ps: Today's third update has been uploaded. Brothers, please vote for me to support me. I checked today and found that a great god has received nearly 10,000 votes in one day. I couldn't help but sigh: "Yesterday I went to the city and came back with tears on my handkerchief..."
I won’t say much about my envious feeling. The New Year is coming soon. I wish you all good luck in the new year and may you all give me your monthly tickets!
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The next day, Hu Yansan and Wang Yuncheng fought again outside Yuanzhou City. Both sides suffered casualties and there was no clear winner.
Qin Mu sat and watched the city, with no intention of going into battle.
In the afternoon, hearing that Lu Daqi's 80,000 troops were about to arrive, Hu Yansan retreated reluctantly.
At this time, Zhang Xianzhong's 200,000-man army had already arrived at Xintian Town, west of Yuanzhou, only about 70 miles away from Yuanzhou. Wang Yuncheng did not dare to pursue and watched Hu Yansan retreat.
Zhang Xianzhong and Lu Daqi had a combined army of nearly 300,000 soldiers. Yuanzhou was about to become the focus of contention between the two sides. It was foreseeable that the area around Yuanzhou would soon be filled with corpses and rivers of blood. The atmosphere of war in the city was getting more and more intense, like a dense dark cloud hanging over one's head, making people feel like they couldn't breathe.
Even Qin Mu could no longer relax. He was now sitting on a powder keg. He had to leave as soon as possible, otherwise once the armies of Zhang and Lu gathered outside the city of Yuanzhou, he would not be able to leave. Qin Mu was not so arrogant as to fight his way in and out of an army of hundreds of thousands with only 1,200 men.
He took advantage of the opportunity when Hu Yansan retreated and Wang Yuncheng was busy licking his wounds, and led 1,200 troops to quickly withdraw from Yuanzhou City. Although Wang Yuncheng wanted to skin him alive, he was eager to enter the city to grab something, so he didn't bother to chase him.
The "Three Disciplines and Eight Points of Attention" posted by Qin Mu were everywhere in the city, but these were a joke to Wang Yuncheng. Yuanzhou City, which had just enjoyed a few days of peace, once again became a hell on earth. The cries of the people were carried by the wind... ... ... .
Less than half an hour after Wang Yuncheng entered Yuanzhou City, Lu Daqi's army of nearly 90,000 arrived. The huge army formation stretched for twenty miles with no visible rear guard and flags covering the sky.
However, the arrival of Lü Daqi did not make the people in Yuanzhou City feel better. In name, Lü Daqi was the governor of four provinces and the commander of this army, but in reality, only the 9,000 men under Xu Kaijin, the general commander of Jiangxi, obeyed him, and Zuo Liangyu's 80,000 men were commanded by Zuo Liangyu's deputy general Wu Xueli. At best, Lü Daqi was just the nanny of this 80,000-man army. He would come to you when they needed food and drink, but as for the rest, you should stop nagging.
The 80,000-strong army came all the way south, looting along the way. Lu Daqi was unable to control them at all, so how could he care about the lives of the people of Yuanzhou at this time
Previously, Jiangxi Governor Guo Duxian saw that Wu Xueli's troops were rapacious and plundering, causing great suffering in Jiangxi. He had issued several edicts, ordering Wu Xueli's troops to return to Jiujiang, intending to recruit soldiers to fight Zhang Xianzhong.
Lü Daqi was worried that the newly recruited soldiers were not useful enough to defend Jiangxi, so he still led Wu Xueli's troops south. Guo Duxian saw that countless people in Jiangxi were suffering and his opinions were not accepted. He angrily resigned from his post on the grounds of illness and went to live in seclusion in Mount Lu.
When Lü Daqi led his army to Xinyu (Xinyu City) east of Yuanzhou, he heard that Qin Mu, the magistrate of Huichang, had used 2,000 Ganzhou soldiers to completely wipe out Zhang Qi's 20,000 rebels and recapture Yuanzhou, the gateway to Jiangyou. This made him feel extremely complicated.
At this moment, before the army entered the city, Lu Daqi discussed Qin Mu's affairs with his staff member Zhang Zai in the carriage. He stroked his beard and sighed, "It seems that those rumors about Ganzhou are not groundless. It is true that Qin Mu has made military achievements, but it is unusual for him, a small county magistrate, to be able to mobilize the troops of Ganzhou."
Zhang Zai, courtesy name Zicheng, was a scholar in his forties, thin and gaunt. As Lu Daqi's aide, he knew very well how much pressure Lu Daqi was under. Chongzhen was a stubborn and self-willed person, and countless ministers had died at his hands.
Lu Daqi was the governor-general of four provinces and the chief military commander in the south of the Yangtze River. He had great power but also heavy responsibilities. Unfortunately, he had no soldiers at his disposal and had to rely on Zuo Liangyu. Once the war went unfavorably, Chongzhen could do nothing to Zuo Liangyu, but killing Lu Daqi was just a matter of a decree. It can be said that Lu Daqi had his head on his belt since he took office as the governor-general.
