Ming Dynasty: Summoning game players at the beginning

Chapter 328 Senior Go’s move is too cruel

The news of the Beiwei Army's rebellion quickly caused ripples in Denglai.

The civil and military officials had no time to find out the truth and conspiracy, they only knew that Dengzhou had become the front line to suppress the rebellion.

Some were loyal to the country and were willing to continue serving the court, while others were heartbroken by the bloody cases of "tragic deaths of loyal ministers."

The end of those who worked for the court was either being burned to death by treacherous officials or being killed by the fierce soldiers of the Beiwei Army.

Are your achievements comparable to those of the Beiwei Army? Are your fighting prowess comparable to that of the Beiwei Army?
With this in mind, who would be willing to fight to the death? They are just pretending to deal with it.

Yang Zhenwu, who had just been promoted to deputy general of Dengzhou, was also one of them.

He had been ordered to reorganize the troops east of the city, but he had always lacked enthusiasm. Today, he had left the barracks early, returning to his residence with only a few personal soldiers.

When passing by a street, he caught a glimpse of a group of beggars squatting inside and outside a dilapidated temple, watching the passers-by numbly.

Yang Zhenwu thought that in the past he was only concerned about his future and money, and never took these ant-like refugees seriously.

However, after following the Beiwei Army to conquer Liaodong for more than half a year, he did not realize that he had changed imperceptibly, and he would stop to look at these people a few more times.

If it were in a garrison city under the rule of the Beiwei Army, there would probably not be such displaced refugees.

The Beiwei Army always placed the greatest emphasis on self-sufficiency through labor. If refugees had no land to farm or no work to do, the Beiwei Army would organize them to cultivate land and work...

Yang Zhenwu immediately ordered his men to buy some food and provide porridge to the refugees.

Of course, he repeatedly told his men to hide the fact that he was the one who paid for the porridge.

Just over fifty years old, he has rich life experience and knows very well that these refugees are like tragic drowning victims. If they can grab a life-saving straw, they will hold on to it tightly.

He didn't want to be bothered by these people, and he wasn't well off enough to provide for all of them.

However, there were two people in the beggar group who attracted Yang Zhenwu's attention.

The two men had a glint in their eyes and spoke in a difficult-to-understand dialect. They each held two branches and gestured on the muddy ground.

Zhang Xiao's hair was unkempt, like a bird's nest on top of his head. Gou Xuechang's hair was disheveled, like a mad scholar who had repeatedly failed the exams.

The two men sat opposite each other, holding tree branches, as if they were candidates for the Go Master playing chess against each other.

Zhang Xiao: "The simulation of the Battle of Sarhu is over. How about we deduce what strategy the Beiwei Army would use to capture the capital?"

Senior Gou asked back, "Didn't you log off to look at the strategy?"

"No, did you see it?"

“I didn’t watch it either.”

Zhang Xiao smiled faintly, "What a coincidence! How about using this round's offensive and defensive deductions to make a bet? How about a barbecue?"

Senior Gou used a branch to draw a crude map of Bohai Bay on the ground. To others, the map looked like a "little bit" gesture made by putting the index finger and thumb together.

"Who will be the Ming army, and who will be the Beiwei army?"

As soon as Senior Gou said this, the two of them looked at each other in tacit understanding, and then immediately used a devastating move, "Rock, Scissors, Paper!"

Zhang won the rebellion and naturally became a member of the Beiwei Army.

He raised the corner of his mouth proudly and pointed at the crude map on the ground, "Please ask the Ming army to leave first."

Senior Gou was unhappy. "You're using the Beiwei Army to cheat. How can I, a Ming Dynasty that is barely surviving, fight against you? You need to give me some strength, right? Just treat me as if I were your own arm, and any civil or military official can carry out your orders. How about that?"

"That's fine."

"Hmm." Senior Gou pondered for a moment. "You rebelled against the Beiwei Army by killing officials, but your troops are powerful. I have decided to strengthen Liaoxi. It will take time for both of us to deploy troops and food supplies..."

Zhang Xiao said, "Excluding the troops left behind in Liaodong, I will dispatch 40,000 troops to surround Jinzhou, forcing you to send reinforcements. Once the reinforcements arrive in Jinzhou, I will send another 10,000 reserve troops to land behind you, cutting off your main force's retreat and making a big fool of it. Then I will subdue the surrendered soldiers and take over all the territory outside Shanhaiguan.

Once I have spent some time organizing the surrendered soldiers and preparing for the Tartars' southward advance, I will be able to lead the charge and storm the capital."

"Excluding the militias maintaining public order, your Beiwei army only has 88,000 combat-capable soldiers. If you dispatch 50,000 troops to attack Liaoxi, how many defenders will be left? I will simply attack Wei to save Zhao and order the Denglai army to attack Liaonan."

"Then I will change my strategy. I will attack western Liaoning as a feint, only to attract the enemy's main force. I will detach a 20,000-man force to attack Dengzhou directly, first cutting off your Shandong wing, and then repeating the feint attack and landing method to seize western Liaoning.

Once both wings are broken, I will send troops to Tianjin to establish a forward base, and then it will only be a matter of time before we enter the capital."

