Chapter 963 Prince Qi: After this battle, who can control me?
In Taiyuan City, night shrouds the earth, with only a bright moon as bright as silver hanging in the sky. The city wall made of blue bricks and strips of stone is towering, like a squatting gluttonous beast, and the city gate tower hangs
The lantern swayed in the wind, casting out masses of orange light and shadow of different sizes.
In the General Military Office, the lights in the official office were bright, as bright as day, and the halls were crowded with people.
Lin Ruhai, the Minister of Household Affairs, was dressed in a crimson official robe and a black gauze hat. He was sitting on a chair. These days of running around made this elegant former salt inspector look more dignified and solemn.
At this moment, accompanied by a doctor from the Ministry of Household Affairs and a foreign minister from the Ministry of Finance, he was discussing matters with Jiang Yan, the prefect of Taiyuan, Gu Binghe, the governor of Shanxi, and Luo Jingwen, the chief envoy.
Also present were Chen Cheng, Prince of Qi County, and six Shanxi merchants including the Jiexiu Cao family, the Yuci Chang family, the Qixian Qu family, the Jiexiu Fan family and the Taigu Kong family.
The main thing everyone is discussing today is to urge Shanxi to transship, purchase grain and fodder, and transport it to the front line.
Because not long ago, the Kang family in Xuanhua City was investigated for colluding with the Jurchens, and even the Qiao family was implicated. This made several Shanxi merchants in the Shanxi Chamber of Commerce very afraid, so they began to work hard and put on a show.
The lying-down posture of "non-violence and non-cooperation".
Of course, the Shanxi merchants' daring to do such arrogant things was also related to the fact that they had opened up the connections between Qijun Wang.
During this period of time, Shanxi merchants were not idle either. They had been having a heated fight with Chen Cheng, the king of Qi County, who came to escort the military rations. Lin Ruhai was quite afraid of this.
Prince Qi picked up the tea cup, took a sip, and looked at Lin Ruhai through his small mung bean eyes on his chubby face.
This Minister Lin is also a member of Jia Heng's children.
After the son's initial victory in Datong, he won another victory in Xuanhua. It can be imagined that his father's favor towards him became more and more.
Lin Ruhai said in a deep voice: "Grains, fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, and fodder must be supplied to Xuanda's soldiers in a timely manner. Recently, except for grain and rice, everything else has fallen short."
There were as many as 200,000 to 300,000 troops stationed in Xuanda and Dazhou, and they spent countless amounts of food, fruits, vegetables, and fish every day, all of which had to be transported through the government in Taiyuan City.
Therefore, Huang Taiji's strategy of attacking Ping'an Prefecture (Shuo Prefecture), reaching Taiyuan, cutting off the military and horse food routes in Xuanda and Da towns, and waiting for the enemy to be defeated was not wrong.
If he had not met Jia Heng, he would probably have fought in the Liaodong Battle. The battle in Caizhou on a snowy night is generally recorded in the history of war.
But, if only if.
Lin Ruhai said with an indifferent expression, turned her eyes, looked at Cao Sheng, the head of the Cao family in Jiexiu, and asked, "What does the head of the Cao family think?"
Cao Sheng said with a bitter look on his face: "Mr. Lin, all the rice, grain and fruits in Shanxi have been requisitioned by the government. We really can't raise enough money. It will take time to purchase from other places."
Hou Jie, the head of the Hou family, the turbidity in the sunken eye sockets under his gray eyebrows faded away, and the light shone. He sighed: "Master Lin, the imperial court has been in conflict with the Jurchens for a long time, and a lot of rice and grain have been consumed. The Tartars have entered Juyong Pass again.
Son, it is not easy to buy grain from the entire north. If you buy grain from Bashu, Huguang, and Jiangnan, it is not as good as the imperial court sending grain trucks to transport it."
Because the grain and rice were purchased at a 20% discount that had not increased in price, there was no profit to be earned. The eight major Shanxi merchants were not very active in buying rice and grain to supply the army.
