Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 915: I am really stupid
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

"Ohh Ohh ohh!"

In the Anhu camp, trumpets and drums sounded. The commander-in-chief of the imperial guards and Xiao Cheng's army had already arrived at the official road outside the Anhu camp. Deputy General Chen Shang, dressed in iron armor and riding on horseback, followed the commander-in-chief and took a look at the "bustle" of the Anhu camp.

asked;

"Commander-in-chief, should we go into the Anhu camp or wait here?"

Now Marquis Luo Yun is the commander-in-chief, and military orders are as heavy as a mountain. Perhaps Marquis Luo Yun is waiting for an opportunity to take action. There is also a little doubt. Chen Shang knows that there are secret guards of the retired emperor among the left and right guards, so why didn't the retired emperor send a secret order? After all, the imperial guards have never left the capital.

"First, send an order for the army to stop advancing and wait for a moment."

He Xiaocheng's face was solemn. How could he not know the risks of leaving the capital this time? However, the imperial decree had been issued and the emperor's order could not be disobeyed. Another reason was that he was worried about the safety of the emperor in Changle Palace. He had been practicing Taoism for so long and there had been no news from him.
"Yes, General,"

After some hesitation, Chen Shang sent out messengers to pass on the military orders.
"The commander-in-chief has ordered the entire army to stop!"

"The commander-in-chief has ordered the entire army to stop!"

He shouted from the middle of the team to the front and back of the team. After a while, the team finally stopped. At this time, the rumbling sound of horse hooves came from behind.
Looking back, it was the elite cavalry from outside the pass under the command of Marquis Luo Yun. The cavalry approached from afar, a black mass, and only the ground was shaking. The entire formation remained unchanged, as if one person was marching. This was worthy of the title of the world's number one army.

He Xiaocheng's face turned pale. In the wilderness, the infantry was almost useless when faced with these elite cavalry. It was a blessing from God that they could escape unscathed.
A gust of evil wind blew, and those cavalrymen from outside the pass stopped behind their army and did not enter the Anhu camp. He Xiaocheng was relieved.
"It's OK. Marquis Luo Yun gave me the order to gather at the Anhu camp to receive orders. He didn't specify whether we should gather outside or inside the camp gate. I just need to wait here."

Although the words were flattering and euphemistic, Chen Shang could not help but hear that the commander-in-chief was submissive. He breathed a sigh of relief. The commander-in-chief had listened to what he had just said. Luo Yunhou was now extremely powerful. Who would dare to disobey him?
"Yes, Commander-in-Chief, I have said too much. In the past, it was said that the generals of the Beijing Camp were unruly. But I heard that last time, when Marquis Luo Yun came, he whipped the fierce generals of the Beijing Camp, and the generals of the Beijing Camp did not say much. That arrogant look has disappeared."

There was a hint of sarcasm in his words. They were all opportunists who bullied the weak and feared the strong. This would give the commander-in-chief a way out.

He Xiaocheng's face was a little pale, but after hearing the deputy general's words, his face looked a little better.

"Humph, what do you mean by unruly? Wang Ziteng, the governor of the Beijing Camp, is just a half-way monk, not good at civil or military affairs, how can he suppress those soldiers? Luo Yunhou is a real killing god."

Sighing, I am at the mercy of others, how dare I disobey the king's order? Even if we go to the south of Beijing, 50,000 troops may seem like a lot, but when we think of the disastrous defeat of Wang Ziteng's troops, we know that the Taiping Sect is not made of clay. People in the army naturally know what's going on in the army. What's the use? Hu Le is a brave general, and the soldiers and horses of the Hedong and Hexi counties are still considered brave soldiers. If they are defeated, their future will be worrying.
While he was worrying, a group of imperial guards suddenly came from behind the team and came close to him and bowed.

"Commander He, the Emperor has a secret report."

Without waiting for anything else to happen, he handed the cylinder over.

He Xiaocheng was stunned. It was too late to send the secret order now. He quickly reached out to take it and carefully checked it. There was a dark pattern on the seal. There was no mistake.

But he did not rush to open it. Instead, he looked at the imperial guard who delivered the message and asked;
"I wonder how the Emperor Retired from Changle Palace is doing?"

"General, I don't know. I received a secret letter from Eunuch Xia and rushed out of the palace without stopping on the way."

The messenger captain was panting and walking in a hurry, so how could he see the emperor?

"Did Eunuch Xia give any explanation?"

He Xiaocheng quickly asked, the emperor is a Taoist, ordinary people are not allowed to see him, it is true that he cannot see him, but does Xia Zongguan have any secret instructions?

