gnovel Chapter 69 Extended City
Chapter 69 Extended City
Just as Li Chengye was swaggering around Fushi City, Wang Lian, who came from Guanzhong, finally entered northern Shaanxi.
When they were still a day's journey away from Yanchang County, about forty li away, Wang Lian ordered the entire army to slow down, and then ordered his cavalry to speed up and head towards Yanchang County first.
Zhao Huan volunteered to be the vanguard.
Wang Lian asked Zhao Huan, "Do you know what to do when we arrive in Yanchang County?"
Zhao Huan immediately replied, "Of course I know, sir! When I arrived at Yanchang, I led my brothers to block the city gate. Any bandits who dared to show their faces were to be killed."
"Once the main army arrives, we will join forces to attack the city!"
Wang Lian shook his head and said, "No, you're still too naive. You take the cavalry and first make a big show of circling the city, creating a great impression. Then retreat to a place more than ten miles away from the city to secretly monitor the situation, making sure the enemy doesn't notice. Understand?"
Zhao Huan asked in bewilderment, "Why is that? If the enemy army feared our army, wouldn't they have fled long ago?"
Wang Lian replied bluntly, "That's exactly what we want! How many bandits are there? How many of our troops are there?"
Although the bandits are unfamiliar with warfare and cannot hold the city for more than a few days, the governor has ordered that results be achieved quickly.
Your mission is to "stir up trouble" and force them to abandon the city.
"Then, with my cavalry in pursuit, I will surely slaughter them, leaving their corpses strewn across the fields, seizing their supplies, recapturing the county town, and reporting the victory—all in one swift and decisive action. Do you understand?"
Zhao Huan quickly replied, "This subordinate understands! Your Excellency has shown great foresight. This subordinate will lead my men there immediately!"
Zheng Guangqiu, who lives in the city, has been feeling uneasy these past few days.
After Wang Pingyue and Li Chengye led their troops out of the city a few days ago, the affairs of the city fell to him.
He finally got to experience what it's like to be a "county magistrate".
Previously, when Li Chengye was in charge, he had to consider Li Chengye's feelings in everything he did. Now that he was in charge, he should be able to live a comfortable life.
Over the past three or four days, he has become increasingly anxious.
According to Li Chengye's words before he left, the government troops would arrive soon.
Although he had his men make some preparations, he had no confidence at all in whether he could withstand the government troops.
At this moment, a scout reported that government cavalry had been spotted. Zheng Guangqiu hurriedly led his men to the top of the city wall, where they saw that the approaching enemy was the cavalry of the governor's battalion. The men and horses were elite, but there were only fifty or sixty riders in number. Their armor was bright and they looked extremely fierce.
After circling the city, the government cavalry retreated to the south.
The second-in-command, eager to try, asked, "Brother, it looks like the government troops are just scouting? The main force hasn't arrived yet. Should we go out of the city and attack them?"
But the second-in-command's words only fueled his fear.
Zheng Guangqiu struggled internally for a moment, then suddenly remembered Li Chengye's repeated instructions before leaving, and immediately made a decision:
"Go! Go now! Don't pack anything valuable, take as much as you can. The government troops will be here in no time, this city can't be held!"
Despite the hasty evacuation, fortunately, some preparations had been made beforehand, and Zheng Guangqiu led more than a thousand men to evacuate the county town in a panic.
However, after the column had traveled about two or three miles out of the city, the fifty or sixty government cavalrymen who had followed them closely from a distance and locked onto the rear column.
Zheng Guangqiu, relying on the superior numbers of his troops, initially paid no attention, but the pursuing army slowed down his march.
Half a day later, a cloud of dust rose from behind the government cavalry. Zheng Guangqiu saw this from afar and was terrified.
"Damn it, it's a large contingent of government cavalry!"
They had now entered the hilly area and were marching on the mountain road. The government troops were in hot pursuit and it was difficult for them to disperse for the time being.
Zheng Guangqiu knew he had missed his chance earlier, and now he had no choice but to make a tough decision and urgently ordered:
"Dump all the food and supplies! Let's run up the mountain; the cavalry can't make it!"
One of his men asked anxiously, "What about the food? What if we run out of food?"
Zheng Guangqiu roared, "No more! If we keep carrying these things, we'll all die here!"
