CHAPTER XXXI

On the evenings of early May, the weather on Bears Ears Mountain is mild and pleasant. The slender crescent moon gently and affectionately peeks into a mountain village sheltered by pine forests. A thatched hermitage hut and a small brick courtyard with a square head were quietly hidden in the mountain nest, half illuminated by the moonlight, and half shrouded in the shadow of the dark mountain peaks. In front of this house stands a tall white fruit tree that is hundreds of years old. There is a platform in front of it, immediately following the cliff; Under the cliff is a deep stream. The edge of the cliff is covered with miscellaneous trees, weeds and dense, fragrant wild roses, so if it weren't for the murmuring of the stream, it would be difficult for you to see clearly the cliffs and valleys standing dozens of feet away from the platform. Especially at night, the moonlight is hazy like a faint light smoke, and the light smoke flows quietly through the forest with the moonlight, making it even more difficult for you to see.

This piece of houses is only a small part of the innermost part of this mountain village, and on the side of the exit towards the mountain col, this group, that group, and dozens of families, dotted among the green hills, and in the relatively flat places, there are many white tents scattered among the green trees and white clouds. However, all this is impossible to see clearly at night.

The small platform is the common threshing field of this farmer, and there are several piles of new wheat straw piled on it, some of which have been beaten and some of which have not yet been beaten. From the straw heap comes a fresh, pleasant smell that is fragrant, but unlike any floral scent. This is the characteristic aroma of freshly cut and dried crops. Near the straw pile, a small ox is tied to a small elm tree. Already fed with freshly beaten straw, it lay on the ground, pouring foam at leisure, occasionally chasing the pesky gadfly with its tail. Recently, rinderpest was found in the mountains, and the owner specially brought a long beard made of raw hemp and dyed bright red with sumac water, and covered its nose and lips. From time to time, with the slight movement of its head, the large copper bell hanging under its neck made a dingdong sound. Perhaps because this copper bell is so old, the sound it makes is different from that of many cowbells in the village, it has the charm of a normal large copper bell, but it seems to be a little desolate. There are several tall pine trees on the left side of the quadruple house, and a dozen war horses are tied to the bottom. It was completely obscured by the shadow of the walled peaks, and only the horses could be heard grazing, occasionally stepping on their hooves, and the iron rings on the reins touching the wooden troughs.

Huimei sat on a stone stone for threshing wheat, holding her beloved flute in her hand. She had probably been sitting here for a long time, and she occasionally brushed her fingers over her sideburns, feeling that the soft hair was already wet with dew. The two grooms and the two peasants who were sitting under the ginkgo tree were whispering gossip, but now they don't know whether they were sleepy or if they had finished talking, but the occasional snap was heard, and it was clear that someone had gently killed a mosquito or grass insect that had fallen on the face. Then she heard the sparse ticking sound on the white fruit tree, like raindrops falling on the leaves, and she couldn't help looking at the sky, but it was full of stars, and the moon was still there, only a thin cloud floated over the moon, as if hovering in the clouds. It dawned on her that the dew had accumulated too much on the leaves of the trees at the heights, and that the breeze shook it and rolled down to the leaves below, making a noise. She looked at a star in the southwest and asked in her heart:

"Are they under the stars?"

In recent days, she has been very restless. Mrs. Gao had long been preparing to lead her men and horses to Shangluo Mountain to join King Chuang, but because she had to wait for King Chuang's military order, she did not leave. I heard that King Chuang was about to set up a banner in Shangluo Mountain, but why didn't he order Mrs. Gao to rush to the meeting? She hoped to meet the teacher soon, and with a mysterious and excited mood, she wished that she could see Zhang Nai immediately. After the breakout at Tongguan, she had many days to worry that he would be killed or seriously wounded. Later, knowing that he was safe and sound, her heart was happy. Now the more she longs to meet Zhang Nai, the more she feels that living in the mountains around western Henan is like a year. Half an hour ago, because she was bored, she kicked out of Mrs. Gao's side with a flute. But she sat on the stone and sank into an ethereal fantasy, and did not play the flute. In fact, this flute has long become her favorite thing, and whenever she has spare time, whether she blows it or not, she has to take it with her and can't bear to leave.

Thinking about it, she thought that it would not be long before she would have to join the king of Chuang, and a cloud of sorrow spread out from her heart. So she got up from the rock, approached the cliff, smelled the fragrance of flowers, and then went around the straw pile, stood for a moment under a pomegranate tree, picked a pomegranate flower that had just bloomed, put it in her sideburns, and walked into the courtyard silently with a smile.

Mrs. Gao took her daughter Lanzhi and the female soldiers to live in the hall, and the male soldiers and horsemen lived in the wing room and the opposite hall. In mid-March, because He Renlong had been transferred from Tongguan to other places, and the troops of Li Xianfeng, the governor of Henan, had also been transferred to eastern Henan to fight against the White Lotus Sect and other small rebel armies that had risen, and there was no time to take care of western Henan, Mrs. Gao pulled people into Bear's Ear Mountain to camp and rest, and conduct drills, and only sent Liu Fangliang or partial generals to go out from time to time to collect food and collect mules and horses. After staying here, because she did not fight and was not with her husband, she not only often missed her husband, but also often caused homesickness. On the day of Gu Yu, she deliberately followed the folk customs in the area of Yan'an Mansion and asked someone to write a "scorpion pressure talisman" on yellow paper with cinnabar and paste it on the wall, and the spell on the talisman was: "On the day of Gu Yu, when it rains in Gu Yu, General Gu Yu is invited." Three teas, four rounds of wine, and a thousand miles of scorpions turned into dust. The four corners are written with the words "horn", "spit", "喴", and "". In fact, she never believed that this spell could suppress the scorpion, it was just that she missed her hometown, especially the feeling of missing King Chuang. Isn't it? A few years ago, she and Zicheng led the army back to Mizhi, returned to Shuangquanbao Li Jiqian Village, and saw a "scorpion talisman" pasted on the wall of the cave where Zicheng lived when he was a teenager, because of the deep age, the yellow paper has turned bronze. When she saw this talisman at the time, she couldn't help but look at Zicheng and smile.

Now Mrs. Gao has added five girls to her side, two of them are the girls of rich and wealthy families, and after the rebels broke the stockade, Mrs. Gao saw that they were born with strong bodies and smart and clever, so she took them in. The youngest was only 15 years old, a child bride of a small family, who was so abused that she once threw herself into a well and was rescued by a neighbor. Mrs. Gao knew about her poor background and accepted her. Mrs. Gao renamed them according to the ranking of Hui characters, the older one was called Huiqiong, the second one was called Huizhu, and the younger one was called Huifen. The other two are the daughters of the Orion of the village, who learned a little martial arts from their father and brother, and their parents are dead, and the elder brother has fled the wilderness without relatives to rely on, and begged Mrs. Gao to accept him as a female soldier. Mrs. Gao named one of them Huiyun and the other Huizhu. In the past two or three months, they have become experts in horseback riding, and they have learned simple martial arts with Huiying and Huimei. As long as they stopped, they always got up at dawn and practiced hard.

When Huimei entered the hall, she saw the sisters sitting under the lamps in the room doing needlework, some making shoes for themselves and some sewing clothes and shoes for the male soldiers. Laneige had finished his homework and sat alone on the bed in the back room, playing with grabs with great interest. She had five pebbles picked from the river beach, some of them were snow-white and some of them were red cockscombs, and they were in her pocket for the march, and she took them out to play with when she was free. Mrs. Gao sat at the table by the window in the middle room, placed the pink petals of the disassembled wild rose on the table, and counted and counted. She counted intently, sometimes smiling at the corners of her mouth and eyes, sometimes with a hint of doubt on her slender eyebrows, looking deeply at the color on the lamp, and at the petals on the table. Huimei stood beside her and looked at her for a while, using her fingernails to bounce off the lantern for her, and the light became much brighter.

After dividing the hexagram with flower petals for a while, Mrs. Gao accidentally looked up and saw the "Scorpion Pressure Talisman" on the wall, and unconsciously sighed softly, and said in her heart: "The days are so fast, it has been a month and twenty days since I came here!" For nearly two months, she looked forward to King Chuang sending someone to ask her to go to Shangluo Mountain, but in the past, Zicheng always sent someone to tell her not to go in a hurry, saying that it was very difficult to have grain and grass there, and second, she could also contain the officials and soldiers if she stayed in Cuihan Mountain. Now that most of the officers and troops in western Henan and Tongguan have been transferred, what else is she holding back? What's more, what worries her is that she has long known that Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong agreed to start an incident in Duanyang, and tomorrow will be Duanyang, but she didn't see King Chuang send someone to inform her to lead her people back to Shangluo Mountain, is there any unexpected change? She also received a report from the spies that the official army had increased a lot of men and horses on the Henan-Shaanxi border, did they know their own plans? If the days are delayed and the officers and soldiers block all the passes, won't it be more difficult for her to go to Shangluo Mountain to join the teacher? Mrs. Gao thought about it and was upset. She was about to kill time with the petal divination again, when Huimei smiled at her and asked:

"Madam, what was your divination just now?"

Mrs. Gao turned her face, looked at her and smiled, and was about to speak, when Zhang Cai suddenly walked in. This young man in his early twenties has been more burly lately, his face tanned by the sun, and people say that he is Zhou Cang, who is next to Mrs. Gao. He stood outside the threshold of the inner room, for he was in the midst of a group of girls, a little unnatural, and reported in a loud voice:

"Mrs. Qiyu! ……”

Mrs. Gao didn't wait for him to continue, and said in a slightly impatient tone: "It's the manager who wants you to ask for instructions about tomorrow's holiday!" Since there is no glutinous rice, let's not eat zongzi. Let the brothers in the camp drink more realgar wine, and each person will be rewarded with a string of pocket money. I have another part of the family here, so don't worry about it. ”

Zhang Cai smiled and said, "Madam, I'm not asking about the festival. ”

"So what's the matter?"

