Tang Tong led the remaining defeated soldiers and ran for six or seven miles in one breath. When he saw that no thieves were chasing him, he breathed a sigh of relief and stopped at the top of the mountain to rest and look around. If Jiang Mingwu's subordinates haven't caught up yet, then they have to take the initiative to find him.
After four thousand officers and soldiers were ambushed by Zhang Gouzhi, only about a hundred or so were left around them. Others may break out of the encirclement from other directions, but not too many. After all, it is difficult to escape in the ravine. Either be captured or die.
Today, Tang Tong actually suffered an unprecedented defeat, and he was defeated by Zhang Gouzhi, who was extremely sinister. Of course, he was dissatisfied. He was so eager to join Jiang Mingwu just to borrow reinforcements so that he could immediately pull back the enemy. Return to Yicheng.
Such a deep hatred must be avenged, and it must be avenged immediately, especially when the opponent is an old enemy - Zhang Gouzhi. If he continues to be proud, he will be disappointed. If he cannot turn defeat into victory before Hong Shaobao hears the news, he will be deprived of his position and punished. Maybe.
If the officers and soldiers are defeated in repeated battles, all the officers and soldiers will suffer losses, and the court will not be able to punish many generals after receiving the report. However, if only one of his own troops suffers a defeat, his own army will still be the first to be severely wounded by Zhang Gouzhi. Yes, then we should serve as a warning to others.
Not to mention the military power in his hands, he may not even be able to keep the food. The sooner this is resolved, the safer he will be. He can first stabilize Hong Shaobao and report it to the superiors.
After thinking about it, Tang Tong, who was a little upset, began to feel relieved. He took a sip of water, poured it on his sweating head, wiped it with his sleeve, and immediately cheered up, preparing to go find Jiang Mingwu.
"Report! General Rong, there are official and military flags over there!"
"Oh? Let me take a look!"
After hearing the news, Tang Tong hurriedly stood up, strode to a place with a good view, and checked with a telescope. After the war horse died at the hands of the thieves, this treasure was considered the most valuable object besides his own life.
Sure enough, about two miles away, a long snake-like team appeared, with the flag of the Ming Dynasty as the first, followed by the flag of the general with the word "Jiang". If nothing else, this is Jiang Mingwu who went north to look for the enemy. The headquarters is over.
After the two men and horses merged, Jiang Mingwu couldn't help but look his colleague up and down. He saw that Tang Tong's armor was covered with blood stains left after it had been evaporated, and there were more than ten stab wounds on his body. Fortunately, it was covered by armor, and there were no injuries. Bones are just wounds to the flesh.
"Brother Tang, what are you..."
"Oh~! This is so annoying! We were ambushed by that dog thief in the ravine six or seven miles ahead!"
"...Ah??? How can you repay it? Zhang Ni is so bold, is he really rebelling?"
"It's true!"
Just now, because Jiang Mingwu's troops were also marching in the ravine, they didn't see the signal flares sent by Tang Tong's men at all. They just heard bursts of artillery fire from the north. The distance was not too far away, so they guessed that it might be Tang Tong's troops. We were engaged in battle with the enemy, so we rushed into the army.
I didn't expect this to be the case, and it seemed that the situation was worse than imagined, because even Tang Tong, the commander-in-chief, was in such a state of desolation that he only brought more than a hundred people in front of him. One can imagine what happened to the soldiers under his command. .
This shows that what Zhang Xianzhong did was exactly the same as what Hong Shaobao said. Fortunately, a large army came to encircle and suppress him, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable!
Several generals on the road were still calculating what they should do if the army arrived at Gucheng and found that Zhang Xianzhong had not revolted.
Now there is no need to worry at all. Not only have they rebelled again, but they have also beaten Tang Tong's troops to the point of annihilation.
"Do you know how Gucheng is doing?"
"...I never knew!"
Jiang Mingwu also wanted to find out the situation in Gucheng from Tang Tong, but Tang Tong knew about the same situation as his colleague. He had no idea about what was going on in Gucheng. In fact, he didn't go much further than Jiang Mingwu's troops. , before crossing Jingshan Mountain, he was completely defeated by Zhang Xianzhong.
"Brother Tang, do you know how many people Zhang Ni has?"
