At the beginning of July of the fifth year of Chongzhen, the rebels of Kong Youde in the eastern part of the Ming Dynasty were still besieging Laizhou, and the Ming court was still hesitating whether the strategy against the rebels should be to suppress or appease.

At the same time, news came from Beijing that Tang Wenzheng, the eunuch who was the governor of Jingying, was dismissed, but this was not a signal that Chongzhen intended to sweep away the eunuchs.

Because the person who continues to supervise the government of Jingying is still a well-known eunuch.

It's just that this person is Cao Huachun, who has a good reputation, so for the officials of the Ming Dynasty, this is not worse news. They still have to choose to continue to wait, hoping that the time for political clarity will come sooner.

However, the Holy Lord, who has seen through a lot of things, should not respond to the expectations of these people in a short period of time. Because His Majesty Emperor Chongzhen still hasn't changed his mind after saying that last year, "If the ministers are honest, why do I need this generation", his attitude towards employing people has been demonstrated. (Note 1)

There are troublesome things in all parts of the Ming Dynasty, such as pirates in the southeast, Jiannu in the east, Mongolians in the north, thieves in the north and so on.

These things made Chongzhen worried, but he couldn't pretend to turn a blind eye to get rid of these unfortunate things.

Emperor Chongzhen opened another book, which reported the report of the Shaanxi officials and troops on the battle situation in Heshui County. The news reported inside somewhat relieved the emperor, and also made Cao Wenzhao, the most courageous general in Shaanxi, once again raise a notch in the heart of His Majesty the Emperor.

And in this battle, the Shaanxi officials who followed Cao Wenzhao to brush their presence in the emperor's heart, as well as the eldest brother of the traverser Zhang Mengcheng, that is, the former thief Zhang Mengjin, who has now been promoted to the official of the capital.

On the fourth day of the seventh month (Gengzi), the thieves of Tiejiao City in Shaanxi attacked again, and this time the target of their attack was Heshui County, which had been repeatedly overturned in Qingyang Prefecture. A large group of thieves surrounded Heshui, and there were only 400 soldiers under the guerrilla general Chen Guangxian in the city. Shi Qiaozhan (zhān), the magistrate of Heshui County, has the responsibility to defend the land, and also gathers the residents of the city to defend the city together.

At this critical moment, Cao Wenzhao, who had the most outstanding military achievements in Shaanxi's official army, rushed out again. He gathered more than 1,800 officers and cavalry and quickly rushed to Heshui to relieve the siege. The officers and cavalry who came in a hurry heard the sound of the thieves' cannons attacking the city in the Garden Temple. Cao Wenzhao, who thought that the situation was critical, felt that this was also an opportunity to raid the thieves.

So he did not properly investigate the situation on the battlefield, but led his officers and soldiers to launch a surprise attack. The thieves were not unguarded, and they had more than 1,000 soldiers under their command and took the initiative to meet the attacking officers and soldiers.

It's just that the official army is strong, and the thieves who are not opponents can only fight and retreat to the Nanyuan area of Heshui County.

Just as Cao Wenzhao was about to defeat the thieves in one go, the thieves who were ambushed in the valley suddenly came out.

The people who were caught off guard by Cao Wenzhao were cut off by the thieves. Moreover, the officers and troops who followed Cao Wenzhao to attack were also chaotic because of this, and they were overwhelmed by a steady stream of thieves who were killed.

At this time, another cavalry unit was approaching Heshui County, and the flag they held was a seven-star flag with a yellow edge and a black background.

If this flag is placed in normal times, for some residents of Heshui County, it can definitely evoke a sad memory, and it can be cursed from the bottom of their hearts.

It's just that at this time, the residents of Heshui County may have different feelings.

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"General Cao's banner is invisible, the mountains are full of thieves, and the officers and troops there are surrounded." Ding Zhuang, who was standing at the head of Heshui County, shouted loudly to the people below.

"What should I do, if General Cao is dead, who else can lift the siege of Heshui County. Could it be that Heshui is going to be robbed by thieves again, my sister was ruined to death by thieves last time, woo woo woo. ”

Ding Zhuang, who was standing by the city, recalled the last time the Shenyi Kui tribe attacked Heshui. The fear and sadness in his heart suddenly exploded, and he cried out loudly as if no one was beside him.

