The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 415 Power in Hands
"On October 20, Zhang Xianzhong led 50,000 troops to capture Hanyang in the west, and then the entire army crossed the river from Yadanzhou, defeated Zuo Liangyu, captured Wuchang, captured Chu Wang Hua Kui, and drowned him in the river, killing all the Chu royal family members."

"Zhang Xianzhong captured Wuchang, held an altar in Wuchang to offer sacrifices to heaven, established a government office, and named himself the Great Marshal of Civil and Military Affairs who would carry on the destiny of heaven."

"Establish a five-army command office, with Wang Shangli as the center army commander, Wang Dingguo as the front army commander, Feng Shuangli as the rear army commander, Ma Yuanli as the left army commander, and Zhang Hualong as the right army commander."

"The 150,000 soldiers were divided into 50 battalions, called the Great Western Army, with the Tiger Power, Leopard Strategy, Dragon Strategy, and Eagle Flying Battalions as the night guards, with a governor in charge. The six battalions in the central army were commanded by themselves."

"Zhang Xianzhong appointed Sun Kewang as General Pingdong, Li Dingguo as General Anxi, Liu Wenxiu as General Funan, and Ai Nengqi as General Dingbei, each with ten battalions."

This news was enough to shock the capital and terrify the southern country, but it did not cause much ripples in Chen Wang's heart.

Chen Wang stood on the observation tower, observing the entire battle situation in Fengyang with a telescope and listening to the information coming from the south from the Intelligence Department.

To the north of Fengyang City, the three mountains of Yuehua, Ma'an and Fenghuang have changed their flags.

The flag of the Wanmin Army had been lowered, and the one raised again was the fiery red flag used by Hanzhong Town.

The rumbling sound of cannons echoed in the north of Fengyang City.

After resting for an hour, the artillery positions of the Hanzhong Army on Phoenix Mountain roared again.

Just yesterday, on the 28th, the Hanzhong army had completely broken through the outer city of Fengyang and captured the three mountains of Yuehua, Ma'an and Fenghuang within the outer city of Fengyang.

"On November 21, Zhang Xianzhong swore an oath in Wuchang. Ai Nengqi and Liu Wenxiu led 20 battalions of troops to guard Wuchang, while the rest of the generals followed him to the north."

"On the 23rd, the vanguard of the Western Army, led by Li Dingguo, marched northward from Anqing Prefecture and captured Tongcheng at dusk.

"On the 24th, Shucheng fell to Sun Kewang."

Chen Wang put down the telescope in his hand.

The reason why he was not surprised at all was that he had already expected Zhang Xianzhong's actions.

The Intelligence Department spends hundreds of thousands of taels every year, so it's certainly not wasted.

Li Yan had a good idea. He used the allusion of "the lips and teeth are cold when they are gone" to convince Zhang Xianzhong.

But how could Zhang Xianzhong be willing to be inferior to others?

Zhang Xianzhong took the title of "Chengtian Yingyun Civil and Military Marshal", which corresponds to Li Yan's title, and it is obvious that he wants to be on equal footing.

Li Yan openly repaired the plank road while secretly marching through Chencang. He knew that it would be difficult to win with his own troops alone, so he thought of Zhang Xianzhong who had been in Jiangxi.

"The main force of the Wanmin Army, more than 50,000 people, led by Li Yan, has moved south from Pizhou to Wuhe County."

"Gao Qian reported that a large number of Wanmin Army cavalry appeared in Xuzhou Prefecture and harassed the local area. There were also unusual movements in the direction of Luliang Mountain. The general in charge was the former leader of the Left Fifth Battalion, Zuo Jin Wang He Jin."

Luliang Mountain is a mountain range located in the north of the Huai River in the east of Xuzhou Prefecture.

The Luliang Mountain area is about ten miles long from east to west, with high terrain in the north and low terrain in the south.

The north is full of mountains and peaks. There are 54 hills of different sizes, which are roughly arranged side by side from north to south to form a three-mountain range, which is very convenient for defense.

