The next morning, after galloping all night, the rebel soldiers finally got rid of the pursuit and entered the Jingshan Mountains. They did not go to Baokang, a hundred miles away in Fang County.
After Wu Ziqiang, the "King of Hunshi" who was appeased in Baokang, rebelled, he saw that the officers and soldiers guarding the city had already taken precautions. Fearing that his troops would be damaged, he did not attack the city rashly, but chose to go into the mountains to hide and wait for the enemy. Rebel troops came to help.
This allowed the rebels and horses from Fang County to quickly enter the mountains, saving a lot of trouble. Otherwise, Wu Ziqiang still had two thousand infantry in his hands, and dragging them behind would become a complete burden.
If the cavalry were allowed to accommodate them, it would inevitably delay the entire army's advance, and they would be overtaken by the army's cavalry, which would inevitably lead to a fierce battle. If they give up, they will be killed on the spot when they encounter He Renlong's troops, just like the previous battle of Fanfang County.
As the majestic "King of Hun", Wu Ziqiang is not a loser. Before running away, he sent people to collect or loot everything in the area around Baokang. Otherwise, the nearly 7,000 rebels would go there. They all had to eat wild vegetables to satisfy their hunger.
Luo Rucai has almost lost all the food here, and each person can only carry about three days of food rations. We cannot attack the city by force. If we want to obtain the official warehouses to store food, we must collect the food hoarded by the people on a large scale.
Fortunately, Huguang, unlike Henan or Shaanxi, has not been greatly affected by the drought. It is far from being a thousand miles away. It rains every now and then, which can already meet the rain supply needed for the growth of crops.
According to the combat principles summarized by "Cao Cao" based on the previous failure, the rebels should avoid the sharp edges of the official army and look for the weak spots of the court. If they cannot attack the city, they can look for villages.
Take away the livestock and food in the village. If there is resistance, kill them without mercy. In this way, you can support war with war, maintain mobile fighting, and ensure the physical strength and combat effectiveness of the soldiers for a long time.
Luo Rucai also roughly guessed the temper of the army and cavalry behind him. As long as the rebel army was not seriously injured, the other party would not take action easily. Moreover, according to the information provided by General Bai Guiya, it was most likely that He Renlong was commanding .
Luo Ru is very clear about the virtues of the Qin army. They have always taken advantage of them and specifically seek trouble for fellow Shaanxi soldiers such as the rebels. The two sides have fought against each other for several years, winning and losing, and have deep grudges.
He Renlong can be regarded as a brave man in the Qin army. He has many brave soldiers under his command, such as Li Guoqi and Gao Jie. Gao Jie came from Li Zicheng's command. Before turning against him, he abducted Li Zicheng's side room and was laughed at by everyone.
After two consecutive formation battles, Luo Rucai no longer dared to confront the officers and soldiers head-on. If he really wanted to fight, he must be completely sure, such as ambush the officers and soldiers in the mountains.
Faced with the situation where He Renlong's troops deliberately kept a certain distance from them, Luo Rucai had no idea what to do. After all, his troops had just been ambushed by the army, and it was a bit unrealistic to try to retaliate against them in the same way. .
Last night, He Renlong's troops were less than a mile away from the rebels and they didn't even plan to rush over. Today, they would naturally not be stupid enough to fall into the trap.
I'm afraid that if the rebels don't attack the city, the officers and soldiers behind them won't take action. Once the rebels try to capture a certain city by force, He Renlong will take advantage of it.
Luo Rucai, Hei Yunxiang, Zhang Yichuan, Xue Chengcai and the new member Wu Ziqiang all felt that He Renlong's troops were facing the rebels, which was extremely uncomfortable.
But people just keep aloof from you. If you chase them, they will run away. If you retreat, they will chase them away.
The rebel army with less than 7,000 troops wants to forcefully defeat the 4,000 to 5,000 official troops, but we are not yet sure of this.