"Replying to the general, he did say that stopping the war is the best way to prepare for the right time."

The lieutenant lowered his head and spoke in a low voice. In fact, he was also afraid. The affairs of the imperial guards were all public affairs. He felt uneasy about being involved in them.

This is very simple. To stop the war is to value peace, while to accumulate strength and wait for the right time is to warn the commander directly not to act rashly, to accumulate strength, to wait for the right time, and to preserve strength. So the codeword is to preserve strength. He Xiaocheng smiled bitterly. If it were anyone else, let alone preserve strength, he would dare not obey military orders. However, as a general under Luo Yunhou, he would really use a knife.

"This commander knows. Go back and tell General Xia that I can only do my best. He will understand."

"Yes, Commander, I will go back and pass the message on."

As if he was running away, he said goodbye, rode back on his horse, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Deputy General Chen Shang was beside him and heard it clearly. Seeing the commander frowned, he whispered;

"Commander, the palace did send a letter, but it didn't mention returning. They want us to preserve our strength, but the battlefield changes rapidly. How can we preserve our strength if we really have to fight against those lunatics of the Taiping Sect?"

Although I wanted to remind the commander that my words might not be unreasonable, if two armies fought and fought fiercely, if they really wanted to preserve their strength, they would be the ones to die.

I felt a little uneasy. As the saying goes, good things are not obvious, but bad things are sure to come. In the blink of an eye, another messenger arrived.
"Right Guard Commander He Xiaocheng received the order. The Marquis has ordered his troops to march south immediately as the vanguard of the army to support Daliang City. There must be no mistakes!"

Seeing that the person coming was Luo Yunhou's personal soldier, although he was a lieutenant, he was very imposing. He Xiaocheng looked unhappy, but he did not dare to disobey the order, so he clasped his fists and said;
"I and Xiaocheng have been ordered to go and pass the message quickly. The army should march south and head straight to Daliang City. There must be no mistakes."

"Yes, General."

In an instant, the imperial guards rushed out from all directions to pass on the message.
"The commander-in-chief has ordered us to continue forward and head straight for Daliang City."

"The commander-in-chief has ordered us to continue forward and head straight for Daliang City."

The sound gradually faded away, and the army on the official road moved slowly. The 50,000-strong Right Guard of the Imperial Guard did not stay in the Anhu camp, but went south first.

During the march, He Xiaocheng shook his head and told his deputy general Chen Shang,
"Tell the brothers to speed up the march. As long as we enter Daliang City and fight a few battles with the enemy army, we don't have to worry about some losses. With all this hard work, Marquis Luo Yun will not let us brothers not even have time to rest."

He Xiaocheng made up his mind to find a way to stay in Daliang City. Even if he had to leave, he would stay for a few more days.

"The commander is very thoughtful. In this case,"

Deputy General Chen Shang, knowing the commander's hidden meaning, immediately stood up and shouted;

"All troops, speed up, quick,"

In front of the Anhu camp gate,
Zhang Jinyu was wearing a suit of black armor, which shone brightly under the sunlight. When he arrived at the camp gate, he rushed in with his personal soldiers without waiting for the captain on duty to salute. The hooves of the horses were like thunder, and the fierce cavalry flashed by, raising clouds of yellow dust.
"Report, Lord, the Imperial Guards have been ordered to march south first."

The soldier who had delivered the order came back to report. Zhang Jinyu did not even turn his head. He Xiaocheng was not stupid. If he resisted the military order now, it meant that he was tired of living. Using the imperial guards as the vanguard was to ensure the stability of Daliang City. Fifty thousand troops were enough.

"Got it, follow me, and go directly to the command platform."

"Yes, Lord Marquis,"

At this time, the Anhu camp was already a busy and noisy scene. The shouts of the messengers came one after another. The soldiers in the tents were packing up their armor and other things. The logistics soldiers were gathering carriages and packing up food and bags. There were even more people from the Ministry of Works. They arrived early and were commanding the soldiers in the camp to dismantle the siege equipment. This movement was the job of the baggage camp.

The training ground was not big enough to accommodate so many soldiers, so each army only had one battalion standing there. The infantrymen lined up neatly and gathered at the training ground one after another, without the previous laxity. It can be seen that the training during this period was effective.

On the stage for selecting generals, the chief generals of each division were already standing on the stage, while the deputy generals and lieutenant generals were standing below the stage. It was a huge crowd. It was true that every failure made one wiser.

