The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 367 Reinforcements (Happy New Year's Eve to all book friends)

In Zhangjiawan, Tianjin, one Fujian ship after another came in and slowly docked at the shore. Sampans were laid on the pier, and heavily armored cavalrymen jumped off the decks.

The auxiliary soldiers were busy pulling the war horses and mules off the Fu ships. Under the sharp bamboo whistles of the cavalry captains, two thousand cavalrymen quickly assembled. Some of them who were in better mental state immediately formed a combat formation and advanced westward towards the capital.

After all the cavalry had landed, the next to go ashore were the spearmen. Four thousand spearmen gathered on an open space from various landing points. The chief officer Wang Erhu ordered his spearmen to rest on the spot.

The last to land were the musketeers and artillerymen, a total of 4,000 people. Heavy cannons were carried on their shoulders and backs and slowly transported down from the sampans.

Finally, two thousand auxiliary soldiers and civilians carried the food and grass from the bottom of the ship ashore.

At dusk, the Zhangjiagang camp was completed. Except for a small number of night patrols and scouts, everyone else rested on the spot.

The soldiers of the Third, Seventh, and Tenth Imperial Guards Armies all came from the north. Many were on a boat for the first time, having vomited all the way from Shandong and Liaodong. Their stomachs were already churning and their energy was severely depleted. It was unrealistic to immediately march to the capital to quell the rebellion. Wang Erhu ordered the accompanying medical officer to treat the soldiers who were severely seasick, while also urinating the soldiers to take time to rest. The local Minoyi Guard in Tianjin sent intelligence overnight, saying that the capital was temporarily safe, that the rebels were in a stalemate with the defenders, and that it would be difficult to capture them in the short term.

Seeing this, Wang Erhu ordered all the landing personnel (a total of 13,000 people) to rest in Zhangjiagang for one night, and set off at noon the next day, marching at full speed, covering a hundred miles a day, and strive to reach the capital by tomorrow night to deal a fatal blow to Zhang Chun's rebels from the rear.

Accompanying Wang Erhu to reinforce the capital was Wang Huazhen. This civil servant served as a military supervisor and constantly gave Wang Erhu suggestions along the way, which Wang Erhu adopted most of.

"General Wang, Zhang Chun and Wu Xiang have a close relationship. I heard that Wu Xiang also raised an army in Gaoyou this time and established an emperor named Emperor Hongguang, who was the former King of Gui."

"The Tianqi Emperor was already a headache, and now here comes the Hongguang Emperor.

He coughed lightly and said worriedly:
"If there were no Duke Protector of the Country, who knows how many people would claim to be kings and emperors. The capital is still in the hands of Kaiyuan, and these people can't wait. Just wait and see, in a few days, princes will also emerge from other provinces."

"So, General Wang, speed is of the essence in war. We must rush to the capital as soon as possible and destroy them in one battle. Otherwise, if the princes of other places follow suit, the world will be in complete chaos."

Wang Erhu nodded heavily. As Liu Zhaosun's trusted general, he felt for the first time that he was burdened with a heavy responsibility. The safety and life and death of the entire Kaiyuan depended on him.

