Chapter Fifteen Lone Army Author: Bright Moon ?? txt ?? Traditional Chinese

  Lone Army

  Wang Shouren had not gone far when he and his two attendants arrived at Fengcheng by boat, where they received a shocking piece of news: the Prince of Ning had rebelled.

  The attendants were in a state of panic, but Wang Shouren was not surprised at all. He had long known that this day would inevitably come.

  But when this day really comes, it still looks so cruel.

  Sun Bin, I suppose you have already sacrificed your life for the country.

  Wang Shouren looked up at the sky, he knew that he would never see this fellow countryman and good friend again.

  But before he could vent his sorrow, he became aware of an even more serious problem.

  "Stop the boat and dock immediately." Wang Shouren gave the order.

  The followers thought he was going to attend to some business and followed him closely ashore.

  But they followed the man and turned several bends, but didn't see him go to the yamen, instead he circled back to the riverbank, found another small boat, and continued on by water.

  Which act is this?

  "The Duke of Ning will not let me go, he must have sent people to chase after us along the river. The land route is too dangerous and cannot be taken. Just now when we went ashore, soon our news of taking the land route will spread and can divert the pursuing soldiers. Our boat is an official boat, the target is too big, changing to a small boat is naturally much safer."

  The attendants stared blankly at Wang Shouren who was calm and composed.

  What a sly old fox!

  Wang Shouren had played a trick of "borrowing a tiger's might to leave the mountain", but he didn't have much time to be happy, because what he was facing was a real desperate situation.

  The Ning king has rebelled, Sun Bian and others should have been killed, Nanchang has also fallen into the hands of the rebels, and this prince's rebellion is not a day or two. The whole of Jiangxi has set up his power, many places have followed suit, and the situation has completely lost control.

  Although he had the title of Governor, with a flag in his hand, but at present, sitting on a small boat in the river, wandering around without a foothold, and the outside security is chaotic. Once ashore, who knows when they will be robbed by bandits? It's better to stay in Nanchang and suffer a knife, it can be considered "heroic martyrdom", at least you can get a title like "loyal and brave".

  Who else can be relied on?

  Ministry of War? Wang Qiang is an old superior, should be coming, but waiting for the local report to the Ministry of War, the Ministry of War reports to the Cabinet, the Cabinet reports to the Emperor (hopefully can find), estimated that by the time the troops are dispatched, Ning Wang has already ascended to the throne in Nanjing.

  The cabinet can't be relied upon, and let's not mention how that person with a grudge against the Ning King will react. Even if they've been in the organization for so many years, at their efficiency, by the time they arrive, it'll only be to collect my corpse.

  Zhu Houzhao?

  That's enough, just stop it, this joke has gone too far, forget it.

  No direction, no reinforcements, no hope.

  Filled with grief and indignation, Wang Shouren finally discovered that apart from this broken ship beneath his feet, he had nothing left.

  Night fell, and the entire river surface was slowly shrouded in darkness. Except for that little light on the boat, everything around was pitch black.

  Wang Shouren still stood at the bow of the boat, staring straight into this dark and gloomy expanse.

  He found himself so weak and powerless for the first time. Sun Bing had died, and Ning Wang had rebelled, what could he do? What else could he do?!

  No matter how profound the mental state is and no matter how well-versed one is in strategies, without soldiers and without weapons, nothing can be done.

  Is it just going to end like this? Find a place to hide and wait for the storm to pass before doing anything else?

  What about Sun Yu? Is he going to die just like that?

  Wang Shouren did not like Zhu Houzhao, nor did he like that group of rigid officials, but he disliked even more the Ning Wang who used this as an excuse to rebel and cause chaos.

  He abhorred the violence that trampled on human life, because in his philosophical system, humanity was the most fundamental of all, the origin of this world. This Ning Wang, who claimed to be righteous, rebelled and sacrificed countless lives, causing countless civilians to become homeless, just for his ambition, for that high throne.

  Overthrowing the current ruler, Ning Wang, will only lead to another ruler. The only victims are innocent ordinary people. Because no matter when, where, or who is in power, they will always be the eternal victims.

  Alright, it's settled then.

  "Go get some paper and ink." Wang Shouren said loudly.

  The attendants took out brush and ink from the luggage and handed them over to him.

  That night, Wang Shouren did not sleep. He leaned over his desk and wrote furiously all night long, wanting to express his sorrow and anger. The next morning, the attendants found papers scattered all over the floor. To their surprise, each paper only had four large characters written on it:

  Die for one's country.

  Wang Shouren, who had not slept all night, was still standing at the bow of the ship, giving his last orders to his attendants:

  "When the boat reaches the shore, you can all leave separately and just find a place to hide for now."

  The attendants exchanged a glance:

  "What about you, Lord Wang?"

  I'm going to Linjiang Prefecture.

  Linjiang Prefecture is located downstream of Hongdu, built along the river, and only over 200 miles away from Hongdu. At any moment, it may be attacked by the Ning King, making it a very dangerous place.

  "Lord Wang, it's very dangerous by the river, why don't you come with us instead?"

  Wang Shouren smiled:

  "It's all right, you can go now, I still have something important to attend to."

  The attendants were not fools, they all knew that what Wang Shouren was going to do was called pacifying the rebellion.

  They then issued their final warning:

  "Your Excellency Wang, you're all alone!"

  Wang Shouren's smile faded away, and he looked at them seriously:

  "I am enough by myself."

  Preliminary

  The boat soon arrived at Linjiang, and Wang Shouren immediately got off the boat and rushed to the Linjiang Prefecture Government Office.

  Although he had mentally prepared himself, the scenes on the road still shocked him. Countless civilians who had heard that war was about to break out were fleeing with their families, and the sounds of wailing and crying filled the air, causing chaos everywhere.

