The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 83 The waters of Yan'an Prefecture run deep.

Yang He spared no effort in order to completely eliminate Jiang Han, who was entrenched in Yan'an Prefecture.

He dispatched two generals with 10,000 troops, clearly intending to wipe out Jiang Han in one fell swoop.

General Wang Chengen of Lintao and General He Huchen of Ningxia, along with Assistant Generals Ai Mu and Li Bei, led their troops from Suide, Qingjian, and Yanchang all the way to Yan'an Prefecture.

Wang Chengen chose to advance from the eastern route through Yan'an Prefecture because he feared that Jiang Han, in desperation, might flee from Yanshui Pass to Shanxi and join forces with the bandits there.

In order to cut off this road, he also specially assigned 1,500 infantrymen and 500 cavalrymen to Li Bei.

He was ordered to garrison in the Tuyanchuan area outside Yanshui Pass, forming a pincer movement with Pang Hui, the garrison commander of Yanshui Pass, to firmly block Jiang Han's escape route to the east.

Although Wang Chengen, the general of Lintao, and Wang Chengen, the chief eunuch of Emperor Chongzhen, shared the same name, they were of different bloodlines.

General Wang Chengen was a descendant of a noble family. His ancestor, Wang You, was a guard of the Prince of Yan. He followed Emperor Chengzu in raising an army to quell the rebellion and made great contributions, and was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Qingyuan.

Unfortunately, his good fortune didn't last long. Later, due to resentment, he slandered the emperor and was stripped of his title.

After Emperor Renzong ascended the throne, in recognition of his merits in suppressing the rebellion, he granted his descendants a hereditary position as the Vice Commander of the Xining Guard.

In the thirty-third year of the Wanli reign, Wang Chengen, only eighteen years old, inherited the position of Vice Commander of Xining Guard, and was subsequently promoted to Assistant General of Zhuangliang Dajing and Left Deputy General of Shenji Camp.

Later, due to his meritorious service in resisting the Jin, Wang Chengen, at the age of forty, was appointed as the General Commander of Lintao, becoming the highest military commander of the town.

Wang Chengen's early life was smooth sailing; he was promoted step by step according to his merits and experience, without any particularly outstanding achievements.

However, it wasn't until the Jisi Incident last year, when Wang Chengen once again went to the capital to defend the emperor, that he caught the emperor's eye.

Wang Chengen personally led nearly two thousand soldiers from Lintao, marching north along the border wall, rushing day and night to the capital to defend the emperor.

He did not commit any offenses along the way, which was in stark contrast to the other armies that came to the aid of the emperor.

There was no mutiny, no desertion, no looting, and no avoidance of battle.

They were truly a breath of fresh air among the loyalist army.

In the hard-fought battle to recapture Luanzhou, Wang Chengen's performance was truly remarkable.

He was ordered to defend the south gate to the death and block the escape route of the Eastern barbarians.

The Eastern barbarians charged out like madmen, but no matter how they charged, Wang Chengen remained unmoved, guarding the south gate flawlessly.

Meanwhile, Zu Dashou, Ma Shilong, and Cao Wenzhao, several formidable men at the North Gate, unleashed a barrage of cannon fire at the city walls, finally retaking Luanzhou City.

Wang Chengen was thus personally received and commended by Emperor Chongzhen, and was subsequently granted the titles of Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince and Left Commander-in-Chief, at the age of forty-two.

Wang Chengen was overwhelmed with gratitude. He held the imperial edict and knelt before the incense table for more than an hour, deeply moved by the emperor's boundless grace.

It should be noted that Qi Jiguang was already forty-seven years old when he was promoted to Left Commander-in-Chief and Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince.

To repay the kindness of Emperor Chongzhen, Wang Chengen volunteered to lead his troops in the siege of the notorious bandit Wang Jiayin.

After months of fighting, he dared not slacken in the slightest, for fear of betraying the emperor's trust.

Jiang Han frowned deeply when he heard that the one leading the attack was Wang Chengen.

How come we ran into such a tough opponent right from the start?
Jiang Han had already received news that Shen Yikui's team had been wiped out in Bao'an, with only about a hundred people managing to escape.

There's still no news from the mud-free area of ​​Mizhi, but it's likely to be a bad situation for them as well.

Zhang Cunmeng is so close to Yulin, Yang He probably won't let him go.

Jiang Han sighed deeply. Not long ago, the three powerful bandits were chatting and laughing in Yan'an Prefecture, but in the blink of an eye, only Jiang Han remained.

Even more critically, scouts reported that Wang Chengen's army had already crossed Yanchang and would soon be at the city gates.

Upon receiving this news, Jiang Han dared not delay and immediately summoned several of his subordinates to the government office.

Inside the government office, Dong Erzhu slammed his fist on the table, glaring and roaring:
"Those government troops only number eight thousand, why can't we defend?" "I don't believe they dare to attack the city with our eighty-odd cannons!"

Shao Yong sneered and quickly retorted:
"Are eighty-odd doors a lot?"

"If they're assigned to four city gates, how many will be left?"

Hearing this, Kuroko couldn't help but add a couple of comments:
"Besides, although we can hold out for a while, have you considered what would happen if Yang He brought in the other two armies?"

"When the time comes, tens of thousands of people will surround Yan'an Prefecture, making it impossible for us to escape!"

Everyone was talking at once, arguing and making a scene like a chaotic market.

"Shut up, everyone!"

Jiang Han slammed his hand on the table, and the room fell silent instantly.

"Yan'an Prefecture is nice, but we certainly can't hold it now. We should be content with the few months we've managed to occupy it!"

"Listen to me! Immediately gather all personnel and equipment, and we're abandoning the city and running away!"

Everyone looked at each other, and Dong Erzhu cautiously began to speak:
"Second Brother Han, which way should we run?"

Jiang Han pondered for a moment, then shook his head:

"Let's head south, that's the only option."

In fact, Jiang Han's southward journey was merely a temporary measure; his real intention was to flee eastward and enter Shanxi province.

Unfortunately, the nearest pass, Yanshui Pass, had already been fortified by government troops and could not be easily captured.

Further south is Tongguan Pass. With their small force, they couldn't even break through Tongguan Pass by ramming it with their heads!

Kuroko sighed, his face full of reluctance:
"It's such a pity that such a large place as Yan'an Prefecture was given up like this."

Jiang Han shook his head:
"There's nothing to regret."

“Once we leave, Wang Chengen will definitely send troops to guard the city, and he might even personally take charge of Yan’an Prefecture.”

"Such a large prefecture as Yan'an, he must have left at least two or three thousand people here, right?"

"As a result, Wang Chengen has even fewer mobile troops that he can send out."

"Then we'll find a way to wipe out some of his men, leaving Wang Chengen with no one to rely on and trapped in a predicament!"

As Jiang Han spoke, he added one more point:
"When the time comes, we'll take all the grain with us, leaving him not a single grain!"

"Once Wang Chengen enters Yan'an Prefecture, let's see what his eight thousand troops will eat!"

Li Laowai, who was standing to the side, was somewhat puzzled:

"But, Lord Jiang, Wang Chengen has troops under his command. Why doesn't he just send them to rob us?"

Jiang Han rolled his eyes at him:
"All you ever do is steal! Steal!"

"Who would he dare to rob?"

"You think he's a traitor like us?"

"If he dares to rob officials and gentry, then he can expect to be sued in the capital!"

"If he dares to rob the people, and all the people of Yan'an Prefecture starve to death, let's see how he explains himself then!"

Jiang Han sneered:
"The waters of Yan'an Prefecture run deep. We can handle it, but Wang Chengen might not be able to!"

(End of this chapter)