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

September 16th, Zhuozhou Prefecture.

In the conference hall, Yang Sichang, the Grand Secretary of the Dongke and the Minister of War, sat in the main seat, with Lu Xiangsheng, the Governor-General of Xuanda, on his lower right, and Gao Qiquan, the Military Supervisor, on his lower left.

There were not many people, and even generals at the level of generals were not qualified to participate. Although the expressions of the three men were relatively calm, except for Lu Xiangsheng who was wearing armor, the other two were wearing civilian uniforms.

"No report was received at night. The Jiannu troops were divided into two groups. One group led by Dorgon attacked Xincheng, and the other group led by Yuetuo attacked Bazhou.

Although Governor Lu and I have joined forces, our military strength is only slightly greater than that of the Jianlu.

Our army has many infantrymen. In my opinion, we should focus on defense and not engage in a field battle with the Jiannu.

Of course, I would also like to hear your opinions. Please feel free to share any suggestions you may have."

After Yang Sichang finished speaking, he picked up the teacup and started drinking tea. He did not show any sense of urgency in dealing with the Jian slaves. Instead, he seemed relaxed and contented.

Gao Qiquan did not speak first, but glanced at Lu Xiangsheng quietly and picked up the tea bowl.

Lu Xiangsheng frowned, and finally spoke first:

"I cannot agree with what Minister Yang said. The Jiannu looted everywhere. They not only robbed food and livestock, but also spared the people. They killed the old and the young, leaving only the young and the strong, and took them to the outside of the pass as slaves.

If we only defend and do not attack, wouldn't we be disregarding the lives of the people of the world?

Moreover, if we divide our forces to defend them, there will be a risk of being defeated one by one. There are many plains in the capital and Shandong, and the Jiannu can go to many places. How can we defend them?

Although our army has many infantrymen, we are not without the ability to fight. As long as we can rely on the terrain, it is not completely impossible to encircle and annihilate the Jiannu.

I hope Yang Gebu will think twice."

Lu Xiangsheng carefully analyzed the destructiveness of the Jiannu and felt that blindly defending would be an injustice to the court and the people.

He was very clear about Yang Sichang's plan. To put it bluntly, it was easier to avoid mistakes when defending, and facing the Jiannu, not making any mistakes was a merit.

This plan is certainly a safe plan. At least the three of them will not be blamed by the court for it. However, are they in charge of the army just to keep their official hats?

Allow the Qing army to ravage the people of the Ming Dynasty and leave the capital area empty-handed just like it was two years ago?

Then what is the meaning of them being officials?

Lu Xiangsheng's previous feud with Yang Sichang was mostly due to their different political views. Yang Sichang had always advocated the suppression of the bandits and peace with the Jian slaves.

Now that the bandits have been eliminated, Yang Sichang's stance towards the Jiannu has naturally changed, but it has changed from advocating peace to advocating defense now.

Lu Xiangsheng was a staunch advocate of war. Whether it was against bandits or the Qing army, he believed that whether it was appeasement or peace talks, a strong court was needed as a support.

Without this premise, whether it is appeasement or peace talks, it is like a tree without roots. If a wolf wants to eat a sheep, it will never care about the sheep's suggestions.

"The Emperor has appointed Yang Gebu to command all the troops. Do you think Lord Lu will disobey his orders?" Gao Qiqian said with a wry smile.

Although Lu Xiangsheng was also the governor, Emperor Chongzhen had already ordered that all troops be under the control of Yang Sichang.

"In that case, why did you ask me to come and discuss this?"

After Lu Xiangsheng finished speaking, he turned cold and said no more.

Although he was the governor of Xuanda, he had to discuss everything with the military supervisor Gao Qiquan, who had direct access to the emperor's ears. Once he fell out with the military supervisor, let alone mobilizing the army, he might even have to go home directly.

More than two months ago, taking advantage of his father's passing, he submitted several petitions to resign. In fact, he really wanted to quit.

Originally, the court approved his request and even arranged for the next official to take over. But for some reason, the court later changed its mind and issued an edict ordering him to give up his love.

"You two lords should not act on impulse. The bandits are brutal and cruel. We should unite as one."

Yang Sichang tried to smooth things over, seemingly not helping either side, but he turned a blind eye to Lu Xiangsheng's proposal. In the end, Lu Xiangsheng had no choice but to obey his orders in disappointment.

However, he requested that a small force be sent to harass the Jiannu so that they would not dare to attack the city easily. In order to appease Lu Xiangsheng, Yang Sichang reluctantly agreed.

On September 19, the Jiannu Yuetuo tribe attacked Bazhou. Lu Xiangsheng, who was stationed in Yongqing, ordered all the generals to select 300 elite soldiers each, divided into four routes and ten directions, preparing to launch a surprise attack on the Jiannu camp on the night of three days later.

Yang Sichang only allowed him to send out a small force to harass, so this time there were only 3,000 troops.

It was still very risky to attack the camp with three thousand people, but he knew very well that blindly defending would only encourage the arrogance of the Jiannu.

On the evening of the day of the expedition, Lu Xiangsheng gave a speech in front of the 3,000 brave warriors he had selected, strictly ordering the soldiers to make sure their swords were bloody, that men were wounded, and that horses were sweating. Anyone who disobeyed the order would be executed.

Of course, there must be rewards for every punishment. If anyone succeeds in the night raid, the reward for each head is 20 taels of silver, which is the maximum reward.

There will always be brave men when there is a big reward. The morale of the 3,000 warriors was high, but before Lu Xiangsheng set out, he received a letter from Gao Qiquan, the military supervisor stationed in Dong'an City.

Gao Qiquan opposed the night attack and mocked, "I have only heard of Li Su attacking Caizhou on a snowy night, but never heard of an attack on a moonlit night. How could a sneak attack be carried out under the bright moonlight?"

