Hearing this, Wang Qi's face changed slightly, his ancestors had been begging for food on this canal for generations, how could he not know what these warehouse officials did on weekdays? Kicking the tip, exchanging the old for the new, embezzling the grain in the warehouse, etc., are all kinds of things, and porters like Wang Qi also have to give benefits, or these warehouse officials will find trouble for them, and naturally they hate it to the extreme. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info but although these warehouse officials are just a small official, but they are extremely rich, many people started from the Yuan Dynasty, passed down from generation to generation, the power is intertwined, no one can take them, Wang Qi can only dare to be angry and dare not speak. Today, when I heard Li Gou'er say that these people were arrested, I was naturally very happy, but I still couldn't believe it, and asked in a low voice: "Is this serious?" The nearly 100 warehouses in Tongzhou are all managed by these warehouse officials, and the accounts are only understood by themselves. ”

"Nature is true!" Li Gou'er said with a smile: "Those warehouse officials have been arrested all over the door, and more than 1,000 people are locked in prisons, watched by more than 100 Tartars, and as soon as the sticks and iron whips are on, haven't they all said anything?" Then the house was confiscated, and all the children, wives and children were loaded into sea ships and sent to Liaodong to mine, and the head of the family stayed behind to wait for the crime to be beheaded. As for the accounts, anyway, the old man Xu has already spoken, those warehouses in Tongzhou must be full, and if it is not enough, the family property of these officials will be confiscated, even the biggest officials will not be able to escape, and even those big officials have been picked up and locked in the prison cell waiting to be beheaded! ”

"Huh? The old man also wants to ask about the chop? Isn't that a break in the rules? Wang Qida was taken aback, Daming rectified Caoyun, but even if the Qingtian master came down, most of them cut off the heads of a few small officials to make up the number, those ten years of cold windows, three scientific examinations out of the official masters at most dismissed and returned to their hometowns, most of them just changed places to continue to be officials, at most the evaluation to the middle and lower is a matter. If you want to push them out like this and those little officials, you are afraid that it will be the bag blacks in the storytelling who will do it.

"Rules?" Li Gou'er smiled: "It's going to change the dynasty, and the old rules of the past are naturally going to change." How is it? Brother Seven, do you want to do this errand? ”

Wang Qi gritted his teeth and stomped his foot: "Even if you don't have this silver food, it is worth it in this life to be able to cut off the heads of those officials and dogs." Dog, Seventh Brother, I'll get out of the 180 pounds! ”

Bauhinia Pass.

"General Cao!" Lu Xiangsheng said in a deep voice.

"The last general!" Cao Wenzhao hurriedly walked out of the ranks and saluted with his hands crossed.

"You lead the people of your headquarters as the vanguard, out of the Bauhinia Pass, and then go east along Yishui, along Yizhou, Laishui, Zhuozhou, and Liangxiang to Jingshi!" Lu Xiangsheng pointed to the map and ordered.

"Master Overseer!" Cao Wenzhao hesitated for a moment, and did not bow to Lu Xiangsheng as usual to receive the order, but said in a low voice: "The last general has a little superficial opinion, can you-"

Lu Xiangsheng frowned, according to the unspoken rules of officialdom in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, a minister like Lu Xiangsheng with the title of secretary of the military department has supreme power in the army, even if a second-rank officer like Cao Wenzhao who is the deputy chief soldier and the governor of the army can only bow down to orders. It was rude to open your mouth to express different opinions on such an occasion, but considering the upcoming big war and a strong enemy, Lu Xiangsheng still suppressed the anger in his chest and said in a deep voice: "General Cao, if you have anything to say, please speak up." ”

"Thank you, Master!" Cao Wenzhao was relieved when he heard Lu Xiangsheng let him speak, and hurriedly whispered: "Master Inspector, this route is certainly the most convenient way to go to Jingshi, but the places you pass through are all flat land, which is conducive to iron horses. The last general had been an envoy under Liu Cheng for several years, this person was proficient in the art of war, after pacifying Mongolia and the Eastern Captives, the world's elite cavalry was under his command, if he was intercepted by him in the middle of the road, he was afraid that we were not his opponents. ”

"Hmm!" Lu Xiangsheng nodded, whether he wanted it or not, he had to admit that what Cao Wenzhao said was the truth. Geographically, Bauhinia Pass is located in the transition zone between the Shanxi Plateau and the North China Plain, while Beijing is located at the northern end of the North China Plain and at the southern foot of Yanshan Mountain. The land here is flat, and although there are some rivers passing through it, they cannot be compared with the big rivers in the south in terms of water volume, depth, and width. The cavalry can maximize its power on this terrain, although the Xuanda army under his command has always been famous for its iron cavalry, but compared to Liu Cheng, who has completely controlled Mo Nan and Liaodong, it is only a drop in the bucket, if you engage it on this terrain, the chances of victory are indeed very small.

