Li Dingguo was still unaware of Zhang Xianzhong's suspicion of him. When his father summoned him to discuss an important military aircraft, he hurried away immediately.
When he arrived at Prince Ji's Mansion, he was led into a huge garden eight deep by the guards. Along the way, Li Dingguo saw various broken walls and ruins.
Those exotic flowers and plants that he couldn't name, all of which were woody, were picked and cut off at the strong and dry parts of the branches, probably to be used as firewood.
There were also some rare birds and animals that he didn't recognize, and their feathers and down were also left on the ground, and they were obviously eaten.
As for the valuables of gold, silver, pearls and jade that were decorated on various carved beams and painted pillars, they were all dug out, leaving various pits and bumps. Even when Li Dingguo passed by, there were guards there who continued to dig away——
2k
Most of the valuable materials have been cut out before, and there are still some scraps and corners left. I didn't like it when I first started, so I came to cut the second crop of leeks.
Although Li Dingguo did not read much, he was also good at observation.
Seeing these scenes, he had already guessed that his father had no intention of staying in Changsha for a long time from the beginning, nor did he expect to be able to establish a foothold and use it as a base.
Otherwise, if you plan to use this Prince Ji's Mansion as your residence for a long time, how could it be damaged like this?
Li Dingguo was suddenly thinking that he had been led to the lobby of Prince Ji's Mansion. Following the guard's announcement, he also recovered his thoughts and quickly went inside to greet Zhang Xianzhong.
"No need, second brother, you came just in time. We are discussing what to do next. Our troops are currently divided into three groups. I'm afraid we won't be able to fight the Chenshu people head-on. If we want to fight, we have to gather our forces."
Li Dingguo agreed, but he also felt that the atmosphere was a bit wrong, because when he came in, he saw that his father was already chatting enthusiastically with several close generals, and did not wait for him to arrive before starting the conversation.
Among these generals were Bai Wenxuan, who broke out with him, and Feng Shuangli, who had been with his eldest brother in the past few years.
The status of these two people was originally slightly lower than the four adopted sons under Zhang Xianzhong, but now they were summoned before Li Dingguo, which clearly meant that Li Dingguo was marginalized.
At the same time, Li Dingguo was careful and noticed a detail, that is, among the generals directly under Zhang Xianzhong, there was originally Wang Shangli, whose status was similar to that of Feng Shuangli and Bai Wenxuan. However, during this meeting, Wang Shangli was not seen.
Could it be that Wang Shangli also offended the king and was treated coldly? Or was he sent on another mission?
Li Dingguo didn't dare to make a mistake, so he first pretended to listen to other people's opinions with an open mind: "My father has doubts, so I don't dare not think about it with all my heart. It's just that I'm a newbie here and don't understand the situation. I wonder what the generals think?"
Zhang Xianzhong was not polite and winked, asking Feng Shuangli to speak on his behalf.
Feng Shuangli was not in a position to show favor to Li Dingguo, so he spoke directly: "Your Majesty and I have discussed it and believe that there are only two ways to go at the moment. If Chen Shuren continues to press, we can either go south, pass through Hengzhou and cross Hengshan, and encircle and expand the army along the way. Then we will see
Is it urgent for the officers and soldiers to pursue?
If Chen Shuren is not afraid of the dangers of Hengshan Mountain and dares to give up the advantage of the navy and leave the Xiangjiang River to pursue the mountains, we can turn around and fight if we can. Otherwise, we can either continue deep into the Nanling Mountains and flee to Guangdong and Guangxi.
Or, after crossing the Hengshan Mountains and heading west, go to western Hunan and enter Sichuan via the Middle Guizhou Road - the three generals who were stranded in Changde Mansion and General Sun who were stranded in Guizhou can also meet up with the Shizhou Guards and go south via the Middle Guizhou Road.
Join our army and march into Sichuan.
I wonder which of the two general strategies the second general thinks is more reliable or has a better plan."
The two routes recounted by Feng Shuangli have no disagreement on the point of going south to Hengzhou (today's Hengyang, Hunan) first. No matter whether you go to Guangdong, Guangxi or Sichuan, or just stay dormant for a while in the mountains halfway into Sichuan and Guangdong, you have to
Take Hengzhou first.
