Luo Rucai's enemy in front of him was none other than his many fellow Shaanxi people, all of them pawns of the Qin Army. When he heard that his head was worth fifty thousand taels of silver, he suddenly realized why these fellows were so enthusiastic about "retaining" him.
It was in order to compete for the silver reward that the Qin army took the initiative to attack. They would rather outflank the enemy from the outer circle and cover more distances, but also intercept the route of Luo Rucai's troops, because when the traitor army fled, the traitor general would not be responsible for cutting off the rear.
As long as the rebels can be intercepted head-on, there is a high chance that they will directly meet the cunning "Cao Cao" face to face. The actual situation is also the same, and the Qin army soldiers are not happy in vain.
The wages of avarice is death.
As long as Luo Rucai doesn't die, they will hunt down this bandit army to the end.
The "Xian thief" ran too fast, and it was difficult for the officers and soldiers to outflank him. If he wanted to make a fortune, he could only choose to attack the "Luo thief" in front of him. The battle situation had already tilted greatly towards the army, and if the "Luo thief" were to get rich, he would "Luo Thief" took advantage of the chaos and escaped, and you will have to bear the consequences.
"Go! Kill all the thieves! Capture the 'Luo Thief'! Reward fifty thousand taels of silver!"
He Renlong, who is no less cunning than a thief general, rarely shows his cruelty in public. The horse soldiers are his family assets, and he will not fight the thief army until he has to. Now is the critical moment, and he must make a desperate move to make a lot of money. earn.
There were many soldiers and direct relatives around Luo Rucai, and it seemed that they would fight tooth and nail to protect them from the encirclement. If they wanted to get close to their prey, they had to kill all these unsightly guys first.
Moreover, the final goal must be shouted out together with the income obtained, so that the officers and soldiers can understand their intentions. This time, no matter whether they are big fish or small shrimps, they must be caught in one catch.
"ah……"
On the battlefield, horse soldiers were constantly being assassinated or knocked off their horses by arrows, making bursts of screams. Among them, thieves accounted for the majority. On the one hand, they had fewer troops and on the other hand, their armor was weak.
After the official army, especially the Qin army, which intercepted the rebels fleeing eastward and made great contributions in the defense of the capital, they received two large-scale ordnance supplies in the capital and Luoyang, and the armor rate reached 100%.
Most of the horsemen wore cotton armor or Zha armor, and few wore leather armor, which would be a great advantage in close combat.
The attack power of both sides is roughly the same. Whoever has higher defense power than the other will naturally have a greater chance of surviving on the battlefield.
The bandit army had just launched an army and had not yet won a decisive battle with the main force of the official army. Most of the ordnance and materials seized were used by the Sichuan army.
In the past, even Qin Liangyu's white-pole army was like a beggar among the Sichuan army, let alone other departments. The armor they used was no better than that of the bandit army, and even the leather armor could not be produced by one person.
In order to obtain sufficiently high-quality ordnance, the bandit army must at least capture military towns such as Chengdu, Zhongqing, and Nanchong. Now they have suffered a big loss when fighting hand-to-hand.
Only Luo Rucai's personal soldiers would get iron armor, and the rest, even his direct descendants, could only make do with leather armor. Facing the Qin army, which was armed to the teeth, they could only rely on the spirit of a trapped beast to fight hard.
More than 7,000 officers and soldiers besieged more than 2,000 thief soldiers. The first ones to be dealt with were the leather armored thief horse soldiers under the defense. In less than a stick of incense, nearly a thousand people were killed and wounded, approaching the thief soldiers. 40% of the total strength of the army.
The soldiers who followed Luo Rucai and Hei Yunxiang were all elites who had fought for many years, but the same was true for the officers and soldiers on the opposite side. Even though they fought hard, they still could not break through the Qin army's blocking defense line from the front.
The commando team composed of 300 direct descendants sent by Luo Rucai only fought fiercely for a moment before being wiped out. Not even a single rider could escape. Such a dangerous situation made "Cao Cao" feel cold. .
The Qin army came fully prepared this time. They had a spear and a broadsword in hand. You could choose one of the spears. After it was broken or lost, you could use the long-handled broadsword to chop.
If the thieves avoid the sharp edge and move away, they can use arrows to shoot. Some even carry powerful three-eyed blunderbuss. In short, they are equipped with both long-range and melee weapons.
This directly led to the fact that no matter how far or near the rebel army was, they were no match for the official army. The small team responsible for the assault was still at an absolute disadvantage in terms of strength. Before it could make any difference, it was swallowed up by the huge Qin Army cavalry until not even a scrap was left. Down.
If Xiang Yu, the overlord of Western Chu, led the army, hundreds of Chu army's horsemen and soldiers who had been battle-hardened might be able to fight. Now, these thieves are not enough to face ten times the number of our own officers and soldiers.
When Luo Rucai withdrew his troops, he only had about 1,200 horsemen left. This time, he destroyed 25% of them at once. Of the 300 horsemen who went to take charge of the rear, there were only less than 600 left to protect him and escape.
