The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 296
October 12, the 24th year of Chongzhen.

South of Yunyang Prefecture, Zhuxi, Peasant Army Camp.

At this time, in and outside Zhuxi City, there were peasant army camps scattered all over the mountains and plains.

Densely packed shacks and military tents stretch from the outskirts of the city to the surrounding hills and mountains.

Flags of various colors were flying up and down the city, and one could not even forget them at a glance.

A total of more than 20 people gathered in the small town of Zhuxi. The camp they set up seemed to be boundless and even daunting.

"Yunxiang is such a large area. The officers and soldiers have learned to behave a bit after suffering the pain. The results of the battle these days have been limited."

In the central military tent, Luo Rucai was sitting on a chair, with his hands resting on the armrests and crossing each other, with a gloomy expression.

Officers and soldiers are not fools. The initial losses they suffered were just unprepared and unexpected losses.

As time goes by, officers and soldiers are becoming more and more cunning, and it is difficult for them to seize the right opportunity to cause losses to them.

During this period, the result they gained was to attack several logistics troops transporting baggage.

The officers and soldiers united together, marched step by step, and advanced slowly. The scouts and cavalry coming out in all directions made it impossible for them to ambush them even if they wanted to.

They also tried the trick of deceiving defeat, but the officers and soldiers were not fooled and still maintained their own rhythm and advanced slowly.

"We don't have much time. The officers and soldiers will be hundreds of miles away tomorrow!"

Luo Rucai's eyes were full of annoyance. He turned his head to look at Zhang Xianzhong who was sitting next to him and said in a deep voice.

"It's already reached this juncture, haven't you made up your mind yet?"

Yunxiang is such a big place, and the officers and soldiers came from Xiangyang and Yunxian in three groups to cover the area. The nearest group of officers and soldiers was less than a hundred miles away from them.

If we delay any longer, when the officers and soldiers arrive at the city and are surrounded, there will be no way to escape.

This time, the commander of the Ming army was not the money-obsessed Xiong Wencan, but the murderous Yang Sichang!

Yang Sichang's father was Yang He, the former governor of the three sides.

It was because of Yang He's care that he was finally convicted and imprisoned.

Therefore, Yang Sichang has always been the leader of suppression since he took office.

Luo Rucai has been in the officialdom for a while, and he is naturally aware of Yang Sichang's practices and reputation.

This time, even if they wanted to surrender, they had no way to appeal. The only way waiting for them at the Ming court was Fu Zhu.

Zhang Xianzhong, who was sitting next to Luo Rucai, was frowning and leaning back on his chair as if thinking about some difficult problem.

Upon hearing Luo Rucai's question, Zhang Xianzhong frowned and sighed helplessly.

"I really can't decide to pay attention now."

"I really can't guess what Chen Wang is going to do."

Zhang Xianzhong frowned, his eyes full of doubts.

"Chen Wang?"

"Correct."

"Chen Wang has led his troops to Baituguan for nearly ten days, but until now, he has never led his troops out of the pass. During this period, only a few cavalry came out of the pass to attack us occasionally."

Zhang Xianzhong shook his head, lowered his voice and spoke.

"This is not like Chen Wang's usual style...so...I have been wondering if he is planning something."

Zhang Xianzhong thought he knew something about all the generals in the Ming Dynasty, including the big and small Cao Cao.

But Zhang Xianzhong really didn't dare to say that he understood Chen Wang.

This bright general, who rose like a comet, defeated Li Zicheng for the first time.

Gao Yingxiang planned the strategy for several years, but in the end it became a stepping stone on Chen Wang's way to the top.

In the battle of King Qin, Chen Wang became famous all over the world, and was praised by the emperor for his bravery in the three armies, which was directly compared to the champions of the Han Dynasty.

Judging from Chen Wang's various deeds along the way, Chen Wang undoubtedly belongs to the ranks of loyal ministers.

Many parties are attacking Qinwang, and all the towns are trying to preserve their strength, and they rarely care about the casualties.

In every battle, Chen Wang went all out, regardless of casualties in his southern and northern campaigns.

Zhang Xianzhong's original plan was to lead his troops to attack Hanzhong Prefecture and create a situation of wanting to enter Shaanxi, but in fact he diverted his troops to Sichuan.

However, Zhang Xianzhong changed his plan after hearing that Chen Wang had been appointed as the general to defeat the traitors and led troops from Sichuan and Shaanxi to Hanzhong Mansion. ,

He constantly mobilized troops and horses to rush to Zhuxi, constantly set up defenses, and placed all the firearms that could be mobilized in Zhuxi.

The purpose was to wait for the moment when Chen Wang led his troops out of the border and ambush the troops led by Chen Wang.

Zhang Xianzhong never thought about being able to defeat the troops led by Chen Wang. He only wanted to rely on Zhuxi's arrangement for so long to maintain the stalemate, and then Jin Chan escaped from his shell, used a partial division to hold back Chen Wang's troops, and took the opportunity to divert south to Sichuan.

