Hearing what Zhao Junchen said, the surrounding Ming army officers were shocked, and then they all secretly admired Zhao Junchen's generosity!
No one expected that the first thing Zhao Junchen did after leading his army near the front line was to directly send a message to the enemy chief. His attitude was quite contemptuous, and he obviously wanted to provoke and demonstrate.
In the hearts of the Liaodong soldiers, the Xuan Ye Khan of Jianzhou Jurchen was undoubtedly a very intimidating presence. Even He Yu never dared to directly stroke his tiger beard during his lifetime, so Zhao Junchen's behavior can be described as a sign of courage.
amazing.
But what happened next was a little embarrassing.
The three prisoners in front of me are all cannon fodder at the bottom of the Jianzhou Jurchens. Apart from their bravery and low life, they are almost useless, and they can't understand Chinese at all.
Therefore, they did not understand what Zhao Junchen said at all, and they continued to yell and curse at Zhao Junchen.
What's even more embarrassing is that Zhao Junchen once carefully studied the language and characters of Jianzhou Jurchen, and he was completely unable to distinguish what the other party was scolding.
For a moment, Zhao Junchen couldn't help but secretly doubt-did he waste all his hard work and learn everything wrong?
But Zhao Junchen turned around and looked around, only to find that none of the Liaodong soldiers around him could understand the language of the three prisoners of war.
Then, Zhao Junchen seemed to realize something, turned around and asked, "Where is Li Baihu?"
Jiang Quan immediately replied: "Li Baihu led the Liaodong cavalry to hunt down the defeated Jianzhou Tatars. I'm afraid it will take some time before they can return."
After hearing this, Zhao Junchen shook his head helplessly and wanted to turn around and leave, ignoring the three Jianzhou Jurchen prisoners of war.
The "Li Baihu" mentioned by Zhao Junchen is Li Yan, the adopted son of Yan Zhen, a Qianhu of Liaodong cavalry. He is also a brave general under Yan Zhen. In recent years, he has followed Yan Zhen to fight against Jianzhou Jurchens many times. He also has military exploits.
Prominent and experienced, he is also quite familiar with the situation of the Jianzhou Jurchens.
Because the situation in Jinzhou Camp was unstable, Yan Zhen had to stay in Jinzhou Camp and be unable to face the Jianzhou Jurchens again. Although he was unwilling to do so, he still agreed with the overall situation in mind.
However, Yan Zhen valued his adopted son Li Yan very much and still hoped that Li Yan could take the opportunity to make contributions, so he arranged for Li Yan to join Zhao Junchen's reinforcements.
Zhao Junchen also attached great importance to Li Yan. Whenever he encountered problems related to the Jianzhou Jurchens, he would be the first to consult Li Yan. Now that he found that the three prisoners of war were unable to communicate, he wanted to hire Li Yan to be the translator.
Send a message.
Seeing the disappointment on Zhao Junchen's expression, Jiang Quan couldn't help but remind him: "Zhao Gechen, although these three prisoners of war are all Jurchen Tatars, they may not be Jianzhou Jurchen Tatars."
Zhao Junchen nodded and said: "I have also guessed that these three Tatars are probably savage Jurchens, and they have only been incorporated by Jianzhou Jurchens not long ago, and their language is also different from Jianzhou Jurchens."
Jiang Quan couldn't help showing contempt on his face and spat: "Even among the Jianzhou Jurchens, the savage Jurchens are still uncivilized barbarians. I'm afraid I can't ask anything from them, let alone expect them to be able to do anything for them."
Zhao Gechen sent a message."
In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, there was a saying that there were "three major Jurchens", namely Jianzhou Jurchens, Haixi Jurchens, and Savage Jurchens. Among them, Jianzhou Jurchens were the most powerful and were most influenced by Han culture. In the past few decades,
The Haixi Jurchens were completely annexed before, and the Savage Jurchens generally refer to the many primitive Jurchen tribes who live in the bitter cold places in the far east, with extremely backward civilization, and make a living by hunting and fishing.
Since the Jianzhou Jurchens annexed the Haixi Jurchens, they have sent troops deep into the Far East every year to plunder the wild Jurchen population on a large scale to make up for their own shortage of troops. After the establishment of the Qing Dynasty, the Eight Banners disciples quickly degenerated and captured the Jurchens.
The plundering of the Barbarian Jurchens into the army became the most important means for the Qing army to maintain its own combat effectiveness. After the Barbarian Jurchens gradually disappeared due to the frequent plundering of the Jianzhou Jurchens, the Qing army also completely lost its combat effectiveness.
At this time, when Zhao Junchen found that he could not communicate with these three Jurchen prisoners of war at all, he guessed that they were most likely of savage Jurchen origin.
