Chapter two hundred and thirty: Eighteen sons, the main artifact
The sunset during the autumn harvest is always particularly beautiful. It hangs red in the western sky and falls on the treetops at the end of the plain. It looks slightly larger than before, like a huge red apple that can be picked with just one hand.
In many places here, the sparse crop fields have not yet been harvested. Some crops are in poor condition, and many have dried up in the fields and no one cares about them.
In recent days, news from various parties has continued to spread.
It was said that a large number of officers and soldiers were passing through here to go to northern Henan to suppress bandits. They were very frightened after hearing this. After all, "Thieves pass by like a comb, and soldiers pass by like a grate." They were not only afraid of bandits, but also more afraid of the officers and soldiers.
In short, what they know best is that once a war really breaks out, it will be ordinary people like them who suffer in the end, so many people leave the village and avoid the roads, and the crops in the fields are delayed as a result.
The people in southern Henan are still very different from those in western Henan. Although they have heard of the name "Chuang King", their impression of them is not good and they still regard them as those who do all kinds of evil.
"Rogue Bandits".
Although the impression of the government and the army was not friendly, in the eyes of these poor people, at least the government and the army still had the control of the court and the checks and balances of local officials.
The so-called "roving bandits" are not just like man-eating devils. They plunder all the way and plunder wherever they go. It is said that there are almost as many rogue bandits as locusts and leave no grass behind wherever they go.
At this moment, after conquering Luoyang, Li Zicheng, the king of the Chuang Dynasty, opened warehouses to release grain, provided relief to the people, and other deeds that won people's hearts, but they are far from being spread here.
Even if someone mentioned it occasionally, most people would treat it as a joke after dinner, and not many people would believe it.
For many years, all they heard was how cruel the "rogue bandits" were. Every time they broke into a city, they not only looted the city's grain, gold and silver, but even leveled the city walls, euphemistically calling them "shocking the city."
Moreover, after robbing the city, the rogue bandits will ensnare all the people in the city and use them as porters and handymen to expand their own troops. Of course, the useless old and weak will be abandoned and left to fend for themselves.
However, the common people were afraid of bandits and soldiers.
Many officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty were even more exhausted and mixed with jade dragons. They could not encircle and suppress the rogue bandits, but they could disturb the local area and plunder the people, but they were no worse than the rogue bandits.
Therefore, the people here are also afraid that the troops who want to invade the king will go south, and they are also afraid that the government troops will come from the west. Especially in the past two days, the wind has become more intense. Along the road leading to Xincai, people in many villages are
Escaped early.
…………
At dusk that day, a group of hungry people fleeing from famine were walking with difficulty on the road from Runing to Shangcai. They were walking from south to north in the afterglow of the setting sun, walking in the smoke and dust, and in the gradually thickening twilight.
.
Suddenly, a large group of cavalry came towards them. The hungry people fleeing the famine had no time to hide, so they had to kneel in panic beside the road.
They were afraid that running around would anger the oncoming group of cavalry. Regardless of whether they were officers or bandits, they would all be killed in the same way when they got angry, so everyone was terrified.
It was already dusk now, and the children were empty in their bellies. They were very hungry and were crying softly. The adults next to them hurriedly reached over and covered their mouths, for fear of disturbing the passing army and causing death.
.
Some old men with gray beards were also kneeling beside the road. Under the late autumn evening wind, their thinly-clad bodies could not help but tremble, and they heard painful moans from time to time.
The heads of this group of hungry people were pressed to the ground. Not that they didn't want to take a look at the passing army, but they didn't dare to look directly at it. They had to press their foreheads to the ground and use the corners of their eyes to quietly peek at the passing cavalry.
His eyes were full of fear.
The reason why they are afraid is because they, the poor people, are always lambs to be slaughtered. No matter they encounter the army or the bandits, they are destined to be plundered. If they resist even a little, they will be dismembered.
.
In fact, if you really face the bandits, it may be better. Most of them just loot and will not massacre poor people like them. But the officers and soldiers are different. After they loot, they will even kill the people.
Then cut off the head and pretend to be the leader of the thief to claim credit.
There were also some people among these poor people who had some knowledge of writing. They looked at the passing army from a distance, still unsure of themselves, but a big flag stood out particularly eye-catching.
I saw a big word "Chuang" written in block letters on it, and I suddenly realized: "These are the people of 'Chuang'!"
The surrounding crowd heard that it was an army of "robbers" and couldn't help but started talking.
Some people speculated that this was to attack Runing City.