If it really kills both sides, once that thief Sun Chuanting catches up with his troops, I'm afraid the rebel army will have to answer here.
Luo Rucai was not afraid of He Renlong, he just felt that this guy was as annoying as dog-skin plaster. What really frightened him was Sun Chuanting behind He Renlong.
Luo Rucai is still brooding over the defeat of Yun County and cannot forget it. After all, the strength of the two sides is almost the same, and the rebels may still have some advantages.
However, after the confrontation, the rebels were killed with corpses scattered all over the field, and many leaders had to flee with their tribes. This was really unacceptable to him, and he felt very guilty in his heart, and he couldn't bear the trust that everyone had in him.
It was also in that battle that the infantry that the rebels finally gathered were killed by the officers and soldiers in an instant. The only ones who could escape alive were the horse soldiers.
Later, he met "One Hundred Thousand" Hei Yunxiang in Fang County. After everyone worked together to capture Fang County, the aggressive Sun Dog thief arrived immediately.
Luo Rucai experienced the second disastrous defeat after the uprising. Unlike the one in Yunxian County, Fangxian County did not even rush into the formation this time. After the infantry formation was shelled by the army, they ran away.
No matter Bai Gui, Xue Chengcai or Luo Rucai himself, they no longer wanted to confront the officers and soldiers head-on. The terrifying firepower was difficult for even the cavalry to withstand.
Hundreds of infantry can be killed and injured at one time, and tens of thousands of rebel troops will not be able to withstand a few bombardments, and the entire line will collapse, allowing the army and cavalry to slaughter them at will.
Last night, we were even more unlucky. We were ambushed by the army in the valley, and no less than two thousand horsemen were lost. This was different from the fact that the infantry were all smashed to pieces. They were all elite cavalry. They were lost like this. No one was not sad. .
Because General Ya was injured and fell from his horse, Bai Gui, the "Little Qin King", also died during the breakout. The hundreds of remnants who managed to escape were quickly divided among the other leaders.
The rebels are a pack of wolves. When that wolf dies, the other living wolves will step forward to share the meat.
If a person does not protect himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth, and the person responsible is dead. There is nothing wrong with doing so.
Hei Yunxiang and Zhang Yichuan still couldn't forget the incident in Fang County where Luo Rucai and others fled without a fight.
After asking, I found out that the person who ran away first was Bai Gui, the "Little King of Qin".
This guy was ambushed and beaten to death in the valley. He deserved it. They would not pursue the case any further. They couldn't afford to compete with a dead man.
The only ones who felt heartbroken were the infantry who were strangled by the army. It would take a lot of effort to accumulate thousands of infantry, but it was not easy.
If there is a disaster, they can rally a team, but compared with the frontline troops who have been fighting on the battlefield all year round, these people are just a bunch of ragtag people who are embarrassed to use.
"Report~! A group of troops came from the north, with no less than ten thousand troops!"
"..."
"Visible flag?"
"There is a large banner with the word 'Zhang'!"
"……oh?"
"Could it be..."
"The Eight Kings are here?"
There were few generals named Zhang among the officers and soldiers. After much deliberation, there was only one possibility left, that is, Zhang Xianzhong led his troops south.
However, we should not take it lightly. If the officers and soldiers pretend to be rebels and deliberately use the banner of the rebels to get closer, it will make people shudder.
At present, the rebel army has a small number of troops, especially if they cannot fight head-on with the official army, otherwise many leaders will really be defeated and die, so they must be more careful.
Luo Rucai immediately sent out scouting horses. Under suitable circumstances in the past, if the "Eight Kings" really came, it would be easy to say, but otherwise, a fierce battle would be inevitable.
"Bingzhong, I've been waiting for you!"
After tentative contact, it was found that the opposite party was indeed affiliated with the "Eight Kings", and the other party also knew that the group to the south was the Luo Rucai Group, so they were able to join forces.
