weaving

On the tenth day of the third lunar month, the sky was clear and cloudless.

**Important Note:** Uploading any content that is pornographic, vulgar, politically inappropriate, or otherwise illegal or prohibited is strictly forbidden. Upon verification, depending on the severity of the offense, the entire book will be blocked and rectified, benefits will be revoked, and the matter may even be reported to the police. Ningbo Zhang Cheng remained in his command tent southwest of the Vinegar Manor and did not enter the manor itself, even though it had been cleared of all living Tartars.

He simply came to the south gate of the vinegar factory and paid a brief tribute to the fallen soldiers who died attacking the factory.

Following the orders of the Earl of Yongning, the troops from each camp set off in batches towards their respective destinations. The vinegar village, where fierce fighting had taken place the previous night, suddenly fell silent, but it was difficult to return to its former tranquility.

However, this not-so-large estate is destined to be recorded in the annals of the Ming Dynasty, and may even become a place of reverence for future generations, and quite possibly a place to commemorate heroes.

"General, although we achieved a great victory in this battle, our casualties and losses were also considerable. If we continue fighting like this, I'm afraid..."

Although Hu Yiwen only said half of what he meant, Zhang Cheng understood the implication and continued, "Now the arrow is on the bowstring and must be released."

Marquis Yongning Zhang Cheng pointed in the direction of Vinegar Village and said, "In the battle of Vinegar Village, we annihilated more than 10,000 Jurchen bandits, captured two Jurchen Gushan, one Meile Ezhen, more than ten Jiala and Niru, and countless elite cavalry and weapons. We also rescued tens of thousands of captured refugees."

The achievements of this campaign are unprecedented in the more than two hundred years of the Ming Dynasty's history, and are no less significant than those of Prince Xu of Zhongshan's conquest of the Northern Yuan.

He paused for a moment before continuing, "But what I'm thinking about now is not how to expand our military achievements, but how to ensure the safety of these rescued people."

"General, the Jurchens have plundered a lot of grain. If it's just enough to keep the refugees alive, it should be sufficient," Liu Chengzhu reminded him.

"I know that."

Without even turning his head, the Earl of Yongning continued, "But giving them just a bowl of porridge is far from enough."

Zhang Cheng suddenly turned around and looked at the people around him, saying, "We still need to find a safe place for these refugees, lest we save them today only to have them captured by the Tartars tomorrow. What would be the point of saving them then?"

Hu Yiwen then chimed in, "Marshal, you are so righteous, 'saving people to the very end,' you truly have the heart of a living bodhisattva!"

"Hahaha……"

After a burst of laughter, Marquis Yongning Zhang Cheng said, "I don't want to be some kind of living bodhisattva, but it's always right to save people to the end. If these refugees are captured by the Tartars again, I would feel guilty."

We must hold off the Tartars here to buy time for the refugees to enter Nanjing and Huai'an Prefecture.

Yuan Fucheng then spoke up, saying, "General Jue's noble character is indeed admirable, but our army suffered heavy casualties in the battle of Vinegar Village. If we were to intercept the Jurchen army again, the casualties would likely be even greater. How would we then escape?"

"Only a small number of Jurchens remain on the east bank. With the combined forces of Yuan Shao's camp and Cao Cao's camp, it will not be difficult to annihilate them. At that time, they can lead their army across the river to the west. Once the entire army is assembled, the Jurchens of the Three Banners in the north will inevitably be unable to resist."

After repelling them, our army can rest and reorganize on the spot, strengthen our defenses, and prepare to receive the troops of Li Fuming, Ge Ruzhi, and Li Jiyu who are retreating south. At that time, with our fortified positions, holding out for three to five days should not be a problem.

Marquis Yongning, Zhang Cheng, smiled slightly and looked at Yuan Fucheng, saying, "Yiqian, would you be willing to make a bet with me?"

"A bet?" Yuan Fucheng asked with a puzzled look. "I apologize for being so bold, but what kind of bet does the Commander-in-Chief wish to make?"

"Hey hey hey..."

After a burst of smug laughter, Zhang Cheng declared loudly, "I bet Abatai will withdraw his troops on his own and won't engage my army in a deadly battle here." He stared at Yuan Fucheng and pressed him, enunciating each word clearly, "Are you willing to take this bet?"

Yuan Fucheng was intimidated by the Earl of Yongning's imposing manner. He paused for a moment before smiling and asking, "May I ask, Commander, what is the stake?"

"If you gamble with money and valuables, you'll be falling into a cliché."

After pacing a few steps, Marquis Yongning Zhang Cheng turned back and said, "How about we bet on the horsewhips in our hands?"

"Horse...horsewhip?"

Yuan Fucheng stood there stunned. After a long while, he finally came to his senses, but still looked incredulous and asked, "You're betting on a horsewhip?"

"Yes, the stakes are the horsewhips in our hands. If Abatai retreats without a fight, I win; if Abatai fights our army for more than a day, you win. What do you say?"

"This... is just that the stakes were too arbitrary."

"Hahaha... It's alright." The Earl of Yongning stepped forward and gently patted Yuan Fucheng's shoulder, saying, "It's settled then."

"Okay, it's a deal!"

"Haha, then let's get ready and head north to meet this Jurchen general Abatai."

…………

Abatai was unaware that Turgh had been defeated and captured. He fought fiercely with Li Fuming and Ge Ruzhi for a day, thinking he could defeat them the next day, but unexpectedly, reinforcements arrived.

Ge Ruzhi's Yangbiao was the personal guard battalion of the Governor-General of Xuanda, and its combat strength was considerable. Although it could not compare with the Yongyi Army, it was slightly better than other government troops of the Ming Dynasty.

After all, Jiang Yuxu, the governor of Xuanda, was Zhang Cheng's superior, the commander-in-chief of Xuanzhen. Getting some new-style firearms, gunpowder, and bullets produced in Xuanzhen was just a matter of a word.

Even if they forced him to give them money, Zhang Cheng would still have to give them something in return.

Therefore, Ge Ruzhi's equipment was still acceptable, and his daily training was barely up to par, so he still had a certain combat capability.

As for Li Fuming's Shanxi Battalion, it goes without saying that it was set up by the people sent by the Earl of Yongning. Not only was its equipment no different from that of the various battalions of the Yongyi Army, but its training also strictly followed the standards of the Yongyi Army. Even its pay and pensions were the same, so its combat power was no weaker than that of the Yongyi Army.

However, the Shanxi Battalion was formed relatively late and had only participated in the battles to suppress bandits in the Central Plains before. Therefore, its fighting spirit was slightly inferior to that of the soldiers in the various battalions of the Yongyi Army.

But now that Li Jiyu's Xuanwu Camp has arrived to reinforce them, Li Fuming and Ge Ruzhi have a backbone. Together, the three government troops number over 12,000, which is quite a strong force.

Although they were still outnumbered by Abatai, they were the defenders, and their defensive positions had been built and reinforced over a month. They managed to withstand Abatai's two-day onslaught.

It wasn't until the evening of the tenth day of the third month, after receiving military orders from a messenger sent by the Earl of Yongning, that Li Jiyu arranged for a phased retreat to the south to join Wei Zhice's troops. (End of Chapter)