Chapter 183 Xihua vs.
The defeat in Kaifeng was a huge blow to Zhang Hu.
It can be said that in the first stage of Zhang Hu's rebellion, Kaifeng Mansion was a watershed. When he besieged Kaifeng, his strength reached a peak. Before that, when they occupied Boryeong Prefecture in northern Sichuan, although their subordinates were said to number nearly one hundred thousand, their core strength also had eight military camps. It was certainly very difficult for the local and state governments to deal with such a large scale of rogues, but Sun Jie Ma Qiancheng was roped in to help. Even though Zhang Hu still had the advantage of holding on to the fortified city, he was defeated in one fell swoop. If it hadn't been for the extravagant interference from the gossips in the court, he would have been killed on the spot and fled to Shaanxi Province in embarrassment. Even worse, in the field battle, they were driven away by thousands of Han-ban mixed troops from the first government of the Taozhou Guard District. They were in a state of panic all day long. Even when they were running rampant in Shaanxi Xingdu Division, it was like they were in an uninhabited land, thinking that they could fight and conquer the enemy. Still, he was beaten at the gate of Gongchang Mansion and returned with a bruised nose and swollen face. In other words, at this stage, they can only be regarded as "bandits" and not as "army" - whether it is defending the city or fighting in the field, this group of thieves can only be weak when they encounter a real powerful force. Not to mention the siege battle, with the advantage of the city wall, ordinary guardsmen opponents can make them collapse with teeth.
Later, it swept through Shaanxi and Henan, and finally took some shape. By the time Zhang Hu had grown up under Kaifeng City, he was able to use the tactics of siege and reinforcements to set up an ambush for the officers and soldiers of Huaiqing Prefecture in Luoyang Prefecture! Fortunately, the virtuous and enlightened King Zhou established a vassal here and led the army and the people to resist to the death. If it were any place in the Ming Dynasty except the two capitals, with such momentum, even the provincial government would probably be defeated by them.
However, this fiasco caused Zhang Hu to instantly return to the state he was in when he was driven out of northern Sichuan, or even worse - he stepped into the casino with no money, ended up throwing the handle out of the leopard and earned 100,000 yuan. Later, his hand skills were bad. It’s one thing to leave the game with 40,000 to 50,000 yuan in your pocket. But if you go in confidently with 1 million yuan for the second time, and come out with only 70,000 to 80,000 yuan, your mood will definitely be very different.
Zhang Hu's subordinates were also in a state of panic. Previously, many people believed that the king was protected by God, but the injury caused by the arrow and this inexplicable defeat made the myth fade a lot. Although he stole another county town, Xihua was very poor after all, and the things he grabbed were limited. Judging from the normal situation, although this group of bandits with severely damaged vitality is likely to be troubled for a while and even cause some considerable troubles, in a macro sense, it no longer poses a particularly big threat. As long as it continues Encountering one or two decent resistances or pursuits, the tribesmen would disperse and flee on a large scale, and destruction would be a matter of time.
Well, if it hadn't been for that pure accident.
Zhang Hu, who lives in the Xihua County government office, always feels desolate and desolate. The wound has scabbed over, but thanks to the mountain pattern armor, the crossbow arrow did not penetrate deeply into the flesh and did not damage the bones. It seems that the left arm will be fine. In the past five or six days, apart from eating and drinking, I also vented my anger on women. But whenever I had some free time, my heart suddenly became empty. I often walked around the office for a long time without knowing where I wanted to go, let alone what to do. Something good.
The heartless Niu Youtian didn't have such thoughts. Cheng Tianjie was extremely happy, walking around the city besides eating, drinking, sleeping with women. Xihua County is very small, but there is also a theater troupe. From time to time, this guy invites Wang Biao and Li Song to join him. Sometimes he also asks Shang Ning and Along to listen to the opera with him. Ning Along's thoughts are all on his younger brother Ahu, who is in the children's camp. After this tragic defeat, I didn't expect that the children's camp was not broken up. Most of the children followed them - no wonder, a group of half-teen-year-old children only knew how to run with the adults they knew, but did not know how to escape on their own. .
