Chapter 892: Your Humble General Has Done His Best
In the eighth year of Chongzhen's reign...
The Chuǎng Wang and Dashing General's forces, having joined together, set out from Nanyang, preparing to assault the Xianling Mausoleum.
The Xianling Mausoleum was the joint burial site of Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty's father, Emperor Gongrui Xian Zhu Youyuan, and his mother, Empress Cixiao Xian.
With the ancestral tombs in Fengyang already desecrated, if Xianling were to fall as well, the imperial prestige of the Great Ming Dynasty would be utterly shattered.
Lu Xiangheng, then the Supreme Commander of five provinces, immediately led five thousand troops to the area, ordering his deputy generals, Li Chongzhen, Lei Shisheng, and Zhou Yuanru, to combine their camps and suppress the rebels in Nanyang.
Lu Xiangheng's Tianxiong Army was renowned for its formidable fighting power and soaring morale, ranking among the strongest armies in the realm.
However, this battle proved much tougher than anticipated.
The two sides fought from morning until midnight, with no clear victor...
Surprisingly, even the immensely powerful Tianxiong Army could not gain an advantage in their engagements with the rebel forces.
Lu Xiangheng's five thousand troops occupied only a small camp.
In contrast, the vast rebel army facing them numbered over a hundred thousand strong. Their camps stretched for several li, disappearing into the distance.
Lu Xiangheng stood on a tall watchtower, a worried expression on his face. "Something is not right," he muttered. "These rebels' combat strength is steadily increasing, and their numbers are vast. What are we to do if this continues?"
His deputy general, Li Chongzhen, stepped closer. "General, what if I lead a detachment of fierce soldiers to launch a night raid?"
Lu Xiangheng shook his head. "During the day, we fought against overwhelming numbers, with five thousand warriors engaged in a relay battle against seventy-two rebel camps. They could rotate and rest, but our men were fighting ceaselessly and are already utterly exhausted. If we don't let our soldiers sleep, how can they endure? The enemy camps stretch for several li; even if a night raid on one point succeeded, it would only cause chaos in a small section of their camp, while the other rebel camps would remain unaffected. Tomorrow morning, if they attack again, our fatigued army would face certain defeat."
Li Chongzhen sighed.
Lu Xiangheng gazed far into the distance at the vast, dark mass of enemy camps, feeling a knot of irritation. The rebel army had become increasingly arrogant. Before, they would flee at the first engagement; now, they surprisingly established camps spanning *li*, openly challenging the government troops.
On his side, however, he had only five thousand subordinates, insufficient troops, and dwindling provisions, giving him the distinct feeling of "fighting against Cao Cao's army at Red Cliffs."
Just as he was feeling dejected, his deputy general Lei Shisheng rushed in. "Supreme Commander Lu, our logistics have unexpectedly arrived!"
"Logistics?" Lu Xiangheng paused in surprise. "Where would we get supplies from?"
Indeed, the imperial army had no dedicated logistics corps whatsoever. Zhu Youjian could not collect taxes, so poor that the inner garments beneath his dragon robe were patched. Military stipends were already insufficient, let alone logistics. Lu Xiangheng had to rely on local officials to scrounge up provisions wherever they marched.
Lei Shisheng said excitedly, "It's your old subordinate from when you were the Pacification Commissioner of Yunyang! He paid out of his own pocket to send us these supplies."
Upon hearing the words "Pacification Commissioner of Yunyang," Lu Xiangheng immediately recalled the subordinate who had given him the least worry throughout his career. That, without a doubt, was Shangnan Guard Commander Luo Xi, along with Luo Xi's subordinate Zheng Gouzi, and the wealthy Mr. Li who secretly funded him.
He quickly went out of the camp to personally greet them.
Under the cover of night, a convoy of carts silently approached his camp gate. Leading it was a man in civilian clothes; it was Luo Xi. Zheng Gouzi and Padi Tu were nowhere to be seen beside Luo Xi, but Mr. Li was there.
