Daming: From the end of Hongwu

But at the next moment, his face became serious again: "Xiao Man, put on my coir raincoat and accompany me to the city. Don't let the doggy Sheng Yong steal my city in this kind of doggy weather."

"Yes." Cao Xiaoman happily found a coir raincoat and helped Zhen Wu put it on.

Then, Zhen Wu led a group of people towards the top of the city.

This time, the [-]-man team that Zhen Wu left behind belonged to Zhang Wu and Xue Lu. They guarded two city walls each. The spirit must not be negligent, and after Zhang Wu promised, Zhen Wu then went to Xue Lu's side with peace of mind.

Xue Lu was in charge of cavalry most of the time before, so relatively speaking, Zhen Wu was more worried about Xue Lu defending the city.

After he arrived at Xue Lu's side, under Xue Lu's leadership, he turned around the two city walls that Xue Lu was to guard more carefully until he finished the tour. Zhen Wu saw that there were no omissions, so he gave up.

But when Zhen Wu was about to go back, a fast horse came from outside the city. After the soldiers at the city gate verified their identities, Zhen Wu got into the tower and asked someone to lead them here.

The person who came was a scout sent by Zhen Wu to Yanzhou.

After he came over, Zhen Wu listened to the scout's report while shaking the rain on his body, but the next moment he listened, Zhen Wu said in surprise: "What did you say? Yanzhou has gathered more than 20 troops? "

"Back to the right general, I have seen with my own eyes that there are at least 25 people in the Yanzhou barracks." The scout reported.

Zhen Wu cursed in his heart.

Fuck it.

Why did the court move so fast.

Zhen Wu suddenly asked: "How's the weather in Yanzhou these days? Is there any sign of rain?"

The scout didn't understand what Zhen Wu's question meant, but after thinking about it for a while, he still reported truthfully: "The sun has been shining brightly for the past few days, and there is no sign of rain."

Zhen Wu's face darkened, and he immediately thought about it. If Sheng Yong's troops had been assembled, he would definitely make some moves. Speaking of which, Zhen Wu was not afraid that Sheng Yong would attack Jinan City. He had more than 2 people defending the city. If he could keep it for a month, he was afraid that Sheng Yong would not play his cards according to common sense, directly ignore Jinan City, and lead his troops to support Dongchang instead.

You must know that Zhu Di was blocked by the heavy rain on the road now, so he had to delay time, and after Zhu Di defeated Dongchang, he still needed time to integrate Xu Kai's troops.

If Sheng Yong moved fast enough, he would definitely be able to block Zhu Di in Dongchang, forcing Zhu Di to confront him.

This is not a good time for a duel.

Zhen Wu's gaze was fixed, he looked at the scouts and said in a deep voice: "You simply take a short rest, and then return to Yanzhou quickly, you must keep an eye on Sheng Yong, if Sheng Yong makes any moves, you must report immediately, understand? "

Seeing Zhen Wu's solemn expression, the scouts unconsciously paid attention to it.

He said: "General You, I can hold on, I don't need to rest, I can go back to Yanzhou right now."

"Good."

Zhen Wu praised: "Xiao Man, give him credit for a while, and then quickly prepare some food and horses for this little brother, and send him out of the city."

Cao Xiaoman went down in response, and after a while, Cao Xiaoman brought back some food and prepared two rested fast horses for the scouts.

The scouts didn't waste time, after bidding farewell to Zhen Wu, they got on their horses and braved the heavy rain and headed towards Yanzhou Kuai Ma.

Zhen Wu watched the scouts go away, looked at the rain, and his heart sank again. The rain might take a few days to stop completely.

He said silently in his heart, Zhu Di, Zhu Di.

You must move quickly.

……

At this time, in the Yanzhou military camp, Sheng Yong was reviewing a newly added unit and some equipment. He was fascinated by the cannons neatly placed in front of him, as if he was looking at them in his dream. Lovers in general.

"it is good."

Sheng Yong was delighted and couldn't help but praised: "With these cannons, I can see how the Yan army's fine cavalry are still running freely, and they like field battles? If I can go down to ten thousand enemies with one cannon, I can blow up their wives in ten battles."

The lieutenant beside him also had a happy face at this moment, and he smiled and handed Sheng Yong a gun: "General, look at this gun again."

