Daming Yinghua

Chapter 157 Battle of Fushun ([-])
The first ten days of April in the lunar calendar, which is equivalent to the beginning of May in later generations, is the most comfortable season in Liaodong.

At dusk, the pomegranate sunset glow burns all over the sky, and the evening wind in late spring, without a trace of chill, caresses people's cheeks gently.

Outside Magendan Fortress, the fortress in the southeast of Fushun in the Ming Dynasty, there is a section of the Majun River with a narrow riverbed, hidden in the forest shrouded in twilight.

Zheng Haizhu stood in front of the dam in Xinlei, and the full river water that greeted her eyes made her feel elated.

Wu Bangde led Kong Youde and several miners back to the river from a further hillside.

Zheng Haizhu turned around and said to them: "These few times today when the rocks were blown up, there was a lot of movement. How did the nearby villagers react?"

Kong Youde said: "The ordinary people are most afraid of our anti-army flag, and the guards of Ma County have frightened them, so they dare not approach easily. Only a few strong men from Tongjiazhuang went up the mountain to see the excitement. Blow them away."

Wu Bangde added on the side: "This Tongjiazhuang, the owner is indeed called Tong Yangxing."

Zheng Haizhu nodded.

Tong Yangxing was a wealthy frontier businessman who brought his people to Nurhachi after the Battle of Fushun in history, and later made a very useful red barbarian cannon for Huang Taiji.Zheng Haizhu began to think about how to deal with Tong Yangxing when he found out the location of Tong's family from Tong Yangding's mouth in Hetuala.

But certainly not now.

From Zhang Quan, the minister of the Ministry of War, to Zhang Chengyin, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, and Po Yanxiang, the deputy commander-in-chief; These people, like pawns moving carefully on a chessboard, complete their own steps according to the plan set at the end of the first month.

And the premise of action is to try not to startle the snake.

Nurhachi, his sons, and the soldiers of the Eight Banners Army were all hunters. They were more cunning than foxes and more sensitive than wild dogs.

All the actions of the Ming army against this battle must be disguised at the same time.

It is really impossible to do it secretly, just like Li Rubai, stuck in time, stuck in Xin'an Pass.

Therefore, after Zheng Haizhu and the others reached the upper reaches of the Majun River tributary, a certain area was blocked by more than a dozen elite servants including Kong Youde, allowing the strong miners transferred from the original to secretly build the dam, declaring to the outside world that the imperial court opened the iron mine.

Today, Wu Bangde and Kong Youde tried to blow up the simulated dam several times with gunpowder kits made by Sun Yuanhua and the Frankies on the leeward side of the hillside, and Zheng Haizhu's heart became more determined.

After she and Wu Bangde investigated Fushun years ago, they proposed to Zhang Quan a battle plan related to breaking the water.

From April to May in the Fushun area, there is abundant rain, and there are many tributaries of the Majun River, all of which come from nearby mountains and rivers.Zheng Haizhu chose the one with complex terrain, and asked Kong Youde to recruit more than [-] young and strong miners from his hometown Kaiyuan to build the dam step by step, and rushed to complete the dam in April. Sure enough, three days ago, on the tenth day of April, it began to rain heavily. It didn't stop until today.

The miners resting by the dam looked at the colorful fish-scale clouds all over the sky, and said to Zheng Haizhu and others: "Boss, there must be a heavy rain ahead."

Zheng Haizhu thought, the bigger the better.

Then he smiled kindly at the miners: "Brothers have worked hard. In three days, we will give out silver rewards and let Youde ride a horse to bring it back to your family. Then we will go to Shandong and earn a lot of money. If you do it for the big boss Well done, next year my wife and children will be there too! Let’s all go eat meat now, sleep peacefully, gather enough strength, and have big work tomorrow.”

The miners cheered and rushed towards the cook.

Zheng Haizhu greeted Kong Youde aside: "There are 23 of them in total. You have watched them all at night, and you are not allowed to leave your sight. Don't let your efforts fall short. Even if each of them is a fellow countryman you knew when you were wearing crotch pants, you can't do it at this time." Believe me."

Kong Youde said in a low voice: "Understood. If anyone among them leaked the news, even if the girl spared me, General Mao would cut off my head without hesitation."

At night, the insects humming low, the fourteenth moon is almost full, and the silver light sprinkles on the river.

The sound and picture at this time should be moving, but the snoring around is thunderous.

Wu Bangde walked to the edge of the stone dam and sat down beside Zheng Haizhu: "Don't say it's you, I can't sleep because of the noise."

Zheng Haizhu stared at the water: "There must be too many people who can't sleep tonight. Just now, I really wanted to ride a horse and rush back to Fushun City overnight, so that tomorrow I can see with my own eyes the power of the artillery we brought. "

Wu Bangde said: "Listen to Zhang Shilang and General Mao, it's safer for you to stay here."

