"Report to the Lord, Thief Li has escaped!"
Zhang Mingwei was very disappointed when he heard this report, and the situation eventually developed for the worst.
With this thought in mind, he got up and went out of the tent to watch.
Sure enough, there were thunderous cheers in the direction of Li Zicheng's camp. If something very happy hadn't happened, of course the bandits over there wouldn't be so happy! You can tell from the happy tone that this is not fake!
"Okay, come back as soon as you come back, I will still deal with you!" Zhang Mingwei thought in his heart, and went back to sleep.
……………………
At Li Zicheng's camp, many bandit leaders surrounded Li Zicheng and returned to the central military tent. The place is brightly lit and filled with cheers.
In fact, only the elites in the bandit camp are so happy. Most of the places where the bandit master is actually very quiet.
"General, it'll be great if you're back, that'll be great!"
"Yes, I'm just telling you, General Jiren will definitely come back if he has his way!"
"..."
Under the lighting of the torch, Li Zicheng actually looked quite embarrassed. His blindfold was gone, and the eye shot by the arrow was exposed, making Li Zicheng look quite ferocious.
But at this time, he kept smiling with his mouth open. He had never been so happy before, as if he had not escaped, but had returned victorious from a great battle.
In fact, this cannot be blamed on Li Zicheng, he was indeed very happy.
Originally, he thought that the entire army was finished this time. He himself was chased by the imperial officers and soldiers all the way, and fled eastwards desperately. At that time, he didn't know whether he could escape or not.
And he also knew that although he merged with Luo Rucai, he ended up taking advantage of the imperial officials and soldiers. When he fled, he knew for sure that all the people in Luo Rucai's camp were dead.
After he was safe, he began to worry about how his camp was going. Don't be attacked by the imperial officers and soldiers taking advantage of the victory, and if your own camp is completely unprepared because of the sudden incident, and is completely defeated, then everything will really be lost!
Therefore, when Li Zicheng came back with an anxious mood and found that the camp was safe and sound, his joy was really indescribable.
At this time, listening to the close men in the Chinese military tent congratulating themselves happily, Li Zicheng laughed loudly and quickly asked him what happened after he left.
After listening to the general content, Li Zicheng walked up to Song Xiance, slapped him hard on the shoulder, and said in a very respectful tone: "You are worthy of being my most valued military advisor!"
"This is what I should do!" Song Xiance replied quickly, then turned to look at the others, and said to Li Zicheng, "It was only thanks to the concerted efforts of many brothers that we were able to keep the camp intact!"
Hearing this, the faces of other people in the Zhongjun tent became very good-looking, and even Niu Jinxing no longer looked jealous.
After hearing this, Li Zicheng suddenly clasped his fists and saluted the others very solemnly: "With the help of all brothers, if I, Li Zicheng, achieve something in the future, I will definitely share the glory and wealth with you. If I violate this, I will be punished by thousands of arrows." Die through the heart!"
"I am willing to die for the general!" Others in the Chinese military tent responded in unison, cupping their fists.
After Li Zicheng sat down again, Song Xiance and others wisely did not ask him how he escaped, because they saw that Li Guo, Zhang Nai and others were all wounded all over their bodies, and very few of their cavalry had returned. You can guess what is going on.
At this time, Li Zicheng was overjoyed and in high spirits because the situation was far better than he expected, so he asked the imperial court about the affairs of the officials and soldiers.
When he heard that his side had killed many troops who had rushed out of Kaifeng Mansion, and that the integration of Luo Rucai's camp by the imperial officers and soldiers was still going on, he said to everyone in the Chinese military tent: "While this is happening, The army has not yet fully reorganized Luo Rucai’s troops..."
When he said this, Li Zicheng felt a pain in his heart. Those men and horses were originally his, but now they took advantage of Duke Xingguo.
After trying to calm down, he continued: "We will go to war tomorrow. At least we must destroy Luo Rucai's men who have been reorganized by the imperial army, so that we can continue the decisive battle with the imperial army!"
"The general is back. The morale of our army is high. I think we can fight!" Niu Jinxing agreed with a smile after hearing this.
"Yeah, damn it!" Liu Zongmin gritted his teeth and said bitterly, "We must not take advantage of the imperial officers and soldiers! We can't get it, and neither can the imperial officers and soldiers!"
"Yes. Otherwise, if the strength of the imperial officers and soldiers increases greatly, how can we fight them in the future?" Yuan Zongdi also hurriedly agreed after hearing this.
"..."
Just when many people in the Chinese military tent wanted to fight, Song Xiance came out and poured cold water on him: "General, we can't fight!"