Fang Ge spent most of his time with his Sichuan Army camp officers. Zhang Hu saw this but could not say anything. As expected, the food guards that Fang Ge left in Tongxu's camp were just called auxiliary soldiers. They were all very strong, and everyone had swords and shields. Except for the lack of armor - in other words, there were only four genuine combat barracks. Fifty percent armor coverage rate! Zhang Hu calculated in his mind for a while, and now he and Niu Youtian's soldiers together are slightly worse than Fang Ge. As for morale, it is even more incomparable: except for the time when he set an ambush for Yan Minwang and was killed by counterattack, this guy almost never What were the defeats: a surprise attack on Jianzhou, defeating Lu Guangyu at Chaotianguan to open the way for the army to go north, later mopping up Xu Chenliu, breaking the curse placed on the cannon by the victory-weary method, and stealing the Xihua County seat at his feet... …It’s not okay to go on like this. Sooner or later it might become a serious problem! Although he has always been respectful and loyal to himself, the human heart is the most difficult thing to say - the storyteller once said that Song Taizu was also "unfailingly loyal" to the Chai family when he was doing inspections in front of the palace. What? When a few generals put yellow robes on him, wouldn't he become a great Song Dynasty in the next week? Of course, you can't talk to Niu Youtian about such concerns. Lao Niu grew up naked in the camp with him, so of course he can be trusted absolutely, but this guy is heartless and can't hide anything in his heart. If he doesn't pay attention, he will say something out of his mouth, which will ruin everything. . Zhang Hu wanted to train his soldiers, but he thought about it: first of all, the brothers need to vent their anger after a new defeat. Now that they are trapped in the camp, not only will they not be able to calm down, but they may make them complain; secondly, In the past, Sichuan soldiers were led by Fang Ge and he didn't care much. If they trained together, it would seem that he wanted to take back the military power, which might arouse Fang Ge's vigilance; thirdly, if his subordinates were dissatisfied, Fang Ge would To win over someone with some small favors...the consequences would be disastrous!
I don't know what to do, and I can't show off on the surface, so Zhang Hu has been very depressed these days. That day, while I was sitting in the back office, Zhang Jiucheng suddenly barged in: "Commander, there is someone who wants to see you."
Zhang Hu was startled. He was a god of plague that everyone shunned. How could anyone come to see him? Asked: "Who is here and why do you want to see me?"
Seeing Zhang Hu's doubts, Zhang Jiucheng scratched his head: "I can't figure it out either. He seems to be a scholar who came from the south. We have closed all the doors long ago, and ordinary people will run away, but we can't defend the city." My brothers said that this man walked all the way to the wall and shouted that he wanted to see the commander. So the boys did not dare to neglect, so they put a basket down and hung him up. Now he is waiting at the door and has been searched."
Zhang Hu thought for a while but couldn't figure out the reason, so he said, "Then I'll meet you first." As he spoke, he raised his legs and walked to the second hall.
Entering the second hall, a man who looked like a scholar wearing a scarf and a blue gown was waiting. Seeing Zhang Hu come in, he bowed and said, "Student Wen Huangci has met the commander-in-chief."
Seeing this, Zhang Jiucheng feigned anger and said, "You are so bold! Why don't you kneel down when you see my handsome man?"
Wen Huangci looked startled, hesitated for a moment, and then saluted: "Forgive me, Commander, the student has the reputation of being a scholar."
Zhang Hu's heart moved: He had captured a scholar as his master in Baoning Mansion, but he had died in the chaotic battle when Sun Jie destroyed the city. The new situation is a big defeat, it is the time to employ people, and there are scholars who take the initiative to come looking for it. No matter what the reason is, it is always a good sign! What's more, in terms of martial arts, I am a little behind Fang Ge. If there are scholars who can help praise the painting... The storyteller once said that Mr. Kong Ming, with his beautiful heart, could become a million soldiers, wouldn't he? Then he waved his hand and said: "No, no, sir, he has a great reputation, how can he be treated like an ordinary person! Mr. Wen, please take a seat, come and serve tea."
Maybe Zhang Hu is illiterate and a murderous demon who doesn't blink an eye. He looks like a vulgar warrior, but in fact he is definitely a smart man with an unusually quick mind. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to transform from a cavalry soldier who committed crimes and fled to the world. During the years, Shengsheng cut himself to the position of commander-in-chief. Looking at the expression, Wen Huangci was a little surprised, and Zhang Hu quickly concluded: This is a guy who is extremely depressed or has suffered a great injustice - unless it is absolutely necessary, which scholar would take the risk of going to the bandit camp alone! Just now, all he had to do was glare and roar, and this guy would kneel down too. However, when it comes to employing people, it’s important to be true and false, so I decided to try my best to cooperate and play out the show first.
After tea was served, Zhang Hu started by saying, "Mr. Wen came to see Zhang specially. Is there anything you want to teach me?"
Wen Huangci hurriedly bowed and replied: "The commander-in-chief is joking, but the students really don't dare to take it seriously. The students just heard that the commander-in-chief is polite and virtuous, and the corporal is unparalleled in benevolence and righteousness, so they want to come and join the commander-in-chief."
"Hahahaha." Zhang Hu laughed. A polite and virtuous corporal with unparalleled benevolence and righteousness? Can these eight words have anything to do with me? This reason is too far-fetched. If you don't click on him, you won't be underestimated by him in the future. "Mr. Wen, although Zhang's place is not a dragon's den or a tiger's den, it is not a place where you can come and go as you please. We still have to If you have something to say, just say it. Zhang is a rough man and he likes to be straightforward, so there is no need to talk in a roundabout way."
