Eighth year of Chongzhen

39 The Great War 3
Zu Kuan and Li Chongjin were a little surprised. In fact, they just wanted to share a part.After all, the Tianxiong army is the main army, and the Liaodong soldiers and horses are guest soldiers.

Besides, this is a team led by important court officials like the prime ministers of the five provinces. If you ask for too much, it will be unreasonable. You have to save some face for the governors, right?

They didn't expect Lu Xiangsheng to be so generous that he actually gave up the captured big head.

Zu Kuan hastily declined and said, "You can't do it! It's better to be the commander-in-chief and the three of us, or else it's too much!"

Lu Xiangsheng smiled and said: "Okay, don't give in anymore, as long as you can win the battle, mere property is nothing. What's more, the food and salaries allocated by the imperial court have already arrived in Ruzhou. When the siege of Ruyang is solved, the bandits will be driven into the city." Shan, I will go to Ruzhou to recuperate, just in time to pay the food and salary.

The soldiers were born and died, and they had to send some money back to their families, and also sent a letter to their families to say they were safe! "

Zu and Li also followed suit, and Zu Qianjun hurried back to tell the Liaodong soldiers the good news. After a while, cheers came from the Liaodong soldiers and horses, and the Tianxiong army was still lined up neatly. The formation stood without squinting.

Zu Kuan and Li Chongjin looked at the Tianxiong Army's well-organized military appearance, and they were also full of admiration, and their original contempt disappeared immediately.

Next, Lu Xiangsheng arranged for the soldiers to dig several large pits, and buried all the corpses of the bandit soldiers.The remains of the officers and soldiers who died in battle were cremated and the ashes were collected and put into clay pots carried by the army.

The military clerk wrote down the names and places of origin of the dead on white paper, and then carefully put away the clay pots and put them in the straw-covered carriage.

The seized property was divided into two parts, and then distributed to the soldiers after camping.

In this battle, more than 23 thieves were killed and wounded. The Tianxiong Army killed 120 people and injured 51 five people. The Liaodong Cavalry team killed 160 people and injured [-] five people. More than [-] intact horses were seized, and a total of more than [-] taels of gold and silver , with countless weapons and armor, it can be said to be a complete victory.

After everything was arranged, Lu Xiangsheng ordered to return to the camp to rest and prepare for the battle.

The peripheral bandits defeated by Lu Xiangsheng fled back to the central army. Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong had already received the news.

The two of them brought their respective generals to the outside of the Chinese army's camp. The defeated soldiers who kept fleeing came outside the Chinese army's camp and lay down sprawled on the spot. The weapons in my hands have long been discarded.

Some were afraid of running too slowly, so they even took off their helmets and helmets and threw them away. Some squatted on the ground and vomited, and some knelt on the ground and wept silently. It was because relatives or friends at home had already died up.

Gao Yingxiang looked at the scene in front of him with a gloomy expression.

He is a typical northwestern man, with a burly figure, a square face, thick eyebrows and big eyes, a straight nose and a wide mouth, wearing black mail and a white wide-brimmed felt hat with big red cherry tassels on his head.

Since the rebellion in his hometown of Suide in the second year of Chongzhen, to the present seven years, his subordinates have grown from less than a thousand people to tens of thousands of cavalry and tens of thousands of infantry. The strength is the strongest among all the rebels. Most of the rebel leaders are secretly headed by him.

Especially in recent years, he has led his subordinates to defeat the government army repeatedly, and he has gained a great reputation.Many small groups of thieves came to vote one after another, which made his strength expand rapidly and his prestige soared. Even Hong Chengchou, who is known for his resourcefulness and skill in fighting, was afraid of him like a snake and scorpion, and did not dare to confront him head-on.

Unexpectedly, this time he suffered a big loss in the little Ruyang, he was very angry in his heart, but because Zhang Xianzhong and other outsiders were around, he suppressed his anger and did not burst out immediately.

At this time, Yidou Gu Huanglong, his capable general, came to him in a hurry, bowed his hands roughly to Gao Yingxiang, and then reported loudly: "Master Chuang, the sons have suffered a lot this time, listen to that damn rooster!" Said that the government army came to suppress, and led a team of more than a thousand horses to go to grab credit, but this time they encountered a hard stubble. Not to mention his own death, the team of thousands of horses only escaped back to dozens of horses. This time we are at a loss Already!"