Not long ago, Kang Zexing, the son of Kang Yisheng, was arrested in Xuanhua. The Kang family and the Qiao family were implicated in colluding with the Donglu, and the entire Shanxi merchants were frightened and inexplicable.
Of course, without the support of Prince Qi, the remaining six Shanxi merchants would not dare to operate like "you have the mace, I have the Tianling Gai". However, the Shanxi merchants who have joined the line of Prince Chen Cheng of Qi have another inexplicable problem.
confidence.
Lin Ruhai glanced at the faces of the merchants and said sternly: "The military affairs of the imperial court are urgent. If the supply of food and fodder is not continued, and the imperial court comes to investigate, how many heads do you have?"
As soon as these words came out, the originally noisy atmosphere in the hall suddenly fell into a stalemate.
The head of the Qu family, Qu Zonglian, looked at Lin Ruhai and said, "Mr. Lin, we are originally just businessmen with responsibilities, but we cannot afford such a big relationship."
At this time, the head of the Kong family in Taigu said: "Mr. Lin, it won't take much time for the imperial court to transfer grain and fodder from Hubu. Prince Qi is also here. Didn't the Hubu warehouse just transport 800,000 stones of grain and fodder."
Because he was a descendant of the Kong family and had some kinship with Duke Yansheng of Qufu, Shandong, he was not afraid in front of Lin Ruhai, who was a civil servant.
Lin Ruhai glanced at the several merchants present and said: "The imperial court has its own rules and regulations for transferring grain and crops."
In fact, the Kang family could also be searched, but there was no order from Jia Heng from Datong. Although Kang Yisheng was sent to prison for interrogation by Jinyi Mansion, the Kang family's goods and rice were not confiscated.
It's not that Jia Heng forgot about the matter, but he lacked an opportunity to take action. He didn't want to look too ugly, and he suddenly forced the eight major Shanxi merchants to rebel, or it could be said that the affairs at the rear affected the frontline war.
At this moment, the news of Ping'an Prefecture's great victory has not yet reached Taiyuan City. If it were spread here, both the merchants of Shanxi and the king of Qi would be frightened by the news, and there would be no such thing as tonight.
Chen Cheng, the king of Qijun, smiled and said: "Master Lin, please calm down. The current shortage of food and fodder is not big yet. Let them think of a solution. Didn't the Ministry of Revenue just dispatch a batch from Shenjing? Let's talk about Datong.
There was no war, and the consumption was not that severe."
Lin Ruhai said: "How can we change what we agreed upon at the beginning?"
The transportation of grain from Shenjing consumes a lot of money on the long journey, so it is better to buy rice and grain locally, and there are also some fruits and vegetables, and fruits are not easy to transport long distances.
Chen Cheng laughed dryly and said: "Mr. Lin, although Xiao Wang is not familiar with political affairs, he also knows how to raise food and fodder and not to be too hasty."
Seeing that the atmosphere of the conversation in the hall was tense, the chief envoy Luo Jingwen smoothed things over, smiled awkwardly but politely, and said in a low voice: "Sir Lin, the feudal lords and the government offices can still get together and not hinder the army.
Provision of grain and fodder.”
Governor Gu Binghe put down the tea cup in his hand and said: "The imperial court has been transferred from Shenjing, but the army can't delay it. Mr. Lin, I don't think it's better to do this. They can collect as much as the several chambers of commerce can collect."
Lin Ruhai's face was calm, but there was not much joy in his eyes.
In fact, even though he was in charge of supervising the military rations, he was ignored and looked down upon by them because he did not have the title of Grand Master.
Suddenly, a burst of cheers came from outside the city, spreading throughout Taiyuan City, and gradually reaching the halls in the city.
The officials who were discussing the matter looked slightly startled.
Lin Ruhai frowned and asked, "What's going on?"
At this time, a small official stumbled into the hall and said with a joyful face: "Mr. Lin, the Jinyi Mansion Guards reported from outside that General Pinglu had achieved a great victory in Ping'an Prefecture, wiping out nearly ten thousand enemies.
