Chapter 772: The so-called cold lips and teeth

After a long talk with Zhang Chao and Zhang You, Zhang Yue couldn't be separated after all, and hurriedly left the General Military Mansion to meet Liu Sheng. When he came back in the evening on the waning moon, he saw his father waiting for him in the courtyard. When the father and son parted, they had to have something to say, and when they talked about the entourage, in addition to Zhang You's generals and Zhang Zhuo's entourage brought by Zhang Zhuo himself, as well as the fifty sergeants transferred by Liu Sheng, who took the road of Yunnan, he reminded with a smile.

"Now that Guangdong's military rations have arrived in Haidong Prefecture, several land routes should have been opened, and there will be no danger. Although it is farther to go to Yunnan, if it is supported by the Duke of Qianguo, it is indeed safer than Guangxi, and it is more appropriate to stay in Yunnan Mansion for a period of time to recuperate and then continue to walk than to go back to Beijing directly. Crossing the Fuliang River is Baihe County, four days to the Sanqi River, another day to Xinghua Mansion, another two days is Shanwei County, and two days to enter Lintao Mansion. After Qingbo County, Xiahua County, Zhen'an County, Wenpan Prefecture, Shuiwei Prefecture, this is to go to the right bank of the Tao River, although it is farther, but it is a big road, don't be greedy for the road to quickly take the mountain road on the left bank of the Tao River. If the journey goes well, it will take about a month to reach Mengzi County, Lin'an Prefecture. ”

Hearing Zhang Yue say this, Zhang Zhuo couldn't help but wonder: "Sure enough, the people who follow the army to study these roads every day are like living maps." I know you're still prepared, this picture should be ready, right? ”

"Naturally, there is no need for maps."

Zhang Yue took out the map of the road that he had just prepared and handed it to Zhang Zhuo, and explained: "Although in comparison, after all, the sea route is more convenient, but the sea route also has bumps in the wind and waves, and the danger is not small. The Duke of Qianguo should lead his troops to Mengzi County, and then he will send troops to this road to deal with it, and you and your second uncle and eldest brother will be safer. It's just that when I arrived at Lin'an Mansion, I asked my father to send a letter to my mother as soon as possible, and she often shed tears quietly before I left, and now that I'm not there, I'm afraid she will be even more anxious. ”

"I know, I don't need you to remind me to send someone back! It's you...... Son, come back safely! ”

After a simple sentence, in the early morning of the next day, the father and son and brother parted ways, on one side was the edge road to escort Zhang You to the north into Yunnan, and on the other side was in full swing arrangement, ten days later, the army had to slowly advance south along the Jiaozhou capital area, and first stabilize the surrounding areas. Jiaozhou Capital City was completely handed over to the recruits who had been reorganized before.

When it really came to the day of marching into the army, Li Qing, whose condition had eased slightly, still insisted on following the army, although Huang Fu also proposed to follow, but after all, he was persuaded to sit in the Jiaozhou Mansion and take charge of the overall situation with the governor Fang Zheng and Shangshu Chen Qia.

Visited the seriously injured Zhang You, and witnessed the tragic defeat of the remnants of the Jiaozhou Mansion, Liu Sheng, who was originally a fiery temper, all marched along the way to lead the left army, naturally every battle is a blood-stained robe, in the face of such a momentum, the small group of Jiaoren rebels encountered along the road are all retreating, and Cui Ju, the governor of the right army, is also playing a triumphant song all the way. It's just that the passion for the winning streak of more than ten days was extinguished by a sudden and unexpected rainstorm, and he had to retreat and wait for the water division in Shishi County.

In order to facilitate the transportation of grain and grass in Haidong Province, and in addition to the fact that Jiaolu was originally a narrow strip bordering the southern part of the city, this march has always been as close to the river as possible. Because the rainy season in Vietnam is from March to October, now the river is surging, it is the season to march, even so, Zhang Yue is still afraid that the thieves will break the river to flood the Seventh Army, so he sent people to investigate the situation in the upper reaches of the river everywhere, so as not to be drilled and take advantage of the opportunity. However, on this day, before the spies returned, someone came with a messenger.

It was raining heavily, and Liu Sheng was in the house to discuss matters, when he heard that it was a messenger from Baiteng Haikou, he was stunned for a moment, and then ordered to announce people in. However, after the messenger dressed in brown clothes came in to salute, it was Chen Nai, the general banner of the Great Ming Shenwei Left Guard, who came to deliver the letter on the order of Zheng He.

As soon as he heard this, Zhang Yue's eyes lit up. Although the best day to go to the South Seas is after the north wind blows in November and February, as long as you can endure and walk slowly along the coastline, even if the wind direction is unfavorable, you can reach the South Seas. Therefore, after receiving the unfavorable news of Jiaoluan, he asked the merchant ships that had gone to the South Seas early to report to Zheng He. He didn't expect to command this famous figure, but Zheng He had been adrift at sea for many years, and he had his own judgment on fighter planes and so on, so he might be able to make a move at that time.