Just when Jiang Quan expressed his disdain, there was a sudden noise in the distance. Zhao Junchen looked up and found that Li Yan had successfully completed the pursuit mission, captured dozens more heads, and captured several prisoners of war alive again.
.
At the same time, Linghu Guang hurried to Zhao Junchen and reported loudly: "Zhao Gechen, good news! Li Baihu led his army to pursue the fleeing Jurchen Tatars, and now they have returned in triumph, and once again captured more than sixty soldiers.
A Tatar head, and seven or eight prisoners of war were captured alive, including one Niuludaizi and one Bashiku!"
After hearing this, Zhao Junchen also smiled and nodded happily: "As expected of Yan Qianhu's adopted son, Li Baihu lived up to his high expectations and actually captured the Jurchen military attache of Jianzhou alive... In this case, these three
Naturally, the name of the Savage Jurchen is useless."
After saying that, Zhao Junchen turned his horse's head and headed towards the direction of Li Yan's triumphant return.
Jiang Quan knew very well what Zhao Junchen meant by "useless", and he immediately sneered and drew out the sword from his waist.
Zhao Junchen could not understand the language of the three prisoners of war. He only knew that they had just insulted him. Zhao Junchen did not care about these insults, but it did not mean that the three prisoners of war would not pay the price.
So, before Zhao Junchen could take a few steps away, three screams came from behind him.
*
Soon after, Zhao Junchen personally welcomed Li Yan after his triumphant return and praised Li Yan several times in public.
As Yan Zhen's adopted son, Li Yan is also a straightforward person and doesn't have so much scheming. After hearing Zhao Junchen's compliment, he immediately smiled proudly from ear to ear.
At the same time, Zhao Junchen turned to look at the newly-appeared Jurchen prisoners of war in Jianzhou.
Different from the three prisoners of war who had just been killed, the Jianzhou Jurchen prisoners captured by Li Yan all looked smarter. After the battle, they saw that they were defeated and they all decisively chose to escape. Unlike the Jianzhou Jurchen prisoners who had just joined
The savage Jurchens generally choose to resist stubbornly. After being captured, they are as listless as an eggplant beaten by frost, with a flustered look, and no obvious unruly attitude.
It is obvious that these prisoners of war are all serious Jianzhou Jurchens. They are more deeply influenced by Han culture, so they cherish their lives even more, and they also know better about seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages.
Based on the different armors worn by these prisoners of war, Zhao Junchen quickly found Niuludaizi and Boshiku among the prisoners.
The main feature of the Jurchen Eight Banners system in Jianzhou is that all the people are soldiers. The men of the Eight Banners are engaged in production labor in peacetime and conscripted in wartime. Hundreds of people form a "Niulu", and a "Niulu Ezhen" is responsible for the command.
The Chinese translation is "zuoling"; five "Niulu" form a "Jia La", which is commanded by a "Jia La Ezhen", which is translated into Chinese as "Shen Ling"; five "Jia La" form a "Jia La"
"Gushan" is commanded by "Gushan Ezhen", which is translated into Chinese as "Dutong".
As the strength of the Jianzhou Jurchens continued to increase, the size of each Niulu team also continued to expand, from less than 300 people at the beginning to about 400 people now, so another lower level appeared under Niulu.
The basic unit of the level is the "Tatan". Each Tatan team has dozens to hundreds of people, and is led by a "Boshiku", which is translated into Chinese as "Xiong Riding School".
As for the so-called "generation son", he is the deputy of Niu Lu'erzhen, that is, the deputy chief of Jianzhou Jurchen.
In short, Li Yan captured alive a deputy commander and a knight from Jianzhou Jurchen.
Because of the small number of people, the deputy commander and the Xiaoqi School are already the number one figures among the Jurchens in Jianzhou. They have the ability to establish relationships with higher-ups. They are suitable to replace Zhao Junchen and ask the great Xuan Ye.
Khan sent a message.
When Zhao Junchen praised Li Yan just now, he had also been secretly observing the reactions of these Jurchen prisoners of war in Jianzhou, and found that the deputy commander of the Jianzhou Jurchens could obviously understand Chinese.
So, Zhao Junchen rode up to the deputy commander and repeated what he had said before.
"I will release you to leave, but you must take my place and send a message to your Great Khan Xuan Ye!"
The deputy commander was stunned when he heard this. He looked ecstatic at first, but then turned cautious, and asked in broken Chinese: "Who are you? What message do you want to convey to our Great Khan?"
Zhao Junchen was still sitting on the horseback and said condescendingly: "Tell your Great Khan that I invite him to meet him ten miles east of Qinghe Fort. I will only wait for him for five days and will not wait for him after the expiration date!"
As for who this pavilion is, your Great Khan must know it very well, and there is no need for you to report it!"
