The soldiers and horses of the Xuanfu under Yongning Bo and Zhang Cheng had been resting around Ningyuan City for ten days, but they had not seen any movement from the Qing army. Finally, under the urging of the eunuchs Wang Chengen and Fang Zhenghua, they led the army out of Shanhaiguan and returned to Xuanzhou.
Mansion.
The wounded soldiers of the Xuanfu Army had already gone to the capital with the artillery battalion of the Shenji Battalion. After all, there were so many cannons in the Shenji Battalion that they were slow to move, so they set out first.
It was precisely because of his slow march and because he was a soldier and horse from the Beijing camp that his supplies were sufficient and timely. Therefore, Zhang Cheng specifically ordered Wei Zhice to lead the chariot camp and march back to Beijing with him. The wounded soldiers of the Xuanfu army were in the chariot camp.
among.
Two days ago, almost all the camps of the Xuanfu Army had set up camp. They formed a strict military formation, sang loud military songs, and marched toward Shanhaiguan with high spirits.
Starting from 10 o'clock today, Xuanfu's veteran general Guo Yingxian led the troops of the Biao Camp and the Left Wing Battalion to set out. Looking at the Xuanfu army officers and soldiers walking away, Zhang Cheng felt another emotion in his heart.
This time I led the army to aid the Liao Dynasty. It lasted for seven months and suffered nearly 5,000 casualties. I only lost one count. I really don't know if it was worth it?
However, this trip to Liaodong was not just about using the lives of thousands of soldiers to win the title of Count Yongning for Zhang Cheng. The most important thing was to fully prove the strength of the Xuanfu Army through this truly tough battle.
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Wang Cheng'en, the eunuch and eunuch who was responsible for the ceremony, Bingbi, was also standing on the city wall. He looked at the Xuanfu army slowly marching westward and said to Zhang Cheng: "Uncle Yongning, what are you thinking about at this moment?"
Zhang Cheng turned around with a smile and clasped his fists and said: "Your Majesty, I am thinking that if I could intercept and kill the slave chief Hongtai last time, the slaves and thieves would surely fall apart, and various forces would continue to fight for power. In this way, the Liao Dynasty would be worry-free."
As he spoke, he turned his head and looked in the direction of the capital of the Ming Dynasty, and said: "At that time, our court can free up our hands to gather the best soldiers and generals from all over the world and gather them in Henan Province. There is no need to worry about the rogue bandits being destroyed, the rivers being unsettled, and the people being restless."
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Wang Chengen raised his hand with a very gentle expression, and stroked his bald chin a few times as usual, and then said to Zhang Cheng in a kind tone: "Yongning Bo is loyal and diligent in the king's affairs. He is worried about his family and country. He is really the king of the country."
Pillar."
Luo Rucai agreed readily. He told Li Zicheng that he would call Liu Guoneng to the top of the city to talk at the right time, and then act accordingly to try to bring him back to the side of the rebel army.
The more he spoke, the more excited he became, and he went on to say: "If our Ming Dynasty could have fewer sanctimonious corrupt scholars and more loyal pillars of the country like Uncle Yongning, then there would be no need to worry about the intrusion of cavalry, or the immortality of rogue bandits!"
Now, all the officers and soldiers led by Liu Guoneng have retreated to the Brick City. After he accepted the recruitment, more than 50,000 thieves under his command were dispersed by Xiong Wencan among the officers and soldiers of various battalions. There were not many people left with him, only a few
to more than 2,000 elite soldiers.
When Liu Guoneng was in the care of Xiong Wencan, he took the initiative to say to Xiong Wencan: "The foolish people have been trapped in injustice for ten years, and Lai Gong is reborn. I hope that all of you will join the army and serve under your command to the best of your ability."
In the early years, there was a severe drought in Shaanxi, and the people were in dire straits. Liu Guoneng, for some unknown reason, rebelled against Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong almost at the same time. He also formed his own group, attacking states and ruining governments. He was also one of the famous thieves.
