Huamachi is the largest salt pond in the Sanwei area of ​​Ningxia. Its salt production is not only sold to northern Shaanxi and Guanzhong, but also supplied to Shaanxi Xingdusi (now Dashun Gansu Province).

Before the Ming Dynasty, during the Zhengde period, the Ming Dynasty used the salt produced in the Huamachi pond to exchange for the strong Western Xia horses with the Outer Mongolians. This is also the place name "Huamachi".

There was a Ming Dynasty who attached great importance to Huamachi. First, he built a city to protect the city during the Zhengtong period. Later, because the city he built was located outside the frontier, it was built in the Great Wall and was rebuilt in the Great Wall, and a deputy general was set up to guard it.

Dong Xueli, the Marquis of Dingnan, who was led by Lu Bizhou, the governor of Henan in Dashun, and rushed south to aid the Huaiyang Rebel Army, was the deputy general of Huamachi before surrendering to Shun.

After the Western Army captured the Three Guards of Ningxia, they also attached great importance to Huamachi, a salt-producing land. Yang Xingxian, the general of Tiandan Camp who was ordered to be restrained before the Eastern Expedition, led more than 4,000 troops from the headquarters, and more than 3,000 troops surrendered to the Green Camp to garrison this place.

During his stay in Huamachi, Yang Xingxian cooperated with Ningxia Governor Li Yukui to distribute the salt produced in Huamachi to various places, making a profit of more than 30,000 taels. He even exchanged salt for several Mongolian tribes outside the border for 2,000 war horses, which was praised by the decree of the Great Western Emperor Zhang Xianzhong in Guyuan at that time.

After he and his brother Li Dingguo divided his troops from Yanchang Fort, Sun Kewang led nearly 40,000 troops from the Eastern Palace to rush to Huamachi day and night, and sent people to inform Yang Xingxian, who was stationed in Huamachi with fast horses, and asked him to find a way to raise cotton coats and food, grass and weapons for the army, and sent people to Lingzhou to inform the Lingzhou army about the coming soon so that Lingzhou could prepare in advance.

However, what Sun Kewang never expected was that he rushed forward, but he was still one step slower than Shunjun.

On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the day of the customs of Shaanxi people, Sun Kewang, who was marching towards Huamachi, received bad news from Yang Xingxian that Ningxia Governor Li Yukui was defeated by the Shun Army at Jinji Fort. Zhang Yingke, who was stationed in Lingzhou, was killed by a traitor. Now the Shun Army has entered Lingzhou and occupied and controlled many fortresses along the Great Wall.

Yang Xing first learned that Lingzhou had been captured by the Shun Army on the 19th day of the twelfth lunar month. Later, the Shun Army sent two groups of people to persuade Yang Xingxian to surrender, but they were all rejected by Yang Xingxian.

If the military information reported by Yang Xingxian is true, it means that when Sun Kewang's synonymative brother Li Dingguo was still retreating along the border in Shaanxi, the Shun army had already marched into Ningxia from the western front of Guyuan and Liangzhou.

The loss of Lingzhou also means that Sun Kewang's original synonymist Dingguo discussed that the strategy of retreating to Ningxia's vanguard and the Shun Army could no longer be realized. The one before his synonymist Li Dingguo was actually a dead end.

Combined with the many previous battles with the Shun Army and the sudden stop of pursuing the Shun Army, Sun Kewang gradually understood what was going on.

It's like a chessboard. From beginning to end, he, the Great West East Mansion, was firmly trapped by his opponent in a corner. Every way he could think of was blocked by his opponent in advance.

With an indescribable complex mood, Sun Kewang forced his troops to arrive at Huamachi.

Yang Xingxian tried his best to provide food and drink for the remaining army commanded by the East Prefecture, but there was a lot of salt in Huamachi, but there was not much food. Even if Yang Xingxian wanted to break his head, he could only maintain the army for half a month at most.

Half a month later, both the army of the East Prefecture or the army of the West Prefecture will be out of food. There is no need to take action by the Supreme Army at that time, and the Western Army will collapse on its own.