Cao Wenzhao saw that Lu Xiangsheng did not immediately reprimand him, he was secretly happy in his heart, and hurriedly continued: "According to the information from the spies, after Liu Cheng broke the border, he first took Tianjin and Tongzhou, and then divided his troops and took Kaiping, Yongping, Funing, Wuqing, Dong'an and other places. He wanted to first take the cangs and salt goods in Tongzhou and Tianjin to raise troops, thinking that it would be a long-term plan, and at the same time guard against the rush of the Guanning army, rather than directly attacking the Beijing division. If we wait for a quick advance, but fall into his plan, you must know that the Xuan army is there, the Beijing division is there, if the Xuan army is not there, the Beijing division is not there. ”

"Then General Cao, what do you have to do?"

"My lord, I have two strategies, the best strategy is to go south along Yishui after leaving Bauhinia Pass, go to Yizhou, Dingxing, Rongcheng, Xiongxian, and finally to Baoding. There are two advantages to taking this road: first, the army goes down the river, the soldiers have no hardship, and the river is on the east side of our army, separating our army from Liu Fen, so there is no need to worry about the enemy's flank. Baoding is a big city, with sufficient grain and baggage, and the surrounding rivers are vertical and horizontal, which can restrain Liu Cheng's iron horsemen. Second, you can join the Qinwang army from the south, and then go north along the canal, and advance and fight. If Liu Chengruo besieges the Beijing Division, I will attack Tianjin and burn its treasury, and if Liu Chengruo attacks me, it will be a long-term plan, insisting on not fighting, waiting for the opportunity. Although I dare not say that I will win, I will not be defeated! ”

Cao Wenzhao's speech won the nod of the generals of Xuanda Town, and his new army route actually turned a corner, first going south, arriving at Baoding, and then east, rounding Liu Cheng's back, forming a north-south flank with the Beijing division. Although it is a long detour, the first half of the road is along the Yishui south, you can put the baggage on the boat, and there is a river to cover the flanks, which is safe and fast; After detouring to Baoding, attacking Tianjin, the Qinwang army and supplies from Henan, Shandong, Hubei, and Nanzhili will definitely go north along the canal, even if he loses a few times, as long as the whole army is not annihilated, he can make a comeback, and he is actually in an invincible position.

"What about the other strategy?" Lu Xiangsheng's face is not as good-looking as the generals, it is not that he can't see the beauty of Cao Wenzhao's current strategy, but this strategy is certainly a clever plan from a military point of view, but from a political point of view, it is a suicide. Because this is tantamount to ignoring the order of the imperial court to rush to the aid of the Jingshi as soon as possible, and using the Jingshi as bait to lure Liu Cheng's rebels, so that the Xuanda army can enter a favorable attack position, even if he can win the victory, the Son of Heaven and the hundred officials and nobles of the imperial court will never forget what they have done.

A look of disappointment flashed on Cao Wenzhao's face: "Then the second strategy is to go north along the Juma River, along the Great Wall, as close to the mountains as possible, to Yanqingwei and then south, to Jingshi." ”

Lu Xiangsheng sighed, Cao Wenzhao's second route of march was actually a detour, but instead of going to the south, but to the north, using Yanshan to protect his left flank, so as to weaken the advantage of Liu Cheng's cavalry. But he also couldn't adopt this route, for the same reason, the imperial court ordered him to rescue the Jingshi as quickly as possible, and the imminent threat had already made the Son of Heaven and the hundred officials a little insane.

"General Cao!" Lu Xiangsheng's voice was a little low: "It's not that this superintendent doesn't know the art of war, and he also knows that Liu Chengtie is powerful, but now the Son of Heaven, the princes of the imperial court, and hundreds of thousands of people in Beijing are all looking forward to our arrival, hoping that we will arrive as soon as possible to defeat Liu Thief, so that Jingshi can turn the corner." Since my generation eats Junlu and receives Jun's grace, we should be grateful for the danger of Jingshi and the anxiety of the Son of Heaven, and rush to Jingshi as quickly as possible! ”

"But, but, you can't do it quickly!" Seeing that Lu Xiangsheng refused to accept his suggestion, Cao Wenzhao hurriedly continued to persuade him: "Liu Cheng broke the border but did not rush to attack the Beijing Division, it was clear that he wanted to lead my Xuan army to help first, and then defeat me with ease and waiting, and go down to the Beijing Division without a fight——"

"Shut up!" Lu Xiangsheng shouted: "General Cao, you are so afraid of the enemy like a tiger, how can you be a striker?" That's it, you go to the rear army, General Zuo, you will be the striker! ”

"The last general obeys!" Zuo Liangyu hurriedly responded, crossed his hands and saluted, he secretly glanced at Lu Xiangsheng, his eyes were full of pride.

