After setting out from Chengdu, the Ming army went down the river and soon approached Jiangjin. After crossing the Qi River, it was not far from Chóngqìng, Deng Ming ordered to send a horse to land, and the sailors also assembled in Jiangjin to prepare for the advance of the Jǐng Jie. Not long after the expedition, they received a report that there seemed to be signs of human activity in the mountains and forests.

"Probably a sentry of the Qing army." Deng Ming made such a judgment, he originally thought that even if the Qing army had a reconnaissance force, it would stay on the safer north bank, but he didn't expect that the Qing army's power had expanded to the south bank, and it had expanded so far.

The Ming army had planned to suddenly appear near Chóngqìng to observe the Qing army's city defenses, and if there was an opportunity or if the Qing army had abandoned Chóngqìng, they would land on the north bank. The Qing army must have had sentry sentries as well, but the later the Ming army was discovered, the more sluggish their response became.

"The sailor pauses forward." Deng Ming immediately made a decision after hearing the report, the Ming army did not have many cavalry, but he estimated that the number of sentinels of the Qing army was also limited, so he personally landed with a hundred cavalry, and the scout horses sent in the early stage led the way to the suspicious location.

"Eliminate the Qing army's scouts as much as possible, at least blow them away, and don't let them see the size of our army." On the way, Deng Ming explained to the guards that if the Qing army fled, he could only hope that they had misjudged that this was not the outpost of the Ming army's large army, but a group of messengers.

After following the guide to the destination, Deng Ming saw fireworks rising from the forest.

"It's not a beacon." The guards who followed Deng Ming were a little puzzled, if the other party was a sentry, there was no reason to light a fire in broad daylight to expose their position.

"Could it be a trap?" Many people have such questions.

Deng Ming was not sure about this, and he sent some sharp soldiers again to sneak over to reconnoitre.

A moment later, the return of the scouts surprised the Ming army even more, and they reported that the Qing army in the valley seemed to be eating, and some sentinels were scattered around the perimeter, but the jǐng ring could not be called very tight. After two repeated reconnaissance, Deng Ming ordered the whole army to be dispatched, but when the Ming cavalry suddenly appeared in front of the Qing sentinels, these Qing soldiers were obviously taken aback. But before they could react, the Ming army had already rushed to their approach.

……

Wang Mingde and the others gathered around the bonfire, happily eating barbecue, when they suddenly heard the sound of jǐng in the distance, and the people around the campfire were stunned for a moment.

"Enemy attack?" The Qing soldiers around the fire were stunned, there were more than 100 officers and soldiers in the Qing army who came out together today, and if there were envoys from the Ming army passing by, they would definitely stay away, not to mention that Wang Mingde also deployed more than a dozen sentries around.

The sentinels on the periphery apparently did not delay the attackers in the slightest, and when Wang Mingde and the others hurriedly stood up and rushed towards their respective weapons and mounts, the Ming cavalry of the brigade had already rushed over, blocking the Qing soldiers and their horses.

Looking at the large number of Ming cavalry rushing around, Wang Mingde's eyes were full of disbelief, and the Qing army gathered together, formed a circle, drew their personal weapons, or picked up sticks from the side of the road, ready to make a final resistance. The enemy troops opposite these Qing soldiers, all wearing armor and holding bright swords in their hands,

"It turned out to be Mr. Wang."

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from the cavalry on the opposite side, and then Wang Mingde saw a young face, staring at this person for a long time, before Wang Mingde burst out with a cry of surprise: "Admiral Deng? ”

"Long time no see." Deng Ming, who was riding on horseback, smiled and nodded, his eyes swept over this group of people, and soon he found two more acquaintances: "Governor Gao, Hu Guerrilla, where do you not meet in life?" ”

Looking at most of the bare-handed enemies on the opposite side, Deng Ming said loudly: "Governor Gao, General Soldier Wang, let your subordinates put down their daggers and sticks, it's not worth dying for a cow, right?" ”

The Qing soldiers did not immediately respond to Deng Ming's call, although they were in a desperate situation, Wang Mingde and Gao Mingzhan still whispered for a while, and finally Gao Mingzhan stepped forward, walked out of the Qing army's round formation, and clenched his fists to Deng Ming: "Does Admiral Deng promise that no one will be killed?" ”

