The sound of bells and drums stopped, and everyone was talking to each other, but they heard a few cannons in the distance to the south of the city, which shook the roofs. The door of the house suddenly opened, Chen Qiyu came out with his sword, his eyes blazing at everyone, and said loudly: "The folds on the table, the headquarters hall has been bowed, and the horse will fly to the emperor with six hundred miles quickly." Mr. Cao, Mr. Wang, and a few of you, tonight I will watch the headquarters kill the thieves----" Everyone shouted, and each got on his war horse and went out of the city.

Lian Guoshi received Chen Qiyu's military order, and secretly ordered his subordinates to open the net, just waiting for Gao Yingxiang to arrive. The sky was full of stars, Gao Yingxiang really ordered Li Zi to become the striker, Zhang Xianzhong broke off, brought his own scorpion block, Zhang Miao's hand was in the center, and led the team to break into the camp. The officers and soldiers bluffed for a while, and Lian Guoshi personally led the men and horses to chase after them for several miles, seeing them burrow into the deep mountains, they fired a few horns and cannons, turned back to the camp, and ordered someone to fly to report Chen Qiyu. Chen Qiyu urgently ordered Lian Guoshi to lead elite soldiers to work day and night, rushed to the valley mouth north of the carriage gorge to ambush, and led his deputy generals Liu Qian, guerrilla He Renlong, Yang Hualin, and Liu Guozhen to follow, and transferred Lu Xiangsheng as a backup.

Gao Yingxiang and others drilled into the deep mountains and dense forests, listened to the shouts behind them gradually fade away, reined in the white horse, and looked at the surrounding mountains and said: "These mountains are worth tens of thousands of officers and soldiers!" ”

Scorpion said with a smile: "As long as we go to the mountains and go around in circles with the officers and soldiers, no matter how many people and horses there are, they will also die of a fat and thin disease." They spend all day drinking, where can they endure such suffering? It's not like we are all from poor people, and our feet have already been sharpened as hard as iron. ”

"It's not just that the feet are hardened, it's that our lives are cheap and bold, and we can do anything, not like Chen Qiyu, a second-grade court official, splashing the sky and wealth, how can we throw it away casually? What are we afraid of? At home, you are waiting for death, and if you come out to rebel, you are also dead, but you die a heroic death like this, and you die with a sound! Gao Yingxiang pinned the silk reins, turned over and got off the white horse, carried the horsewhip, and pointed to the rugged and difficult mountain road: "He Chen Qiyu doesn't have to take such a mountain road, he has eight sedan chairs to carry, front and back, food and clothing are worry-free, there is no need to work as hard as us, it is not easy for him to take risks." ”

The scorpion block also dismounted, and laughed: "He is a corrupt Confucian, where can he be so arrogant!" All day long, what we say is all lies, how can we be so happy and comfortable! ”

The two of them slowly moved forward with the procession, the mountain road twisted and turned, looking back, tens of thousands of troops pulling horses, carrying grain and grass baggage, wriggling in the mountains, like a winding dragon, hidden or visible, intermittent and timely, the march was extremely difficult. After noon, I buried the pot and made rice, filled my stomach, and then marched. It was getting late, and after walking for half a day, I turned back to the same place. Gao Yingxiang was about to send someone to the front to ask questions, but Li Zicheng rushed over with two personal soldiers and said: "King Yuchuang, this mountain peak and ridge are connected, the path is tortuous, we are lost." ”

"Lost?" The scorpion block and Zhang Miaoshou, who came up, glanced at each other, and said in surprise: "No wonder I just saw that the place where the pot was buried and cooked was a little familiar, it turned out to be tossed for a long time, but it turned back again, how is this good?" ”

Zhang Miaoshou glared and said, "Zicheng, didn't you encounter a ghost hitting the wall?" How can you turn back, don't you remember the road you walked? ”

Gao Yingxiang waved his hand and said: "The people who encounter ghosts hitting the wall are all people who walk alone late at night, where are there tens of thousands of troops who have hit the wall for ghosts?" Although he comforted everyone, but his heart involuntarily sank down, seeing the dusk and sunset, if tens of thousands of troops circled in the same place, it was difficult to block, once the chasing soldiers came up, flanked from all sides, the situation was bound to be extremely critical, seeing Zhang Miao's face was a little panicked, he turned his head and asked: "Zicheng, what is going on?" ”