Liu Sheng took the letter and immediately sneered, and handed it to Li Qing next to him, so he passed it down one by one, and when Zhang Yue took it, he swept it from beginning to end, and his heart was as translucent as a mirror. He had doubts before, Annan has set up the Jiaolu Bu Political Department for a long time, Zhang Fu led the army to pacify three times, plus Zhang You and Huang Fu have been guarding for many years, if you want to talk about pacification, you have already been pacified, how could a Chen Tianbao suddenly appear, and assassinate Zhang You, taking advantage of Huang Fu's illness to set off a big chaos? Sure enough, all this is the promotion of Zhancheng behind the scenes, seeing that the former enemy has become the territory of the Ming Dynasty, can the little Zhancheng be afraid?

"According to the letter, this sudden rebellion in Jiaolu was actually fueled by people sent by the king of Champang, from weapons to military salaries to officers and so on, all from Champong!" Liu Sheng squeezed his fist fiercely and scolded angrily, "When the first Jiaolubu Political Secretary was set up, Zhancheng was instigated behind his back, and at that time, Chen Qia also suggested that if you take Annan, you should deter Zhancheng, at that time, Emperor Taizong was benevolent, but he only warned when the treasure ship traveled far away, and gave a reward, I didn't expect them to dare to touch the tiger's beard!" ”

Zhang Yue glanced at the angry Liu Sheng, and said thoughtfully: "I remember that in the early years of Yongle, Annan occupied the city for many years, and the king of Zhancheng even sent an envoy to ask our court to send officials to rule, but fortunately Emperor Taizong refused, and he has been sending troops to mediate. But Annan became the crossover of our dynasty, and the king of Zhancheng recovered the lost territory, but he began to move. Now that the city is in turmoil, this courage is indeed too great. Since Gonggong Zheng has even heard about this, I still want to ask...... Where is the Great Ming Shenwei ship now? ”

The general flag who came to deliver the letter hurriedly bowed and said, "More than 100 Shenwei ships are parked in Siam. Because the current King of Siam seems to have forgotten the warning of our dynasty at the beginning, and he is brazen and full of thorns, so as soon as the treasure ship led by Gonggong Zheng arrived, the whole country was shocked, and the news of the city was also revealed by the Siamese minister. Gonggong Zheng sent a humble post to tell the marshal and all the lords, and he will lead the Shenwei ship to Zhancheng to ask for the crime in the near future! ”

Zheng He had already gone to the Western Ocean six times before and after, and such a huge ship needed to be replenished at sea and docked for repairs, etc., so he had previously set up official factories and forts in Sumatra, Manchurian and other countries for bartering and docking. Siam was originally the most ambitious of the Western countries in the South Seas, and after not seeing treasure ships for many years, the people of Siam had the intention of expanding again, only to be crushed by the unexpectedly fast treasure fleet. However, after all, Siam Manjinga was still far away, and Liu Sheng and the others didn't care about the dispute between the two countries, and when they heard that Zheng He would lead a Shenwei ship to ask for the guilt and occupy the city, they were excited.

"As long as there is no Champong, there will be no way back for those rebels! When the rain stops, march immediately! ”

The generals agreed with a bang, and then dispersed. Zhang Yue still stayed in the last one, and stepped forward to remind him whether to write a letter for the messenger to bring back, Liu Sheng couldn't help frowning, and then said indifferently: "I'm too lazy to take care of these things, you and Gonggong Zheng seem to have some friendship, in this way, you can do it, there is only one thing I want to say, let the treasure boat ...... Ahem, the Shenwei Ship will give those people who occupy the city a little color to see, so that those guys who hide their heads and tails don't dare to play small moves! ”

In the whole of Jiaolu, in addition to the former eastern capital, the current Jiaozhou Mansion, and the western capital Qinghua Chengzheng, that is, Qinghua Mansion, only a few ancient cities such as Xinghua Mansion have built a city wall as a fortress to resist foreign enemies, and most of the rest of the states and counties in Jiaolu do not have a city wall, and now this small county is also the same. Nowadays, tens of thousands of troops are stationed, although every sergeant has prepared an oil umbrella, but the marching tent is simply not enough, although in the emergency use of oilcloth to build shelter from the rain, but many people work in the rain, all are embarrassed. And when he had gone out of the chamber with the messenger, he was told about it.

Liu Sheng ordered the additional scouts to monitor the surrounding movements, and the tents were used in turns. Hearing Liu Sheng's voice like a bell from inside, Zhang Yue asked the messenger to wait a little longer, and he stood still and didn't move.

