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Chapter 1511 Deploying Troops to Suppress Bandits!
Although the two assassination attempts did not harm the Earl of Yongning in the slightest, they gave him a reason and excuse to intervene in Shanxi with armed force.

Ultimately, Lin Fangping and the Imperial Guards were left in Siyan City, Xu Jinyong led the Tiger Guards across Anyi and headed straight for Pingyang Prefecture, while Chen De led his army into Zezhou.

At the same time, the Earl of Yongning also dispatched the Yanhe Camp stationed in Meng County and the new army of the Mangshan militia stationed near Luoyang to be stationed in Zezhou and southern Pingyang Prefecture, respectively, and began a vigorous campaign to suppress bandits in southern Shanxi.

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Shanxi Town, also known as Taiyuan Town or Sanguan Town, was first established in the fourth year of the Xuande reign, with the garrison commander stationed at Ningwu Pass.

Its defense zone's border wall starts from the Yellow River bank in Baode Prefecture in the west, goes north through Hequ and Piantouguan to Laoniuwan, then turns east to Yajiaoshan, then southeast through Shenchikou and Ningwuguan, then turns northeast, passes through Daizhou and Fanshi to Pingxingguan in the north, and then turns south again through Longquanguan and Guguan to Huangyuguan. The entire defense line is more than 1,600 li long.

In terms of location, Shanxi Town is situated behind Datong Town, playing a role in supporting and reinforcing the border defenses of Datong Town and preventing invading enemies from the north from penetrating deep into the territory.

Gu Zuyu of the Ming Dynasty made a brilliant discussion of the important military position of the three passes in his book "Reading History and Geography".

Ningwu Pass, situated between two passes, was a vital strategic point between east and west; Pian Pass, bordering the Yellow River to the west and separated from the Tuolu barbarians by only a river, was particularly dangerous, despite the similarities in the three passes; Yanmen Pass was a vital passage between the western "major prefectures" and the southern "road to counties," both of which were vulnerable to the barbarians.

The mountains in Zhenbian, Shanxi Province, are continuous and naturally formed, making it a formidable and strategically important location.
The town administers five circuits: Jining, Jinan, Yanping, Ningwu, and Kelan. Among them, Jining and Jinan are "not close to the enemy's lair and have not been divided into border passes, but only beacon towers are set up."

According to the "Illustrated Explanation of the Three Towns of Xuanda Mountain" and the "Taiyuan Prefecture Annals", there were as many as 64 castles of various sizes in the three provinces of Yanping, Ningwu and Kelan.

It can be seen that the area under the jurisdiction of Shanxi Town is basically in the northern part of Shanxi Province, especially along the line close to Datong Town, as well as the Hetao area to the west and the passes of Taihang Eight Passes to the east.

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When the Earl of Yongning launched a major campaign to eliminate "traitorous merchants who collude with slaves" last year, he also took advantage of the opportunity to send troops to aid Henan, and even called on Li Fuming, the general of Shanxi, to cooperate in marching south. He once went deep into Taiyuan Prefecture, Fenzhou, Liaozhou, and even entered the north of Pingyang Prefecture.

However, these areas were not within the jurisdiction of Shanxi Town. After the operation, the army could only retreat to their respective garrisons and could not maintain a long-term presence to control the local areas.

Even the Xuanda Trading Company, which gradually entered various prefectures and counties in Shanxi, faced resistance from local merchants and people to varying degrees, and the circulation of military notes and silver coins also encountered certain obstacles.

All of this stems from one root cause: the area was under the control of the Shanxi Provincial Governor and the Shanxi Provincial Governor, and was not under the control of the border troops of the Xuanda Three Garrisons. The Yongyi Army's forces had not been able to penetrate these areas, which is why local merchants could collude with officials so brazenly.

The Earl of Yongning had no choice but to comply, since he was only the Commander-in-Chief of Xuanfu Town and had no excuse to interfere in Shanxi's military and political affairs. Even if he was the Commander-in-Chief of Shanxi Town, he could not interfere in local government affairs!

However, on his way back to Xuanzhen via Shanxi, he was assassinated twice in Pingyang Prefecture, which shows how serious the bandit problem was in Shanxi.

As the Right Vice-Commander of the Central Military Commission of the Ming Dynasty and the Commander of the Seven Garrisons including Baoding, the Earl of Yongning Zhang Cheng was in charge of all military affairs related to the suppression of bandits in the Central Plains. Wasn't it his duty to mobilize troops to suppress bandits?

