CHAPTER XXXV

Late one night in November, the first quarter moon had set, the shadows of the mountains were dark, and the trees were as dark as ink. In the southwest of Yunyang, about two hundred miles away, there is a cottage on the top of a small hill, three sides of the cliff, only one side of the winding path leads to the bottom of the mountain, and there is a large temple under the mountain has been deserted, and now stationed a group of Li Zicheng's rebels, controlling the three-way intersection. Obviously, a few years ago, there was a mountain street in front of this big temple, dozens of residents, and three or four restaurants, which was a place for merchants and pedestrians from the south to the north to stop, and every other day to buy and sell oil, salt and groceries. Because of years of war, this mountain street is now completely in ruins, with piles of rubble and barren grass. Some of the houses of the Great Temple were burned down, some collapsed, and very little remained. Some of the three or four hundred rebels lived in the dilapidated Daxiong Treasure Hall, some lived under the mountain gate, and some lived in tents. At this moment, more than a dozen tents have been dismantled, bundled into bundles, and ready to be carried away. The soldiers gathered in heaps in a leeward place to make a fire. War horses are gnawing on half-withered grass, and some are eating beans. The saddle is placed next to the horse and can be saddled at any time. The fireheads were divided into several places to cook. Wood from the hearth was burning, and smoke was rising from the cauldron.

In one of the halls in the cottage, firewood was lit and tung oil lamps were lit, and an extremely important military meeting had been held for a long time. Because King Chuang had decided to leave on the fifth watch, he pulled out of the Yunyang Realm and did a new job, and they were very excited and spoke very warmly. For more than five months, they followed the strict orders of King Chuang, scattered and lurked in the mountains south of Yunyang, mainly relying on shooting and hunting for a living, life was very hard, and they could not find officials and soldiers to fight, nor could they go to break through the city, and sometimes they could not break through the king's banner to break through the cottage for food, so they had already lived in the Yunyang Mountains and were bored and anxious, and they could not bear it any longer. Now, the day of daily hope has finally arrived.

After a brief introduction by King Chuang at the beginning of the meeting, everyone has a clear understanding of the military situation beyond the Yunyang Mountains. At that time, Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai had already killed the famous Sichuan general Zhang Ling between Wuxi and Dachang in eastern Sichuan, defeated the famous female general Qin Liangyu and other Sichuan troops, broke through the encirclement, and penetrated deep into the interior of Sichuan. Yang Sichang is now in Sichuan, and some people say that he has arrived in Chongqing. It turned out that the tens of thousands of officers and troops gathered in eastern Sichuan, some of them were scattered, and some followed the butts of Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai, exhausted and demoralized. The Shaanxi officers and troops led by He Renlong and others gathered at the junction of Sichuan and Shaanxi south of Hanzhong and north of Guangyuan to prevent Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai from breaking into Shaanxi from Guangyuan. In short, almost all the officers and troops of several provinces under the command of Yang Sichang went to the interior of Sichuan and the border areas of Sichuan and Shaanxi, and the officers and troops of Huguang and Henan provinces were very empty. Since the eleventh year of Chongzhen, the fourth battalion of the revolution and the left went to the western part of Anhui and eastern Hubei without any great achievements, and entered the Dabie Mountains every summer to rest the horses and horses, and came out to collect grain in the autumn. Later, the old Hui also went back and was combined into five battalions, so it is also called the five battalions of Hui and Ge. The Huguang official army was not transferred to Sichuan by Yang Sichang, and the governor Song Yihe was stationed in eastern Hubei to deal with the five battalions of Hui and Ge. In the provinces of Henan and Shandong, as well as in northern Anhui, peasant uprisings were everywhere. In Henan alone, there are more than 100 large stocks along the south bank of the Yellow River, some with hundreds or several thousands, and some with tens of thousands or tens of thousands. The peasants of Hebei have risen up one after another and occupied the cottage in the Taihang Mountain, which has made the road from Zhending to the bank of the Yellow River impassable. Moreover, this year, there was a severe drought in Beijing, Shandong, Henan, Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Zhejiang, and there were locust plagues and famines that were very serious.

These circumstances made the generals really understand that now is a good time to pull out of Yunyang Mountain, and they also understand that it is a wise decision for King Chuang to pull people to Henan. However, some generals were anxious to quickly win a few battles as soon as they got out of the Yunyang Mountains, break through a few cities, and work happily. In particular, Ma Shiyaoxin came back from the sentry near Yunyang City, knowing that there were not many officers and soldiers in Yunyang City, and the new Yunyang Governor Yuan Jixian sent some of the officers and troops to Fang County, and there were less than 1,000 people left in Yunyang City. In addition, now there are many generals and dependents living in Yunyang City, and the relatives who follow the dependents, all of whom are Shaanxi villagers. He suggested secretly contacting some generals' dependents and personal soldiers, combining inside and outside, breaking through Yunyang Mansion in one fell swoop, capturing the governor and prefect alive, seizing the food and baggage in Yunyang City, making an earth-shattering shock, and then killing Henan. Many people were excited to hear this idea, expressed their approval, and added some ways to break the city. Some people further proposed that after breaking Yunyang, they went straight to Xiangyang. It is better to be able to attack Xiangyang, even if it is not successful, it will make Yang Sichang panic, he can't take care of everything, and all his military deployments will be disrupted.

Li Zicheng had been sitting quietly by a fire in the middle of the room, sitting on a bench with Liu Zongmin, listening to everyone talking and thinking about many questions. He understood that the morale of the soldiers was currently unprecedentedly high because they wanted to pull out of Yunyang Mountain; He also understood that the defenders in Yunyang City were very weak, and Ma Shiyao's suggestion was not unreasonable. But his mind was much deeper than the others. In the enthusiastic speeches of everyone, his mood was very uncalm, sometimes like the waves in the sea. Liu Zongmin, who was sitting next to him, touched him with his elbow and whispered, "Brother Li, everyone has said a lot, you can say a few words now." King Chuang nodded, coughed lightly, cleared his throat, and prepared to speak. Zong Min quickly turned to everyone and said:

"Everyone, be quiet, don't talk anymore, listen to King Chuang!"

No one in the audience was silent. The pine firewood spat out the vigorous flames, which illuminated King Chuang's face red, and his eyes were extremely bright. Almost all the generals looked at his face and waited for him to speak.

King Chuang sat up straight, smiled, looked around at all the generals, suppressed the excitement in his heart, and then began to say in a calm voice:

"In the past few months, everyone has suffered with me! There are not many soldiers left of our old eighth team now, all of them are iron men, no matter how hard they are, they can hold on, no matter how difficult they are, they can withstand it. At the beginning of May, I told everyone that if you can survive in the mountains of Yunyang, you will win, and if you can't hold on, you will suffer setbacks, and maybe even your old book will be lost. I have been in the uprising for more than ten years, I have experienced many risks on the battlefield, and I have been besieged several times, and I have learned a trick of 'support'. Sometimes the two armies fought fiercely, and the killing was inseparable, and the blood flowed like rivers, and the dead and wounded were everywhere, depending on who could hold out for an extra hour or half an hour. Sometimes, a little more is enough to win. People praise our old eighth team for being able to attack and fight, but in fact, most of them rely on everyone to have a hard bone, and they are willing to follow me to grit their teeth and work hard when they are difficult. ”

King Chuang spoke very slowly, and every word hit the hearts of the generals, evoking a lot of memories of the bitter battle in front of them, and everyone nodded frequently. Yuan Zongdi couldn't help but say:

"Only this group of iron men who have followed King Chuang for many years know that the more difficult and difficult it is, the more we must resist it!"

King Chuang continued: "Since the beginning of May, we have disappeared and hidden in this Yunyang Mountain. We hid it, and tried to hide it as secret as possible, so that Yang Sichang didn't know where we were, why did we come from? It is for the sake of jumping out today and doing a vigorous job. In the past few months, many soldiers have been so anxious that they are so anxious that they are so bored that they complain that I do not lead everyone to go out with the unprepared officers and soldiers, and they are always hiding in this sparsely populated poor mountain and forest. Now you get it, right? To do something earth-shattering, sometimes you have to be good at waiting, and you have to endure loneliness. The real heroic cause does not lie in the excitement of the moment, but in thinking about how to turn the tide and change the color of the mountains and rivers. In the past few months, the court has thought that we are finished, and there is no longer any need to worry; Yang Sichang thinks that we are finished, and only thinks about chasing and besieging Jing Xuan; It's Jingxuan and them, because they can't hear from us, I'm afraid they also think that we can't turn it over anymore. Well, very good! ”

Many of the generals laughed, some nodded in understanding, and some couldn't help but say happily: "Okay, good, this is the elusiveness!" Li Zicheng also smiled, and continued:

"Now that we suddenly go out, as long as we rush into Henan and call on the hungry people, we will immediately reverse the overall situation and make the court panic. In the art of war, it says: 'Immobility is like yin, movement is like thunder.' And he said: 'The good defenders hide under the nine earths, and the good attackers move above the nine heavens.' 'Let's hide in this Yunyang Mountain, that is, guard; Now to go to Henan, crisscrossing the Central Plains, is to attack. Only by hiding well can we take advantage of the time to attack, so that the enemy will feel as if we have fallen from the sky, and like lightning and lightning. As the saying goes, 'lightning can't cover your ears'. We just want to rush into Henan like lightning and catch the enemy by surprise. ”

Tian Jianxiu interjected: "The ancients said: 'Quiet is like a virgin, and moving is like a rabbit.'" 'When you don't move, you should be like a big girl hidden in the boudoir, and move as fast as a rabbit out of the net. It's not a good idea to say that a rabbit is off the net, but it's just an analogy. ”

Many laughed. A voice said, "We're tigers coming down!" ”

Gao Yigong also interjected with a smile: "At first, many soldiers didn't understand why King Chuang chose to hide in the mountains south of Yunyang, but now they should understand!" At that time, Zhang Jingxuan and Cao Cao both wanted to enter Sichuan, many units of Hui Dengxiang were also in eastern Sichuan, Yang Sichang was stationed in Yiling, and the official army under his personal command and the official army commanded by Shao Jiechun, the governor of Sichuan, were all in eastern Sichuan, and the army was really like a cloud. Why should we join in the fun? We have very few people and horses, and our strength is very weak, so we don't want to eat it for Jing Xuan or Yang Sichang, and you must not go to a lively place like Kuizhou Mansion. As for ......"

Someone interjected: "Cao Cao, Hui Dengxiang nine battalions, none of them are the real uprising of the bright road, three or four years, seeing the strength of the official army, always with a heart to be appeased, sure enough, after arriving in eastern Sichuan, suffered defeat, the wind is unfavorable, all have surrendered to Yang Sichang." I heard that if Zhang Jingxuan hadn't arrived in time and held on tightly, even Cao Cao's glass egg would have rolled to Yang Sichang's feet. We are not on the same road as these goods, and we can't pee in a pot on weekdays, so why do we have to mix with them? King Chuang led us to this Yunyang Mountain within a radius of hundreds of miles, quietly observing the overall situation, resting and recuperating, it is really a wonderful move! ”

Gao Yigong said: "At that time, some soldiers did not understand the wisdom of King Chuang, one did not believe that the good time would come soon, and the other did not understand why they had to choose this place to lurk. Although King Chuang has talked to everyone, some of us still can't really understand because we don't stand tall and can't see far. At that time, Yang Sichang was gaining military power, and King Chuang saw at a glance that the situation would not last long, so he decided to hide and rest in the mountains south of Yunyang. It's a really good place. We will neither go to the Kuidong area to join in the fun, nor will we go to the east of Yun and Xiang to lure Song Yihe's Huguang officials and troops to our side. As for the areas such as Ankang and Pingli in Shaanxi, and the Zhuxi and Zhushan areas close to Sichuan, there were officers and troops of Zuo Liangyu and others stationed at that time. Only this place is an open space, and no one comes. It looks like an open space, but it is only two days away from Yunyang. Yunyang is the main route between Shaanxi, Huguang and Henan provinces. When the time comes, go out from Yunyang and go anywhere you want. Therefore, it is very appropriate for King Chuang to choose this place to stand by. Now everyone won't complain anymore! After saying that, he laughed. Everyone laughed heartily.

King Chuang continued: "You guys just mentioned the matter of attacking Yunyang Mansion City, if two or three years ago, I would have adopted it, and I would have praised it as a very good idea. At present, not only is the strength of the Yunyang defenders weak, but the defenders are even more empty like the nearby Yunxi and Baihe counties. It is not easy to break Yunyang, and it is indeed easy to break those two counties. But we will never attack the city now, and we will not enter the big or small cities. They will post and invite, but we will not go! ”

Many of the generals did not understand what King Chuang meant, and looked at him with strange eyes, and some people looked at each other, and immediately looked at King Chuang's face again. Someone from the other side of the fire gently asked the others, "Why don't you break the city?" Another whispered, "Don't say anything! Listen to the king of Chuang's reasoning. Zicheng smiled and continued to say in a calm voice:

"In the past few years, I have suffered a lot of losses, but I have also gained some knowledge, I know how to summon up courage and prepare for victory in the most difficult and difficult days, and think more about the setbacks and difficulties that will be encountered when things are going well, and never look at everything only on the smooth side. In everything, look forward and backward, look at the front and look at the negative. For the time being, it is the best policy for us to rush to Henan unknowingly, and it is the best policy to break through Yunyang, Yunxi and other cities before going to Henan. We only have 1,000 centaurs, and some of them have dependents. If you are in a hurry to break the city, as you said, you will not be able to go smoothly. In that way, it will inevitably attract Yang Sichang's attention, divide troops to deal with us, and provoke the officials and troops to chase after us as in previous years. In that case, even if we have plans to turn the world upside down, it will be in vain. What's more, Yunyang is currently an important military town, and there is a governor stationed there, Yuan Jixian is not a straw bag, in case he can't break through and damages some soldiers, wouldn't he steal chickens and rice? Once we arrived in Henan, every brother who followed me now was of great use, one person should be used for ten people, and one person should be used for a hundred people, so I should try to avoid war, and not even a single brother will be lost! ”

Liu Zongmin smiled at everyone and said: "In the past few months, in addition to hunting and studying, we have thought of some earth-shaking military plans, but we are not just trying to quickly break a few cities and kill a few officials, and be happy for a while!" ”

King Chuang excitedly continued: "Yes, yes, fighting a war is not just about having fun! To fight a war, we must strive for big profits, not small profits. What should be fought for must be fought for, and what should be given up must be given up, and don't lose big because of the small. In the art of war, it says: 'There is no way to stop the road, there is no attack on the army, there is no attack on the city, and there is no dispute about the land.' 'We are now determined to run to Henan and crisscross the Central Plains, so we will never attack the city along the way, do not take the road between Yunyang and Junzhou, and do not intend to eat a small group of officers and troops; To be able to rush into Henan quickly and confidentially is to win a big battle, and then to be able to do a vigorous and great thing. Liu Erhu had already entered the inner countryside of western Henan from Shangluo Mountain in the summer, and Mingyuan also went last month. I have sent someone to tell Erhu and tell him to wait in Zhechuan to meet us. Please discuss which road we want to take to Henan, and how to avoid the eyes and ears of the officials and soldiers along the way. As for how to do it after arriving in Henan, we will not discuss it tonight. Everyone must take a nap, get up on the fourth watch, and start on the fifth watch. There are still a few military disciplines, and Jie Xuan will tell you right away, and before setting out, I will proclaim an edict to the brothers at all posts and abide by them as one. ”

Because King Chuang had some important things to do, he left Liu Zongmin and Tian Jianxiu to preside over the meeting and went out with Gao Yigong.