It is very difficult to escape from here. The target of the four thousand Qin soldiers is his nearly 600 people. The strength of the two sides even reaches a disparity of seven to one.
On the contrary, it is easier for Hei Yunxiang to break through the encirclement. After all, the officers and generals also know how to count. In their eyes, Hei Yunxiang is a "cheap". It doesn't matter whether he dies or not. The big deal is that he will come back later. Grasp.
The generals of the Qin army wanted to keep the two big fishes in their own pots, but Luo Rucai refused to die, and Hei Yunxiang nearby could not care anymore.
Moreover, leaving three colleagues, Yang Yufan, Jiang Mingwu, and Ma Xianglin, to catch this guy was a way of smoothing things over and giving him a favor, so that he could not let his work go in vain.
At the beginning of the campaign, Sun Shaobao announced in public that the Qin army's primary goal was to capture and kill Luo Rucai, a first-level imperial prisoner second only to "thieves offered up" in importance.
If the "Luo bandits" can be killed in one fell swoop in this battle, and the bandits were defeated in Yun County and Fang County in the previous battle, the Qin army will have completed more than half of the tasks assigned by the court.
Although He Renlong and other commander-in-chiefs are usually domineering and self-reliant, they are not single-minded. Instead, they are very flexible and know when their troops should do their best to please their superiors.
This time is the best opportunity. No matter how we act, as long as we can surround and kill Luo Rucai, it will be a great achievement. How to divide the effort will be a matter after the war.
Under the influence of many factors, as the opponent's troops were getting smaller and smaller, the Qin army, which surrounded its prey, began to speed up the killing of the thieves in the encirclement.
"Master! There are more and more dog officers and soldiers!"
Luo Rucai's tooth general was covered in blood from the battle, and his face was ferocious and anxious. He still couldn't find a way out, so he could only run back to report to him unwillingly.
"Just try your best! If it doesn't work, you can be demoted to the army and avoid death!"
At this time, Luo Rucai suddenly felt that there was no way to go to the sky and no way to the earth. Hei Yunxiang would not come to rescue him. If his troops could not save the situation, he would be killed on the spot. However, he still needed to use the provoking method in the end. Give it a try.
"Master, please do not persuade me like this! I am not talented, but I am willing to risk my life to protect my master and escape from here!"
Luo Rucai has always been kind to others, and he is even more considerate of these subordinates. General Ya and the surrounding soldiers burst into tears upon hearing this. Although the situation took a turn for the worse, everyone was still willing to protect the "Prime Minister" and fight his way out of the siege.
"Follow Echong! Escort the master! Fight out!"
Seeing that there were less than 300 riders left, General Ya, with Luo Rucai's acquiescence, organized one last charge. This time there was no need to break the rear, and there was no point in breaking the rear. Everyone broke out eastward.
If you can fight out alive, you will be considered lucky, and you can continue to follow the "Prime Minister" to drink and eat meat. Those who cannot be killed can also settle their destiny. What to do is all their own business. Whether to beg for surrender, commit suicide, or fight to the death, you can make your own choice.
Luo Rucai's troops were like bison besieged by wolves. They were obviously scarred and dying, but they still mustered up their last breath and planned to fight hard, hoping that a miracle would happen.
Inspired by the touching words of the "Prime Minister", the remaining soldiers were all filled with blood. They showed the courage and determination to fight one against ten, and rushed in groups to the Qin soldiers on the east side.
These talents are the elite of the rebel army, and it is not an exaggeration to call them aces. As long as the ordnance and protective gear are in place, their combat power is not inferior to the main force of the official army, and even comparable to Guan Ning's cavalry.
If we can successfully break through this time and go to other places, recruit troops and recruit thousands of young men, we will have another powerful force that can cause headaches to the officers and soldiers, and can also enable the "Prime Minister" to make a comeback.
"Don't let the 'Luo Thief' escape! Tighten your defenses! Don't let an enemy knight escape!"
When Li Guoqi saw that the bandits were at the end of their rope and still insisted on charging, he hurriedly ordered his soldiers to go all out. As long as they worked harder, this would be the burial place of "Cao Cao".
No matter how cunning and cunning you are as a bandit, and you have escaped from the encirclement and suppression by the army many times, you will not be able to break through the dragnet of the army this time, so from now on you can only go to the Lord of Hell to atone for your sins.
"Open your bow and release your arrows! Shoot down the war horses!"
Under Luo Rucai's fierce attack, the few bandit troops still broke out with strong fighting power, which was completely beyond the expectations of the Qin soldiers. They were actually killed and retreated for a while.
Seeing that the rebels were showing signs of breaking through the defense line, Zuo Guangxian immediately ordered the officers and soldiers to fire arrows. As long as the horses were shot over first, they would definitely not be able to escape.
Anyone running wildly to the east will be regarded as an enemy rider. No matter what, shoot the arrow first. If you are accidentally injured, then you are unlucky.
