Feng Guoyong sent someone to escort Li Xixi and other old soldiers back home. In the past few days, he had been living in the military camp in Gao, with no one around him except two guards.
He even deliberately opened the door curtain so that soldiers passing by outside could see.
This move made the Hu cavalry soldiers also admire Governor Feng, so everyone returned to their hearts. Li Siqi was trembling with fear, fearing that he would be betrayed by his subordinates, and presented it to Feng Guoyong as a gift.
With no other choice, Li Siqi could only try his best to please Ming Dynasty.
On the day Li Xixi and others left, Li Siqi went to Feng Guoyong's military tent alone.
"In the land of Guanzhong and Shaanxi, in addition to me, there are Zhang Liangbi, Tuo Liebo, Kong Xing and others. They have many barbarians and semu people in power. I'm afraid it will not be easy to surrender."
Feng Guoyong chuckled and said, "If they don't want to surrender, then we will send troops to kill them! Can we expect that this Northern Expedition, with hundreds of thousands of troops, can be fought without bloodshed?"
After Feng Guoyong finished speaking, he said to Li Siqi: "You know the current affairs and the destiny of heaven. Leading the army to surrender is a merit that will last forever. I have already asked your majesty for the merit, and I will definitely reward you generously when the time comes!"
Li Siqi's heart was beating wildly. Although Feng Guoyong was powerful, he still meant what he said. With his words, he could still have a place in the Ming court.
That being the case, the next step is how to get more.
Li Siqi immediately said: "If Commander Feng does not give up, I am willing to be a vanguard and lead troops north to capture Yan'an Prefecture, attack Didao to the west, and capture all the land in Guanzhong."
Feng Guoyong remained calm, but he was very happy in his heart.
Even though the Ming army was very powerful, when they entered Guanzhong for the first time and were not familiar with the roads and people's sentiments, they really couldn't do without local snakes.
As for Li Siqi, being able to survive to this day shows that he is not bad at it. It would be best if he could use his full strength to open up the country for the Ming Dynasty.
"Brother Li has this idea, and I naturally agree. Let's do it. I'll let Fu Youde lead 3,000 people to be your deputy. You all go north together, and I, the governor, will come later. Let's join hands and recover Guanzhong!"
Li Siqi was slightly startled. Fu Youde was his former defeated general!
"Okay! I will definitely strive to be the first and make contributions to the country!"
After settling Li Siqi, Feng Guoyong felt a little more at ease and immediately wrote to Zhang Ximeng to report the situation.
The Ming Army of the Western Route not only captured Tongguan, but also subdued Li Siqi, acquired tens of thousands of elite soldiers, and opened the gateway to Guanzhong. The results were brilliant.
Wherever the news reached, the people rejoiced and the people were inspired.
In particular, Li Xixi and other veterans of the Northern Expedition came out of Tongguan, passed through Shaanzhou and Luoyang, went to Kaifeng, and then returned to their hometowns.
Wherever they passed, countless people came to watch.
There were white-haired old men, middle-aged women, and teenage children. They cuddled together and looked at the crowd.
When they see similar figures, they rush to inquire and inquire about the whereabouts of their relatives... Tens of thousands of Northern Expedition troops entered Guanzhong, how many of them can come back?
Most people can only answer that they don't know. When someone accidentally tells them that their loved ones have died in the battle, they can't help crying.
Only a very few lucky people can get together with their relatives, get to know each other, hug each other, cry loudly, and tell each other the pain of separation.
While talking about the hardships of war, narrow escapes, and how I miss my loved ones, I cried for a while.
On the other hand, the relatives here are not willing to mention the past. The most common thing they talk about is that in the past two or three years, the Ming army came and the bandits left.
Village communities were organized, floods were controlled, and food was grown.
"Go home. We have some white flour at home. Let's bake flatbreads and steam steamed buns. We won't be hungry anymore!"
The old people took the wanderer's arms and returned home with vicissitudes of steps.
As long as a couple successfully recognizes each other and returns home safely, people from all over the country will come to congratulate them and give them gifts. Some people even insist on catching a glimpse of the soldiers of the Northern Expedition.
Li Xixi and others were simply flattered by the actions of the common people.
When did they become so popular?
Being treated as a hero?
As he continued to move forward, he finally understood that there were Ming Dynasty preachers and opera troupes everywhere. They told the past history and told everyone the story of Prime Minister Wen and Grandpa Yue.
It tells the importance of regaining the homeland and restoring Yanyun.
Countless people learned about these things for the first time, and their views on the Northern Expedition changed. They knew that they were heroes, and at least they had made contributions.
Some places even decided to write down the soldiers who participated in the Northern Expedition in the county annals as heroes and commemorate them forever.
After witnessing all this, Li Xixi was stunned and then felt ashamed.
When they went on the Northern Expedition, when did they think about this?
I am afraid that many generals may not know why the Northern Expedition was carried out?
The king's master, who was trying to punish the people, gradually became a bandit, and was inevitably defeated in the end... I am really ashamed!
Now we can only hope that the Ming Dynasty can regain its homeland and take Yanyun back!
You must strive for success!
In the direction of Shandong, the front line of the Northern Expeditionary Army.
After Xu Da received the urgent report from Feng Guoyong, his heart was surging and he was filled with emotions.
First of all, Feng Guoyong is making good progress. As a general, he can't help but want to compare. Secondly, the movements in Guanzhong further illustrate the weakness of the Yuan army. The fighter opportunity is right in front of him and cannot be missed!
