Yangzhou Prefecture in Southern Zhili.
Gaoyou Prefecture is a prefecture under the jurisdiction of Yangzhou Prefecture, and there is a lake nearby called Gaoyou Lake.
Tens of thousands of Ming Dynasty naval officers and soldiers are gathering here.
The new governor-general of the aid and suppression, Lu Daqi, stood on the bow of the ship with a frown on his face.
After the former governor-general of the suppression campaign, Ding Kuichu, was defeated and captured, Zhu Cilang immediately followed Shi Kefa's advice and promoted Lu Daqi to the new governor-general of the suppression campaign.
Lu Daqi refused at first.
The world is in chaos now, and leading troops to fight is definitely not a wise move.
In his words, when civil officials lead the army, those who die and lose their reputation are as numerous as the hairs on a cow, while those who stand out are as rare as grass.
Being defeated and killed would be one thing, but dying with a ruined reputation is what he fears the most.
What does he care about most?
reputation!
For this reason, he wrote a memorial to the prince, stating that he was an alcoholic, greedy for money, and lustful, and was not qualified to be the governor-general of the rebellion.
Zhu Cilang’s reply was simple and straightforward: I have read it.
"What a read!" Lu Daqi laughed bitterly, "Ni Yuanlu, you bastard, you have caused me so much trouble!"
Naturally, he didn't dare to scold the prince, but he could still scold the prince's teacher.
After cursing, Lu Daqi turned around and walked into the cabin.
Due to the depth of the canal, the warships dispatched by the Ming army this time were not large in size.
Eighty percent are small warships, the remaining 20 percent are medium-sized warships, and there are no large warships.
There were three people sitting in the cabin.
The leader was the Governor-General of the Grand Canal Zhu Guobi, followed by the Admiral of the Yangtze River Liu Kongzhao.
There were two other people sitting opposite them, namely Liu Zhaoji, the admiral of Nanjing Dachang, and Li Shiyuan, the deputy admiral of the navy under Yuan Jixian.
Among these people, the one Lu Daqi trusted the most was Li Shiyuan.
Because Li Shiyuan was his subordinate before.
"Everyone, do you know how to deploy the troops?" asked Lu Daqi.
Everyone present, except Li Shiyuan, was stunned.
Zhu Guobi frowned and said, "This...isn't it right? Lord Lu is the governor-general of the aid suppression. If you don't tell us, how can we know?"
"Yes!" Liu Kongzhao nodded in agreement, "Lord Lu is the governor, responsible for deploying troops. We are generals, responsible for obeying military orders and leading troops to fight."
Lu Daqi said nothing, but looked at Liu Zhaoji with his hands behind his back.
For this battle, he divided his hopes into two, one part on Li Shiyuan and the other on this big boss.
Although he only has a thousand soldiers, each of them is an elite.
Liu Zhaoji was born in the Liaodong Army, a family of generals, and a hereditary commander.
He first served under You Shiwei, the former general of Shanhaiguan. After You Shiwei's defeat, his troops were divided into two, one of which was led by Liu Zhaoji.
In the eighth year of Chongzhen, Liu Zhaoji and Zu Kuan defeated Zhang Xianzhong in Ruzhou, killing thousands of enemies and achieving the highest military merit.
In the ninth year of Chongzhen, because the troops of Liu Zhaoji and Zu Kuan were arrogant and did not obey orders (questionable), they were transferred to Guanzhong by Lu Xiangsheng, the then Governor-General of Five Provinces, and assigned to suppress bandits under the command of Hong Chengchou, the then Governor-General of Three Borders.
In the 11th year of Chongzhen, the Jiannu invaded the pass. Liu Zhaoji led his troops to rescue Shanhaiguan. Because of his meritorious service in defending Yongping, he was promoted to deputy general of Shanhaiguan, acting general, and deputy governor, and became a big boss in the army.
In the 13th year of Chongzhen, the Jiannu army besieged Jinzhou. Liu Zhaoji was ordered to go with Wu Sangui to provide support, but Wu Sangui was ambushed and trapped between Songshan and Xingshan by the Jiannu army.
Liu Zhaoji sacrificed a thousand soldiers and risked his own life to rescue him.
