The New Destiny of the Ming Dynasty

Originally, Yang Zhen had no intention of annexing them, so after listening to Xu Changyong's words, he nodded and then looked at Zu Keyong.

Zu Keyong then said, "This time, I have been ordered to follow Yang Xiezhen northward, and I will naturally obey orders and commands. However, the heavy cavalry of the central army under my command was temporarily transferred from Wu Sangui's command by order of the commander-in-chief. After this mission, we will all return to our respective units. This needs to be made clear beforehand to avoid any misunderstandings later."

The neither-heretical-nor-there conflict between Xu Changyong and Zu Keyong left Yang Zhen feeling helpless.

Yang Zhen knew in his heart that the two people had misunderstood his meaning.

Therefore, as soon as Zu Keyong finished speaking, Yang Zhen immediately smiled and said, "Brother Xu, Brother Zu, you two have really misunderstood. I obtained the banner with the governor's handwritten inscription today only to ensure unified command and facilitate coordination; there is absolutely no other intention."

After saying this, Yang Zhen looked at the two men who were still somewhat skeptical and continued, "The journey north will inevitably be fraught with danger. With about six hundred men, we need a clear plan for boarding, marching, encamping, resupplying, scouting, and preparing for battle! Today's reorganization is simply for the convenience of command and control during marches and battles. It's a temporary arrangement; once the mission is complete, everyone will naturally go their separate ways! Brothers, how could you possibly have a word to it?"

After Yang Zhen finished speaking, he smiled ingratiatingly, looked at Xu Changyong and Zu Keyong, and swore that he had no other intentions.

Xu Changyong and Zu Keyong exchanged glances again, then clasped their hands in a fist salute to Yang Zhen and said, "In that case, we would like to hear the details!"

Seeing this, Yang Zhen quickly said, "Now, Brother Xu and Brother Zu are all cavalrymen, so naturally they will also be cavalrymen in our vanguard camp, and they will all be horsemen!"

"However, the Mongol troops under Brother Xu's command are all light cavalry, which are as fast as the wind. My idea is to organize them into the vanguard scout team, which will of course still be under Brother Xu's command!"

"As for the central army under Brother Zu's command, they are all heavily armored cavalry, clad in armor and wielding sharp weapons. They are most skilled at attacking fortified positions and charging into battle. They should serve as the reserve cavalry for the central army, and naturally, they will still be under the command of Brother Zu!"

At this point, Yang Zhen sighed inwardly. The men that Zu Dashou had assigned to him were actually intended for him to go to Songshan in Jinzhou outside the border for rescue operations, without ever consulting Yang Zhen's opinion.

At the time, Yang Zhen's own ideas were not mature enough, and in front of everyone, he did not dare to refuse Zu Dashou's arrangement on the spot.

If he had been able to make his own decision and choose to allocate troops to the north, he certainly wouldn't have wanted these people.

For him, infantry musketeers or arquebusiers were the most suitable personnel to carry out his plan to sail north by sea, while cavalry would be troublesome.

However, since things had come to this point, he had no choice but to try anything, even if it seemed hopeless.

Upon hearing Yang Zhen's words, Xu Changyong and Zu Keyong exchanged another glance, both smiling. They realized that this was what Yang Zhen meant by "temporary staffing," and they were both relieved.

Having finished outlining the arrangements for Xu Changyong and Zu Keyong, the remaining Zhang Degui and Li Lu were all on their own, and they could be arranged however they pleased.

Yang Zhen said, "Zhang Degui and Li Lu, you two must divide the 180 or so men in the old camp into three groups before sunset today. Select 40 men who are proficient in muskets and firearms to form an advance musket team. Distribute the Lu Mi muskets that Brother Zu brought to them. I will be in direct command of them!"

"Then, select those who are familiar with the Tiger Crouching Cannon, the Frankish Cannon, or the Nine-Headed Bird Cannon. Select eighty people according to the following arrangement: two people per Nine-Headed Bird Cannon, three people per Tiger Crouching Cannon, and four people per Frankish Cannon. They will be organized into the advance artillery team. They will not be involved in anything else but firing the cannons! They will be commanded by Zhang Degui!"

"The remaining sixty or so men will form their own squad and be organized into the vanguard grenadiers! Besides keeping their bows and swords for self-defense, the grenadiers will specialize in throwing gunpowder shells! You must collect as many as possible from Ningyuan City as possible—anything you can find, like the 'Ten Thousand Enemy Cannon,' the 'Dragon King Cannon,' or the 'Heaven-Shaking Detonator'—and put them under their command! All grenadiers will be under Li Lu's command!"

Without waiting for anyone else to react, Yang Zhen then addressed Xu Changyong and Zu Keyong:

"Brother Xu, Brother Zu, I have obtained military orders today. We will depart from the East Gate at dusk on the fourth day of the third month and head to the mouth of the Ningyuan River, where we will board a ship and head north."

"Therefore, from today onwards, for at least ten days and at most a month, Yang, Brother Xu, and Brother Zu will truly be in the same boat! If we win, we will all be happy; if we lose, we will all die without a burial place. We will all suffer together, and we will all prosper together!"

"What Mr. Yang just mentioned, such as muskets, cannons, and gunpowder shells, was indeed one of the great guarantees for our six hundred or so people to survive!"

