About three miles outside the ancient city, on a high ground covered with half a foot of wild grass, there was a three-foot-high golden banner with a five-foot-square Chinese character embroidered on it - Zhang!
There is a Taishi chair in front of the flag, and sitting on it is a burly man with a big face, thick eyebrows and leopard eyes, a beard more than a foot long on his lower forehead, a helmet on top, a red cloak on his back, and tiger-head combat boots on his feet.
There were several civil and military officials standing on each side, and there were hundreds of soldiers holding steel swords around them. Seeing the army's offensive, with the city in sight, everyone looked energetic and majestic.
"That dog official magistrate really doesn't know how to praise me. My father, commander, I asked you to lead an elite army into the city, capture this dog official, and cut off his head in front of my father, so that I can raise the flag of righteousness in my father's honor!"
Seeing that Gucheng was about to be captured, a sturdy young man of about twenty years old immediately stepped forward to ask for orders. This was a good time for him to take the lead. He must not be surpassed by other brothers.
This man was Zhang Kewang, the first of Zhang Xianzhong's four adopted sons. Not only was he quick-thinking and able to read and write, he was also brave in battle and was very good at pleasing his adoptive father. Today the army is victorious, so I must also show off.
"I hope my son is interested. It's a great comfort for his father. Let's go!"
Zhang Xianzhong had never been so happy since he led his troops to station at Baishazhou, ten miles outside the city. The emperor of Chongzhen was very stingy. He had 30,000 troops, but he was given the job of a deputy general.
From the perspective of Zhang Xianzhong, who had been fighting for many years and defeated famous generals in the army, he could at least be promoted to the rank of general soldier. Both his personal ability and the size of his troops were far superior to those of the losers supported by the imperial court.
It's a pity that although the emperor was only in his early thirties, he was ignorant and ignorant, and he appointed treacherous ministers such as Xiong Wencan who knew how to enrich themselves. The Ming Dynasty had such weird monarchs and ministers, so why worry about dying?
"Where is Feng Shuangli?"
"The general is here!"
"Follow me to lead five hundred elite soldiers, capture Gucheng, and congratulate my father, Commander-in-Chief!"
"I will obey the order!"
"Bang the drums to cheer!"
To attack the small Gucheng, Zhang Xianzhong did not use 10,000 elite troops. This was a sharp weapon used in a decisive battle with the main force of the official army. Just let five thousand auxiliary soldiers take the lead, and the Gucheng defenders will be vulnerable. This arrangement is enough.
As the eldest son of Zhang Xianzhong, Zhang Kewang's troops were naturally an elite unit with one against ten. Every soldier was fully armored, equipped with swords and bows, and had sufficient food and wages, so his morale was extremely high.
After receiving the order, it didn't take long for the group of people to arrive at the city. Some soldiers climbed up the ladder carrying a large banner with Chinese characters, which made Zhang Xianzhong who was watching the battle with a telescope at the rear very happy.
After serving as the actual county magistrate of Gucheng for several months, Zhang Xianzhong initially thought that solving the case was interesting and enjoyable, replacing the former magistrate Ruan Zhidian. However, as time went by, his enthusiasm for serving the people faded greatly.
It would be happier to live in a life of robbing homes and taking what you ask for, not to mention that the only people nearby were Chen Hongfan, the commander-in-chief sent by Xiong Wencan to supervise his own troops, and he was far superior to him in terms of combat power and scale.
In addition to the necessary tax collection, Zhang Xianzhong secretly contacted Luo Rucai and others, hoping to raise troops together on the fifth day of May to quickly wipe out the government troops in the northwest of Huguang. You can go straight to Nanjing.
After gradually eating up all the government troops south of the Yangtze River, they may be able to rule across the river from the surviving Ming Dynasty. At that time, the emperor in the capital may agree or disagree, and it will not be up to him.
Liu Guoneng and Li Wanqing, two incompetent bastards, didn't want to refuse their invitation. Instead, they actually reported it to the court and attracted Hong Chengchou's army. It was really abominable.
