Hong Chengchou did not go to the capital to express his gratitude. Officials from the Ministry of Rites came to announce the decree. After announcing the decree, he immediately returned to the capital.

As Minister of the Ministry of War, he also serves as the governor of five provinces and the governor of three borders. Hong Chengchou can be said to have concentrated power in one voice. From this time on, he will be responsible for the two combat tasks of exterminating the bandits and defending the Hou Jin Tatars. His responsibilities are still very heavy.

Heavy.

After receiving the order, Hong Chengchou did not immediately go to Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan and other places to exterminate the bandits.

The situation in Datong and Xuanfu is still somewhat volatile. The people and farmers who were robbed, their families were destroyed, and there was a miserable scene everywhere. What's more important is that the Mongolian Tatars outside the pass are also watching with eager eyes. I don't know when they may

Launched an attack on Yansui and other places.

A severe drought in the sixth to early seventh year of Chongzhen led to starvation in Shaanxi and Shanxi and other places, including the Chahar and other Mongolian tribes outside the customs. They encountered another attack from Huang Taiji and completely surrendered to the Chahar tribe of Hou Jin.

, it is also possible to enter the customs and plunder.

Hong Chengchou knew about the attack launched by the Denglai New Army on Fuzhou, Yongning and Gaizhou. He carefully studied the deployment and arrangements of Wu Zongrui, the governor of Denglai, and did not notice anything strange. Hong Chengchou was not familiar with Denglai at all.

Wu Zongrui, the governor of Lai, did not even know him, but he had to admit that the rapid withdrawal of Huang Taiji and the Houjin Tatars from Datong and Xuanfu was directly related to the Denglai New Army. If there were not Denglai New Army in Gaizhou and other places,

After launching an attack, Huang Taiji and the Houjin Tatars would never evacuate Xuanfu and Datong so quickly.

Through friends in the official department, Hong Chengchou learned about Wu Zongrui's basic situation. What shocked him was that Wu Zongrui was only the second-class Jinshi in the imperial examination in the second year of Chongzhen, and he was only 22 years old now.

Is it true that heroes emerge from youth?

When Wu Zongrui was twenty-two years old, he was awarded the title of Minister of the Ministry of War and was granted the title of Right Deputy Censor of the Supervisory Academy. This was unique in the history of the Ming Dynasty. Hong Chengchou thought about it, when he was twenty-two years old, he had just passed the provincial examination.

I have become a Juren, and I am still working hard to prepare to participate in the joint examination and the palace examination.

Hong Chengchou was already the imperial court's trump card in the north or northwest. He was basically responsible for the most important combat tasks. On the one hand, he had to exterminate the bandits in Shaanxi and other places, while at the same time, he had to deal with and defend against the Houjin Tatars. Sometimes he even felt that he was unable to do both.

You can't have it both ways.

But this time there was something different. Zhang Fengyi, the Secretary of the Ministry of War, wrote a letter and informed Hong Chengchou that because of the containment of the Denglai New Army in Lushun Island, Jinzhou, Pidao and other places, Houjin Tatars would not be able to return to Yan in the short term.

When Sui, Datong, Xuanfu and Liaodong launched an attack, Hong Chengchou could quickly mobilize an army to completely wipe out the rogue bandits.

Hong Chengchou was dubious about the situation mentioned in Zhang Fengyi's letter. It wasn't that he didn't believe Zhang Fengyi, but that he was worried about Wu Zongrui.

Wu Zongrui led the Denglai New Army and seized the opportunity. Taking advantage of Huang Taiji's attack, he attacked Fuzhou, Yongning, Gaizhou and other places, putting Shenyang, Liaoyang and other places in danger. Huang Taiji had no choice but to

After that, he led the troops back to Shenyang. It should be said that this move was extremely effective and quickly relieved the danger and alarm in Xuanfu and Datong.

However, Wu Zongrui's actions were not much different from Mao Wenlong's. Mao Wenlong also sent troops to attack Xingjing, Fushun, Liaoyang and even Shenyang when the Hou Jin Tatars were fighting in Liaodong or within the pass, allowing Huang Taiji to

They are always concerned about the safety of Shenyang and other places, and dare not invest too many troops in Liaodong and other places.

Hong Chengchou knew very well that the main force of the Later Jin Tatars had not suffered any substantial losses. Once Huang Taiji strengthened his vigilance against Gaizhou and other places, he could also deploy large armies to launch attacks in Liaodong, Yansui, Xuanfu and Datong.

Moreover, the Mongolian Tatars in this area have completely surrendered to Huang Taiji and Hou Jin, and they can also launch a large-scale attack.

If Hong Chengchou believed Zhang Fengyi's words and led his army into Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan and other places to exterminate the bandits, leaving the defenses on three sides empty, and the Hou Jin Tatars seized the opportunity to attack, then the capital would definitely be threatened. At that time, we must bear the responsibility

It is still him, Hong Chengchou.

So Hong Chengchou had to be careful.

At the end of October, the climate in the north had become severely cold, and there was even a light snowfall in Datong, causing the temperature to drop sharply.

The personal guard hurriedly delivered an urgent report from the imperial court.

Hong Chengchou opened the newspaper and looked carefully, his face became a little solemn.

"Huguang deputy general Yang Zhengfang died in the battle. I have some impressions about this Yang Zhengfang. He fought well, but he was defeated by the rogues. The main force of the rogues is still concentrated in the Hanzhong area. Gao Yingxiang, Zhang Xianzhong, Li Zicheng, Ma Shouying and Luo Rucai and other thieves

The capital is still in Hanzhong, and a small number of rogue bandits entered Henan from Zhongnan Mountain, which was not enough to cause trouble. The troops from Henan and Huguang entered Hanzhong to exterminate the rogue bandits, but they encountered such a disastrous defeat. It is incredible..."