Li Zicheng scratched his head and scolded fiercely before replying: "I found that the path was wrong, so I ordered someone to mark the road, but I still turned back to the original road." There are so many trails in this mountain, and there are forks in the road everywhere, so I really can't figure out which way to get out? ”

Gao Yingxiang was worried that Zhang Miaoshou's ghost would spread against the wall and be unfavorable to the army, so he immediately decided: "Go find a guide!" ”

"There is no one around here, and it is more difficult to find a guide than to fight a tiger...... Li Zicheng was quite embarrassed, and when he saw Gao Yingxiang's face, he had to change his words and say: "It's not difficult for me to spread a few more brothers." He turned around and wanted to leave, but saw Li Guo escorting a big man over, and shouted: "Caught a spy of an official army, caught a spy of an official army!" ”

Li Zicheng looked at the big man, in his early thirties, a shabby coarse cloth short coat, trousers with high knee-length trousers, a pair of bast shoes, a burly physique, copper-colored skin, and seemed to have suffered from sleeping in the open for many years. sneered at the moment and asked, "Seeing that you are also a man from a poor background, how can you be willing to be an eagle dog for the court and kill your own brother?" ”

The big man hugged and said: "Uncle, I was a woodcutter here, chopping wood and going home, suddenly saw these people and horses, I was so frightened that I hid behind the rocks, I didn't want to be frightened, the axe fell to the ground, cut on the rocks, and let this young master hear it, and led people to rush up, tied up the villain, and insisted that the villain was a spy." ”

Li Zicheng looked at him and said, "There are no people in a radius of several miles here, and the mountain roads are rugged and difficult to walk, where will anyone live here?" ”

Dahan didn't panic at all, and replied: "Uncle must be passing through the local area for the first time, and he sees the rocks and peaks here full of strange rocks, and he can't see people. This is not surprising, the legend here is the hometown of Nuwa Niangniang, when Nuwa Niangniang practiced colorful stones to make up for the sky, the remaining stones were dropped here, the mountain road is inconvenient to walk, but there are often some hunters and woodcutters out of the house. Walking only fifteen miles ahead, it is the county seat of Xing'an, the city is full of shops, and the business is prosperous, which is a prosperous place. ”

"Oh, the county seat of Xing'an ahead?" Li Zicheng stepped forward to untie the rope for him, and inadvertently took the clothes on the big man's body, and there were a few brown and red round scars on his back, flashing with a faint cold light, he looked carefully for a moment, and suddenly asked: "You are a woodcutter chopping wood, how did you get an arrow wound on your body?" When Li Guo and the others heard the sound, they each held swords and surrounded the big Han, and the scorpion block and Zhang Miaoshou also shouted: "Say it quickly!" If there is half a lie, it must be a spy of the officials and soldiers, and it will never be forgiven! ”

Gao Yingxiang strode forward and separated the crowd: "What kind of enemy are you hiding from, living in seclusion in the mountains?" ”

The big man was a little panicked, but when he saw a tall and white man coming over to ask, those strong men looked very respectful to him, and they clasped their fists and saluted: "This uncle's vision is really outstanding." The villain's name is Zuo Liangyu, originally in Liaodong Garrison, originally Liaodong Economic Strategy Yuan Chonghuan's subordinate to the capital, because of the grievances for Lord Yuan, he was beaten by forty military sticks, and in a fit of anger, he killed people and fled back to the pass. But it was difficult to return home, so I had to hide in this deep mountain and make a living by collecting firewood. To tell the truth, the arrow wound that this uncle said was shot at Houjin Bing when he followed Lord Yuan to fight Ning Yuan, and the villain lay down for a whole month. "What Zuo Liangyu said was the truth, but he also concealed a lot. Yuan Chonghuan quelled the Ningyuan mutiny and beat him with 200 military sticks, and he was willing to be punished and waited for the crime to be killed. After Yuan Chonghuan's death, he was disheartened and ran to Guannai and became a colonel in the Changping garrison. Because of his outstanding martial arts, he was appreciated by the commander-in-chief You Shiwei and recommended to Hou Xun, who was the governor of the Changping garrison with the rank of squire of the military department, and Hou Xun promoted him to be a deputy general. This time, he led the troops into Henan and was promoted to the general army, commanding more than 2,000 horses.

