The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 152 The army presses the territory
Hong Chengchou stood beside the pool of blood, speaking at length to Zhang Fuzhen and others about his principle of "pursuing and suppressing the enemy as the best course of action, using killing to quell the chaos."

His expression was cold and stern, as if only in this way could the chaos be completely quelled and the nation restored.

But Hong Chengchou seemed to have completely forgotten, or rather, deliberately avoided recalling, that he too had once been one of these humble beings.

In terms of background, Hong Chengchou was not much better off than these starving people.

He came from a poor family and dropped out of school at the age of eleven. He could only follow his mother through the streets and alleys every day, barely making a living by selling dried bean curd.

If Hong Chengchou had been born in Shaanxi, a severe drought would have instantly turned him into a starving person.

But he was very lucky; he was born in Fujian, which was not severely affected by the disaster, and there were also clan members running schools there.

In between selling dried bean curd along the street, he would often run to the village middle school, stand on tiptoe, and secretly listen to the teacher's lectures.

His intelligence and diligence were noticed by Mr. Hong Qiyin, a talented man of the same clan at the time.

Hong Qiyin saw that although the child's clothes were tattered, his eyes revealed a kind of intelligence and his speech was quite insightful, so he couldn't help but feel a fondness for his talent.

Therefore, Hong Qiyin took Hong Chengchou as his disciple, not only exempting him from all tuition and living expenses, but also imparting all his knowledge to him.

On Hong Chengchou's school notebook, Hong Qiyin once wrote the comment "A family horse can travel a thousand miles, a national stone can weigh ten thousand pounds," which shows his high expectations.

Hong Chengchou did not disappoint his mentor; he was intelligent and hardworking.

In the 43rd year of the Wanli reign, Hong Chengchou passed the imperial examination and became a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations) at the age of 23.

The following year, Hong Chengchou went to Beijing to participate in the imperial examination. He ranked fourteenth in the second class and was granted the title of Jinshi, thus officially embarking on his official career.

At the age of twenty-four, he was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), a time of great prestige. However, his path in officialdom was not always smooth.

After entering officialdom, he experienced ups and downs, moving between various government offices, experiencing the coldness and warmth of human relationships, and witnessing the treacherous nature of officialdom.

Years later, through his talent and relentless efforts, he finally rose to the position of Shaanxi Grain Supervisor and began to make a name for himself in Shaanxi's officialdom.

Because he came from a poor family, Hong Chengchou understood better than anyone why these unruly people would take such a risk and gather a crowd to rebel.

Natural disasters struck repeatedly, leaving people with no land to cultivate. Coupled with the government's exorbitant taxes and levies, this drove them to the brink of despair.

Having served as an official for many years, he was also very clear about the true nature of the local governments in the Ming Dynasty.

The imperial court was powerless to stop the increasingly serious land annexation; wealthy gentry and powerful families owned vast tracts of fertile land, but they cleverly devised pretexts to evade taxes.

However, the national treasury was empty, and expenditures were enormous; the entire court needed money.

Left with no other option, the imperial court could only continue to levy taxes on the peasants, which led to a series of peasant uprisings in Shaanxi.

Faced with this situation of powerlessness at the top and corruption at the bottom, Hong Chengchou gradually developed his own "bandit suppression theory".

In his view, since the imperial court was unable to solve the problem at its root, it could only deal with the people who raised the problem.

The only way to deal with these troublemakers is to kill them.

Slaughter him until heads roll and blood flows like a river!
Only by eliminating these starving, unruly people can the food pressure caused by overpopulation be effectively alleviated, thereby maintaining the imperial court's rule in Shaanxi.

Hong Chengchou's viewpoint is remarkably similar to that of Malthus, who proposed a population theory centuries later.

Although their starting points and theoretical systems are completely different, they share a strikingly similar logic in alleviating social conflicts by reducing the number of people in the lower classes.

With such a theoretical foundation, Hong Chengchou could kill prisoners of war on the battlefield with a clear conscience and without any hesitation.

In his early campaign in Hancheng, he ordered the execution of all three hundred prisoners, regardless of age or gender.

This battle also established Hong Chengchou's reputation as a "military expert".

