The war situation in the Central Plains is very urgent, and Tie Mo cannot let it go on any longer. If Gao Yingxiang and a few peasant armies are allowed to wreak havoc in the Central Plains and their strength expands too much, it will be very troublesome to clean up the situation in the future. Moreover, things in Zhejiang are relatively unreliable.
It has become more stable, and it is appropriate to resolve the chaos in the Central Plains at this time. Even if we do not set out, it will not work. It is estimated that the imperial court's transfer order will not be long.
The transfer to the Central Plains to suppress bandits was a foreseeable thing. The key is that there can be no more troubles in Zhejiang. For the sake of safety, Tie Mo specially transferred Li Jiasheng to Zhejiang. With Li Jiasheng here to keep an eye on him, he felt at ease.
few.
Li Jiasheng didn't refuse, and rushed to Hangzhou early. After learning Tie Mo's thoughts, he scratched his head and said with a bitter smile: "Brother Xian, there is nothing wrong with this stall, but you know, Brother Wei is
He's a rough guy who has been working hard in the North all year round and knows nothing about things here. It's easy for me to prevent others from making trouble, but is it a bit embarrassing for me to let me take care of so many things?"
It's not that Li Jiasheng refuses. Things like this in Zhejiang are not as simple as leading troops to fight. Not only do they have to scheming with the people in Zhejiang, but they also have to deal with maritime trade issues and guard against Zheng Zhilong. In short, there are too many things to take care of.
Much more. Li Jiasheng is a fierce man, but he still has some self-awareness. He is not afraid of taking responsibility, but he is afraid of delaying important events.
Tie Mo also knew that Li Jiasheng was in a bit of trouble, but there were not many people with sufficient qualifications and trustworthiness at the moment. Zhou Dingshan didn't, but the bandit suppression side needed Zhou Dingshan to lead the troops in the war. Apart from Zhou Dingshan, Li Jiasheng was the only one. He couldn't do it anymore.
Did you transfer Hei Yunlong all the way from northern Shaanxi? After thinking about it, he said with a smile: "Brother, don't worry, Miss Xu will stay in Hangzhou in the near future. The affairs of the East China Sea Trading Company are very involved, and the Duke's Mansion is also involved.
I've put some thought into it. If you don't understand anything about the relationship between the parties here, you can ask the eldest lady to help. In addition, Xie Zhi can be used. If there is anything, you can let Xie Zhi do it."
"As for Du Fushan, Weng Tongming and the others, after so many things, they probably don't dare to go too far. If they don't know how to commend them, you might as well ask Bai Xuan to lead the troops and horses to go to the Chief Secretary for a tour. Oh.
, how should brother deal with Bai Xuan?"
Mentioning Bai Xuan, Li Jiasheng raised his eyebrows and said with a laugh: "Brothers are joking about being brothers? We are all soldiers who have climbed up from the bottom, how can we be unfamiliar with the military? It's just Bai Xuan, as long as we
If you control the commander a little bit, if your fist is hard enough, can Bai Xuan come up with other ideas?"
"Yes, that's the truth. Brother, please remember that in Zhejiang, if you can be reasonable, you can be reasonable. If you can't be reasonable, then your subordinates will see the truth. Xu Wenhai's soldiers and horses are stationed near the dock, and half of them are in command.
Many people have also turned to us. As long as those people in Du Fushan don’t have water in their heads, they won’t dare to fight with us!”
"Haha, it's best to handle this matter. In fact, if a few brothers and sisters stay in Hangzhou, I will have less to worry about. After all, we don't know the eldest daughter of the Xu family, and she is not one of our own. If something happens to her,
, you guarantee that I don’t have other thoughts?”
Li Jiasheng's words left Tie Moye speechless. Who said Li Jiasheng was a reckless man? It's quite obvious that he doesn't live. But just think about it, Hai Lanzhu and Chang Minyue have to deal with the South Zhili Shopping Mall
Of course, she cannot stay in Hangzhou for a long time. As for Xu Meiling, she knows almost nothing about shopping malls.
"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's drink. It's estimated that in a few days, the court's order will arrive. Then our brothers will be separated again." Tie Mo picked up the wine glass and drank it all.
Li Jiasheng couldn't help but feel a little worried. As Tie Mo's status became higher and higher, but there were more and more things going on, and the days when the brothers got together became less and less. Thinking about the Northern Shanxi Iron Triangle, they often got together to drink and brag, but now
One is in northern Shaanxi, the other is in Zhejiang, and the other has no fixed address. Thinking of the past, Li Jiasheng couldn't help but sigh: "Is it really so serious in the Central Plains?"
"Hey, I'm not optimistic. Based on the news I got before, I estimate that the bandits will go straight to the northern part of Kaifeng Prefecture and attack Zhengzhou. With Yuan Chonghuan's temperament, he probably won't be able to stop him. Now he is just thinking about finding a place to follow him.
The rogue bandits are having a decisive battle."
"Yuan Chonghuan? I thought he would die in prison, but he didn't expect to become the governor of three provinces. You don't know that after the official document was issued, the Manchu soldiers were very angry." There were many people in the Xuan Mansion.