"General, no matter whether Qin Mu really has his own army or not, he previously suppressed the rebellion in southern Jiangxi, and now he has recaptured the gates of Jiangyou, and it is a fact that he annihilated 20,000 bandits. Looking at our Ming Dynasty, are there not many people who have their own army? General, the most urgent thing at present is to protect Jiangxi and recapture Huguang. Other things can be discussed later. Otherwise, General, I am afraid that you will follow in the footsteps of Yang Sichang, Hou Xun and others!"
Yang Sichang committed suicide out of fear of punishment for his failure in the campaign against Zhang Xianzhong. Hou Xun was released from prison last year because he had done a favor to Zuo Liangyu and was appointed as the commander-in-chief. However, Zuo Liangyu was defeated in Zhuxian Town and Hou Xun was imprisoned again.
There were far more than just these two people who were convicted for their military failures. If we were to list them, we could make a long list. To be honest, almost no ministers in the Chongzhen era who were involved in military affairs had a good ending.
The national situation was becoming increasingly difficult, and Lü Daqi, the governor of four provinces, felt as if a sword was hanging over his head. He frowned and asked Zhang Zai, "What good plan do you have?"
Zhang Zai replied: "Although Qin Mu has only 2,000 soldiers, he was able to easily annihilate Zhang Qi's 20,000 vanguard troops. Based on this record, the commander-in-chief cannot take him lightly. It doesn't matter if he has his own troops or has other intentions. As long as he doesn't raise the flag of rebellion, the commander-in-chief might as well win him over and use him for his own benefit. Besides, letting him and Zhang Xianzhong consume each other can also weaken him, which will make it much easier for the commander-in-chief to punish him in the future."
"Qin Mu has only been in Huichang for a few months, but he has taken charge of Ganzhou's troops. He is definitely not an ordinary person. Now that we have just arrived, he immediately withdrew from Yuanzhou and fled to Wanzai. It is clear that he is wary of us. I am afraid it will be difficult to let him and Zhang Xianzhong consume each other."
"That's not necessarily true. Commander, think about it. Qin Mu did not receive an imperial appointment, but he took the initiative to lead his troops from afar, defeated Zhang Qizai, and recaptured Yuanzhou City. He must have another reason for doing so."
"What is the reason for your confession?"
"General, in my humble opinion, Qin Mu took the initiative to lead his troops to attack the bandits, most likely because he wanted to be appointed by the court. After all, he is just a small county magistrate and has no power to command troops. He wants to command troops for himself, but it is not legitimate after all. As long as you please him, it should not be difficult to win him over temporarily."
Lu Daqi could not help but nodded slightly. He understood what Zhang Zai meant. If he could promise an official position now, he could take it away in the future. The so-called temporary winning over meant first promising an official position to Qin Mu, letting him fight with Zhang Xianzhong. When Qin Mu and Zhang Xianzhong were almost done fighting, he would find a reason to punish him to avoid any future troubles.
"Okay, let's try it as Zicheng said. Zhang Xianzhong's army is coming soon. This matter is urgent, so please ask Zicheng to go there in person."
"I will do my best to fulfill my mission." Zhang Zai bowed, got off the car and hurried north with more than a dozen guards.
After Qin Mu withdrew from Yuanzhou, he did not go to Wanzai immediately, but stationed his troops in Yuchun Mountain, twenty miles north of the city. Wanzai was seventy miles away from Yuanzhou, which was a bit far. Although it was said that one could cast a long line to catch a big fish, the line was too long, and it would lack the fun of being there in person. Yuchun Mountain was just the right distance. Of course, if he found that something was not right, he could retreat. Anyway, when it came to the ability to run away, no one could catch up with his troops.
After setting up camp in Yuchun Mountain, Qin Mu was about to send someone to report his achievement to Lu Daqi and ask for reward, but he didn't expect that Lu Daqi's messenger came first.
Zhang Zai, along with twelve guards, chased them all the way to the foot of Yuchun Mountain. They were stopped by a sentry and brought up the mountain. He was very concerned about Qin Mu's army, which could wipe out 20,000 with only 2,000 men. He paid close attention to the troops from the checkpoints outside to the military appearance inside the camp. He could not help but feel awe-inspiring as he watched them all the way up.
The troops in Qin Mu's camp were in strict order. Even in this situation, they continued to train diligently. There were sounds of killing in the camp. Each soldier was as fierce as a wolf or a tiger, but they followed orders and behaved as one.
He followed the army all the way south and saw the bandit-like soldiers of Zuo Liangyu. They cheated during training, drank and made trouble when they were free, gambled and had sex with camp prostitutes. They did all kinds of things. When looting, they rushed to the front and were as ferocious as bandits, with no military discipline at all.
Comparing the two, there is a world of difference. Zhang Zai saw it and felt deeply moved. No wonder Qin Mu was able to wipe out Zhang Qi's 20,000 rebel troops with only 2,000 troops!
When Zhang Zai was brought into the central army tent, he could not help but be stunned. He saw a young man sitting cross-legged behind a small table. He was dressed in Confucian clothes, handsome and elegant. On the small table in front of him was a huge sword lying horizontally. He was wiping it carefully with white silk, looking relaxed.
If he had not seen it with his own eyes, it would have been hard for him to believe that this was the Qin Mu who had defeated Zhang Qizai and recaptured Yuanzhou. This was clearly a young man who enjoyed the company of beautiful women by the Qinhuai River.
.(To be continued..)
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