Using the assassination attempt at the salt pond as a pretext, Marquis Zhang Cheng of Yongning refused to leave Siyancheng.

On one hand, he wrote to the court claiming that he had been assassinated and wounded and needed to stay in Siyancheng to recuperate for a period of time. On the other hand, he reported to the court that the banditry in Shanxi was serious and that the bandits had colluded with the rebel leader who had fled to the Funiu Mountains, plotting to assassinate him and ruin the court's plan to suppress the bandits. In his memorial, the Earl of Yongning stated explicitly that the banditry in Shanxi was escalating and that if it was not eliminated as soon as possible, it might cause great chaos and ruin the court's plan to suppress the bandits. He said that in this urgent situation, the government had already mobilized troops from Henan to southern Shanxi to suppress the bandits and eliminate future troubles.

Although this reason is somewhat far-fetched, it can still be considered legitimate. Even if the powerful officials in the court wanted to attack him, they could explain it by citing his role as the commander in suppressing bandits.

Moreover, the Earl of Yongning also dispatched fast horses to catch up with Li Fuming, the general of Shanxi, Wang Pu, the general of Datong, and Zhang Guangda, who had returned earlier.

After all, the bandit suppression was being carried out within Shanxi Province, so how could it be done without the participation of the Shanxi garrison troops?

As arranged by the Earl of Yongning, Li Fuming would lead the Shanxi army to stay in Pingyang Prefecture to suppress bandits, while Zhang Guangda's Zhuque Battalion would enter Taiyuan Prefecture to suppress bandits, and Wang Pu's Datong Army would be responsible for suppressing bandits in Lu'an Prefecture and Qinzhou.

As a result, the Xuanda Border Army could be seen almost everywhere in Shanxi Province. With the help of this round of bandit suppression, even if the Yongyi Army could not control the entire Shanxi Province, it would at least control several key locations.

At the same time, the might of the Yongyi Army will be displayed to the people of Shanxi, letting them see what a true Ming Dynasty army is!

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While Zhang Cheng, the Earl of Yongning, was mobilizing the various units of the Yongyi Army back to Xuanda for rest and reorganization, and launching a vigorous campaign to suppress bandits in Shanxi, Li Zicheng, the rebel king who had retreated to the Funiu Mountains, was not idle either.

Taking advantage of the opportunity as the Yongyi Army gradually withdrew from Henan, Li Zicheng, the rebel leader, also began to stir.

On the one hand, they pressed southward to pressure Zuo Liangyu's troops, forcing them back to Huguang, thus achieving their goal of controlling Nanyang Prefecture; on the other hand, they seized Baofeng, Jiaxian, Ruzhou, and Yiyang, thus achieving their goal of controlling Ruzhou.

On the other hand, using Song County as a base, they probed westward towards Lushi County, only to encounter the Shaanxi army sent by Sun Chuanting. Several fierce battles ensued, with each side winning and losing.

Ultimately, the Shaanxi army retreated to the Guolue Inspection Office line, with Duguan and Tieling as the dividing line. The Shaanxi army guarded Duguan, while the rebel army guarded Tieling, and neither side interfered with the other.

The rebel army also attempted to return to Kaifeng, and at one point amassed tens of thousands of troops to attack Xiangcheng. This attack lasted for a month, but they were unable to break through and had no choice but to retreat.

Afterwards, the rebel army also attempted to attack Yuzhou and Dengfeng, but failed to break through due to proper defense and had to retreat.

At this point, the situation in Henan had initially stabilized. Li Zicheng stopped expanding outwards and instead focused on the Funiu Mountains, connecting them with the Xiong'er Mountains. Following Li Yan's earlier advice, he stationed people in the cities he had captured, appointed officials to govern the people, and encouraged them to cultivate the wasteland in order to build a great enterprise.

On the other hand, after Gao Jie's Shaanxi army entered Shangnan, they once entered Henan and took control of the two key locations of Huayuantou and Wawu. However, they could not withstand the attack of the rebel army, lost the gains, and retreated back to Shangnan, not daring to enter Henan again.

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Meanwhile, the Jurchens, who had been quiet for some time, were also plotting a shocking conspiracy, and the heartland of the Ming Dynasty's capital region was about to face a new massacre and plunder.