Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 668 Major General Wu Sangui
"Who is leading the troops? Is it Wu Xiang or Zu Dashou? Or some other general? How many people did he bring?" Wang Jinwu asked hurriedly.

"Reporting to the Marshal, the one who came is General Wu. General Wu brought a thousand Guanning cavalry to reinforce us. He arrived in Jizhou yesterday. When he heard that the Marshal was in Zunhua, he rode non-stop to Zunhua to pay a visit to the Marshal." The lieutenant replied.

"Young General Wu?" Wang Jinwu was stunned. For a moment he did not react who this Young General Wu was. After the lieutenant reminded him, he realized that this so-called Young General Wu was none other than Wu Sangui, the son of General Wu Xiang.

Wang Jinwu was slightly disappointed when he heard from the lieutenant that the Guanning Army only had one thousand cavalrymen. However, when he learned that the leader of the troops was Wu Sangui, he suddenly became very interested.

Wang Jinwu had heard of Wu Sangui a long time ago. Wu Sangui became famous at a young age. He was also known for his filial piety and bravery. He was well-known and everyone in the Guanning Army admired him. He was even praised as a rising star among the Liaodong generals.

Although Wang Jinwu and Wu Sangui are about the same age, Wu Sangui is much more famous. Over the years, Wang Jinwu has heard rumors about Wu Sangui countless times. Although he has never met this man, his name is very familiar to him. This time when Wu Sangui led his troops to reinforce, he naturally wanted to meet him. He wanted to take a good look at whether Wu Sangui was really a young hero or just lived up to his reputation.

Thinking of this, Wang Jinwu could no longer sit still, so he immediately left the mansion and went out of the city to personally welcome Wu Sangui.

As soon as I arrived at the city gate, I saw a cloud of dust flying in the east, the sound of horse hooves came to my ears, and the ground was shaking faintly.

If my guess was correct, this was the arrival of Wu Sangui's Guanning cavalry. Wang Jinwu stood firmly, looked up, and soon saw the cavalry appear.

First, dozens of riders led the way, followed by the flag-bearing officer holding a large flag with the word "Wu" on it, and then the main force of the cavalry.

These cavalrymen were well-equipped and had superb riding skills. Although they were riding fast, their formation was not disordered at all. The front team, the center army, and the left and right wings were arranged reasonably. Even if they were on the road, they could adjust to combat at any time. Wang Jinwu was a veteran, especially good at leading cavalry. He saw the excellence of this Guanning Iron Cavalry at a glance and could not help but secretly admire it.

The cavalry was very fast, and in a blink of an eye they were about a hundred meters away from Wang Jinwu. At this time, several local officials from Zunhua who followed Wang Jinwu out of the city panicked a little and took two steps back involuntarily. But Wang Jinwu and his men did not move at all, still standing in the same place, with a normal look on their faces.

At this moment, a sharp whistle came from the cavalry that was roaring over. The speed of the entire cavalry slowed down instantly. Thousands of cavalrymen rode as one, obeying orders. About 30 meters away from Wang Jinwu, the entire cavalry stopped. Both the war horses and the cavalry were silent and stood there quietly. Looking around, one could feel an invisible sense of oppression.

"Good! What a great Guanning Iron Cavalry!" Wang Jinwu couldn't help but praise. In terms of riding skills and combat effectiveness, Wang Jinwu felt that the cavalry he trained personally was definitely not inferior to the other side. As for equipment, his cavalry was even better. Don't forget that since Zhu Shenzhui's plum blossom spear was developed, Wang Jinwu's cavalry had long eliminated the original three-barreled gun. Each cavalryman was equipped with two plum blossom spears that were slightly shorter than the infantry to enhance the cavalry's combat firepower.

So although the Guanning Army’s equipment was not bad, and even the Guanning Iron Cavalry was also equipped with a large number of firearms, those firearms were just ordinary three-barreled guns. In this respect, they were weaker than Wang Jinwu’s cavalry.

