This time, the Jingbei Army sent out to Huguang, and according to the intention of the superintendent Yang Sichang, it was stationed in Suizhou, Anlu and other places in the east of Xiangyang to block the eastward advance of Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai.

Of course, after the generals entered the predetermined defense area, they could bring hundreds of personal soldiers to Xiangyang to listen to the order, which was also a means for the civil officials to control the generals in the late Ming Dynasty.

According to the order of the Ministry of War, the task of the Shandong Army is to garrison the front line of Suizhou and Anlu to block Zhang Xianzhong's eastward route.

Therefore, Li Xingzhi decided to go south along the Grand Canal and enter De'an Mansion through the Yangtze River, and the advantage of taking the waterway was that the heavy materials in the army were easy to transport, and the foot riders could go into battle lightly.

In addition, Huaiyang and Jiangnan are quite rich, and the Jingbei Army can also fight the autumn wind of the rich gentry in Jiangnan.

At the beginning of July, the main force of the Jingbei Army arrived at the Luokou ferry port in Jinan, and Liu Lishun, the governor of Shandong, saw that the Jingbei Army was very prosperous, and immediately put forward the idea of going out with the army.

Following Li Xingzhi on the expedition was also Zhang Cheng, the supervisor of Leiden Town, who didn't want any military exploits, but clamored to observe Penglaibo's peerless art of war, hoping to learn a hand or two, and if he met a thief who didn't need to work Penglaibo in the future, he could also get some military exploits.

For Liu Lishun and Zhang Cheng's requirements, Li Xingzhi did not allow it, and he was stationed in Suizhou and Anlu this time, so it was certain that there would be no war, so he should take these two goods for sightseeing.

On July 21, after all the supplies were loaded on the ship, Li Xingzhi immediately ordered all his troops to set off and go straight to the direction of Huai'an.

When the army arrived in Yangzhou, the news came from the Beijing division that Yang Sichang set out this time, with the general soldier fierce as a tiger as the president, Zhang Yingyuan as the vice president, Liu Guangzuo, the general soldier of Tianjin Town, Yang Chaodong, the general of Xuanda, Liu Guangyong, Liu Shijie and others, and 30,000 horses from the Jinggi army to choose a day for the Chinese army.

He Renlong, Zheng Jiadong, General Niu Chenghu, Guerrilla Gao Jie and others who flew to Shaanxi to aid and suppress raised 40,000 Qin soldiers; Xiangyang Zuo Liangyu's 20,000 troops, as well as the Sichuan general Zeng Rongrong and Zhendong general Qin Liangyu divided into joint attacks, holding the key points, intending to besiege Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai in the Yunyang area.

On August 15, Chongzhen summoned Yang Sichang and the supervisor Wan Yuan Ji on the platform.

Yang Sichang believes that Chu is vast, extending in all directions, although the officials and troops are numerous, but once the war starts, the army will be dispatched, and there will inevitably be a gap behind it.

Chongzhen thought it was true, and all the seven things played were accurate, giving 100 platinum, 40,000 silver rewards, 1,500 silver medals, 600 altars of imperial wine, and giving a banquet in the palace, personally pouring wine for Yang Sichang, and giving Zhuang Xing poems.

Yanmei is now temporarily used as a dry city,

Admiral Majesty Willow Battalion,

Sweep away the atmosphere from now on,

Returning the period of education to improve the people's livelihood.

Yang Sichang thanked Chongzhen for his kindness, and then made an appointment with Chongzhen, and the period of one year will sweep away the Central Plains thieves, if it is not successful, he will die to thank the world.

Under Chongzhen's strict orders, the war machine of the Ming court was running rapidly, and the vast land of the lake was covered with war clouds, and even the breath carried the smell of blood.

On September 16, President Yang Sichang's army arrived in Xiangyang, in order to coordinate the war situation, and Xiangyang was the only way to control and choke Liukou to the south.

In addition, Xiangyang is a big city with a large number of lakes, the circumference of the city is 12 miles and 30 zhang, the wall is more than 3 zhang high, the upper width is 1 zhang and 5 feet, the wall base is 3 zhang wide, there are more than 4,000 battlements, there are four police shops, six city gates, there are moon cities, urn cities, and lead Han water to be the moat, the end is strict and orderly, it is really a rare strong city in the world.