  Wang Shouren was quick-eyed and swift-handed, and he promptly pulled out a yamen runner who was dressed in official uniform from among the fleeing crowd:

  "Where is Deirdre?"

  Magistrate Dai De'ru of Linjiang was packing his bags, having already learned about the rebellion of Prince Ning. Although he didn't want to flee immediately, he also wasn't willing to die just yet. After some deliberation, he decided to play it safe for now - a good man doesn't take unnecessary risks.

  As he walked away, the people in the yamen scrambled to prepare for their escape, and the public hall was thrown into chaos.

  At a critical moment, someone came in to report: Wang Shouren, the governor of southern Jiangxi, had arrived.

  In terms of hierarchy, Wang Shouren was his superior and should have been treated with a grand ceremony and a feast under normal circumstances. But at this life-or-death moment, what is he doing here?

  Soon, Wang Shouren answered his question in a loud voice:

  "Don't go anywhere, stay here and follow me to quell the rebellion!"

  To say that Dede is really not a bad guy, when he heard this sentence, he was very excited and immediately made a gesture.

  "Now that we have Lord Wang in charge, we are willing to work together for the imperial court and quell the rebellion."

  Of course, actual questions still need to be asked.

  "I don't know how many men and horses Lord Wang has brought?"

  Then he came to know that this governor was also just escaped, without a single soldier, and was a thorough empty pole.

  It was this lone governor who dared to come and quell the rebellion single-handedly!

  In the face of a great enemy, Dai De'er couldn't care less about official etiquette. He looked at Wang Shouren and asked with a hint of sarcasm:

  "Lord Wang, just among us, what makes you so sure you can quell the rebellion?"

  Yes, without imperial court support and with opponents being vassal kings, what reason do you have to be so confident in pacifying the rebellion?

  Everyone stopped what they were doing and waited for this crucial answer. The scene fell silent, as they would decide their stay or leave based on this response.

  "Because I am here."

  Wang Shouren looked around and repeated in a thunderous voice that was almost deafening:

  "Because I am here!"

  Even if I'm alone, I'll still fight to the end!

  Some people left, but most of them, including Dede, stayed because they felt a certain power from the man's confident answers.

  Since everyone is on the same boat, there's no distinction between them. Deidre immediately gave orders to gather her limited troops and prepare to defend within the city.

  "Let Ning Wang come, and I will fight him to the end!"

  However, Wang Shouren patted him on the shoulder, praising his courage, and then issued an unexpected order to everyone present:

  "No need for defense with fabric anymore, pass down the order, assemble the whole army and prepare to retreat!"

  What? Didn't you want to resist to the end? What are you up to now?

  Facing Di De's astonished face, Wang Shouren smiled nonchalantly:

  "Governor Dai, our military strength is insufficient, and this is not a place for quelling rebellions. We must withdraw immediately."

  So where is the flat place?

  "Ji'an."

  "There, we will have the strength to defeat the rebels."

  In the Records of the Grand Historian, Sima Qian once said that General Li Guang looked like an ordinary farmer. Coincidentally, many people who saw Wang Shouren for the first time thought he was a fool, looking stupid and silly, but beneath his dull appearance lay boundless wisdom.

  Wang Shouren is a very unusual person. He always comes up with strange opinions in strange places and does strange things, but in the end they are all proven to be correct.

  His kind of dreadful wisdom comes from his philosophy, because Mr. Wang Shouren and all philosophers past and present are different, his philosophy is very special, just like chopsticks for eating and a hoe for digging, can be used at any time, and useful at any time.

  He hated the Ning king who had killed Sun Bing and started the war, but he never let his anger cloud his judgment. He knew very well that with the current military strength, it was absolutely impossible to defeat the opponent, so for now, he could only accumulate power and wait for the opportunity to come.

  Having a peaceful intention also requires a practical strategy for peace, this is "knowledge and action are one", this is Wang Shouren's invincible philosophy and wisdom.

  Unfortunately, Judge Shi Kefa over a hundred years later seemed to be unaware of this point.

  Ji'an, located in central Jiangxi, is easy to defend and difficult to attack, with convenient transportation. Wang Shouren will raise the great banner of pacification here and prepare for the final decisive battle.

  The King of Calculation was lucky, and at that time, the governor of Ji'an was a very powerful man named Wu Wending.

  Wu Wending, a native of Hubei Province, was born into an official family. He is also a restless master. Although he studied from childhood, he doesn't look like a scholar. He has a strong build and is very robust. His work experience is also special. In his early years, he worked as a push officer (in charge of justice) in Jiangsu Province, where he had long-term contact with the dark side of society and dealt with underworld thugs. When dealing with evil people, his methods were extremely ruthless, and criminals would be terrified at the mere mention of his name.

  This Wu Zhi-fu is about to become Wang's most powerful assistant.

  Wang Shouren was leading the group of people from Linjiang Prefecture in a hurry to Ji'an, but halfway through, they were suddenly surrounded by hundreds of soldiers with unknown origins. The group was frightened out of their wits and before they could react, a man with a ferocious expression stepped forward:

  "King's patrol officer, come out and talk!"

  Wang Shouren had seen the world and was not afraid, so he walked out calmly:

  "Who are you?"

  That gentleman finally introduced himself:

  "Lord Wang is well, I am Wu Wending, the Magistrate of Ji'an Prefecture!"

  To say that this Wu Zhi Prefecture is also formidable, as soon as the rebellion started, the officials from the neighboring yamen ran away almost completely, but he didn't move a single hair, not only did he not run, but he also didn't allow others to run. A few timid ones who were preparing to slip away were actually killed by him with his own knife.

  After this commotion, the officials of Ji'an reached a consensus: even if Ning Wang was cruel, he still had some difference compared to Wu Wendi. To be on the safe side, it's better to stay behind.

