The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 557: The Ming Army's Offensive in the Fourth Year of Taichu
The prosperity of the Zhongxing Dynasty continues, and the descendants of the evildoers are arrogant;
I only advise you to chase the later lord from the tower, without worrying about the bows and arrows of the remaining Tang Dynasty.

——Kong Shangren's "Peach Blossom Fan" (excerpt)
Li Dingguo had just turned seventeen, the perfect age for a man to start a family and build a career. Unfortunately, Old Yu had just been murdered by Zuo Liangyu. Though they had only met once, he felt a deep sense of gratitude. Publicly, the Great Qi and the Ming were irreconcilable; privately, he also wanted revenge. All Li Dingguo cared about was serving the court and crushing the Southern Ming. He wasn't particularly interested in women.

When he suddenly heard Yin Susu say this, he couldn't help but be shocked. The girl took off half of her clothes and looked affectionate.

Li Dingguo quickly stopped him and said:

"Miss Yin, although I have little education, I know that marriage is a serious matter that requires the consent of parents and the words of a matchmaker, so this matter requires careful consideration."

Li Dingguo's parents had died in Shaanxi long ago. In order to keep the Yin family innocence - although Yin Susu had not yet been defiled by bad people - and for his own future and wealth, Yin Susu's father wanted to drown his daughter in a pig cage.

Naturally, the parents' orders were ignored.

"What do you mean by parents' orders? I've heard in Raozhou that when the people of Daqi get married, they don't have to obey their parents, and there's no such thing as a matchmaker. Do you dislike me..."

"Absolutely not,"

Li Dingguo shook his head and waved his hands, hesitating about how to refuse, when he suddenly heard a bang outside and the temple door was knocked open by someone.

Li Dingguo quickly stood with a knife in hand, protecting Yin Susu. Three or five soldiers rushed into the temple, wearing black armor. They were obviously Ye Bushou from the Fourth Corps.