Gao Yingxiang became even more angry when he heard the words, the horse team of more than a thousand horses was his heart, and it was also the capital on which he relied on to be superior to the others.

He has a total of more than [-] cavalry, and nearly [-]% of them went this time. He can't wait to save that damn rooster and cut him into pieces again.

As for those pawns, they were just refugees. As long as they had food, they could have as much as they wanted, and he didn't feel bad about dying.

In order to appear calm and magnanimous in front of Zhang Xianzhong who came to get together, he could only suppress the urge to stab people with a knife, took a deep breath, and asked as calmly as possible: "Then you know that these officials Where does the army come from? Who leads the team? How many people are there?"

Huanglong replied: "I asked the sons who fled back. The officers and soldiers have a large cavalry team, with tens of thousands of horses. When these bandits and officers were chasing and killing them, they kept shouting and their accents were very strange. Some sons said it might be possible. They came from outside the pass. Before the battle, the sons and daughters saw the flags raised by the infantry of the officers and soldiers, and a deserter from the officers and soldiers said that he had seen this flag before, and it seemed to be the banner of King Lu Yan!"

Gao Yingxiang's expression changed when he heard the words, and Zhang Xianzhong, who was watching the excitement, also became solemn.

Gao Yingxiang knew very well that the one who came this time was a formidable enemy.As far as he knew, the inland army rarely had tens of thousands of cavalry. Although the deserters would exaggerate the truth, the army on the opposite side should have at least a few thousand cavalry. So where did these army cavalry come from?
There is only one place—the Liaodong cavalry outside Shanhaiguan to guard against the Jurchens.It was a powerful soldier fed by the imperial court with a large amount of money and food. It was because of the existence of this army that those Jurchen barbarians did not enter the pass for so many years.

Unexpectedly, the imperial court would spare no expense this time, sending Guan Ning cavalry into the pass thousands of miles away. Isn't it afraid that the Jurchens will take the opportunity to break through the pass?
As for Lu Xiangsheng, he was also someone who greatly feared Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong.Among the many thieves who joined the gang, many had fought against Lu Xiangsheng. When Lu Xiangsheng's name was mentioned, these thieves were as fearful as a tiger, and they all said they were invincible. His nickname.

Gao Yingxiang's anger was gone, and he turned to Zhang Xianzhong who was beside him and said, "Brother Zhang, this time the officers and soldiers are not kind, you and I have to find a way to get rid of the officers and soldiers, let's go, let's go to my camp total!"

Zhang Xianzhong nodded solemnly in agreement.Gao Yingxiang ordered Huang Long to send additional troops to search for the movement of the officers and troops, and to withdraw the troops who were preparing to attack Ruyang County for repairs, and then headed to his big tent first, and the important leaders under him, Zhang Xianzhong and others followed.

In the big tent, Gao Yingxiang sat down on the big chair in the center, Zhang Xianzhong led his subordinates to sit on the left row of chairs, and Gao Yingxiang's generals sat on the right row of chairs superior.

After everyone sat down, Gao Yingxiang said loudly: "Brother Zhang, you come to vote for me this time. I originally wanted to take down Ruyang City and give you half of the gold and silver women inside. I just rushed over!
I don't think it was the people from the city who reported the news. It should be that this group of officers and soldiers were nearby and rushed over by chance.Donkey Ball!This time I ruined my good deed!Brother, tell me, what should we do next? "

This time Zhang Xianzhong brought more than 2 horses under his command to gather together. His men walked more and rode less. Although he also took down a few county towns, he was attacked and killed several times by Cao Bianjiao with hundreds of horse teams. Although the main force was not damaged, he was killed The toss is not light.

Suffering from the absence of cavalry to confront Cao Bianjiao, if Xiao Cao were to make surprise attacks a few times, except for his own thousands of cronies, the rest would probably be defeated.

Besides, I don't have much food and grass in my hand. In desperation, I thought of going to Gao Yingxiang, wanting to take a breather and recuperate under his protection, and then follow Gao Yingxiang to lay down a few cities, grab enough money and food, and develop myself secretly. After gaining enough strength, they parted ways with Gao Yingxiang.

After all, Zhang Xianzhong is also a proud and arrogant person. Although he is a deserter from the army, he looks down on Gao Yingxiang and the gang of mud legs from the bottom of his heart. Now the situation is just forcing him to submit to him.

