It is said that Yuan Zhongxing, the subordinate general under Liu Zeqing, was marching slowly with the main force. As soon as they arrived at the border of Zhaozhou, they were ordered to move urgently. The officers and soldiers below immediately started to cry out. In order to gain credit, they marched from the west of Hejian City to encircle them and ran for a hundred miles at a stretch. On the ground, he heard that the thieves had gone to Zhending Mansion. Just as he was about to go, the little eunuch gave him an order to chase the thieves south. In the early morning, when he was exhausted, he finally arrived at the place. Unexpectedly, before he had just been confused for a while, the mountaintop gave way again in order to seize the power. They broke camp and headed south, even leading the cavalry themselves.
The cavalry was good, but who could bear the infantry marching for hundreds of miles? Now they were asked to march in a hurry... Suddenly some people were unwilling and started shouting and complaining. Some even fell directly to the side of the road and fell asleep. .
Yuan Zhongxing was in a dilemma. He had orders from above and could not disobey them, but his officers and men were all tired, complaining and unwilling to leave. When he had no choice, he sent someone to report to Liu Zeqing quickly.
Liu Zeqing was furious after hearing the news. He was about to order punishment, but then he thought that the officers and soldiers under his command were indeed exhausted. If they were forced to rush, the morale of the soldiers would be unstable, and it would be useless to catch up with the tired soldiers, so he endured it and only He was sent an order and promised to have a rest when he arrived at Zhaozhou City.
I was already angry, but when I saw that Li Yan was so leisurely and content that he allowed Tian Xiong to act as a guide and wandered around the city, I was even more angry. He slammed the door and went into the room and fell asleep. You guys wandered around happily, waiting for me and my men to rest and catch me. Don't be envious when a thief comes to Beijing to claim credit!
At this moment, Liu Zeqing didn't realize how he, an old cunning guy, could suddenly become so active. The saying is that it is better to point out generals than to provoke them. This is the genius of the little eunuch and Li Yan. Liu Zeqing watched for half a month and Liangxiu Qingfeng didn't gain any merit. Wasn't it a waste of time? One trip, not to mention that Li Zicheng was running away at this time, and other friendly forces were helpless. If Chang Yu had such a good opportunity, he would definitely bite the bait as long as he threw it!
Li Zicheng, who fled south in a hurry, may not have dreamed that the people chasing him at this time were just some detective horses, and the older officers and soldiers were either shopping or sleeping. Just like outing.
This outing was Chang Yu. After crossing the river, he led his army and marched slowly for dozens of miles to Luan City. He ordered to rest and recuperate. Luan City had been destroyed by the bandits and several people had abandoned the city. After entering the city, Chang Yu saw very few people. To avoid making matters worse, he ordered the army to No entry is allowed outside the city.
Feng Ming sent someone to report. He led the Tengxiang Guards to pursue the junction of Luancheng and Gaoyi. The rebel army had a rear guard and horses, holding nearly 10,000 refugees, blocking the way. They asked if they wanted to do it.
Chang Yu raised his head and looked at the sky. It was almost dusk and said, "Let's do it when it gets dark. After defeating the thieves, we will chase them for a while and then slow down." He ordered the soldiers to leave. Huang Degong raised his eyebrows. The governor calculated that Tengxiang Guards would be able to defeat the enemy. ?
Chang Yu glanced at him. Fortunately, you had led them to suppress bandits. After all, you were the most capable of fighting among the guards. Now things were even different. The bandit army only numbered more than ten thousand, and the enemy's cavalry charged.
"That is to say, that tail is actually cannon fodder and is vulnerable to a single blow!" Huang Degong suddenly realized. It seems that the rebel army still finds it too cumbersome...
The bandits did not find it too cumbersome, but used the refugees to fend off the enemy. This was a trick they had tried many times, and had never worked. Now the pursuers were following them. In order to cover the main force going south, Zhang Nai, the commander in charge of the rear, ordered Liu Guochang to lead 5,000 troops to capture the refugees. More than ten thousand people are at the end of the team.
Liu Guochang had been following Li Zicheng southward. When he crossed the river and crossed Jinzhou the day before yesterday, he was ordered by the intruders to go behind the scenes and sneak attack Huang Degong's defense line in Zhending Fucheng. He helped Liu Fangliang, Luo Hu and others cross the river and performed a remarkable feat.
He only has five thousand soldiers and horses under his command, but his combat power is not weak. At this time, he has nearly ten thousand refugees. He heard that the pursuers from behind are only ten thousand. Although they are cavalry, they are not afraid. After all, Zhang Nai and others are more than ten miles in front of him. With an army of tens of thousands of people, the number of officers and soldiers may not dare to bite them if they dare to chase them.
Sure enough, this group of officers and soldiers followed them for dozens of miles from Luan City to Gaoyi County at night. They had no intention of making a move. The thieves all breathed a sigh of relief. They thought the officers and soldiers were too tired. , the reinforcements did not dare to attack in time.
It was dark and he was about to set up camp to rest. Liu Guochang used the refugees as armor outside the camp. If officers and soldiers attacked the camp, they would have to pass through the refugees, which gave him time to prepare.