"General Liu sent someone to see if you were asleep, saying that he would come to see you immediately."

"Invite him. What's the big deal? ”

"I heard that there was a person from King Chuang, telling us to hurry up and meet in Shangluo Mountain, and we are going to set up a big banner."

"Ahh It's true? Mrs. Gao said, unconsciously jumping up from her chair.

"Of course it's true."

"Hurry up and invite Liu Ye to come, come immediately!" Mrs. Gao was too excited, and two lines of hot tears rolled down, and Huiying and Huimei also burst into tears.

As soon as Zhang Cai went out, Mrs. Gao pushed the chair and walked quickly to the room, waiting for Liu Fangliang. She wiped away her tears, looked out the door, and turned back to the seven girls and said:

"I guessed that King Chuang would send someone to tell us to go to Shangluo Mountain quickly. Tonight is the lantern again, and the python is coming, and the petals are used to divinate and get two good hexagrams. I knew there was good news! ”

Laneige had already jumped out of bed, ran out of the room, pulled his mother and asked:

"Mom! Mother! When are we going to get up? ”

"Get up right away, and quickly pack up your books and pens." Mrs. Gao patted her daughter on the top of her head lovingly, turned to everyone and said, "Girls, we have been looking forward to going to Shangluo Mountain for a long time, but we are looking forward to this day!" Alas, Hui Ying, Hui Mei, what are you crying about? What are you crying about? ”

Laneige smiled with tears in her eyes and said, "You are crying yourself!" ”

Mrs. Gao wiped away her tears again, choked up and said, "It's not easy to come this day! ”

The girls said, "Really, I hope it's time!" "Quickly wipe away the tears.

Mrs. Gao continued: "Since the death of King Gao Chuang, our King Li Chuang has taken the banner of the word 'Chuang', what kind of life have we lived in the past two or three years? It's all stormy! It turned out that so many men and horses led by King Gao Chuang, in less than a year and a half, one team after another surrendered, and only our old eight teams were revolutionary-King Chuang often said that our uprising is the revolution mentioned in the book,—— indomitable and bloody to the end. Although our old eighth team had the most deaths, groups of brave and loyal soldiers fell on the battlefield and shed blood. Our dependents, old and young, died in hundreds, thousands. I don't remember how many young women, who did not know martial arts, and some of them fled from their hometowns to join the army not long ago, and when the official army approached and the situation was extremely critical, they also fought with the enemy with swords for the sake of righteousness and not being humiliated; There are also those who are sick, pregnant, and hung up their lottery, who cannot fight the enemy, and when they have to, they would rather throw themselves into the cliff, into the water, and into the fire...... Use all means not to fall into the hands of the enemy and suffer insults. The female soldiers around me died one by one, and after the battle of Tongguan Nanyuan, only Huiying and Huimei were left......" She originally said while crying, but then she couldn't help choking up, and paused for a while before continuing: "There are also our child soldiers, who are like a group of little tigers when they fight. Who said that half-pile babies are not useful? Our child soldiers under King Li Chuang, the officers and soldiers are afraid when they mention it. Such a good child, a little hero, has died hundreds on the battlefield in the past two or three years. Girls, our old eighth team is such a team: no matter how difficult, how dangerous, how heavy the casualties, never discourage. How much the imperial court wants to destroy us, but we live up to the sky, and we can neither destroy nor surrender. Look, it's about to be re-established! You don't understand that rebuilding the banner is victory! ”

Laneige said, "Mom, I rarely see you say so much! ”

With an excited smile, Mrs. Gao wiped away her tears, sighed and said, "Nothing in the world is smooth sailing, let alone the life of the Zhu family's court for hundreds of years!" ”

Not only are Huiying and Huimei indescribably excited and happy in their hearts, but the five new girls are also in the same mood. Mrs. Gao looked at them one by one, and at the same time said secretly in her heart: "In the past half a year, I have finally lived up to Zicheng, restrained the officials and troops in Tongguan, and the number of people has been tripled!" When she finally moved her eyes to Huimei's face, she saw that this lovely girl was so happy that she burst into tears, and she said casually:

"Huimei, I know you've wanted to go to Shangluo Mountain for a long time."

Huimei's cheeks flushed, and she quickly lowered her head. Mrs. Gao didn't pay attention and said to everyone:

"Girls, hurry up and pack up your things."

Liu Fangliang came with the messenger of King Chuang. Mrs. Gao asked the visitor, only to know that it was because the official army had added a lot of horses at the junction of Henan and Shaanxi, and he was caught by the official army and detained in Lancaochuan, and later escaped death, so he was delayed on the road for six or seven more days. She asked about the situation in Shangluo Mountain again, and knew that Liu Tichun and Li Shuangxi were waiting to pick up Niu Jinxing at the border of Lushi County, and they had not yet returned, and there had been a plague in the team since mid-April, and many people had fallen ill, even the chief outpost Liu Ye was also sick. This latter news made Mrs. Gao a little worried, and asked:

"There is no way for Shang Shenxian?"

"Sister-in-law, you know that he is a miracle doctor in surgery, but he is not very good in internal medicine."

Mrs. Gao turned to Liu Fangliang: "Mingyuan, when do you think we will leave?" ”

Liu Fangliang replied: "King Chuang told us to rush back in the starry night, there must be no mistake. I think let's prepare immediately now, and leave on the fifth watch. ”

They discussed which way to go and how to go, and then Mrs. Gao said to Liu Fangliang:

"Okay, get ready. The brothers were asked to work harder, and to reach King Chuang within five days as much as possible, so as not to cut off the way for the officers and soldiers. Can it be there in five days? ”

"We're all light riders, so we'll be able to."

"By the way, tell the governor that the grain should be carried away by mules as much as possible, and that everything that is not good to take away will be distributed to the common people. Prepare more dry food, and bury less pots on the road to cook and delay time. ”

After sending Liu Fangliang away, Mrs. Gao walked out of the gate and stood on the threshing field, looking at the surrounding mountains and woods, and at the thatched hut near the left. Now on the one hand, she is like an arrow, but on the other hand, she can't help but feel a sense of farewell to the people and mountains and rivers in the western part of Henan.

This is the shortest month of the year, and Mrs. Gao and the girls have put their things in order, and their clothes have been laid down for a while, and the day is almost clear. First, the rooster crows in the cage, followed by crows, larks, and zigui in the woods, and then thrushes, larks, and sparrows. Mrs. Gao woke up and woke up the girls. Everyone hurriedly finished freshening up, and people outside were already shouting horses and neighing, and they began to line up. Zhang Cai came over and asked Mrs. Gao to leave. Mrs. Gao said goodbye to the people standing at the edge of the village to see them off, jumped on the jade flower skull, and led the old camp to set off. After walking two miles to meet the team led by Liu Fangliang, Mrs. Gao turned back to look at the small village where she had been stationed for nearly two months. But she could only see two or three tall green peaks floating above the milky white mist, like a few islands floating in the middle of the boundless sea. From the sea of fog came the sounds of cows, sheep, roosters, and human voices. By the time we turned a mountain bay, all these sounds were faint, drowned out by the sound of pine waves and horses' hooves.

The red sun has risen. The dawn fog dispersed. Three days ago, there had been a light rain, and the surrounding mountains were particularly green and lovely, and in some places the red sun shimmered purple on the greenery, reflecting the morning glow that had not yet completely faded. Mrs. Gao looked back, and several girls were smiling with red cheeks in the sun. Huimei's light red war horse's fur is particularly moist and shiny. The pomegranate flower was still on her sideburns, but there were a few more mugwort leaves and an azalea, which she must have picked from the cliff when she had just passed under it. Blood-red rhododendrons like this can be seen everywhere in the mountains. Several girls also picked mugwort leaves and inserted them in their sideburns. Hui Ying walked behind the girls, riding a yellow horse with purple brands and saddle sheaths. This girl's personality is relatively quiet, and she doesn't like red and green clothes, but only likes purple, blue, green and other plain colors. This is a bit out of harmony with her eighteen-year-old girlhood. Sometimes under the compulsion of Mrs. Gao, she wears more dazzling flowers. She always followed Mrs. Gao in times of emergency, and often walked behind during normal marches in order to take care of others. Now Mrs. Gao looked back at her, and suddenly thought that the first few girls were only her and Huimei, and she couldn't help but feel sour in her heart, and said secretly:

"How many treacherous battles she's fought with me!"

After walking for about twenty miles, the people and horses entered a valley, and the terrain was relatively flat. It was only now that Mrs. Gauge was able to see her entire team clearly. Walking in front is the one-color white flag, and walking in the back of the old battalion is the one-color red flag. The banner is clear, and the military appearance is neat. Dozens of tall mules carried food and military tents and other baggage at the end. The wounded have long been healed. Now, in addition to the child soldiers, there are not 200 elite soldiers who can fight, but 800 people. Although Mrs. Gao has seen some big scenes, in the past two or three years, the number of descendants and friendly troops led by her and Li Zicheng has reached more than 100,000 at times, and more than 10,000 at the least, what is so rare about these 800 people? However, this is a strong force that has been redeveloped from the loss of the entire army in the southern plains of Tongguan, and it is the force that she personally helped Liu Fangliang to create with difficulty, which is different from the army of the past. She looked at the whole team from beginning to end, two long, heroic eyebrows as neatly cut as they were cut with scissors, and her big black eyes flashed with tears and a smile of excitement.

