When the first fire broke out in the bandit camp, not many people paid attention.
After all, the weather was dry and the wind was not low. With so many people camping, they had to light numerous bonfires to heat up their meals to prevent them from catching cold after falling asleep, so some small fires were completely expected. Even in the evening, when the bonfires started to be lit, there had been several cases of accidentally igniting nearby crops. However, the crops were only a shallow layer, and there were many irrigation ditches and water networks in the area, so they did not expand. Later, the few who were caught by fire were nothing compared to the casualties suffered during the Hundred Days Cavalry's tail-cut assault.
All we can say is that if there is a fire, we should avoid it. At most, we can dig a ditch, shovel open a crop and cut it off, and it will be over... Moreover, we were continuously attacked by cavalry with cut tails, and their morale was low. The leaders had their own thoughts. The following is The so-called bandits and soldiers are also homesick, who cares about this?
But, turn back to the present.
When a few strong men of the rebel army were awakened from their sleep, they easily extinguished a fire in the crop field, then cursed the careless daredevil for not watching the fire, and prepared to go back to rest, but they didn't even have time to return. The second and third fires appeared in the camp.
One is also in a crop field, and the other is inside a small independent camp.
The rebels who had already been awakened by the first fire quickly put out the two fire heads, but were already breaking out in a cold sweat... Because at this time, most of the people who were awakened were already suspicious, and some words began to be whispered. This was passed on among the township party members.
Could someone have done it on purpose?
Did a spy get in?
Otherwise, how to connect the fire?
In this case, the people involved in putting out the fire remained a little calm and took the initiative to comfort others, because from their point of view, the two fires were accidents no matter what - there was no trace of human ignition at all.
But these are meaningless.
Before the discussion had subsided, the fire suddenly exploded... In the temporary camp, which was so huge that it was difficult to calculate its specific area, there were fire heads everywhere. There were also many fire heads outside the camp, most of them in the sorghum fields that were about to mature. Only a few officers could Fires broke out inexplicably in the tents where they lived.
Even a few scattered trees were on fire, like torches that illuminated the road like daylight under the twin moons.
This doesn't count, because the number of fire heads is still growing rapidly at a scalp-numbing speed.
This scene was enough to send the already frustrated bandits into panic.
However, someone soon witnessed the truth firsthand.
In a small camp to the east of the camp, a group of thieves from Boping County, Qinghe County were awakened by the surrounding noise and were gathering around the campfire according to the orders of their leader Han Erlang. This little leader of the rebel army, who had been a li commander, participated in three military marches against Dongyi, and then escaped halfway, has sufficient military experience... When the first anger arose, he didn't have much However, after the second and third flashes of anger followed, he immediately sensed something was wrong.
This is not a question of whether it is reasonable or not. There is a powerful enemy force hiding in Douzigang. They have attacked and defeated our side many times in two consecutive days. It is wrong to have a fire at this time, okay?
Therefore, after the second and third fires were extinguished, Han Erlang had successfully gathered dozens of his township parties together and began to distribute weapons.
"Don't panic, take your time, wear whatever you have, grab your sword and gun, carry food on your back, and don't alert the second leader Wang over there, he is the big leader's confidant..."
Han Erlang shouted loudly, but at this time, the flames behind him had begun to appear again, and more and more people were coming. Although he was a little expected, he couldn't help but panic, and quickly called someone's name. "Where's Lao Wu? Lao Wu! Zhang Lao Wu!"
"Here you are, Brother Han!"
A middle-aged man hurriedly came out of the queue. He was slightly hunched due to too much weight, and his pair of spears were shaking all the time. Under the double moon, his originally dark face was also reflected by the bonfire and the fire in the distance. The redness, only the wrinkles are clearly visible... This person is obviously older than Han Erlang, but he still calls him second brother. "Why is the second brother calling me?"
"Why are you carrying so many ears of wheat? If you want to run for your life... throw them down!" Han Erlang took a closer look and immediately got angry. It turned out that the reason why the other party was slightly hunched over was actually carrying a large bundle of wheat ears. .
"They were all cut off when setting up camp, and they have all become ears..."
Zhang Laowu was quite reluctant to leave after hearing this, but under the opponent's angry look, he carefully placed a large bundle of wheat ears on his back on the ground in front of him seven or eight steps away from the bonfire, and then came back immediately according to the opponent's training rules. Stand still and continue to look at your leader nervously.
