Wu Hanchao paused for a moment but then he remembered that his Martial Uncles and Martial Uncles had told him that the Miao, Zhuang and Bai tribes were not the only ones who could charge and kill the enemy. They could also take up the position of the leader and replied, "That's right, I am Governor Yang's general and am chasing after these pirates. The main army will be here soon."
As he spoke, he waved the sword in his hand and the sword gleamed brightly like a dragon. These ordinary Wokou pirates were no match for him. Even though the Wokou pirates brandished their swords as if they were made of silk and their shouts were like thunder, they were extremely brave. But as Wu Hanchao spoke, he had already casually stabbed three of them. The Wokou pirates' attacks immediately slowed down.
As Wu Hanchao fought against the pirates, he glanced around and praised, "Your soldiers are well trained. This battle formation is unique and extremely ingenious."
Xiao Ai saw that this Ming general's martial art skill was extremely high. The four Wokou pirates in front of him were brandishing their sabers impenetrably, but he was only using one arm to face the enemy with a single sword. Unexpectedly, he was able to look to the east and look to the west. Xiao Ai secretly admired him. Now that she heard this highly skilled warrior praising her own soldiers, she felt very proud. She couldn't help but laugh proudly and said, "Of course, our Zhuang family soldiers have won nine out of ten battles, it's rare that we are defeated."
Wu Hanchao laughed heartily. Amidst the whirlwind of swords and knives, he suddenly raised his leg and kicked a Wokou out of the circle of attack. The Wokou lost his breath on the spot. At that moment, another group of beheaders rushed over, dragging a sack of cloth. They didn't care if the Wokou was dead or alive, they swung their swords and chopped off his head.
Apparently, when the Zhuang soldiers went out to fight, the chieftain would distribute the money according to the number of heads they captured. These ordinary Zhuang soldiers lived poor lives and only by killing the enemy in battle would they be rewarded by the chieftain and use it to improve their family's financial situation. Four of the seven men were in charge of killing and the other three were in charge of collecting the 'money'. Every head they captured would be a sum of money. How could they not be happy?
With Wu Hanchao supporting them from the inside, the pirates were finally completely annihilated. Wu Hanchao stopped in his tracks and surveyed his surroundings before speaking to Xiao Ai, "Little Head Girl, the situation on the battlefield is far too chaotic. My main army has just arrived and it will be difficult for us to join in the battle. If this happens, your men will definitely suffer heavy casualties. Do you have a way to order your soldiers to retreat?"
Xiao Ai widened her round eyes and said in surprise, "Retreat? We won the battle, so why should we retreat? "
Wu Hanchao said, "The Wokou pirates seem to be fleeing to the west. To the west is Lake Tai. I will order the light cavalry to rush over and chase away all the boats. After that, we will gather our men and force them over."
Xiao Ai suddenly understood and couldn't help but laugh, "Haha, I understand. Men, retreat and seal off the south and east!"
Immediately, a Zhuang man raised his bull horn and began to blow into it. Groups of seven covered each other as they slowly retreated from the battle. Wu Hanchao took this opportunity to rush back to his own army and hurriedly gave some instructions. To the west of this place was a muddy swamp, and further ahead was a short forest. There was no way for horses to travel, but the Suzhou garrison knight leading the way was familiar with this path. He immediately led over a hundred knights to make a detour to the west.
At this time, the army led by Yang Ling and Min Wenjian arrived one after another. Wu Hanchao hurriedly went forward to explain the situation. The Wokou pirates had a chance to catch their breath and immediately gathered their remaining one thousand and three hundred men. In a panic, they escaped through the swamp and into the dense forest. For a moment, they were startled by the countless birds in the forest and flew into the air.
As the saying goes, don't enter a forest. But the Wokou pirates lacked bows and arrows and the Ming army outnumbered them by several times. Moreover, the Zhuang warriors were especially good at fighting in the forest. Once they entered the forest, they were like fish in water and didn't care about the threat of the forest at night. Both sides gathered their armies and immediately chased after them.
Along the way to the west, if it wasn't a swamp, it was a swamp, a rice field, and a patch of grass. Everywhere the army passed was very muddy. The Ming army wore armor and when their boots touched the mud, they felt as if they weighed dozens of catties. They couldn't move their feet at all. Most of the strong soldiers led by Xiao Ai wore a pair of straw sandals. When they ran into a swamp, they took off their shoes. They couldn't bear to throw them away. They tied two straw ropes around their necks and chased after them barefooted.