Despite his determination, his followers remained hesitant.
They finally reached a place with slightly gentler terrain, but the government cavalry arrived like a whirlwind and charged straight into the ranks.
Throughout history, when two armies clash head-on, casualties are usually limited; true defeats and massacres often occur during the pursuit of the defeated.
The routed troops were only concerned with escaping and had no intention of resisting.
Zheng Guangqiu's troops were already on the verge of collapse, and when the government troops charged, they were thrown into chaos.
The government troops seized the opportunity to rampage and kill as if they were in an empty field.
Wang Lian led a total of five hundred cavalrymen on this expedition.
Except for one cavalryman left to follow the infantry, the rest were all committed to the pursuit.
More than four hundred cavalrymen clashed back and forth, quickly slaughtering Zheng Guangqiu's men, leaving corpses strewn across the battlefield.
Zheng Guangqiu, with only a dozen or so trusted men, desperately climbed to the mountainside. Looking back, he saw his troops below, who had not yet managed to escape, being indiscriminately slaughtered by government cavalry, who were laughing as they picked up the grain and supplies they had discarded.
His eyes welled up with tears, but he was helpless. He could only beat his chest and stamp his feet in regret, saying, "I regret not listening to Li Chengye's advice back then!"
However it was too late.
After the government troops withdrew and returned to the city, all the generals praised Wang Lian for his brilliant strategy.
Wang Lian remained calm and ordered, "Men, immediately report the victory to the governor, saying that I have recaptured Yanchang County and the bandit leader Zheng Guangqiu's troops have been defeated."
At this moment, Zhao Huan, travel-worn and still covered in blood, arrived and knelt on one knee to report:
"My lord, I just interrogated the captured bandits and learned that most of the troops of another bandit leader, Li Chengye, left the city some time ago and their whereabouts are unknown. It is said that they went north."
"May I lead some men to scout ahead?"
Wang Lian pondered for a moment and said, "If we are heading north, there should be news coming from the post stations along the way. Why have we not heard anything yet? Wait a moment, I will send someone to investigate the post road first, and then you can set off."
Although Zhao Huan was unwilling, he knew that Wang Lian's considerations were thorough, so he agreed and withdrew to reorganize his troops.
After Wang Lian entered Yanchang City, he ordered his men to rest and gather supplies. Unfortunately, apart from the supplies he had previously seized from Zheng Guangqiu, the warehouses in Yanchang City were all empty.
Wang Lian's family held the hereditary military post of 1,000 commanders in the Right Garrison of Xi'an. Like Liu Ye, his father fought against the Japanese pirates and died in Pyongyang. He had no money to bribe the Ministry of War to inherit the hereditary military post, so he also went to the border.
The only difference was that he went to Datong, and that was during the Wanli era.
The three major campaigns during the Wanli era represented the peak of the Ming Dynasty's military power, and at that time, brave and daring men still had a chance to rise to prominence.
Wang Lian distinguished himself in the battle between Datong and the Mongol Bushitu tribe, and was valued by Ma Gui, the then General of Datong, who helped him apply to the Ministry of War for a succession certificate for his military post.
He smoothly obtained his position as a chiliarch, and with his reward money and spoils, he bribed his superiors and officials, and returned to his hometown of Xi'an Prefecture to serve as a garrison commander.
Looking at Wang Lian's early life, he was a seasoned general who was knowledgeable in both warfare and officialdom. This is why he was noticed by Hu Tingyan and promoted from garrison commander to commander of the standard battalion.
Upon entering Yanchang City, he first sent people to search for the remaining local gentry, hoping they could write more letters or submit joint memorials to the court to claim credit for himself and his superior, Hu Tingyan. However, he did not expect that the wealthy families in the city were either dead or had fled, leaving no one available.
However, he discovered the former magistrate, Yu Shideng, in the county jail.
Wang Lian's servants found Yu Shideng in the county jail. Although he had been starving for two days, he seemed to be in relatively good spirits.
Yu Shideng was brought from prison to Wang Lian's presence. He immediately knelt down and said, "I, Yu Shideng, a criminal, pay my respects to Commander Wang!"
