Chapter 292 The situation has changed

The Ming army continued to withdraw southward.

After two days of urgent marching, the army must have complained endlessly in the past, but with Zhang Zhou and Wang Shouren sitting in the army, and even though it lasted two days and two nights, they could not do anything more than just a few days. More than a hundred miles is not too scary for the soldiers.

The Ming Dynasty Pass is in front of us, and everyone in the army, especially the soldiers of the expeditionary force, is eager to return home.

After marching for a day and a night, we were now less than sixty miles away from Yanghekou, and the range of Ye Bushou's exploration was already about a hundred miles away. The horses were traveling quickly, and intelligence from all directions was available. All can be clearly summarized.

Wang Shouren followed Zhang Zhou and saw Zhang Zhou’s unique side.

"The Fire Sieve Headquarters is indeed here, but it seems that there is no intention of a large-scale invasion."

Zhang Zhou was riding on a horse, holding the newly obtained Ye Bu Sheng in his hand. Battle report, looking at Wang Shouren with a smile.

Wang Shouren looked at Zhang Zhou's leisurely and contented look, and thought of Zhang Zhou's previous talk of a decisive battle with Huo Si. He actually wanted to ask, if you didn't tell us that you would give us all the mighty gunpowder, you wouldn't even have many cannonballs. The fire sieve is here, how can you fight with him?

Zhu Hui next to him smiled and asked, "Mr. Zhang, how many people did the fire sieve bring this time?"

Zhang Zhou shook his head. At present, we can only roughly speculate that he is a hundred miles away from us and has not yet reached Maoerzhuang. When he comes, we will know how many troops he has."

"Where is the direction of the troops in Datong Town. ”

Wang Shouren asked a question that concerned him.

It has always been said that Datong Town will send troops, but up to now, not to mention the regular army of Datong Town, not even the shadow of the scouts coming from Datong has been seen. No matter how it looks, Datong Town does not look like it has sent troops. .

Zhu Hui asked with a smile, "Major General Wang, what you are saying is that you want to gather troops and horses for a decisive battle with the Tatars. Your courage is commendable."

Wang Shouren was experiencing After the two battles in Weininghai and Tushan, the soldiers of the expeditionary force first called him Major General, and now even Zhu Hui and others also changed their name.

There is probably a sense that Wang Shouren is a second-generation official. Wang Shouren does not think of himself as a soldier, and he actually has some resistance to this title, but everyone else calls him that, so he acquiesces.

"In my opinion, if Fire Sieve retreats, it will bring back at least 30,000 to 40,000 cavalry. I'm afraid it will be difficult to win in a head-on battle." After Wang Shouren finished speaking, he seemed to doubt Zhang Zhou's previous bragging. Forced, he changed his words and said, "Unless the troops of all parties cooperate and use the troops properly, Zhang Zhitai's strategizing is also necessary."

"Yes, we must rely on Mr. Zhang." Zhu Hui heard that Wang Shouren was When complimenting Zhang Zhou, he also said something to help him.

Zhang Zhou laughed and said, "The troops sent out from Datong Town should have gone through Gudian. They left the Mashiguan Road in Fangshan and couldn't meet us. They probably missed it."

"But whoever made them go astray will not even get a share of the credit."

Zhang Zhou joked with a smile.

Everyone who heard it was laughing except Wang Shouren.

This is a proud smile.

Most of the credit goes to the expeditionary force, but Zhang Zhou personally led 7,000 soldiers and horses to rush to the rescue and drove back the pursuing troops of Mengoljin tribe. The credit was not small. Zhu Hui and others Also waiting to go back to receive merit and reward.

Wang Shouren disagreed with this. If the soldiers and horses of Datong Town did not get credit, even if it was a punishment for them, then it would be too cheap.

They did not send troops, but they almost killed our expeditionary force.

Zhang Zhou glanced at Wang Shouren with a smile. He probably meant that there are some things that are not convenient to say publicly. It is better to wait until we are in a suitable place before interviewing you alone.

The Ming Dynasty said it was a forced march, but because it was driving nearly 100,000 cattle and sheep, it was not moving very fast.

Sometimes people don’t need to rest, but the horses do. At the same time, the cattle and sheep have to be fed with fodder, and the army will stop for a while to rest. They also take the temperament of these animals first. They need to eat. Forage, the man would stop to eat dry food, and sometimes he would simply set up a stove and let the soldiers drink hot soup.

Enough broth.

With the addition of wild vegetables, both the soldiers of the expeditionary army and the seven thousand soldiers and horses brought by Zhang Zhou will taste delicious.

An expeditionary force led by Ma Yi personally, together with some of the cavalry brought by Zhang Zhou, were responsible for the rear.