  Soon after, Wu Wending heard that the Gannan Governor Wang Shouren had fled and was preparing to quell the rebellion. This man was of a hasty temperament and didn't care about so many things, bringing three hundred soldiers on the road, just as he met Wang Shouren.

  He didn't waste words with Lord Wang either, and went straight to the point:

  "Is Lord Wang prepared to put down the rebellion?"

  "Not bad."

  "Then I'd like to congratulate you, sir."

  This time Wang Shouren was puzzled, what did you mean?

  Wu Wendi explained in a loud and clear voice:

  "That guy (this thief, referring to Ning Wang) has always had a bad reputation and few people support him. You, sir, are the one everyone is looking up to, with military power in your hands, achieving great things will surely happen with this one move!"

  These words of praise shocked Wang Shouren:

  "How did you know I have military power in my hands?"

  Wu Wending smiled and did not answer this question.

  A clever man who can be of use. This was the first impression that Wu Wending left on Wang Shouren.

  In Ji'an, Wang Shouren established the Pacification Command Center and convened the first military meeting. Since all those who attended were small officials such as prefects and county magistrates, Wang naturally became the commander-in-chief of the pacification army.

  Commander Wang immediately made an enemy situation report: According to intelligence, the Ning Wang army has a total of 800,000 people. The main force is the palace guard, and the rest are bandits, robbers, thieves, underworld hooligans, reactionary secret society organizations, and those dissatisfied with society.

  This so-called rebel army is actually a motley crew. It seems that the situation is not too bad, but the problem is that Commander Wang is now a commander without an army. He doesn't have 80,000 men, nor even 8,000.

  Although having a flag in hand can summon troops, it takes time. So the most important thing now is to judge the direction of Ning Wang's next move.

  For this question, Wang Shouren already had a definite answer.

  He pointed his finger at a place on the map - Nanjing.

  "He will surely attack Nanjing."

  Wang Zongjian made a thorough analysis: Hongdu (Nanchang) is not a place to stay for long, and although Ning Wang is not a clever person, he is not stupid enough to attack the capital in the north.

  So his only choice was to go with the flow and attack Nanjing from the south.

  What's more, at this time, various places had not yet received a unified order to put down the rebellion, and were unprepared. If the Ning Wang took advantage of the chaos to launch an attack, he would surely capture Nanjing in one move, and half of the empire would inevitably fall into the hands of the rebels.

  These words made the six or seven low-ranking officials present change their expressions, since the situation was so serious, there's no need to waste any more words, let's hurry up and attack Ning Wang.

  Then Commander Wang spoke again:

  "My troops are insufficient, it's hard to contend with the rebels. Must wait for reinforcements from various places to arrive."

  So Commander Wang, how much time do you need?

  "At least ten days."

  "So I must let Ning Wang wait for me in Nanchang for another ten days."

  The officials at the meeting were thoroughly blown up by the pot, and Commander Wang's joke was too big. Ning Wang is not your son, you said to wait?

  But Wang Shouren smiled:

  "I have my own way."

  Cunning

  Not long after, many messy and hastily posted notices appeared on the walls of the streets in Ning Wang's residence area. Of course, they were not advertisements for certificates or invoices, but rather had roughly the following content:

  Duodu Xu Tai and others led the border army, Liu Hui and others led the capital army, each with 40,000 troops. Additionally, Gannan Wang Shouren, Huguang Qin Jin, and Liangguang Yang Dan were ordered to lead their respective units, totaling 160,000 people. They advanced together to attack and pacify the rebel army. Along the way, they must ensure timely support and reception; those who delay will be punished by military law!

  The general meaning of this letter is very clear, that is to tell the King of Ning that I have 1.6 million people and will come to attack you soon, hoping you can prepare well.

  It must be stated that all the names in this document are real, but the plot is entirely fictional. Except for Wang Shouren, the others do not know anything about this matter at all.

  This was Wang Shouren's trick, he forged the document and sent people to spread it everywhere to disrupt Ning Wang's deployment. Commander Wang had always been meticulous in his work, and in order to make Ning Wang feel at ease and fall for it, he also arranged an even more ruthless move.

  The Ning King in the city of Hongdu heard the news that a large army was coming to attack, and he was still hesitant when his subordinates suddenly reported that several special wax balls had been found on the bodies of people entering the city, containing secret letters.

  Duke Ning opened the letter and was startled.

  The letter reads: "To Messrs. Li Shi and Liu Yangzheng, you have done a great job, the imperial court will surely reward you handsomely. Now we hope you will coordinate your actions, persuade the Prince of Ning to leave Hongdu and attack Nanjing, do not delay!"

  Two rare "talents" actually defected to the enemy, and Ning Wang was still a sensible person who didn't quite believe it. Coincidentally, at this time, his subordinates reported that Li Shi and Liu Yangzheng had come to visit.

  Mr. Li Shi's straightforward words pierced through the sky:

  "Your Highness, it is not suitable to stay here for long, we should immediately lead our troops to attack Nanjing!"

  Wang Shouren's lines are really well-written, and Li Shi is also perfectly matched, this time Wang Xiong can't help but believe it.

  Full of confidence, the two military strategists who came to invite merit thought they would get a passionate response, but in the end, they only saw a pair of suspicious and uncertain eyes.

  They left in disappointment, but King Ning Zhu Chenhao had thus determined his strategy:

  Stay in Honduras, go nowhere else!

  It's fortunate to have met an opponent like Wang Shouren; Zhu Chenhao is also considered to be out of luck for eight lifetimes.

  Wang Shouren's plan succeeded and he immediately sent urgent documents to all places to gather military strength.

  Commander Wang was a pragmatic person. Without official documents from the imperial court, he would draft them himself on the spot. Without regular troops, he would use militia. Under his call, nearby places such as Yuanzhou, Linjiang, and Ganzhou poured out in droves. Regardless of age or physical condition, as long as someone could move around, he would recruit them all. After all, even if they couldn't fight, boosting morale, waving flags, and shouting slogans was also good.