This group of Wokou pirates had never suffered such a big loss in Ming Destiny. They ran in such a sorry state. The repeated setbacks had completely shattered their outer shell of bravery. When they reached a river of sand about two zhang wide and thigh-deep, they slowed down. About four hundred Wokou pirates who couldn't cross the river in time were caught by the barefooted soldiers. As soon as they clashed, the Wokou pirates, whose morale had fallen, were beaten back by the strong soldiers.
One of the leaders of the Wokou pirates shouted in Wokou and ordered his men to avoid the front of the Wolf Army. They followed the cobblestone slope and fled to the two sides. Unfortunately, the Ming army had caught up and the Wokou pirates, who had split up into a long line, were quickly cut into dozens of pieces and swallowed by the Ming army and the strong family soldiers.
The Wokou pirates on the other side of the river were already dizzy from the killing. The deputy leader, Akimoto Ming, did not use this opportunity to lead his men to escape. He actually thought of using this river to stop the Ming army's attack. It wasn't until more and more Ming soldiers started to attack with bows and arrows that he realized he had no place to defend. He could only give up on the river bank and continue west towards Tang Village.
Because this was the only road to the west and they would eventually reach Tang Village, the Ming army's light cavalry took a detour and arrived first. They ordered all the people in the village to leave immediately and ordered the bodyguards to call for the boats and bamboo rafts to leave.
These people were all next to the river and had nowhere to run even if they wanted to. They simply brought the old and the young onto the boats and bamboo rafts. They rowed far away to the middle of the lake and stopped two or three hundred meters away from the shore. The Wokou pirates killed their way to the lakeside and found that there was no land route and no boats to cross. Behind them, a large group of Ming soldiers shouted and charged. The only thing they could do was fight to the death.
Nine hundred cowardly Wokou pirates. Behind them was the water of Lake Tai. In front of them were more than thirty thousand Ming soldiers with high morale. This was a battle without any suspense. Amidst the rain of spears and arrows, the strong soldiers attacked first. They were still in groups of seven and coordinated with each other. However, the soldiers who were full of fighting spirit immediately charged forward. Their bright swords and spears viciously slashed and stabbed at the enemy.
The strong soldiers' formation was scattered by their own people. They couldn't care about the well-trained strong soldiers' formation anymore. The ferocious strong soldiers decided to learn from the Ming army and fight on their own. They let out wild beast-like roars as they charged forward.
In the entire battlefield, only the 'decapitation trio' maintained their calm. They followed closely behind their comrades and didn't care whether the Wokou were killed by the strong soldiers or by the Ming army. Taking advantage of the chaotic battle where the leaders and stewards couldn't see, they only cared about cutting off the heads and stuffing them into their pockets.
Yang Ling rode on his horse and slowly arrived at the shore of Lake Tai. Torches were lit everywhere and reflected the golden snakes in the lake. The bright moon hung high in the sky. Looking at the water, it seemed as if it had been dyed red with blood.
The soldiers were currently cleaning up the battlefield and dragging the headless corpses to the side. In this battle, not a single person was left alive. That was because the Wokou pirates who hadn't died had their 'reward' taken away by the decapitation squad when they weren't paying attention.
Amidst the chaotic but jubilant troops, two rows of torches walked towards Yang Ling. The people in front were Wu Hanchao and a graceful young girl dressed in blue. Behind them were two rows of valiant and formidable-looking female soldiers.
Wu Hanchao walked in front of Yang Ling's horse and cheerfully said, "Daren, this is a local official from Guangxi's Nandan Province. She was appointed by the emperor to lead the wolf soldiers from Nandan, Fushun, Nadian, Donglan, Zhili, and Tianzhou. She is the 'Female Officer General' Song Ai."
When Yang Ling received the report from the imperial court, he already knew that the leader of the Guangxi Province's wolf soldiers was a female officer. However, he didn't expect it to be such a young and beautiful girl. He hurriedly jumped off his horse and cupped his hands, saying, "So it's Official Song. I've heard a lot about you. This time, it's all thanks to your timely arrival that we were able to wipe out this group of Wokou pirates. This official will definitely present the truth to the imperial court and request for Official Song's merit! "
Song Ai caressed the silver necklace and looked him up and down. Then, she stepped forward and bowed deeply. It was the authentic Ming Destiny military salute, "Your humble servant is the Guangxi Province's Officer General Song Ai. Greetings, Governor Daren."
