Author: Pei Xuanhuang

When it was windy and rainy in Mingzhou, thousands of miles away in Laizhou, the 60,000-strong army had been ready for more than half a month, but they still could not wait for a much-needed southeasterly wind.

Chang Yuchun, the deputy general of the expedition, felt that he was going crazy.

He also made up his mind that if he didn't touch this useless navy, it would really kill him. After nearly a month, he felt that he could rush to Yuan Ting in the desert, let alone Dadu.

Today I was convinced and quietly performed a solo sacrifice.

The reason is that a few days ago, after waiting for more than ten days, the hot-tempered general couldn't bear it anymore. Feeling that God was not giving him face, he publicly cursed and threatened to destroy the nearby Tanah Lot Temple. In anger, Chang Yuchun He didn't realize anything, but the people around him saw it, but privately thought that the reason why the wind never came was probably because of the general's rude words, which had offended many gods.

This is a punishment from heaven!

The wind did not come, so the saying spread more and more, and finally reached Lao Zhu. Lao Zhu, who was eager to wait for a long time, immediately sent his ministers over with an oral order to reprimand Chang Yuchun and order him to be pious. Ask the gods for forgiveness.

Although he was still ranked lower than Li Shanchang and Xu Da in the court, the only one who could suppress this powerful general was actually Lao Zhu.

What else can you do if your own lord speaks?

Moreover, to be honest, the general himself has already begun to beat the drum in his heart. This is a step forward for his lord.

After hiding at a remote beach to offer sacrifices, Chang Yuchun suppressed his temper and rode back to Laizhou Harbor.

It's a busy scene here.

Of course, the 60,000-strong army and more than 20,000 civilians are not just waiting around.

The first is the military level.

In addition to the daily rotation training, the tens of thousands of mounts are also the most labor-intensive part.

In addition to the 15,000 cavalry planned to attack as a forward, one man and two horses, nearly 20,000 mules and horses have been collected here recently. They were either sent by Lao Zhu or requisitioned from the private sector. This is the plan to let The second batch of infantry after landing was used as a substitute.

Infantry and cavalry are not good at fighting, but riding on the road is still no problem.

The problem is that these tens of thousands of mounts must constantly adapt to the cabin environment, but they cannot be kept in the cabin all the time. Otherwise, even if they are parked and stay in the cabin for a long time, they will encounter bumps. The result is just like people, when they first land on the shore, the world will spin. , the road is unstable.

Therefore, a total of 50,000 mounts must be constantly rotated to either board the ship or go ashore in order to maintain smooth switching between the two states.

Furthermore, there are still extra manpower, which will either be sent to repair the Laizhou port or start dredging the Jiaolai Canal nearby.

Because the opening of the sea food route provided enough food and wages for the north, the soldiers could eat freely. When they were full, they had to work.

Not that anyone complained.

After all, not only can you eat enough, but you can also have a large supply of fish, even if it is not fresh fish, it was something you never dared to think about in the past.

Moreover, even Chang Yuchun and other high-level generals were not idle.

In order to ensure the success of this raid, Lao Zhu not only sent officials from the Surveying and Mapping Department to the north to survey the terrain, but also sent Tu Xiao, a doctor from the Surveying and Mapping Department who was becoming more and more interested in him.

At present, the Laizhou camp already has the same sand table as the Bianliang camp.

Based on the intelligence constantly sent back from the north, Chang Yuchun, Wu Zhen, He Wenhui and other generals have been repeatedly deliberating the details of the next operation during this period. Not only is the arrangement of the 60,000-strong army clear, but after landing in the future,

Which road should we march on, where should we cross the river, and which military camp should we bypass? We all know it by heart.

All we need is a southeasterly wind!

Two more days passed like this, on the 23rd of the leap July, when Chang Yuchun could hardly help but curse the heaven and the earth again, the southeast wind started blowing!

The deputy general Zhenglu was glad that he did not curse. In the hot sunset of late summer, he was shirtless at the port, feeling the stronger and stronger southeast wind. He laughed wildly for a while, and then ordered the army to set off!

Even though it was about to fall into the night, no one in the army raised any objection.

Everyone has been waiting for nearly a month, and no one wants to wait anymore. Moreover, for the current Ming army, not to mention night sailing, which is not a problem, even night land march is not a big problem.

Because two months ago, one thing was widely added to the meals of the Ming army.

Large yellow croaker liver.

His Majesty the Emperor personally ordered it to cure the blindfolded bird.

This is what later became night blindness.

This is a very common disease nowadays, and the reason is very simple: too little meat intake and lack of vitamin A.

Of course, no one knew about vitamins at this time. However, some traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions for treating hooded eyes generally used animal liver, pig liver, chicken liver, and fish liver. This disease can also be seen.

It's not a problem.

It’s just that most people in this era cannot afford it.

After all, a kind of nutrition requires long-term supplementation. Even if the people at the bottom occasionally eat meat once or twice, it will not change their long-term physical condition.

Compared with other animal livers, large yellow croaker liver, which is also one of the raw materials for refining cod liver oil pills in later generations, has much better effects. In less than a month of corresponding dietary therapy promotion, night blindness in the military has been generally improved.

Sixty thousand elite soldiers, 20,000 civilians, and 50,000 mounts, plus enough baggage to support the entire army for one month, took more than 1,100 large and small ships, rushing towards the north in the dark.

To be precise, they were divided into two teams.

The main direction is Zhigu Port.

