Also in August of the eighth year of Chongzhen, Guanzhong was particularly peaceful.
Mainly because Liu Chengzong was calm, Guanzhong and even the entire Shaanxi Province were calm.
Since last month, Liu Chengzong personally led his troops to lightly attack Weinan, breaking through the Korean camp at noon. In the afternoon, he lured Ming generals Liu Jinjue, Zhang Jizai, and Sun Shoufa to fight in the field, and defeated the four battalions of officers and soldiers in three hours.
Then an urgent letter came from Lanzhou, causing Liu Shizi to press the pause button for the Marshal's Army.
The letter was sent by a close associate of Liu Chengyun who was staying in Lanzhou. It was mainly to report on the battle and defense of Lanzhou, vaccination, and the summer grain harvest in Hehuang.
The contents of the letter are very optimistic. Not only has Chengyun managed Lanzhou's affairs in an orderly manner, it is even recruiting "rebels" who are stubbornly resisting in Qiang County.
Liu Shizi knew very well that the group of people entrenched in Fuqiang County were not rebels.
In that small town, the officials and generals of the Ming Dynasty, headed by Gao Qiang, the prefect of Gongchang from far away, and Tu Shixian, the general of Ningxia, have been suppressed and beaten by Feng Zhen's car camp and Dalai Taiji's military training guards.
.
In terms of food and grass, tens of thousands of soldiers from the Commander's Mansion came out of Hehuang, which greatly reduced the burden on Hehuang this year. Therefore, the soldiers and food were extremely abundant, and they had never been so wealthy.
Just in the text of the letter, Liu Shishi can see that Chengyun is in high spirits.
But Chengyun only mentioned a few details in the letter, which made Liu Chengzong sound the alarm in his heart: destroy the locusts.
We have been working on the locust extermination work in Lanzhou and Hehuang for a full year. Even so, Chengyun dare not let go.
From Xincheng to Lanzhou, castles along the Huangshui River Basin have prepared mountains of locust-killing tools and potions, just waiting for locust swarms from outside the region to fly in this year to feed the chickens, pigs and sheep raised.
Even a little happy.
But this incident made Liu Shizi very worried.
The locusts have been wiped out in Hehuang, but the Marshal's Mansion is now bigger.
The extraterritorial locust swarms Chengyun mentioned in the letter were actually the eggs in the area currently controlled by the Commander-in-Chief.
Just the plague east of the Yellow River and Tongguan line was enough to make Liu Chengzong worried. Now the memory of the locust plague came to mind again.
A huge feeling of powerlessness hit me from heaven to the soles of my feet in the blink of an eye.
Soon, every inch of land in the northwest received a locust prevention notice from the Generalissimo's Mansion.
This announcement was outrageous to many people.
For example, Chen Qiyu in Xi'an Fucheng, Hong Chengchou in Ningxia, He Renlong in Zhenning County, Qiao Qiangao in Fuqiang County, Ju Sirang in Qingyang Prefecture, and Zuo Maodi in Hancheng.
Of course, they also included Cao Wenzhao, Bai Guangen and other defeated generals who were on the run, as well as Gao Yingxiang from Hanzhong, Hou Liangzhu, the commander-in-chief of Baoning Prefecture in northern Sichuan, and Zu Dalue, the general.
Even Gao Jie, who was working as a bandit in the mountains of southern Shaanxi, received Liu Chengzong's notice indiscriminately.
Strange to say, under normal circumstances, except for Gao Yingxiang, no one else in this group would obey Liu Chengzong's orders.
But this summer, Liu Chengzong fought one after another in the Guanzhong Plain, making him the most terrifying character in the world, and every move he made was intimidating.
For example, Sichuan Marshal Hou Liangzhu led 20,000 Sichuan troops to garrison at the junction of Sichuan and Shaanxi.
This old guy has a lot of troops, but he did nothing serious in this battle.
He had no choice but to lead his army into Shaanxi. The situation he faced was that no matter who he planned to support, as soon as his troops set off, they would immediately receive news of who was defeated by Liu Chengzong.
Just advancing and retreating on the Sichuan-Shaanxi border several times, the morale of the entire army was frightened away, and it was unable to fight at all. It could only help the two major areas of Sichuan and Shaanxi mate a few times on the situation map.
