Chapter 1190. The meeting of the wind and clouds (seven).
…
…
At the same time, Zhao Junchen also noticed the abnormal situation of the two armies in the distance.
After the discussion, the Guan Ning Cavalry and the Liaodong Cavalry not only did not shake hands and retreat, but instead seemed to be angry, refusing to give in to each other and engaging in a fierce confrontation.
Under such a tense situation, the Guan Ning Cavalry and the Liaodong Cavalry may misfire at any time. This battle between the two armies, which was originally just a military exercise, may also turn fake into real!
Once there is an actual conflict between the Guan Ning cavalry and the Liaodong cavalry, not only will the entire situation in Liaodong become a mess, allowing the imperial center to find an opportunity to take advantage of it, but the three thousand Liaodong cavalry that He Yu brought to Hujiazhuang will also inevitably suffer heavy losses.
As a result, He Yu was naturally very nervous and quickly sent someone to inquire about the situation.
As for the two hundred or so "beggars" border troops who suddenly appeared, He Yu just glanced at them casually and ignored them, as if he had seen a swarm of buzzing flies.
In fact, these "beggars" border troops were indeed not worthy of He Yu's more attention. Before they could reach the vicinity of Hujiazhuang, they were stopped by the Liaodong cavalry guarding outside Hujiazhuang, and they were immediately unable to move.
At this time, Zhao Junchen also looked nervous on the surface. He and He Yu stood up and watched the situation in the distance.
But the real thought in Zhao Junchen's heart is that he hopes that the two sides will fight immediately, and neither of them will hold back. It is best to let all three thousand Liaodong cavalry and two thousand Guanning cavalry die cleanly.
In Zhao Junchen's eyes, although the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry and the Liaodong Iron Cavalry are both powerful armies in the world, these two armies are not controlled by the central court, nor are they controlled by himself. In this case, the battle between the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry and the Liaodong Iron Cavalry
The stronger the power, the greater the potential risks in the future.
Because of his different mentality, Zhao Junchen did not focus on observing the conflict between the Guanning Cavalry and the Liaodong Cavalry in the distance. Instead, he was deeply concerned about the sudden appearance of the frontier soldiers who shouted the slogan "Protect the Pavilion Boss" and looked like beggars.
Got a certain interest.
So, Zhao Junchen asked He Yu: "What is the origin of that border army that suddenly appeared in the west?"
He Yu only focused on observing the conflict between the two armies in the distance. After hearing the inquiry, he just replied casually: "It should be the Liaodong branch. They look like a bunch of beggars. There is no one else but them."
Zhao Junchen nodded thoughtfully.
*
Zhao Junchen felt quite close to these Liaodong branch troops.
Zhao Junchen felt close to him, not only because these soldiers had been shouting the slogan "Protect the Pavilion Boss" since they appeared, but also because these Liaodong training soldiers looked weak and vulnerable.
In this era, Guanning cavalry and Liaodong cavalry were both unique in the Ming Dynasty army.
Perhaps because of the long-term battles with the powerful Jurchen enemy in Jianzhou, coupled with the years of careful training by the Shanhaiguan Wu family and Liaodong Town, and the investment of resources at any cost, these two armies were among the generally corrupt Ming Dynasty armies.
They all appear to be too powerful.
You only need to compare how strong the Liaodong Iron Cavalry and the Guanning Iron Cavalry are.
In another historical time and space, after the Jurchens in Jianzhou entered the Pass, the Eight Banners army quickly deteriorated. However, when Wu Sangui proclaimed himself emperor and rebelled against the Qing Dynasty, the Jurchen Eight Banners in Jianzhou had not been completely corrupted and still had a certain fighting capacity. As a result, they were defeated by Guan Ning.
The cavalry were so defeated that the Qing generals once made it clear that all Qing troops could not fight with Guan Ning's cavalry in the wild, otherwise they would be killed.
At that time, the Guan Ning Cavalry, like the Eight Banners Army, had been at peace for a long time. Wu Sangui himself personally admitted that the combat effectiveness of this army was far inferior to that of the late Ming Dynasty.
After Emperor Kangxi quelled the San Francisco Rebellion, more than ten years passed and the Eight Banners army further degenerated and began to fight against the Junggar Khanate for successive years. Even with the same strength, the armies of both sides were equally matched.
As for the army of the Junggar Khanate, they always had great advantages when attacking the other Mongolian tribes. They invaded the grasslands and broke through the king's tent with almost ease.