When Li Zicheng heard this, he immediately became unhappy. However, thinking of Song Xiance's contribution, he did not show his displeasure, but asked expressionlessly: "Why?"
"The morale of our army is high when the general comes back, but the morale of the imperial officers and soldiers is also very high!" Song Xiance replied sincerely, "Luo Rucai's men must also hate us to death. If we want to fight, The loss of troops must be very serious, is the general willing? Is it worth it?"
"When it comes to wasting our troops, when have we ever felt heartbroken? When have we ever been afraid?" Liu Zongmin asked curiously after hearing this.
He didn't understand why Song Xiance said such things.
Song Xiance certainly knew that the troops Liu Zongmin was referring to were actually cannon fodder. However, facing the main force of the imperial army, those cannon fodder had actually proven to be of little use.
Therefore, Song Xiance explained the situation and then said to Li Zicheng sincerely: "General, during your absence these days, the singing and shouting of those imperial officers and soldiers has greatly affected the morale of our army. If ordinary soldiers go out to fight, If so, I’m afraid that surrender will happen again!”
Hearing this, Li Zicheng frowned. He had seen the scene of people escaping from battle before. At this moment, he also understood how much the imperial officers and soldiers had an impact on the morale of his men.
According to Song Xiance, if there is going to be a war tomorrow, he can only send his own elite. However, he was unwilling to use his elite troops to compete with Luo Rucai's troops.
Seeing Li Zicheng pondering deeply, Niu Jinxing suddenly had an idea and said to Li Zicheng: "General, since Duke Xingguo across the street claims to love the people like his own children, why not do this? Let's gather the old, weak, women and children in the camp. If If it’s not enough, go grab some more from the surrounding areas, let them block the front, and launch an attack on the imperial officers and soldiers, and see how they break through?”
When Li Zicheng heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up, and his intuition told him that this would be a good idea.
If Duke Xingguo really kills the old, weak, women and children without mercy, then his official reputation will definitely be affected. Maybe his opponents in the court will impeach him. Even if he is not impeached, he will probably be tied up.
And if Duke Xingguo really can't attack the old, weak, women and children, then he can attack them here, and the most powerful muskets and artillery of the imperial army will have no use.
While he was thinking about it, Li Guo suddenly said: "No, we can't do this! Otherwise, the reputation that the general has finally accumulated will be completely destroyed!"
In the early years, bandits did a lot of driving old, weak, women and children to serve as cannon fodder. For them, in order to survive, they even carried out the rebellion of the Nine Clans, and there was nothing they couldn't do.
But now, under Song Xiance's advice, Li Zicheng has begun to pay attention to reputation and change in the direction of striving for world hegemony. If he continues to do those things that are harmful to nature, he can only remain a thief.
Therefore, Song Xiance immediately echoed after hearing this: "General, today is different from the past. Brother Li Guo is right!"
Some of the other people in the Zhongjun tent agreed with Niu Jinxing, while others agreed with Li Guo. In short, the differences of opinion were serious.
After hearing this, Li Zicheng frowned and stopped talking.
He didn't speak either, and other people in the Zhongjun tent didn't speak either, and the scene suddenly became quiet.
"I'm tired. Let's talk tomorrow if we have anything to do." After a while, Li Zicheng looked up at them and said.
He was indeed tired. After running for his life for several days, he almost didn't escape. What he needed most right now was rest.
Others in the Chinese military tent also understood and left one after another.
As soon as they left and there was no one else in the Zhongjun tent, Li Zicheng suddenly sighed heavily. It was obvious that all the joy he felt when he first came back was gone.
………………
Of course, Li Laiheng followed his adoptive father Li Guo. Along the way, he was concerned about Li Guo's injury.
Li Guo said nonchalantly: "It's okay, it's just a minor injury! You'll be fine after a few days of rest."
At this point, he suddenly remembered, stopped, looked at Li Laiheng and asked with concern: "Didn't you wear the general's helmet to distract the imperial troops? How did you escape?"
While saying this, he looked Li Laiheng up and down, but found no injuries at all, which made him a little curious.
He was chasing to protect Li Zicheng. Of course he knew how desperate the imperial officers and soldiers were to capture Li Zicheng. Most of the brothers who protected Li Zicheng were dead, including them, who worked hard to protect Li Zicheng when he came back.
When Li Laiheng saw Li Guo ask this question, he suddenly felt a little sad, and replied with a little lack of confidence: "I didn't escape. I was caught by the army and then let back by them."
"What?" Li Guo was very surprised when he heard this, and confirmed in disbelief, "Did they let you back without knowing your identity?"
Those ordinary soldiers had been released before, so Li Guo was not surprised. However, it was a bit hard for him to imagine that a person with Li Laiheng's status would be released by the imperial army.
