Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 220 Hong Cheng, the Strange Egg, and His Entire Family Executed (Part 1)

It is said that Pan Yunteng, or rather the rebel Zhang Yun, heard that Zhang Xianzhong had sent troops to Ruyang and followed suit.

Why was Zhang Xianzhong still wandering around Xichuan and Shangnan even after he had captured Nanyang?

Zhang Xianzhong first captured Ruyang, then Xiangfu, before turning south to capture Nanyang. He essentially traveled a large circle, fighting across thousands of miles.

Baihe is only about 400 li away from Xichuan, and Xichuan is only about 200 li away from Nanyang. If the rebel Zhang Yun wanted to take Nanyang, he could definitely do so before Zhang Xianzhong.

Why would this guy not attack Nanyang, which is only two hundred miles away, but instead go and attack Shangnan, which is more than three hundred miles away?
Nanyang is a prosperous land in the Central Plains, while Shangnan is a poor and remote place in the Qinling Mountains. Is this guy out of his mind or what?

Pan Yunteng was not mentally ill; he was actually acting according to Zhu Jue's strategic intentions.

This was all because Zhu Jue's strategy was to first block the six passes of the Qinling Mountains, and then occupy the grain-producing areas of the Central Plains, forcing Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong to flee to Shaanxi and Shanxi, the areas most severely affected by the disaster.

He took Shangnan in order to block the last of the six routes through the Qinling Mountains, Wuguan Road.

As for why his advance was so slow, it was because he was taking steady and cautious steps, preparing to take over the entire Central Plains.

The advance of hundreds of thousands of troops is no joke. It's not enough for the troops to arrive, nor is it enough to capture cities along the way. The key is the transfer of supplies and provisions.

The saying "an army marches on its stomach" is the most basic military strategy.

He first needs to transport enough grain and ensure the safety of the supply lines before he can gradually advance and take over the entire Central Plains.

Therefore, his advance was quite slow, almost crawling on the ground compared to Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong.

Zhang Xianzhong and Gao Yingxiang were different. These two guys didn't care about anything and went straight to the territories of the vassal kings. They didn't care about the cities or other rebel kings around them.

They just fought their way through, ignoring everything except the cities they passed. They didn't care whether their supplies could keep up or even if they had any at all.

This is typical bandit behavior: they fight wherever they can, relying entirely on looting for food and supplies!

Their chaotic attack was bound to be unsustainable; not only did they lack provisions, they hadn't even prepared many supply wagons.

To put it bluntly, all the grain they looted was wasted, because they didn't have enough grain carts to transport it to a safe place to store it.

And then there's the supplies. Arrows might run out while you're shooting them, and swords and spears might get damaged and then there's no way to replenish them. With all that, it's no wonder they can't defeat Pan Yunteng, who has plenty of provisions and supplies.

On the surface, Zhu Jue seemed indifferent to the situation in the Central Plains, but in reality, he was strategizing and preparing for the upcoming war in the Central Plains.

After discussing the development of the outer city in the northwest with Song Yingxing, Song Yingsheng, and Wei Zhongxian, he ordered someone to summon Lu Xiangshan and Bi Maokang.

The three of them looked at the map of the Central Plains for a while before he asked, "Lord Meng, how are the preparations for swords, spears, and other weapons going?"

Well, I'm in charge of developing firearms and cannons; simple swords and spears are child's play for me.

Without hesitation, Bi Maokang replied, "Your Majesty, 400,000 sets of swords and spearheads have already been made and are packed in boxes and stored in the warehouse, wrapped in oiled paper."

These cold weapons are nothing to them now.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then asked, "And what about the arrowheads? How many have you made?"

Arrows are simpler.

The punch press makes a loud clang, and a whole row of them comes out at once.

Bi Maokang estimated, "There are already more than a million arrows, and now there are probably around 1.2 million."

This number seems a bit insufficient, because Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong's forces are estimated to exceed one million. Arrows are not bullets. Even bullets cannot guarantee one enemy per shot, let alone arrows.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly and said, "For now, we only need to make this many swords and spears. Don't stop making arrowheads, keep making them."

Bi Maokang nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, I understand." Zhu Jue nodded slightly and then asked, "What about Jian Dou, the longbow, and the chariot wheels?"

Lu Xiang-sheng replied without hesitation: "The 50,000 longbows have already been designed and strung. The first batch of 10,000 large and small cartwheels has also been completed. The second batch of 10,000 large and small cartwheels is still being designed and should be ready by the beginning of next month."

Both the longbow and the wheel are quite time-consuming to work with.

This is because they all wanted to make old-fashioned wooden items, which required bending and shaping.

