Chapter 429 Commander
The four of them knew whether Chang Qing was in Ancheng or not. But they didn't expect Yu Cheng to be so sure.
Since Chang Qing was in Ancheng, he was deceiving the emperor and failing in his duty. Wang Yuan was also a shielding accomplice. It was natural for them to be punished.
After finding out Yu Cheng's motives, several commanders breathed a sigh of relief.
It would be good if he didn't kill people for no reason.
"I am willing to lead the army to the border!" A commander suddenly spoke, his voice was passionate and high-pitched, and it was clear to the ear.
Yu Cheng took a closer look and found that it was the commander whose knife he had snatched before. Because he was close, a drop of Wang Yuan's blood splashed on his face.
"What's your name?" Yu Cheng asked.
The man said, "I am Di Ming."
Yu Cheng nodded and announced loudly, "From today on, Di Ming will be the commander of the Ancheng garrison and will lead the entire army. Anyone who disobeys will be dealt with according to military law."
Di Ming was slightly surprised when he heard this.
He did not expect Yu Cheng to directly appoint him as the commander.
The other three generals were also shocked. They did not expect that they would lose their positions in a moment of distraction.
Although it is extremely dangerous to reinforce the border and kill the enemy, it is also a rare opportunity to make achievements.
Anyway, the outcome is inevitable, so why not fight and become famous.
After thinking quickly, the three of them said bravely, "Your Highness, Di Ming is still young, has not led the army for a long time, and has little experience. I am afraid he is not suitable to lead the entire army."
Among the four generals, Di Ming is the youngest, only twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old. On the other hand, the other three were all in their forties or fifties and looked very experienced. They indeed seemed more suitable to be the commander than Di Ming.
Yu Cheng glanced at the three of them, and said solemnly: "General Di may be young and inexperienced, but he is loyal and brave. I asked you many times just now, and only he is willing to lead the army."
"Now the border war is tense, and what is most needed is a brave and fearless general who can lead the army to charge and fight. As for the rest, the commander-in-chief will be in charge and discuss with the generals." "
I believe that after the border experience, General Di must be experienced."
After Yu Cheng finished speaking, he looked at Di Ming and said: "General Di, do you dare to take over the position of the chief general?"
"I obey your order! I will not let you down." Di Ming answered loudly.
After hearing this, the three knew that there was no room for maneuver in this matter. The moment they hesitated and panicked, they had already missed the opportunity.
Yu Cheng asked all the soldiers to stand up, and personally went forward to help Di Ming up, and asked him to go to the center of the general's platform to give a speech to the garrison.
"The garrison listens to my orders." Di Ming's voice was as loud as a bell.
"Please give your orders, General!" The garrison shouted in unison, and the cheers shook the sky.
Di Ming looked at the soldiers below and said, "The border is the defense line of Dazhao, and it must not be broken. Otherwise, the Mobei bandits will attack the city, and our homeland will become a ruin, with countless casualties and blood flowing like a river, and our family and friends will not be spared." "
For Dazhao, for our homeland and our families, we must reinforce the border, defend it with all our strength, and repel Mobei!"
"Defend it with all our strength, and repel Mobei!" The garrison shouted.
Di Ming was originally an ordinary soldier, who climbed up step by step by making meritorious contributions. He was generous and fair, got along well with the lieutenant generals, and was deeply respected and obeyed by the garrison.
Even if there were a few who did not obey him, they did not dare to say anything under the intimidation of Yu Cheng and the influence of other garrisons.
Looking at the garrison who were inspired by Di Ming, Yu Cheng was relieved and felt that he had not made a mistake.
He decisively appointed Di Ming as the commander for another reason.
When he reached out to pull out Di Ming's knife to kill Wang Yuan, with the sensitivity of a military general and the reaction speed of a young man, he would have noticed someone approaching to snatch the knife and would have reacted subconsciously. But when Yu Cheng drew his knife, Di Ming did not stop him at all.
