stubborn thief

On the first day of May, south of Qianzhou City.

This was the third day of the siege, and it was also the first day that the besieging army began to attack the city with great momentum.

On the first day of the siege, Shi Xiang fought with the rebel Yang Guodong; but on the second day, after a whole day of negotiations, Shi Xiang persuaded Yang Guodong to surrender.

Last night, Shi Xiang and Yang Guodong fired dozens of letters persuading the city to surrender, telling the defenders that support from the Marshal's Mansion would arrive soon. The surrender officers would be promoted to a higher level, the soldiers would be given food and pay, and they would ensure that they would not harm the people in the city.

By this morning, two thousand-man Mongolian cavalry from the rear arrived on the battlefield. At this time, the army stationed outside the city had approached eight thousand, and Shi Xiang's own troops were able to completely suppress Yang Guodong's three thousand newly attached bandits.

At this time, Shi Xiang was finally relieved, because he knew very well that he could persuade Yang Guodong to surrender not only by the 4 Lintao soldiers in his own hands, but by the [-] marshal's troops spread out across the entire Guanzhong battlefield.

This is the trend.

Shi Xiang always believes that the most beneficial talent of a person is to be good at taking advantage of the situation. If one's personal strength is too weak, whether a hero is a coward, whether to resist or to adapt is an extremely important belief for an individual, but the general trend does not matter.

But Duan Fuxing cares.

This morning, Shi Xiang completed the reorganization of the newly attached Yang Guodong troops. While the whole army was having breakfast, he conveyed an ultimatum to Qianzhou City: the attack would begin in one hour. If he wanted to surrender at that time, he would do so according to the laws of the Marshal's Mansion. I can't be promoted to another level.

There was no response from the city.

This brought an ominous premonition to Shi Xiang, who was planning to strike while the iron was hot, because silence was also an answer.

At this time, Shi Xiang had already guessed that an attack on the city might be inevitable.

He did not have enough prestige in the Lintao Brigade, which was formerly the Lanzhou Battalion of the Ming Army. Everyone's interpersonal relationships can be traced back to the three generals Han Ying, Zhang Yunqi, and Li Zude.

Han Ying was assassinated by Shi Xiang in the Yi Zhi Marshal's Mansion that day, leaving Zhang Yunqi trapped in the camp and forced to surrender. Li Zude, the most capable fighter, was sent to the city to put out the fire that day. He later occupied the inner city and saw that the situation was over before surrendering to the Marshal's Mansion.

Zhang Yunqi and Li Zude are indeed generals loyal to Liu Chengzong, but they are not close confidants of Shi Xiang. To a certain extent, they have hatred in their hearts for Shi Xiang, the culprit who caused their surrender. It would be inappropriate to shoot him with a black gun on the battlefield. Dare, but doing things for Shi Xiang is like pinching your nose anytime and anywhere.

Reluctantly.

It was precisely because of this complicated relationship that Shi Xiangcai was determined to persuade Yang Guodong to surrender. He even sent someone to report to Liu Chengzong, just to test Liu Chengzong's opinion on his recruitment of soldiers to surrender and replenish the Lintao brigade.

Fortunately, Liu Chengzong's reply did not disappoint him, and provided him with two solutions. Either give up the concurrent command of the Chinese Army Battalion Staff General to Yang Guodong, and the Lintao Brigade would still maintain the establishment of three 2000 battalions; or add another staff general. , turning the Lintao Brigade into four small battalions of [-] people.

Shi Xiang chose the latter without even thinking about it.

He knew that Liu Chengzong gave him two choices on the surface, but actually asked him to choose the second one.

Choosing the former means that he has to give up the troops directly under him. Although there is a strength of 6000 troops, it is empty. At present, the Lintao Brigade, including Yang Guodong's department, has less than [-] people. Without a directly subordinate Chinese army, he has no way to control the army.

The latter can take the opportunity to divide the newly surrendered Yang Guodong's thousand soldiers and fill them into the other three battalions. While weakening Yang Guodong's influence, it can also balance Li Zude and Zhang Yunqi.

This is what he solved yesterday, but now the problem is coming again: siege the city. It is difficult for him to give Yang Guodong an order to attack the city - they lack artillery and siege equipment, and there will inevitably be casualties in the siege.

