Lu Xiangsheng, the newly appointed governor of Henan and the censor of Youqiandu, arrived in Kaifeng City, Henan.
He wanted to rectify the officers and soldiers in Henan here.
He brought his own army, a Tianxiong army of only 20,000 people.
Tianxiong Army soldiers are all recruited from his hometown. The soldiers are fathers and sons, brothers and other relatives, and almost all of them are acquaintances.
Only in this way can you trust your back to your companions.
Brothers fight, father and son go into battle.
Lu Xiangsheng, with this Tianxiong army, was able to fight head-on with the Houjin Eight Banners soldiers.
Before, it was slightly inferior to the Eight Banners soldiers.
The current Tianxiong Army is undergoing firearms transformation.
Lu Xiangsheng believed that the Tianxiong Army was now fighting an equal number of Eight Banners soldiers.
Tianxiong's army is by no means inferior to the Eight Banners soldiers, but it is worse than the army of the thieves in yellow.
After Lu Xiangsheng trained an all-firearms army, he discovered that an all-firearms army could be so powerful.
An all-firearms army has many advantages, the only disadvantage is that it costs money.
It is very expensive to form an army with all firearms. If the 20,000 Tianxiong Army with all firearms can be replaced with ordinary weapons.
Lu Xiangsheng was able to raise 60,000 men, but he felt that an army of 60,000 armed with swords and spears could not defeat 20,000 armed with muskets.
Twenty thousand people cost a lot of money, but it is worth every penny.
Lu Xiangsheng asked his soldiers to investigate the situation of the Ming army near Kaifeng City.
There are 60,000 Henan Ming troops here in Kaifeng. They all fled to Kaifeng from Henan Prefecture and other places.
Lu Xiangsheng wanted to conquer them first, with only his 20,000 Tianxiong army.
He was confident that he would defeat the intruders and rescue King Fu who was trapped in Luoyang.
But he was not sure and would annihilate the intruders in Luoyang.
After these intruders are defeated, they will disperse throughout Henan and completely disrupt the Henan region.
As the governor of Henan, he has the responsibility to protect the territory.
Lu Xiangsheng received the news that Luoyang can still hold on for a while.
The intruders did not have the Hongyi Cannon, a powerful siege weapon.
Their gunpowder is also very scarce, and now they can only rely on traditional siege methods.
Using the traditional siege method, it would take a long time to capture Luoyang, which was defended by a large number of Hongyi artillery.
Lu Xiangsheng wanted to take advantage of Luoyang's opportunity to hold off the intruders and annihilate more than 200,000 intruders in one fell swoop.
To achieve this goal, it is impossible to rely only on 20,000 Tianxiong troops.
This also requires the support of the local Ming army in Henan.
Lu Xiangsheng socialized with local officials in Henan.
Before the army goes out, it must first prepare food and fodder.
The collection of grain and grass and the transportation of supplies required the cooperation of local officials in Henan.
No matter how powerful the Tianxiong army is, it cannot fight without logistical support.
He was the governor of Henan, and Emperor Chongzhen promoted him to the position of censor of Youqiandu.
Lu Xiangsheng basically controls the official title of every official in Henan, and is not afraid that they will not cooperate with the Tianxiong Army's actions.
Lu Xiangsheng learned about it from these officials in Henan.
In order to support the imperial court's battle against the yellow-robed thieves, Henan collected a large amount of grain and grass, and at the same time recruited hundreds of thousands of corvees to support frontline operations.
There are still most of the grain and corvee work that have not yet started.
The grain and grass were garrisoned in the official warehouse in Kaifeng City, and the corvee workers were waiting for news in Kaifeng City.
The war between the imperial court and the thieves in yellow ended too quickly.
There are bandits again here in Henan, and we haven't had time to manage these things yet.
Lu Xiangsheng led people to personally inspect these supplies. The grain was aged for more than five years, and most of the gunpowder had become stratified by moisture.
The food was still barely edible, at least it wasn't moldy, and the gunpowder was no longer usable.
He immediately arranged for people to start transporting the grain in the warehouse.
At the same time, craftsmen from the health center were mobilized to reconfigure the gunpowder.
Lu Xiangsheng's exploration during this period made him realize that only the newly configured gunpowder is the most powerful.
I don’t know why the yellow-robed thieves are not afraid of transporting gunpowder over long distances.
The gunpowder captured by the Ming army was different from the gunpowder they prepared.
Even if it is transported from Sichuan to the capital, the power of these gunpowder will not change.