Nearly five watches, King Li Chuang's troops set off. Although the whole battalion numbered only a little more than a thousand, it was divided into several groups, so that if necessary, it could be immediately broken into pieces and dispersed to avoid the eyes and ears of the officers and soldiers. Yuan Zongdi led the first team. Tamihide led the second team. The first power of the high school leads the third team to protect the old camp. Li Guo led 200 elite soldiers as four teams and walked behind the old camp. There were only about twenty children left, following the old battalion. King Chuang and Liu Zongmin led about 50 personal soldiers and generals to temporarily follow the old camp and set off. The old camp is silent, and it is not allowed to leak out that it is the king's people, let alone where it is going. Before leaving, Liu Zongmin announced to the old camp the strict order of the king: no siege of the city and the village along the road; Unless the officers and soldiers and the townsmen stand in the way, they are not allowed to fight them; When the people buy and sell, it is not allowed to force the people to take a stitch and a thread. After setting off for about twenty miles, the sun came out, shining on the maple forests on the mountains on both sides of the road, bright red, and there was no edge in sight.

After the troops set out, they deliberately headed northwest, as if they were going to enter Shaanxi from the vicinity of Baihe County. Two days later, he crossed the Han River at night from the vicinity of the Jiangjun River, continued northward, stopped between Baihe and Yunxi counties to rest for a day, and deliberately sent a small group of cavalry to the vicinity of the Jiahe River to investigate. The magistrates of Baihe and Yunxi counties all got the news, thinking that this was a group of "thieves" who had broken and were deliberately rushing into Shaanxi, stepping up their defense of the city while reporting to the governor of Yunyang. But when the governor of Yunyang got the report, this group of men and horses had disappeared out of nowhere.

Li Zicheng found out that there were no Ming Dynasty officials and troops on the road from Baihe County to the Xichuan border in Henan Province for 300 miles. Together with Liu Zongmin, he led 50 generals and soldiers, carrying dry rations, bran, and beans, left the brigade and hurried eastward, while ordering Tian Jianxiu and Gao Yigong to come from the deserted road. At dawn on the third day, a small group of cavalry led by King Li Chuang came to the vicinity of Jingzi Pass. Unexpectedly, after dusk yesterday, 400 cavalry of Zheng Chongjian, the governor of Shaanxi and the three sides, suddenly came to the Jingzi Pass Village. They were escorted back to Xi'an with 100,000 taels of silver from Xiangyang, led by a guerrilla general. When Li Zicheng went to a small village five miles west of Jingzi Pass to rest and fight, he got the news of this group of officers and troops from the mouths of the common people, but there was only one way to go through Jingzi Pass, so he either retreated and made a one-day detour into Xichuan, or waited for the arrival of the brigade to drive away the officers and soldiers. Li Zicheng was anxious to enter Xichuan, neither waiting for the brigade nor taking too far a detour. Later, he found a guide and led his small army through a very difficult valley near Jingzi Pass, and then turned over the main road a few miles east of the pass. The officers and soldiers stationed in the village soon found out about this incident, and knew that there were only fifty cavalry who had sneaked to Henan, and that King Chuang's brigade was still more than a day's way away. They thought that this was Li Zicheng's outpost, and in order to seize the fifty war horses and receive awards for meritorious service, they immediately sent out 300 cavalry to chase after them, leaving 100 cavalry to cooperate with Lian Yong and the people to defend the village. They had already received a report from the villagers that Li Zicheng's 50 cavalrymen had been marching day and night for the past two days and were very tired, so they had temporarily thrown their usual fear of the rebel army out of the clouds.

The morning fog became thicker and thicker, and there was no human figure to be seen from ten feet away. The mountains, the valleys, the villages, and the woods were completely obscured by the white fog. After Li Zicheng led a small group of people to the right road, he rewarded the guide heavily, and then slowly advanced. After walking for about four or five miles, I encountered a fork in the road, and there was only one thatched rice shop in the lonely place, and I saw only one man. King Chuang decided to take a break here, and asked the man to quickly boil half a pot of boiling water, and everyone took out dry food to sharpen it, and at the same time took out beans to feed the horses. After everyone was sharpened, they got back on their horses and hurried away. But because Li Zicheng was asking the man in the restaurant about the famine in the Xichuan area, he paused for a while, leaving only four personal soldiers by his side. After the inquiry, when he was about to leave, the war horse ridden by a personal soldier spilled a soak of urine and, and he couldn't help but delay for a while. Suddenly, he heard the sound of horses' hooves coming from the west, and it was very urgent. Obviously, Zheng Chongjian's cavalry was chasing after him from Jingzi Pass. Although he could not see the shadow of men and horses, with years of experience, he judged that this cavalry was about three hundred based on the sound of horses' hooves. Because of such a huge disparity in the number of enemies and friends, the soldiers drew their swords while urging the king to move, the sooner the better. King Chuang was very calm, and rewarded the man with a handful of broken silver, telling him to flee quickly, lest the officials and soldiers catch him and kill him. The man did not know that he was the king of Chuang, and when he saw that he was so benevolent, he rewarded him with silver, and he fell on the ground and kowtowed, and even said a few words of gratitude, and fled into the deep mountains and dense forests filled with thick fog.

The cavalry of the officer army was closer. Li Zicheng was about to leave, when he suddenly saw the on the ground smoking lightly in the frost wind, and he ordered a personal soldier to dismount and go to the thatched hut to quickly extinguish the embers in the stove, add a scoop of cold water to the pot, and then take half a scoop of water and pour it on the horse dung. When the soldier was doing these things with great swiftness, he ordered the other three soldiers to join him on the side of the hut, and each of them drew three feathered arrows, and put one on the string, and drew the string and the arrow against the path that came from Jingzi Pass, and was ready to be fired. When the soldier sent the water scoop back to the hut and walked out, King Chuang ordered one of his soldiers to pour half a bag of beans on the narrow intersection, and then whispered, "Follow me!" Although he understood that the three hundred or so officers and soldiers were only more than half a mile away from him and would be chased in a blink of an eye, he led four of his own soldiers to walk slowly, turned around the foot of a mountain, and heard the surging pine waves on both sides of the mountain, so he whipped and galloped.

When the cavalry of the officers and soldiers who were running at the front were about to reach the small restaurant, the war horses suddenly stopped and fought for the beans on the ground. These war horses, usually deducted from bran by their masters, mainly rely on hay to satisfy their hunger in winter, so when they encounter pea paste and barley bran, they stop and refuse to leave. As soon as the horse in front stopped, the whole mountain road was blocked. The cavalry in front of them used whips to barely make their horses run out of the intersection, and the horses that followed them had to eat a few bites greedily before they were willing to advance. After a period of confusion, the whole team came to the fork in the road in front of the restaurant. They knew that the mountain road on the right led to Shangji and the county seat, and the mountain road on the left led to other places, and they had heard that a few days ago a group of thieves had come from the inner countryside to occupy Shangji, so they concluded that this small group of thieves was running to Shangji. Many officers and soldiers also thought that the rebels would not go far, and that the horses were too tired to catch up. Some urged the generals leading the team to hurry forward and chase after them, while others had already reined in their horses and rushed to the path to the right and began to pursue. However, the guerrilla general who led the team was an experienced veteran soldier and was very alert and careful, so Zheng Chongjian sent him to Xiangyang to escort the silver. He wanted to continue the pursuit immediately, but he was worried that he would stay away from Jingzi Pass, and if a large follow-up army of thieves came from the west, he would lose his head if he lost his salary. After a slight hesitation, he said to his soldiers: "Don't be in a hurry, wait for my orders!" So he quickly dismounted, and strode into the hut. An officer preemptively pulled all his 100 cavalry to the right side, intending to rush to the front as soon as the general gave him the order, so as to take the lead and make a windfall. The people waited with great nervousness for the general to come out of the hut.

The general walked into the hut, lifted the lid of the pot, and touched it with his hand, and the rest of the boiling water was only a little hot; Bending down to look at the stove, the fire was extinguished, and only lukewarm remained. When he walked out of the hut, he suddenly found that there was horse feces and urine on the ground, and he quickly leaned down to look. He knew that if there was heat on the, he would not be able to go far. However, he didn't see a trace of heat on the, which was obviously already cold. He concluded that the thieves had traveled about ten miles, and cursed, "Fuck! "Issue an order:

"Hurry back to the customs!"

Li Zicheng caught up with Liu Zongmin, continued to speed up, and met a small group of cavalry sent by Liu Tichun to spy near Jingzi Pass on the bank of the Qi River.

In the spring of this year, when King Chuang led more than 1,000 elite troops and some of his dependents to break through from Shangluo Mountain, Liu Tichun and Gu Ying's uncle and nephew were left behind to take care of and protect the wounded and sick soldiers and the old and weak women who could not be taken away in Shangluo Mountain. Soon, the body pure wind heard that the king rushed to cross the Han River from the vicinity of Baihe County, and fought a battle with He Renlong, Liu Zongmin desperately resisted the official army, unfortunately cut off the way to retreat, had to commit suicide by throwing himself into the water, Hao Shaoqi was captured; Later, it was rumored that Zhang Xianzhong wanted to annex King Chuang, and King Chuang fled. For a long time after that, there was no news about the whereabouts of King Chuang and his party. He had joined his brother Liu Tiren in the Wang Rebellion eight years earlier, and his brother had died in battle four years earlier, and he regarded Li Zicheng as both a leader and a brother. For a long time, he couldn't hear from King Chuang, and he didn't know the good luck, and he lived a day in Shangluo Mountain like a year. In the middle of July, King Chuang suddenly sent people back to Shangluo Mountain, and he learned that King Chuang led the whole camp to lurk safely in Yunyang Mountain, recuperate in the horses, and only wait for Yang Sichang to chase Zhang Xianzhong into Sichuan or the official army was dragged exhausted in the eastern Sichuan area, and King Chuang immediately came out of Yunyang Mountain to do a great job. He also knew that Liu Zongmin was not dead or injured, and that only Hao Shaoqi, one of the important generals, did not cross the Han River, and his whereabouts were unknown. He followed the instructions of King Chuang and quickly entered western Henan. Although he didn't understand the true plan of King Chuang at that time, he sneaked out of Wuguan without hesitation and galloped into the inner countryside. With only 300 cavalry under his command, he rushed into Henan, which was unfamiliar with the people, and fought a situation among many cottages and villagers, which not only required him to have the ability to use his military wit, but also required him to have great courage and great loyalty to the revolutionary cause of King Li Chuang.

In August, because Liu Tichun's troops were strictly disciplined, only attacked the rich and did not disturb the civilians, and sometimes tried to help the poor, although there were several cottages in the inner countryside that were entrenched in the large eunuchs, they could not hinder him from standing still, and the number of men and horses increased day by day. Two months ago, several cottages led by Chimeicheng gathered more than 2,000 villagers to fight a battle with Liu Tichun on the bank of the turbulent river, and were defeated by the righteous army, and since then they have not dared to attack the righteous army again, and Liu Erhu's prestige has spread in the junction of Neixiang, Dengzhou and Zhechuan counties. In early October, he captured Mashankou, an important market town in the northeast of Neixiang. It is close to the foot of Funiu Mountain, the terrain is strong, and it is an important outlet for local goods at the foot of Funiu Mountain. Twice the township bravely came to fight, but they were defeated. He divided his troops to the east, and broke through the two important market towns in Zhenping County, Jia Song and Shifo Temple, and with food and wages, he quickly recruited two or three thousand hungry people into the camp. In mid-October, Gu Ying led hundreds of other men and horses who remained in Shangluo Mountain to come out, meet with Liu Tichun in Ma Shankou, and tell him King Chuang's secret instructions, asking him to meet King Chuang near Shangji in Xichuan County in mid-November, and immediately send people to Lushi County to see if Shiniu Venus had been released from prison. This news about King Chuang's imminent arrival in Henan brought infinite encouragement to him and his soldiers. He immediately went north with Gu Ying, and with the swift action, he cooperated with the hungry people to break through the important town of Xiaguan leading to the Lu family, and continued to march north, breaking through the important town of Luanchuan in the territory of the Lu family, and talked to Niu Jinxing, who lived in the mountains after being released from prison, and then returned to Shima Pass. Five days later, he came to the territory of Zhechuan from Mashankou, occupied Shangji, and waited for King Chuang to arrive.

Just after the hour, a cavalry rushed into the upper set. The strong horse gasped, and the short fur on its head and body was wet. Liu Tichun was training his people, and as soon as he got the report that King Chuang had bypassed Jingzi Pass and came to the set, he was so happy that he almost jumped up. He waited day and night, and now King Chuang had finally arrived.

Liu Tichun immediately gathered 500 cavalry and 200 infantry and drove outside the village to meet King Chuang, while the rest stayed inside and outside the village to perform various duties. Since he arrived in the last episode, a group of folk drummers came to join the camp and were taken in by him. At this time, out of their enthusiasm and love for King Chuang, the soldiers suggested to Tichun that this group of drums should be placed at the front of the welcoming people, and when they saw King Chuang coming to the west bank of Xishui, they began to play music. This was a common occurrence in many peasant armies at that time, such as Cao Cao's old camp, which usually had not only two classes of drummers, but also a group of female musicians. But Liu Tichun knew that King Chuang didn't like this kind of style, so he ordered the flag and drum officer to take four drummers, four military trumpets and two gong-playing brothers out of the village and stand on the east bank of Zhejiang Water. When the procession was arranged on the east bank of Xishui to the west gate of Shangji, the shadow of King Chuang's men and horses had not yet appeared at the foot of the hill opposite. Ti Chun led a hundred cavalry and his own soldiers, crossed the Xishui Bridge, and galloped along the road leading to Jingzi Pass.

In the past, the common people here only heard that there was such a person as King Li Chuang, and they knew that he was once besieged in Shangluo Mountain, but it was just a rumor and did not attract attention. Since Liu Tichun came to the inner countryside, people began to circulate some stories of King Chuang. After Liu Tichun came here, the common people began to know that King Li Chuang was an extraordinary figure because they saw with their own eyes how this group of men and horses was disciplined, bought and sold evenly, fought the rich and helped the poor, and because the soldiers gossiped about the common people and often talked about King Chuang's many admirable actions and outstanding achievements. Therefore, as soon as he heard that Liu Erhu would line up the horses and soldiers on the west bank of Xishui to meet King Chuang, the common people boiled and went out of the village to meet King Chuang. They were anxious to see with their own eyes what King Chuang looked like, to see the military appearance of King Chuang, and the children wanted to see the excitement. When the people living in the nearby villages heard the news, they also rushed to the shore of the river in droves. Seven or eight out of ten of the people in Shangji Village and nearby villages had already fled into the mountains, and since Liu Tichun came, they knew that this group of people who broke into the king not only did not rape and burn like the official army and the bandits, but also released relief grain, so the three stoppers came back and stopped twice. Now on the banks of the Zhejiang River and outside the ranks of foot riders, crowded with men and women. Some of the older and well-informed people carried incense sticks or incense burners. While waiting, everyone speculated and whispered, thinking that King Chuang must lead tens of thousands of horses, at least a few thousand, and there were hundreds of neatly armored cavalry in front of him to open the way, with all kinds of banners distinct.

After a meal, the greeters saw a cloud of dust rising from the woods at the foot of the opposite hill. Immediately, the crowd was excited, everyone stared, and there were whispers in the crowd: "It's coming!" Here it comes! After a while, a cavalry of less than two hundred men came out from behind the woods, not only did not lead the king's banner, but even the ordinary banners of the rebel army were few. Everyone knew in their hearts that this was just an outpost of King Chuang's army, and King Chuang would come later.