So much so that Liu Chengzong's messenger cavalry rushed to Chaotian Pass, bent their bows and shot the notice at Guancheng. An arrow flew over, and the 600 defenders of Chaotian Pass collapsed immediately and retreated fifteen miles. Two days later, they found that Guancheng was gone.
Only after it was taken away did he dare to enter Guancheng to pick up the letter.
Hou Liangzhu ran over. He originally thought that Liu Shizi was trying to persuade him to surrender, but he was still fighting in his heart between stubbornly resisting and borrowing the donkey from the slope. It turned out that he was asked to prepare for the locust plague.
What can Hou Liangzhu say? Just be prepared, it’s good to prevent locust plague!
On the other hand, Gao Yingxiang's general Ke Tianhu, who came after him, was very angry.
This Ke Tianhu is not the same person as Zhang Yichuan's Ke Tianhu. He is a Shanxi man and Gao Yingxiang's right-hand man. He was originally leading the army to surround Hanzhong Fucheng. When the cavalry messenger from the Marshal's Mansion said that the Chaotianguan garrison collapsed, he led the troops in a hurry.
Run to the southern mountains.
As a result, he led his troops over, and Hou Liangzhu had already killed the garrison that had collapsed without permission, reorganized his troops and fortified them, and set up artillery in Guancheng to bombard him.
It greatly boosted the morale of the Sichuan army.
As for Qiao Qiangao in Fuqiang County and Tu Shixian outside the city, they completely regarded the generalissimo's announcement as an opportunity.
Taking Liu Chengzong's notice, they took the opportunity to negotiate with Feng Ru and Da, who came to Taiji, saying that the general's orders had come. If you don't withdraw from Fuqiang County, we will not dare to prepare for the locust plague and inspect the land to exterminate the locusts.
So either you pick up insect eggs in the fields, or you withdraw from Fuqiang County and agree not to attack each other, and we go out to work in the city.
As for Yu Chongxiao, the commander-in-chief of Yansui Town, he felt as if he had eaten a fly when he saw the notice.
The situation in Yansui Town is not optimistic. It is not that the drought in Yansui Military Field is too severe. After all, the military field is used to drought every year.
The real problem is that this year Yansui Town has transformed geographically from a frontier into an isolated overseas enclave.
To the north of Yansui Town is Maowusuhai, led by Elinchen and SaNangtaiji of the Ordos tribe, and tens of thousands of Mongolian cavalry stationed north of the border wall.
To the south is Yan'an Prefecture and the Hengshan Mountains. The bee-tailed needles are Zhang Zhen, the stars in the sky are Hui Dengxiang, and the stars are all over the sky. Zhou Qing also led more than 10,000 troops to stationed south of the border wall.
However, Yu Chongxiao only had three thousand mobile troops in his hands.
It originally came with five thousand, but two thousand was lost.
For no other reason than the 20,000 unlucky things were exchanged inside and outside the border wall. Cattle, sheep, horses and mules from unknown sources in the north, and cloth and department stores from unknown sources in the south, were exchanged around the Great Wall.
A group of people ate well and slept soundly, and they often invited Ming troops who were guarding the fort to come over for dinner.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! A few little lambs can make a fortress fall.
It's not that he has never tried to send troops to fight, but although there are many border troops in Yansui Town, they don't listen to his orders at all.
Even if they reluctantly sent troops, Zhang Zhen and Erlinchen would not fight with him at all. The enemy knew their marching time and route better than he did.
So much so that the veterans of Yulin are completely trapped in the city of sorrow.
After receiving a notice from the Marshal's Office on locust prevention, Yu Chongxiao could only pinch his nose and forward it to the whole town.
After all, even if he didn't tell the castles under the town about this, people would still know from Zhang Zhen. He sent it first, so at least it was his order.
The result was great. When sending troops to fight, everyone made a push for it. Liu Chengzong's orders were implemented very actively, and the whole town responded.
At the turn of summer and autumn in the eighth year of Chongzhen, no one in the entire northwest dared to fight against Liu Chengzong.
And Liu Chengzong, under the threat of plague and locust plague, really did not want to fight.
No prospects.