"No fewer than ten thousand people!"
"..."
Jiang Mingwu was shocked when he heard this, but after thinking about it carefully, Tang Tong didn't seem to exaggerate the actual reason. There were 4,000 people in the army, and there were only 10,000 rebels. How could they ambush Tang Tong's army?
Hong Shaobao said that Zhang Ni had an army of 30,000, including 10,000 elite troops and 20,000 auxiliary troops. If the general of a certain route went deep alone, the strength of the two sides would be very different, and they would indeed not be Zhang Ni's opponent.
Jiang Mingwu's men and horses were not as many as Tang Tong's before, only three thousand in total. There were originally two thousand, and the extra thousand was added to Jiang Mingwu by Hong Chengchou when he went south.
Three thousand versus ten thousand?
It seems impossible!
Even though Zhang Ni had fought a bloody battle with Tang Tong's troops and lost two thousand soldiers, there were still eight thousand troops.
I still can't defeat the opponent with my three thousand, because the additional one thousand has almost no fighting power at all.
The troublesome thing is that Tang Tong's troops had encountered the rebels before, and they also saw Tang Tong who had retreated in defeat.
If he didn't lead his troops to attack north after hearing the news, and Hong Shaobao knew about it, he would definitely think that he was timid in the face of battle.
What's even more troublesome is that he still has to fight when he knows he can't defeat him. This is comparable to Lu Xiangsheng who fought alone against the Donglu attack in winter.
Tang Tong also saw that Jiang Mingwu was hesitating and guessed what he was thinking, so he turned to ask: "Brother Jiang, does he know where Yang Yufan and Mou Wenshou are?"
Since one group of men and horses cannot defeat them, it is better to find two more groups. The three generals will encircle Zhang Gouzhi. Zhang Xianzhong has as many as ten thousand people under his command, so he will not win easily this time.
Jiang Mingwu looked at the westward position, lowered his head and made an estimate and said, "About twenty or thirty miles to the west, half a day's distance!"
He understood what Tang Tong meant, but the four groups of troops were too loosely drawn, and the marching distances were also uneven. The strategy of "closing the door and beating the dog" could be implemented, but it would be difficult to lock up this "evil dog".
If Zhang Ni advances his troops quickly, he can lead his troops to Fangxian or Baokang before the gate is closed, and then return to Shaanxi or enter eastern Sichuan. Therefore, it is not easy to capture this vicious dog.
"We just need to bite the dog thief's tail and prevent him from disappearing. When Hong Shaobao and his army arrive, it will be the day of 'killing the dog'!"
If Zhang Gou didn't go south, Jiang Ming's military department would not be able to ambush the rebels. He would go directly north to fight hard and he would not be his opponent. However, after Zhang Gou succeeded, he would go west. The two generals were indifferent to this, but Hong Shaobao would not. Happy.
"...Brother Tang's arrangement is very appropriate. Now that the enemy has discovered our secret, if Zhang Ni turns around and bites him, we will definitely fight to the death to avenge Brother Tang!"
Jiang Mingwu knew that there was no chance of winning if he took the initiative to provoke the enemy, but to stay where he was was to show fear of the enemy and to fight cowardly. If he wanted to advance and avoid losing his troops, falling behind the rebel army was the best way at the moment.
Now that the enemy's situation is unclear, Zhang Ni mobilized ten thousand people to attack Tang Tong, but the remaining twenty thousand people were also ambushing nearby. It is still unknown whether he had other intentions.
If 30,000 men and horses are all in Jingshan, then the officers and soldiers from all walks of life must be more careful. No matter which way they encounter, they may be beaten by Zhang Ni and the entire army will be annihilated, just like what happened to Tang Tong.
At least Tang Tong was lucky. He led his team to break out of the siege and managed to save a life. But not everyone has this kind of luck. Otherwise, he would have to sacrifice his life for justice.
After figuring out the current situation between the enemy and ourselves, what Jiang Mingwu did was to send out detective horses to contact Yang Yufan and Mou Wenshou westward, asking them to quickly move closer to his own troops.
At the same time, people were sent east to the Han River. After arriving at the shore, they would most likely find Hong Shaobao's men. If they didn't encounter them, they would just go straight to Gucheng along the river north.