It can be seen that this Zhang Laowu is very obedient to this Han Erlang.
"You said before that your uncle's home is in Dongguang County, Pingyuan County, right?" Han Erlang lost strength in the middle of his scolding and just asked. "Have you been here several times?"
"Yes, I come here every year from Dongguang. I usually walk along the Zhang River, but I also pass by Douzigang... Mainly to buy private salt here before going home. It's cheaper here." Maisui, Zhang Laowu's back straightened slightly, and his tone became much smoother.
"Who cares if you buy private salt...you know the way back to our hometown from here, right?"
"I recognize it."
"You also know the way to Dongguang from here, right?"
"I recognize it too."
"That's good." The surrounding area became more and more chaotic. Han Erlang breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at the others, and then looked at Zhang Laowu. He was really too lazy to cover up anything. "Let's not move now. It will be a little more chaotic if we wait. We should head down and leave immediately. You, the fifth one, will be the guide. We will go to Dongguang County first, go around there, and then go home... Do you understand?"
"I know." Zhang Laowu swallowed. "Let's go to my uncle's house in Dongguang first."
"Yes, that's what I mean." Han Erlang sighed, looked at the various faces around him again, but all were full of fear, and gave serious instructions. "If you all trust me, Han Erlang, please sit down now and calm down. When I observe the situation and say let's go, we will get up and follow Lao Wu! Just follow what I usually teach you, one after another, no crossing. , Just keep up with the people in front quickly! There is no way. If you leave too late, you will be caught up by the officers and soldiers, and you will be squeezed by other people. But if you leave too early, you will encounter the big leader’s trusted soldiers, and I am afraid that you will also be beaten. The person who beheaded him just said that Wang Er is the confidant of Chief Zhang Da... Sit down first!"
It may be that Han Erlang's calmness infected these people, or it may be that Han Erlang has always been honest and prestigious, but the dozens of villagers around him actually kept quiet, and then sat down together in the chaos, staring at each other. Han Erlang standing by the campfire.
Han Erlang was still going to speak. Suddenly, he realized that the people in front of him were not continuing to look at him, but at something moving. He followed the gaze of these people, but was surprised to find that... At some point, a crow appeared with flapping wings only about ten steps away from him, jumping around strangely.
Han Erlang was speechless for a moment and wanted to drive the crow away.
But before he even lifted his feet, he was stunned, because this experienced military leader and dozens of his subordinates clearly saw that the crow was blowing with a gust of wind without even getting close to the campfire. , actually began to smoke under the double moon.
Moreover, as the man rolled and got into the sheaf of wheat, sparks began to flash, and an open flame appeared out of thin air in front of dozens of people.
Not to mention, the crow that got into the wheat ears and caused the open flames didn't seem to be dead. Instead, it struggled and screamed, rolled violently with the wheat ears and the open flames, and threw it directly under the axle of the cart beside it, causing the fire. diffusion.
The axle is made of solid wood, which is not easy to ignite. At this time, as long as one person goes up, kicks the wheat ears into the bonfire, and stamps out the crow balls under the cart, everything will return to normal.
However, none of the dozens of people who discovered the truth took action. Instead, they all stood in strange silence for a moment.
Then Zhang Laowu stood up suddenly, pointed at the fire under the car with his eyes wide open and started to tremble: "Second brother, let's go! This is the official army who invited Master Hei Di, and Master Hei Di wants to help The officers and soldiers burned us! Let’s leave quickly!”
After saying this, Zhang Laowu seemed to want to do something, but he was sweating profusely, at a loss, and even a little uncoordinated in his movements.
Han Erlang, who seemed to have caught something in his mind, vaguely guessed that this had nothing to do with the Black Emperor. I'm afraid it was just a thing that could be broken with one poke. And even if it was really related, the one who lit the fire should be the Red Emperor, but he was honest. I didn't understand what was going on inside... so I scolded him.
But for some reason, Han Erlang opened his mouth, but could not yell out.
On the contrary, when the words came to his lips, Han Erlang, who also started to tremble all over, actually shouted out a sentence of relief for himself: "Let's go! Lao Wu leads the way! Let's go!"