This valley is two or three miles wide in the wide places, and less than one mile wide in the narrow places. The procession stopped at a relatively wide place, drank horses by the river, and the men also took out dry food and sharpened it. But only for a moment, and continue on the road. For half a year, Mrs. Gao missed her husband, and the other was entangled in everything, only to feel that the mountains crowded the world very narrowly, and rarely paid attention to the scenery of the mountainous areas of western Henan There are also intoxicating places, and now on the way to Shangzhou with the king to meet the teacher, suddenly she felt that the mountains and rivers along the road were majestic everywhere, and they were charming everywhere, and they seemed to be beckoning and smiling to her. The men and horses walked into a valley called Shimen Gorge, where there were cliffs on both sides, and the blue sky did not see the sun. The stream rushes against the cliff on the right, rushing against large and small stones, splashing and raining stars, making a deafening loud sound. The peasant army walked along the cliff on the left, and the horses and iron stepped on the granite. At the front and back of the procession, drums beat to the sound of the march. The sound of drums, horses' hooves, and the sound of surging water are mixed together, making it almost impossible to tell the difference.

After walking for a while, the valley gradually widened, and the left side was still a hundred zhang cliff, but the terrain on the right eased. A bright sun shone on the green cliffs. The cliffs are covered with interesting grasses, some with small golden flowers, others with crimson and light red rhododendrons. On a cliff, a boulder overlooks the rushing stream and seems to be about to fall from mid-air at any moment. A few kudzu vines hung down from the top of the boulder, and clusters of purple flowers hung among the green leaves. On the top of the rock grows a low masson pine with crooked branches. A bald mountain eagle caught a bird, circled in the air, and landed on the branches of a pine tree, eating, when suddenly he was startled by the men and horses below, and stared down with fierce round eyes. It is very bold, and although it is not far from the centaurs, it does not fly away. Mrs. Gao saw it on her horse, and saw the bird that had been eaten, with a few pale gray feathers fluttering down. She whispered:

"Huiying, do you see it?"

"See," replied Hui Ying, who now walked in front of Madame Gao with Hui Mei.

"You see, it's so hateful, it kills other birds! Can you shoot? ”

"Maybe. Let me try. ”

The horses continued to walk on the uneven rocky path. Huiying quickly took the bow and arrows, but because the mountain path was too narrow, it was not easy to turn around, so she had to open the bow with her left hand to make it easier. She had just changed her bow, and before she could raise it, she was seen clearly by the very sharp eyes of the mountain carving, and saw it spread its big wings and take its prey into the air. Mrs. Gao couldn't help but say, "Okay, shoot quickly!" As soon as she spoke, she heard the sound of the bowstring, and the eagle rolled over in the air, and fell with its prey in its claws, and it barely flew a few feet away, and planted itself on the cliff, and a dozen feathers fell into the valley. The male and female soldiers in front of and behind Mrs. Gao erupted in cheers. Huimei clapped her hands and said regretfully:

"It's a pity it didn't land in front of our horses!"

Mrs. Gao turned back to the five girls and said, "Martial arts need to be practiced hard for a long time before they can be practiced well. Huiying has been following me since she was twelve years old, and it has been six years, and it is not easy to practice this hand. ”

The men and horses turned up a hill. The mountain is not steep, and the path winds up the mountainside. Walking and walking, it seems that the road has come to an end, but when I turn a mountain bag, suddenly a burst of floral fragrance comes to me, refreshing people's hearts. Huimei happily called:

"Alas! The mountains are full of flowers, what a fairyland! ”

Laneige also called: "Mom! Mother! Look at that! Look at that! She pointed at her whip and asked, "What kind of flower is that?" ”

On the slopes of this hillside, which is rarely walked on weekdays, there are wild roses, moon roses, thorn roses, and some unknown grass flowers. There are many orchids in the slightly shady area, which are blooming, and the flower color is pale yellow and purple. Mrs. Gao remembered that two or three years ago, in the late spring and early summer, a little earlier than now, people passed near the upper and lower temples in Xichuan County, and saw mountains and valleys full of orchids in one place. The men and horses walked for several miles, stopping to rest, as if they still smelled a faint fragrance chasing after the soft east wind.

Quickly turning the nameless flower mountain, the people and horses walked into a vast forest sea. Deeper and deeper, the flag disappeared in the green forest. The forest is dense and the mountain road is tortuous, and Mrs. Gao often hears the words of people in front and behind, but she can only see a few personal soldiers who follow closely behind. Sometimes the branches hang low, and everyone quickly puts their upper bodies on the saddle; Sometimes a few strands of dill hang down from the branches, leading the clothes; Sometimes I met a beautiful woodpecker sticking to an old tree not far from the roadside, staring at the people and horses hurrying by with amazement; Sometimes the song of a oriole or thrush can be heard, but I don't know where. Mrs. Gao and her relatives walked to a mountain bag and looked up, the lush peaks of the forest were not high; Looking down, although the sun is full of valleys, it is foggy because of the high terrain, and it is not very clear. There are two or three families on the opposite side of the mountain. It was probably not found that this peasant army had passed through the forest, and a few people were working as usual at the edge of the village. From the edge of the fence came the intermittent cries of partridges. Mrs. Gao was looking at it, when suddenly a wisp of white clouds floated under her feet, covering her vision. The people and the farmer disappeared, and only the partridge continued. At the same time, from the depths of the forest, from high in the sky, a quiet bell sounded. She smiled suddenly and said, "Ah, this is the Duanyang Festival to ring the bell." She spent many years of the Duanyang Festival right away, and she couldn't arouse much interest, but the bell of the Duanyang Festival today made her secretly excited, because she understood that maybe today, maybe tomorrow, in short, in these few days, Zhang Xianzhong will revolt, and Zicheng will also set up a banner in Shangluo Mountain.

After turning two more hills in the forest, they came to a large temple. There is a spring in the temple grounds, which is carved into a pool between the rocks, which is bottomless, and it is said that Magu washed his hand towels here, so it is called Magu Spring. There are small fish that swim in schools of three or five in the water, sometimes floating to the surface and sometimes sinking to the bottom. The spring water flowed from the dark ditch through the front yard, through the mountain gate, from the mouth of a dragon carved in bluestone, and fell from a height of seven or eight feet to the stone ground, and flowed down into the forest. It was past noon, and the centaurs were resting outside the temple. People eat dry food, and horses are fed bran. The Taoist priests boiled several pots of boiling water, put them in wooden barrels and water tanks, and placed them outside the mountain gate. Liu Fangliang gave an order, and the soldiers were not allowed to run around everywhere, so they rested in place outside the temple, so the Taoist priests were very surprised, and they never thought that the rules of the "thieves" would be so good. Several times the officers and soldiers passed, and the temple was destroyed. Last year, a group of officials and soldiers passed through here, not only tied the horses to the mountain gate, but also deliberately urinated in the Magu Spring when they left, so that the Taoist priests could not eat water for several days.

Mrs. Gao took Lanzhi and the female soldiers to the temple to have a look, burned incense in front of the statue of Yuan Shi Tianzun, and came back to watch the swimming fish next to the Magu Pond. Liu Fangliang hurriedly walked over with a Taoist priest and whispered:

"He came from King Chuang, and he happened to meet us here. King Chuang urged us to go quickly. ”

When Mrs. Gao heard that it was from King Chuang, she was surprised and delighted. She glanced at the dusty, smiling, very familiar, but couldn't name for a while, and was about to speak, the Taoist priest preemptively said:

"Madame, have you forgotten? I have always followed Liu Jiangye, surnamed Wang, because I was a child, people called me Wang Laodao. ”

"Last winter, did Ye Liu send you to Shangluo Mountain?"

"Yes, yes. Later, King Chuang sent me to pretend to be a Taoist priest to go to Huashan, Chaozhongnan, and Xi'an Mansion to spy on the movements of the officials and soldiers, so I never came back. It's been more than half a year in a blink of an eye. ”

Mrs. Gao smiled and nodded, indicating that she remembered. Then he asked, "Is there any book on the king?" ”

"Yes, yes, here." The Taoist priest straightened his bun, took out a small wax pill, and handed it to Mrs. Gao.

Mrs. Gao quickly broke the wax pill, took out the paper ball, opened it, and handed it to Liu Fangliang, the smile on her face disappeared. Fang Liang saw a few words written by King Chuang himself on the paper:

In a big day, the soldiers are sick. Come and join the division and join the official army. 100,000 urgent, no mistake. The recent situation in the camp is all due to the old way.

Mrs. Gao asked in a low voice, "Wang Laodao, has the plague been spreading fiercely recently?" ”

"Madame, the plague has become more fierce in the past ten days. The brethren fell ill, and the generals almost all lay down. ”

"Who are the generals?"

"At first, it was the chief whistle Liu Ye who was sick, and soon after, a tiger Li Jiangye, Uncle Gao, Tian Jiangye, many others, all fell ill one after another. Now among the generals, only Yuan Jiangye is not sick. ”

"Is King Chuang's health good?"

"King Chuang's health is fine, but it's too much to worry about, and it's too tiring, and the situation is not as good as usual."

"Are Shuangxi'er and Little Nale still with him?"

"In. They are alive and kicking, free from illness and disaster. ”

"What's going on with the officers and soldiers?"

"Damn, Zheng Chongjian, the new governor of Shaanxi and the three sides, took advantage of this opportunity to send troops to besiege our king in Shangluo Mountain and wipe them out in one fell swoop. Nowadays, there are official and military transfers on all sides of Shangluo Mountain, and many officers and troops have arrived in Wuguan and Shangzhou City. King Chuang was very anxious, and sent me to see Mrs. and Liu Ye quickly, please go to Shangluo Mountain quickly, don't delay. ”

"How did you find here?"