Some people also speculated that they might go south to face the army!
An old man in his fifties stood up and said: "Runing, this is Uncle Liu Hongqi's territory, so what if the 'intruders' break through Luoyang? After all, it's still hard for a strong dragon to defeat a local snake!"
After hearing this, several people around him nodded frequently, seeming to agree very much.
At this time, slogans such as "No food will be paid when King Chuang comes" and "Eat his mother, eat her mother, and there will be King Chuang if there is not enough food" that have long been circulated in western Henan are still very rare in southern Henan.
The common people in southern Henan still have the same concept of "Chuang King" as they did a few years ago, and they still treat him like an ordinary bandit.
Some old women in the crowd were originally worried about their daughters-in-law and daughters. However, it was not until the cavalry group passed by that they realized that no one stopped to tease and harass them. They suddenly felt relieved and couldn't help but think about it.
"Amitabha".
While everyone was talking about it, a small leader rode back. When he arrived in front of the victims, he reined in his horse and threw down a large bag of grain from the horse.
I just heard him say loudly: "Fellow elders, don't be afraid. We are King Li Chuang's men, and we came to the territory of Runing to suppress the troops and bring peace to the people.
We, King Li Chuang, are devoted to the people and have always shown compassion to the elderly and the poor. Whenever we go to a place, we always open warehouses and provide relief to the hungry people.
Now, we are the vanguard of the army, heading to Runing to inquire about the movements of the army. Passing by this place, we did not expect to meet all the elders, and we did not bring much grain with us.
Just now, my general saw that you were all poor people, and he felt pity for you. He specially ordered me to ride back and leave this bag of grain for you, hoping that it would relieve your temporary hunger.
If there is a village elder among you who is in charge, please share some of the grain with everyone, so we can help first."
After he dropped the bag of grain, he turned his horse's head and turned back: "When we defeat the army and occupy the surrounding area, there will be more grain to help you.
Don't be afraid. Divide the grain first and take it with you on the road. From now on, go north, pass through Lincheng and then west. As long as you reach Funiu Mountain, my king Li Chuang will take you in.
It’s getting dark soon, everyone, hurry up and get on your way!”
After saying these words, the little leader of the insurgent army whipped up his horse and prepared to leave.
At this time, an old man walked out from the group of victims. He seemed to be the village elder who took the lead. He was seen kneeling on the ground. He first kowtowed to the young leader of the insurgent army who was riding a horse, and then thanked him: "
Thank you King Chuang, he is really our savior!"
He then asked tentatively, "The man riding the horse in front under the flag of 'Chuang' is King Chuang himself?"
"No. That's our general. He's the nephew of King Li Chuang, and he's called 'Yi Hu'!" After the young leader of the Chuang army finished speaking, he rode off.
…………
It turned out that Li Zicheng paid great attention to the news that Fu Zonglong, the governor of Shaanxi and the three frontiers, was leading the army to leave Shaanxi, and then found out the information that Fu Zonglong wanted to join forces with Yang Wenyue, the governor of Baoding, in Xincai.
He did not dare to neglect, and hurriedly summoned his military advisers, generals, and "Cao Cao" Luo Rucai to discuss together.
They believed that after Fu Zonglong and Yang Wenyue joined forces, they had no more than two directions. The first was to defend Runing, because Runing was a prefectural city and the seat of the Ming Dynasty's clan Chong Wang.
Therefore, it seems natural for Fu Zonglong and Yang Wenyue to stick to Runing.
Secondly, everyone is also worried that if the officers and soldiers are afraid that they will be dead if they are surrounded, so if they do not guard Runing exclusively, but move towards Xiangcheng from the north of Xincai, this will make Xiangcheng and Runing mutually beneficial.
Horns, support each other.
However, if the war is unfavorable, you can go north from Xiangcheng, go through Chenzhou, Qixian, and go straight to Kaifeng.
After discussion, they decided to send Li Guo to lead 30,000 troops, including both infantry and cavalry, to the north of Xincai as quickly as possible in order to intercept the Ming army's northward march and defeat it in one fell swoop in southern Henan.
At that time, Prince Shaobao, General Pingtai and General Zuo Liangyu were still stationed between Xinyang and Luoshan, and he had many soldiers and horses.
Ding Qirui was also garrisoned in the Guangshan area and had stopped moving forward. At this time, he was appointed as the Minister of War of the Ming Dynasty with the title of Superintendent and Governor of Huguang, Henan, Sichuan and the armies north and south of the Yangtze River, working hard to suppress the bandits.
