weaving

Fang Zhenghua was originally the military supervisor of Zhenbao. When he saw the governor Zhang Fuzhen speak, he supported him no matter what. He hurriedly asked, "General Zhang, what exactly do you mean by this? Which is better? Please tell me clearly so that we can understand!"

"Hehehe..."

Zhang Fuzhen chuckled a few times and said, "The bandits are powerful, with many men and many soldiers. They can withstand consumption and are not afraid of casualties, which is their advantage. However, because the bandits are powerful and have many soldiers, they consume a lot of food. Although they have plundered the government warehouses of the rich families in Zhongzhou, they only spend money and do not take in anything. Sooner or later, they will run out of food.

Furthermore, although they have a large number of troops and strong power, they are now gathering the defeated troops at Shuipo, which adds more than tens of thousands of troops. Moreover, they are already divided into two factions: Chuang and Cao. Although they join forces to fight against me, they are not truly of one mind. Further down the line, there are many generals and leaders. Although they are not disunited, they are really wary of each other.

If the war is not favorable to them, they may fight me wholeheartedly, but once the war is favorable to them, they will return to being on guard against each other. The bandits have been splitting up and reuniting for more than ten years, and have never formed a real group, nor has a real big bandit leader emerged. This is a clear proof of this. "

"Great... great idea!" Fang Zhenghua clapped his hands and praised Zhang Fuzhen's words.

Zhang Cheng and the others nodded, and looked at Zhang Fuzhen with a little more respect in their eyes. In particular, the generals under the command of Earl Yongning all said in their hearts: "As expected of someone who has been the governor of Xuanda, he does have some knowledge."

Wang Pu, the general of Datong, sat in the first seat on the left. He drank a sip of herbal tea slowly and said, "Who cares? We can stop him if he comes. Even if he has thousands of troops, we can't just run away like Zuo Ping did."

He was clinging to the strong support of the Earl of Yongning. As long as he was with the Earl of Yongning and the Yongyi Army, he was fearless. At this moment, he was even very disgusted with Zuo Liangyu's escape. However, he had no idea that if Zhang Cheng had not changed history during the Battle of Liaodong, he would probably have been beheaded for deserting the battle!

Li Fuming, the general of Shanxi, also said: "The governor also said that the enemy's large numbers and strength are both advantages and disadvantages. Although they have a large number of horses, they are elite and are actually comparable to me. Now my division has a strong camp and strong camp, and with the advantage of guns and cannons, we can defend the place where they must attack, and we will definitely give them a bloody head."

Seeing that other generals were also eager to try, Yongning Earl Zhang Cheng quickly raised his hand and waved to stop them from continuing to talk. Then he turned around and glanced at Baodu Zhang Fuzhen. Seeing that he was nodding slightly at him, he no longer pretended to be humble.

"Now that we have come here, there is no reason for us to retreat without a fight. No matter how many bandits there are, we have to fight them head-on."

"Yes."

After hearing what Earl Yongning said, Wang Pu was the first to speak out his agreement. He then said, "Earl Yongning, you are the commander-in-chief of the anti-bandit movement appointed by the emperor himself. You will give the order on how we should fight against Blind Li."

"Li Fuming, the general of Shanxi, is at the command of Marshal Jue!"

"Jiang Mingwu, the deputy general of Shanxi, is at the command of Marshal Jue!"

"... I am at your command, Marshal. Please give me the order!"

Under the leadership of the generals and deputy generals of Datong and Shanxi, the generals in the Yongyi Army system also spoke up to request the order. Even Baoding Governor Zhang Fuzhen, who was sitting at the top, said in his heart: "The army's morale can be used, the army's morale can be used."

Although Bian Yongqing had been watching the performance of his subordinates, his eyes never left Yongning Earl. He thought to himself, "What kind of tricks did Zhang Cheng use to make even the generals of Wang Pu and Li Fuming bow to him?"

Fang Zhenghua was the most unusual person among the people present. His eyes kept wandering around Yongning Earl Zhang Cheng, and a sentence popped up in his mind: "This Yongning Earl is really extraordinary. If we don't take precautions early, he may become a big problem in the future, or even more difficult to control than the thief Zuo Ping!"

  Regardless of what the people sitting at the top were thinking, Zhang Cheng didn't know. Even if he knew, what could he do?

…………

"The three battalions of our Yongyi Army, Tengshe, Qinglong, and Baihu, remain stationary, and each defends in its own strong camp. If bandits attack us from a distance, we will bombard them with artillery fire, and if they come close, we will shoot them with guns and arrows. If the bandits come close, we will fight them to the death."

Zhang Cheng also warned Wei Zhice and the other three, saying: "Remember, no matter how the bandits attack, you must not leave the camp lightly. You must do your best to avoid fighting with the bandits in the field. You must try your best to defend the camp and give full play to the advantages of our army's guns and artillery to kill more bandits to exhaust their energy and reduce their morale."

"Here!"

Wei Zhice, Zhang Guodong, Chen Zheng and the other three responded in unison.

