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On the road leading to Kaifeng in eastern Henan from Guangshan, Qushan, Gushi, and Fuyang, an army rolled up the smoke and dust in the sky and rushed to Kaifeng at the speed of a rapid march.

The huge team winded and circled on the rugged and narrow official road, pulling out a long dragon, and the forward had already left Dabie Mountain and reached the plain, but the rear guard was still on the line of Yingshan and Huoshan.

The sound of horses' hooves rumbling in the forwards, and the ground beating by tens of thousands of iron hooves kept trembling, raising smoke and dust in the sky.

In the territory of Shangshui, the vanguard composed of more than 1,000 elite soldiers, holding high dozens of huge banners, galloped like a storm. Although there are only more than a thousand people, there are thousands of war horses!

Almost every rider on the horse wore an iron helmet and heavy armor, and although it was already summer, no one dared to remove his armor despite the sweat pouring out of his pores. The saddles were tied to long bridles, ready to change horses.

The flag fluttered in the oncoming gust of wind, and the words on the flag could be faintly seen.

"Horses!" "Hey!" "Lin!" "Liu!"

It is the so-called five battalions of Huige!

Led by Lao Hui Hui Ma Shouying, Ge Liyan (He Yilong), Zuo Jinwang (He Jin), Liu Xiyao, and Lin Chengcheng, the five marshals of the Righteous Army, under the escort of hundreds of their own soldiers, galloped with whips.

In front of the Shaying River in Shangshui County, the forward galloped to the river, saw that the river surface was wide, but it was quite gentle, the old back horse should be whipped with a wave, in the air hit a beautiful whip flower, with a whip explosion, hundreds of riders followed him straight into the river. Only when they reached the middle of the river, the knights on their horses were all crossed. Or hold the horse's head. Thousands of horses were joined in a line, and the river was full of horses' heads, and the horse's riders, or holding the horse's head or pulling the horse's tail, crossed the river like that. The river also seemed to be cut off, and the horses reached the opposite bank, and the horses' hooves were covered with silt.

Thousands of horses shook their manes and shook their long tails, scattering droplets of water all over the sky.

He Yilong raised the telescope in his hand, and not far away, a small group of men and horses galloped high with a big banner.

"Old Ma, it seems that Brother Li and Brother Cao sent someone to pick us up!"

Ge Li Yan He Yilong is right. The person on the opposite side was none other than Wu Ruyi, the Chinese army of Marshal Li Zicheng's mansion, who led 200 cavalry to greet the five marshals.

After Wu Ruyi greeted He Yilong, Ma Shouying and others, he had to say a few polite words, "The five marshals have worked hard, the generalissimo and the general are extremely happy to learn that the five have come to participate in a big event, and the two have arrived in Xuchang at this moment, and specially ordered me to come to greet the five marshals." "That's it. Wu Ruyi ordered someone to present a list of gifts, which were nothing more than some pigs, sheep, chickens and ducks. Wu Ruyi specially explained that the soldiers and horses of the fifth battalion of the Huige Revolution could be regarded as brothers invited by the two Chuang Cao families to help in Henan, and all the grain and grass expenses were provided by the Chuang Cao family.

"Good! Brother Li and Brother Cao are so polite, so let's not be polite. Ma Shouying turned around and discussed a few words with He Yilong, He Jin, Lin Yangsheng, Liu Xiyue and others, and then shouted loudly: "Then it's decided!" Each battalion carefully restrained its men. On the ground of Brother Li and Brother Cao, no presumptuousness! Can't mess around! ”

"Lao Ma, Lao He, according to the military information from the small ones below, the two county towns of Shangshui and Fugou are still in the hands of the Ming thieves. Now that we're in Henan. Thanks to the deep friendship between Brother Li and Brother Cao, let's go down to the two county towns of Shangshui and Fugou to make a meeting gift for the two brothers! Lin Chengcheng, the king of the world, winked and squeezed his eyes at the four partners.

Two teams were separated from the brigade and swooped towards the two county towns of Shangshui and Fugou. Wu Ruyi watched this scene, but he just smiled and didn't say much.

On the surface, he offered the so-called meeting gift, but in his heart, he actually saw that the two county towns of Shangshui and Fugou were relatively wealthy, and they had not suffered too much war damage, so he planned to open the county town and go in to loot, "Sure enough, the thief's heart has not changed!" Wu Ruyi despised these fellow villagers who had not grown up for many years.

Despise is contempt, and you can only secretly slander in your heart, but on the surface, you don't dare to slack off. There is no other reason, the strength of the fifth battalion of the Hui Revolution is considerable.

