Chapter five hundred and eighty sixth ailment is a blessing
On the fourth day after Hua Bushi fell ill, Li Zicheng returned to the mountain. As soon as he heard that Brother Shi was ill, he came to visit with barely any clothes on.
At this time, Hua Bushi had taken several doses of medicine and was in a slightly better state of mind. Although he was still unable to walk, sitting up in bed and talking was no longer a problem. In the past few days when he was ill, Yang Jiangyi never left him.
Staying in front of the bed, Ximen Tong and Li Hu often came to visit the house, and little Ningning even came early in the morning every day and didn't leave until dark.
As the saying goes, a slight illness is a blessing. Although the young master cannot move, he does not have to worry about being accompanied by others in bed. The small stone courtyard on the mountain behind Biluo is much more lively than before when he was not sick.
Seeing that Hua Bushi was fine, Li Zicheng's face gradually became wider, but after chatting for a few words, his brows wrinkled again. When Hua Bushi asked the reason, Li Zicheng did not hide it, and immediately told him that it made him worried.
The matter was told.
The thing that made this "eighth team general" unable to do anything turned out to be food.[
There are 3,000 men and horses on Biluo Mountain, and there are 13,000 people including the refugees who came to seek refuge. In the past, the sources of food were, first, plundering large landowners in Henan Province, and second, reclaiming land at the foot of the mountain and planting some crops.
It can barely be self-sufficient.
However, this time I went to "Jinliang Village" in Liaozhou to participate in a uprising meeting. Thirty-six battalions of rebels were formed. The result of the discussion among the leaders was that all battalions crossed the Yellow River together and marched into Henan.
This is actually a last resort, because the imperial court has gathered nearly 70,000 officers and soldiers in the Jin Dynasty, led by Hong Chengchou, the governor of the three sides, and is vigorously pursuing the rebels. Even the "Zijin" with the largest number of soldiers among the rebels
The "Eight Great Kings" Zhang Xianzhong and the "King Chuang" Gao Yingxiang could not withstand the attack.
There are more than ten rebels who want to enter Henan from Jin. In addition to Wang Zhanggao, there are also "Chuangtantian" Liu Guoneng and Luo Rucai, nicknamed "Cao Cao", etc., totaling more than 40,000 people. After they crossed the Yellow River
, they planned to gather at Li Zicheng's Biluo Village and prepare for the next move. This can also be regarded as the most reasonable choice. Li Zicheng is the strongest rebel army in Henan, and Biluo Village is located in northern Henan.
It is not far from the Yellow River ferry, so it is more convenient for the rebels to come. However, the terrain of Mount Lu is rugged and complex, making it difficult for the army to enter the mountain to pursue them.
The most difficult problem to solve is the problem of food. The rebels in Jin have been fighting many fierce battles with the government troops in recent months. Now that they are crossing the river, they will not bring much food and grass, and the existing food stocks in Biluo Village need to be supplied.
These 40,000 to 50,000 rebel troops will be exhausted in less than a month.
A few days ago, Li Zicheng's general Liu Zongmin led his troops to "borrow" grain near Luoyang. What they obtained was very limited, and it was difficult to meet the sudden increase in demand for many people. In fact, there were many big families in Henan who were able to "borrow" grain.
, had been battered by repeated visits by the rebels, the warehouses were empty, and no more food could be squeezed out of them.
However, it is not true that there is no more food and grass in Henan, it is just that it is difficult to obtain, because now almost all the food and grass have been concentrated in the warehouses of several big cities. And these big cities are heavily guarded by government troops.
, trying to grab food is like pulling out teeth from a tiger's mouth.
However, now there is no other way, it is imperative to storm the city!
Kaifeng and Luoyang are both big cities in Henan. If they can capture them, let alone 50,000 rebels, even if there are 50,000 more, they won't have to worry about food. However, these big cities all have high walls and deep pools, and there are many people in each city.
There are at least 20,000 officers and soldiers stationed there, making it almost impossible to capture it.
Even though the rebels numbered 40,000 to 50,000, they seemed to be much larger than the 20,000 to 30,000 official troops. However, if you want to storm a fortified city, you must have at least five times the strength of the defenders. Among the various rebel armies, people like Li Zicheng
There are too few elite soldiers under his command. Most of them are farmers with extremely weak combat power and little training. Their weapons and equipment are even more rudimentary. It is impossible to have armor. Many of them just wear cloth and carry weapons.
Armed with wooden forks and bamboo branches, they didn't even have a few broadswords or spears. The 50,000 rebels and the 20,000 to 30,000 official troops had a good chance of winning on the plains, let alone besieging the city.
Among the several large cities in northern Henan, only Huaiqing Mansion has the weakest defense, and there seems to be a possibility of being captured.
Of course, the so-called weakest defense is only compared to Kaifeng, Luoyang. Huaiqing Mansion also has 8,000 garrison troops, led by the general Yu Jue. Although Huaiqing's city wall is not as high as several other large cities, it is still more than three feet high, and
Digging a moat is not an easy bone to chew.
What worries Li Zicheng even more is that there are several martial arts sects in Huaiqing City. The largest of them, the "Iron Elephant Gang", has six to seven hundred disciples. Together with the members of several other gangs, there are at least nearly two thousand people.
Not to mention the many masters in several sects, these gang disciples who have practiced martial arts alone are not comparable to the combat power of ordinary officers and soldiers.
