As night falls and the bright moon rises in the east, the city of Kaifeng is like a winding and undulating dragon, shadowy and shadowy under the sky. The old willow trees planted on the bank of the Bian River under the city wall are lush and leafy. When the cool breeze blows, the branches
Dancing with the wind in the hazy night.
On the city gate tower, torches and high-footed stoves were lit by blazing coals, while on the long and tall city walls, scattered lights could be seen at the crenellations and turrets of the city walls, and soldiers were walking back and forth, chatting and laughing in low voices.
In the city of Kaifeng, everyone from the governor's office to the prefect's office was plunged into a sea of joy. Nearly ten thousand bandits and bandits were celebrating the repelling of the first attack by the government troops. Everyone was in a happy mood, and wine and meat were distributed everywhere, as if they were celebrating the New Year.
No matter how knowledgeable people such as He Guosheng and Li Yanqing felt that the officers and soldiers were different from the previous imperial officers and soldiers, at least the lower-level subordinates felt that they had a chance to defend Kaifeng because of their "first victory".
It seems that the imperial court is not so difficult to resist?
Seeing the high morale, He Guosheng, Li Yanqing and others did not want to remind their subordinates to dampen morale, and even deliberately added fuel to the fire to create an atmosphere where the officers and soldiers were not afraid.
In the governor's yamen, there are five official halls and two courtyards, with lanterns hanging high and torches lit up. The light is as bright as day. At this moment, there are waves of people pushing cups and changing cups and shouting.
Tables of banquets were laid out inside and outside, with wine, meat and dishes on them. On lacquered wooden chairs, the chiefs of the bandits, big and small, were sitting, laughing and drinking.
At this moment, in the official hall consisting of five main rooms, Wang Sishun, He Guosheng, Li Yanqing, Luo Jinzhong and others gathered at a table, discussing the combat power of the officers and soldiers.
Surrounded by several close subordinates, they gathered around a table.
He Guosheng put down his wine cup and said in a low voice: "These officers and soldiers are different from the soldiers we met in the previous states and counties. Their combat power is far superior. Today we only made a small attack, not a large-scale attack. When we wait for a major attack, Kaifeng Fucheng will definitely
It’s harder to fight.”
"Brother He, these should be the elite of the imperial court." Luo Jinzhong twisted a peanut, raised a full cup of Fenjiu, and drank a cup.
Li Yanqing frowned and said, "Brother Luo, don't be careless. Let the brothers eat later and divide them into several groups to keep vigil. Be careful not to make any mistakes at night."
Even now that the bandits are gathering here to celebrate repelling the attack by the government troops, they still send some people to guard the city wall to prevent sneak attacks by the government troops.
"What Brother Yanqing said is true. A arrogant army will be defeated. Don't be careless." He Guosheng nodded and said: "Today's defense of the city will be difficult to resist. Now let's talk about it. After the attack, let's redeploy our troops and start again."
Deployment also saves you from having to rush tomorrow."
At this moment, this middle-aged man acted like a big brother taking the lead when Gao Yue was not around.
Luo Jinzhong smiled and said: "I don't have many soldiers and horses in the east, and my brothers can stop them. Except for the north, which is next to the Yellow River, and the army has no navy, we don't have to worry too much. Besides, there is also Brother Wang.
.”
Wang Sishun also glanced at Luo Jinzhong, saying that he was talking about sending people to collect ships.
Li Yanqing asked: "Brother Wang, I heard from my brothers that the southern wall of the city was lying on a horn, and it was touched by the army several times. What happened?"
…
Wang Sishun put down the wine cup in his hand, waved his hand and said: "It's nothing. The officers and soldiers rushed to the city wall several times. Several people had never seen such a large formation. They were panicked at first, but then it was nothing serious.
Even though the officers and soldiers could not stand firm, they were shot down by my men."
Li Yanqing nodded, turned to look at He Guosheng, and said: "Brother He, the officers and soldiers coming this time are all cavalry. I'm afraid that as time goes by, there will be more and more gatherings of soldiers and horses. Although we are small today,
It’s a win, but if we continue like this, we will lose if we defend for a long time. I want to organize one or two thousand martyrs who dare to die, collect war horses, wait for two or three days, and then sneak attack the army under the cover of night.”
Previously, the officers and soldiers lined up with cavalry and then attacked the city. The whole process was orderly. I am afraid that this offensive and defensive battle will still have to be fought. It is very necessary to prepare a mobile cavalry attack in advance.
He Guosheng frowned and said: "But there are not many war horses in the city, and Brother Li doesn't know it. It would be good if we can get seven to eight hundred war horses now."