Zhang Laowu, who was originally stiff, felt as if he had been granted amnesty when he heard this sentence, but he did not hesitate. He held a spear, raised his head, and puffed out his chest, and walked quickly to the northwest according to Han Erlang's usual teachings. Walking there, it was in the direction of Dongguang County, my uncle's hometown. Han Erlang, on the other hand, led the villagers who got up with a roar and swarmed to follow them in silence, not caring that the wheel axles of the cart beside him had been set on fire.
This was not over yet. Just after walking out of this small camp, suddenly, there seemed to be a faint sound of drums accompanied by the trembling of the earth from the direction of Douzigang in the north. Han Erlang, who was completely panicked, could no longer control himself and immediately shouted loudly:
"The officers and soldiers are here! Cheng Dalang is here again! Lao Wu! Walk faster, don't run! If you run, you will step on your own people!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Wang Laowu in front immediately put a spear on his shoulder and strode quickly towards the northwest with his head held high. Han Erlang and other companions behind him also followed suit, carrying weapons and flying Ben followed.
At this time, as if in response to the sound of drums and horse hooves, the entire camp, in all directions, inside and outside, all the crop fields seemed to be on fire. The fire was not big, but once it was involved in the crop fields, it could immediately cause a fire. The wall of fire, which is not high, sweeps across wantonly.
When the wall of fire swept away and cut off the line of sight, the shouts of killing were heard again, as if an unknown number of officers and soldiers from Douzigang had rushed towards them.
The whole process sounds quite complicated, but in fact it was only a quarter of an hour when the crows couldn't bear the pain in their feet and the fire started.
"Master Zhang!" Looking at the thief camp that was obviously in chaos, Cheng Dalang took a deep breath and immediately came over with the dragon horse under his crotch. "Although the bandit army is large, the matter has been decided! I will leave the armored cavalry with Third Master as my escort. Please continue to lead the infantry to continue the sweep. Then I, Leader Guo and Leader Niu will each lead light cavalry and pass by from both sides. !”
"Okay!" Zhang Xing responded immediately in the firelight, but then turned back to look at each other. "Cheng Mingqi and Zhou Xingfan, you two start from both ends, I will be in the middle, and press forward together! If you see an unburned camp along the way, throw down the torch! When you meet the rebels, tell them to surrender without killing them! But they ignored them. Screen it first and then talk!”
After the leaders received the words and saw that the fire attack was so effective, they did not hesitate and immediately acted on their words, and all ministries immediately advanced.
Among them, hundreds of armored cavalry left by Cheng Dalang surrounded Zhang Xing and kept moving forward like arrows. Although there were only three thousand infantry behind him, they advanced like a forest; there were hundreds of light cavalry, including some cavalry that had just surrendered, including donkeys and horses. Under the leadership of Cheng Zhili, Niu Da, and Guo Jingke, they surrounded them from both sides like the wind.
For a time, no one in the rebel army dared to challenge them. Instead, they fled directly to the north, trampling on each other and dying, far more than the casualties in the battle formation.
Because of the crowding and frustration, a small number of people chose to trust the officers and soldiers, abandoned their weapons and surrendered, but no one paid attention to them, and instead took the opportunity to escape.
And just when Douzigang's army began to charge, Han Erlang, Zhang Wulang and others fled wildly. When the troops in the outer camp were on the verge of collapse, in the center of the camp, the big leader Zhang Jinscale also fell asleep with the support of a group of cronies. Horse... He looked around and saw that the campfire was full of fires, and the top and bottom were red. Even the two moons above his head, the white moon also turned red, and the red moon became even darker.
What's even worse is that, surrounded by fireworks and chaos, he doesn't even know where to go when he summons his followers.
In fact, before the fire broke out, the big leader woke up from his sleep and witnessed with his own eyes how a jumping crow ignited himself, but he easily doused it with weak water energy and took away the crow. Looking at the corpse, he suddenly woke up.
But then, it is the classic life of two, two begets three, three begets all things...
As soon as the crow died and he realized the problem, a fire broke out outside. He immediately ordered to save it, but as soon as the order was passed down, he put it out himself. Then two other fires broke out. He ordered to save it again, and put it out himself. , and then the sky was filled with fire. Taking advantage of the wind and temperature, it swept across the surrounding fields and the camp, and the enemy troops in the direction of Douzigang came to attack at night with great fanfare.
