Xingshan, Li Laiheng is very happy today. A caravan from Wuchang has arrived, bringing various supplies that he urgently needs. Xingshan is barely self-sufficient in food, but medicinal materials, iron materials, cloth, furs, etc. still need to be imported from the outside.
, all these are essential for an army to maintain combat effectiveness. Before Hong Chengchou took charge of Huguang, the Kuidong Thirteen Family had extremely close contacts with the people of Hubei, with constant trade routes and constant business travel. After Hong Chengchou took office, he treated the Kuidong Thirteen Family
Strict trade controls were implemented and most of the trade routes leading to Xingshan were banned. Now, only some gentry in Hubei still have the courage and ability to smuggle to Xingshan, which also forced Li Laiheng to pay a higher price to purchase necessities.
.Every time he talked about this matter, Li Laiheng felt itchy with hatred for Hong Chengchou.
After receiving the caravan, Li Laiheng was both happy and sad. He didn't have to worry about the army's supplies for the time being, but the money in the bank was about to run out. If he didn't go to Hu Quancai quickly to get some silver, even if the caravan came next time, he wouldn't
I can't afford the money. I heard that Luo Dashun from Xiying made a lot of money recently by kidnapping Tatars. Should I learn from this and not chop up the real Tatars the next time I catch them, but sell them back to Hu Quancai?
While he was melancholy, his subordinate came to report. A businessman said that he had important military information that he wanted to report personally. Li Laiheng was very curious. In the past, there were many common people who reported information to the Ming army, but now there are not many. Jin gentry reported information to the Ming army.
It almost never happened. He waved his hand and motioned to bring the businessman in. He still had to meet him, and you would know if the information was true or false.
Not long after, a wretched and thin man who covered the money rat's tail with a scarf walked in quickly and slapped Li Laiheng in the face. Li Laiheng's mouth twitched, suppressing his urge to chop, and said displeasedly.
: "Okay, don't use the Tatar etiquette on me. Tell me, do you have any important military information?"
The man didn't take it seriously. He smiled and bowed again, and then said with a smile: "So that I can let you know that I am a personal attendant of Mr. Lu in Wuchang. Mr. Lu has heard top-secret information, which is of great importance.
In order to deceive others, I asked the young one to accompany the caravan to report to the Lord."
Li Laiheng hummed in his throat and said calmly: "Come on."
The man said mysteriously: "My master's brother-in-law is a Tongzhi of Wuchang Prefecture. The two masters had wine together a few days ago. Master Tongzhi told my master that the Pingxi King's army was short of supplies, so Wuchang raised a batch of
Food, medicinal materials, armor and silver will be shipped soon. However, the Ming army is attacking Xunyang, so this batch of materials has stopped at Xiangyang..."
The man paused, and when he saw Li Laiheng's eyes lit up after hearing this, he was immediately encouraged and said flatteringly: "Young Master Mingjian, my master is in the Cao camp and his heart is in the Han Dynasty. He hates the Tatars deeply. It's just that he is in the enemy's camp."
camp, I had no choice but to give up, and in my heart I only hoped that the Duke would show his might and attack Wuchang as soon as possible to rescue the people of the Ming Dynasty who were bullied by the Tatars. Therefore, as soon as the master heard the news, he immediately asked the young master to report to the master.
I wonder if the Lord intends to rob this batch of supplies?"
Li Laiheng was greatly moved, but he remained calm. He tapped his fingers on the table a few times and asked in a deep voice, "What can your master do for you?"
If he had believed any nonsense that he was in Cao's camp and his heart was in the Han Dynasty, all the Xingshan Army would have been devoured by the Tatars.
"My lord, it's clear!" the man said happily: "My lord said, I think my lord needs food, medicinal materials and other supplies, so I won't want them. But the silver shipped this time is 200,000 taels, and I hope that my lord
I can reward half of it."
Li Laiheng snorted, frowned and thought for a moment, then continued: "How much food, medicinal materials, how many guards are there, which route to take, who is the general leading the team, has Wu Sangui sent someone to respond?"
The man told them one by one, and finally took out a letter and presented it to Li Laiheng, saying: "My uncle's questions are all explained in the letter. Please read this letter now and burn it. If you are interested, please
My Lord, please restrain Xunyang’s army to retreat as soon as possible, otherwise Xiangyang’s convoy will not dare to set off… If My Lord decides to take action, you can send people to the north and south of Xiangyang to get groceries, and the younger ones will be waiting there recently.”
