In the large tent of Chuang King Li Zicheng in Yushan Village, the tense atmosphere had disappeared. Everyone in Chuangying, Xiying, and Caoying once again returned to the harmonious environment of the past.
Chuang King Li Zicheng's face was also filled with a cheerful smile, and he went on to say to the generals of the Chuang camp: "Don't just remember that in the winter of the eleventh year of Chongzhen, I went to Gucheng to see Jingxuan, and his cronies planned to assassinate me.
This one thing.
You should not forget that in a life-and-death situation, the lives of Shuang Xi'er and I depended on Jingxuan's wink and the big beard in Jingxuan's hand.
If he had the intention to harm me, all he had to do was wink, or lightly nod his head, or swipe down the beard he was holding in his hand, and he would immediately kill someone and kill me and Shuang Xi'er.
It ended in Gucheng.
Maybe, we will have to pay for another old god!"
As soon as Li Zicheng finished speaking, there was a burst of laughter in the big tent, and everyone looked at Zhang Xianzhong's beard almost at the same time.
Liu Zongmin joked even louder: "Jingxuan, fortunately you didn't stroke your beard down hard at that time. If you did, we would still have someone to continue to fight the banner passed down by King Gao Chuang. How could you do it?"
They really formed a sworn feud with us when we broke into the camp!"
Li Zicheng followed Liu Zongmin's words and continued: "You all have to remember one thing. Jingxuan listened to my persuasion that time and indeed started another uprising during the Dragon Boat Festival the next year.
Don't forget how difficult it was for us at that time. Jingxuan sent us a hundred cavalry, as well as a lot of silver coins and weapons.
As for friends, we should always keep in mind the benefits they have given us and lessen their shortcomings. Now that we have decided to send Jingxuan away, we will never leave Military Master Xu and Maotang alone.
The general and I trust Jingxuan, why do we still keep hostages?"
The more Li Zicheng spoke, the more serious his tone became, and finally he shouted: "What a stupid idea! Military Master Xu and Mao Tang are Jingxuan's right-hand men, and Jingxuan also left them one day.
What's more, Jingxuan went to Jianghuai to contain the officers and soldiers because they were going to fight. Without the advice of Military Advisor Xu, General Maotang's charge into the battle would have been greatly compromised, and the instructors and soldiers would have taken advantage.
We should also forget about old grudges against the two of them and treat each other with courtesy!"
Xu Yixian hurriedly stood up and bowed deeply to King Chuang, saying: "As long as I live, I will never dare to have any second thoughts about the Generalissimo. I will be loyal and diligent in order to repay the Generalissimo for his great kindness and serve the Generalissimo with all his hard work!"
Li Zicheng then ordered all irrelevant people to withdraw so that he could have in-depth discussions with Luo Rucai, Zhang Xianzhong and others.
…………
After the generals withdrew, Li Zicheng, Luo Rucai, Zhang Xianzhong, Niu Jinxing, Song Xiance, Xu Yixian, Ji Gui and others still stayed in the tent, while Li Shuangxi and Zhang Dingguo also withdrew and stayed outside.
Li Zicheng, the King of Chuang, asked Zhang Xianzhong with a smile: "Jingxuan, you can rest here for two or three days first, and then go to Huguang to cause trouble?"
Zhang Xianzhong felt ecstatic in his heart. Now it didn't matter whether he could borrow troops from Li Zicheng, but he could only get away from him, so why worry about making a comeback.
He hurriedly continued: "Please give me your orders, Generalissimo. I will act according to your general orders. If Brother Li can help me with some troops, I will definitely hold back Ding Qirui and Zuo Liangyu's Huguang army and teach them."
If they have no time to visit the north, they will also make Huang gain success. The troops of Liu Liangzuo and his two men cannot march into Zhongzhou easily, and they will be tied to the north of the Yangtze River."
Li Zicheng asked: "How many people do you want me to help you with?"
Zhang Xianzhong said categorically: "I don't dare to ask for more. I just ask the generalissimo to lend me five hundred elite cavalry. Most of my troops are scattered in the mountains around Xinyang. I have secretly sent people to recruit them. As long as these broken troops can be
If we gather them together, we can still resist the army."
Li Zicheng nodded and said to him: "Okay. You will rest in Yuzhai for two or three days first. Before leaving, I will give you 500 cavalry. There are also two troops, King I and Gundilong. They are about close to
Twenty thousand people, you probably know them too.
They were all the big ones in western Henan. After I came to Henan and defeated Luoyang, they voted for me and asked me to take them under my command. I did not recruit them, but only asked them to be under my control temporarily and not to disturb the people at will.
They are currently stationed to the east of Queshan to contain the officers and soldiers on the Runing side. I won't need them for the time being in the battle. You have very few troops at the moment, so take them with you first."
After Zhang Xianzhong heard this, he said with great gratitude: "Brother Li, you treated me so well, I will never forget it! But without your order, would the First King and Ground Dragon be willing to follow me?"