Lu Xiangsheng talked with Sun Yuanhua, and they both believed that the thief in yellow had a secret method.
The imperial court sent Jin Yiwei to spy on the yellow thief.
They can get some simple information from the newspapers of the thieves in yellow.
The thieves in yellow guard the secret recipe of gunpowder like this very strictly.
Both the gunpowder factory and the thieves in yellow adopted a closed-door management system.
The entire gunpowder factory is responsible for the birth, old age, sickness and death of workers.
They married wives and had children inside the gunpowder workshop, without communicating with the outside world at all.
Jin Yiwei spent a lot of money but failed to obtain the secret recipe of gunpowder from the yellow thief.
After the logistics materials are obtained, the army can set off at any time.
Lu Xiangsheng's personal soldiers had already learned about the situation of Mingjun in Kaifeng City.
He sent his own soldiers to inform the Henan Ming Army here in Kaifeng to go to the Tianxiong Army's camp outside the city tomorrow.
After the three-tone drum sounds at Chenshi, all generals and their troops must arrive.
When the generals arrive on time, they will be forgiven for their failure to defend the territory.
Those who fail to come after the deadline will be severely punished according to Ming law.
…………………………
Lu Xiangsheng was in the Tianxiong Army camp, waiting for the arrival of these generals.
The hour has arrived.
Near Kaifeng Mansion, most of the Ming army generals who received the notice have already arrived here.
Lu Xiangsheng ordered: "Beat the drum."
Winter winter winter.
A huge drum beat sounded, resounding throughout the entire military camp.
The drum beat paused for a while and then resumed.
After the three-tone drum sounded, the soldiers beating the drum stopped.
Lu Xiangsheng stood on the general counting platform in person, took the roster and started counting.
Generals stood up one by one, with smiles on their faces. These local Henan generals just obeyed the orders.
They don't need to be very capable to follow the Tianxiong army in a favorable battle.
This is Lu Xiangsheng’s minimum requirement.
Their combat skills are not high, but they are better than the bandits who have just picked up weapons.
"Wang Dahai, Wang Dahai, Wang Dahai is coming or not."
Lu Xiangsheng called three times in a row, and his kind face turned serious.
He has issued strict orders, but General Wang Dahai has not yet arrived.
He ordered his own soldiers to tie Wang Dahai here.
The surrounding Ming army generals all had strange looks in their eyes.
Wang Dahai is not a simple person. He comes from a noble family in the Ming Dynasty and has a close relationship with the Zhou Palace.
Lu Xiangsheng continued to count, and he found that a total of six local generals from Henan were not here.
One general, two guerrillas, and three thousand households.
This general is Wang Dahai.
His people have investigated clearly and found that those who did not come are all Wang Dahai's subordinates.
Lu Xiangsheng understood the specific situation, and a murderous intent flashed in his eyes.
What Wang Dahai did was completely contemptuous of his authority.
Without establishing absolute prestige before the war begins, these Henan generals will not be able to command at all.
Wang Dahai and his group were quickly captured from the brothel by Lu Xiangsheng's soldiers.
Lu Xiangsheng did not interrogate these people. If Wang Da dared to do so, he must have his own support.
He is not afraid of the Zhou Palace behind Wang Dahai. If the Ming Dynasty prince really dares to interfere in the army, he will impeach the Zhou Dynasty and let him go to Fengyang to guard the mausoleum.
He must deal with Wang Dahai now.
"Before the battle, if the deadline is not met, the decision will be made in accordance with military discipline."
Lu Xiangsheng's personal soldiers immediately carried out his orders.
Wang Dahai and his group were beheaded directly.
There were expressions of disbelief on their heads.
Unexpectedly, Lu Xiangsheng, these noble sons and daughters, would kill them as soon as he asked.
Everyone in the camp looked at the head hanging in the middle of the tent, and they all showed fear.
This new governor is not like those white-faced scholars in the past. He really dares to kill people.
After Lu Xiangsheng established his authority, he began to simply train these troops.
He was waiting for someone at the same time, Henan Commander-in-Chief Chen Hongfan.
Chen Hongfan was nearly wiped out by the thieves in yellow.
But he still has nearly 20,000 elite men in his hands, including an elite musketeer.
These soldiers are the most elite army in Henan.
They have also been tested by war, and the combat effectiveness of these people is at least stronger than the current army in Henan.
Lu Xiangsheng waited for two days, and more than forty days had passed since the intruders besieged Luoyang City.