"I'm familiar with this area. I walked through the Longju Village on a remote path to Bears Ears Mountain, but I didn't expect to meet you here, which is a coincidence. ”

Mrs. Gao asked again, "Is Longju Village easy to pass through?" ”

"I'm pretending to be a family member by myself. There is also a Taoist priest in the ancestral temple in the village, who is my senior brother. But our brigade has passed from there, I'm afraid it won't be easy. Although there are only soldiers from the Xiangyong and Inspection Divisions guarding the village, the wall is solid, the terrain is dangerous, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and I have heard that hundreds of officers and soldiers will arrive from Shangzhou soon, maybe they have arrived at this time. ”

"Is there a path to get around?"

Wang Laodao frowned and thought for a while, a smile appeared on his face, and he replied, "Yes, yes, but it takes two more days to walk." ”

"Do you know how to move?"

"Yes."

"Okay, you can rest."

Liu Fangliang whispered: "Wang Laodao, about the fact that many people are infected with the plague and the official army wants to besiege the king, you don't show a word in front of the soldiers. ”

After listening to Wang Laodao's report, Mrs. Gao's heart felt heavy, and the excitement and joy she had felt since last night were swept away. She never expected that the plague would spread so fiercely in Shangluo Mountain, and the soldiers fell ill one after another. If this continues, how to fight the enemy? What if King Chuang also contracted the plague? Is there a way to cure the soldiers who have contracted the plague? …… This series of questions appeared in her mind together. Another problem that made her anxious was that she had to go to Shangluo Mountain as soon as possible to help King Chuang. But how? It is a shortcut to take the dragon horse village from here, but you have to fight and lose people and horses. Take a detour, take two more days, walk two more days, that is, it will take six or seven days at the fastest to join the king, can you be in time? What if the officers and soldiers arrived in Shangluo Mountain first during these six or seven days, or if King Chuang unfortunately fell ill?

"Sister-in-law, how do you decide?" Liu Fangliang couldn't help but ask when he saw that Mrs. Gao didn't speak for a long time.

"What do you think?"

"According to me, we might as well go straight to Longju Village as originally planned, the sooner the better. If we rush to Longju Village in front of the official army and open the gate of the village, we can go to Shangluo Mountain as early as possible. If that doesn't work, it's not too late to find a detour. ”

"Still going straight to Longju Village?"

Liu Fang nodded brightly: "The sooner the better, you have to surprise the enemy." ”

"In that case, let's not delay here, let's leave quickly."

"Okay, let's go."

The men and horses quickly formed their formations and marched forward again.

Originally, the light cavalry would have had to walk for four or five days from Bear's Ears Mountain to the vicinity of Longju Village, and they could not delay on the road, but they only took three days to arrive. There are already five hundred officers and soldiers in Longju Village, plus some soldiers from the Xiangyong and Inspection Division, there are about seven or eight hundred people. Although they also guessed that Mrs. Gao and Liu Fangliang's men and horses would join King Chuang's men and horses, they did not expect that this peasant army would go straight to Longju Village without going through the Roller Pass or Lancao River, let alone that it would come so quickly. Over the past 10 years, the peasant army has accumulated rich experience in fighting wits and courage with the officers and soldiers, and they have often come out of nowhere, making the officers and troops unable to defend themselves. Gao Guiying followed Li Zicheng to fight in the south and in the north, and it was not easy to be born and die. On the way to Longju Village, she heard that although Longju Village had increased by hundreds of officers and soldiers, they were all new soldiers and had never seen a battle; In addition, in recent days, small groups of officers and soldiers have been coming from Henan to reinforce Shangzhou through Longju Village, which has increased the possibility of success in breaking into the village. When they were still active in the Cuihan area, Mrs. Gao and Liu Fangliang prepared more than 200 sets of official and military uniforms and many official and military flags for use at any time. These things are really used now.

The righteous army came to Longju Village during the second watch, and first sent dozens of people to wear official and military uniforms, waving the official army banner, and opened the gate of the village and rushed in. The officers and soldiers stationed in the village were caught off guard, some fled in panic, and some stubbornly defended a few relatively strong houses and half of the wall. Mrs. Gao ordered that no love should be fought, and hurried through the village, and the troops behind the palace set fire to some houses. For many years after that, the local people talked about the incident as a miracle and an interesting story, and added branches and leaves, compiled it into a song book and passed it down.

After earning the Dragon Horse Village, the centaurs continued to move forward. At noon, long from the road from Xi'an to Wuguan and to Henan, the men and horses stopped in a forest to feed the horses, and the soldiers lay down on pine needles and grass to rest. Many people fall asleep as soon as they lie down or sit down against the tree. Someone took a bite of the dry food, but before he could swallow it completely, his mouth was open, and he snored.

It was only at dusk that people were woken up and continued on their way. Because everyone knows that if there is another night of marching, you can join the king of Chuang, and there will be no more officers and soldiers on the road, plus a few days of fatigue to get half a day's rest, it is really a person who has the spirit to talk and laugh. Only Mrs. Gao and Liu Fangliang understood the difficult days in Shangluo Mountain, and they were not relaxed because they were about to join King Chuang. In particular, Mrs. Gao was very silent, and the more she walked into Shangluo Mountain, the more frightened she became. She was afraid that by the time she met King Chuang, he had already been defeated by a merciless contagion. In addition, she didn't know at all how the officers and troops besieging Shangluo Mountain were arranged, and where they had arrived. Because of the rapid march day and night, most of the roads taken are deserted mountain paths, and the news is not good, but it is like sitting in the drum. She didn't expect that when she was only more than thirty miles away from King Chuang's old camp, a dangerous mountain pass in front of her would be occupied by enemy troops.

At this time, it was only about the fourth watch, and the front team had just approached the mountain pass, when they suddenly found that there were enemy troops in the small streets of the mountain pass, and they were fired back by a burst of artillery fire and random arrows. Fortunately, the first quarter moon had already set, and the night was very thick, and only a few brothers were slightly injured.

When Mrs. Gao received the report, she immediately rushed to the front with her own soldiers to find out what was going on. At this time, Liu Fangliang had already put the cavalry in a position outside the mountain pass, and immediately stepped forward to ask the other party whose men and horses it was. The enemy held the pass and blocked it with branches, and behind the branches was a gate, and there were many people defending it. Although there was no moonlight, no torches on the side streets, and no other party could be seen, the experienced Liu Fangliang guessed that the enemy was only guarding the mountain pass with at least 300 people, and it was difficult to judge how many men and horses there were behind. He asked several aloud questions in succession, and only then did someone from the enemy line reply aloud:

"Grandpa is an official sent by Governor Zheng to suppress thieves. Whose men are you? ”

Liu Fangliang replied: "We are also officers and soldiers, and we were transferred from Henan. Let's go out into the street and rest, shall we? ”

"Fart! You want to play tricks, don't think about it! ”

"Who will be your Lord? Ask him to come out and answer. ”

"If you have something to say, you will say it tomorrow. If the night is tight today, and Lao Tzu's artillery and bows and arrows don't recognize people, you don't have to approach! ”

Liu Fangliang and Mrs. Gao rode forward a few steps, wanting to continue to ask questions, but suddenly a burst of war drums and shouts sounded in the enemy camp, and several cannons were fired at the same time. They hurriedly retreated and stepped out of the range of the artillery, and they were surprised, thinking that it must be the army of the new governor Zheng Chongjian who had come to block the way out of King Chuang. Some generals suggested attacking the enemy, but neither Mrs. Gao nor Liu Fangliang agreed. Not only are they afraid of injuring too many people, but they are also a little suspicious in their hearts. Liu Fangliang asked Mrs. Gao:

"Sister-in-law, will you show the sign?"

"Don't rush to show the sign. It's going to be clear, and it'll be clear when it's dawn. ”

Liu Fangliang said behind his back: "Beat the drums, bluff!" ”

The drums of the peasant army protruded from the positions, shouting to kill and shake the sky, but they did not attack seriously. After a while, the drumming and shouting of killing on both sides stopped, and only occasionally scolded each other, said something to deceive each other, and waited for the dawn.

Mrs. Gao discussed with Liu Fangliang, and then summoned all the generals together. It was only at this time that she explained to everyone the plague epidemic in Shangluo Mountain and the situation that the official army wanted to take the opportunity to attack Shangluo Mountain in the past half a month. After hearing this, no one thought that it would be dangerous for them to run to the place where the plague was prevalent, but they were eager to go into the mountain pass and rescue King Chuang and all the soldiers who were trapped. Mrs. Gao was emotional, looked at everyone and said:

"It's not clear now. It may or may not be the officers and soldiers who are in the way. If it were an official army, we would have to fight to the death. ”

Many people rushed to speak, demanding a desperate battle with the officers and soldiers standing in front of them. Liu Fangliang organized a group of generals and elite soldiers, led by him personally, and after the fifth watch judged the situation, he took the lead in rushing to kill the officers and soldiers, advancing without retreating. Although there was no such thing as a death squad at that time, this group of people was actually a death squad. These generals and colonels were all in the mood of death, waiting to attack the enemy, saying goodbye to their relatives one after another, and quickly entrusting them with all the words they wanted to give. The relatives also exchanged the sharpest swords for them to use, and took out wine to drink with them, and took out dry food for them to eat. Everyone was busy, and the first rooster crow came from afar......

