stubborn thief

Chapter 692: Eternal Fame

Hong Chengchou almost gritted his teeth in Ningxia town.

What lay before him was a very fatal situation: besieging the point and attacking the reinforcements.

Encircling a point and attacking its reinforcements is not a brilliant strategy, but an open plot that can be seen through at a glance. The initial move is to attack until the enemy must come to the rescue, and the main goal is to catch someone who is willing to take the bait.

If we surround them and the enemy doesn't come to our rescue, it's not called siege and attack.

The current problem is the three towns in Ningxia. Before the war officially started, one town was surrounded on the other side of the Yellow River due to marching problems. Should Hong Chengchou rescue it?

Hong Chengchou must be rescued.

There is no need to consider this matter. If he allows Zhang Yingchang's right garrison to be surrounded, refuses to rescue it or even causes it to be annihilated, not to mention the loss of one-third of his troops, he will not be able to fight the next battle. The key is that the two generals, Cao Wenzhao and Zuo Liangyu, will no longer be respectful to him.

Besides, Zuo Liangyu was not respectful to him at all.

Hong Chengchou was full of regret at this moment.

In fact, he let Zhang Yingchang be the vanguard, because he wanted Youzhen to gain some merit and prestige before the war.

To be honest, General Hong now felt that all the intelligence the court had about Liu Chengzong was complete bullshit.

Even the evaluations of the generals around him, such as Cao Wenzhao and Bai Guangen, who had fought against Liu Chengzong, were a bunch of shit.

The official newspapers all talked about how powerful Liu Chengzong was, how he scared away the pirates and conquered the northern barbarians.

Bai Guangen keeps talking about rockets, rockets all day long, but when it comes to Liu Chengzong himself, he says that he is like a bear, brave and strong.

Cao Wenzhao was also a general who had fought against Liu Chengzong. He said that the Lion Army was well-disciplined, had sharp weapons, and its military appearance was comparable to that of Guan Ning.

"Compared to Guan Ning" is not a derogatory term, especially when it comes from someone like Cao Wenzhao.

Because he himself was a member of the first batch of Guanning Army. When this army was established, it was a new army composed of elite soldiers and generals drawn from the nine borders. After being trained and organized, its combat power and military appearance were undoubtedly the best among all the borders.

  Hong Chengchou listened to him very seriously at that time, but now he just wanted to curse, "None of you said that Liu Chengzong was cunning!"

In fact, Zuo Liangyu said it.

Hong Chengchou also listened to it, but it was useless.

He calculated that if Liu Chengzong sent troops from Xi'an, it would take three days for the vanguard to reach the border, and ten days for the main force.

Zuo Liangyu reminded him that Liu Chengzong was cunning by nature, and he followed his advice and calculated the attack based on the first two days and the main force five days.

Then he hurriedly sent Zhang Yingchang out to set up an ambush, but the next day he was punched in the face by the enemy, which happened to be a counterattack for him.

Let's be honest, Hong Chengchou thought Zuo Liangyu was not talkative and it would be best for him to just shut up.

If he hadn't said that, Zhang Yingchang would still be in Ningxia Town preparing military equipment and would not be in a hurry to go to war.

  In a couple of days, everyone will be surrounded in the town and go straight into defense mode. Isn't that a good thing?

The smartest thing is to defeat the smartest thing. On the contrary, any calculations that treat the other party as a normal person are useless against big idiots.

Now, even though he knew that Liu Chengzong had surrounded Zhang Yingchang, turning the situation into a siege and attack on the reinforcements, he still had to send troops to rescue him.

The siege and attack strategy is easy to crack.

First, if you can hold on, reinforcements will arrive quickly.

Second, if you can hold on, reinforcements will come to your rescue when they attack the enemy.

Cao Wenzhao requested to fight: "General, I will lead the army to rescue Zhang Zhen's troops."

Hong Chengchou said nothing.

He is thinking.

If he had known that they would soon meet in battle with Liu Chengzong's main force in the south, he should have sent Zuo Liangyu there as soon as possible, and there would be no need to doubt the loyalty of Zhang Yingchang and Cao Wenzhao at home.

  Now that Zhang Yingchang is surrounded, is it appropriate to ask Cao Wenzhao to send troops to rescue him?