As soon as Sheng Yong took it over and looked it over, a look of surprise appeared on his face: "This is the latest one made by the Ministry of Industry? It looks different from the three-eyed and single-eyed guns I've seen before."

A military craftsman stood up at this moment and said: "Not only is it different, it is a hundred times better than the previous blunderbuss. Didn't the general see that there is no matchlock? This blunderbuss has a mechanism inside, and the projectile can be fired directly by pulling the trigger. "

hiss.

Sheng Yong took a breath and said, "Go, go out and try."

When everyone went outside, a soldier had already set up a target in front of Sheng Yong. After Sheng Yong loaded the gunpowder projectile, took aim, and pulled the trigger, the projectile hit the opposite target with a sound.

Sheng Yong couldn't help being overjoyed and said, "This is an artifact."

As he spoke, he looked towards the expert and said, "Quickly introduce me."

The military craftsman nodded and said: "This blunderbuss is called Zhongwu blunderbuss. It took nearly ten years of research and improvement by the Manufacturing Supervision Bureau to have the current appearance. It took several years of effort to mix the black powder and flint technology alone. And the two don’t always get along well, and there are often cases where sparks can’t ignite the black powder, so far only a few thousand guns have been made, and this time the emperor gave special approval for us to bring them all over.”

Speaking of this, the military craftsman asked with a strange expression: "Does the general know why this gun is called Zhongwu?"

"Why?" Sheng Yong asked.

The military craftsman pointed to the north and said, "It is said that it was researched by Ma Zhenwu of Yong'an County and Master Mu Zhong, so it was named Zhongwu Gun. It seems to be a gift from King Yan to Taizu in the 25th year of Hongwu. , Taizu thought this weapon was extremely powerful, so he transferred Master Mu Zhong back to the capital to study this weapon, and at the same time reprimanded King Yan, not letting King Yan touch this weapon."

"Oh, there's this one more thing?"

The military craftsman nodded.

Sheng Yong laughed out loud, he didn't know what kind of expression Zhu Di would have when he found out that the firecracker he dedicated to the Taizu was now used against him.

And it's such a sharp weapon.

What is this called?

Lift your rock and lick your own feet!

But no matter what, with this blunderbuss, he has a lot more confidence in dealing with Zhu Di's fine cavalry. Today is really a surprise.

At this moment, a soldier ran over in a panic, and he whispered something in Sheng Yong's ear.

Sheng Yong's expression changed.

His lieutenant asked: "General, what happened?"

Sheng Yong said in a deep voice: "Accurate news has come, saying that Zhu Di has moved westward with the intention of attacking Dongchang."

The lieutenant's face also changed.

Sheng Yong said: "Let's go and look at the map first." After speaking, he took the lead in striding towards his tent.

When the two arrived in the big tent, Sheng Yong looked at the map and narrowed his eyes. He pointed at the location of Dongchang City and said, "Zhu Di has a good plan. He wants to get rid of Xu Kai, and then go north to eat the truth." Wu Jie and Ping An are determined, so that no one in Hebei and Shandong can threaten his retreat, and then he can enter Jinan again, relying on Jinan's strong city, he can definitely fight us decisively or confront us for a long time."

While talking, Sheng Yong sighed: "It's a good plan. If Zhu Di succeeds, we won't be able to take back Jinan City."

The deputy general frowned deeply, and asked a question: "No, Xu Kai has tens of thousands of soldiers and horses in Dongchang. Why does Zhu Di think that he can take down Dongchang, and as long as his army is not in Jinan, we can attack Jinan with all our strength? If you don’t believe that he is willing to leave tens of thousands of troops in Jinan, we can completely compare with him to see who can destroy the city faster, at worst, we will trade Dongchang for Jinan, and we will not lose.”

"You're wrong."

Sheng Yong shook his head and said: "Since Zhu Di has been guarding Beiping, he has been out of the country to fight all the year round. His military ability is extremely strong. He can definitely think of everything you can think of, but he still dares to attack Dongchang. There must be a way we don't know. Break through Dongchang City very quickly, so we absolutely can't do what he wants, if we really let him play a solid rear, we will also fall into a passive situation."

"Then what is the general going to do?"