  In just over a dozen days, he gathered 700,000 to 800,000 people, although the quality wasn't great, but at least they made up the numbers.

  The spectacular recruitment scene in front of them made these Jiangxi officials start to get excited, usually they could only manage a few yamen runners and beat the drums, suddenly they had such a big show, so many subordinates, they were enthusiastic, planning to send troops immediately, to fight a decisive battle with Ning Wang.

  But Commander Wang disappointed them.

  The Art of War

  Originally in a rush to recruit soldiers, Wang Shouren suddenly changed his mind. With tens of thousands of men under his command and high morale, it should be the best time to send troops out, but instead, Master Wang seemed determined to stay here for a long time, sending people everywhere to repair houses and arrange furniture, almost as if he was applying for a temporary residence permit in Ji'an.

  His subordinates, the prefects and county magistrates, were all at a loss. Ten or more days ago, he was in a hurry, now he is enjoying his days, but they don't know what's going on. They knew that Commander Wang wasn't a good guy, so they didn't dare ask. It wasn't until Wu Wendi couldn't bear it anymore that the mystery was finally revealed.

  Wu Zhi Fu's temper was quite urgent, seeing Wang Shou Ren not moving, he directly went to his door to question him:

  "The army has assembled, why doesn't it move?!"

  Wang Shouren looked at the flustered prefecture governor but didn't get angry, instead he replied calmly:

  "What do you think we should do now?"

  "Our troops are in high spirits, we should take advantage of the enemy's inaction and launch an immediate attack, we can surely defeat the enemy with one blow!"

  Wang Shouren smiled:

  "Wu Zhi Fu, have you read The Art of War?"

  This sentence made Wu Wendi so angry that he almost fainted, and he replied loudly:

  "Although the subordinate is a civil official, he has been well-read in military books since childhood and is also very familiar with strategies. As the saying goes, 'attack by surprise, attack when unprepared', this is exactly the best time to attack, absolutely no mistake!"

  Then he provocatively stared at his opponent, waiting for his response.

  Wang Shouren suppressed his smile and replied solemnly:

  "What you said is indeed correct, but it's not the best strategy for a military general. In my opinion, the essence of the art of war can be summed up in just eight words."

  "This heart remains unmoved, and acts according to circumstances."

  In summary, these eight characters indeed summarize the military thought of Wang the philosopher and commander. The tactics he employed throughout his life mostly conformed to this guiding principle.

  Wang Shouren immediately made an interpretation of this:

  The war to suppress the rebellion should indeed be fought quickly, but the situation is now different. At first, the enemy was strong and we were weak, so we needed to drag out the enemy's army and gain time. Now our military strength has greatly increased, and we can contend with the enemy. The rebel army also knows that our military is powerful, and they will not dare to make a light move. Moreover, the Prince of Ning has been in control of Hongdu for many years, and his roots are deep. If our army rashly launches an attack on the city, it will certainly be unable to take it after a long time, and the longer it takes, the greater the disaster will be. This plan absolutely cannot be carried out.

  Now our army shrinks and does not come out, showing weakness to the rebel army, making its main force attack, then waiting for the opportunity to surround and annihilate it, and we must win a complete victory!

  Wu Wending, who had always been good at fighting fiercely, was finally intimidated. He looked at the person in front of him with a mixture of fear and respect, carefully backing away. He finally understood why Lord Wang had that notorious reputation - "Cunning Strategist".

  Everything was within Wang Shouren's expectations, and in a few days, the prelude to the decisive battle would officially begin.

  In the 14th year of Zhengde (1419), in July, after waiting for over a dozen days at Hongdu, Ning Wang finally came to his senses. After so many days had passed, not to mention 160,000 people, he hadn't even seen 16 pigs. It wasn't until news arrived that Wang Shouren was recruiting troops and buying horses that he realized the truth - he had been deceived.

  But in the midst of regret and panic, he unexpectedly discovered that Wang Shouren had not launched an attack. He immediately determined that the enemy's military strength was insufficient and could only defend itself, so he began to carry out the predetermined military plan - attacking Nanjing.

  It should be said that the actions of Ning Wang were completely within the expectations of Wang Shouren, but in fact, Commander Wang still made an incorrect estimate, and it was this oversight that almost led to his complete downfall.

  Although Zhu Chenhao, King of Ning, was not a clever person, he was a man of quick action.

  Comrade Zhu Chenhao said one not two, the cotton quilt was not tied up and he led 600,000 main force troops to personally conquer this miscellaneous army, which really didn't give in vain. In just one day, they captured Jiujiang, and at the beginning of July, they launched a campaign, within a few days, they had already reached the crucial location of Anqing.

  The greatest danger has arrived.

  Anqing, located at the gateway of Nanjing upstream, has been a crucial location for military campaigns along the Yangtze River since ancient times. If Anqing is captured, Nanjing will be like a ripe fruit ready to fall into one's hands. In the Taiping Rebellion era, Zeng Guofan's younger brother, Zeng Guoquan, fiercely attacked Anqing City, suffering heavy casualties and prolonged battles, but he refused to retreat until the city walls were breached and the city was occupied, at which point he looked up to the sky and shouted: "The bandits have been defeated!"

  Soon after, he led his army downstream and captured Nanjing in one move, causing the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom to collapse.

  Zhu Chenhao, although unfamiliar with Zeng Guofan and Hong Xiuquan, also understood this geographical common sense. On the day the army arrived at Anqing City, he issued a general attack order, and tens of thousands of troops surrounded Anqing, attacking day and night.

  The timing is right, and the location is advantageous, but unfortunately, there is no harmony among people.

  It seems that Zhu Chenhao's luck was really bad, his rebellious path always encountered some very troublesome people, in Jiangxi there were Sun Bi and Wang Shouren, and when he arrived at Anqing, he met Yang Rui and Zhang Wenjin.

