Gao Yingxiang was captured, the officials and soldiers congratulated each other, secretly rogue one side, and the other three people were also happy. Because the old King is gone, they are most likely to be the successors, taking over this supreme glory and becoming the new King. In order of probability, these three people are Li Zicheng, Gao Yingen and Tuo Pangao.

Li Zicheng and Gao Yingxiang had a close relationship, and they broke into the camp and fought side by side with the eighth team for a long time, almost no different from brothers. Gao Yingxiang attaches great importance to Li Zicheng, and has said more than once in front of people that the heroes of the world are counted Li Zicheng in addition to himself. Moreover, Li Zicheng's strength and prestige are extremely high among the robbers at this stage, and since Gao Yingxiang left Shaanxi for a period of time, he has essentially become the head of the Shaanxi Liukou, "always in charge of the plate of thieves". For example, some time ago, Hui Dengxiang and Zhou Qing surrendered to the official army in a hurry, if he hadn't intervened, these people would not have risen again in less than a month. Gao Yingxiang also knew Li Zicheng's status in Shaanxi, so after entering Shaanxi, he was eager to find Li Zicheng to discuss the future.

Compared with Li Zicheng, Gao Yingen's prestige is much weaker. But after all, he is Gao Yingxiang's in-law, and it is more reasonable for the brother to end up and this matter anywhere than for outsiders to intervene. There is no shortage of veterans who are loyal to the Gao family in the camp, and Gao Yingxiang made it clear before he left with Ma Jun that all the affairs of the camp would be taken care of by his younger brother. Therefore, once Gao Yingen confirms his succession, there will be many supporters.

Compared with Li Zicheng and Gao Yingen, the advantages of Tuupan Gao are not so obvious. However, as the number one fierce general in the camp, he is very capable and can convince people, and he is also described in the official army documents as "on a par with the captive thief and the king, and he has been brave for a long time". Therefore, compared with other people who can't beat the edge, as Gao Yingxiang's brother-in-law, he still has a good advantage. Moreover, he is also very powerful in the camp, and there are many people who support him.

When the news of Gao Yingxiang's defeat and capture was confirmed, the three parties were first shocked, and then the storm of wrestling gradually brewed......

After more than half a month of marching, the army in the Meridian Valley finally saw the light of day.

At the forefront was Tuoyangkun's army, and he was also the first to receive the news of King Chuang's defeat. However, there is something strange about his behavior.

Tuoyangkun did not go to the defeated Ma Chaosuo and Heishuiyu areas to investigate and search the whereabouts of Gao Yingxiang, Liu Zhe and others at the first time, nor did he call for backup or build a defense on the spot, but separated some people and went directly to Fengxiang. On the surface, it is said that Zhang Wenyao, the deputy second, took people out of the house without permission, but everyone knows that Zhang Wenyao and Tuoyangkun are brothers who cut off the head of the chicken and burn yellow paper, and there is no serious holiday, how can they suddenly turn back? Again, looking at the direction of Zhang Wenyao's investment, the destination should be in Fengxiang. According to the latest information, Shaanxi Governor Sun Chuanting is currently in Fengxiang to prepare his troops, and it goes without saying what Tuoyangkun, who is tired and short of food and shocked by Gao Yingxiang's defeat, wants to do.

The failure of this advance into Xi'an was a foregone conclusion, and tens of thousands of Liukou troops gradually came out of the valley and crowded in a narrow corner of the southern part of Xi'an and north of the Qinling Mountains, which was bound to not last long. What to do next, it is no longer Gao Yingxiang who can decide with a word, he has lost the unified order, and the signs of the collapse of the army are clear.

The Zhao battalion came out of the Meridian Valley in early August and was stationed on the east bank of Fengshui with Zhang Miaoshou. Gao Yingxiang's defeat brought a lot of shock to Zhao Dangshi, and after the shock, he soon had to face a cliché question - where to go?

The thousands of sharp horsemen who have lost the backbone of the breaking army, as well as the soul characters Gao Yingxiang and Liu Zhe, can no longer be described as a great loss of vitality. Zhao Dangshi knew very well that although there were still 20,000 or 30,000 troops in the hands of Gao Yingen and Tuopan masters, their strength was far from the same as at the beginning. To put it mildly, today's camp is not even qualified to be at the same level as Li Zicheng and others, at best, he can only be a first-class king of neatness. If you blindly follow them, you will have no future.

In addition, Zhao Dangshi had a general friendship with Gao Yingen and Tuopangao, not only did he not help each other in the same boat, but he never even said a word. The various camps of the Liukou are full of hills, and they are extremely exclusive, and without a strong friendship recommendation, they can only be free from the core edge if they join. Zhao Dangshi was lucky enough to enter the decision-making level of the army because of Liu Zhe's relationship before, so he definitely couldn't bear to plummet his status under Gao Yingen or Tuopan and become a thankless horse.