Moreover, it is better to have fewer surprise troops rather than more. If you send out all ten troops at once, it will be too aggressive. By the time you arrive, the Jiannu will have already fled.'

In order to stop Lu Xiangsheng's actions, Gao Qiquan transferred Chen Guowei, the general under Lu Xiangsheng, to the east in advance. Upon hearing the news, Lu Xiangsheng kicked the stake that tied the horse in half.

"You wrote a letter to stop me from sending troops, and then you randomly deployed my troops. When something went wrong, you asked me to take all the blame. It's really hateful!"

After saying this, Lu Xiangsheng chopped at the pole with his knife, as if he was not chopping the pole but Gao Qiqian.

Lu Xiang was promoted to the governor of Xuanda for three years, and Gao Qiquan also served as a military supervisor for three years. During these three years, Gao Qiquan not only took bribes, but also repeatedly obstructed him from farming to support himself.

If any problem occurred, even if it was because of Gao Qiquan, he, the governor, would have to bear the blame. However, once there was a military achievement, Gao Qiquan's name would always be on the credit book.

It was simply because Gao Qiquan was the military supervisor and a close minister trusted by the emperor.

When Chen Guowei was transferred, a gap appeared in the defense line, and Lu Xiangsheng had to abandon the sneak attack. However, he was unwilling to watch the Jiannu looting and killing innocent people, so he wrote a letter to Yang Sichang, requesting to split his troops with Gao Qiquan.

At this time, Hong Chengchou, the governor of the three borders of Shaanxi, had led more than 20,000 Qin soldiers to Baoding Prefecture. Yang Sichang then transferred the three armies of Xuanfu, Datong and Shanxi to Lu Xiangsheng.

Together with his own 5,000 Tianxiong troops, Lu Xiangsheng had a total of 20,000 troops.

On the 24th, Yuetuo's troops moved to Dingxing. Lu Xiangsheng led 12,000 soldiers to attack the Jiannu, but they won at first and then lost. He was severely reprimanded by Yang Sichang, who accused him of acting on his own.

Lu Xiangsheng was angry, so he gave up the attack and stationed his troops in Gu'an. However, the army was short of food and fodder at that time, and the prefect of Baoding and the magistrate of Gu'an, under the instructions of Gao Qiquan, refused to send him any money.

He had no choice but to report to Yang Sichang, who agreed to provide food and fodder. However, three days had passed and there was still no news, so he ordered Lu Xiangsheng to move the army to Yizhou.

Lack of food and pay could easily lead to mutiny among soldiers, so Lu Xiangsheng wanted to wait until the food and supplies arrived before executing the order. However, he did not expect to receive an imperial edict of reprimand from the emperor a few days later.

Gao Qiquan secretly submitted a memorial to the emperor to impeach Lu Xiangsheng for "delaying payment of military funds". Emperor Chongzhen severely reprimanded Lu Xiangsheng and asked him to actively fight against the Jiannu.

On September 28, Yang Sichang mobilized 60,000 troops to fight against Dorgon and Yuetuo in Fangshan, annihilating more than 800 enemies. The Jiannu retreated, and Lu Xiangsheng requested to pursue them, but Yang Sichang was hesitant.

It was not until the second day of October that Yang Sichang reluctantly agreed to Lu Xiangsheng's request.

At this time, the Jiannu had already arrived in Liangxiang and Zhuozhou, and divided their troops into three routes: one route to attack Yizhou from Laishui, one route to attack Xiongxian, and one route to attack Ansu from Dingxing.

Most of the troops under Lu Xiangsheng's command were transferred by Yang Sichang to guard the Changping Imperial Mausoleum, and he actually only had 8,000 troops left.

On the fourth day, Lu Xiangsheng stationed in Jiazhuang, Julu, while Gao Qiquan commanded the Guanning Cavalry and stationed in Jize, fifty miles away.

Lu Xiangsheng sent someone to contact Gao Qiquan, hoping to join forces with him to guard Jiazhuang, but Gao Qiquan did not even reply to the letter and directly transferred the troops to Linqing in the east.

Yang Sichang also issued a strict order not to allow the Jiannu to go beyond Jiazhuang and continue southward.

Lu Xiangsheng knew that this battle was dangerous. On the morning of the fifth day, he walked out of the camp and bowed to his eight thousand soldiers:

"I and the soldiers share the country's grace. We are not worried about death, nor about life."

He stood up straight and said:

"But I have never regretted it. It is my honor to fight alongside you. If there is an afterlife, I will do the same."

Lu Xiangsheng had a very high prestige in the military camp. Not only did he treat the officers and soldiers equally, but he would never eat a single bite of food if the soldiers had nothing to eat. However, he was always at the forefront in any battle, so he was very respected by his subordinates. When he said this, the officers and soldiers in the military camp were very moved.

"We are willing to live and die with you, sir!" Eight thousand soldiers cried out, one wave after another.

The two generals Yang Guozhu and Hu Dawei's eyes turned red, they knew that the governor was determined to die in this battle.

Especially the more than 3,000 veterans of the Tianxiong Army who had fought with Lu Xiangsheng for several years. With tears in their eyes, they raised their spears in their right hands and smashed them hard on the ground, making dull sounds, as if to express their ambitions.

An hour later, Lu Xiangsheng's troops encountered the Jiannu Yuetuo troops at Haoshui Bridge. In the last battle, Yuetuo lost more than 1,900 Eight Banners warriors, for which he was severely reprimanded by Dorgon. Yuetuo regarded that battle as a disgrace.

Seeing the enemy in front, Yuetuo immediately ordered his cavalry to launch an attack.

Lu Xiangsheng drew out his steel knife and ordered:

"Meet the enemy! Train formation!"

……