On July 16, 428 of the Great Jin Dynasty, in a study room of the Prefecture Pastor Mansion in Jianyang City, Suzhou, Suzhou Governor Zhang Mingqi said in an extremely excited tone to his cousin Liu Fengbao, his confidant Zhao Lianjin and his most trusted adviser Tang Yan: "The emperor sent someone to send a secret decree to this official day and night, asking this official to take the Suzhou Xiang army into Beijing to clear the power of the Thirteenth Family, and the emperor also promised the official the post of Captain of the Military Department!" ”

Liu Fengbao, the first fierce general under Zhang Mingqi, heard what Zhang Mingqi said, and immediately shouted even more excitedly: "His Royal Highness King Yue, it's not right!" Now you can't call His Royal Highness King Yue! Lord, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! If our Red Turban Army can help the Emperor get rid of the Thirteenth Family, the power of the court will fall into the hands of our Red Turban Army! ”

Zhang Mingqi waved his hand at Liu Fengbao and said: "How many times have I told you, we are no longer the Red Turban Army, but the Suzhou Xiang Army, a serious imperial army of eight hundred!" ”

The corners of Liu Fengbao's mouth twitched slightly, he was still a little unconvinced that the Red Turban Army had to be recruited by the imperial court, the elite troops of the Red Turban Army under his command had not really fought with the various armies of the imperial court, including the broken army under Liu Ji.

Liu Fengbao thought that if Zhang Mingqi could let him lead his troops to meet the Broken Army, he would definitely be able to defeat the Broken Army, and maybe now the Red Turban Army had entered Canglong City.

Zhang Mingqi then asked Zhao Lianjin and Tang Yan: "What do you think about the matter of leading troops to the Qingjun side of the capital?" ”

Zhao Lianjin sighed and said: "Lord, this is indeed a good opportunity, but the Thirteenth Family controls all the forbidden armies in the capital, plus those state ministers and Taishou armies are also staying on the outskirts of the capital, it is not so easy for us to get rid of the Thirteenth Family." ”

Strategist Tang Yan followed and said: "Lord, with the emperor's secret decree, our Suzhou Xiang army enters the capital, and it will occupy the righteousness, if we can really defeat the thirteenth family, the lord can even coerce the Son of Heaven to order the princes, but the strength in the hands of the thirteenth family is strong, and it is not easy for us to get rid of the thirteenth family, we must plan carefully." ”

When Zhang Mingqi heard the strategist Tang Yan mention the coercion of the Son of Heaven to order the princes, his eyes couldn't help but flash a fine light, this sentence was too tempting for Zhang Mingqi, "Since everyone thinks this is a good opportunity, then this official will take our Suzhou Xiang army to the capital!" ”

Then Zhang Mingqi asked Zhao Lianjin: "How is the formation of the twenty-five guards of our Suzhou Xiang Army now?" ”

Zhao Lianjin said: "Lord, the twenty-five guards are basically all formed, each guard has five brigades, each brigade has five battalions, each battalion has about 5,000 soldiers, so that each of our guards has more than 120,000 troops, including more than 100,000 soldiers and 20,000 auxiliaries, and the total strength of our 25 guards in Suzhou has exceeded 3.1 million, not counting the 250,000 garrisons we have formed in various cities in Suzhou. ”

When the Red Turban Army accepted the imperial court's recruitment, the total strength of the Red Turban Army was about 2.7 million, but the Red Turban Army plundered a large amount of property, grain and grass in the southeastern states, and most of these property, grain and grass were finally transported back to Suzhou by the troops of the Red Turban Army.

Zhang Mingqi thought about it for a while and said to Zhao Lianjin: "Suzhou is our foundation, this time the official is going to lead the troops of the fifteen guards of the Suzhou Xiang Army to rush to the capital, Lian Jin, you stay in Suzhou this time, and command the remaining ten guards and horses and the garrison of 250,000 cities, by the way, the official is ready to transfer Zhang Shaohua under your command to the side of the official, and take it to the capital together this time." ”

Zhang Shaohua is the first fierce general among the generals under Zhao Lianjin, and the red turban military captain who slashed the first fierce general of the Great Jin Dynasty outside the city of Huai'an, the general of the cavalry, is Zhang Shaohua, but although Zhang Shaohua's force can be described as the brave champion of the three armies, it is a pity that Zhang Shaohua himself is a little lacking in heart, and can only act as a general, and it is impossible to lead the troops alone.

Zhao Lianjin heard that Zhang Mingqi was going to take Zhang Shaohua to the capital together, nodded and said: "Zhang Shaohua can be regarded as a peerless general, his martial arts are not weaker than General Fengbao, but his head is missing a string, the lord took Zhang Shaohua to the capital this time, don't let Zhang Shaohua lead the troops alone, the lord had better keep Zhang Shaohua by his side, so that Zhang Shaohua can not only protect the safety of the lord, but also prevent Zhang Shaohua from poking out any Louzi." ”

Liu Fengbao heard Zhang Shaohua's name, his eyes flashed, for this super fierce man who could defeat the cavalry general Dou Bing within twenty rounds, Liu Fengbao has always wanted to compete with him, but so far, the two have not had a chance to meet.