But judging from the training quality of the cavalry who obey orders, Wu Sangui's Guanning Iron Cavalry was stronger. Cavalry is not infantry, and it is not easy to achieve such a level. Thousands of cavalry are like one, and can be commanded as if they were one's own arm. This is not something that ordinary people can do. The Guanning Iron Cavalry is known as the best in the world, and it is well-deserved, and Wu Sangui is even more so.

Seeing the cavalry on the opposite side stop, Wang Jinwu exclaimed, then walked straight over. At this time, Wu Sangui also dismounted, walked out of the cavalry team, and strode towards Wang Jinwu.

"Wu Sangui, deputy general of the right battalion of the vanguard of the Guanning Army, is here to reinforce us. May I ask your name, general?" Wu Sangui was tall and well-proportioned. Although he was a military general in his twenties, he had a handsome face, a short mustache on his upper lip, sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes. He was wearing armor, holding a helmet in his hand, and a sword hanging from his waist. What a young general.

"Hahaha, Wu Changbo, I've heard of your great name for a long time. Seeing you today is indeed true. I am Wang Jinwu, the Governor-General of the Military Affairs of the Beijing Camp, the Special Advancement Doctor Ronglu, and the Left Governor-General of the Central Military Governor's Office!"

"General Wang!" Upon hearing this, Wu Sangui hurriedly stepped forward to salute and said, "Greetings to General Wang."

How could Wang Jinwu really make Wu Sangui kneel down? He quickly reached out to stop him, took Wu Sangui's hand and looked at him carefully, his expression full of admiration.

While Wang Jinwu was sizing up Wu Sangui, Wu Sangui was also sizing up Wang Jinwu. He had heard about the great changes in the capital in Liaodong, and he also knew who Wang Jinwu was.

Wang Jinwu was Zhu Shenzui's cousin. He was born into a military household in Shanxi Wei Suo and had a hereditary military rank of a centurion. He was Zhu Shenzui's confidant and right-hand man, and even his trusted general.

Although Wang Jinwu was not well-known in the Ming Dynasty, he was definitely not a simple man. It was said that Wang Jinwu was very famous on the grasslands. He had conquered or even destroyed countless Mongolian tribes, and his military exploits were extremely prominent. Moreover, when Zhu Shenzhui started his army, Wang Jinwu was his general. He led the army to first capture Baoding, then attack the capital, and occupy the palace. After Zhu Shenzhui became the regent, he promoted Wang Jinwu to the governor of the Beijing camp. The so-called governor of the Beijing camp was the admiral of the Beijing camp.

The foundation of the Beijing Camp was the original three camps, each with a commander. The three camps were combined with the Beijing Guards to form the entire Beijing Camp. The Duke of Gongshun, Wu Weiying, who was defeated outside the capital and almost died in the army, was previously the governor of the Beijing Camp, also known as the commander of the Beijing Camp. After the conquest of the capital, this position became Wang Jinwu's.

In addition, Wang Jinwu was given additional titles such as Special Advancement of Doctor Ronglu and Left General of the Central Military Governor's Office. Although he has not been granted a title for the time being, that's all. At present, Wang Jinwu can be said to be the top figure in the military of the Ming Dynasty. Although Wu Sangui is only a deputy general (deputy commander-in-chief), he naturally has to be respectful when facing Wang Jinwu.

Wang Jinwu was not very old, only two or three years older than Wu Sangui. He was in his early thirties, the best time for a man. Compared with Wu Sangui, Wang Jinwu was half a head taller, with a burly figure standing there like an iron tower, with a resolute face, a short beard, a tiger head and leopard eyes, and he was intimidating without being angry, and he even had a faint murderous aura on him, which made people dare not look down on him.

When the two met each other, they were both secretly amazed, and compared the reality with their original guesses.

Wang Jinwu was very enthusiastic towards Wu Sangui. He not only held his hand and exchanged greetings with him, but also asked about his father Wu Xiang and uncle Zu Dashou. He also asked him if he had a hard time coming all the way here, whether there were any shortcomings in the army, etc. Wu Sangui answered his questions one by one, neither arrogant nor humble, which made Wang Jinwu feel that this man was indeed worthy of his reputation.

