Chapter 597 The Seven General Soldiers (please vote!)
Anyone who has studied the Wanli Ningxia Campaign knows that the attack on Ningxia City is the real beginning.
The Kuaibai Rebellion in history was put down within half a year, most of which was spent besieging Ningxia City.
There are three main reasons why it is difficult to fight.
First, the city of Ningxia is tall and solid, and has accumulated a lot of food and grass, so its defensive hardware is very good.
The second is the rebels trapped in the city. They are the core force of the Kuaibai Group and their combat effectiveness is quite good.
The third is that the city of Ningxia itself is close to the border, and there is a border wall not far from the city.
Because of the Kuai Bai Rebellion, the border defense line was riddled with holes, making it easy for the captured soldiers to sneak in by surprise.
Kuaibai kept seducing some northern tribesmen to help in the battle, posing a huge threat to the army behind the siege.
All in all, after recapturing the Hexi forts outside Ningxia City, the officers and soldiers who were temporarily unable to attack the city could only rest and recuperate temporarily, waiting for reinforcements.
Lin Tailai, the supervisor, discussed with the governor Ye Mengxiong and said: "The governor might as well return to Huamachi to garrison, to prevent the captive cavalry from breaking into the rear from Huamachi, and at the same time, to raise food and wages.
The supervisory army and General Li are stationed outside Ningxia City, continuing to besiege the rebels, but not attacking them, waiting for strong reinforcements."
Ye Mengxiong was speechless. Judging from your official position, your main job, Lin Tailai, is "food and salary officer", right? Why did you instead arrange for him, a rebellious governor, to go to the rear to raise food and salary?
However, considering the actual results of Lin Tai's five battles and five victories since he came to the northwest, Governor Ye, who could not be stubborn, agreed to take the overall situation into consideration.
Then Lin Tailai hurriedly asked: "Then the Governor's Office, can you lend your Shang Shang Sword to this supervisor's army?"
"Get lost! Don't push yourself too far!" Governor Ye scolded. Do you really think that he, the governor, is a soft persimmon?
At this time, there were more than 20,000 officers and soldiers outside Ningxia City, and they were divided into two camps.
Supervisor Lin and Xiao Ruxun, who was promoted to deputy commander-in-chief of Ningxia Town, were in the southeast, and Guyuan Town deputy commander-in-chief Li Yu was in the west, closely monitoring the movements of the rebels.
When the war was temporarily deadlocked, reinforcements finally arrived one after another.
In history, as many as seven general-level figures participated in the war in Ningxia. At one time, there was a spectacle of five generals attacking the city at the same time, including many famous generals.
These northern army leaders are all coming to report to Supervisor Lin.
The first reinforcements to arrive were two "former chief military officers."
One is Niu Bingzhong, the former commander-in-chief of Ningxia. He has been retired for several years, but this time he was hastily called back to fight by the court.
This is a veteran general who claims to have personally beheaded hundreds of enemies since joining the army. He is an absolutely ruthless character, and Lin Tailai respects him very much.
However, what is in short supply on the Ningxia front line now is not generals, but soldiers.
A retired veteran came in a hurry with his servants. It can't be said to be useless, but it still can't play a decisive role.
The other "former military commander" Liu Chengsi is even more useless.
Speaking of Liu Chengsi and Lin Tailai, although they are separated by thousands of mountains and rivers from the northwest to the southeast and have never met each other in their lives, their fate is not shallow.
In the 16th year of Wanli, Liu Chengsi was still the commander-in-chief of Gansu Town. Inspired by Lin Tailai's Yangzhou mutiny, his officers and soldiers also besieged the governor with knives.
As a result, Liu Chengsi was dismissed as the commander-in-chief of Gansu Town and transferred to Lintao as the commander-in-chief.
Then everyone knew that Huo Luochi invaded Lintao in June last year, Liu Chengsi was defeated and was dismissed as chief military officer.
Then Zheng Luo and Lin Tailai were sent to the northwest. Until now, Zheng Luo is still guarding the front line in Lintao.
Now that Liu Chengsi was sent to Ningxia by the imperial court, he was considered guilty of meritorious service. But how useful can such a "former chief military officer" be?
If you come, you will be given command of the troops. In the eyes of Lin Supervisor, it is better not to come.