When Wu Hanchao saw this, he was dumbfounded. Just now, when he saved this girl from the group of Wokou pirates, he heard her speak in a daze. He thought that this leader didn't read books or understand etiquette, so he was worried that this simple-minded girl, Xiao Ai, would stupidly ask stupid questions like commanding the wolf soldiers of six states or commanding the army of six provinces, which was higher and which was lower. He didn't expect that this Officer General Song would behave in a natural and dignified manner and speak in a proper manner. She was a completely different person from her previous straightforward and rude appearance.
He didn't know that the local official in Nandan Province was originally established during the Hongwu era. At that time, the official who was sent was Song Kaishi, who was a two-rank scholar and served as the Minister of Revenue. According to the rules, after he became a local official, Song Kaishi became a Zhuang family. After five generations, although his descendants' temperament and habits were no different from the Zhuang family, they still read books and learned literature and martial arts from a young age. How could they be regarded by the southern barbarians?
* * *
The sound of the zither was faint. Sometimes it was as thin as a hanging thread. If one didn't listen attentively, it was almost impossible to hear the sound of the strings. But if one tilted one's ear to listen and heard the gentle and low reverberating sound of the zither gradually rising, one's heart would feel like a flower petal that had fallen into a spring. It would swirl a few times with the waves and then float down freely. One's heart would feel indescribably comfortable.
'Wind Enters the Pines'. It was Yang Ling's favorite 'Wind Enters the Pines' again. Sitting cross-legged, Yang Ling closed his eyes and pretended to be refined as he listened. Then, he clapped his hands and applauded, "Good! This' Wind Enters the Pines' song is good and you played it even better. Cher is also good at the zither, but this' Wind Enters the Pines' song was played by you. The mood is very different from hers. I feel as if I was in the scene. Such a heavenly sound can only be heard by you, Miss Cheng. "
Yang Ling flattered her a lot. Seeing that Cheng Qiyun's pretty face was calm and didn't even lift her eyelids, completely ignoring him, he couldn't help but chuckle and say, "Don't be angry? Isn't this official safe and sound? Moreover, this time I sent out troops to wipe out six thousand Wokou pirates. When the news spreads, the morale of the six provinces will be greatly boosted. What's even rarer is that the twenty thousand Bear soldiers have been reborn and have become real soldiers.
Tomorrow, I will reward them according to their merits. Merits will be rewarded and mistakes will be punished. Rewards and punishments will be clear. Using this great victory as an opportunity, I will use military law and punishment as a method to reorganize the army. Then, I will order the generals to study the Wolf Soldiers of Guang Xi's infantry fighting techniques. Then, I will teach these twenty thousand soldiers. I want to use them as seeds to change the soldiers of the six provinces. In this way, the day of wiping out the Wokou pirates will be just around the corner. What a joyous occasion! Aren't you happy for me? "
Cheng Qiyun snorted softly through her nose. Her pretty eyes glanced at him and saw that he was very pleased with himself. The anger in her eyes subsided a little.
She sighed softly and said, "The son of a thousand gold cannot sit under the eaves. When Daren is training the troops, didn't you always say that the commander-in-chief should look at the overall situation and not act rashly? Why couldn't you restrain yourself and actually personally went to the battlefield? If something were to happen to you … if something were to happen to you … "
Yang Ling said softly, "I know … I've caused you to worry. Ai! What I've said is only under normal circumstances. If you're faced with these soldiers who don't know how to play, if you don't personally suppress them, even if you have a hundred clever plans, what's the use? This is an urgent matter. "
He noticed the weariness on Cheng Qiyun's face. He had been fighting outside for an entire night. She must have been on tenterhooks the whole night in the city, right?
During this period of time, Cheng Qiyun had shouldered too much pressure. Although she was extremely intelligent and talented, she had to shoulder so many things by herself. Thinking about all those headaches, Yang Ling couldn't help but feel a sense of pity. She had to arrange the internal factory's spy work, which had shifted its focus to him. She had to coordinate the complicated relationship with Dongchang, the West Factory, and the Imperial Bodyguard. She had to formulate and clean up the finances and taxes. She had to deal with the Governor's Office and the six provinces' commanding officials, administrative officials, and the Imperial Inspectorate. She also had to actively raise funds and allocate all the rations and supplies needed for Yang Ling to command the suppression of the bandits and the recruitment of reinforcements. It can be said that each of these tasks was a matter that exhausted her mind.