The cavalry was getting closer, and it was more than two miles away from the woods. People were still expecting new, larger dust to rise from the woods, and the neighing of horses and the sound of horses' hooves on the stone path. Strangely enough, however, the small group of cavalry was getting closer and closer, but everything was silent behind the woods. People immediately saw that this small group of cavalry included more than 100 soldiers brought by Liu Tichun to meet King Chuang, as well as 20 or 30 cavalrymen sent by him to the vicinity of Jingzi Pass. Many people began to understand that King Li Chuang had not yet arrived, and it was still far from here, but a team of sentry horses to explore the way had arrived, so Liu Tichun had to take King Chuang's sentry horse back temporarily. People were doubting and speculating, when suddenly a cavalryman left the ranks and galloped in. On this side of the river, a leader of the team hurried forward and immediately asked on the shore:

"Did King Chuang get it?"

"It's coming! Here it comes! Hurry up and get some music! The rider who came answered with a whip, and without crossing the bridge, he turned his horse's head and galloped away.

As soon as the drum officer gave the order, the four war drums, the four military trumpets, and the two gongs immediately played majestic music, especially the rhythmic sound of the war drums on all four sides, which shook the heavens and the earth. All the people with incense shall quickly light the fire with a fire sickle, light the incense, take it in their hands, and kneel on the ground. The infantry cavalry standing in the middle of the road was silent, and turned their heads slightly to the west bank, looking at the river bank, everyone wanted to see King Chuang quickly. Those veteran soldiers who had experienced a hundred battles with King Chuang and the half-veteran soldiers who had experienced hardships and risks with King Chuang in Shangluo Mountain, because they were looking forward to King Chuang's return, couldn't help but have moist eyes and feelings in their hearts.

The small group walked onto the bridge. Although Liu Zongmin was very big and mighty, most of the people could still see at a glance that the big man wearing an old felt hat behind Zong Min was King Chuang. There were also a few people who mistakenly thought of Liu Zongmin as Li Zicheng at first, but after looking at the figure riding a dark gray whirlhair war horse behind Zong Min, he immediately corrected his misunderstanding. They could see that King Li Chuang was not only very powerful and handsome, but also had some characteristics that they could not understand, perhaps that deep aura, perhaps that kind of very unusual blazing gaze, or perhaps some other characteristic that made the people who knelt to greet him feel that he was very different from all the generals they had ever seen.

Li Zicheng went up to the river bank and walked towards the Shangji Gate through the soldiers and people who greeted him through the sandwich road. He smiled and nodded to the soldiers as he walked slowly, and from time to time he said to the people, "Don't kneel, don't kneel." "Those Shaanxi soldiers who used to have damp eyes, there were many people who suddenly couldn't bear it when King Chuang rode past in front of them, their noses were sore, tears flowed, and a few people actually sobbed. King Chuang did his best to avoid the tearful eyes that looked at him, and urged the horse to hurry. The people were not like the civil and military generals who knelt down to greet the Ming Dynasty in the past, their legs trembled with fright, and they did not dare to raise their heads, but looked curiously at King Chuang and his small team of soldiers. There were a few middle-aged people who were attentive to everything, and they silently counted that there were only fifty horsemen with King Chuang's entourage, and they couldn't help but wonder in their hearts: "Could it be that where did you lose the battle, and only these fifty horsemen were left to run to Henan?" Some people also noticed that the war horses that came with King Chuang, although they looked emaciated due to the long journey, their skeletons were towering, and their legs and stirrups were covered with dust, but the soldiers on the horses were all energetic and jubilant, and they did not look like they had suffered defeat.

Because the common people saw that there were only 50 soldiers who came to Henan with King Chuang, and they did not follow the brigade behind, they were very impressed, and they talked about it everywhere. In just one month, King Li Chuang's men and horses grew to more than 100,000, so people spread the news that King Li Chuang led fifty horsemen into Henan.

Li Zicheng and Liu Zongmin rested in the large temple where Liu Tichun was stationed. He asked Tichun about the situation in the army and in western Henan. What made him particularly happy was that Shang Shenxian followed Gu Ying out of Shangluo Mountain, and now with the troops stationed in Luanchuan who had entered Funiu Mountain, he was trying to secretly meet with Niu Jinxing and bring Niu Juren's entire family into the army. After asking about some important information, Li Zicheng and the soldiers hurriedly ate a hot meal, told everyone to go to sleep and rest, and urged Zong Min to sleep, but he himself refused to lie down, and asked Tichun to accompany him out of the temple.

As soon as he got out of the mountain gate, Li Zicheng saw a small group of cavalry galloping out of the village from Shangji. He asked Ti Chun:

"What's the urgency?"

Ti Chun replied: "I agreed with Zijie that after you come to the last episode, you will immediately send a flying horse to report to him." They went to Mashankou to report to Zijie. I told them not to delay on the way, but to arrive tomorrow morning. ”

King Chuang didn't ask again, let alone expect that the departure of this small group of cavalry would lead to a series of military actions completely different from his ideas, almost destroying his well-thought-out battle strategy in Yunyang Mountain. He met many old brothers who had come out of Shangluo Mountain and greeted them cordially. There were many soldiers who had hung up in Shangluo Mountain and had been seriously ill, and he remembered that he especially asked them about their condition after they were cured. When he saw some soldiers whose families were in Shangluo Mountain, he asked about their parents and family members, and asked them if they had left some money for their families when they came to Henan. He was so approachable, familiar and caring with the soldiers, that many soldiers could not help but burst into tears when they answered his questions.

While he was talking to a group of soldiers gathered around in front of a tent, he saw a peasant with very tattered clothes and a thin yellow face coming to look for Ti Chun, so he led the farmer to stand in a nearby place where no one else was talking and whispered. He also saw that what they had talked about in secret was clearly a very important matter, and the farmer's expression was excited, and he listened attentively to the instructions of Ti Chun, and kept nodding his head with a sincere attitude. King Chuang smiled in his heart and said, "Erhu is definitely going to break some kind of cottage." When the peasant left, Liu Tichun returned to King Chuang's side, his eyes shining with pride. Without asking him, King Chuang left the tent with him to see the soup for the hungry.

Porridge is given in three places outside the Shangji Village, once a day at noon. Li Zicheng only went to see a soup kitchen. At this time, the hungry people who received the porridge gathered in front of the porridge factory, and the order was very good. Three brothers were handing out large wooden spoons, and each hungry person filled a large bowl of porridge with a thick mixture of millet, sorghum, and grits and wild vegetables. Li Zicheng personally walked to the pot table and looked at it, and said a few words to the hungry people. Among the hungry people, there were several middle-aged and elderly people in tattered robes, which attracted the attention of King Chuang. He went up to the hungry people in robes and kindly asked them how much land they had and why they ate their meals. The hungry people knew that he was King Li Chuang, and at first they were a little scared and did not dare to speak casually, but then they saw him with a kind expression, and clearly asked them out of concern for them, so they boldly said their pitiful situation. They used to be relatively small landlords, but due to the heavy burden of government and the bullying of the wealthy gentry, and the serious wars and natural disasters for many years, all kinds of reasons caused them to lose their family property, their flesh and blood were scattered, and they became starving people, and they would starve to death like others. King Chuang sighed and told them that he came to Henan this time to do his best to save the people, as long as he suffered for another three and five years, the world was settled, and the people's lives would be better.

Leaving the porridge factory, he asked Liu Tichun to take him to the Dongzhai wall, and looked at the hills and hills rushing to his eyes. Nine years before Chongzhen, he led the rebel army with Gao Yingxiang in and out of Henan, and also passed through Xichuan, but today he came to Henan, and the meaning is completely different. He is now returning to Henan with great ambition and a brand-new military strategy, so when he looks eastward, he can't help but think excitedly about how to march eastward from here, gallop through the Central Plains, how to relieve the people from hanging upside down, clean up the hearts of the people, and how to call on the hungry people to revolt with him and quickly organize and train into a large army capable of fighting.

Liu Tichun saw King Chuang staring into the distance, speechless, and saw that he was running for a long time and was quite thin, so he had to ask him to go back to the camp to sleep and rest quickly. He smiled at Zicheng and urged:

"King Chuang, it's time for you to sleep. You've been riding around day and night these days, and you've had to nap on your horse. Gotta get a good night's sleep, two days of sleep! ”

Zicheng turned around and smiled at him and said, "I'll go to bed right away, but I don't need to sleep for a day or two, just half a day." Tonight, I'm going to leave. ”

"Leaving tonight?!"

"Yes, I'll leave tonight. You have to go, too. Since we have come to Henan by taking advantage of the emptiness of the official army, we should not stay in this border place and delay the opportunity. The soldiers are fast, and don't delay for a moment. ”

"But I've ......"

"Already, what?"

Liu Tichun waved away his own soldiers on the left and right, looked at King Chuang excitedly and whispered: "I have decided to break Xichuan County on the fifth watch tomorrow." There are hungry people in the city, and they are ready. The farmer who spoke to me in the barracks just now was the bottom line for us in Xichuan City, and he came to ask me for the exact time. I have just instructed him to hurry back to the city before dusk this day, and to make an agreement with the hungry people: Tomorrow at five drums, as soon as he hears the sound of cannons and shouts outside the city, he will set fire to the city. After the city was broken, he killed the magistrate and a group of eunuchs and gentry to eliminate harm for the people. ”

King Chuang asked with a smile: "You are in a hurry to break the county seat of Xichuan, did you discuss it with Zijie?" ”

Tichun replied, "It was agreed upon." I agreed with him before I came to the last episode: We are all ready in advance, just wait for you to enter Henan, I will immediately break the county seat of Xichuan, he will break the county seat of Neixiang, and then go east to break the county seat of Zhenping. Black Tiger Star came out of Shangluo Mountain, broke through the county seat of the Lu family, and killed Bai Ying, the county magistrate, and several wealthy gentry to avenge Niu Juren's one-year imprisonment. Dengzhou City is not as good as the above four counties, so we will put it next to it for the time being. After Zijie broke through Zhenping, he quickly marched east to attack Nanyang Mansion City. Zhenping is only seventy miles away from Nanyang, and the cavalry can reach it in half a day. After I broke through Xichuan, I crossed Dengzhou and went to attack Xinye. If after I break Xinye, Nanyang has not yet been breached, I will join Zijie under Nanyang City and work together to attack. ”

King Chuang smiled again and asked, "Are you still preparing to attack Nanyang?" ”

"Yes, we want to strike while the iron is hot and break through Nanyang in one fell swoop."

"Kill the Tang King and the Nanyang Prefect?"

"Of course, these two guys have to be killed. Since the uprising, we have not killed the vassal kings of the Ming Dynasty. Tang Wang has been sealed in Nanyang for more than ten generations, and he has done all kinds of evil, and he has long been full of evil. ”

Li Zicheng looked to the east and was silent for a moment. He understood that the idea of breaking several counties and Nanyang Fucheng agreed upon by Liu Tichun and Gu Ying was not difficult to do at present; Even if the order cannot break through Nanyang for the time being, many prefectures and counties such as Yuzhou and Nanzhao are small and shallow, and they are easy to break. But he had to weigh his priorities and think about whether he should change his strategy of employing troops. Liu Tichun saw that he was thinking about it, and it was estimated that he would be happy in his heart after thinking about it, and praised him and Gu Ying for this plan. With the excitement of marching towards victory, he said to King Chuang:

"Brother Li, I agreed with Zijie before you came to Henan, and we should be ready, so that as soon as you come to Henan, you will immediately break through Xichuan, Neixiang, and Zhenping County, and attack Nanyang, so that your prestige of King Li Chuang will be greatly shaken. In the past three or four years, due to the scattered and scattered rebels who originally followed King Gao Chuang, and the surrender of surrender, we had to run from northern Sichuan to Longdong, to Xifandi, to run out of the Great Wall, and back from outside the Great Wall, to break through the steps, into the Hanzhong area, and the winter before last to the southern plains of Tongguan, a defeat, the whole army was annihilated. In May last year, just after the flag was re-established in Shangluo Mountain, it was besieged. In short, for almost four years, we have either been chased by the official army, or we have been defeated, besieged, and greatly reduced, and others have even forgotten your name as the king. The soldiers are now only looking forward to you coming to Henan to do a great job, sweeping the Central Plains, and killing the imperial court in a panic......"

King Chuang intercepted and said, "It also makes our whole army raise their eyebrows, doesn't it?" ”

Ti Chun said: "As long as the situation in the past few years can be changed, the soldiers will naturally raise their eyebrows, and the poor people will also be saved." ”

King Chuang asked: "What day did you agree with Zijie to break the inner countryside?" ”

Tichun replied: "Because we don't know which day you will enter Henan, we will live the day of breaking the inner countryside." That is, as soon as he received the definite news that you had come to Xichuan at Mashankou, he drove his men and horses to the outside of the inner countryside overnight, and broke the city at dawn. The small troop of cavalry I sent to report to him had now traveled more than 20 miles, and it was estimated that they would be able to break through the inner countryside by the morning after tomorrow, and Zhenping in three days. When I went out of Shangji Village to meet you, I also sent a flying horse to run to Shangluo Mountain from a shortcut, telling Black Tiger Star that you had come to Zhechuan, and asking him to march to the Lu clan quickly. ”

King Chuang suddenly said with a stern expression: "Erhu, I understand the mood of the soldiers, but at present, no county town is allowed to break it, let alone attack Nanyang." When I can break through the city in the future, I will naturally give the order to attack it. ...... at the moment"

"King Chuang! Break the king! At present, Yang Sichang led the army deep into Sichuan, and Henan was very empty. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it cannot be ......"

Zicheng waved his hand to stop the words of the body, and then said: "At this moment, without further ado, you quickly send a few cavalry to chase after you on the road to Mashan Pass." It seems that it will be difficult to catch up with that team of pond horses. If you can't catch up, you will run to Mashankou non-stop, and pass my strict order to Zijie, you can only break more cottages, and you are not allowed to break a city! In addition, you send someone to chase after the good people in Xichuan City, and tell him that Xichuan City is temporarily closed. I sent a few more flying horsemen to chase after the Tang Ma who went to Shangluo Mountain, and also passed my strict order to the Black Tiger Star, after entering the territory of Lushi County, I was only allowed to break the cottage, not the city. Second Tiger, don't delay, you quickly send flying horses to set off separately, the sooner the better! ”

Liu Tichun's eyes widened and he shouted, "Brother Li! Break the king! ……”

King Chuang's face became even more grim, and he ordered, "You send someone quickly!" The brethren who go to the horse pass to give orders must ride the fastest horses. Go ahead! ”

Liu Tichun's eyes were full of questions and grievances, and he glanced at King Chuang's face again, so he had to hurriedly go down the village and run back to the camp to carry out King Chuang's order. In the blue sky, a goshawk is hovering freely, looking down at the ground with its sharp eyes, and making a high-pitched and majestic call. King Li Chuang glanced up and went down to the village with his own soldiers.

When King Chuang returned to the camp, he fell asleep and was not awakened until he was awakened at supper. He slept very soundly for half a day, and his tired spirit returned. After dinner, he ordered the soldiers from Yunyang Mountain to prepare their horses and prepare for the Mashan Pass, and asked Liu Tichun to send a cavalry to lead the way. Liu Tichun told him that a hundred cavalry had been sent to escort him. King Chuang nodded, smiled and asked:

"I forbade you to break through the city and poured cold water, are you still a little aggrieved?"