It's just that Zhang Xianzhong thought that Chen Wang would lead his troops out of Hanzhong Mansion and attack them soon.

But for so long, Chen Wang has been leading his troops to quietly station at Baituguan, only sending a few cavalry to harass their camp every day.

"The current situation is already too difficult to get off. It's not that I don't want to leave, but I dare not leave."

Zhang Xianzhong was as depressed as Luo Rucai. His eyes were bloodshot and his tone of voice was very depressed.

It would be okay if it was just Chen Wang, but Cao Bianjiao was also in Bai Tu Pass.

One Chen and one Cao, both evil stars were present. During this period, Zhang Xianzhong did not even have a good night's sleep.
For several nights in a row, when I closed my eyes, all I remembered was Cao Bianjiao, covered in blood, holding a long gun and entering the Chinese army's tent.

"As I say."

Luo Rucai took the wine glass from the side and drank all the wine in one gulp.

Luo Ru gritted her teeth as the strong alcohol flowed down her throat and burned into her heart.

"If we continue to break up, we will suffer chaos. Now it is an urgent situation. If we don't want to leave, we have to leave."

"Tomorrow we will mobilize two battalions of cavalry and fine cavalry to escort the hungry soldiers to attack Baituguan."

"When the sun sets in the evening, the two of us will lead the troops and horses of the brigade directly south to Sichuan."

Luo Rucai has already made up his mind. Although he really can't think of any good solutions, these are all solutions among the alternatives.

But now, no matter how bad the solution is, it is still much better than sitting still and waiting for death.

After Luo Rucai said his last words, he stopped talking, and the atmosphere in the tent fell into silence.

It was quiet inside the tent. The eyes of all the battalion commanders and generals were focused on Zhang Xianzhong's face. No one spoke, no words were spoken, and no sound was made.

The air in the tent was so condensed that you could almost hear a pin drop, and it was hard to even hear your breathing.

After a long silence, Zhang Xianzhong, who had been sitting still with his eyebrows furrowed, finally stood up.

Zhang Xianzhong opened his eyebrows, and all the hesitation and hesitation dissipated on his face, leaving only determination and ferocity.

"Donkey balls, if a person dies and a bird turns to the sky, he will not die for tens of millions of years!"

Zhang Xianzhong slapped the handrail down hard and stood up, no longer afraid at all.

Luo Rucai's determination aroused the blood in Zhang Xianzhong's heart, and also aroused the anger in Zhang Xianzhong's heart.

The emotion in Zhang Xianzhong's heart at this time was more of anger. His anger was not for others, but for himself.

After more than a year of living a comfortable life, I am now afraid and hesitant! "You're a bastard, I'm afraid of him!"

"Don't wait for tomorrow, hit Baitu Pass today!"

Zhang Xianzhong's blood surged in his heart, and there was no longer any hesitation in his heart.

No matter how powerful Chen Wang and Cao Bianjiao are, there are only two of them in the end, and Jiannu from Liaodong is not an easy character to get along with.

They achieved a lot of meritorious deeds and ranks in the Battle of King Qin, but they themselves suffered a lot of casualties.

Zhang Xianzhong felt that Chen Wang's refusal to attack at this time was most likely because his servants had suffered too many losses and therefore had poor combat effectiveness, so he chose to stick to the level.

Thinking of this, Zhang Xianzhong finally made up his mind like Luo Rucai.

Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai were determined, and the rest of the battalion leaders were dominated by them, so naturally there was no objection.

The military order was transmitted from the central military tent to the four military camps, but in just a short moment, the entire Zhuxi River was already boiling with anger.

A large number of hungry soldiers followed the armored soldiers at the front of the queue out of the shack, left the camp, and slowly gathered towards the official road.

Soon the official road and the surrounding slopes were covered by the tide of hungry soldiers.

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"

The deafening sound of war drums resounded in the formation. The armored soldiers in the crowd held their swords high and led the hungry soldiers around them forward.

After fighting for many years, Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai have already understood that it is not about having too many soldiers but about having the best.

But sometimes cannon fodder is also needed, such as during a siege.

When attacking a city, it is when cannon fodder is most needed. Attacking a city with elite troops is undoubtedly the stupidest thing to do.

"Enter Hanzhong and open a warehouse to release grain!"

Amid the waves and the shouts, the momentum of the hungry soldiers grew stronger.

Moving away like a tide, being in a large number of people always makes ordinary people feel at ease.

Most of these hungry soldiers were young men who had fled famine all the way from Henan. After arriving in Yunxiang, they were recruited into the army by Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai.

Naturally, Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai no longer used the backward tactics of using the hungry people to build momentum and use them as cannon fodder.

Since the re-infaction, they have not used weapons on ordinary people.

During the recruitment process, they learned a lot.