Zhang Xianzhong pondered for a while, and said: "King Chuang, if my old Zhang guessed correctly, these official cavalry should have come from Liaodong. It is not something we can handle. Those Liaodong barbarians fought with A wave of ruthlessness, besides that Lu Yan Wang, is not a good stubble.

I heard that although Lu Yanwang is a literati, he is used to wielding a big sword, and he always takes the lead in fighting, and he will never stop dying. The gang of Hebei guys under him are also desperate.

King Chuang, we rebelled for the sake of being popular and spicy, not for killing our lives in vain. I think we should not fight them head-on, we should avoid them first.

These Liaodong barbarians will not stay in the pass for too long. When the Jurchen barbarians find the emptiness outside the pass, they will definitely send troops to attack. At that time, the emperor will have to transfer these Liaodong barbarians back outside the pass. Without these Liaodong cavalry, although King Lu Yan is powerful, I am not afraid He, King Chuang, what do you think? "

After Zhang Xianzhong finished speaking, Gao Yingxiang became deep in thought.

Although he is unwilling to fight head-on with the powerful Liaodong cavalry and Lu Xiangsheng's team, he is also afraid that his cavalry will be damaged too much and his strength will be greatly reduced. These bandits who rely on him now will not respect him as much as they do now up.

But if he retreats without a fight, he will not be reconciled.

This time hundreds of thousands of rogues gathered near Ruyang, his own tens of thousands of horsemen was the most numerous and strongest among them, and the tens of thousands of horses brought by Zhang Xianzhong was second only to him.There are also dozens of bandits, big and small, each with tens of thousands of horses.

Although most of these 10 people are mobs, but one out of ten, these tens of 10 people in Mali can still pick out tens of thousands of people who can fight, but that is the property of various gangster leaders, big and small, if they really want to take it out To fight recklessly with the officers and soldiers, it is estimated that most of them will not agree.

Although everyone vaguely regards him as the leader, it is actually a very loose alliance, and he does not have the right to respond to everyone.

Besides, if you really avoid this army of officials as Zhang Xianzhong said this time, it doesn't matter if you can't take down Ruyang City, but if it is rumored that Gao Yingxiang has tens of thousands of horses and horses, but is afraid of more than ten thousand officers and troops, then he is exiled by the thieves. The prestige in the game will be greatly reduced.

In the past few years, seeing his own strength gradually grow, and the battles with the government and the army are also repeated. I have a greater ambition and pursuit, and this pursuit is not a fantasy, but a possibility.

Thinking of this, Gao Yingxiang made up his mind.

After he sat up straight, he slowly said: "Brother Zhang, I know your nickname is Huang Hu, you are one of the most rebellious rebels, why did you shrink your eggs today?
Just a bunch of Liaodong barbarians, plus a Lu Yanwang scare you to pee?With our hundreds of thousands of troops, how can we scare away more than ten thousand officers and soldiers?If the news gets out, I, Gao Yingxiang, can't afford to lose that man!

Even if we withdraw, we can't withdraw without a fight. We have to try the tricks of those officers and soldiers to succeed!
Let's do this, this time I will take out [-] old battalion cavalry and [-] infantry to fight against the official army!In my three thousand horse team, there are many foreigners from the frontier, and they are very tough when fighting!That old man Hong Chengchou has also suffered a lot from me, and now he hears my name, and he keeps away from me!

This time we will fight recklessly with the officers and soldiers, don't be afraid, even if we lose, it will be nothing, I still have more than ten thousand fine riders in the battle, if we fail to fight recklessly, the officers and soldiers will lose a lot of horses. They dare not chase us any more.

When the time comes, the officers and soldiers lose their vigor, and we can go wherever we want, how will he treat him?This time I spent a lot of money, just wait and see! "

Gao Yingxiang's subordinates heard that his Chuang Wang was so proud, and in addition to the few defeats against the officers and soldiers in the past few years, although the officers and soldiers are strong this time, there are many people on his side, and they really have to fight for their lives. talking.

Guo Tianxing Han Liang stood up and shouted: "Donkey ball, isn't it Xiong Guanjun? The knife in my hand has cut off the heads of countless officers and soldiers! My Lord Chuang has spoken. If anyone doesn't obey the order, I will kill you!" Old Han killed him with a knife!"