By now, Zhang Jinsheng, who knew the whole story, had already given up on putting out the fire, and could only hastily gather the troops of his camp before making any calculations.
However, after hastily gathering some troops, he didn't know what to do?
"Big leader, do you want to go to other camps and call up some old brothers from Fuxian County?" The soldier leader who had just helped the big leader mount his horse turned pale and turned red from the reflection. He just hugged the horse's neck next to him. ask. "Second Brother Wang's camp is located in the south. If we don't rescue him, we might fall into it immediately."
"No help! Leave quickly!" After hesitating for a moment and shaking his head, the big leader maintained his last bit of calmness and gritted his teeth before giving the order on his horse. "There is no way to fight this chaos. If we delay it, we will only be crushed by the rebel army. Leave quickly. If you don't leave, it will be too late! The army on the opposite side has cavalry!"
"Where can we go?" The leader of the soldiers tried his best to ask the other party's horse by the reins, and did not dwell on the matter of rescuing Wang Er. "The enemy is coming from Douzigang in the south. Should we go west, east or north?"
Zhang Jinscale was suddenly stunned... He wanted to grit his teeth and tell a direction, but he thought about the cavalry on the other side, thought that Cao Shancheng might be waiting for him somewhere, and thought that there was a county town controlled by the army at any direction, and It is very likely that the officers and soldiers will go out of the city to block the attack and add insult to injury under Cao Shancheng's arrangement. They are also completely panicked... In other words, until now, he doesn't know who he is fighting, and he thinks it is his old rival, Cao Xian, the magistrate of Yi County. What about Shancheng's plan for him?
if not?
The imperial army has not come yet. In the whole of Hebei, apart from Cao Shancheng, is there any true hero who can play with himself so easily?
"Go...to the northwest." After a while, Zhang Jinsheng spoke on the horse. "If you can survive, try to escape back to Gaotang and see if you can make a comeback; if you can't survive, go northwest and you are more likely to encounter Cao Shancheng... If you die in his hands, I won't be humiliated!" Do you agree?"
The leader of the soldiers listened blankly, unable to understand the other party's thinking at all, but looking at the other party's appearance at this time, he seemed to have nothing to say except to say yes.
So he immediately got on his horse, took him as a vanguard, and led the people to the northwest.
But after taking two steps, he found that his leader didn't move at all, and he was also shocked.
Zhang Jinscale held the reins, sweating profusely on his face: "I forgot how to ride a horse."
The leader of the personal soldiers swayed on his horse for a moment, then turned back, took Zhang Jinscale's horse and headed northwest. The trusted soldiers around him no longer hesitated and surrounded leader Zhang Da and headed northwest.
So far, most of the areas in the bandit camp have not yet been engaged in battle, but the interior has exploded like fire. Many bandit chiefs, like Zhang Jinscale, are leading their headquarters like headless flies. Ran away wantonly.
This battle, as the fire raged, and Po Tai's soldiers and horses seized the opportunity to start without any delay, the defeat of the rebel army became unstoppable.
However, it is impossible to end this battle completely so quickly.
In fact, despite Zhang Xing's heroic attitude before the battle and his decisive command at the beginning of the battle, when entering the enemy's camp, the infantry brigade under his control lost contact with the left and right wings... Although the Pu Tai Army was obviously chasing They fled to the north, but they were also in chaos.
Of course, there is good news. About when he advanced to a certain depth, Zhang Xing encountered a larger camp. Then, there should be a person in the camp who was one of Zhang Jinsheng’s confidants, named Wang Er, named Zhang Jin. He gave up the rescue as an excuse and took the initiative to surrender.
Zhang Xing chose Promise.
Facts have proved that his promise was very timely, because there is only a thin layer of combustible material in the crop fields, which is different from the woods. Often, after one fire, it cannot be rekindled. If it is delayed any longer, these bandits will react and soon It may have some unexpected consequences... Wang Er's surrender and Zhang Jinscale's escape simply and quickly contributed to the complete surrender of the entire camp.
And this also means that Zhang Xing and others have achieved half of their strategic goals. After all, Zhang Jinscale himself doesn't know where he is yet.
"Where is Zhang Jinsheng?"
Niuda, who led hundreds of surrendered cavalry to forcefully leave the station, killed a small bandit leader who was obviously cultivated with one shot, but then scolded other bandits who tried to escape in this small camp on the spot. "Where is Zhang Jinsheng?"