"What, General Cao is dead, how can it be, how can General Cao die. Three babies, go home quickly, and let your mother and your sister hide well. And you also took your mother-in-law to hide well, the last time the thief cut open the belly of a pregnant woman, and our family can't stop it. ”

Another man in his forties remembered what the thieves had done in Heshui County before, and he pulled his son, who was about 20 years old next to him, and asked him to flee home and hide as soon as possible.

"General Cao is dead."

"The officers and troops have been defeated."

"The thieves have attacked the city."

"The city is broken, run for your life."

As the information gradually changed, the residents of Heshui County were frightened by all kinds of rumors. They looked at the ruins that had been burned down by Shen Yikui's men before, and a few white bones could be faintly seen inside. The memories of the tragedy after the thieves broke through the city only intensified their panic.

The guerrilla general Chen Guangxian and the county magistrate Shi Qiaoyan naturally would not be defeated by these unsound rumors. They hurriedly sent their soldiers and servants to explain to the inhabitants of the city that the thieves had not attacked the city. At the same time, for the ruffians who took advantage of the fire to rob, they ended up with the scum in these counties in a merciless way.

"Shut up Lao Tzu, the thieves haven't attacked the city yet, do you fucking want to scare yourself to death? Those who have eggs follow me to the head of the city to defend, don't tell me that the men in Heshui County died last time. ”

Chen Guangxian took his family and quickly stopped a chaotic location in the city. Ding Zhuang, who fled off the city wall because of rumors, also climbed the city wall again under the leadership of Chen Guangxian.

Seeing that the strong men in Heshui County had finally restored some order, Chen Guangxian opened his mouth again and cheered up: "That's it, the thief also has a head on his arm, so there's nothing to be afraid of." As long as everyone listens to me, we can take all the thieves who rush up... ”

"Another group of cavalry is rushing towards the county seat." Ding Zhuang, who was in charge of the lookout, suddenly shouted loudly, interrupting Chen Guangxian's morale-boosting performance.

"Is it an officer or a thief?"

"What, another gang of thieves is coming?"

"The thieves have attacked the city."

"The city is broken, everyone run for their lives."

The situation that had just emerged was once again staged. The panicked residents of Heshui County were frightened by their own imaginary scenes.

Chen Guangxian was so angry that he scolded his mother again, and had to lead his subordinates to stop the rout again, and he even personally used a knife to cut down several shouting Ding Zhuang.

These people have repeatedly spread feelings of defeat, whether they are genuinely afraid or have other intentions, anyway, Chen Guangxian characterizes all of them as thieves and spies.

After spending a lot of effort to finally stabilize the order, Chen Guangxian was finally able to start observing the people coming from outside the city. At this time, Shi Qiaohan, the magistrate of Heshui County, rushed over and asked Chen Guangxian: "General Chen, I heard that there are thieves rushing over?" ”

"Damn, where are the thieves, it's an officer army here. Just now, a group of thieves should be spreading rumors, and they have already let Lao Tzu chop them up. Chen Guangxian had already observed who the people from outside the city were, so after he reported the situation, he also told what he had just done.

Shi Qiaoyan looked at the few bloody heads hanging next to him, and as the magistrate of the county, he recognized these people as residents under his rule. Usually they have very little courage, and it is impossible for them to be thieves.

However, Shi Qiaoyan knows that the situation is critical now, and he needs to use these heads to demonstrate to stabilize people's hearts. So he didn't think much about it, but stood by the wall and looked out.

I saw a cavalry force of about 300 cavalry, which was rapidly approaching Heshui County. They were in an orderly and orderly procession, and there was no confusion in the procession, and they looked like an elite army.

It's just that Shi Qiaoyan didn't see the big banner with the font number, so he couldn't tell where this was a person from here. He asked Chen Guangxian beside him, "General Chen, where did these soldiers and horses come from?" ”

"It's not clear that the other party didn't put up any big flags with a name. I've seen a lot of ordinary officers and soldiers, but I've rarely seen such elites. I'm worried that it will be the thieves who pretend to be officials and soldiers to trick the city gates. Chen Guangxian didn't see the other party's origin, and at the same time was worried that the other people around him were thinking, so he could only reply softly to the magistrate next to him.

