Lu Zhao led 3,000 men and horses to fight directly out of the city, and killed nearly twice as many officers and soldiers as he was.

The officers and soldiers fled to the camp in embarrassment, and Lu Zhao led the troops to pursue them for two miles, and only stopped when they pursued them outside the base camp of the officers and soldiers.

At this time, Mingjin's voice also came from the city of Fenyi County behind him, Lu took a look at the officials and soldiers who were defeated by him, and dropped a sentence viciously: "Count you lucky!" ”

In this battle, the rebels won another small victory, killing more than 300 officers and soldiers.

However, the casualties of 300 people were like scratching the boots for the officers and soldiers with an army of 7,000, and they all commanded Zhang Zhongxing, who was the commander of the same knowledge, and soon gathered the routs in the camp.

An hour later, Xie Xuelong, who got the battle report, also left Xinyu County and rode to the camp in person.

He took out his Western binoculars and glanced at the city wall of Fenyi, and found that the rebels were well-groomed and did not look afraid of fighting at all.

Xie Xuelong is not the kind of civil official who can only sit in the governor's yamen and take charge of affairs, and he also has his own unique views on military affairs.

The main reason why there was no major peasant uprising in Jiangxi at the end of the Ming Dynasty was Xie Xuelong.

During Xie Xuelong's tenure as governor of Jiangxi, he swept away the Muslims in Jiujiang Lead Mountain, and put down the peasant uprisings in Pingxiang Township, Duchang, so that peace in Jiangxi could be guaranteed.

However, this time the opponent he encountered was not an ordinary rogue, but a thief who could defeat the officers and soldiers of Yuanzhou Mansion.

Xie Xuelong said to Qiu Shangyi, the commander of the Jiangxi Metropolitan beside him: "Weizheng, the anti-thief army is neat and well-trained, I'm afraid this battle is not easy to fight!" ”

Qiu Shangyi, the word Weizheng, Nanzhili Wujin people, Chongzhen was born in the early years of Wujinshi, this person is a martial arts, and he is familiar with military affairs, and he has been promoted to the commander of Jiangxi, and the official residence is the second grade.

Qiu Shangyi took the diorca in Xie Xuelong's hand and observed it for a while, then put down the diorcise and said: "Lord Futai, the anti-thieves are so rampant, they dare to confront our official army, presumably that anti-Wang Mowen is not an ordinary person." ”

Xie Xuelong nodded thoughtfully, can he be an ordinary person who can throw away his armor and throw away his armor that the prefect Tian Younian beats.

Although Tian Younian is corrupt, he still has the ability, but even he is planted in the hands of the anti-thief Mo Wen, and this anti-thief is definitely not a rookie.

"The thief has seen through my suspicious plan, it's useless for us to bluff, it seems that this time the thief is afraid that it will be a vicious battle!"

Qiu Shangyi couldn't help but be a little unconvinced when he heard Xie Xuelong's words, he said: "Lord Futai don't worry, there are only a few thousand people under the Mo Thief at most, and they are all a group of farmers who have just come ashore from the fields, and they don't have much combat power. In a field battle outside the city, I only need 1,000 officers and troops to crush the thieves in one fell swoop. ”

"Weizheng's ability, the governor knows it well, but the thief is rolling up in the city, and he doesn't come out, how can he fight?"

Xie Xuelong's words stumped Qiu Shangyi.

In terms of field warfare, he is indeed confident that he will defeat the anti-thieves, but the anti-thieves are cowering in the city and can't come out, which is really helpless.

At this time, the commander of the battalion, Tongzhi Zhang Zhongxing, also came over.

He is a native of Nanjing, and he is a fellow villager with his Shangguan Qiu Shangyi, because the hometown of the two is not too far away, only a day's journey.

Zhang Zhongxing came up and said to the two: "Two officials, I have an idea, I don't know if it's feasible. ”

"Oh? Zhang Tongzhi has a good way, come on! Xie Xuelong said with some joy.

