Chen Qiyu wanted to complete his victory in one battle, so he mobilized all his troops to Chachai Gorge.
This resulted in the vast area around being empty and weak.
After Li Zicheng captured Xunyang and burned the Ming army's food, grass and baggage, he followed Liang Yue's advice and immediately led his troops westward.
This strange force caught the Ming army by surprise.
One day later, Li Zicheng's troops suddenly appeared in Xing'an Suo (today's Ankang).
The whole city was in chaos, unable to resist, and was quickly defeated.
In order to cause trouble for the officers and soldiers, Li Zicheng also acted cruelly this time and burned the city directly.
In the following actions, Li Zicheng's department was unstoppable.
They rushed along the official road at the northern foot of Phoenix Mountain. Because of the large number of horses, they went very fast.
Three days later, Li Zicheng's troops captured Hanyin County again.
It was only then that Chen Qiyu, who was far away in the compartment, learned that there was a fire in the backyard.
Chen Qiyu was dumbfounded when he heard that all the food, grass and baggage had been lost.
"who is it?"
The messenger quickly reported.
"It's the general Li Zicheng."
Chen Qiyu was so angry that he raised his voice and asked: "Which general is willing to go out and kill Li Zicheng on my behalf?"
None of the generals below spoke.
It's not that they are afraid, but that they are more thoughtful than Chen Qiyu.
Someone asked: "Bingxian, what is Li Zicheng's intention to go all the way west?"
Chen Qiyu was so angry that he didn't think too much.
"This thief is treacherous and has done such evil things. Why not escape for his life?"
He Renlong glanced at Chen Qiyu cautiously and reminded: "Master Bingxian, heading west from Hanyin County, the road is smooth and there are no obstacles. It won't be long before the troops arrive in Hanzhong."
Chen Qiyu said angrily: "So what? With Li Zicheng, can he still turn the world upside down?"
This time Chen Qiyu's advisers all figured it out.
"Master proprietor, Prince Rui is in Hanzhong!"
As soon as these words came out, Chen Qiyu suddenly woke up as if he was struck by lightning.
No one needed to tell him what the consequences would be if he fell into the trap of the feudal lord.
The map of Hanzhong flashed through Chen Qiyu's mind, shaking like chaff in an instant.
If Li Zicheng really captured Hanzhong and killed King Rui, his head would definitely be chopped off by Chongzhen and buried with him.
"Quick, quick, all the ministries must mobilize their troops quickly. We must not let Hanzhong suffer any losses?"
Seeing that the coach was panicking, the other generals couldn't help but lament.
When the war has reached this point, anyone with a discerning eye can see clearly that it has failed.
Some people were not willing to give in and asked a question.
"Sir, if we leave now, what should we do with the bandits in the valley?"
Chen Qiyu just wanted to scold her.
Although there are many rogues in the valley, and all of them are famous bandits, killing them all will not make up for the sin of trapping the feudal lord.
"Prince Rui is a royal relative and a blood relative of His Majesty. There must be no room for failure. We must first protect Prince Rui's safety before talking about anything else."
The generals had no choice but to abandon the immediate military exploits under Chen Qiyu's coercion and lead their troops to pursue Li Zicheng.
Inside the carriage canyon.
Gao Yingxiang, Zhang Xianzhong, Lao Huihui and others were already in dire straits.
They had no place to live in the valley. They had been exposed to cold rain for several days, and all of them had turned into drowned rats, and many of them fell ill.
They had nothing to eat and were already hungry. The few war horses and mules were also killed, and it was obvious that they could no longer endure.
If nothing happens, in another ten days, even if the army does not come to attack, they will become starving ghosts.
Gao Yingxiang had no choice but to call other leaders over to discuss countermeasures.
But after many discussions, the only solution everyone could think of was to surrender.
But no one can guarantee whether this trick will work.
After all, it had been played once before, so it stands to reason that the court would not be fooled.
But things have come to this, and they have no other choice.
Just when the leaders were despairing, the scout ran back rolling and crawling.
"Report to King Chuang that the officers and soldiers...the officers and soldiers have withdrawn."
As soon as this statement came out, everyone exploded.
Without waiting for Gao Yingxiang to react, Zhang Xianzhong rushed over, grabbed the scout and asked him again and again.
"Is this true? Could it be that you have surrendered to the enemy and want to trick me into dying?"
The scout wanted to cry but had no tears.
"Eight Great Kings, we have reached this point. If I surrender to the enemy, the army will not accept it."
Zhang Xianzhong had a stern look on his face, and he naturally understood that what the scout said was right.
Besides, whether the officers and soldiers have retreated or not, they just need to send people to check again.
Even so, everyone still murmured after the surprise.
"I guess there's no conspiracy?"
"I think we should stay calm and wait for it to get better."
Amid the commotion, Gao Yingxiang began to calm down.
He thought about it and spoke slowly.
"It stands to reason that the officers and soldiers have surrounded us. As long as we continue to be exhausted, we people will be dead. There is absolutely no need for the officers and soldiers to play tricks. Could it be that something happened?"
But what happened, the people trapped here don't know.
Zhang Xianzhong was extremely bold.
"What the hell! Why don't we send some brothers to take a look first. If the officers and soldiers really leave, if we don't run away, why don't we stay here and wait to die?"
Everyone agreed upon hearing this.
You will definitely die if you stay here, so no chance can be missed.
At that moment, Gao Yingxiang sent more than 200 people to go all the way, and actually touched the camp left by the army.
As a result, it was empty, there was nothing inside, and the officers and soldiers had long since disappeared.
This group of people was quite careful and ran through several important passes in succession, but in the end they didn't see a single shadow of an officer or soldier.
They ran north for more than thirty miles and searched a large area around them before they felt relieved.
After learning that the government troops had really withdrawn, Gao Yingxiang and others had no time to rejoice because they had survived the desperate situation, so they hurriedly gathered their troops and walked out of the carriage gap.
They didn't know what happened, let alone whether the officers and soldiers would come back. For today's plan, it is natural to run as far as I can and as much as I can.
So all the ministries immediately dispersed and found their own way out.
There is only one purpose, and that is to disperse the strength of the official army.
Under such circumstances, who can survive depends entirely on God's will.
Chen Qiyu had painstakingly prepared an ambush on all sides for more than a year, but Li Zicheng's sudden rise was completely bankrupt.
For a time, the rebel army, which had disappeared for a while, became active again on the land of Shaanxi.
They rushed and moved around, absorbing bankrupt refugees again wherever they went, and the team grew again.
In the process, the rebels from all walks of life finally knew the whole story.
After learning that Li Zicheng had played a trick to surround Wei and save Zhao, everyone was able to escape. Everyone was full of gratitude to the young leader.
Li Zicheng's name finally began to shine.
Although he was already a relatively famous leader among the rebels before, he still ranked lower than Gao Yingxiang, Zhang Xianzhong, Lao Huihui and others.
But this time, in the minds of many people, Li Zicheng enjoys even more love than these veteran leaders.
And for the first time, the imperial court paid attention to this rising star in the rebel army.