But just as Zhou Wang Zhu Gongqi, the censor of Youqiandu, Gao Mingheng, the governor of Kaifeng, and Chen Yongfu, the commander-in-chief of Henan, and other officials in Kaifeng City were worried and nervously preparing for war, the invading Cao army suddenly turned to the southwest.
"Eunuch Wang spoke like this, which really disgraced Zhang Cheng."
Now, the cavalry of the Cao Cao rebel army are moving around Ye County every day, almost completely sealing off the entire battlefield. They even went as far as Xiangcheng and Lushan to conduct sentinel inspections.
Therefore, in the eleventh year of Chongzhen's reign, Liu Guoneng, who had always had a quarrel with Zhang Xianzhong and was always worried about being annexed by him, finally took care of Xiong Wencan, the governor of the five provinces in charge of suppressing bandits, in Suizhou.
Fearing that Zuo Liangyu, the commander-in-chief of the Tongzhi Command, would attack, the Allied Forces hesitated to move forward. After waiting for a while, they found out that Zuo Liangyu, under the pretext of preparing for the revolution, was harassing the vast area of the lake with rogue bandits from the Fourth Battalion of the Left and was leading his own troops.
Ma, stay put in Guangshan, Yingshan and Qichun areas.
Li Zicheng, who rebelled against the enemy, also sent people to spread the news, saying that the rebel army had adopted the strategy of military advisor Song Xiance, and wanted to divide his troops into two groups to attack Nanyang City first, then pass through Dengzhou and go out to Xixiakou to fight back to his hometown in Shaanxi, and defeat Shangzhou and take Xi'an.
Later, he was ordered to attack the bandit Li Wanqing's tribe, and surrendered them to his subordinates. He led Li Wanqing and other generals to suppress the rebel Zhang Xianzhong and other bandits, and garrisoned Yunyang. When Li Zicheng invaded Henan, Liu Guoneng was ordered to move his troops to Ye County to garrison.
Fang Zhenghua, the internal eunuch who came to convey the order, had been escorted by the Han generals in the capital camp a few days ago and returned to the capital to report to Emperor Chongzhen. Only Wang Chengen and Zhang Ruoqi were still in charge in Liaodong.
Along the way, Cao's bandit soldiers and horses took advantage of the trend and went south, passing Yuzhou and heading towards Bowang. The cavalry actually appeared on the bank of Baihe River more than ten miles away in the eastern suburbs of Nanyang City, spying on Nanyang City's defenses.
At this moment, the firearms battalion led by Zhang Nai has arrived outside the city, and the artillery positions have been set up. However, the siege has not yet begun, and they are waiting for the arrival of the king of Chu, Li Zicheng, and Cao Cao, Luo Rucai.
After Luo Rucai got on his horse and led his soldiers and generals away, Li Zicheng's general Wu Ruyi asked in a low voice to King Chuang: "Generalissimo, I'm still a little worried. If Cao Cao goes alone, will Liu Guoneng be secretly killed?"
Are you letting me go?"
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Less than ten miles away from Ye County, Liu Ye, the general sentry of the Camp of the Breaking Army, led a group of soldiers and horses to be stationed here. He was commanding "One Tiger" Li Guo, Yuan Zongdi and General Sun Shengzu of Cao Camp and other generals to step up their efforts.
Wai Da Ye County.
Now, there are large armies gathered, and the main forces of the old battalions of Chuangying and Caoying are stationed here, about four or five miles apart, setting up camps respectively.
Twenty miles southwest of Baodian there is a small village with only about twenty households. Because there is only a single big tree beside the main street of this village, people habitually call it Dushu.
When the rebel Li Zicheng saw that Zuo Liangyu was so timid in fighting, he became angry and began to plan together with "Cao Cao" Luo Rucai to attack Fengfu City again.
When Zhang Cheng saw this, he knew that Zhang Ruoqi was deliberately bragging about himself, but he was also afraid that he would go too far, so he immediately said: "I am really ashamed and dare not accept what Zhang Jianjun said.
