On the sixth day of the second month of the 14th year of Chongzhen, Zhu Pingjin led more than 1,000 people from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th companies of the 1st battalion of the caravan and more than 1,000 infantry cavalry of the Tusi battalion to leave Yazhou, and drove towards Qiongzhou with several times the number of prisoners.

Soon the brigade reached a river. This river was originally a tributary of the Tsing Yi River, rushing out from the Bifeng Gorge, and when it reached the edge of the Tsing Yi River, it completely concealed the primitive wildness in the canyon and pretended to be gentle and lovely. I saw that the riverbank was soothing and the river water was clear; The bamboo bridge is deformed, spanning both banks; Daishan distant shadow, shaped like a thrush, a beautiful idyllic painting! It's a pity that the soldiers don't stop halfway, otherwise Zhu Pingjin will definitely stop and admire.

A trail along the river leads north to Bifeng Gorge. Song Zhensi took the fourth company and escorted 3,000 rebels out of the brigade. Zhu Pingjin led the brigade to gradually cross the rickety narrow bamboo bridge and march in the direction of Qiongzhou.

By noon, the brigade approached Mingshan County. The gate of the famous mountain is closed, and there is no one in the village. According to the Malay report, although there were a lot of troubled people in Mingshan County, most of them went to the state capital to make a fortune, and the county seat was still safe.

The government did not dare to open the city, and Zhu Pingjin fell easily, so he ordered a quick pass. Through Mingshan County, Mengyang Town is close at hand. Cao Santai stayed in Tianquan Jianyichang, and Mengyang Wangzhuang was temporarily managed by his adopted son Cao Side. That young man, like Cao Santai, was a clever man with blinking eyes and eyebrows. He prepared the army's meal early, and sent people to the army in advance to guide them.

Zhu Pingjin refused Cao Side's filial piety and lined up with ordinary soldiers to eat. Taking advantage of the free time to wait in line for dinner, he briefly asked Cao Side about the recent situation of Mengding Mountain Wangzhuang. Most of the villages under Mengding Mountain Wangzhuang are tea houses, many of which are located in the mountains, the area is remote, and there are not many exports, and they have been ordered by Zhu Pingjin in advance to strictly guard the villagers, so although there are also individual villagers who instigate, they have not developed into riots, and they remain calm on the whole.

Mengding Mountain Camellia is a royal village directly managed by the royal government. Zhu Pingjin is only a young owner, and he can't directly implement his rent reduction policy past his parents. However, after coming out of Yazhou, his waist swelled a lot, so he made a big move. He gave Mengding Mountain Wangzhuang 2,500 taels of silver, and personally explained: 200 taels is the reward of the prince, 300 taels is the food, wages and travel money during this period, and the other 2,000 taels is the fixed money for 1,000 chicken carts and 400 two-wheeled horse-drawn carts.

The trees on Mengding Mountain are verdant, and the wood needed to make a car is not worried. In addition to the spring and autumn tea harvesting seasons, mountain households are busy, and they have nothing to do on weekdays, so they can increase their income by making cars. The caravan was seriously understocked with vehicles, and the weight of the food was mainly carried by the escorted rebels, and each soldier had to carry ten days' worth of food. In addition to the military transportation needs of the caravan, a large number of vehicles are also needed for the commercial goods from Yazhou to Tianquan. Since receiving Li Chongwen's first letter, Zhu Pingjin has begun to ponder where to produce a large number of vehicles of all kinds. When he arrived in Mengyang Town, he suddenly found the answer.

After resting for a quarter of an hour after dinner, Zhu Pingjin walked around the team with Cao Sanbao as usual, chatting casually with ordinary soldiers. Shu Guoping temporarily took over the position of the head of the guard, so he naturally followed with him. Gao Antai and Cheng Xiangfeng, a newcomer to Yazhou, also followed.

After walking through the first company, Zhu Pingjin walked into the second company. When the soldiers saw the prince coming, they all got up from the ground.

Zhu Pingjin smiled and pressed his hand to let them sit down and said, "I've just eaten enough, sit down and talk!" After saying that, he also sat on the ground, and Cao San didn't have time to sit on the cushion.

"Got enough to eat?" Seeing that the soldiers were a little restrained, Zhu Pingjin nodded to the leading soldier and asked, "What's your name?" ”

"Yushizi, you have a full meal! Now three meals a day, much fuller than before! As he spoke, the soldier patted his bulging belly to prove that he was right.

"This is Wei Chen, the seventh squad leader of the second company and the third platoon!" Shu Guoping introduced to Zhu Pingjian.

"Oh, I've become a squad leader after a fight! In the head of this son, I still remember that you are a small soldier! ”

Zhu Pingjin's joke made the soldiers laugh. Soon, Wei Xiaobing's nickname became popular throughout the army.