Now, every day that passes is a life or death decision for Luoyang.
He had already received news that Zhu Yousong, the crown prince of Prince Fu, was impeaching him for being afraid of the enemy and hesitated to move forward.
"Master Lu, General Chen Hongfan has arrived outside Kaifeng City."
"You inform him to come see me."
Chen Hongfan was extremely worried, and the rebellion of the white-poled soldiers foreshadowed his disastrous defeat.
When he first started writing inscriptions for the court, he still had fifty or sixty thousand troops in his hands.
Unexpectedly, the Yangtze River flooded and they were trapped in the Yangtze River. Many people failed to escape in time and were captured by the thieves in yellow.
Only more than 10,000 people escaped. He did not dare to mention the matter in the title book and hid it.
With fifty or sixty thousand people in his hands, he estimated that Emperor Chongzhen would not touch him. With only more than ten thousand people left, his life could be at risk at any time.
Everyone in the officialdom knew about his loss, except Emperor Chongzhen.
This matter cannot be concealed at all.
Unless their own interests are involved, no one will pierce this layer of paper.
The new governor must know the current situation of his military strength.
Chen Hongfan was very worried. When he went to meet Mr. Lu this time, would he directly capture him and claim credit from Emperor Chongzhen?
Chen Hongfan met Lu Xiangsheng with mixed emotions.
"Mr. Chen, your only way out now is to defeat the intruder.
We also need to win a beautiful victory and try to annihilate the intruders."
Lu Xiangsheng knew Chen Hongfan's situation, so he said straight to the point.
Chen Hongfan immediately knelt down on one knee and said excitedly: "I am willing to obey your orders."
The governor made it very clear that if we can achieve a great victory in this war, the previous problems will not be a problem.
If he still can't win the battle this time, it's a problem with his ability, and Emperor Chongzhen will definitely be punished for several crimes.
Lu Xiangsheng smiled and helped Chen Hongfan up. This Henan general soldier knew everything.
With the addition of Henan General Chen Hongfan, the number of troops Lu Xiangsheng could command reached 100,000.
With 100,000 regular Ming troops facing off against more than 200,000 bandits, he is still confident of winning this battle.
Lu Xiangsheng ordered: "Notify all armies to set off at 00:00 tomorrow, and we will rush to Luoyang as soon as possible."
His order was issued, and the army began to make final preparations before departure.
The next morning, Lu Xiangsheng led the Tianxiong Army to the front of the team.
Next came the team of Henan Commander-in-Chief Chen Hongfan, followed by other generals.
…………………………
Lu Xiangsheng listened to the sound of Hongyi cannons still ringing from the city ahead.
He was completely relieved that Luoyang had not been invaded by the intruders yet.
The Hongyi cannon is too powerful, especially used in siege and defense.
Luoyang City was besieged by bandits for more than two months, but it had not yet been conquered. Hongyi cannon played a decisive role.
He planned to get more Hongyi cannons from Sun Yuanhua.
Sun Yuanhua did not shirk it. Sun Chuanting, who came to the capital later than him, was able to obtain a large number of Hongyi cannons.
The officialdom of the Ming Dynasty was full of factional disputes.
Lu Xiangsheng no longer thought about these things. He took a telescope and observed the intruders who were attacking the city.
These intruders attacked the city without any plan. They planned to use a heap of human lives and a long-term siege to trap the city of Luoyang.
Lu Xiangsheng set up his position and prepared to launch a fierce attack on the intruders.
…………………………
Gao Yingxiang was extremely anxious. He did not expect that this small city of Luoyang had not been captured after being surrounded for two months.
During this time, he sent troops and swept through other cities in Henan Prefecture.
But these cities together are not as wealthy as Luoyang City.
Having already sacrificed so much, he really couldn't bear to attack his subordinates in Luoyang City.
Especially the officers and soldiers encountered during this period were vulnerable to attack.
Gao Yingxiang looked at the army that had grown to more than 200,000 men. He gradually felt superior and no longer feared encirclement and suppression by the army.
Lu Xiangsheng led his troops to attack the Chuang army.
You have seen the general of the Chuang Army and reported the news to Gao Yingxiang immediately.
"Report to King Chuang that the army will send reinforcements to support Luoyang City.
We looked at the specific number of officers and soldiers and found that there were about 100,000 people."
When Gao Yingxiang heard the news, his expression did not change.
The government troops came to rescue Luoyang City. This is what they will definitely experience when they besiege Luoyang.
