In the first month of the sixteenth year of Chongzhen, Li Zicheng captured Chengtian and was promoted as "Generalissimo of Fengtian Advocate Righteousness and Civil Martial Arts". In March, Li Zicheng changed the name of Xiangyang to Xiangjing, called "King Xinshun", appeased the poor peasants in exile, "gave cattle seeds, helped the poor, gave livestock a living, and engaged in farming", and "recruited people to cultivate fields and harvest their seeds to pay the army". In the same month, he killed Luo Rucai, the peasant leader who joined the army, and killed the rebel general Yuan Shizhong, and annexed his subordinates.

In the spring of the sixteenth year of Chongzhen, Zhang Xianzhong successively captured Guangji, Qizhou, Qishui, and entered Huangzhou, and the people of Huangzhou all escaped. He attacked and trapped Hanyang in the west, and the whole army crossed the river from Yadanzhou, captured Wuchang, captured Zhu Huakui, the king of Chu, put him in a bamboo cage, sank into the river, and killed the Chu royal family. Men under the age of 20 and over the age of 15 were recruited as soldiers, and the rest were killed. And Zhang Xianzhong saw that Li Zicheng called Wang Jianyuan in Xiangyang, so he also followed the title of king, changed Wuchang to the Heavenly Conferral Mansion, cast the treasure seal of the West Wang, and falsely set up Shangshu, governors, governors and other officials, opened a branch to take scholars, and also distributed the gold and silver of the Chu Wangfu to help the hungry, and 21 prefectures and counties such as Qizhou and Huangzhou were all attached.

Qizhou, Fang Guoan led the army to break through, Cao Bianjiao led the army to respond, 780,000 people pressed up, Zhang Xianzhong's new surrender general Tang Zhi stationed in Qizhou was attacked by the army, and was beheaded by Fang Guoan's array under the city of Qizhou, and Zhang Xianzhong's tens of thousands of horses and horses in Qizhou fled one after another, scattered as birds and beasts.

Immediately, Cao Bianjiao led the army to continue to march westward, and mixed his soldiers and horses into the defeated soldiers and horses of the fleeing Zhang Xianzhong, and captured the Huangshi town on the south bank of Huangzhou in one fell swoop, and stopped and did not continue the attack, so far they were only fifty miles away from Wuchang.

Talking about Cao Bianjiao, Zhang Xianzhong hates the itchy root of his teeth, and at the same time admires him very much, he has been revolting for more than ten years, relying on two sides and three knives, but this Cao Bianjiao is a master who does not enter the oil and salt, and he also came to deceive himself, and he had to lose several generals and tens of thousands of people, this is a terrible opponent, and he is also a respectable opponent.

Zhu Yujian, dressed in green clothes, appeared outside Wuchang City, but a leaf Bianzhou, a casual one, he appeared here as Cao Bianjiao's staff, that is, on behalf of Cao Bianjiao to seek the greatest interests, to fight Zhang Xianzhong, this is not impossible, but it is by no means a good strategy, everyone knows that now their respective situations are not good, especially Zhang Xianzhong, although Li Zicheng is the same rebel army as him, but after Li Zicheng killed Luo Rucai and Yuan Shizhong, Zhang Xianzhong understood more that Li Zicheng would definitely not let him go.

Zhang Xianzhong was very surprised and surprised when he learned that Cao Bianjiao had sent an envoy, he didn't expect Cao Bianjiao to repeat the trick, but he still decided to meet the person who came and probe the details of Cao Bianjiao, just like that, Zhu Yujian swaggered into Wuchang City.

"Cao Bianjiao, when I was in Paradise Village, he deceived me once, and this time I want to do it again, as his staff, this king will definitely kill you this time!"