  Yang Rui was the governor, Zhang Wenjin was the magistrate of Anqing. They adopted a unified approach to receiving the uninvited Ning Wang - guns and arrows. As for these two people, I won't go into details, just introduce one thing they've done, and you'll have a general understanding of their character.

  The Ning king made a continuous attack on Anqing city but to no avail, then he found a surrendered official named Pan Peng to enter the city and persuade them to surrender. This person was from Anqing, so it's like an old friend seeing another old friend, with tears in their eyes. The Ning king thought that considering their shared hometown, the defending army inside the city should give him some face.

  This is a rather foolish idea, you've got the army blocked at their city gate, and yet you still expect them to have feelings for their hometown?

  Pan Peng's brother was not stupid, he wanted to live for two more days, but the leader's intention could not be disobeyed. Under duress, he sent a relative into the city to surrender, and what happened next was quite sensational.

  Yang Rui is indeed a man who doesn't bother with formalities. He didn't even look at the letter of surrender, and with one knife, he beheaded Pan Lao Xiang's relative. Not only did he not stop after killing someone, but he also had the patience to dismember the corpse, cutting off the hands and feet separately, and throwing them down from the city wall for all to see. Such a terrifying scene is rarely seen even in today's horror movies.

  Beheading and dismembering people is indeed a bit frightening to hear, but Yang Rui is after all a military officer, killing people isn't his first time, having some psychological issues isn't unusual, so putting this matter on him is also considered basically normal.

  But Zhang Wenjin, the prefect, was a different story. He had been educated in literature and was a civil official by origin, but he was also ruthless and cunning. While Yang Rui was killing people at the front, Zhang had already sneaked into the city and rounded up all of Pan Laoyang's relatives who lived there, slaughtering them mercilessly. When Pan Laoyang heard the news, he immediately spat up blood and fainted.

  Seeing the two city lords' means were so ruthless and poisonous, the defending soldiers inside the city were all frightened and terrified, and they all expressed their willingness to fight to the death to defend the city. For a time, morale was greatly boosted.

  The Ning king outside the city was unclear about the situation and did not understand why persuading to surrender had produced a counterproductive effect. Having no other choice, he personally led the charge to direct the battle and boost morale. However, the soldiers inside the city resisted desperately under the threat of death (mainly from Yang and Zhang), and the rebel army made little progress.

  More than a dozen days have passed, and Ning Wang is still standing outside the city, gazing at Anqing. He's so anxious that he can't help but pace back and forth, and can only call Liu Yangzheng over to vent his frustrations in a loud scolding:

  "You bunch of trash! Can't even take Anqing, and you're talking about Jinling (Nanjing)!"

  This road is impassable, and there's no other way, so Ning Wang, who had finished scolding, still had to continue directing the battle to attack the city. Only now did he understand why his ancestor Zhu Quan was bullied to his home back then but still endured in silence - rebelling is really a thankless job.

  Just as Ning Wang was gnawing at a brick in Anqing City, Mr. Wang Shouren's place had already become chaotic.

  When the news of Ning Wang's army approaching Anqing City arrived, Commander Wang was so anxious that he jumped out of bed without putting on his shoes and ran to look at the map with bare feet. Although he had already estimated the opponent's plan, he did not expect Ning Wang to act so quickly. In a hurry, he immediately ordered the troops to assemble and prepare to set off.

  But after a brief flurry, Commander Wang suddenly regained his composure, withdrew the order to send troops, and instead dispatched more scouts to gather information. He even took an interest in chatting with his subordinates who were sweating and flustered.

  Due to the lessons learned from before, Commander Wang's subordinates did not dare to be wise and no one asked for the reason. Not long after, the news that came also verified the commander's wise decision - Anqing was still holding on, temporarily worry-free.

  Now everyone's stone in their heart has finally fallen to the ground, and they all returned home to sharpen their knives and guns, waiting for Commander Wang's call, wherever he points, they will fight there.

  King Wang Shouren seems to have no intention of letting people take a break, and he, who has always been exclusive, actually said that he wants to hold a meeting to listen to the opinions of the masses.

  Since Commander Wang wants to hold a meeting, everyone can only follow along and join in the excitement.

  This was the most important military meeting in the Ning Wang rebellion. Wang Shouren analyzed the situation and stated that there were two objectives at present, one was to rescue Anqing and the other was to attack the enemy's lair Nanchang, asking the attendees to express their opinions.

  It was unexpected that there was no dispute at this meeting because everyone unanimously believed that going to Anqing was the only choice.

  There are good reasons for this: Ning Wang has been preparing to rebel for many years, and the defense of Nanchang is very strict. If we attack the city rashly, it will be difficult to capture it in a short time. Since he was defeated in Anqing, morale is low. Our army will cut off his retreat route and launch a pincer attack with the Anqing garrison, and we will surely defeat him in one battle. At that time, Nanchang will fall without a fight.

  It is indeed logical and clear, with facts that are clear and evidence that is conclusive. No matter how you look at it, this conclusion is correct.

  Commander Wang summarized his speech:

  "Not true."

  Judgment

  "Only attack Nanchang."

  This was Commander Wang's verdict, and given his consistent contrarian views, everyone wasn't too surprised, they just widened their eyes to see what new tricks Commander Wang had up his sleeve this time.

  "Your views are incorrect, Nanchang is upstream of Anqing. If our army crosses Nanchang and directly attacks Anqing, the enemy garrison in Nanchang will inevitably attack our rear, cut off our supply lines, and we will be attacked from both front and back, making defeat inevitable. How can the Anqing garrison possibly coordinate with us to attack the enemy from both sides?"

  Of course, there were still doubts from the audience:

  "Nanchang city walls are solid, how can it be taken down in a short time?"