Then some useful reinforcements finally came. Dong Yikui, another veteran Taomin deputy commander, was appointed as the commander-in-chief of Ningxia Town, and six to seven thousand troops were transferred from Yansui Town and brought over.
The total number of military officers arriving at the front line of Ningxia City increased to five.
Xiao Ruxun, who was promoted to deputy commander-in-chief of Ningxia Town after sticking to the isolated city, was theoretically rescued by Lin Tailai.
Deputy Commander-in-Chief Li Yu, who rushed from Guyuan Town to support the counterattack and regain the lost ground, was theoretically commanded by Lin Tailai to command the counterattack.
Former chief military officers Niu Bingzhong, Liu Chengsi and Lin Tailai didn't care.
Dong Yikui, a veteran military general who was promoted from deputy commander-in-chief to commander-in-chief of Ningxia Town, was the nominal frontline commander.
After Dong Zongbing entered the scene, he quickly met with Supervisor Lin.
Lin Tailai looked carefully at Dong Yikui, who was nearly sixty years old. In his impression, this veteran also went to North Korea later.
Lin Tailai didn't remember clearly what battle he fought. He only remembered that Dong Yikui was almost appointed as the envoy to negotiate with the Japanese.
By the way, Dong Yikui was also a general, and the two brothers were both general-level figures.
At this time, Dong Zongbing was a little uncomfortable. Why did he feel that Lin Supervisor's eyes were inspecting the animals?
After Lin Tai came to his senses, he smiled and said: "Hahahaha, I remembered a past incident.
Twenty years ago, when you were promoted to the rank of Commander-in-Chief, you were impeached by Governor Wang Chonggu, almost imprisoned and interrogated, and then demoted to Deputy Commander-in-Chief, right?"
Dong Yikui replied a little depressed: "It is indeed true. Thanks to the emperor's grace, I was not arrested."
Wang Chonggu is a famous marshal of his generation and a veteran hero who led the Longqing peace talks. What can he say?
Said that he was ignorant back then and hindered Wang Chonggu and Western merchants from smuggling?
Then he was demoted from the commander-in-chief of the area to the deputy commander-in-chief of the assisting defense. Once he was demoted, it lasted twenty years?
Lin Tailai replied: "If you have any grievances, just say it, it doesn't matter! I also have a very bad relationship with the three major aristocratic families in Puzhou!
A few years ago, when I was a military attache, we staged a mutiny in Yangzhou and even imprisoned Yang Junmin, the governor at the time!
So you and I have the same hatred!"
The three major aristocratic families in Puzhou were Zhang, Yang, Wang, and Longqing, which were at their peak in the early years of Wanli.
The representative figures are Zhang Siwei, the former chief assistant, Yang Bo, the former minister of the Ministry of War, and Wang Chonggu, the former governor.
The three families were married to each other. Yang Bo and Wang Chonggu were the in-laws of their children, and Yang Junmin, who was captured by Lin Tailai, was Yang Bo's son.
Not to mention, the person who was most looking forward to the return of the old chief assistant Zhang Siwei in his heart was probably Shen Shoufu.
Therefore, when Lin Tailai said to Dong Yikui that they "share the same hatred and hatred", it was not a random fabrication.
Doesn’t this make the relationship closer? Winning over the total number of soldiers with the highest cost-effectiveness will add one!
Dong Yikui has been in the army for nearly forty years and has met many civil servants. He always feels that Lin Tailai is different from other civil servants.
Although the legendary Nine-Yuan True Immortal was indeed very domineering, he did not have any discriminatory or disdainful feelings toward the roughnecks in the army and even participated in battles in person.
Thinking about it again, it seems normal. Which civil servant is famous for his force, but likes to mutiny and fight whenever he disagrees?
Looking at the slightly reserved Dong Zongbing, Lin Tailai asked again: "Now that you are the commander-in-chief, let's decide! Do you want to start attacking the city?"
Dong Yikui quickly said: "It's not that I don't dare to take the risk myself, but it's true that the time has not come! Once the troops are still insufficient, it will be difficult to besiege the city, let alone attack the city.
Secondly, since I have not been here for twenty years, the soldiers are unfamiliar and difficult for me to command for a while, so I still need time to get familiar with them."
Lin Tailai nodded and praised with sufficient emotional value: "It seems that you are very calm, so keep watching!"
