stubborn thief

"The Yellow River has breached its banks?"

Upon receiving this news, Liu Chengzong was incredulous and instinctively asked, "Is the intelligence accurate?"

He rarely does this, asking questions without careful consideration.

This news seemed outrageous to him.

Shaanxi has been suffering from a severe drought for almost ten years, and Henan has also experienced drought for several years. This year in particular, the Yellow River has been dry for more than half a month at the border of Shaanxi and Shanxi, and the water has not even reached Hukou in the upper reaches.

Later, although it rained in Yan'an Prefecture and there was water, the flow rate was not as high as in previous years.

The river had never breached its banks before, so why did it breach this year?
However, Zhang Tianlin was very confident in the source of the intelligence.

This news wasn't given to him by just one person, but by refugees fleeing to Tongguanyuan, militias who had risen up in Henan, fortified villages that had submitted to the Marshal's Office, secret societies, and many other channels, all reporting the same disaster simultaneously within a short period of time.

There is no more credible source than this.

Even so, Liu Shizi was still completely baffled—where did the water come from?
The Yellow River has little water in its upper reaches, and the Wei River and Jing River are used for irrigation in the Guanzhong Plain, so they dry up during the farming season.

The water flow from all the tributaries in Shaanxi that flow into the Yellow River this year is not as high as in previous years.

He even wondered if the Han River and the Yellow River were connected, and if the severe flooding there had caused the Yellow River to rise.

This question was not answered until Chen Qiyu, the River Conservancy Director of the Marshal's Office, was summoned to the Qin Palace.

When Chen Qiyu heard the news that the Yellow River had breached its banks in Henan, he showed no surprise whatsoever; it was entirely within his expectations.

Liu Shizi even saw a sense of 'it was bound to happen sooner or later' on Chen Qiyu's face.

"Brother Yuxian, do you know the reason for this breach?"

Even now, Chen Qiyu is not used to getting too close to Liu Chengzong, this smiling tiger.

When others heard Liu Chengzong address him as "elder brother," they would bow or salute, but Chen Qiyu would instinctively take a half step back, and then bow and clasp his hands in greeting.

"Reporting to the Grand Marshal, I once served as the magistrate of Luoyang and was also the military commissioner of Nanyang when I served as the Henan Provincial Councilor. I am more familiar with the situation in Henan than you generals from Qin."

Chen Qiyu nodded and said, "The Yellow River is a suspended river in Henan, therefore..."

What does "悬河" mean?

Before Chen Qiyu could finish speaking, Zhang Xianzhong interrupted him, and Liu Shizi glanced at him and said, "Let Brother Yuxian speak first."

Cao Yao, however, raised his hand over his head and said, "This Minister of Rites doesn't even understand the concept of 'height'? He's really something else, the embankment is higher than the river, and the river is higher than the land!"

Cao Yao was a native of Henan, and there was no place in the north he hadn't been. He had seen it all, so he was surprised by Zhang Xianzhong's ignorance: "Minister Zhang has never been to Henan?"

Now it was Zhang Xianzhong's turn to feel aggrieved: "I did go there, but it was winter, and the river was frozen, just ice."

Cao Yao grinned and said, "It's alright. Henan has just suffered a disaster this time. We'll make sure you see them when we break through."

These two troublemakers couldn't keep talking; the more they talked, the more outrageous it became. They even went to Henan just to see the suspended river on the ground... Liu Chengzong gave Chen Qiyu a look, interrupting their conversation: "Brother Yuxian, please continue."

Chen Qiyu first cupped his hands to Cao Yao and said, "Indeed, as the Grand Commander said, the Qin region is high in elevation, and the Yellow River is also very powerful. It reaches Tongguan, where it is blocked by the Qinling Mountains and flows eastward to the lowlands of Henan."

“Where the land is low, the water flows slowly; where the water flows slowly, silt accumulates. Therefore, in Henan, the Yellow River’s riverbed is constantly raised by silt. By the time it reaches Kaifeng, the riverbed is 35 feet higher than Kaifeng.”

These are facts that are more accurate than common sense, and even Cao Yao was unaware of them.