The soldier's face was full of pride: "I'm not a soldier anymore, I'm a non-commissioned officer!" I killed three rioters in Yazhou and arrested seventeen, so the chief and everyone chose me as the squad leader. My brother Wei Shen also became the squad leader in the ninth class of the third company! ”

"Killed three, caught seventeen. One to twenty, it's not easy! You two brothers are good! Zhu Pingjin praised Wei Chen, and then asked: "The first time you killed someone, are you scared?" ”

Wei Chen replied generously: "It's really scary to kill the first one. When he fell, he grabbed my bamboo gun and didn't let go, and his mouth was still screaming. I watched the blood gushing out of his stomach, and I couldn't even hold a gun at the time! ”

Wei Chen's honesty made the soldiers around him laugh again. Wei Chen continued: "I'm still old and disgusting, I want to vomit!" However, when you kill the second one, you won't be afraid! I thought, if he doesn't rob the people, why should I kill him? If I don't kill him, he'll kill me!" My parents are here, and I still want to go home alive to honor my parents! Lord Shizi, how are my parents and parents? I heard that they all moved to Renshou County. None of us have been there, and we don't know if it's good or not! ”

Hearing Wei Chen boldly ask about his family's situation, many soldiers pricked up their ears.

This is a major matter related to the morale of the military, and Zhu Pingjin knows that he cannot be vague about the past. He smiled and said, "They're all good!" Mr. Li recently wrote that everyone had divided five acres of land and thirty catties of rations! Each of you, the merchant guards, has five acres of land in your name. It's just ......" Zhu Pingjin paused, and Wei Chen's heart that he had just put down instantly rose to his throat. But he didn't dare to urge the prince, so he had to wait patiently for Zhu Pingjin to finish speaking.

"It's just that there is a group of bandits near Renshou County, about five or six thousand people, who always want to rob us of our food! A few days ago, I wanted to fight the ambush of our grain transportation team, but fortunately, Mr. Li found out early and made preparations, so I didn't succeed! ”

"Lord Shizi, what are five or six thousand bandits? There are tens of thousands of chaotic people in Yazhou, and we haven't wiped them all out! We have now changed to iron guns and steel knives, and the squad leader and above have also been issued iron armor, we are not afraid of them! Wei Chen was full of confidence, and the soldiers echoed loudly.

The first battle was won by a big victory, and morale was high. A rebellion in Yazhou helped train a strong army. This harvest is far greater than the gold, silver, grain and land.

"It's good to have faith, but you can't take it lightly! Soldiers have a saying: strategically despise, tactically attached, that's the truth! Zhu Pingjin saw He Youyi hurrying from a distance, as if he had something important to report, so he stood up and ended the conversation with the soldiers.

"We're going to have a lot of battles in the future! The enemy will get stronger and stronger. To defeat the enemy and save yourself, you must train hard and be brave and fearless! Wei Chen, and all of you, this son hopes that you will make persistent efforts, kill the enemy and make meritorious contributions, and add glory to your family and ancestors! Zhu Pingjin concluded.

After Shu Guoping commanded the guard, He Youyi re-became the chief of staff and served as the privy council of the whole army. He had just met a messenger from Renshou County, and that person had sent another urgent letter from Li Chongwen.

Zhu Pingjin returned to the Chinese army, read the letter, and asked the messenger about the situation, so he instructed Cao Sanbao to summon the civil and military forces to the Chinese army for a meeting.

The so-called Chinese army is nothing more than a few dilapidated houses guarding tea plantations next to the avenue: mud-brick gables, thatched roofs, and bamboo fenced courtyard walls. Zhu Pingjin felt that the house was narrow and the roof might be dusty, so he moved the venue outside. A chair was set up in front of the house, on which Zhu Pingjin sit, and his team members lined up in two rows in the small courtyard to discuss the next plan of action for the caravan.

"The last general thinks that the whole army should go straight to Pengshan and quickly defeat the rebels!" Song Zhenzong, who had a loud voice, took the lead in speaking, "As long as we win the battle, whether we go to Renshou County or Chengdu Mansion, we can choose!" ”

Defeating the enemy's main forces and achieving a decisive strategic victory through a single battle is a common way to win in war.

Zhu Pingjin scanned the civil and military with his eyes and asked for everyone's opinions.

Shu Guoping's opinion was at odds with Song Zhenzong's. He said: "The last general thinks that we should first go to Renshou County and hand over these 3,000 chaotic people, so that we can relieve our worries and boldly engage the enemy." Otherwise, the battle in front will be fierce, and the 3,000 people in the back will make trouble again, and our victory or defeat will not be known! ”

Song Zhenzong was unconvinced and said: "These 3,000 people can be handed over to the local Wang Zhuang to take care of first!" When we win, it's not too late to escort us! ”

One is the theory of quick victory, and the other is the theory of slow victory. On the surface, Shu Guoping's opinion is reasonable, but in fact, Song Zhenzong's method is also feasible. Leave these 3,000 captives in Mengding Mountain King Village, and they will have the same work to do.

