It's not that Cao Zongbing didn't want to continue the pursuit of the people's army, but he was so injured that it was difficult to even get up.

In Guyuan Prefecture, Hong Chengchou, the governor of the three sides, deliberately set aside a mansion for Cao Wenzhao and his cavalry to live in.

Mr. Cao's room was filled with the smell of herbs.

Hong Chengchou looked at the doctor with a worried face, squatting to change Cao Wenzhao's injury medicine. Hong Chengchou didn't expect Cao Wenzhao to be so seriously injured, he was slashed in the thigh and hit by two arrows in the waist! I saw that the doctor in the army carefully removed the carrion on the side of the wound with a knife, and then applied new medicine.

Even a tough guy like Cao Wenzhao, although he didn't say a word during the whole process of changing the dressing, Cao Wenzhao's whole face was distorted, and sweat was pouring down on his head.

Hong Chengchou was shocked, and after the doctor in the army left, Hong Chengchou stepped forward and asked with concern: "General Cao, I really didn't expect you to be so seriously injured!" ”

Cao Wenzhao hissed and inhaled cool air, and grinned: "Li Dusi dares to calculate me!" I accidentally fell into an ambush by Li Dusi on the way to pursue Li Dusi, and I was able to rush out in the encirclement of tens of thousands of people and save a life! General Ben is a big deal. ”

Cao Wenzhao said, gloomy and said: "It's just a pity that the more than 1,200 cavalry were slaughtered by Li Dusi!" ”

Hong Chengchou said movingly: "General Cao has worked hard!" In the next few days, I will recuperate with peace of mind, and I will talk about it when the injury is healed. ”

Cao Wenzhao nodded, looked at Hong Chengchou, looked slightly embarrassed, and said, "Lord Governor, I still want to ask you for something." ”

Hong Chengchou looked at him.

Cao Wenzhao's expression was sneering, and he said: "The cavalry under General Ben has been fighting for days, and more than 1,000 people have accidentally broken in the hands of Li Dusi. At present, the strength of General Ben's cavalry battalion is less than 2,000...... Your Excellency, I have to ask you to help you make it up! ”

Hong Chengchou paused. He asked slowly, "How many soldiers do you want to replenish?" ”

Cao Wenzhao thought for a while and said, "If there are few cavalrymen, they can't show the advantage of running. I think at least three thousand! ”

Hong Chengchou's face changed. After pondering for a while, he slowly nodded and said, "This...... The Governor will think again. ”

After instructing Cao Wenzhao to recuperate from his injuries, Hong Chengchou left the camp and returned to the governor's palace, and after a while, several staff officers walked in to report their work.

Hong Chengchou thought about replenishing Cao Wenzhao's troops, so he said: "General Cao's soldiers were ambushed by the people's army and lost a lot of manpower. Then you will put up notices and recruit men who are good at riding and shooting, that they may be cavalry. ”

One of the staff officers listened. With a wry smile, he said to Hong Chengchou: "Your Excellency Governor, I'm afraid that there will be no cavalry around Guyuan City at this time. Half a month ago, the governor of Shaanxi, Yamen, asked all prefectures and counties to post notices to recruit cavalry. I heard that six or seven thousand people had been recruited and left. Governor, let's recruit troops again, I'm afraid it won't have much effect. ”

Hong Chengchou was surprised: "Xu Liang also recruits cavalry? Where did he get his war horse? ”

The staff officer said very bitterly, and said: "Your Excellency Governor, we have reported the news from the eyes of Xi'an Mansion, and Xu Liang, the governor of Shaanxi, has only been practicing with a cavalry of five or six thousand people in the past half a month. And it looks like the horses are military horses. As for where he got the horses, the Governor probably didn't know. The Shaanxi Taxation Division used Wu Side's caravan to go west and trade a lot of war horses with Turpan! ”

Hong Chengchou paused, and said to the staff officer: "Don't care about these things for now, it's the right thing to recruit people back." ”

The staff officer listened. He replied.

When a staff officer retreated, another staff officer stepped forward and talked about the lack of grain and grass supply in Guyuan City. Hong Chengchou finally realized the difficulties of his predecessor Yang He.

The gates of Guyuan City, the entrance and exit of the vegetable market. All began to post recruitment notices called for by the Trilateral Governor's Office. A staff officer from the Governor's Mansion moved a table and sat on the street near the Governor's Palace to begin recruiting.

After the trilateral governor Hong Chengchou visited Cao Wenzhao's injuries. Paced to the recruitment site.

It can be seen that the enthusiasm of the people to sign up for the army is not high enough, Hong Chengchou looked at the recruitment record above, and saw that only two people were held in the morning!

"This, what's going on? Only two people signed up? ”

Hong Chengchou suppressed his anger and questioned the staff of the Governor's Palace.

When the staff officer heard this, he was also very aggrieved, and looked at Hong Chengchou helplessly, and was about to explain, when he happened to see a person cowering forward and preparing to sign up.

"Your Excellency, just look at it."