Zhang Jinyu slowed down his horse and let the carriage of His Royal Highness Prince Jin catch up. He could only wait for His Royal Highness Prince Jin to fall down and go to the generals' platform together.
As the carriage of the Prince of Jin approached, a sound of vomiting was heard from inside. Zhang Jinyu was a little stunned, but he forgot that His Highness was feeling unwell, and asked through the window,
"Your Highness, I was in too much of a hurry to get on the road. Is everything okay?"

"Ugh, cough, cough, it's okay, Lord Marquis, don't worry."

Another nausea sound, and intermittent words came out. This was not good. Zhang Jinyu quickly raised his hand to pass the order.

"Reduce the speed of the horses and march instead."

Then, a soldier issued an order,
"The Marquis has ordered us to slow down our horses and march instead."

The cavalry team immediately slowed down, and then the words of His Royal Highness Prince Jin came from inside the carriage.

"My Lord, slow down, aren't you wasting time?"

Jin Wang Zhou Ding, sitting in the carriage, holding a brocade cloth to hold his vomit, followed by two eunuchs and the female historian Xia Yu, with a distressed look on her face. Hearing that His Highness was still thinking about marching, Xia Yu couldn't help but persuade him;

"Your Highness, it's okay to march slower,"

"Ahem, don't worry, my Lord, I'm much better now. We can't delay the dispatch of troops."

Zhou Ding waved his hand. The army had to look at the right time before going out to fight. He could not delay the auspicious time because of himself.
"Don't worry, Your Highness. It will take a long time for the army to march south. With hundreds of thousands of troops and baggage, the march will not be fast. The reason why I am anxious is that I am anxious to arrange the march."

Zhang Jinyu didn't care about these things. What about auspicious time or lucky time? If you are ready, you can set off. If you are not ready, then just wait. Who believes in this when it comes to war?

"Your Majesty is right. I am the only one who can help. However, Your Majesty, how is the safety of Daliang City? The enemy army is attacking the city urgently. How can we rescue them?"

It is uncomfortable to walk in a hurry. Once he slowed down, seeing that Marquis Luo Yun was not in a hurry to send troops, His Highness felt a little uncomfortable. Speed ​​is of the essence in war, and it is not the Marquis's way of deploying troops.

"Your Highness, Daliang City is where the governor Lu is based. The walls are high and strong. I'm afraid those bandits of the Taiping Cult will not attack it easily. I have previously written to the emperor to order 30,000 soldiers from Wucheng, which is the troops of General Gu Ping of Jingnan, to go to Daliang City for rest. In addition, I have ordered the Right Guard of the Imperial Guard to serve as the vanguard to support and lift the siege of Daliang City."

Zhang Jinyu was neither hurried nor slow, having already arranged everything. With a total of more than 80,000 reinforcements from both sides, there would be no problem in defending the city. As long as Wang Ziteng's remaining soldiers had people, they could not defend a city, so they might as well run into death and just wait for the main army to arrive, and then they would rush straight to Linshan County City, not giving the enemy army time to react.

"As long as the Marquis has made the arrangements, I will follow his instructions in everything."

King Zhou Ding of Jin was in the carriage, wiping his mouth with a piece of brocade cloth. His complexion looked much better. He had never expected that this stretch of road would be so difficult to travel. It was indeed exhausting after such a long journey.

"Well, Your Highness, the reviewing platform is just ahead. When you get there, Your Highness, please go with me to meet the generals."

Zhang Jinyu thought about it and decided that it would be better for His Highness to follow. For many things, one still needs to use the tiger's skin to get things done. Most of the generals in the Beijing camp are descendants of military heroes in the capital, and nepotism is spread throughout the Beijing camp. Now that the war is coming, anyone who drags his feet will certainly not be forgiven, and he cannot bear the responsibility of causing hatred by himself.

"Okay, I'll listen to you, sir. I'll be fine."

I straightened my clothes and took a deep breath.

At this time, the carriage slowly stopped. Zhang Jinyu and his group had already arrived at the outer entrance of the training ground. The commander was inside and said something to the carriage window,
"Your Highness, get out of the car, we're here."

"Yes, I will be right down."

There was still some timidity in his words. Zhang Jinyu smiled, got off the horse, and did not leave. He walked over to lift the curtain of the carriage, turned back to give a look to Lan Yue'er who was dressed as a man, and helped His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin to jump off the carriage carefully.
"Your Highness, don't be afraid. Just follow me."

Then, his face straightened, he reached out to take the imperial sword, and stepped onto the stage with tiger steps. King Zhou Ding of Jin followed behind him.
Zhang Jinyu stepped onto the high position of the reviewing platform, looked at the generals standing in line in front of him, glanced at them, and asked loudly;

"Where is the Central Guard?"

