To the south of Xujiazhai, just like that of Xujiazhai, the vast land is only blown by the night wind, and the faint sound of the wind floats into the distance. I don’t know where, there is a flicker of fire, and there is a group of people gathering together.
They were eating this thing quietly. They had been fighting from early morning until dusk, and the brave and skilled Yunfu cavalry were still a little tired.
After nightfall, Orger, a tough guy, couldn't bear it anymore and found a place to rest. Not long after, Cao Wenzhao, Liu Guoneng, Geng Zhongming, Shang Kexi and others also came to the small river where Orger temporarily camped.
Everyone gathered together and ate enthusiastically. Shang Kexi was a man who couldn't live without meat. Even if he was marching and fighting, he would take half a sheep with him. At this time, the half of the sheep was all put into the pot. Although there was a lack of ingredients, but in the
On the battlefield, this is considered a delicacy.
Geng Zhongming ate half full and leaned on a bundle of grass contentedly, squinting his eyes and enjoying a moment of peace. "Guys, how are we going to fight tomorrow? The rogue bandits have been defeated. That Zhang Xianzhong is also ruthless, even the queen
None of the soldiers and horses were left behind."
Geng Zhongming and others are all shrewd people. Naturally, Zhang Xianzhong's thoughts cannot be hidden from them, but so what if they know this kind of thing? How can you surpass those deserters and chase Gao Yingxiang and the others? Those people are all riding horses, so it is difficult
To catch up. Zhang Xianzhong's behavior will greatly weaken his own morale, cause greater casualties, and even destroy his prestige, but Zhang Xianzhong obviously doesn't care. To him, minions are just cheap consumables. If they are gone, he will pull them again.
It is enough to raise a group of people. As long as the leaders still support him, it is enough. This point cannot be compared with Zhang Xianzhong. The reason why rogue bandits are rogue bandits is because they have no cost to raise troops, unlike Yunfu soldiers, horses and infantry.
Regardless of whether they are cavalry or cavalry, most of them have been trained and tempered for a long time. Fighting with bandits is a completely loss-making business.
Cao Wenzhao pinched a meat bone and sighed softly, "Based on the current situation, we can't catch up with Zhang Xianzhong and the bandits. If the prediction is correct, they have already reached the Taibai Mountain area. Tomorrow
, we only need to hunt some more, and then we can return to the Taibai Mountain area to resume our lives. However, we have to give up a lot of credit for this time."
"What Commander Cao said is reasonable. Although he is a little unwilling to do so, the arrangement made by the Superintendent must be reasonable. Suppressing bandits is not a matter of a day or two. We may have to rely on the help of Superintendent Chen and others in the future!" Geng Zhongming
He shook his head helplessly. He could actually understand why the credit should be given to Chen Qiyu. The matter of recruiting Li Yangchun was under a lot of pressure. Although Dai Yongsen was killed, it also gave various forces in Henan a lot of pressure.
There are few benefits, but there are many hidden dangers after all. Helping Chen Qiyu this time is also a helpless move. Similarly, if you help Chen Qiyu, it will not be so easy for Chen Qiyu to clean it again in the future.
With such huge interest exchanges, what would those in the court think of Chen Qiyu? In the officialdom, every step is mysterious, and no one knows what will happen tomorrow.
A few people were talking, and there was a sound of light footsteps not far away. When I turned around, I saw that it was Qin Liangyu who was walking over with a few subordinates. Qin Liangyu set off relatively late, and most of his subordinates were infantry, so he was very fast.
It was a lot slower. Qin Liangyu was a woman, but she had the roughness and heartiness of a man. She sat cross-legged next to the iron pot, picked up a piece of meat and ate it in big mouthfuls. It was obvious that she was hungry.
After eating for a while, Qin Liangyu stopped, took a sip of water, looked at Liu Guoneng opposite him, opened his mouth but hesitated again, and finally frowned and did not speak. Geng Zhongming, who had always been shrewd, noticed that Qin Liangyu's expression was a little abnormal, and sat up.
He asked: "General Qin, what do you want to say? We are all our own people here tonight. If you have anything to say, it's okay to say it. There is no need to be shy."
Qin Liangyu then cupped his hands and said, "Actually, it's not a big deal. Qin just wanted to ask the generals, but have you ever led troops into Xujiazhai?"
Liu Guoneng and others were all surprised. You looked at me and I looked at you. Then Cao Wenzhao smiled and said: "General Qin is joking. This time, most of the bandits captured were cavalry. They pursued them with large-scale cavalry and bypassed Xujiazhai."
But, if there are any remnants, they can be left to the soldiers and horses behind, why waste time on the few thieves who ran to Xujiazhai?"
What Cao Wenzhao said was true. Xujiazhai was not big and could not accommodate many traitors. There were a large number of traitors waiting to kill them. There was no need for Cao Wenzhao and others to risk greater achievements and run into Xujiazhai.