Let’s say that Bai Guangen was a brave and warlike man, so when people mention Liu Chengzong, they only think of his bravery and warlike skills; Cao Wenzhao was born in Guanning, and he controlled the army with strict discipline, so people would think that Liu Chengzong’s Lion Army was well-disciplined and had the appearance of Guanning.

Then you, Marshal Zuo, only see Liu Chengzong as cunning...what does that mean?

General Hong felt that he was right to guard against him.

  Don’t let there be only five camps left in Ningxia, one of which is his standard camp and four of Zuo Liangyu’s camps. If Cao Wenzhao is defeated again, Zuo Liangyu will tie him up... hehe!

However, Zuo Liangyu is not a bad person. He is just cunning and cannot stand being wronged. In fact, he is very loyal to others.

He had no ill will towards Hong Chengchou and would never harm him.

"It's better not to save him. When it comes to life and death, we must not hesitate."

Zuo Liangyu was very fond of Cao Wenzhao's reckless behavior and always ridiculed him because Cao Wenzhao was not his subordinate but a colleague of the same level.

In the Ming army's battle reports, they were listed as the most valiant and best generals in the world, with similar official positions and achievements. Either I am second to you, or you are second to me.

But now that Zuo Liangyu was like a general, he was unhappy with Cao Wenzhao's style of behaving like a high-ranking lieutenant general.

He thought to himself that people can't be lucky every time, and if you rush over to help like a reckless man again this time, you will definitely die.

Zuo Liangyu first clasped his fists to Hong Chengchou, then gestured to Cao Wenzhao, and then said: "Either we don't rescue him, or we, the two towns and one battalion, will swear an oath before the gods in Ningxia to defend Ningxia to the death... We must rescue him."

Zuo Liangyu had been speaking very fast before, but suddenly got stuck here.

But he was not embarrassed. He looked around at Hong Chengchou and Cao Wenzhao, but still couldn't think of what to say after reading them. He then looked at Ding Zizhen, Bai Guangen, Feng Ju, Cao Bianjiao and others one by one, but still had no words.

Then he shook his head and sighed, "Forget it. After thinking about it, there is nothing we can do to save Liu Chengzong."

It really doesn't.

Where could they attack to achieve the effect of besieging Wei to save Zhao?

  Attack Gansu? Go through the southern border wall and you will run into Liu Chengzong's army on the way; attack Guyuan? There is no way around it, and you can't attack Xi'an, right?

In fact, Hong Chengchou and others were waiting for his next words.

Because defending Ningxia town, many guest generals in the city knew that it was bullshit.

They formed 13 battalions of troops, with no food or pay, and relied entirely on the foreign generals and foreign troops, living one day at a time with low expectations.

Besides, having no food or money was not a big deal for the visiting generals. They were just waiting for the battle. Killing people would give them enough food and money.

Talking about defending to the death at this time is pure nonsense.

Thinking of this, Zuo Liangyu regained his fighting spirit, raised his hand and paused in mid-air, and said, "If you want to rescue him, all nine battalions will go out, regardless of Ningxia Town or the city, and rush to rescue Zhang Yingchang."

"Ah!"

Before anyone else could say anything, Ding Qirui, who was in the Central Military Camp behind Cao Wenzhao, laughed and said, "If Liu the bandit has no intention of besieging the enemy and attacking the reinforcements, what should we do if he suddenly attacks our Ningxia town?"

Ding Qirui thought that these words could win over the enemy, and thought that by then all the commanders of the towns would become dogs that have lost their homes.

But Zuo Liangyu didn't take it seriously at all, and said casually: "No, let's go to Yansui, attack his Yan'an Prefecture, attack his Xi'an Prefecture, let him be the official army, and I will be a bandit!"

  Ding Qirui wanted to laugh at these remarks, but unexpectedly, seeing that everyone was silent and thoughtful, and some people nodded secretly, he suddenly realized... Aren't these three town commanders all stray dogs?

Ding Qirui, on the other hand, was a serious Ningxia military commander.

Among this room of people, including the nine battalion lieutenant generals, only four people, Hong Chengchou, Ding Qirui, Ge Rulin and Zhou Yijing, were actually staying in the areas where their official positions were supposed to be.

  The others are all stray dogs!