If he fails to persuade him to surrender, he becomes angry and attacks the city. On the one hand, it will be difficult to conquer quickly. The losses may further damage his prestige in the army.

So Shi Xiang approached Yang Guodong: "General Yang, there are now two thousand soldiers of the Mongolian Brigade on the side, which has put enough pressure on Qianzhou City. Your people have met with the city councilor Duan Fuxing and the governor Yang Dianyuan... …”

As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Guodong jumped up: "Commander of the Brigade, although Yang was recruited earlier, you and I swore yesterday that I will not switch to the imperial court again."

"I know, I know, and the general also knows that the two generals in our department have some objections to the fact that I shook hands with you and made peace with you, dividing the three major battalions into four smaller ones."

Shi Xiang comforted Yang Guodong and said with a smile: "I think General Yang has not yet accomplished any meritorious service. The general will arrive in Qianzhou in the next few days. Why don't the general send someone to the city to persuade him to surrender with reason and emotion? This is also the general's way of repaying the division." What a great gift from a certain introduction commander!"

Yang Guodong was a veteran of the martial arts. Although he had served as a soldier in the Governor's Biao Camp, as a top soldier, he did not have the opportunity to experience the twists and turns of interpersonal relationships. As soon as Shi Xiang said these words, he felt... it made sense!
He immediately cupped his fists and thanked Shi Xiang repeatedly, and immediately ordered Mr. Qian, one of his brothers who was good at reasoning, to go to Qianzhou City to follow Duan Fuxing and Yang Dianyuan to "Xiao Zhi Yi".

In fact, just find someone who can speak well for this kind of thing, but Yang Guodong was reminded by Shi Xiang and knew that Liu Chengzong would be coming soon. This would also give his subordinates a chance to show their faces, so he chose Mr. Qian.

He himself is a general, and Mr. Qian is his right-hand man.

Shi Xiang was happy to see this happen. When he recruited Yang Guodong to surrender, he said: "Don't think I can't defeat you. It's not because I'm weak, but because I have a high official position, insufficient troops, and insufficient equipment. A really weak camp will be destroyed." You lifted it."

"It is much better for you to surrender to me than to surrender to other brigade marshals in the Marshal's Mansion. Others have strong troops. Without you, our Lintao brigade is different."

"We need to join forces with a warrior like you, Yang Guodong, who is accustomed to fighting. You will be responsible for meritorious services and I will be responsible for seeking rewards. Together, we brothers can become rich and powerful!"

Shi Xiang's words were half-truths and half-falsehoods, not a single word was intentionally deceptive, but there were more ingredients to paint a bigger picture.

The Marshal's Mansion has not granted knighthoods until now. It has granted titles to some Tatar and Oara nobles, and they have simply changed the names of Mongolian nobles and used their own tribes as fiefs.

After all, since the Marshal's Mansion still doesn't have a person with outstanding military exploits, it naturally doesn't have a title.

However, when it came to persuading Qianzhou City to surrender, Shi Xiang told the truth sincerely. He really hoped that Yang Guodong could take the first step in persuading Qianzhou to surrender. After all, Yang Guodong was now his subordinate, and Yang Guodong had made meritorious service. He has a share of more or less.

He didn't have any evil intentions in this matter.

He just worried about defeat before winning, thinking that if he failed to persuade him to surrender, Yang Guodong would have to get back the face he lost due to Yang Guodong's quick temper.

When the time comes, it will be much easier for him to follow the trend and command Yang Guodong to lead his army to attack the city.

But he only knew Yang Guodong's character, but he didn't know Duan Fuxing from Shandong in the city.

It started very smoothly. As the envoy, Mr. Qian successfully arrived at the city with a flag. The defenders did not release arrows. After a few words and a moment of waiting, Qianzhou City actually let Qianzhou City put down the basket and took him up to the city.

Shi Xiang and Yang Guodong had a pair of telescopes in their hands. They were so excited outside the city that they even attracted the other two generals of the Lintao Brigade, Zhang Yunqi and Li Zude. The four commanders of the Lintao Brigade all climbed up the mountain and took turns observing through the telescopes. The surrender situation on the city gate tower.

They saw an official in a scarlet robe and a black gauze hat coming to the city gate tower with another official in a green robe. Yang Guodong said excitedly: "The one in the scarlet robe is the counselor Duan Fuxing, and the green robe is the governor Yang Dianyuan."

