He first led his troops into Yongcheng and then to Shangqiu.
In the original guard office of Guide Fucheng, Xu Zhongyi welcomed Old Master Zhao, who came with many red spears.
"I really didn't expect that the situation would change so quickly."
Xu Zhongyi still can't believe that he has become the commander-in-chief.
But the old master is still very calm, "Xu Dingguo probably saw that Liu Zeqing was killed and Hong Chengchou surrendered. He knew that the Tatars would not believe him and might even arrest him, so he had to rebel. He didn't have any soldiers at hand now, so since he wanted to rebel,
Your adopted son must be promoted to an official position. Guide is also the southeast gate, and it is close to Xuzhou. This means that we, the Red Spear Club, will guard the gate for him."
"Old Master, is there an order from the south?"
"have!"
Old Master Zhao told Xu Zhongyi that now the three-pronged army is on the Northern Expedition. Long live the right-route army not only captured Denglai, but also captured Qingzhou Prefecture. They even sent troops to the north to seize Cangzhou and other cities. On the other hand, they sent troops to cross the sea and seize the Qingzhou Prefecture.
A new battlefield has been opened in Liaodong, and now its military power is at its peak.
Governor Zhang Guowei, a bachelor on the middle road, went north along the canal, and had already recovered Fengyang, Huai'an, etc., and advanced to the vicinity of Xuzhou.
Governor Huang Daozhou on the left road set out from Anqing to recapture Luzhou Prefecture, and then took Shouzhou. Now he is also stationing troops in Huaishang, and has also united with the rebels from various villages in Yinghuo and Qihuang Mountains. It can be said that the momentum is magnificent.
"Great, we finally got through, then let's just show the flag?"
"Don't worry!" The old master shook his head.
The old master came to Shangqiu from Yongcheng. What he saw along the way was desolation and countless refugees. The situation was worse than before. The Yellow River broke out. Although they did not rush south, refugees poured in in large numbers. Before, Li Hua
Whale raised an army in Caozhou, which also caused many Shandong people to flee to Guide. Now Xu Dingguo raised an army again and robbed Shangqiu, adding to the chaos.
Shangqiu has a long history. It is said that two of the five emperors capitalized on Shangqiu.
The current Shangqiu City of Guide Prefecture was started in the 16th year of Hongzhi in the Ming Dynasty. It lasted eight years and was completed in the sixth year of Zhengde. Under this city, there is also the Guide Prefecture City built in the Yuan Dynasty before Hongzhi. It was built in the Northern Song Dynasty.
There are six capitals and ancient cities including Nanjing City of Yingtian Prefecture, Song City, the seat of the Song Prefecture during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Suiyang City, the capital of the Liang State during the Qin and Han Dynasties, and the capital of the Song State during the Zhou Dynasty.
Shangqiu has been known as the barrier between the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River since ancient times, and it is a battleground for military strategists.
It is also a place where transportation and businesses gather.
During the Tang and Song Dynasties, Shangqiu's industry and commerce were extremely developed and it was a famous metropolis at that time.
The Yellow River floods during the Hongzhi period of the Ming Dynasty submerged many ancient cities such as Xuzhou and Shangqiu and buried them under the sand. Later, new cities were built directly on the original sites.
During the Jiajing period, a new city wall was built outside the city wall, forming a trinity of city wall, city lake, and city wall. It is shaped like a unique pattern of ancient copper coins with a circle on the outside and a square on the inside. It has a circumference of seven miles and two, four gates, and ninety-three lines.
street.
After Jiajing, this city produced two great scholars, five ministers, and more than a dozen ministers, governors, and general soldiers.
Archways, mansions, and courtyards can be seen everywhere in the city.
There are even two specially built water gates to prevent the Yellow River from overflowing, overflowing and bursting.
The Yingtian Academy in the city was founded during the Five Dynasties and later in the Jin Dynasty. It was originally named Suiyang Academy and was later named Yingtianfu Academy in the Northern Song Dynasty. In the third year of Qingli, it was promoted to Nanjing Imperial College, becoming the highest institution of higher education in the Northern Song Dynasty. It was also the only academy in China upgraded to the Imperial Academy.