When they met, Luo Rucai never mentioned Zhang Xianzhong's breach of contract and did not go to Fang County. Instead, he greeted Zhang Xianzhong as enthusiastically as if he were reunited with an old friend he hadn't seen for many years.
"Well, I miss my eldest brother day and night!"
Zhang Xianzhong is a tactful person and has to be polite in public. If he hadn't met here today, he would not have planned to go to Luo Rucai and others.
At first, when everyone was getting better, they started an uprising on the fifth day of May. However, the government troops attacked early, and Hong Chengchou led an army of 100,000 to encircle and suppress the rebels. Zhang Xianzhong was also afraid that some of the rebel leaders would defect.
Once this happened, the damage to the troops would be too great, so they captured Gucheng and marched eastward to Xiangyang. However, the defenders there had already taken precautions and did not allow their troops to successfully attack.
Otherwise, if we really take Xiangyang, even if Hong Chengchou personally supervises the army to suppress the army, he will have to show off his power first. More importantly, Xiangyang City has a large amount of money and food stored in it, which is enough to supply the battle needs of a hundred thousand troops.
It's just that the Hong thieves have always been difficult to deal with, and they are not a vegetarian. They backhandedly asked other troops to cooperate with the Xiangyang defenders to launch a siege on their own troops. The rebels were really unable to withstand it, so they were forced to turn around and head south to look for a turning point.
Zhang Xianzhong did not expect to meet Luo Rucai and others here. After some exchanges, he realized that the other party's experience was not as good as his own, and he finally felt much more balanced.
When the "Eight Kings" raised their troops, the total army numbered more than 32,000, not counting the surrendered Gucheng garrison. After the battle of Xiangyang, after excluding the stragglers on the road, there were still more than 10,000 people left.
This does not include the eldest son Zhang Kewang and the second son Zhang Dingguo who were fighting abroad, with a total of 6,000 troops, so the "Eight Kings" were still far from being wiped out.
The number of people who came this time alone exceeded the combined strength of many leaders. This was the fundamental reason why the imperial court specially sent Hong Chengchou to lead an army of 100,000 to deal with the "Eight Kings".
Although Luo Rucai's group is less powerful than the "Eight Kings", it currently has more than 4,000 horsemen, which is almost the same as Zhang Xianzhong's in terms of number of horsemen.
These are mobile forces with strong field assault capabilities and relatively long-lasting mobility. Infantry is actually of little use when turning long distances or running long distances.
Although Zhang Xianzhong claimed that he had many troops, he did not dare to underestimate Luo Rucai and others. At this time, the stronger the friendly forces were, the greater the hope of fighting against the official army.
"Bingzhong, are there any pursuers behind your troops?"
Luo Rucai didn't believe that Hong Chengchou would let Zhang Xianzhong go so easily, and he also knew that if the officers and soldiers hadn't been chasing him closely, the man in front of him wouldn't be here.
"To be honest, there are indeed thousands of pursuers!"
A large number of pursuers were behind him, and it was impossible for Zhang Xianzhong to hide it.
Although our own troops had killed Tang Tong's troops in the mountains before, it was a great victory. However, the Hong thief had many soldiers and generals, and Yang Yufan and Mou Wenshou led their troops to pursue them again.
It is easy to repel the pursuers, but in this case, it is equivalent to standing still and consuming the most precious running time. When the Hong thief leads his army to approach, he may not be able to run away even if he wants to.
Zhang Xianzhong didn't care at all about dealing with the 18,000 pursuing troops behind him, but it was extremely difficult to defeat as many as 50,000 to 60,000 officers and soldiers led by Hong Thief.
If he joins up with his two adopted sons who are fighting abroad, there is still room for change in the strength of the army. Now with the more than 10,000 troops in hand, if he is not careful, he will be surrounded by the Hong bandit army, or even be severely damaged.
Zhang Xianzhong, whose brain was no worse than Luo Rucai's, had already figured out the official army's campaign of suppression. Since Xiangyang could not be defeated and Zhong Xiang could not go, he would naturally run as fast as he could.
