The brazier in the hall beeped softly, and the snow fell silently outside.

Zhang Yuan had a long talk with Yang Hao, he wanted to try to express his worries about the situation in Liaodong to Yang Hao, and it was the best policy to be aggressive and easy to lose, and to defend the counterattack steadily-

"Regardless of whether the old slave is willing to exchange Li Yongfang or not, as long as the news comes out, Li Yongfang will be in panic all day long, which can enhance the fighting spirit of the Ming soldiers; After the city of Fushun was broken, Qinghe was alone, and it had become a lonely city hundreds of miles around Fushun, Zou Chuxian, the general of the city guard, was loyal and resolute, and the meritorious service in defending the city must be rewarded, and it was necessary to take advantage of the gap between the winter slave retreat to strengthen the guard of Qinghe City, Qinghe had 5,250 soldiers, and 8,000 foot soldiers who were accustomed to defending the city were urgently transferred to reinforce, equipped with artillery and muskets, and strictly ordered to hold on, and were not allowed to fight, as long as they could hold Qinghe, the slave chieftains would not dare to go deep into Liaodong, and then our army Xu Tu rebuilt Fushun City——"

Yang Hao frowned slightly, and said: "If I take holding on to the enemy, the emperor will not summon me from Shangqiu to the capital, and I will be called to fight, to fight quickly, and to win a big victory. ”

Zhang Yuan nodded silently, what Yang Hao said was extremely true, now the government and the opposition in the capital are all about to go to war, and they are full of righteous indignation at the old slaves of Jianzhou who dare to offend the invasion of the Heavenly Dynasty Longwei, and they all seem loyal and courageous, and they can't wait to rush up to kill the enemy, these people don't know each other or themselves, they are blind and arrogant, if anyone advocates sticking to it, it is certain that they will be scolded as cowards-

Zhang Yuan said: "Defending the Qinghe River is just guarding the Qinghe, guarding the Qinghe River is to cooperate with our army to attack, and the war is certain, but we must not rush to move the troops, from the defeat of General Zhang's army, it can be seen that our army's muskets and artillery have almost no lethality." Therefore, the reorganization of armaments cannot be neglected. It is necessary to study the defensive strength of the long-armored soldiers of the Eight Banners Army. How to inflict maximum damage on the enemy, and how to unify the command of the various military horses is also a difficult problem, and I think that it is a good time to use troops in the autumn and winter next year, and we must hold on to the danger before that. ”

Yang Hao nodded and said: "Zhang Zanshan is steady, I will refer to Zhang Zanshan's suggestion, this battle may not be defeated." If defeated, the whole Liao will not be owned by my Ming Dynasty, and Beiguan Yehe will not be able to protect it. ”

Zhang Yuanxin said: "As long as it is not a big defeat, it will not hurt my Ming muscles and bones, and if you want to completely eliminate the threat of Jiannu with this battle, this is to underestimate the enemy's arrogance." "But that's all I say, it's useless to say more, many things are not something that he Zhang Yuan can control, even Yang Hao, who is ordered to pass through Liaodong, can't be the master of everything, and the public opinion of the government and the opposition is pressing.

……

Coming out of Zhang Yuan's apartment, Yang Hao got into a carriage and went to Li Ge Old Hutong for a walkout. It was already the middle of the day, and the snow had fallen thinly. But the temperature became colder and colder, and the carriage slowly drove past the snow-covered West Chang'an Street, and Yang Hao suddenly said: "Go to Fangge Old Mansion again." ”

The night was cold and heavy, Fang Congzhe, who was over sixty years old, had already gone to bed at this time, and the old concubine who was sleeping was pinching his feet, and when he heard his family knocking on the door to report that Yang Shilang had come to see him again, Fang Congzhe got up immediately, Liao was in a critical situation, Yang Hao must have something important to do when he went and came back, and he didn't dare to slack off.

