In Yunyang City, Governor Pan Shiliang received an urgent order from Hong Chengchou, the newly appointed governor of the six provinces, and ordered Yunxiang to quickly send troops south to reinforce Jingzhou.
"King Jinglue ordered the flag sign here. The troops will be dispatched within three days and arrive at Jingzhou City within ten days. Anyone who fails to meet the deadline will be beheaded, and anyone who disobeys the order will be beheaded!"
The person who rushed to Yunyang was a flag official from Hong Chengchou. He rushed all the way for 800 miles and brought Hong Chengchou's royal flag. However, if there was any delay, even Pan Shiliang, the governor of Yunyang, could be killed first and then reported.
After receiving the order, Pan Shiliang had a headache.
Yunyang City has just been captured, and there is no reward at all, but it is sent such a difficult task.
Liu Kaiwen, who was in charge of the military affairs department, planned, "It is better to transfer Wang Bin, Chen Jiao, Wang Guangen, and Wang Guangtai from Xiangyang to the south to reinforce Jingzhou. In this way, they will not violate the military order and can dispatch these newly surrendered soldiers."
Go to Jingzhou and live in peace and stability in Yunxiang."
"If Wang Guangen and others perform meritorious service under Jingzhou City, it will also be a contribution to Fuyuan. If they are defeated under Jingzhou City, it will also eliminate some troubles in the future."
When Pan Shiliang heard this, he also felt that it was a great kindness. After Wang Guangen and others surrendered, although they still behaved quite submissively, they could not completely trust these people.
"good."
Pan Shiliang immediately issued an order to govern the army, summoning Wang Guangtai from Xiangyang, Wang Bin from Fang County, Chen Jiao from Junzhou and other dozens of newly recruited troops, large and small, and asked them to come to Yunyang to gather and go south to reinforce Jingzhou.
After receiving the order, groups of people and horses gathered by land and water. Pan Shiliang was very excited when he saw more and more people and horses gathering outside the city.
"With the troops we have in Yunyang, we may not be able to break the siege of Jingzhou in one fell swoop."
The original plan was to have Wang Guangen, the commander-in-chief of Xiangyang, as the main general to reinforce the various ministries. Now seeing these many troops, the commander-in-chief Yang Wenfu of Yunyang was a little jealous, and even hesitated whether to step forward and lead the troops south.
Before the arrival of Hong Jinglue, if he led the troops to relieve the siege of Jingzhou and made a great contribution, then he would be appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of Yunyang and be promoted to Commander-in-Chief of Yunyang immediately. No matter how unfavorable, the Commander-in-Chief of Jingzhou is not bad at all.
"Do you want to lead troops to reinforce Jingzhou?"
Pan Shiliang thought for a moment and shook his head, "If you leave too, Yunyang will be empty."
"Master Fuyuan, the rebels are now surrounding Wuchang, Jingzhou, and they are all under the two cities. There is a strong city in Yunyang to defend, and Fuyuan has recruited two thousand Fubiao to defend the city. But I am safe and worry-free. I will humbly go to Jingzhou and fight.
You have won the battle and achieved meritorious service, and that meritorious service also belongs to Mr. Fuyuan."
Pan Shiliang was still reluctant, but Yang Wenfu felt that the Qing army would definitely win this battle in Jingzhou, so this was an opportunity to grab credit, so how could he miss it.
They talked from left to right, and finally brought Jinglue Hong Chengchou out, "Hong Jinglue is coming soon. I heard that Hong Jinglue has always been strict in running the army. He asked us to mobilize Yunxiang's troops to go south. If we just send some new troops
The Ming army and thieves who surrendered are afraid that Hong Jinglue will not be satisfied by then, and if they become angry, wouldn't they have to blame Mr. Fuyuan?"
"Besides, these soldiers need to be trained. Now that we have a rare opportunity, we have to let the brothers go out so that they can have a chance to make meritorious service and be rewarded."
Pan Shiliang was thoughtful. He felt that Yang Wenfu wanted to take the opportunity to go to Jingzhou to rob. After all, these days, he was starving due to military pay. He could only earn money by sending troops to fight. Whether it was food or rewards for meritorious service, they were actually far inferior to plundering.
After thinking about it, Pan Shiliang felt that what Yang Wenfu said made some sense. Yunyang was quite safe at this time. If these soldiers were left here and had to be supported and restrained at all times, it would be better to send them all to Jingzhou, which would be a disaster.
lead.
These warriors still had to remember his kindness, and they might as well pay tribute to him with what they had plundered.
"Okay, go ahead, let's make you the chief general and Wang Guangen your deputy general."