Except for the troops at the rear who may be a little nervous, the atmosphere in the army is very relaxed even though the entire army has not yet seen the side wall of the Great Wall.

When Wang Shouren inspected the marches of various units on horseback, he found that the soldiers looked leisurely and contented, as if they were out to demonstrate artillery. Even the soldiers of the expeditionary force who had marched with him for more than ten days and experienced two battles before They all seemed to relax, probably feeling that with Zhang Zhou here, the battle would definitely be stable.

Wang Shouren didn’t know where this group of people got their confidence.

Huoshai personally led his troops back to rescue them, hoping to rescue the prisoners. According to Wang Shouren's estimation, Huoshai's headquarters should have thirty to forty thousand troops.

But Zhang Zhou once told him that if Huoshan was not that awesome, it would be good if he could bring back 20,000 elite soldiers, which would probably be all of Huoshan's belongings.

After the army buried the stove and continued to set off, Wang Shouren took advantage of the fact that there were no people like Zhu Hui around Zhang Zhou and hurried over to ask what happened.

"The Mongolian right wing has a total of 30,000 households, but the Mongolian Lejin department is not satisfied with it, there are about 8,000 households. I count him to have four warriors, with its Pianguan and Weininghai and so on. Due to the damage caused by the war, he can only have 25,000 men left at most, and his headquarters only has 17,800. The remaining 7,000 or so are those who are left behind in Maoerzhuang and other places."

When Zhang Zhou said this, it was as if he knew all the situation in the grassland.

Wang Shouren asked, "But all parties in the court were saying that the people of the Fire Screening HeadquartersOver fifty thousand. ”

“That is an exaggeration. "Zhang Zhou said, "Everywhere in the northwest is harassed by fire sieves, especially Xuanda and other places. They are often plundered by their troops. If we don't exaggerate his strength, we only say that he only has 30,000 soldiers in total, and 10,000 of them are still. The old, weak, sick and disabled, do the Ming border troops still have face?"

"Besides, you have also captured all the family members of his headquarters in Weininghai, except for a few who escaped and the women who accompanied the army. , do you think that with more than 10,000 prisoners alone, how many members of their family can be behind him? If he can bring 25,000 soldiers and horses, I am commending him."

"But his army There are also many tribesmen and horses attached to him, maybe thousands of them. Just like you used the fire horse formation to fight them before, there are many small and medium-sized tribes who are in the front who have been coerced into battle. ”

“Even the Mengoljin tribe itself is divided into big banners and small banners. The grassland is a pattern of interests. If there is no profit, you can’t afford it early. At this time, most tribes have already taken the initiative for their own interests. It is difficult to obey the sieve of fire. ”

Only then did Wang Shouren realize that what the border troops knew was all lies.

No wonder Zhang Zhou was so confident that Huo Si did not dare to attack.

Wang Shouren alone caused chaos in Weininghai and other places with less than 3,000 soldiers and horses. Zhang Zhou personally went into battle and brought 7,000 soldiers and horses. This number is difficult to detect clearly through the fire screen. Even if the fire screen is clear, , with his headquarters of about 20,000 men, he dared to directly confront Zhang Zhou

Maybe he has forgotten how he lost in Pianguan and Weininghai

Even in Tushan, You have nearly tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, but my king and more than two thousand people have cut you off by 20 to 30%.

Zhang Zhou said, "Bo'an, the previous battle at Weininghai also made things difficult for you. If it were changed, Other generals may not have your courage. It seems that you have considerable military attainments. ”

Wang Shouren thinks about it now. Zhang Zhou is also very hardworking. He knew that there were probably nearly ten thousand people left behind in Huo Si, but he still dared to send three thousand cavalry to attack Weining Hai. In fact, he was just playing time to make Huo Si. The Qianban soldiers stationed at Maoerzhuang did not react in time.

Wang Shouren sighed, "Maybe Huo Si doesn't want to start a war with me, the Ming Dynasty."

"Yes. Zhang Zhou nodded, seeming to agree with Wang Shouren's view, "You are right about Huo Si's withdrawal from the front line, which means that he has no intention of representing the Mongolian right wing to compete with Dayan Khan. Without his Huo Si's troops, Nor will their chances of winning be greatly reduced. Don't you understand the meaning of lips dying and teeth cold?"

"Then he intends to surrender to the Ming Dynasty?" Wang Shouren asked in surprise.

"Who knows?" Zhang Zhou was smiling.

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Wang Shouren felt a strong sense of "malice" from Zhang Zhou's smile, which was aimed at Huo Si, and even laughed at Huo Si.

