Weishi County, Henan, West Jiangzhai.

"My lord! How did the bandits dig so many ditches? How can our horses get by? A Pegasus officer asked Zug.

The long-distance attack on Pegasus made it difficult for the peasant army to react. It wasn't until he came to Xijiang Village that Pegasus Town encountered more than 7,000 peasant army troops that had been hastily assembled.

And Xijiangzhai is already the periphery of the encirclement of Zhuxian Town, and the peasant army relies on the trenches, earthen walls and other fortifications that have been dug to intercept this all-cavalry officer and army unit.

For Pegasus Town, in the field, it doesn't take much effort to defeat the 7,000 peasant army, but let the cavalry fight a tough battle? That's a bit of a challenge.

"Let all the regiments dismount and form a phalanx of infantry. Grass! I've practiced this all the time, do you still need me to teach it? Zug immediately scolded, "Let the horses behind them carry mud bags and help fill in the ditch." Do you bunnies think you're superior when you get on the horse? We are the Runing Army, and when we should be infantry, we have to be infantry, and we must do the work of the people, and we must be worthy of the monthly silver of two taels and five dollars (the salary of the cavalry of the Runing Army). ”

"No!"

Under Zug's orders, the 1st Regiment of Pegasus immediately dismounted and lined up in an infantry phalanx, and the one-pound artillery used by the cavalry was also pulled up, and after forming an infantry artillery formation, it immediately launched an attack on the position of the peasant army......

In the early hours of the morning, Yu Zilian patrolled around Yangqi Town as usual. But today, as soon as he reached the edge of the outer earthen wall, he raised his steps and rushed towards the wall. Then he leaned on the wall, staring out with wide eyes.

The soldiers on the side hurriedly stepped forward to protect him with shields, but Yu Zilian angrily pushed away the shield hand, and then he pointed to the outside of the earthen wall and yelled at the officer in charge of the defense here: "You are blind, the people and thieves have run away." You still don't know the way? ”

The staff and officers who followed Yu Zilian's inspection immediately "hulala" and fell on the wall, only to see that the camp of the peasant army outside was lifeless, extremely quiet, and uninhabited.

"My lord! The thieves made a big noise last night, and the small ones were preparing for their sneak attack, so they didn't pay attention to it at all......

"That's it! Don't talk about it! Yu Zilian waved his hand to interrupt the officer's defense. Even if you can't see clearly at night, you should observe the situation in the morning, and even send some spies out of town to investigate, so what the officer said is not a reason.

"You can take people out of town to investigate now, if you don't find out about the situation of the people and thieves. Don't come back. Assemble the whole army! Prepare to pursue the thieves. ”

"No!"

……

When the entire Black Cloud Army was assembled, Yu Zilian also completely calmed down. The people who had gone out of the city to inquire had also returned, and they prayed that the peasant army had retreated in such a hurry that much of its baggage had been abandoned. Looking at the traces, the peasant army had withdrawn thirty miles away.

"My lord! How do we do it? Zuo Yin asked.

Yu Zilian groaned for a while. Immediately ordered: "We will not follow the thief, but wherever he goes." Listen to the order: The whole army immediately marched towards Kaifeng. ”

"Huh?" The staff and officers let out exclamations in unison. In their opinion. The Black Cloud Army will either be withdrawn and retired. Either follow the pursuit of the peasant army, and no matter what, they will not take Kaifeng City as the first target. So they couldn't understand Yu Zilian's orders.

And Yu Zilian looked at everyone's expressions, and explained: "Since the thieves retreated in such a hurry, it must be Runing Wu Yanfu who is here, as for the thieves, let him bother." Let's get to Kaifeng quickly. As long as the siege is resolved, not to mention the first credit, there will always be our share of the credit. ”

Yang Tinglin listened to Yu Zilian's explanation, and also nodded and said, "Feng Gu is right. When I arrived in Kaifeng City earlier, I had a reason to ask the court for food. ”

With Yang Tinglin's approval, the decision was decided. But Yu Zilian thinks about more than that.

Since he judged that Wu Shigong would send troops, as a "love enemy" who knew Wu Shigong very well, Yu Zilian knew that the Runing Army would definitely achieve the goal of sending troops. This is also evidenced by the retreat of the peasant army that surrounded the town of Yangqi. Since the peasant army in Yangqi Town has retreated, the peasant army in Kaifeng City will also retreat. Therefore, it should be risk-free for the Black Cloud Army to go to Kaifeng City.

And Yu Zilian also has his own ambitions. The first step is to have an army, and the second step is to find a base for the Black Cloud Army, which can provide supply support for the Black Cloud Army.

If the siege can be lifted and the city can be opened as soon as possible, then the imperial court will definitely be rewarded. Although Yu Zilian's approach is a bit opportunistic, in the competition with Wu Shigong, Yu Zilian is confident to have the upper hand.

And at that time, Yu Zilian will be able to find a foothold for the Black Cloud Army in northern Henan. It is the Runing Army that actually controls the entire territory of Henan, and Yu Zilian can also take the Black Cloud Army to Beizhili to find a piece of territory, after all, Yang Wenyue has died in battle, and there is a vacancy in Beizhili. And in this way, there is a material guarantee for the survival and growth of the Black Cloud Army.

On the ninth day of September in the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, the whole army of the Runing Army began to storm the defense line of the Li and Luo coalition armies, and began to carry out a military operation to rescue Kaifeng.

On the 10th, Yang Rusong and Shumo on the East Road broke through the defense line of the peasant army and repelled the counterattack of the peasant army. On the evening of the same day, the peasant army in Yangqi Town withdrew the encirclement and retreated towards the main force of the Li and Luo coalition armies to the west.

On the same day, a rear family camp of the Ma Ta Li and Luo coalition forces in Pegasus Town, which was interspersed on the left road, caused casualties to more than 20,000 family members of the peasant army.

On the 11th, the Heiyun Army, which learned that the siege had been lifted, rushed to Kaifeng City under the leadership of Yu Zilian.

On the same day, Yang Rusong, who was marching in the direction of Kaifeng City in the northwest, encountered the retreating peasant army of Yangqi Town, and after a flank attack, the peasant army lost its armor and was killed, wounded and captured. If it weren't for the Runing Army's rush to rescue Kaifeng, this peasant army might have been wiped out.

On the same day, the Pegasus Town of the Runing Army on the West Road met the peasant army of Xijiangzhai, and they began to fight a hard battle, rushing through the fortifications built by the peasant army step by step. Although the battle went smoothly, the time for Pegasus Town to rush to Kaifeng City was delayed.

In the afternoon of the same day, Li Zicheng and Luo Ru learned the battle reports from various places, only to find that the Runing army in front was attracting them and could not move at will, while the large army of the Runing army appeared in the east and west, and these three routes of officers and troops had formed a semi-encirclement, and there was a kind of posture of swallowing the main force of the Li and Luo coalition armies in one bite. Therefore, in the panic, Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai immediately issued an order for the whole army to retreat. (To be continued......)