Even if his army is capable of fighting, the plague in the east has drawn a boundary for him; and leading the army into Huguang means that Shaanxi, which does not have enough manpower, will not be able to cope with this year's locust plague, which means that the entire Eastern Expedition was in vain.
Therefore, his response to the few cities in Shaanxi that still belonged to the Ming Dynasty and the officials who were still loyal to the Ming court was to give them the opportunity to negotiate peace with him and allow them to be autonomous this year.
For example, Qingyang Prefecture, Zhenning County, Fuqiang County, Hancheng and other places are very aware of current affairs and accept peace negotiations in private and carry out self-government.
There are also some places, such as Xi'an Fucheng where Chen Qiyu is located, that have no ability to negotiate peace at all.
The trenches outside the city of Xi'an were dug layer after layer, and not even a horse could escape. They had no control over the wild areas, and they didn't even have local autonomy. They could only squat in the city and play with themselves.
The situation in Weinan County is a bit more complicated.
The city was full of gentry, and they were very dissatisfied with the field policy of the Marshal's Mansion. Even if the army outside the city was defeated, they still wanted to put up a stubborn resistance.
However, Liu Chengzong was undecided because there was Nan Juyi in the city, so he did not immediately order an attack.
He had a certain fondness for Nan Juyi. After all, it was Nan Juyi who proposed the payment of wages in the first year of Chongzhen in Yansui Town, and the experience of this old minister was useful to the Marshal's Mansion. He was worried that attacking the city would scare the old man to death.
But this group of people organized a rebel army, and they were let off lightly, and even persuaded them to surrender, which made Liu Shizi feel uncomfortable.
So he simply left Zuo Guang, one of Huben Camp's men, outside the city, leaving the gentry in the city alone, and then turned around and went to Huazhou.
It had been a while since Zhang Tianlin had been stationed in Tongguan. Huazhou was now safe. He wanted to go over and have a closer look at the situation in Wei Qian'er's camp.
Liu Chengzong arrived in Huazhou on the first day, and Zhang Tianlin's letter was delivered to Liu Shizi through three messengers alternately that night.
The content of the letter is not only a report, but also an apology.
The good news is that as Zhang Tianlin entered Tongguan, the treatment and prevention methods discovered by both the Tongguan Guards and Wei Qian'er Camp, as well as Liu Chengzong's instructions, all gave him great inspiration and inspiration for controlling the spread of the plague and curing the sick soldiers.
help.
The plague in Tongguan has been basically controlled and will not spread westward.
The bad news is that Liu Chengzong gave him an order to take Wei Qian'er's camp out.
Zhang Tianlin can't do it.
Liu Chengzong wants to give Wei Qian'er two punches, but it is difficult at the moment. It will be at least next year until he recovers.
There were only 1,875 people left in Wei Qian'er's camp.
This also includes more than 200 former Tongguan Guard officers and flag troops who were captured and surrendered.
Zhang Tianlin sent a thick document, which clearly recorded various situations inside and outside Tongguan, and finally concluded that it would be difficult to rebuild the camp.
This conclusion made Liu Shizi collapse.
He had been mentally prepared. The most feared thing about the plague was its spread, and Tongguan Guard was very small. As a confined space with a city as its unit, the plague would definitely spread horribly.
When he learned that Wei Qian'er had entered Tongguan, he knew that the camp was probably gone.
But what really made him collapse was that his well-equipped and well-trained battalion was defeated and annihilated. The opponent was not the plague, let alone the Tongguan Guards Banner Army.
They fought all over the world and killed all the enemies they could see.
But in desperation, he dug a hole to bury himself alive, burned his house and burned himself in the fire. He ate so much that his belly was broken. As a result, he fell ill and committed suicide.
Liu Chengzong flipped through Zhang Tianlin's documents and looked at the familiar names. The past of destroying the inn was vivid in his mind. He still remembered the miserable appearance of those unlucky people when they first met.
A miserable fool who has been running around for half his life died for a sentence. He walked on the arid land and fought fiercely with all the opponents he could meet in the northwest, even at the risk of his life. He knocked down the admired warriors from the altar and knocked down the feared masters one after another.
On the ground.
They are the most powerful and stalwart husbands in this land, and they can defeat half of the country with both fists and two hands.
But in Tongguan, he took off his clothes and armor, and died in strange and bizarre ways...Liu Chengzong even felt that his brother Paoze was looking for relief.
