Chongzhen nine years, the seventeen-year-old Zhang Dingguo has grown into a handsome young man, because he insists on self-study of the art of war, geography, astronomy, familiar with the "Tongjian Compendium", coupled with the words and demeanor of humility and courtesy, quite a Confucian general's demeanor, so in the West Camp, everyone calls him "Xiao Chai King", and because he is known for his bravery with his fourth brother Zhang Nengqi in the battle, he is nicknamed "Ten Thousand Enemies".

On the sixth day of the first month, Zhang Xianzhong and the righteous army of Gao Yingxiang, the king of Chuang, and Liu Guoneng of the collapse of the sky joined forces again, gathered 300,000 people, and besieged Chuzhou City, but saw that the righteous army was surrounded by mountains as a camp, more than 100 miles before and after, and the scene was magnificent.

The next day, the rebels from all walks of life launched a fierce attack on the city of Chuzhou from all directions, and for a time the cannons inside and outside Chuzhou rumbled, the sound of killing shook the sky, and the siege ladder covered the entire moat.

Chuzhou city defense is solid, the circumference is nine miles and eighteen steps, there is a water pass, three arch holes. There are four big city gatehouses in the east, south, west and north, as well as two small city gatehouses of the small east gate and the small west gate, respectively, the east gate Huari gate, the small east gate Huanyi gate, the west gate Yongfeng gate, the small west gate Guande gate, the south gate Jianghuai guarantee, the north gate arch gate, the moat around is more than 200 steps wide, and the deep two people are not topped.

According to the operational area demarcated before the war, the Xiying Rebels were responsible for attacking in the east and north directions. Among them, Zhang Kewang, Zhang Nengqi, and Ma Yuanli led 50,000 troops as the main force to attack the arch gate, while Bai Wenxuan, Zhang Dingguo, and Zhang Wenxiu led 10,000 troops to feint and contain them in the east.

As night fell, stationed at the foot of the city, Bai Wen pointed to the head of the city with a horse whip, turned his head to Dingguo and Wenxiu beside him and said: "Jing Shuai asked us to feint to attack Dongcheng, but what kind of attack should we have, I don't know what the two young generals have in mind?" ”

"Brother Bai, according to my observation today, the main forces of the official army are contained in the north and south directions, and the defenders on the east and west sides are inevitably weak. Seeing Bai Wenxuan asking, Dingguo was about to reveal the plan that he had been thinking about for a long time.

Bai Wenxuan was taken aback and said, "You mean, attack the city with all your might?"

Dingguo nodded and said without hesitation: "Exactly, the harder our side fights, the less pressure our main forces on the north and south sides will be!" ”

"Wenxiu, what do you think?" Bai Wenxuan was still hesitating, turned his head and asked Zhang Wenxiu's opinion again.

"What the second brother said is not unreasonable, it is just a feint, although it can contain some of the officers and troops, but it does not have much effect on the main force of the siege, if the fierce battle between the north and the south is in full swing, we surprise the east gate, maybe we can achieve unexpected gains."

"Having said that, for the sake of prudence, we need to observe the deployment of the officers and troops in the city again before we can decide!" Bai Wenxuan immediately pointed his horsewhip to a small hill less than five miles outside the Huanyi Gate, "I think it's good there, just to be condescending and observe the deployment of the officers and troops in the city." ”

Looking in the direction pointed by the horsewhip, Wen Xiu reminded worriedly: "It's good there, it's too close to the city, and it is the area covered by artillery fire, if it is discovered by the officers and soldiers, it will be unimaginable!" ”

After hearing this, Dingguo smiled slightly: "Don't get in the way, the night is thick at the moment, let's touch it quietly, and the officers and soldiers will definitely not find out."

After making up their minds, the three of them immediately took Jin Tongwu and three or four personal soldiers and quietly climbed the hill in the night.

Looking down from the hill, the inner side of the moat is a ring of deep, wide moats with various deer barriers. Behind the deer barricade in the ditch, there is a circle of barriers made of various tables, chairs, and door panels, which must have been poured with fire oil, and once the rebels break through the deer barricade, the officers and soldiers in the city will set fire to it.

Looking into the city again, I saw that under the night, the lights in Chuzhou City were bright, and the whole city seemed to be a huge circle of flames within a radius of ten miles. By the moonlight, you can faintly see the flags scattered on the city wall, and there are even drums, which is breathtaking. Crossbowmen and gunners were all hiding behind the battlements, and the streets were lined with orderly infantry phalanxes to stop the rebels from breaking through the city.