Henan Duspai
The army went to Runing Prefecture to suppress the bandits. It can be said that a large number of Dusi's troops and horses were mobilized. After the battle, all the troops and horses fell into Gao Yue's hands. However, Gao Yue had a provocative battle and was damaged at Sishui Pass.
"Whatever you can get together, let me wait two days from tomorrow. I am willing to personally lead the cavalry and attack the army at night. Otherwise, if we defend passively for a long time, we will lose." Li Yanqing looked solemn and said in a low voice. Luo Jinzhong raised his hand
Holding the wine cup, he lowered his head and took a sip, with a strange look on his face, and secretly thought, is Li Yanqing trying to escape by collecting war horses?
Even if it's not for escaping, it's...for the convenience of escaping.
Luo Jinzhong thought about this and said: "Brother Li, today we are facing the charge of the army. My brothers are very tired. On the contrary, my brother, Luo, has been resting. It should be me, old Luo, who leads my brothers to do this."
.”
Li Yanqing asked: "Brother Luo, are you going to do this?"
He Guosheng and Wang Sishun also looked at Luo Jinzhong in surprise, wondering for a moment what kind of medicine he was selling in his gourd.
Luo Jinzhong said with a smile: "Many of my brothers were originally thieves. They did a lot of robbing houses at night. I have been doing this for the past two days."
Li Yanqing did not doubt his presence and said, "Then Brother Luo will take care of this matter."
Wang Sishun frowned, his eyes flickered, but he suddenly woke up and sneered in his heart.
This is to get on the horse in advance, so that when the situation is not good, you can escape from Fengfu City.
He Guosheng took in the expressions of several people and didn't take it seriously. As long as these people could hold on to the city of Kaifeng, they would then be able to integrate them.
"Master Gao Da is here."
Just when several people were having different thoughts, Gao Yue, surrounded by Wei Bochuan, Lai Haiyuan, Li Zimin and other close subordinates, came out of the inner compartment. The faces of several people were gloomy, which was somewhat out of tune with the joyful atmosphere inside and outside the hall.
The bandit leaders at several tables nearby stood up one after another and shouted in unison: "Master Gao Da."
Of course, not everyone respects this general who "advocates justice". Some people even think that Gao Yue is a bit stupid. His brothers have suffered so many losses, and they all make wedding clothes for others.
He Guosheng stood up and asked with concern: "Master Gao Da, how is brother Ma Liang doing?"
This is a reference to Ma Liang who was rushed to the hospital after his eyes were splashed by earth and rocks exploded by gunpowder.
…
Gao Yue's originally dark face was as black as the bottom of a pot. Under his thick eyebrows, his tiger eyes flashed coldly. He said with a loud voice, "Thank you for your concern, Brother He. I have already seen a doctor for diagnosis and treatment, but I can't save my life with just one trick."
Ma Liang was a subordinate brought by Gao Yue from the northwest. He had always been guarding Gao Yue. He risked his life for Gao Yue several times. He was a brother-in-law. Now that he was blind in one eye, Gao Yue felt unimaginable grief.
The problem is not just Ma Liang. He has more than a thousand brothers. After heavy losses during the day, less than a thousand are left. And these people in front of them are still complacent about repelling the attack of the army. Don't they know that this is all
Was it purchased with the blood of his brothers?
The bandit leaders inside and outside the hall saw that Gao Yue's face was not good-looking, and some of them were thin-skinned and felt a little guilty. The defense of the city during the day, and the sacrifice of Gao Yue and his brothers to help each other, just like putting out a fire, all fell on him.
In the eyes of everyone.
The righteousness is so thin that there is nothing to say.
Of course, not everyone understands Gao Yue. For example, although Luo Jinzhong's face was full of deep sorrow, his heart was sneering. Your brother died, and our brothers were also damaged today. They put on a stinky face.
Who sees it?
If you hadn't underestimated the enemy and advanced rashly, as the Yanqing brothers said, these three thousand soldiers and horses would have caused many casualties to the officers and soldiers by sneak attack.
He Guosheng extended his hand to invite us and said, "Brother Gao, please sit down and have dinner first. Later we will discuss how to fight tomorrow's battle."
Everyone agreed, no matter how much they slandered, at least the people's hearts were with Gao Yue.
Gao Yue sat down glumly, with Wei Bochuan, Lai Haiyuan, and Li Zimin standing behind him, as if no strangers were allowed to enter.