Liu Tichun also smiled and replied, "I don't feel wronged anymore." The chief sentinel Liu Ye woke up first, and I reported to him the idea I had discussed with Zijie, and also told him your strict order that you are only allowed to break the village and not attack the city. When he told me about your tactics, my heart lit up. Brother Li, you are looking at the big picture, Zijie and I are too shallow, in the end, we can only fight, not handsome! ”

King Chuang said, "I don't have time to explain the truth to you on the wall. When I returned to the camp, I did not see you, and I was very tired, and as soon as I lay down I fell asleep. Since you've asked Jiexuan, I won't say anything more. Jingzi Pass is an important road, and the 400 Xi'an cavalry who arrived at Jingzi Pass last night did not dare to stay because of the escort of money, so they will definitely leave before noon today to continue their journey. Tonight, you go to capture Jingzi Pass. Be outwitted, and don't hurt a single soldier easily. You're a tricky guy, and I think you're going to come up with a good idea. ”

Ti Chun said: "Zheng Chongjian's 400 cavalry did leave in the morning, and now Jingzi Pass is only guarded by the villagers. I had already sent some people who were united with us into the Jingziguan Village yesterday afternoon, and some more were mixed in this afternoon, telling them to get ready, and as soon as they saw the fire outside the village, they would raise a fire from inside the village to respond. It is not difficult to break through Jingzi Pass. ”

"Good, good. After breaking the Jingzi Pass, only 200 cavalry were left to guard the pass, waiting to welcome the brigade and the old camp from Yunyang, and then you led the rest of the horse and infantry soldiers, and then called on a group of hungry people who were willing to join the army, and broke a few cottages in a row. Open warehouses for relief and collect military rations. Regardless of whether they are old or new, they must strictly abide by military discipline, do not commit any crimes against civilians, those who kill good people without permission will be killed, those who rape ** women will be beheaded, and all the gold and silver property copied will be returned to the public. No soldier is allowed to possess gold or silver. ”

"Yes, yes. Military discipline must be strictly observed. ”

King Chuang told Liu Tichun to leave Xichuan and rush to Zhenping to see him seven days later. If he was no longer in Zhenping at that time, he hurried to Nanzhao to meet him. He also instructed Ti Chun on how to expand the number of men and horses, how to step up training when there is no army and when fighting, and then set off with Zong Min. Liu Tichun sent them out of the village and watched the shadows of King Chuang and one hundred and fifty cavalrymen disappear into the vast night, only the sound of horses' hooves gradually faded away.

CHAPTER XXXVI

It has been more than ten days since King Li Chuang came to Henan. Today the sun is shining and the climate is warm. In Baitu Gangzhai in Nanzhao County, the five-zhang high flagpole in front of the house of a big squire flutters the big flag of the word "Chuang". In and outside the village of Baitugang, there are Li Chuangwang's righteous troops stationed everywhere, new and old military tents everywhere, and various colored flags of different sizes everywhere. Within a radius of ten miles, cavalry and infantry intensified their drills; Often across the hills, you can hear the sound of people and horses' hooves in drill, and the sound of weapons clashing can be heard closely. Outside the gate of the village or on the street in the walled area of Baitugang, some people came from all over the country to join the army and complain about their grievances, and many small merchants and hawkers came from the city and the four townships, which were as lively as a meeting.

Since Li Zicheng entered Henan through Zhechuan, the situation in the Nanyang area has suddenly changed greatly. He stayed at Mashan Pass for five days, waiting for the follow-up troops coming out of Yunyang Mountain and the last group of men and horses from Shangluo Mountain. Most of these last men were non-combatants, including craftsmen who made military tents, uniforms, armour, bows and arrows, and various weapons. A group of men and horses led by Black Tiger Star remained in the territory of the Lu clan according to the instructions of King Chuang, and continued to break through the cottage and collect grain, gold and silver, and mules and horses. Li Guo and Yuan Zongdi each led a group of men and horses from the vicinity of Dushu and Baoan north of Fangcheng to the east, and had reached the area between Yexian and Wuyang. Liu Tichun also came to Baitugang a few days ago. After he broke through the Jingzi Pass, he quickly went south, broke through the important market town of Majiao, not far from the east of Xichuan County, and then went south to break through Liguanqiao and Jiajiazhai, and then turned to the east, broke the Jiuzhong Weir and Wenqu in Dengzhou, turned into Zhenping County, and took Shiqiao Town in Nanyang County to reach Baitugang. The people of the counties saw that King Li Chuang's men and horses were strictly disciplined, and they did not commit any offense in autumn, and they fought the rich everywhere to help the poor, and as soon as the rich village was broken, they distributed relief grain to the hungry people, so the name of King Chuang's benevolence and righteousness spread everywhere, and every day the hungry people joined the army like a tide. Generals and generals no longer feel that there are too few soldiers, but that there are too many new recruits for a while, and they are busy with how to integrate into the army, how to select leaders, how to command, how to train, how to raise food and horses, and so on. The generals now fully understand that King Chuang chose to enter the Nanyang Mansion first in advance, which is indeed a high opinion. The road from Yunyang Mountain to Nanyang Mansion is relatively close, which is certainly a reason, but more importantly, because the poor people of Nanyang Mansion lived the most miserable life at that time, and the situation of responding to the Chuang Wang Yijun was the most mature, as the saying goes, "everything is ready, but the east wind is missing". The righteous banner of the king entered Yu, and the mighty east wind blew.

Nanyang Mansion, an ancient strategic point connecting the three provinces of Henan, Qin and Chu, was the most serious disaster in the first point compared with the other seven provinces at that time. In the winter of the ninth year of Chongzhen, Wang Jiazhen was appointed as the "Prime Minister of Suppression of Thieves" by Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of War, and when he arrived in Nanyang, he sent a letter to Chongzhen reporting the Nanyang famine. Regarding the calamity of the officers and soldiers, the minister of the Ming Dynasty wrote: "If the soldiers are harming the people, they are especially worse than thieves. And he said, "In the words of the law, the world is not in the middle of nowhere, but even more so in the middle of the line." Officials are afraid of death and ask for money, while soldiers are poisoning the people and thieves. "The supply of officers and soldiers crossing the border is a very heavy burden on the local government. In the song, he said: "As for the officers and soldiers, they may take refuge temporarily, and the soldiers will linger again and again, and they will not go after ten days and ten months. The official price of rice is seven cents per bucket, and the county gives it with five hundred dollars; The official price of beans is six cents per bucket, and the county gives it three hundred dollars. These are the words of Wang Jiazhen, quoting a county magistrate's submission. Assuming that the price of silver in Nanyang at that time was 800 yuan and one tael, it can be seen that the difference between the official price of rice and beans stipulated by the army and the actual purchase price of the local government was eight or nine times. This difference in price is all in the people, and they are all temporary miscellaneous factions in addition to the field endowment and various field endowment additions. The wealthy gentry were powerful and powerful, and the land endowment and various miscellaneous factions were usually borne by the peasants and small and medium-sized landlords, which promoted fierce divisions within the landlord class; Peasants, in particular, are doubly exploited and unable to survive. In addition, locusts, droughts, natural disasters, and rape, looting, burning, and killing by officers and soldiers have caused heavy damage to rural production and a sharp decline in the population. The report of a magistrate is quoted as saying: "The old people are willing to take it, and the fields are barren." Every time I go out of Guo, I see people who sweep grass and peel bark. The infant is abandoned by the roadside, and hears the croaking, and then turns to be cut and eaten. In its villages and towns, more than half of the houses on one street were burned down; There are houses with four walls, and there are no inhabitants. There are a few people coming out of the dilapidated house, and the dishes are dove-like, and they look like ghosts. Its road is artemisia and cessed, and there is no one for dozens of miles. After another four years, when Li Zicheng galloped into the territory of Nanyang Prefecture from the Yunyang Mountains, this kind of social tragedy developed more and provided him with more favorable conditions.

At that time, the starving people who responded to Li Zicheng's call and participated in the uprising one after another were mainly peasants who were most oppressed and exploited and whose living conditions were the worst, as well as some powerless and powerless young men who had been ruined by natural and man-made disasters (the so-called man-made disasters, including the extortion of the government, the merger and bullying of powerful households, and the war and chaos), as well as the unemployed and unable to survive small merchants and hawkers, small handicraft owners, various craftsmen and miners, and so on. Some of the middle-class landlords were also bankrupt, most of them were on the verge of bankruptcy, and only a few were in a better position in the cities and cottages by clinging to the government and the local tyrants to do evil. Due to the arrival of King Chuang, this class became more violently turbulent and divided, and some of them became the backbone of the resistance to the rebels in the cottages and cities, and some of them began to turn their hearts to King Chuang. This latter part was still small in number at the time, and it was only the beginning, and soon after that, with the rapid development of the revolutionary cause led by Li Zicheng, the number of people increased rapidly. The masses who support Li Zicheng now have a broader social strata than in the past.

Before King Chuang entered Henan, the hungry people in Nanyang counties formed poles everywhere, with thousands of big poles and hundreds of small poles. Now that King Chuang has arrived, they have heard the wind and come to vote. Li Zicheng took in those poles who were sincere in surrender and willing to abide by military discipline, eliminated the old and weak, and organized them in each battalion. In just ten days, it has grown into an army of more than 50,000 people, and the momentum is great. Due to the sudden strength of the troops, the soldiers were eager to break through the city, and even several important generals such as Yuan Zongdi could not bear it. On the one hand, the soldiers below pushed several generals to suggest to King Chuang to attack this and that city, and on the other hand, they also made direct requests when they saw King Chuang. Although King Li Chuang's military discipline was strict, the relationship between his superiors and subordinates was not strict at that time, and even the small leaders dared to talk to King Chuang. Those new leaders of the big and small Shun were originally the local poor people, and for generations, the officials, gentry, big households, scribes, and officials who were entrenched in the prefectures, prefectures, and county towns regarded them as fierce gods and evil spirits riding on the heads of the people, and their hatred was piercing. Liu Zongmin couldn't help but be moved when he saw tens of thousands of soldiers breaking through the city so eagerly. When the old camp was first stationed in Baitugang, there were several cases of people summoned from Yuzhou and Nannan, accusing the state and county officials of cruel abuse, how the gentry were violent, and how the officials and gentry combined to prey on civilians, and asked the rebels to go to break the city and rescue the small people. These people were all received by Liu Zongmin on behalf of King Chuang. Then he said to King Chuang:

"King Chuang, the old brother and the new brother all wanted to break through several cities, kill the gentry in the city, and set fire to the yamen and prisons to vent their hatred. It is difficult to disobey the feelings of the group, and it is not good to suppress the momentum of the soldiers. Moreover, the people have also asked for us to eliminate the violence and calm the people. King Chuang, look, let's let it go and order to break through a few states and counties? ”

Li Zicheng smiled unconsciously and said, "Good guy, even you can't bear it!" ”

Zong Min said: "Nanzhao County is at hand. Our soldiers are talking behind their backs: The people of this Nanzhaozhi County are very angry, why didn't King Chuang order to break the city and kill him to eliminate harm for the people? ”

King Chuang said, "You have known my thoughts for a long time, and now you have to act according to your original ideas." Tell the soldiers, "The city will be broken, and the officials will be killed, but it is not allowed to be broken at the moment." ”

"Now we have fifty or sixty thousand people, isn't it time yet?"

King Chuang smiled calmly and said, "Yes, it's not time yet. Weigh the pros and cons, and it is advantageous not to break the city for the time being. ”

Liu Zongmin was silent for a moment, then waved his huge right hand and said with a smile: "Okay, let's look at the big picture!" ”

Li Zicheng was worried that the soldiers scattered in the distance could not bear to break through any city because they saw the strength of their men and horses and the urgency of the people's pleading, and once again strictly forbade it: those who did not allow his generals to break the city without permission would be punished for violating military discipline. Just after this strict order was handed down, suddenly Wu Ruyi of the Chinese army came: Niu Juren is about to arrive outside the village. Li Zicheng was greatly pleased, and immediately ordered:

"Pass the order, and if the generals in the old camp have nothing important, follow me out of the village to greet them."

Niu Jinxing, with his wife, concubine, son Niu Yan, daughter-in-law and maids, servants, as well as some poor descendants of the same village and clan, a total of about 50 people, was sent by Black Tiger Star to receive Luanchuan three days ago. Shang Jiong greeted him in Luanchuan and went to Baitugang together. Last night, I stayed overnight in Mashiping. This morning, I bypassed the outside of Nanzhao City and came to Baitugang. King Chuang led Liu Zongmin, Gao Yigong and other old camp generals out of the north gate of Baitugang to greet two miles away. At noon, Li Zicheng set up a banquet in the old camp to wash the dust for Niu Jinxing's father and son, and Mrs. Gao also held a banquet for Niu Juren's wife in the old camp to catch the wind. After the luncheon, King Chuang saw that he had eaten a few more glasses of soju, and after a tiring saddle horse on the rugged mountain road for several days, he asked him to sleep for a while, and then talked deeply. But Venus came to King Chuang today, and his spirits were high, and the drowsiness and fatigue had already flown to Java. He said heroically:

"Venus was originally a scholar, and he did not give up on his mistakes, even if he did his best, he could not repay him. Today, I have to be able to get out of death and come to life, and then I can't do my best, and I have already made a great deal under my command. A little pommel horse tired, why worry about teeth! It is important to hurry up and discuss the affairs of the military state. At present, the people of Zhongzhou are eager to save themselves, but the officials and troops are empty and chaotic everywhere. The virtue of the general Bu Yao Shun and the merit of building Tang Wu are at the right time. I don't know what kind of foresight he has in mind? What is the strategy for the use of troops in the future? ”

King Chuang said humbly: "I was born in a reckless manner, I don't read much, and I can't say that I have any foresight. So when I was in Yunyang Mountain, I secretly instructed Liu Tichun to enter western Henan first to find out if Mr. was released from prison. If you have been released from prison, whether you are safe at home or not. I eagerly hope to meet my husband as soon as I come to Henan, and today I will receive him in the army, like a good teacher. In the future, I will ask him for advice. Naturally, I have to say some of my thoughts, and listen to my husband's opinions. From the perspective of the current situation, how can we take advantage of this great opportunity to quickly create a new situation? As long as we can make a new situation soon, the imperial court can no longer help us, and in a few years, we will be able to have millions of people, drive north for a long time, and seize the Ming Dynasty. Please sir for a lot of help! ”

Jin Xing leaned over and said: "I went to Luanchuan, and after meeting with Ziming and General Zijie, I already knew a little about the grand strategy of his subordinates after entering Henan. But at this moment, I don't want to talk about how to call on the people and how to use the soldiers, but I want to recommend a friend to my subordinates first, and ask King Chuang to send someone to welcome him to come to the army to help him and hire him as a military advisor. This person is proficient in the art of war, rich in strategy, and knows everything about the nine streams and hundreds of schools. Since King Chuang wants to build a great cause as soon as possible, he must come to his aid. ”

Zicheng hurriedly asked, "Who is this friend of yours?" ”

Jin Xing replied with a smile: "This person's name has long been known to King Chuang. Last autumn, in order to rescue Venus, King Chuang sent General Dejie to Kaifeng to look for him in Kaifeng, dressed as a boxer and a plaster seller on the rivers and lakes. Thanks to his many efforts, my sentence was commuted to exile and I was released on bail and returned home. ”

"Are you talking about Song Xiance?"