Li Zicheng said nonchalantly: "If you take my order, they will not dare to disobey. In addition, you can also ask the general to send someone to go with you. I am busy with military affairs and have many chores. Last month, I
Leave them to Lao Cao to take care of them."
Luo Rucai also responded at this time: "In accordance with the instructions of the Grand Marshal, I will send an order to King I and Ground Dragon. Jingxuan, they both voted for King Chuang. You are leading them to Huguang under the banner of King Chuang."
, you must remember this clearly.
From now on, when King Chuang needs them to come back, you have to let them go at any time."
Zhang Xianzhong smiled and said to him: "Brother Cao, you don't have to worry too much about this. If Brother Li needs men and horses, just give the order and I will run back all night, and I dare not let them come back!"
Xu Yixian took the opportunity to interject: "We, General Jingxuan, are going to Northern Anhui and Huguang to successfully conquer the Central Plains and serve in the Central Plains. It is different from the past when we fought separately.
If General Jingxuan comes to Ying and Huo areas and meets Lao Huihui, Ge, Zuo and others, he will definitely persuade them to all raise the banner of King Chuang and respect King Chuang as the master."
Li Zicheng knew in his heart that there was a lot of water in his words, but on the surface he was still smiling, and he said: "Jingxuan and I are like brothers. I hope Mr. Xu will help Jingxuan more in the future, which means he will help me."
When Xu Yixian heard this, he leaned forward and replied: "Generalissimo Jun Yu, I will always keep this in my heart!"
Luo Rucai also said: "King Chuang, when will you give the five hundred fine cavalry you promised to lend to Jingxuan?"
Li Zicheng replied disapprovingly: "There is no rush tonight. There is no need for Jingxuan to go to Huguang right away. It won't be too late to leave after the arrow wound is healed."
When Jingxuan is about to leave, I will allocate him five hundred fine cavalry to take him with him. Maybe by then we will have finished the battle with Runing."
Luo Rucai also smiled and said: "The men and horses in my Cao camp are also the general's men. Now that the soldiers of the Western camp are living in my camp, I will temporarily allocate 500 cavalry to Jingxuan from my Cao camp. Wouldn't it be better?
For convenience?
Later, when the generalissimo is free, he can just return these five hundred cavalry to me. Of course, it doesn't matter if he doesn't return them."
Li Zicheng couldn't refuse for a moment, so he had to say: "That's fine. You give Jingxuan 500 cavalry first, and I will tell the old camp manager to pay you back tomorrow."
Luo Rucai said: "Why bother tomorrow? It won't be too late to pay me back after the battle with Runing. There is one more thing I want to explain to the Generalissimo.
There is a gap between the soldiers of Xiying and the Lao Eighth Army. This situation is very clear to everyone here. Now that Jingxuan lives in the Generalissimo, even though he is treated with great courtesy, there are still some doubts among the soldiers of Xiying.
disturbed.
Therefore, I would like to ask Jingxuan to return to Xiying temporarily, so as to appease the hearts of the Xiying soldiers. Once the Xiying soldiers know how the Generalissimo did not forget the old grudges, treated each other with sincerity, and also gave five hundred elite cavalry, they will surely
We are jumping up and down with joy, expressing gratitude and swearing to serve the Generalissimo to the death."
Li Zicheng smiled and said: "Of course Jingxuan can go back now. I just received a spy report that Fu Zonglong has sent a message to Ding Qirui, and Zuo Liangyu has gone to Runing to join forces. I don't know if it is true or not."
We will stay here temporarily until Ding Qirui and Zuo Liangyu go north. If Jingxuan is not in a hurry, he can rest here with peace of mind and wait for this battle to be fought before leaving.
If you want to go back to Huguang earlier, there is no need to be in a hurry. Please come to Yuzhai at noon tomorrow. I will prepare some wine for Jingxuan as a farewell party. You can go back and discuss it. If you make a decision tomorrow morning, it will not be too late to sue me!"
Zhang Xianzhong was afraid of a long night and many dreams, so Li Zicheng suddenly changed his mind and refused to leave after being persuaded by the generals. He didn't say much and said goodbye to the king of Chuang Li Zicheng immediately.
Li Zicheng, Liu Zongmin, Niu Jinxing, Song Xiance and others sent Zhang Xianzhong off. Luo Rucai and his party left the village gate and watched them mount their horses and ride away.
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The development of events tonight was completely beyond Xu Yixian's expectation, which made him very excited, but he felt like a dream.
He was worried that things would not go according to plan in the end. When he walked out of the stronghold, he was very close to Song Xiance, the military advisor of King Chuang, and hoped to get some information out of his mouth.
Xu Yixian took Song Xiance's hand and whispered: "Song's military advisor, General Jingxuan, is going to do what Han Xin went to Sanqi, to contain the officers and soldiers from the side and prevent them from taking care of them. This will greatly benefit Chuang Wang and his colleagues."
The imperial court fought for the Central Plains.
Brother, do you think so?"
Although Song Xiance's face was full of smiles, his expression gave people an elusive feeling. He just heard him say: "If General Jingxuan can be Han Xin, I hope my brother will never be Kuai Tong."