Zhang Zhongxing arched his hand and said, "Lord Futai, I just observed the thief army, and I am afraid that there are three or four thousand people entering the city, and we only have seven thousand soldiers and horses.

Although this is a small city, there is a cloud in the art of war, ten are to surround it, five to attack it, and to fight it if it is doubled.

We don't have many troops, whether it is a siege or a siege, it is not advisable, only find a way to lure the thief army out of the city, can we fight! ”

Xie Xuelong nodded with satisfaction, "But how do you get out of the city?" ”

Zhang Zhongxing waved his hand and said: "This is simple, doesn't the Mo thief claim to the outside world that he is people-oriented and loves the people like a son, let's send a team of people to bypass Fenyi County, go straight to the old nest of the Mo thief, and drive the people under his rule to the city."

When the time comes, we can threaten the thief with the people, and if he does not leave the city, we will kill the people under his rule in front of him.

I think that the soldiers and horses in the hands of the Mo thief must be the family members of these people, let's kill these people, even if he Mo thief doesn't want to go out of the city, his soldiers will not do it. ”

Xie Xuelong couldn't help but gasp after hearing this strategy.

Zhang Zhongxing's strategy has to be said to be ruthless enough, using the families of the anti-thief soldiers in the city to coerce them to go out of the city and surrender, which is indeed a good strategy.

But at this time, Qiu Shangyi opened his mouth to object.

"No, Lord Futai, we are the officials and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, how can we have the reason to harm my people of the Ming Dynasty, if you use this plan, I am afraid that the officials of the Imperial History Observatory will have to impeach you from power!"

When Xie Xuelong heard this, he suddenly realized.

He is the governor of Jiangxi, and he is here to suppress thieves, not to suppress unarmed people.

If he really adopts Zhang Zhongxing's strategy, I am afraid that tomorrow the imperial historians of Nanchang Mansion will play to impeach him, and then the governor will be the end.

"Bank of China, this plan is too brutal, no, let's find another way!"

Zhang Zhongxing saw that the strategy he offered was not adopted, so he couldn't help but turn his head a little angrily, snorted and walked away.

Xie Xuelong couldn't shout to keep him, so he could only watch him go back to the camp.

In the afternoon, Xie Xuelong held a meeting in the camp to discuss how to suppress the thieves.

The main participants in the meeting were a few generals who led the troops, as well as Wang Tingmei, a patrol who accompanied the army, and a few civilian officials.

Xie Xuelong glanced at the people in the tent and said, "Everyone, the reinforcements of the anti-thieves have arrived, our troops are limited, do you have a good way to break the enemy?" ”

Everyone, you look at me, I look at you, and begin to think about the thief's plan.

After a while, the commander Le Yingxiang said: "Lord Futai, the anti-thieves are just a group of rabble, according to the generals, we will directly lead the troops to attack the city, and we will definitely be able to wipe out the anti-thieves!" ”

Everyone who heard this idea immediately gave Le Yingxiang a roll of his eyes.

Although this kid has achieved the position of commanding affairs, this person's head is lacking in tendons, and everything is very simple.

He didn't think about what kind of soldiers were on his side.

7,000 soldiers and horses, more than 3,000 regular soldiers, and the rest are all village warriors.

Not to mention how high the combat power of the regular soldiers is, but this group of villagers are all people who have never even fought a battle.

Isn't it so much that the other party is a rabble, isn't it a rabble on your side?

At this time, Wang Tingmei, the patrol road, spoke, he got up and said: "Lord Futai, the thieves occupy the county seat, our army has traveled a long distance, and it has not been trained, according to the humble position, Lord Futai should train the troops first, and after the seven thousand officers and soldiers are trained for a month, we will attack again, and we will win!" ”

"No, a month's time, the New Year is over at that time, we told the soldiers, we must rush back before the New Year, today is sixteen, and the New Year will be in ten days!" Zhang Zhongxing directly objected.