Emperor Chongzhen favored him greatly and soon promoted him to Governor of Yansui, and then to Governor-General of the Three Border Regions.

With each massacre, Hong Chengchou accumulated military merits, which in turn led to promotions in his official position.

Having tasted the sweetness of "getting promoted by killing," Hong Chengchou became even more determined in his theory of bandit suppression.

One starving person after another in northern Shaanxi became the stepping stone for Hong Chengchou's meteoric rise in officialdom.

Such acts of killing prisoners of war would naturally encounter resistance from officials like Zhang Fuzhen, but Hong Chengchou had his own methods.

A strongly worded memorial was sent directly from the border wall to the capital.

In his memorial, Hong Chengchou not only gave a detailed report on his illustrious military exploits at Tiejiao City, including "destroying the enemy's stronghold, beheading thousands, and capturing and killing all the prisoners";

Furthermore, he specifically named Zhang Fuzhen, the governor of Yansui Town, for "being too kind-hearted and almost letting the bandit chief escape, thus missing a crucial opportunity in the battle," and requested the emperor's judgment.

Emperor Chongzhen certainly understood the deeper meaning behind it. In order to appease and encourage Hong Chengchou, and at the same time to make an example of him and warn those officials who hesitated and were soft-hearted in the bandit suppression campaign.

Without the slightest hesitation, Emperor Chongzhen immediately issued an edict to strip Zhang Fuzhen of all his official duties and investigate him.

As for the vacant position of Governor of Yansui, Emperor Chongzhen thought it over and over again, and finally appointed Chen Qiyu, the Left Provincial Administration Commissioner of Shaanxi, and ordered him to continue to pursue and suppress the remaining bandits in Shaanxi.

Seeing that Hong Chengchou had dealt with the two major bandit groups in Shaanxi so swiftly and efficiently, Chongzhen relied on him even more.

Emperor Chongzhen immediately issued an edict appointing Hong Chengchou as the military governor of Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces, responsible for coordinating and commanding the suppression of the bandits in Shanxi.

Emperor Chongzhen was naturally generous in rewarding Cao Wenzhao for his outstanding performance in the bandit suppression campaign.

He not only reinstated Cao Wenzhao to his original position as deputy commander-in-chief of the eastern route, but also specially transferred nine hundred Guan Ning cavalrymen into the pass and placed them under Cao Wenzhao's command.

This was already considered a considerable mobile force within the Ming army's ranks at the time.

At the same time, Chongzhen also began to mobilize troops throughout the country, intending to build a more tight encirclement.

He urgently dispatched Lu Xiang-sheng, the military commissioner of Daming Prefecture, to lead 3,000 Tianxiong soldiers to quickly garrison the Lincheng Prefecture area on the eastern foothills of the Taihang Mountains.

Lu Xiang-sheng's main task was to eliminate the bandits entrenched along the Taihang Mountains and prevent them from infiltrating into Beizhili.

Emperor Chongzhen took the idea of ​​the two notorious bandits, Shangshanhu and Wang Jiayin, attempting to cross the Yellow River and enter the heart of the Central Plains very seriously.

He decisively appointed Xuanmo, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, as the Governor of Henan, giving him overall control over the defense of Henan.

Emperor Chongzhen dispatched Wang Pu, the deputy commander of the Beijing garrison, to lead 5,000 Beijing garrison troops to garrison important crossing points along the south bank of the Yellow River.

At the same time, Zuo Liangyu, the deputy commander of Changping, was transferred to lead two thousand elite troops south to assist Xuanmo in defending against the bandits.

Inside the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Chongzhen stared at the red dots on the map representing the bandits, his heart already hardened.

He not only issued five imperial edicts in succession, but also squeezed out another 300,000 taels of silver from the already strained imperial treasury and allocated it to various government troops.

Emperor Chongzhen issued a strict order to all governors-general, provincial governors, and generals to completely annihilate the two major bandit forces, Shangshanhu and Wang Jiayin, before the onset of winter this year!
With the emperor's decision made and military pay and provisions secured, the Ming Dynasty's war machine was once again running at high speed.

Upon receiving the order, Lu Xiang-sheng immediately led his three thousand Tianxiong soldiers into the rolling Taihang Mountains.

There are two bandit groups here: Scorpion Bandit Tuo Yangkun and Chaos King Zhang Yingjin.