Jiazhai fished for the little shrimps. But Qin Liangyu was still a little confused. Seeing Cao Wenzhao's inquiring eyes, she had to explain: "You generals don't know something. Qin came from behind with his troops to go to Xujiazhai."
After clearing out the remnants, they found... But they found that none of the chickens and dogs that were killed in Xujiazhai were spared, not even the old, weak, women and children. Many people had their heads cut off... It depends on the situation, no.
It seems to have been done by rogue bandits, so Qin asked me this question. If I have offended anyone, I hope you generals will forgive me."
Cao Wenzhao and others didn't pay much attention to it at first, but when they heard this, everyone couldn't help being surprised and became serious. This matter was really suspicious. The bandits who were being chased wished that their parents had two more legs. This
Under such circumstances, how could they still think about massacring the people of Xujiazhai? Even if the bandits killed people, there was no need for them to cut off their heads. Therefore, this matter was probably not done by bandits. Then there is only one possibility left, that is, someone
Taking advantage of the chaos of the situation, he cut off all the heads of the bandits and common people to show off their military merits.
Killing good people and taking credit for their merits is a very hateful behavior, especially in the Yun Mansion, where one is chopped off and one is killed. No wonder Qin Liangyu is so hesitant. After all, it is uncomfortable for everyone to have this kind of thing happen to them. Liu Guoneng can see
After looking at Cao Wenzhao, the two of them felt awe-struck. The person who killed the good and took the credit should not be here, because everyone acted together, and even if they wanted to do it, they would not have the chance.
"Let's not talk about this matter. Leave it to the Superintendent. I believe the Superintendent will give everyone a satisfactory answer." The only troops operating in Xujiazhai were from Tie Mo's faction, so Liu Guoneng didn't want to talk too much about it.
This question, who is this person and how to deal with it, should be handled by Tie Mo. Even if Tie Mo turns a blind eye, they can only pretend not to know. After all, no one knows whether there is someone here.
There are other things.
Cao Wenzhao nodded, glanced at everyone, and said seriously: "Everyone knows what you know, don't make it public yet. At this time, Cao will write a letter and inform the Iron Superintendent. Before the matter is investigated clearly, if anyone is talking nonsense
, Don’t blame Cao for being unkind.”
Geng Zhongming and others quickly raised their hands to indicate that they understood the importance. Although Cao Wenzhao was not nominally part of the northern Shanxi frontier army, he had a good relationship with Tie Mo and was full of prestige. No one dared to have any objections after saying this. Moreover, Cao Wenzhao had a good relationship with Tie Mo and was full of prestige.
Wen Zhao's move was also a mature one. If something spreads, someone will definitely use this matter to attack the governor. They have been struggling in officialdom for half their lives, especially Geng Zhongming, even more so since Mao Wenlong's death.
I am used to seeing the warmth and coldness of people, so naturally I will not have any objections to Tie Mo because of this matter. Whether he kills good people and takes credit for his merits, punishes him or not, it cannot change the fact that Tie Mo is a good lord. If Tie Mo presses
If it is not published, it only means that there must be other secrets here.
Everyone kept silent about the Xujiazhai incident. No one talked about it anymore, not even Qin Liangyu. During this period, Tie Mo benefited a lot, because Tie Mo generously donated money to hundreds of thousands of people in northern Sichuan.
No more suffering, because I am dissatisfied with Tie Mo because of this matter, which is really heartless. Qin Liangyu is not the kind of stubborn person. The world is inherently gray, especially in the officialdom, many things cannot be black and white.
The next day, the army continued to attack Taibai Mountain. Everything was as Cao Wenzhao expected. When the army arrived in the Taibai Mountain area, it could no longer move forward. There are many mountains and rivers at the junction of Huguang and Henan Prefecture, not just Taibai Mountain.
The mountain further south is no longer suitable for large-scale cavalry operations, so it can only be given up. However, for Cao Wenzhao, the purpose this time has been achieved. After this battle, Zhang Xianzhong's troops were greatly killed and several of Zhang Xianzhong's men were killed.
More than 70% of the 10,000 thieves were lost, and there was no time for a year and a half. It was almost a fantasy for Zhang Xianzhong to recover his strength. At least for a year, Zhang Xianzhong would not be a problem, and he only had to concentrate on dealing with Gao Yingxiang.
Thinking of this, Cao Wenzhao also had a headache. Now that the bandits were divided into three, Zhang Xianzhong's troops were not enough to deal with the threat. However, Wang Ziyong retained the main force and fled to Shaanxi, while Gao Yingxiang fled to Shizhou. These two groups of bandits,
It is not easy to wipe out one from the south and one from the north. The most important thing is, does the court have the energy to deal with these two groups of bandits at the same time?
When Cao Wenzhao, Liu Guoneng and others returned with their troops, Chen Qiyu, Tie Mo and others had also led their troops to complete the final mission. With the cooperation of all parties in this battle, it can be said that it was a complete victory. Zhang Xianzhong's troops suffered losses.
Nearly 80% of the troops.
