Chapter 43: Brocade Clothes and Hundred Families

  On that day, the Ming army broke out of the Tatars' encirclement and immediately fled to Jimingyi, abandoning all their vehicles and heavy equipment at Wuzhai Ridge. The Tatars, being cavalrymen who had dismounted to fight on foot, became mixed in with the Ming troops, and as a result were swept up by the frantic tide of people and carried along involuntarily.

  On the plain in front of Chicken Cry Post, an unprecedented battle scene appeared. The generals and lieutenants of both sides were surrounded by at least a hundred or so personal soldiers, while the rest were all mixed together. Charging in the front was the Ming army, behind them were the Tartars, and further back again were the Ming army, each one running with their helmets askew and armor awry, having lost all their bugles and war flags, forming a rolling forward "five-flower meat".

  The Tartars running in the front had no intention of pursuing, but when they looked back, they saw that the Ming army was rushing forward in a mighty torrent. If they stopped their footsteps, they would be trampled to death without even being killed. They could only run desperately towards the front. The Tartars following behind the Ming army were originally on the two winged mountain tops. Seeing that there were their own people in front of the Ming army and not seeing the leader sounding the gold to retreat, they also followed the trend and rushed forward. Both sides ran and fought, with equal strength, and for a time, it was impossible to distinguish between victory and defeat.

  After Yang Ling rushed out of the county government to report, Min County Magistrate was uneasy and had him carried to the city gate to wait. At this time, he saw from a distance that an army like a flood was approaching, Min County Magistrate was startled, and hastily ordered the soldiers who stayed behind to set up the big cannons, preparing to meet the enemy.

  When the defeated army fled to the foot of the city wall, Min Zhixian saw this rare sight in a thousand years. For a moment, he stared with his mouth open and his two eyebrows jumped straight up. He really couldn't figure out whether it was the Ming army mutiny or the Tartars surrendering. When he saw that the defeated army at the foot of the city wall was still fighting each other with swords and guns, he finally guessed a few reasons.

  At this time, if the city gate is opened, the enemy will surely take advantage of the chaos and enter the city. If more than 10,000 soldiers are allowed to turn the Ji Ming Yi into a battlefield, the ancient city will be destroyed without a doubt. Min Wenjian made a decisive decision and immediately ordered Jiang Bin's troops to strictly guard the city and not allow anyone to enter.

  The soldiers of the Ming army outside the city shouted to open the gate, and Huang Xiancheng supported Min Zhizhou to stand on the city head, shouting loudly: "Eliminating the enemy is your responsibility, defending the land is the responsibility of this county, the Tartars will not retreat, and the city gate will not be opened!"

  Extreme fear can sometimes produce the courage to kill, and the Ming army soldiers who were in a state of panic had no way out. Looking back, they saw that the Tartars, who used to be so proud and came and went like the wind, were now just like them, running with sweat dripping down their backs and looking disheveled. Suddenly, courage arose, and without needing any orders from their commanders, they began fighting in pairs.

  The commander of Min County moved all the more than 400 officials and soldiers who were guarding the three cities to the south city wall, using bows and arrows to assist the Ming army below the city, shooting cold arrows from time to time. Although the enemy was mixed with our own people, the killing power was limited, but the psychological deterrent force was extremely great.

  Bayan Mengke led the army to intercept the Ming army at the end of the gourd valley, with the Mongolian soldiers waiting for the tired and hasty Ming army like wolves and tigers. The Ming army collapsed as soon as they touched, and He Shijie, the commander of the Ming army, died in battle. Bayan Mengke chased after them, but did not expect that the battle would turn out to be so easy.

  At this time, his troops outnumbered the Ming army slightly, and their close combat capabilities were far superior to those of the Ming army. However, if he wanted to annihilate these Ming soldiers who had gone berserk, killing 1,000 of them would cost him 800 casualties. If he really wanted to wipe out these Ming soldiers who had already lost their minds and were fighting for their lives, he wasn't sure if his remaining troops could return safely.

  He didn't forget that the commander of the Stone Horse Camp, Shi Ma, was leading his army to come, although General Wei Guang's main force had been lured away by another route, but General Yang Jialong's more than 2,000 elite troops were also advancing towards Huai, if they couldn't win quickly, they would be surrounded by the enemy, so Bai Yan could only lead the army to launch a surprise attack and then reluctantly gather the defeated soldiers to start retreating.

