"Old Fenhui" Ma Shouying, "King of the World" Liu Xiyao, and "King of the World" Lin Chengcheng thought that the Baigan Army had long lost its courage and could be defeated by an ambush.
He never expected that the result would be exactly the opposite of what he had imagined. He didn't know whether it was because his troops had been sparse for a long time, or because Qin Liangyu and that old woman were running the army well.
The ambush failed, and they were almost killed by a bite from the prey. The strength of the two sides was almost the same, but their combat effectiveness was very different, so the three leaders were very unconvinced.
What was even more annoying was that the "Eight Kings" had tricked them. They had promised to work together to ambush the officers and soldiers, but they took the lead to escape at the critical moment. It was really hateful.
Zhang Xianzhong's men accounted for about half of the total strength of the rebel army, and with their huge appeal, they were equivalent to the status of Luo Rucai before, but they were not flattering in their actions.
This is equivalent to putting all the men and horses of the three battalions into the mouth of that old woman Qin Liangyu. This move is almost equivalent to collaborating with the enemy. It is okay to say that the "Eight Kings" are the spies sent by Prince Dog.
After the strength of the official army continued to increase and the rebels in various places were wiped out one after another, the strategy of losing both sides was the most taboo strategy for the four battalions of rebels entrenched in the Dabie Mountains.
However, because Zhang Xianzhong took the lead to escape, the plan of Ma Shouying, Liu Xiyao, and Lin Chenggong turned into a self-inflicted trap, and their troops were severely damaged by the Baigan Army.
Of the more than 17,000 people who participated in the battle, about 7,000 escaped, and the rest were either dead or injured. Those who were slightly injured could still run away, while those who were seriously injured could only wait to die.
Unless they seek death on their own initiative, those who escaped and ascended to heaven will never have the thought of fighting the White Army again. For the rebels, Qin Liangyu is their nightmare!
A group of people ran non-stop from the Dabie Mountains eastward to the vicinity of Huoshan City in South Zhili.
But we don't dare to attack the city rashly. If we can't attack for a long time and the dog officers and soldiers chasing behind us catch up again, then everyone will be destroyed under the city.
Henan is poor, while Nanzhi is rich. This is a fact known to the world.
After a short discussion, Ma Shouying, Liu Xiyao and Lin Chengcheng planned to go from Huoshan to Lujiang via Shucheng.
This was a false shot, but in reality they were going back along the Yangtze River and then back to Huguang to see if they could grab the grain for the summer harvest.
The remnants of the third battalion along the way did not dare to attack the city and waste precious time, so they could only use the wealthy gentry in the villages and towns to beat their teeth as a sacrifice.
At the moment, everyone has only one idea, and that is to run, as fast as they can.
If he ran too slowly, he might be chopped into pieces by the officers and soldiers who were like mad dogs!
Zhang Xianzhong had deliberately kept a cautious eye before and had no intention of plotting against the White Army with the other three battalions.
The advantage of not fighting against the official army is that it retains 20,000 troops, of which about 12,000 are direct troops.
The rest are the remnants of the rebel army and some wanderers collected and coerced along the way, which can be abandoned at a positive moment.
When Zhang Xianzhong was running away, he did not forget to order to collect newspapers published by Prince Gou so that he could learn some orders from the court.
What shocked the Eight Kings was that the newspaper actually reported that Li Zicheng led his troops to fight thousands of miles and reunited with Chai Shihua's troops.
The news that he finally went to the Western Regions doesn't mean that Li Zicheng escaped to a place beyond the reach of the imperial court?
From now on, when the sky is high and the emperor is far away, no one will care about him anymore. This guy is really lucky!
Zhang Xianzhong was envious of this, because as the Dog Prince defeated the Donglu, more Dog officers and troops would be sent to suppress the rebels.
The days to come will only get harder and harder, not easier.