The Tianxiong Army lived up to its reputation as an elite force built by Lu Xiang-sheng. With three thousand soldiers still in armor and on horseback, they pursued Tuo Yangkun and Zhang Yingjin in the Taihang Mountains for more than half a month.

For the better part of the past two weeks, Lu Xiang-sheng spent his days either on forced marches or in ambushes and counter-ambushes.

Tuo Yangkun and Zhang Yingjin were being chased relentlessly, with nowhere to run or escape. Their troops suffered heavy casualties and their morale plummeted.

Tuo Yangkun was originally considered a fierce general, but he couldn't withstand Lu Xiang-sheng's combined literary and martial prowess. Lu Xiang-sheng, wielding a large sword, led the charge and drove Tuo Yangkun to flee in terror. He was no match for him; he simply couldn't win.

Left with no other choice, Tuo Yangkun and Zhang Yingjin had to lead their remaining troops and retreat from the Taihang Mountains, which they had cultivated for so long, in a sorry state.

Instead, he headed south and went to seek refuge with Wang Jiayin in Zezhou.

On the other side, Cao Wenzhao, who had just been reinstated and received reinforcements, was in high spirits.

He led 1,500 Guan Ning cavalrymen, marching in a mighty force from Yanshui Pass into Shanxi, heading straight for Zhang Xianzhong, the Eighth King, and Ma Shouying, the old Hui Muslim.

Ma Shouying was terrified at the sight of government cavalry. He still remembered how Li Bei had chased him for two days and nights with two hundred cavalrymen.

Now, however, came a larger and more elite force of the Guan Ning cavalry, which terrified him so much that he almost lost his mind.

Without any hesitation, Ma Shouying grabbed Zhang Xianzhong and tried to run away.

At this time, Zhang Xianzhong had just begun to distinguish himself among the bandits, and had gathered nearly 10,000 men under his command, making him a regional leader.

Seeing that Ma Shouying wanted to flee without a fight, he looked at him with disdain:
"Why are you running? Guan Ning's soldiers are elite, do you think my men are made of mud?"

"Issue my order: the entire army shall leave the city and form ranks to meet the enemy!"

"I want to see if Guan Ning's soldiers really have three heads and six arms!"

After saying this, Zhang Xianzhong ignored Ma Shouying's earnest advice and immediately mustered his three thousand veteran soldiers, plus five thousand followers, and set up his formation outside Puxian, preparing to fight Cao Wenzhao head-on.

Zhang Xianzhong also wanted to follow in the footsteps of Shangshanhu and rise to fame in one battle by leveraging the reputation of the Guan Ning Army.

Outside Puxian County, on the open fields, the faint sounds of drums and gongs filled the air, along with a chilling atmosphere.

Zhang Xianzhong rode atop a tall horse, personally leading the troops into battle, his face still bearing an air of arrogance.

Ahead of him, three thousand elite veterans, their long spears forming a forest, stood in orderly rows of infantry squares across the open field.

On either side of the square formation were Zhang Xianzhong's two adopted sons, Sun Kewang and Liu Wenxiu, each leading five hundred cavalrymen, positioned on the left and right respectively.

Not far away, Cao Wenzhao led 1,500 Guan Ning cavalrymen, who were poised to charge into battle.

Facing Zhang Xianzhong, Cao Wenzhao's eyes were full of disdain. Where did this stupid thief come from?

Not only do they have few firearms, but they haven't even set up barricades or trenches. How dare they line up and fight me?

"kill!"

At Cao Wenzhao's command, Cao Bianjiao and Sun Shoufa led a thousand elite cavalry and charged straight forward.

Zhang Xianzhong could only see the smoke and dust getting closer and thicker in the distance.

The sound of horses' hooves, initially faint, quickly transformed into rapid drumbeats, causing the ground beneath their feet to tremble slightly.

A black, armored torrent surged forth, led by a valiant general—Cao Wenzhao's nephew, Cao Bianjiao.

Clad in double armor and wearing a phoenix-winged helmet, wielding a jet-black steel lance, he charged ahead, heading straight for Zhang Xianzhong's central command flag.

"Release the arrows! Shoot them hard!"