"Where did this idea come from? They're really risking their lives to come to the Fourth Camp and cause trouble in the middle of the night! Catch them!"

~~~~~
The night was dark. In the Guishan camp, in the central tent of the Fourth Corps, messengers kept coming in and out. The huge tent was illuminated by candlelight, making it as bright as day.

Qin Jianxun, a burly man dressed in white armor, was bent over a messy desk, frowning as he busily reviewed the chaotic newspaper.

The chief officer's long sighs could be heard from time to time. Two personal soldiers stood at the door of the tent with knives in hand, looking inside cautiously.

With a loud bang, the newspaper was slammed heavily onto the table. The two guards quickly retracted their heads, only to hear Qin Jianxun angrily say:

"You want soldiers? Where can I get them for you? Even the reserve battalion has been sent to North Korea! You're asking me for them, but who should I ask?"

You don't need to look to know that the Xuzhou garrison commander is asking for reinforcements again. This is the third request for help this month.

Since the beginning of this year, the Fourth Corps' central camp moved west from Xuzhou to Wuchang. Qin Jianxun and his main force were stationed on the west bank of the Yangtze River and in several garrisons along the Huai River. They would ask their chief officers for help every now and then, asking for food and soldiers.

Similar to the expansion of Wang Zengbin's cavalry regiment, the Fourth Corps, after several rounds of recruitment over the past three years, has seen its army surge from 15,000 to 30,000. Together with the Corps' auxiliary troops, cavalry, artillery, peasant soldiers and other arms, by the third year of Taichu, the total strength of the Fourth Corps stationed along the Huaihe River and the Yangtze River had reached 80,000, making it a powerful force.

Relying on hundreds of thousands of acres of fertile land in the Jianghan Plain, the Jingxiang commerce, and the Yangtze River fishery, Qin Jianxun and his men lived a relatively good life on the southern front. Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. Last year, Emperor Wu Ding launched an expedition to Korea and mobilized troops stationed in various places for reinforcement. Qin Jianxun sent 5,000 elite troops north to reinforce Korea.

At the beginning of this year, the Eastern Expedition Army had not yet returned, and rebellion broke out again in the Jingxiang area. A group of White Lotus remnants who had fled from Shaanxi started an uprising in Fang County, where the rule of the Great Qi was weakest. They coerced the people and their power grew rapidly. Tens of thousands of rabble, with Yunyang as the center, threatened Tianxin City.

The Fourth Corps was closest to Tianxin City. Qin Jianxun dispatched 3,000 combat troops to the north to quell the rebellion. The repeated withdrawal of troops led to the shortage of troops on the Huaihe and Yangtze River defense lines. The Fourth Corps had to carry out an incomplete contraction and focus on defending several important cities. Tens of thousands of acres of fertile farmland were handed over to the Ming army.

Qin Jianxun also had to give up the battle plan made for him by the emperor: "If no one offends me, I will offend them. If someone bothers me, I will kill them."

By March and April, with the shortage of food and fodder, the pressure on the front lines grew greater and greater. The commanders defending the Huaihe River front discovered that the Ming army on the opposite side of the river was constantly entering and leaving the barracks, and the number of troops had increased a lot. It seemed that Zuo Liangyu would make a big move.

Seeing this situation, Qin Jianxun immediately asked the court for help, hoping that the emperor would allow the troops transferred from the north to return south as soon as possible, and at the same time dispatch reinforcements from the Fifth Corps and the Ninth Corps stationed in Shandong and Henan to the south of Huguang to strengthen the Huaihe and Yangtze River defense lines to prevent Zuo Liangyu from launching a sudden attack.

However, the Fourth Corps had sent out a request for help for a long time, but there was still no response. The emperor was entangled with the Rakshasa demons on Sakhalin Island and had no energy to care about the affairs in the south.

Instead, requests for help from Huai'an, Xuzhou and other places were sent to Wuchang one after another. This was not because the local Qi army garrison commanders were timid. Take Huai'an as an example. 500 of the 1,500 soldiers originally stationed there were withdrawn to quell the White Lotus Rebellion. This summer, the Huai River flooded, and the soldiers were also tasked with disaster relief. In any case, more than a thousand people could not defend this big city.

The situation in Xuzhou was even worse. It was the front line against the Southern Ming Dynasty. Several annual tribute exchanges between the Qi and Ming sides took place in Xuzhou city.

Zuo Liangyu therefore regarded Xuzhou as a thorn in his side and wished to get rid of it as soon as possible. The Ming army assembled 80,000 troops on the opposite bank, while the Qi army guarding Xuzhou was reduced to only 3,000 people after several withdrawals.

The same situation also happened in the Wuchang camp where Qin Jianxun was now. The total strength of the Qi army on the west bank of the Yangtze River was only 5,000 people, while 100,000 Ming troops gathered on the opposite side. Although a considerable number of them were refugees and bandits, they were in high spirits. It was unknown who gave Zuo Liangyu the courage.

"Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! You just keep urging! Wuchang is in even greater danger now! Who am I urging? Come! Please invite Instructor Hong in!"

The soldiers took the order and left.

A moment later, hoarse dry laughter was heard outside the tent.

"Hahaha, General Qin, please be patient, please be patient!"

Hong Youquan, the chief instructor of the Fourth Corps, dressed in elegant attire and fanning himself with a large palm-leaf fan, walked straight up to Qin Jianxun.

Hong Youquan looked up at the pile of newspapers on the table, pulled out one at random, and saw the word "Xuzhou" written on the cover, so he put the newspaper back and took out another one. This one was sent from Junzhou.

"Oh, it's from the emperor's uncle, Lao Qin, don't you want to take a look?"

"dont see!"

Qin Jianxun was furious and threw the remaining newspapers in his hand heavily on the table. The chief instructor gave a look, indicating that several staff officers and soldiers in the account should go out first.

After everyone left the tent, Qin Jianxun was still furious: "They were just asking about the situation at the Wuchang dock and when the Yunnan and Guizhou nanmu wood would arrive in Junzhou."

Hong Youquan picked up Jin Dajiu's newspaper from the ground, his eyes narrowed into a line, and he said with a smile:
"Old Qin, don't be angry. Duke Cheng came to Huguang to supervise the construction of Tianxin City. You know that, don't you?"