Zhang Xianzhong, who had been defeated many times before, couldn't help but think of the good times after returning to the imperial court. How happy it was to be the county magistrate and resolve the case!
If we had known this, why did we listen to Luo Rucai's advice and start another incident?
Isn’t this asking for trouble?
But it was too late to say anything now. Luo Rucai died, Li Zicheng ran away, and the fifth battalion of Ge Zuo was beaten until only the three battalions were left in dilapidated condition.
Zhang Xianzhong really couldn't think of anyone else in the world who could help him.
But Zhang Xianzhong's plan was not to sit still and wait for death. While he still had 20,000 troops on hand, he had to struggle again.
What if we can get good results similar to Li Zicheng's?
As long as you rebel against the imperial court, you will have to do an errand with no tomorrow!
If you're afraid of death, don't be a rebel; if you're afraid of dog soldiers, just be Shunmin.
Zhang Xianzhong didn't want to look for the three battalions, so he was now using them as bait to attract the officers and soldiers, buying time for his troops to escape.
The temporary plan is to grab a wave along the south bank of the Huaihe River to replenish the supplies needed for the army to move in, to support the war with war, to retreat while fighting, and never to be reluctant to fight.
The target is those squire's houses with very low defense. Twenty thousand people will rush towards them, which can be said to be a sure shot.
Although it is not as exciting as taking down the county seat, at most it will be enough to rob a few hundred more squire households.
If there were not these squires in Shaanxi who colluded with the government to squeeze the people's wealth and support, and even soldiers like them were not spared, Zhang Xianzhong and many of his subordinates would not have revolted.
Therefore, before taking action, Zhang Xianzhong told his subordinates that this move was to avenge the blood stains and was definitely not robbery by bandits!
The rebels are on behalf of heaven and do not rob the poor people, only the unscrupulous gentry!
These words are still very popular and cater to everyone's thoughts.
Robbing a hundred families of ordinary people is not as beneficial as robbing one country gentry, and it doesn't take much time.
Although the Eight Kings' troops suffered consecutive defeats, they still had some small artillery, and it was no problem to capture the squire's mansion.
The only difference between the regular army and the regular army is discipline, but if the discipline is strict, they will not rebel again...
Zhang Xianzhong's request to his troops was to fight the squires during the day, leave immediately after robbing them, never stay, and go into the mountains to spend the night at night.
In this way, you can keep as far away from the dog officers as possible to avoid being bitten and having difficulty getting away.
Zhang Xianzhong's first target was Fengyang Mansion. Fengyang was the richest place in the government, but the city was high and the pond was deep, and it was heavily guarded. It was by no means easy to win.
The troops could only choose to avoid Fengyang, attack Huoqiu first, then Shouzhou, and then turn north to Yingshang, trying not to get close to Dacheng or the river.
Due to the absolute advantage in military strength and the great surprise, Zhang Xianzhong's troops changed their previous decadence and began to win repeated battles.
The "recruitment" of a large amount of money and food, as well as many young girls, made Zhang Xianzhong very happy, but he should not underestimate the enemy too much.
These are the garrisons left by the imperial court in various places, and their strength is very different from the main force of the dog army.
Wherever the troops conquered, after loading up the money and food, they would leave that night without spending the night at all.
Although this move consumes the physical strength and energy of the troops, it is better than having their heads chopped off by dog officers and soldiers.
Zhang Xianzhong was not dazzled by the victory. He also thought about going to Shaanxi via Henan, and finally went to the Western Regions to meet Li Zicheng to do something.
However, the journey is too far, and the army must break through the military checkpoints along the way. The casualties will be heavy. Even if they really reach the Western Regions, there may not be many people left.
If there were only two or three thousand people left, what else could be done?
After some careful consideration, I finally decided to go around South Zhili first and then decide based on the situation.
Since the defense forces in South Zhili are empty, we must eat and drink well before leaving.
