Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 1174 Meeting in Mengjin on an Autumn Night
After the cabinet meeting concluded...

The ministers left quickly, and once they were gone, the hall fell silent again, with only the palace lanterns and candlelight shining brightly.

Looking at the pile of memorials on the table, Lu Wenshan sighed deeply. The longer he sat in this position, the more precarious he felt, as if he were walking on thin ice. Behind him, Feng Qian, the chief clerk of the Ministry of Personnel, approached carrying a bowl of hot porridge.

"Your Excellency, it's late. Have a bowl of porridge to warm yourself up."

He casually placed the bowl of porridge on the table, then took the food box from the servant behind him, took out the side dishes inside, and set them out.

"Yes, you are so thoughtful. It's so late, and you're the only one keeping this old man company here."

Moving his stiff body, Lu Wenshan sat up, picked up the bowl of porridge, slurped it down, and immediately felt a warm flow into his stomach, making him feel warm all over.

"Your Excellency is too kind. I am able to be where I am today because of your guidance. It is getting late, so I will have my wife bring some porridge over to warm you up. However, you were discussing matters just now, so I dare not go in."

Although he had already reached the position of principal officer in the Ministry of Personnel, he understood that in the court, it was better to avoid trouble. Therefore, he only sent the food box in after it arrived. This was one of the reasons why Lu Wenshan thought highly of him. After finishing a few mouthfuls of porridge and eating some vegetables, he felt much better and praised the food box.

"You are meticulous and handle matters of state better than anyone else. You are also calm and composed, qualities that none of your senior brothers possess. With the affairs of the nation becoming increasingly difficult, you will have a place in the future."

Lu Wenshan put down his chopsticks, his eyes shining brightly.

"Yes, teacher. My fellow students are all doing great things. I am content."

He remained humble and composed, and after seeing his mentor finish his meal, he cleared away the dishes and bowls from the table. As he turned to leave, Lu Wenshan suddenly asked him a question.
"You said there were any mistakes in the military affairs in the north. Wei Zhanying's trip is to coordinate and command the 100,000 troops of Zhongshan County as a backup plan."

This question was not a sudden whim of Lu Wenshan, but rather the result of the intelligence that had been continuously sent from the northern border in recent days. The Donghu people were coming with great force and would certainly not do anything in vain, which meant that the northern border was not impregnable. Therefore, he finally proposed to request the quota of military training quotas from the local areas and have the Ministry of War train them. Now it seems that it is still unknown whether this was the right or wrong idea.

"I admire the teacher's foresight, but the Northern Army has long been corrupt and depleted, as everyone in the court knows. After the New Year, the border troops are in dire need of supplies. The Ministry of War has almost exhausted all its resources to gather troops from several prefectures and sent them to Jinbei Pass. Most of them are old, weak, sick, and disabled. They were exhausted after only three days of defending the city. It is hard to say that the prefectural governors have no complaints."

Military power may not be valued, but the missing soldiers, rations, and salaries have all been embezzled by those people. Now, the Ministry of War is taking the lead in reorganizing the new army in Zhongshan County. If it does not take up the quota of soldiers in various counties, there should be no problem. However, the court does not want to increase rations and salaries, and forcibly takes up the quota of soldiers in various counties. As a result, the garrison commanders of the counties are full of complaints, and the memorials submitted to the cabinet are as numerous as hairs on a cow.

"Hehe, Ma Qian, it's best to do more work for the ministers. The number of soldiers in the northern prefectures has always been very important in the court. After the New Year, the border troops submitted a memorial complaining that the soldiers were not up to the task. Because of the war, so many people died, so the court took advantage of the situation and only left one-third of the soldiers in the northern prefectures for city defense. The rest were used to train soldiers in accordance with the example of the Hongnong Commandant to deal with border wars."

this matter,

This is the most important matter for the court. If the court had available troops before, why would it have successively appointed Marquis Luoyun? They were just waiting for Prince Teng to raise an army of more than 300,000. Even if it was a fight to the death, they could still defeat the Taiping Sect.