"Currently, Yang's battalion is short of firearms and ammunition. Although we have already requested military orders from Commander Zu and Governor Fang, we still need their strong support in the Ningyuan army!"

At this point, Yang Zhen, who had been sitting cross-legged, stood up, then knelt on one knee at the head of the kang (a heated brick bed), and bowed deeply to Xu Changyong and Zu Keyong.

After Yang Zhen knelt down on one knee to pay his respects to Zu Keyong and Xu Changyong, Zhang Degui and Li Lu naturally could not remain unmoved and could no longer sit still in their original positions.

Moreover, both of them knew Yang Zhen's meaning. Without the help of Zu Keyong and Xu Changyong, even with Fang Yizao's order, it probably wouldn't be of much use in Ningyuan City, which was mainly composed of Zu family troops.

Therefore, the two immediately followed Yang Zhen and bowed deeply to Xu Changyong and Zu Keyong.

Xu Changyong and Zu Keyong were caught off guard and quickly moved aside.

Xu Changyong waved his hand and said while making way:

"Oh dear—Brother Yang, Brother Zhang, Brother Li, what are you doing? Get up, get up! Let's talk this out! We're all in this together. Even if I have to lose face, I'll help you get your things together!"

Zu Keyong chimed in, "Yang Xiezhen, Zhang Youji, Brother Li, please rise! Since firearms are so important to Yang Xiezhen's plan, and given the Commander-in-Chief's order, then all the firearms, gunpowder, and projectiles in the Ningyuan army are at our vanguard's disposal. Commander-in-Chief, if you see any firearms you fancy, make a list and give it to me!"

"As for Ningyuan City, the military equipment, supplies, and even provisions are all ordered and supplied by Physician Yuan. Since Commander Yang has already obtained the governor's military order, Physician Yuan should have no problem with it!"

With Xu Changyong's statement, and especially Zu Keyong's words, Yang Zhen finally felt relieved.

In this era, especially at this time, Yang Zhen couldn't think of any better way to make a living than to improve and reuse firearms.

Taking the sea route might avoid encountering Tatar cavalry on the way and prevent the tragic fate of being completely annihilated by the Tatars.

However, once they reached the outer sea of ​​Songshan City, or the mouth of the Xiaoling River, even if they were lucky enough to follow the Xiaoling River all the way in and reach the Niangniang Palace, which is closest to Songshan City, Yang Zhen's troops would still need to go ashore if they wanted to get close to Songshan City.

At this time, Songshan and the outskirts of Jinzhou were swarming with Tartar troops. Once they landed, they would inevitably encounter the Tartars sooner or later.

Although Yang Zhen knew that at this time, the areas where the Tartars had set up ambushes or deployed heavy troops were mainly south and west of Songshan and around Jinzhou, they did not take the threat from the sea seriously.

However, he could not guarantee that the Tartars did not have troops stationed on the coast east of Songshan City or at the mouth of the Xiaoling River.

Therefore, in Yang Zhen's plan, once he encountered a small group of Tartars, he would use the existing firearms to try his best to win a battle in order to boost the morale of the army.

By the spring of the twelfth year of the Chongzhen reign, the Ming Dynasty's army had not won a single battle in the war against the Jurchen Tartars for far too long.

Therefore, even a small victory would immediately reach the emperor's ears. This would allow him to quickly gain fame and fortune, and also help him rewrite the fate of the Ming Dynasty in this parallel universe.

Of course, if he were to unexpectedly encounter a large number of Tartar troops after landing, he would certainly not choose to fight them head-on. In that case, he would leave a portion of his troops behind to cover their retreat, while leading the rest of his troops back to sea.

As for what happens after landing, if you fall into a trap set by the Tartars, there's nothing more to say; you can only do your best and leave the rest to fate, as has been the case in history.

That afternoon, after meeting, the group finalized the basic structure of the "Provisional Ningyuan Vanguard Battalion" and quickly set about how to proceed.

Xu Changyong needed to quickly place his personal guards and retainers among the three hundred Mongol soldiers, appointing them as squad leaders, battalion commanders, and sentry officers, in order to firmly control the three hundred Mongol soldiers.

Therefore, after the group finished their discussion, Xu Changyong immediately took his leave.

Yang Zhen then had someone bring him pen and ink, and wrote down a list of the required firearms, ammunition, and other military supplies in a crooked and messy manner. He handed the list to Zu Keyong, who had patted his chest and promised him, and told Zu Keyong to immediately lead his men to search for them.

Meanwhile, Yang Zhen's right-hand men, Zhang Degui and Li Lu, gathered all of Yang Zhen's former soldiers at the small training ground. According to Yang Zhen, they were busy selecting and assigning musketeers, artillerymen, and grenadiers.

When Yang Zhen went out again to the governor's office to see Yuan Shu, the supervisor of supplies, to allocate firearms, ammunition, and military supplies, the red flag with the words "Provisional Ningyuan Vanguard Battalion" written on it had already been erected on a tall flagpole by Yang Zhen's personal guard captain, General Yang Zhan'ao, in front of the gate of Yang Zhen's small courtyard.

The "Provisional Ningyuan Vanguard Battalion" was hastily established amidst this chaos and haste.