Qin Jianxun slammed the table and stood up, cursing in a Sichuan accent, "You son of a bitch, you Korean bastard, you idiot! I'm almost out of food, and you're still in a hurry to repair the city! Repair the city! What the hell is going on? Fighting the war or repairing the city!"

Instructor Hong quickly took two steps forward, moved in front of Qin Jianxun, and motioned him to speak in a low voice.

"Old Qin, stop talking nonsense! You think you're too old! The war is important, and so is Tianxin City!"

As he spoke, he reached out and patted Qin Jianxun on the back, and whispered:

"Old Qin, who is Jin Dajiu? Others may not know him, but you do. He was an official in the imperial court, traveling back and forth between Beijing and Seoul. He's a very versatile person. Let's talk about this privately. The emperor asked him to supervise the construction of Tianxin City in Huguang. Do you think he was just building a city?"

The anger on Qin Jianxun's face gradually dissipated, and he looked at his partner with a puzzled look. Hong Youquan glanced around and whispered in Qin Jianxun's ear:
"It might be the will of the higher-ups."

"What does the boss mean?"

"Yes, they are here to monitor us."

"Surveillance?" Qin Jianxun's expression became increasingly bewildered. "Aren't there military supervisors and your instructors? And those people from the Chamber of Commerce..."

The Chief Instructor interrupted, "The Emperor, the people he trusts most are the Empress Dowager's people, such as Lin Yu, Wu Xiao, and Pei Dahu."

Qin Jianxun seemed to be thinking about something, but still felt that studying abroad was meaningless.

"Let's not talk about our Fourth Corps, which is the direct line of the retired emperor. But the Ninth Corps stationed in Henan, led by General Jin Yinghe, has soldiers from other countries under its command. Do you think the retired emperor really trusts them? If so, why doesn't he send them to fight in Korea?" The commander of the Fourth Corps nodded. It was true. This time to reinforce Korea, all ten corps requested to send troops, but it seemed that only the Ninth Corps stationed in Henan did not send a single troop.

"I guess the emperor will launch another purge when he returns from Korea. Don't let Jin Dajiu get a hold of you."

Having said that, even a warrior like Qin Jianxun could understand what was behind it.

Hong Youquan smiled with relief, a look of teachable youth on his face, and struck while the iron was hot:

"Isn't it just a report back to my uncle? Don't bother, just go back! Let's be honest. Let's say the war is fierce and dangerous. Zuo Liangyu is about to cross the Yangtze River. The Fourth Corps is outnumbered and still fighting desperately. The Yunnan and Guizhou timber needed for the palace was blocked by the Ming army when it reached Xiangtan, Hunan. Doesn't Jin Dajiu like to create auspicious signs? Let's make up one for him..."

The instructor was still talking when he heard soldiers shouting outside, "We've caught the Ming spy!"

Both of them were shocked when they heard this, thinking that Zuo Liangyu was so arrogant that he actually sent people across the river to scout. Based on their understanding of Zuo Ying’s combat operations, at this point, the opposing Ming army was most likely going to launch an all-out attack.

"Bring people in!"

Two disheveled and muddy "Ming army spies" were dragged into the central army tent. One of the spies was quite fierce and the two personal soldiers could not hold him down.

A Qi army night guard came forward to report: "General Qin, these two thieves, a man and a woman, sneaked into Yuewang Temple in the middle of the night. One of them spoke with a Jiangxi accent. Soldiers saw them swimming over from the Ming army camp across the street..."

"Swimming over here is extraordinary."

Qin Jianxun waved his hand. He was now upset and not interested in these two little thieves.

"Interrogate him overnight to find out exactly how many men Zuo Liangyu has and when he plans to attack the west bank. After that, chop him off! Send his head to Zuo Liangyu. This bastard is so arrogant and thinks he's a nobody!"

Several guards dragged the spies out of the tent. Qin Jianxun was about to discuss with the instructor how to write about the auspicious event in the Tangbao newspaper when he suddenly heard a spy shouting:
"Let me go! I'm Li Dingguo, the commander of the first battalion of the cavalry regiment. I was ordered to Fujian on official business. I was attacked by pirates and luckily survived. I'm not a spy! I know everything about the left battalion's military situation!"

The personal soldier who was pulling the spy laughed and said, "Damn it, you are Li Dingguo, but I am still Li Zicheng!"

Qin Jianxun's face changed drastically. He quickly called the guard and lifted up the spy's face. He looked at it carefully for a while and then came closer to take a look.

"Is it really Li Dingguo? The Li Dingguo that Wei Zhao rescued from Shaanxi?"

Li Dingguo held his head high, ignoring the astonishment of the people in the tent, and said calmly, "It's genuine."

Qin Jianxun hurried forward to untie him, and while supporting him, he exclaimed in surprise, "I haven't seen you for a few years. You've grown so much taller, but your face shape and voice really haven't changed. Wait, you just said that you are now working for Lao Wang next door."

Qin Jianxun asked about the training details of several cavalry regiments, and Li Dingguo answered quickly, and then he confirmed that he was one of them.

"Untie them!"

The guards beside him were stunned for a moment, then quickly stepped forward to untie the kneeling female spy.

Old Wang next door was Wang Zengbin's nickname when he was in Kaiyuan. At that time, the cavalry battalion was next to the combat battalion. Deng Changxiong, Wang Erhu, Qi Jin, Qin Jianxun and others would have dinner together after each training and ask where the commander of the cavalry battalion was. They would often get the answer that he was next door. Over time, this nickname was given to Wang Zengbin.

Of course, Li Dingguo didn't know that there was such a title for superior. He couldn't care less about it now. After two days of fleeing, he hadn't eaten or drunk anything and was already starving. He saw a few small bowls on the table in front of him, filled with meat patties, chicken legs, peanuts and other foods. He pounced on them without saying a word.

The guards on both sides were about to draw their swords, but were waved back by Qin Jianxun.

"This is Captain Li, the bravest of the three armies. He once killed 32 bandits on the city walls of the capital and was commended by the Emperor! Don't be disrespectful!"

Hong Youquan stared at the wounds on the two men, thoughtful.

The guards in the tent bowed in submission.

Li Dingguo didn't care and grabbed a piece of bread and was about to stuff it into his mouth. Suddenly he remembered something and turned around and handed it to Yin Susu, who was covered in mud and blood.

"eat."

"My hands hurt from being tied up with ropes. Feed me."

The others pretended not to hear this and turned their heads away. Hong Youquan coughed lightly, called the guards forward, and instructed them to bring in some more food.

