tartars for a while. Many of them had even received personal letters from the slave chief Huang Taiji to persuade them to surrender.
If there are really people who are not very optimistic about the Battle of Jinzhou and want to leave an extra escape route for themselves, it is not impossible to contact the Tatars privately and secretly communicate the news.
Seeing that Lin Qingye was at a loss, Zhang Cheng hurriedly said: "Envoy Lin Jiedu, there is no need to get excited. Please take a seat and we will talk about this slowly."
Lin Qingye felt a little calm after hearing this. He cast a grateful look at Zhang Cheng before sitting back in his seat.
Here, Zhang Cheng saw that he had sat down again, and then he asked warmly: "I dare to ask Lin Jiedushi, if this matter really happened, it should be highly confidential among the Tatar thieves. But how did Lin Jiedushi know this?
thing?"
Just as Lin Qingye was about to stand up and reply, Zhang Cheng said again: "I don't dare to work. Lin Jiedushi got up, just sit down and reply!"
"The lower official did not hear about this matter directly. Instead, Ambassador Liu occasionally overheard it while participating in the discussions between the slaves and thieves. Because the matter was confidential, the slave thieves did not say much, and Ambassador Liu did not know the details.
"Lin Qingye replied.
Zhang Dou was most concerned about this matter and hurriedly asked: "Which Liu Zhishi is it?"
"Returning to Mr. Zhang, this is Mr. Liu Linliu, the commander of the three naval forces of our country." Lin Qingye said.
"Oh. So it's him?"
Zhang Dou muttered to himself first, then turned to explain to Zhang Ruoqi: "I have heard about Liu Lin in Liaodong. When he was forced by slave thieves to attack Pi Island, he refused to fight on the pretext of illness.
After hearing about this, Liu Lin was also rewarded with the position of Commander-in-Chief.
Since this person has discovered the information, it is correct!"
Liu Lin, also known as Ruwen, was born in Jinzhou, North Korea. She is currently serving as the commander of the three naval forces in North Korea. She is the main general of the North Korean army who helped the Qing Dynasty conquer the Ming Dynasty.
Not long ago, when the Qing army attacked Pidao of the Ming Dynasty, they asked North Korea to send troops to cooperate. At that time, he was the commander-in-chief of the North Korean army.
Before the war, he said to the Qing generals at Tieshan: "An old saying goes: The king who enters Dingguanzhong first. Although I am sick, I should guide him first. If the battle is successful, I will be the one who specializes in the jade and silk for my children."
Because the Qing general was greedy for money, he allowed him to go to recuperate and let his deputy general fight on his behalf. It is said that after the Ming Dynasty learned about this through intelligence, he specially awarded Liu Lin the title of Commander-in-Chief as a reward.
Zhang Ruoqi listened to Zhang Dou's words, pondered for a moment, and then said: "If this matter is true, then you really have to guard against it, but I don't know who it is, but it is difficult to guard against it."
Everyone in the military tent shook their heads. Although this news was important, it had no beginning or end. However, the matter was of great importance. Since we knew it, we had to guard against it, but we didn’t know who did it, and we didn’t know where to start.
.
Zhang Cheng was still calmer. He thought that what Lin Qingye said must be true. He made two big revelations one after another.
The first one is a great benefit to Ming Dynasty, but the second one is the biggest threat to Ming Dynasty at the moment. If this matter is true as Lin Qingye said, no matter how good the start is, it will not be able to escape the final defeat.
Moreover, it will be an unprecedented fiasco!
But he didn't know who was secretly associated with the slave thieves, and it would be useless to dwell on it. But at this moment, he had great expectations and curiosity about this third piece of news.
At that moment, he opened his mouth and asked Lin Qingye: "Envoy Lin Jiedu, just now you said that you have three pieces of news. Do you dare to ask what the third one is about?"
Lin Qingye had been feeling panic ever since he found out that he had mistakenly identified Zhang Cheng as Wu Sangui. In addition, he admired Zhang Cheng very much, but at first he never thought that he would also lead troops to aid the Liao Dynasty.
But later, he saw that Zhang Cheng had always been kind to him and helped him out of trouble many times, relieving him of many embarrassments, so he felt grateful and could not help but admire Zhang Cheng even more.
At this moment, seeing Zhang Cheng asking himself, he hurriedly replied: "In response to General Zhang's words, when I was in the Tatar camp, I heard them talking by chance. It seems that there is an ambush and they want to attack the place where the Chinese food is stored!"