Zheng Haizhu smiled: "When I met General Ma in the bandit village, he was going to fight with the bandits. He told me that there is no battle that decides the outcome before it starts. This time we I have done my best, and tomorrow's result depends on the destiny. If there is a fight here, Jiannu may not necessarily lose. By the way, Mu Zaohua said that you taught them to use a dagger in close combat, and practiced stabbing a knife into the heart. How accurate are you? ?”

Wu Bangde stared at her sideways: "What do you want to say?"

Zheng Haizhu said: "Although General Mao didn't take it back at night and said that Nurhachi had divided his troops outside the pass, but if the number of Jurchens who came to fight Ma Gendan tomorrow doubled, and General Zou didn't arrive in time, this place will be worse than Fushun City." It's still dangerous. If we don't run away, you will stab me with a knife and give me a good time."

She was answered by silence.

After a long time, Wu Bangde opened his mouth and said: "You are a very smart person, don't be messed up in this matter. You are not a leader or a soldier, and you should not feel ashamed to kneel down and beg for mercy. Tartars treat women like Looting is more than killing. In case, in case you fall into the enemy's hands, don't resist, just pretend to be a commoner, follow them obediently, and survive first."

After a pause, he rubbed his cheeks back and forth several times with both hands, and his voice became deeper and deeper: "When I arrived in Fushun in the twelfth lunar month, I looked at the river beach outside the city, and couldn't help but think over and over again, if it's not about losing my virginity The thought of A Mei is engulfed, will she not go to the knife edge of Li Yongfang's soldiers, will she survive? I know, I know I can't blame her, but every time I dream of her, I go after her I told her that it is very important to survive, and no matter what she has experienced, I still think she is the best woman."

Zheng Haizhu listened quietly to his partner's self-report.

People are so different.In the historical notes seen by later generations, when the Qing army went south, during the Ten Days of Yangzhou and the Three Massacres of Jiading, many Han Chinese who were husbands left writings, clearly stating that they told their wives and concubines that if the city was broken, they must cut themselves off and never Humiliated by foreign race, if wives and concubines show fear and hesitation, they will kill them before the enemy, and then try to escape from the city with their sons.

At this moment, it is really emotional to appreciate Wu Bangde's words carefully.

Zheng Haizhu sighed softly, patted him on the shoulder and said, "I understand. Go and rest."

She had just stood up when she suddenly froze.

Outside the dense forest, there was a clanging sound of a sword being unsheathed.

Wu Bangde also jumped up, facing the direction where the movement occurred, and listened attentively.

Not far from them, Kong Youde and several Mao family soldiers drew their knives at the same time and walked away quickly.

Just when Zheng Haizhu felt that his heart was about to jump into his throat, an uninvited guest from outside the forest rushed in.

A female voice with an accent in the capital's official dialect sounded: "My own people, my own people! Shi Jie is under Qin Liangyu's tent."

……

Zhang Fengyi got off her horse and strode up to Zheng Haizhu and the others.

The torch held up by Kong Youde shone on her face, and the flickering light reflected her facial features with a square forehead, thick eyebrows and phoenix eyes.

A decisive heroic spirit flowed on this face.

Zhang Fengyi's eyes turned directly to Zheng Haizhu: "You are Miss Zheng, right? I am Zhang Shilang's daughter, um, now I am Qin Liangyu's daughter-in-law."

Zheng Haizhu was quite surprised when she heard this, she thought that the other party was just a female general under General Qin's command.

"Then you are General Ma's..."

Zhang Fengyi smiled heartily: "I am very happy to say that she is Qin Liangyu's daughter-in-law, but I don't like to hear that she is Ma Xianglin's daughter-in-law. He is good at marksmanship, but his accuracy in archery is really not as good as mine. Why is he famous? I am What Ma's wife, Ma's young mistress, General Ma's wife."

Wu Bangde and Kong Youde stared blankly at the aunt who had fallen from the sky before them, and then glanced at Zheng Haizhu. Obviously, Zheng Haizhu didn't know that Zhang Shilang's daughter and General Qin's beloved daughter-in-law would appear in Liaodong.

Zhang Fengyi saw what everyone was thinking, so she stopped exchanging greetings, turned around and grabbed a gagged and bound man.

"Three days ago, I left Xianglin with a sentry cavalry, and came south to patrol here for surveillance. I was lucky tonight, and I caught a spy."

As she said that, she pulled out the cloth strip from the prisoner's mouth and put him under Kong Youde's torch.

The prisoner stunned on the ground, and said in a stack of voices: "Generals, please forgive me, I also have the whole family's life in the owner's hands, so I have to do some reporting to earn a living."

Zheng Haizhu stared at him: "Are you from Tongjiazhuang?"

The captive nodded.