If he is caught, he must be punished, and he must appreciate his condition with the leaders. Let the world know that those who follow the rules will prosper and those who go against the rules will perish!
Zhang Xianzhong heard from intelligence reports that Hong Chengchou led his troops south to pursue Liu Liangzuo's rebels. He was unmoved at first, but as the situation developed, especially when Hong Chengchou led his troops into Henan, he instinctively realized that something was wrong.
Originally, the troops could not be mobilized until the fifth day of May, but Hong Chengchou's troops arrived so quickly that they had to be more than ten days ahead of schedule to succeed.
After careful consideration, Zhang Xianzhong immediately decided to raise troops in Baishazhou, kill the dog officials, seize the county seat, cut off the corrupt officials, and do justice for heaven and eliminate harm for Min.
Conquering the small valley city was as easy as flipping a finger. Zhang Xianzhong didn't care about the city at all. He just wanted to capture the whole family of that bullshit county magistrate Ruan Zhidian.
Previously, as a deputy general, I still had to flatter and bow to the county magistrate. I also had to follow the rules of officialdom and give gifts to colleagues around me every month.
This made Zhang Xianzhong extremely angry and jealous. From now on, he could finally feel proud and proud. He no longer had to act based on other people's faces. If he disobeyed, he would be arrested and killed.
But Hong Chengchou was really difficult to deal with. If he were easy to defeat, he wouldn't have run from Shaanxi to Huguang. A while ago, it was said that he was transferred to Liaodong by Emperor Dog.
But this time he was transferred to pursue and suppress his own troops. It was believed to be the prince's plan. After reading the first issue of "Jingshi Daily" sent by Fei Qi, Zhang Xianzhong also understood everything about what happened in the capital.
The only thing that is still unclear is how many troops Hong Chengchou has brought this time. All the ministries are deployed in those important places. What should he do after he captures Gucheng?
Thinking of this, Zhang Xianzhong rolled his eyes and asked seriously: "Two military advisors, do you know how to advance our army after our army conquers this city?"
The "Eight Kings" have cunning tactics and arbitrary actions, but they are not blindly reckless. Whenever marching and fighting, they will consult in advance, especially the advice of left military advisor Pan Dubiao and right military advisor Xu Yixian.
Although both of them are respected as military advisors, Zuo is the most respected, and Pan Dubao is half ahead of Xu Yixian in terms of status. Now that the situation is clear, it is not difficult to make a judgment: "Commander Qi, our army can then try to fight against the Hong bandits." , if we can win, we can capture Xiangyang, and then go down the river, first capture Yicheng, and then capture Zhongxiang. Then we can have sufficient food and pay, capture Wuchang along the Han River, and occupy the most fertile land in Huguang!"
Pan Dubiao's strategy was to take advantage of the terrain, go down the river, break out of the encirclement before the officers and soldiers formed an encirclement, and then march eastward. As long as he captured Wuchang Mansion and obtained its money and food, he could massively expand his army, and he would no longer have to fear the officers. The army pressed forward.
Zhang Xianzhong would not blindly believe that he could win repeated battles, and asked: "What should we do if it is difficult for our army to defeat the Hong bandits?"
Hong Chengchou was one of the few people in the Ming Dynasty who was good at conquering and fighting. His troops had already occupied Xiangyang City, and he might have heard the news and led his troops northward.
There was no guarantee of victory or defeat, and Zhang Xianzhong did not dare to guarantee that the rebels would have enough troops to defeat the Hong thieves. If they lost, they would be able to find a way to escape.
Pan Dubiao did not want to spoil the eight kings' elegance, so he answered cautiously: "Commander Qi, our army can go west to join Luo Rucai and others. In this way, our rebels will definitely exceed the strength of the dog officers. Hong Thief resolutely said Don’t dare to advance rashly, otherwise you will be annihilated by the combined efforts of many rebels in the mountains between the two mansions!”
Since they can't fight in a frontal battle, they will use an ambush by the official army. The rebels will not do this once or twice. If they can kill Hong Chengchou in one battle, the morale of the rebels will be greatly boosted. They can take advantage of the situation to take down the entire Huguang and march into other areas. It just fell into place.
