Under the city of Heshui County, Zhang Mengcheng led a group of bird gunners who had been trained for more than 20 days to support. The siege equipment had long been pushed up by the civilians who had been held hostage.

Guan Zhiqing and He Zongwei were supervising the battle here, and after seeing Zhang Mengcheng who came to support, Guan Zhiqing immediately shouted: "Xiucai, you take people to quickly take down the group of officers and soldiers in the city." ”

Zhang Mengcheng had already discovered the idea of piercing hands in the city. Hurriedly ordered dozens of his birdmen to suppress the defenders on the city.

Zhang Mengcheng himself also took out a bird gun and aimed at an officer and soldier. After the sound of birds, four or five officers and soldiers who had been sticking to their posts and constantly fighting back at the thieves immediately fell. The others were also afraid to hide under the female wall and did not dare to come forward.

After Zhang Zhaoen saw that the official army on the head of the city was suppressed, he immediately took more than ten armored foot soldiers to attack the city wall along the cloud ladder. On the way, from time to time, the officers and soldiers tried to counterattack, but they were all killed by the bird men led by Zhang Mengcheng.

Zhang Zhaoen climbed the city wall without hindrance and immediately led his subordinates to establish a foothold.

Seeing that Zhang Zhaoen successfully landed in the city, and the others also began to ascend the city quickly, Zhang Mengcheng greeted Wei Heyong, who attacked together, and did not wait for him to respond. He dropped his bird gun and put the knife in his mouth, found a ladder set up nearby, and quickly climbed the city wall.

During this time, Xi Gui aimed an arquebus at an officer who was trying to attack Zhang Mengcheng. And before the striker could attack, he killed the opponent. After this time of hard practice, Xigui has become an excellent musketeer.

Zhang Mengcheng, who climbed to the top of the city, quickly grabbed his waist knife to support Zhang Zhaoen. Zhang Zhaoen was holding a waist knife in one hand and a shield in the other at this time, extremely brave, and three Ming soldiers had died under him one after another.

An officer in iron armor, after seeing the bad situation here, hurriedly rushed over with more than a dozen officers and soldiers.

However, in the face of the elite armored infantry of Jinding Mountain, these guards who mustered up courage to defend their homeland still could not make up for the huge gap in combat power, and were constantly killed by thieves.

There were more and more rogue soldiers on the city wall, and the officers and soldiers defending around were retreating one after another. After the leading officer was smashed in the head by a Jindingshan foot soldier with a bone, He Zongwei, who followed Zhang Mengcheng to the city, also planted a big flag on the city tower at this time. Announce to everyone on the battlefield that the walls are under the control of the thieves.

The dozen or so defenders left in this area fled from the walls, shouting as they ran: "The city is broken, everyone flee for their lives." At their cowardly shouts, anger and despair quickly spread among the other defenders at the top of the city, and the thieves who climbed the walls took the opportunity to begin a storm, and the defenders at the top of the city finally collapsed and fled from the walls.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhang Mengcheng joined Guan Zhiqing with more than 20 subordinates and quickly attacked the city gate of Heshui County. The defenders defending the city gate had already fled when they heard that the city had been broken. The group, which did not encounter any resistance, worked together to remove the debris blocking the city gate and quickly opened the city gate.

Ru Chengming, a subordinate of Shen Yikui who had been prepared outside the city gate for a long time, led hundreds of elite thieves to rush into the city as soon as he saw the city gate open. The other leaders who were guarding near the city gate also hurriedly rushed in with their men. The defenders in the city, who had long been in chaos, were unable to organize resistance, and could only continue to evade the pursuit of thieves entering the city.

On the day of February 28 (Renshen) of the fourth year of Chongzhen, Heshui County fell into a world of human screams, cries and wails. (Note 1)

The thieves led by Shen Yikui, after unscrupulously venting their desires in Heshui County, rushed to Qingyang Mansion City with captured personnel and supplies. Before leaving, he also set a fire in Heshui County, which completely destroyed Heshui.

Regarding the crazy behavior of Shen Yikui and others, even Zhang Mengcheng, a traverser who had long defined himself as a scumbag, couldn't help but feel disgusted. (Note 2)

When he returned to Qingyang City, Zhang Mengcheng knew how beautiful Shen Yikui's hand was. After Shen Yikui brought the other big bosses to Heshui, Ningzhou Zhizhou Sunday Qiang also sent someone to contact Shen Yikui.