Because waterway transportation is so developed in the Changsha and Xiangtan areas, the Xiangjiang River is deep and wide and flows slowly, making it very suitable for a party with naval superiority to maneuver and intersect.
Among Zhang Xianzhong's several battles around Dongting Lake, the biggest disadvantage was that there were no large warships in the mountains, so no matter what, he had to retreat the battlefield to an area where warships and naval forces were abandoned before he could consider a battle.
war.
After passing through the Hengshan Valley to the south, water transportation was completely finished, and Zhang Xianzhong's advantage came. Moreover, if he wanted to escape at that time, the official army would have no ships to use, and the "rebel army" would definitely march faster than the official army.
After hearing this, Li Dingguo always felt a little awkward, but he couldn't explain it.
He was silent and thought carefully for a while, and then discovered what the problem was: Zhang Xianzhong never considered trying to join forces with Liu Wenxiu from the beginning, or to use all the huge wealth intercepted in Changsha to recruit soldiers, and then fight with the army.
What? From the beginning to the end, all you think about is escaping?
It's not that escaping is wrong, but now that we have so many newly recruited troops, if we move thousands of miles away to fight, we will definitely completely lose all the new auxiliary troops, and the old camps in Shaanxi and Henan may not be able to be saved. In the end, the number of people will decrease with the fighting.
, morale and prestige were also lost.
Li Dingguo thought for a while and then advised: "If my father wants to join forces with the eldest brother, third brother and the others, I have nothing to say. I just want to remind you: Our army already has fifty or sixty thousand soldiers. If we travel thousands of miles across mountains and ridges to fight, I'm afraid that
At least two-thirds of the troops will be separated, and it would be good to have 20,000 old camp members left in the end.
There is indeed no danger to defend the land of Changsha, and the Shenshu people are coming in droves, but if we temporarily retreat to the mountainous area south of Hengshan Mountain, where there is danger to defend, we can buy time, and then spread our money to recruit troops and train them, and plan for it slowly, it may not be impossible.
Defeat the tree sinkers.
As for the troops on the third brother's side, my father can actually let the third brother retreat temporarily and join forces with the eldest brother. Then our army will be divided into two parts. The eldest brother is in the west. Father, you and I will wait in the south. There are mountain dangers.
Shou,
It is impossible for Shen Shuren to lead the Wuchang soldiers to attack Hengshan all year round. If his rear is empty, then the eldest brother and the third brother will naturally be able to attack everywhere, making it impossible for them to look at each other.
In this way, our army's difficulties will be solved, and we can return to the state of last year's defense and dormancy in the mountainous areas. We will also have an extra territory than last year, which can be echoed in eastern Sichuan and southern Hunan."
When Zhang Xianzhong heard this, he remained calm at first. He just tried to lure the enemy in and encouraged Li Dingguo to elaborate more:
"Oh? Really? Then you can tell me, what dangers can we defend south of Hengshan Mountain? Should our army directly guard Hengzhou City? Can the valleys of Hengshan Mountain stop the Chenshu people? Do we have to retreat all the way?
The Wuling area in Guangdong and Guangxi?"
Li Dingguo felt a little uncomfortable when he was asked, but he still did not think about the worst. He thought that Zhang Xianzhong just thought that Zhang Xianzhong was too far away and would find it difficult to contact Sun Kewang and Liu Wenxiu in the future.
So he thought carefully for a long time and came up with a better option than fleeing directly south to the Wuling area on the border of Hunan and Guangdong:
"My father is very worried. The smoky land of Wuling is really not suitable for northerners like us. Moreover, it is the peak of summer at the end of June. If we go to the mountains and forests at the junction of Guangdong and Guangxi, I am afraid that the army will not be accustomed to the acclimatization and there will be many diseases.
In this case, after we pass Hengshan Mountain, we can turn slightly eastward and enter the southern section of Luoxiao Mountain. It is located at the junction of Huguang, Jiangxi and Liangguang. There are also several places that are easy to defend but difficult to attack and can be moved.
Although the child does not study, he has also heard of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms". After Sun Jian expelled the Changsha District stars at the end of the Han Dynasty, the rest entered Luoxiao Mountain, and Sun Jian could not restrain him. No matter how good Chen Shuren was in pursuit, could he still be stronger than Sun Jian?