Sheng Yong said in a deep voice: "Soldiers are dispatched to Dongchang. If the action is fast enough and Dongchang City is not broken, they will attack Xu Kai back and forth. If it is too late, then Zhu Di must be dragged to the decisive battle in Dongchang. We cannot let him take Wu Jie and Pingan defeated each other."

"But in the decisive battle in Dongchang, what if..." The lieutenant general didn't say the following words.

Sheng Yong smiled confidently: "We have added countless artillery and guns, just enough to restrain Zhu Di's cavalry, and the strength of the troops is higher than Zhu Di's. If we dare not fight decisively like this, then we don't have to fight, let alone these days I lead Zhu Di's troops I have read all the dossiers since then, and I am familiar with his combat habits, and I have also discovered one of his fatal weaknesses, so I can guarantee victory in this battle."

Seeing Sheng Yong's confident look, the deputy general was subdued unconsciously. He clasped his fists and said, "Since that's the case, Bei Zhijin obeys the general's order. Please give the general's order."

"Call all the generals and march to Dongchang!" Sheng Yong said in a deep voice.

The lieutenant general took the order.

Sheng Yong looked at the back of the lieutenant general going down, and then turned his eyes to the direction of Dongchang. There seemed to be dark clouds condensing and rolling over there. He knew that within a few days, Dongchang would definitely attract all the attention from all over the country.

This is a big fight.

What Sheng Yong didn't expect or consider so much was that the result of this battle would also directly determine who should lead the Ming Dynasty.

This is not only a big battle, but also a decisive battle that will determine the fate of many people.

……

Chapter 294 - The Eve of the Showdown

Sheng Yong's actions were very fast. After convening all the generals on the same day and discussing the battle plan, the army only prepared for one day before heading towards Dongchang in mighty strength.

They traveled as fast as they could along the way, and when they arrived at Dongping Prefecture, Zhen Wu, who was guarding Jinan, received the report from the scouts.

Yanzhou is a little far away from Jinan, so the information time difference is unavoidable.

Zhen Wu looked at the map with a deep expression on his face. Zhang Wu next to him was surprised and said: "Dongping Prefecture! Sheng Yong made it clear that he was going to Dongchang. What happened now? The rainy day on our side just ended yesterday. Your Highness and the others Because of the weather, the journey must not be fast, I'm afraid we may not be able to reach Dongchang City at this moment, if His Highness and the others finish fighting Dongchang, Sheng Yong's army will definitely be able to bite His Highness and them."

Xue Lu also said with a gloomy face: "Sheng Yong, this guy, I didn't expect to have some skills. Now we are really in trouble. The problem is that none of us thought that Sheng Yong's movements would be so fast, and he could move in such a short time. Integrate the Huai'an soldiers and horses and the defeated army together within a short period of time. If this matter is placed on Li Jinglong, it will take less than a month, and Sheng Yong dares to be so decisive, ignoring the bait of our Jinan, and go straight to His Highness."

"Empiricism is bad." Zhen Wu couldn't help but sigh irritably.

They had been fighting with the Southern Army for so long, and they could not help forming empirical impressions of the various reactions of the Southern Army, but how could it be that the Southern Army had not improved as they thought.

This kind of carelessness directly led to a big loophole in their previous strategy, and when the loophole was caught by Sheng Yong, it caused a major crisis for the entire army.

"We have to find a way to hold Sheng Yong down, at least to buy some time for His Royal Highness, as long as there is a time gap, after His Highness and the others have integrated Xu Kai's troops, it is a good choice whether it is to go north and return to Jinan." " Zhen Wu frowned and said in a low voice.

"How can we procrastinate? We only have more than 2 people, and we still need to keep troops to defend Jinan City." Xue Lu said.

Zhang Wu had a bold idea at this time, he said: "You said that we can go to fight Yanzhou, and there are no heavy troops in Huai'an now, we can even go straight to the capital."

"Surround Wei and save Zhao?" Xue Lu's eyes lit up and said, "If that's the case, Sheng Yong will definitely have to turn around."

Zhen Wu shook his head and said: "It's easy to think about. Although there are no heavy troops in Huai'an, there are guards in every city, not to mention that there are at least 2 soldiers left in the guard force of the capital, and Mei Yin is in the south of the Yangtze River. Calling soldiers from all over the country, even if we kill more than [-] people, there will be no splash. Even if Sheng Yong is scared by us, he will definitely take Jinan City when we are no longer a threat. In this case, Your Highness The meaning of their going to Dongchang is completely gone.”