At this time, Zhang Ruoqi interjected: "Uncle Yongning is loyal to the emperor, and the world can tell. He is indeed much better than the many rotten scholars who have read the books of sages and sages."
Soon, the rebel army began to besiege Ye County from all sides. The sound of cannons was "rumbling" continuously, and the shouts and roars were also heard one after another.
Liu Guoneng was still a very filial son. When he rebelled, he took his mother with him. There was never any separation, and he always showed his filial piety to him every day.
After Zhang Cheng, Wang Chengen, and Zhang Ruoqi said goodbye, he led the Tiger Guards, accompanied by Wang Pu, Li Fuming, and Chen Jiugao, and rushed towards Shanhaiguan.
In the area around Baodian and Dushu, you can see the rolling hills, many dilapidated villages, very sparsely populated areas, weeds everywhere, and swarms of foxes and rabbits, making it a desolate scene.
The rumble of artillery outside the city has gradually stopped. It seems that the siege of the city has ended today. The soldiers on both sides are taking turns to change shifts and have meals.
Therefore, he simply did not have enough strength to organize a counterattack out of the city, and could only barely defend Ye County, waiting for reinforcements.
However, even though he said that, on the way back to the military tent, Li Zicheng couldn't help but have doubts in his heart: "Really, will you let him go secretly..."
Immediately, he said to him: "We will send you here today to wish Uncle Yongning a safe journey home. When we return to the capital, we will go to visit Uncle Yongning."
Chuang Wang Li Zicheng rolled his eyes when he heard this, and then said nonchalantly: "No. The incident on Agate Mountain is mentioned every day, and you hate it very much. You can never let Liu Guoneng go."
Although he agreed very readily, Luo Rucai really didn't want to meet Liu Guoneng in his heart. Apart from some resentments when they were thieves together, he was mainly afraid that things would change in the future and Li Zicheng would be suspicious of him.
The king of Chuang, Li Zicheng, and Cao Cao, Luo Rucai, stood on a high ground in the southwest of Ye County and talked for a while while observing the rebel army attacking the city.
As expected, after the Chuang Cao coalition attacked Wuyang County, they immediately divided their forces into two groups.
Within a few miles of Ye County, there are military camps everywhere, and the person in charge of the city defense at this time is Liu Guoneng, the deputy commander-in-chief. He was frightened by the invading Cao Cao army, but he had nowhere to call for help, so he could only step up his efforts.
Mobilize all manpower and material resources in the city and arrange defense matters.
"However, anyone who dares to resist and refuse to surrender will suffer the massacre of the city!"
It can be seen that Liu Guoneng was truly cared for by the imperial court, and Xiong Wencan was overjoyed when he heard this. He comforted Liu Guoneng and won him a garrison position, temporarily placing him under Zuo Liangyu's command.
At the same time, the rebellious Li Zicheng also wrote to various prefectures and counties near Nanyang in the name of "the civil and military marshal who advocates righteousness from heaven" and informed the local officials and gentry that all those who surrendered to the city would still serve as usual, and the common people, regardless of poverty, would
If you are rich, you can live your life as usual.
Ye County, known as Kunyang in ancient times, is located at the north entrance of the Nanxiang Pass. The famous "Battle of Kunyang" in history where a small number of people defeated a large number took place here. From then on, one hundred and twenty miles south is Yuzhou, and in the middle
There is a place called Baodian, which is sixty miles away from both Ye County and Yuzhou.
There used to be a small earth city outside the south city of Ye County, which was first occupied by the bandits. There was also a small earth city outside the north city, which was also captured by the bandits the day before yesterday.
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The other route was the army route heading northwest to attack Ye County to replenish the grain needed by the army.
From then on, Liu Guoneng began to be restrained by the imperial court and joined the army to suppress bandits in various places. He achieved numerous military exploits. In December of the twelfth year of Chongzhen, he entered the capital from Zuo Liangyu and was awarded the title of Deputy Chief of the Army.
Wu Ruyi's eyes were full of doubts and worries, and he continued: "The two of them were also sworn brothers. There is a lot of friendship here!"