Gao Yingxiang heard that his origin was true, secretly admired, and his suspicions were gone, and he hugged his fists and saluted back: "Brother Zuo originally followed Inspector Yuan to resist Houjin outside the pass, but he was disrespectful. Looks like you've been here for a long time. ”

"More than five years."

"Brother Zuo, would you like to do my brother a favor and show us the way?"

"My brother is so honest with others, he will never give up." Zuo Liangyu bowed down and said: "This is Nuwa Mountain, although the mountains are heavy and the roads are difficult to distinguish, but compared to the Daba Mountain you crossed, it is not tall and steep. There is a valley in front of Phoenix Mountain, known as the carriage gorge, the terrain is low and flat and open, it is the only way for ordinary merchants to enter and exit, and the front of the valley is Xing'an City. ”

In the twilight, under the leadership of Zuo Liangyu, the army slowly marched towards Phoenix Mountain, and after walking for less than half an hour, he saw a low mountain, which seemed to be a phoenix with wings ready to fly, and the mountain road was gradually flat and open. Gao Yingxiang and the others got on their horses and walked, and there was a word in front of them, and it was less than a mile away from the carriage gorge. Gao Yingxiang gave the order to go down, rush there tonight to camp, and capture Xing'an City at dawn tomorrow.

At this time, the inside and outside of Xing'an City were already full of officers and soldiers, Chen Qiyu built his line in Xing'an County, divided his troops out, and sat alone in the signing room with his eyes closed, and the Chinese army, staff, and personal soldiers were waiting outside the door. A few thick candles were lit in the house, and it was brightly lit. He suddenly opened his eyes and stared at the carved leak on the table, which was extremely delicately made, with a brass phoenix bird pouring water, and a golden lotus bearing a floating arrow below, and the water floating arrow rose. Next to the carved leak is a cowhide letter sleeve stamped with the fire paint of the military department, which has been sealed. He listened and asked, "What time is it?" ”

The Chinese army, staff, and soldiers outside the door also surrounded a leak, and hurriedly replied: "It's just time." ”

"Why hasn't the Bell and Drum Tower moved?"

"I think it's a little different from the old man's carving......"

As he spoke, the sound of bells and drums continued to be extremely long.

Zhongjun was surprised: "Isn't there a lotus leak in front of the master, how can you ask?" ”

"Dong Weng has such a big thing in his heart, and he can sit still in the house, which is an extraordinary person. Don't you remember that Xie An heard that his nephew was in a hurry before Qin Fujian, and the clogs on his feet were broken by the threshold? ”

"It seems that the master's bearing is better than Xie An!" The Chinese army glanced at the staff and nodded in admiration.

The sound of bells and drums stopped, and everyone was talking to each other, but they heard a few cannons in the distance to the south of the city, which shook the roofs. The door of the house suddenly opened, Chen Qiyu came out with his sword, his eyes blazing at everyone, and said loudly: "The folds on the table, the headquarters hall has been bowed, and the horse will fly to the emperor with six hundred miles quickly." Mr. Cao, Mr. Wang, and a few of you, tonight I will watch the headquarters kill the thieves----" Everyone shouted, and each got on his war horse and went out of the city.

In Yangde Zhai, Chongzhen sat alone behind the imperial case to review the folds, and the big stack of folds was reviewed, and it was late at night. He took one of the folds left aside, read it carefully, and wanted to criticize it, but he hesitated, put down the pen, took a sip of herbal tea, and muttered to himself: "Alas! After more than a year of wasted work, the Wuqiao Mutiny had such an ending! Originally, the rebels were only more than 2,000 people, but the more they fought, the more they fought, and eventually there were tens of thousands. Damn Sun Yuanhua! ”

