Outside Zhuantianmao Academy, the sound of neat reading could be heard from the courtyard.
Mr. Liu was sitting in a stone pavilion wearing a blue-dyed stand-up collared gown. He took a sip from his long pipe with a depressed look on his face, and sighed as the smoke blew out of his mouth and nose: "The war is in chaos."
Liu Chengzong stood aside and found it particularly ironic to hear his father, one of the top anti-king leaders in Shaanxi, sigh like this.
In other words, the existence of Zhuantianmao itself is a irony. The school here is larger than the Heilongshan clan school in the past. On this little-known hilltop, there is the largest rogue academy in the entire Ming Dynasty.
Any descendant of the Liu family who has studied can find a job as a teacher here. There are eight enlightenment schools, which can accommodate 160 students.
It won't be long before these thieves and thieves start robbing people with all their talk.
Yang Dingrui sat on the side, carefully wiping his tortoiseshell glasses with a fine velvet cloth, and while wiping, he said: "The imperial court ordered all regions to raise troops to defend the country in response to King Qin. What did the lion think?"
Liu Chengzong was looking at the distance in a trance, when Xiao Shiliu came over there carrying tea, shaking his head in the same rhythm as the sound of reading coming from the academy.
He turned his head and said: "Sir, I feel that the statement has nothing to do with me."
No matter how much the emperor issued an edict, it was not his turn to join the guard.
The emperor doesn't care what the lion thinks.
Xiaoliu came over and put the tea in the pavilion, and Liu Chengzong rubbed his head.
This little thing's life has improved. The short hair on his head has grown well, is black and shiny, and his body is much cleaner. He no longer looks like he used to have a head full of scabies.
Yang Dingrui picked up the teacup and blew on it, and said with a smile: "The message has nothing to do with you, but the governors and general soldiers of the five towns in Yanbian are supposed to lead the bidding battalion into the guard. There are not many elite soldiers and generals in Shaanxi. Now it depends on what you think."
He put down his tea bowl and said: "While King Qin's army is entering the defense, go south to hold Yanzhou, go west to hold Qingyang, and station in Suide in the north. Yan'an Prefecture will be safe. When the border troops return next year, they will make a big show in Yansui."
”
With Yanzhou in hand, there is a way to go south to Yaozhou and send troops out of Qingyang. Qingyang is safe, and Ziwuling, the only way for troops to march from Guyuan to Yan'an, is in hand, and there is strategic depth.
Yaozhou belongs to Guanzhong, which is almost unaffected by drought, while Suidezhou is the real northern gate, which can lock out the border troops of Yansui Town.
The idea was quite good, but Liu Chengzong sighed, sat by the pavilion and asked: "Sir, will it not rain next year?"
Security and territory are all based on the condition of being able to farm. Liu Chengzong only occupies Wangzhuang now, not because there is Wangzhuang Fort.
The fortress is just a joy to look at. Waking up in the stone fortress every day can provide yourself with an unparalleled sense of security.
In fact, living in a stone castle is no different from living in a paper house.
If you don't fight for a city or a land, you can move to eliminate the main force of the army; if you only focus on a fort, you will find yourself a graveyard full of stones.
It's because in the Xingzi River Basin, there is sufficient water flow and good water conservancy, so land can be cultivated.
On the surface, they took Yan'an Prefecture from the imperial court, but in fact the land they could use was less than half of the county.
The sites are all fake.
Only drought is real.
When Yang Dingrui and Liu Xiangyu were silent, Liu Chengzong said first: "The entry into the guard will not go smoothly, otherwise I really want Yang Yanchang to lead troops into the guard to see the Donglu."
Liu Chengzong used the word "look", which made Yang Dingrui and Liu Xiangyu look at each other. Liu Xiangyu asked: "What's so good about Donglu? It won't go well, so what can you say?"
Liu Chengzong didn't know how to explain.
The Ming Dynasty in another memory, even without his insignificant contribution, would have been finished in the 17th year of Chongzhen.
Donglu is different, Donglu is his biggest enemy.
He shook his head and ignored his father's previous question. He stretched out his hand and drew a circle on the stone table and said: "The food I can move should be no less than what the troops entering the guard from all over the country can move. I really want to let Yang Yanchang lead troops into the guard.
But if you think about it, my team will run out of food no matter what."
He dipped his finger in tea, drew the direction of the road along the Great Wall on the stone table, clicked on the side forts, and said: "When the Shaanxi officers and soldiers enter the guard, the fastest way is to walk along the side wall. It is three thousand miles from Yansui Town.
, Guyuan is more than 4,000 miles away from Ningxia, and Lintao is 6,000 miles away from Gansu. It’s so close that it takes a month to walk, but it’s so slow that you can’t even reach it after two months of walking.”
The more Liu Chengzong spoke, the more serious his face became. He was really worried about the imperial court. He raised a finger and said: "Three sides and five towns. Even if one town sends 5,000 troops, that is more than 20,000 people. If the military forts on the border walls can supply
With enough military rations to feed six hundred men for a month, my brother and I still need to go home?"