"Brothers, hurry up and sit down to eat." He Guosheng looked at Li Zimin and others who looked unhappy next to Gao Yue, stretched out his hand to say hello, but none of them moved.
until high
After Yue gave an order, several people sat down at a nearby table, but most of their eyes were focused on Gao Yue.
He Guosheng's face was gentle and he said in a tone of asking for advice: "Master Gao, you have always been resourceful and have fought many times with the army. What do you think now?"
As soon as these words came out, the bandit leaders in the official hall all looked at Gao Yue.
"The soldiers will block it, and the water will cover it." Gao Yue shook his head and said solemnly: "However, Gao heard that the emperor of Shenjing City reused a descendant of Ning Guogong, a man named Jia Heng, to personally organize the army and set up the Jingying camp.
Things are different now, and they are different from the officers and soldiers we usually encounter. I think we will see Brother He and Brother Yanqing during the day."
"Jia Heng?" He Guosheng frowned and repeated the name.
Li Yanqing and Luo Jinzhong looked at each other and looked at each other.
Gao Yue looked at the ignorant people, his eyes couldn't help but become more disappointed.
He secretly thought, after fighting for a long time, you don’t even know who is leading the troops, so why fight?
In fact, Gao Yue didn't know much about Jia Heng. He knew about the reorganization of the Beijing camp, but Gao Yue had just found out who the commander was.
When Gao Yue went to visit Ma Liang's injury, he met the doctor surnamed Qin who treated Ma Liang. The doctor surnamed Qin claimed to be a member of the White Lotus Sect and introduced Gao Yue to a man who claimed to be the branch of the White Lotus Sect in Kaifeng Prefecture.
The helmsman informed Gao Yue about the intelligence information of this group of officers and soldiers.
…
"This Jia Heng is a descendant of the Ning Kingdom and a disciple of the general. I heard that he is not very old. He has been familiar with military books since he was a child and is quite knowledgeable. He is also a close confidant of the emperor. Gao Mou thought he was a child of that kind of dandy family.
, but thinking about the battle with Qi Tian these days, I realize that it is really not to be underestimated! Brothers, the army has brought nearly 100,000 infantry and cavalry from the Beijing camp, and now the only ones who have just arrived are the forward cavalry. "Gao Yue's face was as frozen as ice.
Finally, he spoke loudly and revealed a big news in front of everyone.
As soon as these words came out, from the official hall to the courtyard, all the bandit leaders who were eating were gathered around tables, their expressions changed with shock, and everyone was in an uproar.
"One hundred thousand people..."
"Ride one hundred thousand on foot?"
"How many people do we have, can Kaifeng City be defended?" At a table in the southwest corner, a leader with a red turban on his head shouted loudly.
Immediately it attracted many echoes, all kinds of chatter, and endless noise.
Wang Sishun rolled his eyes, stood up, and said sternly: "The great city of Kaifeng, as long as it is properly defended, why can't it be defended? Doesn't the military book say that we should surround it ten times? If we work together, the imperial court will succeed.
I'm afraid it only takes 200,000 soldiers and horses, but only 100,000, what does it mean?"
When everyone heard this, several bandit leaders with flushed faces cheered loudly. He Guosheng frowned and glanced at Wang Sishun. He clearly couldn't stand Wang Sishun's "grandstanding", but sometimes there were so many people.
There is really no need for something like this to harm Gao Yue.
As the saying goes, the first rafter rots first, and the tall black tower is this rafter.
He Guosheng ignored Wang Sishun, but looked at Gao Yue aggressively and asked: "Master Gao Da, the army and infantry will come in large numbers later. Is the news true?"
Seeing that the noise around him was really unseemly, Luo Jinzhong gave a decisive shout and said loudly: "Brothers, please be quiet! Listen to what Master Gao Da has to say!"
There were shouts from the front and back of the hall. After hearing Luo Jinzhong's shout, he mumbled a few words and his voice gradually became lower.
Gao Yue said in a deep voice: I am sure of it! The imperial court was very frightened when they heard that we were revolting in Henan. The bad news that Kaifeng's city was attacked reached the palace. I heard that the emperor's son was holding a concubine ceremony. When he heard that Kaifeng was attacked,
The emperor was so frightened and angry that he fainted on the spot. The commander of the Beijing camp, Jia Heng, led his troops out in full force, marching day and night, vowing to wipe us out!"
When Gao Yue mentioned that the emperor was ill, the gloom in Gao Yue's heart dissipated. His eyes flashed coldly, he picked up the wine cup and drank it all in one gulp.
No matter what, the attack on Kaifeng Fucheng can be regarded as his most proud achievement in the confrontation with the imperial army in recent years. It was through pretending to be an official and army, such a clever trick to hide the truth.