A high platform of more than 10 zhang was temporarily erected on the office square in the center of the city, where the main general could give orders and dispatch the overall situation during wartime.

"Who is the Chuzhou guard?" After looking at it for a long time, Bai Wenxuan couldn't help but admire, "Look at the defense in this city, although it is a little simple because of the hurry, it is rigorous and abnormal, if you want to capture Chuzhou, you must have more than ten times the number of troops." ”

Seeing it in a daze, he suddenly saw a flash of fire at the head of the city, and Jin Tongwu secretly screamed in his heart, but where was the time, a cannonball fell impartially in front of the crowd.

The black smoke gradually cleared, and the group dug the wounded out of the soil with all their hands and feet.

"Second brother!" Wen Xiu found that Dingguo's face was covered with blood, lying motionless on the ground, frightened, and hurriedly rushed forward, holding Dingguo in his arms, shaking his body desperately, "Second brother! Wake up! Don't scare me! ”

"I'm not dead yet! Crying and mourning! Dingguo had just been stunned by the shock wave of the cannonball, and when Wenxiu shook him like this, he suddenly woke up, and when he saw Wenxiu hugging himself and crying, he couldn't help but joke with him.

"Phew, you're a good Zhang Dingguo! Actually pretending to be dead Kuang me! Wen Xiu was so angry that he threw Dingguo back to the ground as soon as he let go.

"Ahh The moment he fell to the ground, Dingguo suddenly felt a sharp pain in his back, and reached out to touch it, and the wet piece was full of blood.

"Boss, you're hurt!" By the moonlight, Jin Tongwu found that due to excessive blood loss, Dingguo's face was a little pale.

At this moment, the cannon on the tower of the city rang out again. If the cannon just now was just a test, this time the officers and soldiers were really playing, and more than a dozen shells landed on the mountain almost at the same time, exploding into flames and shaking the ground.

"Quick! Protect the two major generals! Get back to camp! In the rumbling artillery fire, Bai Wenxuan roared loudly and commanded everyone to protect Dingguo and Wenxiu all the way down the hill and retreat to the camp.

"Where is the doctor? Come and save people! As soon as he entered the camp, Bai Wenxuan shouted to the medical officer in the camp.

The medical officer looked at Dingguo's injury, immediately shook his head, and said anxiously to everyone: "The second general's injury is too serious, and the villain can't do anything!" It must be sent to the old camp immediately and asked the old fairy for treatment! If it's late, I'm afraid that the old fairy won't be able to return to the sky! ”

Soon, Dingguo was sent to the old fairy's tent overnight, the old fairy checked the injury on Dingguo's back, his eyebrows were tightly locked, and everyone was about to be blasted out of the tent, covered with a curtain, and got busy.

In his sleep, he suddenly heard that Dingguo was injured, Zhang Xianzhong was so anxious that he didn't care about lighting the lamp, grabbed a robe and put it on his body, and immediately rushed towards the old fairy's tent, without even noticing that he was wearing his shoes backwards.

Listening to Bai Wenxuan's account of Dingguo's injury, Zhang Xianzhong couldn't help but scold: "Bird, let you feint, just honestly feint, what kind of hero!" ”

After scolding Bai Wenxuan, Zhang Xianzhong was still angry, and rushed to the gate of the wall, and scolded angrily in the direction of Chuzhou City: "When I enter Chuzhou City tomorrow, I will let you wait for the chickens and dogs not to stay!" ”

It wasn't until the sky turned white that the old fairy lifted the curtain and walked out of it with a tired face. Seeing the old fairy come out, everyone hurriedly rushed up and surrounded him tightly.

"I said the old fairy, is this kid Dingguo okay?" Zhang Xianzhong's face was full of anxiety and uneasiness that he had never felt before.

"Don't worry, Jing Shuai, this doll is hard and can't die." The old fairy yawned long, "It's all gone, I just applied the medicine, and I slept soundly." ”

Hearing that Dingguo was fine, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Birds! Didn't you hear the words of the old fairy? What are you doing here? Listen to my old Zhang, these days, except for those who deliver food and change medicines, no one is allowed to come over to disturb Dingguo! Violators will be dealt with by military law! After that, Zhang Xianzhong walked away with his hands behind his back, wearing the reversed shoes, and walked away a little funny.

Everyone put their hearts back in their stomachs, and they dispersed one after another.

As the night deepened, the candles in the old camp were extinguished one after another, and only a few guards of the patrol were shuttling back and forth in it.

Suddenly, I saw a dark shadow sneaking in silently. The man in black first took a closer look outside a few slightly larger tents, then turned to other tents, searched for seven or eight tents in a row, and finally stopped in front of the tent where Dingguo was recuperating from his wounds.