This is a simple calculation problem.
The military fort cannot feed 600 people for a month, nor can it feed 20,000 for a day. In other words, these incoming troops will eat up the food reserves of all the military forts along the Great Wall within two months. Those in the front can eat, but those in the back can’t eat. Moreover, before those who have can eat and what can’t be eaten, there is still the issue of whether they will be allowed to eat.
Liu Chengzong didn't know how this battle between King Qin would turn out. He believed in the loyalty and quality of the frontier troops. Even if they faced great difficulties, there would still be heroes who would break through the difficulties and obstacles and serve the emperor in Beizhili without hesitation.
The bloody battle of Donglu.
Wuyangyang's King Qin's army squeezed into the capital, and it was more difficult to find food than to capture Donglu and fight in a bloody battle.
Liu Chengzong used words to describe a terrible death march between King Qin and the bloody battle.
Liu Xiangyu and Yang Dingrui were silent.
Liu Chengzong sighed feebly: "Why does the emperor want to preach to the diligent kings everywhere? He knows nothing!"
The emperor didn't know how much honor the word "King Qin" meant to the border guards, and he didn't know how respected the emperor was in the hearts of the soldiers.
Little does he know how much disaster his words will bring to those who are loyal to him.
He doesn’t know that people need to eat.
He knows shit.
Liu Chengzong suddenly asked: "Sir, do you think the name Liu Chengzong is loud enough?"
The two of them didn't know why he suddenly asked this. Yang Dingrui asked: "What's wrong?"
"The imperial court is diligent in the king's army. There will be many deserters on the march. They dare not join the army. If they knew about me, would they come to me?"
Liu Chengzong rubbed his chin with his hand and looked at his father and teacher: "Should I send someone to pick them up?"
This is actually quite a whimsical thing.
But when I think about it carefully, it seems very feasible.
Regardless of Shanxi, Yansui or Guyuan, at least in these three towns, the border troops may have heard of the name Liu Chengzong.
Five thousand people from each of the three towns set out on the road. The journey was long and there was insufficient military and food supplies. It is not an exaggeration to have three to five hundred people fleeing each way.
Where can these deserters run?
Either occupy the mountain and become king, or come to northern Shaanxi and seek refuge with the big boss.
Among these big bosses, which one wins the most among the military?
Doing the math, Liu Chengzong thinks that at least half of the thousands of people should defect to him, right?
Yang Dingrui had not considered the problem from this perspective before, but now that he thought about it, he raised his hand and slapped it on the stone table, almost knocking off the lid of the tea cup, and said: "Lion, let Yang Yanchang follow Wu Zimian!"
"He? He just heard that his name was spread to Yansui Town a few days ago, so he ran to Xingzi River and kowtowed to me, so that he could go to King Qin without being scared to death."
In fact, if I really want to say it, Liu Chengzong has known Yang Yanchang for a long time and knows that he is not a coward.
It's just that for such a big Yan'an Guard, Yang Yanchang himself was just an official who inherited the official position, and his subordinates had no foundation. After he was promoted, even the soldiers who served him were determined to follow Liu Chengzong.
Changing places, Liu Chengzong also resisted the idea of leading an army to serve the king.
As long as one person can direct two people, he will rise confidently.
But if you don’t even have the ability to command yourself, how can you have confidence?
When it was time to run, his subordinate Ren Quan'er of Qianhu drew his sword, and the guards on both sides fought: Don't run!
That's where your life is lost.
Who is not afraid of this?
"If you let him follow Wu Zimian, he will be a diligent king. Didn't you say that Wu Zimian can't gain military morale?"
Yang Dingrui raised his hand and said: "Since he has no morale in the army, you can help him. Wang Ziyong, the bandit leader from Yanchuan, is no longer the deputy of Qianhu. I think he is quite good at deceiving people. Let him control the army brigade."
I'll pull you back."
Liu Chengzong’s eyes are sharp.
He finally understood that he, as a teacher, was tied up when working for the imperial court. He had no shackles after leaving the imperial court. He was more ruthless than the other when poaching corners of the imperial court and coming up with ideas.
To be a Jinshi is a shame for the imperial court.
"Monk Wang, Monk Wang..."
Liu Chengzong pondered the name repeatedly. In fact, as soon as Yang Dingrui said it, he thought that the person who did this was Cao Yao.
To form cliques, who has the old rebel leader Cao Yaoqiang? He is familiar with both the people and the land. He has been to border forts along the way, from northern Shaanxi to Shanxi.
The way back is more familiar.
It's just that Cao Yao really can't handle this matter, and it will be difficult to handle it when he meets He Renlong.
All fools know that Cao Yao and Liu Chengzong are a group of people.
Besides, Yang Yanchang may not be willing to go.
Liu Chengzong talked about this matter with his father and husband in Zhuantianmao, and gained a better understanding of the general environment. He turned around and called out Yang Yanchang from Yan'an Guard, and the two returned to Xingzi River together.
