The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Xiangyang City is located in the south of the Han River, blocking the curve of the Han River in the north, and facing Fancheng on the north bank of the Han River across the river.

It borders the Han River to the north, Xian Mountain to the back, Tongbai Mountain to the northeast, and Dahong Mountain to the southeast.

To the northwest is the remnant of Wudang Mountain, and to the southwest is the continuous Jingshan Mountains.

The mountains are like a screen, and the peaks face each other, forming a barrier on all four sides. A river runs through it, isolating the north and the south.

Xiangyang City is located right between the Qinling Mountains and the Jianghan Plain.

Most of the upper reaches are mountains and hills, making it difficult to walk, while the lower reaches are low-lying with continuous lakes.

Xiangyang has always been a battleground for military strategists in troubled times.

Hold Xiangyang, advance to the northwest, and retreat to consolidate the southeast.

There are not many defenders in Xiangyang City. Currently, there are only 7000 people in Xiangyang City, and more are stationed on the north bank of the Han River, near Fancheng.

Except for the soldiers and horses from the four towns who came with Chen Wang, they were all gathered in the north of Han River. Most of the other Ming troops who were summoned also lived here.

Most of Zuo Liangyu's soldiers and horses are actually on the north bank of the Han River. There are only more than a thousand soldiers and horses in the Xiangyang City military camp.

After crossing the Han River, Chen Wang returned directly to the Chinese army camp.

Although Yang Sichang arrived in Xiangyang, the war would not start for a while.

The troops and horses were not moved, but the food and grass went first. Although Huguang was not affected by the disaster, it still took a certain amount of time to mobilize enough food for the expedition.

"Brother Wang."

As soon as Chen Wang walked into the Chinese army tent, Hu Zhili was already there to greet him.

"There's news from Hanzhong."

"Outside Baitu Pass, there are many wandering bandits appearing during this period."

Chen Wang frowned slightly and couldn't help but slow down his hands to untie his cloak.

Baituguan is actually Pingli City. Later, because Pingli County was located in a low-lying area and was surrounded by mountains, the old city was washed away by rivers.

After reconstruction, the new city was built directly on the basis of the original Guancheng of Baituguan, so it can be called Pingli County or Baituguan.

In military terms, it is more natural to call it Baituguan.

There are two roads into Hanzhong Prefecture from Huguang. One is the North Road, which starts from Yunxian County in the north of Yunyang Prefecture, crosses Baihe, Xunyang, and enters Xing'an.

When Gao Yingxiang entered Hanzhong Mansion, he took the north road.

The southern road starts from Zhuxi in the south of Yunyang Prefecture, passes through Baituguan, Jinzhou, and then to Xing'an.

This time Zhang Xianzhong took the southern route, and the northern part was still under the control of the Ming army.

The area controlled by Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai is still relatively limited, and their power is still limited to the south of Yunyang.

After Baituguan was converted into a county, its defense force became much weaker.

This is also one of the reasons why rogue bandits were able to travel freely and freely in the first place.

"Is the rogue going to Pingli?"

Chen Gong, who followed Chen Wang into the military tent, also frowned.

"Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai shouldn't think that they entered Shaanxi from Hanzhong, right?"

"They have suffered big losses in Hanzhong several times, so why would they think of going to Hanzhong?"

Chen Gong took off his windproof cloak, walked to the map hanging next to the military tent, and continued.

"Shaanxi has been fighting for so many years and it is already in a state of ruin. Do these bandits really want to return to Shaanxi?"

The speaker doesn't mean it, but the listener does.

Chen Wang's eyes narrowed slightly. What Chen Gong said made him discover a big problem.

Historically, in the 12th year of Chongzhen, Chen Wang had read the marching route and situation of the battalions such as Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai after they were resurrected. Chen Wang had read those relevant historical materials before, so he naturally remembered them.

After Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai joined forces, they defeated Zuo Liangyu in Luohou Mountain and absorbed a large number of refugees. Then they began to unite their troops, reorganize their troops, and at the same time contact the local bandits to rebel again.

Then Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai joined forces to attack Xing'an, a city in the east of Hanzhong Prefecture, via Baituguan and Pingli. It seemed that they wanted to enter Shaanxi again from Hanzhong Prefecture.

According to the original process, Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai's intention to enter Xing'an was informed by the Ming army in advance, and then the newly appointed trilateral governor Zheng Chongjian led He Renlong, Li Guoqi and other battalions to rush all the way from Yun County in the north, across the Baihe River, and took the northern road Enter Hanzhong Mansion.

After the setback in Xing'an, Luo Rucai still stayed in Fang County, while Zhang Xianzhong went north to Nanyang.

Chen Wang originally thought so, so he sent troops to contact them, hoping to know the movements of Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai in advance, and then deploy defenses in advance.

The eastern part of Hanzhong Prefecture was the defense area of ​​Xing'an's Qianhu Post. Back then, Gao Yingxiang and Ling Bin defeated all the cities in the east except Xing'an.