Hearing that it may also be a thief pretending, Shi Qiaozhan remembered that Huating County was captured by thieves pretending to be officials and soldiers, and Xu Zhaolin, the magistrate of Huating County, was finally punished by the imperial court. Thinking of this, Shi Qiaozhan remembered his predecessor Jiang Yingchang, the magistrate of Heshui County, although Shen Yikui was appeased after that, and Jiang Yingchang also came back alive, but his final fate was not good.

Shi Qiaozhan has already made up his mind that if the city is really broken this time, he will never lose his frugality. And his family in the county government has also prepared firewood. As soon as they received the news of the destruction of the city, they set themselves on fire and martyred.

Just when Shi Qiaoyan was still thinking about it, there was a sharp-eyed Ding Zhuang on the head of the city, and he saw the banners of the officials and soldiers outside the city. The terrifying memory immediately surfaced, and he shouted in horror: "It's the rogue, the rogue who attacked the city last time, and some people are holding that flag." ”

The panic expanded again, only because Chen Guangxian's family members drew their knives and stood behind them, and the body of the newly killed thief "Neiying" was still on the side, so they resisted the urge to flee this time.

Shi Qiaoyan immediately summoned the shouting Ding Zhuang in front of him, and hurriedly asked, "How do you know that you are a thief?" ”

"The yellow-edged and black-background seven-star flag is the banner raised by a group of thieves when Shen Yikui attacked the city last time." Ding Zhuang didn't dare to hide anything, and immediately said what he knew.

Shi Qiaoyan once again confirmed that the other party was not lying, and saw that the "thieves" outside the city were almost under the city, and hurriedly shouted to Chen Guangxian beside him: "General Chen, the flag thief has raised." Those people outside the city are thieves, don't let them into the city, and be ready to shoot them with arrows. ”

Regarding Shi Qiaohan's words, Chen Guangxian did not respond immediately. He had thought of something, but he wasn't sure, because he had only heard something.

But Shi Qiaoyan was unwilling to wait any longer, and hurriedly ordered his strong men to prepare to release arrows.

At this time, Chen Guangxian saw that the procession outside the city had stopped, and sent a cavalryman over. So he stopped the strong man who was about to release the arrow, and at the same time said to Shi Qiaohan: "Shi Zhixian, calm down, the people outside the city have no intention of attacking the city." I think I've heard of that flag, and a thief wouldn't be stupid enough to whip his own banner to scam the city. ”

At this time, the cavalry outside the city had already come to the city, and he opened his mouth and shouted loudly: "Zai (dialect, our meaning) is the men and horses under Zhang Mengjin, the commander of the left battalion of the Jingbian Wing of Yansui Town. ”

"Zhang Mengjin, by the way, is Zhang Mengjin, the leader of the Ding who has repeatedly made military exploits a while ago. His men and horses are holding a seven-star flag with a yellow edge and a black background, and he used to be a subordinate of Shen Yikui, so he also fought in Heshui County. Shizhi County should be like this, so Ding Zhuang in the city has an impression of their banner. Hearing the introduction of the visitor, Chen Guangxian recalled some of the news he had gotten before.

"General Chen, let's confirm the seal letter before talking, the people under the city listen, we will put down the basket and put in the evidence of your family's seal letter." After Chen Guangxian's explanation, Shi Qiaozhan was a little relieved, but he still wanted to confirm the other party's seal according to the process.

"Here you are hungry, and if you have sealed it, take it." The cavalry outside the city hurriedly put the stamped documents in their hands into the baskets they had put down. "Crya (hurry up), I'm hungry and I'm going to go back and report the news."

After Shi Qiaozhan and Chen Guang confirmed first, they found that there was indeed no problem. It's just that Shi Qiaoyan, the magistrate of the county, thinks that there are too many thieves and too few officers and soldiers outside the city, and now General Cao is afraid that there will be more than one bad luck, so he should invite the officers and soldiers outside the city to enter the city to assist in defense.