Taking advantage of his time to inquire about information, Yang Yanchang was also trying his best to find out the situation.
On the road, the two people compared what they knew with each other and finally came to the conclusion that this matter was an unreasonable disaster for Yang Yanchang.
The imperial court's deployment of troops and Qinwang is not the Yan'an Guard's business. That is the matter of several general soldiers and governors in Shaanxi. It is not the turn of the small Yan'an Guard commander to take the lead.
When Yang Yanchang talked about this, his face was full of pain: "What I found out was that the commander-in-chief of Yansui, Wu Zimian, didn't know what was wrong with him. He actually went to Yang He to ask for instructions to mobilize troops from my Yan'an Guard.
King Qin's troops entering Yansui Town."
After saying this, Liu Chengzong had some guesses in his heart and asked: "Does he want you to take Ma Jun there?"
Yang Yanchang said: "You must bring mules and horses with you when entering the guard!"
"I guess it's Wu Zimian who has taken a liking to your horse. He has this problem. The border troops in Yansui Town know about it. He used to seize the guard's horse when I was in Yuhe Fort."
"But where can I find a horse?"
"You didn't, but I did. He probably thought you defeated me twice, so why didn't you capture some horses?"
Liu Chengzong guessed this, and there was no other possibility. If Wu Zimian's army might be lacking, but gathering together two or three thousand elite soldiers would not be a problem for the huge Yansui Town.
There was no time to mobilize the troops of the Yan'an Guard. The most likely reason was that Wu Zimian was greedy again.
What's more, there are thieves all over the place and transportation is inconvenient. Shaanxi has semi-abandoned Yan'an Prefecture. They don't know the situation of Yan'an Guard.
Liu Chengzong tried to think about the situation of Yan'an Prefecture in the eyes of the Shaanxi rulers. Basically, Zhang Nian and Yang Yanchang were a nail.
There are thieves from all directions, but this nail is still hammered into the city of Yan'an.
Just like Yanchuan County drew a circle for Li Bei, it is a safe zone.
Outside this circle, they are all thieves.
When Yang Yanchang heard this explanation, he was even more helpless: "Then I will die no matter what. If Wu Zimian targets my horse, I may not be able to escape no matter how hard I hide."
Liu Chengzong nodded and said: "I estimate that within a few days, there will be a letter from over there to you, using high-sounding excuses to ask you for a horse. Just give him the horse and the matter will be over."
"If you don't give him a horse, I'm afraid even if there's a battle, he won't give up and will still come to you for a horse."
Liu Chengzong didn't say anything more and just kept his head on the road. On the one hand, he wanted to give Yang Yanchang some time to think about it; on the other hand, he was also wondering if there were any other solutions to this matter.
He didn't know whether King Qin's army would collapse. After all, the upper and lower limits of the Ming army... were too difficult to estimate.
If King Qin’s army does not collapse and Yang Yanchang leads his troops to Gyeonggi Province to defend, will he run or not?
If you run, your official position will be lost; if you don’t run, your life will be lost.
No matter how you calculate it, it’s a loss.
Until the two arrived at Xingzi River, Yang Yanchang still had no solution, and even asked Liu Chengzong for help: "How about you help me grab a hundred horses?"
Liu Chengzong has a horse and wants to ride it himself.
He smiled and said: "How about this? How about you go and take five hundred people with you, and I will get you two hundred horses."
"Why should I go there if I have this horse? Just give the horse to Wu Zimian." Yang Yanchang felt greatly at a loss and waved his hand: "Let him go to King Qin himself!"
"This is not okay."
Liu Chengzong made a small calculation and raised his hand and said: "Look, if I give you 200 horses, if you don't go to defend, will we lose a net loss of 200 horses?"
Yang Yanchang nodded: "Yes, but the officialdom suppresses people to death, what can be done."
"If you treat these two hundred horses as capital, and you bring five hundred people over there, you will give him a hundred horses first. There will definitely be insufficient food and grass on King Qin's road. You take Monk Wang with you, and I will get you two more familiar horses.
You get to know the border troops on the road. If someone wants to break away from the camp and escape, just let them go and lead them away."
Liu Chengzong raised his palm, tapped it with his other hand and said: "Run to Yan'an Mansion, I will send people to meet him, and if we exchange horses for his soldiers, won't we lose money so much?"
Yang Yanchang nodded again, then shook his head and said: "No, brother, aren't you going to lose me?"
"It's not a loss, listen to me, two hundred horses, go over and give them to Wu Zimian before he can, and tell Yan'an Prefecture to support Wu Zongbing, King Qin. When there are enough soldiers to escape the camp behind, you might as well give the other ones to him."
Give him a hundred horses and discuss with him to put you back. If it's not possible, let him put you back and give him another hundred horses."
Liu Chengzong's eyes were fixed on Yang Yanchang: "Three hundred horses, as long as you can get me 300 frontier troops, preferably the general as well, I won't lose. Do you dare?"