After Li Zicheng withdrew his troops outside Kaifeng City, he was constantly harassed by the government's cavalry all the way south. It was not until Liu Zongmin got rid of the pursuit of the government troops and caught up with the brigade that the government's cavalry restrained themselves, although they did not harass the brigade as much as before. , but always peeking at the army from a distance.
During this period, the commander-in-chief Liu Zongmin also sent out teams of horse thieves several times to clean up. Except for the little leader nicknamed "Crash Mountain" who brought back a few heads of official cavalry, a few war horses, and ordnance, the other teams had nothing. Get.
Tong Shoushan originally joined the Chu army camp as a deserter. He stated to the outside world that he was originally a military household in the North. In the 11th year of Chongzhen, he was promoted to the Wei with Lu Xiang, the governor of Xuanda. After the defeat of the Tatar army in Julu.
He fled to Henan with dozens of brothers and joined the army under the command of the chief military officer Wang Shaoyu. He was already dissatisfied because the superior officer always deducted military pay, so after the city of Luoyang was destroyed, he led his brothers to join King Chuang.
When he first joined the King of Chuang, he brought 82 men and horses with him. They were first assigned to Liu Fangliang's command, and then he was supplemented with 120 men and horses, forming a separate team with him as the leader.
Since the fight against the bandits in Luoyang, he has always strived to be the first in every battle. He has never been left behind as a sentinel when he went out to scout. He has been very active. Although he has not made much contribution, he has also earned the reputation of being called "Shan Ye" by everyone. .
This time, he was the only one who stood out. He was the only one who personally led a team of 30 people out on sentry duty. They encountered a ten-man sentry team from the government army in the valley south of Zhuxian Town. After a fierce battle between the two sides, Shanye suffered one death and seven injuries. He drove back the army and brought back four heads and seven war horses.
It is strange to say that since Master Shan went out to make a meritorious service, the sentry cavalry of the government army also disappeared, and it seemed that they gave up tracking the movements of the intruders.
Li Zicheng and Liu Zongmin also ran southward without taking off their saddles or resting. They crossed Xincheng and Zhuxian Town without attacking, and did not set up camp until they reached Weishi County.
After military discussions, in order to relieve the pressure on military supplies, the Chuang Army decided to divide their troops into three groups and march toward Funiu and Xiong'er Mountain in western Henan from tomorrow.
First, the cavalry led by the general sentry Liu Zongmin and Liu Tichun's infantry brigade of more than 5,000 people escorted Chuang Wang as the central army, passing through Weishi County and moving southwest towards Weichuan, Xuzhou and Xiangcheng.
Second, Liu Fangliang's troops were on the right wing. They moved south from Weishi County to Fugou and Yanling to collect grain, then marched toward Linying in the southwest, and then waited for an opportunity to turn toward Xiangcheng.
Third, with Gu Ying's troops as the left wing, they marched from Weishi County to the west towards Xinzheng, Yuzhou and Jiaxian while collecting grain.
Soldiers and horses from all walks of life were flying the banner of Chuang Wang, waiting for the opportunity to collect food. They passed through various counties and towns where they could hit them, and crossed the ones that couldn't be hit. Finally, they met again in the Baofeng and Lushan areas and returned to Funiu Mountain to rest.
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After the military meeting, Li Yan, Song Xiance, and Niu Jinxing came to see Chuang Wang Li Zicheng's injury. Li Zicheng's arrow injury was not serious in the first place, and his only regret was that one eye was destroyed.
But the march in recent days also made it impossible for him to rest peacefully, so the wound was never closed and scabbed. The old god Shang Jiong was always by his side, changing dressings for him every day and caring for the arrow wound in his left eye.
Gu Shi Li Zicheng just hummed twice when Shang Jiong took the arrow for him. After that, no matter how Shang Jiong diagnosed and treated, changed dressings, and bandaged, he endured the pain and never hummed again. This is really true. Shang Jiong admired him endlessly.
Today, King Chuang's camp is located in an abandoned village fifteen miles southwest of Weishi County. Li Zicheng's Chinese military tent is a relatively intact house, surrounded by layers of Chuang military tents to protect him.
When Li Yan and others entered the house, King Chuang Li Zicheng was lying on the warm earthen bed. There were some light knives and cloth strips on a small wooden table. Shang Jiong saw them come in and hurriedly put these items away. Put away.
Li Shuangxi has been staying by Li Zicheng's side all day these days, not daring to leave. When he saw a few people entering the house, he also walked up to say hello, then picked up the fire tongs and fiddled with the charcoal stove on the ground in the middle of the house. The fire became brighter, and then a kettle was taken to pour hot tea for each of the people.
Li Zicheng forced a smile and said, "Come, gentlemen, come sit on the kang, but it's very hot."
Niu Jinxing and others came to the kang with tea cups and sat down. He was the first to say: "King Chuang, please rest in peace. Although we have not been able to capture Kaifeng in one fell swoop, we can still find out the real situation in the city. When the army comes out next year, , why worry about not being able to open it!"
Li Zicheng leaned back on the kang, smiled slightly, and said softly: "Victory and defeat are normal things. Since the uprising, he has been fighting with the army for more than ten years. Since Tongguan was originally ambushed, there were only eighteen cavalry left standing out. How difficult it is." , no, they all survived.
The current attack on Kaifeng was to take advantage of the opportunity, but it failed. As expected, our army was weak in attacking the big city, so this time it was just a training exercise. "
When he said this, he paused, raised his head to rest for a moment, and then continued: "However, Zhang Cheng's troops in Xuanzang are indeed brave and brave, incomparable to other officers and soldiers, and even stronger than Zuo Liangyu, The officers and troops led by Madman He and others are just like Cao Bianjiao's troops."
Li Zicheng seemed a little tired. He stopped and looked at Song Xiance and Li Yan. Song Xiance continued: "Through these days of observation, Zhang Cheng's officers and soldiers not only fought bravely, but also fought bravely. What's more, the officers and troops of this unit have a well-established advance and retreat, and there is no panic between attack and defense. Unlike the officers and soldiers elsewhere, they swarm when they advance and scramble to retreat."
Li Yan also added at this time: "What the military advisor said is true. Zhang Cheng's troops are fully equipped with armor and weapons, especially the chariot array and cannons, which are the sharpest. However, these are not a problem. If he can have it, we will have it in the future.
As the military advisor said, the most important thing for the officers and soldiers of this department is to be united, to give consistent orders, to advance and retreat in a well-founded manner, and to attack and defend well. This is the key to the department. "
A smile appeared on Li Zicheng's face again, and he continued: "It seems that we have indeed ignored this Zhang Cheng before. If the generals of the Ming Dynasty were like Zhang Cheng, we would not be able to survive, so why should we talk about it? Seize the world!"
He turned his head and looked at Li Shuangxi and said: "Shuangxi, please think about this and pay more attention to collecting information about Zhang Cheng in the future. No matter how big or small, no matter whether it is useful or not, don't let it go."
He paused for a moment and then said: "There are also information about the Ming Dynasty's other frontier armies. We must also pay attention to collecting information about their generals' deeds, military strength and other information. Don't let it go."
Li Shuangxi agreed softly, and Niu Jinxing on the side said at this time: "In fact, there is no need to worry about King Chuang. It is difficult to find another anomaly like Zhang Cheng in the entire Ming Dynasty, not to mention the King Qin and the aid and suppression are outstanding. Maybe we don’t need to take action, someone will come and take care of him first.”