Xu Yixian was shocked when he heard this, and quickly replied to him: "Song Military Counselor, you are really good at telling jokes. How dare I forget the kindness of King Chuang today and persuade Han Xin to make himself king like Kuai Tong did!"
After seeing off Zhang Xianzhong and the others, Li Zicheng, Niu Jinxing, and Song Xiance returned to the military tent where he lived, and continued to discuss important matters in secret.
Chuang King Li Zicheng said with some regret: "I planned to hold a farewell banquet for Jingxuan and the others tomorrow, but judging from the situation tonight, they may not come again."
Niu Jinxing also smiled and said: "Because Cao Cao has been caught in the middle, he has to deal with it this way, so he writes from a big point of view. King Chuang writes big articles and dares to do things that others are unwilling to do. This is why Zhang Jingxuan
It’s beyond your reach.”
Li Zicheng also said: "Although Cao Cao was on the same page with Jingxuan and made plans for Jingxuan, he said that he would leave Jingxuan to go to Wanxi and Huguang to drag the army with him. Judging from the current situation, it is indeed true.
What we need.
If Jingxuan leaves without saying goodbye, when you see Cao Cao tomorrow, you can only praise his brilliant idea and say nothing else.
The reason why I decided to let Jingxuan go is to pull Cao Cao closer and call him back, Ge and others to take a look!"
Everyone in the tent nodded one after another, no one had anything else to say, and then began to secretly discuss other internal affairs of the camp.
…………
On the other side, as soon as Cao Cao and Luo Ru returned to his camp, he ordered the commander of the old camp to prepare dinner quickly.
Immediately, he whispered to Zhang Xianzhong: "Jingxuan, what are you going to do?"
Zhang Xianzhong played with the long yellow beard on his chin, looked at Luo Rucai's expression, and asked casually: "Brother Cao, what are your opinions?"
Cao Cao said seriously: "Jingxuan, this is not a place for you to stay for a long time. It's best to leave before dawn tonight. I have asked the secretary to prepare supper for you. Let us have a few glasses of wine, and you will have to
Let’s fly far away.”
Although Zhang Xianzhong was moved for a while, he pretended to ask on his face: "Aren't you going to bid farewell to Zicheng?"
Luo Rucai replied without thinking: "There is no need to say goodbye. When I see Zicheng tomorrow, I only want to say that you want to go back to Huguang as soon as possible and hold back Ding Qirui, Zuo Liangyu and others so that they cannot go to Runing to join forces with Fu Zonglong. You will not delay.
Time has passed."
He looked at Zhang Xianzhong and continued: "I'm worried now that tonight Zicheng is very likely to regret it. He shouldn't have let you leave his home, and shouldn't have agreed to let you go to Huguang and Wanxi. Maybe he will send someone tomorrow
Someone has come to ask you to go back to Yuzhai.
To avoid a long night and many dreams, you’d better leave early!”
How could Zhang Xianzhong not know the current situation? He didn't say much and said very simply: "Okay, I'll leave as soon as it gets dark. I also ask Brother Cao to prepare the five hundred cavalry that he lent me so that I can leave."
Bring it with you when you need it.”
Luo Rucai smiled and said: "Just be rest assured, I will definitely give you good soldiers and horses. In order not to delay your departure tonight, I told Zicheng that I will allocate five hundred cavalry to you directly.
Then he returned it to me.
How can he, King Chuang's soldiers, completely trust you?
If you stay here for one more day, it will be more dangerous, so the best way is to leave quickly!"
Zhang Xianzhong was really grateful to Luo Rucai in his heart. He held Luo Rucai's hand and said excitedly: "Thank you, Brother Cao, for thinking so thoughtfully about me, Lao Zhang.
You helped us a lot this time, and I, Lao Zhang, will never forget it!"
After they finished talking about these words, Luo Rucai immediately ordered one of his generals to quickly select five hundred cavalry. After dinner at the third watch, they would be ready to set off at any time.
Zhang Xianzhong also whispered to Xu Yixian and Zhang Dingguo, asking them to return to the camp of Xiying troops as soon as possible, and tell Zhang Kewang about the whole camp's departure before dawn and march to Yinghuoshan Mountain, and asked him to make all preparations immediately.
Shortly after the fourth watch, Luo Rucai personally escorted Zhang Xianzhong out of the camp and accompanied him to the station of Xiying. At this moment, all the soldiers in Xiying had formed their teams, and food, grass, tents and other baggage were being loaded onto the mules.
As the 500 elite cavalry supported by Cao Ying arrived, they lined up behind the Xiying people and waited for orders. Zhang Xianzhong walked in front of the 500 cavalry and said some affectionate words to his brothers one by one, and even talked to several acquaintances of the leaders.
We talked for a few more words.
Then, he turned back to look at Luo Rucai, cupped his hands and said, "Brother Cao, I cannot thank you enough for your kindness. We will see you again soon, so please take care of yourself."
Luo Rucai also raised his hand and said, "I wish you a safe journey and immediate success!"