Hero?
Moreover, the advantage of going to Luoxiao Mountain is that it is connected to three provinces. Even if Shen Shuren is appointed as the governor of Huguang, or even the governor of Huguang, it will be difficult for him to exceed his authority and pursue him. Isn't this much better than the lack of movement after entering Sichuan?
Although Yang Sichang was able to governor six provinces and coordinate the encirclement and suppression, there were no military disasters in Guangdong, Guangxi and Jiangxi, and he lacked local coordination, so it was difficult to prevent the encirclement in a hurry.
In addition, Yang Sichang was dying of illness and old age. Didn't the spy sent by the father in the past pay back, saying that he only had one breath left? Last year when we killed King Xiang Gui, we failed to kill Yang Sichang. This time we killed King Rong and King Ji again, and he was still trapped.
Killing in the city is not a sneak attack and assassination.
Even if Chongzhen still wants to cover it up, he may not be able to live with it in face! When Yang Sichang dies, Fang Kongzheng may also be severely punished. Shen Shu people will have too much time to take care of themselves, so there will be no one to coordinate the war across several provinces, and our army will
We’ve got another chance to breathe and expand our army!”
The "southern section of Luoxiao Mountain" mentioned by Li Dingguo was actually Jinggang Mountain in later generations. However, there was no exclusive place name at the end of the Ming Dynasty. This place name only came into existence later in the Qing Dynasty.
The earliest record of aboriginal people in the southern part of Luoxiao Mountain is that in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, after Ou Xing was killed by Sun Jian, the governor of Changsha, the rest of the people fled into the mountains. Beyond that, there was only no man's land, or in other words, only barbarians.
It has to be said that Li Dingguo has a good vision in military geography. If Zhang Xianzhong really listened to him and went to Luo Xiaoshan, Shen Shuren might not be able to hunt him down.
However, Zhang Xianzhong finally showed off his cards completely. After listening carefully to Li Dingguo's statement, he couldn't help laughing:
"Oh, the ancients said that a true son is better than his father, but we can't understand you - you also know that it is midsummer now, and when people from the north go into the mountains and forests of the scorching heat in the south, there will be more plagues! You actually instigate our army to go to Huguang
, the border between Guangdong and Guangxi instead of entering Sichuan!
Don't you wish that I was seriously ill and couldn't afford it, and your eldest brother and third brother are not around, so that this army can be commanded by you! At that time, our foundation will be divided into two by you, and Gui Wang'er will stay in eastern Sichuan, and the rest will be
It's yours!
You still have the nerve to keep thinking about the soldiers of the three armies! You are so reluctant to abandon the new annexed troops. How come you lost Pan Shirong's more than 10,000 troops to the Chenshu people when Baling withdrew! Everyone in the army has the shame to say this, but you are the only one who has no shame.
!You are the most ruthless when selling new annexes!"
These words finally broke out the triple dissatisfaction and distrust Zhang Xianzhong had accumulated towards Li Dingguo over the past few months, as well as the recent events in recent days, and the temptation of today's words.
Li Dingguo went on an attack with Ai Nengqi last year, but Ai Nengqi died. This year he persuaded him to attack the empty area in southern Huguang as soon as possible, but in the end he lost his troops and lost his generals.
In the end, he left so many new annexes in Baling, but now he came to persuade Zhang Xianzhong not to give up the new annexes.
Finally, he persuaded Zhang Xianzhong, a Shaanxi native, to go to the tropical jungles in the mountains of South China during the hottest month of June in the lunar calendar! Didn't this show that he was too healthy and would not die quickly enough?
The combination of several suspicions and dissatisfactions made Zhang Xianzhong completely torn apart.
It may be difficult for modern people to understand these concerns. That is because modern medical conditions are good, and people from Shaanxi who go to Guangdong to work will not feel that they are going to hell.
But in ancient times when medical conditions were backward, it was really dangerous for northerners to go to Guangdong and Guangxi, especially in summer——
Zhu Di made several expeditions to Vietnam because of the scorching summer heat in the tropical rainforest, which caused many soldiers to die of diseases. In the early years of the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongols were unable to conquer Vietnam because of the problem of hot weather and tropical diseases. People in the Central Plains could only survive in the winter months.
Southern rainforests survive.