With that said, Shi Xiang took the telescope, and then the smile froze on his face, and he handed it back to Yang Guodong: "Why do you think they are so angry, as if they are cursing?"

Yang Guodong frowned and looked over, then his eyes widened, extremely shocked.

Shi Xiang was even more shocked. Even without a telescope, he could see the guy in red robe and black gauze waving his hand, and Yang Guodong's right and left arms disappeared on the city wall.Yang Guodong held the telescope to see more clearly. His face was twitching, his eyes were splitting, and he couldn't even speak.

It's an iron whip.

He saw Duan Fuxing pull out an iron whip and whip his henchman to death with one blow!
The four generals of the Lintao Brigade looked at each other for a moment. The defenders on the city had already put a rope on the envoy's body and dropped it from the city wall, hanging in front of the city gate.

The troops stationed there also saw this scene. Regardless of the veterans from Lanzhou and Lintao or Yang Guodong's recruits, the camp was in an uproar and the soldiers were making noises in the blink of an eye.

Everyone in Shixiang was dumbfounded.

Earlier, he did have some speculation about the defender's unwillingness to open the city and surrender, and even hoped that Duan Fuxing and Yang Dianyuan would say some harsh words on the city to make Yang Guodong angry, so that he could command the siege more smoothly.

But he never expected that Duan Fuxing would invite the envoy to the city gate and beat him to death, and hang the body on the city gate like a wind chime!

The two armies were fighting without killing the envoy. Let alone Shi Xiang, no one in the entire marshal's mansion, except for Lin Dan Khan's Chahar tribe, had ever seen the envoy killed before the battle started.

This is crazy.

The furious Yang Guodong had just looked at Shi Xiang with wide eyes, and Shi Xiang had already roared: "Killing the envoys of the Shuai Mansion is good at killing, and when the city is destroyed, no one in Duan Fuxing's family will be left alive, Yang Guodong!"

"I am humble!"

"Siege! Siege!"

Qianzhou City responded faster than them. Flags were waving on the city. The defenders had already placed artillery and various defensive equipment on the city wall. Even the gold juice was hot.

Beside Duan Fuxing, Yang Dianyuan, the magistrate of Qianzhou, was frightened.

Yang Dianyuan is a native of Anyue County, Sichuan. He is a scholar who fits the stereotype of a scholar. He is short, dignified, gentle, elegant and easy-going.

Since Chongzhen took office in the fourth year, he has never fought against the rebels in Qianzhou, but he is indeed talented. His way of solving problems is to build water conservancy projects and provide relief through work. During the four years of Qianzhou's tenure, he has focused on persuading farmers. , encourage students, dig canals, build waterwheels, social studies, and successively presided over the repair of the Superintendent's Office, Di Gong Temple, and rebuilt the city wall.

All his colleagues who worked with him disliked him. Even Li Zhimao, the former prefect of Xi'an and now the deputy envoy of Shenmu, betrothed his younger daughter to him, agreeing to take time to get married after the war subsided.

In fact, since Liu Chengzong's Eastern Campaign, his old father-in-law Li Zhimao has been trying to find ways to move Yang Dianyuan to Henan.

Li Zhimao's temper and character were much stronger than this weak son-in-law. He had fought several battles with the rebels in Shenmu, but he was helpless about the situation at this time. He wanted to find a safe place for his son-in-law to take his daughter. Fly far away.

But now that the earth is so vast, where is there any safe place?

Li Zhimao's hometown is in Zhaoyuan, Shandong. Next door is Penglai, and across the sea is Lushunkou in Jinzhouwei.

Why is Lushun called Lushun?
That place used to be called Shizikou, but it was renamed Lushunkou because in the early Ming Dynasty, we boarded a ship from Penglai to regain Liaodong, and the cross-sea landing was smooth and smooth.

Not to mention the negligible Houjin coming across the sea, Zhaoyuan would not be safe just because of the Ming army. Otherwise, why would he go to Shaanxi to become an official and bring his family and children with him? In Li Zhimao's eyes, Shandong is a more dangerous place than Shaanxi.