Zheng Eryang, who was the governor of An, Lu, Chi and Tai Governor of the Ming Dynasty (referred to as Anhui Fu), said in the song, "The cunning of revolution and left is no less than sacrifice and exercise, and there are more than tens of thousands of good fighters." "They mainly relied on the Dabie Mountains (historically known as the Yinghuo Mountains) to carry out their struggle. The situation here is dangerous and strategically important: it poses a threat to Nanjing, the capital of Liudu, to the northeast, to the northeast is the Fengyang Imperial Mausoleum, and to the west, it is not far from Zhang Xianzhong, Luo Rucai and other rebels, which can receive the effect of echoing each other. (If you don't know the importance of this place, you can go through the military history of the People's Liberation Army, where a large part of the space belongs to Dabie Mountain and its children.) ）

The Fifth Battalion of the Hui Revolution was mobile and flexible, so that the officers and soldiers were often passive. Shi Zai: "Hui and Geshan buy local people as spies, and Xingbu market dealers are mostly used." Most of the officers and men were ambushing, and few were meeting the enemy. The search for mountains and clear fields highlights the suburbs, and the plains are lined up and the danger is deep. The thieves are the main ones, and the soldiers are the guests, and they are defeated. In order to defend Nanjing, Fengyang, and the ancestral tombs of Sizhou, Emperor Chongzhen appointed Zhu Dadian, Shi Kefa and others to gather troops to defend them.

In the winter of the thirteenth year of Chongzhen, when Yang Sichang concentrated his forces to pursue Zhang Xianzhong, Luo Rucai and other rebel armies, the imperial court could not take out enough troops to deal with the five battalions of Ge and Zuo. Yang Zhuoran, the commander of the Ming Dynasty, personally went to Qianshan and Taihu Mountains to meet the leaders of the five battalions, trying to lure them to accept the surrender of the imperial court with the skill of his tongue.

The five commanders of the fifth battalion of the Hui Revolution replied: "We all have peerless talents, and the court is useless, and the rest are thieves because of famine. If the state is properly handled, how can it be a loyal person? And I heard that Liu Guoneng and Li Wanqing returned to sincerity before and after more than ten battalions, serving the country to the death, and doing their best, Gu Yu Du can't care? But there are more than 100,000 of us, where do we put them? And who is the Lord? Where does the salary come from? And with what kind of officials will I be treated? ”

Yang Zhuoran agreed to report to the imperial court on the one hand, and on the other hand, he designated the mountainous area of Huangzhou Prefecture as the place where the five camps of the Revolution and the Left Five Battalions were placed, and gave them new salaries from Qishui (now Xishui County, Hubei Province), Guangji, and Qizhou, and called them "Xinmin". At one point, the two sides temporarily suspended military operations.

In the fourteenth year of Chongzhen, the Ming court hesitated on the issue of recruiting security due to various scruples; At the beginning of this year, the righteous army of Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong again achieved amazing results in conquering Luoyang and Xiangyang, and the war situation has undergone tremendous changes. Began to lean to the side that was unfavorable to the Ming army. Only then did the Fifth Battalion of the Revolution and the Left Regroup and began to take the initiative.

Volume 14 of "Huailing Liukou Always Recorded" says: "Revolution and left surrender, looting freely. Yang Zhuoran covered it up every time he explained it. And Xiangyang and Luoyang are all broken, breaking in, offering and horizontal, and the revolution and the left are wantonly attacking. Edict to the Ministry of War: Revolution, left poison, sweep indefinitely. It will be divided into parts, and it will be determined. Today, Liu Yuanbin choked Guangshan and Gushi, Lu Jiude controlled Qianshan and Taihu Lake, Song Yihe intercepted Qizhou and Huangzhou, Zheng Eryang was stationed in Luzhou, Mu Wenshou was stationed in Fengyang and Sizhou, Qian Zhongxuan protected Chengtian, Zhang Maojue went back and forth to Yingzhou, Shouzhou, Bozhou, and Suzhou to audit the crimes, and Yang Zhuoran praised the painting and searched for it. Zhu Dadian entered the governor, controlled the various Fuzhen and other officials to enter Yingshan and Huoshan, and was in charge of supervision and suppression. ”

In the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, the five battalions of the Revolution and the Left once marched to the east, and the counties of Liankechao, Hanshan, and Quanjiao were directed at Nanjing. Later, he cooperated with Zhang Xianzhong's department and captured Lu'an, Huoqiu, Wuwei, Luzhou and other prefectures and counties. Zheng Eryang, the governor of Ming'anlu, and Gao Douguang, the governor of Fengyang, were dismissed and arrested for questioning.

Now, Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai's combined forces have conquered Kaifeng and swept almost the entire territory of Henan. After defeating the elite of Zuo Liangyu, the sworn enemy of the peasant army, he began to train officials in Henan. Governing the locality, various circumstances have proved that the two of them have gained a firm foothold.

