Zhu Shunshui soon came and took charge of the civil affairs of the Xihe area.

If the Datong army can take Shaanxi, Zhu Shunshui will be the political envoy of Shaanxi Zuobu. He is an old friend of Zhao Han, who defected when he entered Jiangnan and climbed up step by step from the county.

On the Henan side, Hu Mengtai is also waiting, and when the Datong army takes Shanxi, he will immediately go to be the political envoy of Shanxi. This is Fei Yinghuan's cousin-in-law, and he is also an old acquaintance of Zhao Han, and he came to defect after recovering Guangdong.

"The peasants in Xihe are not very motivated, and the gentry and landlords also have resistance." Missionary Ding Ruzhen said.

Zhu Shunshui sighed: "It seems that this Li Zicheng has governed Shaanxi well. (The Xihe area actually belonged to the jurisdiction of Shanxi, but it was temporarily assigned to Shaanxi during the war.) ）

The so-called good is compared with Daming.

Shaanxi has been plagued by military disasters and droughts for more than 10 years, and the common people have suffered a lot. Li Zicheng let them cultivate the borderless land, and the taxes were not very heavy, so the peasants naturally supported them.

And the Datong army came, divided the land for the peasants, and reduced taxes for the peasants, all of which Li Zicheng had done.

The Datong army wanted to divide the landlord's land again, and the landlord was also unhappy. But that's all, there was no fierce resistance. It is really that the population of Shanxi has decreased sharply, and no matter how much land the landlord's family has, there is no tenant to help cultivate it, so they can only choose to abandon it.

The policy of dividing farmland, which has always been useful, is difficult to achieve results in the northwest.

Unlike Henan and Shandong, although they have experienced wars, population declines, and drought for many years, the two provinces of Shandong and Henan were put to an end by the Datong Army, and all levels of society are grateful for this. Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces, but it was Li Zicheng who ended the troubled times, and the Datong army belonged to the invaders who provoked the war.

Zhu Shunshui came to Xihe to make a book and divide the fields, but he was completely supported by the people and could not gain a mass base here!

Even, it is difficult to establish grassroots peasant associations, and the peasants do not have the enthusiasm to join them.

"What can we bring to the local farmers?" Zhu Shunshui asked.

Ding Ruzhen replied: "We brought the war, and there is nothing else. ”

Zhu Shunshui was speechless.

Ding Ruzhen also said: "Actually, the puppet obedience to the imperial court, the exploitation of the people by civil officials and military generals is also very heavy. Li Zicheng said that the grain payment will be halved in three years, but civil officials and military generals will collect a lot of miscellaneous taxes, and they will also levy and send people to serve in forced labor. As soon as we came, we said that there were no miscellaneous taxes and no forced labor, but the people did not believe it at all. ”

Zhu Shunshui nodded and said, "I understand." The peasants in the south believed that they were exempt from forced labor and miscellaneous taxes because they were given a real share of land. The division of the field is the greatest benefit, and with this benefit, the other benefits are trustworthy. And the peasants here, dividing the land is not a real benefit for them, so they don't believe in other benefits. ”

"That's it." Ding Ruzhen said.

Zhu Shunshui said: "We have to establish trust, and we have to make the people trust the court." There is still more than a month to harvest wheat, and tell all the peasants in Xihe that as long as the Datong army is still there, they will not have to pay grain, no miscellaneous taxes, and no forced labor this year. When their wheat is in the warehouse, we really don't want to collect grain, and the peasants will naturally believe it. ”

"That's all there is to it." Ding Ruzhen sighed.

The Xihe area is now occupied by the Datong Army, the officials are not yet fully in place, and the common people do not obey the Datong Imperial Court.

If you want to mobilize the masses, it is impossible, and the Datong army can only stand firm on its own and defeat the enemy army that is rushing to encircle.

Puzhou.

