Li Yan also sent troops out of the city an hour after Liu Zeqing left Zhaozhou. Because there was Liu Zeqing's army in front, he was so happy that he walked slowly, humming and singing all the way. How far away they were, they ordered to set up camp and rest at nearly midnight.
At dawn, it was reported that Liu Zeqing was fighting with the bandits in front, and the fighting was difficult to solve. Li Yan ordered his general Yan Qi to lead 2,000 cavalry to support, while the rest of the main force remained stationary.
However, Liu Zeqing was gritting his teeth and fighting fiercely with the rebel army. Seeing that the rebel army was getting more and more reinforcements and refugees were helping the battle, he felt a little anxious. He secretly cursed Tengxiang Guards if they really wanted to die without saving him. He looked up and saw Tengxiang Guards in the northwest in the distance. I was being chased by the bandit army and was doubtful when I heard the soldiers cheering. I turned around and was overjoyed. This flower didn't bloom and that one bloomed. I couldn't wait for the Tengxiang Guards to come, but I waited for Li Yan.
Wang Genzi and Wu Ruyi originally attacked Liu Zeqing from behind, and teamed up with Gu Kecheng to attack the officers and soldiers from the front and back. When the killing was at its worst, another group of officers and soldiers came from behind. Although there were only a thousand or so, they were all cavalry, and it was at the right time for him. How to resist when the troops are exhausted and the morale is low.
Almost at the moment Yan Qi led his troops to attack, the bandit army collapsed. In the distance, Zhang Nai sighed in his heart, unable to save his life, so he ordered the entire army to withdraw urgently.
The army was defeated like a mountain, and the bandit army took the refugees and retreated into Gaoyi County. Liu Zeqing led his troops to take advantage of the situation and crossed the river to occupy the bandit camp, which required a lot of looting.
It was three o'clock in the morning, and Liu Zeqing was patrolling the camp on the river bank on horseback. Although his subordinates looked tired, their eyes were shining. He had something to say first, and there was no need to hand over the proceeds. There was a lot of supplies in the bandit camp. When he escaped, he was in a hurry and took them all away. The soldiers were naturally overjoyed at the great harvest, and suddenly felt that all the hard work they had endured in recent days was worth it.
This is the first achievement! A smile appeared on Liu Zeqing's face and he thought silently in his heart. He raised his eyes and looked towards the north, but there was no sign of the Tengxiang Guards. However, Li Yan's cavalry a few miles away in the northeast dismounted to rest and did not enter the camp. He felt a little proud in his heart. I am tired after a long battle, but I have strong firepower, so I will definitely pick this fruit.
After a brief rest, they sent a group of 3,000 cavalry south to chase the thieves. The remaining main force rested until noon before setting off again. After all, the men and horses had not slept the night before and there was a fight in the early morning. It was also the end of a strong crossbow.
When Li Yan reported to the camp dozens of miles away that Liu Zeqing defeated the thieves in one fell swoop, he occupied the enemy camp to rest and sent a cavalry group to pursue the thieves. He smiled slightly and said, "We will break camp in half an hour." He also ordered Yan Qi's vanguard cavalry to follow him at all times. It can be no more than ten miles behind Liu Zeqing.
More than ten miles away due north, the men and horses of Tengxiang Guard were lying in a large area in the wild. They were so tired that they stayed up all night and fought twice in a row, although the early morning battle was just waving flags and shouting.
Cheng Ming'ao's eyes were red. When he heard that Liu Zeqing had taken over the enemy camp and plundered all the baggage, his subordinates were all very angry. They all asked to get a share of the pie, but when he stopped them, they sent him away as beggars. Otherwise, how could this old beggar be like this? Work hard. The generals were confused and did not know what they meant. Cheng Ming smiled and said nothing, and did not challenge him. He had been on good terms with Chang Yu and had received a secret order from early on: let Liu Zeqing open the way ahead...
It was almost noon when Chang Yu learned that Liu Zeqing had defeated the bandits in the early morning. The soldiers in the camp were full of water and food, chatting or herding horses in the wild, a scene of leisure and contentment.
"I have been catching up all night non-stop. Liu Laogou is so desperate." Huang Degong was dumbfounded. All the generals also looked stunned. Zhou Yuji even smiled bitterly: "I didn't work so hard when I was chased by thieves in Dingzhou." Everyone Laugh loudly.
Li Muchian said with a smile: "If Liu Zeqing knew that all the adults were ganging up to plot against him, I don't know what he would be thinking."
Chang Yu snorted coldly: "The only thing he can blame is that he is greedy and wants to take advantage." All the generals agreed, which shows that Liu Zeqing has a low character and is intolerable to everyone.
