Feng Youxian led his army to return to Changde that day, and Zhang Ning also embarked on the return journey.
The Battle of Yuelu Mountain is not over yet, and it will be handed over to Zhu Heng and Zhou Mengxiong. Zhu Heng is in charge of strategic decision-making, and Zhou Mengxiong is in charge of military power. I believe that the two of them are not as good as Zhang Ning in combat. He said that he would return to Changde to personally preside over the battle. There are many things, but the real reason is that Yao Ji and his wife are both in danger in the city. The key point is only that he feels deeply in his heart, but will not say it out.
If you want to fight for the world, you must give up some personal relationships, just like when Liu Bei's wife jumped into a well; Zhang Ning certainly would not say that my wife is still in Changde and I want to go back to rescue them. How can this be done? What does a big event look like? Even Zhou Mengxiong didn’t mention Ziji’s daughter. The fǎngfo woman is insignificant in the overall situation.” “Please search Piao Tian Literature, the novel is better and updated faster!”
But if he really wants Zhang Ning to give up, I'm afraid he can't do it. He thinks that he hasn't reached that level yet; instead of constantly suffering painful psychological torture for the past loss for the rest of his life, it's better to cherish it now.
The cavalry brigade returned west along the official road. It was already afternoon when they set off, and by the evening they were approaching the river bank where they were ambushed yesterday. Zhang Ning then ordered to camp by the river to rest.
The troops were busy setting up tents at the foot of the mountain, lighting fires and making meals. On a whim, Zhang Ning asked Feng Youxian to accompany Ziji for a walk up the hillside. Does this hillside have a name? Zhang Ning asked Zuoyou's entourage, but there was no one there. You know, it is just an unknown hillside.
Wearing heavy armor and climbing up the mountain, Zhang Ning gǎnjiào sweated profusely in his vest, so he simply asked his attendants to help him take off the armor. Immediately, gǎnjiào felt much more relaxed.
Feng Youxian on the side was very physically strong. He was still wearing heavy armor, and he climbed the mountain with a calm expression without even breathing. When he saw Zhang Ning standing there again and looking down the mountain, he said casually: "Then Governor Yu is a civil servant, and he stood there yesterday. If you are giving orders to plot against us here, you should be without armor."
Zhang Ning looked back at Feng Youxian and smiled meaninglessly. It was probably because Feng Youxian heard him mention Yu Qian several times that he said this.
Thinking of Yu Qian, Zhang Ning had very complicated emotions in his heart. Among the many emotions, only the simplest and direct feeling is the strongest, that is anger. Just like a dangerous person who wants to kill Ziji, he can't stand it no matter what. .Zhang Ning secretly admitted that he was indeed not as noble as nàme.
In addition, he also has another kind of embarrassment, which is like having his self-confidence knocked down and being humiliated. This feeling is like when Xiao Shihou got into a fight with someone, was beaten by someone when he was not strong enough, and was beaten by the other person again. humiliation.
The Suzaku Army actually has only a few thousand standing troops with strong cohesion and resilience, and most of the troops went to the east for the main expedition; 90% of the defenders of Changde Prefecture were peasant soldiers. Those troops who had only been trained for three or two months would not be able to survive if they were They have advanced firearms, and their combat effectiveness is not as good as that of the Ming army's regular army in key towns, nor much better than real rogue bandits. Zhang Ning is not optimistic about how long Changde Mansion can be held.
In addition, the main force of the Suzaku Army, which has advanced to the west bank of the Xiang River, has to walk more than 300 miles back to Changde to fight after the battle. It will take more than 600 miles back and forth. The state at that time will immediately engage in a hard battle. Whether it can resist An army of 50,000 people, including more than 10,000 cavalry troops, is probably not optimistic. The Suzaku Army does not have many horses. The infantry march basically relies on two feet, and walking is not a simple matter. Each soldier carries with him clothes and armor, weapons, dry food, and ammunition. It weighs dozens of kilograms, so marching is not an easy task.