"Could it be that Zhao Liangdong, Daniel Zhang or Wang Jinbao are among you?" Deng Ming asked, "Or is Governor Li also there?" If they were, I wouldn't be able to guarantee it. ”

"No, no." Gao Mingzhan hurriedly said loudly: "They are all ordinary officers and soldiers, the biggest official is the lower official, and then General Wang and General Hu, these people are also the three of us." ”

"Then why am I killing you?" Deng Ming laughed: "Put down your weapons quickly." ”

"Admiral Deng has always been true to his word, and the officials admire him." After Gao Mingzhan finished speaking, he retreated into the team and said a few words to Wang Mingde, and then the Qing army began to throw down his weapons, and then sat on the ground, holding his head with both hands according to Deng Ming's request.

After the enemy disarmed, part of the Ming cavalry dismounted and ordered the Qing army to come out in groups and tie them up with ropes. While his subordinates were working, Deng Ming also jumped off the horse, walked to the bonfire in the middle, and beckoned Wang Mingde, Gao Mingzhan and Hu Wenke to come over.

"Governor Gao, General Wang and Hu Guerrilla are all my old friends, so they don't have to be tied up, lest they lose face in front of their subordinates." Deng Ming said to several guards behind him, and they all agreed in unison.

Gao Mingzhan and the other three also hurriedly thanked them when they heard this, and Deng Ming noticed that they seemed to be a little absent-minded, especially Hu Wenke, who was even more slow to react, as if he was thinking about something.

"Why is Governor Gao so interested today? Out for a picnic? Deng Ming didn't immediately ask, but pointed to the animals on their campfire and asked, "Why don't you take good precautions?" Aren't you afraid of being attacked by our army? If you hadn't met me today, the three of you would have been terrible, wouldn't you? ”

Wang Mingde was speechless, but Gao Mingzhan was the calmest, and he replied with a smile: "Don't hide it from Admiral Deng, we didn't expect to meet so many noble troops. We also know that there are not many cavalry under the Admiral, and the road from Chóngqìng to Chengdu is a no-man's land, if it were not for the Admiral himself, it would be impossible for your army to have more than a hundred cavalry here, let alone a hundred, even ten will not be, at most it will be two or three messengers passing by. ”

"yes, but why didn't you expect me to come back?"

Wang Mingde's hatred in his heart is not to mention, Li Guoying has analyzed to his subordinates, Deng Ming will definitely be in Chengdu Tuntian in the short term, and the most likely thing to do is to search for refugees in the mountains and bring them back to Chengdu, especially now that it is still the busy agricultural season, the Ming army will definitely not make a big move at this time. Li Guoying's analysis won everyone's approval, in fact, even if there was no Li Guoying's words, Wang Mingde would have had a similar opinion, but now he hates Li Guoying the most, and thinks that if it weren't for the governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi to fool them, then he would definitely not have fallen into such a field today.

"I really didn't expect the Admiral to come to Chóngqìng again, didn't the Admiral just leave? We came out today to fight the bears. Wang Mingde said sadly.

"What about the bear?" Deng Ming asked strangely, he pointed to the prey of the Qing soldiers: "This is obviously a deer, right?" ”

The other prey on the fire were also deer, rabbits and other small animals, but none of the bears were seen.

"I didn't hit the bears, I only found the deer."

"Why don't you fight on the north shore, but you have to run to the south bank?"

"There are not even deer on the side of Futu Pass, there are more prey here, General Zhang and Deputy General Zhao also came not long ago, and they beat a bear. As a result, the Admiral did not come early, and they went back safe and sound, and the last general came to hunt with a hot eye, but the bear did not catch it, and ran into the Admiral. The more Wang Mingde spoke, the more sad he became.

"It's called fate." Deng Ming laughed a few more times and said to the three people: "Everyone, please take a seat, I happen to be hungry, so let's join in the fun." Now we can talk about how to exchange prisoners, come, let's talk while we eat. ”

"There will be a coupon at the end!" Hu Wenke suddenly shouted: "The Admiral said that with this coupon you can let us go back." ”

"Well, that's right." Deng Ming nodded: "What about the coupon?" Take it out and give it to me, and I will let you and your men go back." ”

"I didn't bring it with me." Hu Wenke was dumbfounded.

