The cold wind is biting and the ice corrodes the bones. It blows through the human body like a steel knife scraping the bones.
A strong wind blew across the fields east of Mianzhou City.
On the plains, countless flags fluttered in the wind, making hunting sounds.
The air was filled with the disgusting, suffocating and extremely rich smell of blood, as well as an extremely unpleasant smell of dilapidation and corruption.
The grass above the ground was already soaked and dyed red with blood. The originally hard land became extremely soft under the erosion of blood, making it difficult to even walk.
The dark red blood flowed slowly on the green grass, and finally gathered together, forming deep red blood pools in the low-lying areas, and then gradually solidified, turned purple, and turned black.
What you can see is the devastation all over the ground, with countless corpses stacked on top of each other.
In the wilderness, thousands of people lay dead...
Chen Wangshen stepped on the blood pool with one foot and one foot and walked forward. His clothes and armor were already soaked through with blood.
All around was a purgatory-like scene, with cold corpses everywhere, and countless people lying dead next to each other.
"call--"
Chen Wang clenched the Yanling knife in his hand, supported the ground with the tip of the knife, and slowly exhaled the turbid air in his chest.
The fishy smell of iron embroidery filled Chen Wang's mouth and nose.
In the distant wilderness, a large number of rogue bandits were retreating, and there were defeated rogue bandits all over the mountains and plains.
The pursuing Ming army cavalry spread forward, driving the defeated bandits across the land like mercury leaking out.
The nearly 100,000 invaders guarding Mianzhou and Weicheng had completely collapsed under their fierce attack for several days.
Looking at the defeated bandits in the distance, Chen Wang's face showed no trace of joy.
"Li Chuang led the army back to Jiangyou, passed through Qingchuan, entered Baishui territory, and then went north again into Gongchang Mansion..."
Just yesterday, Cao Wenzhao announced a news to them, a news from Long'an Mansion. The person who sent the news was none other than Hong Chengchou, who was now appointed as the governor of the three sides.
Before they had time to complete the encirclement, the rogue bandits had jumped out of the encirclement net laid by the Ming army, leaving them far behind.
Li Zicheng now led the main force under his command into the mountainous area of Gongchang Mansion again, spending extremely fast time.
Hong Chengchou had already issued an order for them to cooperate with the army in eastern Sichuan to defeat the remnants of the rebels entrenched in Weicheng and Mianzhou, and then go north again to Lueyang to block the possible route of the rebels southward.
After traveling all the way from Mioxian County for more than a month, we finally reached Zitong. Now we have to transfer to Lueyang in Hanzhong Prefecture again, which will take at least more than a month.
as usual……
The thieves are many and skilled in riding. They ride on two horses and gallop at lightning speed. Relying on their horse power, they can march day and night without stopping, and can cover hundreds of miles in a row.
Chen Wang used to be Cao Wenzhao's servant. In his memory, most of the campaigns were spent in constant pursuit.
The rogue bandits have many fine horseback troops, and when they are fleeing, they turn like the wind. However, the officers and soldiers generally use horses with three steps and seven steps. How can two legs run better than four legs?
The rogue bandits could "satisfy themselves with food" everywhere and did not need to carry food with them. However, the Ming army that went into suppression needed to be supported by transportation of pay and food. They could not plunder places like the rogue bandits.
Therefore, whenever "heavy troops arrive, the thieves have escaped." Although the Ming army that was attacking was at an advantage in a head-on confrontation, there were not many ways to expand its advantage and simply pursue it. Not as good as.
In many cases, the officers and soldiers who entered the camp had just set up camp to rest and were still undecided to catch their breath. They warned again and again and had no choice but to break camp again and rush for reinforcements, so they became more and more exhausted.
The rogue bandits basically have no definite direction when marching, and they often evade and stick to their vanity. To suppress the troops, they can only set up defenses everywhere and set up blockades, thus scattering their forces.
Hong Chengchou could actually control as many as 40,000 to 50,000 troops, not counting the guards in various places. However, because of the need to disperse defense in various places, the troops directly under the command of the governors of the three sides were often less than 10,000.
The reason why the Ming army has been suppressing the country for many years without success is precisely because of these problems.
It is easy to defeat the bandits, but it is extremely difficult to destroy them.
After receiving the news from Long'an Mansion, Chen Wang checked Li Zicheng's marching route against the map.
I have to say that the plan formulated by Li Zicheng is indeed outstanding.
Although Li Zicheng had many shortcomings and was not an outstanding leader, his attainments in military command were indeed not low.
Of course, it is only above military command.
In terms of strategy, Li Zicheng's vision is indeed somewhat unsatisfactory.