Liu Zhu was analyzing the situation, he pointed to the map and said: "Cao Bianjiao, this guy ran really fast, and he actually attacked Xi'an and beat it." But this is useless, he went deep alone, and it was of no help to the Tongguan battlefield. ”

Lin Ruzhao said: "It's also useful, Xi'an is the provincial capital after all." This city was taken by our army, and the civil and military forces of the Shaanxi puppet dynasty must be panicked. Moreover, most of Shaanxi's grain, if you want to transport it to Tongguan for supplies, you have to pass through Xi'an. Cao Bianjiao took Xi'an, and the food of the enemy army in Tongguan could not be replenished too much. It is a nail that will put the enemy in the throat. ”

"In a month at most, Cao Bianjiao will be surrounded and trapped in Xi'an," Liu Zhu said, "Should he stick to Xi'an, or should he abandon Xi'an and go elsewhere?" ”

"It's better to hold on," Lin Ruzhao said, "and in a month's time, our follow-up forces will also arrive near Tongguan." At that time, it will be another big battle, and the enemy will not be able to come up with too many troops to attack Xi'an. ”

In the southern three cities of Taihang Bacheng, there are Datong troops trying to march. Including the two divisions that attacked Tongguan, no one knew where the breakthrough would be.

Now that Tongguan has made a breakthrough, Henan's Datong Army will also continue to follow.

And Li Zicheng's Shanxi garrison, as well as the Hanzhong garrison, will also be mobilized. At that time, the two sides had more and more troops at Tongguan, and finally brewed into a decisive battle.

Even, the Dashun armies of Yulin and Ningxia are rushing to Tongguan, and they can't take care of the Ordos Mongolia anymore.

Anyway, the Ordos Department is not strong, at most it passes through the gap in the Great Wall, and it will go back after a plunder.

……

Qinshui County.

The brothers Ren Jirong and Ren Guangrong are leading their troops to the Xihe area. Their mission was to recapture Yicheng from the hands of the Datong army and garrison it.

After marching in Luliang Mountain for a day, when camping in the evening, Ren Jirong quietly said to his brother: "Big brother, do you want to lead the troops to Xihe to join the Datong army?" ”

"Who are you listening to?" Ren Guangrong asked angrily.

Ren Jirong said: "It has spread in the army. Just now, one of my personal soldiers came to ask if he could return to his hometown in Henan if he joined the Datong Army. ”

"Fart," Ren Guangrong said angrily, "There must be spies in our army!" Hurry up and find out, which bastard the rumor came from! ”

Flies stared at the eggs with seams, and the fine work sent by Xu Ying, although it was not a fly, also understood this truth.

Ren Guangrong and Ren Jirong brothers were originally low-level officers in Henan.

The unit they belong to has been in arrears for a long time, and even food rations have been gone. A bunch of soldiers were hungry and had to be forced to defend the city, so they simply turned against the water and took refuge in Li Zicheng.

The brothers fought with Li Zicheng for several years, and they have always been loyal and have no signs of betrayal.

But most of the soldiers under their command are from Henan, which has a basis for rumors.

Even, the soldiers believed it, thinking that the Lord was really going to take them back to their hometowns.

Following.

Ren Guangrong did not continue the march, but tracked down the source of the rumors on the spot.

As a result, nothing came of it.

In desperation, he had to continue the march.

In the middle of the afternoon, a messenger suddenly caught up: "Two generals stay!" Cihou (Liu Fangliang) has an order, the previous military order is canceled, please take the two troops back to Qinshui immediately, and then go to Xihe after Qinshui joins forces. ”

Ren Guangrong was skeptical: "Is it really the order of the Marquis?" ”

The messenger handed over the paperwork: "Please look at it, General." ”

The Ren brothers got together and read Liu Fangliang's military order, and they couldn't help but look at each other.

In desperation, the two led their troops back.

Nighttime.

