After more than ten days, the situation of the rebel armies from all walks of life became more and more severe, and the scope of activities was more and more obvious.

Since the Battle of Shuizhi Breakout, Li Zicheng has gathered most of the surviving rebel army and temporarily hid in a small mountain range in Zhangdefu. After more than half a month of repair, the morale of the rebel troops has eased slightly, but the atmosphere of a bleak future still hangs over the hiding place, affecting everyone.

At this time, Gao Yingxiang, who was hit by four arrows in his body, had already recovered, and gathered in a cave with all the leaders to discuss the military situation, and the atmosphere was very heavy and depressing.

"Ladies and gentlemen, according to the Tanmalai report, just two days ago, the Ming general soldiers Ni Chong and Wang Pu led 6,000 people from the Beijing camp, and they had come to Zhangde Mansion, and the eunuchs Lu Jiude and Yang Jin rushed to participate in the battle.

"Yes, the Tanma in Xia also got the news, with the entry of this force, Xuan Mo immediately divided his troops into three routes, cooperated with the officers and troops in various places, and surrounded and suppressed our other brother troops. If it weren't for our foresight, we would have to be exterminated by them. ”

"Not only that, judging from the current situation, the official army is advancing from north to south, encroaching on the rebel armies from all walks of life. Looking at their posture, they want to drive us north of the Yellow River during this time, block it there, and completely wipe it out. ”

"Moreover, even if they are as strong as Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai and others, they have been driven out of Shanxi by the official army and thrown into Zhangde Mansion or Weihui Mansion, the situation is not very good, it is better for us."

......

The leaders actually spoke to each other, and summarized the news they got one by one, and as the topic deepened, there was more and more bad news, and no one could afford to think about it, everyone was like a frosted eggplant, with some sluggishness, frowning slightly, and a very bad mood.

Feeling that the atmosphere was getting more and more wrong, and seeing that everyone's spirit was shrinking, Li Zicheng secretly said "not good" in his heart, and then said loudly: "Leaders, although the situation is becoming more and more unfavorable now, we can't be discouraged and let it go, let alone shrink here for a long time." With the determination of the imperial court to suppress it, the practice of the recent period, once we know that we are hiding in this mountain, we will definitely send heavy troops to encircle and suppress it, and we must not guard against it, and we must make plans in advance. Moreover, the mountain range we are staying in is not safe, and it is easy to be detected by the spies of the imperial court. ”

One stone stirred up a thousand waves, and everyone present was shocked in their hearts, and they were frightened, originally thinking that as long as they hid in the mountains, everything would be fine and they would be able to survive this difficulty.

However, now after Li Zicheng's reminder, everyone is soberly aware that they can no longer use the old method.

At this time, the imperial court has gathered almost all the famous generals of the encirclement and suppression of the rebel army at the junction of the three Jin Dynasty, and the total strength is more than 20,000 people, which is not much more than the sum of the rebel armies from all walks of life, and the military strength of the two is at most one to five, and it should be lower.

Therefore, relatively speaking, the Israeli officers and troops currently have a certain advantage in strength, and they can completely search the mountains and continue to encircle, pursue, and intercept.

The most important thing is that everyone knows very well that these people are simply a group of rabble, even if they hide in the deep mountains and old forests and occupy a favorable terrain in advance, they will not be able to give full play to the advantages of the location, and the result will only be a rout all the way.

Otherwise, all along, every time there is a war, even if the strength is ten times that of the officers and soldiers, they will not be hung and beaten by the other side!

Of course, it is not inferior to the combat effectiveness of the official army, which does not include the Li family's army, which is the elite division, and often wins more than the official army. With the same strength, it is completely possible to confront the officers and soldiers head-on.

As soon as he thought of this, the heaviness in everyone's hearts became more and more intense, panicked in their hearts, there was no way, and there was still a glimmer of hope, and they couldn't help but look at Li Zicheng, as if a ghost made a god, it almost became a habit, an instinct.

"General Li Chuang, do you have a good way to avoid the difficulties at this time?" Lao Huihui also had the same look, and asked a sentence that everyone wanted to ask, Li Zicheng seemed to be one of the best existences and was recognized by everyone.

"Nope." Li Zicheng shook his head, his expression was a little unnatural, and he further turned to say: "Leaders, Li has a sentence that I don't know whether to say or not. If you do, I'm afraid everyone will be angry. ”

"General, you don't have to be so polite, just say it if you have something to say." He Jin, the king of Zuojin, took the lead in speaking heartily, and then went further: "Half a month ago, if you hadn't led the Li family's army to help, if we wanted to break through the siege of Shuizhi City, even if we succeeded, we would have suffered heavy losses, and the leaders present would have to die a few in battle. ”

"Yes, yes, King Zuo Jin is right, the general doesn't have to worry about anything, just say it if you have something to say!"

Others echoed one after another, and even Gao Yingxiang, Ma Huihui, Zhang Miaoshou and other characters nodded one after another, signaling Li Zicheng to continue talking.

