On the night of the fourth day after Liu Chengzong left Heshui County.
Jiang Yingchang received news in Heshui County that the Lion Battalion soldiers were pointing to Qingyang Fucheng.
Three hundred troops of the Qingyang Guards set up an ambush at Zuogang and were frightened by the might of the Lion Camp. Their troops collapsed without a fight and fled into the barren mountains. The commander, Guo Zining, committed suicide and apologized.
Liu Chengzong sent a message to calm the people. Early the next morning, he led his generals to follow his father and brothers to the east mountain of Qingcheng to pay homage to Zhou Zu's Bucheng Mausoleum, and then broke camp and headed south to Ningzhou.
At the same time, the vanguard guerrilla Yang Yanchang led 500 tiger troops from Jingxing into Pingding Prefecture, Shanxi Province, and won the first battle.
The leader of the thieves who was defeated by him was called Fanshan Harrier, an old bandit from Shanxi who gathered thousands of people to operate in the Taihang Mountains.
He was suddenly attacked by Yang Yanchang and defeated like a torrent.
Sometimes a person's self-confidence is very important. In Gyeonggi, he witnessed the brutal war between the four cities of Yongping and the Donglu. Then he went back to Shanxi and fought against a thieves like Fanshan Harrier who had been robbing and robbing for three years. Yang Yanchang was a little bit more confident.
There is no psychological pressure.
Five hundred versus two thousand.
The troops were divided into five sentries to press forward, colliding with each other, forming long-distance drives, chasing death and chasing north.
Winning is simple and beautiful.
Killed more than eighty people, captured more than four hundred people, and nearly one of his men was arrested.
At the edge of the battlefield, Yang Yanchang let go of his horse and sat on a rock on the edge of the mountain to rest. His eyes were full of worry and he didn't know the future, and he lamented that people can't help themselves in the world.
He finally ended the wonderful journey of being sent by the rebel leader to King Qin.
The mission assigned to him by Liu Shizi was completed very smoothly. The two hundred war horses were regarded as meat buns beating dogs, and the compensation was worth their pants.
But for himself, he gained a lot.
He was appointed by the Ministry of War to command the general affairs, and was issued with a scarlet official robe and a tiger's hair.
Still in the third rank, he was promoted to the rank of General Zhaoyi with military honors, and was promoted to the rank of Captain of Qingchao, and he was sent to guard Yan'an Prefecture as a general.
He felt that when he returned to Yan'an this time, he had to find a way to find the genealogy.
I have probably been the person with the highest official position in the clan for two hundred years, and I have a glorious ancestor.
But more important than official position is experience.
In the past, when he was in Yan'an Guard, he saw that military households were so hungry that they sold their wives and children to survive, but he thought it was nothing.
The military households were finished long ago. At most, the drought made the scale of the destruction a little larger, extending to Yan'an Guards.
You can go from northern Shaanxi to the capital, and from the local area to the capital.
He found that the situation in northern Shaanxi was not a problem of drought or personal wealth, but a problem in the entire world.
The drought only turned northern Shaanxi into the weakest piece of land and was crushed by pressure.
There must be a big problem in the world, but he couldn't tell what the problem was specifically.
I only know that if there were no big problems in the world, it would be impossible for a person like him to be a trial 100 households with no real vacancies last year, and this year he would be commanding all the affairs of the third rank.
"General, I've asked you all, Mountain Harrier is an old thief."
The veteran came over with his sword pressed.
The veteran's name is Liu Xiangshan. He is actually just a little older and has only been in the army for more than ten years.
He is Liu Chengzong's uncle by seniority. He first studied in clan school for several years, and later received military training from Liu Xiangyu.
Earlier, he took his three sons to the capital to conquer the four cities of Yongping with his three sons as the Yan'an Wei General Banner. During the battle to conquer the four cities of Yongping, two of his sons died in the battle.
One was hit by a surrender artillery piece at the foot of Luanzhou City, and the other was hit in the face by a Tatar soldier with a close-range bow while blocking deserters at night.
In exchange for two Tatars and three surrendered soldiers, Liu Xiangshan is now the commander-in-chief of the Yan'an camp, and his son Liu Chengguang is the commander-in-chief of the Yan'an camp.
