The New Destiny of the Ming Dynasty

Zu Dashou frowned upon hearing Zu Keyong's straightforward answer.

At this moment, Governor Fang Yizao also realized that Zu Dashou was somewhat reluctant to lend firearms. However, in his view, Yang Zhen and the others were willing to risk their lives, so why should Zu's army be stingy with a few dozen muskets? Which is more important, muskets or human lives? Which is more important, muskets or Songshan and Jinzhou?

Governor Fang Yizao was displeased, his face ashen, and he coldly stared at Zu Dashou, saying loudly:

"Since the General's army does indeed possess dozens of Lumi guns, and they are currently stationed in Ningyuan City, keeping them would be of no use to you. Why not lend them to Yang Zhen and the others for temporary use?"

Having put things this way, Governor Fang Yizao went even further, saying, "Since Yang Zhen intends to rely heavily on firearms for this mission, then all the firearms in the Ningyuan army, whether muskets or cannons, are available for Yang Zhen to choose from! At this time of national turmoil and the Liaodong war, all armies should cooperate sincerely and without distinction. Only by working together can we defeat the Jurchens!"

After Governor Fang Yizao finished speaking, Qiu Minyang, the Ningqian Military Commissioner, Zhang Dou, the Sub-Inspector, and Yuan Shu, the Liaodong Supervisor of the Ministry of Revenue, all stood up to express their agreement.

The Ningqian Military Commissioner was an official dispatched by the imperial court to oversee military and political affairs such as local garrisons and military settlements in western Liaoning; the Circuit Intendant was an official dispatched by the imperial court to oversee judicial cases and other affairs in western Liaoning.

Qiu Minyang, Zhang Dou, and Yuan Shu, the supervisor of military supplies, although they did not have troops under their command, were officials who had a lot of say about the current situation in Liaodong.

These individuals all expressed their support for Governor Fang Yizao, which gave Fang Yizao even more confidence.

In the end, Governor Fang Yizao watched as Zu Dashou remained silent, waiting for Zu Dashou to make his statement on the spot.

Soon, sensing the change in atmosphere, Zu Dashou finally nodded and said, "In that case, I hereby order Zu Keyong to lead one hundred elite soldiers, carrying the muskets stored in the army, to march north together with Yang Zhen's troops! Zu Keyong, are you willing?"

After all that, Zu Dashou's decision surprised not only Yang Zhen, but also all the civil and military officials present.

But for Yang Zhen, having more people was always a good thing, especially since the additional hundred men were the central army of Zu Dashou led by Zu Keyong.

Moreover, they brought with them the only forty Lumi guns in Zu Dashou's army, which was definitely a good thing for Yang Zhen at the moment.

"This humble servant will obey the Commander-in-Chief's orders!"

Amidst the confusion among the crowd, Zu Keyong, who had been standing by the door, quickly approached Yang Zhen, knelt on one knee, and accepted the military order.

Yang Zhen had no way of knowing whether Zu Dashou's arrangement had any other deeper meaning, or whether there was another mission behind sending Zu Keyong with him.

All he knew was that as long as Zukeyong didn't betray his country or surrender without a fight, everything would be fine.

The military meeting in the second hall of the Jiliao Governor's Office concluded quickly after finalizing the selection of the commander-in-chief and the composition of the troops to go north to rescue Songshan and relieve the siege of Jinzhou.

Yang Zhen knew he couldn't shirk this responsibility, so he didn't delay any longer and accepted the military order without hesitation.

Fortunately, General Zu Dashou and Governor Fang Yizao agreed to all three of his requests, which brought him some relief.

That evening, Yang Zhen returned to his camp inside the East Gate in a calm mood. Zhang Degui and Li Lu came to inquire about the content of the meeting at the Governor's Office that day.

Yang Zhen's camp, though called a camp, was actually just a dilapidated courtyard located under the city wall inside the east gate of Ningyuan City.

Yang Zhen was the deputy general of Ningyuan. According to the rules, he should have been allocated a better house in the city. However, his parents had died and his wife and daughters were separated. He had always eaten and lived with his soldiers, so he lived in the same camp as his soldiers.

Yang Zhen now understands the importance of winning over the hearts of the army in chaotic times, so he did not request a change. Whether it was food or lodging, everything remained the same.

Of course, Yang Zhen was a deputy general, so his living conditions were better than those of ordinary soldiers.