Zhang Cheng turned his gaze to Li Fuming and said to him, "General Li, Deputy General Jiang, please lead your troops to Chenliu to station there to prevent them from bypassing our division to the east and heading directly north to besiege Kaifeng."

“Here…here!”

They obviously did not have the tacit understanding that the generals of the Yongyi Army had, and could not speak in unison when receiving orders.

"According to intelligence, the walls of Chenliu have been torn down by the bandit Li, but the bricks and stones are still there. When you get there, immediately organize the people to repair the city. You can demolish some uninhabited houses and take large logs to help repair the walls.

As for the camp, you two cannot set up camp in the same place. Li Fuming will stay inside the city, while Jiang Mingwu will set up camp on the official road four miles north of the city. If bandits attack, you can support each other and work together to defend. Send fast cavalry to report back to me."

"Yes."

"Right now, Lin Fangping and Xu Jinyong are leading the elite cavalry of the Yulin and Huwei battalions to search for the enemy troops over there. You should be fine when you advance, but you must not be careless. You still need to advance according to the wartime regulations and set up camp early to prevent any accidents."

"Yes, please rest assured, Sir, we will be careful and cautious."

Zhang Cheng ignored them and turned to look at Wang Pu, saying to him, "General Wang, your troops will be stationed in Matou Village south of Kaifeng City, ready to support Chenliu at any time."

"Yes. Wang Pu has received the order."

"Marshal Jue, General Li and General Wang's camps are short of guns and cannons. If they encounter a large group of bandits attacking them, it may be difficult to defend. Do you think it would be better if our Suzaku Camp could switch with General Li's?"

Zhang Cheng glared at Zhang Guangda and said, "Even if the bandits attack in large numbers, it won't be difficult to hold out for a day or two. We will then send your cavalry from the Suzaku Camp to fight. Why bother fighting with General Li for it?"

After he finished speaking, he looked at Liu Chengzu and said, "Chengzu, please write a letter to Li Jiyu on my behalf, asking him to transfer his troops to cross the Yellow River from Chenqiao and march towards Chenliu." "Yes."

Yongning Bo glanced at the officers and generals again, and said solemnly: "Everyone, Li the thief now has a large number of people and power, and after defeating Fu Zonglong and Wang Qiaonian, he also surrendered many Shaanxi border soldiers. His strength is no longer what it used to be. This is why he can travel across the Central Plains, attack states and break prefectures, and no one can control him.

Now, the bandits are in high spirits and their military strength is strong. We are not afraid of them, but we don't want to confront them head-on and damage our loyal soldiers in vain. That's why I rushed south while Shuipo Ji was still under attack, in order to build a solid camp and defend ourselves, so that we can turn attack into defense.

Let the bandits attack me first, and make them hit their heads and bleed, so as to consume their morale and wear down their spirit. When the bandits lose all their spirit, it is time for us to switch the situation between attack and defense!"

Zhang Cheng shouted loudly with a slightly excited look on his face: "When the time comes, the enemy will be out of food and exhausted, and their morale will be low. That will be the time for us to strike back. In other words, 'If the enemy can come, we can also go'!"

"it is good."

Zhang Fuzhen slammed his palm on the table and praised: "What a good saying: 'If the thief can come, I can also go'!"

However, there were some different opinions. Fang Zhenghua questioned Zhang Cheng in a shrill voice: "Yongning Earl, what you said is very good, but isn't this way of fighting too time-consuming and laborious? Once we reach a stalemate with the bandits, I wonder how much money and grain the court will have to spend. Has Yongning Earl thought about this?"

  Zhang Cheng was stunned when he heard this. He had not heard any doubts or criticisms for a long time, which made him feel that "I am always right". However, after listening to Fang Zhenghua's doubts about him today, he suddenly remembered a sentence - "criticism and self-criticism"!

However, Zhang Cheng also knew very well that people of this era could not accept "criticism and self-criticism" because it would damage his personal prestige. Moreover, given his current status, no one dared to criticize him!

Don’t you see, is there anyone who dares to criticize the emperor?

Even the emperor of the previous generation is not allowed. If it is the emperor of the previous dynasty, it may be acceptable, but the criticism cannot be too harsh, so as not to be suspected of alluding to the current emperor.

  Therefore, in every dynasty, only the emperor himself issued the "edict of repentance", but there were not many ministers criticizing the emperor!

But even so, Zhang Cheng still secretly memorized the phrase "criticism and self-criticism" in his heart.

Of course, he felt very uncomfortable and humiliated when Fang Zhenghua suddenly questioned him.

But before he could express his opinion or speak, he heard Chen Zheng, who was standing below him, say, "Mr. Bian is wrong. The enemy is now very powerful, and they have the power to defeat the hundreds of thousands of government troops at Shuipo. Their morale is high. If our division confronts them head-on at this time, it will not be like hitting a rock with an egg, but it will inevitably suffer heavy losses.

