weaving

Chapter 1412 Cao Kun, Requesting to Fight?
The two armies of Wang Pu, the General Commander of Datong, and Li Fuming, the General Commander of Shanxi, were stationed slightly behind the two flanks of the Yongyi Army camp. Wang Pu's Datong troops even arrived at their post earlier than the Earl of Yongning and had already fought a battle with Bai Minghe before the main battle.

The reason why the Earl of Yongning did not send the two of them to fight in this raid on the rebel army's camp was both to leave himself a backup plan and to leave a killing move for the rebel king Li Zicheng!
Once the Yongyi Army breaks through the Chuang Army's defenses and truly breaches Li Ze's camp, then Wang Pu and Li Fuming's troops will be the most suitable reinforcements. They will be responsible for chasing the fleeing Chuang Army soldiers to further expand the victory.

In addition, the Earl of Yongning was also wary that the rebel army might make a desperate gamble and play a "you fight your way, I fight my way" tactic, ignoring the Yongyi Army's attack and sending a strong force to strike directly at the Earl of Yongning's central camp.

If such concerns were to materialize, then the troops of Wang Pu and Li Fuming would be the most powerful protectors of the Yongning Earl's central army headquarters, and also a deadly weapon to cooperate with the Yongning Earl in attacking the rebel army from both inside and outside.

Unfortunately, Li Zicheng, the rebel leader, was focused on deploying troops and only wanted to confront the Yongyi Army head-on, but he never thought of sending a surprise force to launch a sneak attack on the Yongning Earl's central army.

It is clear that Li Zicheng, the rebel leader, was slightly inferior to the Earl of Yongning in both strategy and tactics.

Of course, this was also Li Zicheng's bad luck. He could have been invincible in the chaotic world, but the Earl of Yongning appeared out of nowhere and became a stumbling block on his path to becoming a great hero.

"If there were no Earl of Yongning to replace the Ming Dynasty, who else but me?" This was probably Li Zicheng's most desperate cry from the depths of his heart when he was in despair.

He personally experienced the true meaning of the saying "Why did Heaven create both Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang?" and also personally experienced the despair that Zhou Yu felt back then.

And indeed, that was the case. If Zhang Cheng hadn't appeared out of nowhere, the crumbling Ming Dynasty would have truly perished at the hands of Li Zicheng. However…

Even in the original historical record, Li Zicheng did not seize the immense wealth and honor bestowed upon him by Heaven. He only stayed in the capital for forty-two days and was a short-lived emperor for forty-two days before handing over the Han dynasty to the Jurchen Tartars.

"Damn it, hate it!"

…………

"Send the order to Generals Wang and Li to launch an attack!" Marquis Yongning said casually.

“Yes, sir.” Zhang Mingyuan, the commander of the central army, responded firmly and loudly.

Sun Shixiang, Hu Yiwen, Liu Chengzhu and the others standing to the side also appeared much more composed, all with calm and collected expressions, no longer having the initial worry about the enemy army raiding their camp.

The combined forces of the Datong Army and the Shanxi Army numbered 10,000, including 3,000 cavalry and 6,000 infantry. The rest were auxiliary troops, but they were also quite capable in combat and should not be underestimated.

Previously, their concern for the safety of the central army headquarters stemmed from its position being too far forward and too close to the battlefield. They feared that if the enemy sent cavalry to attack and summoned Wang Pu and Li Fuming for reinforcements, it might be too late.

But now the situation is different...

Originally, the battlefield where the two sides fought was not far from the main camp. Because the main force of the Yongyi Army was used to attack the enemy's main camp, they could only deal with the enemy with infantry and did not have an absolute advantage. That's why the central army headquarters was in danger.

Now, thanks to the timely arrival of Henan General Chen Yongfu, Baojun Hu Zichen, and others, the enemy infantry and cavalry outside have been driven back, and only a few scattered enemy troops remain in front of the Yongyi Army camp. The original danger has been eliminated.