"I only know that his camp is in the front where the fire is the biggest!" Someone begged and cried. "My lord, spare your life!"
"We are not officers and soldiers!" Niu Da shouted loudly and declared boldly. "We are the Pu Tai Army of the Deposed Dragon Gang! We are also rebels! Put down your weapons and wait in the camp for the army to come and take them away!"
After saying that, he ignored the other party's reaction and went directly to where the other party pointed.
However, when he rushed in, he found that although the regulations there were far better than other small camps, and there was a huge burning square couch in the middle of the site, it was already an empty camp. It was as if Zhang Jinscale had left early, but Niu Da had I can only get angry and continue to chase... But I can't find Zhang Jinscale in the camp, so I'm afraid I can only gamble my luck.
Of course, just because Niuda is unlucky does not mean that someone else is unlucky.
Just when Niuda was desperate and dared to break through the camp with hundreds of surrendered cavalry and enter the core area of the camp, Guo Jingke led his two hundred horse dealer cavalry from the outer direction and was working hard to sweep the outer camps. He was neither lazy nor lazy. There was no deliberate pursuit of outflanking.
Then, Leader Guo met Zhang Jinsheng behind a "wall of fire" that swept through the crop fields.
The two sides met hastily in the wilderness.
Frankly speaking, at this moment, Guo Jingke saw that there were hundreds of soldiers following the opponent under the smoke and fire, and wanted to escape. But he quickly realized that even if he couldn't capture the opponent quickly, he could still follow him calmly and wait until the opponent was completely exhausted before launching a surprise attack.
However, Zhang Jinheng reacted one step earlier than Guo Jingke.
"Xiao Guo!"
Leader Zhang spoke loudly and said yes. "I have nothing wrong with you. How can I surrender Cao Shancheng?"
Guo Jingke was stunned for a moment, and immediately told him seriously: "It is Zhang Dalongtou of our Deposed Dragon Gang who dislikes you and massacres the city, and is preparing to clean up the rebel army. What does it have to do with Cao Shancheng?"
Zhang Jinsheng was at a loss for a moment, then fell silent, and finally spoke: "I don't believe it... but no matter what, for the sake of past kindness, how about letting me live?"
Guo Jingke fell silent... This time it was not that he was shaken again, but that he had two hundred horses of his own and did not dare to fight forcefully with the opponent. He had the intention of avoiding and following him.
Therefore, simply wait for the other party to leave first, drop out directly, and then call for reinforcements.
"Let's go!"
Seeing the other party's hesitation, Zhang Jinscale thought he had a trick and immediately signaled to the leader of the soldiers.
The latter did not hesitate, and immediately took his leader's war horse, and after a slight evasion, he bypassed the opponent's cavalry in the flat crop field that had been burned by the fire, and continued to move forward.
And Guo Jingke did not hesitate to lead the crowd and prepare to follow.
However, at this moment, suddenly, an army of thieves came out of nowhere, shouting in large numbers, coming from the side and behind. They seemed to be following Zhang Jinscale, but no matter in terms of speed or march, The direction was different from that of Zhang Jinsheng's troops. They brushed against the rear of the opponent's soldiers and horses, then stepped on the black dust on the ground and headed to the northwest in another slightly biased direction.
The leader of this group of soldiers and horses was only a few dozen people, but they all carried long spears on their shoulders. They did not run around, but moved forward quickly. It was precisely because of the stability of this head that the broken troops from behind followed. And there is no collapse.
Guo Jingke was stunned. He wanted to disperse the troops, but he felt guilty for a moment... To put it bluntly, this battle was fought between the Po Tai soldiers and Cheng Dalang's cavalry. How could his two hundred horse dealers and cavalry dare to fight head-on? Woolen cloth?
"Xiao Guo is still loyal."
After walking through a small river ditch, Zhang Jinscale stopped for a moment, looked back, and gave a fair evaluation after seeing no pursuers. "I was too arrogant those days, so I lost his trust..."
The leader of the soldiers just nodded, and then led the horse forward without stopping.
The next moment, the ground suddenly trembled, as if another wave of cavalry was coming from the northeast.
After careful calculation, it can only be that Cheng Zhili suddenly appeared halfway.
ps: Good night everyone.
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