Zhang Cheng, the deputy commander-in-chief of Xuanzhen, the military affairs officer of Admiral East Road North Road, and the commander-in-chief of the Henan aid and suppression campaign, and Su Zhuang, the defender, sat on the general's cart and slowly headed south, less than a hundred meters north of the two camps of the bandit soldiers. Stopped at every step.
Not far in front of the general's cart is Zhang Guodong's military formation. Not far from it is a pole cart. A sergeant with excellent eyesight is observing the battle ahead with a telescope.
He shouted loudly and passed the observed battle situation to the sergeants below, and then reported it to Zhang Cheng.
Su Zhuang sat next to Zhang Cheng. He was in a state of confusion. According to his idea, Zhang Cheng should rush all his troops to the north gate of Kaifeng, and then he would call for the city gate to be opened, and the army would enter the city to assist in the defense. Resisting the bandit army is the right path.
But Zhang Cheng wanted to fight with the bandits in the wild. He was worried that if he was defeated, how could he save Kaifeng? His merits as a civil servant who risked his life and went to the outside of the city to beg for help were lost!
However, I did not expect that the battle situation would be unexpectedly smooth. Listening to the military reports sent back by the flag soldiers, Zhang Cheng's men suffered few casualties, but the rebel soldiers in the north of the city were obviously at a disadvantage.
He was still frightened and reminded: "Shuai Zhang, why don't you let the thief go? Be careful that the thief is trapped and the beast is still fighting, which will increase unnecessary casualties of our army!"
"snort!"
Zhang Cheng snorted disapprovingly and said: "The task of eradicating thieves is over! Today, since the thieves have met me, they must know that I am powerful, so they dare not underestimate me. There are no good generals in the Ming Dynasty."
…………
Chuang Wang Li Zili stood on a hillock next to the military formation. He was anxious in his heart, but his expression remained as usual.
At this time, Liu Zongmin had organized three more charges. Only the second time he broke into the edge of the car formation, but he was still repelled by the sharp cannons in the car formation.
In these three charges, nearly a thousand additional rebel soldiers were lost, and although hundreds of wounded soldiers were rescued, it was difficult to say whether they would survive.
Everyone's eyes were focused on King Chuang to see how he would make a decision. Even the general sentry Liu Zongmin looked at Li Zicheng and said to him: "Brother Li, you are so damn hard to fight, you are like an iron bastard." , I can’t rush in.”
Li Zicheng looked at the formation of vehicles on the opposite side and asked Song Xiance, "Military advisor, do you have any good ideas?"
Song Xiance stroked his short beard and said: "The formation of vehicles is strict and equipped with sharp cannons. It is indeed difficult to break through, unless there is artillery bombardment, maybe give it a try.
Furthermore, even if there is no loss, and we are surrounded from all sides, there is still a possibility of success. However, now I am more worried about the safety of the two tiger generals in the north of the city. King Chuang should send people from the south of the city to the east of the city, and order the troops in the north and east of the city to retreat to the south of the city and join forces with me.
In this way, it is easy to support each other, and you can move forward or retreat according to your heart, without having to be controlled by others! "
Zhang Nai stepped forward and said, "King Chuang, can you send an infantry force to attack the army's chariot formation head-on? I will lead the cavalry to rush out from the flank and give it a try."
Li Zicheng shook his head and said: "No need. As the military advisor said, the army's vehicles are well-organized and their guns and artillery are sharp. However, with our infantry and cavalry without artillery, it will be extremely difficult to break through. There is no need to try again."
He ignored Zhang Nai, who had an angry look on his face, but called Li Shuangxi to the side and ordered: "Lead the ten cavalry around from the south of the city, and ask your Uncle Erhu to lead the army to retreat to the south of the city as soon as possible, and join forces with Mingyuan and Gu Ying. One place to observe the movements of the officers and soldiers."