"It's this person. If you want to build a great cause, you must have this person. ”

King Chuang was very happy and said, "Okay, as long as Mr. Song is willing to come and work together, of course he is wholeheartedly welcome." Please write a secret book today and send someone to Kaifeng to pick him up. At present, the road is not quiet everywhere, as long as he can reach Ye County safely, we can send cavalry to the outside of Ye County to welcome the army. ”

"It's not Kaifeng now, but it's only more than 200 miles away."

King Chuang was greatly surprised, and hurriedly asked, "Where is the advice now?" ”

"It's in the city of Ruzhou."

"Why is he in Ruzhou City?"

Niu Jinxing laughed and said, "Offer advice and cherish Wang Zuozhicai, and wait for the time to move." The traces of the rivers and lakes, the traces of the four seas, are not the original wish. Although Kaifeng is prosperous, it is not a place of nostalgia for him. Now he is in Ruzhou, and he is waiting for his subordinates to enter Yu'er. ”

Zicheng was even more puzzled, and asked with a smile: "How did he know in advance that I was going to Henan." ”

Jin Xing said: "Not to mention that the advice will be stargazing, Qimen Dunjia, even if it is inferred from common sense, he also knows that King Chuang will inevitably take advantage of the void to come east." So he obviously came to Ruzhou to visit friends, but secretly he was waiting for his subordinates to enter Yu. Since ancient times, it is no accident that monarchs and ministers have met. The advice of the subordinates is the heaven to give the generals with military divisions, just like the ovary of the Han Gaozu. ”

Zicheng asked: "You can really be a military advisor?" ”

Jin Xing said: "If the advice is not the talent of the military division, how dare Jin Xing take the liberty of recommending it before breaking into the king!" ”

Li Zicheng has considered this question in his heart since Niu Jinxing first said that he would hire Song Xiance as a military advisor, so after listening to Jin Xing's answer, he nodded with a smile, didn't say a word, and then asked how to send someone to Ruzhou to meet Xiance. Niu Jinxing told him that Song Xiance had gone deep into Sichuan in October because he saw Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai, and Yang Sichang also left Yiling to trace Jiangxi to the west, and the Central Plains was empty. After he arrived in Ruzhou, he sent people to meet Jin Xing in the Lushi Mountains to explain his views. At that time, Liu Tichun was in the inner countryside, and his power was growing, and the government only thought that it was a small thief who was scattered in Li Zicheng's old department, and he had already determined that this must be the outpost of Li Chuangwang's entry into Henan. He advised Jin Xing that once King Chuang arrived in western Henan, he would immediately bring his family to King Chuang's army, and not hesitate, and said that he himself also intended to meet with King Chuang. Soon after, Niu Jinxing met with Liu Tichun and the people sent by Gu Ying to find him, and confirmed that Song Xiance's expectations were correct, so he hurriedly sent one of his faithful servants to meet Song Xiance in Ruzhou, telling him that King Chuang was about to come out of the east of Yunyang Mountain, and asked him to wait in Ruzhou City. After saying the above, Niu Venus continued:

"Offering advice and Ruzhou Baiyun Temple monk Yuanying Department of Fang Wai friends, at first lived in Baiyun Temple for a few days, recently lived in Ruzhou City Yuelai Inn to see the sale of divination, waiting for me here news. Now I sent one of my servants to meet him in the city of Ruzhou, and explained to him that I had come to King Chuang's army with my family and that King Chuang welcomed him very much, and secretly explained to him, asking him to visit friends in Yexian County, leave the inn, and hire a donkey to go down the road to Yexian. Ask General Liu Dejie to lead 200 cavalry to ambush him 20 miles away from Ruzhou and pick him up. Even if the Ruzhou City Gate is strictly checked, it will be foolproof. ”

King Chuang asked, "Won't you write a letter and bring it to him at a high price?" ”

Jin Xing said: "The lowly servant has met with Xiance, and he does not need to bring a letter when he enters Ruzhou City, so as not to be found out by the soldiers at the city gate." I wrote a letter for King Chuang and handed it over to General Dejie to bring. Dejie had gone to Kaifeng to find advice for my lawsuit, and I had already met, so it was most appropriate for him to meet him. ”

"Okay, that's it. Please write a letter immediately, and I will tell Erhu to leave immediately. ”

Li Zicheng ordered his troops to go to a training ground two miles southwest of the village and told Liu Tichun that he would immediately hand over part of the training affairs he was in charge of to Ma Shiyao, and order 200 elite cavalry to come to the old camp to listen to the order. In the army of King Chuang, the soldiers were all cautious and acted quickly to King Chuang, so in just half an hour, Liu Tichun had already led a team of light horses, with Niu Jinxing's servants and letters from King Chuang, as well as the necessary money, grain and bean feed, and set off from Baitugang.

As soon as Liu Tichun set off, Li Zicheng was about to continue to discuss important matters with Niu Jinxing, when Li Shuangxi came in and asked him if he had time to meet the people from Nanyang. This Nanyang people, who were anxious to see him, came in the morning when King Chuang was about to go out of the village to meet Niu Jinxing. King Chuang asked:

"You didn't talk to him?"

Double Happiness replied, "I'll talk to him." He also secretly came to beg us to send a righteous army to break Nanyang, and said that he was willing to make an appointment with the hungry people in the city. I told him that our rebels have not yet had time to break Nanyang, and they are bound to break it in the future. He said that he had other important things to say to his father's face, and asked to see you. When I asked him what important things were, he slurred and refused to say anything to me. ”

Recently, inside and outside the city of Nanyang Mansion, there are constantly suffering people who have secretly come to King Chuang, accusing the Tang Wangfu and this family of riding on the heads of the people for generations, and also accusing the corrupt officials and gentry of all kinds of cruelty and cruelty, and asking for the destruction of the city, but not necessarily all of them ask for King Chuang to meet in person. Now this man from Nanyang must have asked to see him, which made him feel strange, so he asked Shuangxi to go and bring this man.

The man's surname is Sun, his name is Benxiao, and he is about forty years old, not like a person who works hard to endure hardships. Speaking of this person's background, ten years ago, it was a well-off family with dozens of acres of land, just as King Chuang had seen many such people, in the extortion of the government, bullying and merger of large households, the prostitution of officers and soldiers, and the intertwining of various natural disasters and man-made disasters, it quickly declined, and finally the family was ruined. Last year, he sold the three remaining ancestral houses in the city and moved to a small village not far north of the main road at the bottom of Wollongong, where he set up a small stall next to the official road every day, selling incense, watches, candles, and paper-tied horses, cows, pigs, and sheep to all kinds of people who went to Zhuge Nunnery to draw lots and make vows, so that he and his 70-year-old mother did not starve to death. He had many acquaintances in Nanyang, and he took a great risk to come to see King Chuang.

Before Sun Benxiao met King Chuang, he had briefly told Shuangxi about the defense of Nanyang City, hoping that King Chuang would send people to attack the city. After meeting King Chuang, he described the defense of Nanyang and the terrain in more detail, and drew a map on the ground with his right index finger. He also said that the prisons in Nanyang Prefecture and the county yamen were full of people, and seven or eight out of ten of them were ordinary people who could not pay their land taxes, and some of them were sent to the class because they were in arrears with the rent of the royal government and large households and various forms of usury. He said that there were poor people in Nanyang City, and everyone was looking forward to the king's righteous army breaking the city; He has relatives in the class room, and he knows that the people who sit in the class room are also willing to be the king's internal response. He also said that now there are a lot of people in the four townships who go to the city to beg for food, and those hungry people are gritting their teeth behind their backs because the Tang Wangfu and the big families are unwilling to give relief, as long as they send people to secretly connect in advance and connect with the leader, once the righteous army attacks the city, the poor people will definitely shout and set fire in the city, and open the city gate to greet them. When King Chuang heard these words, he was very happy in his heart, and asked with a smile:

"Aren't the people in Nanyang City afraid that my men and horses will be killed into the city and the jade will be burned?"

Sun Benxiao smiled and said: "If it was ten days ago, King Chuang came to Henan, and the poor people were still afraid that after breaking the city, they would indiscriminately kill people when they saw them. Now everyone knows that King Chuang's righteous army is highly disciplined, cherishes the old and pity the poor, only kills the rich, and does not disturb the civilians, and is indeed a teacher of benevolence and righteousness. Who is willing to defend the city for the big families of the government? ”

King Chuang glanced at Niu Jinxing, laughed loudly, and then said to Sun Benxiao: "Nanyang City will be broken sooner or later, but I don't have the time to break it at present, so I have to make the people suffer for a few more days." I appreciate your kindness this time. As for what the fathers and brothers in Nanyang said about how strict my military discipline was, it made me feel uneasy. As the saying goes: there are hundreds of people, all kinds of people. What's more, it is a new set of tens of thousands of troops, and the training time is very short, it is inevitable that some people will secretly undiscipline and harass the people, but they have not been found out. What else do you have important to say to me? ”

Seeing that King Chuang was speaking so peacefully and humbly, Sun Benxiao broke his worries and said, "Lord Chuang, if I am wrong, please don't blame me, I will speak boldly and directly." When you come to Henan this time, the people can see it clearly, and it is indeed a style to fight the world. The purpose you put forward is to suppress the army and reassure the people, fight the rich and help the poor, open warehouses and give relief, and make the people not pay grain to the government. The poor people in Nanyang regard you as the savior of the world and support you in their hearts. However, King Chuang, these emergency prescriptions of yours that help the living can only be ......."

Seeing that Sun Benxiao wanted to say it but was not easy to say, he encouraged him and said: "You can speak boldly and directly, and you don't have to be taboo." ”

"Okay, I say, I say. What I'm saying is that these good prescriptions of your prince can only cure the diseases on the surface, but not the diseases in the five internal organs. In this world, the root of the disease is too deep. ”

Zicheng hurriedly asked: "How can we cure the root cause of the disease?" ”

Sun smiled and said, "Please think of a way for the poor people to have a way to make a living and see peace as soon as possible; After the peace, the scholars, farmers, industrialists, and merchants were able to settle down and enjoy their work. ”

King Chuang said: "The purpose of my uprising is to conform to the will of the people, to eliminate the unreasonable, and to make the world see peace as soon as possible. Once the world is peaceful and the war stops, soldiers, farmers, industrialists, and merchants will be able to work in peace and share the blessings of peace. ”

Sun Benxiao stopped talking, shook his head, sighed, and his mind seemed heavy. King Chuang felt strange and asked with a smile:

"Do you think that the war will not stop and the world will not be peaceful?"

Sun shook his head and said, "What I am worried about is that in the future, when the war stops, the world will be peaceful, and the small people may not be able to enjoy the blessings of peace." The common people will not enjoy the blessings of peace, and war will resume. The little hope that the prince will come up with a fundamental plan to govern the country, so that the little people can breathe in the place occupied by the rebels, and after the prince sits in the world, they can indeed enjoy the blessings of peace and live in peace. ”

King Chuang said: "Now that the war is not going on, I will never collect money and food again." In the future, when the war stops, I will make the country lightly pay for the poor, govern the Qing Dynasty, build schools, reward farmers and mulberries, and trade and benefit workers. In this way, can the people live and work in peace and share in the blessings of peace? ”

Sun Benxiao shook his head again and said: "Even if the world is peaceful, the small people will inevitably suffer from unemployment. ”

King Chuang's heart was shocked, and he felt that this person's words were very reasonable, deeper than he usually thought. He exchanged a look with Niu Jinxing, looked at Sun Benxiao again, and said:

"It is true that in the years of peace, there are often unemployed people, men cannot farm, women cannot weave, and their wives will be separated and starve to death on the road when there is a famine. You see, is there any way to make the world peaceful in the future, and the small people will no longer have the pain of unemployment? ”

Sun Benxiao replied: "The little self reads very little, and he can't think of a good idea. It's just that my ancestral home is in Fucheng, and I have personally experienced and heard a lot of things, and I have heard many old people talk about ancient and modern times, and I know that the suffering of the small people is not entirely because of the chaos of the world and the great famine; There are many root causes in the Taiping Dynasty. The little one knew that the king was really interested in saving the people and rebuilding the peace, so the little one came to ask to see the king, in addition to the defense of Nanyang City, he also said these words in his heart, and asked the prince to think about it. ”

King Chuang thought for a moment and said, "Ah, I understand what you mean. Even in the peaceful world, the small people also have the pain of the government's accumulation and extortion, and the pain of bullying and merger by large households. If there is a kind of suffering, the small people will not be able to enjoy the blessings of peace; If these two kinds of suffering fall on us together, even if we do not encounter natural disasters and wars, we will often be cornered and fall into a desperate situation. I know very well that the people are living in dire straits, so I raised the uprising and came to Henan. When I have the world in the future, I must think of a way from the root. ”

Sun Benxiao said: "If the small people are not affected by the accumulation and extortion of the government, and are not affected by the bullying and merger of large households, the small people can have the joy of survival and protect the iron of the prince for a long time." ”

King Chuang also said: "My family has been farming for ten generations, so I know the suffering of the small people. When I was young, I herded sheep for the rich families in the village and was whipped; When he was twenty-one years old, because he couldn't make a living in his hometown, he asked his relatives to intercede and went to work as a Yinchuan post guard. When the post man has no delicious fruit, he sends official documents to the wind and snow, and greets and waits for passing officials often have to be beaten and scolded. Later, the imperial court cut the post guards and smashed the rice bowl, so I had to go to eat food and become a soldier. After serving as a soldier, the court owed wages; Occasionally, the governor embezzled the salary. There was no way to be a soldier, so I had to gather a crowd to make noise and kill officials and revolt. But in the first few years of the uprising, what should I do in the future, my heart is full of rice dumplings. In recent years, I have traveled more places, seen more of the world, and met more people of all kinds. Everywhere I go, I like to take a look, ask questions, and think about it. After going back and forth, I learned some truths. Let's take Tian Fu, this is a major matter related to the national economy and people's livelihood, but it has accumulated deep disadvantages and caused the people to suffer a lot. First, the land endowments vary in severity and are very unfair. Take your Henan province as an example, Qixian County and Taikang County are heavier than other places. Speaking of the whole country, I heard that some prefectures, prefectures, and counties are heavier than others. ……”

Niu Jinxing interjected: "Su and Song are heavier than other places. ”

King Chuang continued: "Take a county as an example, often the near township is heavier than the far township. The second is to add three extra points for every two pieces of silver, which is called 'fire consumption', and it makes no sense to tell the magistrates to go down to their pockets. Isn't it an additional raid on the people? ”

Jin Xing said: "Qixian and Taikang were originally poor places, but because the land was heavier, and the local officials ate a lot of 'fire consumption', they were called 'Jinqi County and Yintaikang' as officials." ”

King Chuang continued: "The third is to ignore the life and death of the people, and increase the levy of land at every turn. Look at how much silver has been levied since Wanli! Fourth, as long as there is a little war, the officers and troops cross the border, and the miscellaneous factions in front of the army increase their income according to the field endowment, which is often several times more than the regular endowment. Fifth, the wealthy and powerful families of the squires colluded with the government officials to pass on their own land contributions and additional miscellaneous distributions that increased with grain to the small people. This layer is the most unfair, making the rich richer, the poor poorer, and the small people suffering the most. ”

Sun Benxiao hurriedly said: "Yes, yes, it's all called Wang Ye Chuang." Lord Chuang, I really didn't expect that you would have the time to see through the disadvantages of hundreds of years of Tianfu in the rush of horses! After the strange Daochuang prince came to Henan, he told the people to stop paying grain to the government! ”

Zicheng nodded, and then said: "Also, the other most bitter thing for the small people is the exploitation of large households, bullying, and annexation of land. All large households, with a lot of money, bully the weak, without exception. As the saying goes, big fish eat small fish. If a large household does not eat a small household, it cannot become a large household, and the rich do not kill the poor, and the poor cannot become rich. So every time I break through a place, I never spare the squires and tyrants. If you don't severely punish the squires and tyrants, you can't protect the good people. As for how to formulate laws and restrict large households in the future, it is necessary. At present, I am busy with the war, and I can't take care of it for a while. You came today, told me in detail about the situation of Nanyang's defense of the city and the big squire's households, and reminded me of a major event of founding the country and saving the people, all of which made me very grateful. Now that I have just come to Henan, everything is created, it is the time to employ people, can you stay and work with me? ”

Sun Benxiao said: "My mother is a widow at the age of 27 and is 72 years old this year. It's just that the old mother is still there and no one to support him, so although the little one is loyal, he can't follow King Chuang. Once the old mother is born, the little one must be with him. ”

Zicheng said: "It's a pity that you can't stay in the army!" When will I go back? ”

"I'll be right back. Don't dare to delay too long here, arousing the suspicion of the neighbors. ”

King Chuang immediately asked Shuangxi to take out ten taels of silver and hand it to Sun Benxiao, and told him to go back to do a small business and support his mother. Fearing that something would happen to him on the road with his silver, he ordered several cavalrymen to send him to the vicinity of Wollongong at night. After Sun Benxiao left, King Chuang smiled at Niu Jinxing and said:

"Although this person doesn't read much, he can remind me to think about the future of the country, but he is a very thoughtful person."