When the Shandong Wanmin Army captured Pei County, Yang Yufan and Liu Zeqing led their troops to retreat to Luliang Mountain for defense.

As Pizhou's western barrier, Luliang Mountain has a very important geographical location.

If Yang Yufan and Liu Zeqing had been able to hold on to Luliang Mountain, the situation in Pizhou would probably not have been so bad.

However, Shandong officers and soldiers suffered defeat after defeat, and the soldiers had no fighting spirit and the generals had no desire to fight.

When the Shandong Wanmin Army crossed the Luliang Mountains to attack Pizhou, Yang Yufan and his generals wanted to attack, but the officers and soldiers under the Shandong garrison did not dare to lead the troops to fight.

Finally, Yang Yufan had no choice but to lead his own troops to attack, hoping to contain the Wanmin Army.

However, Yang Yufan had few soldiers, and after many battles, there were only three thousand soldiers under his command, and he was outnumbered and isolated.

While Yang Yufan was fighting hard with the Wanmin Army in the south of Luliang Mountain, Liu Zeqing and other Shandong officers and soldiers just stood by and watched.

Yang Yufan had been injured before, and this time he forced himself to fight despite his injured body.

Compared with the mighty army of nearly 100,000, an army of 3,000 men is like an egg hitting a rock.

The outcome of the battle was no surprise. Yang Yufan died in the chaos, and most of his soldiers were killed or wounded, and he was eventually defeated.

However, Yang Yufan's body did not fall into the hands of the thieves.

Yang Yufan had a lieutenant general named Ma Dai under his command. He led his troops into the enemy camp and risked his life to retrieve Yang Yufan's body.

"Where is Liu Zeqing now?"

Chen Wang turned to look at Hu Zhili and asked.

Yang Yufan was defeated and killed, and Liu Zeqing now actually leads the entire Ming army in Shandong.

"After the Battle of Pizhou, Liu Zeqing led his troops to flee northward to Tancheng in the south of Yanzhou Prefecture, Shandong."

Hu Zhili stood aside and answered.

"The defeated troops of Pizhou have already retreated to Haizhou. As for Gao Jie..."

Chen Wang raised his hand to stop Hu Zhili from speaking.

"The main force of the Wanmin Army has already evacuated Pizhou, and the troops heading north to attack Haizhou are just a small detachment. If Gao Jie can't even resist a small detachment of the Wanmin Army, then there is no need to talk about anything else."

During these days in the South, Chen Wang naturally did not just manage the small piece of land under his rule.

If Zuo Liangyu knew how to win over the surrendered generals of the Thirty-Six Battalions, how could Chen Wang not know it?

During the battle to go north to defend the king, Chen Wang had private contact with Gao Jie, Hui Dengxiang, Ma Jinzhong and others.

Just like during the Battle of Heishui Yu, he won over Yidougu Huanglong and Qiangongji Zhang Er.

These were the thirty-six battalions of bandits who had originally surrendered.

After they were appeased, they were basically met with cold eyes from everywhere.

Many of the bandits who had surrendered before were then sentenced again, which made their situation even more embarrassing.

Officials and officers were all quite indifferent to them and did not trust them.

No matter if they are now generals or deputy generals, their origins... are still bandits after all...

Originally, with Sun Chuanting around, Gao Jie, Hui Dengxiang and Ma Jinzhong were able to survive with the help of Sun Chuanting's power.

Sun Chuanting is one of the few governors in the court today who does not look down on their origins.

But now that Sun Chuanting is dead, everything has changed.

The power of the Wanmin Army is growing, and the entire Southern Kingdom has been turned upside down by it.

As for their loyalty to the Ming court, Gao Jie, Hui Dengxiang and Ma Jinzhong were all bandits originally, and now they don't have much loyalty in their hearts.

So after the big tree Sun Chuanting fell, the first big tree they thought of to rely on was Chen Wang.