Since some things have already crossed paths with Wu Xun, exchanging benefits is not necessarily a bad thing.

Feng Qian bowed deeply.
"Teacher, you have thought this through. I can't see that far ahead. But when Vice Minister Wei goes to Zhongshan County to supervise the training, he will only stay for a short time. He will also go to inspect the border areas. In this way, General He and General Hu may not be able to suppress the 100,000 troops."

His eyes flickered. Although they had taken up the quotas from various prefectures, most of the generals were still deputy generals from various prefectures. General Hu and General He, although they were good at governing the army, had nothing to do with military affairs.

Lu Wenshan was somewhat surprised. He looked up at his student, who, though unremarkable in appearance, possessed a divine quality.
“You’re right, but there’s one thing you don’t understand. These deputy generals of various prefectures are only in charge of training troops. With General He and General Hu each leading 5,000 troops as their base, and with Wei Zhanying’s royal command flag, who would dare to disobey? Don’t think that these rough warriors don’t understand the way of officials. These people are very shrewd. For now, you will stay in the cabinet and write for your teacher.”

Feng Qian stood there stunned, then was deeply moved.

"Yes, teacher, I obey."

Inside the cabinet offices, the room was still brightly lit with candles.

Inside the Ministry of Revenue, after Shen Zhongxin and his men rushed back, they went inside and found Physician Yu Wenxuan to ask him questions.

"Doctor Yu, are the preparations for transporting military supplies and provisions to the north complete?"

Shen Zhongxin was still a little uneasy and asked one more time. After all, some things couldn't be discussed openly, and many transactions involved a cut.

Yu Wenxuan remained unmoved; he had personally arranged this matter, and there were absolutely no mistakes.

"Reporting to Lord Shen, the treasury has released 600,000 taels of silver, and with the grain transported by river, there are about 400,000 shi of grain. All preparations are complete. Since the grain is transported by water, the Imperial Guards will escort it tonight and it will be loaded onto ships at the dock outside the west city. However, there are still established rules in various posts and offices. Lord Shen, if you hold back this time, I am afraid that your subordinates will become dissatisfied."

The so-called grain and salary issued by the imperial court were clearly divided the moment they left the Ministry of Revenue's treasury. If 30% was less when it left the capital, that was all bribes and gifts from superiors and subordinates, and the rules could not be broken.

"Hmph, rules, Lord Yu, these rules were broken long ago after Marquis Luoyun arrived. The capital garrison and the Marquis's army still have rewards. Tell me, which government office in the capital dares to meddle? This time, it's because Vice Minister Wei has a great use for the northern border. If he loses even a tael of silver, do you think Lord Wei will let it go?"

With a cold laugh, Shen Zhongxin was already furious. What kind of time is this to be thinking about those silver coins? The palace is watching this matter closely. If there is any oversight, it will surely bring the wrath of the palace, or Minister Zhao will definitely investigate to the end!

"This, this, Lord Shen, it was my oversight. But these days, the officials below have received fewer favors. Many of the minor officials in the Six Ministries are struggling to make ends meet in the capital. To maintain their dignity, it is impossible not to pay them. Besides, you have also kept the tax silver from Zhongshan County. After autumn, the officials below are all looking forward to it."

Feng Qian's expression also turned somewhat grim. He forced himself to recount the situation of the six minor officials in one go, since it was getting cold and each household had a lot of things to buy.

However, prices in the capital remained high, and those officials in the capital who held minor official positions all longed for this respectable lifestyle, after all, they all had families to support!
It is only human nature to feel this way, and it is certainly difficult. Shen Zhongxin's face had already darkened. How could he not know all this! The salaries of officials in the Great Wu Dynasty have remained unchanged for decades, while the prices in the capital have been rising year after year. If it were officials of the sixth rank or above, they could at least live a stable life with their salaries. However, in the capital, most of the officials were retired and filled in various ministries.

