Sun Chuanting, who was bent on recovering Beijing and paying tribute to the first emperor, did what he said. At the end of July, without notifying Jiang Jiu and Hou Dagui in advance, Sun Chuanting led 20,000 troops from Datong Mansion to Guangling County. By the time Hou Dagui got the news, his army had crossed the Sanggan River and approached the Lin Pass in Guangling County.

Hou Dagui had not yet eased up, and Jiang Hao took the initiative to come to the door.

When the two met, Hou Dagui asked, "Do you know about Sun Chuanting's troops?" ”

"Yes." Jiang Hao's face was slightly red, "Yesterday, Tartar replied to the letter and blamed me for the same, I told Sun Chuanting about the situation, but I didn't expect him to ...... today Just ......"

Hou Dagui was furious when he heard this, and shouted: "Why didn't you tell Sun Chuanting to tell me? ”

Jiang Hao blushed and was speechless.

Hou Dagui scolded Jiang Jiu with his head and face, and his anger decreased slightly.

Jiang Hao didn't hear it, so he said in a sullen voice: "Are you done scolding?" ”

"It's not over."

Jiang Hao sighed and said, "Brother Hou, I admit that you scolded me, but what to do about this matter, you have to have an idea." ”

At present, the Ming army in northern Jin is mainly Jiang Huang, Sun Chuanting and Hou Dagui, Jiang Huang has 30,000, Sun Chuanting 20,000, and Hou Dagui has more than 10,000. But Hou Dagui is the earl of the new imperial court, and belongs to the descendants of the first powerful minister Zhao Dangshi, and the more than 10,000 soldiers and horses under his command are even stronger and stronger.

"What else can I do? You can't watch Sun Chuanting go deep alone in vain. ”

Jiang Hao said thoughtfully: "There are only 5,000 Tartars in Guangling County, and Sun Chuanting has 20,000, so it shouldn't be a big problem." I don't think it's better to wait and see what happens, and wait for the outcome of the war to be decided before making a plan. ”

"That being said, you can also see Sun Chuanting's bullish temper. He was frustrated in Guangling, and we both wanted to be saved; He successfully defeated Guangling, and he was bound to continue the march to Beijing, and we will follow at that time. It's better to set up the soldiers and horses in these two days and catch up. Hou Dagui shook his head, his face full of frustration, "Two days ago, I had to report that the king of Ningnan had defeated the main force of the thieves in Shaanxi and successfully captured the city of Xi'an. What do you say Sun Chuanting is in a hurry? ”

Jiang Hao nodded and said, "I see, I said why there have been frequent reports recently." ”

"What poster?"

Li Chuang returned to Taiyuan Mansion, and soldiers and horses from all walks of life gathered in Taiyuan, and the number of detectives was no less than 30,000. At present, soldiers and horses are being widely deployed to collect grain and loot around Taiyuan Prefecture, and the poison is very serious. ”

"It's just a dying struggle, wait for Ningnan...... The arrival of King Song's soldiers did not level Taiyuan in an instant. Hou Dagui let out of his nostrils, "King Song instructed you and me to stick to Taiyuan and wait for his soldiers, now you see, Sun Chuanting is doing this, how can he defend Taiyuan?" As you said, there are a lot of Tartars in Beijing, and Sun Chuanting only relies on his enthusiasm to go to the egg and touch the stone, which is not a way. ”

Jiang Hao raised his eyelids and said, "Brother Hou has made up his mind to chase Sun Chuanting?" ”

"If you don't chase it, you can't do it."

"Okay, then I will definitely do a good job of logistics here, so that the two of you don't have to worry about the future."

Hou Dagui heard his voice, frowned and said, "You're not going?" 30,000 people in Taiyuan to drink the northwest wind? ”

Jiang Hao replied: "Brother Hou, what are these words, am I the one who is not righteous." From Datong to Guangling, there is Sun Chuanting in front of him, and there is Brother Hou in the back, and there are 30,000 or 40,000 people in the two together, which is enough. I had 30,000 men coming, and I couldn't help much, and it also affected the march and supplies. This is not a thief in Taiyuan to make a big fuss, before the soldiers of the King of Song annihilated it, I still have to guard the Datong Mansion, otherwise the family will be copied by the thief, and I will wait for the enemy to suffer from the back, which is even more disadvantageous. ”

Hou Dagui thought about it and felt reasonable. An area has a limited carrying capacity for an army, as does a marching road. Exceeding the carrying capacity of the region will not only cause meaningless loss of soldiers and horses, but also lose strategic advantages if they are gathered in one place. The Qing army in Guangling County is only 5,000, and the two armies of themselves plus Sun Chuanting are invincible, if Sun Chuanting is really determined to attack Beijing, it will not be too late to call Jiang Huang at that time.

