On April 12, Zhang Yanling led an army to advance into Zhending Mansion.
Zhending Mansion was of course empty of people. After Zhao Sui's death, Liu Chong and Yang Hu had led their troops to leave Zhending Mansion and headed for Shunde Mansion.
As soon as Zhang Yanling arrived at Zhending Mansion, the imperial edict of commendation arrived. Zhang Yong, the Superintendent of Ceremonies, came to announce the edict.
"I am very relieved to hear that Marquis Jianchang dispatched troops and successfully defeated two prefectures, killed Liu Qi, one of the leader of the thieves, and wiped out tens of thousands of enemies. When the country is in crisis, only Marquis Jianchang can share my worries. The traitors have fled.
Going south, the crisis in the capital has been resolved. This is the work of the Marquis of Jianchang and the generals. I hope that the Marquis of Jianchang and the generals will march forward with great singing and completely wipe out the bandits. I will play a triumphant song at the Meridian Gate to welcome them..."
The imperial edict was filled with an optimistic atmosphere. To Zhang Yanling, it seemed that the court thought everything was a foregone conclusion. Zhang Yanling could only respond with a wry smile. Either everyone in the court was pessimistic and disappointed when the crisis came, and they were at a loss. Or they were blindly optimistic.
, thinking that everything is easy. Sometimes, it really makes people wonder what these people are thinking.
However, getting a piece of news from Zhang Yong made Zhang Yanling very vigilant. Zhang Yong said that Liu Jin took advantage of Zhu Houzhao's joy in getting good news and suggested that in the name of the chaos in Hebei threatening the capital, he suggested that some border troops be sent to Beijing to establish the "Foreign Fourth Army".
Army' to strengthen the defense force of the capital.
Moreover, the victory of Jiang Bin, Xu Tai and others in the Hejian Mansion battle was exaggerated by Liu Jin, saying how brave they were in fighting. He said that Jiang Bin suffered several injuries but still took the lead and was extremely loyal and brave. It was suggested that after the counter-insurgency was over, let
Jiang Bin, Xu Tai, Wu Hao and other three guards stayed in the capital, and another guard was transferred to Beijing to form the Fourth Foreign Army.
With Jiang Bin, Xu Tai and others in the capital, together with the troops of the regimental camp and the troops of the Chinese Army Governor's Mansion, there is no need to worry about the safety of the capital.
While Zhu Houzhao was happy, he was indeed frightened by the chaos in Hebei. The rumors that the rebels were going to conquer Bazhou and advance to the capital also made Zhu Houzhao realize that the safety of the capital was extremely important.
Zhu Houzhao was frightened by the overwhelming combat power of the troops and horses in Hebei and other places under the jurisdiction of the Chinese Army Governor's Office. Therefore, Zhu Houzhao thought Liu Jin's suggestion was very reasonable and was planning to discuss the matter with the ministers.
When Zhang Yanling heard the news, she immediately understood what Liu Jin was going to do.
Liu Jin's current situation is actually very embarrassing. The spearhead of the Hebei Rebellion has been pointed at him. Perhaps under the protection of the emperor, he will survive safely. However, the blow to him will be great. The Hebei Ma Zheng and the Land New Deal are most likely to be
It will not be extended to the whole country. Zhu Houzhao actually knows in his heart that the current chaos is related to this. He will definitely find a reason to abolish it.
Liu Jin wanted to be the first person in the dynasty, wanted to make contributions, and wanted to show his abilities. He would definitely not accept the result. This time, his status in the eyes of the emperor would also be weakened.
At this time, Liu Jin naturally wanted to strengthen his own strength. The purpose of establishing the so-called Fourth Foreign Army was to take advantage of this opportunity and give himself a large amount of military power in the capital.
This is what he has always wanted to do. It’s just that the regiment camp cannot be penetrated by needles or water. He has always wanted to bribe and install his own people, but he has failed. In this matter, the nobles have unprecedented unity.
.
Because of this, this guy took advantage of this opportunity to start a new venture. Jiang Bin, Xu Tai and other foreign troops were established, which was a real force in Liu Jin's hands. These four guards, plus Jin Yiwei and Dongchang, the imperial army
Ma Jian had three thousand battalions of troops. Liu Jin had nearly fifty thousand troops in the capital.
That is a force capable of turning the situation around at a critical moment.
His heart can be killed!
However, at this time, Zhang Yanling could not be distracted to deal with this matter for the time being. Moreover, Liu Jin's fatal handle was about to be obtained. Chen Shiyi had been away for a long time, and the evidence should have been obtained. By then, even the gods would not be able to protect him.
But right now, the situation is not optimistic.
Zhang Yanling told Zhang Yong that there were still 60,000 to 70,000 traitors in the army. He asked him to report to the emperor and abandon his blind optimism. There would be a fierce battle to be fought. At the same time, Zhang Yanling did not forget to tell Zhang Yong to go see Chen Shiyi.