Niu Jinxing said: "The accumulation of land and the merger of large households that King Chuang just talked about are indeed the disadvantages of the times, and they should be relieved of the suffering of the people. He paused for a moment and suddenly asked, "Your next step has been decided to go east?" ”

King Chuang said, "I am about to consult with you, and this matter must be decided at once." ”

The soldiers who were waiting in the house and at the door immediately avoided it when they saw the king's eyes.

On the way to Baitugang, Niu Jinxing already knew that King Chuang planned to lead a large army to the east from here, crisscrossing eastern Henan and central Henan, or only send Li Guo and Yuan Zongdi east to central Henan, and he himself temporarily stationed here to train troops. He also knew that since King Chuang entered Henan, he strictly forbade his subordinates to break through large and small cities, and only attacked cottages, which was very good. Although Li Zicheng had not had time to talk to him in depth, he had already understood Zicheng's insight. Now he was the only one left in the house, and he said,

"King Chuang, I am in the Lushi Mountain, and I got the news that you have entered Henan from Zhechuan, and I thought that I would quickly break through several county towns to strengthen my prestige. I haven't heard of you conquering a city since. In the case of this Nanzhao county, it is close at hand, there are righteous troops on all sides, and it has become a completely isolated city, and it will not be breached. I was puzzled, but when I heard what General Zijie said, I suddenly realized that I believed that King Chuang used soldiers, all from the big picture, far beyond the reach of others! ”

Zicheng said with a smile: "It turns out that the soldiers are also waiting for me to break through several county towns as soon as I come to Henan to strengthen my prestige." Like the three counties of Zhechuan, Neixiang, and Zhenping, they have all made an appointment with the hungry people to respond and set a time for breaking the city. I gave a strict order not to break through a city, and I was dumbfounded for a while. I don't have any other vision, but I have fought with the Ming Dynasty for many years and figured out some truths. The most important thing for us at the moment is to win the hearts of the people, call on the hungry people to revolt, and quickly train a team of 100,000 elite soldiers to be invincible, not to break a few cities. Nowadays, the rich and wealthy families all know the truth of 'living in the city in small chaos and living in the countryside in big chaos', and they mostly live in dangerous cottages and do not live in the city. Breaking through a city is not as much food as breaking through a wealthy cottage. From the perspective of punishing the big gentry and eliminating the riots and saving the people, we should also think more about breaking the cottages. The feudal officials of the Ming Dynasty, we still don't know? In order to maintain their position, they deceived each other and passed the buck when encountering problems, and they were afraid of being responsible. As long as you don't break through the city and kill the officials of the court, even if you break through the cottages everywhere, the momentum grows stronger and the people return to the stream, and the feudal officials will pretend to be deaf and dumb and refuse to report to the court. If they report to the court, Chongzhen will be anxious, lose his temper, and fly in one by one, giving them a deadline to 'exterminate', regardless of where the soldiers are or where they are paid. Some of them are feudal officials, who are demoted or cut off, or imprisoned or beheaded. Therefore, this group of feudal officials are now able to learn, with a purpose: more things are better than less things, the monk hit the clock that day, and if he can protect his position for one day, he will protect it for one day. ”

Niu Jinxing hurriedly continued: "In the art of war, it says, 'Know yourself and know your opponent, and win a hundred battles.'" 'The command is really to see things to the bone, and play the enemy in the palm of his hand! Then he laughed out loud, and then said: "Besides, this group of feudal officials also knows very well that if the imperial court can send troops to come, the local people will have to suffer from the harassment of the officers and soldiers, so that they will not be able to cope. Therefore, they also made up their minds that if they could not ask for troops from the imperial court, they would never ask for troops, and it would take two days to delay it. ”

But when they had no choice but to ask the court for troops, not only did the court not necessarily have troops to send, but it was too late. When I was in the Yunyang Mountains, I planned that after entering Henan, no matter how empty the places in Henan were, how easy the prefectures, prefectures, and county towns were, and no matter how the soldiers pleaded with me in person, and how they complained behind my back, I clung to one idea: there are less than 100,000 people and horses, and I will never break through the city! King Chuang smiled and said, "Since I entered Henan, I have relied on the response of the hungry people, but in just ten days, there have been 50,000 or 60,000 horses. In the blink of an eye, there will be 100,000 people. I dare to conclude that the governor of Henan and the second division of cloth and press are still sitting in the drum; In another month, we already have more than 100,000 people, most of whom have undergone some training, even if they understand that we have become a big trouble for the imperial court, they may not be able to tell the truth to the imperial court, Chongzhen and Yang Sichang still sit back and relax with the Central Plains, as if they were dreaming, saying that I Li Zicheng has no whereabouts and is over. ”

They laughed comparatively. Niu Jinxing used fire chopsticks to put three pieces of black charcoal under the red charcoal, then inserted the fire chopsticks into the dark ash on the edge of the basin, raised his head and said:

At that time, Luoshan did not enter the Heluo area from the territory of Lu and Yongning, but from Yunyang to the south of Wuguan, and from Zhechuan to Nanyang, calling for hungry people to revolt in Nanyang counties, which was really the best policy. In the Chenghua period, the imperial court set up a special governor of Yunyang in order to encircle and suppress the displaced people in the Yunyang Mountains, and Yunyang was the military stronghold of the three provinces. Militarily, Nanyang Prefecture was under the jurisdiction of both the Governor of Henan and the Governor of Yunyang. Now that the officials and troops are empty, and the local Xinjiang officials are able to shirk their responsibilities, this place has become a matter of two things. ”

King Chuang said: "At that time, I only thought that the road from Yunyang to Zhechuan was closer, and the disaster in Nanyang was the greatest, and the people were the most miserable, but I didn't think about anything else." As soon as I entered Henan, it was very smooth. ”

Niu Jinxing flicked his long beard and asked, "The next step for your command is to go east?" ”

King Chuang said: "No final decision has been made yet. What do you mean? ”

Niu Jinxing decided to offer an important plan as soon as he arrived in King Chuang's army, and lay a foothold for himself in front of King Chuang and in the whole army, such as Zhang Liang's borrowing strategy in front of Liu Bang. He did have a plan for using the army, but he deliberately did not say it immediately, and said with a smile:

"At present, there are nearly 60,000 people under his command, and the hungry people are like clouds. What the banner refers to is related to the overall situation of the Central Plains, and if you want to break into the king, you must have some consideration. I wish to hear the Ming Sect first, and Venus will try to borrow it again. ”

King Chuang said: "Central Henan and eastern Henan are not like the broken counties of Nanyang, and it is easier for military rations to come, so going east is also a way." However, at present, I have sent two groups of people, but they are just bluffing, so as to call on the hungry people to join the army and collect food, mules and horses. My old camp is going to gradually move north along this Funiu Mountain. From then on, although the place is dilapidated, there are many rich cottages everywhere, and a lot of food is accumulated in each cottage. Specializing in breaking through the cottages, there is food to feed the soldiers and help the hungry, and can collect mules and horses, and step by step to strengthen the cavalry. Moreover, recently, local tyrants and bullies have lived in cottages, cultivated and practiced bravery, tried to live privately, and brutalized the people. Therefore, the destruction of the cottage is also to relieve the real pain of the small people. As for Nanyang, the common people and soldiers want to break it early, and it is not difficult to break it. I was determined not to break the city at the moment, so I put Nanyang aside. In a little more than a month, our feathers will begin to plump, and there will be about 100,000 soldiers who can fight, and then we will talk about breaking through the city. I think, if we don't fight, we will just punch Chongzhen, hit Chongzhen's vital place, hit him with a flash of anger, Jin Xing in his eyes, and Yang Sichang is dizzy, maybe his whole chess game will be disrupted, and he will lose his car and break the gun. ”

Niu Jinxing nodded and said: "This so-called 'if you don't make a sound, it's just a blockbuster; If you don't fly, it's enough, and you soar into the sky'. King Chuang's use of troops in this way is really from the big picture, and it is beyond the reach of others! ”

King Chuang asked: "At present, it is better to go east or go north along Funiu Mountain, Qidong, what do you think?" ”

Jin Xing asked, "What do the generals mean?" ”

Zicheng said: "Most of the generals want to march eastward and gallop through the Central Plains because they see that central and eastern Henan are not very dilapidated and have a large number of people. ”

Niu Jinxing nodded, indicating that he understood the generals' thoughts of advocating eastward expansion, and then said: "At present, taking advantage of the emptiness of the Central Plains, it is not a good time to wave the army eastward and gallop across the thousands of miles of plains. Since the two generals of Buzhi and Hanju have led 20,000 horses to enter between Yexian and Yuzhou, the army continues to advance eastward, like an arrow. Although according to the current meaning of his command, the eastward advance is only a partial division, and the northward expansion is the main division. However, the affairs of the military, due to the change of the situation, are like turning a round stone in a thousand posts, and often the desire to stop is unstoppable. If the division goes east and succeeds everywhere, it will turn the partial division into a positive teacher, and the northward advance will become a void. ”

King Chuang nodded and said, "You're right. In the use of troops, it is strange and real, and it often changes according to the situation, and it is not rigid. ”

Jin Xing said: "In Venus's ignorant opinion, it is better for the whole division to march north along Funiu Mountain." At present, Yang Sichang is chasing Zhang Jingxuan and Luo Rucai deep into Sichuan, and the war situation in central Sichuan is not lasting. Either Zhang and Luo were defeated and annihilated, or they broke through, and they had to be seen within a month or two. Judging from today's situation, it is likely that Luo Ru will leave Jingxuan halfway to surrender, and Zhixuan will run for his life alone, while the officials and troops are surrounded on all sides and chase after him. If this is the case, Jing Xuan will not be able to do it. If Jing Xuan is unfortunately defeated, Yang Sichang will immediately lead his victorious army out of Sichuan, join forces with the officials and armies of Jiangbei and Shaanxi in the Central Plains, and do his best against me. Central Henan, eastern Henan, thousands of miles of plains, although conducive to cavalry combat, but today our army is revitalized, hungry people are on foot to vote, cavalry is not very many. And due to the rush of time, he was unable to train sufficiently. Even if there are 200,000 new people, they cannot have a stable chance of winning against the officials and armies of several provinces. As for Hui, Ge and others, they are really ordinary people, with no great ambitions, and they have been watching the wind for three years, wavering, and discussing surrender with the imperial court from time to time, thinking that it is a plan to delay the army. Such characters are difficult to be effective in times of urgency. Therefore, every effort should be made for the time being to avoid the eastward movement of the army. Attracting the attention of the imperial court too early will do more harm than good. ”

Zicheng nodded again and again and said, "Yes, yes." You have a point. ”

Jin Xing continued: "As for going north along Funiu Mountain, you can not only not attract the attention of the imperial court, but also rely on the mountain as a trend, be able to fight and defend, and enter and exit in and out of me." This is a more prudent policy. After the wings are full, you can break Luoyang in one fell swoop, use the wealth of King Fu to raise troops to relieve hunger, and compete for the Central Plains. ”

A move in the heart of self-determination. He had this idea and had not yet decided, but Venus's suggestion coincided. He smiled and asked:

"Break Luoyang and capture King Fu alive?"

"Yes, break Luoyang and capture King Fu alive. Luoyang was known as the middle of the world, with mountains and rivers in ancient times, and was the place where the capital of the Nine Dynasties was built. Break through Luoyang, first occupy an advantageous area, and then go east out of Chenggao, or south out of Ruzhou, fight for the Central Plains, and attack and defend freely. Moreover, Zhu Changxun, the blessed king, is the beloved son of Shenzong, and his mother Zheng Guifei favors the harem and almost takes the heir. The Wanli Emperor looted for decades, and it is said that half of the wealth in the palace was transported to Luoyang. Wanli sealed King Fu to Luoyang, and ordered Henan, Shandong, and Huguang provinces to loot 40,000 hectares of fertile land for Fu Domain. The household department and the Xinjiang officials of the three provinces really couldn't find so much land, and they tried again and again, but they barely reduced it by half. With 20,000 hectares of fertile land, every inch of land is taken from the people. At that time, the officials and eunuchs of the royal palace took the captains and soldiers to raise and support the servants, a total of more than 10,000 people, and they measured the good land everywhere, and after the measurement, it became the property of the king and the land was levied according to the mu. Wealthy and powerful gentry could pay bribes to the deacons and eunuchs of the palace to keep their land. Local scoundrels, take refuge in the palace, and act for the tiger. The bitter thing is that small families and middle-class families that have no official gentry to rely on are bankrupt in an instant; If you dare to resist, you will be charged with disobeying the holy decree. Arresting people, raping ** women, looting property, and killing civilian tenants, which made the three provinces in an uproar, and the people were panicked and complained. ”

Li Zicheng couldn't help but scolded: "Fuck, what emperors and princes, all robbers and cannibal demon kings!" ”

Jin Xing continued: "In addition to the 20,000 hectares of fertile land that King Fu seized from the people in peace, the Wanli Emperor also gave him miscellaneous taxes from Jiangdu to Taiping along the Yangtze River, and Sichuan salt wells and tea taxes. He also gave him 3,000 salts and opened a salt shop in Luoyang. The eunuchs of the royal palace went to Huaiyang to withdraw salt, and extorted several times to fill their pockets. The people of Zhongzhou originally ate Hedong salt and did not eat Huai salt. In order to force the people to eat Huai salt, King Fu was not allowed to sell the salt in the non-king shop. Hedong salt was originally a source of silver for border soldiers, but because Zhongzhou changed to eat Huai salt, Hedong salt could not be sold, which affected border salaries. If our army breaks through Luoyang, the property of the Fu domain alone can provide for the needs of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses for a year, not to mention the houses of the eunuchs and eunuchs in charge of the palace, which are confiscated by household, and their number is also considerable. The grain in King Fu's mansion was piled up, rotting in the warehouse, and the people of Luoyang were starving to death, and they refused to give a little relief. The hungry people in Luoyang sold their sons and daughters, and the eldest girl said that the cost of a marriage before King Fu left Beijing went to the treasury more than 300,000 taels of silver, and the construction of the Luoyang palace and the purchase of furnishings cost more than 600,000 taels of silver to the treasury, and the expenses borne by the local government were not included. For his family to come to Luoyang from Beijing, more than 1,200 private boats were used, and many boat owners were cut off from their livelihoods. Breaking Luoyang and killing the king of Fu, the so-called 'hanging the people and cutting down the crime', made the people of Zhongzhou, especially the people of Heluo, applaud, and Yixin Chuang Wang's righteous army is really the division of Tang Wu. The righteous flag refers to the inevitable response to the wind, and the pot pulp welcomes each other. ”