Seeing Fang Congzhe, Yang Hao told him bluntly about the long talk with Zhang Yuan after he told him about the crime of harassment, Yang Hao knew the delicacy of his situation, he had left the center of the court for 20 years, and his connections were scarce, Fang Congzhe was the same door as him, and he was the first assistant of the cabinet. And the grievances between Zhang Yuan and Fang Congzhe are also something he has to consider, he pays more attention to Fang Congzhe's feelings, he can't lose Fang Congzhe's trust, otherwise he can't do anything-

Fang Congzhe combed his long eyebrows with his fingertips, and after listening to Yang Hao's words, he said for a while: "Zhang Yuan's scheming is so deep, it is really beyond my expectations-can Brother Jingfu know Zhang Yuan's intentions?" ”

Yang Hao didn't dare to answer easily, for fear of misunderstanding Fang Congzhe's meaning, and said: "Zhang Yuan's strategy can be described as unique, and my brother is still thinking about it. ”

Fang Congzhe sneered: "He wants to take the opportunity to bring down the old man." ”

Yang Hao gasped, not understanding how Fang Congzhe could come to such a conclusion!

Fang Congzhe slowed down his tone and said: "Jingfu, you think that Zhang Yuan has extraordinary knowledge, and it is not uncommon to be confused by his clever tongue, this son is also a small talent, but he does not follow the right path, and specializes in secret schemes, as if Yan Shifan, the son of Yan Fenyi, was reborn, but unfortunately he does not have a strict father, and it is not easy to do treacherous tricks——"

Yang Hao was stunned, and listened to Fang Congzhe's fierce criticism of Zhang Yuan, only to hear Fang Congzhe say: "Zhang Yuan's ambition is not small, Zhongjin Shi only wanted to seize power for more than a year, Hanlin Academy was a place to study and hope, but he refused to settle down, was very active, repeatedly wanted to meddle in the government, and sent an envoy to North Korea to turn North Korea upside down, I don't know how he would expect you to recover, and make a long letter to you in advance to make you marvel that he was prescient, but his intentions were to put you and the old man in trouble, the slave chieftain raised troops, the emperor was furious, and repeatedly issued orders to send troops to crusade, The people of Beijing are also eager for revenge, but Zhang Yuan has a clever plan to hold on, and then this crime of fearing the enemy like a tiger and cowering will be borne by you, the lord, in the future, and you are recommended by the old man, if you are convicted, what face does the old man have to walk in the cabinet, Zhang Yuan's master Wu Daonan can be justified as the first assistant - can the virtuous brother understand the stakes involved? ”

Yang Hao's forehead was sweating, and after listening to Fang Congzhe's words, he deeply realized the fierceness of the party struggle between the DPRK and China, and Fang Congzhe's prejudice and resentment against Zhang Yuan could not be resolved, but Yang Hao was not a mediocre person, and Zhang Yuan had a conversation, Zhang Yuan's heart of serving the country and worrying about the country moved him, Fang Congzhe said that Zhang Yuan was all selfish conspiracy, and it was really difficult for him to agree, but he couldn't defend Zhang Yuan, otherwise he would have to go back where he came from.

Fang Congzhe's eyes were blazing, Yang Hao had to express his position, Yang Hao nodded solemnly and said: "What Brother Fang said is extremely true, Zhang Yuan's plan to stick to Liaodong is not advisable, if I do it, it will be pointed out by thousands of people." ”

Fang Congzhe smiled and said: "Zhang Yuan's plan is not all undesirable, it is urgent to increase the number of troops in Qinghe, and Qinghe must be defended." ”

Yang Hao's heartstrings were slightly relaxed, and he responded: "Yes, the soldiers and horses who went to help a few years ago will rush to Qinghe, and holding Qinghe City will be of great benefit to the general attack of our several large armies, and it can contain the soldiers and horses of Jiannu." ”

Fang Congzhe nodded: "The emperor is very keen to use soldiers, and you will join the officials of the military department and the generals who will go to help." A specific plan for the march was drawn up before the year. ”

Yang Hao said: "My brother has been in the field for many years. Most of the generals in the army are unfamiliar. I'm afraid that there will be no order. ”

Fang Congzhe said: "You can rest assured about this, since the emperor has entrusted you with a heavy responsibility, he will not let you be constrained by others, I will ask the emperor to give Shang Fang the sword to renew your power, and those who dare not obey the orders below the general army can be dealt with by military law, and you don't need to hear about it in advance." ”