In this delicate period, Zhao Ying has many choices, either he can continue to stay in the camp and serve Gao Yingen and Tuupan Gao, or he can jump out of the camp and join Tuoyangkun or even pull the flag and go it alone again. However, on the whole, Hou Dagui and Xu Hui both thought that they should make a decision immediately and break off the relationship with the camp, while Qin Qigong was not so radical, and advised Zhao Dangshi not to be in a hurry to clear the way with the camp for the time being, and wait and see what happened, just listen to the meaning of his words, and it would be a matter of time before he broke out of the camp.

Several military discussions failed to reach a result. Zhao Dangshi was upset, in addition, the whereabouts of Yang Chengfu and others were unknown, and they did not accept it at night, and scouts sent several rounds of visits, but so far to no avail.

The situation was turbulent, and the camps of the Liukou mixed with the south of Xi'an were also in turmoil. The competition between Gao Yingen and Tuopan Gao has become more and more on the bright side. The two of them are fighting each other, there is no time to take care of the outside, there is no control and coordination at the top, and the other miscellaneous cards are even more chaotic, fighting almost every day. Zhao Dangshi listened to Qin Qigong's advice and did not leave this smoky place immediately, but ordered the whole army to be on alert, as if facing a great enemy.

Two days later, a big event happened.

Previously, Zhang Wenyao led his troops to Fengxiang in order to surrender to Sun Chuanting. Sun Chuanting's daughter was treated very well, and he returned to Xi'an hand in hand in a few days. Tuoyang Kun got revenge, disbanded tens of thousands of his subordinates overnight, and brought 100 pro-party people directly to Xi'an to knock on the Yuan, and accepted Zhao'an.

Among the Liukou, Gao Yingxiang and Tuoyangkun once "broke into the scorpion" and said that in the tenth month, they were wiped out one after another, which was undoubtedly a huge psychological blow to Yu Kou. After Tuoyangkun abandoned the people and surrendered, many camps were pessimistic about the future, and they also looked for a place to go and scattered. The army that broke into the camp for a while has now existed in name only. That's not all, Gao Yingen and Tuopan are not as powerful as Gao Yingxiang, and there are many disobedient people in the army who take the opportunity to defect, and the two are fighting among themselves, and they are powerless for the moderation of their subordinates. Within a few days, the Liukou who were still stranded in the south of Xi'an, only Gao Yingen, Tuo Pangao's more than 20,000 troops and Zhao Dangshi, Zhang Miaoshou and a few others were left.

During this time, watching the various battalions and departments come and go, Zhao Ying was not idle. Many of the scattered fields are veterans who broke into the camp or came out of the scorpion block, and their combat power is not bad. Another important reason why the Zhao battalion did not expand its ranks was that there were no satisfactory soldiers. The soldiers of the second battalion of Chuang and Scorpion are known for their arrogance, and it is a pity to watch them lose into a small group of thieves in vain. After confirming with He Kewei and other logistical aspects, Zhao Dangshi still decided to expand the scale of the Zhao battalion, specifically, to recruit 4,000 more people and separate the right battalion and the rear battalion.

Zhao Ying's influence is not enough, these people can leave the more famous Chuang Camp and Scorpion Camp, they are all conceited strongmen, how can they obediently accept the temptation of Zhao Ying of thousands of people? Therefore, although there were many stragglers, the results of the recruitment made Zhao Dangshi very disappointed, and for two days in a row, only 100 people were recruited, which was only enough to form a division.

Unable to recruit anyone, there was no news of Yang Chengfu's 200 horse army, and Zhao Dangshi's mood fell to the bottom. Long sigh for two days, who thinks about things but the willows and flowers are bright, one joy and one sorrow come at the same time.

Han Gon arrived at the Zhao camp, and also brought Yang Zhaofeng and more than 2,000 horse troops.

As the general of the camp, Gao Yingxiang and Liu Zhe's henchmen, Han Gon is far more familiar with the inside of the camp than outsiders. Originally, Gao Yingxiang and Liu Zhe were indeed the most qualified to take over the camp, but he didn't think it was a wise choice to continue to play for them. Gao Yingen is frivolous, Tuan Gao is stupid, and in his opinion, he is not a servant. And his appreciation for Zhao Dangshi and his sympathy for him finally decided to abandon the camp and join Zhao Ying.

For this choice, Han Gon did not experience any ideological torment. He is the most happy and hateful, and he does not break into the camp, because he looks at Gao and Tuo and is not pleasing to the eye; is only with Zhao Dangshi, but only because of the same temperament. That's all.

When Han Gon came, Zhao Dangshi was eating lunch in a depressed manner, and countless worries made him taste like chewing wax. After receiving the report from the soldiers, he was overjoyed and spit out the food in his mouth directly, imitating a "Zhou Gong vomiting and feeding". Zhao Yingbu has many steps and few horses, and Han Gon's two thousand elite horsemen from the army have joined, which is like a tiger with wings for him. He raised his eyebrows and smiled, his face was relieved, and he cordially took Han Gon and Yang Zhaofeng's hands into the Chinese army's tent.

