The staff guessed well, it was indeed a change in the rear. Zhang Shicheng was tempted by Chakhan Timur, and he really couldn't sit still, and he was about to move. The news not only reached Jiqing Mansion, but also soon learned for the Haidong General Secretary that the flying pigeon passed the book, traveled thousands of miles a day, and handed it to Deng She's desk.

"What's wrong with Shicheng?"

"Mobilize the generals, garrison the Taihu Lake, and have the potential to knock on the door of Jinling."

Taihu Lake is a military important place at the junction of Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhang Shicheng, located in the east of Jiqing (Jinling), about 300 miles apart, the lake is extremely wide, with a radius of thousands of miles. Jiangyin, Changzhou and Wuxi in the north; Yixing, Changxing and Huzhou in the south; The east is Pingjiang Road. And from Pingjiang Road to the east, it is Songjiang (that is, where Zhang Shicheng is located), and the distance is not more than 100 miles.

The cities that surround it in the south, north and east are strategically important.

First of all, Jiangyin, on the verge of the Yangtze River, chokes the traffic of the river, and is the throat of the south and north of the Yangtze River. Secondly, Changzhou and Wuxi are not only the barriers on the right side of Pingjiang Road, but also the main roads in and out of Zhenjiang and Jiqing. Thirdly, Yixing, Changxing, and Huzhou are the exits and barriers of Taihu Lake to the west, and it is difficult to hold Taihu Lake without control, and the land of Huzhou is the entrance and exit on the left side of Pingjiang Road.

Among these military points, Jiangyin, Changzhou, Yixing and other places are now controlled by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Owned by Zhang Shicheng, only Wuxi, Pingjiang, and Huzhou were threatened by Zhu Yuanzhang, and the communication with Jiangbei was also blocked, and the road from Taihu Lake to the west was also blocked by Zhu Yuanzhang.

It can be said that Zhang Shicheng has long been at a relative disadvantage and disadvantage. However, suddenly at this time, he mobilized military horses and stationed in Taihu Lake, and his drunkard meaning was naturally self-evident, clearly coveting Jinling; Or maybe they want to regain the initiative in the Taihu Lake Basin.

"Taihu Lake looks at Jiqing in the west and Songjiang in the east. It is more than 300 miles away from Jiqing, and less than 200 miles away from Songjiang, which is a place that must be contested. Zhang Shicheng suddenly stationed troops here at this time to ,......, the lord, it seems that my Haidong and Wu Guogong formed an alliance and agreed to take Henan and Jining, I am afraid that the news has leaked out. ”

Hong Jixun said that he immediately guessed the background of Zhang Shicheng's sudden rebellion at this time. Although it has not yet been speculated that Chahan is working behind the scenes, it is not far from the topic.

"The General Administration Department reported that a few days ago, Chahan's secret envoy was found in Songjiang. The Duke of Wu sent troops, and Shicheng made such a move, which is expected to be related to Chahan! ”

Wu Henian happened to come to Deng She to inform him of the remaining grain reserves in the city, and when he heard this, he couldn't help but suddenly look worried, and said worriedly: "Although Zhang Shicheng is not as strong as friendship, he also has a lot of strength, and he is a great enemy of Wu Guogong. Now, Wu Guogong has just come out of the army, and he has come out like this. What about the alliance between Haidong and Wu Guogong? Lord, will there be some worries? ”

"Taihu Lake is a battleground for Jiqing and Songjiang, Wu Guogong has just sent troops on the front foot, and Shicheng has followed the back foot to garrison Taihu Lake. It's a real nuisance. Having said that, Deng She was not as worried as Wu Henian, he unfolded the map, looked at it carefully, and then said, "However, Wu Guogong is deep and has a general plan, and since he is willing to form an alliance with us, he will definitely not be unguarded against this." At most, that is, to slightly postpone the date of his march into Henan, the plan will never be stranded because of this. ”

Although Deng She has never met Zhu Yuanzhang, somehow, perhaps because of the influence of his previous life, or the so-called "heroes are heroes, cherish each other", he is very sure of Zhu Yuanzhang's conclusion that he "will never betray the alliance".

