Ming Dynasty: I am truly not the Emperor of Longevity

"That's right, Fan Jizu is worried that if the investigation reveals it's a false accusation, it won't be easy to handle the situation."

Wan Juehai echoed,

"After all, not long ago, he had made a big show of announcing the leader's achievements to all the Ming armies."

However, this situation won't last long!

Now, several days have passed, and the three guards of Jingxing Pass are likely already attacking Black Cliff.

With their few thousand garrison soldiers, they certainly couldn't do anything to Blackwood Cliff, but once the two armies clashed, the secrets of my teachings would be exposed.

"The three guards of Jingxing Pass sent scouts to sneak up on Blackwood Cliff the day after I left Taiyuan."

It will take them at least two or three days to reach Gorilla Beach and attack Blackwood Cliff.

Zhang Yin said in a deep voice.

"The Three Guards' guest army confirmed that Blackwood Cliff is our sect's headquarters. It will be at least two days later than when Li Tong received the message and sent someone to Shuozhou to inform me."

Even with the fastest courier service, it's impossible for it to arrive today!

In other words, even now, Fan Jizu still doesn't know my true identity.

"In that case, he wouldn't think that a mere dozen or so of us could pose any threat in Shuozhou City, which is garrisoned by tens of thousands of troops!"

"Master, what do you mean?"

A fierce glint appeared on Wan Juehai's face.

"Fan Jizu's governor's office wouldn't have deployed hundreds of armored soldiers to stand guard day and night!"

"That's right!"

Zhang Yin laughed heartily.

"Let's strike first before Fan Jizu knows our background!"

Originally, I was thinking of using this military achievement to swindle another large batch of military equipment and armor from the Ming court.

Since we can't hide it anymore, let's just rebel!

Da Li led the six elders to the capital. It was assumed that the emperor and the Prince of Ying had already died, and the court in the capital was in complete chaos, making it impossible to respond quickly to the turmoil in Shanxi.

If the governor-general in charge of the Ming army in Xuanfu, Datong and Shanxi were also assassinated, the local Ming army in Shanxi would be leaderless and fall into chaos!

snort!

Fan Jizu tricked me into coming to Shuozhou, but in reality, he was sending himself to his death!

Commander, heed my command!

"Immediately have everyone prepare horses, dry rations, and water."

"Your subordinate will obey the orders of the Master!"

Wan Juehai immediately knelt on one knee and clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Tonight, I will personally go to the Governor's Office and meet that old scoundrel, Fan Jizu!"

Zhang Yin gave the instructions.

"Commander Wan, as soon as you see the Governor's Office on fire, immediately take action and seize the Wende Gate on the east side. Once I arrive, we will rush back to Taiyuan tonight to raise an army!"

. . .

The next day.

West Garden, Renshou Palace, East Side Hall.

On the desk in front of Lu Chen was a memorial submitted by the Ministry of War and drafted by the Cabinet.

The first battle report has finally arrived!

A urgent report has been received regarding the gathering of cult bandits in the Taihang Mountains, the fact that the guards are colluding with rebels, and a request to dispatch elite troops from the three towns to suppress them!

According to a joint report from Ding Xian, Commander of the Right Guard of Baoding, who was responsible for the defense of Jingxing Pass, Dong Zhou, Commander of the Dingzhou Guard, and Pan Bingyi, Commander of the Zhengding Guard:

The three guards discovered the lair of a major bandit deep in the mountains of Pingding Prefecture. The place was commonly known as "Blackwood Cliff," a solitary peak rising abruptly with sheer cliffs on three sides. A mountain stronghold was built on top, accessible only by a narrow path.

The cliff top is six or seven miles in circumference, with houses stretching into the clouds, its scale comparable to that of a county.

The stronghold was a gathering place for religious bandits. The prisoners confessed that there were more than 10,000 people there. The elderly, women and children were outside, and the able-bodied men who could fight were no less than 4,000.

What is even more alarming is that these cult members are no longer ordinary rabble.

After a trial attack, it was observed that the troops were all clad in iron armor, carrying long spears and waist knives, and their bows, crossbows, and firearms were no different from those of the government troops, all of which came from the armory of the garrison.

The Three Guards only had 5,000 soldiers in Pingding Prefecture, which was about the same number as the rebels. However, the rebels occupied the high ground, and any attack from below would result in heavy casualties. Today, when the scouts engaged in battle, the government troops lost more than 100 men and failed to achieve their goal.

According to the confessions of those captured alive, this stronghold is the headquarters of the White Lotus Sect's "Maitreya Cult," and its leader is Zhang Yin, the current commander of the Taiyuan Left Guard.