  As for this question, Commander Wang had already grasped a handful of bamboo in his heart:

  "Haven't you all analyzed the military situation? This time, Ning Wang led his elite troops to attack Anqing, and Nanchang must be very empty. At this time, attacking will naturally be a sure win!"

  "When Nanchang is breached, Ning Wang will certainly return to rescue it. The vanguard and rearguard will be unable to coordinate with each other, and without needing much time, the rebel army will definitely be defeated!"

  Wang Shouren is talented, too talented.

  Because he made the right judgment.

  In the Ministry of War, the highest military decision-making body in the Ming Dynasty, there was a intimidating phrase: "Dare to make trouble and you will be sent to the Ji Fang Si!"

  As soon as this sentence is spoken, ordinary small officials in the Ministry of War will immediately surrender and work diligently. There is a great mystery to this: under the Ministry of War, there are four departments, similar to today's central departmental bureau-level units, and the reason why the Military Supply Department is so famous is that it has a particularly special evaluation in the Ming Dynasty officialdom - the poorest and busiest.

  But it is precisely this poorest and busiest yamen that plays the most important role in military warfare.

  Because this so-called Zhi Fang Si, the main responsibility is to make judgments based on military situations, draft military plans, and conduct military strategic planning. It is roughly equivalent to today's General Staff Department, and the highest official of Zhi Fang Si is Lang Zhong, equivalent to the Chief of the General Staff.

  This position sounds very powerful, but many people would rather die than go, and they can't even hide. The reason is simple, it can be summarized in six words - no benefits, bear the blame.

  A thousand miles to be an official, only for the sake of money. If you can't make a profit, who has the motivation to risk their life? What's more, this position has extremely small benefits and huge risks. For example, Wang Shouren once served as the head of the Wu Xuan Si (equivalent to a department head), which was a famous "fat official" post under the Ministry of War, responsible for personnel selection and transfer work for military generals. If you go down to investigate and are treated to good wine, meat, and entertainment, and promote one or two people up, you can collect money from them. Even if this person is not capable of fighting, it's ultimately their own problem, and won't be pursued by the personnel department.

  It's different for the military commander, not only is there no profit to be made, but they have to make a living on their meager salary, and they also have to make correct military judgments and draw up plans accordingly. Once the overall situation goes wrong and they lose a battle, responsibility will be pursued, and it will be impossible to escape.

  The most interesting and cruel thing in war is judgment.

  The famous generals in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" do not need to worry about making judgments, because their wins and losses are all predetermined by heaven. For example, when Cao Cao's brother saw that a strong wind had blown down the commander flag in his camp, he could determine that Mr. Liu Bei would come to raid the camp at night.

  If this is true, then young people who are determined to serve their country will no longer need to read military books. Unfortunately, before the invention of time machines, neither side on the battlefield can predict the opponent's strategy and the outcome of the war. Commanders can only make predictions based on various clues and battle experience. Of course, according to historical records, some commanders who really couldn't make up their minds would use their last resort - fortune-telling.

  But no matter how clever or foolish you are, in the end you will always come up with your own judgment on the battlefield, where to fight, when to fight, what to defend and how to defend.

  The moment that best reflects the subtlety of the art of war has finally arrived, a thousand commanders may have a thousand judgments, and what is ridiculous is that before the outcome of the war is revealed, these thousand judgments seem to be correct, all with conclusive reasons and evidence.

  But war is a perfect math problem with only one correct answer.

  Wang Shouren gave up what seemed like the absolutely correct Anqing, and decided to attack Nanchang. The subsequent development of the situation proved that his choice was correct.

  But Wang Shouren, who had gained everyone's recognition, was still uneasy in his heart, because he knew that this plan still had a huge variable - after taking Nanjing, Ning Wang would not return to rescue, but instead would attack Anqing with all his might and take Nanjing directly. What to do?

  Can't take care of so many things, attack Nanchang first!

  In July 1519, Wang Yangming formally raised his troops.

  He issued a royalist military order throughout Jiangxi and led his direct troops to advance day and night, soon arriving at Linjiang Prefecture, where he again merged with the "righteous armies" (with extremely complex composition, mostly bandits and robbers) from Linjiang, Ganzhou, and Yuanzhou, totaling over 800,000 soldiers. Wang Shouren urged his troops to speed up, pressing towards their final target.

  Nanchang, July 17th, Wang Shouren stood outside the city, gazing at this solid city.

  A month ago, he escaped from here with a heart full of sadness and indignation, fleeing alone.

  A month later, he returned here, with a strong army and an overbearing momentum.

  The moment of settlement has finally arrived anyway.

  Night Battle

  At this point, it should be time to take action and fight, but everyone must not forget that the commander of this army is Mr. Wang Shouren. Commander Wang's way of leading troops naturally has his own unique approach, and before fighting, he will not give up if he doesn't come up with some of his own special moves (plots and schemes).

  He first sent people to spread the news everywhere, boasting that he had 300,000 men under his command (daring to boast), and especially emphasizing that these were elite troops transferred from Fujian and Guangdong, not a motley crew as rumored (the rumor was true).

  After frightening the garrison, he sent a large number of spies to sneak into Nanchang City under cover of darkness, evading the city gate guards' surveillance, and posting numerous illegal advertisements and notices, advising the citizens of Nanchang not to interfere with others' business, lock their doors tightly, go to sleep peacefully, and when hearing any noise on the street, do not interfere with others' business.

  His series of actions not only made the enemy panic, but also made his own people confused. If you want to fight, just fight. There are soldiers' equipment, is it necessary to play tricks?

  Wang Shouren thought it was very necessary.

  His military strategy was to use the smallest cost in exchange for the greatest victory. "Soldiers are not afraid of deceit" is his military philosophy, and apart from using the above tactics, he also chose a special time for attack - deep night.