"Hey, you regret your move, kid." Senior Gou pointed at the other person's forehead and said in a low voice.

"Alright, alright, let me make you regret it once."

"You're pretending to attack western Liaoning, but in reality you're taking Denglai. My troops will be caught off guard, and I already know the Beiwei Army is fearless and cannot be stopped head-on. So, I'll trade space for time, comprehensively fortifying the northern part of Shandong, building strongholds and fighting a passive battle. I'll also grant official titles and rewards to the Shandong gentry, promising them honors and privileges if they can behead the Beiwei Army soldiers."

"Oh, you're trying to get me into a sea of ​​war between evil gentry... I'm encouraging the Dengzhou branch to build a new legion. No matter how tough you evil gentry are, you can't have two heads each."

"That evil gentry's head is my 'camp'. It will take time for you to go to the townships and suppress the gentry uprising, right? The Ming Dynasty is not a small country like Korea. When you are deeply involved in the war in Shandong, I will fight you to the death."

"Since both Liaoxi and Shandong have entered a slow stalemate phase, I will dispatch 10,000 reserve troops to land in Tianjin, and then march directly to the capital to capture Zhu Youjian alive."

Senior Gou pointed to the approximate location of the capital and said, "Ah, your Beiwei Army has always been people-oriented. If you can capture the capital with only 10,000 people, it would be great if you can control the entire city.

By then, the emperor and his family will become overseas students, the Ming Dynasty will suddenly collapse, and before the Southern Ming regime is established and stabilized, all parts of the north will be in tatters, and all kinds of monsters will emerge to harm people. If the Tartars on the grasslands come and eat up the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, or even rebuild the territory of the Liao Dynasty, then your Beiwei Army will become Shi Jingtang.

"What's a mere geographical advantage? As long as my two armies unite and I recruit the craftsmen in the capital to work overtime to make hot air balloons, all the mountain passes will be paper-made."

"That will take time. By the time you spend several months organizing a northern expedition, countless poor civilians will have been abducted. I'm afraid the Tartars, who are on the verge of collapse, will also revive."

"Well, you are right. We should be more cautious. Let's set the landing site at Shanhaiguan and concentrate our forces to defeat Liaoxi first." Zhang Xiao moved his deployment point.

"Fuck, you're regretting your move again!"

"Don't worry, even if I already owe you half a barbecue—" Zhang Xiao pointed at Dengzhou, "Forget it. I'd better quickly seize Denglai first, and then set up a landing point in northern Shandong to prevent you from using Shandong to slow me down."

"Damn it, I don't want to play anymore." Senior Gou immediately walked back, probably to log off.

The refugees in the surrounding areas were not surprised to see this. People died suddenly from hunger and disease every day, and they got used to it.

After a while, Senior Gou came online again, a look of surprise on his face. "Good boy, our deduction just now basically matches the Beiwei Army's overall strategy. They really want to proceed in a steady and cautious manner, first capture Dengzhou, while feinting an attack on Liaoxi to attract reinforcements, and finally cut off the two wings of the Ming Dynasty, land ashore, and attack directly..."

Yang Zhenwu took a few more glances at the refugees and then left.

This strange dialect was like the language of a devil, and he couldn't understand a word of it.

But then he thought, what could two crazy refugees talk about?

It's nothing more than where to beg for porridge today and tomorrow, and which innkeeper is kind enough to go there and get some泔水 before closing time at night.

I hope the porridge I gave them can keep them going for a few more days.

……

As night fell, heavy rain poured through the cracks in the doors and windows, weaving into Yang Zhenwu's dreams. He woke up for no apparent reason.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came into Yang Zhenwu's ears, like the sticky sound of rotten meat rolling over wet mud, and the dripping sound of water was like a death knell.

A damp smell mixed with the smell of earth and grass juice hit his face, stinging his nose.

He suddenly opened his eyes and saw the flickering candlelight in the room. In the dim light, there was a person sitting upright.

The man raised his head slightly, his angular face looked as if it had been carved by a knife or an axe, casting a chilling look in the candlelight.

"Yang Zhenwu, do you still recognize me?" The man's voice was like the collision of iron and stone, and his resolute face changed light and shadow in the swaying candlelight.

"General Hong Xiuqing!"

Yang Zhenwu was so frightened that his face turned pale as if he had seen a ghost. He took several steps back involuntarily and couldn't help but screamed when he hit the wall. "Ah!"

Shouts echoed in the silent room, but no personal guards broke in.

Yang Zhenwu's mind was clear at that moment.

The general broke into Dengzhou alone at night, penetrated the layers of city defense like a ghost, and even stood silently beside his bed.

This is a warning and also a show of skill.

If Hong Xiuqing had intended to take his life, he would have been beheaded by now.

Cold sweat ran down Yang Zhenwu's back, soaking his inner clothes and sticking to his skin, the chill piercing his bones.

He stared at the flickering candlelight on the table, and in a trance he felt that the flame had turned into a ghost eye, mocking his incompetence.

"Do you know why I visit you so late at night?" Hong Xiuqing took off his straw hat and knocked on the table with his knuckles.

