weaving

Chapter 1529 Daring to Play Tricks on the Emperor?
"General, as you instructed, I have stockpiled a batch of grain and fodder in Baoding, Zhengding, as well as Zhuozhou, Xiongxian, Gaoyang, Gaoyi, Xingtai, Daming, and then in Linqing, Liaocheng, Tai'an and other cities in Shandong. This will provide temporary relief when the army arrives."

Inside the Yongning Earl's headquarters at the west gate of Gonghua City, Niu Sheng was introducing the various preparations in the capital region: "Two hundred cavalry and eight hundred infantry have been assembled at the horse farm in western Beijing, ready to be deployed at any time; one hundred cavalry and five hundred infantry have been assembled in Gaoyang to assist in the defense of the city."
In addition, we have scouts stationed in Hejian, Cangzhou, Wuqiao, Zaoqiang, Shulu, Weixian, as well as Deping, Wucheng, and Gaotang in Shandong, to report enemy movements at any time.

"Hmm. Not bad." Zhang Cheng nodded, then asked, "How are things going with Zhou Heihu and Sha Shiguang?"

"They have all received the news and, following the Grand Marshal's orders, have gathered their troops in the mountain stronghold. The people have also all hidden in the valleys, implementing a scorched-earth policy to ensure that the enemy does not seize a single grain of food."

Zhang Cheng nodded and then asked Hu Yiwen, "Gongqiao, have you made contact with Marshal Li from Shanxi, Marshal Cao from Shanhaiguan, Marshal Liu from Jizhou, and Marshal Tang from Mizhou?"

"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, we have made contact with everyone." Hu Yiwen replied methodically: "Commander Li wants to join us and sent a letter inquiring about our marching route; Commander Liu is with Commander Tang in Mi Town and wants to ask the Commander-in-Chief to send a force to help recapture Ji Town; Commander Cao is fine, he just sends his regards to the Commander-in-Chief and hopes to have the opportunity to meet with the Commander-in-Chief and catch up."

"Liu Zhaoji and Tang Tong already have nearly 20,000 troops, so why do they need us to send troops to help them?" Li Jiyu asked.

Wei Zhice smiled slightly and said calmly, "It's no secret that the government troops are afraid of the enemy cavalry."

Li Jiyu asked in bewilderment, "Didn't we fight the Tartars in Liaodong? What's so great about that? Why are Liu Zhaoji and Tang Tong so afraid of the Tartars now?"

Wei Zhice glanced at him and laughed, "Liaodong...? Don't you think about it? If it weren't for our Xuanzhen holding the line, the outcome of this battle would have been very different."

"Ah!" Li Jiyu was speechless for a moment, then turned to ask the Earl of Yongning, "Commander, shall we go help these two idiots?"

Zhang Cheng smiled without speaking, and continued to ask Hu Yiwen, "What's the situation with Vice Marshal Lin and Lieutenant General Xiong?"

"Deputy Commander Lin and Lieutenant General Xiong accompanied Governor Zhao Guangbian of Jizhou to reinforce Tongzhou. They are currently stationed in Tongzhou City. The city's defenses are strong, and there is no shortage of food and supplies. There is no immediate danger."

"Yes. Please write back to Liu Zhaoji and Tang Tong on my behalf, saying that our army has just arrived and still needs to rest. Tell them not to rush. At most three days later, I will select an elite brigade to go to Pinggu to help them recover Jizhou."

"Yes."

"Write another reply to Li Fuming, telling him not to act rashly, but to stay in Fangshan for the time being and wait for my army to arrive and join him."

"Yes."

"There is one more thing. Please write a letter to Zhou Yuji on my behalf, inviting him to join forces in this war to defend the emperor and kill the Tartars together."

"Yes, Commander. Did you bring any gifts?"

"Oh... No need for now, let's see how he replies before deciding."

"Yes."

Are the three inspectors, Ge Ruzhi, Jiang Xiang, and Jiang Jianxun, still stationed in Changping?

"Yes."