  Because he had never thought of fighting hard, early in the march, he had already prepared a large number of assault ladders, only waiting for the night to be quiet, and sending out elite personnel to launch a surprise attack on the city wall with ladders, seizing the city. To ensure the success of the ascent, Wang Shouren also sent people to prepare siege equipment in advance, sneaking into the vicinity of the city gate, ready to attract the attention of the defending army, coordinating with the climbing soldiers.

  After everything was ready, he gathered all his subordinates and held a mobilization meeting that was different from usual.

  Wang Shouren was clever and intelligent, but he was also kind and gentle in his daily interactions with others, so people often called him "Old Wang" behind his back.

  But at the meeting, the old Wang who was always kind and gentle suddenly turned into Yan Wang, with a fierce face and issued the final order:

  "This time, I will personally command the siege, and we must take it! At the first drumbeat, approach the city walls! At the second drumbeat, scale the walls! If you have not scaled the walls by the third drumbeat, kill the soldiers! If you still have not scaled the walls by the fourth drumbeat, kill the generals!"

  The scene was silent and everyone's face was pale, reaching a consensus - Commander Wang was indeed not a good person.

  The preparations were made, the tricks were played, and Wang Shouren sat upright, waiting for the night attack. But even he had no idea that his pre-battle warm-up exercises would have such an unexpected effect.

  In the dead of night, the nocturnal raid officially began.

  Wang Shouren gave the order, and the soldiers hiding under the city and at the gate immediately launched an attack, with those attacking the gate attacking the gate, and those climbing the wall climbing the wall.

  But a strange thing happened, the army that climbed the city did not encounter any obstruction, and many people reached the top of the city very smoothly. The wall climbers were puzzled, but on this side of the city gate, something even more ridiculous happened.

  A few soldiers crept to the city gate, carefully explored and suddenly stared blankly, it took half a day to come back to their senses and shouted loudly at those brothers who were climbing the wall:

  "Don't bother climbing anymore, come down! The door isn't locked!"

  Wang Shouren in the distance was also bewildered, what reserve team, relief team were not used at all, and the city was occupied, what kind of battle is this?

  He was also afraid of ambushes, but later found out that the defending troops had already escaped cleanly. Only after asking around did he learn that because his brother's previous propaganda work was too successful, the people inside the city had long made up their minds to escape. Before the attack even began, they fled in a hurry.

  So when Wang Shouren entered the city, the trouble he encountered was no longer the rebels, but his own subordinates.

  Due to the tight schedule and heavy recruitment tasks, there were many thugs and robbers among his subordinates. These people were good at looting and burning houses, and when they entered Nanchang City, they didn't show any courtesy, starting fires and looting everywhere, and also burned down the Ningwang Palace.

  This was settled! Commander Wang flew into a rage, seized several ringleaders (there were too many robbers), beheaded them in public, and only then did the situation stabilize.

  Nanchang is in hand. But Wang Shouren showed a bit of tension that didn't match the current victory, he still had one thing that worried him the most.

  Two days later, Wang Shouren's scouts reported that the Ning King had led all his main forces to withdraw and prepare for a decisive battle, which would arrive in Nanchang soon.

  News came that all subordinates were worried, although they had occupied Nanchang, but the foundation was unstable. If they fought with the main force of the rebels, the outcome would be unpredictable.

  Wang Shouren couldn't help but smile, for the last source of his troubles had finally been resolved.

  When Ning Wang heard the news of Nanchang's fall, he was directing the battle on the battlefield and almost fainted. Under the urgent fire attack, he immediately ordered the whole army to prepare for withdrawal and counterattack on Nanchang.

  At the critical moment, Liu Yangzheng and Li Shishi finally showed their value, they unanimously expressed their opposition and put forward the plan that made Wang Shouren most worried - ignoring Nanchang, attacking Anqing to death, and taking Nanjing directly!

  Although this road may not necessarily lead to success, it is currently the only feasible solution.

  If Ning Wang adopts this plan, even if he can't become emperor in the end, at least he can make a bigger fuss for a longer time.

  Unfortunately, with his ability, he had no way of accepting and absorbing this reasonable suggestion, so in the end he could only meet his fate on Poyang Lake.

  In the 14th year of Zhengde (1519), on July 23rd, Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao led his troops to retreat from Anqing and arrived at Huangjiaduhe on the west side of Poyang Lake. Here he would face for the first time that opponent who had once slipped away from him - Wang Shouren.

  Ning Wang is about to arrive, and the two brushes in his own troops are unknown to others, but his subordinates know it well. They suggested that they should add soil and stone to reinforce the city defense. However, Wang Shouren seemed not to worry about the thickness of the city wall, because he did not plan to defend it.

  "The enemy is numerous, but the attack on the city is not advantageous, and the morale is low. Our army has already cut off their rear route, and with a righteous army to punish an unrighteous enemy, heaven will also assist us! I hope you all unite your hearts, use sharp troops to break the enemy, and we can surely sweep them away in one move!"

  That's enough, Zhu Chenhao. For your own ambition and desire, you have already killed too many innocent people. All this should end now.

  Vagabond Army

  On the same day that Ning Wang arrived at Huangjiadu, Poyang Lake, Wang Shouren also led the main force of the army to arrive here, and set up camp on the opposite bank, preparing for the final battle.

  In the 23rd year of Zhizheng (1363), Zhu Yuanzhang and his arch-nemesis Chen Youliang engaged in a decisive battle on Poyang Lake, emerging with a complete victory and clearing the greatest obstacle to seizing the world.

  One hundred and fifty-two years later, the Poyang Lake, which had once been a fierce battlefield for 36 days with flames burning in the sky and countless corpses, was about to become the stage of a decisive battle again. The outcome of the great war between two people one hundred years ago ultimately decided the fate of the world and the destiny of countless people. This time it seemed to be the same.

  But unlike last time, this is indeed a war of justice and evil.