The messenger has already gone to Shenjing."
As soon as these words came out, the faces of the Shanxi merchants in the hall suddenly changed.
A great victory in Ping'an Prefecture? The leader of the captives was crowned?
All the Shanxi merchants looked at each other with a vague feeling of something bad in their hearts.
Governor Gu Binghe's expression suddenly changed, and he secretly thought, What a Marquis of Yongning, he is really good at conquering and fighting.
Suddenly, my heart moved slightly, and I cast my gaze towards the Shanxi merchants sitting in rows. I caught a trace of astonishment on their faces, and I sneered in my heart. I was afraid that it wouldn't be too long before these merchants would bring sacrificial flags to the Marquis of Yongning.
This is the old man in the officialdom. The Qiao family and the Kang family are under investigation, and they have already smelled the coming of winter.
The common man is not guilty, but he is guilty of carrying the jade.
Each merchant was so rich that he could rival the country, which was considered an original sin in the eyes of the imperial court.
The chief envoy Luo Jingwen also looked surprised and couldn't help but glance at Chen Cheng, the king of Qi County.
Qijun Wang Chen Cheng's chubby white face was full of surprise, and he murmured: "What's going on? Why did the slave chief go to Ping'an Prefecture?"
After annihilating nearly 10,000 enemies, the slave chief was awarded the title of leader? This... this kid has been through this battle, who can control him?
Behind him, Chief Shi Dou Rong, had a solemn look on his face.
He had advised the prince a few days ago that Shanxi merchants could learn from the mistakes of the Yangzhou salt merchants at any time, but the prince still had contact with these merchants.
Lin Ruhai was stunned for a moment, feeling excited in her heart, and two flushes appeared on her cheeks.
As Jia Heng's father-in-law, he naturally has honor and disgrace.
In fact, it would be impossible to say that Lin Ruhai did not feel aggrieved because her daughter was young.
But it was Jia Heng who used his power as a young Marquis of Wu and the Minister of Military and Aircraft, and the idea of inheriting the Lin family to suppress it.
Moreover, Daiyu and Jiaheng were holding hands that day, looking like an intimate couple, so Lin Ruhai could only acquiesce in the fait accompli.
But the greater the reputation of Jia Heng's achievements, the less people will criticize his daughter for marrying a married man.
The conferment of a head by a slave chief was an unprecedented achievement since the founding of the People's Republic of China. It left a mark in history. His daughter married such a contemporary hero, and his heirs inherited the Lin family's legacy. This is a perfect story.
This world has such double standards. It is the glory of the Tian family to marry a mistress, but for scholar-bureaucrats, it is undoubtedly a shame for their own daughter to be a mistress for others, even if they are also Jinshi.
Lin Ruhai calmed down his turbulent mind, thought for a moment, and said: "Xu Shinu Chief thought that my Ping'an Prefecture was defenseless and was approaching Taiyuan, so he planned to cut off my food route."
Ping'an Prefecture was known as Shuozhou and Mayi in ancient times. It was originally an important military area that military strategists fought for and was the gateway to the land of Jinzhong.
At this moment, a palace guard entered the hall, bowed and clasped his fists, saying: "My lords, the people from Jinyi Mansion are here."
The faces of the people present changed suddenly, and they all turned to look at Lin Ruhai, thinking secretly, what are the people from Jinyi Mansion doing here?
Lin Ruhai's face paused slightly and called out: "Go and invite people over."
Not long after, a large number of guards in Jinyi surrounded a young man in flying fish uniforms. It was Qianshi Qulang who was in command of Jinyi, the pro-army army. He cupped his fists towards Lin Ruhai and said, "Sir Lin, I am in command of Qianshi Qulang in Fusi, Xiabei Town."
Lin Ruhai nodded and said, "Where did Commander Qu come from?"
"Xuanhua." Qu Lang said.