The middle-aged man who was about to join the army came over, cautiously asked the staff officer, and said, "This adult, the little one was originally a hunter, participating in horseback riding and archery, and I want to join the army." ”

When the staff officer heard this, he had a radiant face, and beckoned to the middle-aged man affectionately: "This big brother, a good man should join the army and make meritorious contributions!" Come on, you're going to join the army, aren't you? What is your name? Where do you live? ”

The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, then asked more carefully, "That...... The little one wants to ask, on the day of joining your army, you can get ten catties of rice, is this true? ”

The staff officer's hand froze in mid-air, and he sneered awkwardly: "Big brother, as long as you join the army and make military merits, a few catties of rice and noodles are nothing!" At that time, the court and the emperor's reward will definitely be indispensable to you! ”

The middle-aged man hesitated for a while, but still shook his head, and said, "No, the little one just wants to confirm, if I join the army, can the ten catties of rice be sent to me immediately?" ”

The staff officer frowned, "Well...... this"

The middle-aged man was anxious and asked, "What, don't you have ten catties of rice to send?" ”

The staff officer licked his dry lips and said, "Big brother, the army of our court is rewarded with silver according to military merits......"

The middle-aged man took a few steps back and asked, "That's not it?" ”

The staff officer sneered: "There will be a ...... in the future"

The middle-aged man listened and retreated further.

At this time, the people passing by smiled at the middle-aged man and said, "Hey, do you want to send ten catties of rice after joining the army?" Then you're in the wrong place! The conscription of the Shaanxi Governor Yamen has only been sent rice, and there is nothing in Guyuan City! ”

"Huh?" The middle-aged man screamed, glanced at the staff officer with resentment, turned around and ran away.

The staff officer helplessly watched the middle-aged man walk away like a smoke, and sighed: "This is the thirty-sixth ......"

Hong Chengchou saw the whole process in his eyes and thought for a while. The court staff officer said: "Staff officer Zhao, since the governor of Shaanxi has opened the price. Then we can't be too shabby. In this way, didn't the governor of Shaanxi send ten catties of rice? The Trilateral Governor's Mansion will issue fifteen catties! The official didn't believe it. You won't be able to recruit soldiers! ”

The staff officer looked at Hong Chengchou in a daze, sighed, and said, "Your Excellency, the subordinate has already thought of this method!" It's just that I asked the head of internal affairs in the Governor's Palace, and he said that the Governor's Palace was already short of food, and it was impossible to send rice out! ”

Hong Chengchou was stunned, clenched his fists, and left without saying a word.

When the injuries of General Cao's soldiers in Guyuan City were healed, the people's army outside had already joined forces. Several small county towns have been conquered one after another. At the beginning of October in the fourth year of Chongzhen, Li Dusi, the leader of the people's army, gathered the soldiers and horses of the heavenly dragon and invaded Ganzhou.

Ganzhou is located in the northwest of Guyuan Prefecture, is the western gateway of Guyuan City, if Ganzhou is lost, Guyuan City will be directly exposed to the eyes of the people's army.

The situation was critical, and the governor of the three sides, Hong Chengchou, gave three orders to Pingliang to attack Luo Rucai, all of whom were sunk into the sea, and sent people to Pingliang. But he didn't even see Luo Rucai's face, and according to the reports of the people below, General Luo went to Xi'an Mansion to report on his work a few days ago.

And without Luo Rucai's order, the forty or fifty thousand Liang troops in Pingliang City. He refused to send a single soldier out of the city.

Hong Chengchou had no choice, it was too late to send a letter to Chang'an Mansion at this time. Hong Chengchou's Hong soldiers wanted to defend Guyuan, so the heavy task of relieving the siege of Ganzhou fell to Cao Wenzhao.

This is a critical juncture. Cao Zongbing can also be on crutches. General Cao led 2,000 cavalry to Ganzhou during the day and met the main force of the people's army outside the city of Ganzhou. Immediately go to war. The two sides fought until night, and Cao Zongbing saw that the troops suffered heavy losses. The people's army was still powerful, so they had no choice but to retreat.

Cao Wenzhao took 2,300 horsemen with him when he left the city, and only 1,700 horsemen when he returned to the city! More than 600 horsemen died, and 6 or 700 war horses were lost!

Cao Wenzhao retreated into Guyuan City, and when he saw Hong Chengchou, the governor of the three sides, he fainted before he could speak. Hong Chengchou hurriedly called the doctor in the army to check the injury, but the old wound collapsed, and Cao Wenzhao fainted from excessive blood loss.

The doctor in the army gave Cao Wenzhao good medicine and repeatedly told Cao Wenzhao not to exercise vigorously anymore. An hour later, Cao Wenzhao woke up slowly, his face was pale, and when he raised his eyes, he saw that Hong Chengchou, the governor of the three sides, was still walking in circles around the coffee table in the house, chattering as he walked.

The waiting maid saw that Cao Wenzhao had woken up, and hurriedly stopped Hong Chengchou.

Hong Chengchou hurriedly walked over, looking at Cao Wenzhao's eyes a little complicated!

"Your Excellency the Governor, has Ganzhou been lost?" Cao Wenzhao asked.