In addition, Zhang Cundao, the counselor of the Navy Governor's Office, led 5,000 elite troops to the north, planning to raid Funing City in Yuguan and further capture Yuguan, which would not only block the easternmost pass where Emperor Zheng might have fled north, but also

It is necessary to block possible Qinwang Yuan soldiers in Liaodong.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that if this job is done well, the credit will not be great, but if it is messed up, it will be disgraced. Unless there is a very slim chance that the Emperor Zhizheng escapes to Yuguan, otherwise, it will be hard to please.

Therefore, it fell on Zhang Cundao, who lacked support in the army.

The Eastern Zhejiang clan is generally composed of civil servants, such as the "Four Gentlemen of Eastern Zhejiang" represented by Zhang Cundao's father, Zhang Yi, and military generals... there are a lot less. Lao Zhu actually wants to support the Eastern Zhejiang clan represented by Zhang Cundao in the navy

However, Zhang Yi himself refused to give face to the emperor and insisted on disbanding most of the Zhejiang soldiers.

Although Lao Zhu, who is in charge of Bianliang, is anxious, he is also very stable.

The main reason is that food and salary are sufficient.

Not to mention the Chinese and Western food routes, just sea transportation. In the past few months, it has provided the army with enough rations to last for half a year, and it is still being transported. I have food in my hands and don't panic.

During this period, while handling government affairs remotely and step by step, Lao Zhu also personally took care of the newly captured areas of Shandong and Henan, adjusted the garrison, assigned officials, provided relief to the people who had just experienced the war, and encouraged the resumption of production, etc.

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According to the suggestions of the ministers and considering the political significance of Bianliang, Lao Zhu also established the Zhongshu sub-province in Henan, and ordered Yang Xian to participate in the affairs of the province. He also established the second-rank Henan capital commander department and appointed his adopted son He Wenhui as the capital.

As the commander, we plan to have him guard Henan in the future and take charge of all the local guard towns.

The next day, Lao Zhu received a message from the flying pigeon that the Laizhou army had finally set off. He immediately began to deploy and informed General Xu Da, who had secretly stationed in Cangzhou, that as long as he received the news that Chang Yuchun's troops had landed in Zhigu, there was no need to make further announcements.

, immediately sent troops to the capital.

Xu Da received the flying pigeon message on the afternoon of July 25th.

Chang Yuchun's troops successfully landed at Zhigu in the evening of the previous day. The first batch of cavalry had already set off overnight and headed for various passes in the north.

Xu Da did not hesitate and ordered the army to set off in the evening of the same day.

Guided by the Surveying and Mapping Department and the Arch Guard Department, the first group of cavalry troops, also numbering 15,000 people, bypassed the confrontation with Yuan Prime Minister Yesu, passed the land route that had been explored in advance, and headed straight for Dadu, four hundred miles away.

This was followed by the second group of mounted infantry.

And, the third group of walking infantry on the morning of July 26th.

These are all planned in advance.

There's a lot of gambling involved.

The raiding army successfully landed in Zhigu, which can be regarded as the completion of the first phase of military objectives. Then, no one dares to give a 100% guarantee whether Chang Yuchun's department can successfully 'close the door' within two days. After all, Wan

A group of fierce soldiers who risk their lives for Yuanshi suddenly appeared in various cities along the way. Even if they only block Chang Yuchunbu for half a day, it may cause great changes.

There are many similar examples in history.

During the Anshi Rebellion, Zhang Xun defended Suiyang and held off the rebels for ten months at the expense of feeding on human flesh. This also gave the Tang Dynasty, which was at a loss at the beginning of the rebellion, some relief.

This time, it didn't take ten months, it might just be a few hours late, which led to the escape of Emperor Zhizheng and his son. The Ming army's initial primary strategic goal was tantamount to failure. Taking Dadu afterward would be of less significance.

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But the reality is that Chang Yuchun's march has been extremely smooth.

First of all, the Yuan Dynasty was too decadent.

And, seriously caught off guard.

The key point is that no one could have imagined that the Ming army would raid Zhigu by sea, let alone such a large-scale raid with more than a thousand ships and tens of thousands of troops.

In comparison, because the Prime Minister also quickly mobilized soldiers to confront the Ming army on the Cangzhou front, the Zhigu garrison had less than two thousand soldiers left. As for the navy force that prevented the Ming navy from landing, it was almost nonexistent.

Facing the overwhelming fleet that came like a tsunami, the Zhigu garrison immediately abandoned the city and fled, and his soldiers also collapsed in an instant.

The few remaining people in Zhigu even ran away crying for their fathers and mothers.

When the Ming army's first batch of fast oars and canoes arrived in a surprise attack, the Zhigu Walled City was already empty. After an inventory, only seven sea-going ships were found.

As an important port on the Bohai Sea and a port with direct access to Dadu, Zhigu's naval force should not be said like this. However, the reason is also very simple, and it was quickly transferred south.

Who would have thought?

Speaking of which, Yuan Ting also knew that the Ming army had opened up the maritime grain route. However, for the transportation capacity of the maritime grain route, Yuan Ting referred to the data of the past ten years, that is, in the past, Zhang Shicheng, Fang Guozhen, Chen Youding and other Southeast The ministries only send over 100,000 shi of food each year, so I feel that even if the Ming army were slightly larger, 20,000 to 300,000 shi a year, it would not be a big concern.

What Yuan Ting didn't know was that the Ming army had reached the level of two to three hundred thousand shi in one batch.
To be continued...