The only thing left is to send more people to find out the exact location of Zhang Ni's troops. Only after knowing it can we understand his subsequent movements. I'm afraid Zhang Ni still doesn't know about this army of officers and men in the valley. This can be regarded as the only remaining army of officers and soldiers at the moment. The advantage.
"Tang would like to thank Brother Jiang for your help! But I still don't know what Zhang Gouzhi's motive is for abandoning Gucheng and heading south?"
Instead of going north to Xun County to join Luo Rucai and others, they could only go to Henan via the Han River, but instead went south into the ravine. Tang Tong couldn't figure out what Zhang Gouzhi was planning, but it was definitely not a good thing.
"I thought that Zhang Ni abandoned Gucheng, or was afraid of Hong Shaobao's army, so he took the initiative to go south into the mountains before engaging in the battle. I didn't know that there were four general officers including me on the southern front, and that's how the fierce battle just now happened. It was just a bitter battle. It’s Brother Tang!”
This encirclement and suppression was strictly planned and kept secret. When the army entered the Huguang territory, there was no information about Zhang Ni's rebellion. Jiang Mingwu did not think that Zhang Ni could know the specific movements of the army after it was divided.
Unless someone under the command of the Fourth Army General on the southern front contacted Zhang Ni privately and betrayed the information, Zhang Ni went south into the mountains and collided with Tang Tong's troops who were marching towards Gucheng by mistake.
"I have no complaints for opening the way for my colleagues to resist the enemy! He, Zhang Gouzhi, has always been very cunning. When he encounters the army when he goes south, he will definitely be prepared!"
Zhang Gouzie does not have a strength advantage when facing the government troops who come to encircle and suppress him, but in local areas, such as the mountains at present, he is very likely to gain the upper hand.
The total number of soldiers under the command of the Fourth General was less than 20,000, while Zhang Ni's troops probably numbered more than 20,000. Moreover, he had lost as many as 4,000 men and horses in his own way, which seriously weakened the intensity of the encirclement and suppression.
If Yang Yufan and Mou Wenshou cannot get closer to Jiang Mingwu before dark, once they light a fire and camp in the mountains, it will be a signal for Zhang Gouzhi's exploration horse.
In the early hours of the morning, Zhang Gou thief sent troops to make a surprise attack. The officers and soldiers were unprepared, and it was bound to be a big defeat. In this way, the four-pronged army would be defeated by Zhang Gou thief one by one.
As long as any two groups of officers and soldiers are severely damaged by Zhang Gouzhi's soldiers, and the opponent's troops are not reduced much, the remaining two groups of troops will be unable to withstand the victorious soldiers who are pursuing them.
Jiang Mingwu decided to stay put and send more detective horses to set up spies. It would be best to connect with Hong Shaobao in the east and two colleagues in the west. Otherwise, his three thousand men would not be able to resist Zhang Ni's tens of thousands of thieves.
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"Our army has achieved a great victory. Just now, the two Xie Rong also saw the majestic appearance of the heavenly soldiers, like tigers descending from the mountain, invincible. However, our troops have not participated in the battle. Although they have joined the army, it is difficult to subdue the crowd and their foreheads are inconvenient. It would be a great gift for you two to show off your kind words!"
First they captured Gucheng and scared Chen Hongfan away. This time they defeated the army. Hearing that they were from Tang Tong's subordinates, Zhang Xianzhong became even more energetic and in a good mood after hearing the news. He summoned two generals, Ma Tingbao and Xu Qizuo, to give them a warning. Two people.
Worried about spoiling his own good deeds, he did not use his tribe to fight just now. Zhang Xianzhong personally led 10,000 troops in the rear to monitor the movements of the two tribes' surrender. Fortunately, there was no incident.
But this still doesn't make him completely reassured. Whether the two people have different intentions or not can't be seen from the outside. At least Ma Tingbao and Xu Qizuo are very respectful to him when they see him.
Therefore, Zhang Xianzhong wants to verify it through one thing. Only when the two people and his subordinates pass this test, will he consider using it with confidence. Otherwise, it must be cut off immediately to avoid endless troubles.
"...I will obey your orders!"