The only way to retreat was blocked, which made Sun Kewang in a dilemma. Although he could still lead his remaining troops out of the Great Wall, it also meant that Sun Kewang would never be able to step into his hometown in this life. Unless he had no choice, Sun Kewang would never flee to the grassland with his subordinates.

After repeated discussions with the generals, Sun Kewang decided to let go and recover Lingzhou before the food was cut off. For this purpose, nearly 50,000 troops (more than 3,000 cavalry) from each unit, including Feng Shuangli, Zheng State, Liu Zhen State, Guan Youcai, Wang Aixiu and Yang Xingxian, all went out of Huamachi to attack Lingzhou.

Feng Shuangli suggested that a soldier was left in Huamachi to support the Xifu Army in the rear. Sun Kewang said that if Lingzhou could not be recovered, two more Huamachi West would not exist.

On that day, Sun Kewang ordered Yang Xingxian to slaughter all the pigs, sheep and other livestock in General Yang Xingxian, so that the soldiers could eat a meal and then lead the troops.

If you want to recover Lingzhou, you must first seize the forts along the Great Wall. The first nail in front of Sun Kewang was Tianchi Village, which was less than a hundred miles away from Huamachi.

Sun Kewang appointed Feng Shuangli as the vanguard and led the talented people in Guan. The two generals of Liu Zhenguo had more than 14,000 people to capture Tianchi Village first.

After Feng Shuangli and others led their troops to Tianchi Village, they found that the fortress that should have been stationed heavily by the Shun Army had been set on fire by the Shun Army. Feng ordered people to search nearby and found no trace of the Shun Army, but no food and grass were seized.

When the news reached Sun Kewang, Sun judged that the Shun Army might not have much troops to capture Ningxia, so they could not divide their troops to guard the forts along the border. This would only disperse their military strength. Therefore, they adopted the strategy of strengthening the walls and clearing the fields, gathering the main force in one place waiting for the Western Army to attack.

This strategy has to be said to be very smart. If the remaining Western Army were about to lose food, they had to take the risk of advancing, so as to achieve the effect of waiting for labor.

However, Sun Kewang knew that Shunjun was luring him to advance quickly, but he had to swallow the fruit of "open conspiracy" and ordered Feng Shuangli to continue to lead the army to advance towards Lingzhou.

Sure enough, Feng Shuangli still did not meet the Shun Army on his way westward. The two important cities of Yongqing and Anding were also burned and abandoned by the Shun Army. This made Feng Shuangli worried and didn't know where the Shun Army was waiting for him. The Western Army soldiers who had no grains of grain were seized along the way, and even the wells were buried with the Shun Army's soil were hungry and thirsty.

Unknown enemies are sometimes more terrifying than those you can see.

The uneasy Feng Shuangli felt that he could not move west blindly like this anymore, so he stopped marching at Yongqing Fort. After Sun Kewang arrived, he angrily accused Feng Shuangli of fearing the enemy and personally supervising the troops to advance westward.

After a few more days of traveling to the Xingwu Camp, which was very close to Lingzhou, Sun Kewang thought that the Shun Army would not give up the Xingwu Camp, an important pass of Ningxia vanguard, but he did not expect that the Xingwu Camp was also abandoned by the Shun Army.

At this time, it was like a tiger riding on the tiger. Sun Kewang endured his uneasiness and continued to lead the army towards Lingzhou with a calm face. When he arrived at Shiqiuzigou, he saw birds circling over the valley ahead. Sun Kewang, who had been fighting with his adoptive father Zhang Xianzhong for many years, immediately suspected that there were Shun troops in the ditch, and urgently ordered the generals to stop advancing and send a team of cavalry to investigate.

Before the Western Army's reconnaissance cavalry arrived, several red fireworks took off in the valley. Immediately, the sound of hooves came out of the valley. Soon, a large group of cavalry rushed out of the valley, with about a thousand people. After leaving the valley, these cavalrymen of Shun Army were divided into two, one ran to the south side of the Western Army and the other ran to the north side of the Western Army.
Chapter completed!