"Report, Lord, I will be here,"

Ma Cheng, the Central Guard Army, dressed in iron armor, stood out from the end of the team and replied with a fist salute.

"Well, now that you are here, let me ask you, who is coming?"

"My Lord, except for the 50,000 generals who stayed behind to guard the army, all the generals gathered here are here. Before my Lord came, I had already checked the names according to the roster."

Central Guard General Ma Cheng replied with full energy that this time, after receiving the order, he took the roster and counted the names three times, for fear of omissions. Even if there were future names, he would send troops to look for them and would not dare to delay.

Zhang Jinyu took a quick look and saw that all the main generals were there, including General Song Yutian from Dingdong who had come back last time. The Chengyi Marquis's Mansion had a good impression of him and thought that he would not come this time. The remaining three generals, General Hu Shoucheng from Dingbei, General Duan Wenyuan from Dingxi, and General Yin Renchang from Dingnan, had already stood there motionless. Even the unruly General Yang Shixiong from Dong'an stood in the front row without saying a word. He just had to accept the situation. After watching, he picked up the imperial sword in his hand and said;

"Everyone, the civil unrest in the south of Beijing has been out of control. The Taiping Sect has become more rampant, and the White Lotus Sect has revived. The south of Beijing is in danger. To save the prestige of the court, we need the whole army of Beijing to work together. I am lucky to be able to lead you. I hope you can encourage each other.

In addition, this battle is extremely dangerous. Anyone who is afraid can raise it now. I am not forgetting our military achievements. You can stay in the camp. His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin will guarantee that I will never blame him. "

Zhang Jinyu's eyes flashed with a hint of sternness, and he glanced at the generals. Many generals avoided his gaze, but no one spoke.
But nothing is absolute. Among the crowd of people who were avoiding eye contact, there were people who were really tempted to move. General Han Zhiwei of Changning, his fat body seemed to be a little tired of standing, and he moved slightly, thinking about the words of the Marquis, and the fact that His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin was here, he might as well not go or stay in the camp. He was just about to muster up the courage to stand up, but maybe because he had been standing for too long, his feet went weak and he fell forward. He was originally standing in the front row, and when he moved, General He Yongyi of Lu'an beside him was quick to reach out and help stop General Han.

Unfortunately, General Han was fat and heavy, so he could not be stopped from falling down after spraining his ankle. With a plop, General Han Zhiwei of Changning fell out of the team, and along with him, General He Yongyi of Lu'an who wanted to help him fell to the ground.

Almost instantly, the entire reviewing platform fell silent, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the two people on the ground. Even His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin had an ugly expression on his face. How could he be a general if he was afraid of death?

Zhang Jinyu's mouth twitched. There are really blind people. Who has ever seen a superior keep his word? When a crime is committed, he is not dealt with on the spot, but is given a hard time later. Even a fool knows that if he wants to leave, he can talk about it later. Upon closer inspection, it is that General Changning Han Zhiwei, a man with good sense. How could he be so confused?

"General Han, General He, but you two don't want to go?"

Zhang Jinyu had no expression on his face when he asked the question. Unexpectedly, the two people who fell down were also a little confused, especially He Yongyi. After he got up, he didn't know how to answer.

On the contrary, General Han stood up and realized what was happening. He looked at the faces of the generals around him and realized that he had gotten into trouble and had even involved General He. When he saw the Marquis asking about it, he had no choice but to nod with a red face.
"Your Highness, Lord, I am really stupid and incompetent. I am only interested in training the troops. There are still 50,000 troops left in the camp. We must not relax. I only want to stay and train the troops.

On daily duty, we still need a general to take charge. General He is the most suitable. As the saying goes, an incompetent general can tire out the entire army. I am ashamed of this."

Han Zhiwei was also a bachelor, and he knelt on the ground to plead guilty. Some generals around him were also tempted to kneel on the ground, but they were frightened back by Luo Yunhou's cold gaze and dared not move.

"Well, well said. It is human nature to be self-aware and afraid of death. In this case, I cannot go back on my word. The remaining 50,000 troops, led by General Liu'an, will be stationed in the main camp and pay attention to the situation in Tongzhou at all times. Don't be careful of small groups of bandit troops harassing you. The food and grass for the army will be transported from Tongzhou, and General Han and General He will be there to escort them. There must be no delay. Otherwise, I will ask you. The guards will be selected from the remaining 30,000 troops in the main camp. Where is the left guard?"

"The general is here!"

(End of this chapter)