"After interrogation of Kang Yisheng's son Kang Zexing and members of the Qiao family, the two families confessed that the Kang family had smuggled and trafficked various prohibited iron items to the grassland in recent years to make illegal profits, while the Cao family in Taigu and the Chang family in Yuci had
The Xiuhou family, the Qu family in Qixian County, the Kang family in Linfen, the Fan family in Jiexiu and the Kong family in Taigu also often have secret connections with the Jurchens. If the evidence is conclusive, the Jinyi Mansion will all interrogate them together." Under Qu Lang's sword-browed eyebrows,
His eyes glanced coldly at the few Shanxi merchants present who were wearing official uniforms.
Cao Sheng, Qu Zonglian, Chang Chen: "..."
Chief envoys Luo Jingwen, Jiang Yan and others had expressions of surprise on their faces.
Is this a plan to deal with Shanxi merchants all at once?
Chen Cheng's face didn't look good, and he was frightened. He was about to stand up and speak, but Shi Fengci, the palace chief behind him, pulled up his clothes.
Since the Jinyi Mansion dares to arrest people, they presumably have conclusive evidence. If they conflict with Jia Heng's son again, he will be the only one who suffers.
Qu Lang didn't say much and said: "Get them."
The Jinyi Tiqi behind him responded to the order, and then rushed towards the group of Shanxi merchants wearing military uniforms.
…
…
The words were divided into two parts. Just when the Jinyi Mansion sent its guards to Taiyuan City and Datong City to investigate the Shanxi merchants' connection with the enemy country, Ji Town was hundreds of miles away.
At this moment, a large number of Jurchen troops headed towards Qinglong Pass. Daishan's son Adali died, who was the son of Shuo Tuo, and Shuo Tuo was the envoy to the Han who was detained together with Zhang Shang.
King Adali of Jurchen Doluo County wears red nail armor and mourning clothes on his head. He holds a rein in his hand and rides on a horse. In his other hand, he holds a saber that is as curved as a crescent moon. His forehead and cheeks
A thin layer of sweat was visible.
It was already a sunny day in March, with green grass and green grass. Looking far into the distance, there was not a single person in sight on the endless grassland as far as the eye could see.
Adali moved the reins and said in a cold voice: "Let's go, it seems that the Han dog doesn't dare to chase us anymore."
A Jurchen counselor said: "Your Majesty, when did the Han people dare to go out to pursue? They are a group of timid mice who only dare to huddle in the city like a turtle shell."
Adali looked proud and said: "Let's go!"
However, at this moment, "Da da..."
Accompanied by the chaotic sound of horse hoofbeats, a torrent of cavalry appeared in Liao Kuo's grassland, with a forest of flags, led by a red embroidered "Han" flag.
The expressions of Adali and the generals present changed slightly, and they stared at the rolling torrent of cavalry.
"Do these Han dogs really dare to chase them out?" Adali looked stunned for a moment, then sneered and said: "All armies obey the order and defeat them, which will bring great shame to Ping An Prefecture!"
At this moment, the Jurchen cavalry on horseback shouted in unison, and the cavalry, wearing white mourning clothes and tied with mourning belts on their heads, rushed towards the Han army in the distance like a torrent.
A saber shines brightly in the sunlight, piercing people's eyes.
What was left after Adali was cut off were only two thousand Jurchen cavalry and a thousand soldiers and horses from Horqin Mongolia who accompanied the army. They were like an unrivaled sharp blade thrust into the pursuing soldiers and horses.
The momentum is like a rainbow, invincible.
At this moment, Cao Bianjiao was riding on a group of maroon horses, holding a rein in his hand. Behind him on the left and right flanks were the cavalry from Peking Dusi and Hebei Baoding. There were about 6,000 cavalry, divided into three teams.
At this time, seeing a group of cavalry in red armor and mourning clothes approaching in a mighty manner from a distance, the military academy accompanying Cao Bianjiao became a little restless, and most of them had doubts and fears on their faces.
Even though the number of soldiers and horses under his command seems to be greater than that of the Jurchens.
