"The humble Zheng Guo was ordered by Lord Futai to accompany the general to the Daling River to aid!"
"The last general, Liu Zeyi, came with his two hundred soldiers to receive the order!"
"The last general, Wang An, led three hundred troops from the right garrison to accompany the general to help!"
"The last general, Ge Qing, led 600 soldiers to take orders!"[
"..."
Qiu Hejia did not break his promise. He really gathered troops and horses for Shi Dayong. As the troops transferred came one after another, Shi Dayong calculated and found that the troops Qiu Hejia transferred to him belonged to six different places.
Among them, the 500 soldiers led by Liu Zeyi and Wang An were not the frontier soldiers of the Liaodong Army, but the guards of the garrison. Ge Qing, who led the most troops, was training troops from the Jinzhou Regiment, and Zheng Guo led the guards of Qiu Hejia. In addition,
The two groups together numbered less than 200 people, and they were the remnants of the guest army that went north during the Tianqi period. After the main force was wiped out, these people did not return to their place of origin, but stayed on the spot.
There are more than 1,200 soldiers and horses in the six divisions. Except for Zheng Guo's troops, which are cavalry, the other five divisions are all infantry. Not only that, many soldiers don't even have cotton armor on their bodies, and they don't even have any decent weapons in their hands. They look like they are improvised.
Children of military families who came out.
Shi Dayong was dumbfounded, but he could only accept it because he knew that Qiu Hejia had mobilized these 1,500 soldiers for him to the best of his ability. He could not blame Qiu Hejia too harshly. The old governor also had too many worries in his heart.
bitter.
Having already agreed to lead troops to rescue, a manly man said his word and could not go back on it. Even if there was a mountain of swords and a sea of fire ahead, he could only bite the bullet and go for it.
Although there are few soldiers and horses, the people's hearts are there.
After settling the six troops and horses, Shi Dayong sent an order: "Xia Desheng, Li Yizhong's troops will go to battle with me. The cavalry battalion will be temporarily led by Cao Bianjiao and there is no need to go to battle."
Xia Desheng and Li Yizhong were originally Zu Dashou's family generals. When they heard that Shi Dayong wanted to take them to help Jinzhou, they naturally had no obligation to refuse, and they went to prepare after receiving the order.
Cao Bianjiao was dissatisfied with Shi Dayong's order. He had heard that the main force of the Jin army surrounding Daling River City was led by their slave chief Hongtai himself. All banners, big and small, were coming!
Xiao Cao was young and vigorous. He often heard his uncle talk about how powerful the slave chief was and how good the Eight Banners soldiers were in fighting. At that time, he felt that his uncle was exaggerating. He only wanted to have the opportunity to fight against the slaves in the future. Now he is finally waiting for the opportunity.
, it was still a big scene, but Shi Dayong ordered him to lead the remnants of the cavalry battalion to stay at home and not go out to fight. Unavoidably, he got angry and lost his temper on the spot.
"Does the general think that I, Cao Bianjiao, am too young to fight? Will I miss the general's important mission?" There was a look of reluctance on the young face.
"Xiao Cao is too worried. How could I have such thoughts? Keeping you at home is just a plan for the Wolf Cavalry Army." Shi Dayong explained why he wanted to keep Cao Bianjiao, and then moved closer to the Wolf Cavalry Army, hoping that Xiao Cao would stay at home.
Cao can understand his painstaking efforts.
Cao Bianjiao shook his head and said: "There are still few armors and the wolf cavalry army will not be able to form an army in a short time. In this case, why doesn't the general take Xiao Cao to the Daling River? Why do you have to keep Xiao Cao at home!"
"Xiao Mr. Cao Qian, it's too dangerous to go out here to help, with a narrow escape from death. It's a good idea to leave you at home." Guo Yi, who was a few years older than Cao Bianjiao, kindly advised him.
But when he heard this, Cao Bianjiao became even more angry and said angrily: "I, Cao Bianjiao, am not afraid of death! The general's kindness is appreciated by Cao Cao, but he is here to help. As a soldier of the Ming Dynasty, Xiao Cao is not responsible for his negligence!