If you have the chance, turn to the southeast and see if you can capture Jiangling.
If the pursuers behind you are too close, then see if you can enter Sichuan.
"Brother means..."
Zhang Xianzhong saw Luo Rucai thinking and asked about his future plans.
"Behind me, there is He Renlong sent by the bandit Sun Chuanting. There are four to five thousand men and horses, all of them are pawns. I am thinking whether it is easier to enter Sichuan, or it is better to go south to the hinterland of Huguang!"
Luo Rucai didn't even think about going north through the gap between the two official armies. That would be tantamount to throwing himself into a trap. Now there is Sun Chuanting in the west and Hong Chengchou in the east. Both of them are the natural enemies of the rebel army.
Hearing Zhang Xianzhong say that Hong Chengchou had twice as many troops as Sun Chuanting, this made him even more untouchable. Even the "Eight Kings" were beaten by the Hong bandits and ran away in a hurry. How could they seek death?
"My elder brother is right. Both of these places can be the foothold of the rebels. It would be good to enter Sichuan. Bashu is rich, but the defenders are weak. They are really vulnerable to the rebels. The hinterland of Huguang is empty of troops, and the front army can cover thousands of miles. The two thieves Sun and Hong are overwhelmed."
Zhang Xianzhong just made a brief analysis and has not made a final conclusion yet. He still wants to see everyone's choices and will not express his attitude yet.
"Well! What Bingzhong said is absolutely true. I wonder what you guys think?"
Luo Rucai's side is a group and must seek the opinions of all leaders.
It turns out that he has three younger brothers under his command, namely "Yizhang Qing", "Xiao Qin Wang" and "Yi Long".
"Yizhang Qing" died in Yun County, and "Little Qin King" was ambushed by the army. Now he was left with "One Dragon" Xue Chengcai, whose strength was less than 500.
The Xiaowu Battalion over in Junzhou was divided. Wang Guangen and Hui Dengxiang didn't start anything at all. Only three people, Wang Guoning, Yang Youxian and Chang Guoan, came to Yun County to join forces.
The four people on the front lines of Zhushan, Fangxian, Baokang and Nanzhang are "One Hundred Thousand" Hei Yunxiang, "Sweeper King" Zhang Yichuan, "Hunshi King" Wu Ziqiang, and "Fat Zhang" Zhang Zixiu.
The sum of these three small groups is the Luo Rucai Group. The situation in Nanzhang is unknown now, and Luo Rucai has not received any news about "Fat Zhang" yet.
After excluding the group of people from Junzhou, the surviving tribes totaled only the few people in front of me. For the sake of their own face, they told the "Eight Kings" that it was ten thousand, but in fact it was less than seven thousand.
Of course, Zhang Xianzhong would exaggerate the truth. His 10,000 soldiers and horses were said to be more than 20,000. To avoid being looked down upon, it was also popular among the rebels to deceive each other...
Luo Rucai and Zhang Xianzhong both knew in their hearts that the other was bragging about their own troops, but they both understood it tacitly. It was enough for them to know, and there was no need to tell the truth.
The most important thing at the moment is to quickly decide the orientation of the rebels. They must not stay here. If they are surrounded by the army, they will suffer.
"Irikawa!"
"...Irikawa!"
"Okay! Let's go to Sichuan then!"
The leaders on Luo Rucai's side all agreed to enter Sichuan. The hinterland of Huguang is mostly plains. If they fight the officers and soldiers on the plains and cannot defeat the dog officers and soldiers in a formation battle, the infantry will be completely covered up by the horsemen on the opposite side. It will really be a big loss.
Instead of doing this, it is better to go over the mountains and ridges, surprise the enemy, enter Sichuan directly, attack Bashu, plunder all the money and food in Sichuan, and then go north to Shaanxi, or go south to Xizhou, and fight back to Huguang.