Hong Chengchou was silent for a while, nodded slowly, and said, "Lost." ”

Cao Wenzhao listened, struggled to sit up, and then pulled the wound, and a burst of fire burned and hurt.

"Your Excellency the Governor, wait for General Ben to go and take Ganzhou back!"

Hong Chengchou saw that Cao Wenzhao was holding on and walking staggeringly, so he pressed him back to the bed and comforted: "General Cao doesn't need to worry, Guyuan City has its own officials in charge, and the people's army can't beat it!" ”

When Cao Wenzhao heard this, his eyes burst into tears, and he choked up: "Your Excellency Governor, what kind of world is this!" There are 50,000 Liang troops in Pingliang City, why hasn't Luo Rucai appeared until now?! ”

Hong Chengchou listened, his face gloomy.

Xu Liang, who was far away in Chang'an City, was riding a big black horse, walking leisurely, followed by Tietou and Luo Rucai, both of whom were cavalry horses, one horse head behind Xu Liang, and followed unhurriedly.

"How many days has it been since the People's Army captured Ganzhou?" Xu Liang asked

"Young Master, plus today, it should be the fifth day." Iron Head said.

Xu Liang nodded, and said to Luo Rucai: "It's almost time to calculate, Guyuan must be the location of the Trilateral Governor's Palace, and it was so easily broken by the people's army, the impact is not very good." Luo Rucai, you set off back to Pingliang in the afternoon, and led the Liang army out of the city and the people's army to drive out of Pingliang Mansion. By the way, the siege of Guyuan Castle was also relieved. ”

Luo Rucai said: "Yes, Xia Guan understands. ”

After Luo Rucai received the order to leave, the iron head of the patrol division looked at Xu Liang with a confused face and said, "Young master, I don't understand!" This time, we can borrow the hands of the people's army to clean up Cao Wenzhao and Hong Chengchou as soon as possible! Why do you want Luo Rucai to lead an army to save them? ”

Xu Liang sighed faintly, looked at Tietou, and explained seriously: "Ah Tie, for now, we still have to use the court." However, in the eyes of those ministers in Beijing, your young master, my image is not very good, so my twists and turns are all in the sea! In such a tense situation, Hong Chengchou is the best buffer zone between me and the court. This time, the main thing is to teach Cao Wenzhao and Hong Chengchou a lesson, so that they know who is the most powerful person in the northwest! ”

"Oh. The young master is wise! The iron head could only praise dryly.

Outside Guyuan City, the battle with the People's Army has been going on for two days. In two days, Li Dusi and Shangtianlong led nearly 60,000 people's troops to launch an offensive against Guyuan City like a tide, wave after wave. Hong Chengchou has sent all the Hong soldiers and government servants and Minzhuang to the city tower to guard the city, and he himself is also sitting on the city tower.

Cao Wenzhao, the deputy commander-in-chief of Shaanxi, rode on his horse with difficulty, listening to the heavy thump of the city gate being slammed again and again fifty paces away.

Behind Cao Wenzhao was hundreds of cavalrymen, standing behind Cao Wenzhao, ready to deal with the civilian troops who rushed into the city.

On the tower of the city, almost all the soldiers defending the city were extremely tired after two days and two nights of fierce fighting.

Taking advantage of the gap when the people's army stopped attacking the city, Hong Chengchou personally walked on the city tower, nervously stopping those who wanted to sleep again and again.

There were quite a few who were so weak that there was a young soldier in the middle of the period, and the governor of the three sides saw him sitting in the corner with his spear in his hand, his eyes closed and motionless. Hong Chengchou stepped forward to test it, only to find that the soldier had been dead for a long time.

Hong Chengchou inspected and returned to the city tower, where he saw countless people's army flags in the distance, and people called horses neighed. The drums of the attack sounded, and I saw two groups of men and horses rushing out of the civilian army array, one path rushed straight to the east gate of Guyuan City, and the other way, actually turned to the west, preparing to find a breakthrough from the west gate.

Hong Chengchou held a big pu knife in his hand and shouted to the officers and soldiers around him: "Soldiers, the enemy has started to attack again, kill me!" ”

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

In the blink of an eye, the people's army charged under the city gate, and while confronting the officers and soldiers on the city tower, they tried to break through the city gate.

Hong Chengchou called a soldier and shouted at him: "Go and inform General Cao and ask him to lead the troops to the West City Gate to defend!" ”

Hong Chengchou saw with his own eyes that Cao Wenzhao had received his own order and had already led the cavalry to the West City Gate, so he was a little relieved! On the tower of the city, there were officers and soldiers who were constantly falling with arrows, the same way that the first order of the people's army who were climbing up the city fell, and then the people's army outside seemed to be determined to break through Guyuan City! Regardless of how many civilian soldiers were killed in the battle, the drums were still beating in the middle of the civilian army, and there was no sign of stopping the attack.

"Lord Governor, Guyuan City, you can't hold it, your subordinates will cover you and leave!" A Hong soldier general ran to Hong Chengchou and said with a sad face.

Hong Chengchou lifted the collar of the general's coat and shouted viciously: "If you can't keep it, you have to keep it!" This official would rather die than retreat! (To be continued.) )