However, he knew that the intruders were at their peak, but he did not dare to attack in the direction of Funiu Mountain. He reported to the court that the "thieves" were rampant in Gushi and needed to be suppressed urgently. However, he had no troops and hesitated to move forward.
However, in the eyes of Li Zicheng, Cao Cao and others, Ding Qirui's intentions were unclear.
Finally, for the sake of safety, after Li Guo's 30,000 troops set off, the Chuang kings Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai also led an army to march to Xiping and then leveled the area to observe the movement.
At the same time, groups of bandit soldiers were sent to the surrounding states and counties to collect military rations and collect mules and horses.
…………
"One Tiger" Li Guo led an army of 30,000 soldiers on a rapid march. Because he was afraid that Fu Zonglong and Yang Wenyue's Ming army would escape, he personally led 8,000 cavalry as the vanguard, galloping day and night, between Runing and Xiangcheng.
The rest of the group followed behind.
Among the eight thousand light cavalry of his Chuang army, there were not only the cavalry of Chuang King Li Zicheng's camp, but also the two thousand light cavalry of Yang Chengzu, the general of Cao's camp.
Yang Chengzu was the favorite general of "Cao Cao" Luo Rucai. Li Guo and Li Guo were old acquaintances. After they recently joined forces with Cao Cao, they naturally had more opportunities to meet each other and their relationship became more harmonious.
Precisely because he knew that the two of them usually got along well, this time Li Zicheng, the king of Chuang, asked Cao Cao to send out some troops to fight together. Cao Cao sent Yang Chengzu out on the spot.
That night, Li Guo and Yang Chengzu stationed troops near Sheqiao. He ordered the invading troops not to harass the homes of ordinary poor people. Only the homes of wealthy families could be stationed.
However, the houses of wealthy families were limited after all, so many military tents were set up in uninhabited open spaces, and most of the invading troops were stationed in the wilderness outside the stronghold.
Moreover, in order to prevent the news of the large-scale invasion of the intruders from leaking out, fire was strictly prohibited both inside and outside the stronghold.
Li Guo's old camp was stationed in a slightly dilapidated temple. As soon as he settled in, he sent someone to summon the local elders, and more than ten people came.
Li Guo first preached to them that the purpose of King Chuang's army was to advocate justice for heaven and punish the people for crimes.
What is particularly emphasized is that the main purpose of the current visit to Runing is to suppress the troops and calm the people, to kill all the officers and soldiers who kill good people and take credit for their merits and harm the people, and to kill those who usually step on the heads of the people.
The local officials and local tyrants were completely eliminated.
After he finished speaking, the village elders who were summoned were all dubious. After all, it was their first time to deal with the intruders, and they were still somewhat uneasy.
A village elder, whose clothes were slightly shabby but had a very gentle face, stepped forward and said wisely: "We have heard about King Li Chuang for a long time and know that his troops are all benevolent and righteous people.
How King Li Chuang acted in western Henan and how kind he was to the common people. The little old man and others also burned incense and prayed everywhere, hoping that King Li Chuang would come soon to relieve the suffering of the little old man and others.
Although I couldn't see King Chuang in person today, I did see the general leading the cavalry here. It turned out that the military discipline was strict and Qiu did not commit any crimes. This is something that has never been seen before.
General Li has given orders, how dare I not try my best!"
Li Guo smiled and said: "God has abandoned the Zhu family. Now the imperial court is corrupt and the officials are corrupt. This means that the Ming Dynasty has exhausted its strength and must perish now."
Our name, King Li Chuang, has been revealed to everyone in the prophecy "Eighteen Sons, the Lord's Divine Weapon", not to mention the folk proverbs "Li Dai Zhu", which have been clearly stated in the prophecy. It can be seen that God's will has been ours a long time ago.
Come to the king's side.
Now that my army has arrived in Henan, the people are responding everywhere and burning incense to greet them. This also shows that our King Li Chuang is really obedient to the people. I estimate that in three to five years, my army will attack the capital.
, reorganize the world and establish a new dynasty."
All the village elders were entranced and did not dare to say anything. They could only nod lightly.
In fact, in the Ming Dynasty, which is now in turmoil, the theory of "Tui Bei Tu" has already been completely spread.
However, most people don't really believe this. They don't believe that the Zhu family's Ming Dynasty will perish soon, and they don't believe that the destined emperor who saved the people from fire and water has been born at this moment!
An old man from the village who was invited said in his heart: "Everyone wants to be the emperor, even the intruder who has never read a book has this evil idea.