"Your Excellency descended like a divine army, sweeping away the bandits and rescuing the people of Yanchang from their suffering. You even rescued the convicted official from prison... This kindness and virtue is akin to giving him a second life. Even if the official were to give his life, he could never repay even a fraction of it!"
Also present was Su He, the other official from Yanchang County besides him.
After the reign of Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, the status of civil officials gradually surpassed that of military officials. In particular, after the Tumu Crisis, Yu Qian successfully defended the capital, which further established the tradition of using civil officials to control military officials.
Wang Lian, as a military commander, was equivalent to a third-rank official, while a county magistrate was a seventh-rank official. However, due to the Ming Dynasty's tradition of using civil officials to control military officials, Wang Lian still had to treat him with great courtesy when they met on ordinary days.
But at this moment, Yu Shideng knew he was responsible for the loss of the city and had been rescued from prison. Knowing that his life depended on Wang Lian in front of him, he bowed deeply to him.
Wang Lian had originally intended to put on airs in front of this county magistrate, but seeing how humble the man was, he quickly rose from his seat to help him up, saying:
"Magistrate Yu has suffered greatly. I have heard of your unwavering perseverance in the bandit camp; you are truly a model for us subjects."
Upon hearing this, Yu Shideng felt a sense of relief, knowing that Wang Lian wasn't trying to kill him. He quickly lowered himself even further to the ground.
"I am ashamed to accept your words, Commander! The loss of Yanchang was entirely due to my incompetence. If it were not for Lord Wang personally leading the mighty army to swiftly recover the city, even a thousand deaths would not be enough to atone for my sins."
Today, only by following the lead of Commander Wang Du can we atone for our mistakes!
Suhe, who witnessed this scene, couldn't help but widen her eyes in disbelief.
His initial impression of Shiden was that although he was obsessed with officialdom, he was quite arrogant and did not lose his composure even when he was in prison.
But judging from his behavior now, it's clear that I'm not good at judging people!
Then Wang Lian said, "Magistrate Yu, I rushed here from Guanzhong to defeat the bandits, and we still need your help to procure food and supplies for the city."
Wang Lian explained his intentions, but Shi Deng looked troubled.
"Lord Wang, when Liu attacked the city, he looted all the grain from the major households, government granaries, and private granaries. I'm afraid there is no grain left in Yanchang County."
Upon hearing this, Wang Lian's expression immediately turned displeased.
Upon seeing this, Yu Shideng immediately changed his tune: "Although there is no food inside the city, there is still some outside."
I have heard that the thieves have been distributing a lot of grain outside the city to lure starving people into becoming thieves.
Moreover, most of the grain taxes owed to the people outside the city this summer and autumn have not yet been collected.
"Once I gather all the yamen runners and tax collectors, I will be able to collect the grain and taxes to supply the army."
Upon hearing this, Wang Lian's expression softened slightly.
"Very well, Magistrate Yu, I will believe you. But you don't need to wait to gather your men. Just write a letter, and my men will naturally collect the grain for you."
"what?"
Yu Shideng was taken aback for a moment, but he knew that he was not yet cleared of his crimes and needed an opportunity to prove himself.
Even if the government troops use his name to raid the city now, he has no choice but to accept it.
He had no powerful connections to patronize him, otherwise he wouldn't have been so eager to achieve political success and get promoted. He could only reply:
"Your humble servant obeys."
Afterwards, Yu Shideng led Su He away to write documents and summon the remaining yamen staff in the city.
Then, Wang Lian summoned the two captains from his camp and said:
"Since the city was recaptured the day before yesterday, I have sent messengers to investigate the surrounding area, but so far no trace of the bandits has been found. On the contrary, all the surrounding post stations have been destroyed. I am worried that Yan'an Prefecture may have been captured by the enemy."
Upon hearing this, both men were incredulous, exclaiming in disbelief, "What? Yan'an Prefecture has fallen? How is that possible?"
Wang Lian continued, "I learned from the interrogation of the captured bandits that the leader who broke through Yanchang City was not actually Zheng Guangqiu, but someone named Li Chengye."
This man is said to have several thousand cavalrymen and several thousand armored soldiers under his command, with a total of tens of thousands of bandits.
Moreover, before we arrived here, they had already led their rebel army north, heading straight for Yan'an Prefecture. The fact that there is now no information from the Yan'an Prefecture post stations matches this perfectly.