At this time, Zhang Ning even began to question whether Ziji's final decision on the strategy of the Senate was wise?
In fact, as long as the reaction of the officers and soldiers is slightly relaxed, maybe Zhu Heng's strategy is still very successful... Yu Qian, Yu Qian, I really want to stab you to death!
Zhang Ning lowered his head and saw that there were many footprints on the ground, perhaps among them were left by Yu Qian. He somehow imagined that there was a young man wearing a red official uniform standing in front of him. Perhaps this man's face was more mature now.
Already...
Zhang Ning asked silently: You are just a civil servant. If you work hard as your official, you will have a bright future. Why don't you come to Huguang to fight a war? Even if the emperor likes you, can you solve the problem just by saying that you don't know how to fight? There are some benefits to coming to Huguang to fight.
, after you pass the Jinshi examination, do you still want to be granted the title of Marquis or Earl for your military merit?
Yu Qian: I want all people in the world to live and work in peace and contentment. Only by eliminating turmoil and restoring centralized power can peace be achieved. This is the general trend of the times. You are going against the will of heaven. Stop it!
Zhang Ning: I just knew you would say that.
Yu Qian: Sure enough, my opponent knows the best, many people don’t believe me.
Zhang Ning: But in my opinion, you are just self-righteous and think that one person is the savior? Is it really right for you to do this? Jianwen is not only the eldest grandson of Taizu, but also the monarch who passed down the throne personally from Taizu. No matter what happens to King Zhu Di and his family,
You say it's all about usurping the throne. You are helping someone who is seeking to usurp the throne. How is this consistent with etiquette, law and morality?
Yu Qian: The past has passed. Now that the world has returned to its original purpose and discipline has been reestablished, we can no longer kill and injure millions of people to settle the grievances of the royal family. The world belongs to the people of the world, not to one person.
Zhang Ning: Okay, let’s put aside etiquette for the time being. Let’s not talk about the past, let’s talk about the future. The spread of the lineage of King Yan to Xuande may have brought temporary peace to the world, but with this kind of governance trend, we can really protect the Ming Dynasty.
Long-term peace? If I can take power, I will definitely make the Ming Dynasty stronger. We did not work hard to govern when the Central Plains Dynasty was strong, but were content with enjoying ourselves and not making progress. Do we want to leave chaos and weakness to future generations?
Yu Qian: If you think you are right, then that's fine. But is this really why you raised the army? Are you afraid it's more because of Ziji's ambition and desire?
Zhang Ning: You saw through it...
"Your Majesty." A reminder made Zhang Ning wake up from a dream.
Only then did he realize that the sky was getting dark, and there were fires on the road at the foot of the mountain. Thousands of people gathered together as if they were having a grand party. He casually pulled out the sword from his waist. Although this brand-new sword had no chance,
Killing the enemy, dominating for decoration, but still with a cold edge of steel. Zhang Ning raised the edge of the sword and pointed forward.
The generals and guards watched his actions silently. When a person has power, he has freedom. He can do whatever he wants, no one can control him.
...The Suzaku Army and Horse Regiment had less than 2,000 soldiers, so it was relatively flexible. When they rushed back to Changde City, the cavalry on the north road of the official army had not yet approached, but they were not far away.
The large group of cavalry marched straight from the main road in the south of Changde City. From a distance, you could see the sky filled with smoke and dust. The city gates were closed and martial law had been enforced for a long time. When the army arrived at the city, they saw battle flags erected on the city towers and many soldiers standing there. Feng Youxian moved forward and faced the enemy.
The people on the city shouted: "The king is back, open the door to welcome him!"
The general in the city looked there for a while, confirmed that it was his family, and ordered the door to be opened. The dusty cavalry quickly filed in, their iron hoofs rumbling on the ground.