  Because the warring parties hold different purposes and wills - one for power and position, the other is to save countless innocent lives.

  The final battle is about to begin, let's introduce the main lineup of both sides first, because these are two very interesting formations.

  Zhu Chenhao Square

  Commander-in-Chief: Zhu Chenhao

  Vanguard: Ling Eleven (Bandit)

  Chinese military: Ming Twenty-four (Sea Pirates) etc.

  Rear Army Response: Wu Thirteen (Bandit) Wang Lun (Surrendered Official) etc.

  Advisors: Li Shi-shi, Liu Yang-zheng

  Wang Shouren Square

  Commander-in-Chief: Wang Shouren

  Vanguard: Wu Wending (Ji'an Prefectural Magistrate)

  Zhong Jun: Dai De'r (Linjiang Prefect), Xing Yun (Ganzhou Prefect) and others

  Hou Jun: Hu Yaoyuan (Tong Pan), Xu Wenying (Tui Guan), Wang Mian (Zhi Xian) and others.

  If you are still waiting for the famous general to appear, then you will be disappointed. More than 100 years ago, Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, Zhang Dingbian and others who fought here have long become legendary figures. Except for Wang Shouren, most of those who participated in this battle were not very famous.

  To reiterate, you don't need to remember any of the names listed above because most of them won't have much chance to show their faces, they're just there for show and to display their status.

  The identities of the two "generals" can be roughly summarized as rogue bandits vs. scholar-officials.

  This is also helpless, things happened too suddenly, both sides are hasty, and the talents that can be brought out are really not many, so they can only make do with it, please forgive everyone.

  But this battle of Poyang Lake, although it didn't have the gathering of a hundred years ago's generals and the majestic waves, was more interesting.

  Apart from the fact that both sides' lineups are quite comical, the armies of both sides also share a common characteristic - numerous rascals. In fact, this is also a very worthy topic for study in Chinese history.

  As mentioned earlier, due to the extremely tense time, neither side had undergone political screening when recruiting soldiers, and there were a large number of thugs and robbers in both armies. However, this is by no means unique to these two armies. If one carefully analyzes historical materials, they will discover an interesting universal historical phenomenon - the thugification (or thug-army-ization) of the military.

  In the Spring and Autumn period, fighting wars was a privilege of the nobility. At that time, generals had to bring their own weapons and equipment, and there were not many people who could fight, so the quality of soldiers was relatively high.

  As the scale of war grew larger, the death toll accelerated, and relying on volunteers was no longer feasible. Civilians and even prisoners were incorporated into the army, followed by the emergence of standing armies and mercenary forces.

  By the Tang and Song dynasties, the national standing army system was increasingly perfected. For example, in the Song Dynasty, long-term military spending cost a lot of money and goods, but they were often defeated, one of the reasons being the problem of the military system. At that time, there were no policies such as "glorious enlistment" or "preferential treatment for military dependents". Once you enlisted, it was almost a lifelong career, with no possibility of transferring to another job or retiring. As can be seen in "Water Margin", when someone committed a crime, they would often be tattooed and sent to the army hundreds of miles away. It can be seen that being a soldier at that time was not a good job.

  Considering the future, most ambitious young people at that time went to study and become officials. In the army, idle and lazy rascals who wanted to mix with the crowd and eat a free meal were more and more numerous. These people are not good at fighting, but they are very good at bullying ordinary people, and they don't listen to orders either. Such an army can hardly be expected to have strong combat effectiveness.

  For example, once a high-ranking general of the Song Dynasty's central army was ordered to go on an expedition, but what he got were these disobedient and uncooperative second-rate soldiers. Political work and patriotic education didn't work either. These people weren't afraid of him. In desperation, he resorted to a trick: he invited a group of thugs and swindlers to set up a gambling den in his own military camp and instructed them to cheat the money out of those thug-like soldiers.

  They came and went, the soldiers lost all their money and owed gambling debts. You know, even gangsters have to pay off their debts. At this time, he made a brilliant appearance, urging everyone to fight bravely, and after returning, he was heavily rewarded and helped everyone pay off their debts.

  It took just this much deception and cheating to get these old men onto the battlefield.

  We don't have to discriminate against thugs and robbers, this group of brothers still has strong combat effectiveness, some successful people can still make achievements and leave a name in history.

  Among these people, the most famous one is Chang Yuchun.

  Of course, there are many rogue soldiers in the army, but good civilians do exist. If Chang Yuchun is a model of rogue soldiers, then General Xu Da is a representative of good civilians.

  All of these are verifiable through records, for example Xu Da: "family business was farming", before the revolution he was an honest farmer. Looking at Chang Yuchun again: "initially followed Liu Ju as a bandit", with a background as a bandit, indeed not ordinary.

  These two people's fighting strength are both very strong, no need to mention, but their different backgrounds seemingly also decided on a certain kind of performance, Xu Da is "women have nothing to love, wealth and treasures have nothing to take", high wind and bright virtue, admirable.

  Ke Changyu Mr. Chun is "good at killing, repeatedly teaching without changing", even those who surrender will be killed, and it's really not credible, reflecting his hooligan nature.

  In summary, it can be seen that the bandits becoming soldiers was a common trend and characteristic at that time. Generally, when a country was first established, there were more good civilians in the army (forced to rebel due to desperation), but as society developed, the proportion of bandit soldiers would become larger and larger (at that time, being a soldier was not glorious). This doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing, after all, the bandits and robbers were brave and fierce, and their combat effectiveness was generally stronger than that of ordinary people.

  By the mid-Ming dynasty, with increased social mobility, the number of vagrants and bandits also grew. In urgent situations where time was pressing, both sides were forced to absorb large numbers of vagrant bandits into their armies.

  Now, Wang Shouren and Ning Wang will command this special group of generals, lead these special soldiers, to engage in a desperate final battle.