While muttering to himself, Hong Chengchou walked to the front of the map, holding the newspaper in one hand and pointing to the map with the other.

The Hanzhong area where rogue bandits gather has been marked in red, and the blue arrows point to Lingbao, Shaanzhou and other places in Henan, where a small number of rogue bandits are also active.

According to intelligence, after Gao Yingxiang and others escaped from the Chexi Gorge, almost all of them concentrated in the Hanzhong area. The situation in Shaanxi and Shanxi became tense again. At this time, the Tatars of the Later Jin Dynasty launched an attack on Datong, Xuanfu and other places.

, leaving Hong Chengchou and the imperial army unable to deal with the rogue bandits.

According to the requirements in Zhang Fengyi's letter, Hong Chengchou should lead troops to Hanzhong at this time to encircle and suppress the rogue bandits.

The Hanzhong bandits are said to be 200,000 people. Hong Chengchou is currently able to mobilize less than 10,000 troops, including part of the troops stationed in Yansui and part of the troops stationed in Datong. He uses an army of less than 10,000 to fight against the 200,000 bandits.

The results may be more pessimistic.

The armies of Henan and Huguang were ordered to encircle and suppress the rogue bandits in Hanzhong. As a result, the Huguang soldiers were defeated and deputy commander-in-chief Yang Zhengfang was killed. The Henan soldiers also stopped attacking the rogue bandits after the Huguang soldiers suffered a disastrous defeat.

The reality is that Hong Chengchou, the governor of the five provinces and the three border areas, dared not mobilize the border troops in Yansui and Datong on a large scale, lest the border defenses would be empty, and he would not be able to integrate the forces of the five provinces in a short period of time.

"Bang..."

Hong Chengchou punched the location of Hanzhong on the map.

"Master Chen, Master Chen, your negligence in the Carriage Gorge caused such a passive situation. I think you will not be able to escape the punishment of the emperor and the court..."

As soon as Hong Chengchou finished speaking, someone reported it from outside.

Hong Chengchou calmed down his emotions slightly.

The person who came in was General He Renlong.

He Renlong was originally a subordinate of Hong Chengchou. In the fourth year of Chongzhen, he was still a guard in the Yansui Army. Because of his bravery in battle, he was promoted and became a staff general.

Hong Chengchou was still optimistic about He Renlong. He fought without risking his life and was able to rush to the front at critical moments.

"I pay my respects to you, sir..."

He Renlong came in and knelt down on one knee to salute Hong Chengchou.

Hong Chengchou had already held the title of Minister of War and concurrently served as the governor of five provinces. As a general, He Renlong naturally had to pay a grand ceremony.

"General He, get up, don't be so polite, come over and take a look."

He Renlong stood up and walked to the side of the map.

He Renlong was a martial arts scholar during the Wanli period, and his knowledge was quite good. He was also from Mizhi, Shaanxi, and was a fellow villager with the bandit leader Li Zicheng. Because of his unusual ferocity in the battle to exterminate the bandits, he was called "Crazy He" by the bandits.

.

"Renlong, look, the main force of the rogue bandits is concentrated in the Hanzhong area. Troops from Henan and Huguang went to encircle and suppress them, but failed. Yang Zhengfang, deputy general of Huguang Army, was killed, and a small number of rogue bandits were already heading towards Shaanzhou in Henan.

As well as moving around Lingbao, according to your opinion, how should the imperial army respond."

The questions Hong Chengchou asked were very clear and did not require too much explanation.

He Renlong stared at the map for two full minutes.

"Sir, I feel that the bandit leaders Gao Yingxiang, Zhang Xianzhong, Li Zicheng, Ma Yingshou and Luo Rucai are all from Shaanxi. They returned to Shaanxi to fight. They are familiar with the topography and terrain. It will be difficult to destroy them.

, but as long as we mobilize a large army and make detailed arrangements, it is still possible to defeat or even annihilate them."

Hong Chengchou nodded slightly.

"In Yansui, Datong and even the Xuanfu area, the Later Jin Tatars and the Mongolian Tatars are eyeing each other. How do you think we should deal with it?"

He Renlong's face turned red. He had not considered this aspect, but he had no choice. There were only so many troops. If a large number of sergeants were recruited, they would not be able to go into battle in a short time, and the military pay was also seriously insufficient.

"This, sir, I haven't thought about it yet. I feel that the border defense in the Yansui, Datong and Xuanfu areas must not be neglected. After all, this is close to the capital. If the Houjin Tatars and the Mongolian Tatars succeed, the capital will be destroyed."

It is very possible to encounter threats."

A smile appeared on Hong Chengchou's face.

"Renlong, you are right. The bandits are concentrated in the Hanzhong area. They are familiar with this area and it is impossible to leave in a short time. The areas they can cause trouble are Hanzhong and a small part of Henan. The problem is not big for the time being.

But if the border defense is not stable, the capital is likely to be threatened. As for the Denglai New Army, water from afar cannot quench the thirst nearby. If the Houjin Tatars and Mongolian Tatars enter the border, the Denglai New Army will launch an attack on Gaizhou.

Even the attacks in Liaoyang, Fushun and other places were just for show, and it was impossible to really capture these cities..."

At this moment, Hong Chengchou made the decision to stabilize Yansui, Datong, Xuanfu and other places. After stabilizing these places, he would concentrate his forces to attack the rogue bandits concentrated in Hanzhong.

After He Renlong left, Hong Chengchou thought for a while and wrote a letter. This letter was written to the Henan General Soldier and the Huguang General Soldier, asking the two to surround the main force of the Hanzhong rogue bandits. There was no need to launch an attack immediately. Wait until he
Chapter completed!