Zhang Wu and Xue Lu thought for a while, and after understanding, they nodded in unison.

"But what should we do now? We can't just watch Sheng Yong go to Dongchang." Zhang Wudao.

"Of course not."

Zhen Wu thought as he said, "Well, Xue Lu, go and gather all our cavalry troops, and you and I will harass Sheng Yong's grain roads for as long as you can, and Zhang Wu, you will guard for me." In Jinan City, send someone to inform His Highness quickly, so that His Highness and the others must move faster."

Zhang and Wu thought about it, and found that it had to be like this, so they hurried down to do business.

And Zhen Wu went back to the room and asked the soldiers to help him put on the armor.

Cao Xiaoman looked at Zhen Wu from the side, and couldn't help feeling a little worried. He knew that although Zhen Wu's health was getting better day by day, he was still not completely recovered. How could he not go to the battlefield in this state? Worrying.

What's more, he has been with Zhen Wu for ten years, and he has long regarded Zhen Wu as his own brother in his heart.

Therefore, Cao Xiaoman couldn't help talking too much.

"General You, why don't you stay in Jinan and let General Xue take the cavalry to harass the grain road, your body..." Cao Xiaoman didn't say the rest of the words.

But Zhen Wu understood, but he still shook his head.

Zhen Wu stretched out his hands, asked the soldiers to help him put on the armor, and looked towards the sky. He knew better than anyone else that if they couldn't hold Sheng Yong back, then they would have a fateful battle in Dongchang.

This battle is crucial, he is not here, don't worry.

After the soldiers helped Zhen Wu put it on, Zhen Wu held Ma Qian firmly, endured the stinging pain in his arm, and said firmly, "Let's go."

soon.

The defensive arrangement of Jinan City has been re-adjusted, and the remaining [-] cavalry troops are all ready. Zhen Wu brought Cao Xiaoman to the front of all the cavalry troops. The army rushed out of Jinan City.

Zhen Wu is an expert in using cavalry, and his cavalry is all elite, he can guarantee that no one can keep the cavalry led by him.

Like the peace that hovers behind them.

This person was also extremely brave, even if he had a broken arm, but even if he led the elite cavalry and wanted to run with all his heart, there were still not many people who could stay safe.

After all, the army is too clumsy compared to the cavalry. Even if you want to send the cavalry to intercept, it depends on the quality of the cavalry.

Therefore, even if Zhen Wu led the cavalry to go deep into Sheng Yong's rear, he would not be too afraid.

Zhen Wu was not too polite, they directly inserted into the middle area between Dongping Prefecture and Yanzhou, sent a large number of scouts to explore Sheng Yong's grain road, and then began to attack frequently.

Sheng Yong didn't have much preparation, and Zhen Wu succeeded repeatedly.

And when Sheng Yong learned that Zhen Wu frequently attacked his grain road, Sheng Yong was not angry but happy instead of what Zhen Wu expected, which made all the generals who saw this scene puzzled.

Sheng Yong explained to the generals with a smile: "If I had doubts about going to Dongchang before, but Zhen Wu's actions have strengthened my confidence. Think about it, he harassed me. What is the intention? It's very simple. It's nothing more than wanting to stop me from going to Dongchang. Then I really can't do what he wants. Pass my order, and the rear army will send all the cavalry to protect the grain road. The army, increase the speed by another three points, and head to Dongchang quickly."

All the generals were stunned, and then looked at Sheng Yong with admiration, clasped his fists and accepted the order.

When Zhen Wu found out that Sheng Yong's army was three points faster, he couldn't help but sigh. To be honest, this was a bit beyond his expectation. He didn't expect Sheng Yong to really be willing to go.

This also made Zhen Wu have to sigh, Sheng Yong is really not a mediocrity.

Afterwards, more and more cavalry troops were in charge of protecting Shengyong's food road, and Zhen Wu's actions were no longer as simple as before. After doing his best, Zhen Wu could only look in the direction of Dongchang, hoping that Zhu Di would act after getting the information. It can also be brought up.

……