Zhang Xianzhong stopped talking, leaned back in his chair, stared blankly at the palace ceiling, and imagined the scene in his mind, muttering to himself, "Damn it, the river is almost as long as the Xi'an city wall."

The city wall of Xi'an is four zhang high.

The idiom "eloquent and persuasive" was visualized for the first time in Zhang Xianzhong's mind.

After saying all this, Chen Qiyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

In fact, his initial "I knew it" expression had absolutely nothing to do with anticipating the Yellow River breach.

Rather, he knew from the day he was appointed as the River Conservancy Commissioner that Liu Shizi would ask him about the Yellow River sooner or later.

For the Yellow River's governor, failing to answer this question was a death sentence, potentially costing him his head.

So Chen Qiyu did a lot of research on the Yellow River in advance, and that's why... Liu Shizi asked about it.

"Therefore, General, when the Yellow River breaches its banks, it breaches the dikes. A large amount of water may not necessarily wash away the dikes; a small amount of water may not be enough to hold them back."

Liu Shizi understood what he was saying.

The Yellow River is prone to breaching its banks in Henan, not because of the water flow, but because of the terrain.

From the Loess Plateau to the fertile Central Plains, with a drop of 1,000 meters, the Yellow River crashes into the Qinling Mountains at Tongguan, then turns east... just randomly pick a road and head out to sea.

Henan has also been quite turbulent in recent years. The dikes along the river have been in disrepair for many years and have developed cracks, allowing the Yellow River to carve out a path.

The Qin Palace subsequently fell silent.

Liu Chengzong leaned back on the table, tapping his horsewhip rhythmically in his hand, silently staring at the map of the world hanging on the wall.

The generals, each lost in their own thoughts, exchanged glances from time to time, but none of them dared to utter a sound to disturb Liu Chengzong's concentration.

They all knew that whenever Liu Chengzong stared at the map without saying a word, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings, war was imminent.

Cao Yao even raised his hand and pointed at the map, gesturing towards Tongguan and Henan in the distance, and patted Zhang Tianlin on the shoulder, indicating that it was time for him to make a contribution.

They were very familiar with each other, their acquaintance dating back to the Tianqi era. Before the two brothers, Chengzu and Chengzong, joined the army, they were already serving as team leaders in Yuhebao.

Now, with two generals stationed in the Marshal's Mansion, one in the southeast and one in the northwest, guarding two defensive directions, Zhang Xianzhong has no say in the matter.

Just then, Liu Chengzong, who was staring at the map in deep thought, suddenly stopped cracking his whip, raised his hand and said, "Present the deployment and intelligence of the Ming army in Shanxi, Henan and Huguang, and pass them on!"

The Imperial Guardsmen Yue Wenkui, Li Qifeng, Zhang Yong, and others who were standing by immediately stepped forward to receive the order.

"Before dusk, the ten adjutants of the Imperial Guard, Tiger Guard, Northern Yuan, Imperial Clan, Black Flag, Liaoyang, Tangqi, Batu, Hengshan, and Yuanjiao, the eight generals of the First and Second Brigades, and the three heads of the Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of War, and Ministry of Works entered the palace to discuss matters. Each of them ordered their respective units to replenish their troops and inventory their weapons to prepare for the expedition."

As he spoke, Liu Chengzong turned around, waved his hand to instruct the Imperial Guards to carry out their orders, and looked at Zhang Tianlin, asking, "How many days will it take for the Guanzhong Brigade to assemble at Tongguan?"

"Reporting to the Commander, the entire brigade will need five days to assemble."

Zhang Tianlin clasped his hands in response. After speaking, he looked up and observed Liu Chengzong's expression, then added, "But the Zhengyou Second Battalion of seven thousand soldiers can leave the pass by noon tomorrow."

Liu Chengzong's orders were initially quite serious, but upon hearing Zhang Tianlin's words, he couldn't hold back any longer. He knew that Zhang Tianlin had been guarding his home during the Lingdong battle and was now eager for battle, but his main force of 5,000 men was stationed outside the east gate of Xi'an, 200 li away from Tongguan. It wouldn't be so urgent to fly there in a day and a night.