In the Ming Dynasty, a new city was built and the academies were rebuilt. When Zhang Juzheng demolished all the academies in the world, the academy was destroyed, and the academies were rebuilt at the end of Wanli.
Hou Fangyu, one of the four young masters, was from Shangqiu and also studied in this academy.
But all this prosperity in the past has now turned into silence.
Xu Dingguo sent troops to rob Shangqiu again, and then left.
When the old master came to Shangqiu, all he saw was a dead city.
Fortunately, Xu Dingguo did not finish the looting and then set it on fire. The city defenses were basically intact. When Xu Dingguo killed Gao Jie and surrendered to the Qing Dynasty and led the Qing army south, the Qing army occupied Henan and established general troops in Hebei, Henan, Nanyang, and Guide towns.
Eight Banners and Green Camp were stationed in Guide, and the city defenses were repaired and reinforced.
It even managed to resume some industry and commerce for a time, attracting many businessmen back.
But now the birds and beasts have dispersed again.
Shangqiu City is such a big city, except for the Red Spears, there are no locals.
Most of those who survived fled, and many young men were directly captured by Xu Dingguo and recruited into the army.
The big houses and shops in the city all had their doors open and were turned upside down, with not a single soul left.
"Shangqiu is just an empty city. It has no officials, no officials, no merchants, and no people. It is a dead city." Xu Zhongyi was a little helpless. "I thought I could receive some property when I came to Shangqiu, but in the end, apart from this city, there were only empty houses."
, the yamen, the warehouse, not a single grain of grain, nor even half a weapon."
"I'm planning to return to Yongcheng."
The old master said that Xu Zhongyi was too young, "How can a city like Xu Dingguo, a veteran army ruffian, still have oil and water? It would be normal if it didn't. But now that we finally took over, we can't get out of the way. As soon as we leave, there will be local thieves."
Bandits or bandits came to occupy it."
"Not only does Shangqiu City need to be guarded, but the entire prefecture and county in Guide Prefecture must quickly send troops to garrison and guard it."
"But they are all empty cities!"
"What are you afraid of in an empty city? If you have a city, people will come. At times like this, a city can still protect the people and fight against bandits. Even with a city, you can resume industry and commerce and open markets. If you guard the city, you can naturally collect money.
The tax collection, let alone relying on the city, can recruit hungry people and cultivate the fields again..."
"Not to mention anything else, let's talk about Shangqiu City. After I came here, I walked around. This city has an inner and outer city and an outer city. The city is two feet high, two feet wide at the top, and three feet wide at the base. There is a gate on each side.
There are city gate towers, barbicans and turning gates.
There are nine large enemy towers on all sides of the city wall. There is also a corner tower at each corner of the city wall. It is said that there are 3,600 crenellations on the city wall.
Outside the city wall is a moat, which is one mile wide at its widest point and thirteen feet wide at its narrowest point. It is two feet seven feet deep at its widest point and more than three feet deep at its shallowest point. There is also a moat with a circumference of eighteen miles in diameter more than one mile outside the moat.
The embankment is more than seven feet wide, one foot seven high, and the neck is two feet wide..." The old master said the data he obtained during his inspection and inspection.
Judging from these data alone, Shangqiu, the city of Guide Prefecture, is indeed much stronger than Yongcheng. If there are enough soldiers to guard it, it will be difficult to break through such a big city.
Xu Dingguo did not defend Shangqiu because he did not want to stay here and be attacked by the two Eight Banners of Xuzhou, Tu Lai of Yingzhou, and Tan Tai. He left Xu Zhongyi to guard here while he went to attack the empty Kaifeng, plunder supplies and recruit people there.
Soldiers.
"Xu Dingguo, an old boy, is afraid of Tu Lai and Tan Tai, so we can't defend him."
"Not necessarily!" The old master smiled, "First of all, the left and center Northern Expeditionary armies have arrived at Huaishang. Zheng Zunqian's left army forward is at the foot of Bagong Mountain in Shouzhou, only two hundred miles away from Tantai in Yingzhou.