Zhang Xianzhong decided to take advantage of the strong morale of his troops to continue attacking Mengcheng, Suzhou, Lingbi, Hongxian, and Suining.
After that, we will go to see how the water in the Yellow River is. If the water is strong, we will turn back to the south and continue to attack Chuzhou.
However, when attacking Suining, Zhang Xianzhong's troops encountered an opponent they did not want to encounter.
Zheng Chongjian was ordered to lead an army of 90,000 troops south along the canal. After hearing the news in Xuzhou that all the prefectures and counties to the south were poisoned by rogue bandits, he decided to set up ambushes in the prefectures and counties that had not yet been conquered.
Since Xuzhou had a large number of defenders and the city defenses were strong, the rogues did not dare to get involved. Suining (same pronunciation as Suining) was the place most likely to be attacked.
The vassal kings of Henan and the people of the vassal state had been moved away, and there was no money to be made. The bandits had to surrender when they passed. Zheng Chongjian judged that Zhang Ni would plunder in the southern Zhili area next.
Facts have proved that Zheng Chongjian's prediction was absolutely correct. This large group of bandits would not leave easily before snapping up the money.
With absolute superiority in troops and firepower, the two sides would differentiate themselves as soon as they clashed.
The trump card in Zheng Chongjian's hand was the four brigades of the East Palace Guards, with Zu Kuan's First Cavalry Brigade being the most powerful.
In fact, Zhang Xianzhong realized that the situation was not good when he saw a large number of officers and soldiers here.
Let the eight thousand cannon fodder stand up for a while, throw away all the burdens, and personally lead the direct troops to quickly flee south.
The "Eight Kings" simply don't want to confront the main force of the army, and the presence of so many dog soldiers here can only mean one problem.
I'm afraid Sun Gou was sent by the imperial court to fight against the rebels again. Zhang Xianzhong suffered a lot from this guy in eastern Sichuan back then, and he still feels resentful about it now.
It is true that hate returns hate and cannot be beaten. The Qin army under Sun Chuanting is also a fellow from Shaanxi, but he will not show any mercy when fighting the rebels who come from the same place.
If you don't plan to die with the dog officers and soldiers, then you can only focus on running away.
Zu Kuan led his cavalry brigade and cooperated with the cavalry of Liu Guoneng and Li Wanqing in pursuit.
Those two-legged wastes can be left to the brothers' troops to deal with. The real value is the "Eight Kings".
Emperor Haojing has an order. If a thief is captured alive or killed, the first person who shows his loyalty will be rewarded with a reward of 500,000 taels of silver!
Who can not be tempted by this huge sum of money?
Even after excluding what was distributed to his subordinates, only 50,000 taels ended up in his pocket, which was enough to live happily for the rest of his life.
Facing the pursuit of the official cavalry troops, Zhang Xianzhong ran hundreds of miles in one breath and still didn't get rid of him.
In desperation, he could only resort to the golden cicada's escape plan again.
Let the adopted son Zhang Dingguo pretend to be himself, and his men will use more flags and bluff to attract the attention of the dog officers and soldiers.
Zhang Xianzhong himself led his troops to the west, avoiding areas with dense water networks, and then reunited after avoiding the limelight.
After realizing that the rogue bandits were divided, the cavalry sent by Liu Guoneng and Li Wanqing knew that Zu Kuan was the emperor's favorite general and that they had no ability to take a share of the pie, so they took the initiative to pursue the weaker bandits.
Zu Kuan was so complacent about this that he thought he had actually bitten Zhang Ni, but it was not until five days later that he discovered that he had fallen into the trap.
According to the account of the captured rogue cavalry, the person leading the opposing team was Zhang Xianzhong’s second son Zhang Dingguo!
This boy was young, and after leading his troops into Henan, he fought against Sun Chuanting. Although he lost in the end, it was still quite impressive.
After seeing the price marked on the reward order, Zu Kuan turned from anger to joy.