After Kong Youde mutiny Wuqiao, he also plundered the army, Sun Yuanhua, the governor of Denglai, and Yu Dacheng, the governor of Shandong, were worried that the court would blame, thinking that the big things would be small, and the small things would be turned into nothing, so they actually advocated appeasement, and ordered the prefectures and counties along the way not to send troops to invite attacks, so that Kong Youde went all the way unimpeded, and successively captured Lingxian, Linyi, and Shanghe, and then entered Qidong, captured Qingcheng and Xincheng, and the soldiers came to Dengzhou City. Geng Zhongming, the Chinese army in the city, and Chen Guangfu, the capital division, secretly responded, raised fire to open the door, Kong Youde attacked from the east gate, and Dengzhou fell. Sun Yuanhua failed to commit suicide and was captured along with the generals of the same city. After the chief soldier Zhang Keda beheaded his concubine Chen, he committed suicide by hanging himself from a beam in the official office. Yu Dacheng saw that the matter had become a big problem, so he didn't dare to hide it anymore and went to the court. Thinking of this, Chongzhen's face was full of anger, Rao Shi had dismissed the two of them and arrested them in Beijing, and finally Yu Dacheng filled the army, Sun Yuanhua beheaded and abandoned the city, and he still felt that the resentment in his heart was difficult to dissipate. Sun Yuanhua, such a corrupt Confucian, full of turbans, was recommended to be the governor of Denglai, and became a feudal official who opened his teeth and built a mansion, and he had a lot of affection! He couldn't help but be a little angry with Zhou Yanru and Xu Guangqi, and said hatefully: I treat you like this, but you treat me like this! used such a useless protégé to ruin the affairs of the court, and pleaded for him. If it weren't for the fact that I had overridden the public opinion, promoted Zhu Dadian, the right political officer of Fujian, to be the governor of Shandong, and urgently transferred 5,000 Liaodong troops to enter the customs to participate in the war, I really don't know when the Dengzhou Rebellion would end.

After Zhu Dadian arrived in Dezhou, he sent his deputy general Mu Wen to rescue Pingdu and kill the rebel general Chen Shi. Sent the general Jin Guoqi and the general Zu Kuan as the vanguard, and led the Liaodong soldiers and horses to fight with Kong Youde in Shahe, and defeated Kong Youde. Taking advantage of the victory, they pursued until the city of Laizhou, and the rebels besieging the city of Laizhou broke the siege. Jin Guoqi pursued relentlessly, fought with the rebels in Huangxian again, killed tens of thousands of people, captured nearly 1,000 people, chased to the city of Dengzhou, and killed Li Jiucheng outside the city, and the rebel leaders only Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming, and Mao Chenglu remained. Kong Youde saw that the general trend had gone, and used a big boat to carry his children's wealth and silk, and escaped from the water gate, Geng Zhongming and others also escaped from Dengzhou, and the rebels had no intention of defending the city, and Dengzhou was conquered in one fell swoop. Lushun General Huang Long was ordered to lead his troops to intercept Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming at sea, kill Li Yingyuan, and capture Mao Chenglu and Chen Guangfu. Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming rushed desperately to kill, and went to Houjin.

Chongzhen sighed for a while, and finally picked up the Zhu pen and said: "Promote Zhu Dadian to the right attendant of the military department, hereditary brocade clothes and guard hundreds of households, and other generals participating in the war have different rewards...... "Approved here, thinking that Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming actually slipped through the net, Huang Taiji was quite polite to them, personally went out of Shengjing for ten miles, set up a banquet to welcome, gave python robes, mink fur, and saddle horses, and awarded Kong Youde Marshal and Geng Zhongming as the chief military officer, and gave them a seal and reused. Kong Youde was grateful and offered a red-coated cannon. Deng Shi was in a bad mood, and he wrote hard to criticize: the rebel Mao Chenglu was released and brought to Beijing, and he was punished according to the law for the crime of great rebellion. Then he snapped and threw the pen down.

Ma Yuancheng, who was waiting outside the door, saw it, came in lightly, carefully packed up the red pen, wiped the ink, and persuaded: "Long live the lord, it's time to rest, it's time to rest......" Seeing Chongzhen's eyes, he hurriedly closed his mouth.

"When did you see me go to bed so early?"