Wen Huangci didn't expect that Zhang Hu would refuse to accept the favor, so her face turned red and she became nervous and didn't know what to say.
"Zhang said, it's best if we go straight. What is Mr. Wen looking for Zhang for?" Zhang Hu stared at Wen Huangci and said.
Wen Huangci picked up the teacup, took a sip to calm down, and asked cautiously: "What are the commander's plans for the future? Can you tell the students something about it?" As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he knew that he might have made a big mistake - he His original intention was to follow Zhuge Liang's example and help Zhang Hu guide the country, so he wanted to put on a small show first. But he immediately understood: Liu Bei visited the thatched cottage and asked for advice humbly. Naturally, Zhuge Liang said whatever he wanted, even if he was unhappy, he could even curse. But he took the initiative to come to the door, and if he inquired about the plans of these guys, he would be recognized as a member of the imperial court. The spy sent...when he thought of this, his face suddenly turned pale, and he immediately became at a loss.
"Hahaha. Does Mr. Wen want to know our army's next plan?" Zhang Hupi asked with a smile.
"Students don't dare, students don't dare, Marshal, don't misunderstand me!" Wen Huangci didn't care about showing off, and stood up in a hurry, but forgot that the teacup was still in his hand, and the tea spilled wet a small piece of his front.
"Mr. Wen, don't panic, don't panic. To be honest, Zhang really hasn't had time to think about what to do next. If you have any clever ideas, please tell me. But..." At this point, Zhang Hu deliberately prolonged his tone, "Zhang. To be clear, if Mr. Zhang comes to help Zhang sincerely, he will drink a lot of wine, eat meat, and women with gold and silver will definitely get his share! But if he bullies Zhang for being a rough guy... Zhang is not a good person either. .”
"Students don't dare, students don't dare!" Wen Huangci stammered anxiously.
"It's okay, it's okay. Mr. Wen should sit down and talk." After a conversation, Zhang Hu seemed to be relaxed and relaxed.
"Thank you, Commander-in-Chief. The student would like to suggest that your army march eastward." In order to dispel Zhang Hu's doubts as soon as possible, Wen Huangci decided not to talk about it anymore, and simply said what he thought, "Yu Province is too poor to raise many soldiers. South Zhili is the It’s a land of plenty, and if we go eastward, there will definitely be great potential.”
"Oh?" Zhang Hu murmured, stroking the beard on his chin, "That's where Nandu is. It's true that it's extremely rich. I'm afraid it's not easy to get there because the soldiers are so strong, right?"
"Come back to the Commander-in-Chief, I forgive the students for being bold. The Commander-in-Chief only knows one thing. Everyone knows that South Zhili is the place where the imperial dynasty flourished, and they all feel that it is impregnable. There has indeed been no civil unrest or war there for more than two hundred years. ." Without waiting for Zhang Hu's answer, Wen Huangci continued, "But if the commander thinks about it carefully, after more than two hundred years of peace and quiet, what will be his military preparedness? If the commander's army of hundreds of battles is different from those who have not known war for generations. When soldiers fight, what will be the outcome?"
"It makes sense!" After hearing this, Zhang Hu immediately thought of the "powerful forces" he had met in Shaanxi Xingdu Division for several generations without fighting, and couldn't help but shouted, "Mr. Wen, keep talking."
"Thank you, Marshal. South Zhili has been at peace for a long time, and the military equipment has been weakened. The people in the north of the Yangtze River are brave and brave, and they can be recruited into the army. The south of the Yangtze River is rich and powerful, and the Ming Dynasty, and the captured people can be used as military resources. Let us not worry about Yingtian Mansion, as long as we walk around like this No matter what happens, we will definitely be able to return home with a full harvest. Then we can go south to Zhejiang and west to Jiangxi, both of which are also good places!"
"Hahaha, what you said is so good. Mr. Kong Ming has a Longzhong pair, and Mr. Wen has given Zhang a Xihua pair! Let's do it like this!" As he spoke, Zhang Hu's eyes suddenly burst out. A cold light seemed to shine directly into Wen Huangci's heart, and his tone suddenly became as cold as ice, "Mr. Wen, you and I are strangers. Zhang is an important criminal in the court who will be cut into pieces if he is caught. I dare to ask you why. Are you even going to risk killing the whole family to help Zhang? Think about it later!"
Unexpectedly, Wen Huangci, who had been trying to put on an airs, suddenly knelt down in the hall with a cry and choked with sobs: "The student is not talented, I beg the commander to redress his injustice!" Two lines of tears overflowed from his eyes and flowed down his cheeks. down.