They all have some opinions about those who were born in Liaodong, especially Yuan Chonghuan, who is even more disdainful. The same is true for Li Jiasheng. He is not interested in Yuan Chonghuan, just because Yuan Chonghuan was in power and provided all resources to Liaodong, but Yuan Chonghuan didn't have much.
progress.
As for Man Gui, let alone mention that he and Yuan Chonghuan have always had a grudge. Before Yuan Chonghuan went to prison to be executed, Man Gui had contributed to it. Now Yuan Chonghuan is not only released from prison, but also transformed into the governor of three provinces. In a strict sense,
He said that Man Gui, the commander-in-chief of the Datong Prefecture, had to listen to Yuan Chonghuan's control when encountering war. Man Gui, who had always been proud and proud, would be damned if he didn't get angry when encountering such troublesome things.
Everything was as Tie Mo expected. Soon the news of the rogue bandits' invasion of Zhengzhou reached Southern Zhili. Under pressure, the imperial court had to dispatch Tie Mo to rush to the Central Plains urgently. Wang Qia and others naturally did not want to accept Ji Ming's death.
Tie Mo intervened in the Central Plains affairs, but it was Yuan Chonghuan who really failed to live up to expectations. Now the situation in the Central Plains has taken a turn for the worse. Under great pressure, Cheng Jiming and others could only agree with Hou Shilu's suggestion.
Soon, the imperial court's six hundred-mile urgent document was delivered to Hangzhou. Although it was fast, it was already the ninth day of June when the official document arrived. In just a few days, earth-shaking changes had taken place in the Central Plains, and the situation in Zhengzhou had further deteriorated.
It is the strongest city in Henan except Luoyang and Kaifeng. If the bandits blindly attack Zhengzhou, they may not get any benefits.
Perhaps because of this mentality, Yuan Chonghuan gave the Zhengzhou side's soldiers and horses a death order. They must defend Zhengzhou City and hold back the bandits until the main force arrives and fight decisively under the Zhengzhou City. It can be said that this order is directly
Pushing the war situation in Zhengzhou into the abyss.
Yuan Chonghuan's general command is really a big problem. There is no problem in defending Zhengzhou City. The key is to let Zhengzhou soldiers and horses hold back the bandits. This will really cost Zhengzhou's defender Jiang Dongcai's life. Jiang Dongcai is not an incompetent person. He can tell at a glance
Seeing that there is something wrong with the order, they dare not disobey it. Now generals at all levels know Mr. Yuan’s temperament. Mr. Yuan’s style of conduct has not changed at all from Liaodong to the Central Plains. His ability to win battles is not outstanding, but he can use military law
Come on, it was absolutely merciless and extremely strict. It is said that at that time in Liaodong, some disobedient generals were slapped half to death by Mr. Yuan himself.
Jiang Dongcai hurriedly revised a letter and sent it to Li Zhengqian. At this time, Li Zhengqian led his troops to Xinghuaying Town. Seeing Jiang Dongcai complaining, he could only pretend not to see it. This was Lord Yuan's order. Who dares to disobey it?
Many people realized that there was a problem, but Yuan Chonghuan didn't think there was any problem. Yuan Chonghuan only thought about the decisive battle and the ability to annihilate the enemy in one battle. This was the reason why Tie Mo always looked down upon him. Yuan Chonghuan's biggest problem The problem is that we can't respond flexibly and prescribe the right medicine. The opposite side is not the Mongols who often engage in large-scale frontal battles, but rogue bandits that are even more slippery than the Houjin Iron Cavalry. They were slipped around by the Houjin people in Beizhili, but they haven't yet. Realizing the problem, he still wanted to fight the rogue bandits.
Therefore, Yuan Chonghuan's wish was destined to fail. Gao Yingxiang, Li Zicheng and others did not fight with the officers and soldiers in Xihua Town, so naturally they would not fight against Zhengzhou City. Soon, after seeing the strength of Zhengzhou City's defense, Li Zicheng immediately personally He led an army of soldiers and horses to invade Xingyang County in the west of Zhengzhou. Xingyang may not look like much, but people who know about it know that this place is very important.
Xingyang has been home to outstanding people since ancient times. The Zheng family, a powerful family in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, is located in Xingyang. Even today, the Zheng family in Xingyang still affects several surrounding states and counties. The reason is simple. The Zheng family controls half of the grain trade in Henan, and Xingyang also It became the largest granary in Henan. Li Zicheng suddenly sent troops to Xingyang with the purpose of going to Xingyang for the grain there.
What does the Peasant Army lack? What does it need? It's not money, it's food. The robbing of money and goods is ultimately to exchange for food. Now there is a huge granary in front of us. If it is captured, the situation of the Peasant Army will be completely reversed. There are some things that only your own people know. The rebel army has been having a hard time recently. The rebel army went through southern Zhili, and not only lost soldiers and generals, but all their supplies were scraped away by the living king of hell. After returning to Runing Mansion, the morale of tens of thousands of peasant soldiers It is low, and it has only recovered some morale after winning several battles recently. But these are far from enough. The biggest problem facing the peasant army is food. If there are sufficient supplies and food, Gao Yingxiang will not let nearly 100,000 peasant troops stay in Ru. The Ning Mansion has long since sent troops to march westward to attack Xiangfan or cross the Yellow River again to invade Shanxi or Shandong.