Yang Dianyuan's hometown, Anyue County, is between Chengdu and Chongqing. Li Zhimao originally betrothed his daughter to him. On the one hand, he valued his character and conduct. On the other hand, this hometown was better than Shandong, Beizhili, Shaanxi, and Shanxi. Safety, not to mention protecting my daughter and being able to avoid dangerous areas.

As a result, Liu Chengzong went on an eastern expedition, and Gao Yingxiang, the king of Chuang, went to Hanzhong to fight.

Now Li Zhimao thinks Henan is not bad.

Yang Dianyuan, a good old man who has been providing disaster relief for four years, has not yet begun to fight the siege. As he speaks, his colleagues with Jinshi background and serious scholars take out an iron whip from his crotch and blast the enemy envoy with one blow. It's a headache - how can he stand this excitement?

He stuttered for a moment: "This, this, this, this, Brother Duan, you, the two armies are fighting, why do you bother to kill him? Even if it is not for your own life, you still have to think about your family. What if the city is destroyed?" "

"Brother Yang, can you believe the words of the rebels who are ignorant of loyalty, filial piety and righteousness? For example, people like Yang Guodong, who had just been recruited the day before yesterday, defected and surrendered to the rebels yesterday... Liu Chengzong marched thousands of miles eastward just for money and food. They said that Kaicheng surrendered Qiu has done nothing wrong, can you believe it?"

As if nothing had happened, Duan Fuxing shook off the blood on his iron whip and handed it to Shan Zhou, the healthy servant who was following him, wearing a black gauze hat. Then he raised his hand and pointed towards the city, saying disdainfully: "Not to mention those people outside the city. The crowing of cocks, dogs and thieves want to kill my little ones? They don’t deserve it.”

Not worthy?

Yang Dianyuan's eyes widened. He didn't know where Duan Fuxing's confidence came from. He only said: "The rebel leader Liu Chengzong came with a large army. In just one day, there were two thousand reinforcements under the city. If his army comes, How long can our army hold back? By then, whether you are worthy or not, you will all die!"

"Yang Zhizhou, I said they don't deserve it, they just don't deserve it."

At first Yang Dianyuan thought that Duan Fuxing killed the envoy on the city because he was angry that Yang Guodong surrendered first and then rebelled, and he acted impulsively.

But at this time, he found that Duan Fuxing was very calm. He couldn't see the regret and anger of accidentally killing someone after being furious. Instead, he patted him and comforted him: "The killing has been done. Brother Yang, don't worry about my family. Just defend the city with peace of mind, Qianzhou has a large city, artillery, artillery and food supplies, and there is a lot to be done."

Even the good old man Yang Dianyuan was a little angry at Duan Fuxing's indifferent attitude at this time, and said angrily: "You don't care about your family, how can the people of Qianzhou City be blamed? What if the thieves become angry and massacre the city?"

Duan Fuxing chuckled lightly, looked at the military formations that had been set up outside the city, and did not answer Yang Dianyuan.

He had already planned to whip the envoys to death. It had nothing to do with whether the envoys came from Shi Xiang or Yang Guodong. No matter who the envoys came to the city to persuade them to surrender, he would call them to the city and beat them to death.

Because the garrison in the city had been shaken by Shi Xiang's letter of persuasion to surrender last night.

If we don't strengthen our faith at this time, the city will definitely not be able to hold on.

Chen Qiyu told him the entire Guanzhong defense strategy. The rebels were indeed powerful, but Duan Fuxing didn't care. Was it Xu Hongru who raised his voice in Shandong and said that they were not very powerful?Or is it that Kong Youde's attack on the city and his generals has become less powerful?
It's just that you know what you can't do but do it.

Because Duan Fuxing knew that the roosters, dogs, thieves outside the city, and the lackeys and traffickers inside the city were different from him.

If others do not eat the salary of the imperial court and are not favored by the imperial court, if they can stand up when the imperial court is in danger, they are righteous men who need to be commended and awarded with crowns; facing an opponent like Liu Chengzong, if Zhenqiu has done nothing wrong, others have not stood up. It's normal to come out, run away, or fall down.

But he can't. He has his own things to do and his own mission to complete.

Below the city, the roaring Mongolian cavalry came rushing over carrying bags of sticks and earth.

On the city, Duan Fuxing, in a black gauze and scarlet robe, was sitting on the city gate tower, waving the command flag: "Fire the cannon and let them die!" (End of this chapter)