Xie Xuelong was also a little embarrassed at this time, because he had promised Chongzhen in his excerpt that he would exterminate the thieves before the New Year.

But when he arrived at the scene, he knew that this group of thieves was not so easy to exterminate.

In the morning, as soon as the reinforcements of the anti-thieves arrived, they dared to send troops out of the city to defeat the officers and soldiers, although there were not many deaths, but it had a direct blow to the morale of the army.

Using Wang Tingmei's method, train the soldiers for a month first, and then suppress them after the year, which can indeed increase the chances of victory, but his military order with the emperor will expire.

At this time, Qiu Shangyi saw the embarrassment of the governor, he stood up and said: "Lord Futai, we can send someone to Yuanzhou Mansion, I heard that Tian Younian has gathered hundreds of defeated troops into the city since the defeat, and also recruited 3,000 villagers in the city.

Lord Futai can send a letter, ordering Tian Younian to lead his troops out of the city and march eastward, and join us to encircle and divide the county seat, and trap the thieves in the city.

After the siege is completed, we will launch an attack, and the city wall of the county town is short, and it is easy to climb the city wall without large siege equipment.

When the time comes, our strength will be twice as large as the anti-thief, and we will definitely be able to annihilate the anti-thief in one fell swoop! ”

Xie Xuelong's eyes lit up when he heard this, he patted the table and said: "Okay, according to Weizheng's strategy, I will immediately send someone to Yuanzhou Mansion in the starry night, and this governor will write a letter!" ”

That night, a fast horse drove out of the camp, first ran ten miles north, and then turned south to come under the north gate of Yuanzhou Mansion.

As soon as the messenger arrived at the city, he shouted to open the gates.

The soldiers defending the city poked their heads out with torches and looked at the city and asked, "Who is knocking?" ”

The soldier took out the letter written by Xie Xuelong from his arms, held it high and shouted: "The governor has an order, asking me to hand over this letter to the prefect Tian with my own hands." ”

When the people on the city wall heard the letter from the governor, they did not dare to slack off.

A hanging basket was quickly lowered under the city wall and the soldiers delivering the letter were hoisted up.

Soon after disarming, the soldiers were sent to the residence of Tian Younian, the magistrate of Yamen.

Tian Younian was sleeping in the quilt, and when he heard that the governor had a letter coming, he didn't dare to slack off, so he quickly put on his clothes and climbed out of the quilt.

After reading the letter, Tian Younian was overjoyed, and he immediately called his subordinates and shouted: "Someone, pass on my order, the army will go out of the city early tomorrow morning to suppress the bandits!" ”

That night, the military horses in Yuanzhou's mansion began to be frequently mobilized.

In a common man's home, a man immediately realized that something was wrong when he saw the movement of troops and horses in the street.

He immediately put on a black night coat, dodged the soldiers who patrolled the streets, climbed over the city walls, and ran all the way west.

That night, the man came to the Fenyi County Ya and saw Mo Qian, who had already laid down to sleep.

"Your Majesty, the military horses in Yuanzhou City are being mobilized, and it seems that they are going to leave the city!"

As soon as Mo Qian heard that Tian Younian was going to lead his troops out of the city, he immediately summoned his subordinates to a meeting.

"Tian Younian is urgently mobilizing troops and horses in the city, it seems that he wants to encircle me with Xie Xuelong outside the city, do you have a good plan?"

Fenyi County ordered Cao Guoqi to come out and said: "Lord, Tian Younian led his troops eastward, and he must cross the river by the bridge in Binjiang Town, and Binjiang Town is surrounded by a horse and a flat river, only two miles in front of the town There is an old crow mountain, let's lead the troops to ambush on both sides of the old crow mountain tonight, and then burn the crossing bridge, and wait for Tian Younian to pass the army tomorrow, and then attack in one fell swoop, and win!" ”

Mo Qian clapped his hands when he heard it.

"Okay, immediately order troops and go west to Lao Ya Mountain!"