After catching Huang Yougui, the dragoon team leader went through an interrogation and found out why they were able to capture Zhongmu County so smoothly.
It was completely due to the favor of this government official named Huang Yougui. If he hadn't opened the city gate wide to accept the benefits, the thousands of troops of the dragoons would not have been able to enter the county seat of Zhongmou County so smoothly.
Once Zhongmu County closes its city gates and defends it, it will be difficult for the dragoons without siege equipment to capture Zhongmu County. Now because of a small yamen guarding the city gate, it is equivalent to taking the credit for seizing the city in vain.
After all, the dragoons came to pursue Yang He and the fleeing Ming army generals. They had no intention of attacking Zhongmu County. They just happened to encounter the gates of Zhongmu County wide open and took advantage of the situation to gain a city in vain.
It stands to reason that Huang Yougui deserves credit for the dragoons' ability to capture Zhongmu County, because he allowed the people in the city to leave the city, which gave the dragoons the opportunity to capture Zhongmu County.
It's a pity that Huang Yougui was still bound and detained, and even the fees he received for leaving the city were confiscated by the dragoons.
It can be said that people and money are both empty.
The dragoon battalion that captured Zhongmou County was sending a group of people back to deliver a message to the army. The remaining troops gave up pursuing Yang He, Chen Yongfu and others, and chose to stay in Zhongmou County to wait for the arrival of the army.
At the Dangzikou bordering Huguang and Nanyang Prefecture in Henan Province, dozens of miles away, two troops were stationed on the other side.
The group of more than 3,000 soldiers and horses on the side of Dangzikou belonged to a certain war barracks of Tiger Character Banner, while the army on the other side of the river was under the banner of Sichuan Ma Family.
The two armies faced each other across the river, and no one of the generals on either side had any intention of crossing the river to attack the other.
"Lie to Kangxi"
The chief general of the Ming army was in his tent.
The Xuanwei envoy Ma Xianglin sat on the coach's seat with an ugly face and asked: "Have the provisions and cannons from the Huguang Du Commandery Department arrived?"
"I've sent someone to rush for it. I think it should be delivered within half a day." Qin Yiming, the general in the tent, said.
After hearing this, Ma Xianglin slammed his palm on the table in front of him and shouted angrily: "This envoy has sent people to urge them many times. This group of silverfish who don't want to repay the country's kindness keeps delaying. If they hadn't delayed After so long, I have already led the troops to fight to the other side of the river."
"Xuan comfort envoy calm down." Qin Yiming said, "The general also doesn't like those people who command the envoys in Huguangdu, but now we still need their help, not only for food and armaments, but also for the boats and boatmen crossing the river. Huguangdu Commandery Department’s cooperation.”
Snapped!
Angry, Ma Xianglin raised his palm again and slapped it heavily on the table.
Seeing that the rebels were on the other side of the river, he had to camp on the other side of the river for nearly half a month because of the lack of boats to cross the river.
Not a single boat crossing the river could be found.
As soon as the Ming army arrived, they immediately sent people to collect the boats crossing the river, but in the end only two small boats were recovered.
Even with two small boats, Ma Xianglin tried to transport his soldiers and horses across the river to suppress the bandits.
In his opinion, the bandits named Tiger Character Banner are far inferior to the chieftain rebels such as She Chongming and An Bangyan. The reason why they are so famous is entirely because the officials in the northwest wanted to avoid appearing so incompetent. Boasted to be powerful.
Having been to Liaodong and fighting with slaves and traitors, he looked down on the peasant army in Henan from the bottom of his heart.
Although the two ships could not transport many officers and soldiers across the river at one time, as long as they were transported a few more times, they could all be transported to the other side of the river.
But just when the officers and soldiers were being loaded for the first time, as soon as two small boats filled with officers and soldiers arrived in the middle of the river, the rebels on the other side of the river pulled out four cannons and placed them on the river bank to bombard the boats transporting the officers and soldiers.
With only a few shots, the two ships transporting officers and soldiers were all hit by the cannons.
The boat also capsized, and many of the officers and soldiers on the boat were killed or injured, and some fell into the water. In the end, only one officer and soldier escaped, and it was because he was good at water and did not wear armor.
The boat was gone, and the officers and soldiers could not cross the river. The most important thing was that the rebels had artillery, but the officers and soldiers came from Sichuan in such a hurry that they did not bring a single cannon.
Unable to cross the river, Ma Xianglin could only seek assistance from the Huguang Du Commandery Division, hoping that the Huguang Du Commandery Division could send some ships and cannons.
The longer the army stops, the more food and grass will be consumed, which also needs to be solved by the Huguang Capital Command.
If he were in Henan, the problem of food and fodder needed by him and the Sichuan soldiers and horses he brought would naturally be solved by Henan officials. However, now the army was intercepted by the rebels outside the Dangzi entrance, and Nanyang Mansion in Henan fell into the hands of the rebels, so The Sichuan army's food and grass can only be provided by the Huguang Du Commandery Department stationed in Xunyang.
"Report!"
The flag soldiers outside the tent came in from outside the tent, knelt on one knee in front of Ma Xianglin, and said: "To inform the envoy, the Xiangyang Guard Commander has led two thousand soldiers and horses to the outside of the camp and brought all the troops. The necessary provisions and six cannons.”
"I'm sorry, it's here." Ma Xianglin stood up from his position and strode outside the tent.
General Qin Yiming, guerrilla general Tong Cheng, and several Qianhu followed him and left the tent together.
Under the leadership of Ma Xianglin, everyone came to the camp gate.
"I've seen the Xuanwei Envoy before." A military general outside the camp jumped off his horse, took a few steps to Ma Xianglin and clasped his fists.
"No need to be polite." Ma Xianglin said politely, looked sideways at the person in front of him, looked at the team brought by the other person, and asked, "Have you brought everything I requested from Dusi?"
"Xiaoguan has brought all the things that the Xuanwei Envoy asked for, but the boat and the boatman are still behind, and we have to wait to get there." said the Xiangyang Guard Commander.
"Okay, okay, okay, just bring the things." Ma Xianglin laughed happily, supported the opponent's forearm with one hand, and said with a smile, "Let's go back to the tent with me and discuss crossing the river to attack the rebels. Military matters, as for the things you brought, just leave them to the people below to get them."
With that said, he took the Xiangyang Guard commander back to the tent in the camp.
In the past few days since he came to Dangzikou, this was the happiest time for him.
In the general's tent, Ma Xianglin had a chair specially moved and placed under his commander's seat for the commander of the Xiangyang Guards to sit.
After sitting down respectively.
Ma Xianglin was the first to speak: "As soon as the ship arrives, we can immediately launch an attack on the rebels on the other side. The arrival of General Zheng is the best news I have heard since I came here."
"The envoy Xuanwei has over-honored me. All this is done under the orders of the Dusi." Commander Zheng of Xiangyang Wei said humbly.
And what he himself said was all the truth.
If the Huguang Capital Commander had not ordered the Xiangyang Guards to send troops to assist the Sichuan Army in entering Henan to suppress the rebels, he would never have taken such a hard and dangerous job.