He did not return to the capital. Once he returned to the capital, he was ordered to come to see him immediately.
…
The situation is indeed not optimistic.
On April 15th, Guangping Mansion was captured by Qi Yanming's troops.
On April 18, Daming Mansion was captured by Yang Hu's troops.
On April 19, enemy traces appeared in Hua County.
News came one after another, making Zhang Yanling and his generals very anxious.
But the more times like this, the more Liu can't rush in. At present, the opponent's strength has exceeded 70,000. He has joined forces in several places and recruited tens of thousands of young men in several state capitals. They have been completely overwhelmed in numbers.
We estimate that we will add another 10,000 people.
At this time, we must protect the baggage, carriages and horses as they advance step by step, and we must not give them the chance to besiege them with their numerical advantage.
To the south of Huaxian County, across the Yellow River, is Kaifeng Prefecture. Once the rebels cross the Yellow River and enter the Central Plains, things will be very difficult.
To a certain extent, the Taihang Mountains lie across the land to the west of Hebei, naturally blocking the rebels' westward march. To the north is the capital and to the east is the sea. Hebei is the death place of the rebels.
Once out of the southern passage, there will be floods from all directions. The south can be attacked by Jianghan, the southeast is the land south of Jianghuai, and the west is the land of Bashu, Gansu and Shaanxi. The rebels will have many choices. When the time comes, the encirclement and suppression by officers and soldiers will be a big problem.
.They will move around.
Therefore, it is extremely important to block them and prevent them from crossing the Yellow River.
Fortunately, he had arranged the first move before. It has been more than a month since the troops were dispatched. The five thousand elite cavalry led by Xu Yande should have been cruising on the north bank of the Yellow River. Now Zhang Yanling can only hope that Xu Yande can block the path of the rebel army and keep them on the north bank of the Yellow River.
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If the rebels were frustrated in their march south and encountered an attack, their only choice would be to retreat to Damingfu and defend the city. That was exactly the siege that Zhang Yanling wanted to see.
But, can Xu Yande withstand this test?
In addition to expressing hope, all Zhang Yanling could do was to step up his march southward and prepare for the upcoming decisive battle through the supply of logistical materials.
A few days ago, the two newly cast howling cannons arrived. Jinguarei sent a thousand. The artillery ammunition sent 500 blooming bombs and 500 solid bombs. The arsenal has been working overtime.
With the arrival of these supplies, Zhang Yanling's heart gradually calmed down.
As long as Xu Yande's cavalry can scare the rebels back to Daming Mansion, everything will be under control.
In the south of Huaxian County and north of the White Horse Ferry on the Yellow River, a battle is brewing under the afternoon sun.
Xu Yande was sitting on horseback with a serious look on his face. Behind him were 5,000 regimental cavalry who had crossed the Taihang Mountains six or seven days ago, detoured south from Shanxi and arrived at the bank of the Yellow River.
After more than ten days of running, everyone's armor was covered with dust and looked dirty. However, the sense of oppression and murderous intent brought by these five thousand cavalry standing in the wilderness was extremely real.
"Report!" Smoke and dust rose from the official road ahead, and two fast horses galloped over. The people on the horses shouted loudly.
When they got close, the cavalrymen dismounted and bowed their hands in salute.
"Tell me! Where are the traitors? How many are there?" Xu Yande shouted.
"Report to the Young Master, the vanguard of the thieves has arrived five miles away. There are about twenty to thirty thousand people." The scout cavalry reported with sweating profusely.
"So many?" All the generals around Xu Yande were shocked.
Just the vanguard troops and horses, there are already so many people, which is amazing. We only have 5,000 people.
"Twenty thousand or thirty thousand? Make it clear." Chen Dafu, the commander of Yaowu Camp, shouted.
"The specifics... I didn't see clearly," the scout cavalry said.
Xu Yande sneered and said: "Chen Dafu, does it matter 20,000 or 30,000? So what if it's 100,000 or 80,000? Our mission is to stop them, so there's no need to think too much about it. No matter how many come, they will all come.
Gotta do it.”
Everyone looked solemn and shouted in unison: "As you command!"
Xu Yande shouted in a deep voice: "Brothers, it's our turn to make meritorious deeds. On weekdays, we can laugh and chat freely. But today, we are not allowed to be casual at all. With all the ugly talk, whoever wants to embarrass me, Xu Yande,
I'm not polite. Even if you die, you will die in the hands of the enemy, not in my hands. If you die in their hands, you are heroes. If you die in my hands, you are sinners. Do you understand?"
"I'll understand!" everyone shouted in unison.
"Okay, take the sword out of its sheath, load the musket, and feed the horse another ladle of water. Get ready to fight!" Xu Yande shouted loudly.
"Yes!" Everyone roared in unison, the sound shaking the world.