In Zhang Xianzhong's camp, a commander saw that the government cavalry had entered firing range and roared an order.

With a tremor of bowstrings, arrows soared into the air and shot towards the rapidly charging cavalry column.

However, Cao Bianjiao's vanguard, with its men and horses fully armored, easily deflected arrows that struck the cavalry's thick armor with only a series of crisp clanging sounds.

"Form ranks, raise your guns!"

Seeing that archery was useless, the commander ordered the infantry to raise their spears and prepare to meet the enemy.

In the blink of an eye, Cao Bianjiao's vanguard, like a red-hot plowshare, crashed into Zhang Xianzhong's infantry formation.

These bandits could be considered elite soldiers. Facing the charging cavalry, they mustered all their strength and thrust their spears forward in an attempt to block Cao Bianjiao's charge.

If the cavalry pauses for even a moment during their charge, the infantry can surround and annihilate them.

But they were facing Cao Bianjiao, a ruthless man who could charge straight into the Eastern Barbarians' central army.

Cao Bianjiao took the lead, neither dodging nor yielding. With a flick of his heavy lance, he deflected several spears that were thrusting at him.

He then roared and thrust his spear forward, piercing through the armor of a bandit soldier in front of him. The soldier screamed and flew backward.

Five hundred elite cavalrymen, like tigers among sheep, tore a bloody gap in the infantry formation.

Seeing the vanguard break through the enemy lines, Sun Shoufa followed closely behind, leading five hundred cavalrymen to swarm in through the gap opened by Cao Bianjiao.

The cavalrymen's sabers gleamed coldly, and each slash brought forth a spray of warm blood and a piercing scream.

Zhang Xianzhong's veteran soldiers were also quite brave. Faced with such a fierce attack, many of them still fought desperately, brandishing their spears and battling the cavalry that charged into their ranks.

However, under the constant attacks and divisions of the cavalry, the originally tight military formation began to fight independently, resulting in uncontrollable loosening and chaos.

The gap, like a torn piece of cloth, rapidly widened and spread in all directions.

Zhang Xianzhong, standing under his command flag, saw clearly that his most relied-upon and trusted elite troops had been utterly routed in the very first engagement.

The arrogance on his face was instantly replaced by horror and anger.

Zhang Xianzhong shouted sternly, ordering his personal guards and supervisors to step forward and block the gap, attempting to stabilize the collapsing formation.

However, defeat was inevitable. The entire battle formation collapsed like an avalanche, with the routed soldiers carrying those who were still hesitant and resisting, fleeing frantically to the rear like headless flies.

The entire formation was shattered, and it was no longer able to mount any resistance.

Zhang Xianzhong himself almost lost his life in the chaos of battle. Fortunately, his adopted son Sun Kewang and Liu Wenxiu fought their way out and rescued him, saving his life.

After this battle, Zhang Xianzhong was severely weakened and dared not utter any more foolish words about forming ranks to meet the enemy.

He and Ma Shouying, like frightened birds, fled south in panic with their remaining troops.

Cao Wenzhao commanded his cavalry to pursue and kill the bandits, chasing them for two days and nights, killing more than 500 bandit leaders and capturing countless supplies and provisions.

Zhang Xianzhong fled frantically all the way to Jiang Han's garrison in Pinglu County, where he finally shook off Cao Wenzhao's Guan Ning cavalry.

As for the other bandits scattered throughout Shanxi, such as Luo Rucai, Guo Tianxing, and Luan Shi Wang, their lives were equally difficult.

Under the overall command of Hong Chengchou, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Zhang Yingchang, along with a group of fierce generals from Shaanxi, including Zuo Guangxian, Ai Wannian, and Ma Ke, began to suppress bandits in various prefectures and cities of Shanxi.

These small groups of bandits were no match for the government troops and were quickly routed.

Forced to abandon their original area of ​​activity, they moved on to seek refuge with Jiang Han and Wang Jiayin near the Yellow River.

The government troops continued to tighten the encirclement, advancing step by step and layer by layer, constantly compressing the space for survival and activity of the rebel army.

It seemed poised to trap them on the north bank of the Yellow River and achieve victory in one fell swoop.

The two banks of the Yellow River have once again become the focus of strategic competition between the two sides.

(End of this chapter)