After saying that, Zhao Junchen raised his hand and added: "You can leave now. When you leave, you can choose two other prisoners of war to escort you to see Xuan Ye to send a message... As for the other prisoners of war, they are of no use.
, there is no need to keep and waste food.”
The latter sentence was given to Li Yan.
After saying that, Zhao Junchen rode away again.
Not long after, several screams rang out, and except for the deputy commander and his two fellow prisoners of war, several other prisoners of war were killed one after another.
*
The news that Zhao Junchen was going to meet with the Jurchen Khan of Jianzhou near Qinghe Fort soon spread throughout the army and quickly reached the ears of Gao Dejie.
After receiving the news, Gao Dejie was shocked and rushed to Zhao Junchen to ask for details.
When Gao Dejie asked to see Zhao Junchen, Zhao Junchen was sending orders to all the soldiers to assemble their troops and prepare to march north again.
After seeing Gao Dejie's appearance, Zhao Junchen couldn't help but smile. His smile contained admiration, helplessness, and even a bit of pride.
While marching north, Zhao Junchen wanted to suddenly turn against him more than once and command his soldiers to forcibly take away control of the artillery rear army, but it was a pity... Gao Dejie was really too courageous.
He always stored all the gunpowder in the army's baggage in a centralized manner and transported it in a centralized manner on dozens of neighboring mule carts!
Obviously, if Zhao Junchen wants to attack the artillery rear, Gao Dejie will directly detonate the gunpowder, not only destroying all the jade and stone, but also destroying all the artillery... By then, a large number of Zhao Junchen's soldiers will be killed in the violent explosion.
Among them, chaos will be caused and the morale of the entire army will be completely destroyed. The Wu family in Shanhaiguan will become a mortal enemy and there will be no room for change. It can be said that stealing the chicken will lose the rice.
Gao Dejie once used the same method to threaten Huang Shenming. It is said that Huang Shenming was so frightened that his face turned pale on the spot. Zhao Junchen also secretly laughed at Huang Shenming's fierceness and cowardice.
But after seeing such a battle with his own eyes, Zhao Junchen couldn't help but be frightened. During the march, he kept hiding from the artillery rear troops, for fear that the accidental explosion of the gunpowder would affect him, let alone take the opportunity to control it.
The artillery is behind the army.
It is worth mentioning that Huang Shenming originally wanted to lead his army to accompany Zhao Junchen to the north for reinforcements, but he was obviously determined to seize control of the artillery rear army again halfway. However, when he saw Gao Dejie's
After making this arrangement, he immediately changed his mind and returned directly to the West Road defense zone.
Because of Gao Dejie's desperate move, Zhao Junchen has now completely given up on using coercive means to seize control of the Artillery Rear Army, but he still has a way to bind the Artillery Rear Army to his command.
Just like now.
After meeting Zhao Junchen, Gao Dejie ignored the politeness and directly raised a question: "Zhao Gechen, Governor Wu is currently commanding various reinforcements in Fushun to confront the Jianzhou Jurchens. Why did you invite the Jianzhou Jurchen Khan to Qinghe
See you at the Fort? Qinghe Fort is a hundred miles away from Fushun. Don’t you plan to go to Fushun Pass to meet Governor Wu? If so, I’m sorry that I can’t continue with you. I need to rush to Fushun as soon as possible.
Serve my governor!"
Zhao Junchen shook his head slightly and explained patiently: "Our ultimate goal is of course Fushun Pass, but now that we have just entered the North Road Defense Zone, we have already encountered Jianzhou Jurchen marauding soldiers. The next step must be further north.
Go, the closer you get to the frontline battlefield, the more frequent encounters you will have with the Jianzhou Jurchens, and sooner or later they will attract the attention of the Jianzhou Jurchens’ main force!
Our troops only have more than 7,000 troops, and they are still mixed with good and bad. As long as the Jianzhou Jurchens send 5,000 troops to stop them, it will be difficult for us to get any benefits! If we send 10,000 troops to fight, even if we have artillery,
Even a big killer like the army has no chance of winning!"
Having said this, Zhao Junchen's expression became more serious, as if he was far-sighted and unselfish, and said: "The risk is too great, I must be extra cautious! And after six days of continuous march, the soldiers are already tired.
We must rest and recuperate in time! Therefore, we have decided that we will enter Qinghe Fort to rest for a few days. By the way, we will send a fast horse messenger to contact Governor Wu. We will not continue to lead our troops until Governor Wu sends troops to respond.
Go north!
As for our invitation to Xuan Ye to meet near Qinghe Fort, it is a strategy to weaken the enemy. If Xuanye agrees to our invitation and comes to Qinghe Fort to meet with us in person, Jianzhou Jurchen must take further steps.
By dividing the troops, the pressure on the frontline battlefield can be shared to a large extent. If Xuan Ye did not come to Qinghe Fort to meet with me, he could also be made aware that the imperial reinforcements were arriving in a steady stream, increasing his psychological pressure.