Yang Hao was overjoyed, and left his seat to thank him: "Yang Hao will do his best to make a national economy in Liaodong." Live up to the high expectations of the virtuous brother. ”

……

The winter of Wanli forty-five years is particularly cold, from Jimen, Xuan, Da, Shanxi, Shandong, Sichuan Ming army braved the cold to the capital, Shanhaiguan area to assemble, the twelfth month of the month, the new Shanhaiguan general Du Song led 16,000 troops to arrive at Shanhaiguan, the army stationed in Shanhaiguan, Juniper himself led dozens of guards into Beijing to report to the military department in the starry night, and see the commander Yang Hao, Yang Hao has been given the sword of Shang Fang, the general can be beheaded in battle, Juniper generously stated to Yang Hao that he is willing to be the vanguard and smash the enemy's nest. Yang Hao knew that Juniper was a fierce general, and he encouraged him. ordered him to return to Shanhaiguan to rectify the military horses and wait for the military order——

Jun Song quietly visited Zhang Yuan on the eve of returning to Shanhaiguan, accompanied him to Li Ge Lao Hutong is Mu Jingyan and Hong Ji, Hong Xin three, Mu Jingyan has been promoted from a trial hundred households to a full-time six products and a hundred households, goodbye daughter and grandson, Mu Jingyan is happy, but Mu Zhenzhen is worried, she learned from Zhang Yuan that the situation in Liaodong is dangerous, Jiannu cavalry is fierce, her father is already a Ming officer, this time of course to follow Du Zongbing to go on the expedition, the battlefield is ruthless, daddy's life and death are uncertain-

Mu Jingyan was not as worried as his daughter Mu Zhenzhen, he was as high-spirited as General Du Bing, and comforted Mu Zhenzhen that he would definitely be able to win and return.

Different from Yang Hao's letter and suspicion, the straightforward and brave Juniper is happy and convinced of Zhang Yuan, since he met Zhang Yuan in Zhenfengli in Jiangnan three years ago, what Zhang Yuan said to him has been fulfilled, and now he is the chief soldier of Shanhaiguan, and is about to go to Liaodong to fight with Jiannu, of course he has to consult Zhang Yuan again to see if he Juniper can make a great contribution?

Zhang Yuan said: "General Du bravely crowned the three armies, with a great reputation, Jiannu has heard the name of the general, and he must strictly guard against the general's headquarters, the battlefield is changing, and there is no good strategy to win or lose, but I want to ask General Du to keep in mind the 'six words'——"

Juniper hurriedly asked: "What are the six words, Zhang Zhuangyuan, please speak, Juniper has nothing to disobey." ”

Zhang Yuan said: "No division of troops, no rash advance - General Du must remember that this may be able to make meritorious contributions, otherwise it will be difficult for the bones to return to their hometown." ”

Juniper said suddenly: "Is the Jiannu soldier so powerful? "Ten years ago, he was also the chief soldier of Liaodong, and Nurhachi at that time was still subservient to the Ming Dynasty.

Zhang Yuan said: "It's not that I praise the enemy and depreciate myself, the Eight Banners Army has fought for many years, and its combat power is far superior to that of the Ming Army, the Eight Banners Army is concentrated, and the Ming Army is loose, so General Du must not underestimate the enemy, try to keep in touch with other Ming troops, and don't rush forward for the sake of success." ”

Juniper frowned and thought for a while, nodded and said, "I listen to Zhang Zhuangyuan, Zhang Zhuangyuan is calculated, and it won't be wrong." ”

Zhang Yuan smiled and said, "Of course, you still have to listen to Yang Shilang's command, but don't forget these six words to send General Du when you are in battle." He had another conversation with Mu Jingyan, and sent twenty pairs of binoculars to Juniper to strengthen the sentinel during the march, and then sent Juniper and Mu Jingyan out of the door, and when he came back, he saw Mu Zhenzhen holding Xiao Mingqian standing outside the foyer, and asked: "Can my father come back victorious?" ”

Zhang Yuan touched his son's face and said to Mu Zhenzhen: "It is Uncle Mu's ambition to earn military merits with martial arts, how can it be called a battlefield if there is no danger." ”

……

The cold winter of the forty-fifth year of Wanli passed in the dispatch of troops and the fierce soldiers.