Li Laiheng didn't know whether it was okay or not, so he waved him off, and then he lowered his head and began to calculate. More than 200,000 taels of military supplies were simply leaked by a drunk colleague. It looked like a conspiracy to deceive him into withdrawing his troops. But it was so big.
A large-scale convoy operation will definitely be escorted by a large army. It is impossible for me not to investigate. If it is fake, it will not fool me. If it is true, it is definitely a God-given opportunity. How many years has the Xingshan Army been poor?
Even if it is bait, he still wants to bite it.
"Gather the Three Walls and follow me to Xunyang!" Gritting his teeth, Li Laiheng made up his mind. He had to go. He happened to go and see what Wang Qilong was doing in Xunyang. Several days had passed.
Xunyang probably won't be defeated, and the surrounding area should be almost cleaned up.
On the fourth day after the destruction of Xunyang City, Xunyang had basically become an empty city. Based on the experience of Xiying and Chuangying when they wandered around the world, the First Division divided the people in Xunyang City into male and female camps and sent them to separate camps.
Chengdu. The new recruits from Jianchang were an eye-opener for the original imperial officers and soldiers. These poor and frightened boys went to the houses to uncover the tiles, dug holes in the ground, and turned over the things hidden by the common people. Chapter 1
The First Division allowed the people to bring their private property, but these people thought they could come back, so they hid some things in their houses. Now, the First Division took advantage of them all.
Outside the city, cries shook the sky. The Chinese people have always resettled their homes and relocated. Even in later generations, demolition was a long-standing problem, not to mention that this was still the end of the Ming Dynasty. The people of Xunyang Mansion were filled with resentment and faced the third man who was standing by.
The officers and soldiers of the First Division stared angrily. The officers and soldiers of the First Division did not take it seriously. These common people who had been brainwashed by the Tatars regarded them as thieves. They knew it well, but when they arrived in Chengdu and were assigned their own land,
They will soon change their views. Wang Qilong was worried that the conflict between the army and the people would cause changes. He repeatedly emphasized that the First Division must not offend the people in the slightest. He even personally guarded the outside of the city and directed the people to relocate. He has been busy these days
In this matter, apart from arranging a battalion to monitor the Qing army in the direction of Gucheng, they didn't even take care of military affairs.
"Commander, the brothers at the dock came to report that there are not enough ships." While he was busy, the leader of the first regiment came in sweating profusely. There were tens of thousands of people in Xunyang Mansion, and they also brought their belongings with them.
They have dozens of small boats, all of which are already full.
"Send people to Fangxian and Xingshan to find Linguo Gong and Nan'an Hou. They still have ships. Now that the ships are full, we will set off first. When we pass through Fengjie, we will ask Governor Wen to send a ship to meet us." Wang Qilong thought for a while.
, replied, "We must send the people away as soon as possible, otherwise our army will be nailed to Xunyang and unable to move. This is a taboo for military strategists. By the way, Xunyang's guard has run away, what's going on in Gucheng?"
"
"No, there was no response from the Tatars in Gucheng. My subordinates guessed that General Xunyang did not go to Gucheng." The regimental leader replied.
Wang Qilong closed his eyes and did not answer, sketching a map of the situation between the enemy and ourselves in Xiangyang in his mind. After a while, he said: "Gucheng may not know that Xunyang has entered my hands, but this news has been hidden for a long time. Xunyang is a small city and there are few people. Xunyang
To the east is Gucheng. Gucheng is small and can be destroyed with one drum. Further east from Gucheng is Xiangyang. If Xiangyang is captured..."
The group leader was also greatly moved and gasped: "Xiangyang is not small, there are more people than Chengdu now, right? God, how did we get so many ships?"
"It's impossible to transport them all away even if we have ships." Wang Qilong smiled and said, "The Tatars are not stupid. If we capture Xiangyang, they will definitely mobilize a large army to encircle and suppress us. How many of us can we still defend Xiangyang? However, Your Highness
Aren't you short of money? There should be many rich people in Xiangyang City, and the treasury is probably rich too."
The regiment leader swallowed his saliva and his eyes shone, as if he had seen the silver in the Xiangyang warehouse being moved back to Chengdu box by box. He suddenly loudly asked for orders: "Commander of the division, just leave an infantry battalion in Xunyang.