Wu Henian was skeptical.

Hong Jixun agreed with Deng She's judgment, smiled slightly, and said, "What the lord said is very true. ”

"Why is Mr. Hong so sure?"

"Lord Wu, have you forgotten? Just after Wu Guogong agreed to form an alliance with our Haidong, and before sending troops to celebrate the celebration, he had successively mobilized two military horses. One was led by Hu Dahai and stationed in Lingxi, eastern Zhejiang; One was led by Zhu Wenzhong and built a garrison in Jiande. ”

Wu Henian nodded and said: "These two things are indeed there, but please forgive the officials for being ignorant, what does this have to do with Zhang Shicheng's stationing in Taihu Lake?" ”

"Where is Jiande?"

"Southwest of Hangzhou, northwest of Taizhou."

"Yes, yes. Taizhou aside, that is Fang Guozhen's territory; Who is in Hangzhou now? ”

"In the fourth year of the dragon and phoenix, Shi Wenbing killed Yang Wan and fell into Hangzhou. Now Hangzhou is in the hands of Zhang Shicheng. ”

- Shi Wenbing, is one of the eighteen heroes who accompanied Zhang Shicheng in the uprising, and Zhang Shicheng is a sworn brother, brave, outstanding achievements, has always been with Shicheng's third brother "Sanpingzhang" Zhang Shide, is also Shicheng's right-hand man.

——Yang Wanzhi, the family lineage of Banzhou Yang, since the Tang Dynasty, his family has been the hereditary Tusi of Banzhou. At that time, there was a folk proverb that said: "Si sow Tian Yang, two Guang Cen Huang". That is to say, the Tian family in Sizhou in southern Guizhou, the Yang family in Banzhou in northern Guizhou, and the Cen family and Huang family in Liangguang are the largest toasts in the south. And between the four, the Banshu Yang clan occupies the largest territory. It is said that the territory of the Tian, Cen, and Huang families together is not as wide as the land of the Yang family.

After the Red Turban Uprising, "Huxiang was in turmoil, Huguang Tao Mengzhen raised the army of King Qin, sent an envoy to recruit him, and used the Yao Righteous Army of Miao Fangdong to levy, prepare his own food and clothing, and kill and plunder at most." From the thousands of households to the marshal of Haibei Province". Later, Tao Mengzhen died, and Aluhui's general army in Huaixi was still recruited, "vested in China by the side, and it can no longer be controlled". His people are "fierce and fierce, fierce and thirsty for killing", and the "Miao army has no discipline, wantonly plundering, and everything has been lost". He once guarded Jiaxing, Jiaxing therefore only protected its city, outside the city was attacked by soldiers, looking from afar, as far as the line of sight could see, there was no inch of grass and trees. He once guarded Hangzhou, "building a camp in Desheng Weir, three or four miles around, and the children and jade silks are all there." The people suffered greatly.

Therefore, there is a folk proverb in Jiangsu and Zhejiang that says: "Don't complain about Taizhou Zhang when you die, and don't thank Baoqing Yang when you live." ”

However, although his troops did not have military discipline, their combat effectiveness was still relatively strong.

From the sixteenth year of Zhizheng guarding Jiaxing, until he was defeated and died, for several years, he has always been Zhang Shicheng's tough opponent. Even in the end, the reason why Shicheng was able to break through Hangzhou was because of a strategy, or because someone was willing to do internal response.

In the first battle of Hangzhou, Yang Wanzhi was killed, and after that, the Miao army under his department was dispersed, and part of it was reduced to Zhang Shicheng; The other part of about 30,000 people fell under the leadership of Yuan Cheng, Jiang Ying, Liu Zhen and others. Among them, some of them are under the command of Hu Dahai, Hu Dahai likes Jiang Ying and Liu Zhenxiaoyong, "stay under his command and treat them without doubt". Later, Hu Dahai's death was also because of Jiang Ying and Liu Zhen.

At that time, as far as Jiangnan was concerned, Yang Wanzhi's Miao army was indeed relatively important, and he had repainted with heavy makeup.