Ren Jirong said: "Big brother, it seems that the rumors have spread widely, and Cihou has already suspected us. ”

Ren Guangrong said: "We are not afraid of shadows, we are loyal to Your Majesty." ”

"Big brother, the yellow mud falls off the crotch of his pants, it's not but!" Ren Jirong said hurriedly, "Don't talk about Cihou, even our own soldiers think that rumor is true." Among these 5,000 people, more than 3,000 are Henan villagers, and they all want to go back to Henan, and they still have many family members in Henan! ”

Ren Guangrong asked, "Do you really want to defect?" ”

Ren Jirong said: "Big brother, this is a divisive plan, and it is a conspiracy in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". Believe it or not, when we return to Qinshui, as soon as Cihou arrives, we will be immediately relieved of our military power. Cihou is also afraid, Hao Shaoqi is His Majesty's henchman, didn't he also lead troops to rebel last year? We are not from the old battalion, we are Ming officers and soldiers who have taken refuge halfway! ”

Ren Guangrong was silent and couldn't refute it.

Ren Jirong persuaded: "Big brother, let's really come down." To be honest, my father and mother stayed in Henan, and I also wanted to go back and see. Dad said in the letter that the Datong court was very good, and the former military households had divided their fields. My little sister is also married, and she gave birth to a big fat boy, so you don't want to go back to see your nephew? ”

In the first two years, Datong and Dashun had a good relationship, and officials on both sides communicated with their families in different places.

"But our wife and children are in Shanxi!" Ren Guangrong said.

Ren Jirong said: "Your Majesty is benevolent and righteous, we can promise that even if we take refuge in the Datong Army, we will not fight with the Dashun Army, and ask Your Majesty and Cihou to treat our wives and children well." ”

Both brothers married their wives in Shanxi, and their former wives were lost when Li Zicheng fled.

Ren Guangrong thought about it, and also felt that he could not return to Qinshui, and if he went back, he would lose his military power 100 percent, and he might even be imprisoned for interrogation. Even if he is acquitted afterwards, he will have a very stiff quarrel with Liu Fangliang, Liu Fangliang has a pimple in his heart, and they will be able to please him in the future?

The next day, the brothers screened the old men in Henan and put their fellow villagers in Henan together.

Then he called the messenger again, and Ren Guangrong said: "Please go back and tell Your Majesty and Cihou that my brothers have no intention of rebellion." But the enemy resorted to a discordant plan, Cihou had doubts, and my brother did not dare to return to Qinyang. ”

"You guys are ...... Do you really want to be opposed? The messenger was shocked.

Ren Guangrong pointed to the soldiers and said: "These more than 1,000 soldiers were recruited in Shanxi, and the envoy can take them back and hand them over to Cihou." More than 3,000 Henan soldiers, we brought back to Henan. Don't worry, go straight back to Henan, never stay in Shanxi to fight, and will not wave a knife at your former compatriots. Please be kind to my wife and children! ”

More than 3,000 Henan soldiers have been fighting all year round, and they have also rested in the past two years.

There are few people in Shanxi, and there are few women, and most of these Henan soldiers have not remarried, they really want to return to their hometowns as soon as possible.

The two sides parted and did not fight, and the Ren brothers led the Henan soldiers and left with some food.

A few days later, Liu Fangliang led the army to Qinshui, and when he heard the news, he immediately regretted that he should not have ordered the Ren brothers to return to the division.

But if time goes back, Liu Fangliang will still do that, because he is not afraid of 10,000, he is afraid of what if!

Not only that, one after another, many rumors flowed out, and the Henan generals were said to be going to join the enemy.

For a time, the soldiers from Henan were panicked.

Tian Hu even threw down the troops and came to see Liu Fangliang alone: "Cihou, I don't have two hearts." It's true that I am from Henan, but I have been fighting with His Majesty for many years, which time was not desperately killed? ”

Liu Fangliang hurriedly comforted: "General Tian, don't say it again, these are all the southern thieves' discordant schemes." ”

The Henan generals of the Dashun Army, but there are really not a few, because Li Zicheng made a comeback in Dongshan, Henan.