Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

There are always some people with extraordinary talents in this world, some of whom are even considered by later generations to be extraordinary people who are ahead of their time, such as Wang Mang, Liu Xiu, and Duke Zhang Shikang.

No one understands where these people get all their talent from.

Some people only specialize in one field and it will take them a lifetime to master it, while there are those people who are not only good at civil affairs, but also at martial arts. It seems that nothing can stump them.

Ma Lingqi blinked twice, and Zhang Shikang's status in her heart was further improved.

If her father praised that person in front of her, Ma Lingqi might feel that it was exaggerated.

But before that, the person she admired most was her grandmother.

My grandmother was highly respected and dedicated her entire life to this land and the court behind her.

Now even my grandmother has this comment on that man, so I guess he must be very powerful.

On August 17, Zhang Shikang led his troops to Shimen Pass.

On this expedition, Zhang Shikang only brought 40,000 guards.

Compared with Zhang Xianzhong's army of more than 100,000 and Li Zicheng's army, this army was not large in number.

But these 40,000 people are almost all the elite of the elite Guards, including the entire Second Sons Regiment.

The 20,000-man firearms battalion, the main force, was fully equipped with instantaneous muskets, and the 6,000 cavalrymen could barely manage two horses per man.

In addition, there is an artillery unit of 3,000 people, and the artillery used in this expedition is the largest caliber that the Ming Dynasty can currently produce - 24-pound copper cannons, a total of 40.

The troops marched slowly, and it took them two full months to reach Shimen Pass. The biggest reason for this was that the newly added artillery troops slowed down the overall marching speed.

It was the first time that Zhang Shikang led an artillery unit on a formal expedition after taking control of the military power.

When he led his troops to war for the first time, he had only 20,000 men under his command, and those soldiers in the Beijing camp had only been trained for more than half a year.

But now, the Guards have made great strides in upgrading their military uniforms. Not only are their uniforms neater, but their entire appearance and military posture are completely different from before.

The reason why we only brought 40,000 people was also because of food and fodder.

The entire northern part of the Ming Dynasty was digging trenches, and by this time more than four million laborers had been mobilized.

Shaanxi is experiencing another plague outbreak and needs more food for disaster relief. Although new crops have begun to be promoted, there is still a gap between the old and the new.

Of course, Zhang Shikang was not overconfident. The 40,000 elite Guards were best at positional warfare and field battles. After all, the main force almost all used firearms.

The 20,000 white-pole soldiers under Qin Liangyu's command are specialized mountain special operations forces, and the other 20,000 regular troops can make up for some of the shortcomings of the Guards.

Zhang Xianzhong had about 80,000 direct subordinates, and the rest of the non-direct subordinates were roughly around 40,000 to 50,000.

Li Zicheng's military strength is not large, but the factory guards reported that he is currently taking the elite route, with a military strength of about 60,000.

Most of Sichuan was under strict defense by the imperial court, yet Zhang Xianzhong dared to proclaim himself emperor at this time. He was simply courting his own death.

Therefore, with 80,000 versus 200,000, the advantage is on my side!

Although the Mid-Autumn Festival had passed, the weather was still a little hot at noon. The one who came to greet Zhang Shikang was Ma Xianglin, the envoy of Shiqu.

Zhang Shikang couldn't help but take another look, because the general in front of him was a one-eyed man.

Ma Xianglin saluted Zhang Shikang very respectfully, and after asking, he learned that the Ma Chao from the Three Kingdoms period was indeed his ancestor.

That night, Zhang Shikang stopped at Shimen Pass to rest.

Three days later, Zhang Shikang led a large army and, under the guidance of Ma Xianglin, finally arrived at his loyal Shiqu.

At this time, Qin Liangyu had already led the generals and officials from Shiqu out of the city to welcome them.

The battle was not grand and there was no extravagance at all, but Zhang Shikang did not neglect it at all. He dismounted when his horse was still a dozen steps away from Qin Liangyu.