Yang Zhenwu's Adam's apple rolled and his stiff neck shook reluctantly.

"Sit down." Hong Xiuqing said in a relaxed tone, picked up the tea on the table and poured two glasses of water, as if this bedroom was his home.

"Hey." Yang Zhenwu responded lightly and moved to the side of the chair like a zombie.

Half of his body was hanging in the air, as if the invisible spikes under the seat would prick his thigh if he exerted even a little force.

"You know that my Beiwei Army has rebelled and is about to come to take Dengzhou." Hong Xiuqing took a sip of tea and spoke in a casual tone.

"Ah? The Beiwei Army has sent out troops?" Yang Zhenwu's voice suddenly became sharp, and his head was buzzing like thousands of horses galloping.

He once followed the Beiwei Army to fight against the Jiannu, and witnessed with his own eyes the madness with which they slaughtered the Eight Banners captives. Wherever the blades passed, anyone's screams would be crushed into blood, and there was no mercy or kindness in their eyes for strangers.

Now that the butcher knife was about to be swung at him, he suddenly felt that his internal organs were being tightened, and even breathing became a torture.

"The Beiwei Army is already on the way, at least 20,000 strong."

Hong Xiuqing continued to savor the mellow flavor of the tea, then raised her eyes and glanced over, her eyes as cold as a knife.

Twenty thousand Beiwei troops!
Yang Zhenwu took a breath of cold air.

Even though he didn't know whether what the other party said was true or false, one thing was certain: these monsters from the Beiwei Army were coming to take his life.

"Do you know why I didn't take your head?" Hong Xiuqing said.

Yang Zhenwu stared at Hong Xiuqing blankly, unable to say a word.

"Because of friendship. You fought with us against the Tartars and contributed greatly, and we in the Beiwei Army remember all of that. Of course, we also remember our enemies who fought against us. You should remember the Tartars in Shenyang, right?"

"Remember, remember." Yang Zhenwu stammered, digging his fingernails deep into his thighs.

Of course he remembered what happened in Shenyang. All the Eight Banners in the city were beheaded, and countless heads were impaled on spears...

"We have given many people the choice, to the Guanning Army, to the Liaodong Governor, and to the Liaodong bondservants... Some people choose to be friends with us, while others only want to take advantage of us.

What about you, Lieutenant General Yang, do you want to be our enemy or our friend?"

"this!"

Yang Zhenwu's facial muscles twitched, and he looked up at the person sitting opposite him, as if he was looking at the slave's master.

If he were to become an enemy of the Beiwei Army, Yang Zhenwu's remains would not even be worthy of being built into a Jingguan, but would simply be abandoned in the wilderness and left to be eaten by dogs!

Fear wrapped around his heart like poison ivy, his knees gave way and he fell straight to the ground.

"General! I'm willing to sell myself to you!" He banged his forehead against the floor tiles, his face covered in blood and cold sweat. "Gold, silver, food, and fodder... No! I'll let you do with my worthless life! Please, General, spare my life!"

"Why is it so? We are all heroes who have fought the Tartars side by side. Why is it so?"

Hong Xiuqing took two steps forward, raised his arms, and led the trembling Yang Zhenwu to stand up.

"General, I..."

"There is something you must do," Hong Xiuqing suddenly chuckled. "Three days from now, at dawn, hang three white flags in the north of the city, say a few secret codes, and then open the gates to welcome people..."

After hearing a few secret words, Yang Zhenwu suddenly looked up and his dilated pupils suddenly contracted.

This ray of hope was like the dim candlelight in the room, burning him all over. "White flag! I will definitely get it done!"

"Remember not to miss the time, otherwise the sword will not have eyes..."

"Yes, yes, thank you for the directions, General!"

Before Yang Zhenwu even sat down, he was about to prostrate himself on the ground again. His forehead was covered in blood, but his voice was trembling with excitement.

When he looked up again, there was no one in front of the table, only a few drops of wet water stains, as if reminding him that the nightmare he had just had was real.

The tense panic dissipated, and Yang Zhenwu sank into the back of the chair like mud.

The deputy commander of the Beiwei Army had become much more skilled. He manipulated him with a few words like kneading mud, and played with him in the palm of his hand.

But like a dog, he had to lick the back of his master's hand to show his submission.

Suddenly he seemed to remember something and his eyes widened, his breathing becoming rapid again.

He was originally stationed in the east of the city and would go to the north of the city to change guard in three days. The Beiwei Army had already figured out this secret deployment!
The high-ranking officials' offices had already been riddled with holes by the Beiwei army, and they had already lost most of the battle before it even began.

Fortunately, he had a good relationship with the Beiwei Army before, otherwise he would have been killed by the sword today.

He probably knew why the Beiwei Army infiltrated the high-level military and political circles but did not kill them, thus disrupting the order in the city.

If Dengzhou City fell into chaos earlier and the Beiwei Army failed to arrive in time, the people in the city would suffer.

Even though the Beiwei Army rebelled against the imperial court, they were still the angry-eyed King Kong who cared about the people.

(End of this chapter)