In the face of Zhang Xianzhong's threatening words, Zhu Yujian was not afraid, and said with a smile: "It's not difficult to kill me a nobody, if you want to, you can do it at any time, but this is equivalent to giving my general a reason to fight to the death, right now General Cao is stationed in Huangshi, according to this, it is only fifty miles, and it can be reached in one day, can you run with the eight kings at that time?" Others don't understand General Cao's means, you should know it, when the old general Cao Wenzhao was alive, there was a sentence that there was a Cao in the army, and the western thief shook when he heard it, although General Cao Wenzhao was gone, but General Cao Bianjiao was still there, General Cao was still there, and the momentum was greater, General Cao was sent down here, in order to save the eight kings, now the eight kings you have Li Zicheng hundreds of thousands of people in the west, and they may come at any time, and there are hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses of General Cao and Zuo Liangyu in the east, dare to ask the eight kings, if the two sides make a moveHow do you resist it? ”

"The soldiers are coming, the water is coming to cover the earth, I, Zhang Xianzhong, am afraid that you will not succeed?" Zhang Xianzhong also said disapprerovantly, but his expression had already revealed his thoughts, he was indeed a little afraid, what Zhu Yujian said, it is also something he has been worried about these days, which is why after he captured Qihuang, he would never have been merciful, and gave millions of taels of silver to the victims, in order to win people's hearts and strengthen his foundation as much as possible, in order to protect himself.

"I'm afraid it won't, but if things really develop to that point, it will not be a good thing for you the Eight Great Kings, General Cao has also seen this clearly, and the current focus of the imperial court is him Li Zicheng, not the Eighth Great King! If you and I can cooperate, then it will be a good policy for both sides, isn't it? ”

Zhang Xianzhong was also thinking about it at the moment, what Cao Bianjiao said was peaceful, Zhang Xianzhong was very suspicious, after all, there was a precedent first, he didn't dare to believe Cao Bianjiao easily, he said that he was an old fox, in his opinion, Cao Bianjiao was more cunning than a fox, which made him very jealous.

"This time, General Cao sincerely wants to cooperate with you the Eight Great Kings, if you don't want to, you can be beheaded, and I don't need to say anything!" Zhu Yujian walked out directly, completely looking like he was at home, which caught Zhang Xianzhong off guard.

hurriedly shouted, stopped Zhu Yujian, and said: "Sir, don't worry, this king didn't say no, in fact, if you can cooperate with General Cao, it is also something that I Zhang Xianzhong can't ask for, but I don't know what kind of cooperation method it is?" ”

"At present, the general occupies Wuchang, internal and external difficulties, it is difficult to develop, my general Cao is about to take up the post of Huguang General Army, if the eight kings take the initiative to give up Wuchang City, another compensation for military expenses, my general Cao is willing to let the eight kings you pass through his territory safely, the world is big, now can be used as a place for the eight kings, I am afraid that there is only the land in the middle of the Bashu River, the eight kings to attack Sichuan, for my General Cao, it has nothing to do with him, but for the eight kings, it is a dragon into the sea!"

"Cao Bianjiao deceived me too much, let go of Wuchang, and have to compensate for military expenses, why?" Zhang Xianzhong was also a little angry at the moment, Cao Bianjiao was robbing while the fire was burning, and he Zhang Xianzhong was not the fish and meat in his Cao Bianjiao's mouth, why let him slaughter it.

"With the eight kings entering Sichuan, they all have a happy ending." Zhu Yujian replied without flinching.

Zhang Xianzhong stared at Zhu Yujian deadly, his fingers had already clenched the saber on his waist, but the next moment, Zhang Xianzhong still didn't make a move, he couldn't help it, everything Zhu Yujian said was true, if he killed Zhu Yujian, he would be happy, it would be equivalent to completely tearing his face with Cao Bianjiao, Cao Bianjiao would not let him go, now Li Zicheng is enough for him, if he adds a Cao Bianjiao, Zhang Xianzhong really doesn't know if he can escape alive.

"So let's talk about it, what exactly does Cao Bianjiao want?"

"Before exiting Wuchang, pay 500,000 taels of silver, 3,000 catties of gold, 5,000 horses of brocade, and ten boxes of jewelry, and then General Cao will personally escort the eight kings into Sichuan through Yuezhou, before entering Sichuan, these above, send another copy, and the rest is the matter of hostages, and the eight kings need to send hostages to General Cao to show their sincerity."