All 5,600 men of the Guard Banner Army had converted to Christianity and were in fact religious bandits.

The armor and weapons worn by the Black Cliff cultists were mostly those who had been guarded by the Taiyuan Left Guard over the years and smuggled into the mountains by them.

Zhang Yin appointed officials appointed by the imperial court as leaders of his cult and the garrison troops as his followers. He occupied the heart of the Taihang Mountains, and the gravity of his situation was a hundred times greater than that of the bandits.

The defense of Taiyuan Town was traditionally divided into the Taiyuan Left Guard, Right Guard, and Front Guard.

The Left Guard has 5,600 troops, of which about a quarter of the city's elite soldiers are stationed in the city. They are divided to guard the three gates, while the rest are stationed in the outer forts.

When we first received the report, we considered summoning Zhang Yin to Shuozhou and capturing him as soon as he left the city.

However, there is a great worry now: the three guards have been fighting with the religious bandits at the foot of Blackwood Cliff for a day, and the religious bandits must have already sent someone to report to Taiyuan.

The messengers from the three guards and the rebels set off at the same time. By the time the imperial court received the report, Taiyuan would have already heard about it.

Knowing that Blackwood Cliff had been exposed, how could Zhang Yin simply sit idly by and wait to die?

Given their cunning, the strength of the Taiyuan Left Guard, and the control of the three gates, has Taiyuan already closed its gates and raised its flags? Has Jin Prefecture been looted? Is the Shanxi Governor Liu Nie already at the mercy of the executioner?

We are completely unaware of this.

Now, based on the most dangerous situation, we have devised a plan that can be divided into two parts: the upper and lower parts.

If there is no change in Taiyuan, immediately issue an imperial edict to the Governor of Shanxi, without waiting for a formal document from the Ministry of War, and forcibly take back the defenses of the three gates guarded by the Left Guard to the Right Front Guard under the pretext of "the Commander inspecting the city defenses".

The Left Guard Banner Army inside the city was moved out of the city and set up camp ten miles outside the city under the pretext of "out-of-city drills".

This move is tantamount to seizing power, which will surely provoke Zhang Yin to rebel quickly. However, rather than letting him take his time to start the uprising, it is better to force him to start it hastily.

If things are rushed, the response will be inconsistent. I still have the Right Vanguard, the Governor's Battalion, and the Jin Prefecture Guard to rely on.

This is a risky move, but it's better than sitting and waiting for things to change.

If Taiyuan has already changed or is in the process of changing, then order Fan Jizu, the Governor-General of Xuanfu, Datong and Shanxi, to lead the elite troops of the three towns of Xuanfu and Datong directly to Taiyuan, with the recovery of the provincial capital as the top priority.

For the cultists at Black Cliff, mobilize the garrison troops at Guguan and Longquanguan to reinforce and surround them, preventing them from leaving the mountains to aid Taiyuan.

If Taiyuan is recaptured, Heimu Cliff will become an isolated city, at which point the elite troops of the three towns will gather and it can be captured in a short time.

If Taiyuan is not recovered, the entire Shanxi province will collapse.

Attached to the memorial was a draft document.

The messenger has arrived; the matter is urgent.

Following the Ministry of War's plan, Fan Jizu immediately led elite troops from the three towns of Xuanfu and Datong to Taiyuan.

Black Cliff then reinforced its defenses at Guguan and Longquanguan to besiege it.

If the governor of Shanxi has not yet been detained, we should forcibly seize the city gate in accordance with the Ministry of War's proposed strategy, without waiting for official documents.

The outcome of Taiyuan's victory or defeat will be decided within these ten days.

After reading the Ministry of War's memorials and the cabinet's draft proposals, Lu Chen was filled with doubts.

The first battle to attack Blackwood Cliff took place during the daytime of the day following the Renyin Palace Incident.

The urgent military report from the three guards of Jingxing Pass was also sent out that evening, two days later.

At the same time, another military report should have been sent to Shuozhou.

There may have been a third one, which was sent to the Shanxi Provincial Governor's Office in Taiyuan City.

It's about time.

The Ministry of War acted swiftly, devising a countermeasure within just a few hours.

They had anticipated that the bandits on Blackwood Cliff would also send someone to Taiyuan to inform Zhang Yin.

They even devised two countermeasures to deal with whether Zhang Yin had already rebelled and captured Taiyuan.

However, this battle report looks too normal, too much like a battle report from the Ming Dynasty!

It's so normal that you can't see any trace of a time traveler in it!