On that day, the Ming army broke out of the encirclement of the Tatars and immediately fled to Jiming Posthouse, leaving all their chariots, horses, and baggage at Wuzha Ridge. Because the Tartars were fighting on foot, they were mixed up with the Ming army. As a result, they were forced to charge forward by the crazy crowd.
An unprecedented battle scene appeared on the plain in front of Jiming Posthouse. There were at least a hundred personal soldiers surrounding the generals of both sides, and the rest were mixed together. At the front were the Ming army, followed by the Tartars, and then the Ming army. All of them ran with their armor crooked and their horns and banners thrown away. They were rolling forward like pork belly.
The Tartars running at the front did not want to chase, but when they looked back, they saw that the Ming army was rushing over. If they stopped, they would probably be trampled to death even without killing them. They could only run forward as if they were risking their lives. Following behind the Ming army were the Tartars on the hills on the two wings. Seeing that there were their own people in front of the Ming army and that their leaders did not sound the bell to withdraw their troops, they also followed the flow and rushed forward. They fought as they ran. The strength of the soldiers was equal, and it was impossible to determine the winner for a while.
Ever since Yang Ling had been chased out of the county office to report the news, Magistrate Min had been worried and had ordered his men to carry him to the city wall to wait. At this moment, Magistrate Min was shocked when he saw the flood of troops approaching from afar. He hurriedly ordered the soldiers to set up the cannons and prepare to face the enemy.
When the rebels fled to the city gate tower, Magistrate Min saw this once-in-a-thousand-year wonder. He was tongue-tied and his eyebrows jumped. He really couldn't figure out if the Ming army had rebelled or if the Tartars had surrendered. Seeing that the rebels were still killing each other, he guessed the reason.
If the city gates were opened now, the Tartar rebels would definitely take advantage of the chaos to enter the city. If the army of more than ten thousand people used Jiming Posthouse as a battlefield, this ancient city would undoubtedly be destroyed. Min Wenjian made a prompt decision and immediately ordered Jiang Bin's troops to guard the city and not let a single person in.
The Ming soldiers shouted for the city to be opened. County Magistrate Huang helped Magistrate Min to stand on the city wall and shouted,""It is your duty to annihilate the enemy, and it is my duty to defend the territory. If the Tartars do not retreat, the city gates will not be opened!”
Extreme fear could sometimes produce the courage to kill. The frightened Ming soldiers had no way to retreat. They turned around and saw that the Tartars, who were usually tall and strong, were running like the wind. They were sweating profusely and were in a sorry state. At that moment, courage was born. Without any instructions from the general, they caught the pair and killed them.
County Magistrate Min had all four hundred soldiers stationed in the three cities move to the south city wall to assist the Ming army with bows and arrows. From time to time, they would shoot arrows. Although the enemy and the enemy were mixed and the damage was limited, the psychological deterrence was great.
Bayan Mengke personally led the army to intercept the Ming army at the end of the Gourd Valley. He waited for the fatigue, and the wolf-like Tartar soldiers met the Ming army who fought in a hurry. The Ming army collapsed and He Shijie and He Dusi died. Bayan had chased after him, but he hadn't expected the battle to turn out like this.
At this moment, he had the upper hand in terms of the number of people he had, and his close combat ability was far from what the Ming army could compare to. However, if he killed 1,000 people, he would lose 800 of his own. If he really wanted to wipe out these Ming army soldiers who were already desperate, he was not sure if the rest could return safely.
He did not forget that the Zhuolu Stone Horse Battalion commander was leading his army over. Although General Wei Guang's army was lured away by his own troops, the guerrilla general Yang Jialong's more than two thousand elites were also advancing in the direction of Huailai. If they could not end the battle quickly, they would be surrounded by the enemy. Therefore, Bayan Mengke could only lead his army to cover up for a while, but he had no choice but to pack up the rebels and retreat.