"It was too late. I thought they would have arrived in Luoyang forty days ago.
Unexpectedly, these officers and soldiers gave us the opportunity to practice military training.
First I have more than 200,000 troops in my hands, so there is no need to be afraid of these officers and soldiers."
Gao Yingxiang immediately called a meeting with the generals of the Chu army to discuss how to deal with the attack by the army.
The other generals soon arrived at the big tent.
Li Zicheng was commanding the siege, and he was the last one to arrive at the tent.
Gao Yingxiang explained to the generals that they were about to be surrounded and suppressed by 100,000 officers and soldiers.
Some people's expressions changed greatly, and they said in fear: "King Chuang, there are a hundred thousand officers and soldiers. How can we fight with so many officers and soldiers?
Everyone should find a way to escape before the officers and soldiers arrive!"
When Gao Yingxiang heard this comment, he slapped the table.
"Don't talk about escaping, there are more than 200,000 of us, and the army is not far away from us.
Do you think it would be that easy to escape?
This is to arrange an orderly retreat for 200,000 people.
It's not just one or two thousand people, it needs a lot of experienced military officers.
As long as our team retreats, it will inevitably collapse.
By the time these defeated armies surround us, there will be no chance of victory at all.
Don't be afraid of the officers and soldiers. Beating the officers and soldiers in Hanzhong Suhe is like beating a dog.
We are no worse than the official army, and our numbers are even greater than that of the official army.
You have forgotten the virtues of the officers and soldiers, they are simply vulnerable.
We mobilize our entire army, and as long as we defeat the officers and soldiers who come for reinforcements, the Ming army in Luoyang City will definitely collapse."
Gao Yingxiang knew very well that their cohesion was too weak and they could not choose to escape at all.
If they really can't be defeated, these generals can retreat calmly.
If you run away now, it will be like a lamb leaving its back to a hungry wolf. The end will be very miserable.
Li Zicheng stood up to support Gao Yingxiang.
"We are going to fight the government and the army to the end, and you may not know the latest news.
The Henan official army attacked Suhe in Hanzhong, and most of them were destroyed by Suhe's men.
Now the troops coming from Henan to attack us are all officers and soldiers with extremely weak combat effectiveness.
The officers and soldiers we encountered during this period were all this kind of officers and soldiers."
The other generals of the Chu army felt relieved when they heard what Li Zicheng said.
The officers and soldiers encountered during this period were really weak. As long as they dared to fight, these officers and soldiers would soon collapse.
Gao Yingxiang saw all the generals who had broken through the barrier and all reached a consensus.
He pulled out the long knife from his waist and shouted loudly:
"Brothers, don't be afraid of the army. Two hundred thousand against one hundred thousand, our winning rate is extremely high.
Along the way, we also killed many officers and soldiers, and their level was obvious to all.
If everyone works together, it will not be difficult to defeat the army.
As long as the official army is defeated and Luoyang City is captured.
When the time comes, I will share the treasures of beauties in Luoyang City with everyone."
…………………………
Lu Xiangsheng had already asked the Tianxiong army to form a formation to be shot.
This formation of musketeers was first used by thieves in yellow.
After many experiments, he found that this was the best formation to bring out the power of muskets.
He saw the intruders who were attacking Luoyang and had given up attacking Luoyang.
They concentrated their forces and launched an attack on the Ming army led by him.
Lu Xiangsheng used a telescope to look at the expressions of his army generals.
The generals of Tianxiong Army are eager to try, they want to prove their strength.
Chen Hongfan's eyes showed disdain, as if he looked down on the intruder.
It should be considered that there is a huge difference between the intruder and the thief in yellow.
The eyes of other Ming army generals clearly showed fear.
They had no idea the power of muskets.
All I know is that the bandits have been raging in Henan for so long, and no officers and soldiers can resist them.
"attack."
Lu Xiangsheng issued the order to attack.
A winter drum sounds.
The first to attack was the Tianxiong Army.
They raised their muskets one after another, and the whole army seemed to be one, marching forward in neat steps.
The leader of the team has a whistle in his mouth.
They listened to the drums and blew the whistles.
The soldiers followed their whistles and walked at equidistant steps.
Lu Xiangsheng watched Tianxiong's army advance in order.
This tactic was something he secretly learned from the thieves in yellow.
The thieves in yellow often publish their training methods for soldiers in newspapers.
Lu Xiangsheng took its essence and combined it with the characteristics of the Tianxiong Army to improve the combat methods suitable for the Tianxiong Army.