Liu Xiangshan said: "This man was originally a thief who made his fortune in the seventh year of Tianqi. In that year, Zhang Shoucheng, the eunuch guarding Datong, took away the forage money from the Yanghe pacesetters. The pacesetters mutinied and asked him to recruit a few soldiers. Later, in
Floating between Datong and Taiyuan."
As he spoke, Liu Xiangshan pointed to the captives who were kneeling on the ground and said: "This traitor is a smart man. Seeing that the situation was not going well, he led his team and ran away. Most of the captives were mountain people who were trapped."
Even if Liu Xiangshan hadn't said anything, Yang Yanchang could have guessed that these prisoners had almost no equipment. They only had hunting bows, simple knives, and short spears. The more than 400 people couldn't even find a waist knife or armor. They couldn't be called rebels at all.
.
"They are all poor people, so uncle, let them go."
Yang Yanchang has always respected Liu Xiangshan. In fact, he also respects his subordinates.
The two tigers of the Liu family are competing against each other, and he doesn't dare to take advantage.
"You can't let me go, General. You forgot, General Cao said that all the victory will be reported to him."
After being reminded by Liu Xiangshan, Yang Yanchang said: "Yes, yes, yes, then send someone to report it to General Cao."
Yang Yanchang was very confused and his mind was not on these things.
Seeing Liu Xiangshan nodding in agreement, he went to deliver the order, but he stopped him again: "Let others do this. I have something to tell my uncle."
Seeing his worried look, Liu Xiangshan nodded and handed over the task of delivering the order to others. He asked the Liu family's children to stand guard thirty steps around, and stepped forward and asked, "What's wrong?"
Yang Yanchang looked around and whispered: "We have entered Shanxi, what will we do next?"
"Cao Wenzhao is just behind, helping the court to quell the rebellion." Liu Xiangshan glanced at him: "What else can we do?"
Yang Yanchang realized that Liu Xiangshan didn't understand. He shook his head and said: "Counterinsurgency is not a problem. We can fight a battle like today as many times as we want. Du Wenhuan asked Cao Wenzhao to penetrate Shanxi and go to Fugu to beg Wang Jiayin. Do you really want to fight Wang Jiayin?
?"
If you can really beat him, then it won't be a problem to beat anyone. The problem is that Wang Jiayin is a big thief that even Du Wenhuan finds troublesome.
"Besides, no one will join hands with Yan'an to fight against Wang Jiayin. Do you really plan to lead troops to fight against your brother and nephew?"
Yang Yanchang said this carelessly, but his eyes were fixed on Liu Xiangshan's face.
Liu Xiangshan was expressionless: "It depends on what the general thinks and what the general orders, and what we subordinates do."
After testing each other, no results were found.
Yang Yanchang swallowed, he could only confirm that Liu Xiangshan was telling the truth.
But I’m not sure what Liu Xiangshan means.
This force, which originated from the Yan'an Guard Automatic Operation, underwent some changes due to the addition of Guan Ning's army on King Qin's return.
Whatever he orders, his subordinates will do it.
After all, he gave the order and his subordinates followed it;
Or he ordered Liu Chengzong to be beaten, and his subordinates killed him;
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Or maybe he ordered Liu Chengzong not to be beaten and his subordinates killed him?
Now Yang Yanchang can't even figure out his own inner tendencies when standing in front of high-ranking officials and generous salaries.
Not to mention what the Liu family, a group of civilians with actual military power, would think if they became generals.
What he fears most is not Cao Wenzhao, Wang Jiayin, or Liu Chengzong.
It's Liu Xiangshan and other members of the Liu family who are in the military.
"Uncle Xiang Shan, regardless of others, we are grasshoppers on the same rope." Yang Yanchang said eagerly: "I will discuss it with you no matter what you think or do."
Liu Xiangshan nodded slightly, with a sad look on his face, and said: "Cao Wenzhao must live, I want to return to Yan'an."
Yang Yanchang echoed: "Yes, brothers must rest in their graves."