Even if you die, you will sacrifice your life for the country, and you will die a worthy death! A man is born to be wrapped in horse leather, how can he be greedy for life and afraid of death!"
"It is easy to die, but difficult to live. A general should think about how to live, not how to die."
Shi Dayong has decided not to take Cao Bianjiao, so no matter what he says, he will not let go. He walked up to him, patted his shoulder, and said in a deep voice: "I have decided not to take you, no matter what you say, I won't let him go."
It can’t be changed. If you still listen to my orders, go and train the wolf cavalry for me now. If you don’t listen to my orders, I will send you away immediately!"
"General!"[
Cao Bianjiao was anxious and angry. He looked at Shi Dayong blankly, hoping to see a hint of wavering on his face, but soon he realized that there was no room for accommodation in this matter.
He swallowed hard and choked with sobs: "General, please take care, Xiao Cao is waiting for you to come back." He turned around and walked away, never looking back again.
After a long while, Shi Dayong gave a wry smile, wondering how could such a fierce general as Cao Bianjiao really transfer him away. He just went here to help, and it was really a last resort, so it would be much more convenient to keep him in Jinzhou.
Instruct Li Dashan: "Everyone in the transport camp plus the civilian husbands who escaped last time must not be missing. All of them will come with me to help."
Li Dashan was startled: "General, these people get scared when they see Jiannu. What should you do with them?"
Shi Dayong said displeasedly: "Just take it with you, don't ask why."
Li Dashan hurriedly said: "Yes, General Mo will go and gather men right now."
After half a stick of incense, Li Dashan led the baggage camp and the civilian men who had returned from transporting grain last time to gather, a total of 700 people.
Xia Desheng and Li Yizhong's 500 cavalry also marched out from the camp and gathered with the six troops. After counting, the total number was 2,500.
At this time, only three quarters had passed, and Shi Dayong gave the order to start the cooking in advance. After the soldiers had eaten their stomachs, he gave the order to leave the city.
…………
The news that the governor ordered General Shi Dayong to lead troops to rescue Daling River spread in the morning, and all the generals in Liaodong found it unbelievable. Not long ago, Shi Dayong fought with Jiannu at the gate of Daling River and got two hundred heads.
He had a good record, but the victory was due to luck. If Jiannu hadn't retreated for no reason, his head would have been chopped off long ago.
Now that his Songshan soldiers have been crippled, and I heard that most of them have carried their corpses back to the pass, the only ones he can use are the 500 cavalry given to him by the ancestral commander. What can he use to help?
Later, the news came that the governor's office had transferred more than a thousand troops to Shi Dayong's command. This time, there was an uproar in Jinzhou City. Governor Daoqiu was confused. Even if he really wanted to send aid, he should have sent some Liaodong troops.
That's great. How can those guards be used in regiment training? Doesn't Shi Dayong have to lead them to death?
They don't want to think about it. If Governor Qiu can really mobilize the Liaodong soldiers, why would he need to mobilize some guards, train the troops, or even mobilize his own personal guards? This is not because their Liaodong generals are domineering and disobedient.
.
Shi Dayong didn't have time to think about how the generals in Liaodong viewed his sending aid to the Daling River. There was only one thing on his mind right now, and that was how to come back alive.
No officials came to see him off, and there was no spirited drink to send off the heroism. Everything was done in silence.
Two thousand five hundred soldiers quietly walked out of the city gate. Everyone already knew what they were going to do, and there was a sense of sadness in the team.
On the top of the city, Wu Xiang and Song Wei looked at Shi Bu's retreating figure, sighed at the same time, looked at each other, and silently walked down the city.
Inside the governor's office, Qiu Hejia leaned on the railing and looked at each other, feeling guilty.
Maybe, my decision was wrong; maybe, because of my own thoughts, I ruined Shi Dayong in vain.
However, for the sake of Ming Dynasty and the emperor, I must do it even if I know it is wrong.[