Therefore, the troops led by Wang Pu and Li Fuming had only one mission left—to storm the bandit camp and further expand their gains!
…………

"Commander, Cao Kun, the attendant of the Prince of Zhou's residence, requests an audience." Zhang Mingyuan, the commander of the central army, returned with the order, bringing news to the Earl of Yongning.

"Oh. What does he want?"

"I asked, and Cao Kunyan said he would only speak after seeing the Commander-in-Chief." "Call him over."

Before long, Zhang Mingyuan led Cao Kun onto the command platform. Following behind Cao Kun was a military officer wearing armor who looked very young, seemingly not even thirty years old.

"Lord Yongning, Cao Kun has come to request permission to fight."

Upon hearing this, the Earl of Yongning was slightly taken aback, but quickly recovered and smiled, saying, "His Majesty the King of Zhou has bestowed many favors upon my Yongyi Army and has rewarded the troops on several occasions. I am deeply grateful."

"It is our duty to defend the city against the bandits. How can we trouble the guards of the Prince's Palace to fight? This is neither the way of the Yongyi Army nor the way of my hospitality."

……

What Zhang Cheng said was true. Prince Zhu Gongxiao of Zhou had repeatedly provided supplies to the army, which had already cost a lot of money and grain. Now, although he had sent the official Cao Kun with five hundred guards from the Prince's Palace to the front line to assist in the battle.

But in Zhang Cheng's view, it was nothing more than a show, its symbolic significance far outweighing its practical significance. It not only demonstrated the Zhou king's attitude but also inspired and encouraged the morale of the front lines.

Does Zhang Cheng really need these 500 guards?
Despite the fact that these five hundred men are well-fed and clothed by the King of Zhou, and are all strong and healthy, having experienced the previous two battles to defend the city, they are now an elite force in Kaifeng.

But if you really compare them to the soldiers of the Yongyi Army, they are worlds apart!
Zhang Cheng had not originally planned to send them to fight the bandits, but if the bandits were capable of attacking his central command headquarters, then these five hundred guards from the Prince's Palace could still be put to good use.

In fact, even if the five hundred guards from the Prince's Palace that Cao Kun brought did not participate in the battle, Zhang Cheng still planned to give them credit after the battle. After all, it was already commendable that they dared to come to the front line of the two armies at this time.

……

However, although the Earl of Yongning politely declined, Cao Kun persisted, saying, "The Earl of Yongning should not speak like that."

With a solemn expression, he walked up to Zhang Cheng, bowed and clasped his hands in greeting, and said seriously, "Earl Yongning, before Cao Kun left, the Prince gave instructions that the Earl of Yongning was leading the Yongyi Army and the Xuanda Border Army to rescue Kaifeng. We must not sit idly by and watch the Earl of Yongning fight the bandits without doing anything about it."

Today, we have come to the front lines of Zhuxian Town by order of the King, not as spectators, but to fight alongside the officers and soldiers under the command of the Earl of Yongning, so that the rebels may know the will of the people and soldiers of Kaifeng: no matter how many times they attack, we will fight to the death!

Zhang Cheng remained silent, but his gaze was fixed on Cao Kun's eyes. After a long while, he sighed softly and said, "Since that's the case, I won't try to stop you any further."

"Please give the order, Admiral Zhang."

"I have agreed to escort you into battle, but Cao Chengfeng needs to stay by my side to assist in military affairs. Could you choose someone else to lead the army?"

Cao Kun was taken aback, but then he understood—this was the Earl of Yongning's way of protecting him, both to spare him from the danger of war and to allow him to share some of the military merits after the battle.

"When Cao Kun arrived, the Prince had already instructed me to assist the Earl of Yongning in mobilizing the soldiers and civilians of Kaifeng. As for the commander of the guards, there is actually someone else in charge."

As Cao Kun spoke, he waved to the young general who had come with him and introduced him to the Earl of Yongning: "This is a member of the royal family of the Zhou King, named Zhu Zhicang. All five hundred guards of the Prince's Palace are led by General Zhu."

"Oh. You're Zhu Zhicang?"