If these things were made by the able-bodied young men and women under Pan Yunteng's command, it would probably take them several years to produce tens of thousands of longbows and tens of thousands of cartwheels.

It's different when it comes to the soldiers of the Beijing Garrison. Many of them have ancestors who have been doing this for a long time, so they can do it much faster.

The weapons and equipment are almost ready. Once the North Canal is reopened and Pan Yunteng transports them there, the combat strength of the Hanzhong army will not only double, but will increase by 20% or 30%.

Pan Guozhong was in charge of the grain supplies, so there was no need to worry. There was plenty of grain in Hubei, Sichuan, and even the Jiangnan region. If the tax grain was not enough, they could just pay money to buy more.

Zhu Jue thought for a moment, then pointed to the map and asked, "Jian Dou, do you think it's better for Yun Teng to take Nanyang Prefecture first, or Henan Prefecture first?"

He asked this question not to test Lu Xiang-sheng, but because he was genuinely having trouble making a decision.

This was all because Prince Fu of Luoyang was famously wealthy, possessing abundant wealth and resources.

The Prince of Tang in Nanyang, who kept a low profile, certainly didn't have as much money and grain as the Prince of Fu in Luoyang.

He also knew that Nanyang Prefecture was closer, while Henan Prefecture was farther away, and that going the long way around might cause problems.

That's why he asked that question.

Lu Xiang-sheng, however, considered the matter from the perspective of the overall war situation.

He thought for a moment and then pointed to the map, explaining in detail: "Your Majesty, I think it would be better to let Yun Teng take Nanyang Prefecture first, because Yun Teng's current forces are concentrated in the Hanzhong Prefecture and Yunyang Prefecture area. It would be very convenient for him to send his troops out of Nanyang, and the furthest he would go would be no more than four or five hundred li."

If we were to attack Henan Prefecture, we would have to travel over a thousand miles. The key issue is that if we were to send troops from Hanzhong Prefecture and Yunyang Prefecture to Henan Prefecture, we would have to pass through Nanyang Prefecture, and the Han River waterway does not connect to Henan Prefecture.

If we want to transport grain to Yunteng via the Yellow River waterway, we have to wait until Yunteng reaches the south bank of the Yellow River. Before that, Yunteng has to transport grain from Nanyang Prefecture by land.

Zhang Xianzhong's main force is currently in Nanyang Prefecture. If Gao Yingxiang cannot hold out, he will definitely ask Zhang Xianzhong for help. At that time, Zhang Xianzhong will most likely ambush or even seize Yun Teng's follow-up troops.

Therefore, attacking Henan Prefecture first could very likely affect the overall war situation, and Yun Teng's troops, scattered along a battle line of over a thousand miles, could be defeated one by one by Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong.

"If Yun Teng takes Nanyang Prefecture first, then his advance into Henan Prefecture will be different. At that time, Nanyang Prefecture will be his safe rear base, completely secure, without any problems."

Well, to be on the safe side, it's best to take Nanyang Prefecture first.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then pointed to the map and said, "If Yun Teng leads his army to attack Nanyang Prefecture, it will be easier to transport grain and supplies, because the Tangbai River, a tributary of the Han River, can reach almost all the cities in Nanyang Prefecture."

However, after he marches into Luoyang, Guozhong will find it difficult to transport grain and supplies for him. The Han River is not connected to the Yellow River, so the Beijing garrison's navy will have to help with the transport. Do you have a trusted confidant who can keep a tight lip to handle this matter?

You ordered the Beijing garrison to also transport grain and supplies for the rebels!

Lu Xiang-sheng nodded slowly and said, "Your Majesty, there should be no need to transport the grain. The Tang Prince's Mansion has stockpiled at least several million shi of grain, and the Fu Prince's Mansion has stockpiled at least tens of millions of shi. Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong do not have any ships or grain carts, so they simply cannot transport so much grain."

By then, Yun Teng will have captured at least ten million shi of grain, enough to feed an army of over a million for a year. Furthermore, they will be advancing towards Kaifeng and Huaiqing, where there is also sufficient grain.

"We only need to transfer some weapons, equipment, and supplies to them. These don't take up much space, and a few small Zhiyuan merchant ships will suffice. I can easily find a hundred or so trusted confidants who can keep their mouths shut."

That's good.

Now all we have to do is wait for the ice floes in the North Canal to melt, then we'll have a good show to watch.

The three powerful clans and eight imperial merchants of Puzhou probably never dreamed that not only would Hong Chengchou and Zhang Liwei be executed along with their entire families, but Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong would also be severely beaten!
(End of this chapter)