For these people, living a decent life is extremely difficult, so the rules in the imperial court are mostly out of necessity.
“This matter cannot be generalized. These rules are not for civil officials’ own people. How can they be allowed to take advantage of them? A few days ago, didn’t the cabinet approve the replenishment of troops, armor and provisions for the military governors in the south? In that case, I will decide to keep 50% for myself. How about that?”

Thinking that the princes of Jingnan would inevitably take action, Shen Zhongxin understood. Since the princes wanted to raise bandits to maintain their own importance, it meant that even if war broke out in the south, it would not fall into turmoil, and the court would not be distracted. With Marquis Luoyun outside the pass, they only needed to focus their attention on the northern border. With this in mind, he made a plan.

Upon hearing this, Feng Qian's face lit up with joy, and he immediately kowtowed.

"Thank you for your understanding, Your Excellency. In that case, the Mid-Autumn Festival will be a time for all officials to enjoy a good holiday."

"Go down."

"Yes, my lord."

The north wind howled.

A biting wind, carrying a cloud of dust, blew in from the northeast.

now,

Southwest of Mengjin

Zhang Jinyu was wrapped in brocade cloth, covering his face to shield himself from the cold wind, but the stiffness all over his body still made him feel unbearably cold. He also felt a little regretful. Damn it, he hadn't felt it during the day, but at night, the cold wind was freezing to the bone. The armor he was wearing was almost useless. He would have to find Zhang Chuanying's army to get supplies.

But in the vast darkness, only their rapidly marching column had a flickering flame; the rest of the area was pitch black, without a single ray of light, so how could they be seen? “Ningbian, you’ve chosen the right direction. If the Pingyang army were nearby, there would be no way they wouldn’t make a sound.”

Could it be that I arrived too early? I checked the time, shook my head, and realized it shouldn't be.

Ningbian followed beside him, frowning as he looked around. Everything seemed the same; with autumn approaching, the grass on the ground had grown even more lush.

“My lord, the direction is correct. There are several guides in the manor’s personal guards. Moreover, they mostly checked the route while riding. Or perhaps Prefect Liu misjudged the time?”

Zhang Jinyu did not answer, but squinted and stared intently into the thick, impenetrable darkness.

If the direction was correct, then the distance was not enough. After all, it was dark and the light was dim, so it would be difficult to see. But looking around, it was indeed completely silent. Apart from their own troops and the dim yellow light from the scattered torches in the soldiers' hands, there was no trace of a large army encampment.

A sense of anxiety crept into his heart. Calculating the distance, Zhang Chuanying and the others should have been waiting here for quite some time. Could something have gone wrong on the way? Or perhaps they had encountered Jurchen cavalry?
It shouldn't be.

"It shouldn't be wrong. Chuanying is a veteran soldier. How could he make such a mistake?"

Just as Zhang Jinyu's doubts began to grow, Wang Wu, the captain of the personal guards who was in charge of scouting ahead, suddenly reined in his horse, raised his torch, and drew several specific circles. Almost simultaneously, several faint, equally regular flickering lights suddenly lit up on the outline of the dark hills ahead!
Immediately afterwards, as if one or two points, countless torches lit up one after another, like a bright lamp swaying high in front. What is this?

"My lord! This is a communication signal for our army; they are ahead."

Ning Bian's voice was filled with excitement. By now, they were all exhausted and worn out. If they still couldn't find anything, they would have to spend the night in the Mengjinye area.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jinyu felt a sense of relief, and even the chill she felt dissipated somewhat.
"Someone, send someone to get closer!"

"Yes, Lord Marquis."

At Zhang Jinyu's command, several guards rushed forward immediately, and after confirming the identities of the guards, they quickly returned to report.
"My lord, it is the reinforcements led by General Zhang Chuanying. They have already set up camp in the sheltered area of ​​the low hill and said they will arrive this evening."