Yang Wenfu has 3,000, Wang Guangtai has 3,000, plus Wang Bin and Chen Jiao have 3,000 each, as well as other people from all walks of life, adding up to 30,000.
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The flag officer in charge of the strategy was urging us to set off. Xiangyang, Zhuxi and other groups had not yet arrived, so the flag officer was urging us to set off.
Wang Guangen went to Fuyuan to report, "Eight thousand soldiers and horses outside the city are about to go south to reinforce Jingzhou. Please come to Fuyuan to review and give instructions."
Pan Shiliang stood up with a chuckle, "What a review? This is to remind us that we haven't issued food rewards to them yet. Don't worry, the imperial court is not short of hungry soldiers, and our imperial court has been prepared for it."
When going a hundred miles away from the city and for more than five days, the Ming army will provide additional food. The standard is as low as one liter per day and three dou per month. It can also vary from one liter to five dou or five dou per month.
Yunyang is 800 miles away from Jingzhou. There are two roads. One is along the Han River via Gucheng to Xiangyang, and then passes through Jingmen to Jingzhou. The other is from Yunyang directly to Xiafang County, via Baokang to Dangyang and then enters Jingzhou.
The distances are almost the same.
The Ming Dynasty stipulated the marching speed. If there was an emergency, the cavalry would travel 150 miles a day and a night, and the chariots and infantry would travel 100 miles. If there was no hurry, the cavalry would travel 120 miles a day, and the chariots and infantry 80 miles.
Of course, there was also Ma Fang, a talented person who rushed from Xuanda to aid Datong, marching four hundred miles day and night.
In the Ming Dynasty, one mile was nearly 600 meters. This officially required marching speed was quite reasonable. Of course, the actual speed would also depend on the specific circumstances, such as the supplies carried, the urgency of the military situation, etc.
Eight hundred miles, at normal infantry marching speed, takes ten days.
It would be faster if there were rivers to transport supplies or even soldiers.
Pan Shiliang only provided food for ten days, and the minimum standard was one liter per person, that is, one dou per person in total.
One liter a day was the early standard for frontier troops in frontier towns before the Ming Dynasty. Now, it is definitely too little. But Pan Shiliang could only give so much.
Even if there are 8,000 people in the vanguard, and each person has a bucket, it will still cost 800 shi of grain. He brought all this food from Xiangyang.
There is water, but there are many sections where trackers are required to pull the boat, which is not easy.
"Fu Zhi, each person has a fight, and the rations are a bit short. There are more than 200,000 Ming troops under Jingzhou City, and the brothers are also working hard for the court with their heads high. Can you give me more?"
Pan Shiliang chuckled, "You have been guarding the city in Yunyang for several years, and you also know Yunyang's family background. It's not that I don't want to give it to you, but I really can't give it to you."
"You should tell your brothers carefully. When we arrive in Jingzhou and defeat the bandits, will the imperial court still lack your reward?"
"This food is just what you take with you on the road. If you bring too much, it will be a burden."
Wang Guangen laughed and asked no more.
All the way to the outside of Yunyang City, eight thousand men and horses gathered at the bank of the Han River. There were 3,000 Yunyang town signs led by Yang Wenfu, and two generals Chen Jiao and Wang Bin had arrived with two thousand men each, and another thousand
Newly recruited soldiers.
Pan Shiliang was wearing a second-grade robe and looked at this group of troops with pride.
Two thousand Fubiao served as a moving team and moved 800 shi of grain out of the city.
Ten thousand men and horses lined the banks of the Han River.
Pan Shiliang stood on the temporarily set up stage and gave a pretentious opening speech, and finally announced that each person would receive a bucket of food.
But there was no response from the soldiers in the audience, obviously they were very dissatisfied with the food.
Pan Shiliang was furious, but with a smile on his face, he stood up and wanted to go back to the city.
Wang Guangen stopped him.
"Pan Fuyuan, borrow something!"
"Do you want to borrow food? Didn't I say that there is no food in the city and we have to wait for food to be transported from Xiangyang and Nanyang? Why do you mention it again?" Pan Shiliang glared at Wang Guangen with an unkind expression.
"I won't borrow food." Wang Guangen grinned, then drew his knife, "Borrow the head of Fuyuan!" After saying that, the light of the knife flashed past, and with lightning speed, he slashed Pan Shiliang's head in front of 10,000 men.
Cut off the face.
Wang Guangen picked up the head, stood on the review stage, looked up to the sky and shouted at the soldiers who were still in a daze, "The sun and the moon will last forever, and the Ming Dynasty will last forever!"
Following this roar, Wang Bin's troops, Chen Jiao's troops, and two other troops, five thousand men, suddenly, under the leadership of their respective officers, attacked Yang Wenfu's and Fu Biao's five thousand troops.