In July of that year, Liu Zhaoji and Cao Bianjiao defeated the Jiannu at Songshan and Xingshan. In September, the two sides fought again at Xingshan, and Liu Zhaoji retreated because of his small number of troops and was dismissed by Hong Chengchou.
However, it was a blessing in disguise as they avoided defeat in the Battle of Songjin.
In the 15th year of Chongzhen, the Jiannu invaded the pass again. Liu Zhaoji, who had no official position, personally led 300 family servants and followed the Ming army to fight.
During this expedition, Liu Zhaoji and his 300 family servants traveled thousands of miles and participated in dozens of battles, big and small. In every battle, he charged to the front, fighting ten enemies with one, and was unstoppable.
After the war, there were only a dozen or so servants left in Liu Zhaoji's family, which shows how brutal the battle was.
Chongzhen was shocked when he learned about it, and wanted to make him the governor of the war in Huguang. However, due to the shortage of troops, money and food, and the fact that Liaodong was too weak to deploy troops, he could only be given the title of governor-general and deputy governor, and be in charge of training troops in Nanjing.
Historically, Liu Zhaoji led a lone army to reinforce Shi Kefa when he was defending Yangzhou. After the city was captured, he fought a bloody battle with the Qing army and his entire army was wiped out.
Liu Zhaoji looked up at Lu Daqi, cupped his hands and said, "Don't worry, Lord Lu, I will charge in the front and retreat in the back. If there is any discrepancy, please punish me by military law."
Lu Daqi nodded, his eyes swept over Liu Zhaoji and finally fell on Li Shiyuan.
"Just give the orders, sir, and I will obey them."
After getting responses from four people, Lu Daqi smiled slightly.
He walked to the table and took out four sheets of paper.
Then four pieces of paper with different contents were placed in front of them.
"What is this?" The four of them picked up the papers one after another and examined them carefully in the light from the candles in the cabin.
Zhu Guobi first frowned, then clenched his teeth, and finally put the paper on the table and looked at Lu Daqi: "Master Lu, what's going on?"
Lu Daqi smiled slightly: "What? Is there a problem?"
"This is not a question of whether it is a problem or not. How can you sign a military order before going to war?"
Lu Daqi exuded an elegant and steady aura, and said with a smile: "I didn't force Lord Zhu to sign."
"What do you mean?" Zhu Guobi asked in confusion.
"Literally, Lord Zhu can refuse to sign and lead his troops back to Huai'an. Whether this battle is won or lost, it has nothing to do with Lord Zhu."
Zhu Guobi is not a fool. A fool cannot become the governor-general of the grain transport system.
He thought for a moment and asked, "If I don't sign, how will Lord Lu report to the court?"
"According to the report, the Governor of the Grand Canal Zhu Guobi refused to sign the military order and then led his troops back to Huai'an Prefecture."
Zhu Guobi's face darkened: "You want me to be a deserter? No way!"
"Then please sign."
"I won't sign it."
Admiral Liu Kongzhao of Caojiang also put the military order on the table: "Sorry, I won't sign it either."
Lu Daqi ignored him and looked at Liu Zhaoji and Li Shiyuan.
Under the watchful eyes of Lu Daqi, Liu Zhaoji and Li Shiyuan respectively wrote their names on the military order, then took out their seals and stamped them.
"Wait..." Liu Kongzhao had very sharp eyesight and noticed that something was wrong.
He compared Zhu Guobi's and his military orders, then looked at Lu Daqi and said, "Lord Lu, why are the contents of my and his military orders different?"
Without waiting for Lu Daqi to speak, Liu Zhaoji said in a deep voice: "Most of his men are infantrymen, and you lead the navy. Can the contents be the same?"
"I..." Liu Kongzhao was slapped in the face by his own cleverness, and his expression turned very ugly.
Lu Daqi put his hands behind his back again and said, "I'll give you a quarter of an hour. Those who don't sign can leave. Those who remain at the scene after a quarter of an hour must sign."
"Gao Jie, Liu Liangzuo, Li Jiyu, Ma Shiying, Liu Zhaoji, and Li Shiyuan have all signed. If everyone follows the requirements of the military order and arrives at the designated location on time, this battle will be won."
"If the army fails, I am willing to take all the responsibility."
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