"Alright, if that's the case, let's move on."

"Yes, Lord Marquis."

As the army set off again, in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the rolling iron torrent entered the camp tent.

The reinforcements from Pingyang County had already set up a temporary camp. Although it was simple, it was well-organized. At the place where the fire was burning brightest, two figures wearing iron armor and cloaks for warmth quickly came forward.

The leader, a young man with a resolute face and a robust build, was none other than Zhang Chuanying, the Prefect of Pingyang. Beside him stood a middle-aged general, with even more rugged features and a resolute gaze; this was none other than Zhang Xiaolin, the Vanguard General. Upon seeing Marquis Luoyun, who had already ridden up to him, the two were overjoyed and bowed deeply.
"My lord! Your humble general Zhang Xiaolin (Zhang Chuanying) pays his respects!"

The two approached, their eyes slightly red, their voices loud.

Zhang Jinyu dismounted, his movements stiff from the cold, but the joy in his eyes was undeniable. He helped the two men up, his gaze lingering on Zhang Chuanying's face for a moment before he forcefully patted his cold shoulder armor.

"Good! It's good that you've come. It's been many days since I last saw you, and you look even more heroic."

Zhang Chuanying raised her head, her face filled with the excitement of seeing her loved ones;
"Brother, we've finally made it. After receiving your order, I immediately mustered the troops and rushed to Mengjin. We also brought a lot of supplies and armor."

Zhang Xiaolin, who followed suit, clasped his hands in a fist salute and added:
"My lord, Pingyang County has assembled a total of 150,000 new troops, 30,000 veteran cavalry, and 20,000 infantry, along with a large amount of grain and supplies, enough to last for half a month. There are also laborers to transport the supplies, which will arrive soon."

"Great! That solves our immediate problem!"

Zhang Jinyu felt much more at ease. With these supplies, he could set out tomorrow and reach Pingliao City by noon. That would be the time for the real battle with Huang Jitai.
"It's windy outside, let's go inside and talk in detail! Ningbian, quickly summon the cooks to prepare hot soup so the brothers can warm themselves up! Go and inform the commanders of all the units in the camp to come and discuss matters."

"Yes, Lord Marquis."

After receiving the order, Ningbian immediately sent someone to relay it. Then, Zhang Jinyu followed the two men to the temporary central command tent, which was covered with animal hides.

The night was already chilly.

Several charcoal braziers were already lit inside the tent, dispelling some of the chill. Soon, perhaps everyone had arrived, footsteps sounded outside the tent. Duan Hong, along with the other commanders from various departments, entered the tent one by one and stood on both sides. Leading them were none other than Duan Hong, Ning Bian, and others.

Without further ado, Zhang Jinyu walked to the table inside the tent, spread out the topographical map in his hand on the table, which roughly outlined the location of Pingliao City, several surrounding strategic passes, and the Jurchen camp.

"The situation is urgent, so let's get to the point."

Zhang Jinyu's gaze fell on the group of people. Judging from their faces, they were all former retainers of the Marquis's household. It seemed that the border troops had already won over the hearts of the people.

"Gentlemen, the Jurchens' swift deployment of troops this time has also exceeded my expectations. Pingliao City has been besieged for four days. Zhang Wenyuan is defending the city alone and has repelled the attacks several times, but the city has consumed a lot of arrows and suffered heavy casualties."

The last news from the scouts indicated that the Jurchens had assembled at least 200,000 troops from the Han Eight Banners. The main force of the Eight Banners cavalry was to guard the Wuyayu tribe, while the rest, equipped with siege weapons, were attacking day and night in shifts. If Pingliao City fell, the Jurchen army would advance directly to Pingyang County, leaving the northern border wide open!