Unexpectedly, the military order had just been issued, and suddenly there was a loud sound of killing in the distance. The spies reported urgently: "The officers and soldiers are coming." Liu Guochang was shocked and kicked the spies away: "I want you to report such a big noise." Then he sent an order to his subordinates. Fight.
The Tengxiang Guards were the most valiant and skilled troops among the twenty-six personal guards of the Ming Dynasty. The officers and soldiers were all tall and capable of riding and shooting. When the sky was getting dark, their cavalry swept across like wind and lingering clouds, making them unstoppable.
Although the refugees stalled the Tengxiang Guard's offensive and gave Liu Guochang time to react, the incident happened suddenly and it was dark, and the troops were frightened and unwilling to fight. They could not withstand the overwhelming cavalry charge tonight and could not withstand it. After half a cup of tea, the whole thing collapsed!
After Wu Ruyi heard the news a few miles ahead, he quickly sent troops to help. Unexpectedly, facing the defeated army almost scattered his troops. Fortunately, Wang Genzi, who was camped a few miles away in the east, also sent reinforcements to try to stop the collapse. , just when he was about to fight with the officers and soldiers, Tengxiang Guards sent a whistle and withdrew!
When it came, it was overwhelming, and when it left, it was like a stray arrow, which immediately made the bandit leaders dumbfounded. After Zhang Nai heard the report, he yelled and cursed, knowing that the purpose of this move was to attack the hearts of the officers and soldiers, making the bandit soldiers always fearful and uneasy, and disrupting the morale of the army.
At the same time, Li Zicheng's main force had passed through Baixiang and entered the northernmost Yao County in Shunde Prefecture. It was dark, and the soldiers and horses were tired, so he ordered to light a fire and make food at the foot of Maoshan Mountain to rest before leaving.
Maoshan is actually just a small dirt bag, no more than ten meters high. When Li Zicheng climbed to the top of the peak, he looked to the north and saw the darkness in the distance without any lights. He felt a little at ease. When he looked to the south, he could see dots of fire on the horizon. He knew it was Li Zicheng. However, Liu Fangliang and other pioneers.
Li Guo, Liu Fangliang, and Luo Hu led more than 10,000 troops to go south first to clear the way for Li Zicheng. This group of troops was the elite of the bandit army. They marched with murderous intent all the way. When it was dark, they arrived at the gate of Yao County. With the city wide open, people were sent into the city to find it empty.
After the three of them and Song Xiance gathered together, they decided to divide their forces into two groups. Li Guo, Liu Fangliang, and Song Xiance led 10,000 troops to march southwest through Neiqiu and south to Fucheng to feint attack to attract the attention of the officers and soldiers, while Luo Hu led the shock troops. The Shanying camp went south to clear Renxian County, covering the main force's crossing and breaking out of the defense line.
Everything went according to the original plan. The bandits' scouts and horses had already found out that the main force of the officers and soldiers was in Shunde Fucheng and there were also troops stationed in Ren County. It was obvious that the defense line of the officers and soldiers was set up in this area. As long as the main force was blocked in the city, there was nothing to fear from the remaining troops.
Gao Jie has been restless for the past two days, not because he is afraid, but because he is slightly nervous and excited about fighting his love rival. He knows that Li Zicheng will attack with all his strength when he breaks out. This is a tough battle, and he is worried that this guy will use tricks to sneak away, and the consequences will be very serious. If it gets serious, not only will you lose face, but you will also have to be punished by the court.
Therefore, after receiving the news that Li Zicheng was heading south quickly and sending pioneers to clear the way, he made countermeasures. After discussing with his subordinates, he felt that Fucheng was located in the southwest. If Li Zicheng went south, he would not abandon the near and seek the distance to go around here, but Ren County would bear the brunt. , the bandit army is very likely to pass through Ren County to the south or go around from the east.
So Gao Jie decided to mobilize all his troops to Ren County to intercept, but he was a little worried in his heart. He could see it, and Li Zicheng could also see it. He had so many veterans under his command, all of them were cunning and cunning. If he follows his path and goes southwest through Fucheng, he will take advantage of it.
When he was hesitating, Tan Ma came to report that the vanguard of the bandit army was divided into two groups, with more than 10,000 troops on the west side and several thousand on the east side. After hearing the news, Gao Jie laughed sinisterly and sent an order to mobilize the army to Renxian County overnight.
His subordinates were puzzled. The bandit army from the west was obviously coming towards Fucheng. Why should they move the troops away? Gao Jie chuckled and said, "It's all a matter of fiction and reality. In fact, I can't guess whether he will go east or go east." To the west, but I am afraid that he will surround me in the city and cannot move, so I have to go out first and then observe the situation."
The generals smiled bitterly, and the commander-in-chief didn't understand. This was a big deal.
In the dark night, Gao Jie climbed up the city and looked north. Everything he saw was pitch black. Yes, he was placing a bet. He had already made a plan in his mind. If the bandits took the east route, they would intercept and fight them head-on. If they took the west route, it would be fine. He could quickly mobilize his troops around the far and remote mountains and still have time to intercept them.
"Li Zicheng, let's put an end to the long-standing grievances." Gao Jie sneered, and the soldiers around him suddenly felt gloomy.