The man in black was about to lift the curtain when he suddenly heard a shout from the guard behind him: "Stop! What people! ”

The man in black was taken aback, turned around and wanted to run, but who knew that the guards had already surrounded him, and where could he escape.

One of the small leaders held a steel knife in his hand, pointed at the man in black, and said sharply: "Boy, Lao Tzu has been staring at you for a long time, and you are really blind when you break in so blatantly?" ”

Hearing the sound outside, Dingguo also endured the pain, struggled to get up from the military couch, and walked out with his shoes on.

"And let me see who you are?" As he spoke, the little leader used his knife to remove the black cloth from the face of the man in black, and the black cloth hung on the tip of the knife, revealing a delicate face.

Looking at it by the light of the fire, Dingguo couldn't help but be surprised: "Xianglian? How are you? ”

"Huh? Miss Liu? Seeing that it was Xianglian, the little leader was also surprised, "I said in the middle of the night, what are you doing with a girl's family dressed like this?" I thought it was a spy sent by the official army! ”

Dingguo waved his hand to signal the little leader to retreat with the guards, and after everyone left, he asked: "Sister, which play did I say?" ”

"Phew, Zhang Dingguo! Do you still have the face to ask? It's not because of you that this girl has become everyone's laughing stock! Otherwise, would my aunt and grandmother need to be so sneaky? Xianglian angrily threw a palm-sized white ceramic vial to Dingguo, "Well, this is the best gold sore medicine, this thing is expensive, the old fairy doesn't have it, take it to the wound, it will be cured soon!" ”

"So, you're here to deliver medicine to me in the middle of the night?" Dingguo took the medicine, and his heart couldn't help but feel a little warm.

"Or else?" Xianglian glanced at Dingguo angrily, "You, from beginning to end, don't you know how to say a word of thanks?" ”

Dingguo just wanted to speak, but saw Xianglian put her index finger to her mouth and made a silent movement: "Okay!" Don't thank you! I'm leaving! ”

With that, Xianglian hurriedly turned around and ran away without looking back.

In the early morning of the next day, Zhang Xianzhong was planning to continue the army to continue the siege of the city, and suddenly got an urgent report from the scouts, Lu Xiangsheng led the general army Zu Kuan, the guerrilla Luo Dai, and Yang Shien and other troops to rush to help Chuzhou, and the forward was only more than 20 miles away from the Wuli Bridge in the east of the city.

"Lu Xiangsheng? Zu Kuan? Didn't they all get out of Chongzhen Lao'er? Why did you come back so quickly? Hearing the names of these two evil gods again, the nightmare of a few months ago shrouded Zhang Xianzhong's heart again.

The east of the city is the jurisdiction of the west camp, the appearance of the official army reinforcements made Zhang Xianzhong dare not take it lightly, immediately ordered the whole army to suspend the siege of the city, in order to prevent the official army from joining the outside, Zhang Xianzhong let Zhang Nengqi lead 30,000 troops to surround the north gate, Zhang Wenxiu led 10,000 troops to surround the east gate, in addition to leaving 30,000 people to Wang Shangli to guard the old camp.

After everything was arranged, Zhang Xianzhong ordered Zhang Kewang to lead 10,000 cavalry to the east quickly, be sure to seize the Wuli Bridge before the official army, block Lu Xiangsheng's Tianxiong army at the bridge, and personally lead 70,000 horse infantry troops to arrive.

The generals returned to the camp to transfer troops, and Dingguo was left in the old camp because his injuries had not healed.

The big war was imminent, but he couldn't go into battle to kill the enemy, Dingguo was very anxious, and he didn't know what the situation was on the front line, so he could only stand in front of the camp gate with his eyes on the ground, and kept looking in the direction of the battlefield to the east.

About an hour later, a herald arrived, but when he saw that the herald was covered in blood, he must have just experienced a bloody battle.

Dingguo hurriedly stepped forward, grabbed the reins of the herald's horse, and asked anxiously, "How is the battle?" ”

"Second general! Jing Shuai and the official army fought at the Wuli Bridge in the east of the city, seeing that they had gained the upper hand, who knew that the Liaodong soldiers suddenly appeared behind them! Our army suffered a great defeat from the enemy! Jing Shuai was worried about the safety of the old camp, so he asked the villain to return the letter immediately, and let the old camp quickly retreat north! ”

"Quick! Come with me to see Uncle Wang! Dingguo knew that the situation was critical, and he didn't care about his injuries, so he immediately led the heralds and ran quickly to the camp of Wang Shangli, the head of the old camp.