At that moment, Hou Dagui thought about it a little, and then agreed to Jiang Jiu's proposal, and said: "If you can't defend Taiyuan, you won't fight Beijing, and my old Hou will have to pry you first when he turns around and comes back." ”

Jiang Hao said continuously: "It should be, it should be." ”

Hou Dagui then said: "I will go to Guangling, and I will leave some people in Datong Mansion to help you defend the city." ”

Jiang Hao was stunned, and then responded: "I understand, thank you Brother Hou for your care." ”

Although Jiang Hao has expressed his determination to return to the Hongguang court many times, the heart of defense is indispensable, and the military is critical, Hou Dagui still can't rest assured that he will completely hand over his back. Hou Dagui prepared to leave the most elite Wuyi, Feijie Left, Feijie Right, Changning, Zhongguan Five Battalions and He Renji's five battalions a total of 7,000 soldiers and horses in Datong, on the one hand, to defend their own retreat, and on the other hand, to keep an eye on Jiang Xuan. The number of troops sent out for the battle was Zheng Shixinjing, the Zhong Battalion and the Min Yiqi Yichong Battalion, totaling 5,000 people, which was not only sufficient to cope with the battle ahead, but also ensured flexibility and safety.

After discussing with Jiang Huang, at the beginning of August, Hou Dagui sent troops as planned, crossed the Hehe River and Sanggan River from Xiamizhuang, and approached Linkou Pass, when he suddenly encountered an army. Hou Dagui also said that it was the Qing army that killed, and Zheng Shixin and Min Yiqi were ordered to prepare for battle, and the other party rode the white flag first, and under contact, he knew that the opposite side was not the Qing army, but Hao Mingluan, the general of Sun Chuanting's standard battalion, and he was followed by five hundred horse troops.

Hou Dagui knew Hao Mingluan's identity, pretended not to know, and asked, "Where is King Anxi?" ”

Hao Mingluan replied: "The king of Anxi has already conquered the county seat of Guangling. ”

Hou Dagui was stunned for a moment, counted with his fingers, and said, "It's only been a few days, and the tartar is made of tofu?" How can it be defeated in one attack? ”

Hao Mingluan shook his head and said, "The Tartars of Guangling County knew that our army was coming, and they gathered the troops of the Quartet in advance and retreated. ”

"I see, then King Anxi is now in Guangling County?"

"No, I'm going to Xuanfu."

"Xuanfu? As I expected. Hou Dagui sneered twice, "This has just recovered Guangling County, and the saddle horse has not stopped and hurriedly went to Xuanfu." The ambition of the king of Anxi is beyond my imagination. He asked Hao Mingluan, "The army went to Xuanfu, how did you go backwards, could it be that you got lost?" ”

Hao Mingluan said: "General Manager Hou doesn't know, our army originally planned to be in Guangling County for a few days, and by the way, Ulzhou was also received nearby, but Tang Tong, who was stationed in Xuanfu, sent a letter inviting our army to station. Guangling County was plagued by the Tartars, dilapidated, Tang Tong was in Xuanfu, similar to Datong Jiang Xuan, there was a city and grain, Inspector Sun decided to go there to rest, and at the same time sent me to invite General Hou and General Jiang to meet Xuanfu. Xuanfu is the throat of Beijing to Shanxi, closer to Beijing, and choking there can cause greater oppression to the Tartars. ”

"No wonder, hehe, Tang Tong figured it out?"

Hao Mingluan said: "As soon as the soldiers of our army arrived, the Tartars fled without a fight, Xuanfu was nearby, and Tang Tong's troops were not as good as Jiang Xuan. He opened the door in time to greet him, and he knew each other. ”

Hou Dagui said: "Okay, one more will be more strength, and it is better for the Xuanfu to have a response." I'll go with you first, and when the situation over there is decided, I'll notify Jiang Jiu and King Song to come over. ”

"King Song?"

"The king of Ningnan broke the thief and restored the whole of Shaanxi, and the court named him the king of Song because of his merits, and controlled the northern expedition of the world's soldiers and horses." Hou Dagui's words revealed excitement and pride that could not be concealed.

