Not long after Shi Quanbin left, in mid-October, Di Qing led the army to set off and went south to conquer Nong Zhigao. The army took the train from various stations near Kaifeng Province, crossed the Han River at Fancheng Station, and then took a train to Jiangling Province at Xiangyang Station. Then change boats and follow the waterway to Guizhou. Du Zhongxiao and Di Qing's first meeting was in Fancheng. Di Qingzhongjun got off the car here to change ships, and Du Zhongxiao, as Chang Ping's division, and also led the camp Tianxiang army, came to visit.

Since it was only a short rest, Di Qing lived in the Yamen of Changping Division. As the host, Du Zhongxiao and the local officials went to the station to pick up Di Qing, and after returning to the yamen, the guests and hosts sat down in the living room, made a little polite, and set up a feast.

After serving tea, Du Zhongxiao invited tea and said to Di Qing: "Taiwei has worked hard from afar, don't be afraid of shabby, and there will be some." ”

Di Qing said: "This time I left Beijing to go to Guangnan to fight against traitors. When a large army goes on an expedition, has a car seat, and travels thousands of miles a day, is it conceivable before? All of this is due to the Tiju, without the camp on Jingxi Road, the iron prison cannot be built, where did these come from? When they got on the bus, the soldiers who went out were all grateful for the lifting, which made them have a lot less hard work on the road. Speaking of which, I would like to thank you in advance. ”

After a few polite words, Du Zhongxiao said: "I don't know how many days the Taiwei will rest here?" What do you want me to prepare? ”

Di Qing said: "October is coming to an end, the miasma in Guangnan has disappeared, and the battle ahead cannot be delayed." I'll stay here for a day and wait for the cavalry to follow. When they arrived, they crossed the river together and went to Gangneung to change boats. ”

The horses were transported by special carts loaded with livestock, and the cavalry traveled with them, unlike other troops. This is the main force of Di Qing's southward journey, and he attaches great importance to it.

Tens of thousands of troops marched out, and the train transportation would take several days. Di Qing went first, waited for the front army in Fancheng, and after the assembly was completed, he passed through Xiangyang to Jiangling Mansion in turn. Here, Di Qing has to make arrangements, in addition to the affairs of the army, as well as the logistics of Jinghu Road.

Di Qing's official dispatch was the Xuanfu envoy on Jinghu North Road, and the logistics of the whole army should be transported to Jiangling Mansion in a centralized manner and dispatched in a unified manner. After staying in Fancheng for a day or two, you need to talk to several supervisors here, especially the judge of the shipping department, to explain the delivery of grain and grass. Without a train, Di Qing's army could only requisition grain and grass on Jinghu North Road, and the Jiangling Prefecture Railway would lead to Xiangzhou, and Jingxi Road would have to bear a part.

After sitting for a short time, the pioneer Zhang Yu, the left general of the former army, Jia Kui, and the right general of the former army, Sun Jie, arrived in succession and greeted everyone.

Du Zhongxiao saw that everyone had arrived, and said: "It's not early, let's go to the back of the palace to have a feast." All the captains have worked the road, drink hard tonight, and have a good rest. As soon as the affairs should be done, even if the local officials, including a few of our yamen, are at the disposal of the dispatch! ”

Di Qing thanked him, and took his three generals, accompanied by Ma Zun, the deputy envoy for shipping, Song Xi, the deputy envoy for transit, and Lu Ge, the judge for promotion, to the rear office. Xu Yuan has been promoted to the shipping envoy, and Ma Zun has been promoted to the deputy shipping envoy by the judge, and the two of them, like Du Zhongxiao in Yingtian, are both first-level officials who have not changed for several years. Xu Yuan's fortune has made his position outstanding, and his status has improved rapidly in recent years, and it has swelled a little. Last year, he had intended to subordinate several transshipment divisions under the shipping department to himself, and the official document was rejected, which caused a lot of turmoil at that time. The petition is an official document from a subordinate to a superior, and several transport divisions argue on the basis of reason, plus the railway was received by the third division for the management of the imperial court, but in the end it was unsuccessful.

Song Xi is the seniority of the transfer envoy, because Jingxi Road is becoming more and more important, the qualifications of the deputy envoy have been raised, and he will replace Li Cheng with the same as the transfer envoy from other roads. Du Zhongxiao is very familiar with a text, Fan Zhongyan's "The Biography of Yueyang Tower", which started with Song Xi. It was when he was the imperial historian in the court that he provoked the minister money case of Zhang Kang and Teng Zongliang, which led to Teng Zongliang's demotion to Yuezhou. Fan Zhongyan, who had a close relationship with Teng Zongliang, wrote that article after rebuilding Yueyang Tower. Song Xi also has an interesting story, there was an accident in the palace where the guards brought blades into the big house, others talked about how to prevent system loopholes, Song Xi suggested that there are Luojiang dogs in the world, the best at guarding the door, and to raise more cats and dogs in the palace, known as "Song Luojiang".