To be precise, in terms of strategy, Li Zicheng's vision was a disaster, and he could not even reach the passing mark.
Historically, Li Zicheng captured Xi'an and controlled Shaanxi and other places. It stands to reason that according to normal logic, he would attack the south.
Because at the end of the Ming Dynasty, Beizhili and other northern provinces were suffering from long-term disasters, and their expenditures were always beyond their means.
The tax and economic powerhouses of the Ming Dynasty were all in the south, as were the densely populated areas.
Attacking the north, even if the city of Beijing is captured, will only temporarily destroy the Ming Dynasty, but most of the southern provinces will establish new kings to continue fighting and will not surrender.
Moreover, the mess in Liaodong has been going on for decades, and the holes are getting bigger and bigger. The Qing Dynasty's national power was also on the rise at that time, and the threat became increasingly powerful.
After conquering the north, we will undoubtedly face the threat of the Qing army.
By then, the Southern Ming and Northern Qing Dynasties would be under attack from both sides.
Compared with attacking the north, it is obvious that greater gains can be obtained by capturing the southern provinces.
But Li Zicheng in history left the southern provinces alone and wanted to attack the north first.
With Zhu Yuanzhang in front of him, it was obvious that as long as he copied Zhu Yuanzhang's successful path, building high walls, hoarding grain, slowly becoming king, conquering the southern provinces first, and then slowly developing, he could easily seize the world.
However, Li Zicheng did not follow suit. In March of the 16th year of Chongzhen's reign, when his foothold was not yet stable, he changed the name of Xiangyang to Xiangjing and impatiently called him "Xinshun King".
Then he pushed Zhang Xianzhong to the opposite side and completely isolated himself.
When dealing with the Liaodong Group, Li Zicheng fell ill one after another, which eventually pushed Wu Sangui to the opposite side, so that the Qing army entered the pass and was ultimately defeated, ruining the originally good situation.
Li Zicheng had general talents and could lead an army on his own.
But he has no leadership skills, and his vision is really poor.
However, the current situation does not require much leadership ability from Li Zicheng, only his general talents.
This time Li Zicheng went north and entered the deep mountains and valleys of Gongchang Fucheng and Jie. It seemed that nothing had changed, but he still returned to the original place.
But actually everything has changed.
Hong Chengchou now leads Zuo Guangxian, He Renlong and other elites still stranded in Pingwu County, Long'an Prefecture, Sichuan.
At normal speed, it would take at least ten days to return to Wen County.
It will undoubtedly take more than a month to return to Chengxian County where he was originally located.
Such a long time is enough for Li Zicheng to lead the main force to complete the transfer.
A group of generals who stayed at the mountainous intersections of Cheng and Jie were fortified. Their troops were insufficient and they could still stop the small group of rogues.
But letting them face the main force of the invasion army led by Li Zicheng is naturally not enough.
In other words, the encirclement network originally laid by Hong Chengchou in Cheng and Jie was actually in vain, and there was no way to restrict Li Zicheng's actions.
Li Zicheng can break through the encirclement network in Cheng and Tie at any time and go to the rest of Shaanxi.
This game of chess, which was originally a checkmate, was revived by Li Zicheng.
There is no doubt that Li Zicheng is indeed a famous general.
Even in a near-death situation, he can accurately find the glimmer of hope, which is impressive.
Today's situation is completely different from the original process.
Everything in the future has become a mystery.
According to the original process, Li Zicheng was ambushed by Hong Chengchou in Zitong when he returned to the army. After his defeat, he transferred to Jiangyou, passed through Qingchuan, and entered Gongchang Mansion via Baishui.
But now that Li Zicheng has returned to Gongchang Mansion, his main force has not been damaged, and has even been strengthened.
Li Zicheng did not enter Sichuan through Qipanguan, and naturally he did not think about leaving Sichuan through Zitong, thereby avoiding a possible ambush.
Due to the butterfly effect, changes occurred in many places. Hong Chengchou did not lead the troops into Zitong in Baoning Prefecture in person, but instead led the troops into Sichuan from Wen County.
Most of the events have changed. Tuo Yangkun and Zhang Zhengyao did not surrender. Instead, they brought the army and joined Li Zicheng's command, which greatly enhanced Li Zicheng's combat power.
Li Zicheng's current strength is more than a little stronger than it was in the original process.
Chen Wang felt that Li Zicheng would not be defeated at Tongguan Nanyuan again this time, and only eighteen riders fled into Shangluo Mountain.
The land of Shaanxi may once again set off a huge wave, just like when Gao Yingxiang led his troops back to Shaanxi in the eighth year of Chongzhen...
But in this case, he is afraid that he will also join the suppression team.
