weaving

At this moment, Li Zicheng didn't know that Xiao Yuanying had already carried him away. He was busy mobilizing his troops and swarming in, preparing to open the Feng Mansion three times.

He and Luo Rucai led the main force of the old battalion from Chenliu and stationed at Yanli Village, about 20 miles west of Kaifeng City. The troops and supplies continued to the camp to Xinghua Camp, 20 miles southwest of Kaifeng.

Another group of troops led by Tian Jianxiu, the general of the camp, marched westward, passing through Zhongmou, and successively captured Zhengzhou, Rongyang, and Xinzheng counties. After taking the opportunity to clear the west road of Kaifeng, they stationed themselves between Zhengzhou and Zhongmou. At the same time, he collected food and grass for Cao Cao's army.

"What? Xiao Yuanying escaped..."

Luo Ru had just set up camp in the north of Xinghua Camp when he heard a piece of news that surprised him. With doubts in his eyes, he looked at the military advisor Ji Gui who was accompanying him and asked: "What does the military advisor think?" Can you believe it?"

Ji Gui said lightly with a smile: "Although this may not be true, there are two results that can be concluded."

"Oh. Here comes the military advisor."

"First, since Yuan Shizhong surrendered to Chuang, his Xiao Yuanying has been complaining everywhere, and it is only a matter of time before Xiao Yuanying escapes; secondly, once Xiao Yuanying escapes from behind, Li Zicheng will definitely pursue it with all his strength, leaving no way to survive."

Luo Rucai nodded frequently at first, and then was surprised: "You mean...Old Li will kill all Xiao Yuanying?"

"Not against little Yuan Ying, but only against Yuan Shizhong!"

Ji Gui narrowed his eyes and continued: "King Chuang covets the 30,000 soldiers of Xiao Yuan's camp, rather than cherishing the talents of Yuan Shizhong. Moreover, King Chuang already has the heart to conquer the world, and he will not allow those around him to defect and escape. , so Yuan Shizhong will definitely be killed. As for the 30,000 soldiers of Xiao Yuan Camp, it is of course more appropriate to take them under his command."

"From this point of view, the news that Yuan Shizhong betrayed King Chuang is still credible?"

"Little Yuan's camp has 30,000 troops. If the whole camp suddenly escapes, how can there not be some news beforehand? This is a bit strange! In my opinion, this rumor is very unreliable before it is confirmed. , it is strictly forbidden to spread gossip in the camp."

Luo Rucai pondered for a moment with a solemn expression, and said: "It turns out that the two of us privately said that King Chuang was smart all his life. In a moment of confusion, he listened to Lao Song's idea, broke up the good marriage, and forced Huimei to marry Yuan Shizhong. Maybe it would be I lost my wife and lost my army, and I will never finish the regret medicine. You wait for the new news in the camp, I will go to Zicheng's place now to have a look."

Ji Gui said: "If King Chuang has not been reported yet, please do not inquire, lest you be suspected of knowing it beforehand."

Cao Cao smiled and said: "I am no less thoughtful than others."

…………

"Hmph. How could such a thing happen? Yuan Shizhong, a wolf-hearted little beast, is really an unfamiliar little wolf cub!"

As soon as Luo Rucai entered the residence of Chuangying Laofu, he heard about Yuan Shizhong's escape. Although he knew it in his heart, he still pretended not to hear anything and snickered secretly in his heart, but spoke with hatred on his face.

The first people to gain trust in the camp were brothers Li Yan and Li Cao from Qixian County.

On that day, when Chuang Cao's army marched from Shangqiu to Kaifeng, Li Yanzheng led a group of troops and was ordered to collect grain and grass between Qixian and Chenliu. Because the station was very close to Qixian, Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance were both well-versed in human affairs. , they suggested that Li Zicheng let Li Yan go home to worship his ancestors.

King Chuang readily agreed to this and personally informed Li Yan's brothers of this intention. Most of Li Yan's officers and soldiers were from eastern Henan. After receiving the letter, they all expressed their desire to go home and visit, and asked Li Yan to obey. According to King Chuang's wishes, he returned to Lijiazhai to visit the grave.