In mid-July of the fourth year of Chongzhen Emperor's reign, Supervisor Chen Qiyu, Tie Mo, Yuan Chonghuan and others worked together to annihilate Zhang Xianzhong who was entrenched in the Funiu Mountain area. After a series of fierce battles, Zhang Xianzhong's troops fled to the Zhushan area of Huguang with the remaining troops, but the main force was almost completely lost.
According to rough statistics, a total of more than 40,000 traitors and soldiers were killed in this massacre. It can be said that the officers and soldiers achieved a complete victory.
Tie Mo and others were very happy, but the happiest person was Chen Qiyu. The official document had been drafted by Hong Chengchou, and according to the agreement, almost all the credit was given to Chen Qiyu. In this matter, Tie Mo absolutely kept his word, and there was no trace of it.
Chen Qiyu was a little embarrassed to attend the banquet. After all, he wanted to find a way to compensate Tie Mo. Tie Mo didn't have any objections, but it didn't mean that the arrogant and powerful generals under his command didn't have any objections. After all, the Northern Shanxi Frontier Army had no objections to this great victory.
A large part of the reason why Zhang Xianzhong's peasant army collapsed so quickly was because they were afraid of the power of Yunfu's cavalry.
After a great victory, some people were happy and some were worried. It was not just Zhang Xianzhong who fled to Zhushan area who was angry. A grand celebration banquet was held in Xiangyang City, but two people at the banquet kept their faces sullen and showed no signs of expression.
Smiling, these two people are Yuan Chonghuan and Sun Chuanting. After a battle, all the credit was taken away by Chen Qiyu, and Yuan Chonghuan was naturally unhappy. Sun Chuanting, on the other hand, was angry not because of who got the credit, but because he let go of Zhang Xianzhong and other important officials
leader.
Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting had some friendship. After drinking for three times, he saw that the other party looked bad. He walked over with a glass of wine and said with a smile: "Master Sun, although the leader of the thieves escaped this time, the main force was destroyed. In a short time, Zhang Xianzhong and others
You can ignore the casualties. You should be happy about such a great thing. Sometimes forcing too much is not necessarily a good thing..."
Hong Chengchou originally meant well, but when he said this, Sun Chuanting couldn't suppress the anger in his heart. He picked up the wine glass and drank it in one gulp, then placed it heavily on the table, "Master Hong, what you said is wrong. If
If we can't, that's it. But we can completely wipe out this group of bandits, just because some people have their own selfish motives and have lost the best opportunity."
As soon as Sun Chuanting said this, Hong Chengchou's expression changed drastically. Sun Chuanting's words scolded Tie Mo and Chen Qiyu all at once. By sending troops to the new field and intercepting the bandits head-on, they could wipe out all the bandits, but Chen Qiyu and Tie Mo were all
He rejected this proposal. If he defeated Zhang Xianzhong's troops, it would be a huge credit. Why take such a big risk?
Hong Chengchou secretly thought that something was wrong, and was thinking about how to smooth things over. Zhou Dingshan, who was sitting opposite, stood up suddenly and snorted with a cold face: "Master Sun, you are so awesome. Are you blaming us for delaying the military flight? You still didn't listen.
Your Lord Sun’s suggestion?”
Sun Chuanting was not a person who was afraid of trouble. He crossed Hong Chengchou and walked straight towards Zhou Dingshan. After the two faced each other, he curled his lips and said coldly: "What is the truth, doesn't General Zhou know? Who ordered the killing of the bandits from the north? Release them.
Open a way for the bandits to escape, and let Zhang Xianzhong and other bandit leaders escape to Zhushan. Hmm, is it a bit too selfish to act like this?"
Zhou Dingshan's face turned cold, but before he had time to refute, a cold snort sounded in the distance, "The order was given by my supervisor. Mr. Sun, do you think there is any problem?"
"Tie Superintendent, don't you think it's okay? We could have wiped out Zhang Xianzhong and other bandits this time, but because you were afraid of losing too much and were too selfish, you allowed the bandit leader to escape, causing our army to fail. You...
It's about letting the tiger return to the mountain. As a governor, you are responsible for suppressing bandits. By doing this, are you worthy of the emperor and the common people? As an important minister of the Ming Dynasty, you don't think about the country and the country, hum..."
Hong Chengchou's face was squeezed into a ball, and he secretly said something bad. Sun Chuanting, Sun Chuanting, why can't you change this bad temper? Doesn't speaking like this mean pointing at the Iron Governor's nose and scolding him? Who is the Iron Governor? He
Can you stand this kind of anger?
He turned around and glanced, and sure enough, the generals from Northern Shanxi who were still sitting around him stood up one by one and put their hands on their swords. There is no doubt that as long as Tie Mo gives the order, these people will definitely dare to cut Sun Chuanting into pieces.
A few pieces.
Tie Mo's face was also extremely ugly. After a moment of silence, he raised his hand and gave Sun Chuanting a thumbs up, "Master Sun, you are noble and great. You only care about the country and the country. Tie is not as good as you."