The crowd's expressions were grave. They were already familiar with this intelligence; they were usually on the defensive side of the city, but had never fought the Jurchens in open battle. If they were to truly fight women in the open, the consequences would be unpredictable. Zhang Xiaolin, usually calm and collected, frowned as he looked at the markings on the map.
"My lord, although we arrived just in time, according to the intelligence I have, the Jurchens said that they suffered a great loss to the Yuezhi in the north, and the Eight Banners suffered heavy losses. That's why the Han Eight Banners were later formed. They just changed the clothes of those bondservants. Each banner has more than 30,000 men, so that's more than 200,000. With the Eight Banners bandits added to the ranks, my lord, on the surface it seems that we have recovered our strength, but if we fight head-on, the losses should be considerable."

Especially with the intelligence we've gathered in the last few days, the Han Eight Banners are still incredibly fierce and brave, so this battle is likely to be difficult.

"Brother, Xiaolin is right."

Zhang Chuanying gave a wry smile and pointed to a water source west of Pingliao City.
“Brother, Sister-in-law Wuya has sent out scouts several times to harass the Jurchens. Unfortunately, Huang Jitai of the Jurchens is a shrewd and experienced commander. His main camp is backed by the Black Mountain Twin Camel Ridge, with trenches and deer forts in front, and light cavalry patrolling on both flanks. The defense is tight, and we have not had an opportunity. Especially with the Jurchen cavalry pressing in, Sister-in-law Wuya is under great pressure. If our army rashly rushes in, even if we can break through, we will surely suffer heavy losses, and we may not be able to shake their main force, let alone relieve the siege.”

Although the number of people gathered together seemed large, in the end they would still have to fight one by one with sword and spear. In this way, the chances of winning were only fifty-fifty. Therefore, the two men's words caused discussion in the tent, and many generals looked solemn.

now,

But Duan Hong shouted loudly,

"Hmph, what shrewd military tactics? I think the Jurchens are just going all in. This westward march, regardless of whether they are Han or other Eight Banners, if they can capture a city in three days, that would be considered heroic. But four days have already passed, and tomorrow will be the fifth day. I imagine their morale has been greatly diminished. Even if they are elite, they still have to fight on the battlefield. In this respect, the Jurchens will suffer a great loss."

The Marquis's mansion outside the pass places the greatest emphasis on battle formations when training troops. Combined with the armor and weapons used by his troops, the Jurchens would definitely not be able to withstand a head-on confrontation. At that time, whether Huang Jitai's elite troops could join the battle would depend on whether Huang Jitai was willing to give them up.

Thinking of this, Zhang Jinyu's eyes flashed with a sharp light. If he could guess it, Huang Jitai might be able to guess it too. Looking at the camp marked on the map, it turned out to be something else entirely. After searching for a while, he suddenly pointed to a mark on the side and back of the Jurchen front camp. That was the valley of "Black Wind Pass". Using it as the base of the army, it seemed that the Jurchens had made preparations long ago.
"A direct assault is not feasible; a battle formation is necessary. Tomorrow, the Jurchens will surely intensify their attack on the city again. Our marching route is from south to north, and we should arrive before noon. At that time, I will lead the main force to provide cover, while Duan Hong and Zhang Xiaolin will lead 40,000 cavalry to storm the city and inflict as many casualties as possible on the enemy. After that, we must not linger and must immediately turn back. Finally, tonight, I will send someone to inform Wu Yayu to lead her troops to garrison north of Pingliao City, forming a pincer movement."

He paused, then pressed his finger heavily on the Black Wind Pass:
"This place is called Black Wind Pass. It is the only way for the Jurchen camp to reach Yinzhou City in the rear, and it is also a place for their grain transport. There are also capable people among the Tartars, and they should not be underestimated. I am sure that Huang Jitai will leave the army in the valley. Therefore, Wuya Yu only needs to keep his mind here and wait for news from Yinzhou."

Upon hearing this, the generals in the tent were all invigorated!
(End of this chapter)