The vanguard of Zhang Guowei, a bachelor on the middle road, also stationed in Huai'an. Although it was four hundred miles away from Xuzhou, Wang Zhiren, the governor of the capital camp, also led troops to station in Fengyang, and some troops were stationed across the river in Huaiyuan, not far away.
Do you see this situation? The three forces are pressing in. Now the two Eight Banners of Xu and Ying have only about 10,000 people each. Among them are many Han Banners and Green Camps. Do you think they can still send troops to attack?"
"It's more than three hundred miles from Xuzhou to Shangqiu, and four hundred miles from Yingzhou to Shangqiu. At present, Guide Mansion has just been plundered by Xu Dingguo, so Tu Lai and Tan Tai will not attack easily. There will be nothing when they arrive.
Sometimes it will lead to self-destruction.”
Xu Dingguo asked, "Then it's impossible for them to just stay in Xu Ying and wait to die, right?"
"It's not like we're just waiting to die. The three Northern Expeditionary armies won't be able to attack us for a while."
"Why?"
"grain!"
"The Tatars abandoned Huainan before, looted all the people's grain stores, burned down cities and villages, and forcibly moved the people to abandon Huainan and go north. Now, although the imperial camp has regained the land in Huainan, they have only gained refugees, thieves, and military rations everywhere.
It all has to be transferred from the rear.
Although it relies on water transportation, it is very expensive and not an easy task. The imperial camp has to re-establish a supply headquarters, repair some cities, and divide troops for garrison. There are many things to do. It will not be easy to attack Yingying without full preparation.
, the battle under Xu City."
Xu Zhongyi scratched his head, "It's so complicated!"
"That's how fighting is. A single move can affect the whole body. If you are not careful, you may lose everything. Therefore, every step must be planned and considered over and over again. But in general, the situation is very favorable to us now.
We have to secure Guide Mansion for the imperial court and guard this important place."
"Then what should we do?"
Xu Zhongyi, who had picked up the territory of a government for nothing and was hit by a commander-in-chief, was now a little at a loss.
The old master smoothed his sparse goatee.
"I think it's not difficult. There are several steps to take. The first is to use the general title of returning to Germany given to you by Xu Dingguo. Recruit troops, expand the number of troops, station in various states and counties, appease the gentry, industry and commerce, and the people. Choose local townships.
Gentlemen serve as local officials to restore production and maintain order."
"On the other hand, our name as the Red Spear Club cannot be lost. It is expanding in various rural areas, opening circles to recruit new members, practicing spears and martial arts, forming strongholds for self-defense, and providing us with strong men as soldiers."
Xu Zhongyi was a little worried, "Where's the money? Where's the food? There are also refugees from Huainan and refugees from the Yellow River breach. They are all rushing here. How can we appease and provide relief?"
"Step by step," the old master was not very worried. In other words, the world has become so chaotic and rotten, how can it be worse? "We have soldiers and guns in our hands, and our words have power. We can establish a
The new rules are completely in accordance with our Ming Dynasty’s new policy in Jiangnan.
The gentry all share the land, and the gentry pays the grain as one. If there is a disaster, we can first exempt the land from the land tax, but with so many refugees, we can also recruit them to organize farming and plant all the land first."
"Where's the food? The hungry people are howling. Nothing can be done with an hungry stomach!"
"Although the imperial camp will not be defeated for the time being, we can transport some food from the south. We have also smuggled salt, cloth, etc. from there before, so this is not a problem. We will give out porridge and relief first, and we will continue to survive.
Of course, we didn't have much harvest in Mangdang Mountain before, so we can gather people and horses to sweep away the bandits and dig rat holes to get food. There are even some local villages that have food stored in them. We can borrow it from them and ask them to donate it.
If you are willing to borrow food and donate, we can get along well with you in the future. If you are not willing to lend, then we will fight and rob you!" When the old master said this, he was also very determined.
"You can also resume industry and commerce in various cities, set up cards at road crossings to collect lijin, etc. There are always more solutions than difficulties. Although the road is far, as long as you keep walking, you can always get there!"
"Master is right, then how about asking Master to be the prefect of Guide?"