After defeating the rogue bandits, Chen Wang took advantage of his authority and asked Du Wugang, the garrison of Qianhu in Xing'an, to seize the opportunity to enclose the land. Taking advantage of the vacuum when the landlords and squires were killed, he not only took back the original fields of the garrison of Qianhu in Xing'an. , and even filled in many new fields on its basis.

Later, Du Wugang recruited many refugees, turned them into military households, expanded thousands of households, and opened mining and trade, which greatly improved the economy.

Behind these things, Chen Wang also gave a lot of support.

In 11, there was a severe drought in the central part of Hanzhong Prefecture, and there was a shortage of food in Hanzhong Town. It was supplemented by the food produced in Xing'an, so it was not too difficult.

As a central place, Xing'an is now also a major place for grain production.

Construction is difficult and destruction is easy. Hanzhong Mansion is Chen Wang's foundation. Chen Wang naturally does not want rogue bandits to enter Hanzhong Mansion again and plunder it.

Therefore, people were sent to keep an eye out, and after receiving the movements of the bandits, they immediately reported to Yang Sichang that the bandits were preparing to enter Hanzhong Prefecture and use the road to enter Shaanxi.

Then it is logical to lead troops westward from the areas that the North Road bandits have not yet occupied, enter Hanzhong Mansion, and intercept the bandits directly at Baituguan, so that the bandits have no chance to enter Hanzhong Mansion.

The difference between failing to capture Xing'an and heading north, and failing to capture Baituguan and heading north is not big, and the impact is limited.

In this way, not only can the basic base of Hanzhong Mansion be preserved, but the situation can also be taken advantage of to return to Hanzhong Mansion, killing two birds with one stone.

And most importantly, this can also control the development of the situation to the greatest extent.

Chen Wang had already thought about it. After reporting directly to Yang Sichang, he took Cao Bianjiao and headed directly to Hanzhong Mansion.

With the power of general Ping Tie, Cao Bianjiao was also under his control.

It's better to keep a fierce man like Cao Bianjiao under your nose.

According to Zhang Xianzhong's ability, even if he overturns when dealing with other people, it won't be too big and he will still be able to escape in the end.

Historically, Zhang Xianzhong suffered a disastrous defeat when he was surrounded by Zuo Liangyulian and Zhuzhen in Manao Mountain, and finally broke out.

But now the process has changed. In terms of strategy, Cao Bianjiao lacks experience and is indeed not as good as Zuo Liangyu. However, Cao Bianjiao led hundreds of famous servants and almost broke into the Qing army camp and killed Huang Taiji.

Chen Wang was really worried that Cao would turn into a dragon and bring Zhang Xianzhong's head back.

Zhang Xianzhong indeed deserves to die, but he cannot die now.

Now that the world is not in complete chaos, Zhang Xianzhong must not die.

That's the general plan.

only……

Now what Chen Gong said made Chen Wang find something wrong.

Chen Wang strode forward, and in just a few steps he was in front of the map.

Following the map of mountains, rivers, terrain, cities and rivers, the historical routes of how Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai marched were reflected in Chen Wang's eyes.

Countless lines intersect together, constantly separated, constantly wandering, and constantly confused, and in the end, all those lines point to one place - Kuizhou, Sichuan!
"Zhang Xianzhong didn't want to enter Shaanxi..." Chen Wang's eyes stayed on top of Kuizhou, and then continued to move around.

The movement trajectories of Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai were extremely clear before his eyes when compared with the map.

To be honest, Chen Wang now really feels that Zhang Xianzhong can really be said to be a genius.

A general who had become a monk halfway and had not received any systematic military education had reached this level step by step.

"If you're not going to Shaanxi, then where are you going? Could it be that you want to go to Sichuan?"

Chen Gong frowned, not knowing what was going on.

"The mountains in Sichuan are high and the roads are far away. The reason why the rogue bandits are able to escape every time is because of the rapid advance of the horse army and their elite cavalry."

"After entering Sichuan, the horses were of little use in many places. Not only could they not be used as a support, but they also became a drag."

Over the years, Chen Gong has read a lot of military books and learned a lot from Chen Wang. He is no longer the person who only knows how to charge into battle with a knife and a gun and only kill people.

Hu Zhili on the side also had the same doubts. Going to Sichuan now was undoubtedly asking for death.

The army gathered in eastern Sichuan. Although the governor of Sichuan, Fu Zonglong, had been transferred north recently to replace Yang Sichang in charge of the military department, the new governor Shao Jiechun was now in charge of the Sichuan army.

When the commander is changed before the battle, the morale of the military will definitely fluctuate, and Shao Jiechun does not have much military experience.

However, even if you don't understand military affairs, you can trap the rogue bandits to death in Sichuan as long as you guard the passes and arteries.

"The current situation, even going to Henan is better than going to Sichuan..."

Hu Zhili seemed to have thought of something and continued.

"Could it be that Zhang Xianzhong is going to Henan?"

"Henan is currently suffering from famine due to drought locusts. There are refugees everywhere and bandits in the mountains. It would be best if we could enter Henan."

In places where Henan is currently suffering from disasters, the advantages of rogue bandits can be brought into full play as quickly as possible.

By breaking down the city and opening warehouses to store grain, you can quickly raise a large army of soldiers and horses, and then divide the troops into four quarters to stir up a bigger storm.