CHAPTER XXXI

Contrary to the situation in the Cuihan Mountains, the situation in the Shangluo Mountains was very unfavorable to the peasant army. From the end of April onwards, the plague spread rapidly in the ranks and in the localities, and the generals and brothers of all sizes contracted the plague one by one. At that time, Li Zicheng's army not only lacked good internists, but also had an extreme shortage of medicines. Although Shang Jiong is not good at internal medicine on weekdays, if he doesn't get sick himself, he can still come up with a way, but unfortunately he himself fell ill in early May.

A serious contagion undermined many of Mr. Li's plans. He received many reports every day, and watched with amazement as the officers and troops were gathering, mobilizing, and encircling him, but he did not have the strength to stretch out his fist to hit people first, nor could he leave the Shangluo Mountains. Several of the generals who were sick, as well as many generals and brothers, whether they were placed on horses or stretchers, would die in the middle of the journey, and it was impossible to leave such a large number of sick people behind. Since the uprising, Li Zicheng has not encountered such a day. Is it according to the date agreed with Zhang Xianzhong last winter, regardless of how difficult it is, he kept his promise, and set up a banner a day or two after the Duanyang Festival to respond to the Gucheng uprising of Xianzhong? Li Zicheng hesitated about this matter. Sometimes in the middle of the night he was still wandering in the house and couldn't sleep.

Ordinary people and soldiers are using unilateral treatment, some seem to be effective, some are all nonsense. Now I began to understand that in the plague there was malaria, and the natives called Lao Yi. Every day, many adults and children run far away from the village, lying on the hillside, in the field, and in the mass graves, and let the poisonous heat of May sun bask in it. In addition, an adult draws a pair of large glasses on his face with an ink pen or a pot of cigarettes, and it is said that when he paints such a picture, the old ghost will not be able to find the original person and will not be able to return to his body. There are also people who sneak behind others on the road, and when others are not on guard, they lie on the ground and kowtow, untie their belts and throw them on the ground, and turn around and run away. It is said that the old ghost is a cow (so malaria is also called "herding the cow"), which is to sell his old cow to others, and the discarded belt symbolizes the reins of the cow. King Chuang went out every day and encountered such a thing, which was sad and funny. But he was told that these ancient methods often worked.

What annoys King Chuang is that Ma Sanpo has been greatly active recently. Ma Sanpo was a widow, about forty years old, who lived in a small village not far from King Chuang's old camp. This woman, with an oily blue face, upside down, thin and curved eyebrows, and her hair is often tarred and combed smooth, but the hair on her temples is deliberately loose and scattered, always like she has just woken up from a nap, and she is too lazy to pull back her temples. She spends about half of her three hundred and sixty days a year with a headache plaster on both temples, except that sometimes she cuts the plaster into small squares, sometimes she cuts the plaster into circles, sometimes she puts red plaster on it, sometimes it sticks black plaster. Although there are already many crow's feet at the corners of her small eyes, her smile and glance at people give people an uncomfortable coquettish feeling. When Liu Zongmin saw her for the first time, he said to King Chuang: "Fuck, this mother-in-law is a prodigal!" King Chuang said, "I think she's not just a prodigal, let's be careful." "They gave a strict order to the soldiers: they were not allowed to go to this woman's house. Since the spring, she has known that the big boss who appears in the name of Li Hongji is King Chuang, so every time she meets King Chuang, she always pretends to be respectful and affectionate, and she stops to give him a blessing and say a word or two. It makes her regret that King Chuang is willing to approach anyone, but he refuses to approach her. As for Liu Zongmin and Li Guo, she was even more scared. Lately, the front of her hut has often come to ask for miracle medicine and ask for good luck for the sick in her house. Every time Li Zicheng walked through the village of Sanjia, he saw the brilliant candles and cigarette smoke in her house, and heard her sing some nondescript words loudly when she was in a trance, and he always wrinkled his eyebrows. What made him even more unhappy was that in recent days, even his brothers, especially the new brothers, had often come to ask Ma Sanpo for medicine. In the present situation, he had no choice but to open one eye and close one eye; If he was to meet him, he would only give him a tactful admonition, and would not reproach him.

There are only three days left before the Duanyang Festival. On this morning, Li Zicheng and Yuan Zongdi were visiting Shang Jiong's illness, and Zhang Nai took a man sent by Zhang Xianzhong to Shang Jiong's residence. Xianzhong asked him to verbally tell King Li Chuang that the original date would remain unchanged, and that he would re-raise the banner of righteousness in Gucheng on the sixth day of the fifth month, and also said that because Zuo Liangyu had mobilized a large number of men and horses near Xiangyang, Xianzhong planned to go west after the uprising and rendezvous with Cao Cao in Fang and Zhushan. Finally, the man looked at Zicheng and smiled, and said:

"King Chuang, my handsome man said, he knows that there are not many people and horses here now, and there is a shortage of grain and grass, please consider it yourself, if you can't set up a banner immediately after the Duanyang Festival, don't force it."

Shang Jiong and Yuan Zongdi nodded again and again when they heard this, exchanged glances, and waited for Zicheng to speak. But King Chuang smiled at the corner of his mouth, but he didn't make a sound or nod. And he said,

"When I set out from Vale, none of us knew there that the plague was so violent. Zhang Shuai was just a little anecdotal and not very relieved, so he sent me to report that the date of King Chuang's uprising would remain unchanged, and to see the situation here. Since there are many sick soldiers here......"

Yuan Zongdi interjected: "To tell you the truth, forty percent of our ten adults here are infected with the plague, and the generals are in the worst situation, almost all of them are sick. ”

The man then said, "In that case, King Chuang, you should delay a few days and set up a banner." ”

Shang Jiong, who was leaning on the bed, quickly glanced at Zicheng. Seeing that Zicheng was still silent, he sighed to the visitor and said:

"Now the plague is contagious, and it doesn't look like it's going to stop yet. In order to abide by the covenant, and at the same time with Zhang Shuai, echoing each other, our king Chuang has been very anxious in recent days. What a coincidence! ”

Yuan Zongdi very much hoped that Zicheng could take advantage of this opportunity, and then the doctor's words came out of the difficulty of immediately setting up a banner in Shangluo Mountain, and even said: "It's too unfortunate! It's so unfortunate! But King Chuang didn't say that he would suspend the tree flag in Shangluo Mountain, but only asked with a smile at the visitor:

"When are you going back to Zhang Shuai?"

"The military situation is urgent, I can't stay here longer, I plan to leave tonight, and run from here to Fang County to find Zhang Shuai."

Zicheng said: "It's okay for you to leave overnight and run to Fang County." One is that the military situation is urgent, and the other is that I have a plague epidemic here, and I will not keep you to live. When you leave, bring me a few words back to Zhang Shuai. Li Qiang, bring the guests back to the old camp to entertain them, so that they can rest. ”

After Li Qiang took the people away, Yuan Zongdi immediately looked at Zicheng and asked:

"Brother Li, how are you going to reply to Jing Xuan?"

"What do you say?"

"If Jing Xuan doesn't send this person here, I'm also very embarrassed, and I can't think of a proper way. Since he sent someone to say that he knows that we have few men and horses, and that we are short of food and grass, and that we don't have to reluctantly start an incident at the same time with him, isn't it easy to say what we say? Why should we rush to tree flags? ”

The doctor also said, "Hanju's words are very true. At present, the plague is very rampant here, and the soldiers are sick one after another, and they are really unable to do it as scheduled. This is out of necessity, and Jing Xuan will definitely forgive. ”

Zicheng pondered for a moment and asked, "Both of you have this opinion?" ”

Yuan Zongdi replied: "Not only the two of us have this opinion, but many people have this opinion in recent days. It's just that I'm afraid that you are determined to keep your promise and act as scheduled, so I don't dare to say dissuasive words to you. Today, since Jing Xuan sent someone to say something like that, and he saw the plague epidemic here with his own eyes, I dare to advise you to put off the banner. Brother Li, let's just put it off for a while, at most two months, and when the plague passes, the soldiers will be able to fight, and the bastard won't urge you to immediately set up the big banner, making Zheng Chongjian have no master! ”

Li Zicheng got up from his chair and walked around in front of Shang Jiong's sickbed, bowing his head and saying nothing. He understood the worries of Yuan Zongdi and Shang Jiong, and understood that many people were worried that after raising the banner, most of the officers and troops in Shaanxi and western Henan would be brought to Shangluo Mountain. Now that Gao Guiying and Liu Fangliang have not returned, there are only more than 2,000 soldiers under their command, of which nearly 1,000 have been infected with the plague, and they will have to deal with not thousands of officers and soldiers in the future, but at least 20,000 officers and soldiers. It's not an easy task. Last night, he went to see Li Guo's illness, and it happened that Li Guo had just subsided his fever and was conscious, and he also advised him to postpone the establishment of the banner of "Chuang". According to Li Guo's view, although the officers and troops have been moving frequently outside Shangluo Mountain recently, as long as the banner of the word "Chuang" is not raised, the officers and troops will probably not attack seriously. This is because the imperial court will go all out to deal with Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai, who re-involted, and leave this bag of abscesses in Shangluo Mountain for later treatment. As long as it drags on for a short time, as soon as the plague passes, there is no fear of the official army coming to besiege it. Zicheng thought that Li Guo's estimation of the official army was reasonable, but he did not take his nephew's opinion. As he was about to leave his nephew's bedside, his thick eyebrows were furrowed, and he whispered:

"Hello, don't worry about it. Do you want to set up a banner immediately, let me think about it again, weigh the weight, I will not take the life and death of the whole army as a child's play. ”

Now he paced back and forth in front of Shang Jiong and Yuan Zongdi for a while, suddenly stopped, looked at them, smiled from the corner of his eyes, and said:

"Do you think Jing Xuan is telling the truth?"