Putting away the introduction to Yang Wanzhi, Hong Jixun and Wu Henian said: "Not bad! Hangzhou is now in the hands of Zhang Shicheng, and Zhu Wenzhong is known as fierce, brave and strategic, and is a famous general under Wu Guogong. With him stationed in Jiande, I would like to ask Lord Wu, do you think Shicheng will feel like a man? ”

......, you may feel this way. But what does this have to do with Taihu Lake? After all, Hangzhou and Jiande are far away from Taihu Lake. ”

"Hangzhou is only four or five hundred miles away from Songjiang. Last year, Wu Guogong sent Chang Yuchun to attack Hangzhou once, but because Shicheng went all out to respond to the battle, he failed to conquer it. If this time, Shicheng dares to be distracted and dual-purpose, and dares to brazenly send troops to Taihu Lake despite the fact that there is a strong enemy outside Hangzhou. Let me ask Lord Wu again, how likely do you think it is that Wu Guogong will conquer Hangzhou? ”

"Hangzhou City is strong, and it is not easy to get. However, Shicheng's army and horses are limited, and the elite soldiers who can fight well are even more limited. If he really dared to disregard Hangzhou and Zhu Wenzhong and brazenly send troops to Taihu Lake,......。 Wu Henian was shocked, understood what Hong Jixun meant, clapped his hands and said, "There is a chance that Wu Guogong will conquer Hangzhou!" ”

"Exactly. In this case, do you still think Shicheng really has the courage to use soldiers in Taihu? ”

"Sir, Shi Cheng is actually just bluffing?"

This time, without waiting for Hong Jixun to speak, Deng She smiled and explained: "You can't say that. For Zhang Shicheng, 'bluffing' is of no use except for wasting grain and tired soldiers. No matter how stupid he is, he will never do such a useless work. ”

Hong Jixun asserted that Zhang Shicheng did not dare to really use troops in Taihu, but Deng She thought that Zhang Shicheng was not bluffing. Wu Henian, who had just understood a little, immediately fell into confusion again. He said: "I don't really use Bing Taihu; And it's not a bluff. So may I ask my lord, what do you think Shicheng is planning? ”

"Shicheng is a man of heart and indecisive. There is no great courage, no vision, and he lives in a rich place to enjoy himself. Although I am happy to see a small profit, when I want to move, I will look forward and backward. The reason why I say that he is not bluffing is because he should indeed have his intention to send troops to Taihu Lake this time, but you see, when he really wants to start a war with the Wu army, he will definitely look south to Hangzhou and hesitate. ”

"Because of this, the lord is not worried about this?"

Deng She and Hong Jixun looked at each other and smiled, and said, "Yes." ”

"So, the alliance with Wu Guogong?"

"Within three days, the Wu army will definitely restart."

Deng She said with certainty, but Wu Henian was still a little confused, and he asked: "As the lord said, and as Mr. said, since Wu Guogong had already set up an army to build morality, he should have foreseen Shicheng's move. But why, because of this, he stopped the garrison? ”

Yes, as Hong Jixun said, since Zhu Yuanzhang had already garrisoned Jiande, it seems that he had foreseen Zhang Shicheng's dispatch of troops to Taihu Lake, but why did he stop the army because of this?

"'Soldiers win with reality, and they take the lead with nothing.'" There is no fancy thing to do in a war with soldiers, it is necessary to win by strength, but just the right amount of suspicion can help you win the first move. In my opinion, Wu Guogong stopped the army, not for anything else, but for suspicion, and to better enter Henan! ”

Zhu Yuanzhang's military order to Miao Daheng and Zhu Ying: ordered them to "stop the army for the time being after capturing Haozhou".

The issuance of this military order seems to be due to the influence of Zhang Shicheng's garrison in Taihu, but in fact, it is very likely to paralyze and confuse the Mengyuan garrison in front of Haozhou. After they are careless, and then suddenly march, of course, the resistance will be much lessened.