Wang Shouren also came. Now he suddenly figured out the pattern.

Originally, he thought that Huoshai felt that his lair was being attacked. He was so angry that he even ignored the battle with Dayan Khan on the front line and led his troops to attack hundreds of people. come back, must fight to the death with Ming Dynasty.

Now he seemed to understand why Huoshai came rushing towards him with his troops but seemed not in a hurry to fight the Ming Dynasty. It was because Huoshai was afraid of Zhang Zhou and was afraid that Zhang Zhou would kill his tribe. The captured hostages were even more afraid that Dayan Khan would destroy Yibula and other tribes, so they turned around and dealt with his fire sieve as well.

So Huoshi followed him, mostly because he wanted to make peace with Daming

Zhang Zhou saw Wang Shouren’s complex expression and reminded him, “But in the future we can’t always catch Huoshi. A sheep is harvesting wool, and half a year has not yet arrived, and the Mongolian right wing is almost stripped of its skin. It may not be a good thing for the Ming Dynasty, because it will mean that the little Tatar prince will be here. The grassland has completely risen, and the era of grassland unification may be coming soon."

"Yes."

Wang Shouren is also a little worried about this.

Although it seems that Daming took advantage of the situation and became a fisherman.

But doing so indirectly helped Dayan Khan, the most powerful man in the grassland, giving him the opportunity to complete his unification of the grassland.

Wang Shouren asked, "At this time, perhaps we should help the Mongolian right wing. Next time, should we send troops from Ningxia and other places to raid the rear of Chahar?"

Zhang Zhouxiao Look at Wang Shouren.

Wang Shouren still doesn’t understand why Zhang Zhou thinks of him so much. Is it because his proposal is a bit too radical?

Zhang Zhou looked at Wang Shouren, more because he felt that although Wang Shouren looked He is young and has little practical experience, but he understands strategic intentions quickly. In fact, many people can understand it, but there are very few people who are willing to implement it or even dare to implement it like Wang Shouren.

"Bo'an, even if you put your proposal to Mr. Qin's desk, he may not have the courage to implement it. It's rare that you dare to think and do it. Then we will definitely need to pacify the grassland in the future." You help me with all your strength."

Zhang Zhou asked Wang Shouren to help him, and more importantly, he told him that if the grassland tribe is completely wiped out in the future, I, Zhang, will definitely do it myself, and you can just provide support.

But Wang Shouren also heard that Zhang Zhou didn't seem to be in a hurry to pacify the grassland.

"We have already changed the pattern of the grassland, and there is no need to change it so completely."

Zhang Zhou looked up and looked ahead, sighing and saying, "Let the grassland be turbulent for a while first." Let me save a few more years in the Ming Dynasty. Just like today, when we have to fight a war, the artillery and gunpowder we can use are still insufficient. If we give it another year, we will have thousands of guns in one battle. When the cannon comes out, every soldier can carry a flint gun. Do you think this battle is still necessary?"

When Wang Shouren heard this, he understood.

Zhang Zhou is not afraid of fighting, he just wants to fight a well-prepared war.

The biggest problem in the current unpacified grassland is not the lack of opportunities, but the lack of preparation.

Obviously in a few years, we will be able to come up with more superior weapons and it will be easier to pacify the enemy. Why do we have to take advantage of the current shortage of food, grass and baggage to force it?

It is very difficult to build a fire sieve, let alone Dayan Khan and other tribes. Once the Ming Dynasty takes the posture of conquering the grassland, all the tribes in the grassland will definitely abandon their past grievances, unite with the outside world, and maybe even help. The Mongolian right wing was saved from destruction.

Hit one shot and run away, this is Zhang Zhou’s current strategy.

He, Wang Shouren, has completed the task of shooting, and Zhang Zhou is now helping him implement the "run" strategy. It seems that he is retreating, but in fact he is giving up the field to Dayan. Dog bites dog between Khan and the Mongolian right wing.

“My next plan is to send troops from Yansui, with the trilateral commander personally leading the troops to recapture the Hetao. However, I may have to wait a month or two first, but I estimate that The Tatar tribes may withdraw from Hetao and other places in the future. This is also thanks to you Bo'an."

Zhang Zhou looked at Wang Shouren with admiration.

Wang Shouren said hastily, "I can't take it seriously."

He said this, but Wang Shouren also believed in his heart that the surprise attack on Weininghai and the battle of Tushan were of great significance to the Ming Dynasty.

It not only shocked the fire sieve, but also made Dayan Khan and other tribes realize that forcibly turning against the Ming Dynasty was not a good choice.