Zhang Ning rode his horse to the intersection of the cross street and saw the officials headed by Xu Guangxu bowing on the road. Zhang Ning jumped down from the mǎshàng, took off the iron helmet that was pressing down on his neck and threw it to the soldiers, and turned around
The leader said to Feng Youxian: "The cavalry regiment is disbanded. You can take all the troops back to the camp to rest for a while." Feng Youxian bowed and said, "I have the order."
"Your Majesty is back, I am relieved." Lao Xu stepped forward and said.
Zhang Ning asked: "What is the distance between the army's forwards?"
Lao Xu pondered for a moment and said: "I'm afraid we only have forty or fifty miles to go at this time. If we don't stop, we will be able to reach Beicheng tomorrow. The old minister has sent an order to the Council of Ministers and ordered all the garrison troops to prepare for war."
"Let's go to the weapons bureau's arsenal first." Zhang Ning looked around, "Where's the horse lift?"
"He should still be working at the Ordnance Bureau." Lao Xu replied.
Zhang Ning said: "Let's go over first and send someone to notify Ma Tiju."
Without taking a breath, he remounted his horse and headed straight for the weapons bureau's arsenal in Xicheng with Lao Xu and other officials.
Not long ago, the Ordnance Bureau spent a large amount of military expenditures to cast a batch of new field long-barreled cannons. During the test, the ones with internal injuries were eliminated, leaving a total of eighteen finished products. After they were cast, they were stored in the arsenal and have not yet been used.
And a new one. However, there is an aftertaste of saltpeter at the muzzle, which is just from the test gun.
Zhang Ning touched the cold iron on the barrel with his hand and felt an indescribable feeling in his heart. The cold long cannons were as if they were alive and contained huge power. They were the only magical weapons in the fifteenth century. In this era, there were originally no
A sharp sword that should exist.
However, a sword can hurt others as well as yourself. Zhang Ning took great precautions to prevent these artillery pieces from falling into the hands of the army, but they fell into the hands of Yu Qian.
You can imagine that when they roared at the Suzaku Army camp, the shells with huge muzzle velocity could directly penetrate the depth of the square formation. Once they broke through the square formation and formed a gap, large groups of cavalry roared and charged... Zhang Ning felt that Ziji had little capital.
If you can't stand a few blows, you have to finish the game.
"Blow it up! Ma Tiju, you must gather people to blow them up." Zhang Ning said coldly.
"What...shime?" Ma Dapeng was stunned. Zhang Ning spoke in a clear voice, so he must have heard clearly.
So Zhang Ning just looked at him and didn't repeat himself. After a while, Ma Dapeng solemnly clasped his fists and said: "Yes, I will immediately send someone to blow up this batch of eighteen artillery pieces."
"Quickly," Zhang Ning said again, "In addition, destroy all the drawings, files, rosters of the Ordnance Bureau, and large tools that cannot be taken away. Gather the people before dark and assemble to prepare to leave the city."
"Yes." Ma Dapeng said. He may have figured out the reason for doing this. It is no secret that a large number of officers and soldiers are approaching Changde City.
After making arrangements for the weapons bureau, Zhang Ning began to ask about the defense of the city. Obviously, in his opinion, losing the field artillery was more important than losing Changde City.
Perhaps Feng Youxian's cavalry regiment should not be deployed to defend the city. The entire Suzaku Army is not good at defending the city, and the cavalry is even less good at it. Instead of taking away the cavalry's horses and letting them climb the wall, it is better to put them on the periphery to look for opportunities to maneuver to attack and harass, and to provide support.
garrison.
Now Zhang Ning wants to choose a general to defend the city. He has no intention of staying in the city and being surrounded, which is meaningless.
"Changde City must also be defended as much as possible, otherwise the main force of our army will not even have a barrier in the northwest. We can hold it as long as we can to buy some opportunities for the army."
At this moment, Lao Xu said: "I asked you to stay and take charge of the defense of the city. I have also led troops. Mainly, I still have some prestige among the defenders and can control the generals."