Although Wu Henian is capable, he is indeed very deficient in marching and arranging formations and winning decisive battles against the enemy, and he does not have much talent. Listening to Deng She and Hong Jixun's analysis of him, he suddenly realized.

He said sincerely: "'Soldiers, treacherous ways'. If, as the lord and Mr. said, Wu Guogong can think of so much, then his martial arts strategy should not be underestimated! praised Zhu Yuanzhang, raised his eyes and peeked at Deng She, and said with a smile, "However, then again." Even if Wu Guogong has a strategy, but the lord is thousands of miles away, the analysis is like seeing it in person. Wu Guogong's every move is in your hands. The lord's wisdom and martial arts are really unparalleled in the world! Hehe, no wonder the ministers heard that the province, the army, and the people all praised the lord as a natural genius, and he deserved his name. ”

Deng She smiled, deliberately quipped, and asked, "If I am a natural genius, then Lord Wu, what are you?" ”

"There are no weak soldiers under a strong general. The lord is a genius, and the minister is naturally a small talent. ”

"Qi", which originally meant to ride a horse. Wu Henian's so-called "small talent" is purely literal to interpret the word "strange". From the big from the can be. Genius is "the talent of Dake", so he calls himself "Xiaoke".

Between the questions and answers, the monarchs and ministers answered each other like a stream. It's also embarrassing for Wu Henian to come up with such an answer in a hurry.

Deng She laughed and turned to Hong Jixun, but saw him frowning, and said at the moment: "Why is Mr. frowning? ”

"My lord, as you said above, Wu Guogong will definitely not betray the alliance, and he will reopen in three or two days at most. But according to intelligence, up to now, only a vanguard of thousands of people in the Wu army has left Jiqing. First of all, the army did not move; Secondly, Haozhou has not been pulled. If you want to wait until they enter Henan, or attack Jining to cooperate with our army, it is estimated that it will not be a month and a half or a month, and I am afraid it is impossible. ”

Deng She bowed his head and agreed.

According to the report, Chakhan Timur's reinforcements have left Linfen, and they will arrive in Jining within a few days to join Wang Baobao. Although there are many battalions in our army on the front line, they are scattered. Moreover, there are some places in the middle that have not yet been able to be opened up, and they cannot be coherent. My lord, the minister is deeply worried about this! ”

Although Zhu Yuanzhang will not betray the alliance, if he wants to wait for his troops to enter Henan and Jining, it is estimated that it will take at least half a month. In other words, for more than half a month, Jining's Haidong Army could only rely on its own strength. And Chahan's reinforcements have also driven out of Linfen, and they will soon be able to join Wang Baobao. The overall situation on the front line, for the time being, is still not optimistic.

Deng She had thought about this for a long time.

He stood up, walked around the room twice, paced as he spoke, and said, "What my husband is worried about is also worrying about me." Since Wu Guogong has agreed to form an alliance with me, he is willing to send troops to Henan; Then, it can be said that in the near future, Henan and Jining will inevitably change, and the battle situation on the front line will also take a turn. But before this turning point came, Mr. thought, how should our army deal with the arrangement? ”

"The minister has two strategies."

"Please."

"In the decisive battle, you must have a focus, not just eyebrows and mustaches, and you must be comprehensive. Today, broadly speaking, our army can be roughly divided into three divisions. One is the Liaodong Army of Chen Hu and Li Ye, which is now fighting in western Liaoning; One is the Dizhou Army, which has just recaptured Dizhou and is stubbornly defending; One is the Yidu Army of Zhao Guo and Deng Chengzhi, which is now distributed on the Jining front line to confront Wang Baobao. ”

"Not bad."

"Let's talk about Chen Hu and Li Ye's Liaodong Army first. The general order given by the lord was to quickly capture Liaoxi, so as to threaten Dadu and prevent the Yuan army around Dadu from having the possibility of rushing to the aid of Chahan. This road of military horses can be said to be the right wing of our army, which is clearly forcing Dadu and protecting Dizhou, so as to ensure the stability of Yidu. ”

"Hmm."