The rest of Gao Yingxiang's generals also stood up and shouted, and the scene suddenly became lively.

Zhang Xianzhong was furious and his face was extremely ugly.What he hated the most was being threatened and coerced by others. He suddenly stood up and was about to have a fit. The adopted son Sun Kewang next to him pulled his elbow, and Zhang Xianzhong suddenly came to his senses.

He rolled his eyes, laughed loudly and said, "Brother Han is right, who dare not listen to King Chuang's orders! My old Zhang sent two thousand soldiers, and they were all old soldiers who followed me for more than a hundred battles. This time, I also made a capital investment, and my old Zhang listened to King Chuang!"

Seeing this situation, the other rogue leaders expressed their opinions no matter what they thought in their hearts.The eight hundred and the one thousand finally gathered 5 people, all of whom were elite subordinates of individuals.

Among the 5 horses, only Gao Yingxiang's [-] cavalry team, and the rest of the bandit leaders, big and small, sent out infantry. Gao Yingxiang knew that most of the bandit leaders didn't have many cavalry, even if there were hundreds or dozens of cavalry, they still kept them Of course, it is not easy to force others to pay for life-saving capital.

While secretly despising them, he was also deeply proud of the strength of his subordinates.

Gao Yingxiang stood up, with his hands on his hips, and Gu Pan looked like he was trying to please Ni Qunxiong.

He waved one hand and ordered loudly: "This is what it looks like to make a big deal! Lao Han, you send someone to tell Huang Long, tell him to order [-] cavalry and [-] pawns! In addition, you go and prepare rice and white noodles, and kill Huang Long. Fifty sheep will be cooked, and after a while everyone will have their soldiers and horses ready, and we will have a meal together, as long as the food is full! Don’t let the sons go to battle hungry, go and go!"

Guo Tianxing Han Liang followed his orders and left, Zhang Xianzhong and other foreign leaders also stood up and said goodbye one after another, and went back to their respective camps to gather troops and prepare for the battle.

Zhang Xianzhong returned to his camp with his adopted sons, Sun Kewang, Liu Wenxiu, Li Dingguo and others.

After entering the big tent, Zhang Xianzhong sat down on the big chair with a sullen face.

Sun Kewang stepped forward to salute and asked: "Father, do we really want to take the old soldiers out to fight for our lives? Although we have tens of thousands of people, the old battalion only has more than five thousand soldiers. If we take out two thousand at a time, in case an official If the army is tied up, if we lose too much, then we will lose too much, and it will be impossible to achieve great things in the future!"

Zhang Xianzhong slapped the table and yelled: "Fuck that! You shit Chuang Wang! I'm here to gain fame, not to work for him! He insisted on fighting the officers and soldiers for his own fame. You have to tell us to join us too!

Are those Liaodong barbarians easy to get along with?And that King Lu Yan, we suffered from the hundreds of cavalry under General Xiao Cao, is there any way to survive against the thousands of Liaodong cavalry?And that donkey ball crosses the stars!A booger-like figure dares to threaten Lao Tzu!Sooner or later, I will skin him alive!
Don't worry, you guys, I will never use the old soldier to fight for the surname Gao! "

Sun Kewang said worriedly: "Father, King Gao Chuang has been in battle for a long time. If we send out any old soldiers, he will see it at a glance. What should we do if he makes trouble in front of everyone? Now we have to rely on him. .”

Zhang Xianzhong sneered and said: "Nowadays dozens of rebels gather together, each family has different numbers of people to fight, and there is no unified order. 5 horses are not a small number. When they get together, they may become chaotic.

Gao Yingxiang still has to manage food to buy people's hearts, and he will not be able to gather within two hours. Let's hold our breath and wait until they are almost ready before leading our soldiers.

I and Kewang lead the team to meet the officers and soldiers, Wenxiu, Dingguo and you guys stay and look after them, don’t worry, we will never step forward in a fight, the old men will stay aside, if the situation is not good, we will talk Huh, that's it!

It is hoped that you go to assemble a team and pick a thousand veterans, and the rest are random. These veterans are in case our side is defeated and used to save our lives.

Dingguo, you go to Gao Yingxiang to ask for food, and you say that King Chuang is too busy to manage the food for 5 people at once, so give us the food, and we will cook for ourselves! "

Sun Kewang and Li Dingguo took orders to leave after saluting.

(End of this chapter)