Zhang Xianzhong nodded. This coincided with what he thought. It was a strategy that could advance or retreat. He asked Xu Yixian again: "What do you think, Army Commander You?"
For such a major military matter, it is not wise to just listen to one person's opinion. It is the wisest move to combine the views of two military advisors.
Xu Yixian bowed and saluted, and then said: "Commander Qi, I think this plan is feasible. If we can defeat the Hong thieves, we can naturally march into Wuchang Mansion smoothly. However, if our army is temporarily unable to win, we will be bitten by the Hong thieves." Don’t let go. This time the Hong thief leads his troops south, for fear that the attackers will be evil. If our army loses in the first battle, we can deploy a force of troops on the retreat route to ambush the Hong thief secretly and catch the Hong thief by surprise!"
Youdao is that Sun Chuanting is brave and Hong Chengchou is difficult to deal with. The two commanders whom the Ming court relies on each have their own advantages. However, in winter, Sun Chuanting was imprisoned by the self-proclaimed Dog Emperor, which made many rebel leaders very happy. He was indeed a completely unprincipled and ignorant king.
If only one Hong Chengchou was to be dealt with, a joint attack by everyone would definitely make him miserable. When the news of the defeat reached the capital, the uninformed Dog Emperor might even take Hong Chengchou back, and then be imprisoned and executed.
This is all very possible. Since Emperor Nagou succeeded to the throne, he has killed many civil servants and generals, including Yuan Chonghuan in the distance and Sun Chuanting in the near future. If this continues, the Ming court will be able to do so in the next few years. Use up your last breath.
Now there is the Gezuo Fifth Battalion in the Dabie Mountains in the east, and Luo Rucai and others are lurking in the west, waiting for opportunities. The two troops are in close contact with their own troops. Once they are linked together, the Ming court will be in a hurry and unable to encircle and suppress them.
There is a saying that it is impossible to perish even if the light is exposed, and the laws of nature do not allow it!
"Well! What the right military advisor said is true, you should be careful!"
The biggest similarity between Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng is that they are good at running. Especially before fighting, they will definitely plan their escape route after defeat. This is the biggest difference with Gao Yingxiang.
Li Zicheng came to ask for help before. Zhang Xianzhong generously gave him fifty war horses and three thousand taels of silver because they were both from the same hometown and lived in such misery. If he could make a comeback, he would be considered capable.
Li Zicheng had no hope at the moment. Liu Guoneng and Li Wanqing, two bastards who were fighting against human power, were determined to work for the court. The Fifth Battalion of the Revolutionary Zuo was far away in the Dabie Mountains and out of reach.
The only people who could rely on each other were Luo Rucai and the "Little Fifth Battalion" stationed in the Xunxi area. If the Hong bandits came too fiercely and were difficult to defeat, Zhang Xianzhong wanted to find Luo Rucai to unite.
He would take advantage of the situation to see if he could enter Sichuan. If not, he would go back to Shaanxi and go to Guangdong, Guangxi or even Yunnan and Guizhou. He definitely wouldn't do it. Most of the 30,000 soldiers under his command are from the north. Once they go to the south, they are not accustomed to the climate and the soil, and their combat power drops sharply, and they will be defeated without a fight.
Hong Chengchou is close at hand, and if he follows the gang, he can at least still survive. If he left alone and was chased by flood thieves, he might lose half his life. Zhang Xianzhong still sees this very clearly.
He didn't believe that with so many people in the rebel army, they could not defeat a Hong thief if they worked together. There is a big hunger in Henan and there is nothing to fish for, so why not just go around Huguang with Hong Chengchou. A good tiger can't fight a pack of wolves, let's see how you deal with it!
"Come on! Charge up! Kill all these officers and soldiers!"
Zhang Kewang, who was eager to achieve great results, was commanding his five hundred elite troops to attack the city quickly. If he couldn't even capture the small valley city, how could he have the face to ask for a battle in front of his adoptive father?