They all sat down, Du Zhongxiao said: "Today, the army is coming, the officials of Xiangzhou are all in Xiangyang County opposite, I will do my best to meet the friendship of the landlord and catch the wind for all the captains." After crossing the river, I went to discuss local affairs with Mazhizhou. Jiangling Prefecture has a railway to Xiangyang, and the materials needed by the army need the assistance of Ma Zhizhou. ”

After speaking, he ordered the soldiers to pour the wine, and said to Lu Ge and the others: "Let's first toast a glass of wine to a few lieutenants, and wish them success!" ”

Everyone drank a full glass of wine together, and the atmosphere was lively.

Zhang Yu said: "I have heard for a long time that there are countless industries in Changping Division on Jingxi Road, and there are shopping malls, which are the most generous. Today, I am grateful for the banquet, and I should have a good meal. Sitting in the car for the past two days, I have to take care of the horses, and a bird fades out of my mouth! ”

Du Zhongxiao listened to it and hurriedly asked his subordinates to serve wine and meat. Today, the soldiers are received, drinking wine in large bowls, eating meat in large pieces, boiled, grilled, and fried, so that they can eat to their heart's content. These people walked with the horses, restrained on the road, and could not eat or sleep well.

I remember the storytelling I heard before, Di Qing Nanzheng, what "Four Tigers" are under his command, I can't remember the names clearly, and I think it's all made up. Di Qing went south this time, and the generals he brought with him were indeed generals he trusted and followed for a long time. The three people who came today were all like this, and soon after Di Qing first emerged in the northwest, they followed him and rose all the way.

Striker Zhang Yu is known for his courage and is the most courageous in battle. Because he often carries an iron mace, he will take his horse before the battle, and is called "Zhang Tiegong". This kind of character, of course, does not have so many politeness, and when he goes to a wine feast, he must have wine and meat.

Jia Kui is famous for his wisdom, and Zhang Yu is brave and wise, and he is Di Qing's right-hand man. Zhang Yu is the forward, and Jia Kui is the left general of the former army, concurrently serving as the governor of Jinghu North Road, and is also in charge of logistics in the army. Sun Jie is relatively average, and like the first two, he is Di Qing's most valued subordinate.

After drinking a few glasses of wine, Jia Kui said: "When I was in the capital, I often heard people talk about the battalion and field army, among which the artillery was particularly sharp, and everyone who saw it praised it. It's a pity that we were in a hurry to go out and couldn't stay a few more days to see for ourselves. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "If the eunuch has a heart, there will always be a chance to see it." ”

Speaking of this, Di Qing said to Du Zhongxiao: "Tiju, since we meet today, by the way, let's talk about how to deal with the war." According to the will of the imperial court, in addition to the box army I brought, the camp field box army that was raised should be a different way. Yang Zhen caught and killed thieves on the two roads in Guangnan, and he should have led the battalion Tianxiang army to fight. It's just that the DPRK and China have not yet agreed on who will be the commander of the entire Xiang Army. I think I've come to take care of the affairs of the Changping Division, and you will still lead the army to battle. can bring out a strong army that everyone boasts of, and there is no reason why you can't fight. According to my intentions, Yang Ji will lead two or three thousand lightly armed troops first, and go south after me as the vanguard. As soon as the miasma in Guangnan disappears, Nong Zhigao will not be able to fall in love with Guangdong for a long time, so he can order Yang Ji to lead the army into Shaozhou and step behind. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "The intention of the imperial court, the expedition to the south is presided over by the Taiwei, and I have no objection." When the army passed, he asked Yang Chan to take 3,000 musketeers, equipped with lightly armed artillery, and go south to Shaozhou. ”

Di Qing nodded in agreement, and the two discussed some details while drinking.

As the commander of the battalion Tianxiang army going south, he has not been able to settle down, and Chang Pingsi's inability to let go suddenly is a reason, and more importantly, the emperor and the ministers of the court still have doubts about whether they can lead the troops. Zhao Yu has seen it once, Shi Quanbin has seen it again, Du Zhongxiao's method of leading the army is very different from the forbidden army they are familiar with. And most of the people who have been trusted militarily in the DPRK and China are veterans at the front, how can they trust Du Zhongxiao?

There is no way to do this kind of thing, what can be done by himself, Du Zhongxiao has already done it, and now he can only wait. Let's see if the DPRK and China can make up their minds and let themselves lead the army as commanders to fight this battle.

This battle is of great significance, if you fight well and make great contributions, not only will you have military merits, but you can also justify the name of the Yingtianxiang Army. It has to be recognized by others, and with the support of others, the tactics of the battalion and field army can develop benignly. Otherwise, if he finally leaves Jingxi Road for a day, it will be difficult to say what the future of the Yingtian Xiangjun will be in the future.