Looking at the whole Henan, even the whole Ming Dynasty, apart from the government troops that have been transferred to Kaifeng, which other troops can rush to Kaifeng to provide assistance? Mr. Bian, have you ever thought about who can help Kaifeng if our division is defeated by the bandits again? "

"This……"

Bian Yongqing was speechless for a moment when asked by Chen Zheng, and he didn't know how to answer. Fortunately, Bian Yongqing rescued him in time: "Chen Zheng, who are you? How dare you be so rude to Mr. Bian!"

Chen Zheng looked unconvinced, but when he saw that Earl Yongning was looking at him, he was reluctant but helpless. Before he could apologize, he heard Fang Zhenghua said unconvincedly: "The emperor has pardoned Sun Chuanting and ordered him to go to Shaanxi to rectify the military. He will lead the army to aid Henan soon. Besides, there are Wu Sangui, Cao Bianjiao, Wang Tingchen and other generals in Liaodong, all of whom are the bravest among the three armies. How can you say that the court has no soldiers to use?"

After hearing his words, Chen Zheng was even more dissatisfied. Just as he was about to make a sarcastic remark, he heard Earl Yongning say, "Chen Zheng, why don't you apologize to Lord Fang?"

After Chen Zheng apologized to Fang Zhenghua, regardless of whether he had calmed down, Zhang Cheng said, "Sun Chuanting is indeed a rare man who knows military affairs, but the old Shaanxi army was defeated by Fu Zonglong and Wang Qiaonian in Henan. The remaining arrogant and brave generals like Zuo Liangyu are unknown. Sun Chuanting, who has no money, no food, and no soldiers, can still control the situation.

Wu Sangui, Cao Bianjiao and other Liaodong generals are indeed rare talents, but the task of defending Liaodong against the slaves is particularly important, and they cannot be easily transferred away. If the Jiannu invade Jinzhou again, how will they respond? "

…………

Sun Chuanting had been pardoned by Emperor Chongzhen before and had served as acting governor of Baoding for a while. Later, the court officially appointed Zhang Fuzhen as governor of Baoding, and he became an idle person without any official duties.

He had originally planned to take advantage of this free time to go to Xuanfu to see how Yongning Earl Zhang Cheng managed to support his tens of thousands of elite soldiers. However, when he arrived at Xuanfu Town from the east and north routes, he received news that Emperor Chongzhen summoned him, so he hurried back to the capital.

Emperor Chongzhen finally plucked up the courage to completely forgive Sun Chuanting, appointed him as the governor of the three borders of Shaanxi, and gave him a year to train his troops. At the same time, Emperor Chongzhen also gave Sun Chuanting a secret mission.

At this time, Zhang Cheng, the Earl of Yongning, had just marched to the north bank of the Yellow River. He also learned about this from the court's reports. However, what he didn't know was that Sun Chuanting was on his way to Henan at this moment.

…………

Although everything Zhang Cheng said was true, Fang Zhenghua felt even angrier. He didn't really care about Chen Zheng's retort, but Zhang Cheng's words were obviously hinting at his narrow-mindedness and lack of forethought, which made him secretly angry but he couldn't refute.

"Even so, Earl Yongning should also think about how to fight the bandits as quickly as possible, saving money and food for the country, and relieving the country's worries, and repaying the country's kindness and the emperor's grace."

Facing Fang Zhenghua's relentless insistence, Zhang Cheng just smiled and said patiently: "Mr. Fang, I dare not rashly fight the bandits just to relieve the country's worries."

"Oh? I'd like to hear the details!"

"Master Fang, please think about this. Before this, the two Shaanxi governors, Fu Zonglong and Wang Qiaonian, led tens of thousands of troops to suppress the Li bandit, but both ended up being defeated and killed. Why is this?"

Facing Zhang Cheng's question, Fang Zhenghua was speechless for a moment. Seeing his face full of doubts, Zhang Cheng continued, "Mr. Fang has served as the military supervisor for a long time and is also a man who knows military affairs. I think before Li the bandit entered Henan, although he was not completely eliminated for more than ten years, he was also chased and beaten by the imperial army. Not to mention the battle at Tongguanyuan, where only eighteen riders were left.

For example, before Li the bandit entered Henan, he had only two or three thousand men left, and his food and grass were cut off. He was on the verge of complete defeat. But after entering Henan, especially after he captured Luoyang, he seized a large amount of money and grain, which he used to win the hearts of the people. In just one year, he grew so powerful that he killed two governors of Shaanxi, ravaged Zhongzhou, and turned Kaifeng into an isolated city.

Now we have defeated the hundreds of thousands of government troops gathered at Shuipo in one fell swoop. Although our army now only has 50,000 or 60,000 men, it is the only hope for Kaifeng. If our army rashly fights the bandits and is defeated and retreats, Kaifeng will surely fall into the hands of the bandits. At that time, Li will use the power of defeating Kaifeng to command the rest of the bandits, establish rules and regulations, appoint officials and govern the people. It is not that he has the intention of being disloyal, but that he is doing disloyal things. "

Finally, Yongning Earl Zhang Cheng stared at Fang Zhenghua and asked him, "If that really happens, can Lord Fang bear the responsibility?" (End of this chapter)