The doctor said, "I don't think he's false." ”

"No, Lao Shang, you don't know your godparents yet!" Zicheng sat down, and said with a smile: "Jing Xuan, this person, sometimes extremely straightforward, and open-minded, sometimes treacherous, unpredictable. As far as I can see, he is not telling the truth. He was afraid that I would change my mind, so he sent someone to see what I was doing and probe my tone. ”

Yuan Zongdi said: "If he is telling a lie, we might as well take it as the truth on the surface, just say that we are indeed in great difficulty, and follow his instructions to postpone the establishment of the banner." ”

Li Zicheng shook his head: "No, you must not lose your trust in front of Jing Xuan." Even if there are strong storms, we must brave the wind and waves to move forward, and we should not hesitate for a moment. At this juncture, we cowered and made the imperial court attack Zhang Jingxuan with all its might, wouldn't it be a betrayal of our friends? What will Jingxuan think of us in the future? What will the rebels think of us? In the future, when we speak out, who will believe it? Who is willing to fight with us against the official army? ”

"However, we are just taking a step back, not standing on the mountain and watching the tiger fight. The original agreement with Jing Xuan was dead, but fighting with soldiers was alive, and he had to adapt to the situation, and he couldn't take the straight road. ”

"Hanju, although the use of soldiers is the same as playing chess, only improvisation will not become a dead move, but only in this matter must grit your teeth and be willing to brave the wind and waves, is it right. Instead of letting the imperial court attack Jingxuan with all its might, and after defeating Jingxuan, come back to fight us, why don't we make a big move with Jingxuan at the same time, so that the imperial court's forces are scattered and can't focus on one head? ”

"But King Chuang, my brother Li, now my sister-in-law and Mingyuan have not returned, we don't have many soldiers, and many of them can't afford to be sick, so we will immediately set up a banner, can we not suffer the loss of the official army?"

"As I said, we're going to take a big risk. However, since ancient times, the great cause of the revolution, unless Zen concessions, how can it not take great risks and go through all difficulties to succeed? In the world on weekdays, you should still act bravely, let alone treat such things? We must not retreat at the face of difficulties, leaving friendly forces alone with the enemy. Abide by the previous covenant with Jingxuan, and at the same time make a big move, and resist the official army together, this is a 'righteous' word. If we change our hexagram temporarily, we will dismantle our friends' platform, and we will be disloyal and unjust. Although we will not defect and surrender even if we grind our brothers' bones to ashes, Hanju, we must not let people gossip about this word of 'righteousness' and pound our fingers. The more stormy and difficult the situation, the more we must hold our hearts up, stand up to the sky, and set an example for others! You say, right? ”

Although Yuan Zongdi didn't make a sound, he had to nod. Li Zicheng was very excited, suddenly stood up, and continued:

"Ziming, Hanju, my mind has been decided, please don't say anything more to dissuade you. As far as I can see, the terrain here is dangerous, and the officers and soldiers will not dare to rush into it. The men and horses led by Gui Ying and Mingyuan will definitely arrive soon. Let's defend it for the time being, and drag one of the legs of the officers and soldiers, which is a great favor for Jing Xuan. In the future, it will be too late to break through again. That's it, and on the second day of the Duanyang Festival, the banner of the word 'Chuang' will be raised! ”

Monk Yuan Zongdi saw that what he said was righteous and awe-inspiring, and his tone was resolute, so he no longer dissuaded him. Zicheng said a few other words and rode back to the old camp.

One day after the Duanyang Festival, Li Zicheng did not wait for Mrs. Gao and Liu Fangliang to come back, and in order to abide by the promise of the same dedication, he set up a big flag in Shangluo Mountain. Although Yuan Zongdi had advised King Chuang to suspend the tree flag in advance, when this morning, after three cannon shots, the banner with the word "Chuang" was raised on the newly erected pole with a bucket more than three zhang high outside the gate of the old camp, he was as excited as many soldiers. The veteran Wang Changshun came to the bottom of the flagpole with his illness in his arms, looked up for a while, suddenly his eyes turned red, and he walked in front of Yuan Zongdi and said:

"Alas, Yuan Jiangye, what am I looking forward to this day, and I see this big flag tree rising again!"

Yuan Zongdi patted the old soldier's shoulder and said, "Old Wang, cure the disease quickly, let's protect the king's banner with our hearts." ”

"Bao Daqi, do you need to say that? Go to the knife mountain, jump into the sea of fire, we are not ambiguous! ”

After a while, Yuan Zongdi told Zicheng what Wang Changshun said. Zicheng nodded and said meaningfully:

"Hanju, although the difficulties in front of our brothers are very great, as long as this banner of uprising handed down from King Gaochuang is beaten out, and it is firmly planted in Shangluo Mountain, it will be like we have won a great victory. As long as this big flag was floating in the air, the officers and soldiers would not dare to attack Jingxuan with all their might. Also, from Shaanxi to the Central Plains, to Huguang, I don't know how many ordinary people and how many rebels are looking at our banner! ”

"I know that the imperial court is very afraid of this banner. In the eyes of his turtle grandchildren, it was much more terrifying than tens of thousands of elite soldiers. ”

Zicheng said: "Yes, you are completely right. Besides, let's work hand in hand with Jing Xuan, Cao Cao, etc., and make a big move at the same time, it seems to be a risky move, but it is not very dangerous. If we sit back and watch the imperial court break our friends and hide in Shangluo Mountain and dare not move, it seems to be safe, but it is a good decision, and it is extremely dangerous. Today, the court has a hand on the Jingxuan, and tomorrow it will come to clean us up. Since ancient times, as long as the uprising is exposed, it is inseparable from the imperial court, and the more cowardly and evasive, the easier it is to be attacked by officers and soldiers step by step, unable to stand, and finally finished. Don't forget, we have been fighting with the imperial court for ten years and burned the ancestral grave of the Zhu family! ”

Although the government has figured out since the spring that King Li Chuang is reclaiming the famine and training men and horses in the Shangluo Mountains, because the new governor has only arrived, there are not many officials and troops concentrated for a while, so they have to pretend not to know. It was not until late April and early May that they mobilized more than 20,000 officers and troops, some of which were headed for the border areas of Henan and Shaanxi, and some of which were surrounded from the east and south. Zheng Chongjian was a layman in the military, hesitated, and knew that the combat effectiveness of the official army was not very reliable, and the terrain in the Shangluo Mountains was precipitous, easy to defend and difficult to attack, so he did not dare to attack the peasant army. Because of the legend that Luo Rucai's situation was unstable, in order to protect the gateway of Hanzhong, he transferred the more experienced chief military officer He Renlong to Baihe County and Yunxi, and had to transfer other people to deal with King Chuang. It turned out that there were thousands of officers and troops concentrated in Wuguan and transferred to Huguang to guard against Cao Cao. On the third day of Li Zicheng's establishment of the banner in Shangluo Mountain, the officers and soldiers who left Wuguan hurried back and increased a lot. Some people were worried about this news, but Li Zicheng was happy because his goal of absorbing some of the officers and soldiers had been achieved. Of course, in military affairs, he did not dare to be careless at all, and led the generals to set up forts in all the dangerous mountain passes leading to Wuguan, which were fortified layer by layer and arranged very tightly.

After Li Zicheng raised the banner, the nearby peasants asked to join the gang one after another, and hundreds of young people came to him every day to beg him to take him in. He had great difficulty in providing for him, and he had few horses, so he was determined not to expand his numbers too much. In order to refuse many young people who came to ask to join the gang, he said a lot of euphemistic words to his generals, and saw the disappointed faces and tearful eyes of many young people. Despite this, within two days his number had suddenly increased by half, but the additional thousand men were infantry. At this time, if he left the Shangluo region and went to Henan, he would be able to achieve his goal without going through a fierce battle. But he did not go, because, first, there were so many sick among the soldiers that they could neither stay nor take them with them; Second, he had to wait for the arrival of Venus the Ox; Third, he had to wait for Mrs. Gao and Liu Fangliang to come back with their men. In short, he planned to temporarily contain most of the Shaanxi and Henan official troops for Xianzhong here, and then break through from here to the Nanyang area in the future. Taking advantage of the fact that the officers and troops could not encircle him, he hurriedly sent men and horses to gather food and collect forage, firearms, gunpowder and various herbs. He also instructed his subordinates to use a lot of money to recruit as many township doctors as he could find.

One evening, he came back from outside with Zhang Nai and a few of his own soldiers, and his heart was very heavy, because many ordinary people and his old brothers had died in the plague. Every day, every day, there are deaths in every village, and today there are even more. Liu Zongmin's illness seems to be beginning to turn back, while Li Guo and Tian Jianxiu's illness is very serious. As soon as he returned to the village where the old camp was stationed, he saw more than 30 people galloping in the twilight on horseback. He waited and wondered in his heart: "Is it Gui Ying and Fang Liang who are back?" Is Double Happiness and Erhu back? A burst of joy dispelled the gloom in my heart.