But Li Yan had other ideas. Although he had rebelled for more than a year and was favored by King Chuang, he had already severed all ties with the Zhu family and the court. However, deep down in his heart, he always felt that he was an "unworthy son" and failed to fulfill his parents' last wishes and serve the court. , I feel ashamed of my ancestors and refuse to go back to Lijiazhai again.

Therefore, he did not go to visit his parents' tombs, nor did he allow his younger brother Li Cao to go there. He only sent his old steward Fan Dechen back with twenty cavalrymen to remove Mrs. Tang's coffin from the ancestral hall on his behalf, and temporarily buried it next to his ancestor's tomb. Visit your parents' graves on your behalf.

When Yuan Shizhong led Xiao Yuanying to defect, Fan Dechen and the twenty cavalrymen had just finished the matter and had not yet left Lijiazhai. Although they heard that Xiao Yuanying had said that they were going to Yifeng in eastern Henan on the order of King Chuang, They intercepted and killed Zhang Fuzhen's officers and soldiers who came from Jinan to rescue the provincial capital.

However, Fan Dechen and others also saw that there was something fishy about this matter. He did not dare to delay for a moment. After Xiaoyuan Camp passed the border, he hurried back and found the Li Yan brothers' camp ten miles north of Xinghua Camp and informed Li Yan.

At this moment, Li Yan was considered a close official of King Chuang and was mostly involved in confidential military affairs. He also knew that the imperial court had mobilized Governor Zhang Fuzhen of Baoding and border troops from Xuanda Town to aid Kaifeng. However, he did not hear any official or military movements in the direction of Yifeng, and King Chuang did not either. Yuan Shizhong's troops were ordered to intercept and kill the officers and soldiers, so it was expected that Yuan Shizhong might have defected.

The matter was of great importance, and even if he did not dare to predict it accurately, he could not delay it, so he came to the old camp overnight to report this letter to the generalissimo for his decision.

When Wu Ruyi was woken up by the night guard, he was still in a daze. Although he knew that Li Yan's visit late at night was unusual, he didn't pay much attention to it. He just asked casually: "Lin Quan, are you coming here in the middle of the night?" What's the rush?"

Li Yan leaned close to his ear and whispered two or three words, but did not let the soldiers nearby hear it, so as not to spread it in the camp, which would shake the morale of the soldiers, and fear that the speculation would not affect the closeness between King Chuang and Xiao Yuanying.

Sure enough, Wu Ruyi was shocked after hearing this. He first waved his soldiers to retreat, and then said hurriedly: "This matter is of great importance. Can you call Lin Quan accurately?"

Li Yan whispered back to him: "I think it's almost the same. As for whether it's true or false, we only need to wake up the generalissimo and see if there is really a handwritten message to Xiao Yuanying, and we can know for sure."

Wu Ruyi's heart was spinning. Although he couldn't bear to wake up the sleeping King Chuang, he knew that the matter was serious and could not tolerate any delay, so he said to Li Yan: "Lin Quan, you wait here for a while, I'll go Wake up King Chuang.”

"We must wake up King Chuang as soon as possible. There is no room for any delay in this matter. A decision must be made quickly."

…………

Chuang camp is no longer what it used to be. Today's situation is much bigger than before. The largest military tent is always set up where Chuang Wangxingyuan camp is used as a meeting place for Li Zicheng and his civil and military officials. Sometimes He would also read, work, and even stay overnight here.

However, after tonight's brief meeting, Li Zicheng took care of some official matters and went to rest in Mrs. Gao's tent behind.

Wu Ruyi hurriedly came to the door of Mrs. Gao's sleeping tent. He first told the female soldier on night duty that there was an urgent military situation and that he needed to wake up the Generalissimo immediately to report it. Then he waited quietly outside the sleeping tent. Although Li Zicheng had not yet gained the power of the world, under Niu Jinxing's initiative, there were indeed many new rules in the camp. Liu Zongmin and a few others did not care about this, but most of the generals who broke into the camp were cautious. Be courteous, at least in front of King Chuang.