Moreover, the handover of the Guanzhong Brigade's Xindi defense zone also takes time.

"If we assemble in five days, then we'll set off in six days."

"Within six days, the Guanzhong Brigade will hand over the Guanzhong defense information to the Second Brigade. First, scouts will be sent out of the pass to investigate the intelligence in Henan along the south bank of the Yellow River. The entire brigade will gather at Tongguan with half a month's worth of provisions. Six days later, they will set off out of the pass and successively attack Mengjin, Sishui, and Xingyang."

As soon as Liu Chengzong finished speaking, Zhang Tianlin clasped his hands in excitement and said, "This subordinate obeys the order!"

After answering, Zhang Tianlin paused for a moment, pondering Liu Chengzong's order. The more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

Having been stationed at Tongguan for a long time, he was very familiar with the environment of Henan. Although Liu Chengzong sent his Guanzhong Brigade eastward first, in terms of troop deployment, it seems that the Guanzhong Brigade was only used as the vanguard to seize passes along the river.

The Guanzhong Brigade was originally one of Liu Chengzong's three major battalions. With its elite cavalry and rockets, it was invincible and was the Marshal's most elite assault force.

However, after being expanded into the Guanzhong Brigade, it was stationed in the key Guanzhong area and was busy with routine troop rotations. In peacetime, it only drove away Zhang Renxue's Henan army and did not fight any major battles.

Zhang Tianlin was eager to make his move, hoping to conquer a vassal state during this eastward expedition to Henan.

Judging from the tone of Liu Chengzong's order, it seemed that he wasn't intended to lead the attack.

For Guanzhong Tourism, wouldn't capturing a few ferry towns along the Yellow River be a waste of its talents?

What Zhang Tianlin was thinking might not be so clear to others.

But Liu Chengzong could see right through it.

Zhang Tianlin's plan was clearly to attack Luoyang, Jixian, Hanoi, Nanyang, and Ruyang, the important cities and towns where the vassal states of Fu, Lu, Zheng, Tang, and Chong were located.

He laughed and said, "What, you want to fight a few tough battles?"

Before Zhang Tianlin could answer, Liu Shizi continued, "My brother has personally trained the Guanzhong Brigade Commander in field battles. Taking cities and capturing strongholds is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. The Henan region is flat and open, which is the perfect place for him to roam freely and put his skills to good use."

He didn't take those royal cities in Henan seriously.

Luoyang, Kaifeng, and other cities are indeed easy to defend and difficult to attack, but besieging them is not that difficult.

Liu Chengzong's plan was still to besiege the city and attack the reinforcements. He said to his generals, "We will not fight for a single city or piece of land. Once the troops from Guanzhong enter Henan, the cities will be unable to escape. Although the capital city has high walls and deep moats, it is nothing more than our possession."

He emphasized to Zhang Tianlin: "Sending you to attack the city is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. The attack should be left to Jin Chanzi's Zongren Camp. Once Zhang Renxue leads his troops to reinforce, the Guanzhong Brigade can then intercept and attack his army to boost their morale. Then, the area west of Kaifeng can be captured within ten days."

"We cannot achieve a swift victory, so we should temporarily take Henan Prefecture, using the Songshan Mountains and the Ying River as a barrier to resist the troops from Kaifeng."

Zhang Tianlin nodded in agreement. This was still Liu Chengzong's usual strategy: first seize field troops, then launch a full-scale attack on cities and territories. All the generals in the Marshal's Mansion were very familiar with it.

However, Cao Yao and other generals looked at each other, speechless at Liu Chengzong's deployment.

It's understandable that Zhang Tianlin would lead the Guanzhong Brigade to roam freely in Henan. After passing Luoyang, there's a flat plain to the east, a place suitable for cavalry battles.

However, sending Jin Chanzi to lead the Imperial Clan Army, composed of various vassal states from Shaanxi, to attack the cities of various vassal states from Henan... Cao Yao and others could only interpret this as Liu Chengzong's perverse sense of humor.

However, Liu Shizi actually felt that a militia leader like Jin Chanzi, who came from the imperial family, was more likely to incite the common people of the Henan imperial family to turn against him. Similarly, compared to the regular army of the Marshal's Office, their attacks on the capitals of various vassal states were less likely to arouse the resistance of the people of Henan.