As for the Mongolian tribes that were beaten by the cavalry of the Junggar Khanate and fled in panic, they were evenly matched with the Shaanxi-Gansu border troops.
As for the combat effectiveness of the Shaanxi-Gansu border army, it is considered relatively good among the current Ming Dynasty armies. At least they have some combat experience and will not be scared to pieces by a stray arrow.
Among the armies listed above, the Junggar Khanate is currently on the rise, and its military strength has not fluctuated much. Taking the Junggar army as a standard, we can roughly measure the strength positioning of the Guanning Cavalry and the Liaodong Cavalry.
.
In short, in the Far East of this era, the combat power of the Guanning Cavalry and the Liaodong Cavalry was second only to the few elite Jianzhou Jurchens. It was significantly stronger than the Junggar Khanate cavalry, and compared to ordinary border troops.
Compared with the ordinary Mongolian cavalry, it is obviously two levels stronger. Compared with the garrisons in the provinces in the hinterland of the Ming Dynasty, it is three levels stronger!
At the same time, the Liaodong Iron Cavalry and the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry are equally famous. According to Zhao Junchen's personal observation, the combat power of the two sides is indeed about the same, and each has its own advantages.
In other words, if the Liaodong Iron Cavalry and the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry fought against the ordinary Ming army, the situation would be similar to that of a strong man who has been practicing martial arts for many years beating the old, weak, sick and disabled. It is no exaggeration to say that one is against ten.
Therefore, it is no wonder that after Zhao Junchen's illustrious military exploits in Shaanxi and Gansu were spread to Liaodong, the officers in Liaodong Town were somewhat dismissive of Zhao Junchen's great achievements, because they did not pay attention to the Mongolian coalition at all.
As for Zhao Junchen himself, after being used to seeing all kinds of old and weak military households, on this day he saw the powerful armies of the world like Liaodong Cavalry and Guan Ning Cavalry one after another. Not only was he shocked and secretly wary, but he also felt a little uncomfortable.
.
Therefore, when Zhao Junchen saw the troops training in Liaodong again, he felt a sense of intimacy for a while.
Look at these sallow-looking soldiers, look at the messy formations, look at the tattered armor, look at the flagging morale...
Right, this is the image of Ming Dynasty soldiers that Zhao Junchen is familiar with.
*
Out of the inexplicable sense of intimacy in his heart, Zhao Junchen did not ignore the Liaodong branch training like He Yu, but waved to Jiang Quan and asked him to summon Song Dahe, the commander-in-chief of the Liaodong branch training, to talk to him.
On the other side, He Yu was still looking at the confrontation between the two armies in the distance with a solemn expression, with a rare look of nervousness in his expression.
Under such circumstances, He Yu was naturally not in the mood to continue the intrigue with Zhao Junchen, and Zhao Junchen would not ask for trouble, so he simply returned to his seat and sat down, quietly waiting for the situation to change.
Although the Liaodong Cavalry and the Guanning Cavalry were at war with each other in the distance, they obviously had their own concerns. No one was willing to give in, but neither was willing to expand the conflict. They waited until Jiang Quan and Song Dahe, the commander-in-chief of the Liaodong branch, arrived.
When they arrived in front of Zhao Junchen, the Liaodong Cavalry and Guan Ning Cavalry still did not have any further conflict as Zhao Junchen expected, but continued to confront each other.
Zhao Junchen only found it boring, so he turned his attention to Song Dahe.
I saw that Song Dahe was in his late teens, with a short and stocky build, dark and rough skin, thick eyebrows, small eyes and a big mouth. He looked like an honest farmer.
When Song Dahe came to Zhao Junchen, his attitude was particularly respectful. He knelt down on one knee and performed a military salute to Zhao Junchen, and said loudly: "Song Dahe, the humble commander-in-chief of the Liaodong branch training, pays homage to Zhao Junchen!"
Zhao Junchen nodded with a smile and said: "No need to salute, just sit down and talk."
Following Zhao Junchen's instructions, Song Dahe immediately sat carefully next to Zhao Junchen.
Ever since Song Dahe appeared, He Yu had not looked at him twice, and Song Dahe also completely ignored He Yu.
Naturally, Zhao Junchen had no intention of letting He Yu and Song Dahe ease their relationship. He just asked: "General Song, when the soldiers you led in the Liaodong branch appeared just now, they shouted the slogan of protecting our pavilion.
I couldn’t help but be shocked...but I don’t know why you would act like this?”
