"Second brother, do you think Wu Yangui can really hold Yan'an Mansion? Don't you know what's going on in the cities of Yan'an, Ganquan, and Ansai now? Since entering the city, Leader Wu's men burned and looted, and nine of the ten rooms in the city were empty.
That Yuan Ma is even more cannibalistic. Sweet spring and Ansai have become hell. They don’t know how to win people’s hearts and how to run a city or a town. How can they be invincible?"
"If Leader Wu was willing to listen to me and leave Yan'an Mansion to lead his troops south, he might be able to live a few more years. But unfortunately, he couldn't bear to part with those cities. He let a few of the city walls that he destroyed into disgrace be tied up with
…Failure is just around the corner…”
Listening to Wang Zuoguan's words, Miao Mei looked shocked and shook her head gently, "How is this possible? Can officers and soldiers capture Yan'an Prefecture?"
"It's not a possibility, but a certainty! Do you know which groups of troops are entrenched in Mizhi City? Tiemo of Xuanfu, Lou Daji of Datong Prefecture, Cao Wenzhao of Liaodong Town, you don't know Lou Daji and Cao Wenzhao,
You should know who Tie Mo is, right?"
"Of course I know!" Miao Mei smiled bitterly. How many of the peasant soldiers still don't know Tie Mo's name?
The living king of hell in northern Shanxi, a place of murder and burial!
Wang Jiayin, Wang Ziyong, Gao Yingxiang, Wu Yangui, none of these people have ever suffered at the hands of the Living Hell King. Just recently, the most ferocious Yuan Ma under Wu Yangui was almost wiped out by the Living Hell King.
"My little brother admits that the Living King of Hell is very powerful, but the number of officers and soldiers is insufficient."
"Insufficient troops? Maybe, but can you guarantee that the officers and soldiers will not increase the number of troops in northern Shaanxi? As long as the officers and soldiers are willing to increase the number of troops, the problem of insufficient troops will disappear. Moreover, Brother Yiwei speculates that the officers and soldiers will definitely increase the number of troops."
Although it was speculation, Wang Zuogao's tone was extremely firm. It was not that he had never expressed his concerns to Wu Yangui, but after getting the Yan'an Mansion, Wu Yangui seemed to be a different person, and he could no longer listen to any opinions, especially those led by Li Zicheng
After the soldiers surrendered, Wu Yangui's confidence was extremely expanded.
"Second brother, do you still remember why we raised troops in Suide?"
Miao Mei raised her eyebrows and said with a smile: "Of course I remember, the eldest brother wanted more villagers to have food, so he led the brothers to break through the county and fight against the imperial court. In order to avoid the conflict, the eldest brother also gave up the top spot to
Wang Jiayin."
"Yes, we just want more people to have food. But since taking over Yan'an Prefecture, look at what Wu Yangui and those people have done. Looking at everything before, they will only make more people unable to eat.
Rice, I have never thought about how to fill more people’s stomachs.”
"Yan'an Prefecture was originally quite good. It has only been a month since Wu Yangui led his troops into the city, but it has changed. The people changed their sons to eat, and their bones turned into carbon. Is this a situation we want?"
"But, what are we doing in Ma Bei Mountain? If Wu Yangui is unreliable, why not go to Xianyang to find Wang Jiayin?"
"Looking for Wang Jiayin? What's the difference between him and Wu Yangui? He's not even as good as Wu Yangui." Wang Zuoguan had a sneer on his face, and glanced at the corner of his mouth sarcastically, "Don't look at Wang Jiayin asking me to be my brother several times. It's just for others to see."
Yes, if brother Wei really goes to take the second position under him, do you think he can really tolerate brother Wei? Now that the king is using it for himself, Gao Yingxiang and others have all returned to Wang Jiayin, how can our brothers still be alive after they have gone?"
"This..." Miao Mei suddenly became speechless, "I have ignored this, so what should we do next? We can't stay on Mabei Mountain forever, right?"
Wang Zuoguan frowned, raised his hand and pointed in the direction of Hancheng, "We just need to wait, our opportunity is in Hancheng."