Zhang Cheng hurriedly clasped his fists and saluted, and then said: "Thanks to the prince for not giving up, Zhang Cheng will be in the capital to wait for the prince's triumphant return. Then he will definitely go to visit and learn from him personally."
The generals of the Chuang Army, "One Tiger" Li Guo and "Two Tigers" Liu Tichun, had already killed the governors of the three sides of the Ming Dynasty outside Xiangcheng, and Supervisor Fu Zonglong, and returned to the camp of the Chuang Army.
At this moment, seeing Wang Chengen's sincere performance, Zhang Cheng felt a fleeting touch in his heart. If he hadn't been born in two lives, Zhang Cheng would have really sold his life to the Zhu family of the Huangming Dynasty.
Wang Chengen was obviously very satisfied with Zhang Cheng's performance of not being arrogant about taking credit, and in his opinion, Zhang Cheng was not just pretending. He really did what he said, devoted himself to the emperor's orders, and never flinched in the face of danger, which is indeed rare.
In early October of the 14th year of Chongzhen, when more than 200,000 troops from the Ming and Qing Dynasties were fighting fiercely on the banks of the Xiaoling River in the south of Jinzhou City, bandits were also ravaging Zhongzhou in Henan Province, and similar battles continued one after another.
Liu Guoneng, a native of Yan'an Prefecture, Shaanxi Province, was originally one of the bandits, nicknamed "Chuang Taotian". He seems to have read some books and knew some words, and he also had a reputation for bravery among the bandits.
Li Zicheng asked Luo Rucai to try his best to persuade Liu Guoneng to return to the side of the bandits as soon as possible, so as to avoid innocent casualties of the soldiers on both sides during the siege, and to prevent the people in the city from being affected.
As ministers, we should be loyal and diligent in the king's affairs and share His Majesty's worries. This is our duty, and I really dare not accept such complimentary words from Director Zhang."
In the eighth year of Chongzhen, when 13 families and 72 battalions including Gao Yingxiang, Zhang Xianzhong and Lao Huihui gathered in Xingyang, Henan, Liu Guoneng was already one of the powerful bandits.
That is because she was seriously influenced by the mainstream "loyalty and filial piety" ideology of this era. She always educated her son, hoping that he could serve the court, contribute to the country, and bring honor to the ancestors, instead of being a bandit who ruined the reputation of the ancestors.
Although his mother was born in a rural area and was not very literate, she was a very independent and upright old man. Moreover, Liu Guoneng's mother had almost the same problems as Yue Fei's mother and Song Jiang's father.
In early October, when the fierce battle between the Ming and Qing Dynasties was raging outside Jinzhou City in Liaodong, the Allied Forces of Cao Cao had crossed Xiangcheng without attacking. They suddenly attacked Xihua, Fugou and other counties in the north, and it seemed that they were about to besiege Kaifeng.
potential.
As he spoke, he turned to look at the capital. With tears in his eyes, he bowed and clasped his fists, choking with sobs: "Your Majesty, you really saw the right person!"
From time to time, someone in the bandit army shouted to the soldiers and civilians guarding the city, urging Liu Guoneng and his soldiers to stop working for the dog court and come back to attack the city and seize the territory together. If you want to be as happy as you want, there is no need to kill each other.
He even loudly persuaded the soldiers and civilians in the city to kidnap Liu Guoneng and surrender as soon as possible to avoid massacre. Otherwise, once the rebel army breaks through Ye County, the wealthy gentry and people in the city will suffer.
A team of more than ten loud-voiced thieves and soldiers stood on the earthen city outside the south gate, shouting at the soldiers and civilians on the wall. Some even ran out of the earthen city and walked to the edge of the trench to shout loudly.
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The soldiers and civilians on the city wall neither fired cannons nor fired arrows. Sometimes when they saw that Liu Guoneng's soldiers were not nearby, they would even stick their heads out to look at the traitor soldiers outside the city.
Some of them were so brave that they even started talking to the thieves and soldiers outside the city.