"Long Live Lord has eaten less than usual these days, and the queen and the concubine both told the slaves and maids not to forget to give Long Live Lord a wake-up call, so as not to be too tired. The slave maid saw that the long-lived master had finished approving the folding...... "As she spoke, her eyes were a little red.

Chongzhen listened to his rambling words, waved his hand and said, "I didn't say that I wouldn't stop, I wanted to go outside." In May and June, the moon is white and the wind is clear, and it is not a bad thing to move your muscles and bones. ”

When Ma Yuancheng heard this, he burst into tears and laughed, and hurriedly said, "The slave and maid went to call the guards on duty." ”

"No need. I just walked on the terrace outside, and those with swords and swords would spoil the scenery. Chongzhen stopped and stepped out of the door.

The crescent moon has long since disappeared, leaving only the sky full of stars, twinkling, and the silver ribbon-like Milky Way stretches across the sky, like a large bag of scattered pearls. A faint mist shrouded the surrounding palace pavilions, and the haze became more and more supreme dignity. Chongzhen walked to the gilded bronze pavilion on the right side of the terrace, stretched out his hand and touched the top of the pavilion, it was warm and moist, and the golden palace of Jiangshan Sheji was also a little confused.

"Dangdangdang......" The three cloud boards were loud, Chongzhen's heart tightened, and Ma Yuancheng, who was holding the palace lamp on the side, had already changed his color, and ran quickly towards the corner of the Qianqing Palace leading to Yangdezhai. This is the palace rule that Chongzhen has set up a long time ago, if there is a very urgent military document at night, no matter what time it is, it must be played quickly. The cabinet, the general administration department, and the celebrant are on duty all year round at night, and the cabinet scholar and the eunuch on duty receive the urgent paperwork, and then go to the corner to ring the cloud board, and the eunuch palace maid who is on duty at night takes it and sends it to the door of Chongzhen's dormitory, and hands it over to the eunuch and palace maid who is on duty outside the dormitory, and kneels in front of the royal couch. Chongzhen took the cowhide envelope, pulled it twice, and then tore a small opening, opened it, took out the document, and read it under the lamp, couldn't help but smile, and sighed to the sky: "Ten years of suppressing bandits, all in one battle." Chen Qiyu really lived up to my expectations and trapped the thieves in the carriage gorge! ”

Ma Yuancheng said: "Long live Lord Shengming, the temple is thousands of miles, thousands of miles of rivers and rivers are Qinghaiyan, it is really a good prospect!" ”

"Congratulations to the ---- "Congratulations to the Lord" The guards and palace maids congratulated together.

Li Zicheng led the pioneer battalion into the valley, but the road was quite flat, but it was only more than a foot wide, and it was difficult to move quickly. The night is thick, the soldiers lit the torches, but the mist in the valley is steaming, Rao is connected into a fire dragon, what you see is only three or five zhang away, the mountains and rocks on both sides become misty, the strange peaks are abrupt, the strange rocks are craggy, as if to rush to the face. After walking for nearly an hour, it is estimated that the brigade behind has also entered the valley, so he ordered An to make a meal and lead Li Guo and others to the front to inspect and check, but saw Gu Junen coming in a hurry and asked, "General, what is here?" ”

"It must be the Carriage Gorge. What about Zuo Liangyu? Call him over and ask. ”

Li Guo asked back and forth, where is there any shadow of Zuo Liangyu? Gu Junen said: "It doesn't matter if it is a carriage gorge here, but the two peaks of this valley are confronted, the situation is dangerous, easy to enter and difficult to get out, our tens of thousands of horses are crowded in such a narrow place, once the officers and soldiers hold the valley mouth on both sides, the front and back are sandwiched, and the wings will not escape, so you must not stay in this camp!" ”

Li Zicheng was shocked when he heard this, and hurriedly said: "Go and report to King Chuang!" Before the words fell, a cannon rang out on the mountain, a stone rain fell, and as countless rockets were fired, the tent grain and grass suddenly burst into flames. Everyone shouted in surprise to dodge, and Li Zicheng shouted, "Rush out with me!" Swinging his knife and rushing forward, he traveled less than a few miles, and countless rocks had already piled up in front of him, blocking the valley mouth tightly, the lanterns and torches on the mountain were illuminated, dozens of battle flags were hunting, and a big man laughed and said: "Rogue, do you still recognize us?" ”