Chen Wang was a little helpless. As a camp general, even if he became the leader of a town, a camp general was a camp general and did not have much autonomy.
The military gates and governors above would need to break camp and mobilize troops.
Chen Wang's current situation can be described as being involuntarily.
Although he now has the status of a guard officer, his main job is still the deputy commander-in-chief of the Hanzhong Mansion.
The commander of the Hanzhong Guard knew his identity, but he only got the official position after getting involved with Sun Chuanting and coincidentally with Sun Chuanting's intention to reorganize the guard.
Now if he joins the army to suppress the enemy again, Hanzhong Wei's development may be slowed down a lot because of his absence.
But at the moment, Chen Wang has no reason or excuse to stay in Hanzhong Mansion.
Zhang Xianzhong, Liu Guoneng and other troops were defeated in Anqing Prefecture in southern Zhili, although they returned to the mountainous areas of Yunxiang.
However, they did not show the slightest interest in Hanzhong Mansion, and not even a single bandit crossed the border and entered Hanzhong Mansion.
And according to the original process, Zhang Xianzhong, Liu Guoneng and other troops had completed their rest and recovered from the shadow of defeat. At the beginning of the 11th year of Chongzhen, that is, at the beginning of the next year, they sent troops to Yunxiang again.
Later, he was defeated by Zuo Liangyu and general Chen Hongfan in Yunxi. Liu Guoneng fled to Fuzhou and chose to surrender.
Zhang Xianzhong went north again under the guise of officers and soldiers and attacked Nanyang Mansion.
On the way, he met Zuo Liangyu, who saw through him, and then fled Gucheng in defeat.
Then Zhang Xianzhong felt that he was alone and he pretended to surrender.
Although Zhang Xianzhong pretended to surrender, Xiong Wencan thought he was really surrendering and gave him extremely preferential treatment.
With Zhang Xianzhong's surrender, by the beginning of next year, the rogue crisis in the Yunxiang area could be said to have been temporarily eliminated.
Hanzhong Mansion is no longer threatened, so it naturally doesn't need anyone to take charge.
I'm afraid they have to follow Sun Chuanting and Hong Chengchou all the way behind Li Zicheng, wasting time.
Unless Chen Wang learns from Zuo Liangyu and respects his troops, he will not move after hearing the order.
Xiong Wencan has a soft personality. If Zuo Liangyu is dissatisfied with him, he can support his troops and respect himself. After receiving the transfer order, he can find an interface and stand still.
After all, Xiong Wencan didn't have many available generals under his command, and his prestige and reputation were not enough, so he often had to rely on Zuo Liangyu.
Zuo Liangyu was sure that Xiong Wencan would not dare to touch him, so he acted so recklessly.
But the bosses above Chen Wang are Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting. These two people are completely opposite to Xiong Wencan.
If he dares to disobey Hong Chengchou's orders, he is afraid that his official position will be wiped out in a short time. All kinds of guilt will fly like snowflakes, and it will be doubtful whether he will be alive by then.
Sun Chuanting is even more terrifying. He will not make a lot of accusations like Hong Chengchou, but he is more direct and more terrifying.
Historically, He Renlong disobeyed orders. The first thing Sun Chuanting did after he was reinstated was to chop off He Renlong's head.
and……
Chen Wang also thought of one thing...
In September of the 11th year of Chongzhen, Dorgon and Yue Tuo led their troops to invade the fortress from Qiangziling and Qingshan Pass, and invaded Beizhili.
Chongzhen first ordered Lu Xiangsheng, who was worried about Ding's father, to resurrect his love, and the governor-general sent troops to fight against the Qing Dynasty.
Then on October 15th, Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting were ordered to go to Beijing to serve the king.
After receiving the edict, Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting immediately summoned a group of generals who were in Shaanxi and other places to go to the North to help.
At that time, Sun Chuanting and Hong Chengchou had already defeated Li Zicheng in the Nanyuan of Tongguan, so Chongzhen ordered him to go north to King Qin.
If Li Zicheng had not been defeated by Nanyuan in Tongguan, there would have been endless variables...
…
"History of the Ming Dynasty·Volume 273·Biography 161"
"In the first month of the eleventh year, Liangyu and the commander-in-chief Chen Hongfan defeated the thieves in Yunxi."
"Zhang Xianzhong attacked Nanyang under the false official banner and settled in Nanguan. Liangyu arrived at the right time. He was suspicious and summoned him urgently. Xianzhongyi left."
"After catching up, he fired two arrows and hit his shoulder. He hit him again with his sword and his face was bleeding. His subordinates saved him and fled to Gucheng."
"Soon, please surrender. Liangyu knows it's fake and wants to attack him with all his strength, but Wencan won't allow it."
(End of chapter)
