The day after Zhang Xianzhong hosted a banquet for Luo Rucai, he sent a small number of troops to cross the Xiangjiang River quietly by boat, secretly liaising with some hungry people and soldiers who had not been paid for several months as internal agents.
When the war broke out, all the civil and military officials in Fancheng, including the prefect Wang Shuzeng, took their own guards to escape. Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai occupied Fancheng without any effort. After that, they organized the people to repair the pontoon bridge.
When Luo Rucai's men and horses from Cao's camp were resting in Xiangyang, Zhang Xianzhong gave some of the recruits, gold, silver, grain, and mules and horses he had obtained in Xiangyang to Luo Rucai. However, all the generals in Cao's camp thought that Xiying had made a fortune in Xiangyang.
However, now they only gave these things to Cao Ying, and he was secretly resentful.
Several trusted generals around Cao Cao and Luo Rucai even complained to him: "Commander, you should also compete in front of Zhang Shuai. Although Xiangyang City was captured by their Western Camp, it's not because of our efforts.
We can't let them eat all the meat in Xiying, just throw a few bones to our Caoying and forget it!"
In fact, Luo Rucai was also aggrieved in his heart, but he took into account the issue of unity with Zhang Xianzhong and did not allow his generals to talk nonsense. He only advised everyone to be patient for the time being.
But after all the generals had withdrawn, he quietly said to Ji Gui: "Ziyu, now Jingxuan has taken Xiangyang City, and chopped off the head of King Xiang's old dog. He has plenty of money and food, and is recruiting troops and horses. He is very proud of himself."
At that time, it seems that he no longer takes our Cao Ying into his eyes!"
Ji Gui persuaded him: "Commander, it's not yet time for us to break up with Xiying. Please don't say anything about this matter in front of Zhang Shuai. For now, the best policy is to be patient. Wait for the right time to come.
It’s not too late to start planning to break up the gang.”
Luo Rucai said with emotion: "Li Zicheng first defeated Luoyang and killed King Fu. Now Zhang Jingxuan defeated Xiangyang and killed King Xiang. In the blink of an eye, the two of them have become powerful, but I, Luo Rucai, am the least successful, like a drummer."
Fell into the well—going down with a loud noise!"
Ji Gui sneered and said: "A blessing in disguise is a blessing in disguise? I think this destiny may not necessarily lead to death. Wouldn't it be good for the commander-in-chief not to do too much and leave more room for maneuver in the future?"
After hearing this, Luo Ru raised his head and looked at Ji Gui, lost in thought. After a moment, he suddenly realized something and just nodded lightly without saying a word.
…………
Later that day, I heard that Zuo Liangyu was leading an army of 20,000 troops and was pursuing them all the way from western Hubei, which was only one or two hundred miles away from Xiangyang.
The Xiancao coalition troops stationed on the outskirts of Xiangyang also crossed the Xiang River and moved to inside and outside Fancheng. In order to block Zuo Liangyu's attack, they burned the pontoon bridge again, and before leaving, they tore down the city wall of Xiangyang and set fire to Xiangyang.
The royal palace and the Xicheng Tower where the body of King Xiang is kept.
Two days later, tens of thousands of Cao Cao's coalition troops left Fancheng in a mighty manner and marched all the way to Suizhou. When they passed Zhangjiawan, the sun had already risen.
Luo Rucai rode up to catch up with Zhang Xianzhong and rode alongside him. He leaned sideways on the saddle and asked, "Jingxuan, I heard that after Zicheng killed King Fu in Luoyang, he stayed there to relieve the hungry people and recruit troops. He
The team is also growing stronger.
Look at his next move, where will he play?"
Zhang Xianzhong shook his head and said: "It's hard to say, this guy is really awesome now. I see that his feathers are plump, but he has left you and my brothers behind!"
He paused for a while, then became happy again, and turned around and said to Luo Rucai: "Brother Cao, to be honest, I don't really want to do anything on my own at the moment, but I am thinking about another friend of ours who I have never met.
My friend, guess who it is?”
"Who is it?"
"Yang Wenruo! Brother Cao, think about what will happen to our opponent now? Don't you care?"
Luo Rucai burst out laughing when he heard this.
…………
In Zhang Cheng's Chinese Army Camp outside the Western Pass of Kaifeng City, nearly two thousand prisoners and hungry civilians stood solemnly on the school field in the middle of the camp. In front of them was a high platform, and Zhang Cheng, the chief military officer of the military aid and suppression army in golden armor, had just finished his lecture.
Zhang Cheng captured more than 4,000 thieves in the battle under Kaifeng City. In addition, he also gathered more than 10,000 hungry people. However, Kaifeng City was unable to resettle them, so he took over the task of resettling these people.
On one's own body.
However, in the past month, Kaifeng still has to set up porridge shacks to provide relief to these people. A month later, Zhang Cheng will have to find a solution on his own.
Some wealthy merchants and gentry in Kaifeng City even viciously speculated that Zhang Cheng might use these people to behead and take credit, but many smart people exposed this lie. During the offensive and defensive battle outside the city, Zhang Cheng's troops had already
If you kill thousands of thieves, why do you need their heads for military merit?
Yesterday, Zhang Cheng ordered his soldiers to take the thousands of prisoners to Kaifeng's Xiguan for execution. In fact, most of these prisoners were newly recruited soldiers by Li Zicheng in Luoyang, and their hands had not been stained with too much blood debt.
It was precisely for this reason that Zhang Cheng wanted to take them under his command. The first priority at the moment was to make the nearly four thousand captives fearful, and then he could show them kindness and win their hearts.
During the execution in Xiguan, Zhang Cheng only beheaded ten selected old and habitual bandits at a time. These people were almost all the small leaders among the prisoners before, and they were also their backbone.
Although Zhang Cheng only killed ten people at a time, he was accompanied by as many as a hundred people at a time. These prisoners knelt with the ten old thieves, their faces covered with black cloth, and they heard the whistling of blades in their ears.
In the middle, there were pitiful howls and wails, which frightened them so much that they felt like chaff. Some of the timid ones even oozed feces and urine and fainted on the spot.
After the beheading, Zhang Cheng ordered the secretaries of the army and the hungry people, as well as the literate prisoners among the prisoners, to register all the prisoners one by one, and organized the twelve of them into a armor, and selected the leader of the armor to be the leader.
After that, he warned these prisoners that because they were newly attached thieves near Luoyang, they would spare their lives this time, but they would join his own army.
From now on, during military camp operations, if you disobey orders, you will be punished according to military regulations. When the operations are completed, whether you are fighting bandits or fighting against Tartars, you must strictly abide by military orders and fight with all your strength to kill the enemy. Otherwise, there will be no success.
Way to survive.
However, when Zhang Cheng was giving his lectures, he also made it clear to the prisoners that he would not deduct their pay. As long as they drilled strictly according to the orders, they would have enough to eat. If they achieved military merit, they would all be rewarded.
However, Zhang Cheng also made it clear here that if one of the twelve people in the first armor escapes from the team, then the head of the commander will be beheaded. If the commander of the first armor escapes, all the remaining eleven people will be beheaded.
.
When Zhang Cheng was lecturing, the audience was silent under the high platform. The prisoners were glad in their hearts that they would not be beheaded. As for whether they should follow King Chuang to conquer the world, or follow Marshal Zhang on the high platform to fight against the bandits, they were confused at this time.