Zicheng nodded frequently and said, "Okay, good, break Luoyang and kill the Fu King!" ”

Jin Xing also said: "Fu Wang Zhu Changxun is not comparable to ordinary feudal princes. He is Chongzhen's maternal uncle. Since the heroic uprisings in various places in the last years of the Apocalypse, no relatives have been killed for more than ten years. If we want to kill today, we will start with Chongzhen's own uncle. Killing King Fu will shake the whole country, and it will also make Chongzhen panic and mess up. Whether this matter is a military statement, a speech in the hearts of the people, or a speech in terms of the shock of the imperial court, its far-reaching impact can be imagined. As for Nanyang, although it is also a mansion city, there is the Tang King there, but compared to Luoyang, ten is not more than one. The first Tang king was the twenty-third concubine of Zhu Hongwu, not a descendant; Up to now, there have been nine generations of eleven kings, and the family of Chongzhen has produced five suits more than a hundred years ago. This generation of Tang kings was originally Yujian, but in July of the ninth year of Chongzhen, the Manchurian soldiers entered the Great Wall from Xifengkou, harassed the area of Jifu, and withdrew from the Great Wall in August. When the military situation around Beijing was tight, the Tang king asked to lead his palace guard, King Qin, who aroused Chongzhen's suspicion, demoted him to a concubine, and escorted him to Fengyang's high wall for seclusion, and his younger brother Yu Yan inherited the throne. If Nanyang is broken now and the king of Tang is killed, the food and salary will not be much, and Chongzhen will not be hurt and panicked, but will prompt Chongzhen to quickly dispatch troops to defend Luoyang. Therefore, weighing the priorities, at present, we can only plan to break Luoyang first, and breaking Nanyang is not a top priority. ”

Li Zicheng said: "What Mr. said is extremely true. I also had the intention of breaking through Luoyang, so I led the old battalion and the army to secretly move north, and also sent a fine work to Luoyang to investigate the situation of defending the city, and I could come back in about ten days. When I listen to Mr. talk about it today, it fits my heart, and this matter is settled. If you can break Luoyang in one fell swoop and kill King Fu, as you just said, you can eliminate harm for the people of the Central Plains, which is in line with the purpose of our army's uprising to hang the people and fight crimes, and can use the wealth of King Fu to raise the army for hunger, which can greatly shake and panic the imperial court, disrupt the military deployment of the imperial court, and open up an excellent military situation for ourselves in the Central Plains. That's a lot to count! Other than that...... What do you think of Yang Sichang? ”

"Yang Sichang...... Niu Jinxing didn't understand why King Chuang suddenly asked Yang Sichang, muttered slightly, and then said: "Because the court has a deep view of the door, and he secretly negotiates money to the east, so he is quite attacked. However, in all fairness, he is still a shrewd and capable person among the ministers, and he is deeply trusted by Chongzhen, and the current secretary of the military department is also recommended by him. Chongzhen released him from Beijing, which was really a last resort. If this person is defeated, Chongzhen can no longer pick out a decent supervisor. Even if there is such a person, it is not like Yang Sichang, who is deeply trusted by the emperor, can bear the burden, and is more able to withstand the attacks of the court. ”

Zicheng said: "When I was in Yunyang Mountain, I was always thinking about how to hurt Chongzhen's arm. Now it seems that as long as we can break Luoyang and kill King Fu, Yang Sichang will be finished. ”

Jin Xing said: "Yang Sichang is going all out to pursue Zhang Jingxuan and Luo Rucai, far away in Sichuan. Chongzhen will only kill the governor of Henan, severely punish Yang Sichang, and will not punish him for serious crimes. ”

King Chuang smiled and said: "If we break Luoyang and kill the current emperor's own uncle, this is a major event that has never been a major event in the three hundred years of the Ming Dynasty. Yang Sichang is currently the superintendent and auxiliary minister, how can he unload the burden? Even if Chongzhen does not add his felony for the time being, he will hold a grudge. In case of another setback, the two accounts will be settled together. What's more, the dispute over the gates of the court is very fierce, how can those courtiers who attack Yang Sichang on weekdays not make a big fuss about Luoyang? Chongzhen, a person, has always been credited to himself, saying how wise he is, and if he is wrong, he will be attributed to his subordinates, and he is moody. You see, sooner or later, either he dies or degraded or goes to prison, Yang Sichang will definitely be finished. No matter what Yang Sichang's skills are, there is always a commander in all the officers and armies with him, and there is a central banner. As soon as he fell, even if Chongzhen sent others to supervise the teacher, it was far behind in all aspects, in fact, it was equivalent to having no commander and no central banner. At that time, the defeat of the officers and troops will take a sharp turn. ”

Niu Jinxing unconsciously said "wonderful, wonderful", praised King Chuang's far-reaching wisdom, and then laughed.

Li Zicheng said humbly: "This strategy for breaking Luo was originally set by my husband, and I can't say that I have any far-reaching wisdom. If he is not from Luoyang, I am afraid that he will not explain the truth of breaking Luoyang and killing the Fu King so thoroughly. It's a rarity! As soon as Mr. arrived today, he came up with this important suggestion, and it really lived up to the expectations of the whole army for Mr. ”

Jin Xing said: "When Song Xiance comes to the army, he will have more extremely important opinions. ”

Zicheng hurriedly asked, "What are the most important words to give advice?" ”

Jin Xing smiled and said: "I only know that the relationship is very important, but I don't know the details. Without meeting his subordinates, he refuses to say it casually. ”

Li Zicheng immediately ordered his own soldiers to call in two colonels, and ordered them to each bring a small group of cavalry to give the order: Yuan Zongdi quickly retreated from between Yexian and Beiwudu, broke Zhangliangdian in the territory of Lushan to the west, and then entered the Funiu Mountains from the north of Motianling, and waited for his fate near Erlang Temple; Li Guo retreated from Dushu Town in Fangcheng, and broke the relatively wealthy cottages along the way, entered Funiu Mountain from the south of Motianling, and stood by near Luanchuan. After sending away the two small schools with Pegasus heralds, King Li Chuang asked him to rest because he was tired from Niu Jinxing's journey, so he went to see the exercise outside the village by himself.

CHAPTER XXXVII

Not far from the village, King Chuang saw Liu Zongmin, Gao Yigong and Tian Jianxiu standing together to discuss something, and the soldiers all left a few zhang away. He told his men to wait by the roadside, dismounted, and asked:

"What's important?"

Gao Yigong replied: "I will discuss the matter of the food and salary of each battalion with the two of them, and it has been discussed. ”

King Chuang said, "I am looking for you." Well, let's just stand here and talk about it. ”

He told them how to negotiate with Niu Jinxing on the next step to break Luoyang and kill the Fu King, and Niu Jinxing's recommendation of Song Xiance as a military advisor. They knew that King Chuang had the idea of attacking Luoyang a few days ago, so it was not strange to hear this decision, but they were very happy, but they did not expect to ask Song Xiance to be a military advisor. Gao Yigong asked:

"Have you said yes?"

King Chuang said, "I smiled and nodded, not making a clear decision. Since Qidong has already talked to me about this person in Shangluo Mountain, and now he is trying his best to recommend it, I think this person must have some skills. I have already ordered Erhu to go outside the city of Ruzhou to meet him. When Song Xiance comes to the army and meets with us, if he is basically the same, he can be worshiped as a military advisor. You say, "Okay?" ”

Gao Yigong said: "Strategist, this position is very important. People like Xu Yixian will only help Zhang Jingxuan come up with crooked ideas, and we must not worship as a military advisor. ”

King Chuang looked at Liu Zongmin and asked, "Jiexuan, you say?" ”

Liu Zongmin smiled and said, "Let's listen to King Chuang's decision, it's right." Military advisors, there has only been one person like Zhuge Liang since ancient times. Today's military advisors only help with planning and planning, neither commanding wars nor holding military power, what's the big deal? The name is very high, but he is actually a staff member next to the coach. He was a decent man and had a great idea, and we all respect him; If it's a rice bucket and he has a crooked idea, he will send him some silver and ask him to walk, or don't let him be in a high position in the army and eat a bowl of idle rice in the army. I think that since it was recommended by Niu Qidong, the accuracy will not be too bad. ”

King Chuang asked Tian Jianxiu again: "What did Brother Yufeng say?" ”

Tian Jianxiu replied: "We have just arrived in Henan, and the business side is creating, and it is the time to recruit talents, so we should not ask for too strictness." If you ask too strictly, the talent will not come. ”

When Liu Zongmin saw King Chuang smiling, he suddenly remembered a story, laughed, and said, "Yes." Brother Yufeng is right. King Chuang, when Song Shorty comes to the army, you can do it, as long as he still has some real skills and helps you, worship him as a military advisor. This is also a call to the capable characters in the three religions and nine streams! ”

Li Zicheng was satisfied, left them, got on his horse and ran towards a large school field. Gao Yigong asked Liu Zongmin:

"Jiexuan, why are you laughing all of a sudden?"

"I remembered that before coming to Henan, King Chuang talked to us about how to recruit talents after arriving in Henan, and he really stood tall and saw far! He told a story about buying horse bones, have you forgotten? It's very interesting, I don't know if he saw it from the novels of "New Kingdoms". After listening to Yufeng's words just now, I remembered this story again, so I couldn't help but laugh. However, a story is a story, and we can't compare Song Xiance to a horse bone. This man must have some real skills to help the king. ”

Everyone had heard King Chuang tell the story of buying horse bones for a thousand dollars, so they all laughed. Gao Yigong said:

"This Song Xiance must have some real skills. Niu Qidong is very knowledgeable, and he will not casually recommend people to be military advisors. ”

Niu Jinxing originally wanted to sit on the bed for a while, but after leaning on the pillow, he was excited and dozed off because he thought about the conversation with King Chuang just now. He was looking up at the beams of the roof, his thoughts were flying, and Shang Jiong came in with a smile on his face. Venus quickly got out of bed and pulled the doctor to sit down by the fire. The doctor said:

"I met King Chuang just now, and he is very happy that you helped him decide on the next strategy for using his troops. I'm busy with my business, so I'll take a look at you. ”

Niu Jinxing said modestly: "The foolish brother is a scholar, and he falsely accepted the recommendation of the elder brother, but he was treated by Wang Chuang with green eyes, and asked humbly, the foolish brother should be wise and loyal, in order to repay the accident." ”

The doctor said: "I have followed King Chuang for several years, and I know that King Chuang is far-sighted, has extraordinary wisdom, and is better at adopting good words, and never self-righteous. Sometimes he consciously thinks about it, and always gathers all the generals and asks everyone to express their opinions. He listened with humility and chose what was good. If someone else has a good idea, even if it comes from a groom pawn, he will listen to it. I said to him, 'King Chuang, you are not the only one who is not right, so you always are.'" But on the big joint, he also insisted on his own ideas and did not give in slightly. A character like King Chuang, despite his repeated setbacks in the past few years, does have something extraordinary, and it is truly remarkable. Looking at the uprisings of today, there is no one who can match him. Zhang Jingxuan is a head shorter than him, and characters like Ge and Zuo are not even one-tenth of him! ”

Niu Jinxing said: "The heroes who have become great things since ancient times must be as heroic and strategic as King Chuang, humble and obedient. This was the case for both Han Gaozu and Tang Taizong. ”

The doctor said, "Although the peony is good, it still needs to be supported by green leaves." Since ancient times, entrepreneurial heroes must be assisted by strategists. Zhang Liang and Chen Ping can give advice to Liu Bang at a critical time and decide on a big plan. Zhu Hongwu founded the Ming Dynasty, and Liu Bowen was an indispensable adviser, and people called him a first-class figure in Zhuge Kongming. But Wang Qiweng raised his eyebrows and exclaimed from then on, showing his talents, and serving the good, peaceful, and Berwyn around King Chuang. ”

These words were said in Niu Jinxing's heart, which made him laugh unconsciously, but after laughing, he said with conceit in humility:

"How can a foolish brother be compared to the ancients!"

After noon the next day, Li Zicheng's old camp left Baitugang, crossed the eastern part of Funiu Mountain, and headed north. Before leaving Baitugang, he had already discussed with a group of important generals such as Niu Jinxing, Liu Zongmin, Gao Yigong, and Tian Jianxiu, and decided to write the two sentences "follow the king, do not pay food" and "where the righteous army goes, they will be exempted from conscription for three years" into unveiling posts, and they were widely posted everywhere the army went. The former sentence is a slogan put forward by King Li Chuang as soon as he entered the territory of Henan, and the latter sentence is a new slogan added now. The former is to call on the people to no longer pay grain to the government of the Ming Dynasty, and the latter is to say that King Chuang himself is exempt from money and grain, and after circulation, it is simplified to half a sentence of "three years of exemption". As early as three years ago, King Chuang put forward the slogan of "suppressing the soldiers and reassuring the people", but because the officers and soldiers in the Central Plains are empty at present, he will no longer emphasize it. In addition, there are also such words as "cutting the rich and helping the poor" and "buying and selling flat," which are the general slogans of Li Zicheng's righteous army, which have been practiced for many years, unlike the two new slogans put forward after entering Henan, which have greatly shaken among the people and spread widely.

The promulgation of these two new slogans marked the beginning of a new stage in Li Zicheng's revolutionary cause and also marked the beginning of a new stage in the peasant revolutionary war at the end of the Ming Dynasty. This is not a utopian slogan like "equal wealth and poverty, equal to the noble and low" and it is impossible to realize in feudal society, it only has the brilliance of ideals and has no practical significance. These two new slogans of Li Zicheng reflected the vital interests of the peasants and the small and medium-sized landlords who owned a small amount of land, which were deeply afflicted by the money and grain factions, and in turn won them over to the revolution, which had an immediate and tremendous impact. After Li Zicheng entered Henan, he still had the idea of Juntian, but because he did not establish a solid base area and political power, he could not implement it, so he did not formulate specific measures and did not seriously publicize it. Due to the introduction of the two new slogans, coupled with the opening of the cottage and the release of relief, the military discipline was strict, and Qiu did not commit any crimes, which immediately had a huge impact on Li Zicheng's reputation. Beyond the Ferris Ridge to the north, the crowds welcomed by the roadside were even more enthusiastic when they encountered market towns and villages, including small and medium-sized landowners on the verge of bankruptcy.

Li Zicheng marched north, bypassing the Motianling Ridge and stopping at the Erlang Temple to wait for a meeting with Song Xiance. At noon on the fifth day, Song Xiance arrived. Li Zicheng, Niu Jinxing, and Liu Zongmin led a large group of generals out of the village to greet them. Although Song Xiance was only as tall as King Chuang's shoulders and half a head shorter than the average person of medium stature, he was magnificent, talked and laughed, and immediately won the favor of the generals. King Chuang's old camp was encamped in the house of a large squire. After the luncheon, King Chuang invited him and Niu Jinxing to talk in the study. It just so happened that Liu Zongmin had nothing important to do, and he also came. King Chuang smiled and said:

"Brother Counselor's footprints are half the world, he has seen and heard a wide range of things, and he is rich in strategy, proficient in the art of war, and he will not give up today, and come to work together, which is not only a blessing for himself, but also a blessing for the whole army. In our opinion, how should we train an elite soldier? How to seize the Ming Dynasty as soon as possible? ”

Song Xiance replied: "Xiance was born in troubled times, books and swords floated away, sent food to the rivers and lakes, and spent half his life doing nothing. When you come to the general's tent today, you have to be able to always be around, and you should be loyal and wise, and General Zuo will set the world early. However, in the affairs of the military, it is permissible to dedicate the views of the generals one after another, so that the general can consider whether it is possible or not. Today's first promotion, I would like to talk about one thing first, and the right to be a celery. Before talking about this matter, please ask the general to give advice and bow twice. With that, he left his seat, knelt down and bowed.

