Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 2398: Change of Defense at Shanhaiguan

The cold wind howled and the vast land was already covered with snow and ice. Outside the city of Ningqian, 20,000 elite cavalrymen lined up in neat formations, their horses neighing, the soldiers wearing heavy armor, sabers hanging from their waists, lances slung across their backs, their eyes sharp.

Li Rusong, the Left General of the Central Military Governor's Office, the Prince's Grand Tutor, the General of Liaodong, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Liaodong First Army, was wearing a black battle robe, riding on a tall warhorse, silently looking at Ningqian City in front of him.

At the age of fifty-five, he was still tall and strong, and even though his temples were beginning to turn gray, it could not conceal his sharpness. However, the worry in his eyes at this moment made him look a little tired. This tiredness was not physical, but mental.

"Marshal, we have arrived at Ningqian." Cha Dashou, who was born into a family of Li Chengliang and was then the deputy general of Liaodong and deputy commander of the Liaodong First Army, rode his horse to Li Rusong and reported loudly with a hint of concern in his voice.

Li Rusong nodded slightly but said nothing. His expression was the same as usual, calm and cold, but what everyone didn't know was that at this moment, he was full of doubts and uneasiness.

The old commander of Liaodong, his father Li Chengliang, ordered him to mobilize 20,000 elite cavalry to Ningqian a few days ago, but the order was vague about the specific purpose, and only required him to announce to the outside world that the trip was to prepare for the Liaodong spring exercises after the beginning of next spring.

Li Rusong knew that this was definitely not the real purpose. After all, although the spring exercises were important, they were just preparatory work. It was not his turn as the Liaodong general to "supervise" personally, let alone bring 20,000 elite cavalry. What's more, his father had specifically emphasized that these 20,000 people could not be the ones that were watered down by Gao Yousi through military reforms, but must be his own direct descendants.

Li Rusong knew very well that there must be a deeper plot behind his father's order, but the trouble was that he didn't know what his father was going to do. In other words, who his father was going to help.

"Father, what are you planning?" Li Rusong asked silently in his heart, but then he shook his head and said to himself: "No matter what your father's plan is, as a son, I can only do my best to ensure that your orders are carried out smoothly."

Three days ago, in Ningyuan City, the atmosphere in Li Rusong's general's mansion was tense. Li Chengliang's secret order had just been delivered, and Li Rusong was sitting at the desk, holding a letter that had just been opened from the wax seal, with a trace of contemplation on his face and a solemn look in his eyes.

"My father has sent me a secret order." Li Rusong raised his head and said to Cha Dashou who was standing beside him, "He wants me to mobilize 20,000 elite cavalrymen from Guangning immediately and go to Ningqian as soon as possible to temporarily station there. We should announce to the public that we are preparing for the next spring military exercise."

After hearing this, Cha Dashou showed a trace of doubt and deep worry on his face: "Marshal, did the old commander really say that? Twenty thousand elite cavalrymen? This is no joke. Once they are mobilized, the defense of western Liaoning..."

Li Rusong interrupted him and said firmly: "Father has his reasons for giving this order. I will make other arrangements for the defense of western Liaoning. You go and prepare first. I must issue a strict order that we must assemble within one day and march towards Ningqian."

Although Cha Dashou still had doubts in his heart, he could only obey Li Rusong's firm attitude and leave. He walked out of the mansion and immediately began to arrange the deployment of troops, but he couldn't help thinking in his heart: "Before the troops arrive in Ning, it will be easy to be suspected of threatening Shanhaiguan. If the court is furious... Besides, even if 20,000 cavalry are strong in field battles, they can't take a strong pass like Shanhaiguan by cavalry alone? Old Marshal, what are you thinking about?"

Li Rusong watched Zha Dashou leave, then turned back to his desk, picked up the letter again, and read it carefully. In addition to briefly describing the recent situation in the capital, the rest of the content of the letter was brief and clear, asking him to mobilize 20,000 elite cavalry to Ningqian to prepare for the spring drill at the beginning of the next year.

Could it be that the root of the problem lies in the situation in the capital? But the description of the capital in my father's letter was not much different from the past, except... huh?

The Prime Minister is ill and unable to attend to the affairs of state? Li Rusong suddenly became nervous, and subconsciously bent his waist slightly, like a tiger gathering strength to pounce.

"Could it be that... Gao Youshi is seriously ill and the situation in the court is unclear, and my father is worried that someone will take advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos?" Li Rusong thought to himself, "My father asked me to mobilize the elite troops to Ningqian. Could it be that he wants me to prepare for possible changes? However, Shanhaiguan is blocking the way ahead. How can I get through the pass with only 20,000 cavalry?"