After Li Shuangxi left, Liu Zongmin said again: "Brother Li, are you just going to ignore this bastard formation of the army?"
Li Zicheng remained expressionless, and simply said: "No matter where he is from the border army, if we are facing each other, we must feel how hard the rock is."
The generals all looked at Li Zicheng with puzzled faces, waiting for him to continue speaking. A smile flashed across his lips and he said: "Bai Wang, lead some soldiers to drive away all the hungry people who are coming from Zhengzhou and Zhongmu." come over."
The generals around King Chuang all looked happy when they heard this, but Niu Jinxing, Song Xiance, Li Yan and others had doubts on their faces. If the offensive formation cannot be defeated, what's the use of driving the hungry people over?
The King of Chuang Li Zicheng continued to say: "Jixuan, go and prepare. Later, Bai Wang will lead the troops to drive the hungry people to attack the official car formation. Xiao Naozi will lead the troops to press behind. You and the cavalry will be ready at any time. Break into the car formation and defeat him from the inside."
Niu Jinxing was stunned when he heard this, but soon returned to normal, but Li Yan looked panicked. He was about to say something to stop him, but Song Xiance next to him grabbed his sleeve.
He looked back at Song Xiance and saw that he was looking at him and shaking his head secretly. Li Yan sighed secretly in his heart and stopped talking.
But his little move was noticed by Li Zicheng, who turned his head and asked Li Yan with a smile: "Lin Quan, if you have something to say, it doesn't hurt to say it!"
Song Xiance was already familiar with Li Yan. At this time, he was afraid that he would say something rude, causing King Chuang's displeasure and causing trouble, but he didn't want to show it openly, so he had to quietly pinch Li Yan's arm by his side. , I hope he can understand his deep meaning.
Li Yan was a smart and perceptive person, so how could he not understand what Song Xiance was thinking. He just didn't want to see those innocent hungry people die miserably in front of the army's car formation.
Previously, King Li Zicheng ordered the hungry people to fill trenches and dig cities, which he could not bear. Now he even ordered the hungry people to attack the army's chariot formations. This was clearly asking them to go and die!
Although Li Yan couldn't bear this and was unwilling to do so, he also knew that no matter what he said at this time, he was destined to be unable to change the fate of these hungry people, because King Chuang would not agree to him not to drive the hungry people to attack the official and army vehicle formations.
Therefore, when faced with King Chuang's inquiry, he did not express his true thoughts. He just said: "King Chuang, I am just worried that even if I drive the hungry people to rush into battle, it will not help. Instead, these hungry people will lose their lives in vain." .”
An imperceptible hint of evil flashed in Chuang Wang Li Zicheng's eyes, and he smiled and said: "Lin Quan is a scholar after all, and a woman's benevolence after all."
He turned his gaze back to the formation of officers and soldiers on the opposite side again, and continued: "As the saying goes, 'Compassion does not lead an army.' Since I raised the army, I have gone through many battles, many ups and downs, and many of the soldiers who followed me have lost their lives. Old brothers, apart from Jiexuan and the others, there are only more than a thousand people.
If I always care about human life, how could I be here today?
Nowadays, the world is in chaos, with droughts happening one after another. Locusts cover the sky, and the ground is bare for thousands of miles. The seedlings are almost gone, and all the grass, trees, animal skins, insects and flies have been eaten. Many people have died of hunger, and many people have died of starvation. Hundreds of miles are deserted, and everything as far as the eye can see is desolate. They exchanged their children for food and sold human flesh. Eighty-nine out of every ten households in villages and towns perished.
You, the frightened and hungry people, will die of famine even if you don't die in the war, so why should you care! "
Li Yan was speechless for a moment after hearing King Chuang's words. Song Xiance next to him kept gently pulling on his sleeves, fearing that he would make another mistake.
Now, there was another disharmonious ripple in his heart. He was already secretly reflecting on whether he was right or wrong to defect to King Chuang without any hesitation.