Fortunately, at this time, the Ming army was also fighting for themselves and could not effectively organize a counterattack. The chaotic battle lasted until midnight. Bayan Mengke was able to gather the remaining troops and retreat. He seized the Gourd Valley and rode away.
Only then did Min Zhixian open the city gate and lead the remaining soldiers into the city. The frightened Ming army hurriedly returned to the city, not even having the courage to clean up the battlefield. In this battle, the Ming army had lost 2,000 soldiers, and the other 300 chariots and 800 warhorses had all been lost in the Gourd Valley.
General He Shen guarded Jiming Posthouse for another three days. He was ordered by the Xuan Manor's commander to withdraw his troops and return to the city. Bi Dusi's troops stayed behind to guard Jiming. General He knew that his career was bleak. He had to wait patiently.
After Yang Ling returned, he had written down some of the knowledge he had learned about strengthening the quality of soldiers and the use of firearms and sent it to General He. In Yang Ling's opinion, the current army that had a strong general but not a large number of soldiers, and relied on the courage of the general when the two armies met, was too problematic. If the general was brave, the soldiers would be like lions, and if there was no general, the millions of soldiers would be scattered. However, as soon as he left, the thing he had painstakingly written down was thrown under the table by General He with a sneer. How could a scholar have any understanding of the military?
Eunuch Liu, on the other hand, quietly picked up the letter and kept it in his arms. Now, anything that was detrimental to General He was evidence that he was escaping responsibility and shifting the blame to others. Eunuch Liu, who had not read much, had actually written a high-level memorial to the throne and sent it to the capital. Our army suffered heavy losses and a fourth-grade official died in battle. It was all because of General He's domineering and reckless advance that he was taken advantage of by the Tartars.
On the seventh day after the war ended, Old Master Yang was worried about his home and property. Once the situation stabilized, he could not wait to lead his clansmen back to Yang Family Ping. Yang Ling let out a huge sigh of relief. In the past seven days, he finally understood how deep the family's imprint was on a person in this era. If a person in the family was outstanding, then regardless of how close they were to the family, he would have a huge responsibility for the entire family. There were sixty to seventy members of the Yang family, some of whom were still from the same branch nearly a hundred years ago. When they entered the city, they all asked him for food and shelter, as if it was his duty.
Furthermore, the others, be it the young ladies or their fellow countrymen, all thought that this was a matter of course. Yang Ling could not understand this. After sending these people away with great difficulty, Yang Ling returned to the post office in a relaxed manner. A small official came forward to report," Milord, there's a gentleman who wishes to see you. He's been waiting in the living room for a long time."
Yang Ling threw the reins of his horse to a courier and rushed to the small reception hall of the Courier Deputy Office. He saw an old man in a green robe sitting on a chair with his legs crossed, leisurely sipping tea. Yang Ling knew that the tea leaves in his Posthouse Office were divided into four grades. If it wasn't for the personal hospitality of the officials, the minor officials wouldn't have offered the best tea. That fourth-grade tea was still so tasty, so it seemed that he was not an extraordinary person. He relaxed and smiled calmly."Sir, I am the deputy of this county. What can I do for you?”
The green-robed old man was holding a cup of tea with one hand, while his other hand was tapping the drum lightly on the table. He looked like he was in his fifties, and his face was clear. His phoenix eyes were slightly closed. When he heard Yang Ling speak, he opened his eyes slightly and sized him up. He chuckled,"Brother Yang is back? Do you still recognize me?"
As he spoke, he gently placed the teacup on the table. Yang Ling noticed that he was wearing a jade-green ring on his finger. There were no artificial products back then, and judging from the warm color, it must have been very valuable. Yang Ling's heart skipped a beat, and he became curious about this person's identity. He looked at him carefully, and he found him familiar, but he could not recall where he had seen him before.
The green-robed old man saw Yang Ling's awkwardness and couldn't help but chuckle. He stood up and said,"" The last time we met was also in the Courier Station. At that time, I was a guest and you were a guest. I just didn't expect that a month later, you, a guest, would become the host."