"Supervisor, when the army entered Guanzhong, Li Siqi fled in panic. He had no way out and finally surrendered. Wang Baobao was still in Shanxi and refused to save his troops. It can be seen that the Yuan Dynasty was at the end of its rope and reinforcements were cut off. At this time, it was time to take advantage of the situation and go north to capture it.
Dadu is right in front of you!"
Zhang Ximeng pondered slightly, and finally nodded, "Okay, send the order, and the whole army will go north!"
Xu Da was overjoyed and immediately ordered the drums to be beaten to gather the generals!
The drums are beating loudly and the morale is high.
Chang Yuchun, Hu Dahai, Hua Yun, Wu Zhen... the mighty generals of the Ming army gathered together.
Outside the military tent, the flags were flying, like rays of light and blood, a brilliant red with no end in sight.
Xu Da is wearing armor and has a stern appearance.
"My general orders Chang Yuchun and Hu Dahai to separate the vanguard troops and horses, and immediately go north, collect the prefectures and counties of Hebei, and go straight to Dadu!"
The two warriors stood up together and bowed to take orders.
Then they rushed out of the military tent with tiger strides.
Both of them had dark faces, but at this moment their complexions turned purple due to the rush of blood.
"In the battle for liberation, we can only move forward, not retreat! If we never return to our homeland, we will never die in peace!" Hu Dahai said to Chang Yuchun with his fists clenched.
Chang Yuchun laughed loudly, "Yes, Brother Hu has not drank at all these years. When we enter Dadu, we must have a good drink and get drunk before we stop!"
Hu Dahai took a deep breath and finally nodded.
"Okay, I agree!"
The two men mounted their horses, led their own troops, and advanced separately.
The red flag is rolling, and the people and horses are like dragons.
Chang Yuchun led the army and first captured Dezhou, then marched on and captured Cangzhou and Qingzhou. Three days later, he conquered Jinghai again.
Look at Chang Yuchun's advance, which is as powerful as a fierce tiger.
It's totally a pleasure.
Zhang Ximeng was at the rear, and his daily job was to place small red flags on the sand table and watch the troops advance northward. He even doubted whether this was an advance or a tour.
After all, even walking north is not that fast.
This group of Yuan soldiers are simply out of control and vulnerable to a single blow.
Because the advance was too fast, Zhang Ximeng was even worried about whether the food and fodder in the rear could keep up...
Jiang Nan took over the task of dispatching grain and fodder. She was quite attentive and even outstanding. Jiang Nan not only used civilian laborers, but also contracted a large number of merchants.
For example, let a certain businessman be responsible for transporting designated baggage to a certain place.
After completing the task, in addition to getting paid, you can also get some preferential treatment, such as the next business... After all, the world is about to be unified, and supplies are flowing smoothly from north to south. It is foreseeable that there will be so much profit and rich oil and water that it is difficult to
imaginary.
Although we must pay attention to fairness in everything, it is natural to contribute to the court and get some conveniences.
Jiang Nan is very good at using these little tricks to achieve her goals.
As a result, many merchants would rather lose money than maintain quality and quantity and complete the transportation task.
With sufficient guarantees ahead, Chang Yuchun's advance was faster.
In comparison, Hu Dahai was not inferior. He collected Hejian and Xiongzhou from the other direction and went straight to Bazhou.
With such two ruthless people on the stand, the Yuan Dynasty was in bad luck.
The front lines were defeated one after another, and there was a lot of mourning, and there was no good news at all.
Zhang Ximeng observed the speed of the advance and saw land after land being included in the territory. Especially after seeing Xiongzhou and Bazhou, Zhang Ximeng suddenly became energetic.
"Madam, quickly prepare the horses, I, I want to go north!"
Jiang Nan pondered for a while and then said: "His Majesty has decreed that you are not allowed to go to the front line. Moreover, Xu Da and the others are fighting very well. Don't cause trouble to others."
Zhang Ximeng was speechless, my dear, I am actually causing trouble?
"Madam, look, where is this place? Don't you know why I want to go there?"
Jiang Nan was startled for a moment, then looked over, and she suddenly said: "This is the Juma River. Beyond the Juma River, it is the land of Yanyun!"
"That's right, after crossing the river, we will reach the land of Yanyun, which was occupied for more than 400 years! It is a place that was not captured by the Zhao and Song Dynasties for 300 years!"
When Jiang Nan heard this, she couldn't help but get excited.
"Okay, I'll get ready right now!"
By the time the carriage was ready, Zhang Ximeng had already packed a small package, which contained two changes of clothes and some official documents.
He got on the carriage and was about to set off, but he didn't expect Jiang Nan to squeeze in too.
"You can't go alone for such a big thing, I want to take a look too!"
Zhang Ximeng had no choice but to agree.
The couple, under the protection of the guards, hurried on their way.
Everyone was shocked when Prime Minister Zhang suddenly went north. Why are you joining in the fun? If something goes wrong, we cannot bear the responsibility!
Xu Da even led his generals to pursue him in a hurry.
They chased until they reached a big river, and found Zhang Ximeng wrapped in a cloak, facing the north of the river, smiling with joy.
Xu Da quickly ran over, looked at Zhang Ximeng, and then whispered: "Sir, what are you doing?"
Zhang Ximeng turned his head and saw Xu Da. He couldn't help but pull his arm, walked forward quickly, stepped on the gravel by the river, and pointed to the north with his hand.
"That's the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun!"
Xu Da was startled, and Zhang Ximeng added: "By crossing this river, our Ming Dynasty will surpass Zhao and Song!"
Xu Da was greatly excited and murmured: "Sir, is this writing the annals of history?"