"Yes!" Cao Wenzhao's face suddenly turned iron-blue, and then turned pale again, he bowed and bowed, and then retreated to his ranks, and in the next military discussion, he didn't say a word, just stood there blankly, like a dead man. After the military discussion was over, he went down to the hall after completing his mechanical salute, and just after walking a few steps, his nephew Cao Bianjiao greeted him and asked in a low voice, "Uncle, has the Inspector listened to your advice?" ”

Cao Wenzhao ignored him, as if the person talking in front of him was not his favorite nephew, but walked straight forward, Cao Bianjiao hurriedly chased after him: "Uncle, what's wrong with you?" Didn't the Overseer listen to you? Isn't this for the three armies to send to death? This Lu Xiangsheng is really an incompetent person! ”

"That's it!" Cao Wenzhao sighed: "It's not that Lord Lu doesn't understand the art of war, but he can't help it, the world of the Ming Dynasty can no longer be saved by the art of war!" ”

Cao Bianjiao looked at no one on the left and right, and said in a low voice: "Uncle, if the superintendent wants to send him to death, let him die, why should we go with him?" Didn't Mr. Liu write to you? Anyway, he is also our old boss, and he will definitely not treat us old subordinates badly! ”

Cao Wenzhao stopped and stared at his nephew, Cao Bianjiao subconsciously lowered his head to avoid his uncle's blazing gaze. Cao Wenzhao sighed, shook his head and said: "I, Cao Wenzhao, was born in the army, and the Son of Heaven promoted me to the position of a second-class master. ”

"If you win, you are an official army, and if you lose, you are a thief!" Cao Bianjiao muttered: "It's not certain who is the thief between us and Liu Cheng!" ”

"Shut up!" Cao Wenzhao shouted: "You dare to say this kind of thing, you must not mention this matter in the future, otherwise you and I will be killed!" ”

"My lord, it's Zhuozhou ahead!" Zhao Wende pointed to the city gradually rising on the horizon and smiled: "The hometown of Emperor Zhaolie of the Han Dynasty is here!" ”

"Hmmm! Liu Cheng nodded and asked, "Is there any movement on the Jingshi's side?" ”

"Not yet!" Zhao Wende said with a smile: "The three major battalions in Beijing have long been abolished, and they are only used to defend the city, and going out of the city to fight in the field is just to send them to death." The imperial court itself knows this, and if you have left thousands of soldiers and horses to watch, there will definitely be no problems! ”

"Don't be careless, wave the flag, pass the order, and let the surveillance troops send someone over every two hours to report safety!" Liu Cheng

"Yes!" Hao Shaoqi responded.

"What about Lu Xiangsheng? Which route did he take? Liu Cheng asked.

"It should be the nearest route, first to Yizhou, then Laishui, Xincheng, Zhuozhou, Jingshi, as adults expected!"

"Haha!" Liu Cheng smiled smugly: "It's not a big deal, it's no wonder Lu Xiangsheng, it's just that the actions of our court are too easy to predict." As long as you're not a fool, you can play with it in the palm of your hand! ”

Zhao Wende couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly when he heard Liu Cheng say this, he had a deep understanding of Liu Cheng's words. It's just that now that I have changed my position, I feel very different.

"Mr. Zhao, you write another letter for me, to Cao Wenzhao!"

"Yes, sir!" Zhao Wende responded, he hurriedly took out the clips and quills, and prepared to write down Liu Cheng's dictation shorthand first, and then transcribe it when he arrived in Zhuozhou. Liu Cheng dictated a few words, and his words were very easy, nothing more than reminiscing about old feelings and recalling the happy times of hunting and drinking together in the past, but he didn't say a word about the upcoming war. Zhao Wende wrote it down and asked, "My lord, when will this letter be delivered?" ”

"When you arrive in Zhuozhou, let people send it as soon as possible, be careful, don't let people find out!"

"Ahh Zhao Wende was stunned, he originally thought that Liu Cheng wanted to use a counterplot to get rid of Cao Wenzhao, a good general, but he didn't expect that Liu Cheng really just wanted to write a letter. Liu Cheng glanced at Zhao Wende and said with a smile: "Mr. Zhao, after I took down the Beijing Division, I just wanted to conquer the world, recruit the world's warriors to expand the territory, level the sea waves, and exalt their prestige in foreign lands, Cao Wenzhao's uncles and nephews are all generals, I hope they can all survive!" I am writing this letter to tell them that even though we are on both sides this time, they are still my friends in my heart! ”

"My lord's mind is like a high ancestor!" Zhao Wende said in a low voice: "It's just that how long do you think this battle will last?" ”

"How long?" Liu Cheng smiled: "How long can the autumn wind sweep the leaves?" Two or three hours will be enough! ”