At the same time, he did not focus his military efforts on northern Henan in this campaign.

Because Henan is strategically a battleground, easily accessible to troops from all directions. At the same time, the Central Plains region is one of the wealthiest places in the world.

But this place was a poor province in the Ming Dynasty.

It's not that Henan is poor; in the agricultural era, Henan was one of the few wealthy places.

However, there are seven princes stationed in the seven prefectures of Henan. Each prefecture and its fiefdom receives the same amount of imperial favor. The tax revenue from the entire province is not even enough to cover the stipends of the fiefdoms.

Not to mention the two princes of Fu and Lu, Wanli's two closest sons and brothers, who were the two wealthiest princely states in the country.

Liu Shizi thought to himself, if he were Emperor Chongzhen, what he would most want to conquer is not Shaanxi, but these two vassal states.

Therefore, his target was not in northern Henan for the time being, but in Nanyang Prefecture in southern Henan, which he regarded as the passage to enter Huguang and advance into Jingxiang.

Ever since he conquered the fertile Guanzhong Plain, or more precisely, the Xi'an Prefecture with its vast tracts of arable land, Liu Shizi had long coveted Huguang.

Shaanxi is the best geographical unit in the country in terms of military strategy. It is no exaggeration to say that it is a place that can be picked up at will. Attacking other places is as easy as bending down to pick something up.

However, since Huguang was a region that could be reached from all directions, both sides faced almost the same situation: it was easy to stalemate, but difficult to advance.

The narrow mountain roads of the Qinling Mountains make it difficult for a large army to pass quickly in a short time, and heavy weapons would severely delay the army's speed.

If the world were in chaos, it would be relatively easy for Shaanxi to attack Huguang.

However, nowadays, Lu Xiang-sheng has been operating in Huguang for a long time, and he also leads a large group of Liu Shizi's defeated generals, including Zu Da-le, Yang Zheng-fang, Lei Shi-sheng, Qin Yi-ming, Li Chong-zhen, Yang Shi-en, and others, all of whom are brave warriors.

Liu Chengzong felt that anyone could stop them, but when it came to defeating them and conquering Huguang, he believed that none of his generals could be absolutely certain of success.

That was the last major military force of the Ming Dynasty in the Central Plains.

Compared to them, Zhang Renxue's Henan Corps was not a threat in terms of either size or strength.

Therefore, Liu Shizi moved his whip from Henan to Huguang, pointing to several strategic locations in turn: "Nanyang Prefecture in Henan is currently undefended. By passing through Nanyang into Huguang, and taking the route through Xinye and Xiangyang, we can gather our troops."

"The Second Brigade and the Hanzhong Brigade blocked the mountain roads, and the Guanzhong Brigade used the line from Xingyang to Kaifeng in northern Henan as a barrier. Our division's troops fought their way into Huguang, challenged Lu Xiangshan to battle, and annihilated his army in Jingxiang."

After saying this, he pointed to the location of Xiangyang on the map, turned to his generals and said, "Conquer Huguang, take its money and grain, build naval fortresses and warships, and in three to five years, we will be able to roam freely along the Yangtze River."

Zhang Tianlin stared blankly at the map with her mouth slightly open, imagining Liu Chengzong's grand strategy in her mind.

He only wanted to be appointed as the vanguard commander in the attack on Henan, and he would be very satisfied if he could capture Luoyang, where Prince Fu was located.

Unexpectedly, a breach in the Yellow River led Liu Chengzong to plan to occupy the Yangtze River.

If we follow Liu Chengzong's strategy, we can capture Nanyang and Henan prefectures. If we can continue to advance, we can capture Kaifeng prefecture. Once the floods along the Yellow River subside, the prefectures south of the Yellow River will be as easy as taking candy from a baby.

By capturing Xiangyang, we can control the Yangtze River waterway, and the Marshal's Office will soon have an inland naval force.

He got goosebumps.

Only then did Zhang Tianlin truly realize... he was truly following Liu Chengzong on a path to conquer the world. (End of Chapter)