"Don't worry, my lord. These ten thousand men are all our elite troops from Kaiyuan. They will rush to the capital by midnight tomorrow night at the latest to eliminate Zhang Chun and let this bastard know the consequences of betraying the Duke of Protectorate."

~~~~~~
Meanwhile, on the official road, more than fifty miles away from Wang Erhu and his companions, a group of ragged soldiers, led by a portly officer, were slowly marching westward. The officer was beaming with joy, his gaze radiant, and a look of triumph and pride evident. Beside him, a handsome young officer, his face shone with worry.

Both of them were riding their horses, only two or three steps apart from each other, and the two tall chestnut horses bumped into each other from time to time.

The fat officer suddenly said, "That Zhang Chun bastard is a piece of shit. Last year, when he came to Beijing to report on his work, he passed by Zhangjiawan. I entertained him. Over the table, he even talked about how we should stick together and help the Protector of the Country govern Hejian Prefecture. Damn it, he turned around and started a rebellion!"

"This is really unreasonable!"

The more he spoke, the more excited he became. He slapped the horse's back suddenly. The horse under his crotch neighed and almost fell to its knees under the pressure of the fat man.

The young officer next to him smiled politely and said to the fat officer:
"Lü Tongzhi, you know this. Zhang Chun had been colluding with Wu Xiang before. In September, Wu Xiang sent a servant, and I don't know what he said to Zhang Chun, which led to this rebellion. Shen has repeatedly reported this to the Duke of the Protectorate, saying that this person still has evil intentions. The Duke of the Protectorate is kind-hearted and has repeatedly tolerated him, not allowing the Suoyi Guard to deal with this bastard. That's why what happened today!"

Officer Shen glanced at the fat man and added,

"But now that we have Lu Zhitong's help, they won't be able to make any waves!"

"No, no, Captain Shen, you are too kind. This is all my responsibility."

Lu Tongzhi narrowed his eyes and looked at Shen Lian, continuing to express his loyalty:
"No matter what the other military leaders do, my life, my future, and my family were all given by the Duke of Protectorate. Right now, the Duke of Protectorate can use the upper and lower officials, and can make things difficult for people with just a word..."

The wrinkles on Fatty Lu's face were squeezed together, and when he smiled he looked like Maitreya Buddha.

"The Duke of Protectorate is wise and brave, and it is no problem for him to deal with Zhang Chun. Zhang Chun cannot see the limelight, but I can see that their rabble is no match for the Kaiyuan Army..." Shen Lian looked up at the dim sky, then turned to look at the fat and white garrison officer in front of him, patted him on the shoulder, and said nothing more.

He was quite surprised that Lu Demin took the initiative to rescue. The capital was in danger, and it was rare that Lu Demin did not add insult to injury. He did not expect that he would take the initiative to lead troops to attack the rebels.

Shen Lian came to Tianjin to supervise Lu Tongzhi and others to prevent them from taking advantage of the situation. Unexpectedly, the person he was monitoring became his teammate in the blink of an eye.

"Don't worry, Master Lu. Once we quell the rebellion and eliminate the bandits, the imperial court will surely reward you handsomely!"

Lu Demin grinned, moved closer to Shen Lian, and whispered:

"Captain Shen, I heard from the Duke of Protectorate last time that there are a lot of red-haired barbarians in Australia. Are there a lot of women too?"

Shen Lian nodded noncommittally. He wasn't interested in this kind of transnational triangular trade, nor did he know the details of the Australian human trafficking. He had only heard the Protector of the Country mention it a few times. However, Lv Demin had been a great help to Kaiyuan after all. Seeing him ask this, he thought for a while before saying:
"There should be a lot of them. Red-haired Yi women are sturdy and strong, much taller than Han women, but they have a strong body odor and thick waists..."

Lu Demin knew that Shen Lian had worked in the East Factory before, was knowledgeable, and was also the most beautiful girl in the East Factory. He loved women, so it was no problem for him to know a few red-haired women.

"That woman will definitely fetch a good price. Many of the gentlemen in Jiangnan are interested in her."

Shen Lian smiled awkwardly and didn't respond.

The two men rode slowly forward, surrounded by a group of servants on guard.

Ever since Lü Demin defected to the Duke of Protectorate, Liu Zhaosun had taken good care of him. Not only did he reinstate him to his original post, he also stood up for Fatty Lü and eliminated several enemies who had previously suppressed him, allowing Lü Demin to continue to maintain his original business. Of course, all human trafficking must not involve Liaodong and Shandong, and forced buying and selling is not allowed - this is also the limit that a time traveler can accept.

As time goes by, Liu Zhaosun's moral values are gradually changing. People like Lu Demin cannot be killed. As long as they can be controlled and utilized, their positive value can be brought into play, and they can be accepted and tolerated to a certain extent, sometimes, the role of corrupt officials is no less than that of mediocre officials.

As a typical example of a Duke Protector of the State forgiving his old enemy, Lu Demin will play the role of buying bones for a thousand gold coins. So, from this perspective, this fat man not only cannot die, but also must live well enough.

"The Duke of the Protectorate has been very kind to me. Although I have fought infrequently, I still have some men on hand. Brother Shen, you can trust my connections in Tianjin. From the garrison to the coastal defense, from the prefectural government to the censorate, I know people everywhere. This time, I have brought over a thousand men with me, and we will definitely kill that bastard Zhang Chun."

Shen Lian didn't believe a word Lu Demin said. He knew what Lu Demin was planning. The Duke of Protectorate had eliminated his enemies for him, which actually tied Fatty Lu and Kaiyuan to the same chariot. If Kaiyuan was destroyed this time, Lu Demin would definitely not suffer any consequences.

"I am very pleased that General Lü is able to consider the overall situation and take the initiative to assist the Kaiyuan Army. I am here to take General Lü to visit on behalf of the Duke of Huguo."

Although he said so, Lu Tongzhi's sudden change in attitude towards the Kaiyuan Army still made him feel very uncomfortable.

Shen Lian looked back at the guards following him. Most of them were unarmored, only a few had swords and spears, none had muskets, and only 10% had archers. They looked even worse than the bandits in Shaanxi.

In the spring of the second year of the Tianqi reign, the Duke of Protectorate sent a team of instructors and officers to Tianjin to assist Lü Demin in training the garrison soldiers, training them in basic formations and arrays, and supporting them with a batch of weapons. Now it seems that the results are not very obvious.

The only thing to be thankful for was that the Jingnan Army along the way was not very interested in this group of beggars. The several rebel forces they encountered regarded them as friendly forces and did not attack them.

"I hope the Protector of the Country can hold on a little longer."

Shen Lian silently thought in his heart that Zuo Miaoqing was still in the city. If the city was broken, he would probably die.

The two men rode forward, and among the guards following behind them, a thin, childish boy looked up at Shen Lian's back and said silently:
"Dad, I'm finally going to avenge you!"

(End of this chapter)