"I have it too, I have seventy-three," Wang Mingde hurriedly said when he heard that there was a play: "The Admiral should remember it very clearly." ”

"That's right, I remember that you have more than seventy sheets, and Hu Guerrilla has twenty sheets," Deng Ming said with a smile: "Did Mr. Wang bring it with you?" ”

"Neither do I." Wang Mingde said anxiously: "But since the Admiral remembers, it should be okay." ”

"Of course not, how do I know you didn't tear up the coupon?" Deng Ming shook his head: "I said when I gave you the coupon that I would return the coupon when I saw it." ”

"It's not torn, it's really still there!" Wang Mingde and Hu Wenke shouted together.

"Okay, go back and bother you to send someone back to chóngqìng to get it, or when I break through chóngqìng, you can also send someone to accompany you to pick it up, and I will release the person immediately when I see the discount coupon, no two words." Deng Ming saw that the three of them had relieved expressions on their faces, so he said again: "Please sit down, I'm really hungry, let's eat first." ”

After the three of them were seated, Deng Ming said to a guard behind him: "Give the order to go down and interrogate the prisoners separately." Ask them how many people they have brought with them, and what their positions are, and see if there is anything different. Especially for the horses, ask carefully whose men are coming on horseback, and how many of them there are. ”

"Yes." The guards took the order and left.

"What do you mean, Admiral?" Gao Mingzhan immediately asked, and Hu Wenke's god became even more nervous.

"Oh, I'm afraid you've forgotten to tell me something." Deng Ming cut off a piece of roast venison with his hands, and replied casually: "Didn't Governor Gao just say that these people are all your subordinates?" I have promised you that I will not kill any of your men. ”

Wang Mingde and Gao Mingzhan's faces changed greatly, and Hu Wenke said stupidly: "No, what the admiral said just now is that no one will be killed, not that our subordinates will not be killed." ”

Gao Mingzhan glared at Hu Wenke viciously, and the latter realized the gaffe, and his face was suddenly silent.

"Is there really someone who isn't one of your subordinates?" Deng Ming put a piece of meat in his mouth, and the freshly roasted venison was very fragrant.

"What Guerrilla Hu said is right, I just promised not to kill anyone, but it seems that Governor Gao deceived me first." After chewing and eating the first piece of meat slowly, Deng Ming said slowly: "Okay, who is he to sue me?" Is it Governor Lee? ”

"It's not!" The three of them shook their heads together, but no one answered Deng Ming's question.

Deng Ming read a few more names, but he never guessed correctly.

"Who the hell is it?" Deng Ming became a little impatient: "Don't fool me anymore, if it's an ordinary soldier, do you use it to cover it up like this?" ”

Then one of the guards came back and reported: "Admiral, the number of captives is not right. ”

"Well, separate the officers and let them recognize them, and see who will be left, or be recognized by several officers at the same time." Deng Ming gave another order: "Pick this person out." ”

Around the bonfire, Deng Ming and a few guards continued to be busy eating, and Gao Mingzhan and the other three sat there in a daze.

After a while, Deng Ming heard a loud commotion from behind, as well as the sound of struggle and fighting, and soon five people were dragged to Deng Ming's side.

"Five?" This time it was Deng Ming's turn to be surprised.

"Admiral, they're real Tartars!" One of the guards said loudly.

"Ahh Only then did Deng Ming understand why Gao Mingzhan would be so supportive.

One of them was a Niu Lu of the Eight Banners of Manchuria, the commander of the one hundred and eight banners that Deng Ming had seen, and after returning to Chóngqìng not long ago, this Niu Lu had nothing to do, and was hunting everywhere. These Eight Banner soldiers, like the others, felt that the Ming army had not been gone for long, and they might not come back for a year and a half, and there were no Ming troops within a radius of hundreds of miles, so they were relieved to boldly go out of the city and cross the river.

"No wonder I want Governor Gao and General Wang to accompany you." Deng Ming nodded, looking at Gao Mingzhan and the others. Listening to the description of Zheng Chenggong's subordinates, the Eight Banners soldiers in the Battle of Zhenjiang had an extremely tenacious will to resist, and even if they were in a desperate situation, they would not have the idea of surrendering, because they knew that surrender was also death, so those seriously injured Eight Banners soldiers would also try their best to kill the Ming army to cushion their backs.