Di Ming's action proved two points. First, he was loyal to the court and had no intention of rebellion. Second, he was dissatisfied with Wang Yuan, so he did not stop him.
Killing Wang Yuan could not only identify loyal ministers and good generals, but also warn the garrison troops, killing two birds with one stone.
Yu Cheng let out a long breath, turned around and walked down the generals' platform, and walked towards the meeting account.
Seeing this, Di Ming and the three generals hurried to follow.
After sitting down in the meeting account, Yu Cheng looked at the map and discussed the march with Di Ming and others.
The garrison troops are divided into two categories, one is the cavalry and the other is the infantry. The pace of the infantry is much slower than that of the cavalry. If they march together, it will definitely slow down the progress.
But if they were separated, the cavalry would be small in number, and they would need to transport food and other supplies on the road, which would be inconvenient for the infantry without horses.
"The cavalry can reach the border in two days, and the infantry will need at least five days. If the cavalry and infantry march together, with horses to transport food and supplies, they can reach the border in four and a half days." Di Ming estimated. If
10,000 cavalry arrived at the border first, it would not be very useful, and it would slow down the progress of the infantry. After some discussion, Yu Cheng finally decided to let the cavalry march with the army.
After finalizing all the matters, Yu Cheng asked Di Ming and the other two generals to prepare immediately and set off early tomorrow morning.
As for the remaining general, Yu Cheng asked him to take people to capture Chang Qing.
The general was naturally reluctant to do this job, but Yu Cheng did not discuss it with him, but gave an order.
Knowing that the general and Chang Qing probably have a personal relationship and might let him go for personal gain, Yu Cheng sent several of his guards to go with him.
He was determined to punish Chang Qing severely to serve as a warning to others.
When the general left, in order to prevent him from secretly reminding others to deliberately avoid the matter and cause Chang Qing to escape, Yu Cheng reminded him: "If you fail to do such a trivial task as catching Chang Qing, you
should be dismissed and punished according to military regulations." If he is dismissed from his position as a general, he will just be an ordinary soldier and have to start from scratch.
The general is already about fifty years old, and obviously he does not have the time or opportunity to gradually rise.
Although Yu Cheng's words are a warning, they are extremely serious.
The general was shocked and dared not show any personal gain.
He has old people above him and young children below him, and he cannot afford to lose.
After arranging the military affairs, Yu Cheng took a carriage back to the prefect's mansion.
Chang Qing's matter had not been resolved yet, and it would be dark in more than an hour. It was not suitable to rush, so he could only rest in Ancheng for the whole night.
Yu Cheng brought Wang Yuan's body back to the prefect's mansion. The servants in the mansion were horrified when they saw Wang Yuan's body, and hurried to the backyard to report.
Yu Cheng knew that someone would come to look for him, so he did not rush to the guest house, but went straight to the hall to wait.
"Your Highness, please have tea." The maid served the tea carefully.
Although Yu Cheng did not say how Wang Yuan died or who killed him, anyone with a brain could guess.
As the governor, Wang Yuan was the highest official in Ancheng. No one dared to kill him except Yu Cheng.
Yu Cheng glanced at the terrified maid, picked up the teacup, blew it calmly and drank it.
The maid's heart was pounding at this look. She didn't dare to breathe. After bowing, she fled out of the hall.
After drinking a cup of tea, Yu Cheng heard hurried footsteps outside the hall.
Yu Cheng put down the empty teacup and looked up, and saw several people coming in anxiously and angrily.
The leading woman was about 40 years old, with tears on her face. Behind her were two men in their twenties and a teenage girl, who also had red eyes from crying.
"I am here to see His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." Although she was filled with anger, the woman still led the others to kneel down and pay her respects.
Yu Cheng sat at the head of the group, looking down at the woman kneeling in the hall, and asked knowingly, "May I know who your wife is?"
The woman gritted her teeth and said, "I am Chang, the wife of the prefect Wang Yuan."
Yu Cheng nodded in understanding.