Although Zhang Xianzhong is not old yet, about thirty-five to forty years old, he is also afraid that he will not be able to afford the disease. Li Dingguo is in his twenties, so he is young and strong and can definitely withstand the disease better.
Now that the words have been made clear, Zhang Xianzhong certainly cannot continue to entrust Li Dingguo with important responsibilities. Although it is not a case of prosecution, it is clear that deprivation of power is necessary, otherwise it will be a legacy of raising a tiger.
Just listen to Zhang Xianzhong's command with a cold face: "Feng Shuangli!"
Feng Shuangli: "The general is here!"
Zhang Xianzhong: "Transfer Li Dingguo to your camp and put him under his command! Just give him a captaincy and let him perform meritorious deeds!"
Feng Shuangli: "Your Majesty, the Second General..."
Zhang Xianzhong: "How dare you disobey me?!"
Feng Shuangli immediately swallowed his saliva and calmed down: "I will obey your orders!"
Zhang Xianzhong then ordered: "The whole army will go south to Hengzhou, and then wait for an opportunity to turn westward. In addition, send a messenger to inform Lao San, asking him to choose an opportunity to retreat and join Wang'er. When the time comes, he will adapt to the situation and strive to cooperate with us. The secret of the Qianzhong Road
Entering Sichuan——
Let them speak strictly and never explain their ultimate goal to the soldiers in advance. Just say that we are hiding back to Shizhou Guard and Yongshun Xuanwei Division, fighting with the tribal chieftains, and looking for a place to hide from the Chenshu people.
Also, pick out all the valuables obtained from Prince Rong’s Mansion and Prince Ji’s Mansion. Don’t recruit any more recruits in Huguang. Anyway, you can’t bring in too many people by taking the Middle Guizhou Road. Recruiting them will be in vain. There is no need to recruit people in Huguang.
Already."
Zhang Xianzhong is also a typical two-faced man who is very pragmatic when it comes to governing the people. Historically, after he conquered Wuchang in the 16th year of Chongzhen's reign, he was once said to be very good to the people. He tried not to kill anyone in Hubei, and he also administered tests.
Shi, set up six departments of officials, and looked like he was about to change the dynasty.
However, this kind of "not interested in killing" and "benevolent government" attitude can only be used when he wants to develop in this place for a long time.
If he was destined to know that he couldn't hold it anymore, Zhang Xianzhong would not waste any kindness on those who have no use value. He would kill when he needed to, and rob when he needed to rob.
Li Dingguo listened again and finally understood why he was so marginalized by his father.
He still wanted to fight back to Huguang one day, but in Zhang Xianzhong's heart, everything in Huguang was already an abandoned child.
Just now, he had persuaded his father to use all the gold, silver and jewels stolen from Prince Rong's Palace and Prince Ji's Palace to expand the army and train troops. This alone, given the wrong route, was destined to make him lose trust.
Every piece of gold and silver issued in Huguang was already wasted in Zhang Xianzhong's eyes. How could a person who advised him to waste it still be reused? It would definitely be considered that this was an invitation to buy people's hearts, and it was for Li Dingguo himself.
Invite to buy people's hearts.
Li Dingguo was disheartened, but he still had to explain a few words in the end: "Father, you have made all adjustments to my son's military power, and I will never complain! He was defeated at the hands of Chen Shuren and lost 20,000 troops, so he was demoted to
Soldiers deserve it too.
But the child must make it clear that the death of the fourth brother has nothing to do with the child! There was absolutely no other purpose in persuading his father to march to Huguang! He just truly felt that Chen Shuren could take advantage of the opportunity by transferring his troops to the north! This time he persuaded his father to march to Huguang.
Staying in Luoxiao Mountain to observe the changes of the times, there is nothing wrong with it! You can learn from the sun!"
Zhang Xianzhong snorted coldly, saying that he didn't do anything to Li Dingguo. He could at least continue to fight under Feng Shuangli! What's the explanation?
As for the external statement, of course it is said that Li Dingguo was demoted because he was defeated and abandoned his teammates.
There is no need to let outsiders know about these dirty things.
If Li Dingguo keeps his mouth shut and doesn't mention the inside story, he can still survive. If he dares to gossip outside, then Zhang Xianzhong will really have to deal with him severely.