"The leaders also know that as someone said just now, the current strategy of the imperial court is to advance layer by layer, drive all the rebel armies to the north of the Yellow River, so as to gather and annihilate them, suppress and besiege all our troops."

Li Zicheng paused, his eyes were clear and sincere, he glanced at everyone, his face was solemn, and he nodded lightly in approval when he saw that most of the people were approving, and then continued helplessly: "Even if you know this, the imperial court wants to take advantage of the danger of the Yellow River to besiege and fight the rebel armies from all walks of life, and wants to wipe us out. However, we also had to do what they thought, and we had to evacuate to the south in order to avoid the sharp edge of the officers and soldiers, so as to save our lives and preserve our strength. ”

"In that case, why should we follow the plan of the Dog Court, it is better to fight them to the death, fight to the death, and break the net with a fish!" The King of Chaos, who suddenly interrupted Li Zicheng's speech, looked indignant.

"Yes, General Li Chuang, since the imperial court wants to drive us to the north of the Yellow River and cut the grass and eradicate the roots, then we don't want them to be satisfied, it's a big deal to break the net." One of the leaders chimed in, also angry.

......

After everyone finished speaking, Li Zicheng showed bitterness on his face, shook his head slightly, and did not say anything about the view of "the fish is dead and the net is broken", but asked with deep meaning: "May I ask the leaders, roughly calculated, the entire rebel army in the entire Sanjin border is only 100,000 people, even if all the rebel armies can get together and work together, how much damage can be caused to the official army?" ”

Everyone was silent, their expressions were a little embarrassed and unnatural, although they did not answer, but their hearts were like mirrors, and they were very clear about everything.

Not to mention that those two conditions could not be met, it was impossible to bring all the rebel armies together at once, and it was impossible to work together. For this reason alone, among the 100,000 people, many of them are family members of the army, so what combat effectiveness is there? How can you break the net with the official army?

Although the words are exhausted, and the meaning is endless, Li Zicheng did not break it, the words turned again, and said slowly: "As the saying goes, late will change. In the same way, as long as we can delay for one more day, there will be more possibilities for a sudden change in the situation. ”

Hearing this, everyone was stunned, a trace of inexplicable joy appeared in their hearts, their faces showed hope, looked at Li Zicheng, and Gao Yingxiang couldn't help asking: "Nephew, ......what do you mean?" ”

"Uncle, chiefs, I don't mean anything." Li Zicheng replied calmly, and then replied to the question: "As we all know, in May this year, the barbarians from the north invaded Ningxia, and now the war is in full swing, and many wars are continuous, and there are winners and losers of each other, and now at this time, no one can guarantee the final result." ”

"There is also the toast rebellion in Sichuan, although the rebellion of Luxury Chongming has been four years in the past, but the aftermath has not subsided, and various small uprisings have occurred from time to time. The most important thing is that the Houjin of Liaodong has always been eyeing the Guannai and trying to plot against the Guannai. ”

Gradually, as Li Zicheng's content deepened, some people began to understand what Li Zicheng meant, their eyes lit up, Zhang Miaoshou looked excited, and couldn't help but admire: "Okay... Good... What a delaying strategy! ”

"Leader Zhang, what is the strategy to delay the army? What's so good about that? A coarse leader asked, scratching his head.

Li Zicheng didn't say anything more, and Zhang Miaoke explained and elaborated on the crux of the joints, and the atmosphere tended to ease.

After Zhang Miaoke finished speaking, everyone understood the true meaning of the strategy of delaying the army, and Gao Yingxiang, who was born as a soldier, further said and added: "Since it is a strategy to delay the army, then, we can't simply evacuate, we must evacuate while fighting, delay time as much as possible, wait for the situation to change, and develop in a direction that is beneficial to us." ”

"Yes, Chief Gao is right. Only in this way can the delay be maximized. Zhang Miaoshou echoed, and further said: "Moreover, only by really fighting with the officials and soldiers, destroying some of their troops, and hurting them, can the court not dare to underestimate us." Let the imperial court understand that once we are forced to hurry, they will pay a heavy price. ”

Suddenly, someone immediately understood Zhang Miaoshou's overtone, another way to retreat, once the situation has not changed, it is still not conducive to one's own side, and it is completely possible to surrender to the imperial court.

After all, the rabbit bites when it is in a hurry, not to mention that this is a 100,000-strong rebel army? Once the net is broken, the two sides will fight to the death, even if the imperial court finally wins, but it can only be a miserable victory, and at that time, if there is a foreign invasion, the army will be overwhelmed!

Therefore, in the process of fleeing south, they were constantly fighting with the official army, which made them realize a problem, if they want to use thunder means to kill all the rebel armies, they must be prepared for heavy losses.

Soon after, everyone discussed the specific evacuation time and left one after another.