The key point is that Hong Chengchou, with his position as the governor of three borders, has won over these wild dogs, which also means... he is almost the same as the wild dogs. For example, now, Hong Chengchou nodded to Zuo Liangyu's general attack plan.

He thought there was nothing wrong with it. Instead of sending out another town of troops, it would be better to send out all nine battalions. It would be best if Zhang Yingchang could be driven out, but if not, a decisive battle there would not be a bad idea either. At least one more town of troops could be gained.

As for what to do after getting rid of Zhang Yingchang, Hong Chengchou felt that there was no need to think too much when he had too few chips in hand.

Ding Qirui, Ge Rulin and Zhou Yijing, looking at a group of guest generals around them who were planning to attack with their entire army, were completely in a position of being coerced.

Ding Qirui still wanted to argue with reason and suggested leaving a battalion to guard the town, but this suggestion was obviously not accepted by people.

Because leaving one or two battalions in Ningxia is of no use at all.

The walls of Ningxia Town were very large, and for every one man to stand on one battlement, two battalions of soldiers would be needed.

Including the rotation of guarding the city, at least four battalions are needed to form a defensive force.

Leaving four battalions behind would mean that only one town of troops could go out for the rescue.

Hong Chengchou had absolute leadership over the three civil servants, and their opposition was hastily suppressed. The entire Ningxia town then took action, with Bai Guangen, who was under the jurisdiction of Cao Wenzhao's Zhongzhen, leading the army to explore and plan the route.

The remaining battalions gathered their troops, each carrying as much rations as possible, and the standard battalion escorted important materials such as gold, silver, and books. They then headed to the east bank of the Yellow River in turn, and then launched a mighty rescue effort towards Lingzhou.

But the same thing goes, a smart mind can't break the defense of a fool.

Liu Chengzong felt that with the wisdom and courage of Hong Chengchou, Zuo Liangyu, Cao Wenzhao and others, they would most likely let Zhang Yingchang hold the position while they staged a trick of besieging Wei to save Zhao from other places.

And this Wei must be the central guard, so he also sent troops from Hongsibao, without paying any attention to Ren Quaner's Second Brigade, and marched directly from Hongsibao to Ningxia town.

Just as more than 20,000 Ningxia garrison soldiers crossed the Yellow River from the east of the town with great fanfare, the beacon fires on the southern wall spread to Ningxia town.

The beacon fire on the side wall was burning yesterday and was extinguished during the day, but it has been lit again.

The place where the beacon was lit in the south was called Mingshazhou Fort, which belonged to Ningxia Zhongwei and was more than 200 miles away from Ningxia town.

While the Ming army was marching downstream from the west of the Yellow River to the east of the Yellow River,

The mighty Marshal's army marched out of Yingpangou along the Hongliu River, bypassed Mingshazhou Fort, crossed the river from the east bank of the Yellow River to the west.

The commander of the fort went back to Zhongwei to calculate his land before the battle. The officer who stayed in the fort was the deputy captain Han Jiajue.

When Han Jiajue saw the ceremonial guard of Liu Chengzong, the commander-in-chief of Ningxia, he ordered the soldiers in the fort to lay down their weapons and leave the city, and he took two people with him to greet them three miles away.

Han Jiajue was a hereditary guard officer, well-known in Ningxia for his skills and bravery. He was known for his bravery along with Li Xuemu, the town commander of Ningxia, and the brothers Bao Yongcheng and Bao Yongming, the rear guards.

He was stationed at Mingshazhou, a strategic location, and he should have defended it to the death.

But now is not a good time. His superior Ding Kongying ran back home to calculate the land property. He calculated how many acres of tax and grain their family had to pay according to the newly compiled tax law.

Han Jiajue had an easier time. His entire family had about a hundred people and owned more than 400 hectares of land, but all of it was on the west side of the Yellow River, which happened to be the area where Hong Chengchou had acquired the land.

In the blink of an eye, more than 400 hectares of ancestral property were taken away by Hong Chengchou to the government without even an explanation.

You are just a governor who brought a group of foreign soldiers to enclose land by force, and you are depriving the people of their land and property that were allocated by Emperor Chongzhen. Are you still an official of the court? What is the difference between you and the rebels?

This alone would not have caused Han Jiajue to rebel. The main reason was that Liu Chengzong had too many men.