While other ordinary soldiers slept together on a large kang (heated brick bed) in groups of a dozen or so, he alone occupied three low, north-facing adobe houses.

It was said to have three rooms, but in reality there was only one, which was where he lived. The middle room was just a small hallway, and a large stove took up half of the space in this small hallway.

On the other side of the hall, a squad of Yang Zhen's personal guards lived, who not only helped him relay military orders at any time, but also served his daily needs.

When Yang Zhen returned to his residence, it was already dusk. Under the dim light, Yang Zhen told the two men in detail the results of the afternoon's meeting.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Degui and Li Lu were both greatly surprised and startled, repeatedly exclaiming that it was absolutely unacceptable.

However, things had already come to this point and could not be changed. Yang Zhen did not want to complain in front of his subordinates, nor did he want to further demoralize the already low morale.

Seeing Yang Zhen's seemingly indifferent attitude, Zhang Degui became anxious and stamped his feet, saying with a mournful face, "My lord! At this time, we can no longer be so reckless! Right now, tens of thousands of Tartar troops are besieging Jinzhou and Songshan, and from Songshan City southward, Xingshan, Gaoqiao, Tashan and other cities and forts, all the dangerous roads are also under the control of the Tartar army!"

"Even if the commander-in-chief assigns Xu Changyong with 300 Mongol miscellaneous soldiers and Zu Keyong with 100 of the commander-in-chief's central army, we only have 600 men in total! With such a small force, leaving Ningyuan City is easy, but returning alive is harder than climbing to heaven! Our Houtunwei once had 3,000 men, and after fighting for more than ten years, we now have less than 200 left. These remaining soldiers are all we have!"

Li Lu also chimed in, "Lord Xiezhen! You fell off your horse and were injured a few days ago. You were unconscious for three days and three nights and haven't fully recovered yet. You have plenty of excuses and pretexts! On the contrary, Commander Zu's troops are strong and well-equipped. They made a wasted trip to enter the pass before and didn't even make contact with the Tartars. Why shouldn't they go?"

"Besides, they came from Jinzhou, which is their defensive territory. Now that Jinzhou and Songshan are besieged, they're preventing us from going. Isn't this blatant bullying?! Why don't you ask Governor Fang to settle this matter?!"

Li Lu was a few years younger than Yang Zhen, in his mid-twenties, full of youthful vigor, unlike Yang Zhen, who was nearly thirty and knew that there were many things in this world that were hard to distinguish between fair and unfair. Since he had already been involved, he might as well just do it.

Of course, Zhang Degui, who is more than ten years older than Yang Zhen, no longer cares about fairness or unfairness. He is only concerned about the last bit of wealth left in Guangning Houtunwei.

Zhang Degui's parents, wife, and children either died in battle or were scattered to different places during the war, and there has been no news of them for more than ten years. He has long since given up hope of finding his family.

Over the years, with the frequent mobilization of the imperial court, I have followed the army to fight in various places, sometimes outside the pass, sometimes inside the pass, sometimes fighting against the Jurchens, and sometimes fighting against bandits. I have become accustomed to living in the camp.

Having long been accustomed to the destruction of families and the unpredictability of life, he no longer had the idea of ​​starting a new family.

However, people's emotions ultimately need to be placed on something, and Zhang Degui now places all his emotions on the survival and continuation of Guangning Houtunwei.

Yang Zhen now fully understands Zhang Degui and Li Lu's thoughts.

He knew they were doing this for his own good, so he wasn't in a hurry to explain to them.

After they had vented their grievances and poured out their grievances, he solemnly addressed his two generals:

"I understand and agree with everything you've said! But the situation is what it is, we have no choice but to go! And I've thought about it very carefully. Going to Songshan is certainly risky, but it's not entirely without a chance!"

"Besides, fortune is always found in danger! You've followed me, Yang Zhen, fought many battles, and suffered a lot, but you've never really gained any benefits!"

"I've thought about it, and there are many reasons, but ultimately it's because in the past I only knew how to use brute force in battle, I liked to win by force, and I always attacked and took things by force. It made my brothers tired following me, we fought many tough battles, but we didn't win many!"

"This trip to Songshan may seem incredibly dangerous, but as long as you all lead the brothers and continue to listen to and trust me, I, Yang Zhen, will definitely bring you wealth and prosperity!"