Lu Xiangheng was overjoyed, feeling the joy of seeing long-lost friends. "Commander Luo, Mr. Li! It's been a long time. What brings you here?"
Luo Xi whispered, "Shh! Your humble general is the Shangnan Guard Commander; I absolutely cannot be seen in Henan. I came secretly."
Lu Xiangheng was startled. That was true. He quickly silenced himself.
Li Daoxuan clasped his hands in greeting toward Lu Xiangheng, smiling faintly. "Lord Lu, congratulations on your promotion to Supreme Commander of five provinces."
Lu Xiangheng gave a bitter smile. "My responsibilities have grown heavier, but my capabilities have not increased. I am truly apprehensive now. You see, my five thousand men, facing a hundred thousand rebels, are stuck in this deadlock."
Concluding his thought, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh, adding, "Remaining in a stalemate is still fortunate; I fear we will be defeated tomorrow... Our military pay is insufficient, and the soldiers are fighting on empty stomachs..."
Li Daoxuan said, "I came precisely to solve this problem."
As he spoke, numerous horse-drawn carts rumbled into the camp, all laden with military provisions.
Lu Xiangheng beamed with delight. "With these provisions, our army's morale will surely be rekindled! We will surely defeat the rebel army and prevent them from advancing south!"
Li Daoxuan replied, "The main rebel force is currently in Nanyang. Lord Lu is blocking them to the south, and Commander Luo is holding Shangnan County to prevent them from advancing west back into Shaanxi. Cao Wenzhao is currently in Luoyang, preventing the rebels from heading north. The only direction they can escape is to the east... I'm here to caution you, Lord Lu, about the east."
"The east?" Lu Xiangheng thought carefully, then shook his head. "To the east is Zuo Liangyu, stationed in Runing Prefecture. Zuo Liangyu's strength is not to be underestimated; the rebels should not be able to break through his lines."
Li Daoxuan said meaningfully, "It would be best not to trust Zuo Liangyu too much."
"Oh?" Lu Xiangheng responded.
Li Daoxuan saw his surprised expression, evidently unexpected that Li Daoxuan would say such a thing.
A moment's thought made him realize that his words sounded like speaking ill of Zuo Liangyu behind his back, a common workplace act of "slandering a colleague."
If he could not produce concrete evidence, speaking like this would not only be useless but also incur the "leader's" displeasure.
Realizing this, Li Daoxuan said no more.
Not everyone can foresee the future!
One must understand that with asymmetric information, others' ways of thinking differ from your own.
Li Daoxuan clasped his hands in greeting. "The supplies have been delivered. I shall take my leave now. I wish Lord Lu a swift victory."
Lu Xiangheng replied, "Many thanks, Mr. Li, for your immense generosity and for bringing provisions to our army."
That very night, Lu Xiangheng dispatched commandants Zhu Wenjin and Chen Qimei, among others, to distribute the supplies provided by Li Daoxuan to the five thousand soldiers.
With full stomachs, the soldiers regained their strength.
By noon the next day, the Tianxiong Army decisively defeated the peasant rebels, beheading several hundred and capturing figures like Zilai Hu, Yong Hu, Gongshan Hu, and Zhang Xiner, seizing two cannons and countless other weapons and equipment.
As Lu Xiangheng gazed at the rebels' cannons, lost in thought, The rebels retreated in disarray to the east, passing through Runing.
The prominent general Zuo Liangyu, stationed in Runing, immediately led his troops to engage. The two sides "battled for three hundred rounds" outside Runing City. Zuo Liangyu achieved a resounding victory, claiming several hundred "rebel" heads, many of which belonged to women and children.
The main rebel force, meanwhile, passed through Runing and once again escaped the encirclement.
Afterward, Lu Xiangheng questioned Zuo Liangyu, "How did you let the rebels escape?"
Zuo Liangyu replied, "Your humble general had only three thousand men and could only hold off thirty thousand rebels in battle, while the other hundred thousand or so seized the opportunity to flee. Your humble general has done his best."
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