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the direction of Shanhaiguan in the distance, his heart full of doubts and uneasiness. Shanhaiguan is the east gate of the capital, and its status is extraordinary. Once he sent troops to attack, regardless of success or failure, the consequences would be disastrous. My father's secret order couldn't possibly be for me to attack Shanhaiguan, right? There is no chance of winning.

"Father, I hope you know what this means." Li Rusong sighed inwardly and said to himself, "As a son, I have no choice but to do as you say."

As Li Rusong's order was issued, the soldiers in Guangning City began to get busy. The transfer of 20,000 elite cavalrymen not only involved the defense of western Liaoning, but also the military layout of the entire eastern Liaoning. However, the Tieling Li family had a deep foundation after all. Even if 20,000 elite soldiers were transferred, there were still many soldiers who had been trained and recently demobilized. Even if there was an emergency, they should be able to respond to the call and gather followers.

Shanhaiguan, this majestic pass looks particularly solemn in the cold winter wind. Yongning Lieutenant General Luo Gongji is busy handling daily affairs, with a trace of fatigue on his face, but his eyes reveal determination. Suddenly, a messenger hurried over and handed over a cabinet order.

"Military, the cabinet has ordered you to return to the capital immediately to report on your duties." There was a hint of urgency in the messenger's voice, and it was obvious that the order came very suddenly.

Luo Gongji was surprised, took the letter and read it carefully, frowning. The order mentioned that since Gao Youshi, the Grand Secretary of Zhongji Hall, was suddenly ill and unable to attend to the affairs, and Zhao Zhigao, the Grand Secretary of Jianji Hall, was still seriously ill, the cabinet affairs were temporarily presided over by Shen Yiguan, the Grand Secretary of Wenhua Hall. Shen Yiguan ordered him to return to Beijing to report on his work. At the same time, because Li Rusong was about to arrive in Ningqian to prepare for the Liaodong Spring Exercise, he would temporarily stay in Ningqian, close to Shanhaiguan, so the Shanhaiguan garrison was required to temporarily accept Li Rusong's control.

"Why do you want me to return to Beijing at this time?" Luo Gongji was puzzled. He had just been promoted from the guerrilla general of Dingzhou Town Army to the lieutenant general of Yongning. It had been less than a year since he met the emperor. Why did he have to return to Beijing to report on his work? This order came too suddenly. Moreover, handing over the garrison of Shanhaiguan to the command of the Liaodong General was something that had never happened before. Shanhaiguan was certainly defending against foreign enemies, but it was also defending against Liaodong. If it was directly handed over to the Liaodong General, what would it be to defend against "foreign troops entering Beijing"?

Of course, he knew Li Rusong's military talent and was not worried that Li Rusong would not be able to defend Shanhaiguan. However, if Shanhaiguan was handed over to Li Rusong, it would be equivalent to the Liaodong Army being able to enter Northern Zhili at any time. Couldn't the cabinet see the danger? Moreover, Luo Gongji also knew the delicate relationship between the Li family and Gao Yuanfu. Now that Gao Yuanfu was ill and unable to take charge of affairs, the cabinet gave the Shanhaiguan military power to Li Rusong. What exactly did this mean?

"Okay, I'll get ready immediately." Luo Gongji pondered for a moment and decided to follow orders. He knew very well that the cabinet's orders could not be violated, even if it was not Gao Yuanfu but Shen Ge Lao who issued the cabinet order at this moment, but the cabinet order was the cabinet order, and he, a mere lieutenant general, could not question it, otherwise he would be held accountable in the future. At this time, another messenger came to report that Li Rusong, the general of Liaodong, had led his troops to accept the defense of Shanhaiguan. Luo Gongji did not dare to neglect it and immediately rushed to the gate tower to check.

Li Rusong did not bring all 20,000 elite cavalrymen to the outside of Shanhaiguan. Judging from the distance from the city gate, there were only about 3,000 to 5,000 cavalrymen. This is also easy to explain. After all, Li Rusong came here only to take over the defense of the pass according to the cabinet order, not to lead troops to attack. Bringing 3,000 to 5,000 cavalrymen to show off his power was enough.

Li Rusong saw from afar a large flag with the words "Commander Yongning" raised above the city gate. He raised his binoculars and saw a general in black armor and a red cape leading his men to the top of the tower to check. He couldn't help but smile and rode his horse slowly towards the city gate.

"Is that Luo Canrong? I, Li Rusong, have been ordered by the cabinet to temporarily take over the defense of Shanhaiguan!" Li Rusong's voice was not only steady and powerful, but also loud. As soon as he spoke, it echoed in the cold air like a low tiger roar.

"General Luo Gongji has received the cabinet's order and will open the gate to welcome you. Please wait for a moment, General Li!" Luo Gongji also responded loudly, and clasped his fists in a distant salute. After hearing this, Li Rusong also clasped his fists in return, but did not speak again.

