"My lord, my lord, I still need to report to Your Highness the matter of Xiangyang." After Li Laiheng and Hao waved their flags and entered Xunyang City to sit down, Wang Qilong pondered for a moment and said.
"I'm afraid that slowing down will not help the situation and will waste the opportunity." Li Laiheng frowned. He was not dissatisfied with Zhu Cixuan, but Chengdu was too far away and it took a long time to go back and forth. The Tatars were not meat on the chopping board for them to manipulate.
Over time, things will inevitably change.
Hao Yaoqi also objected: "We each have a piece of land under our control. It is up to us to decide when to go to war with the Tatars. Why bother?"
Wang Qilong explained: "General Mo will naturally understand the reason why the foreign emperor will accept his orders. Mo Jiang does not want to obtain His Highness's consent, but to report His Highness's knowledge of the matter. If the Wu thief's military supplies are successfully obtained, the Wu thief will
When he becomes angry, he may attack Chongqing, so we need to remind His Highness and Inspector Wen to take precautions."
Li Laiheng and Hao Yaoqi were relieved. After thinking about it, they really needed to remind Chongqing to take precautions. Hao Yaoqi shook his head and said, "It's useless to remind you. Chongqing Commander-in-Chief Du Zitong...is not called by this name."
Wu Thief’s opponent.”
Li Laiheng corrected him: "Uncle, that's Du Zixiang. But my uncle is right. Du Zixiang's abilities are mediocre and he is no match for the Wu thieves. His Highness once said that the King of Shu will be based in Chongqing in the near future. I wonder when the King of Shu will be able to come?"
Wang Qilong frowned and said: "After the general left Chengdu, I heard that the King of Jin had defeated Wang Ziqi and was about to rush to Guiyang. I think that after the King of Jin arrives in Guiyang, the King of Shu will go to Chongqing, but I don't know if he can make it." After a pause, he
Then he said in a low voice, "I have heard from His Highness that the King of Shu has been ill recently. It is thought that it was caused by the fatigue of the Zhenyuan battle. His Highness has already sent someone to visit him. If he is really seriously ill, His Highness may personally sit in Chongqing."
"this?!"
"Absolutely not!"
Li and Hao exclaimed and objected in unison. It is one thing to worry about Zhu Cixuan's safety, but more importantly, Zhu Cixuan has never really fought. Can he be Wu Sangui's opponent?
"So what happened in Xiangyang must not be concealed. Chongqing, alas, there is no one in the court. When His Highness talks about this matter, he often stays up all night. Chongqing needs to be on guard against Wu Sangui, Guiyang needs to face Hong Chengchou and Zhuo Butai at the same time, Jin
The two kings of Wang and Shu were pinned to these two places and could not move. His Highness was thinking hard about where the Ming Dynasty could make progress. He searched and searched, but only the Zhongzhen camp facing Hubei was slightly weak." Wang Qilong looked at Li Laiheng and Hao Yao.
The two bannermen said in a low voice, "Don't think that His Highness asked the emperor to come to Hubei because he was dissatisfied with the Zhongzhen Camp. His Highness once said that the place where the Zhongzhen Camp is stationed has more mountains and less land. The land is barren and the production is not enough to support the army.
Therefore, they do not dare to move if they have a strong army. Although Chengdu is exhausted now, the land is fertile. As long as the population increases, the production will be enough to support the whole Sichuan. This is why the emperor will move the population to Hubei. In the future, the supplies of Zhongzhen Camp will be provided by Chengdu.
The Loyalty Battalion can focus on fighting without having to worry about logistics and supplies. His Highness said this is called resource optimization and rationing. The general doesn’t understand it very well, but it seems to make sense.”
Li and Hao were silent, but they were moved in their hearts. Li Laiheng's eyes were slightly red, and seeking refuge with the Ming Dynasty was originally a choice he had to make when he had no other choice. He did not expect to gain the trust and support of the Ming court when he broke into the camp, but
Zhu Cixuan really had no grudge against breaking into the camp, which also made Li Laiheng gradually develop some different emotions towards the Ming Dynasty that he had determined to overthrow, an emotion that was probably called a sense of belonging.
"Your Highness, alas." Hao Yaoqi also sighed, "It's a pity that Your Highness was born so late."
Wang Qilong smiled and said: "His Highness is often worried that he is too young, but the general does not think that His Highness is young. His Highness's thinking is not as mature as that of a young boy."
After taking the opportunity to win over a wave of people for Zhu Cixuan, Wang Qilong suggested: "It is not appropriate for our army to stay in Xunyang for too long. Since Duke Lin and Marquis Nan'an have arrived, it is better for Marquis Nan'an to temporarily station in Xunyang to protect our army's retreat.
At the same time, continue to transport the people. Duke Lin, how about we attack Gucheng tomorrow?"
Three days later, Gucheng had planted the flag of the Ming Dynasty. Gucheng was not on the front line of the Ming and Qing tug-of-war, and the city defense was much worse than that of Xunyang. After the battle of Xunyang, the first division's combat experience had improved greatly.