Please ask the division commander to lead the army to attack Gucheng first."
"No rush." Wang Qilong shook his head and said, "I have asked the Marquis of Nan'an to send troops to garrison Xunyang. Since Xunyang has been captured, we will not return it to the Tatars. When the Marquis of Nan'an arrives, our entire army will go to Gucheng
, captured Gucheng in one day and did not give the Tatars a chance to report to Xiangyang."
Just as he was talking, soldiers came over and said that Li Laiheng and Hao Yaoqi were coming. Wang Qilong was surprised. It was normal for Hao Yaoqi to come, but why did Li Laiheng come too. He quickly stepped forward to greet them, and saw dust billowing in the distance.
A group of cavalry roared over, and the vibration of the horse's hooves on the ground calmed down the people of Xunyang who had been a little turbulent.
Wang Qilong laughed. He had been busy for a few days, but he couldn't match the power of Li Laiheng's appearance. "Cavalry, alas, it's a pity that His Highness can't afford it, and he can't get good horses..."
On the side, the regiment leader said unconvinced: "The cavalry should run faster. If we really fight, they may not be my first regiment's opponent."
Wang Qilong glanced at him and said angrily: "These are three walls!" He said no more, walked quickly towards Li Laiheng and Hao Waiqi who had dismounted, and after carrying his luggage, asked: "Why did Lord Lin Guo come here?
?”
Li Laiheng laughed and said: "General Wang is really brave. He captured Xunyang in a few days. I only learned about it on the way here. It is really very satisfying!"
Wang Qilong said a few words of humility, and Li Laiheng said: "I really have something to discuss with General Wang..." After telling the news he heard in Xingshan, Li Laiheng said slightly helplessly, "I thought General Wang was still sweeping Xunyang.
All around, the general did not want to move too quickly and directly defeated Xunyang. Now, the Tatars may not leave Xunyang..."
Wang Qilong pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised his head and said: "The general brought 2,500 men, and the battle in Xunyang was almost unscathed. If the Marquis of Nan'an could borrow the general's 5,000 soldiers, and add the three walls of Linguo Gong, we would be able to
You will think that Xiangyang can be defeated!"
Li Laiheng's pupils shrank and he said tremblingly: "You want to hit Xiangyang?"
Next to him, Hao Yaoqi also looked shocked. Newborn calves are not afraid of tigers. Young people today are really bold. He said enthusiastically: "I have been coveting Xiangyang for a long time, but Xiangyang is not easy to fight. If you can guarantee that we will win,
Xiangyang, let alone five thousand soldiers, ten thousand will do. I will prepare my own food and fodder to help you fight. But we have agreed to capture Xiangyang and guard it for me in the future."
Wang Qilong said calmly: "The general had originally planned to attack Gucheng and Xiangyang after settling Xunyang. Now that the Duke and the Marquis have arrived, the general is not willing to retreat. The military supplies given to Wu Sangui are to be used to attack Chongqing.
If it can be robbed in Hubei, we must not miss it. However, why should we act according to the ideas of the Jin gentry named Lu? If we break Xiangyang, we will get it for ourselves, and there is no need to share half of it with him."
Li Laiheng was a little embarrassed, shook his head and said: "After all, it is the news sent by someone else. If you don't tell them apart, isn't it not very authentic?"
Hao Yaoqi was shocked again. This young man is so dark-hearted and ruthless. He really has an appetite for me, Old Hao. He suddenly patted Wang Qilong on the shoulder and laughed and said: "I like you, boy, so you should come and join us."
Ying, I see you are very good at robbing..."
Wang Qilong was astonished and said with a wry smile: "Thank you so much, Mr. Marquis, for your love. I will eventually be valued by Your Highness. I will only follow Your Highness to the death in this life..."
"Okay, okay, I'm just joking with you. You, the sons of officials, are just unhappy about this." Hao Yaoqi said impatiently.
Li Laiheng was tired. He had been talking for a long time and still didn't get to the point. He interrupted and asked, "Does General Wang have a way to break the city?"
Wang Qilong nodded, led them towards the artillery camp, and said: "The general will not dare to take any chances, but the probability of breaking the city should be above 70%."
As he said that, he pointed at the three big guys in the artillery camp. Li Laiheng and Hao Yaoqi looked at it intently, and they were both shocked and exclaimed: "Hongyi cannon!" This chapter has been completed!