The Record of Righteousness

The news that the White Lotus Saint founded the Great Zhou in Shandong and proclaimed herself an emperor spread throughout the country within just three or five days, shocking the world.

This was the second woman who rebelled and proclaimed herself an emperor hundreds of years after Empress Wu of the Tang Dynasty. How could it not surprise people?

For a time, two opposing courts appeared in the territory of the Great Ming Dynasty.

One was the Great Ming Dynasty with a vast territory and Beidu as its capital;

The other was the Great Zhou Dynasty with Dongning (Jinan) as its capital and a small territory.

When the Ming court learned that the White Lotus had usurped power and proclaimed itself an emperor in Shandong and established a new court, the whole country was shocked.

The emperor was furious, and all the civil and military officials reported to the emperor, begging him to send troops to attack the rebels in Shandong immediately.

After the cabinet drafted the plan and the emperor decided, he immediately issued an order.

The Liaodong Admiral Zhai Zongyao, who was temporarily stationed in Hejian Prefecture, was appointed as the general to fight against the rebels and the commander-in-chief of the three armies.

He was given the Shangfang sword, the golden armor of the commanders of the three armies, the black silk thousand-mile horse with six snow hooves, the rhinoceros skin and tiger leather jeweled saddle, the white jade brocade silver silk belt, etc. to show his favor.

He led 50,000 Liaodong troops and 40,000 Dongchangfu guards, a total of 90,000 troops, and sent troops to Shandong to break the pseudo-Zhou and capture the pseudo-emperor, the leader of the White Lotus Rebellion.

At the same time, he sent envoys to order Fang Daqing, the Shandong general who was temporarily stationed in Huai'an, and Wang Hao, the military supervisor, to recruit soldiers. From Huai'an, they formed a horn with General Zhai of Hejian Prefecture to break the pseudo-dynasty of the rebels.

After receiving the imperial edict from the court, the three garrisons stepped up their preparations and prepared for war.

The Zhou Dynasty annexed the Taishan Sect and its strength increased greatly.

By recruiting soldiers and forcing men to be strong, after half a month of preparation, the small court also had a good look and sent generals from all directions to guard the important passes.

Fang Daqing, Wang Hao and Wan Qing of Huai'an Prefecture were overjoyed after receiving the imperial edict, which allowed them to recruit soldiers in Huai'an, but the number of soldiers could not exceed 20,000.

At this time, Fang Daqing had only 1,500 or 1,600 soldiers under his command. This number of soldiers was far from enough to fight against the pseudo-Zhou rebels in Shandong.

After a long discussion, Wan Qing suggested that Huai'an Prefecture had a rich and dense population, so they could force able-bodied men to fill the sergeants, and they could recruit bandits from nearby mountains and forests for their own use.

In this way, the three of them hit it off and immediately got busy.

Within a few days, their Huai'an army had reached more than 6,000 people.

Among them, 500 to 600 were Shandong veterans who fled with the three people. These people were also the first soldiers to follow Fang Daqing and were appointed as officers of all sizes.

In addition to the 3,000 strong men who were forcibly recruited, there were about 2,000 bandits and mountain bandits who were recruited within a hundred miles of Huai'an Prefecture.

Let's talk about Zhai Zongyao, the general who fought against bandits and the commander of the three armies.

He was born in a family of generals in Liaodong.

His grandfather Zhai Tianye was the last governor of Ji and Liao, and he had countless students. Even the current governor, Wang Erhe, was recommended by his grandfather.

His father Zhai Wu was the governor of Liaodong. Under the rule of the father and son, Liaodong was peaceful for many years. The Jin people did not dare to invade, and the people were rich and happy.

Even though he was born in such a prominent family, Zhai Zongyao was not a playboy who relied on family connections to become an official.

He did not like writing since he was a child, but only liked to wield swords and guns and study military books.

Later, his father Zhai Wu recommended him to the army, and he was promoted to the post of Liaodong governor step by step based on his military exploits.

His boss was Wang Erhe, the governor of Ji and Liao. Wang Erhe cherished this confidant and beloved general.

It was because of Zhai Zongyao that he was able to sit on the position of governor of Ji and Liao very safely.

The rise of the Jin people in Liaodong in recent years also happened to make Zhai Zongyao's achievements.

