weaving

Chapter 1482 If I were still storming the camp, could Zhang Cheng still win?
Ten miles west of Suizhou's west gate, there is a pavilion.

Although this pavilion is not very big, it is of great importance at this moment, as can be seen from the soldiers and generals lined up around it. Something big is bound to happen today.

A thousand soldiers stood in formation, all of them armored cavalry. Even their warhorses seemed to be of similar height. The only drawback was that their armor was a bit worn out.

In the very center of the pavilion, there was a large armchair, which had obviously been carried all the way from Suizhou City, and a thick layer of bright red velvet cloth was laid on the armchair.

Two large umbrellas stood in front of the pavilion, and under the left umbrella, two people were talking quietly...

"Old Ji, it seems that the Marquis of Yongning still doesn't trust us."

Upon hearing this, Ji Gui smiled slightly and said softly, "General, we have fifty or sixty thousand elite soldiers here, all of whom have fought their way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. If it were me, I would probably be on guard in the same way."

Luo Rucai then turned around and smiled, "Ah, what you said is quite right. Judging from this, it is already rare that Zhang Cheng dared to come to Suizhou in person."

"Yes. I think that the Earl of Yongning is superior to others in terms of spirit, courage and strategy, especially in the matter of leading troops and fighting battles, he is the best in the world."

Luo Rucai looked at Ji Gui, his eyes seemingly encouraging him to continue.

"General, we don't know all the details, and we shouldn't speculate too much. Judging from the result alone, it is truly remarkable that the Earl of Yongning defeated the King of Chuang's hundreds of thousands of troops with only fifty or sixty thousand elite soldiers from Xuanda."

"Old Ji, tell me, if we were still in Brother Li's army, could we have won this battle?"

Upon hearing Luo Rucai's words, Ji Gui trembled. He turned his head sharply to scan his surroundings, then looked at the three people under the large umbrella on his left. Seeing that they were not paying attention to them, he finally felt relieved.

He whispered to Luo Rucai, "General, be careful what you say. If those guys hear what we just said, we're in big trouble."

Luo Rucai seemed unconcerned, laughing and saying, "It's just an analogy, why make such a fuss?"

"This analogy is not to be used. If a villain hears it, he will accuse us of still harboring treacherous intentions and plotting to rebel again."

"Haha..." Luo Rucai's eyes widened: "So what if they rebel? Are we afraid of them?"

As he spoke, he glared angrily at the group of people under the large umbrella on his left. But Ji Gui thought differently. He said, "General, judging from the current situation, even if we don't surrender, I'm afraid the rebel king won't be able to defeat the Earl of Yongning."

"Oh, that's your view?"

"General, you have seen some of the generals under the command of the Marquis of Yongning. They are no less capable than the generals under the King of Chuang. Even the cavalry are all fully armored and obey orders without question. Such an army can probably only be the Yongning Marquis's Brave and Resolute Army."

Ji Gui sighed and said, "Take that cavalry that broke camp and went to Ningling today. Don't be fooled by the fact that it's less than a thousand men. In my opinion, even if we send five thousand cavalry, we might not be able to defeat them."

Luo Rucai remained silent, only stroking his chin for a long time before asking, "What time is it? Why hasn't the Earl of Yongning arrived yet?"

"They're almost there. A scout just reported that the Marquis of Yongning's army is already ten li away." ...

"Lord Yuan, look at their arrogant and domineering manner. I really don't understand why the Earl of Yongning would want to appease them?"

The man referred to as Master Yuan was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties. He had a long beard, a handsome appearance, and a dignified demeanor, and seemed to be the leader among them.

"Although Luo Rucai was once a thief, the nation is in many troubles. If he can repent and change his ways, it will not only be a blessing for the nation, but we should not underestimate him."

The man who had spoken earlier chuckled awkwardly, clearly embarrassed, and offered his explanation: "I just feel that Luo Rucai is fickle and unpredictable, and I fear that the lifelong reputation of the Marquis of Yongning will be ruined by him."

This middle-aged man, known as "Lord Yuan," was the son of the late Minister of War and Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, Yuan Keli. His name was Yuan Shu, courtesy name Boying, and sobriquet Huanzhong. He was from Suizhou, Henan.

His father, Yuan Keli, served under four emperors: Wanli, Taichang, Tianqi, and Chongzhen, and was a minister of "four reigns," receiving the honor of "five generations of imperial favor."

Yuan Shu entered officialdom through the hereditary official position of Yuan Keli, the Minister of War. Later, he resigned from his post to return home and observe mourning for his father, a practice he continues to this day.

In the eighth year of the Chongzhen reign, Yuan Shu was observing mourning for his father in Suizhou when he encountered the attack of Li Zicheng's army, a rebel group that had retreated from Guide Prefecture. The several thousand garrison troops of Suiyang were completely ineffective and were annihilated as soon as they made contact.

At that time, Yuan Shu gave away two thousand taels of his family fortune to recruit local militia to defend the city and fight the enemy. He personally donned armor and climbed the city wall, taking the lead in defending the city. He fought fiercely against the enemy army for seven days and nights, until his eyes were covered in sores, before finally defeating the enemy army and saving the people of Suizhou City.

Furthermore, in the eleventh year of the Chongzhen reign, the Jurchens launched a large-scale invasion, plundering deep into Shandong. Many Ming officials and generals hesitated, but Yuan Shu, disregarding the risk of death, served as a secretary in the Ministry of Revenue to supervise the supply of provisions to the Liaodong army, relieving the court's worries about the Geng-Gui year.

Moreover, he always adhered to the idea of ​​"first defending against bandits, then defending against border barbarians," a point that was highly recognized by Zhang Cheng, the Earl of Yongning!
It was this shared understanding that led the Earl of Yongning to petition the Emperor to appoint Yuan Shu as the Right Vice Minister of the Henan Provincial Administration Commission, responsible for the Daliang Circuit, with his office located in Suizhou City, and to govern from the former residence of his father, Minister Yuan.

The Earl of Yongning's original intention was to use Yuan Shu's prestige to suppress the local area, and at the same time, he wanted to use Yuan Shu to strengthen his control over Luo Rucai. He wanted Yuan Shu to manage local affairs, and Luo Rucai to be the commander of Suizhou Guard, in charge of the garrison, military training, and defense.

Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility that he wanted to win over Yuan Shu!
In fact, Zhang Cheng knew a little about Yuan Keli's life and deeds, but he had no memory of Yuan Shu at all.

Based solely on Yuan Keli's reputation, Zhang Cheng could conclude that Yuan Shu was destined to be no bad person. Although he had no recollection of Yuan Shu's deeds, he also had no record of him surrendering to the Jurchens, which showed that Yuan Shu was loyal to the Ming Dynasty.

This Yuan Shu was mentioned by Chen Yongfu to the Earl of Yongning, and then the intelligence department was ordered to collect some intelligence before the Earl of Yongning finally submitted a memorial to Emperor Chongzhen.

At this moment, Yuan Shu, as the head of the civil officials of Suizhou, was also waiting for the arrival of the Earl of Yongning.

Accompanying Yuan Shu were Wang Renzhe, the registrar of Suizhou, and Liang Ren, the vice prefect. It was Liang Ren who had spoken disdainfully of Luo Rucai and the others earlier.

At this time, Yuan Shu was in charge of the administration of Suizhou. He was acting as the prefect of Suizhou with the title of Right Vice Minister of the Provincial Administration Commission, so no new prefect was appointed for Suizhou.

Yuan Shu looked into the distance and said, "I have only heard of the Earl of Yongning, but I have never met him. Judging from his past deeds, I really have high expectations for him."