"puff!"
"ah……"
The order to release arrows had an immediate effect. The enemy cavalry was shot to the ground with both men and horses. Those who were lucky enough to continue running did not have enough strength to break through the Qin army's encirclement.
The rebel soldiers found that even if they tried their best, they could not break through the dragnet set by the army. At present, there were less than a hundred people left, and the surrounding officers and soldiers were already completely surrounded.
The space that had just been attacked was quickly filled by the swarming Qin army's horsemen. The remaining open space was also within the range of bows and arrows, and there was no chance of escape.
"Kill all the thieves! Capture 'Luo Thief' alive!"
Realizing that there was hope of catching live animals, Zheng Jiadong loudly ordered the officers and soldiers to do the final cleanup work. After all, although the value of "live fish" and "dead fish" are the same, there is still a slight image difference.
To wipe out more than a thousand Luo bandits, the Qin army paid a price of no less than 500 casualties and lost more than 10% of its soldiers. The losses in this battle were not low, but it was also very worthwhile.
This "big fish" worth 50,000 taels was finally trapped alive on the bank of the Jialing River. After all the hard work just now, it only ran out half a mile.
Now I finally didn't have the energy to continue. After another round of siege by the officers and soldiers, it was visually estimated that there were less than fifty horses left. If I wanted to survive, I had to dismount and beg for surrender, hoping for an amnesty from the court.
"...Alas~!"
Knowing that the overall situation had been decided and that there was no possibility of reversal, Luo Ru became lonely. The confidence he had when he raised his army was long gone. After being defeated by the army in Yunxian County, he still wanted to find an opportunity to win back the city.
After suffering another heavy blow in Fang County, Luo Rucai no longer planned to fight with the army. In this battle in Sichuan, the rebel army won five battles in a row, and Luo Rucai regained his confidence. However, in the battle of Jialing River, he lost even the chance to make a comeback.
Faced with the pursuit and interception of the officers and soldiers, the troops rushed left and right, but they did not find a way out. Instead, they were surrounded by countless officers and soldiers near the river. It was really a mistake and the whole game was lost!
The main thing to blame is that I didn't know the person well and was betrayed by the traitor "One Dragon" Xue Chengcai. If I had known this, why would I have said anything in the first place? But now it's too late to say anything. If I was captured alive by the army and escorted to Beijing like Gao Yingxiang, what would happen to me? Self-explanatory…
Thinking that he was about to be raped, Luo Rucai suddenly felt horrified. Although heroes are heroic, some people are also terribly afraid of pain. At least Luo Rucai didn't want to be cut to pieces by a thousand knives.
Immediately he took out his waist knife, looked at the sharp blade, and thought quickly in his mind. Since he couldn't escape, he planned to kill himself on the spot, which would be a comfortable death.
"My destiny is up to me! Not up to the court! Ah..."
Just when Luo Rucai put the blade of the saber on his neck and was about to give himself a hard blow, an arrow suddenly shot from the opposite side and hit his arm holding the saber. He screamed in pain and the saber fell on his neck. on the ground.
"This...help!"
Suddenly, a lasso flew up and tied the prey with great precision. Then he took it off the horse and dragged it quickly to the side. Luo Ru was so shocked that he shouted for help.
When he was about to commit suicide, he took his feet away from the stirrups. This also prevented him from getting stuck under the horse's belly because of the stirrups after being tied up with the noose.
The soldiers around Luo Rucai did not expect such a situation to occur. The officers and soldiers on the opposite side obviously did not want the "prime minister" to commit suicide and wanted to capture him.
They also wanted to rescue him, but the Qin army would not allow it. Just then, Luo Ru was dragged to the ground. The people on the horse were worthless, so they simply shot them all.
Of course, a few dozen horsemen could not withstand the sudden attack of hundreds or thousands of arrows. The people on the outermost layer were directly shot into hedgehogs. The people inside were not spared either, and all the survivors were injured.
This is because the Qin army showed mercy, otherwise everyone would have been shot to death. It is not yet certain that the person who was dragged out was Luo Rucai, and it must be confirmed again.
The officers and soldiers could only judge Luo Rucai's identity from his dress. If they wanted to verify his true identity, they would have to find someone who knew Luo Rucai. Either he was Luo Rucai's personal bodyguard, or he would have to ask Xue Chengcai to come over and identify him.
Anyone who dressed differently from ordinary thieves and soldiers and still managed to survive were all captured by the officers and soldiers. After being simply bandaged, they were separated and looked after. If they were "small fish", they could be exchanged from the Shaobao Master. silver.
The four tribes worked together to capture Luo Rucai, and each tribe could get at least 12,500 taels. Moreover, Sun Shaobao would not reward according to the book, at least the cost of sending troops would be included.
Calculating this, each general officer can receive a reward of 15,000 to 20,000 taels of silver, all in cash, not verbal rewards. This is the happiest and most comfortable thing for the Qin army.
