weaving

"No need. The troops from Datong and Shanxi have been traveling hard. It would be better for them to rest for two more days and recover some strength."

In the side hall of Fanta Temple, Yongning Earl Zhang Cheng continued in a firm tone: "Most of our Yongyi Army has gathered at the foot of Kaifeng City. Although we are not as many as the enemy troops, we are not afraid to fight them."

He looked at the commanders and deputy commanders of each camp gathered in the side hall with a sharp gaze and asked, "Generals, please tell us what you think."

"Marshal, I would like to ask the Blue Dragon Camp and the White Tiger Camp to advance directly to the Jialu River, ten miles northwest of Zhuxian Town, to build a strong camp and confront the enemy army head-on, so that they dare not use their full strength to overwhelm the reinforcements of Ding and Yang."

As soon as Zhang Guodong finished speaking, Chen Zhong's voice came: "General, since the establishment of the Yanhe Camp, it has been stationed in northern Henan for a long time. Although it has been out to suppress bandits several times, it has never fought against the rebels. Now that the rebels are right in front of us, how can we not let the soldiers of the Yanhe Camp take the lead?"

"Xiao Zhongzi, why are you so anxious?"

When Chen Zheng heard what he said, he immediately got angry: "Marshal Jue didn't say that he wouldn't let your Yanhe Camp go to the battlefield to kill the bandits. Why do you have to fight for this first battle?"

After hearing what Chen Zheng said, although he was very reluctant, Chen Zhong still held it back. After all, he and Chen Zheng were not in the same weight class in the Yongyi Army system.

Although Chen Zhong is also the commander of a battalion of troops, he is still half a head shorter than the four veteran generals Chen Zheng, Zhang Guodong, Zhang Guangda, and Wei Zhice.

You have to know that when Chen Zheng and Zhang Guangda were still cavalry captains, Chen Zhong was just a personal soldier beside Zhang Cheng, a thousand-man commander. At that time, Zhang Guodong was already a cavalry captain of the battalion of Lu Xiangsheng, the former governor of Xuanda. He was of the same rank as Zhang Cheng at the time. If you really want to compare them, it seems that they are even higher than Zhang Cheng.

Although Wei Zhice joined Zhang Cheng's army a little later, he was born a tongsheng, which made him a true scholar. What's more, he was a man of both literary and martial talents. Therefore, ever since he followed Zhang Cheng, he has been highly valued and successfully became one of the four great generals around Zhang Cheng.

It was precisely because of this that Chen Zhong could only endure it silently even though he was extremely reluctant...

However, although he did not dare to refute Chen Zheng in public, his eyes still looked at Yongning Earl Zhang Cheng with great grievance, hoping that his commander-in-chief could speak for him at this moment.

But Earl Yongning seemed to have noticed nothing about this. His expression remained unchanged, but his eyes kept moving back and forth between Wei Zhice, Sun Shixiang and Hu Yiwen, as if waiting for them to express their opinions.

"My Lord, I think that if I march south, I should not only focus on confronting the enemy directly, but also prevent them from attacking my food and supplies from the rear."

As soon as Sun Shixiang finished speaking, Hu Yiwen also spoke up at the right time: "I think that the purpose of my advance is to relieve the pressure from Governor Ding and Governor Yang at Shuipoji, so should we inform Governor Ding in advance, so that he will not be unaware of our friendly forces and lose morale, and collapse without a fight!"

After hearing what they said, Yongning Bo nodded his head to show his approval. It was obvious that Wei Zhice had not spoken a word, so he could not help but ask: "Brother Zhice, what do you think about the march to Zhuxian Town?" Seeing that Yongning Bo personally asked his name, Wei Zhice knew that he could not remain silent any longer. He thought for a moment and then said: "Marshal, although our royal army is not as strong as the enemy army, if we only talk about the combat troops, it is not much worse than the enemy army, and there are more than 100,000 official troops led by Governor Ding in Shuipo Ji.

As Gong Qiao said, the king's army's base for the southward advance is the government troops gathered at Shuipo. If they retreat prematurely, the momentum of the pincer attack on the enemy army will be broken immediately. Rather than advancing to Zhuxian Town and confronting the enemy alone, it is better for our army to sit and defend the fortified city of Kaifeng."

Seeing that everyone in the side hall was listening patiently, he continued, "Moreover, our royal army went south to occupy the bandits in Zhuxian Town. Although we are not afraid of fighting with the bandits, the bandits are cunning. As Elder Sun said, we should not focus entirely on the front of the bandits. Zhice also believes that our flanks and rear should be more strictly guarded to avoid being taken advantage of by the bandits and causing our royal army to be controlled by the bandits."

Wang Pu seemed a little impatient. He said, "My Lord, you decide how to fight this battle. Can these peasant bandits be stronger than the Tartars?"

Ever since returning from the battle against the Jianzhou Tartars in Liaodong, Wang Pu has become full of confidence. In his opinion, as long as he follows the Earl of Yongning to fight, he seems to be sure to win. Even though he is now facing an army of hundreds of thousands of bandits, the most powerful group of bandits in the world, he has no fear.

Yongning Bo glanced at Wang Pu, shook his head and smiled, then said: "The bandits may not be stronger than the Jiannu Tartars, but they are just as cunning. When fighting against them, you must not be careless or you will be taken advantage of by them!"

Wang Pu relied on his old acquaintance with the Earl of Yongning, and the fact that he was also the general of a town. When dealing with the generals of the Yongyi Army, he always regarded himself as the eldest brother and acted in a carefree manner. However, in front of his brother Zhang Cheng, whom he always remembered, he was always like a mouse seeing a cat, and was always silent and timid.

Although he dared to joke with Earl Yongning occasionally, once Earl Yongning spoke, he would immediately shut his mouth and not say another word of nonsense.

Earl Yongning looked at his slightly funny expression and tried hard not to laugh out loud. But it was also good this way. Talents like Wang Pu were easier to control. For Earl Yongning, the cost of keeping such a stupid general was not high.

At this time, Zhang Guodong also said, "Marshal, since the advance to Zhuxian Town is a foregone conclusion, I think it is better to do it sooner rather than later. Please make a decision quickly, lest Commander Ding's side collapses without a fight and loses the opportunity."

Seeing that everyone present had no objection to sending troops to Zhuxian Town and that their thoughts had reached a high degree of consensus, Zhang Cheng, Earl of Yongning, nodded and said, "You are not afraid of the bandits and are willing to fight. This earl is very pleased. Since everyone thinks it is necessary to march into Zhuxian Town and confront the bandits, this matter will be settled.

However, as Elder Sun, Gong Qiao and Brother Zhice said, the purpose of confronting the bandits head-on in Zhuxian Town is to contain the bandits and prevent them from exerting all their strength to pressure Governor Ding. However, we must also prevent them from jumping over the wall in desperation and sending surprise troops to attack our flanks and rear. Therefore, we need to carefully consider how to advance the troops and how each camp should act. "

Li Fuming also expressed his opinion at this time: "The Earl of Yongning will only be in charge of the assignment, and Fuming will never fail in his duty."

"That's right... Marshal, please give the order quickly. The soldiers can't wait to go into battle and kill the enemy."

"Marshal, the White Tiger Battalion will lead the charge..." (End of this chapter)