Zhang Fengyi glanced at the miners who came out of the tent to watch the excitement, then at the stone dam on the river, and said to Zheng Haizhu: "Miss Zheng, take a step to talk."

After walking a little farther, Zhang Fengyi explained the reason in detail: "We saw the smoke from the fire in a small mountain ten miles away. We sneaked in and found out that there were three Tartars and this one with unshaved heads. After they finished eating, the three A tartar got on his horse and headed east. We captured this Han man and interrogated him on the way. He said that he was going to meet the sentry of the tartars this morning, and informed Ma Gendan that everything was as usual. Miss Zheng, take a look, but Is there a flaw?"

Zheng Haizhu stared at Zhang Fengyi: "What is embroidered on the forehead?"

Zhang Fengyi froze for a moment, then understood immediately, and smiled with admiration: "Miss Zheng, you doubt whether I am Zhang Quan's daughter or Qin Liangyu's daughter-in-law? No wonder they all say you are smart. Wipe the embroidery on your forehead Begonias, pomegranates embroidered on the cloud shoulders, sky blue forehead, water green cloud shoulders, the embroidery work of the Han family in the south of the Yangtze River is like heavenly work, thank you Miss Han and Miss Zheng for giving me the wedding gift."

OK, pass the test.

After verifying his identity, the other party directly found the branch in the forest, and called out his last name when he opened his mouth. It should be from Fushun.

Zheng Haizhu also showed a smile: "The enemy is now, I have to be suspicious, and I have to sue Miss Fengyi. Miss Fengyi also came to help. When we parted from Zhang Shilang in Shenyang a month ago, he really didn't tell."

"My father doesn't know now," Zhang Fengyi said in a smug tone, "Xianglin didn't want to go along with me first, it was my mother-in-law who nodded, so I can come together."

Zheng Haizhu roughly understood the reason, and continued: "You were right in not killing those three Tartars. If you did, the Jianzhou army would have become suspicious if they hadn't seen them return to the army. That spy from Tongjiazhuang should have not told They are different here, otherwise, the three sentries would not have thought about lighting a fire and eating, and then set out on the road after eating."

Zhang Fengyi pursed her lips knowingly.

She and Miss Zheng thought of going together.

She turned her head to look at the captives under the torch not far away, and said coldly: "Jianu's sentry is not very good, even roasting rabbits. We have been wandering for three days, and we are all eating dry food. How dare we light a fire."

Zheng Haizhu said: "It's not in vain to endure hardships, and we have uncovered the traitor Tong Zhuang."

Zhang Fengyi smiled and said: "Okay, after watching your play tomorrow, I will take people to surround the Zhuangzi."

……

On the same night, the city of Fushun is not as cool as the forest outside Ma Gendan.

The city, which was originally fairly spacious, was crowded with merchants from all over the place.

The entire city was filled with the noise of people, the neighing of animals, and the smell of sweat, urine, and feces emitted by humans and animals. The irritating stuffiness seemed to be doubled.

Fan Wencheng frowned and sat by the oil lamp under the window.

It is uncomfortable not to open the window, and it is even more uncomfortable to open the window. How can people study hard? !
In a few months, he will go to Shenyang to participate in "Qiu Wei".

As the descendant of Fan Zhongyan, a well-known official in the Song Dynasty, if he, Fan Xiucai, didn't improve his fame, wouldn't he make those same-year-olds in Fushun a joke?

More importantly, he really couldn't bear to stay in Fushun, a poor place.

More and more Tatars came to do business, the guard Li Yongfang would not refuse anyone who came, and welcomed them all into the city.

This year's horse market, the Confucian Temple and Academy were actually vacated for these barbarians to live in.

If it doesn’t work, you must quickly win the Juren, then win the Jinshi, and leave Liaodong.With his family background after a famous official in the Song Dynasty, how could the imperial court give a certain yamen in the capital a place to "observe politics", right?
Thinking of this, Fan Wencheng tried his best to adapt himself to the noise of Fushun City tonight, so that he could keep his ears shut and only read the books of sages and sages.

He finished an article on art making, and only when he heard the drumming outside, did he realize that the ugly time had passed.

The city finally quieted down.The merchants have probably also fallen asleep, recharging their energy and waiting for the opening of the horse market tomorrow.

Fan Wencheng walked out of the shabby room.

His home is not far from the east city wall, and when he was tired from studying late at night, he came outside the house and looked up at the silhouette of the city wall under the moon in the middle of the sky.

However, soon, he saw more guards appearing on the city wall than usual, and they seemed to be transporting things.

It seems to be 檑木?
While Fan Wencheng was wondering, he suddenly heard more movement from the direction of the Confucian Temple.

At first he thought it was water, but when he listened carefully, he realized something was wrong.

It was the tooth-piercing sound of clashing weapons and screams one after another.

(End of this chapter)