Yang Sichang also asked people to dig three trenches outside the city, build flying beams, set up horizontal bridges, and send soldiers to guard them, and build Xiangyang straight like an iron bucket.

On the first day of October, the reinforcement armies from all walks of life arrived at the defense area one after another.

Yang Sichang immediately defended Suizhou with Shandong troops, Tianjin troops defended the three passes of Yiyang, Shaanxi troops based on Shangzhou and Shanyang at the junction of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Hubei, and Sichuan troops defended Kuidong, quickly completing the encirclement of Yunyang.

On the 5th day of the first month of October, Yang Sichang immediately sent a message to the general army from all over the country to rush to Xiangyang to discuss the suppression of thieves.

In Suizhou City, Li Xingzhi took Yang Sichang's letter and laughed: "Liu Buyuan, Gonggong Zhang, Yang Ge Lao is going to kill people and establish power, I don't know if you are willing to go to Xiangyang with Ben Shuai to camp and see which one is the chicken that will kill chickens and make an example of monkeys!" ”

"Uh...... Going to Xiangyang? Alas......! The daily consumption of the army is not more than tens of thousands, and the headquarters is still sitting in Suizhou and Anlu to raise money and food for Li Shuai! ”

Liu Lishun was a little scared, his teacher was Xue Guoguan, the first assistant of the cabinet, and now Yang Sichang and Xue Guoguan in the court are already like fire and water, Yang Sichang will not take this official as a **? Jiangnan is so rich, it's real to get some silver flowers!

"Liu Minyuan wants to raise salaries, and there is no war left and right, let's go with you! Anyway, Li Shuai will come back after the meeting, and then our family will kill thieves with Li Shuai! ”

Zhang Cheng's neck also shook like a rattle, and he only went to Xiangyang when his brain was broken, he had already collected 30,000 taels of Cheng Yi along the way, so why go to Xiangyang to drip muddy waters, with this kind of work, isn't it good to fight the autumn wind?

"You're really not going? That handsome man went by himself. ”

Li Xingzhi was also speechless, this expedition, the imperial court allocated a total of 40,000 taels of silver, he arrived in Suizhou from Huai'an through Yangzhou all the way, Cheng Yi alone received tens of thousands of taels, Liu Lishun as Xue Guoguan's protégé, I am afraid that there will be no 100,000 taels, and the court officials are greedy and contemptuous, and there is a reason for peace to die.

To tell the truth, Li Xingzhi has no need to obey Yang Sichang's military orders, he is the earl of the Ming Dynasty, and he is much higher than Yang Sichang in terms of grade, in addition, Yang Sichang's governor Gyeonggi, Henan, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Huguang, Jiangxi, this does not include Shandong, so the Jingbei Army is a real guest army.

However, Li Xingzhi also wanted to meet Yang Sichang, a legendary figure in the late Ming Dynasty, and Zuo Liangyu, a hero in troubled times.

After bidding farewell to Liu Lishun, Li Xingzhi used Zhang Shaoqian's fourth town to guard Suizhou, Zhang Wu's fifth town to guard Anlu, and Mengjun Banner and Han Army Banner to guard Yingshan to consolidate De'an's defense, while he led the Iron Man Soldiers and Manchu Army Banner to go straight to Xiangyang to camp in Hanshui.

October 8th.

The fleet of the Jingbei Army arrived at the Great North Gate of Xiangyang, and the bright red general flag showed the Penglaibo of the Ming Dynasty, and the commander-in-chief of the military affairs of Shandong and Liaodong came to Xiangyang in person.

Jin Shengheng, the general of Zuo Liangyu's department guarding the Great North Gate, did not dare to slack off, for fear of offending this ruthless man, after all, the reputation of the two Tartar chieftains of Penglaibo had been widely spread in Daming, so he hurriedly went down to the city to greet him, and sent someone to the superintendent to report the news.

After Jin Shengheng went down to the city, more than 1,100 Manchurian green banner soldiers and more than 600 iron soldiers surrounded Li Xingzhi and An Ba and others had already lined up at the Great North Gate.

"The last general Jin Shengheng visited Penglaibo, and the last general was disappointed, please forgive the earl!"