What he was talking about was that twenty-seven of the Yan'an guards who had entered the capital were killed in the battle, as well as one sergeant who died of illness. The twenty-eight corpses were all packed in coffins, and were carried behind by the king's own men.
Today's normal roads, whether crossing Shanxi into Shaanxi or taking the Great Wall to Yulin, are blocked, and the body cannot be transported home in advance.
The road to Yongheguan is full of thieves in Shanxi; the road to the Great Wall has been turned into a battlefield by Wang Jiayin.
Although no one, not even thieves, would snatch the coffin, the coffin requires a cart and horse.
But now, Liu Xiangshan's intention is very clear. Without Cao Wenzhao's Guan Ning Army, they alone would not be able to return to Yan'an safely.
Unless the official and military masks are taken off.
Yang Yanchang asked: "What about after returning to Yan'an Mansion?"
In fact, he just wanted to ask two things: how to deal with Wang Jiayin and how to deal with Liu Chengzong.
The purpose of dealing with them is not to fight, but to maximize the interests of their unit. To confront these two people head-on, not to mention the interests, or else their lives will be involved.
Liu Xiangshan didn't know either. He sighed and said: "Let's take it one step at a time. This matter also depends on the king's own use. If we follow Cao Wenzhao to fight against thieves on all sides, I will only have one son, Chengguang. Sooner or later we will all die."
"I also feel that I must get rid of him."
Yang Yanchang's choice of words is very accurate. He does not want Cao Wenzhao to die, but only hopes that he can escape from Cao Wenzhao's control.
There are not many generals in northern Shaanxi now. After Cao Wenzhao died, the imperial court had no choice but to send him around.
Yang Yanchang was probably the military commander in the entire Ming Dynasty who least wanted to make meritorious deeds.
He was very satisfied with his current official position, and he fantasized about returning to Yan'an Prefecture. He was openly stabilizing the military affairs of Yan'an Prefecture, while Liu Chengzong secretly controlled everything in Yan'an Prefecture.
If Liu Chengzong wanted to go to Qingyang, he would go to Qingyang. If he wanted to go to Shanxi, he would go to Shanxi. If he wanted to go to Guanzhong, he would go to Guanzhong. Every time he came back with a full load, he would fight a battle. He would invade Shanxi from Qingyang and invade Qingyang from Shanxi. p>
The two of them can fight for the rest of their lives, how wonderful it would be.
But Yang Yanchang didn't know exactly how to get rid of Cao Wenzhao. He said: "We can only take one step at a time. If there is no other way, we can only find a way to kill them."
Ouch!
Liu Xiangshan looked at him sideways. How can you, General Yang, still be so ruthless?
Feeling his gaze, Yang Yanchang smiled sheepishly: "It's just a chance, so be cautious. Either don't do it, or do it cleanly...here it comes."
The person here is Cao Bianjiao, Cao Wenzhao's nephew. He is two years older than Liu Chengzong. He is young and promising. He followed his uncle to fight against the Eastern Han Dynasty and has already accumulated military exploits and risen to the rank of guerrilla general.
He did not come by himself, but also brought a group of Liao soldiers. They all held the ropes with a relaxed expression and obeyed the orders to tie up the prisoners. Everyone was smiling, and it seemed that the military discipline was not very good.
On the other hand, Cao Bianjiao's expression was serious, his body stood straight as he walked, and he walked towards him with his head held high.
Yang Yanchang came up to greet him. Cao Bianjiao first bowed down and saluted. After standing up, he glanced at the prisoners not far away and then said to Yang Yanchang: "General Yang, the deputy commander has an order to kill all the prisoners in the wilderness. There is no need to clean up and continue to advance." After saying that, Cao Bianjiao handed over the sealed order with both hands and said: "This is a military order."
"Kill them all?"
Yang Yanchang took the military order and read it in disbelief. He turned to Liu Xiangshan and turned to Cao Bianjiao as he said: "Mr. Liu, did the person who sent the message not make it clear? These people are just following the mountain people..."
Cao Bianjiao cupped his hands and said, "General Yang, General Liu was right in sending someone to deliver the message, but this is the military order. Please execute it and kill all the prisoners."