Zhang Mingqi heard that Zhao Lianjin agreed to transfer Zhang Shaohua to his side without hesitation, and the smile on his face couldn't help but say to Zhao Lianjin even brighter: "Lianjin, after this official leads the troops to the capital, the base camp of Suzhou, this official will be handed over to you." ”

Zhao Lianjin hugged his fists and said: "Don't worry, my lord, with me Zhao Lianjin here, Suzhou is absolutely foolproof!" ”

After Zhao Lianjin and the strategist Tang Yan left, Liu Fengbao said to Zhang Mingqi: "Cousin, let Zhao Lianjin stay in Suzhou, will it ......?"

Before Liu Fengbao's words were finished, he was interrupted by Zhang Mingqi waving his hand, "Fengbao, Zhao Lianjin has always been loyal to me, this time I transferred Zhang Shaohua, the first fierce general under his command, to his side, Zhao Lianjin did not hesitate at all, such a person, I should give him enough trust, otherwise how can I talk about achieving hegemony!" ”

Liu Fengbao then nodded and said: "My cousin's words are reasonable, but this time my cousin led troops to the capital, which is equivalent to handing over the entire Suzhou to Zhao Lianjin, not afraid of 10,000, just in case!" ”

Zhang Mingqi thought for a while and said: "Then let Chen Hongxin also stay in Suzhou and stay in Suzhou with Zhao Lianjin, and the official will send the three guards under Zhao Lianjin to rush to the capital together." ”

Zhang Mingqi has a total of five leading generals, namely Zhao Lianjin, Zhou Jiling, Liu Fengbao, Wu Zan and Chen Hongxin, when the Red Turban Army and the imperial court were fighting, Zhao Lianjin led the troops to attack Hangzhou, Zhou Jiling led the troops to attack Zhejiang and Fuzhou, Wu Zan attacked Suzhou, and later because of the broken army, Chen Hongxin also led the troops into Suzhou, but Wu Zan and Chen Hongxin both suffered a big loss from the broken army, and lost more than one million troops in Qinhuai City in Suzhou.

This time, the Red Turban Army was changed to the Suzhou Xiang Army of 25 Wei, after Zhang Mingqi's division, the Suzhou Xiang Army controlled by Zhao Lianjin was five Wei, the Suzhou Xiang Army controlled by Zhou Jiling was four Wei, Wu Zan and Chen Hong's command both controlled the Suzhou Xiang Army of the three Wei, Liu Fengbao also controlled the Suzhou Xiang Army of the three Wei, and the Suzhou Xiang Army of the Seven Guards belonged directly to Zhang Mingqi, and the garrison of the other 250,000 Suzhou cities was also directly under Zhang Mingqi in the division.

Liu Fengbao then asked: "Cousin, which ten guards are you going to leave behind in Suzhou?" ”

Zhang Mingqi said: "Two of the five guards under Zhao Lianjin, one guard each under Zhou Jiling, Wu Zan and Chen Hongxin, one guard under your command, and seven guards under my command, I am only going to take three guards to the capital this time." ”

When Liu Fengbao heard Zhang Mingqi's arrangement, he immediately said with relief: "In this case, even if Zhao Lianjin has any other thoughts, it is impossible for him to shake his cousin's position in Suzhou." ”

As soon as Zhao Lianjin returned to his mansion in Jianyang City, he received an order from Zhang Mingqi, the governor of the state, which included a list of the fifteen Suzhou Xiang guards that Zhang Mingqi was going to bring to the capital this time, among which the eighth, ninth and tenth guards of the Suzhou Xiang Army were all directly under Zhao Lianjin's command.

Peng Yong, the commander of the eighth guard under Zhao Lianjin, saw the list on this appointment, frowned and asked Zhao Lianjin: "Marshal, didn't Lord Governor let you stay in Suzhou?" Why did you bring the eighth, ninth, and tenth guards to the capital? ”

Zhao Lianjin said with a calm face: "The lord will lead fifteen guards to the capital this time, and the list is exactly fifteen guards, and it is enough for the other ten guards to stay in Suzhou." ”

Peng Yong hesitated for a moment and said: "Dashuai, this time, Lord Zhou Mu not only transferred the eighth guard, the ninth guard and the tenth guard, but also transferred Zhang Shaohua over, are you not at ease with Dashuai?" ”

Zhao Lianjin frowned and said: "Don't talk nonsense, the lord is as kind to me as Zhao Lianjin, and this time he handed over the important task of staying in Suzhou to me, which can be said to be a lot of trust in me, don't talk nonsense in the future!" ”

Peng Yong was a little angry when he heard Zhao Lianjin's tone, and quickly said: "Dashuai, I just said it casually, don't take it to heart." ”

"Okay, you hurry back to the barracks, get ready for the battle, don't think nonsense! This time, the lord may be able to achieve great things, you have to put your mind on the battlefield, make more achievements, and have a greater future in the future! ”

"Don't worry, Dashuai, this time we are the eighth guard, and we will definitely not embarrass Dashuai!"