The sound of horse hooves could be heard at the entrance of the camp ravine. The vanguard troops here had already come out along the Hongliu River, while the soldiers behind were still hurrying along in the ravine, filling the entire ravine with rising dust.

Han Jiajue's small fort has more than 300 soldiers guarding it. What are they guarding?

Anyway, there are separatist rebels in the south and separatist rebels in the north, and these are the rebels who robbed his family's land. After weighing the two evils, he decided to let Liu Chengzong go to the north to deal with Hong Chengchou.

Han Jiajue was not afraid when he met Liu Chengzong. He bowed respectfully and recounted their origins.

He said that he was the deputy captain of Ningxia Zhongwei, and had fought under General He in his early years. He was a fellow townsman and classmate of the Tongzhengshi of the Marshal's Office.

The relationship is a bit distant.

General He refers to He Huchen, and the Minister of Public Security is Lin Wei, a scholar from Zhongwei and the Duke of Qing.

Their so-called classmates were those who studied together at Zhongwei Medical School.

However, the closeness of the relationship is not important, it is just an excuse. If the relationship was really close, they would have voted long ago, and there would be no need to wait until today.

Liu Chengzong smiled and said, "We are classmates and family members. You can let the soldiers rest assured. When the war is over, everything will be back to normal. Those with courage and strategy will be put to good use."

However, when the soldiers in the fort were being surrendered and reorganized outside the fort, Liu Chengzong saw a thick smoke rising from the fort.

There are still people in the castle, and they lit the signal smoke.

This frightened Han Jiajue: "Great Marshal, all the soldiers in the fort have come out."

Liu Tichun, the guard officer, led Zhang Yong and other Yulin cavalrymen into the fort. Not long after, they came out to report, "General, there is a man hiding in the fort. When we passed by, he was dead on the beacon tower. He committed suicide."

"The soldiers in the fort pointed out that this man is Sun Zuochang, a student from Ningxia Zhongwei."

Also a Chinese health worker.

Liu Chengzong looked at Han Jiajue. Apparently, this Sun Zuochang was also Lin Wei's classmate.

Han Jiajue's eyes revealed a complex look of sadness: "He, he is confused."

"It's quite confusing."

Liu Shizi didn't mean to blame Han Jiajue: "If you want to light a fire, light it. The whole Ningxia is on fire. The town can't take care of anything else. This one fire is not a big deal."

He shook his head and said, "If you can't be a prefect and educate the people, why commit suicide? How foolish."

Han Jiajue could not help but be stunned. Although what he said about Sun Zuochang being confused was a bit against his will, he actually felt that his actions were very heroic.

But... he was not as careless as Liu Chengzong. He could never have imagined that Liu Chengzong, the rebel leader whom he had never met, had no intention of blaming him and Sun Zuochang at all.

Even a little appreciative.

While they were talking, the army did not stop marching. After leaving the Hongliu River Valley, they split into several groups and headed west to the shore. The front army collected civilian boats and built a pontoon bridge, while the rear army went directly to the chain bridge, pontoon bridge or took a ferry.

At this time, a soldier from Youtang came running over and said, "General, on the other side of the river, Gulu Taiji's soldiers have surrounded Zaoyuan Fort and sent someone to report that the Ming generals Li Xuemu and Wang Fengshui instigated them to attack you, and they have been captured!"

"In addition, Gulu Taiji also reported that his spies reported that a battalion of troops from Ningxia Town crossed the Yellow River to the east this morning, and the remaining garrison troops were also collecting military supplies. The town is now empty."

Liu Chengzong clapped his hands and shook his head, looking at Han Jiajue: "Give Gulu Taiji a credit. You see, the beacon fire has no effect on me. You stay here and hold my command arrow to persuade others for me. The three borders of Shaanxi are my foundation. Talented people who are willing to follow me will be reused."

"The army is coming, and we are alone and weak and cannot stop it. Those who fight to the death and light the beacon are loyal and righteous. I will not blame them for their duty. If everyone in the world is content with their own affairs, I will not raise an army."

"But let us think about this: if death is inevitable, should you, warriors of both civil and military caliber, die like weeds, or follow me to fight and die on the battlefield against the Eastern Tartars, and gain eternal fame?"

good evening!