Yang Ling let out an " ah " and cupped his hands happily." I remember now. You're a friend of Deputy Ma, Sir Ma. You're Old Mister Wu Jie, the medicine merchant from Sichuan and Shaanxi University."
Wu Jie, who was also the big medicine merchant who had helped Deputy Ma persuade the Wang family to withdraw the lawsuit, also laughed when he heard this. Then, his face straightened up and he said seriously,"I'm not Ma Yi Cheng's friend, but his superior. Yang Yicheng, I'm also your superior now."
Yang Ling's expression changed. He looked at the old man, who suddenly smiled like a spring breeze and had a murderous expression. He had a flash of inspiration and could not help but exclaim," Old sir, is it brocade?"
Wu Jie smiled and said slowly,""Aren't you the same now? Lord Yang, Centurion Yang!"
Yang Ling was stunned. Centurion? Baihu was a sixth-grade official, and it was a military position under the Wei Office. When did he join the army and become a Baihu?
Wu Jie saw his shocked expression and laughed as he waved his hand."Don't be surprised. The Ministry of Official Personnel has already written a letter for you to act as the deputy of the post station. You will probably receive the appointment a little later. Although our Ming Dynasty's post officers are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue, everyone knows that these post officers are all members of our Brocade Guard.
You are a fifteen-year scholar of Hongzhi, and your family background is clean. You are the descendant of the famous Yang family of the Northern Song Dynasty. I am now under the orders of Lord Zhang, the governor of the North Town, to summon you into the Royal Guards. You will be in charge of intelligence investigation in Huailai and will be given the position of a hundred households. Everything will be directly under my command."
As Wu Jie spoke, he took out a scroll and a waist token from his sleeve. He smiled and handed them to Yang Ling."Centurion Yang, Deputy Ma has worked hard for half his life and has yet to be promoted to Centurion. Although you have just become a Deputy, you have made great contributions to our Great Ming and thus received this commendation. Hehe, the hundred households of the Brocade Guard are better than the thousand households in the army. Don't let down the appreciation of the Governor Zhang.”
Yang Ling took Ren Yu's waist token in a daze and stuttered,""Milord, I really don't understand. When have I ever done anything great?”
Wu Jie smiled and said," It's good to claim credit without being arrogant. However, you don't have to be humble when it's yours. The little Tartar prince set up an ambush in Gourd Valley and wanted to capture our army in one fell swoop. Fortunately, the secret scouts of the Royal Guards got the news and Yang Yicheng reported on his flying horse. Only then did the Ming army avoid the disaster of being overthrown. Isn't this a great merit?"”
"What?" Yang Ling cried out involuntarily. How could this be? Lord Qianhu misunderstood. When I received the news and rushed over, it was already too late. If Bi Dusi hadn't led the army to forcefully open up a bloody path, our army would have died. He suddenly felt a chill in his heart and couldn't continue speaking.
At this moment, Thousand Housekeeper Wu, who had a clean face and elegant bearing, had a cold gaze. He exuded the coldness of a person who could decide the life and death of others at any time. He smiled faintly, and after a long time, he said word by word,""The little prince of Tartar set up an ambush in Gourd Valley to wipe out our army. General He was greedy for credit and advanced rashly. Yang Yicheng of the Royal Guards reported on his flying horse, which saved the Ming army from the disaster of being overthrown, right?”
Yang Ling's heart turned cold, and he said subconsciously," This lowly official is."
Wu Jie nodded slightly. Suddenly, he smiled and said,"You are a scholar, living far away from the court, and don't know anything about the court. There are some things that you don't understand, so it's not your fault. But now that you are a member of the Jinyiwei, there are some things that you don't understand, but now you must understand!”
Yang Ling couldn't help but say,"Sir, are you saying…"
Wu Jie rubbed his chin with his finger that was wearing a jade ring and said slowly,"The Imperial Court needs a face, the army needs a scapegoat, and the Embroidered Uniform Guards need this credit, understand?”
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