Everyone scrambled to climb up the ladder against the flying arrows. From time to time, officers and soldiers who were hit by arrows fell down from the crenels. They saw that the fighting power of the defenders was getting lower and lower, and the arrogance of the rebels was even higher.
General Feng Shuangli led twenty soldiers to charge forward. He had already climbed to the top of the city and was fighting with the defenders. He wielded his sharp blade and fought with his life, killing three officers and soldiers one after another.
Then he didn't care about the blood splattered all over his face. Instead, he became more and more courageous as he fought. He regarded clearing the city defenders as easy as chopping melons and vegetables. He turned into an evil Yama, killing the officers and soldiers until they flinched.
"The heavenly soldiers have arrived! Why don't you return quickly? When will we wait?"
Feng Shuangli said this, but the steel knife in his hand did not stop. As he spoke, he slashed two more soldiers. He shouted like thunder through the air, scaring the other side to retreat.
"I will fight with you!"
Seeing that his own side was in decline, the county magistrate Ruan Zhidian also realized that the end was coming. In this case, he would just sacrifice his life for righteousness. As he said that, he rushed over with the sharp knife in his hand.
"Dang~!"
When Feng Shuangli saw that he was an old acquaintance, he showed mercy. Moreover, he said that this was the person appointed by the eldest son of the "Eight Kings" and it would be bad if he could just chop him with his sword, so he kicked him away.
"ah……"
Ruan Zhidian is a civil servant, and he can scare ordinary auxiliary soldiers with one and a half tricks, but to use it to deal with Feng Shuangli is to use a big sword in front of Guan Gong.
His chop was easily deflected by the other party, and his abdomen hurt. Then, as if it was a lifetime ago, his body flew out and hit the wall, letting out a scream of pain. Before he could get up, he was captured by the bandits and thrown into the city, becoming a prisoner.
When the censor Lin Mingqiu saw this, he rushed over with all his might, but he was far from Feng Shuangli's opponent. At this time, Zhang Kewang also climbed up to the top of the city, slashed Lin Mingqiu's knife-holding arm with a single blow, and immediately caught the prey.
Zhang Dajing, the military supervisor, turned pale with fright, trembled all over, and kept muttering in his mouth: "My life is over! My life is over..."
The traitors had already invaded the city in large numbers, and the city was determined not to be able to bear it any longer. Seeing this, the soldiers no longer wanted to fight, and turned around and ran away.
Seeing that the victory was coming, Zhang Kewang did not order the arrows to be fired, but pointed his sharp blade at the two people opposite him with high spirits: "Where are you going?"
Lieutenant generals Ma Tingbao and Xu Qizuo looked at each other after hearing this. There was no determination to continue to resist in each other's eyes, and they immediately threw away the steel knives in their hands, which was regarded as a tacit surrender.
Even General Chen has run away, and there is no point in holding on any longer. What's more, they can't withstand the siege of Zhang Xianzhong's army. Reinforcements are out of reach, and they may still be able to survive if they surrender.
Gucheng's soldiers and horses were originally poorly trained and had low combat effectiveness. In addition, the rebels were fierce and fearless of death. They were able to persist for this period of time without directly surrendering to the rebels, which was considered worthy of the court.
"Commander Qi, Gucheng is already in the hands of our army!"
Hearing this, Zhang Xianzhong hurriedly raised his telescope and looked towards the top of the city. When he saw that the banner with the Chinese character "Zhang" had been planted at the top of the city, he looked up to the sky and laughed happily.
The reason why he was watching the battle from such a distance was that he was afraid of being injured by the firepower from the city. He knew that there were not many big guns in Gucheng, but if the other party was secretive, he would be attacked by surprise.
For the sake of safety, it is better to be careful, but now that Gucheng has been taken, all the people, animals and weapons in the city will be owned by themselves.
Zhang Xianzhong immediately stood up, stroking his long beard, and murmured to himself: "Human life is mine, my fate is heaven, there are roads in all directions, there is no escape!"