In the 22nd year of Taifeng, Zhai Zongyao, who served as a guerrilla in Liaodong, led a thousand cavalrymen, rushed over 200 miles and annihilated more than 10,000 Jin troops, beheaded the commander of the Jin army, Wanyan Yuanhao, and captured more than 1,000 Jin troops.

In the 24th year of Taifeng, the Jin Kingdom sent a large army to invade. Zhai Zongyao, who was promoted to deputy general, was ordered to take charge of the situation. In the chaos, he captured Wanyan Zhi, the sixth son of the Jin Khan and the general of the Jin army.

In the 25th year of Taifeng, Zhai Zongyao was promoted to the general of Liaodong, commanding more than 10,000 Ming troops to kill 50,000 Jin troops and make them flee in panic for hundreds of miles.

In the 27th year of Taifeng, Zhai Zongyao, who was only 30 years old, was promoted to the governor of Liaodong and was in charge of Liaodong military affairs. The Jin Kingdom did not dare to invade for years, but only occasionally violated the border to harass the people.

At the same time, Zhai Zongyao was strict in military discipline, and strictly controlled his soldiers, prohibiting his soldiers from harming the people.

He never withheld soldiers' pay like other generals did, and he was a clear stream among the generals of the Ming army.

Therefore, he was also loved and supported by soldiers and civilians.

Now, in the northern Hejian Prefecture of the pseudo-Zhou Dynasty, Zhai Zongyao of the Great Ming Dynasty served as the commander of 90,000 troops.

The civil and military officials in the court had no objection, and they all felt that they could rest assured with such a general in charge.

In the middle and late of the 28th year of Taifeng, Zhai Zongyao, the general who fought against the bandits and the commander of the three armies, cut off the flag and offered sacrifice to the sky, and swore to go to war.

He sent his 40,000 troops, divided into two routes, to attack the two important towns of Shanghe and Jiyang.

At the same time, he ordered the commander of Dongchang Prefecture to send 30,000 troops to attack Jiyang, and 50,000 troops to attack Huaiyin together.

Because the attack of the Ming army was unexpected.

Mo Qingqiu, the national teacher of the pseudo-Zhou Dynasty and the Duke of Anguo, hastily sent the general Chen Huxiong to fight.

In late September, after a series of bloody battles, the Ming army successively captured three important towns, Shanghe, Jiyang, and Huaiyin.

More than 10,000 pseudo-Zhou troops were annihilated by the Ming army. Bai Biao, the loyal and righteous officer guarding the border of Dongning (Jinan), was beheaded, and the pseudo-Zhou civil and military officials and clerks in the three important towns were all executed.

However, the refugees and displaced people among them received the grace and relief food from General Zhai, and the soldiers of the Liaodong army did not harm the local people.

However, a dozen guards in Dongchang Prefecture disobeyed the orders of General Zhai Zongyao and robbed the people at will. Zhai Zongyao ordered them to be beheaded in public to enforce military law.

The gentry and common people were all grateful and deeply grateful for the great kindness of the Ming court.

The western and northern borders of the Pseudo-Zhou were in danger.

The Pseudo-Zhou empress issued an edict to move the capital to Dengzhou Prefecture.

On the way to move the capital, in Zhangqiu County, Anguo Gong Mo Qingqiu submitted a memorial, stating the pros and cons, and begging the emperor to gather the Great Zhou soldiers to fight the Ming bandits to the death.

Mo Qingqiu had fought for many years. With his experienced attack experience, how could he not know the importance of Zhangqiu?

Zhangqiu is an important town in Dongning (Jinan), connecting to Qingzhou in the east and Yanzhou in the south.

If Zhangqiu is abandoned, the Ming army will definitely send heavy troops to occupy this place. At that time, the Ming bandits can directly cut off the connection between the Great Zhou court and Yanzhou and Xuzhou. At that time, it will be easy for the Ming army to take over Yanzhou and Xuzhou!

Therefore, this place must not be lost!

The Pseudo-Zhou empress approved the request.

The Great Zhou State Master Mo Qingqiu stayed behind to personally guard Zhangqiu, while the fake Zhou Emperor's chariot continued to move eastward.

Mo Qingqiu assembled 10,000 troops from the Beijing Camp and 20,000 troops from the Imperial Guards in Zhangqiu, and drew 20,000 troops from the provincial and prefectural armies, totaling 50,000 Zhou troops, to fight against the Ming Army here.

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