As soon as he dismounted, senior generals of the Guards, including Sun Weifan, Huang Degong, and Cao Bianjiao, all dismounted.

When Zhang Shikang came over, Qin Liangyu immediately led everyone in paying homage.

The Ming Dynasty had a strict set of rules on etiquette. Even between superiors and subordinates, kneeling was generally not allowed.

This was even more true in the imperial court. For example, when attending court, Chongzhen was the king and the ministers only performed the ritual of bowing.

When Chongzhen offered sacrifices to heaven and earth, his identity was that of the Son of Heaven, and all the ministers knelt in obeisance.

This etiquette is different among officials. Those with similar ranks will greet each other by bowing.

If the difference is too great, for example, above three levels, the subordinate will perform the bow, while the superior will still respond with a return bow.

Under normal circumstances, as the governor-general of four provinces, Qin Liangyu did not need to perform the ceremony of bowing. However, perhaps out of gratitude and respect, Qin Liangyu, at the age of 67, bowed to Zhang Shikang.

This scared Zhang Shikang, and he quickly bowed in response. Huang Degong and Sun Weifan behind him didn't have time to react and almost hit Zhang Shikang.

"Long time no see, General Qin!

You have worked hard and made great contributions, please don't embarrass me, a young man!" Zhang Shikang stood up straight and spoke with a smile.

As early as when he first came into this world, Zhang Shikang racked his brains to think of several capable veterans, among whom were Lu Xiangsheng and Sun Chuanting, and the third was Qin Liangyu.

As the only female general in the Ming Dynasty who was listed separately in the Ming History as a woman, her value is self-evident in such an era where men were superior to women.

The reason why Zhang Shikang is as steady as an old dog wherever he goes is not because he is not afraid of death, but because he has a real boss to lead him wherever he goes.

The only thing that worried him the most was the initial battle of Jiazhuang, but most of the work was also done by Sun Weifan.

The subsequent Battle of Jingshui was under the overall command of Grandpa Lu. Even in last year's rebellion suppression war, although Zhang Shikang seemed to be fighting in the south and the north, in fact, it was Huang Degong and Sun Weifan who were doing the work.

Zhang Shikang was just following the main force. Of course, this was mainly reflected in specific tactics.

On the strategic level, Zhang Shikang would also discuss with bigwigs such as Lu Xiangsheng, Sun Weifan, and Sun Chuanting and participate in the entire plan.

Now that he had arrived in Sichuan, Zhang Shikang certainly had no intention of monopolizing power. What a joke! That would be so tiring.

"The Grand Marshal shoulders the heavy responsibility of restoring the Ming Dynasty. Even if I have to kneel down to pay my respects, I am still worthy of being the Grand Marshal." Qin Liangyu also replied with a smile.

She is very old, with gray hair, but she is still strong and speaks with a strong voice. Her kindness is accompanied by wisdom.

“What’s the big deal, or not? It’s said that having an old person in the family is like having a treasure.

My grandparents passed away early, and I have always felt very regretful. When I saw you, I felt a sense of familiarity.

If you are not as good as the old general, you can call me Wuji." Zhang Shikang walked over and supported Qin Liangyu's arm, treating her with courtesy as a junior.

This surprised Qin Liangyu very much.

Over the past two years, she had exchanged military orders and letters with the Grand Marshal on several occasions, and the Grand Marshal's letters were somewhat rambling.

In addition, she also heard that this great marshal was a famous playboy in the capital, although Qin Liangyu believed that Zhang Shikang was hiding his incompetence for some reason at the time.

But generally speaking, he should be a young man with a rebellious character, but looking at his words and deeds now, it is really shocking.

"Okay, okay, then I will respectfully obey your command."

Although Qin Liangyu felt it was a little abrupt, since it was the Grand Marshal who said so, she would not take it as a big deal.

But she had never expected that just as she agreed, she heard the Grand Marshal say:

"Hehe, in that case, then the war against the bandits will be taken care of by the old general!"

……