In the forty-sixth year of Wanli, the Wanli Emperor still did not participate, the old emperor did not participate in the court meeting because of neglect, and now he is really weak, dizzy, often diarrhea, and weakness in his hands...... All kinds of symptoms have flare-up, where can you still look at the court, but the war in Liaodong Emperor Wanli is still very concerned, the Son of Heaven guards the country, and Jiannu has threatened the foundation of his Ming Dynasty-

Emperor Wanli ordered the crown prince Zhu Changluo to preside over the New Year's Zhengdan court meeting on his behalf, and the congratulatory table presented by the Korean thanksgiving envoy made the Ming monarchs and ministers very happy, and the newly canonized Korean king Li Liang asked to send troops to assist the Celestial Empire in the conquest of Jianzhou traitorous slaves, and asked the Celestial Empire to send envoys to Pyongyang to supervise the army-

The Ming Dynasty wanted to attack Jianzhou on a large scale, and had planned to recruit war horses and transfer gunners to Korea, and the edict of the Wanli Emperor to the king of Korea prepared by the Hanlin Academy was about to be sent to Seoul urgently, but the North Korea took the initiative to ask for troops to help in the war, and asked the angels to be stationed in Pyongyang to supervise the army, Yang Ho was particularly pleased, and immediately discussed with the Korean envoys, and requisitioned 5,000 gunners, 3,000 archers and 8,000 foot soldiers from Korea to cross the Yalu River.

By the beginning of February, the reinforcements from all towns had arrived, and Yang Hao's battle plan had also been approved by the Ministry of War, the Cabinet and the emperor.

The north road was dominated by Kaiyuan General Ma Lin as the main general, supplemented by deputy general Ma Yan and Tieling guerrilla Zheng Guoliang, and Kaiyuan Soldier Beidao Secretary Pan Zongyan as the supervising army, and a total of 25,000 soldiers and horses sent by the Yehe Department of Beiguan went out of Jing'an Fort to attack the north of Hetuala;

The South Road, also known as the Qinghe Road, was led by Li Rubai, the general of Liaodong, supplemented by He Shixian, the general of Liaoyang, and Zhang Yingchang, the guerrilla general, and Yan Mingtai, the commander of the garrison, as the supervising army, commanded 23,000 troops out of the Yahu Pass and attacked the south of Hetuala;

The East Road is also known as the Kuandian Road, by the Sichuan General Liu Wei as the main general, the Kuandian guerrilla Zu Tianding, the Nanjing Sixth Battalion Du Si Yao Guofu will assist, the Haigai military deputy envoy Kang Yingqian supervised the army, counting 18,000 cavalry, and more than 10,000 North Korean reinforcements are also under the jurisdiction of Liu Wei, this road starts from Liangmadian and attacks Hetuala from the east.

The four-way army, more than 100,000 men and horses, known as 400,000, marched on a certain day.

On the ninth day of the first month of February, the snow in Liaodong has not melted, and the four-way army has not yet advanced, Nurhachi has taken the preemptive strike, he has learned that the Ming army is going to attack Hetuala, so he does not wait for the weather to warm up and the snow melts, and takes the lead in sending troops to Yahu Pass, to pull out the lonely city of Qinghe before the Ming army advances, so as to prevent the Ming army from attacking Hetuala through Qinghe Yahu Pass——

After the fall of Fushun in October last year, Qinghe garrison Zou Chuxian has begun to build forts and walled platforms to defend against Jiannu siege city, a year ago, Liaodong Jingluo Yang Hao sent a guerrilla Zhang Yi to lead 5,000 troops to help defend the city, the entire Qinghe City has 10,000 soldiers, and the defensive force is far stronger than Fushun, but Nurhachi is determined to win Qinghe City, and personally led the main force of the Four Banners with a total of 40,000 soldiers and horses to capture Qinghe City within three days——

——————————————————

The weather is really hot, the temperature of 38 degrees has lasted for more than 20 days, and the air conditioner is sometimes good and bad, slightly miserable. (To be continued.) For mobile phone users, please go to read. )