When Ma Tingbao and Xu Qizuo saw the prisoners being guarded at the foot of the mountain, they suddenly guessed what Zhang Xianzhong wanted them to do, which was to use the heads of the army as surrender certificates, otherwise they would not believe that their troops had joined the gang.
His immediate superior, General Chen Hongfan, abandoned his troops and fled first. Facing the fierce attack of the rebels, Ma Tingbao and Xu Qizuo led their troops to resist for a while, but in the end they were forced to land due to lack of strength.
However, this kind of surrender is unconvincing, and they can fight back at any time. Zhang Xianzhong and his generals cannot trust the two of them at all, so they must kill prisoners to obtain a certificate of surrender.
At this moment, the two of them were determined not to use the excuse of "killing prisoners is unjust." In Zhang Xianzhong's eyes, only betraying him would be considered unjust!
Now the common people are in danger of escaping, let alone a group of officers and soldiers who have resisted the heavenly soldiers. Now they are all a group of prisoners who have not disarmed themselves. Why can't they be killed?
The rebel officers and soldiers were watching with cold eyes. If they did not take action, they would probably kill them together with the surrendered soldiers. Ma Tingbao and Xu Qizuo could not care less and had no choice but to bite the bullet and give the order.
"General, please spare your life..."
"We have surrendered!"
"It's absolutely impossible!"
"Please beg me to save this little dog's life!"
When he saw a group of guys who looked like Ming soldiers coming towards him aggressively, they grabbed the soldiers and took them to a tunnel, then kicked them to the ground. No matter how stupid these soldiers were, they knew what the thieves wanted to do.
I originally thought that surrendering would save me from death, but I didn't expect that these thieves would kill even the surrendered soldiers. They were really ruthless people. If I had known this, I would have fought to the death.
After excluding those who died in the battle and those who escaped, there were still more than 2,000 surrendered troops under Tang Tong's command, but Zhang Xianzhong did not think they were of any use, let alone believe that keeping them would be a burden and a waste of food, so why not stay here? Chop it up with a knife.
First, the officers and soldiers who surrendered in Gucheng must receive certificates of surrender, so that they will have no way out in the future.
Secondly, it is necessary to relieve the anger of the soldiers under his command. Only constant killing can boost military prestige and morale.
Third, obtaining the food and pay carried by the officers and soldiers can greatly alleviate the current situation of insufficient supplies for the army.
"How could you do such an unjust act???"
Ruan Zhidian, the magistrate of Gucheng County, angrily accused Zhang Xianzhong of his despicable behavior. He was not afraid of death. Anyway, he was kidnapped by Zhang Xianzhong's troops and would die sooner or later. They claimed to be rebels, but they did all unjust things.
"Hahahaha~! Ruan Daling can see that the army is in decline? How can there be any reason to win? From this we can conclude that in less than ten years, Baoming will be destroyed!"
He dared to encircle and suppress himself like this, he was really overestimating his capabilities. After Zhang Xianzhong's uprising, he won two battles in a row against the officers and soldiers, and he no longer paid attention to other officers and soldiers except Hong Chengchou.
Zhang Xianzhong was shocked to learn from the captured generals of Tang Tong's command that the imperial court actually used twelve general soldiers to suppress the attack.
On the southern front alone, there are four generals: Yang Yufan, Mou Wenshou, Jiang Mingwu, and Tang Tong. Now that Tang Tong's troops have been wiped out, there are only three remaining troops.
Zhang Xianzhong felt that as long as he deliberately avoided Hong Chengchou, it would not be difficult to win against other generals. Even losers like Tang Tong would kill as many as they came.
Ruan Zhidian didn't know how powerful it was, so Zhang Xianzhong took advantage of his words. Now that the rebel army had won a complete victory, the officials who came with the army from Gucheng had given up.
It was easy to kill these walking zombies who wasted food by the way, but Zhang Xianzhong had another plan, which was to let them watch how the military conquered Xiangyang City!
Through this battle, Zhang Xianzhong could be sure that the officers and soldiers on the southern front were vulnerable to attack. The more than 20,000 rebels would first cross Jingshan Mountain to the south, and then turn to Xiangyang City in the east. They would be able to win by surprise and kill the Ming court in panic. At a loss. ...Friends who read books, you can search "Blue Chinese Network" to find this site as soon as possible.