  Fortunately, the Ming army was also fighting separately at this time and could not effectively organize a counterattack. The chaotic battle continued until midnight, when Bayan Temur was able to gather his remaining troops and retreat, fleeing on horseback far away from Hulu Valley.

  Min Zhixian then opened the city gate and led the remnants of his army into the city. The Ming army, like a frightened bird, hastily returned to the city, without even having the courage to clean up the battlefield. In this battle, the Ming army lost 2,000 soldiers, as well as 300 war chariots and 800 war horses, all of which were abandoned in Hulu Valley.

  He Can stayed in Jimingyi for another three days, and then received the order from the General's Mansion to withdraw his troops back to the city. Bi Dou, the commander of the Imperial Guard, was left behind with his men to guard Jimingyi. He Can knew that his future prospects were bleak, so he quietly waited for further instructions.

  Yang Ling returned and wrote down some knowledge about strengthening the quality of soldiers and the use of firearms, which he had learned himself, to send to General He. In Yang Ling's view, the current situation where generals are valued over soldiers is a big problem. The two armies clashed, relying solely on the bravery of the generals, and if the general was brave, then the soldiers would be like fierce lions, but without a general, even a million soldiers would scatter like sand. However, as soon as he left, General He sneered at his writings and threw them under the desk: "A scholar, what insight can you have into military matters?"

  It was that Liu Gonggong who quietly picked up the letter and put it in his own pocket. Now, anything that is unfavorable to He Can is evidence of his escape from responsibility and shifting blame onto others. This Liu Gonggong, who didn't read many books, surprisingly wrote a high-level memorial report that was quickly sent to the capital: Our army suffered heavy losses, a fourth-rank official died in battle, all because General He Can acted arbitrarily and recklessly, and was caught off guard by the enemy.

  On the seventh day after the war, Old Man Yang was worried about his family's property and couldn't wait to return to Yangjiaping with his clan as soon as the situation stabilized. Yang Ling let out a big sigh; in these seven days, he realized how deeply the family brand was imprinted on a person's body in this era. If one person in the family stood out, no matter how distant the relationship, they bore great responsibility for the entire family. The Yang clan had sixty or seventy mouths to feed, some of whom were from the same branch as a hundred years ago; after entering the city, they all reasonably and confidently asked him for food, clothing, and shelter, as if it was his duty.

  Moreover, others, whether they were young women or colleagues from the same hometown, also thought this was a matter of course. In Yang Ling's view, it was really hard to understand. After finally sending away these people, Yang Ling returned to the post house with a light heart. A small official came forward and reported: "Sir, there is a gentleman who wants to see you, he has been waiting in the guest hall for a long time."

  Yang Ling handed the reins to a courier and rushed to the small reception hall of the relay station, where he saw an old man in a green robe sitting on a chair with his legs crossed, slowly savoring tea. Yang Ling knew that the tea leaves in this relay station were divided into four grades, and if it weren't for officials who were personally entertained, the low-ranking officials would not serve the best tea. The fourth-grade inferior tea could still be drunk with such flavor, it seemed that he was not a particularly impressive figure, so Yang Ling put his mind at ease and smiled calmly: "Sir, I am the relay station master of this county, what teachings do you have for me?"

  That old man in a green robe held a cup of tea in one hand and gently tapped the drum on the case with the other, looking pleased with himself. Judging from his appearance, he was about fifty years old, with a clear face and a pair of phoenix eyes that were slightly closed. When he heard Yang Ling speak, he opened his eyes slightly, looked him up and down a few times, and chuckled: "Brother Yang is back? Do you still recognize me?"

  He said, placing the teacup gently on the table. Yang Ling caught sight of a jade ring on his hand, which at that time was not some synthetic product, and judging from its warm color it must be very valuable. Yang Ling's heart skipped a beat, and he became somewhat curious about this person's identity, carefully sizing him up, and indeed found him to be somewhat familiar, but for the moment couldn't recall where he had seen him before.

  The old man in the green robe saw Yang Ling somewhat embarrassed, couldn't help but chuckle and stood up saying: "Last time we met was also at this post house, back then I was a guest and you were also a guest, who would have thought that one month later, this guest of yours has become the master."