Although Yang Ling had been pretending to be confused, in fact, how could he not understand what she was trying to do?
"Qiyun, it's really been hard on you!" Yang Ling suddenly held Cheng Qiyun's small hands, which were as white as jade, and said to her apologetically.
Cheng Qiyun gently struggled, but did not break free from Yang Ling's hands. She gently raised her pair of beautiful eyes, which were like water, and stared at Yang Ling. Her eyes gradually overflowed with a touch of gentleness. All along, except for the two maidservants by her side, she could not express her emotions to anyone, even to the man who regarded her as a treasure. All day, she had to put on an act to please him.
Those people did not appreciate her talent, and they did not care about her feelings. They only wanted a beautiful pet, a signboard to raise their social status. They were willing to throw away a lot of money for her, but when had anyone ever respected her as a person?
Only this person in front of her, only this person who was younger than her by a few years, a man who made her feel both tender and inferior. Only he could walk so close to her heart. He was the most intimate man in her life, and also the only man. From now on, until forever …
The two of them did not speak. In the silence, a strange feeling flowed between each other's hearts. It was only when Cheng Qiyun's eyes became watery and began to emit an irresistible charm that Yang Ling suddenly let go. Turning his face, he interrupted, "When we returned to the city this morning, the Sichuan and Shandong troops had also arrived. I arranged for them to be stationed in the east of the city, preparing to first train them and observe their battle power. It would be best if they could receive guidance from my personal troops before entering battle. Arrange a portion of the rations and pay for them. "
Cheng Qiyun saw that he was hesitating, avoiding her gaze, and his expression was somewhat embarrassed. She could not help but reveal a victorious smile in her eyes.
She smiled lightly and said, "Yes, daren does not need to worry about these things. In a moment, I will send someone to arrange it."
At this time in the city of Suzhou, a group of tall and burly soldiers were strolling in the alley. They were the Shandong reinforcements that had just arrived this morning. Ordinary soldiers were naturally not allowed to leave the barracks, but this group of people were General Meng Sihai and his personal troops who had brought reinforcements. Who would dare to not allow them to leave the barracks?
The scenery of Suzhou was full of the characteristics of Jiangnan's water villages. The walls were white and black, the alleys flowing with water. This kind of gentleness and charm was very different from that of Shandong. Although Meng Sihai was a general, he had not been educated and did not know any poetry, but he could still see this unique gentleness and beauty of the scenery.
As Meng Sihai walked, he exclaimed in admiration, "Damn, the scenery of Jiangnan is really different from our Liaocheng. It's a pity that father does not know how to draw. Otherwise, I would draw one for my wife to see. Our courtyard would also be like this, it would definitely be beautiful!"
His personal captain, Zhong Fu, hurriedly said, "Daren, what's so difficult about this? Let's find someone who knows how to draw and have him find a nice house and draw it. When we go back, we will build it. Just ask a master to draw it. The ones who will do the hard work will be us brothers. Ai, Daren, what do you think of that house? "
Meng Sihai raised his head to take a look. He laughed and scolded, "Go to hell, that's a restaurant. How can I build a house like a restaurant? Do you want my wife to open a restaurant?"
Zhong Fu laughed awkwardly and said, "That's not true. I didn't notice the wine banners just now. Besides, their houses are all pretty much the same, it's all flowery and gaudy."
Meng Sihai rubbed his stomach and said, "I'm hungry after walking for a while. Let's go and have a taste of Jiangnan's food and see if it's good."
Zhong Fu squeezed his eyebrows and laughed, "All right, let's go. Daren is treating. Let's follow and bask in the glory."
Meng Sihai was a forthright person, and these personal soldiers did not lack to freeload from him. As soon as they heard that they were going to have a sumptuous meal with Daren, these soldiers became spirited and followed Meng Sihai excitedly into the restaurant.
The news that the Ming army had wiped out six thousand Wokou pirates in one night and recaptured the city of Wujiang had already spread. The common people of the city were jumping with joy. Inevitably many people wanted to go to the restaurant to drink and celebrate. Inside the restaurant, there were already six or seven tables filled with guests.