Li Zicheng hurriedly left his seat to return the salute. Niu Jinxing and Liu Zongmin also quickly stood up. Jin Xing had not yet met with Xiance recently, and after he returned to Linru with his messenger, he already knew that Xiance believed that Li Zicheng would have the destiny of heaven and would have the world, but he did not know the basis for his advice. Now when I see the offer of advice and bow like this, I understand that I have to say something very important. Zong Min also understood a little in his heart, and when he stood up after offering advice, he pressed his arm to the chair and said loudly:

"Brother, hurry up and say it, will our King Li Chuang have the world in the future?"

"Yes, yes. The name of the king should be proclaimed, and the auspicious omen is obvious, and the real system will come into being, and there will be no doubt in the world. ”

Zong Min said again: "Brother Advice, don't go around in circles, say it clearly." What is the name of our king? What's the picture? What is an auspicious sign? How did it come into being? Please hurry up and make it clear, but don't be flattering! ”

He laughed and said, "What is this, how dare you be flattering?" And to offer advice to come here today, is it to fight the autumn wind? If General Jiexuan is a man of the rivers and lakes, then his brother will be ashamed and uneasy! ”

King Chuang hurriedly said: "Jiexuan likes to say refreshing things, please don't be surprised." ”

Song Xiance laughed again, then spit on the ground, cleared his throat, sat up solemnly, and arched his hand to King Chuang, and said calmly:

"The one who gives advice today is the one who is heavenly. If you don't meet someone, you don't dare to disclose it easily. Casual leakage not only ruins big things, but also kills people. Today's advice came to the righteous army, and it was the right time to tell your subordinates and tell the heavens. Because of the Ming Dynasty's exhaustion, there will be a true destiny of the Son of Heaven to prosper, so in the past ten years, wandering the rivers and lakes, tracing the north and south, secretly inspecting who is the real hero of the world. Later, he got the ancient book Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng's "Prophecy", which is known to the world as "Tui Bei Tu". However, the "Tui Bei Tu" seen today is all a pseudo-trust of later generations, and it is very different from Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng. What I have obtained is an ancient manuscript, entitled "The Book of Proverbs", which also has pictures and poems, but the order is different from the books seen today, and the pictures and prophecies recorded are also very different. There is an extremely important prophecy, which is not found in all the books today, and it is the prophecy that the king will win the world. ”

Zong Min asked, "What is painted on it?" How is it written? ”

Advice said: "How to write the painting above, I don't need to explain it emptyly, the existing physical objects are proof." Call my lowly servant. ”

Zong Min immediately called his own soldiers to call Song Xiance's servants. He gave a word of advice to the servant, but in a few moments, the servant came in with a large book of green cloth letters, handed it to him, and quickly withdrew. Liu Zongmin saw the yellow paper inscription on the letter, and said with a smile:

"Isn't this a Diamond Sutra? Our eldest brother Tian Yufeng likes such books, is there also "Legends" here? ”

Song Xiance was not in a hurry, opened the green cloth letter, took out the four copies of the "Vajra Prajnaparamita Sutra" engraved in large characters, took out the third book, tore the back cover, took out half a page of handwritten diagrams with ancient colors, stood up from the chair, held it in both hands, and explained at the same time:

"Because I was afraid that the government would find out on the road, I left the whole book in Kaifeng, and only brought this useful half-page picture to dedicate to my command."

King Chuang stood up and took the diagram, and looked at it with Jin Xing and Zong Min. Song Xiance was still afraid that King Chuang and Zong Min would not be able to fully understand, so he stood aside and explained:

The big pig shot in this painting refers to the court surnamed Zhu. The 'red face' mentioned in the four proverbs is 'Zhu Yan', that is, the beauty surnamed Zhu. The so-called 'red face is dead, and the chaos stops', that is, the surname Zhu is dead, and the chaos in the world will stop. The so-called 'Eighteen Sons, the main artifact', that is, the surname Li is the main artifact. The artifact, the position of the Son of Heaven. Isn't it clear that King Chuang should have the position of the Son of Heaven? ”

Liu Zongmin shouted: "My God, sure enough, this "Confession" is clearly written! ”

He pointed to the four seven-character hymns behind him and said: "Please see that the third sentence is 'Eighteen children sit on the table', and the eighteen children are the 'eighteen sons' as the saying goes, and it is the word 'Li', which obviously refers to King Chuang." For the north, King Chuang started from Mizhi County, Yan'an Prefecture, and it was the exchange side. Looking at the fourth sentence of 'Kyushu is in turmoil Li Jizhu', the words are more clear. ”

Jin Xing said: "The "Chronicles" is so clear, then the king has won the mandate of heaven, and the number has been predetermined, so why doubt it! ”

Zong Min shouted again: "Brother Xiance, you, hi! The "Chronicles" you have offered is worth 100,000 horses. I, Liu Zongmin, will fight to the death, and I will protect the king and set the world early. ”

Song Xiance nodded and smiled, and then said: "This hexagram is 'both good', the upper and lower levels, water and fire are used for each other, and everything is good." And the water is above, the fire is below, and the water can extinguish the fire. The Ming Dynasty was the king of Huode. King Chuang originated from the northwest, and the north was the king of water. Water extinguishes fires, that is, the clear proof that King Shuide replaces King Huode. ”

Li Chuangwang had been listening, watching, thinking, silent, trying his best to keep himself calm. At this time, he could no longer bear it, looked at Song Xiance and Niu Jinxing and said:

"I was originally born in a peasant family, I was a post soldier, and I was forced to gather people to revolt as a last resort, determined to save the people from the dire situation. If you don't mean the name, you should be in the world. However, since ancient times, those who have won the world, although they have a mandate of heaven, they must rely on personnel. In the future, I hope that the two benevolent brothers will help me a lot, and when I see something wrong, I will always point it out and make me correct. If you can really win the world, you don't dare to forget your brother and other assistants. ”

Song Xiance said to King Chuang: "In October of the first year of Chongzhen, there was a plum tree blooming in the imperial garden in the Forbidden City, and the courtiers congratulated Chongzhen, saying that it was auspicious. In fact, when the flowers bloom from time to time, how can there be any auspiciousness? According to the five elements, this is 'Mu Xuan', which is out of the Forbidden City, which is quite unlucky for Chongzhen. However, Li is the surname of his subordinates, and it is a sign that his subordinates will bloom in the Forbidden City. Poor Chongzhen Manchu Dynasty civil and military, I don't understand why the plum tree blooms in October! ”

Liu Zongmin said: "At that time, our King Li Chuang had not yet revolted, and of course Chongzhen's Manchu Dynasty civil and military affairs did not understand!" ”

After 12 years of armed struggle, a lot of hardships, hardships and dangers, especially in the past two or three years after suffering a major setback, now when he first came to Henan, began to embark on a smooth road, the grand plan of the dream for a long time seems not to be utopian, at this time, Song Xiance came to the army, presented the "Eighteen Sons of the Main Artifact" of the "Chronicles", to Li Zicheng and the whole army have played a very huge role in inspiring and inspiring. King Chuang secretly thought: In the past, it was just that some people said that I Li Zicheng would be able to win the world in the future, but I didn't mean that it was really the mandate of heaven, which was seen in the diagram! Liu Zongmin and other generals thought: As long as the king is in the destiny of heaven, even if it is worth it. At the same time, from top to bottom, they all thought about how to work together in the future, reorganize the army, eliminate riots and save the people, and King Zuochuang would set the world early. Mrs. Gao knew about Song Xiance's "Confessions", and the female soldiers on the left and right were so excited that they burst into tears, and immediately put incense in the courtyard and burned incense to worship the sky. Due to the advocacy of the imperial court, the people of the Ming Dynasty worshiped Guan Yu the most and was called Emperor Guan. After Mrs. Gao worshipped the heavens, she faced the tablet of Emperor Guan, lit candles and incense, worshiped sincerely, and silently asked for God's blessing, so that King Chuang could build a great cause early. The soldiers of the old battalion automatically beat gongs and drums, set off firecrackers, and shouted long live.

The news that Song Xiance came to King Chuang's old camp to present the "Confessions" quickly spread to the soldiers everywhere, and there was jubilation everywhere, setting off firecrackers and shouting long live. This exciting news also spread quickly among the people, and it was discussed everywhere. Although the local tyrants and squires who guarded the cottage refused to believe it, and some people were skeptical, the vast number of hungry people, especially young people, believed that every word of the "Prophecies" was true, and believed that "Li Jizhu" was destined by heaven. Since then, the people who have come to join the rebel army have become more enthusiastic, and they have been flowing in groups.

After several in-depth discussions, Li Zicheng understood that Song Xiance was more familiar with the situation in the world, and knew more about the art of war, battle formations, and the training of famous generals such as Qi Jiguang and others in modern times. Although he didn't like Song Xiance's inevitable habits in his heart, he was satisfied that he was a rare and useful talent.

On the third day of Song Xiance's arrival in the army, a military meeting was held in the old camp of King Chuang in Erlang Temple, in addition to discussing various important military issues, King Chuang worshiped Song Xiance as a military advisor in front of the generals. King Chuang also took the opportunity to explain to the generals that at present, various official systems have not yet been established, and there is no appropriate position for Niu Juren, but in fact, he is in the position of a guest teacher. The generals all understood that Niu Jinxing would definitely be the head of the civil servants in the future. At this conference, King Chuang once again reiterated military discipline and precautions to the generals, and personally explained the various policies that had been announced since the entry into Henan, including how to treat scholars and Ming officials. For those who read, those who are willing to submit will be given preferential treatment, and they will be appointed; Those who do not want to submit will not be killed, unless there is great public anger or they are willing to be the sworn enemies of the righteous army. After the city was broken, the current officials of the Ming Dynasty were caught, and they were not killed unless the people were angry; If you are willing to surrender, you will continue to serve as before. At that time, there was turmoil and division within the landlord class, and the political attitudes of scholars and local officials, such as Juren and Xiucai, were greatly affected by the new situation. Li Zicheng's policies were conducive to accelerating the fragmentation and disintegration of the social base of the Ming regime. A year or two later, the monarchs and ministers of the Ming Dynasty were even more aware and shocked: among the many rebellious generals, only Li Zicheng was indeed the most terrifying.

King Chuang's army continued to break through the wealthy cottages in the Funiu Mountains, while expanding its men and horses and seizing the time to train its troops, while gradually moving north. At the beginning of December, King Chuang came to the northern foot of the Funiu Mountains and broke through a large cottage. This village is inhabited by the surnames of Dai and Sheng, named Dai Shengzhai. King Chuang renamed it Desheng Village and stationed it in his old camp. By this time, he had more than 100,000 men and was famous, but he had not yet sent troops to conquer any nearby county town. Henan Governor Li Xianfeng was unable to deal with it, so he had to pretend not to know.

Some of the scattered soldiers who had been scattered elsewhere were found. Hao Shaoqi also led hundreds of men and horses back. He was separated from Liu Zongmin in Baihe County, and Zong Min crossed the Han River, and he did not have a chance to pass, so he led less than ten surviving brothers to break out of the siege and traveled between Shanyang and Zhen'an counties, where he fell seriously ill. During the illness, he had his men cooperate with the local bandits so that they would not be wiped out by the villagers, but he also did some things that disturbed the people. After he recovered from his illness, he was reluctant to go to Shangluo Mountain to listen to the command of Liu Tichun and Gu Ying, so he continued to stay in the Shanyang area and waited for news of King Chuang. Because he made repeated mistakes and refused to return to Shangluo Mountain in time, there were many people who spoke ill of him in King Chuang's old camp, but few people said good things for him, and some people even advocated not taking him in. King Chuang rebuked him severely, and did not appoint him to his position. Soon, Li Zicheng went to Desheng Village to set up an old camp, and while training troops, he was preparing to attack Luoyang. Hao Shaoqi saw that everyone was busy to death and he himself was idle, and his mood became more and more painful. His ancestors have fed horses for large families for generations, and he also fed horses with his father when he was a teenager, so he has mastered a lot of good experience in raising horses and secret recipes for curing mules and horses. Seeing that King Li Chuang's soldiers were increasing rapidly, that it was difficult for the horses to come, and that the mules carrying heavy loads were becoming increasingly insufficient, he asked King Chuang: Let him be in charge of breeding mules and horses. King Chuang agreed, and allocated him dozens of well-bred stallions with tender mouths and donkeys in Guanzhong, so that they could be raised in advance and start breeding in the spring. Many of the new brothers brought from Shanyang and Zhen'an counties were charcoal-burning peasants, and at first they burned a lot of charcoal with the branches of oak trees and quercus trees for the needs of the people and animals in their camps. King Li Chuang passed by the horse herding camp, saw the charcoal, and praised them. So Hao Shaoqi automatically requested that all the charcoal used by all departments of the old camp of Deshengzhai be taken care of.

By mid-December, Li Zicheng was preparing to attack Luoyang and several nearby counties. One day, while discussing military affairs with Niu Jinxing, Song Xiance, Liu Zongmin, Gao Yigong, Li Guo, and other generals, suddenly an inspector returned from Kaifeng, and in addition to reporting some of the situation in Kaifeng, he also reported that Li Gongzi of Qixian County had been framed and imprisoned by the enemy, and might be sentenced to death. Since Song Xiance came to the army, Li Zicheng and several of his generals often heard him talk about how Li Gongzi was in Qixian County, and everyone naturally had a good impression of Li Xin, hoping that he would also come to work with him in the future. Song Xiance also copied Li Xin's "Song of Persuasion" to Zicheng this spring, which he deeply appreciated. Now I heard that Li Xin was imprisoned and was about to be sentenced to death, and everyone was very concerned. Liu Zongmin slapped the table, jumped up and said:

"Fuck, they're going to put Li Gongzi to death, so we'll kill them! It doesn't take many people to break Luoyang. We always have to go to eastern Henan, so we might as well send 20,000 horses and horses to eastern Henan to break through several prefectures and counties, and by the way, break through Qi County and rescue Li Gongzi. If he is willing to work together and fight the world with the king, we are welcome! ”

Several generals felt that Liu Zongmin's words were also reasonable, but they were afraid of disrupting King Chuang's current strategy for using troops, so they all looked at King Chuang and waited for King Chuang to speak. Li Zicheng was silent for a moment, looked at Song Xiance, and asked:

"What is the opinion of the military advisor?"

"Even if Li Gongzi is sentenced to death, he will not be executed soon." At present, we can only concentrate on breaking Luoyang and killing King Fu, and then send a large army to the east, sweep the Central Plains, take the opportunity to break through Qi County, and rescue Li Gongzi. I wonder what King Chuang thinks? ”

Li Zicheng nodded and agreed with the military advisor's proposition. He instructed Gao Yigong to send a few more people to Qixian and Kaifeng to inquire about Li Xin's situation, and come back at any time to report it. Since then, in the old camp of King Chuang, in addition to caring about the problem of breaking Luoyang, he also often talked about the news from Qi County......