Although King Chuang is already in a high position and has tens of thousands of troops, he still maintains his true character. No matter how tired he is, he is always very alert when sleeping at night. Whenever there is the slightest movement, he will wake up immediately. Not sleepy and blinded, hesitant and greedy for pillows.

This may be the reason why he was able to work as a thief for more than ten years in the troubled times of the late Ming Dynasty and still survive unscathed until now.

Although he didn't know what kind of emergency had happened, he knew very well that if something big had not happened, Wu Ruyi would not have woken him up in a hurry in the middle of the night. He quickly got up, put on his clothes, and walked out of the tent with his shoes on.

Mrs. Gao was also awakened by his movements. She raised her head from the pillow and listened to the movement outside the room...

Wu Ruyi first waved his hand to repel the female soldiers and servants, and then whispered into Li Zicheng's ear about Xiao Yuanying's escape from Qixian County. Li Zicheng's face immediately changed when he heard that, and he whispered angrily: "Fuck...there is such a thing... What happened? Yuan Shizhong...is really heartless!"

"Yes, I really didn't expect him to be so ungrateful."

At this time, Mrs. Gao in the inner room heard that King Chuang's tone was different from before. Although she didn't know the specific situation, she guessed that something unexpected had happened. She was secretly surprised in her heart, and she got dressed and lit a candle.

When King Chuang saw the light in the inner room, he hurriedly ordered to Wu Ruyi: "Go and ask Lin Quan to wait in the big tent. Then quickly send someone to wake up Mr. Niu and Song Military Advisor and ask them to come to the big tent to discuss matters."

Oh... By the way, Jiexuan and Yigong were also invited together, and then sent Pegasus to Bu Zhiying, asking him to come to the old manor quickly to discuss matters. "

Wu Ruyi bowed and said: "Yes, I will immediately send people to ask for it. And... Generalissimo, will you inform Cao Ying?"

Li Zicheng hesitated for a moment, then said decisively: "After you have finished arranging other matters, immediately go to Cao Ying in person and invite the general to come to Laofu to discuss matters!"

After Wu Ruyi took the order and left, Li Zicheng turned around and went to the sleeping tent. Mrs. Gao helped him button his clothes and asked in a low voice: "What happened? Did someone defect?"

Li Zicheng didn't want her to worry too much, so he simply told her that Yuan Shizhong led his troops to Yifeng without authorization, and there seemed to be a possibility of rebellion. After saying this, he strode out.

Mrs. Gao was suddenly startled after hearing this. She chased after Li Zicheng and asked anxiously: "Huimei... Huimei... is she still alive?"

…………

In the large tent of Chuangying Laofu, Li Yancai talked to King Chuang Li Zicheng about the news brought back by his trusted steward Fan Dechen, and then some soldiers came to report the news. The soldiers originally sent by Shao Shixin to report the news also arrived.

This person disguised himself as a hawker and waited until long after Xiaoyuan Camp had set off before he dared to come out of Qixian City. He was actually one step ahead of Fan Dechen, but from Xinghua Camp to Yanli Village, there were all Breaking into the camp headquarters of Cao Cao's army, he carefully identified the colors of the flags in the night, and finally found Laofu.

He took out the note from the corner of his torn jacket and presented it with both hands. His own soldiers took it and presented it to King Chuang's case. He saw that it read: "Little Yuan Yingyun was ordered by King Chuang to go east to block the imperial court." The officers and soldiers of Zhang Fuzhen's tribe hurriedly broke out of camp and left, and I would like to kowtow here."

Li Zicheng recognized the handwriting of Shao Shixin on the note at a glance, and the soldier in front of him looked very familiar to him. He then asked Xiao Yuan what happened when he left camp, and ordered the soldier who came to deliver the letter to go down and rest.