Li Zicheng's army was directed towards Xingyang. At the same time, Xu Beichuan and Zheng Guosong also launched a fierce attack on Heyin County in the north from another direction. Under this situation, Jiang Dongcai in Zhengzhou City was in a dilemma. Lord Yuan's The order was to do everything possible to hold back the rogue bandits. Now the rogue bandits have gone to attack Xingyang and Heyin. Doesn't this mean they have turned a deaf ear to the military order?
After thinking about it, Jiang Dongcai made a decision that he would regret for the rest of his life, "Maocai, Gao Bo, you two lead your troops out of the city and fight for me to keep an eye on Li Zicheng's rear team. You must hold back the rogue bandits."
The distance between Zhengzhou and Xingyang is neither long nor short. Li Zicheng's troops have been walking towards Xingyang for a long time. In order to complete the task assigned by Jiang Dongcai, Maocai and Gao Bo could only urge their soldiers. Speeding up their pace, they quickly crossed the Qingshui River. Not long after the two led the troops across the Qingshui River, Gao Yingxiang, who had been leading most of the troops from behind to hold down the formation, rushed straight towards Zhengzhou City. However, like Li Zicheng, Gao Yingxiang only made a false shot. Also turn west.
At this time, Li Zicheng also made a quick decision, temporarily giving up the plan to attack Xingyang, turning his horse's head, and killed in the direction of Qingshui River. Li Zicheng's two thousand cavalry served as the vanguard, and their speed was extremely fast. At this time, Li Zicheng marched from west to east,
Gao Yingxiang formed a pincer attack on Maocai and Gao Bo's troops from east to west.
Maocai and Gaobo had less than 10,000 troops. Facing the ferocious and numerous peasant army, they were attacked from both sides. The situation can be imagined. A fierce fighting broke out near the Qingshui River, and Mao ended up with
The disastrous defeat of Cai Cai and Gao Bo ended. The two fled towards Zhengzhou with less than a thousand remaining soldiers. However, Gao Yingxiang, Li Zicheng and Xu Beichuan completed their assembly. At one time, an army of 50,000 people rushed towards Zhengzhou City with their remaining soldiers.
Jiang Dongcai never dreamed that the soldiers and horses he sent would defeat the opponent so quickly, losing nearly ten thousand soldiers and horses. In addition, the rogue bandits quickly gathered tens of thousands of soldiers and horses. How could Zhengzhou be defended?
As Jiang Dongcai expected, after losing a large number of troops and horses, he was already somewhat powerless to face the strong attack of the rogue bandits. Jiang Dongcai led his troops in a bloody battle for two days, but the Central Plains still could not hold out.
On June 11, the fourth year of Chongzhen, at three quarters, Xu Beichuan took the lead on the top of Zhengzhou City, and Zhengzhou City declared that the city was broken. Jiang Dongcai led his troops to resist, and in the evening, he was finally driven out of the city. He escaped.
After the city of Zhengzhou, Jiang Dongcai only had more than 2,000 remnant soldiers left, all of them wounded. Among his two favorite generals, only Maocai followed him out of the city. Gao Bo died in the battle on the streets of Nancheng in order to cover the evacuation of everyone.
Under the large sycamore tree, looking at the desperate soldiers around him, Jiang Dongcai's eyes were filled with tears. He tremblingly grasped the handle of the knife and wiped it suddenly from his neck. Maocai was sitting next to him. Fortunately, he had quick eyesight and quick hands.
He rushed forward suddenly and pinned Jiang Dongcai's arm under him, "General, what are you doing? Victory and defeat are common things in military affairs. If you do this, wouldn't Brother Gao's death be in vain?"
Jiang Dongcai smiled miserably and looked at the sunset in the distance, full of pain, "Zhengzhou is lost. Do you think I can still live if Master Yuan is here? I can die more decently now. I don't want to be punished by Master Yuan's military law."
"
"General, what happened in Zhengzhou cannot be entirely your fault..."
Maocai opened his mouth, but did not dare to say the next words. If it weren't for Lord Yuan's military order, the defeat would not have been so miserable. With nearly 20,000 soldiers and horses and young men, if Zhengzhou City was defended and the walls were high and thick, rogue bandits would be defeated.
There is no benefit for a while. The reason for this defeat is not to hold back the bandits.
Now the pace of the rogue bandits has been delayed, but the city of Zhengzhou has been lost.
Everyone thought about it and worked on this for a long time, but they were still dead. If they had known the result now, it would be better to disobey the military order and defend Zhengzhou with determination.
Soon, the news of the fall of Zhengzhou spread. At this time, the entire Central Plains seemed to have been hit by a magnitude 7 earthquake, and everyone felt that the sky had an extra layer of haze.