Zhang Dingguo ranked second after his godfather Zhang Xianzhong, and the price tag was as high as 300,000 taels of silver.
But be sure to capture them alive, as the dead ones are only worth fifty thousand taels.
Comparing this huge gap, Zu Kuan realized that the emperor might be very interested in this son.
It's just that it's more difficult to catch him alive, so he still has to think of a way.
Since Zhang Xianzhong cannot be caught, he must catch Zhang Dingguo in order to make a fortune.
They chased them all the way to the upper reaches of the Huaihe River, near Yingshang. Zu Kuancai, who relied on silver rewards to stay asleep, led three thousand men to surround Zhang Dingguo's remnants.
Persuading surrender was a necessary process, but Zhang Dingguo ignored it. Zu Kuan could only order his men to attack, but they were not allowed to shoot or shoot Zhang Dingguo.
You can use a flying claw, a lasso, or a net, but you have to stay alive.
Whoever kills Zhang Dingguo will spend the rest of his life cleaning the toilets in the station!
Zhang Dingguo fought with 2,000 cavalry at the beginning until he had 500 cavalry at the end, but he was still unwilling to surrender.
But I also knew in my heart that since I couldn't run away, I could only fight to the end for my handsome father.
In the last moment of his life, he bought time for his father to run away.
Just when Zhang Dingguo had settled on this idea, he was suddenly shot in the shoulder by a cold arrow.
It didn't take long before he lost consciousness and almost fell off his horse. Fortunately, he was held by the soldiers around him.
Seeing that he had succeeded, Zu Kuan hurriedly sent people to shout that Zhang Dingguo was dead and that he should surrender as soon as possible, otherwise no one would be left alive.
Zhang Dingguo only fainted after being hit by an arrowhead stained with anesthetic, but he looked as if he was dead and could not continue to direct the battle for the time being.
When the remaining cavalrymen under their command saw that their general had no hope of survival, they no longer wanted to fight with the officers and soldiers. It would be best if they could leave a way for themselves to survive.
Zu Kuan happily sent people to tie up this priceless prey like a pig. He was afraid that it would escape and he would have to take good care of it when he got back. Don't let it bite its tongue and kill itself.
Nearly twenty days later, a certain new emperor finally saw Zhang Dingguo, who was still alive.
However, this boy was still very hostile to him and kept yelling.
You even wanted to teach this disrespectful prisoner a lesson, but a certain new emperor stopped him.
Facts speak louder than words. A certain new emperor took out the Book of Heaven, which was about Jin Wang Li Dingguo's double killing of the two braided kings, to open the eyes of the prisoner.
Zhang Dingguo naturally didn't believe this, especially when it was said that his father-in-command actually died due to a cold arrow shot by the Donglu.
Secondly, he actually saved Zhu Ming in the end and died of illness because of it. This was really incredible to him.
The meaning of a certain new emperor is very simple, and the conditions are very clear, which is to exchange one group for another.
As long as Li Dingguo is willing to serve himself, his adoptive father Zhang Xianzhong and his men can be pardoned.
Let’s talk about Zhang Xianzhong’s rebellion in detail, it’s actually the same as Li Zicheng’s.
The imperial court first abolished the post station, and then defaulted on military pay for a long time.
As a result, the officers and soldiers stationed in Shaanxi have to sell their wives and daughters to make ends meet. This is a shame for others.
Li Dingguo played the most important role in the Ming Dynasty, especially in the Nanming Dynasty, even more than Zheng Chenggong.
The latter led a hundred thousand elites to beat him blindly under the city of Nandu, and was finally defeated by the braided bastard.
Zhang Dingguo was still in great consternation at this time, especially when he saw the heavenly book saying that Donglu conquered the world in the end.
This was a result that he couldn't accept at all. If it wasn't Zhu Ming's world, it must be his father's.
Donglu is one of the many barbarians outside the pass. If he is lucky enough to steal the world, God is blind!
