Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 882 One Scholar, One Warrior

“Previously, I openly told Wang Bo’an that you were already on the list of Zhang Guo’s father and son to cultivate. I also told him that Lai Zhan and Yan Ling must have recommended him to Wang Yue long ago, which is why Wang Yue values ​​him so much and let him lead troops alone, and rise to prominence so quickly.”

Li Zisheng said with a smile.

Pang Qing stared wide-eyed, asking incredulously, "You said that, and he believed it?"

"Humph!"

Li Zisheng snorted and said, "What reason does he have not to believe me? I am telling the absolute truth! Besides, it is impossible for Wang Shichang not to explain the reasons to him when he was using him."

"If Wang Shichang had mentioned it even slightly back then, and if it were corroborated by what I'm saying now, wouldn't he have known that his appearance on the grasslands and his achievements were an inevitable part of historical development? Wouldn't he have eventually been discovered by the Zhang family father and son?"

"Ah... like this... is that okay?"

Pang Qing felt that this matter was even more outrageous than Li Zisheng and his participation in pacifying the grasslands.

However, many outrageous things seemed perfectly reasonable because of the presence of the Zhang family father and son.

This is also a result of Li Zi's investments in the Zhang family during her high-ranking official period...

Even Pang Qing would occasionally think that his Taoist master had a truly discerning eye. When he was in power, he was able to treat scholars with respect and befriend Zhang Laizhan, who had just arrived in the capital. Zhang Laizhan was known for protecting his own and was also very understanding, the kind of person who would repay kindness without considering the cost.

If it were someone else, would they be so favored after gaining power, given your investment? They would probably have parted ways long ago because of Lizi Province's bad reputation, or even kicked it while it was down.

"Master Daoist, how exactly should we fight this battle?"

Pang Qing, not wanting to dwell on metaphysics for too long, deliberately changed the subject, saying, "This isn't what I want to ask, but what the soldiers below all want to know... The Second Young Master is elusive, appearing and disappearing like a dragon. To this day, no one knows what he's up to, whether it's war or peace..."

Li Zisheng laughed upon hearing this: "The advantage is with me. I can fight if I want, and make peace if I want. As long as you keep the situation stable, look how I'm gaining the upper hand! When I brought my troops here, all the tribes on the grasslands, regardless of size, rushed to surrender to me. Why is that? It's because you defeated them so badly that they were left with nothing but their teeth and claws!"

"That means……"

"Nephew Yanling, you fight in front, and I'll just pick up the pieces from behind!"

Li Zisheng laughed heartily, “When it comes to the ability to charge into battle and fight tough battles, how dare I compare myself to my nephew Yanling? Besides, I don’t want to steal his thunder!”
"So, while he was reaping enemy heads in the front, I was winning people's hearts in the back, so that those cowardly Tartars dared not deal with Yama, the King of Hell, and all came to me to submit. I was responsible for appeasing people's hearts."

"Hey, my nephew and I are a perfect match, one skilled in literature and the other in martial arts."

Pang Qing thought to himself, "Isn't that the most shameless person in the Ming army right now?"

Who's going to be your partner, one scholar and one warrior?
……

……

As the reinforcements led by Li Zisheng arrived in the Guanshan area, the Ming soldiers who had followed Wang Shouren and Zhu Hui from the Hetao region suddenly became more determined.

Previously, they could only retreat and defend, holding the valley and maintaining the existing front line, adopting the defensive posture commonly used in the border areas of the Ming Dynasty.

Although they have not yet received orders to fight the Tatars, they have been incredibly audacious in launching repeated attacks on Tatar camps.

They used their own territory as a base to plunder and kill the surrounding Tatar tribes.

After a long march and continuous battles, Wang Shouren's troops suffered heavy losses in their warhorses, which reduced their mobility. However, this did not prevent the Ming soldiers from launching raids and achieving considerable success.

On the contrary, Qin Yun's more mobile troops waited for further orders from Zhang Yanling and did not make any major moves, nor did they often lead troops out to sweep.

"The Tartars have already retreated thirty or forty miles."

After Zhu Hui returned with his men, he seemed very worried. He found Wang Shouren and said, "If we don't hurry up and pursue them, the Tartars will probably disappear without a trace."

Wang Shouren had already packed up his belongings. As the soul of the army and its only strategist, he was deeply respected by the officers and soldiers. Therefore, apart from some personal items, his daily eating utensils were all taken care of for him.

But he insisted on keeping his own rice bowl, and he was very particular about it, washing it carefully with snow water after each meal, while the soldiers didn't care about such things at all. Wang Shouren shook his head and said, "Uncle Zhang hasn't ordered us to advance, let's wait for now."

"The problem is, the only people on this grassland who can disobey his orders are us," Zhu Hui questioned. "We come from three border regions, why should we obey Zhang Guojiu's commands?"

Wang Shouren frowned and asked in return, "Even a first-rank official in the court, the dignified Governor of Jizhou and Imperial Censor Li Zisheng, has to obey the orders of Zhang Guojiu. Do we have to be different? General Zhu, only by obeying the overall situation can we achieve great things."

"All right!"

Zhu Hui shrugged and shook his head, saying, "Brother Wang, the main problem is that I don't quite understand what that Imperial Uncle Zhang is doing. Waiting like this is getting agonizing."

"Wait, then."

Wang Shouren had long been inclined to give up on himself, probably because he felt that no matter how hard he tried, he could not surpass Zhang Yanling, who was as great as a mountain, so he simply gave up.

……

……

The sixth day of the twelfth lunar month.

The weather was very cold that day, and the soldiers reorganized all kinds of military equipment early in the morning.

Last night, Qin Yun sent someone to inform us that we were preparing for a joint military advance, which was also Zhang Yanling's latest military order.

Wang Shouren then instructed Zhu Hui to relay the order to the army.

After a night of mental preparation, the soldiers were all eager to fight. They all seemed to understand that a major battle was imminent. Although the chances of victory were very high, and they might even achieve unparalleled feats, some would still die on the grasslands and never return to their homeland.

"It's all packed up."

Zhu Hui appeared in front of Wang Shouren.

At this time, Wang Shouren was meeting with the envoy sent by Li Zisheng, who was also Li Zisheng's strategist Pang Qing.

"Little father-in-law."

Pang Qing, a seasoned official in the capital, respected Wang Shouren, but he respected Zhu Hui even more.

After all, once Zhu Yong dies, the only person who will inherit the title of Duke of Baoguo will be Zhu Hui.

Moreover, the lineage of the Duke of Baoguo is currently highly valued by both the Emperor and the Zhang family, and it is not impossible that they will replace the Duke of Yingguo as the number one military meritorious official in the Ming Dynasty in the future.

Zhu Hui said, "Mr. Pang, it's been a long time. So you've come to the grasslands with Minister Li? Haha... In this great battle, are you planning to charge into battle with the army?"

"I am but a scholar, content to remain in the army and be well protected by the soldiers," Pang Qing said with a smile. "I hope that you, young master, will offer me more guidance."

Wang Shouren interjected, "What is the current situation?"

Pang Qing said, "My master... Minister Li doesn't know much about this either, but it is said that in the past few days, Zhang Guojiu has been negotiating with the Tatar prince, but it seems that the negotiations have broken down."

"What?"

Zhu Hui reacted strongly, asking in surprise, "They've been talking all along? And the talks broke down? How did they break down?"

Pang Qing shook his head, said nothing, and simply gave a faint smile.

It roughly means I don't know either, but it's also possible that he knows but doesn't want to say.

Respecting the young master is one thing, but confiding in him is another.

(End of this chapter)