The generals of the Chuang army looked at the Tianxiong army that was pressing towards them in unison.
They all had a look of fear on their faces, even though Gao Yingxiang sent elite soldiers to supervise the battle.
He immediately led the newly joined refugees, armed with wooden spears and hoes, and rushed towards Tianxiong's army.
When Lu Xiangsheng saw this, he smiled. They would win this war.
The Tianxiong Army still retains armor, and ordinary soldiers wear cotton armor and leather armor.
These two kinds of armored stomachs cannot prevent the muskets of the thieves in yellow, but they can block ordinary swords and arrows.
There are only a few archers in the bandit team, so they can't do much damage to them at all.
Lu Xiangsheng saw that the intruder had entered the range of the musket.
"It's ready to attack."
When the soldiers heard his order, they beat the war drums quickly, and the drums became faster and faster.
The commander leading the army at the front heard the sound of drums.
They stopped blowing the whistle, and the Tianxiong army immediately stopped.
"Three shots, fire."
The soldiers in the front row of the Tianxiong Army squatted down, and the soldiers in the second row stood.
The two rows of soldiers pulled the triggers. After they fired, the two rows of soldiers behind them came forward and repeated their actions.
Through this method of relay fire, while the Tianxiong army moved forward, they maintained intensive firepower.
The intruder's front army was directly defeated.
These refugees who had just put down their hoes, when did they see such a terrifying scene?
People around him died one after another.
Their fear of the officers and soldiers outweighed their fear of intruders.
These people immediately collapsed, dropped their weapons and fled to the rear.
When Lu Xiangsheng saw the intruder collapse, a smile appeared on his face.
"Inform the cavalry that they can pursue the intruders, but the intruder king Gao Yingxiang cannot be allowed to escape.
Let other officers and soldiers also attack the intruders."
The Tianxiong Army has a cavalry force of more than 2,000 people.
They have been waiting for the opportunity on the outside of the battlefield.
After receiving Lu Xiangsheng's order, all the cavalry launched a charge.
The intruder has collapsed and has no ability to resist at all.
These light cavalry rushed into the enemy's army and harvested their lives.
This cavalry force just casually opened a gap in the Chu army's formation.
They have not forgotten their purpose.
They have been paying attention to the traces of Chuang Wang Gao Yingxiang, and they are determined to bite Gao Yingxiang.
When other Ming troops saw the Tianxiong Army, they had already defeated the intruders.
All the generals of the Ming army seemed to have been given blood.
After receiving Lu Xiangsheng's order, they immediately launched a fierce attack on the intruders.
How fast the officers and soldiers escape when they are at a disadvantage, and how fiercely they attack when they fight with a favorable wind.
Each Ming army was afraid that other armies would take away the credit that belonged to them.
They used all their abilities to chase the intruder desperately and harvest the intruder's head. These are all military achievements.
The whole war went smoothly and lasted until evening, when the Ming army finished cleaning the battlefield.
Lu Xiangsheng looked at Gao Yingxiang who was tied up in front of him, and he smiled.
This time we defeated the intruders, and the whole war was very successful.
Basically achieving his goal of this war, most of the intruders were wiped out, and only a few of the intruders escaped.
The most important thing is that the cavalry captured Gao Yingxiang, the king of Chuang, and achieved a feat that reached Tianting.
He sent five hundred elite Tianxiong troops to escort Gao Yingxiang to the capital and handed him over to Emperor Chongzhen.
I especially tell these people that they must not let Chuang Wang Gao Yingxiang die on the road.
Lu Xiangsheng led the army and approached Luoyang City.
What he is most worried about this time is Luoyang. Luoyang has not been invaded by the intruders, and His Royal Highness Prince Fu is fine.
He was very happy. If he kept King Fu, he would not lose the Holy Scroll.
…………………………
Li Zicheng looked around him and saw that there were only 500 old battalion soldiers left.
This confrontation with the officers and soldiers made him realize that his strength was far inferior to the officers and soldiers.
The battle between the officers and soldiers had directly woken him up. His strength was not at a certain level and he could not confront the officers and soldiers head-on.
"We still lack firearms, and if we have firearms, even large amounts of gunpowder.
We have broken through Luoyang long ago and obtained a lot of materials and money, and we can travel far and wide."
Li Zicheng looked at the officers and soldiers who had been shaken off by him.
He sighed and said: "The situation is too chaotic. Everyone ran away separately. I wonder how uncle Gao Yingxiang is doing?"