If it was the Beijing camp, the Jurchen cavalry would have been disenchanted long ago, while the Hebei soldiers and horses under Cao Bianjiao had not yet completely shaken off the impression of the Jurchens being invincible.
Cao Bianjiao, who originally had a thousand cavalry under his command, and who usually had a lot of training, said loudly: "Brothers, the general has won a great victory in Ping'an Prefecture. The Jurchens are now as panic-stricken as a bereaved dog. It is now that they have made great achievements and given the title of wife and son.
!”
As he spoke, he raised his spear, shouted, and said: "Kill!"
The cavalry behind him also shouted at this moment, "If you make a great contribution, you will be granted the title of wife and son." For a moment, their momentum was not inferior to that of the Jurchen cavalry, which was rushing towards them in great force.
At this moment, if you look down from high in the sky, you can see that Chen Han's officers and soldiers fell out of formation in the shape of a "human", heading towards the Jurchen's large number of elite horsemen.
"boom……"
As the military formations collided, the soldiers and horses from both sides violently collided together like two tides.
The "clang" sound of the weapons colliding, as well as the muffled groan of the sharp blade piercing the flesh, seemed as chaotic as a symphony at this moment.
At a glance, Adali saw Cao Bianjiao, who was riding a horse and holding a long spear, piercing it in all directions. His face looked a little cold and arrogant, and he picked up the long knife in his hand and slashed at Cao Bianjiao.
The spear in Cao Bianjiao's hand stabbed quickly, a bit of cold light arrived first, and then the spear came out like a dragon and stabbed towards Adali's neck.
Adali's heart trembled, he blocked with his long sword, and with a "ding" sound, the sound was particularly penetrating on the battlefield.
As soon as the two of them fought, they both felt that the other's force was not inferior to their own.
Cao Bianjiao snorted coldly, and the spear in his palm was like a violent storm, rushing forward like the wind, stabbing towards Adali's chest.
One wielded a long spear, and the other wielded a short sword. When the swords and guns met, the short sword obviously suffered a disadvantage.
At this time, Ma Bian, the bodyguard beside Adali, saw that Adali was at a disadvantage on his horse, and two of them rushed towards Cao Bianjiao with ferocious faces.
However, after a few "puff" sounds, the two of them paused on their horses. Blood holes were visible on their chests and necks, and blood was gurgling.
Cao Bianjiao was fighting with Adali, his spear was like a dragon, circling Adali's body and killing several vital points. Adali's heart tightened, and he wanted to drive his horse to run away.
Because the cavalry charges back and forth, it undoubtedly appears to be as fast as lightning, and the lightning and flint are piercing and fighting back and forth.
At this moment, a large number of Han troops were fighting with the Jurchen cavalry. The Han army was twice as strong as the Jurchens. At this moment, the two sides were fighting together, dripping with blood and suffering many casualties.
Cao Bianjiao pursued him relentlessly and fought with Adali until they reached the same place.
Just go back and forth like this.
By noon, the Jurchen soldiers and horses, led by Adali, fought to the death, but after all, there were few people and the military line gradually became chaotic.
Adali once again had a close fight with Cao Bianjiao with a gun, but it only lasted about a dozen rounds. Adali, with fewer and fewer soldiers around him, was about to escape with a saber that had a gap in his hand, when he suddenly felt an evil wind behind his head, and then
My heart ached, and a spear pierced my chest.
"Plop!"
The corpse fell from the horse to the ground. Cao Bianjiao leaned over and cut off Adali's head.
Seeing that the situation was not good, the remaining cavalry troops, led by a Jurchen deputy commander, rushed to Qinglong Pass to escape.
While Cao Bianjiao ordered his lieutenants to pursue them, he gathered his cavalry and looked up at the sky. He saw that it was already dusk and the twilight was falling on the land of Liaokuo.
There were also many casualties among the officers and soldiers in this battle. They were deprived of food and power, and were almost unable to pursue the enemy.
Cao Bianjiao ordered his troops to report the victory to Li Zan in Beiping City, and at the same time sent people to clean the battlefield and count the casualties.