Generally speaking, as long as there is no conflict of interest, Jianghu sects and the rebels are inseparable and have nothing to do with each other. However, Huaiqing City is the foundation of several sects such as the "Iron Elephant Gang", and most of the industries in the city belong to these sects.
, if the rebels attack the city, their interests will be compromised, and these sects will probably help the official army defend the city.
If we are talking about dealing with the 8,000 official troops in the city, the rebels still have a glimmer of hope of breaking through the city. But if there are many sects blocking the way, it will be even more difficult to break through Huaiqing.
However, Huaiqing City must be attacked. This is not only related to the way out of the 40,000 to 50,000 rebels entering Henan Province, but also the hope for the survival of the more than 10,000 refugees housed in Biluo Village. Without food, no one can survive!
After listening to Li Zicheng's words, Hua Bushi remained silent for a moment.
Fang Changsheng's "Yingxu" is placed in Qijiazhuang, the headquarters of the "Iron Elephant Gang" in Huaiqing City. If the rebels attack Huaiqing at this juncture, they may have to face not only several sects in the city, but also
There are many masters from various Baidao sects throughout northern Henan.
From the perspective of the "Evil Dog Sect", Hua Bushi had to take care of these matters, but now he could not stay out of it. His friendship with Li Zicheng was one of the reasons, and among the tens of thousands of refugees housed in Biluo Village,
, there are also more than a thousand people who came with the "Evil Dog Gate". It is the responsibility of this young master to get food and let these people have food to eat.[
After thinking for a long time, Hua Bushi informed Li Zicheng about the Mid-Autumn Festival "Yingxu" and said: "Huaiqing City has now gathered most of the leaders of the Baidao sect in northern Henan. If they are eager to attack, the masters of these sects will definitely
Helping the officers and soldiers will only increase the difficulty. Brother Hongji, why don't you persuade King Gao Chuang and the leaders of the various rebel armies to postpone the attack for a while, which will probably make it easier."
Li Zicheng knew about "Yingxu" and was shocked when he heard the news. He said: "If it is true as Brother Shi said, we can only postpone the plan to attack the city until the masters of the martial arts sects leave the city."
We will only take action after the Qing Dynasty. However, there is not much food in Biluo Village. Once the various rebel troops arrive, I am afraid it will not last long."
Hua Bushi said: "Brother, don't worry. Since it's just a banquet, people from each faction will not stay in Huaiqing City for too long. And in my opinion, if the rebels can declare that after capturing Huaiqing, they will attack each gang
If the property in the city is not violated, even the sects of the 'Iron Elephant Gang' may not be able to help the army defend the city."
Hua Bushi was originally a young master of a gang, and he knew the thoughts of the people in the sect very well. As long as their own industry and interests could be preserved, most Jianghu sects would not do anything that would only harm their strength, such as helping the officers and soldiers defend the city.
As for serving as cannon fodder, it doesn't make much difference to them whether the city is in the hands of the government or the rebels.
Li Zicheng thought for a while and said: "If so, it would be great! We are attacking Huaiqing just to obtain the grain and grass gathered by the government in the city. There is no need to touch other industries."
Hua Bushi nodded and said: "On August 15th, 'Yingxu', although my younger brother cannot go to Huaiqing due to illness, he will send his disciples there. At this time, we can take the opportunity to explore the strength of the troops in Huaiqing City.
Let’s see how we can capture this city.”
Li Zicheng said with great joy: "With Brother Shi's help, our chances of winning the siege will be much greater! As an elder brother, I have to thank you for this!"
Hua Bushi smiled slightly and said: "Brother Hongji said something serious, just for the sake of brother's righteousness in taking in those refugees who have no homes to return to, I should do my best to help."
The two talked for another half an hour, until Hua Bushi felt tired, and Li Zicheng took his leave.
It was almost noon at this time. Hua Bushi ate a bowl of gruel and was about to lie down to rest. However, a disciple came to report that Chu Yiyi had also returned.
When Chu Yiyi came in, Hua Bushi sat up from the bed, cupped his hands and said, "It's really hard for Mrs. Yiyi to travel back and forth!"
Chu Yiyi quickly walked closer, helped the young master lie down again, and said: "This hard work is not worth mentioning, but Yiyi received the news and heard that the young master fell ill. Is he feeling better now?"
Hua Bushi said: "I just caught the wind and cold accidentally and have a slight illness. I'll be fine in seven or eight days. But I don't know what I gained from my wife's trip to collect intelligence in Henan."
But Chu Yiyi said slightly angrily: "As soon as the young master saw Yiyi, he asked about the intelligence. You don't know how worried and anxious Yiyi was when she heard that the young master was sick. She rode a fast horse for a whole day and a night!"
Hua Bushi saw Chu Yiyi looking at him with her beautiful eyes, which were full of care. When he saw that her jade face was stained with a lot of dust, she looked like she had traveled a long way, she couldn't help but feel a little moved in her heart.
Chu Yiyi is a very charming woman, gentle and charming. Being cared about by such a beauty, it is easy for men to have wild imaginations and find it difficult to control her.
After a long while, Hua Bushi calmed down his turbulent mind and said with a smile: "Mrs. Yiyi needs to worry, Xiao Ke's illness is really serious. After taking a few decoctions, he is much better. Madam, I'd better spend these days.
Please tell me the information you have obtained and let me hear it first!"
Chu Yiyi stared at Hua Bushi, sighed, and said, "Well, if Yiyi doesn't speak out quickly, the young master will not be able to feel at ease."