These fools are truly relieved.
"remember."
Liu Chengzong lowered his head and flipped through the documents, and Yu Linlang came forward to write. He heard him say: "I have given Zhang Tianlin the command of the Tongguan general to prepare a register for the dead soldiers of the camp. He will take charge of the military camp and temporarily station it in Tongguan. He will defend the territory from the bandits and defend against it.
The plague is preparing for locusts.”
"Wei Qian'er was exempted from being a general in the camp, and was awarded the title of Earl Jinming. He was hereditary commander of the Tongguan Guards. Those officers and soldiers in his camp who were willing to fight were merged into Zhang Tianlin's banner. Those who were willing to settle down were moved to Tongguan Guards with their families - let him
Take out the regulations for the granting of land to military households by military officers, and build the tombs of brothers who died in battle."
Having said this, Liu Chengzong paused and put his fist to his mouth.
Even if the surviving soldiers of Wei Qian'er's camp had no physical problems, Liu Chengzong believed that their mental state would make it difficult for them to continue to stay in the army.
Their ability is sufficient, but after this battle, the mental pressure they bear is too great. Even if they are used as the backbone to replenish the battalion, it will be easy for the battalion to collapse in the future.
Therefore, we simply placed them in Tongguan. If there is a war in the future, they will still be the best soldiers. It would be better if there is no war and live a stable life.
Of course, it was still difficult for him to accept the result that a large camp was gone.
After a long pause, Liu Shishi continued: "Zhang Tianlin's troops are enough to defend Tongguan. Let Zhao Zhirui take a thousand headquarters to Wuguan, and the defense of Shangluo Road will also be merged into Tongguan."
"In addition, write a letter to Zuo Maodi in Hancheng. If the locust plague in Shanxi this year is severe and the locusts need manpower to cross the border, the nearest reinforcements will be the Yaozhou Milayin Department. Remember to ask for help and send him a famine relief and epidemic prevention book."
Liu Chengzong had just arranged things on the Yellow River at Tongguan, when Zuo Guangxian, who was staying in Weinan County, sent a message.
Opening the letter, Liu Shizi, who looked bitter and resentful, finally smiled.
He hadn't thought about what to do in Weinan County, but he didn't expect that the gentry led by Nan Juyi in Weinan County could not sit still.
Nan Juyi wrote a letter to Zuo Guangxian, hoping that the whole city could surrender, but there were conditions.
It was this condition that made Liu Shishi laugh. Nan Juyi hoped that the Marshal's Mansion would take back his life and not let the Weinan gentry redeem their own land for one tael of silver per acre.
Liu Chengzong thought to himself, when did I give such an order?
It's nonsense, I just want to collect your salary.
However, Liu Chengzong did not intend to tell Nan Juyi his thoughts, but ordered Yu Linlang to write a reply to Zuo Guangxian: "Let him tell Nan Juyi not to attack the city because my younger generation respects the old minister, but one code is the same."
Ma, if you don't surrender, you won't even be qualified to redeem the land when the city is destroyed."
They simply don't have the basis to negotiate conditions.
The basis is that they were surrounded in the city and the fields were outside the city.
In the whole of Shaanxi, only the Marshal's Army can move freely in the countryside outside the city.
This was the basis for Liu Chengzong not to rush to attack the city. He destroyed all the Ming Dynasty's mobile forces in Shaanxi. The army controlled the outside of the city with absolute superiority and controlled everything on this land. The city was not that important.
If the old man surrendered and wanted to preserve the clan, Liu Chengzong would naturally not let them starve to death.
But if you don't know what to do, then all Nan's land and property will be confiscated.
In the final analysis, everything will be different if Shaanxi is captured. As long as Shaanxi is stable, Liu Shishi hardly has to worry about his Shaanxi-born generals rebelling.
Fast horses are galloping on the Guanzhong Plain, and everyone everywhere is making final preparations for the coming locust plague.
Finally, locusts flying from the cracks in the cracked earth arrived as expected, putting an end to all disputes.
At the same time, the news from Tongguan Guard finally broke through the blockade of the plague in Henan Prefecture.
The news that Liu Chengzong sent troops to massacre Tongguan spread throughout the world.