Autumn of the 17th year of Chongzhen

Chapter 6 Reminiscing about the past, time flies
These days, Zhao Yingyuan was always worried about the army, now that he obeyed Wang Yan's plan, he couldn't calm down, he wished he could enter Qingzhou immediately and establish a foundation.

In fact, there has always been a heart in his heart that is not willing to be ordinary. How can he not be ambitious if he can rise up to rebel and earn wealth and glory with his head up?Speaking of rebellion, Li Chuang was only a pawn in the post station before, but he was able to traverse the Central Plains, and he was known as an orphan in the south, and he had been a deputy general in Henan at any rate, so why couldn't he earn a fortune?
So on the same day, he asked Yang Wangxiu to take his surrender form, and went south at night to find Li Huaxi, the right servant of the Ming Dynasty's military department, to finalize his name and get support. Qingzhou rushed to.

The army's food and grass are only enough for three days, success or failure can be said to be a one-shot, if he wins Qingzhou, he, Zhao Yingyuan, will be famous all over the world, and the heroes of the world will pay attention to him.

For a moment, he couldn't help but feel very high-spirited. A man in his forties seemed to be ten years younger suddenly, full of energy.

It's a pity that things backfired, the army only left for half a day, and many people in the army couldn't stand it anymore.

It's no wonder that there is a shortage of food in the army. Even the old soldiers who have followed him for many years are more scarce and less able to work. The old and weak in the camp, it is good to drink a few mouthfuls of gruel to barely starve to death. Where is the strength? Follow the army in a hurry.

In half a day, there were no less than 100 people who were left behind, deserted and escaped. This made Zhao Yingyuan have to let the army set up camp, bury the pot for cooking, and make plans tomorrow.

Zhao Yingyuan didn't tell the army because he was afraid that the rumors would go away and he wanted to seize Qingzhou. Except for a few confidants, most people didn't know about it, so the atmosphere in the army was still the same as before, lifeless and hopeless.

After dinner, the sky gradually darkened, but Wang Yan did not rest. The situation of the army made him a little worried, and he might not be able to successfully capture Qingzhou. He felt that it was necessary to discuss with Zhao Yingyuan again, to improve the plan, so as to ensure that everything was safe. He left his tent and went to the main camp.

The bright star river in the night sky and a crescent moon shine on the ground together. It is not as bright as the day, but it has a flavor and makes people feel dreamy.

Wang Yan was walking in the camp, and the summer night breeze blew by, making him feel refreshed, and the worries in his heart seemed to be relieved by this, so he couldn't help but stop.

Since the Jiashen Incident, he has been on the run all the way, exhausted, the last time he had time to look up at the starry sky was after the Wuchang Township Examination the year before last, when he went to Yueyang Tower at night with his clan brothers and many colleagues from Kuangshe.

Time flies, and now he is thousands of miles away from everyone, and he doesn't know what the situation is. Thinking about the talent and learning of his brother Wang Fuzhi, he should have been recruited by the court and entrusted with important tasks.

With a soft sigh, Wang Yan withdrew his thoughts and walked forward, before he knew it, he was already near the handsome tent.

"Be honest with me." A voice came from a distance.

"It's okay for others to run away. The general promoted you so much that he made you the whistle chief. Isn't it ungrateful for you to run away?" Another voice complained.

At this time, Wang Yan had already seen two warriors coming out of the handsome tent with one of them on his back. Looking carefully, he found that he was still his old acquaintance, the naughty Liu Shun.

"That's right!" a warrior said dissatisfied. "A lot of old brothers are just seniors, the general thinks highly of you, how can you be ungrateful?"

"Hmph! What do you know? Isn't it just death? I'm blind, I wish I could die sooner!" Liu Shun was suppressed by others, and he seemed very unconvinced when he heard their complaints.

Wang Yan and Liu Shun had a feud, but it had been too long, and he didn't take it seriously. Now that the two of them took Liu Shun away, he naturally didn't care. After all, he was not the only deserter who was killed these days , so he just frowned slightly, then walked towards the tent.

The guard on duty hurriedly notified that after Zhao Yingyuan agreed, he was about to open the curtain and go in, but the voice behind him stunned him.

"Everyone in the world knows that I, Liu Shun, is a rascal and they all look down on me, but I also have my bottom line. Shandong has already fallen into the hands of Jiannu, and the army is rushing to Qingzhou. What are you going to do? Ask me to surrender to Jiannu, Laozi Of course I have to run! The general is kind to me, I won’t scold him, but I won’t surrender to Jiannu with him either! Now that I’ve been captured, I have nothing to say, I just want to die quickly!”

"Hey! You stubborn donkey! Forget it, dog, go ask the kitchen to prepare a bowl of rice for Liu Shun's death, and send him on the road tomorrow morning!"

It was not until the warrior pushed Liu Shun away that Wang Yan entered the big tent.

"It's getting late, what is Shi Heng looking for me for?" Seeing Wang Yan coming in, Zhao Yingyuan straightened his body and knelt down in front of the desk and asked.

"I have something to do, I want to discuss it with the general!" Wang Yan put aside what he just heard, and saluted.

"Oh, Shi Heng can speak out as much as he wants." Zhao Yingyuan nodded. "Come on, sit down and talk."

"Wan Sheng feels that there is still a need to discuss a specific plan for the fraudulent surrender." Wang Yan also knelt down. "And the marching speed of the army must be accelerated."