Zhong Fu led his men and rushed in. With one glance he saw that there were four tables against the wall inside, just enough to seat more than thirty of them. Hastily he rushed over and slapped the table. Raising his voice, he said, "Daren, there's a place here, quickly come and sit."
"Ai, ai, ai, father has already decided on that place. You should look for another restaurant." Following the shout, several Sichuan soldiers came down from upstairs. They were the Sichuan army that arrived this morning. The Commanding General Jiang Zhou also went to the city to take a stroll after setting up camp.
When he went upstairs, he saw that there were only two empty tables. He led a few of his personal soldiers to sit down and told the others to go downstairs. These few people had just returned downstairs when they saw a group of imperial soldiers wanting to snatch the empty table. They could not help but shout.
Zhong Fu and his group of personal soldiers were used to being rude and unreasonable. Moreover, with the Staff General here, they left dejectedly. How could they afford to lose face like this? Moreover, that man called himself father. Hearing this, Zhong Fu was also very unhappy. Without saying a few words, they slapped the table and glared at each other.
The restaurant owner and the diners saw that it was two groups of foreign soldiers fighting, nobody dared to step forward to stop them. They could only stand on one side in fear.
Jiang Zhou heard the quarrel downstairs and quickly rushed to the staircase to look down. He saw that both sides were just quarreling and his soldiers did not suffer any losses. He calmed himself down and crossed his arms as he stood there coldly looking down.
In terms of stature, his personal soldiers were a lot inferior to these Shandong soldiers. At first, they were still somewhat timid. But when they saw the Staff General leading a group of personal soldiers standing at the staircase to support them, they could not afford to lose face anymore.
As soon as he heard Zhong Fu bring up their Staff General to suppress him, the Sichuan army's captain, Qiao Zi 'an, curled his lips disdainfully and said in a strange tone, "You melon baby, bringing up your Staff General to scare father? You are Shandong's Staff General, can you control my Sichuan soldiers? Father does not care even if you beat him up. This table is mine. "
Zhong Fu's eloquence was not as smooth as his, he was so angry that his chest was heaving up and down. He was so angry that he could not speak, he could only pant heavily. Meng Sihai's face was livid, but as a dignified Staff General, it was not good for him to quarrel with these soldiers. He just narrowed his eyes and watched the movements of his personal soldiers.
When Qiao Zi 'an saw Zhong Fu's tongue-tied look, he became even more proud. He raised his thumb and said in a straightforward manner, "Father, try it. Today, father will stand here until he collapses. You baby, move a little and see. Don't look at your boorish appearance. If you anger father, he will casually beat you until smoke comes out of your turtle shell!"
Zhong Fu's lips trembled for a long time before he suddenly slammed the table and roared, "Brothers, let's f * ck this son of a servant!" As he said this, he rushed forward with the table and chairs. With a 'Shandong Big Arena', he knocked Qiao Zi 'an, who was puffing out his chest and belly, out of the room. With a' bang ', he smashed a table, scaring the diners to the side.
The group of ruffian soldiers immediately started fighting. Jiang Zhou, who was leading a group of personal guards, was furious when he saw the two sides were fighting. While cursing 'son of a b * tch', he rushed down the stairs. One of the Shandong soldiers, who was in the mood to fight, only saw a group of Sichuan soldiers rushing down the stairs to help. How could he care about his rank? Just as Jiang Zhou turned the corner of the stairs, that Shandong soldier had already picked up a stool and with a 'bang' smashed his head open.
More than 60 soldiers started a group fight. The diners in the restaurant were so scared that they scattered. Even the boss escaped. The restaurant owner could only hear the continuous sounds of 'son of a b * tch' and 'son of a servant'. The cracking sounds made the restaurant owner's heart ache.
A quick-witted waiter hurriedly said, "Boss, boss, these soldiers are under the control of the Governor's office. It's only two streets away. You should quickly go to the Governor's office and report this!"
The restaurant owner suddenly understood. He hurriedly pulled up his robe and stuffed it into his belt. He shouted, "Soldiers are fighting!" and hurriedly rushed to the Governor's office.
The shopkeeper shouted all the way. As soon as he turned the corner in front of him, he saw a group of people wearing sapphire blue round-collared, wide-sleeved shirts, black trousers, and black headscarves walking towards the Governor's yamen. In the group, there were a few young girls wearing blue embroidered shirts and ankle-length lace dresses.
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