"Uncle Chang, I'm so glad you can come. I've heard of your great reputation in the Nine Frontiers for a long time, but I've never had the chance to meet you. Today I see that your reputation is well-deserved. Come on, let's go to my mansion so we can have a good talk."

"I am deeply honored by General Wang's words. Sangui really does not dare to be praised so highly by General Wang. I have also heard of General Wang's reputation on the grassland in Liaodong. Sangui has long wanted to meet General Wang, and today I have finally fulfilled my wish." Wu Sangui replied with a smile.

"Hahaha! There's no need for you and me to flatter each other. We're both leading troops to fight in battles, so why are there so many rules? Just follow me, how about that?"

"Of course, but what about my subordinates..." Wu Sangui nodded with a smile and pointed behind him.

"Don't worry about that. I have my own arrangements." Wang Jinwu called a man over and gave him a few instructions, asking him to take Wu Sangui's Guanning Iron Cavalry down to settle down and not to treat the brothers badly. As the war was imminent, the army could not drink alcohol, but good meat and delicious food were absolutely indispensable. As for the barracks, it goes without saying that Wang Jinwu had already prepared them and could just arrange for them to go there.

Seeing that his subordinates were all arranged properly, Wu Sangui was very happy. After giving a few words to his deputy general, he followed Wang Jinwu into the city.

When entering the city, Wang Jinwu introduced several of his subordinates, including several officials in the city, to Wu Sangui. Wu Sangui was not at all rude like a warrior. Instead, he politely bowed and greeted everyone. This gesture made Wang Jinwu look at him with a higher opinion of him.

When he arrived at the Marshal's Mansion, Wu Sangui noticed the layout as soon as he entered the front hall and nodded slightly.

As the saying goes, a man's reputation is like the shadow of a tree. It is indeed not easy for Wang Jinwu to be valued so much by Zhu Shenzui and to lead the army to the battle this time.

The whole mansion was devoid of those pretentious things, as Wang Jinwu had already cleaned them up. The guards of the mansion were well-trained, and it was obvious that they were not comparable to ordinary Ming troops. They were well-organized all the way through the city, without any panic before the war. In the front hall of the mansion, there was not only a map hanging on the wall, but also a huge sand table. When Wu Sangui saw the sand table, he was immediately attracted and could not help but walk over and stand aside to take a closer look.

Seeing that Wu Sangui's attention was attracted by the sand table, Wang Jinwu did not disturb him. He stood aside and let him look at it, feeling a little proud at the same time.

Although the sand table has been around for a long time, not many people have used it throughout the dynasties. The rule of using sand tables in the new army was made by Zhu Shenzhui, and Wang Jinwu learned it a long time ago. In the new army, making sand tables is a mandatory requirement. Commanders at all levels can understand the sand tables, and soldiers in the army can conduct deductions based on the sand tables to ensure that there will be no mistakes once the war starts.

Wang Jinwu naturally did not dare to underestimate the enemy when he led his troops to fight this time. In addition to the map he had drawn long ago, he asked people to start making a sand table as soon as he arrived in Zunhua. After a few days, the sand table was well-designed, showing the entire Jizhou, Zunhua line and Gubeikou area. Not only was the terrain south of the Great Wall comprehensive, but even the terrain north of the Great Wall was extremely detailed.

Looking at the sand table, Wu Sangui was secretly shocked, and at the same time, he immediately discovered the advantages of sand tables over maps. He carefully looked at the terrain above, and noticed several small flags of various colors inserted on the sand table, and couldn't help but ask what these represented.

Wang Jinwu did not hide anything from him and explained it to him from the side. Wu Sangui listened attentively and nodded as he listened. By the time Wang Jinwu finished explaining, he understood it all. He couldn't help but agree that this thing was really good. It would be much more convenient to deploy troops in battle with this thing.

(End of this chapter)