When he was in Nanjing, Deng Ming released the people of the Manchurian Eight Banners to go back, hoping to break the fighting spirit of the Manchurian Eight Banners. After asking about the identities of these people, Deng Ming smiled and said, "What's the matter?" Isn't it just Niu Lu and his four entourage, how big is Niu Lu? It's just a thousand presidents, why didn't Governor Gao say it earlier? I thought I had caught Governor Lee, and I was overjoyed. ”

"Take them down and lock them up with the others," Deng Ming said and announced the order loudly: "Release them when you see the coupons." ”

The five Manchurian soldiers obviously did not expect this result, and were dragged down by the Ming army again in a daze. After they were taken away, Gao Mingzhan asked cautiously, "What does Admiral Deng mean that they won't be killed either?" Can you exchange the WW1 coupon back? ”

"Of course, they are not Governor Li or Commander Zhang, why should I hold them back? Besides, the Manchurians are not human, aren't they? Didn't I give you a coupon for one person? Deng Ming said lightly, as if this was a completely inconspicuous trifle: "If people don't believe in it, how can I break my promise?" ”

"The ancients are a promise, and the admiral really has the style of an ancient gentleman." A big stone in Gao Mingzhan's heart fell to the ground, and he immediately flattered loudly.

"Yes, yes, the last general has traveled from south to north, and he has never seen such a great man as the Admiral." Hu Wenke also hurriedly jumped up and complimented him desperately: "The Admiral is a hero in the world, there is no one before or after." ”

Wang Mingde also gave a thumbs up vigorously on the side: "The Admiral is a hero, a hero." ”

After eating, Deng Ming said to the three of them: "Since I keep my promise, then I also hope that the three of you will treat each other with sincerity. ”

All three of them said that they must know everything and say everything.

"Thank you so much." Deng Mingsu sù They will talk one by one, and they don't know who said what to each other.

First of all, Gao Mingzhan was left alone, Deng Ming asked about Chóngqìng's current strength, Gao Mingzhan was afraid of angering Deng Mingdao zhì He broke his promise - there were Wang Mingde and Hu Wenke behind, Gao Mingzhan felt that the possibility of lying and not being recognized was very small, so he honestly told Deng Ming that he still had 5,000 armor.

Originally, he thought that Li Guoying would transfer the main force back to Baoning, leaving only a partial division in Chóngqìng - if Li Guoying and Zhao Liangdong's strong generals were not there, Deng Ming felt that he could consider attacking Chóngqìng; But now the Qing army still has 5,000 armor in the city, and with Deng Ming's current strength, it is very difficult to win a field battle, let alone siege the city and street battles. Moreover, Deng Ming has not brought many auxiliaries, and his ability to fight on land has been greatly reduced.

"It seems that I have to give up, besides, the purpose of my trip is to go to Huguang to sell salt, there is no time to delay here, and when I come back from Wuhan, I will contact General Yuan and them, this time I should have the strength to divide the troops into two ways and turn Chóngqìng into a lonely city." Deng Ming pondered for a while, and then asked Gao Mingzhan: "Why does Governor Li still stick to Chóngqìng, isn't he afraid that I will cut him off?" ”

"Governor Li seems to have received a large sum of money from the imperial court...... Gao Ming told Deng Ming, Li Guoying, in order to reassure the guards of Chóngqìng, told them that the strength of Chóngqìng will not only not be weakened, but can be continuously strengthened, and reinforcements will come from Shaanxi one after another: "It seems that Chóngqìng is going to build a Manchurian city, and Governor Li asked the lower officials to prepare in advance, and also explained that a large piece of land will be opened up, which must be enough for 1,000 Manchurian Eight Banners soldiers and military families to live." ”

"A thousand garrison eight banners?" This news made Deng Ming fall into deep thought, if there is such a large number of garrison Eight Banners in Chóngqìng, there will inevitably be tens of thousands of green battalions stationed there, and if the Ming army besieges Chóngqìng, Li Guoying will definitely come to relieve the siege at any cost - because he must not sit idly by and watch the garrison Eight Banners be annihilated, once such a large-scale Mancheng is established, it means that the Běijīng side is determined to defend Chóngqìng at any cost, and it is also a clear warning to Sù Sichuan Shaanxi Wenwu, Once chóngqìng fell into the hands of the Ming army, běijīng was not tolerated.