Make him more likely to retreat when faced with difficulties!"
After saying that, seeing Gao Dejie's expression of dissatisfaction, Zhao Junchen added: "Of course, if Gao Qianhu thinks that we have too many concerns when making decisions, delaying time and fighter opportunities, you can also lead the artillery rear army alone to continue.
Going north, I will never stop you! However, if the artillery rear army is attacked by the main Jianzhou Jurchen army on the march, and any accident occurs, I will not be responsible!"
Hearing what Zhao Junchen said, Gao Dejie's face couldn't help but become more ugly.
In fact, if Gao Dejie alone led the artillery rear army to the Fushun battlefield, he would also choose to stop the army at this time to rest and then send someone to contact Wu Yingxiong and ask Wu Yingxiong to divide his troops to support him.
Just like what Zhao Junchen said, the road ahead in the north is full of dangers. Jianzhou Jurchen raiding teams and scouts are everywhere, and the artillery rear army is unable to move forward.
From this aspect, there is nothing wrong with Zhao Junchen's choice to stop the march and patiently wait for the response.
But because Zhao Junchen without permission invited the Jurchen Xuan Ye Khan of Jianzhou to come to Qinghe Fort to meet with him, a series of variables caused by this approach immediately put Gao Dejie in a dilemma.
It is foreseeable that regardless of whether the Xuan Ye Great Khan will accept Zhao Junchen's invitation in the end, he will definitely send a large-scale Jianzhou Jurchen elite army to investigate the situation near Qinghe Fort!
Under such circumstances, if Gao Dejie and the artillery rear army choose to leave Zhao Junchen's command and act alone, they will have no ability to protect themselves. It will be easy for them to be discovered by the Jianzhou Jurchens, and they will also easily encounter the Jianzhou Jurchens.
attack.
Therefore, Zhao Junchen seemed to have given Gao Dejie the power to freely choose where to go, but in fact Gao Dejie had no choice at all. He could only choose the lesser of two evils and was forced to choose to accompany Zhao Junchen to Qinghe Fort.
Rest.
After thinking about these situations, Gao Dejie had a sinister expression on his face and questioned: "Zhao Cabinet Minister's idea does make some sense, but I still feel... Your cabinet minister's calculations are probably much more than that!"
The smile on Zhao Junchen's face remained unchanged, and he waved his hands disapprovingly and said: "Gao Qianhu is overthinking. I am not an ambitious man who plots conspiracies all the time. How could there be so many calculations!"
Seeing that Zhao Junchen was unwilling to admit it, Gao Dejie was helpless and quickly said goodbye with a cold face.
But in fact, Zhao Junchen's choice to stop the troops in Qinghe Fort and invite Xuan Ye to meet him was indeed hiding a deeper conspiracy.
Not only to wait for Wu Yingxiong to send troops to respond, not only to share the pressure on the frontline battlefield, not only to force the artillery rear troops to stay under his command.
Zhao Junchen's real goal is to steal the show and take all the credit!
According to Zhao Junchen's speculation, the Jianzhou Jurchens' invasion this time was just because they discovered that civil strife broke out in Liaodong Town. Their fighting spirit was not particularly firm, and the preparations before the war were not particularly sufficient.
Reinforcements from all walks of life quickly rushed to the vicinity of Fushun Pass to provide support, and then they decided to retreat.
Under such circumstances, if Zhao Junchen can leave Wu Yingxiong and the generals of Liaodong Town behind, choose to meet Xuan Ye alone near Qinghe Fort, and take the opportunity to reach an armistice agreement with the Jianzhou Jurchens, he can push back the enemy troops and defend the border.
Take all the credit for yourself and enjoy all the glory!
On the contrary, if Zhao Junchen chooses to continue going north to join Wu Yingxiong, he will not be able to bypass Wu Yingxiong and the Liaodong Town generals when negotiating with the Jianzhou Jurchens. Even if an armistice agreement is reached by then, he will still have to negotiate with Wu Yingxiong and the Liaodong Town generals.
will share this achievement.
Zhao Junchen knew very well that without the timely support of Wu Yingxiong and the generals of Liaodong Town, who led the army to fight hard, it would have been impossible for him to persuade the Jurchens in Jianzhou to cease the war and withdraw their troops. However, Zhao Junchen did not want Wu Yingxiong to share this achievement, otherwise Wu Yingxiong would increase the number of soldiers.
The chances of winning the annexation of Liaodong Town; Zhao Junchen did not want the generals of Liaodong Town to share this achievement, otherwise it would increase Liaodong Town's capital to support its troops.
Therefore, in order to take care of the overall situation of the imperial court, Zhao Junchen had no choice but to choose to overshadow the guest, steal all the credit, and monopolize all the benefits!