Sure enough, after a while, the man came out of it and saw Zhang Yue waiting there, and hurriedly stepped forward to salute. After asking if it was the governor Cui Ju who sent him over, Zhang Yue instructed: "It is true that the marshal ordered to take turns to rest in the tent, but the soldiers who specialize in firearms must be taken care of first." After all, rainy days are not conducive to the use of firearms. In addition, the officers and men inspect the weapons and firearms for rust, and report any defects and damage immediately. Please report back to Cui Dudu, this kind of war elephant suitable for handing over people, all kinds of arrangements outside the camp must be done. In addition, rainy days are not conducive to mosquito repellent, but please take precautions to avoid miasma. ”

The person who came was a commander under Cui Ju's command, and at this time he wrote them down one by one, and said with a smile: "Lord Zhang is really careful, my family governor only thinks that the handover will send war elephants at this moment, and the firearms must be protected in advance, and the others don't pay attention, I will report them one by one when I go back." However, after all, Jiaolu has been in the Central Plains for a long time, and the war elephants have suffered a lot of damage in the previous battle in Jiaozhou Mansion, and now they can't send much. Around the county seat, the governor had already set up several lines of defense, and the musketeers were also on call. ”

Zhang Yue just reminded him in advance, and when he heard what the other party said, he was relieved, and called the messenger to follow him into the hut where he was resting now. As soon as he sat down, he smiled and asked, "Gonggong Zheng has any other messages for you to give me?" ”

The messenger was stunned for a moment when he heard this, and then he said convincingly: "Lord Zhang is really clever, Gonggong Zheng did let Xiao tell me that it was because I opened the sea ban and the situation of the Siamese merchants plummeted, so I didn't want our army to calm down the border lightly and skillfully." Siam was originally the overlord here, and Chenla Champa fought every year, because I had previously announced and mediated several times, so I didn't dare to act rashly, so although they leaked the news of the rebellion of the king of Champa this time, it is very likely that the rebels of Jiaolu also have Siam's funding, and the so-called death of lips and teeth is like this. After all, as long as the exchange is in the hands of our court, the East, South and West will be wedged into a nail. ”

At this moment, Zhang Yue was really happy in his heart. If Zheng He was trapped in Nanjing City as an idle and retired garrison eunuch, and it would take another four or five years for him to be sent to the West when there was no one to pay tribute, and then die of old age on that ocean, and even the nautical charts were burned by those old-fashioned scholars, how could he have today's reminder and response?

"It is worthy of Gonggong Zheng, and it is really far-sighted!"

Zheng He's prestige in the next official army is unmatched, one is to reward and punish, the other is to love his subordinates, and the third is to be far-sighted. Therefore, when Zhang Yue mentioned Zheng He in an admiring tone, the messenger was even happier than praising himself, and when Zhang Yue said that he should stay for a while and let him bring a letter back, he hurriedly responded.

Although Zhang Yue said that he brought a lot of people before, but when he really entered the army, he only brought Peng 13 and other generals, and the little maid chief stayed in Jiaozhou Mansion with all of them, and at this time everyone else went to the eunuch in charge of military quarters in the army to get gunpowder, he lifted his sleeve to polish the ink, and thought about what he wanted to say.

“…… There were only more than 100 Shenwei ships on this trip, no more than 9,000 soldiers, and less than 2,000 good fighters, which was far inferior to the previous time. Although the city is a small country, it is not easy to fold. However, if the public number makes the West understand the situation, there must be a way to obey, and there is no need for others to offer mediocre advice...... However, although the location of the rebels is unknown, the defeat is nothing more than fleeing to the sea. The sea warship is only a mighty ship, please pay more attention to the public......"

Only at the end, he asked about the rest of the goods left over from the previous voyage, and then put down his pen and read through it from beginning to end. After sealing the seal, he was about to hand the envelope to the messenger, when he heard a sudden commotion outside, and he did not care about it, and hurriedly walked out. As soon as he stood there, he heard the sound of the rain rushing in the direction of the west, and the sound of fighting and screaming, which made people's hearts palpitate.

Frowning, he hurriedly called a handyman to find out the news, but the man was gone for half an hour, and in the end he hadn't come back, Peng Shisan took the lead, and more than a dozen generals rushed into the courtyard in a hurry.

"What's going on?"

"It's better to go early than to go by chance, but we guys are there to fight a few thieves who plan to sneak into the powder magazine and set fire!" Peng Shisan, who was wearing a lily robe, patted the oilcloth package in his hand full of water droplets, and said with a smile, "I haven't used a firearm for many years, it's better to shoot an arrow than a gun, it can only scare people, but a few of them have good skills, worthy of following Yang Wubo to guard here for many years, and four shots knocked down four!" This heavy rain is not good for us, and even worse for those thieves who are ready to kill and set fires! ”

Firearms are now limited in accuracy, but firecrackers are better trained than archers, and a burst of guns is enough to disrupt the enemy's position, especially horse elephants. The Mongols and the Ming army fought a lot, and many war horses were resistant to firearms, but the war elephants in Jiaolu were still the most afraid of firearms. Therefore, Peng Shisan said it easily, and Zhang Yue couldn't help but nod approvingly.

At this moment, another shout came from outside: "Commander Chen's fleet has arrived at Shahe!" ”