The Ming Dynasty's border troops are now very sharp. Three thousand soldiers and horses dare to attack your home. They dare to garrison troops in the Hetao, which makes Ming Dynasty feel threatened. Once the Ming Dynasty sends troops, it is difficult to say what the pattern of the grassland will be.

"Advanced to the pass, this time we will directly station troops in Datong. In fact, I also want to ask the governor of Datong. The military order is so clear, why is it so difficult to execute?"

"It seems that it is time to think about whether it is better for you to be stationed in Datong, or to go back to garrison in Xuanfu."

When Wang Shouren heard this, Zhang Zhou planned to send Hong Han, the governor of Xuanfu, to After changing it

But he also felt that this battle was worthwhile. He could be promoted to governor, but he could actually choose where to be governor

The soldiers and horses marched all the way. Go to Yanghekou.

Because people had been sent to the pass to greet them in advance, Song Xian, the general of the garrison at Yanghekou and the commander of Yanghe Guard, even led troops out of the pass to greet them.

Zhang Zhou was five miles north of the pass. While stationing troops and horses, he sent people to drive prisoners and livestock into the pass. At the same time, he saw Song Xian himself, who came to kneel to greet him. .

"Commander Song, you are too polite to be too polite. Get up. There is no need to be polite during war. Let me introduce to you. This is King Wang Shouren who led the troops to achieve great victories in the Weininghai and Maoerzhuang battles. Zhongcheng."

Zhang Zhou did not forget to introduce Wang Shouren to Song Xian.

This made Wang Shouren a little embarrassed.

Wherever Zhang Zhou goes now, he wants to praise him. He knows that Zhang Zhou has no ill intentions.

Based on his speculation, Zhang Zhou wanted people to know that he, Wang Shouren, was his right-hand man. He would station Zhang Zhou in the northwest in the future and become the next Anbian Hou Zhufeng or the next Wang Qiong.

Although Wang Qiong had military exploits, his achievements were obviously not as outstanding as those of Wang Shouren. However, Wang Shouren also knew that he was just following orders. The battles of Weininghai and Tushan were nominally commanded by Ma Yi and Cao Shun, but he was just He was just the head of the Ministry of War, so he really needed Zhang Zhou as his "backer".

It is said that it is good to enjoy the shade under the big tree.

No matter how far-sighted, ambitious and capable you are, others will only respect you politely and not from the heart.

But it would be different if Zhang Zhou praised him in front of others. Even if others did not look at Wang Shouren's military achievements, they would still look at Zhang Zhou's face.

Zhang Zhou not only understands the will of heaven, but also has the Sacred Heart. He can spread the military merits widely if he sprinkles them casually. Who among the northwest generals would not want to follow Zhang Zhou?

After the ceremony.

Zhang Zhou asked Song Xiandao, "I ordered Datong Town to send troops to Maoerzhuang by imperial order. Why does it seem that there has been no movement until now? Commander Song, do you know the situation?"

" I heard that the soldiers and horses came out of the pass, but they were attacked by Di Yi a few days later, and the soldiers and horses retreated back into the pass."

"Haha"

Zhang Zhou smiled and looked at Wang Shouren. , probably saying, now you know why I am so anxious to rescue you

If I don’t rescue you, there is really no one to save you.

"But along the way, I heard that the Tatars were restrained in Maoerzhuang by Wang Zhongcheng's soldiers and horses. Where did the Tatars come from to harass the pass? It seems that the governor of Datong and the local generals are not very You can understand the meaning of the annex." Zhang Zhou looked aggressive.

Song Xian didn’t know how to answer.

Wang Shouren wanted to remind Zhang Zhou that now that we are on the ground in Datong, we should not criticize these local snakes casually.

It would not be good if the local snakes think that you intend to punish them, cause trouble for you, or even cause trouble for us.

On the contrary, the land of Xuanfu is where we send troops and should go back. Even if there is Ma Zhongxi there, it will not be a big trouble.

Zhang Zhou said, "It is difficult for the governor of Datong to achieve great things."

This evaluation is very sharp.

In history, the Hong Han Dynasty was summoned back to the capital in June of the 13th year of Hongzhi precisely because of the unfavorable resistance to the invasion of the border areas.

The person who succeeded Hong Han was Liu Yu, a member of the eunuch party who was good at bribery and ingratiation.

"Two days ago, I sent the battle report to the capital with a fast horse, and crossed Yanghekou. There was no obstruction, right?" Zhang Zhou asked.

Song Xian hurriedly said, "No, we have successfully passed the pass."

"That's good. It is estimated that the news of the great victory on the grassland will soon reach the capital, and it can be regarded as a gift to His Majesty. An explanation. "Please remember to collect it. The latest and fastest website can be read for free without anti-theft