Li Zicheng's face was ashen and silent, and he kept walking back and forth in the big tent. Li Yan sat on the chair very respectfully, not knowing what to say, so he could only wait quietly for Niu Jinxing, Song Xiance and Liu Zongmin Wait for someone to arrive.

…………

Soon everyone arrived, except Li Guo who had not yet arrived at Laofu because he was stationed far away.

After Luo Rucai cursed a few times, he stopped talking. After all, Yuan Shizhong was the son-in-law of King Chuang Li Zicheng, and he was also a general under King Chuang. Although he had defected from his master, it was still an internal family matter of Chuang camp. Naturally, he Don’t get too involved.

Even though the Chuang Cao cooperation has only maintained a little respect on the surface, they have long been distracted from each other and constantly suspicious of each other. This is in line with the old saying - we can share adversity, but not wealth!

Since Li Zicheng led the remnants of the Eighth Army into Henan in October of the thirteenth year of Chongzhen, his career and prestige have been rising like the rising sun, soaring ninety thousand miles.

The people of Zhongzhou regarded him as a savior in troubled times, and various songs praising his deeds and merits were sung throughout the land of Zhongzhou. Even he himself and the civil and military officials around Chuangying agreed that King Chuang was " "A born saint" will inevitably overthrow the Ming Dynasty within a few years and take over the throne by himself.

It is precisely because of this kind of environment that Li Zicheng seemed a little complacent. He thought that all the heroes in the world would flock to him and lead his troops to surrender. Therefore, under the deception and cajoling of Yuan Shizhong and Liu Yuchi, he did not succeed at all. Unexpectedly, Yuan Shizhong would suddenly lead his entire battalion to defect.

Li Zicheng was very angry about this, and Yuan Shizhong's move greatly damaged King Chuang's prestige. This was the most painful and regretful thing for him!

When everyone in the big tent was discussing how to send troops to capture Yuan Shizhong's small Yuan camp, only Li Zicheng did not say a word. Furthermore, because Song Xiance was the most diligent in recruiting Yuan Shizhong at the beginning, he even offered a marriage plan, so at this time it was also Not many words.

Li Zicheng was now eager to capture Yuan Shizhong and Liu Yuchi immediately and behead them in front of the entire army. This would not only vent his hatred, but also serve as a warning to the traitors.

However, when he was about to use all his strength to besiege Kaifeng, he had already expected that the imperial court would do its best to rescue Kaifeng. At this juncture, he suddenly divided his troops to pursue Yuan Shizhong's Xiaoyuan Camp, which would inevitably weaken the force besieging Kaifeng. , and many useful soldiers would inevitably be killed or wounded, so he hesitated to do so.

After all, the Little Yuan Camp led by Yuan Shizhong is not a vegetarian. The 30,000 soldiers under his command are also carefully selected warriors. Although King Chuang is not afraid of this at all, he will really take advantage of it if he sends less troops. The Xiao Yuan camp is not limited to the Xiaoyuan camp, but if more troops are sent, it will inevitably have a certain impact on the siege of Kaifeng.

However, if Yuan Shizhong's Little Yuan Camp is not eliminated, other bandits will despise Li Zicheng and laugh at him behind his back, which will be very detrimental to him recruiting other bandit forces in the future.

According to estimates, it has been one day and two nights since Yuan Shizhong defected from Qixian County. He is originally from Huaxian County. He has been active in eastern Henan for a long time after the uprising. He is very familiar with the roads and terrain. After so much time, it is probably difficult to escape. Catch up again.

Moreover, after all, Xiao Yuan's camp has more than 30,000 troops. Even if the Qingqi attack can catch up with them, it may be difficult to wipe them out in one battle. If they entangle with Yuan Shizhong for too long, they will not only lose their troops, but also affect the siege of Kaifeng. As a big plan, even if Yuan Shizhong is killed, the gain outweighs the loss.

Another point is that Yuan Shizhong has just left his own camp, and we don’t know what his next plan will be. If he is forced too hastily and he takes 30,000 troops to surrender to Ding Qirui in southern Henan or Zhang Fuzhen in northern Henan, wouldn’t it be even more harmful? ? …