Song Dahe reached out and scratched his head in a naive manner, and said with some embarrassment: "After the soldiers who led the Liaodong branch arrived near Hujiazhuang, they saw the Guanning cavalry and the Liaodong cavalry fighting fiercely. Beizhi was also attacked by the Liaodong cavalry afterwards.
After blocking it, I realized that it was just a drill and discussion. At that time, I thought there was a mutiny. Thinking that you, Zhao Gechen, were currently in Hujiazhuang, I was naturally anxious. I was afraid that you, Zhao Gechen, would be in danger, so I immediately led my soldiers to come.
Guard Zhao Gechen!"
When He Yu heard this, he immediately sneered, snorted coldly, and said sarcastically without looking back: "If there is really a mutiny between the Guanning Cavalry and the Liaodong Cavalry, you, the Liaodong Division, are also qualified to participate.
?”
After hearing what He Yu said, Song Dahe immediately blushed. Although he was not angry, he was unable to refute.
Zhao Junchen did not fully believe Song Dahe's statement.
Song Dahe is a senior border army general and should be able to distinguish the difference between training exercises and actual fighting. His approach of leading his soldiers to protect Zhao Junchen may be just a political speculation.
But Zhao Junchen doesn't mind this kind of cleverness. In Zhao Junchen's eyes, the more power he has in political speculation, the better.
At the same time, Zhao Junchen was more concerned about another thing and asked: "When you are coming to Hujiazhuang to protect our pavilion, will all the soldiers under your command be willing to follow you?"
Song Dahe may be able to distinguish the difference between sparring drills and actual fighting, but those ordinary Liaodong branch training soldiers definitely have no such vision. In addition, the Liaodong cavalry and Guanning cavalry have always been famous in Liaodong. Those Liaodong branch training soldiers actually
They were all willing to follow Song Dahe into danger, which is enough to show that Song Dahe won the trust and support of his soldiers.
Considering that Liaodong branch training has been struggling and impoverished over the years, this kind of trust and support is especially rare.
Song Dahe didn't know what Zhao Junchen was thinking. He only thought that this question was a great opportunity for him to please Zhao Junchen, so he immediately said: "All the soldiers in my Liaodong branch have heard that Zhao Junchen completely annihilated Mongolia on three sides of Shaanxi and Gansu.
The illustrious military exploits of the coalition forces are all due to the fact that you, Zhao Gechen, have long been admired and regarded as a role model. As soon as they heard that you might be in danger, all the soldiers in the Liaodong branch naturally risked their lives and did their best to protect Zhao Gechen.
, we and other Liaodong soldiers will not hesitate to go up the mountain of swords or into the sea of fire!"
Having said this, Song Dahe's face showed pain, but he still took out a stack of banknotes of different denominations from his arms, gently pushed them in front of Zhao Junchen, and once again said to please: "All the soldiers of Liaodong Branch out of admiration
I have specially prepared a gift for you. In addition to these banknotes, there are also three boxes of souvenirs. I hope Zhao Gechen will accept them."
Hearing what Song Dahe said, He Yu couldn't help but let out another cold snort.
Obviously, Song Dahe is not good at this kind of thing.
For court officials of Zhao Junchen's level, giving and receiving bribes is not only a way to make money, but also a reliable way to communicate feelings and establish contacts. Therefore, if the briber wants to hug Zhao Junchen's lap, he will pay bribes.
You must also try to demonstrate your abilities and value.
However, Song Dahe was not only completely unaware of the deeper meaning of Zhao Junchen's question, he even forgot about the existence of He Yu next to him when he paid the bribe, which can be said to be a continuous violation of taboos.
However, this is a matter of course. If Song Dahe was good at bribery, he would not have been sent by the imperial court to a bitter and cold place like Qianying to accept the training of the Liaodong branch troops, which everyone avoided.
Drudgery.
Seeing Song Dahe's behavior of violating taboos one after another, Zhao Junchen felt more favorable in his heart.
So Zhao Junchen reached out to take the banknote and made a rough estimate, it was about three thousand taels of silver.
Thinking of those Liaodong soldiers who looked like beggars, Zhao Junchen was really embarrassed to accept this bribe for a while.
But if the bribe is returned, Song Dahe may misunderstand and think that Zhao Junchen is unwilling to accept his flattery.
Therefore, Zhao Junchen finally just put the stack of banknotes in his hand and said: "I just saw that the soldiers of the Liaodong Branch are all sallow and thin, and their clothes and armor are in tatters. It is obviously because they have lived too hard... Since the Liaodong Branch
The soldiers are so dedicated, I will definitely try to improve conditions for them in the future... We are also soldiers in the border army, and training in Liaodong should not be so painful."