  Yang Ling exclaimed, "Ah!" and happily clasped his hands together, saying: "I remember now, you are...you are the friend of Marshal Ma's, the great pharmaceutical merchant from Sichuan and Shaanxi, Wu Jie, Mr. Wu."

  Wu Jie, the big merchant who helped Magistrate Ma persuade the Wang family to withdraw their lawsuit, also burst out laughing and then immediately composed himself, saying seriously: "I am not Magistrate Ma's friend, but his superior. Yang Magistrate, from now on... I am also your superior."

  Yang Ling's expression changed, looking at this old man who was smiling like a spring breeze one moment and then had a murderous look the next, a flash of insight appeared in his heart, and he involuntarily exclaimed: "Old sir is...is Jin Yi..."

  Wu Jie's face broke into a smile as he said slowly and deliberately: "Aren't you the same, Lord Yang, Commander Yang?"

  Yang Ling was stunned. Bai Hu? That's a sixth-grade official, and it's a military position under the Wei Suo, when did he join the army and become a Bai Hu?

  Wu Jie saw his shocked face, chuckled and waved his hand: "No need to be surprised, your proxy Yicheng's matter has been written by the Ministry of Officials, I estimate that after a while you will receive the appointment. Our Ming Dynasty's Yicheng, although under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue, but everyone knows that this Yicheng is all people of our Embroidered Uniform Guard."

  "Ben Qian Hu has already sent someone to investigate you, and it is found that you are a Xiucai from the 15th year of the Hongzhi era, with a clean family background, and a descendant of the famous Northern Song general Yang's family. I am now acting on the orders of Zhang Da Ren, the commander of the Beizhen Fu Si, to summon you into the Jin Yi Wei, responsible for intelligence gathering and investigation in the Huai region, and grant you the position of Bai Hu, with all matters directly under my command."

  Wu Jie said, pulling out a scroll and a waist card from his sleeve, smiling as he handed them to Yang Ling: "Yang Bailiu, Ma Yi Cheng has worked hard for half his life, but has not been promoted to Bailiu. You, although newly appointed as Yi Cheng, have made great contributions to the Great Ming, and are therefore rewarded with this honor. Hehe, my Jin Yiwei's Bailiu is three points better than the military's Qianhu, don't disappoint Lord Zhang's appreciation."

  Yang Ling took over Ren Yu's waist card and said with a smile: "Sir, I... your humble servant really doesn't understand, what great merit have I ever established?"

  Wu Jie smiled and said, "It's good that you're not arrogant about your achievements, but it's also unnecessary to be humble. The Tartar prince set an ambush in the gourd valley, wanting to capture our army off guard. Fortunately, the Brocade Guard secret scouts obtained this information, and Yang Yi rushed to report it, which allowed the Ming army to avoid disaster. Isn't that a great achievement?"

  Yang Ling exclaimed: "What? What's going on, Commander Qian has misunderstood. When I received the news and rushed over, it was already too late. If it weren't for General Bi Du leading the army to force a bloody path, our troops..." He got to this point and suddenly felt a chill in his heart, and the words that followed could no longer be spoken.

  At this time, Wu Qianhu's face was clear and his demeanor was elegant, but his eyes were cold and he showed a kind of ruthlessness that only people who had the power to decide others' life and death could exhibit. He smiled faintly and spoke slowly: "The Tartar prince set an ambush in Hulu Valley, wanting to capture our army all at once. General He Can was greedy for merit and advanced rashly. Fortunately, Yang Yi, the courier of the Imperial Guard, rushed to report the news, so the Ming army was able to avoid disaster. Is that right?"

  Yang Ling felt a chill in his heart and subconsciously said: "This... your subordinate... is".

  Wu Jie nodded slightly, then suddenly smiled and said: "You were originally a scholar, far from the imperial court, it's not surprising that you don't understand some things. But now you are a member of the Brocade Guard, so... some things that you didn't understand before, you must understand now!"

  Yang Ling involuntarily said: "Sir is saying......".

  Wu Jie stroked his chin with a jade ring on his finger, saying slowly and deliberately: "The imperial court needs a scapegoat, the military needs a substitute, and the Brocade Guard needs this achievement, understand?"