Dong Yikui breathed a sigh of relief. He was most afraid that Supervisor Lin was young and energetic, eager to make meritorious deeds, and would urge the officers and soldiers to attack in a full-scale attack.
I heard that this supervisor's greatest reputation in the northwest military circles was that apart from his great victories, he was also "willful and reckless". Governor Zheng said it himself.
The word "arrogant soldier and fierce general" should be used for officers and soldiers, but if it is used for civil servants like Lin Supervisor, it does not violate harmony at all.
Supervisor Lin has done all the bad things that military generals dream of doing, and the key is that he has not been punished after doing it.
But today, in Dong Yikui's eyes, isn't this young supervisor quite stable? It seems that the rumors may not be fully believed.
In mid-April, the sixth commander-in-chief, the former commander-in-chief of Datong and Ningxia, Ma Gui, who was impeached and removed from office last year and was recently re-appointed as deputy commander-in-chief, rushed over from Datong Town.
Lin Tailai murmured in his heart, is the order of appearance of these general soldiers based on their status in the world?
The less important ones appear in the front, and the more important roles appear in the back?
Ma Gui was also regarded as a famous general in the Wanli Dynasty. He also came from a family of generals. The Ma family and the Li family in Liaodong were collectively known as "Eastern Li and Western Ma".
Let’s take Ma Gui himself. He was the chief military officer of Datong Town more than 20 years ago. After working for more than ten years, he was transferred to the chief military officer of Ningxia Town. He worked for another ten years before being dismissed last year. How tough is this qualification?
.
Although Ma Gui has strong qualifications and high rank, after entering the venue, he still had to pay a visit to Supervisor Lin.
There was no choice, Supervisor Lin was the only civilian official at the scene who represented the imperial court in controlling the generals.
In theory, Governor Ye, who was supposed to control the generals on the front line, was not present and was responsible for the more important work of protecting the rear and raising food and wages.
"Lao Ma, you are really lucky." Lin Tailai asked Deputy Commander Ma Gui to sit down and started to greet him.
Ma Gui, who is over fifty years old, is puzzled. On the surface, Supervisor Lin's words are easy to understand, but what does it mean deep down?
Some civil servants like to be riddlers and like to talk surrounded by clouds and mountains. Is it true that Supervisor Lin is the same?
There are many explanations for "good luck". For example, you were dismissed from office last year, and the Kuaibai Rebellion occurred this year, which resulted in you being re-appointed by the court. So you say you are lucky?
It's not easy to answer this question. If you say it wrong and it appears that you are happy about Kuai Bai's rebellion, then your whole life will be ruined.
Just as Ma Gui repeatedly wondered whether this was a language trap, Supervisor Lin said again:
"Stop thinking nonsense! What I mean is, if you were not impeached last year, then you would still be the commander-in-chief of Ningxia Town.
If you were still the commander-in-chief of Ningxia Town, then when Kuai Bai suddenly launched a rebellion this year, you would be the one who was killed or committed suicide!
So I say you are lucky. You have served as the commander-in-chief of Ningxia for more than ten years, but you were dismissed from office last year, so you just avoided being killed this year.
Otherwise, I would set up an altar outside the city to honor you as a loyal martyr, and I would also help you think of a posthumous name! When the city is destroyed and your bones are found, I will probably have to write the epitaph."
Ma Gui: "."
Is Supervisor Lin kidding himself? It's just that the joke is a bit cold.
After chatting with the young supervisor for a long time, eating a meal and drinking a few glasses of wine, he felt a little more familiar. Ma Gui then requested: "Now that the soldiers and horses are gathered together and there is enough food and grass, we can consider attacking the city."
Supervisor Lin replied: "There are still reinforcements that have not arrived yet, so just wait."
Ma Gui continued to request: "Now the number of officers and soldiers besieging the city is nearly 40,000, we can give it a try!"
Supervisor Lin stared at Ma Gui for a while, then suddenly said: "Among all the general officers, only Li Rusong has not arrived yet.
Do you want to capture Ningxia City before Li Rusong arrives?"
Ma Guideng immediately leaned back tactically and denied, "I'm not, I didn't, don't talk nonsense!"
Really, were my thoughts so obvious? It was actually easily seen by a young man.