Yang Yanchang swallowed and his eyes roamed over the faces of Cao Bianjiao and Liu Xiangshan.
He has never seen anything like this, nor has he done anything like it.
Even since the rebellion in northern Shaanxi, he had never heard of a general who killed all the people who threatened him after defeating the rebels.
Even though the thieves defeated the officers and soldiers, they did not kill all the officers and soldiers who were unwilling to rebel.
Between mountains and Shaanxi, nothing like this has ever happened in this land!
Everyone here joins the army and thieves in order to survive. In order to survive, they have to fight each other. But when the fighting is over, even if the officers and soldiers attack the thieves, except for the leader, those who can surrender will be surrendered, and those who cannot be will be let go. p>
Even though local people don't like it, local officials will allocate land to them.
The court's disaster relief efforts were unfavorable and they were owed wages for many years. Everyone felt guilty.
The skin on Yang Yanchang's face was a little numb, so he had to smile to relieve the embarrassment: "They, Marshal Cao, and General Cao are from the same hometown. Speaking of which, you are all from Shanxi..."
But before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by Cao Bianjiao with a serious hand: "General Yang, we are the army and they are thieves. How can we tolerate the friendship between fellow soldiers and thieves?"
Yang Yanchang looked at the prisoners who were tied up by the smiling Liao soldiers not far away. His mind was already in a mess and he couldn't think about how persuading Cao to change his mind would not help the military order. He still tried his best to dissuade him and said: "They are just mountain people. The way General Cao looks at them
Can’t you see it?”
"Not even a single piece of armor was seized. There were more than seventy bows, and none of them had a strength of over fifty kilograms."
Cao Bianjiao was indifferent, his face expressionless like a robot: "The military orders are like mountains, General Yang wants to disobey them?"
Yang Yanchang is a person who is very scared by reality.
He is used to accompanying smiling faces to the rebels, friendly forces, and subordinates. For more than a year, there is no one around him who can straighten his spine and speak.
No one can be offended.
But even if he is controlled by others, those people will still give him face.
Only this time, Cao Bianjiao couldn't get in the firewood and rice, and he was very angry.
The smile on Yang Yanchang's face gradually turned cold, and he almost gritted his teeth and said: "Disobeying orders? What the hell is this messing with lives, looking down on human lives!"
"I am the Yan'an military commander, not the damn Yansui military commander. If I want to kill you, you go ahead and kill me!"
Cao Bianjiao didn't speak, his face was still expressionless, he just looked at him steadily.
Yang Yanchang regretted it after scolding him.
This Cao Bianjiao looks very much like his uncle, and both are as strong as a calf.
He thought that if this guy was going crazy, he might be the material to be killed by the sword.
But Cao Bianjiao didn't draw his sword, he just looked at him for a moment, looked away and looked at the place where the prisoners were being escorted. After the prisoners were all tied up, he turned around and raised his hands, nodded and spoke calmly.
"I humble my position and take orders."
After saying that, Cao Bianjiao raised his hand and waved it in that direction.
The Liao soldiers who were chatting and laughing lazily before suddenly changed their appearance. More than 40 people dispersed in all directions in a well-trained manner, standing in line outside the group of prisoners. Following the captain's order, they all drew their swords and slashed at the group of prisoners.
For a time, blood flowed all over the ground, and screams were everywhere.
The soldiers in Yan'an Camp were all dumbfounded.
"General Yang, by disbanding your subordinates today, you are telling everyone that they are not guilty of following the thieves. Tomorrow, if the leader of the thieves threatens them, they will still obey. We will serve the king without fear of hard work. But if we continue to fight like this, when will we be able to fulfill His Majesty's instructions?
”
In the background of the cry for mercy, Cao Bianjiao looked at Yang Yanchang with a complicated expression, with both pity and envy in his eyes.
He said: "Does the general know how many Liao people and Han soldiers outside the Pass have threatened the Eastern captives and turned to kill the Han people? For more than ten years, fathers and sons have killed each other, uncles and nephews have killed each other, and how many people have died at the hands of their own clansmen. The Han people have their heads shaved.
There is no turning back for Donglu, can we still wait for Donglu’s hair to grow out?”