"Hancheng?"
Miao Mei thought hard, but she couldn't think of any chance that Han Cheng would have.
...
War smoke was everywhere in northern and southern Shaanxi, and bones were everywhere. The spring of the second year of Chongzhen was drier than before. The land in many places had cracked, like hungry mouths, waiting for the dew to fall from the sky.
But God didn't know what illness I had. From mid-February to early April, early spring had passed, and not a drop of rain fell from the sky.
In early April, there was not a trace of green on the land of northern Shaanxi. The grass and trees were withered and the ground was bare for thousands of miles. The famine became more and more serious. Many places were no longer habitable and hungry people fled.
When the vegetation is gone, people eat each other.
Perhaps this sentence is the epitome of today's northern Shaanxi. Walking along the country dirt road for half a mile, you will see broken bones scattered on the roadside. Some bones are as black as charcoal, which makes people's hearts tremble.
In March, in order to give an explanation to the imperial court, the border troops from the three towns stationed in Mizhi City slowly occupied Qingjian and Suide. However, they were limited to capturing these two empty cities, but they made a step forward.
The soldiers and horses of the three towns formed a confrontation with Wu Yangui's rebels, and Liu Yingyu's soldiers and horses of northern Shaanxi also entered Qingjian City and joined forces with the border troops of the three towns.
Yang He, the governor of the three sides, issued several warrants in succession, urging Cao Wenzhao, Liu Yingyu and others to quickly launch a decisive battle with the rebels and capture Yan'an Mansion. Except for Liu Yingyu's symbolic exploratory attack, there was no further
major military operations.
Cao Wenzhao and others also had difficulties. It was not that they did not want to fight decisively, but the time had not come yet. In short, it was absolutely impossible to attack the strong cities of Ganquan and Ansai.
The situation in northern Shaanxi was like this, and the situation in southern Shaanxi was even worse. Wang Jiayin, with Wang Ziyong and Gao Yingxiang as the main generals, almost swept Xi'an Prefecture and Fengxiang Prefecture, leaving only the city of Xi'an. Letters for help from Shaanxi officials were sent one by one.
It was in Yang He's hands, but Yang He had nothing to do.
There were only so many officers and soldiers in Shaanxi, how could there be reinforcements to support the Xi'an Prefecture? The more this happened, the more anxious Yang He became. He thought that as long as the border troops in northern Shaanxi could defeat Wu Yangui, they would have more troops to deal with Wang Jiayin.
After much thought, Yang He compiled a letter and sent it to the capital, hoping that the imperial court would urge the border troops stationed in Mizhi City in the form of an imperial edict.
Two days later, Yang He's letter was delivered to Emperor Chongzhen. At this time, in addition to Yang He's letter, Chongzhen had another letter in his hand.
This letter was written by Ma Maocai, a doctor in the Ministry of Rites, and Chongzhen looked at it word by word with a serious expression.
Since the severe drought in northern Shaanxi and the outbreak of civil unrest, Zhu Youjian, who has lived in the Forbidden City for a long time, has been suffering from not knowing the real situation in Shaanxi and has been undecided on how to deal with these troublemaking gangs. Under such circumstances, Ma Maocai, a doctor in the Ministry of Rites, took the initiative to ask for help and went there.
Shaanxi, inspecting public sentiment for Zhu Youcai. It took Ma Maocai four months to write this letter.
"In Yan'an Prefecture, my hometown, there was no rain for the whole year last year. The grass and trees were withered, and the people rushed to collect the grass in the mountains for food. When the grass was gone, they would peel off the bark of the trees and eat it. When the bark was gone, they would dig up rocks in the mountains and eat them. The nature of the stone
It is cold and smells fishy. If you eat less, you will feel full. Within a few days, you will suffer from abdominal distension and death. Hungry people gather together and become "robbers". Instead of waiting to die of hunger, it is better to die for "robbers". People who burn human bones for fuel and boil human flesh for food will
People who eat people will die within a few days with red and swollen faces and heat. As a result, their death pillows are littered and the stench fills the sky. Several pits are dug outside Ansai County. Each pit can accommodate hundreds of people. They are not big enough to bury people, and they don’t know.
How many more are there? It is like this in small counties, but it can be known in large counties. It is like this in one place, and it can be known in other places. The people are so peaceful that they become "robbers". As for Qingyang, north of Yan'an, the famine is even worse."
A letter described in detail the scene in Shaanxi, where people were eating each other and burning their bones. What was even more frightening was that because so many people died, the temperature warmed and the disease spread.
This is Shaanxi, it is a pure hell.
Chongzhen's hands were shaking uncontrollably, his eyes were slightly red, and soon a few tears fell on the letter. At this moment, his heart was in so much pain.
Those so-called bandits and rebellious parties are also my people. It is my fault that the heaven brings disaster and the court fails to provide disaster relief.
This letter made Emperor Chongzhen's heart become more determined, and he finally made a choice.
There were two decrees in total, one sent to Hancheng and the other to Mizhi City.
In the imperial edict, Chongzhen not only urged the border troops in the three towns of Xuanfu to open up the situation as soon as possible, but also ordered the Shaanxi soldiers and horses to deal with the chaos mainly with appeasement.
After receiving the imperial edict, Cao Wenzhao shook his head dumbfounded and said, "Appeasement is the main thing? With what appeasement? Your Majesty also takes it for granted. It is not so simple to appease. Do we still have to try to influence Wu Yangui's gang?"
Tie Mo also shook his head secretly. He didn't blame Cao Wenzhao for complaining. It was really unreliable. Do you blame Chongzhen? It didn't seem to blame him. He was just too young and didn't think well.
To be more specific, Chongzhen worked really hard. He wanted to be a good emperor, but he also had the potential to become a good emperor. Unfortunately, with the current situation, there was no time for Chongzhen to grow up little by little. Because the environment did not allow it, he instead did
The more you get, the more mistakes you make.
Tie Mo and others did not take the matter seriously, but the imperial court's decree could not be ignored.
After delaying for so long, if they don't show some seriousness, the imperial court should take serious action against these generals. Under this situation, the border troops of the three towns joined forces with Liu Yingyu and finally launched a new military operation.
On the seventh day of April in the second year of Chongzhen, Tie Mo took Liu Guo as the vanguard and attacked Yezhu Gorge. At the same time, Liu Yingyu led his troops to threaten Ganquan, while Cao Wenzhao and Lou Daji led the main force of the border army to contain the Ansai City.
Chaos party.
Yezhu Gorge was inconspicuous, and the rebels did not take Yezhu Gorge seriously. It was not until Liu Yingyu led his troops to approach Ganquan that the rebels huddled in Ganquan felt the slightest difference. At this time, Wu Yangui, who was stationed in Yan'an City,
I also started to have a headache.
Since Liu Yingyu approached Ganquan, Yan'an City lost contact with Ganquan. Wu Yangui sent a troop to Ganquan to learn about the situation there. As a result, as soon as the troop reached halfway, a group of officers and soldiers shot out of the diagonal thrust.
, and finally fled back in a hurry.
Only then did Wu Yangui realize the importance of Yezhu Gorge. Yezhu Gorge seemed inconspicuous, but it was located between Ganquan and Yan'an. Officers and soldiers stationed a troop of troops at Yezhu Gorge and could be dispatched at any time, directly cutting off the connection between the two cities.
connect.
Ganquan is not as good as Ansai. The food and grass supplies here have always been allocated from Yan'an. Moreover, because the main force of the frontier army was stationed in the north before, most of the troops and horses were concentrated in Ansai City. At this time, there were not too many defenders in Ganquan.
In the past, there was no danger, but now that Liu Yingyu's Shaanxi soldiers and horses have joined in, Ganquan's garrison is a bit insufficient. Although the Shaanxi garrison soldiers have limited combat effectiveness, there are many people.
At this time, Wu Yangui began to worry about the safety of Ganquan. If Ganquan was captured by officers and soldiers, the barrier to the south of Yan'an Mansion would be gone.
Wu Yangui wanted to send reinforcements to Ganquan, but he was worried about this matter. If there were too many reinforcements, the safety of Yan'an and Ansai could not be guaranteed. If there were too few reinforcements, they would probably be intercepted by the officers and soldiers of Yezhuxia.
.
For a time, Yezhu Gorge became a thorn in Wu Yangui's heart, and he would never be happy until it was removed.
In short, unless the officers and soldiers in Yezhuxia were killed, nothing would be comfortable. However, Wu Yangui was cautious by nature and did not make a decision immediately.
In the next two days, the rebels sent grain, grass and reinforcements to Ganquan, but they were intercepted halfway by the officers and soldiers on the Yezhu Gorge, which made Wu Yangui extremely annoyed. The officers and soldiers on the Yezhu Gorge didn't want human life, but they were disgusting.
Wu Yangui finally couldn't bear it anymore. After hesitating for a long time, he decided to send the Hunshi Wang Wu Zicai and Jiutiao Chong Shichai to lead 10,000 troops to encircle Yezhu Gorge.
Wu Yangui was really annoyed by the officers and soldiers on the Yezhu Gorge and wanted to take over the Yezhu Gorge. Many of the troops led by Wu Zicai and Shi Chai this time were former Shaanxi garrison soldiers, and their combat effectiveness was still acceptable.
Wu Zicai and Shi Chai received strict orders from Wu Yangui, so they did not dare to delay at all. After resting for half a day, they launched a fierce attack on Yezhuxia.
Yezhu Gorge is surrounded by hills on both sides, and the altitude is not too high, so it is difficult to defend. The rebels came fiercely, and Liu Guoneng was immediately under great pressure. He fought for two hours. By evening, half of Yezhu Gorge had been captured by the rebels.
.
According to this situation, if the gangsters work harder at dawn the next day, they will be able to take control of the Wild Boar Gap.
Wu Zicai and Shi Chai thought the same way, so they felt much happier. Before coming, they heard that the officers and soldiers stationed at Yezhu Gorge were the troops of the Living King of Hell, and they were quite worried. Unexpectedly, the soldiers and horses of the Living King of Hell were not very good.
So.
The next day, before dawn, a burst of fighting could be heard from the Wild Boar Gorge. Wu Zicai sat up in excitement, looked at the sky, and murmured in a low voice.
"This nine-striped insect is still as impatient as before."
Wu Zicai thought that Shi Chai was eager to take credit for his meritorious service and took the lead in attacking the officers and soldiers, so he did not pay attention to the sounds of fighting outside.
But soon, he saw a person running over with a panicked look on his face. This person was none other than Jiutiao Chong Shichai.
"Brother Wu, it's not good. The reinforcements from the officers and soldiers have arrived and are now launching a fierce attack on us."
"Reinforcements? Where did the reinforcements come from?" Wu Zicai was confused. There were only so many officers and soldiers active in northern Shaanxi. The frontier troops in Bailuo City were still on a break. Where did the officers and soldiers get the reinforcements to support Yezhuxia? Besides, how to mobilize reinforcements?
, why no signs were found?
Seeing that Wu Zicai didn't believe it, Shi Chai said anxiously: "Where can it come from? It's the officers and soldiers outside Ganquan City. That Liu Yingyu took some medicine, and he abandoned Ganquan and rushed over with everyone."
"What?" Wu Zicai's eyes were as wide as a bell, and he said in surprise, "Is Liu Yingyu crazy? What about Gao Changhe from Ganquan City?"
Gao Changhe, nicknamed King Wabei. This person had a high status among the rebels, so the important task of garrisoning Ganquan fell on him. However, Wu Zicai had always criticized Gao Changhe, feeling that this guy only knew how to hide and hide.
There is no bloodiness at all.
Now that he was fighting well in Yezhu Gorge, Gao Changhe failed to watch Liu Yingyu and let him lead troops to kill Yezhu Gorge. How could Wu Zi not be angry?