In fact, Gao Yue didn't know that similar things happened in another time and space.
In the 14th year of Chongzhen, on the ninth day of the second lunar month, Li Zicheng fell into Luoyang and killed Zhu Changxun, the king of Fu. At that time, Li Xianfeng, the governor of Henan,
Leading the guerrilla general Gao Qian, he wiped out the peasant army in Huaiqing Mansion north of the Yellow River. Li Zicheng noticed that Kaifeng's defense was empty, so he traveled day and night and planned to attack Kaifeng. The first three hundred horses pretended to be Ming troops, but the official road was blocked by villagers.
, his men cut down the people to fight for the way, and were discovered by the Ming army on top of the city. In the end, the sneak attack failed.
Earlier in the first month of the 14th year of Chongzhen, Zhang Xianzhong also intercepted and killed Yang Sichang's messenger, seized the military symbols, pretended to be an imperial envoy and entered Xiangyang, and cooperated with the outside to seize the city of Xiangyang.
…
Under the corrupt bureaucracy, neglect and laziness permeate the upper and lower levels, pretending to be imperial messengers and imperial envoys, and deceiving local officials. This is a common occurrence in history.
When everyone heard that the emperor fainted, they were all overjoyed and cheered in unison.
"The emperor has fainted, which shows that the strength of this man is exhausted." Li Yanqing looked excited and said loudly.
Master Li, who was good at riding and archery, was originally the postmaster of a post station under the jurisdiction of Caozhou. Later, because of his wife's beauty, he was attracted by the younger brother of the governor of Caozhou, so he killed the son of the governor. From then on, he became a bandit and devoted himself to fighting with the court.
Be against.
Gao Yue said: "Gao Mou and the imperial court are at odds with each other. You all know that three thousand brothers have fallen into the hands of the imperial court. But no matter how angry you are, know yourself and the enemy, and you will win every battle. Now that the imperial army is strong, we will guard Kaifeng. I hope you will
Let’s work together.”
Everyone all said yes.
And just when the governor's office was celebrating the repulse of the army, at the wall at the southwest corner of Daimen Tower in Kaifeng City, Qu Lang led twenty or thirty brothers to inspect the city wall defense, and released a figure along a rope.
The cat crouched and disappeared into the moonlight.
Three miles away from Fengfu City, in a temporary barracks surrounded by deer antlers and fences, lanterns were hung on all sides and swaying in the wind. Groups of soldiers from the Beijing camp held torches, holding spears and wearing wild goose feather knives on their waists.
Patrolling in the well-organized military tents.
"Sir." At this time, Princess Xianning opened the curtain and entered the brightly lit tent. She looked at the young man standing in front of the city defense map and said, "It's past midnight. Sir, please have something to eat." As she said this, she held a
The trays containing the food were placed on the small lacquered wood table. The girl had a slim and graceful figure, and her arms were stretched like willows. Even in her flying fish suit, she could not conceal her exquisite and graceful figure.
Jia Heng withdrew his gaze, turned around, looked at Princess Xianning, and called, "Your Highness." As he spoke, he came closer and was about to pick up the chopsticks.
Princess Xianning's bright eyes sparkled, and she said angrily: "Sir, you haven't washed your hands yet." "I almost forgot." Jia Heng said with a smile to himself and put down his chopsticks.
With the sound of footsteps, Xia Houying came over with a basin of water and put it on the wooden shelf aside. Jia Heng washed his hands.
"Sir, have you thought of a way to defeat the enemy?" Princess Xianning came closer, took the towel in her hand, and handed it over. Yurong looked at the young man with concern.
Jia Heng took the towel handed by Princess Xianning, wiped his hands, and said thoughtfully: "I have some insights."
"Oh?" Princess Xianning asked in surprise.
Jia Heng said: "After a while, under the cover of night, our army will mobilize troops and horses to go to the southern city wall. At the same time, we will launch a fierce attack on the front to attract the attention of the bandits. Then we will attack from the south and seize the city gate."
After the previous summary by Cai Quan and Qu Guang, the troops were appropriately allocated to the southern city wall.
It is better to wait for the internal response. If the internal response cannot be waited for, the force attack will cause casualties, but it will still be within the tolerable range.
Otherwise, the more time the bandits are given to integrate internally, the easier it will be to fall into a protracted offensive and defensive battle, causing greater war trauma to Kaifeng City.
Not to mention other things, if the bandits force the common people in the city to help defend the city and rely on the city, the officers and soldiers will find it difficult.