The people who were galloping also saw him, and jumped off their horses when they were more than twenty feet away, and several people led by them ran towards him. Zicheng saw it clearly, completely beyond his expectations. He also dismounted quickly, hurried forward to meet him, and said in a loud voice:

"Ah, it's you! Aren't you in Hanzhong? When did you come back? ”

Black Tiger Star didn't answer, kneeling down to give a salute. Zicheng hurriedly picked him up and said, "There is no need to perform this great gift in the army. When did you get back? ”

"I received the book from the eldest brother of the supplement and rushed back desperately. I only arrived last night. I discussed with you all overnight, and it was a busy day in the morning before Pegasus came to see you. King Chuang, uncle, your nephew wants to fight with you, please take it in! ”

"Yay! How many people do you bring? ”

"Those who miss the countryside and have no goods, my nephew doesn't want them, and I only picked more than 300 people. But most of them were infantry, and there were only a few dozen horses. Uncle, are you either? ”

"Yes, of course. But old nephew, we are different from poles here, you know this very well. Please explain to the brothers that since you want to fight the world with me, you will naturally be blessed and shared in the future. At present, life is hard, and everyone has to endure a little. Our troops are strictly disciplined, they are not allowed to rape ** women, they are not allowed to harass the people, and they must obey the orders of the generals. ”

"Uncle Chuang, you don't have to ask. In the future, if my brother does not obey your commandments, I will skin him alive. If your nephew violates your command, you cut me this, this," Black Tiger Star patted his head, "cut me this guy who eats." ”

"Are all your men here?"

"In the back, it's going to be tomorrow morning."

"Okay, come with me to the old camp to rest."

He pulled Black Tiger Star into the old camp and sat down, and Wu Ruyi of the Chinese army came to report to him that Hao Shaoqi had returned. Zicheng jumped up and asked:

"What do you say? Flag waving back? ”

"Yes, he came back from Henan with five hundred cavalry, and he himself will come to see you immediately."

"How did he come back at this time?"

"I don't know how it came to be so coincidental."

King Chuang said in his heart: "I know that after the banner is erected, I, Li Zicheng, will not be alone!" ”

Suddenly, he heard the sound of horses' hooves coming to the gate of the old camp, and Li Zicheng hurried out to greet him. As soon as they met, Hao Shaoqi wanted to kneel down to him, but he grabbed him. He said:

"Wave the flag! I never dreamed it would be you! I heard that you mixed well in Henan, why did you come back? ”

Hao Shaoqi said: "When I come back this time, I will not leave you again in this life." ”

When Li Zicheng heard this, he looked at the few generals and a few personal soldiers behind Hao Shaoqi, and said with a smile: "It's good to come back, it's good to come back." I have long looked forward to your return. You're back. Now we have a famine, a plague, and an army to besiege us. Let's get through it together, brothers. Waving the flag, this day is worse than last winter, can you hold on? ”

"Hey, look at what you said!" Hao Shaoqi laughed loudly in his voice, and then said: "It seems that I, Hao Shaoqi, have returned to your banner to find happiness!" Brother Li, I was sorry for you for a while last winter, don't mention this chapter again, expose my bald scabs. ”

"That's not what I meant. I'm ......."

Hao Shaoqi didn't wait for Zicheng to continue, and hurriedly said: "I'm coming back to give you people!" King Chuang, I will bring back more than 500 cavalry for you, and more than 3,000 infantry will remain in Henan, waiting for you to go. ”

King Chuang hurriedly asked, "Where are your cavalry?" ”

"I'm afraid that I will suddenly open to the old camp and have no place to live, so I will leave them in Xinjiadian and report to you first."

"In Xin's shop? Is it the Xinjia store in the northeast of Ma Lanyu? King Chuang didn't wait for the flag to answer, and quickly turned back to the Chinese army Wu Ruyi and said: "Ziyi, go and tell the chief manager quickly, and ask him to immediately send someone to Xinjiadian to send four pigs, four sheep, and a few jars of good wine." It must be sent overnight, and there must be no mistake! ”

When Wu Ruyi turned around to leave, he punched Hao Shaoqi on the back and scolded affectionately: "Bastard boy, suddenly left, suddenly came, there is no score for doing things!" ”

Waving the flag and saying, "You know! Always follow Brother Li to fight the country, and fight to the king's banner, which is my old score! ”

Li Zicheng said with a smile: "Wave the flag, I guessed that you would come back sooner or later, but I didn't expect you to come back at the right time." Although he only brought back more than 500 cavalry, it was also a relief in the snow. Brother, why didn't you send someone to say it beforehand? ”

"I decided on the first day, and I will leave the next day, how can I send people as fast as my cavalry?"

"Do you know I'm going to raise a banner at this time?"

"I didn't know until I came to Shangzhou."

"Then why didn't you come back at this time?"

"I wanted to come back for a long time, but I was afraid that it would be difficult to come back. A few days ago, my spy came back from Gucheng and said that it was rumored that Zhang Jingxuan was going to start an incident around the Duanyang Festival. I think as long as Jing Xuan does it, can you still do it quickly? Therefore, I received a report from the spies during the day, and at night I discussed leading the cavalry back, prepared all night, and got up the next day. ”

Zicheng patted Hao Shaoqi's shoulder with a smile and said, "You are still old-tempered, you will do whatever you say, and you will not delay for a moment." Some people think that you are very proud in Henan and have forgotten your foolish brother. I said you're not that person. It's really good, you Hao Shaoqi is enough friends! ”

"Who said I'd forget you? What words! I, Hao Shaoqi, didn't grow up eating and drinking urine, can I forget you Li Chuangwang? ”

King Chuang laughed.

"Didn't you meet the officers and soldiers on the way?"

"My guide is good, and all the places where there are officers and soldiers have been bypassed."

The generals who became the same as Hao Shaoqi greeted them one by one. Although they always saw him respectfully, he was very casual and homely. He treated them like brothers, patted them on the shoulder with a few very young people, and asked if there was any news from their families. He even remembered the big or small names of each of Hao Shaoqi's personal soldiers and greeted them cordially. Probably because Li Zicheng has an amazing memory of the names of his subordinates, and often has some kind and touching behaviors, so after his death, although Hao Shaoqi and the rest of Zicheng split for a period of time, and even the same situation, the people around Hao Shaoqi still miss Zicheng very much.

In front of Zicheng, there was a strange young general, who had been looking at him respectfully and smiling. Zicheng looked at him, but couldn't remember which one he was. The young general said:

"King Chuang, you won't know me. My name is Li Haoyi, a native of Nanyang, and I have come to welcome King Chuang to Henan. ”

"Are you from Nanyang? Ah, familiar place, I've walked twice from there. ”

Hao Shaoqi hurriedly continued: "In the past year, there have been starving people everywhere in Nanyang counties, and there are many people, a few hundred, a few thousand, and ten thousand. But the dragons have no leader, and they can't become a big climate. Our old brother, his official name is Haoyi, and Taifu is Zishan, who is entrusted by the leaders of various hungry people, to welcome you to lead everyone and plan great things. They have heard of your name for a long time, but they don't know much about how you behave. Ever since I went to Henan, my brothers and I have carried meat notices on our lips, which has greatly promoted your reputation. Nowadays, the people in Nanyang are burning incense and kowtowing in front of the gods and looking forward to you! ”

Li Haoyi continued: "What Brother Shake the Flag said is true. King Chuang, you can go! As soon as you arrive, I will guarantee that you will have 100,000 horses in less than ten days. ”

"Okay, okay, I'll go quickly. Please, let's talk to the old camp. ”

When they arrived at the old camp, King Chuang ordered to slaughter sheep and chickens quickly, and to catch the wind for Hao Shaoqi and others. At the banquet, he also joined forces with Li Haoyi and was commensurate with his brother. The night of May was short, and after the third watch in the blink of an eye, everyone took their leave, and advised King Chuang to rest, but Zicheng insisted on sending everyone to Xinjiadian, so that he could meet with the more than 500 brothers who had worked hard to show his condolences. Hao Shaoqi couldn't refuse, so he had to agree. King Chuang asked left and right: whether the pigs and sheep have been sent. The soldiers replied that they had already been slaughtered and carried away on mules. He relieved himself and went out of the old camp to get on the horse with everyone.

There are more than 30 miles from Laoying to Xinjiadian. When the men and horses walked to Malanyu, there was a burst of cannon fire and shouts from the northeast. Although the distance was far away, separated by two mountains, the sound was faint, and everyone understood that something had happened, so they urged the horses to gallop forward. When Hao Shaoqi saw that he was going to fight, he was full of interest, and said loudly on his horse:

"Brother Li, you leave this battle to me. I will definitely kill the officers and soldiers who have come to the ground! Can you leave it to me? ”

The drums of war are ringing, and the shouts of killing are incessant. Sanli Road, which is three miles away from Xinjiadian, was originally stationed in the most dangerous place, and at this time, a part of the men and horses were also sent to reinforce Xinjiadian, and a cavalry sent by Xinjiadian to Chuang Wang's old camp to report the news also arrived here. Zicheng asked about the situation, had some doubts in his heart, and asked again:

"Could it be our own family?"

"We saw a lot of people wearing official uniforms under the torches in front of us. If you are your own family, why do you have to pretend to be an official soldier when you come to this place? ”

King Chuang's heart was still suspicious, and he hurried to the Xin family's store. Hao Shaoqi's soldiers and Li Zicheng's own soldiers who came to reinforce were preparing to attack at dawn, and when they saw him coming, everyone cheered. In particular, those new Henan brothers, who saw for the first time their long-known and infinitely admired King Li Chuang, shouted loudly:

"King Chuang! Break the king! ”

It was very strange that they were cheering enthusiastically here, and suddenly a burst of cheers broke out from the enemy's position: "King Chuang! Break the king! Follow, drums, horns in unison, three strings, pipa, sheng, flute, all kinds of musical instruments are played, very lively, especially the suona sound loved by people in Shangluo Mountain and western Henan is the most cheerful and loud in the mountains. Li Zicheng and everyone understood.