Hu Zhili felt that if he was given the choice, he would definitely choose to go to Henan.

Although Zheng Chongjian, the governor of the three sides, is now leading Shaanxi soldiers and horses to guard Henan Mansion.

But this is undoubtedly the best way at the moment.

However, Chen Wang still shook his head and rejected Hu Zhili's judgment.

"Zhang Xianzhong is indeed going to Sichuan, but he is not just going to Sichuan."

Chen Wang's eyes were sharp, and he had clearly understood Zhang Xianzhong's true thoughts.

At this time, the Ming army mobilized heavy troops at the intersection of Huguang, Sichuan, and Shaanxi provinces. The officers and soldiers were so powerful that there was no chance of winning in a head-on confrontation.

"Iri Sichuan is just to attract our pursuit."

Entering Sichuan can only be regarded as a temporary measure.

Entering Shaanxi is a dead end, and going north to Henan is just repeating the same mistakes, drinking poison to quench thirst.

The biggest reason why the 12th year of Chongzhen became a watershed in the Ming Dynasty's sharp decline was actually the changes in the thinking of Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong, Luo Rucai, He Yilong and others.

Twelve years after Chongzhen, Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong and others began to slowly change the thinking of the rogue bandits.

In the long-term struggle, they understood that the bandits could only win for a while, but they could not win for the rest of their lives.

When Luo Rucai occupied Fang County, he distributed land and stored grain and grass.

Not only did he not bully and rob the people, he even gave capital to the poor people nearby, allowed them to do business, allocated land for farming, and even helped them to uphold justice.

Luo Rucai's behavior naturally won the favor of many people, and there was a scene of people rushing to join the army.

When Zhang Xianzhong was in Gucheng at that time, he designated Wangjiahe in Gucheng as Taiping Town and set up checkpoints in the town.

Half of the goods transported by the caravans were levied to cover the cost of raising troops, but they were bought and sold equally to the common people.

The general soldiers looted and expropriated land, and all the land was confiscated from the big landowners.

And when Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai started an uprising in Gucheng and Fang County.

They no longer coerced the villagers or robbed the people. They unanimously targeted the local officials, gentry and landlords.

Historically, Li Zicheng took advantage of the main force of the Ming army to pursue Zhang Xianzhong in Sichuan and entered Henan to take in the hungry people and open warehouses to relieve the hungry people.

And the song "Welcome King Chuang, but don't accept food" began to be sung from that time.

Then the hungry people from far and near came with their hoeing hands, and those who responded were like running water, day and night, calling out millions of people, but their momentum set a prairie fire and was unstoppable!

"Zhang Xianzhong's purpose is to bring us down."

"Bring it down?"

Hu Zhili and Chen Gong were slightly startled.

"Just like it was in Shaanxi and Shanxi."

"Sichuan is indeed very mountainous, and the road to Shu is difficult to travel, so the effectiveness of horses is reduced to a very low level."

"But riding horses is still faster than people. There are many soldiers and infantry in each camp. The mountains are high and the roads are long and you need to carry baggage. Trying to catch up with the bandits is nothing more than a dream."

"In the end, we are still at a disadvantage."

Chen Wang's eyes stayed on Xiangyang's position.

Attack Hanzhong Prefecture first and make a move to enter Shaanxi, causing the Ming army to rush to Hanzhong Prefecture for reinforcements.

But in fact it is Sichuan that is really going to be attacked.

The troops in the east of Sichuan changed their commanders soon, and many of the troops in the east of Sichuan were transferred to Hanzhong Prefecture, so their strength was greatly weakened.

Zhang Xianzhong led his troops straight into the hinterland of Sichuan, adopting a strategy of approaching the enemy, and led his troops southward. He did not engage in direct confrontation with the officers and soldiers at all. As soon as he saw the officers and soldiers arriving, he would mount his horse and flee.

Because everyone is on horseback, they can travel hundreds of miles in a day and night when they are fast, and the officers and soldiers have no way to catch up.

In half a year, he traveled five to six thousand miles and covered almost half of Shu.

It reaches Guangyuan and Zhaohua in the north and Luzhou and Nanxi in the south.

It extends as far west as Zhuzhou and counties near Chengdu, and as far east as Wushan and Bianmen.

Finally, after Yang Sichang determined that he had the idea of ​​occupying Sichuan.

Zhang Xianzhong gathered his elite troops and marched directly out of Sichuan.

At that time, the soldiers and horses from the six provinces were either in the mountains of Sichuan or in Henan to encircle and suppress Li Zicheng.

South of Xiangyang, only Jingmen has a few soldiers and horses.

After Zhang Xianzhong left Sichuan, he was invincible all the way. He conquered Xiangyang in one battle and completely disintegrated the Ming army's encirclement network.

This is the historical process of Zhang Xianzhong's transition to fighting after his resurrection in Gucheng.

“Sichuan is a place of death, but it is also a place of life.”

Trapped in a place of death and then survive, put in a place of death and then survive.

My head feels a little dizzy and foggy again, so the update is a bit late. I'll adjust it tomorrow.