During the Battle of Pizhou, Chen Wang soon received a secret letter from Gao Jie.

Gao Jie in the letter was very sincere and direct.

They did not ask for any treatment, but only requested to be able to follow under Chen Wang's command.

After all, Chen Wang is no longer just a small camp commander.

Chen Wang, who is currently in Fengyang and commanding troops from various towns, has quite a few titles.

The garrison commander-in-chief of Hanzhong Town in Shaanxi, Guanglu Dafu, Right Commander-in-Chief, and General Suppressing Bandits.

He was in charge of the military affairs of Henan and Huguang provinces, and was in charge of the suppression of various towns within the Great Wall, and had the power to dispatch troops.

Among these titles, the garrison commander of Hanzhong Town can be said to be the lowest official position.

In the eighth year of Chongzhen, Chen Wang was just an ordinary servant who followed Cao Wenzhao to fight.

Only six years have passed, and now Chen Wang has become a powerful general in the South.

Chen Wang calmly looked at the Fengyang City below the mountain, which was in chaos due to the bombardment.

With the fall of Phoenix Mountain, the Battle of Fengyang had actually come to an end.

Phoenix Mountain is located in the northwest of Fengyang Inner City. It is the mountain that has the greatest impact on the defense of Fengyang City and has a very broad view.

After occupying Phoenix Mountain, the artillery of his army could cover most of Fengyang City.

Important mountaintops such as Wansui Mountain, Rijing Peak and Shengjia Mountain in the northeast of Fengyang Mountain will also be exposed to the range of their artillery fire.

"Send a message to Liu Zeqing. If he doesn't want to die, he should get out of Tancheng with his troops." Chen Wang said calmly, holding the railing above the observation deck and looking at Fengyang City below the mountain.

"Within five days, I want to receive news that the Shandong troops are attacking Luliang Mountain."

"This……"

Hu Zhili frowned and asked hesitantly.

"Isn't this a bit against the rules..."

After the Battle of Tumu, the Ming Dynasty gradually became stronger in culture but weaker in military.

Civil officials have always served as commanders, while military officials simply served as generals and were not responsible for overall command.

Therefore, even if he was the general of a town, the number of soldiers under his direct command would only be three to four thousand at most.

The rest basically needed to seek temporary command authority from civil officials such as the governor-general or the governor-general.

The person who was qualified to issue orders to mobilize troops from various towns within the Great Wall was Governor Sun Chuanting, who was in charge of the suppression work within the Great Wall.

It is somewhat unreasonable for Chen Wang to give orders directly to Liu Zeqing now.

"you forgot?"

Chen Wang glanced back at Hu Zhili.

"Do you remember what the court said when it awarded me the seal of the general who pacified the bandits when I went south?"

Hu Zhili was shocked and looked up suddenly. His pupils suddenly dilated due to extreme shock.

He recalled the scene when Chen Wang was conferred the title of General Suppressing Bandits.

"In compliance with the Imperial decree..."

"Appoint Chen Wang, the General Guarding Hanzhong Town, as the General Suppressing Bandits..."

"Grant the President the authority to dispatch all departments!"

Chen Wang had a calm expression, turned his gaze towards the mountains in the east, and said calmly.

"This statement was just an empty talk when Yang Sichang was here, and it was just an empty talk when Sun Chuanting was here, just like when General Cao was here."

When mentioning Cao Wenzhao, Hu Zhili's expression involuntarily sank, and an uncontrollable look of sadness appeared on his face.

Cao Wenzhao never treated these servants badly and treated them almost like his own sons and nephews.

Humans are not plants or trees and are heartless. After all, they have been following Cao Wenzhao for many years.

Cao Wenzhao was originally the commander-in-chief of the suppression campaign.

Theoretically, he is the leader of all generals, and his status is higher than that of other generals and deputy generals.

The general commander of the suppression team nominally has the power to command a group of officers and soldiers to suppress the rebellion.

But in reality, no one takes this power seriously.