Several people sat down, Zhao Dangshi asked about the situation of the battle of the Ma Dynasty that day, Han Gon exhaled, briefly described the battle, his face was very uneasy, and he said: "King Chuang Hero I, I don't want to plant it there." ”

Zhao Dangshi also sighed. Gao Yingxiang's failure, he actually had a premonition, but he was soft-spoken, even if he knew the future, what was the use of telling Gao Yingxiang? Thinking about it, Gao Yingxiang, who is stubborn and self-serving, will still go to Xi'an. Time is also fate, and Gao Yingxiang will end with this result, which is both regrettable and thought-provoking.

"King Chuang is kind to me, if he doesn't protect me in many ways, my surname Zhao won't have a chance to stand here." Conceited to conceited, for Gao Yingxiang's righteousness, Zhao Dangshi is still very grateful. As he spoke, he remembered that he had a resolute face like a smiling face in the land temple north of Zhao Ying, and Zhao Dangshi, who had always shown himself as a tough guy with iron bones, rarely had tears in front of people.

The true feelings are revealed and the scene is played, and the difference between experienced people can be seen at a glance, Han Gon has been carefully observing Zhao Dangshi, but he is afraid that he is a hypocritical villain who is unkind and unkind, and he is also moved, and sighed: "Although King Chuang is unfortunate, the fire of my righteous army is still burning, and there are dragons and tigers among people like Brother Zhao, and the will of King Chuang will never disappear." ”

Zhao Dangshi shook his head and said: "The shallowness of the surname Zhao is why he has the reputation of 'dragon and tiger among people'." And the people are sparse, not to mention the sun, self-protection is acceptable, how can it be the heavy responsibility of breaking into the king's will? ”

Han Gon pondered for a while, and then said, "If you don't afford it, you can talk about it now." Han is not talented, and he is willing to follow the envoy left and right, and do his best to realize the cause of breaking through the king's unappeasement. As he spoke, he got up and knelt down on one knee towards Zhao Dangshi, and the more than ten generals of the Ma Army who came in with him also knelt down in unison.

Zhao Dangshi is not a hypocritical person, he has a common mind with Han Gon, and he doesn't say any polite words such as "How can He De dare to enter Your Excellency's blue eyes", and directly helped Han Gon and said: "Brother Han can come, it is really my Zhao Ying's luck." The surname Zhao has the courage to borrow what Brother Han said, and in the future, he will take it as his responsibility to realize the will of King Chuang, if he does something sorry for all the brothers, he can slaughter me with a knife! ”

Han Gon grinned, "Happy! As he spoke, he picked up the wine bowl in front of him, paired it with Zhao Dangshi, and then led more than a dozen people to drink the wine in their hands.

After sitting down again, Zhao Dangshi saw Yang Zhaofeng's face desolate, and said gently: "Fengzi, I already know about Yang Zhaofeng's general affairs. He and the two hundred brothers were born as people from my Zhao camp, and they died as ghosts from my Zhao camp. Tomorrow, I will make a tablet, gather the whole army, and spread the feats of General Yang and the two hundred cavalry warriors. Let them go in style, and let everyone know that they are the heroes of my Zhao Ying! ”

To be honest, Yang Chengfu is cowardly, but he has contributed to Zhao Ying in the past few months, and as an important figure in Zhao Ying's leadership, he gets along day and night, and he has some feelings. Zhao Dangshi was emotional, and he was already teary-eyed as he spoke, and Hou Dagui, Xu Hui, and others, who were sitting not far away, also sighed in their own voices.

Yang Zhaofeng "pounced" on his knees and choked up: "Thank you for everything!" ”

Han Gon drank three bowls of wine in a row, put away his complexion, and asked, "Envoy, what your subordinates saw on the road, it seems that the battalion is recruiting?" He has a straightforward heart, and he recognizes Zhao Dangshi as the master, and the title conversion is very natural, and there is no bluntness.

This sentence touched the sore spot of Zhao Dangshi, which made him a little lonely, and replied: "Yes, the army has been in turmoil in the past few days, and many people and horses have been scattered in various battalions. Most of these people are old and dead, and it would be a pity if they gathered in the mountains and forests. Speaking of this, he sighed heavily, "However, it backfired, my Zhao Ying was weak and shallow, and it was difficult to attract his peers. ”

Han Gon slapped his thigh, stroked his palm and smiled: "My subordinates are here, so that you can worry about it." The first dozen or so generals of the Ma Army also smiled at the same time.

This is not a lie, with the famous Han Gon as an example, and his generals also have many connections, Zhao Ying's recruitment has really gone a lot smooth. Within a few days, five or six thousand people were recruited. Thousands of troops are easy to obtain, but one general is hard to find, which is not only said to be a battle, but also has a very significant embodiment in such aspects.

The number of 6,000 people is very abundant, and Zhao Dangshi only needs 4,000 people, so he will hand over the task of selecting and eliminating them to the following. When the selection of troops was still in full swing, Zhao Dangshi did not expect that Han Gon's arrival not only recruited soldiers and horses for Zhao Yingying, but also Gao Yingen and Tuo Pangao.