~~~~~~
Half an hour later, the two men changed into clean clothes, and ate up two bowls of hot steamed pork with rice flour, a Wuchang fish, and four chicken legs.

Hong Youquan asked indirectly what they had experienced these days.

According to the military laws of the Great Qi Dynasty, friendly forces do not exchange intelligence unless under special circumstances. This means that the Fourth Corps has no authority to interfere in the military affairs of the Cavalry Regiment.

However, the peace talks between Qi and the Fujian pirates have completely broken down, so there is no need to worry about anything.

Li Dingguo told Qin Hong and the others in detail about his journey from Shandong to Fujian to demand the ransom.

Of course, all the things that happened with Yin Susu because of the meal were omitted.

After hearing this, the commander and the training officer of the Fourth Corps were all amazed and felt that Li Dingguo was so lucky that not only was he alive, but he also brought a woman back from Fujian. It was really not easy.

Hong Youquan couldn't help but ask, "Who is this young lady? Is she a military doctor?"

It has become a common practice for women to serve as nurses in the field hospitals of various military corps, and it is not surprising.

"No,······"

Li Dingguo hesitated to speak. He didn't know where to start and talked about this inexplicable relationship.

After Yin Susu had eaten and drunk her fill, she gently put down her chopsticks. Under the candlelight, her bright eyes and white teeth were exposed. "My two superiors, I am Li Dingguo's legal wife."

"Oh."

Hong Youquan glanced at the majestic Li Dingguo, and then at his beautiful and graceful young wife beside him, and was immediately filled with envy and jealousy.

Li Dingguo gave a bitter laugh and tried to explain, but the chief instructor said with a smile:

"Good! Good! Didn't the Emperor say so? We must pay equal attention to both combat and life. Captain Li is not only a distinguished military leader, but he also married a virtuous wife. As the saying goes, husband and wife are birds of the same forest... No, they are good brothers fighting tigers, and husband and wife soldiers in battle. We have several such couples in our Fourth Corps... In short, it's great."

Li Dingguo smiled awkwardly and gave up the idea of continuing to explain. He looked at Qin Jianxun and asked whether he could send troops across the river to attack Zuo Liangyu and avenge his dead brother.

As soon as Li Dingguo finished speaking, the atmosphere in the tent suddenly became tense.

(End of this chapter)