The Ming Dynasty has respected civil officials and despised military officials for a hundred years.

Planning and formulating strategies have always been what civilian commanders should do.

What kind of battles will the generals fight?

Just obey orders obediently.

Then just risk your life before the battle.

“But now, all of this has to change.”

Chen Wang gripped the railing in front of him tightly and spoke in a serious tone.

"The momentum of the world is as mighty and powerful as a torrent."

"Natural disasters continue, drought and locusts are everywhere."

"The country is in darkness and the society is shaken."

"The enemy is watching us from all directions."

"The turmoil within has spread to the rest of the world."

"An epidemic broke out in the north, and soldiers from the northwest, northeast, and south all suffered great defeats."

Shaanxi was invaded by Li Zicheng and Jiangxi was occupied by Zhang Xianzhong.

Most of Southern Zhili was swallowed up by the Wanmin Army.

The Qing Dynasty threatened Liaodong. After the Battle of Songjin, the Qing Dynasty continued to attack Jinzhou and Ningyuan while digesting the results of the battle.

The Mongolian tribes south of the desert repeatedly invaded the border under the Qing Dynasty's conscription.

If any of these things were taken out alone, the Ming court still had the possibility of making up for it.

But all these things happened at the same time, making the situation even worse.

"The imperial court's finances are empty, and it has long been living on the past, borrowing from one place to pay for another."

"With the canal transportation cut off, half of the tax-collecting areas in Southern Zhili have fallen into enemy hands. The collapse is imminent..."

Historically, the Ming court was in financial difficulties, so it continuously levied additional military pay in an attempt to save itself.

However, at a time when people were living in dire straits, the continuous increase in taxes was like adding fuel to the fire, which eventually led to continuous civil unrest and became completely out of control.

However, in history, in the 17th year of Chongzhen, the Ming court was still able to hold on and maintain a certain appearance.

But now, the Ming court can hardly even maintain this posture.

The defeat at Pizhou enabled the Wanmin Army to completely control the grain transport.

Li Yan did not intercept all the ships heading north, but instead controlled the grain transport and only released two-thirds of the grain to the north, leaving the Ming court with no grain at all in many cases and having to do its best to maintain the status quo.

The interruption of grain transport, the rampant spread of the Wanmin Army, the destruction of Southern Zhili, and Zhang Xianzhong's rampage in Jiangxi resulted in a significant decrease in the amount of tax silver that should have been paid.

The imperial court had no alternative but to allow the local authorities to directly withhold some of the food and fodder to be used as military supplies.

At this point, everyone knew how difficult the situation of the imperial court had become.

"War is raging everywhere, wreaking havoc on all nine states."

"The sun and the moon are dim, and the artifacts are covered in dust."

“All of this.”

“Everything shows this.”

Chen Wang's voice was steady and powerful.

"Da Ming..."

"It has lost its destiny!"

Chen Wangyuan looked at the mountains.

Sun Chuanting died in battle in Pizhou.

Lu Xiangsheng was in Nanjing at this time.

Fu Zonglong was ordered to go to Xi'an.

The Intelligence Department reported back that there was no one in the court who dared to lead troops to replace Sun Chuanting at the moment.

It was during this vacuum period when there was no governor that Chen Wang would naturally take over the task of suppressing the interior of the country and truly become the general who suppresses bandits as stated in the imperial edict.

The real general who suppresses bandits!
The president is in charge of suppressing various towns within the country and has the power to dispatch troops!

Now that the trend has come true, there is no need to hide it anymore.

With power in hand, you can control the world!
"Central Military Department, draft an order."

The roar of artillery fire shook the mountains like thunder, but it did not drown out the voice of Chen Wang's orders.

"Hanzhong Town will recruit four more battalions of soldiers and horses, and the Military Affairs Department will be in charge of recruiting soldiers."

"At the same time, we will mobilize all the guards under Hanzhong Town to leave Hanzhong and head north to Henan."