Under the invitation of Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai's generous words and messengers, Hui, Ge, Zuo and others decided to leave Anhui and go north to Henan to join forces with Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai.

"Xincai County Chronicle" records: Ge Li Yan "led tens of thousands of troops to join the thieves." Through the north of Caicheng, the soldiers are fine, from Mao to You, and the camp is not finished. "Shenqiu County Chronicles" also said: "On the third day of the first month of October, Liukou Lao Huihui, Zuo Ji Wang, Geliu Yan, Yidou Gu and so on came from Gushi and Xincai. Like a storm coming. These descriptions show that the strength of the five battalions is quite strong.

The two county towns were naturally like paper paste in front of these tens of thousands of elite soldiers, and in a blink of an eye, they became the delicacies in the mouth of the five camps of the Huige.

Several marshals looked at the countless goods and goods added to the team, and they were satisfied. Ge Liyan also asked very carefully, "Have you ever killed people indiscriminately after the city was broken?" ”

"If you go back to Dashuai, after the city is broken, the brothers will strictly abide by the military order, as long as they don't resist, they won't be killed!"

According to Shouying Mountain and Huoshan for many years, there are also quite a lot of dealings with the businessmen in Nanjing, and everything in the world can be exchanged for what is needed, which is the experience of Lao Huihui, Ge Liyan and others. Therefore, now that they have broken through the city and the cottage, they will definitely not kill people indiscriminately.

Marching along the main road to Xuchang City, at this time it will no longer take the posture of a rapid march, but walk slowly, you can see the scene along the way.

The wheat fields on both sides of the road have been harvested, and some farmers are nervously carrying the wheat straw away in the fields. These will be good firewood and grass for winter in the future, and cooking on weekdays is also an indispensable fuel. There is the man who is anxious, who has cleared the field and is ready to plant another crop. From time to time, someone sang a few words of bangzi opera on the ground.

In a trance, these men from northern Shaanxi returned to the days before they rebelled, at that time, during the wheat harvest season, all parts of Shaanxi were also like this. After the wheat is harvested, the village communities will come to several community fires in the evening and sing a few sermons to celebrate.

"Xiao Wu, the wheat in Henan grows well! You've got your rations! ”

He Yilong teased Wu Ruyi with some jealousy.

He Dashuai laughed, but there is famine everywhere right now, if there is no food in your hands, how can you deal with the hungry people everywhere? We have food in our hands, and those hungry and displaced people will flood into the banner of the rebels! ”

"If there is no such reliance, the generalissimo and the general will not dare to promise to several marshals to bear the food and salary expenses of your department in Henan!" Wu Ruyi was quite proud, but it also made He Yilong speechless for a while. It seems that the gap between himself and the two old brothers is gradually widening!

In the city of Xuchang, there is a cheerful and joyful atmosphere exuding outward.

Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai organized a musical instrument team of hundreds of people to play and play outside the city gate to welcome the arrival of the five old partners.

"Brother Li, everyone outside says that you are simple, rough and rough, and not good for women's music, even if you can't afford to eat a chicken. How can you be so extravagant today? ”

Lao Hui pointed to the full list of cups and plates on the table in front of himself and Li Zicheng, Luo Rucai, He Yilong, Liu Zongmin and others, with a smile on his face. In the courtyard, nearly 100 tables of eight immortals were set up, and the generals of the five camps of Chuangying, Cao Ying, and Huige sat together, cheering and drinking. On their respective tables, there is also a lot of wine and meat, and there are steamed buns made of new wheat that are as piled up as a hill.

"If it weren't for your old horse and a few old brothers. You just killed me, let's break into the camp, Cao Ying is reluctant to kill cattle and eat meat at the moment! Li Zicheng deliberately put on a high hat for Lao Huihui, and pointed to the big pot and bowl of beef, chicken, duck, fresh fish and other things on the table of Lao Huihui's horse, "This is carefully cooked by the halal chef I Li Zicheng and your brother Cao specially found for you from Bianliang City." ”

"For the sake of your old horse, our Cao Cao slaughtered seven or eight good Luxi cattle!" Cao Cao Luo Rucai deliberately made a miser face, "If these cows are not slaughtered." You can cultivate dozens of acres of land, and after autumn, you can shoot as much grain as you can and how many soldiers you can feed......"

"Thank you, Brother Li! Thank you, Brother Cao! Although he knew that Li Zicheng and Cao Cao's words were a little untrue, Ma Shouying was still quite moved.

"Both, now that the new wheat is down, everywhere is rushing to plant autumn crops, as long as the official army can't enter Henan after the autumn. Henan, which is controlled by our rebels, can breathe a sigh of relief. Liu Zongmin sat opposite He Yilong in Ge Liyan, and he also grinned rudely.