"Let's talk about the Dizhou Army, guarding the northern gate of Dizhou and protecting my Yidu, and echoing with the Liaodong Army. In fact, it can also be classified as a right-wing. ”

"Yes."

"And then there's the Yidu Army. This army horse is a well-deserved main force. Whether or not our army can achieve the final victory in this battle with Chahan is, in fact, all dependent on the victory or defeat of this army. ”

"Not bad."

"Therefore, Chen believes that since the development of the war, the focus of the entire war situation should still be in Jining and Yidu Army."

"Hmm."

"The focus has been clearly defined, and the priorities have been clear. The minister's strategy is very simple. ”

"What's the plan?"

"First, on the right-wing side, they stepped up their efforts to urge Chen Hu and Li Ye to take down Liaoxi, and continued to put pressure on Dadu. As long as most of them have no soldiers to send, and no soldiers and horses to support Chahan, it is equivalent to cutting off Chahan's arm. And our Dizhou side will also be relieved by this, even if there is a disturbance, there will be no danger. ”

"Sir's policy is to ensure that my interests are worry-free."

"Exactly. Dizhou is worry-free, that is, Yidu is worry-free. And only when Yidu is worry-free, it is possible to win Jining. ”

"That's one thing, what's two?"

"Second, order our troops in Tai'an, Yanzhou, Shanyang Lake, Juye, and other aspects, and make every effort to move forward, completely sweep away the remnants of the enemy forces in each department, and be sure to open each other's camps before the reinforcements of Chahan and Wang Baobao join forces. The way to use troops is to avoid 'dividing troops and strengthening the enemy'. Only when all the units on our front line echo each other can we still maintain a local advantage after Wang Baobao has received reinforcements and will not fall behind. ”

"Sir's words are very satisfying to me."

Since it was concluded that Zhu Yuanzhang would not betray the alliance because of Shicheng's changes, the next step was to take advantage of Wang Baobao's temporary inability to counterattack to adjust the front-line deployment in time and prepare for the upcoming big war.

——

1, Hu Dahai likes Jiang Ying and Liu Zhen Xiaoyong, "stay under his command and treat him without doubt". Later, Hu Dahai's death was also because of Jiang Ying and Liu Zhen.

Hu Dahai's death at the hands of Jiang Ying is strikingly similar to the death of Chakhan Timur at the hands of Tian Feng in history. Chakhan Timur also died because Tian Feng, who was waiting to surrender, "did not doubt". It seems that Cao Cao's "don't use suspicious people, don't suspect people" is not something that any random person can use well.

In the twenty-second year of Zheng, in February, "Wu Jinhua and Miao Army Marshals Jiang Ying, Liu Zhen, and Li Fu rebelled, and killed Hu Dahai, Langzhong, Wang Kai, and Gao Ziyu, the chief manager. ”

"At the beginning, the sea went down to Yanzhou, and the earthquake came down from Tonglu, and the sea liked its bravery, and stayed under his command, and treated it without doubt. As for the earthquake and other plots, the sea met his own kindness, and he couldn't bear it, and he said: 'It's better to take care of one's own favor than to do big things!' 'All the people followed, and they raised troops together on the 7th of February. On the same day, Jiang Ying and others entered the provincial office, and Yang invited the sea to watch the crossbow downstairs in Bayong. When the sea came out, he would get on the horse, and Ying ordered his party bell to kneel in front of the horse, and Yang complained: "Jiang Ying and others want to kill me." "The sea didn't have time to answer, but looked back at Ying, Ying pulled out the hammer, if he hit the dwarf, because of the brain of the sea, he served the ground, Ying immediately cut off his head, and killed Dahaizi again."

Hu Dahai had two sons, one was killed by Zhu Yuanzhang, and the other was killed by Jiang Ying with Hu Dahai, so far, only one adopted son Hu Deji remains. Later, after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Hu Deji went out of Dingxi from the "great general Xu Da." Hu Deji's army was defeated, and Xu Da beheaded several of his generals and armed them to Beijing. The emperor remembers the old work and releases it. I thought that he was the commander of the envoy, the town of Shaanxi, and died. ”