The gate opened. The branches outside the door were removed. King Chuang took Hao Shaoqi and other soldiers out on horseback. In the dawn, they saw Mrs. Gao and Liu Fangliang riding out of the formation with a group of partial generals and male and female soldiers, with drums following them, and the banner of "Chuang" was also played. A large group of cavalry followed. The enthusiastic cheers continued, and the cheers did not stop until Liu Fangliang waved his hand behind him twice. When the two sides came together, they both jumped off their horses. Mrs. Gao felt that there were many words in her throat, but she didn't know what to say for a while. Zicheng saw that her eyes were moist, and he didn't know what to say, so he only said:

"I guess you're going to come back."

Mrs. Gao suddenly saw Hao Shaoqi, and asked with a smile: "Shaoqi, I heard that you mixed well in the Nanyang area, why did you come back?" ”

"Sister-in-law, don't you open which pot you don't mention. On the night I left King Chuang, as soon as I left the old camp, I swore in my heart: If I shake the banner and fall, I will not say anything; If I mix well, I won't come back to protect the king with my heart, and the heavens and the earth will be destroyed. Sister-in-law, you really don't understand what kind of person I Hao Shaoqi is! ”

"I'm joking with you, don't mind. In fact, if you mix well outside, you should come back, and if you don't mix well, you should come back. As the saying goes, three people have one heart, and loess turns into gold. If we go against the imperial court, can we succeed if we don't work together? ”

"My sister-in-law is right. In the future, if you beat me with a stick, don't try to beat me away from the banner of King Chuang! ”

Mrs. Gao walked into the crowd, pulled Hao Shaoqi's woman and children out, pushed in front of Hao Shaoqi, and said with a smile:

"Look, is there a hair missing? Kill as you please, and I'll leave you alone anymore. ”

Hao Shaoqi was a little embarrassed, picked up the five-year-old boy, and grinned. His woman thought of the tragic incident when she broke through in Tongguan Nanyuan last year, and looked at the family reunion today, and couldn't help but turn red in her eyes.

Mrs. Gao found Lanzhi hiding behind her, one hand grasping the hem of her clothes, she pulled her in front of her, pushed to Zicheng's side, and said:

"Look at her, she always thinks about you on weekdays, but when she comes to you, it's like a mouse seeing a cat." She pulled Zhang Nai to her side again, looked at it carefully, and said, "Alas, little Nai, you have grown half a head taller in the past six months!" Your Shuangxi brother is still in Lushi County and hasn't come back? ”

"Haven't come back yet." Zhang Nai replied that he had completely turned into a child in front of Mrs. Gao.

When everyone talked about a misunderstanding at night, Liu Fangliang said: "Maybe it was the official army's uniforms that caused the accident." So he explained that he had deceived the officials and soldiers and the townsmen on the road, and deliberately asked dozens of brothers to walk in front of them wearing official and military uniforms. Everyone couldn't help but laugh when they heard him say this. Mrs. Gao said:

"As soon as I entered the Shangzhou border, everyone was happy, forgot everything, and said Yili!"

When Mrs. Gao turned to others to speak, Zhang Nai went to greet Mrs. Gao's personal soldier Zhang Cai and others, and greeted Huiying and Huimei. He smiled at Hui Ying and asked:

"Sister Huiying, there is one thing you forgot, right?"

"What's the matter?"

"We were in Gansu during the Duanyang Festival last year, and you promised me that if there was no war in Duanyang this year, you would make a sachet for me. Where is the sachet you made for me? ”

"Ahh Okay, you wait two or three days, and I'll make one for you. ”

As soon as Hui Ying said this, Hui Mei took out a sachet from her arms and gave it to her. She immediately handed the sachet to Zhang Nai and said:

"Take it. This sachet is so beautiful and fragrant, you must love it. But this is Huimei sent to you, don't admit my affection. ”

Huiying spoke unintentionally, but Huimei's face turned red, and she quickly turned her head away.

Zhang Nai was embarrassed to see Huimei, and he himself was a little embarrassed. He looked at the sachet, sniffed it, and accepted it with a grin. Seeing a flute in Huimei's quiver, he asked:

"Huimei, didn't you throw away the flute when Tongguan broke through?"

Huimei felt that she was being slighted, and pursed her lips at him, but did not say anything.

A few days after Mrs. Gao's return, King Chuang also fell ill. The plan to go to Henan could not be realized for the time being, so he had to ask Li Haoyi to go back as soon as possible while the official army was not yet tightly surrounded, and wait for King Chuang and the soldiers to recover before breaking through the encirclement and going to Henan. But soon King Chuang received a report that Li Haoyi had died on the way back to Henan.

Since King Chuang fell ill, Mrs. Gao's burden has been particularly heavy. One morning, she was discussing the issue of child soldiers with Zhang Nai, when she suddenly heard more than a dozen horses galloping to the outside of the old camp and stopped, and then saw Li Shuangxi walking into the gate. Zhang Nai rushed to meet him, and at the same time shouted happily: "Brother Shuangxi! Shuangxi took Zhang Nai's hand with one hand and a horsewhip in the other, walked to the door of the upper room, and shouted with a smile:

"Mom!"

Mrs. Gao could see at a glance that Shuangxi had also grown taller, and her cheeks were thinner than before, but she didn't have time to show her maternal love, and hurriedly asked:

"Is Mr. Niu here?"

Shuangxi's smile was gone, he walked into the upper room, shook his head, and said, "Mom, something happened to Mr. Niu, it's terrible!" ”

"Ahh How could something have happened? ”

"We couldn't wait for him, the first time we sent someone to urge him, and the second time we sent a local to Niujiawan to inquire about the news, only to learn that his father and son had been arrested and brought into the city on the night of the 13th. We then sent people to the city of Lu to inquire and heard that his father and son had been tortured, shackled and handcuffed, and held in prison. The county magistrate said that his father and son had privately defected to the king and wanted to ask for the death penalty. ……”

"Hehe, you have to ask about the capital crime!"

Although Mrs. Gao has never met Niu Jinxing, she fully understands how he is a person with a "full stomach" and how much he has to do with King Chuang's career. In an instant, she thought of breaking the city and robbing the prison, robbing the law field, redeeming her life with silver, and so on, and at the same time, she was also thinking about whether to hide this matter from Zicheng and Jiexuan for the time being. When Shuangxi saw that she was no longer talking, he said:

"I'll come back quickly so my dad knows and try to rescue him. What about Dad? ”

King Chuang's illness has been determined to be alternate malaria, and there are other illnesses mixed in. However, what kind of symptoms these other symptoms were were still unclear under the medical conditions at the time, and they could only be said to be "epidemics" in general. Mrs. Gao was afraid of being alarmed, so she quickly glanced at Yizi, waved her hand, and led him to the front yard. She first explained King Chuang's illness to him, and then lowered her voice and asked:

"What about the two tigers?"

"Uncle Erhu stayed in the mountains at the junction of the two provinces with his men and horses, and continued to send people to inquire about Mr. Niu's situation. He planned to try to rob the prison to rescue Mr. Niu, but there were too few people, so he waited for the old camp to send troops as soon as possible. ”

Mrs. Gao's mind swirled, worried that the prison robbery might not succeed, but would cost Niu Jinxing and his son their lives. After a moment of silence, she asked again:

"Mr. Niu came to us, he didn't know, he didn't know, how could he go out of the wind?"

"I heard that one of the people who sang Luoyang tunes last time was from the Lu family and knew Mr. Niu. This person returned to Lu's county, got drunk, boasted in the teahouse about how benevolent and righteous we are, and let the Yamen's arresters hear about it, arrest him, and confess to Mr. Niu. ”

"Alas, I didn't expect the fault to happen to these people!" Madame Gao shook her head and smacked her lips. "Ask the kitchen to arrange a meal for you, and you can rest. I'm going to go to you and come up with an idea, I can't kill Mr. Niu and his son! She stood up and walked out with a heavy heart.

At this time, Yuan Zongdi lived in the old camp and assisted Mrs. Gao in presiding over everything. When she arrived at Zongdi, she sent someone to call Liu Fangliang and a few generals who usually had ideas in case of trouble to discuss rescue methods. Everyone thinks that under the current circumstances, it is impossible for the whole army to go to Henan, and the division of troops is a single force, breaking the city and robbing the prison is the next policy, and the best policy is to pay money and bribes, even if it may not be able to buy a clean one for Niu Jinxing, as long as he can temporarily save his life, there will be a way to rescue him in the future. and unanimously advocated hiding this matter from King Chuang and the chief whistle Liu Ye. Shang Jiong's illness was not as fierce as others, and after taking a few doses of medicine, it was already lighter. Mrs. Gao and Yuan Zongdi went to discuss with him again. He also agreed with everyone's idea, and said that he heard that the name of Lu's Zhixian is Bai Ying, a native of Shandong, who pretends to be a celebrity and likes to drink and write poems, but he is actually a corrupt official who loves money. After careful study, Mrs. Gao decided to send Shuangxi to set off overnight with five hundred taels of silver and a handwritten letter from Shang Jiong, and returned to Liu Tichun, asking Liu Tichun to find a reliable local person to send the silver and letters to the Lu family's city, and hand them over to Shang Can, a cousin of Shang Jiong's and a pediatrician, who was very familiar with him in the yamen. She especially instructed Shuangxi to ask him and Liu Tichun to return to the old camp within seven days, because the officers and soldiers had already increased a lot of troops in Wuguan, Languan, Shangzhou, Longju Village, and other places, and it was estimated that the war here was about to start, and if they came back late, there would be a danger of cutting off the enemy.

At the second watch, Li Shuangxi set off with more than a dozen pro-soldiers.

On the third day of his departure, Zheng Chongjian, the governor of Shaanxi and the three sides, arrived at Wuguan. He knew that the plague was epidemic in the peasant army, and most of Li Zicheng and important generals were bedridden, so he decided to attack Shangluo Mountain in four ways. The hardest days in Shangluo Mountain began.