"When attacking the city at night, I'm afraid it won't be easy to see." Princess Xianning took the chopsticks and handed them over. Her voice was like melting ice and snow, cold and sweet.
…
Jia Heng took it naturally and said in a low voice: "It's not good for me, and it's even worse for the enemy. Our army can get cavalry support, but the bandits can only run exhausted, and the enemy's training is not as good as ours."
During this era, many soldiers suffered from night blindness, and because the Beijing cavalry had to travel long distances, day and night, soldiers with night blindness were screened when selecting troops, and there were also nighttime raids during training.
Li Suxue went to Caizhou at night, which was a classic night battle
Case.
Princess Xianning nodded and said softly: "Sir, just make a plan." Jia Heng said nothing else and began to eat the food with his head down.
However, at this moment, heavy and rapid footsteps were heard outside the military tent. Liu Jixian, a member of the Qianyi family, came in through the curtain, stood still, clasped his fists and said, "General, Qu Zhenfu has sent someone over."
When Jia Heng heard this, his expression was startled, and then he felt overjoyed and asked, "Where is he? Bring him here."
Liu Jixian responded: "Just outside."
With that said, two Jinyi captains led a young man into the military tent.
"Ding Jing, who holds a humble position in the Jinyi household, has met the Governor. "The person who came is none other than Ding Jing from the Jinyi household beside Qu Lang.
Jia Heng stared at Ding Jing aggressively and asked: "Ding Baihu, how is the situation in Kaifeng City? Where is Qu Zhenfu now?"
Ding Jingdao: "Reporting to the Governor, everyone in Kaifeng City is celebrating to block the government troops, and the defense has been relaxed. Mr. Qu is now patrolling Daimen Tower in Nancheng. He has specially assigned his humble position to report to the Governor. The front line of Nancheng is empty of defenses, and Daimen Tower has our people to open the city."
Door response."
Jia Heng asked: "How many people are there?"
"There are about two hundred people, but most of them are rebel bandits. The forty or fifty brothers in Jinyi under our command are just enough to lower the drawbridge and welcome the cavalry into the city." Ding Jing said softly, and said in a low voice: Sir, tonight or
If we launch a massive attack from the south tomorrow, you can respond with three cannon blasts. Then you will know that the governor is ready and will respond at the critical moment."
Jia Heng nodded and said: "Okay, we were planning to attack Nancheng tonight, Liu Qianhu, let someone lead Ding Baihu over to rest."
The risk of going back to report the news was very high. Qu Lang also realized this, so he responded with three cannon blasts as a method of contact.
Ding Jing clasped his fists and obeyed the order.
After Ding Jing left, the tent fell into a brief silence.
Princess Xianning's face was filled with joy, and she couldn't hide the joy in her voice as she said, "Sir, now that we have internal support, we should be able to get down to the city easily."
Jia Heng nodded and said: "Your Highness, if you don't want to eat yet, we will mobilize the troops immediately. If you wait too long, things will change."
Otherwise, if the delay is too long, who knows whether the bandits will immediately adjust their deployment and reinforce the defense of Nancheng.
Jia Heng turned to look at Liu Jixian who was standing aside and said, "Let the generals from Qu Cai come over to discuss the matter."
After a while, Qu Guang, Cai Quan and several guerrilla generals entered the small military tent and looked at the young man in surprise.
Jia Heng said in a deep voice: "Tonight our army will attack the bandits from Dailoumen in the southern city wall. I will immediately mobilize all my troops and attack from the west of Kaifeng Fucheng to attract the attention of the bandits. Cai Guerrilla, I will give you three thousand more
Soldiers and horses, without lighting torches, will take advantage of the darkness to enter the southern city wall. You will attack the city from the Dailou Gate of the South City in half an hour. There will be internal support at the South City Gate."
With that said, he explained the agreement with Qu Lang to Cai Quan.
Even if there is support in the city, they cannot rush to Nancheng all at once. At that time, the bandits will know to support Nancheng in an instant.
Cai Quan's eyes lit up and he handed over his hand.
Jia Heng looked at Qu Guang and said: "General Qu, please return to the east city. Half an hour later, you will build a large-scale feint attack."
Qu Guang clasped his fists and said yes, then took the order and left.
After the two generals were dispatched, Jia Heng looked at the remaining generals and said in a deep voice: "The remaining generals have 7,000 troops and horses and 2,000 men. Immediately, the whole army will attack the west city."
As time passed, the soldiers and horses of the Beijing camp, who had rested and eaten, took full action, taking advantage of the darkness to besiege Kaifeng Fucheng again.