Hearing what Zhao Junchen said, Song Dahe was immediately overjoyed and stood up to thank Zhao Junchen repeatedly.
At this time, the Liaodong soldiers sent by He Yu to inquire about the news had returned to the wall of Hujiazhuang.
Behind this Liaodong soldier, there were two young military attachés, one of whom was Qianhu Shicheng of Liaodong, and the other who had also had a relationship with Zhao Junchen. It was Wu Shilin, the commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan Pass!
After He Yu saw Wu Shilin appearing in person, he finally dared not ignore it and wanted to take the initiative to greet him. However, Wu Shilin also ignored He Yu like Song Dahe. He also knelt down on one knee in front of Zhao Junchen and said loudly:
"Wu Shilin, the commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan Customs, has met Zhao Gechen! I hope that Zhao Gechen will uphold justice for us and other officers Guan Ning!"
Zhao Junchen immediately asked: "We haven't seen General Wu for a long time. Please stand up and talk... I saw that after the Guan Ning Cavalry and the Liaodong Cavalry finished their drills and discussions, not only did they not break away from contact, but they put on a tense posture to confront each other.
Get up, what is going on?"
After Wu Shilin stood up, he glared at He Yu beside him and rebuked loudly: "It's not the Liaodong cavalry under General He who did a good job! On the way to Hujiazhuang from a humble position, he saw Zhao Cabinet and the messenger sent by General He.
, he said that he wanted to let the Guan Ning Cavalry compete with the Liaodong Cavalry, but he didn’t take it seriously at first. After all, it was just a competition between friendly forces, so just leave it at that!
Who would have thought that when the two armies were practicing and discussing, the Liaodong Cavalry troops on the left did not understand the meaning of stopping at all. Seeing that they were about to lose to our Guan Ning Cavalry, they all resorted to ruthless tactics in order to reverse the situation!
After this exercise and discussion ended, although I, the Guan Ning Cavalry, won in the end, after an inventory of the subordinates, it was discovered that three of the soldiers under my command were dead, 28 were seriously injured, and countless others were slightly injured.
All were caused by the Liaodong Cavalry's ruthless attack on the left flank!
Naturally, he was very angry because of his humble position. He immediately captured Li Shijie, a Qianhu official who was responsible for commanding the troops on the left side of the Liaodong Cavalry. The Liaodong Cavalry blindly protected him and wanted to snatch this person away, which is why the two armies faced off!"
After explaining the situation, Wu Shilin asked He Yu loudly: "General He, I am a young junior, and you are a senior in the army, but I, Guan Ning Cavalry, am not a soft persimmon who can be bullied at will... For you,
How should this matter be handled?"
Following Wu Shilin's loud questioning, Zhao Junchen and Song Dahe both focused their attention on He Yu.
Zhao Junchen was deeper in the city and could still control his expression at this time and put on a serious attitude, but Song Dahe could not help but raise the corners of his mouth, looking full of gloating.
Under the gaze of everyone, He Yu's complexion became increasingly livid, and he was obviously extremely angry.
But at the same time, a trace of relief flashed through He Yu's heart.
This is because He Yu finally found a reason to give Li Shijie a lighter sentence.
That is, He Yu must protect the face of the Liaodong Cavalry at this time. The more Wu Shilin forces He Yu to severely punish Li Shijie, the more reason He Yu will have to protect his shortcomings.
Thinking of this, He Yu immediately snorted coldly: "Since you also know that you are just a junior, don't yell in front of me! As for what you said, I will naturally investigate in detail next.
I will definitely give you an explanation to the Wu family... However, you don’t have to intervene in this matter, I will personally negotiate with your father in the future!"
As He Yu finished speaking, Wu Shilin suddenly changed his color, and then with a "swipe" sound, he actually pulled out the knife from his waist and pointed it at He Yu!
When He Yu saw that he was being pointed at by Wu Shilin with a knife, his expression suddenly changed. Several of the guards around He Yu also drew their swords to confront Wu Shilin.
As the person with the highest status present, Zhao Junchen's expression suddenly changed when he saw that the two sides were openly fighting each other in front of him. He did not take himself seriously at all.
Then, Zhao Junchen ran away and hid far away, letting Song Dahe stand in front of him.
Swords and guns have no eyes!
A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall!