The situation of the Northwest Rebels has now reached the most dangerous edge.
In the spring, Chen Qiyu, as the governor of the five provinces, mobilized various troops from Shaanzhou, Henan, all the way to Junxian and Zhushan areas.
The official army was so powerful that Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong and others could not resist it, so they had no choice but to march westward to Sichuan.
Although they captured Xiezhou Prefecture and opened the door to Sichuan, they also left Sichuan surrounded by soldiers.
The elderly Qin Liangyu was not afraid of his old age, and personally led the army to the expedition. With strong support, he defeated the northwest rebel army.
With the front blocked and pursuers behind them, the Northwest Rebels had no choice but to choose their way north, hoping to return to Shaanxi.
This is their hometown, and everything is familiar. As long as they can go back, they will have a chance to make a comeback.
However, all this has already been planned by Chen Qiyu.
He ordered Qin Liangyu to follow the Northwest Rebel Army.
When the Northwest Rebels entered Hanzhong, they immediately closed all access to Sichuan.
The road to Shu is difficult, and it is difficult to reach the blue sky.
Attacking Sichuan from Hanzhong has always been a huge problem; however, entering Hanzhong from Sichuan is very easy.
The passage back to Sichuan was closed, and the Ming Dynasty gathered heavy troops in the area of Hanzhong Prefecture.
To the east, there was the main force of the government and army pursued by Chen Qiyu.
The Northwest Rebels had no other choice but to continue walking north.
Originally, the Hanzhong area was surrounded by steep mountains and dangerous roads, so it should have been a good place for the rebel army to deal with the official army.
But things didn't go as planned, and the rebels encountered a continuous rainy season.
Heavy rain continued for more than seventy days, causing damage to many roads and causing great inconvenience to the rebels' operations.
The biggest problem is that under the continuous rain, the rebels' weapons also have problems.
"Uncle, all our weapons are broken."
Li Guo found Li Zicheng covered in mud and water, and started to complain.
Because of the rainy weather, all the rebels' crossbows were glued and their bowstrings were loose. As for swords, gun heads and other iron tools, they were all rusted.
Li Guo saw this and was anxious in his heart, knowing that if the officers and soldiers came at this time, they would not even have the weapons to take advantage of them.
Gu Junen also frowned.
"Everyone's clothes are soaked through, and there is no way to change them. If this continues, sooner or later, you will get sick."
Li Jin also cursed.
"The hooves of our horses are rotten due to this damn weather, so we can't run. Even if we want to walk, we can't walk fast."
All kinds of difficulties gathered before him, which made Li Zicheng feel frightened.
"Call the generals from all the battalions to come over. We have to find a way."
Not long after, all the generals under Li Zicheng gathered together.
It's just that the atmosphere is depressing, everyone is tired, and it's obvious that the difficulties before them make everyone feel at a loss.
In this case, Li Zicheng could only speak first.
"King Chuang and the Eight Great Kings sent word that there are not many officers and soldiers in the north. For this plan, the big guys can only make more efforts. As long as we return to northern Shaanxi, we will be alive."
When everyone heard this, they were not happy at all.
Liu Fangliang has a high status and has something to say.
"We don't have much food, and it's such a terrible weather. You can't walk fast if you're hungry. If the army catches up, we'll be dead."
Li Zicheng glared.
"Can we survive if we stay here? Chen Qiyu is cunning and has a strong army. Once he bites us, our end will be even worse."
Such is the situation today.
Because the Northwest Rebel Army lacks strength, there is no way to stay in one place for too long.
They can only fight on the move and rely on mobility to deal with the officers and soldiers.
Originally they had no burden, so they fought if they could, and ran away if they couldn't, leaving the officers and soldiers helpless.
But now all the bad situations have come together, which has restricted their actions.
However, they were so poor in the mountainous areas of Hanzhong that it was impossible for them to obtain supplies.
In this case, if you stay here, you will definitely be made dumplings by the army.
Everyone had no choice but to listen to Li Zicheng.
Only Liang Yue looked hesitant, gritted his teeth, and finally spoke.
"General Chuang, in the opinion of my subordinates, we cannot go north."
Another voice of opposition emerged, which made Li Zicheng very dissatisfied.
"Are you tired too? Do you plan to take a good rest here?"
Liang Yue blushed and quickly explained.
"This is not what I mean. I just feel that the north may be a trap."
Li Zicheng snorted, but also gave him room to speak.
Liang Yue quickly cheered up and expressed his judgment.
"My subordinates have been paying attention to Chen Qiyu these days, and found that this thief is different from Hong Chengchou, who has a fiery nature. He has always been steady and will never make any advances. We are traveling across Huguang and Sichuan, but this thief is as stable as Mount Tai, sitting still until we are mobilized.
After gathering enough troops, they blocked our way and pressed forward step by step. Now that we are trapped here, the thief must know it. But he didn't come to the door, so he must be harboring some bad feelings."
Li Zicheng listened to these words.
"Tell me carefully."
Liang Yue was so excited that he quickly raised his voice.
"Although we are not doing well these days, my subordinates still sent trusted brothers to go to the north to check. The people below came back and reported that the terrain in the north is very dangerous. There is a valley between two mountains, and it stretches without knowing the end. The generals who want to attack must know that,
When we are marching and fighting, don't enter the valley. I guess Chen Qiyu is just waiting for us to fall into our trap."
These words shocked the generals of the Chuang army, and at the same time they also looked at Liang Yue with admiration.
Because none of them thought that in such a difficult situation, scout investigation could be ruled out.
If Liang Yue's words were true and they rashly headed north, they would really have no way to go to heaven and no way to go to earth, and they would never die again.
But this gave Li Zicheng an even bigger headache.
"If we don't go north, where can we go? The south, west, and east are all surrounded by the army. If we don't move, the army will press forward. Isn't it the same thing?"
Liang Yue chuckled and valued his brother even more.
"My subordinate has an idea."
Of course it would be great to have someone who can provide advice in this difficult time.
Li Zicheng quickly sat upright and urged him.
"Say it quickly."
Liang Yue looked around and found that they were all trustworthy people, so he spoke slowly.
"Chen Qiyu is surrounded from all sides, just to drive us all into the canyon, and then annihilate us in one fell swoop. My subordinates feel that we can use this trick. Let's hide it for the time being, and wait until the other troops enter the valley and be surrounded by the army.
After that, the officers and soldiers must have made some omissions in some places. By then we will attack them and rescue them. Not only will we be able to escape, but we will also be able to rescue other leaders."
After hearing this, everyone present looked sideways.
No one thought that this guy could be so cruel and ruthless.
He wanted to use other rebels as bait to achieve Li Zicheng's supreme reputation!