Zhang Cheng then looked at Wang Pu, the General of Datong, and said, "General Wang, I have some acquaintance with Ge Ruzhi, and Governor Jiang also asked me to look after him, so I have no objection. But I am not familiar with Jiang Xiang and Jiang Jianxun. Since they are your officers in Datong, what suggestions do you have for them?"

Wang Pu had not had a chance to interject until now, when the Earl of Yongning asked for his opinion, he hurriedly said, "Jiang Xiang is quite capable. He comes from a family of military generals in Yanchuan, Shaanxi, and is very skilled at leading troops. His subordinates are also quite capable. His elder brother, Jiang Rang, is currently the deputy commander-in-chief of Yulin, Shaanxi, and his younger brother, Jiang Xuan, is the military commander of Shanpiantou Pass. The military commander Jiang Jianxun who came to reinforce us this time is also a nephew of his family."

Zhang Cheng nodded and asked him with a smile, "What's their relationship with Wang Shuai?"

"Although Jiang Xiang is a bit arrogant, he still treats me with great respect."

"Hahaha..." Zhang Cheng ignored whether Wang Pu was boasting or not, and said to him with a smile, "In that case, I would like to trouble Commander Wang to write a letter and ask the two of them to join my army."

“Of course.” Wang Pu agreed readily: “We are united as one in Xuanda, so the two of them should naturally be aligned with the Commander-in-Chief.”

At this moment, Hu Yiwen suddenly said, "Commander-in-Chief, the guerrilla commander Pi Zhongyao is also stationed in Changping. Should we invite him to join us?"

Zhang Cheng smiled and said, "Although Pi Chongyao is a general under Governor Zhu, he is also a military officer in my Xuanfu. I will naturally take care of him."

"Commander-in-Chief, Managers Cheng Ruzhi and Xu Qingyi have arrived at Juyong Pass and sent a letter inquiring whether it is permissible to leave the pass," Liu Chengzhu interjected.

Zhang Cheng looked up at the top of the gate tower, and after a moment, said, "No rush. We have only been out of the pass for a short time and have plenty of supplies. Besides, the situation with the enemy is unclear, so it's best for the caravan not to leave the pass for now."

"Yes."

After everyone finished reporting, Wei Zhice asked, "Commander-in-Chief, what did the Emperor say when we went to the palace to meet him this time?"

Zhang Cheng smiled and said, "His Majesty intends to appoint me as commander to oversee the reinforcements from across the land and defend against the invaders."

"Great! Congratulations, Commander!" Li Jiyu was the first to offer his congratulations.

Zhang Cheng glared at him and said, "I refuse."

"Ah!" This time it was Li Jiyu's turn to stare wide-eyed. He asked with a puzzled look, "Why? With your abilities, General, can't you shoulder the responsibility of overseeing all the reinforcements in the land?"

He seemed quite unwilling and added, "In my opinion, if you, General, don't take this job, there's probably no one else in this vast capital city who can do it."

Wei Zhice had a meaningful smile on his face and asked softly, "Commander, is this a 'feigned retreat' tactic?"

"What are you saying!" Zhang Cheng glared at Wei Zhice and continued, "How many heads do I have that I dare to scheme against the Emperor?"

Wei Zhice stuck out his tongue, no longer pursuing the topic, and instead asked about the strategy for defending against the enemy: "Commander, what are our next steps?"

"Let's wait and see."

Zhang Cheng glanced at everyone in the main tent before continuing, "Now, the enemy has just broken through the pass and is in full force. Their troops are not tired and their morale is not low. Moreover, the enemy's situation is unclear, so it is not advisable to go into battle immediately."

We should now conserve our strength, observe the changing situation, and wait for the enemy to split their forces to plunder. Then we should launch a swift attack, first joining forces to eliminate one of their forces and weaken their strength.

When the enemy has penetrated deep into the heart of the capital region and their troops are exhausted, we should combine our forces and engage them in battle. If we can severely cripple them, the subsequent battles will be much easier.