We have a relatively stable source of military rations and a solid military base. The peasant army, which has been subduing the enemy for more than 10 years, can make up its mind. What's more, the few generalissimos, generals, and big bosses here at the moment have all tasted great sweetness from having a solid base!

The next day, in the Spring and Autumn Building in Xuchang, the senior generals and commanders of the three families, Niu Jinxing, Song Xiance, Li Yan, Wu Xing, and Gu Junen, broke into the camp. Cao Ying's Ji Qi and other literati gathered together and engaged in a fierce debate about where the three families would go next.

"Hit Shaanxi!"

"Hit Huguang!"

"Hit Anqing and Luzhou!"

Quarreled for a long time. Gradually, three schools of thought were formed. Among them, the call for attacking Shaanxi and capturing the four prefectures of Chengtian, De'an, Jingzhou, and Xiangyang in the north of Huguang is the highest, and the momentum is also the greatest. The supporters are also putting forward their own advantages to attack here.

In Shaanxi, everyone is from Shaanxi, so naturally they can return to their hometowns. The so-called wealth does not return to his hometown, such as a night walk in brocade, who will see the scenery scene?

Hit the four mansions of Huguang. It's a lot more affordable. This land is now one of the few remaining grain-producing areas in the Ming Dynasty, and the so-called "Huguang is ripe and the world is full" refers to this area. Moreover, what is currently entrenched here is the division of Zuo Liangyu, the sworn enemy of the peasant army. At present, he is dying, and he is relying on the human, material and financial resources of the four prefectures of Huguang to try to recover. Don't hit him at this time. Will he wait until he heals his wounds and recovers his vitality and pounces on everyone and strangles everyone to death?

For a while, Li Zicheng, Luo Rucai, Ma Shouying, He Yilong and others were also a little undecided.

"King Chuang, general, rank and handsome, the student is a little stupid, say it for everyone to laugh." In the ranks of the officials under Li Zicheng, Gu Junen stood up in his robe.

Gu Junen has an elegant appearance, three long beards under his chin, and speaks with a Huguang accent, but he is the Zhongxiangren of Chengtianfu. He wore a scribe's uniform, this year is about forty years old, in his early years was a Xuan Sheng, not long ago with Yu Shangyou, Yang Yongyu together with the camp, this is slightly different from history, in history he was in Li Zicheng after the capture of Xiangyang, only in the sixteenth year of Chongzhen.

Gu Junen has many strategies, as a strategist, he has repeatedly offered advice to Li Zicheng, put forward various plans, and in history has also proposed to take Shaanxi first, then attack Shanxi, and then take Beijing's strategy, Li Zicheng trusted him very much, and basically obeyed.

"The students thought that whether it was Shaanxi or Xiangyang Sifu, they all had to fight! It's just that there has to be an order. The row is good, whether it is Shaanxi, or Xiangyang Sifu, it is like a ripe fruit of a tree, and it is easy to pick it up with a slight shake! ”

"Of course, Shaanxi wants to take, Guanzhong is the state of Sangzi, one hundred and two mountains and rivers, two-thirds of the world. Guanzhong Northwest Sima Su is known as the elite of the sea. Taking it can establish a foundation, but taking it at this time is too hasty. ”

"However, Qin Fu Feng Shikong is guarding Tongguan, Tongguan is dangerous, and it is difficult to fly. Behind him, Sun Chuanting led Gao Jie, Niu Chenghu and other departments, and there were new troops recruited and trained in Guanzhong. If our righteous army is in the middle of attacking the fortifications, it is bound to have a bloody battle with the Shaanxi soldiers in the dangerous place of Tongguan, which is to break Tongguan, and it will also suffer huge casualties, and the gains will outweigh the losses. What's more, at present, Shaanxi, like Henan, has suffered severe drought for many years, and there is a shortage of grain and grass. If it weren't for the generalissimo and the general who were benevolent and righteous in Henan, I am afraid that Henan would have been starving everywhere. Therefore, the students thought that our righteous army should first seek to seize the four prefectures of Xiangyang, De'an, Jingzhou, and Chengtian in Huguang! ”

He said brightly: "Huguang is rich in grain, and in terms of topography, it is as accessible as Henan. If you take Huguang, you can attack Zhili in the south, Guizhou in the south, and Sichuan in the west. ”

"This Mr. Gu, then, when we fight Huguang, we are bound to meet Zuo Liangyu's subordinates, Mr. thinks this battle will be easier than the battle of Tongguan?"

Lin Chengcheng looked down on these scholars very much, and ran the grain ship with his mouth, but he was useless when he did things seriously. He deliberately opened his mouth and knocked him. (To be continued......)