Coupled with the cooperation of the three walls, the Qing army in Gucheng could not hold out for even a day before they were breached. This time, the three walls showed their power and easily captured the Gucheng defenders who fled out of the city.
Xiangyang was not given a chance to warn.
After taking Gucheng, Li Laiheng and Wang Qilong asked Hao Yaoqi to come and receive the people while continuing to march towards Xiangyang. On the way, Li Laiheng looked at the topographic map of Xiangyang found in Gucheng for a while, and said worriedly: "General Wang, Gaochi of Xiangyang City
The depth is not comparable to that of Xunyang Valley City. Even with the red barbarian cannons, the city can only be destroyed by five or five. I thought that the personal entourage of the Tatar businessman in Xiangyang City could still be used."
Wang Qilong nodded and asked: "What does the Duke plan to do?"
"Contact the personal escort and ask him to cover some of our elite troops as they enter the city to hide. After our troops arrive, we will attack the city first. It is best if the Hongyi artillery can break open the city gate. If it cannot be broken open, let the elite troops attack the city gate at night.
"Li Laiheng's eyes flashed and he said excitedly, "Five days, if we can't attack Xiangyang in five days, we will launch it in the city. It's the best. If it fails, our army will retreat immediately. Xiangyang city is big, and our army is not strong enough to stop the Tatars.
If I ask for help, Hu Quan will not just sit back and watch Xiangyang besieged, he will definitely send troops to rescue us, and then we will be in trouble if we try to leave."
Wang Qilong was silent for a moment and said softly: "I'm afraid not a few of the elite sent into the city will survive."
"Compassion does not control troops!" Li Laiheng sighed, "General Wang, you are good at everything, but you are too soft-hearted. Your first division has a unique name, good equipment, and good training. But if you and the
When our Xingshan Army faces off, the first division will definitely be defeated. Does General Wang know why?"
Wang Qilong lowered his head and said respectfully: "Please give me some advice, Duke."
"If you are reluctant to die, your officers will not dare to take risks, and the soldiers will feel that there is no need to fight life and death. But on the battlefield, life and death are often on a thin line. The more afraid of death, the more timid, the faster they will die.
Your soldiers are well trained, but without this fearlessness of death, it will be no problem to defeat the Tatars in Xunyang Gucheng who are also afraid of death, but against the elite Tatars, they will be completely defeated." Li Laiheng was not polite either.
, straightforward.
Wang Qilong was silent. He actually knew this very well, but Zhu Cixuan emphasized many times that the first division was a seed unit, and every soldier was extremely precious and should not be thrown away casually. This also made him constrained in leading troops in combat. He wanted to train troops,
He was also afraid of death, which was extremely uncomfortable.
He told Zhu Cixuan's instructions and worries, but Li Laiheng said disapprovingly: "Your Highness is kind, but after all, you don't know what's going on in the army. Since Your Highness treats this first division as a seed unit, you shouldn't take too much care of it. You need to know the morale of the army."
There is also a legacy. Does His Highness hope to train Chengdu's army into young soldiers who only dare to fight against the wind? Does Your Highness plan to take such soldiers to sit in Chongqing and deliver food to the Wu thieves?" He said it very rudely,
Wang Qilong smiled helplessly. Li Laiheng was talking nonsense in front of him. How dare he say the same thing to Zhu Cixuan?
In fact, this was Zhu Cixuan's own misconception. He came from a later generation, an era of material explosion, and the importance of people was unprecedented. He was influenced by this and spread this kind of thinking to the people around him in a subtle way. Now
Everyone in Chengdu knew that Zhu Cixuan valued the people, and Tan Yi, Tan Hong and others no longer dared to treat the people with disdain like they did in Wanxian County. This was also a good side. However, this kind of thinking in the army did make the soldiers angry.
The desire to fight to the death has faded a lot. Zhu Cixuan thought that promoting nationalism and other ideas in the army could arouse the fighting spirit of the soldiers, but he did not know that this was only a superficial knowledge of the People's Liberation Army of later generations. Is that an iron army tempered by blood and fire?
What about the inspiration of nationalism?
"The fighting spirit of a strong army needs blood. Not only the blood of the enemy, but also the blood of comrades." Li Laiheng said solemnly, "I know that His Highness has great ambitions and must not be ruined by the kindness of a woman.
A group of good soldiers. General Wang is deeply trusted by His Highness. We should not blindly cater to His Highness. We should also have our own opinions."
Wang Qilong accepted the instruction and bowed to thank him.
"To seize the door, at least a hundred people are needed. How about you and I each contribute half?" Li Laiheng discussed.
Wang Qilong thought for a while and suggested: "The number of people the Lord has brought is small, and they are all cavalry. It would be too wasteful to seize the door. It is better for the Lord to select a few heroes with rich experience in battles to be the leaders, and the rest are
Just pick from my first division." Li Laiheng's words woke him up. He was also a decisive person, and he immediately wanted to seize this opportunity. As long as he succeeded in seizing the goal, the survivors must be elites. When the time comes, these elites
If they are dispersed throughout the division, they will surely be able to rectify the morale of the entire division.