These hungry soldiers all joined the army voluntarily, just to find a way to survive.

Those who experience coercion will often be afraid to move forward, and will fall into defeat when encountering setbacks and casualties.

But those who endure hunger just to survive and those who voluntarily join the army have firm beliefs, can endure the Internet, and move forward bravely!

These people are called hungry soldiers, but actually it is more appropriate to call them recruits.

They were all selected young men and even went through simple training for several months.

They have learned basic things such as military formations, spears, and queues. What they lack is just the experience of battle formations.

They are no longer bandits or bandits.

After 12 years of suffering, 12 years of ups and downs, and 12 years of hard work, they have evolved from rogue bandits into a true peasant army and rebel army.

only……

Sometimes, once you have tasted the taste of flesh and blood, it is difficult to eat the rice in the pot with peace of mind...

Countless birds were frightened, and the beasts in the forest roared and fled quickly into the distance.

The thundering momentum outside the pass caused animals and birds to move, which naturally attracted Chen Wang's attention.

"finally come……"

Chen Wang slowly put down the telescope in his hand. When the drums outside the pass just sounded, he had already followed Cao Bianjiao up the tower.

Cao Bianjiao and Chen Wang stood together and said calmly.

"Looking at the momentum, there are at least 3 to [-] people. The momentum is quite huge."

"It looks like a huge force. A group of spearmen who have been trained briefly for several months can't do much."

Chen Wang pressed his hands on the railing in front of him, facing the tide of bandits outside the pass, without even the slightest wave of emotion in his heart.

"It is enough for these soldiers and horses to have Li Guoqi guarding them outside. Wait until dusk and send the cavalry to charge for a while, which will be enough to avenge a great victory."

Cao Bianjiao frowned slightly, he had a different opinion.

"Li Guoqi is afraid that he won't be able to stop so many bandits. Although the bandits in the front line are all new recruits, the bandits that follow look like they are veteran bandits. There are also many wearing armor, and their momentum is completely different from the ones in front."

"In the follow-up, there will be elite cavalry and horse soldiers on horseback. These old bandits are very difficult to deal with and have strong combat power."

"If the rogues' elite cavalry and infantry come to overwhelm them, it will be difficult for Li Guoqi to resist them."

"But the rogue bandits' attack is just a feint attack, not a plan to attack the east and attack the west."

Chen Wang raised his hand and pointed at the large banner behind the peasant army formation outside the pass.

"The great banner is in the rear formation. The elite cavalry, horse troops, and infantry are all concentrated in the direction of the rear formation. The front formation is full of new soldiers."

"If Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai really have the idea to come to attack the enemy, they will definitely have a group of infantry in the front line as support, or even elite cavalry as a couple to break through the barrier, but now there is nothing."

"It's not certain whether the people from Dahu Banner are Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai."

Cao Bianjiao's mind was slightly focused, and he raised the telescope in his hand to look at the large banner in the distance.

Under the lens of the telescope, the large banner in the distance was constantly fluttering in the air in the wind, and Cao Bianjiao did not see Zhang Xianzhong under the large banner.

"They are making false claims in the east and attacking in the west... Could it be that Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai want to enter Sichuan?"

Cao Bianjiao's mind moved slightly, and his first reaction was that Zhang Xianzhong was about to rush to Sichuan.

The situation on the Eastern Front has now been stabilized, and the roads to the north and east are no longer feasible.

Since we are not going west to enter Hanzhong Prefecture, we undoubtedly have the only option to go south and enter Sichuan.

Staring at the peasant army coming in waves from the distance, Chen Wang slowly raised his right hand and issued an order.

"Send a report to the Yang Ge Department. Xian and Ru are tens of thousands of people, and they are encamping around the mountain for more than ten miles. They have mobilized a large army to attack the key points. The thieves are coming like a wave..."

"...The thieves are on the rise, their troops are very sharp, and they are several times stronger than before...The final general will definitely defend Xiaguan City to repay the trust of the cabinet."

"The rogue bandits are now trapped in Yunxiang and cannot escape. If this attack fails, they may move to eastern Sichuan..."

At this point, it's easy to guess Zhang Xianzhong's thoughts.

Reporting this news can also gain more favor from Yang Sichang, so why not do it.

Yang Sichang was naturally wary of Zhang Xianzhong's idea of ​​diverting his troops to eastern Sichuan.

It's just that Yang Sichang never thought that Zhang Xianzhong's westward march was fake from the beginning, and Zhang Xianzhong also hid a lot of strength in past battles.

Yang Sichang believed that the terrain in eastern Sichuan was dangerous and only a small number of troops could stop Zhang Xianzhong. This would also make him suffer the consequences.

The most fatal point was that because Chen Wang had previously reported the lack of troops, Yang Sichang transferred another three thousand Sichuan troops into Hanzhong Mansion.

Today's Sichuan East has a weaker defense than the original Sichuan East in history.

(End of this chapter)