Li Zicheng took a closer look, it was Zuo Liangyu who had disappeared, and his heart suddenly felt like a hammer impact, and he shouted violently: "Zuo Liangyu, it's a hero who comes down to see us win or lose, what kind of hero is calculated with such poison?" ”

"Hahaha...... You grass coward who doesn't know how to die, you are still stubborn when you reach such a situation! To tell you the truth, this kind of clever plan was thought up by Chen Dashuai, if you can't swallow this breath, it won't work, I'm afraid you won't see him. Zuo Liangyu waved the command flag, and the mountain was full of arrows, and Li Zicheng and the others hurriedly retreated.

In the second half of the night, it rained heavily, drenching the tent with clothes. After tossing all night, Li Zicheng and the others were hungry, cold, and exhausted. The sky was slightly bright, King Chuang gave an order, and all the leaders gathered in the Chinese army camp to discuss countermeasures. Li Zicheng told Li Guo and others that the officers and soldiers only wanted to be trapped, not to fight in the valley, to be careful of the cold arrows on the mountain, and not to act rashly, and then took Gu Junen and hurried to the camp. Along the way, I looked around and couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. I saw that the cliffs on both sides were steep, like a knife and an axe, straight into the clouds. It was early summer, the forest and grass were dense, and the thorns were all over the place, and it felt even more narrow and gloomy, and it was difficult to walk. I can't help but secretly complain, I was careless for a while, and I actually lured people into a desperate situation, there is no way to go to the sky, there is no way to enter the earth, and I am trapped and dying here, this is the life of tens of thousands of brothers! Suddenly covered in cold sweat and filled with remorse.

The big camp was built in a narrow and tortuous cave, with torches lit, and a flat boulder was surrounded by Gao Yingxiang, Scorpion Block, and Zhang Miaoshou, all with heavy expressions, and Gao Yingxiang's right shoulder was tied with a white belt, which had been soaked in blood. He stepped forward and asked, "King Chuang is injured?" ”

"Don't worry, I've been hit by an arrow. The arrowhead has been removed and the gold sore medicine has been applied. Gao Yingxiang smiled and raised his right arm slightly to show that the injury was not serious, but the pain made the corners of his mouth twitch twice, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

The scorpion block looked at Li Zicheng, and said with a smile: "It's all hurt to the bones, how can it not be serious?" Become a brother, you lead a good road! I'm afraid you won't be able to escape this catastrophe this time, shouldn't you collude with that Zuo Liangyu and sell us? ”

Li Zicheng was stunned, his heart was so sour that he didn't know how to justify, and someone at the entrance of the cave shouted: "If he dares to be so unrighteous, let's spare him!" With the words, Zhang Xianzhong strode forward, sat down by himself, and said to the scorpion: "If he joins the official army, what will he do in the camp?" Just stay on the hill and wait to collect the corpse, why bother to accompany us! ”

The scorpion block knew that he had overspoken, smiled bitterly, and covered up: "I have a brother who collects the corpse for me, but I am blessed, I have a whole corpse, maybe there is a coffin, it is better than cutting those officials and soldiers with knives and slashing them to a pulp, and feeding the tigers and wolves in the mountains!" ”

Zhang Xianzhong slapped him and shouted, "Why are you so depressed! Let's stay in the valley, if he comes to kill one by one, kill one more and earn one, what are you afraid of? ”

"It's good if the officers and soldiers are willing to come in, fight to the death, or have a glimmer of hope of escaping, I'm afraid that they will stick to the fight, our grain and grass will be burned a lot, can we survive for a few days? Hunger is starvation. Gao Yingxiang sighed with a smile on his face, and said worriedly: "There are heavy soldiers at the north and south exits of the carriage gorge, and there are cannons and strong crossbows on the mountains on the east and west sides, and our nearly 100,000 brothers are besieged here, many soldiers have been wounded by arrows, and in the heavy rain, there is nowhere to hide, and there are rust stains on the swords and armor, and many arrow feathers have fallen off and can no longer be used, morale is low, and people's hearts are floating. It is necessary to think of a way as soon as possible, otherwise one day of delay will be one more day of danger. ”