Hao Mingluan said with relief: "The King of Song is carrying the power of a great victory, and the elite Northern Expedition of all roads will be successful!" ”

Now the two of them are happy, and they join forces and go to Xuanfu together.

On the day Hou Dagui led the army to leave, Chen Hongfan found Zhao Yuanheng and said to him: "There is something, I have to bother you to go." ”

Zhao Yuanheng arched his hand and said, "What's the matter, Chen Gong just said." He and Chen Hongfan traveled together, experienced countless ups and downs along the way, and had already had a fateful friendship.

Chen Hongfan said: "You go to Beijing, find Wu Sangui, and tell him that his concubine has been found." ”

Zhao Yuanheng was stunned, not only because he returned to Beijing, but also because of Chen Hongfan's sentence "His concubine has been found".

Chen Hongfan sighed: "I know that the road to Beijing is difficult and dangerous, and it is not a good road. But I'm old and bones, and I can't move around, and I need to be here to do this. Let you go, some strongmen are difficult. But in this matter, apart from you, I can't find anyone else to entrust me to. ”

Zhao Yuanheng was born recklessly, and he was the most righteous, so he shook his head and said: "Chen Gongcha, as long as it is beneficial to the court and my father, how can I have any reason to excuse myself, I am just Wu Sangui's concubine......"

Chen Hongfan said: "You believe me, I have indeed learned the whereabouts of his person, so I will tell Wu Sangui the news." ”

Hou Dagui left several battalions of soldiers and horses in Datong Mansion, and Chen Hongfan and other people who temporarily lived in the rear camp were inconvenient to follow the army, and they were also among them. Chen Hongfan had been struggling with how to deal with the relationship between Wu Sangui and Hou Dagui about Wu Sangui's concubine for several days, but now that Hou Dagui sent troops, he felt that the opportunity was rare, so he made a decision and decided to tell Wu Sangui about this matter first.

The value of Wu Sangui, Chen Hongfan knows it well, and understands that the struggle for people's hearts is only in the morning and night, Wu Sangui did promise to secretly cooperate with the Hongguang Imperial Court in person, but those are all empty words and cannot be counted. He may still have a wavering heart in the new annexation of the Qing State at present, and if it takes a long time, it is difficult to guarantee that he will not fully integrate into the Qing State. Even if he is determined, the Qing State is not a fool, and it is inevitable that his forces and subordinates will be gradually divided, and when the Guan Liao army completely collapses, I am afraid that even if Wu Sangui has the heart to do it, he will no longer be able to return to the sky. Therefore, if he can use his concubine to pull his heart to the Hongguang court first, it will be a good start for further wooing in the future. After all, the most critical person is in his own hands, and then he only needs to maneuver between him and Hou Dagui according to the specific situation.

Zhao Yuanheng had an upright personality, and when he heard Chen Hongfan's vow, he nodded resolutely and said: "Chen Gong rest assured, even if Beijing is a wolf's lair, I will break through and bring the news to Wu Sangui." ”

Chen Hongfan said: "Okay, you must pay attention on the road, don't let the Tartars or the scouts of our army find out." ”

Zhao Yuanheng didn't know what was going on, and said suspiciously: "The Tartar scouts want to avoid, the ...... of our army"

Chen Hongfan said solemnly: "This matter involves Manager Hou, don't let him know your whereabouts, otherwise you will be asked to negotiate Wu Sangui." ”

Zhao Yuanheng had a bad impression of Hou Dagui, who had a long history, and after hearing this, he did not doubt him, and nodded in agreement.

Chen Hongfan continued: "Let's leave tonight, the sooner the better. As he spoke, he took out a hairpin from his sleeve and handed it to Zhao Yuanheng, "You take this, it's a token, Wu Sangui naturally knows when he sees it." ”

Zhao Yuanheng was about to leave, but Chen Hongfan suddenly stopped him, coughed lightly and said, "Li Chuang was defeated in Shaanxi." ”

"Hmm......" Zhao Yuanheng's face twitched slightly, but he didn't react.

"I know, you've been with Li for a long time......"

"Chen Gong, the grace of the past, Yuan Heng has been used in the army to fight to the death. Today, each is its master, and Yuan Heng's father is only the king of Ningnan. ”

"Okay." Chen Hongfan smiled, "I'm old, and my mouth is broken, don't be surprised, be careful all the way." ”

Zhao Yuanheng nodded, took the hairpin and stuffed it into his arms, and the hurried figure quickly disappeared into the night.