Li Laiheng was slightly surprised, took a deep look at Wang Qilong, and said with a smile: "Just follow what the general said."
Xiangyang has been relatively tense recently. I heard that Xunyang in the upper reaches is being besieged by the Ming army, but no news has come for a long time. In the past two days, Gucheng has also lost the daily military news. People in the city are panicked. Is it possible that Ming Dynasty
The army has already captured Gucheng, will they come to attack Xiangyang?
In the past few days, wealthy households in the city have begun to flee to Yicheng, and there are also people outside the city who want to take refuge in the city. Xiangyang City is so big that the Ming army may not be able to defeat it, but the people outside the city cannot stop the Ming army.
People leaving the city huddled in the city gate. The guard of Xiangyang wanted to close the door several times, but he couldn't bear it. The magistrate was fed money and was not allowed to close the door. The guard argued several times, and the prefect finally
They reluctantly agreed to close the city gates in the west and north directions.
In the morning, the East City Gate had just opened, and the people waiting outside the city swarmed the city gate. On the avenue outside the city, a motorcade rumbled over under the banners of "Lu" and "North and South Groceries". The motorcade rumbled over.
In the middle, the man who had met Li Laiheng personally led the team, looking anxiously at the bustling city gate. I don't know whether it was because of heat or nervousness. Sweat fell from his head and face, and he couldn't wipe it off.
This man's name is Lu Guo. He is not a follower of the Lu family, but the concubine of the Lu family. Of course, this Lu family is someone arranged by Wu Sangui in Wuchang. They specialize in smuggling business and are white gloves for Wu Sangui to make money. This time Wu Sangui
When the order came, the Lu family did not dare to neglect and immediately sent Lu Guo to contact Li Laiheng. Fortunately, Li Laiheng was still cooperative. Although it was not according to the Lu family's original plan, as long as he cooperated with Li Laiheng to conquer Xiangyang, wouldn't the result be the same? King Ping Xi
But having said that, of the one hundred thousand taels of silver, the Lu family can keep thirty thousand. With such easy-to-make money, what business can compare with it?
"Master Jun, this is the road guide approved by the Wuchang Prefecture. Please take a look." After hustle and bustle for a long time, they finally reached the city gate. Lu Guo handed over the road guide, then quietly stuffed a piece of broken silver into it, and smiled at the city.
The young officer at the door said.
The young officer quietly pinched the broken silver in his hand, curled his lips, and without even looking at the road sign, glanced at the motorcade in front of him, and said in a long voice: "Thieves have invaded recently, and the superior officer has ordered, every day
Everyone entering the city must verify their identity to prevent spies from sneaking in. You have a lot of people in your convoy, huh?"
Lu Guo understood and cursed in his heart, but with a smile on his face, he handed over another ingot of silver, and then whispered: "Master Jun, this is the caravan of the Lu family in Wuchang. They are transporting groceries. The prefect is over there."
I also know that, and I would like to ask the military master to make it easier for me to scatter some silver coins and treat all the military masters to a cup of tea. You see, the motorcade has been parked at the gate of the city, blocking the road and no one can get in or out. It has been delayed for a long time.
Isn’t it still affecting Master Jun’s flower arrangement?”
The officer then smiled reservedly, nodded slightly, and motioned for his men to let him go. He turned back to Lu Guo and told him: "Watch your men and don't cause any trouble to the military men these days. Do you understand?"
Lu Guo nodded and bowed his thanks repeatedly, and shouted for the convoy to hurry into the city. The convoy rumbled past, and the officer looked at the personnel escorting the convoy and said with a smile: "Master Lu, these companions in your family are quite strong. Don't be in a hurry to leave. If the thieves attack
Now that we are here, we will have to recruit them to defend the city."
Lu Guo quickly responded: "It should be done, it should be done, the military master just gives orders."
Next to him, Zhang Lei, the squad leader of Xunyang's sharp knife class, touched his newly shaved head and said to the person next to him with an unhappy look on his face: "Look at how arrogant this damn Tatar is. I wish I could chop him with a knife."
"Dog bites dog, squad leader, why are you angry? Isn't it nice to watch the excitement?" The other soldiers in the sharp knife squad joked in a low voice.
In front, the team leader sent by Li Laiheng turned his head and scolded in a low voice: "Shut up, is this a place for joking?"
The conversation between several people attracted the attention of the officer. The team leader quickly smiled and said: "Master, please calm down. These are the new guys who have just arrived. It is their first time with the team and they have never been out of Wuchang. This is not to see you, Master."
You are tall and mighty, they are praising you..."
Lu Guo cursed secretly and smoothed things over by saying, "They are all children of tenant farmers in the countryside. They have never seen the world. Don't blame me, military master."
The officer smiled disdainfully, waved his hand, and signaled the convoy to enter the city quickly. Zhang Lei and others did not dare to say any more, and went in with low eyebrows and shame.
In Gucheng, Li Laiheng received a secret letter. After reading it, he smiled and said to Wang Qilong: "The hook has entered the water, it's time for us to take action." This chapter has been completed!