"I'm also worried about these two things. Shi Heng came to look for me, so he must have a secret case, so tell me quickly." As a general, Zhao Yingyuan's behavior and speech are not rude, and he is considered a strange flower in the peasant army. .

"I was born lying that night!" Wang Yan straightened his body and said seriously. "Let's talk about the easy way first. The old and the weak stay here, and a few people are left to take care of them. The elite should bring more rations and hurry. They should be able to reach Qingzhou in two days."

"Well, I can follow suit." Zhao Yingyuan nodded, this was also his idea, so he had to give it a go. "Then how to swindle the city?"

"Wansheng wants to take the general's surrender form and take the lead in going to the city to pay a visit to Wang Aoyong, gain his trust, and find out what's true in the city by the way." Wang Yan thought deeply. "At that time, the general can wait outside the city first. If the matter is successful, Wan Sheng will send people to welcome the army into the city. If the matter fails, the general will immediately lead the troops south to join the Lianghuai Shige Department!"

"Will it be too dangerous for Shi Heng to go in person?" Zhao Yingyuan has no choice now, and what Wang Yan said is indeed feasible. He is very willing that Wang Yan will go to Qingzhou immediately and go through fire and water for him, but he can't say it clearly, he can only pretend worried.

"Don't worry about this, the general. This time, the Qing court recruited more than half of Shandong in one fell swoop. Countless officials and gentry surrendered, and they wouldn't be suspicious if one person was born later. Besides, they must know the general's situation. Now that they have surrendered, they will I'll just take it for granted!" Wang Yan didn't pay attention to Zhao Yingyuan's careful thinking, he was focused on fighting the Qing soldiers.

"Since Shi Heng is sure, then I agree." Zhao Yingyuan was very happy, and continued. "I will write the form now, and Shi Heng can come to pick it up tomorrow morning. If you have any other requirements, I will also say it now, and I will agree to it."

"The late student's request is very simple!" Wang Yan said after thinking about it. "Just take a warrior with you, the general is preparing two fast horses!"

"Oh, Zhao Si in my personal guard camp is quite brave, he can be ten, how about letting him go?" Zhao Yingyuan said after thinking.

But Wang Yan did not agree, "Wan Sheng wants Liu Shun to go, I hope the general will agree."

"Liu Shun?" Zhao Yingyuan was silent for a while, he glanced at Wang Yan, wanting to know why he chose Liu Shun, but Wang Yan sat silently, he had to think for a while and then said. "Since that's the case, let him take the blame and make meritorious deeds! Zhao Si will also go together, and you will set off tomorrow morning."

There is nothing to say all night, and some people are destined to have no sleep.

Liu Shun is a sleepless person. He thought a lot that night, but he found that there was nothing to think about, and there were no moments worth recalling. His life was such a failure. Maybe when he died, no one in the world missed him. None of the people.

The folks in the village will not miss him, they will only applaud him, and they will not be bullied by him in the future.

The brothers in the camp would not miss him either, he was just a passer-by, and there was no need to worry about being cheated by him when he gambled in the future.

As for Widow Li in the east of the county seat, she is even happier, and she no longer has to be molested and harassed by him.

Even the prostitutes in the alleys are happy, and finally there is one less rogue who doesn't pay for his work!

The more he thinks about Liu Shun, the more panic he feels. He feels that his life has been a failure, but he regrets, he regrets, but he doesn't regret today's decision.

When he was ten years old, Jianu broke through the barrier and crossed the Great Wall to invade Beizhili. His father died tragically, and his mother committed suicide after being raped by Jianu. He escaped by hiding under the bed.

Countless people died at the hands of Jiannu that year, and the population who were driven out of the pass was 40 to [-]. As long as there are still people left, almost every family has a relationship with Jiannu. Blood feud.

But now many senior officials and many outsiders have been demoted!

Those people who are nobler than him in ordinary times are not as tough as a rascal!Suddenly, Liu Shun finally found one thing worth mentioning in his short life - not surrendering as a slave!
As the sky gradually dawned, Liu Shun, who was tied to a pillar, did not wait for the bowl of rice with severed heads that he was somewhat looking forward to.

The sun shone down in the morning, and he, who hadn't slept all night, was so shaken that he couldn't keep his eyes open. A figure walked in front of him, blocking the sun.

"Get ready, you're going to do something big with me later!" The figure was Wang Yan, and he said while untying the rope.

Liu Shun recognized Wang Yan, but he didn't know what was going on, and he didn't know what he was going to do, his mind was in a daze, so he could only let him manipulate him, full of doubts, and some couldn't believe it. "I don't have to die?"

"Yes, you don't need to die, but you have to pay for your crimes and make meritorious deeds!" Looking at Liu Shun's appearance and seeing that he was not happy after hearing this, Wang Yan was quite happy in his heart, and smiled immediately. "Don't worry! I won't let you surrender to Jiannu!"

Hearing this, Liu Shun looked at Wang Yan in surprise, and wanted to ask what was going on, but before he could speak, Wang Yan interrupted him. "It's a matter of great importance and cannot be delayed. If you want to ask anything, I will tell you on the way. Now follow me on the road and just follow my orders!"

After he finished speaking, he turned around and walked towards Zhao Si who was behind him, took a war horse and turned over, and when both of them got on the horse, he waved his whip and headed towards the rising sun.

(End of this chapter)