After Peng Yong left, Zhao Lianjin picked up the order sent by Zhang Mingqi, the state pastor, and looked at it, and then Zhao Lianjin sighed, shook his head helplessly, and gently put the order on the table.

With the order of the governor Zhang Mingqi, the troops from all over Suzhou began to be mobilized frequently, and a large number of troops of the Suzhou Xiang Army began to gather in Wujin City, an important town in the north of Suzhou.

On July 23, 428 of the Great Jin Dynasty, in a military camp outside Wujin City, Zhou Jiling welcomed Wu Zhan, who had just arrived in Wujin City with his troops, into his handsome tent, Zhou Jiling said to Wu Zan with a smile: "Brother Wu, we haven't seen each other for almost a year, and our brothers have a good drink tonight!" ”

Wu Zan smiled bitterly and said, "Brother Zhou, these days, I'm not having a good time, brother!" If it weren't for the fact that I led my troops in Suzhou and was defeated by the Broken Army, our Red Turban Army would not have given up so much territory, and I heard that Brother Zhou was about to capture Zhezhou and Fuzhou at that time! ”

Zhou Jiling patted Wu Zan on the shoulder and said: "Brother Wu, victory or defeat is a common thing in soldiers, not to mention that the Broken Army is an elite division across the Western Regions and the grasslands, even Zhao Lianjin's kid did not dare to fight with the Broken Army at the beginning, and when he learned that the Broken Army rushed to Huai'an City, he directly led the troops to retreat from Huai'an City. ”

After a pause, Zhou Jiling continued: "Besides, the lord doesn't mean to blame you, otherwise he wouldn't have assigned three Suzhou Xiangjun guards to your command." ”

Wu Zan nodded and said: "The lord is merciful, I still remember our old brothers, this time the reorganization of the Suzhou Xiang Army, not only was there three guards under my command, but even Chen Hongxin was also divided into three guards, but I heard that Chen Hongxin will not go to the capital with the lord this time." ”

Zhou Jiling suddenly lowered his voice and said: "This time, the lord asked Zhao Lianjin's kid to stay in Suzhou, you must know that Zhao Lianjin's kid is different from you and me, he has a lot of thoughts, maybe the lord is not at ease to hand over Suzhou to him alone, let Chen Hongxin's brother also stay, there is a meaning to spy on Zhao Lianjin's kid." ”

Among the five leading generals under Zhang Mingqi, Zhao Lianjin can be regarded as the most resourceful general, but Zhao Lianjin is arrogant, and the relationship with the other four leading generals is not good, especially the relationship with Zhou Jiling is the worst, and the two have also done it because of some trivial things.

Wu Zan then diverted the topic and said: "Brother Zhou, this time our Suzhou Xiang army went north to Canglong City, and we need to pass through many counties and counties in Qiongzhou and Suzhou, we have no will issued by the imperial court, and the emperor's secret decree to the lord is not suitable to be taken out, how can we arrive in Canglong City unimpeded?" ”

Zhou Jiling said: "Brother Wu, you still don't know, the emperor has sent someone to summon the lord to Canglong City to meet the will, our Suzhou Xiang army relies on this will, those counties in Qiongzhou and Suzhou, as well as the imperial army along the way, will not dare to embarrass us!" ”

Wu Zan frowned and said: "But our fifteen Suzhou Xiang guards are going north, and the movement must be very noisy, and the Thirteenth Family will definitely know about it, and if we don't get it, the Thirteenth Family will send troops to intercept us." ”

Zhou Jiling said with a smile: "Now that the Broken Army is facing the attack of the four great powers in the Western Regions, it is difficult to protect itself, as long as there is no Broken Army, where can the Thirteenth Family stop our fifteen Suzhou Xiang Army guards from entering Canglong City!" ”

Then Zhou Jiling's voice was lowered and said: "In fact, we can make the emperor's secret decree to the lord public, if the thirteenth family gets rid of the emperor for this, the lord can kill into Canglong City under the banner of avenging the emperor, and then sweep away the power of the thirteenth family, whether the lord himself is the emperor or another emperor, it will all be up to the lord's will!" ”

Wu Zhan's eyes lit up and said: "Brother Zhou's idea is good, when the lord arrives in Wujin City with his troops, Brother Zhou has to dedicate this idea to the lord, as long as there is no broken army, even if it is the forbidden army of the imperial court, I, Wu Zhan, am not afraid!" ”