Zhu Pingjin's gaze turned to He Youyi. He knew that this man also had a lot of ideas. He Youyi and the prince looked at it, and hurriedly came out and said: "The minister thinks that when the soldiers are on standby in Meizhou!" ”

Two advocate fighting, and the other advocates stationing troops on standby, which is somewhat subtle. Zhu Pingjin quietly waited for He Youyi to finish speaking.

He Youyi continued; "There are a lot of people in Pengshan, no less than Yazhou! According to Brother Chongwen, there are still five or six thousand bandits and bandits in Renshou County, including hundreds of old bandits! If so, the enemy soldiers are more than ten times more than mine! Yazhou was in turmoil, and our army had already entered the city, so it was quickly pacified. Pengshan is not like Yazhou, where there have been riots for five or six days. The enemy is holding a fortified city, and our army rashly marches into the city, but there is a certain number of victories? Therefore, the minister thought that it was the best policy to defend Meizhou and strangle the enemy's throat! ”

He Youyi didn't say it clearly, but Zhu Pingjin heard it. What can be grabbed in Pengshan County has been robbed, and there is not much oil and water to fish.

"Never!" This time, Song Zhenzong and Shu Guoping came out together to oppose it.

The two made eye contact, and Shu Guoping, who was still good at words, came out to speak: "Shizi, don't meet the enemy without fighting!" The soldiers of our caravan are ten of them, and they all die generously, all because the son of the world is benevolent, righteous and virtuous, and cherishes the people! The heart is the heart of the army. Loyalty to the Ming Dynasty and protection of the country and the people are the basic purpose of our caravan! The battle of Yazhou, more than 10,000 chaotic people, I only have hundreds, but the Tsing Yi River annihilated the enemy, occupied the four gates at night, and recovered the whole city in Pingming, all of which were made by the prince and the soldiers with one heart and one mind, and jointly protect the people of the Ming Dynasty! Now that the chaotic people are harming my Pengshan and killing my people, our army and the thieves are not in the same place, how can we sit idly by! The soldiers asked, how do we explain the people who lead the troops? ”

Without waiting for Shu Guoping to finish speaking, Song Zhenzong took a step forward and knelt down on one knee and said, "If we don't have enough troops, we can recruit all the fourth and fifth companies." They're all full four-platoon companies! Please don't sit back and watch the Pengshan Rebellion! ”

Zhu Pingjin hurriedly left his seat, helped Song Zhenzong up, and said: "General Song, don't be impatient, after listening to your opinions, this son has his own decision......"

As the highest education in this group of people, Cheng Xiangfeng has been doing nothing for the past few days. Zhu Pingjin neither let him participate in writing nor specific affairs, but he never avoided him, which made him a little uncertain about his future. At today's meeting in the small courtyard, the prince made it clear that he wanted to listen to your opinions, which was a good opportunity to offer advice. So when the prince returned to the throne and no one spoke anymore, he stepped forward and bowed and said: "The minister thinks that the rebellion in Pengshan and Yazhou is not a rebellion in one city and one place, but a rebellion in the whole Sichuan. Therefore, when I use troops, I must also focus on the overall situation and focus on the main points! ”

Cheng Xiangfeng has the position of Yazhou State Study, although he is not a scholar and a disciplined official, and he has not been able to enter the stream, but he calls himself a "minister", which is still qualified. His argument was strategic, and as soon as Zhu Pingjin heard the interest, he smiled and encouraged Cheng Xiangfeng to continue.

Cheng Xiangfeng won the affirmation of the son, and his nervous mood gradually relaxed.

"In the rebellion of the whole Sichuan, the most worried people are in the officials and not in the people!

Civil unrest is a temporary chaos in one city and one place. But those who can hold the city will soon be in turmoil, such as Qiongzhou and famous mountains!

If the official is in turmoil, there will be chaos in all parts of the country, such as Shudi!

Shuangliu and Pengshan counties are all provincial capitals of. If is in turmoil, the provincial capital will be in turmoil; If the provincial capital is in chaos, the two Taiwan and the three divisions will be chaotic; If the two Taiwan and three divisions are chaotic, the whole Shu will be chaotic.

As the descendant of the Shu domain, the prince should save the whole of Shu and save a city and a place! Take long-term peace and stability as the top, and stop for a while!

It was the old minister who thought that the son of the world would focus on the main point! ”