At Li Zicheng's residence, a group of henchmen arrived one after another, standing there, looking directly at Li Zicheng, and Gu Junen, who was at the front, asked even more puzzledly: "Boss, my subordinates really can't understand, in addition to your qualifications, your reputation is not inferior to that of the high leader, and you are faintly on a par with him." Judging from today's situation, if you intend to compete for the position of alliance leader, there are absolutely few people who oppose it, so why do you need to push such an important position to the high leader? ”

Li Mu also stood up, also with a puzzled look on his face, and then said: "Boss, please forgive the last general for being abrupt, as far as his subordinates know, the relationship between the boss and the high leader is not very good. Moreover, this time, Captain He and Captain Wu escorted the high leader and rescued other rebel armies, winning a reputation for benevolence and righteousness. However, Leader Gao wanted to get involved in the Li Jiajun and wanted to make him his subordinate. If Leader Gao really becomes the leader of the alliance, our situation will be a little delicate. ”

At this moment, don't look at Li Zicheng's calm face, he was also very unhappy in his heart, he groaned slightly, and asked instead of answering: "Gu Junshi, Captain Li, do you two know Wang Ziyong and Wang Jiayin?" How did they die? ”

The two of them gave a soft "um" and said in unison: "I know..."

Gu Junen and Li Mu's words came to an abrupt end, as if they had thought of something, their faces showed a hint of abruptness, they glanced at each other, nodded lightly in tacit understanding, and Gu Junen continued to reply on behalf of others: "The two leaders died directly or indirectly at the hands of the officials and soldiers, and they were surrounded and suppressed by the heavy troops of the imperial court, so they fell so early. ”

"Yes, the wood is beautiful in the forest, and the wind will destroy it."

Li Zicheng sighed, did not continue to entangle and discuss this issue, turned to look at Tian Jianxiu, and asked: "By the way, Captain Tian, how is the establishment of the Taihang Mountain Base Area?" ”

"Boss Qiqi, things are going well, the place where I live has been basically solved, and now the wasteland is being reclaimed, just waiting for sweet potato seedlings and crop seeds."

"What about the grain?" Li Zicheng directly asked what he was most concerned about.

"Hmm... Boss, Captain Li is negotiating with Han Duan's family and preparing to buy a batch of grain. If there is no accident, it will arrive at the Taihang Mountain base in these two days. As long as this batch of grain and grass arrives, if the number of residents in the base area does not increase in large numbers, there will be no problem of eating within three months. ”

Hearing this, Li Zicheng showed a look of satisfaction, his heart was slightly relieved, as if he had thought of something, and reminded him: "By the way, in the past few months, the imperial court's troops in this area have gathered more and more, and the team transporting grain is bound to increase and become more frequent. Tell Li Guo to let the intelligence officers pay close attention to the movements of the officers and soldiers, especially about the escort of grain and grass. After all, the solution of grain and grass cannot all count on the Han Duan family, and we must be prepared for both. ”

"Yes, boss, the subordinates then sent a message to Captain Li, if possible, once the time is ripe, plunder the grain wagons of the officers and soldiers as much as possible to replenish the grain reserves in the base area."

"Also, Jianxiu, you must tell the person in charge of the Taihang Mountain Base Area that without my warrant, you must not let any strangers enter. The inhabitants of the base area are all family members of their brothers, and if they fall into the hands of the enemy or the official army, the consequences will be unimaginable. ”

"Well, boss, this subordinate understands." Tian Jianxiu responded, and then added: "The Taihang Mountain Base Area adopts the strictest standards, and without your special leader, no one can bring people and horses in, let alone get close to the base area. Otherwise, there will be a devastating attack. ”

Although it was a conversation between the two, it was to reassure the new captains around him, so that he could rest assured that he no longer had to worry about the safety of his family.

Of course, there is no denying that there is a hint of warning and reminders. After all, there are two sides to the story, and if you look at it from another angle, protection is also surveillance.

Li Zicheng asked about some trivial matters in the Taihang Mountain base area, then looked at Gu Junen and the others, and asked with concern: "Everyone, how is the family's notification?" ”

It seemed that the question was abrupt and provocative, Li Zicheng added: "Don't get me wrong, as the uprising progresses, the more officials and famous generals are killed, the more the court will pay more attention to us, and soon we will know about the existence of everyone." When the time comes, it will inevitably affect the families of the brothers. ”

"Boss, needless to say, we understand what the boss means, and we are indeed worried about the safety of our families." Gu Junen and others replied one after another, expressing the meaning that their family had arrived at the base area.

Seeing that everyone answered calmly, there was no mustard in their hearts, and their expressions were very calm, Li Zicheng's heart was also relieved, and then he looked at Li Mou, and said with a little playfulness: "Captain Li, Ling Zun is proficient in martial arts, and I hope you can talk to your uncle and let him serve as the head of the martial arts in the base area, so as to improve the skills of the soldiers in the base area." ”

"Boss, don't worry, this is natural."