The guerrilla general Chen Guangxian was a little hesitant, for a while he felt that he could lead the team to rescue General Cao's men and horses, and at the same time he felt that only by inviting people in could he defend the county seat more securely.

The two did not make a unanimous decision for a long time, but kept wasting time and waiting.

The cavalry who delivered the message outside the city was quite impatient, constantly urging the other party to make a decision as soon as possible. However, the two people in the city still did not discuss the result, and the impatient cavalry outside the city spat at everyone in the city, turned around and scolded before leaving: "You have some melon skins in wooden bags, look at it." ”

When the cavalryman returned to the ranks, a sound similar to suona came from the officers and soldiers outside the city. The cavalry, who had formed a three-fold formation outside the city, began to move almost at the same time.

After that, they slowly accelerated, and when they were not far from the bandits' defenses, three echelons of cavalry stepped forward one after another to attack the thieves with bows and muskets.

The thief foot soldiers who were blocking in front of them also kept fighting back with the guns and arrows in their hands. Men and horses were hit on both sides, but the defending thieves suffered significantly more damage than the well-armed and orderly officers and soldiers.

At the same time, it can be seen that if someone in the official army falls, others will still strictly guard their posts. And if only one of the thieves is injured, the people around them will also be worried and quickly hide from it.

As if he had figured out the opponent's temper, after another round of firearms and bows, the cavalry of the second formation of the official army suddenly sounded a burst of horns and a tune-changing suona sound.

The cavalry of the officers who received the message did not hesitate in the slightest, and they passed through the ranks of the first cavalry, and rushed over with their sabers in their hands raised.

The thieves and horses blocking in front of them were already unstable under the fire of the officers and cavalry in the previous wave. When they saw the second formation of cavalry rushing towards them, the dazzling light reflected by the opposing swords in the sun, and the momentum of rushing towards them as a whole, most of them lost the fighting spirit to resist in an instant.

Most of the thieves turned around and fled before they could make contact with the officers and soldiers. The few who had intended to resist were also overwhelmed by the collapse of their own crowd.

The second cavalry of the official army almost did not spend much effort to defeat the enemy in front of them. The other officers and cavalry behind them quickly entered the Nanyuan battlefield where fierce battles were still taking place through this gap that had just been opened.

And the people watching the battle in Heshui County were stunned to watch this one-sided battle. Shi Qiaohan, the magistrate, and Chen Guangxian, the guerrilla, glanced at each other first, and immediately gave the order, and the soldiers in the city and the brave Ding Zhuang immediately opened the city gate and quickly supported the Nanyuan battlefield.

PS: Note 1: Although in the future many wild history, Cao Huachun was falsely accused of opening the door to the enemy. But at least during this time period, Cao Huachun is still a relatively capable eunuch with a slightly passable reputation. After all, Cao Huachun's redress of the unjust case during the Wei Zhongxian period won him a lot of positive reviews.

And compared with the rhetorical person, Cao Huachun in the late Ming Dynasty was indeed a more capable officer. Chongzhen also praised him for being "honest and straightforward" and entrusted him with many affairs. When Cao Huachun rectified the Beijing camp, he also promoted talents such as Sun Yingyuan, Zhou Yuji, and Huang Degong.

And most of the cost of building Gongji City was also raised by him. Even after the Qing soldiers entered the customs, they also went to the Qing Emperor several times, hoping to properly dispose of Chongzhen's mausoleum, and at the same time refused the Qing Dynasty's solicitation. But he is a eunuch after all, and in the environment of the late Ming Dynasty, scolding eunuchs is politically correct after all. So even if he made so many efforts, he still wouldn't be truly respected by the Shidaifu group.

As for Chongzhen's remarks about civil officials, other historical materials also have similar records. This paragraph is from the twenty-third volume of the "History of the Ming Dynasty". In volume 48 of "The Aftermath of Chunming Dreams", there is also a paragraph in the Metropolitan Procuratorate's punishment and probation, "Your foreign ministers are willing to do things, why do I need to use internal ministers", which is a slightly colloquial record.