In the absence of the other big bosses, Shen Yikui sent his pre-arranged subordinates to receive the visitors. and sent two henchmen Liu En and Wang Congren to follow the people from the government to visit Yang He. These things were told by a subordinate of Shen Yikui who Cai Xiaozi had bought in advance.

Zhang Mengjin and Cai Xiaozi were very dissatisfied with this matter and told other masters about it. When the others went to question Shen Yikui together, Shen Yikui deduced that he was fighting in Heshui with all the leaders at that time, and it was the subordinates left behind in Qingyang Mansion who made their own decisions, and he didn't know about it.

He also said that if there is a next negotiation, he will let the rest of the master's subordinates go with him. This is tantamount to saying in vain, and the people sent by God will definitely talk about most of the things. Even if there are subsequent negotiations, the leaders will have to continue the negotiations according to the outline set out in the first negotiation.

Zhang Mengcheng also thought that under the guidance of his eldest brother, a veteran in the road, the plans he conceived were meticulous enough. But he still let others take the lead, and he and others followed Shen Yikui to carry the black pot in Heshui County, and now he can only tie it to a rope with Shen Yikui, strengthen his momentum, and ask the court for an official body. The thieves who can be mixed up in this world are really not fools.

On the second day of the first month of March, Liu En and Wang Congren, two small leaders under Shen Yikui, led Liu Keguan and Qing Yangwei sent by Yang He to command Miao Guang to negotiate Zhao'an.

Zhang Mengcheng only talked a few words with these two Yang He's cronies, but he failed to impress the other party, so he was pushed away by other leaders. Zhang Mengcheng, who found that he had no chance, fortunately left the big tent. He returned to the camp of the brothers in Jinding Mountain. (Note 3)

"Xiucai, what did the people sent by the imperial court to recruit said something, what officials does the imperial court plan to seal us." After seeing Zhang Mengcheng come back, Fan Shunjiang was the first to ask about Zhang Mengcheng. When several other leaders heard the news, they all came over and asked this and that. I've been looking forward to Zhao'an for several years, and today it's finally over, and it's normal for everyone to be excited.

Zhang Mengcheng could only honestly explain: "The envoy sent by the imperial court is a close confidant of Yang He, the governor of the three sides, and what he said is some polite entertainment. Moreover, God is tightly blocked, and there are many brothers in charge of other families, and I didn't say a word when it was my turn. I pondered that I was standing in front of those two now, and neither of them remembered who I was. Anyway, the two of them are not Yang He after all, and it is impossible to seal us as officials, so let's not worry. Let's wait for the big brother to come back. ”

After everyone heard Zhang Mengcheng's reply, they could only wait for Zhang Mengjin to come back. After the banquet of the big tent was over, Zhang Mengjin led Guan Zhiqing back. Everyone stepped forward to ask, and Zhang Mengjin replied similar to Zhang Mengcheng, a large group of people were vying to connect with these two Zhao'an envoys. There's not much effort to get together alone. Moreover, these two envoys are just playing the front station, there is nothing to guarantee, and they can only wait for Yang He to come before they can play the big show.

PS: Note 1: The first volume of "Suikou Chronicles" records the "29th Fall of the Water", but most of the other historical materials record the fall of Renshen Day. It should be the twenty-eighth day.

Note 2: According to the record in "Yang He, the Governor of Shaanxi Trilateral, Entitled Buxin Recruiting Surrender". The county town of Heshui was completely destroyed by the thieves, and Yang He, who was about to recruit Shen Yikui and them at that time, couldn't help but say after learning about the miserable experience in Heshui County: "The minister sighed to himself, how can such a crime be appeased." "As for the matter of Shen Yikui's arson, I compiled it into this article based on the records in the five cities of the volume of the "Qingyang Mansion Chronicles" compiled during the Qianlong period, and the record is "During the Ming Chongzhen period, he was ravaged by thieves and then re-fired. The city is more than ten zhang down, and only the ruins of the civil house remain. "History doesn't have to be set on fire by God.

Note 3: According to the record in "Yang He, the Governor of Shaanxi Trilateral Minister, Concerning the Surrender of Buxin", the two small leaders Liu En and Wang Congren arrived at Yang He's territory on the first day of March. Ningzhou City is also one hundred and fifty miles away from Qingyang Mansion City, and in view of the critical situation in Qingyang Mansion, Liu Keguan and Miao Guang rode fast horses first, and they should be able to arrive on the second day.