Chang Yu then sent an order to break camp and march south at noon, and ordered Zhou Yuji's subordinates Niu Yong and Li Chengdong to lead more than 10,000 troops to replace Tengxiang Guards as the vanguard and follow Liu Zeqing's troops.
Little did Liu Zeqing know at this time that he was being plotted by Chang Yu and others. Even though he felt something was wrong, he was blinded by eating lard and just wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to make a big profit. He was also worried that other people would come to steal the credit.
At ten o'clock in the afternoon, Liu Zeqing ordered to break camp and quickly pursue the enemy. It had been reported that the rebels had fled to a large river more than ten miles south of Gaoyi City and set up a defensive line.
Liu Zeqing decided to break through his defense line before dark and pursue him in a hurry. He believed that at this speed, he would be able to catch up with Li Zicheng within two or three days, because Li Yan had previously told him that Gao Jie would set up a defense line in Shunde Mansion at this time, and he would be able to catch up with Li Zicheng in a while. It was difficult for the intruder to get past him, which was one of the reasons why he was suddenly so bold and dared to pursue him alone.
Liu Zeqing won the first battle, and his confidence soared. He believed that the rebel army was as vulnerable as a lost dog at this time, and he only needed to press forward step by step to break through the rear defense line. Li Zicheng's main force became a winner.
Is it really that easy?
At least Gao Jie doesn't think so.
Gao Jie ordered the troops in Shunde City to be transferred to Ren County last night. There were only less than 2,000 troops left to guard the city. He decided to bet that Li Zicheng would go south from here.
Ren County is a small area forty miles northeast of Fucheng. General Liu Cheng had previously been stationed here with 3,000 soldiers and horses. At this time, the army came and instantly crowded the city, and the people in the city had long been overwhelmed by Liu. The place has been cleared.
Gao Jie was originally a rebellious person, and none of his subordinates were good at it. His methods of clearing the area were simple and crude. He told them that there was a war recently and then forcibly drove them out of the city. The people dared to be angry but did not dare to speak. They left the city and faced south to avoid trouble.
For forty miles, the army walked all night and entered the city to rest at dawn. At this time, Liu Zeqinggang and Zhang Naigu Kecheng's rearguard troops on the northern front started fighting.
When Gao Jie entered the city, Liu Cheng came to report that a quarter of the time, the scouts had encountered a bandit army's scouting horse more than ten miles away. They also discovered a bandit camp twenty miles away, but it could not be estimated to be in the thousands.
Thousands of people were obviously not the main force of thieves. Gao Jie knew that they were the vanguard of the bandits. He secretly smiled in his heart. I was right. At this moment, a scout came to report that a large band of bandits was discovered twenty miles northwest of Ren County. More than ten thousand people were marching towards Fucheng. Gao Jie, who had been secretly enjoying himself just now, was shocked. Where are the paralyzed bandits really going?
At this time, it was already daylight. Gao Jie climbed up to the city and looked into the distance. He could vaguely see several groups of fast horses running around in the vast wilderness. He knew that the scouts from both sides were trying to infiltrate the other side's sphere of influence.
"Sir, do you think the bandit army will attack in the east and west?" Liu Cheng asked from the side. Gao Jie curled his lips: "You still know how to attack in the east and attack in the west? Tell me how he attacks?"
Liu Cheng chuckled: "I understand a little! I think it's a low-level job. The robbers are most likely to be near Yao County at this time, and the two groups of people going south are his vanguards. There are more people heading west to Fucheng, so it is possible for the robbers to break into the city." Find out where the main force of our unit is. As for the thousands of troops in front of us, there is no doubt that they are coming from Benren County..."
Gao Jie rolled his eyes and said, "I know what you're talking about, but I'm just asking you how he attacks the west?"
Liu Cheng smiled awkwardly and quickly added, "These two groups of people are here to deal with us, but it is still unclear which side he will go to, but I am thinking about it. On the surface, these two groups of people are going to attack us." If they break through the defense line or block us to clear the way for the intruder, will the intruder in secret really leave from these two places?"
Gao Jie was startled: "You mean the intruder will escape through the third way?" He raised his eyebrows and said: "Why don't you attack east and west without shouting? Isn't this a secret attack on the granary?"
"Ahem, cough, that's about it," Liu Cheng's face turned red, and a confidant next to Gao Jie whispered: "Sir, I secretly know that Chen Cang is not a granary."
Gao Jie touched his nose: "It's all a fucking warehouse anyway, no matter whether his surname is Chen or Liang." He frowned and said, "Think about it, if the intruder doesn't leave from Fucheng or Ren County, How else is he going to get there, fly over?"
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The progress of the plot has been slow recently, mainly because this battle involves a wide area and there are many characters, and one or two chapters will take up one or two pages for each person to show his face. Now it is Gao Jie's turn to appear, and the plot of Zhizhou will be accelerated in the two chapters. Thank you all book friends for your support.