Luo Gongji ordered the gates to be opened, and while the gates were being raised, he came down from the tower, passed through the deep corridor, rode his horse forward, and dismounted not far from Li Rusong. He bowed and said, "Marshal Li, we are honored to have your presence. I have received an order from the cabinet that the defense of Shanhaiguan will be temporarily under your control. Here are the Shanhaiguan seal, tiger talisman, and official documents. Please check them, Marshal Li."

Li Rusong nodded, and his eyes swept over the neatly arranged soldiers on the city wall, secretly evaluating in his heart. He saw that although the soldiers were well-trained, their morale seemed a little low. Li Rusong knew that Luo Gongji's departure had made the soldiers lose their backbone, and he needed to stabilize the morale of the army as soon as possible.

"Luo Canrong, you have worked hard guarding the pass. From now on, the defense of Shanhaiguan will be temporarily taken over by our town. We will hand it over after you return to report on your work." Li Rusong said, with a serious tone that only military orders can bring. At the same time, he dismounted and carefully checked the seal, tiger talisman and the documents for the defense.

Luo Gongji nodded, but thought to himself: "I have heard about this commander's ability. I hope he is here just to take over the defense temporarily, and there is no other inside story... However, I am afraid I have to make some preparations and can't just leave."

While Li Rusong was checking the seals, military tokens and official documents, Luo Gongji whispered to his deputy beside him: "Since Marshal Li is here, you must obey his orders at ordinary times, but you are all clear about my duties in Shanhaiguan. After all, he is the general of Liaodong, so if he shows signs of leading his troops through Shanhaiguan and approaching the capital, you must not neglect your duties and not stop him on the grounds of cabinet orders. You must oppose or delay as much as possible... Remember this, otherwise the disasters in the future will not be something you and I can bear."

The deputy general nodded, knowing Luo Gongji's intention. He was also well aware of the importance of Shanhaiguan. If there was any change, the consequences would be disastrous. As the highest commander of Shanhaiguan after Luo Gongji returned to Beijing, if the court investigated him, he would be the first person responsible. He would most likely lose his life and even his relatives and family would be implicated. It was no joke.

Li Rusong took over the Shanhaiguan pass tokens, his face as calm as ever, but his doubts and uneasiness deepened. His father's previous secret order did not mention Shanhaiguan, and he was still worried that Shanhaiguan would become an obstacle for him. Now that the Shanhaiguan pass was transferred to his hands, it meant that his father's plan was not just his own, but there were even greater forces in the court cooperating...

Or should we say that there is a greater force planning something, and my father is actually cooperating with that force? In any case, my father is obviously involved in a major event, but my father did not tell me the complete news, but just let me follow orders.

"Father, what are you planning? You don't want to tell me the inside story. Are you worried that I will oppose your actions, or are you afraid that if it fails, I will be implicated too deeply?"

Li Rusong asked himself, but then shook his head and said to himself: "Now that things have come to this, what's the point of worrying about failure? If it is really as I think, there is no room for maneuver. Once I fail, I will die. Father, you are old after all. For some things, once you take the first step, there will be no way back..."

In order to stabilize the Shanhaiguan garrison, Li Rusong sent his trusted men to control the key roads to prevent his possible actions from being interfered with by the Shanhaiguan garrison. He knew very well that Shanhaiguan was the key to his action. Once there was a change, the consequences would be disastrous. That person... or those dignitaries in the court, who he didn't know who they were, had entrusted the most critical place to him, so he must not make any mistakes.

"Deputy General Chen, take me to see the city defenses." After Luo Gongji left, Li Rusong said to the deputy general he left behind, with unquestionable majesty in his tone.

The deputy general's job was "the guerrilla general of the left camp under the Jizhou general's banner". His surname was Chen and his given name was Shaoyan. He was really as his name suggested, a little taciturn. He just nodded after hearing Li Rusong's order and silently led Li Rusong to inspect the city wall.

Li Rusong carefully inspected the defensive facilities of the city wall and found that although the city wall was strong, some of the arrow towers and battlements seemed to be short of gunpowder, projectiles and other supplies. He frowned and asked, "According to the regulations, there should be more than this amount in reserve. What's going on?"

Chen Shaoyan replied, "It was a real number a few days ago, but Jizhou sent people to transfer some of them the day before yesterday for unknown reasons. If Li Shuai is suspicious of this, he can send someone to contact Zhang Shuai in this town to find out."

"Oh, did Zhang Wanbang transfer some of the reserves?" Li Rusong's qualifications far exceeded Zhang Wanbang's, and he was known for his bad temper, so he was not afraid to call him by his name. However, he thought about it at this moment, but did not delve into it. He just said, "This town will ask." That was it.

Chen Shaoyan nodded and remained silent.

Li Rusong ignored him and just stood on the city wall, looking towards the direction of the capital, concentrating and saying nothing.
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