CHAPTER XVIII

When the Ming Dynasty rescued the Jinzhou army and collapsed in the Songshan area, Li Zicheng was ready for a major military operation to open the seal for the second attack and sweep away the military forces transferred to Henan by the Ming Dynasty.

In early August, Fu Zonglong, the new governor of Shaanxi and the three sides, had no choice but to leave Shaanxi and march to Henan under the repeated urging of Emperor Chongzhen. When he left Shaanxi, the new governor of Shaanxi, Wang Qiaonian, saw him off. Wang Qiaonian is also a civil servant who knows a little bit about military affairs, and knows that Fu Zonglong's trip to Henan this time is more auspicious and less auspicious, so he has to be forced out of the customs. Fu Zonglong himself knows even better: the army has no training, the generals are arrogant and domineering, and the military salary, food and grass are very scarce. Not only can we not exterminate the "thieves," but it is also extremely difficult to protect ourselves. Especially since Li Zicheng broke Luoyang, it has been very different, not only there are many people, but also the people of Henan have returned to the wind; In July, another Luo Rucai came, adding 120,000 horses to him, and he was even more like a tiger. However, the emperor was so anxious to "suppress the thief" and had a violent temperament, and he kept flying in with edicts and military documents, urging him to go to Henan to fight quickly, without considering the situation of the officials and troops in each town, and did not allow him to have time to reorganize his troops and horses. He knew that there was a lot of luck in Tongguan, but he didn't dare to disobey the "holy decree". When he and Wang Qiaonian said goodbye to each other, the two of them held hands and rolled out tears. He said to Wang Qiaonian:

"I was ordered to suppress the thieves this time, and I rushed out of the customs, which is like feeding a tiger with meat."

Wang Qiaonian said: "My lord, just go with confidence." In case the big man is unfavorable in battle, Qiao Nian will follow him. ”

Both of them understood what they meant, and shook their heads and sighed at each other, saying nothing else.

Fu Zonglong knew that Li Zicheng was training in Funiu Mountain, and he didn't dare to go out from Tongguan to pass through Luoyang, for fear that Li Zicheng would intercept him halfway. However, he had to join forces with Yang Wenyue, the governor of Baoding, in southern Henan to join forces to deal with Li Zicheng. Therefore, he led 30,000 or 40,000 horses, not through Tongguan, but through Shangzhou, Neixiang, and Dengzhou, along the area where southern Henan and Huguang meet, and quickly marched eastward, preparing to join Yang Wenyue in the north of Gwangju (now Huangchuan), Xincai and Runing.

Li Zicheng received a report from Tanma in Funiu Mountain, and hurriedly led his men and horses to chase after him. In mid-August, Li Zicheng's men and horses had already chased between Xiping and Suiping, and temporarily stopped to prepare for a decisive battle.

Fu Zonglong and Yang Wenyue have already returned through the secret book, and agreed to meet in Xincai first, and then make plans. Although these two governors were ordered to concentrate on "suppressing the invasion", and the emperor's edict and the military department urged the war to be in a hurry, they did not dare to rashly fight against Li Zicheng. According to the detailed investigation report, they knew that Li Zicheng was going to attack Kaifeng again, but it was only because they learned that they were going to join forces north of Guangzhou, so they postponed their march to Kaifeng, and now they are stationed between Xiping and Suiping, preparing to fight with them. They agreed to avoid Li Zicheng's army after the meeting, go to Xiangcheng first, and rush to Chenzhou (now Huaiyang) as soon as possible to contain the Chuang and Cao armies that were heading north to Kaifeng from the flank.

On the day when Fu Zonglong and Yang Wenyue met in Xincai, at dusk, thousands of light cavalry rushed from the northwest. The horse was sweating and had dust on its legs. The cavalry was neatly organized, and not a single group of cavalry dared to go into the fields and trample on the crops, which was very different from all the cavalry of the officers and soldiers at that time.

During the autumn harvest, the sunset is particularly showy, red, and falls on the treetops at the end of the plain. In many parts of the area, the crops have not yet been harvested, and some crops have dried up in the ground. In recent days, people have been afraid of harassment and fighting because they have heard that the officials and troops are coming and are going to pass here, so many people have left the village and avoided the main road, and the harvest in the fields has been delayed. The situation of the people here is different from that of the people of western Henan. Although they also heard that King Chuang's men and horses were much better than the official army, they did not believe that there were really benevolent and righteous teachers in the world, and they did not believe that Li Zicheng's men and horses would really not harass the common people.

For many years, they have been accustomed to hearing Li Zicheng's men and horses as "thieves", so they thought that even if Li Zicheng's men and horses are good, they are thieves after all, and they are not serious troops in the end. The common people were afraid that the officials and troops would pass by here, and they were also afraid that Li Zicheng's men and horses would come from the west, and they were worried and scared almost every day. The wind was particularly tight in the past two days, so along the road to Xincai, almost all the people in the village fled.

But at this time, a group of hungry people who had fled from the famine fled from a distance to the west in the afterglow of the setting sun, in the smoke and dust of the road, and in the twilight that was gradually thickening. They met the cavalry head-on, but they could not dodge, so they had to leave the road and stand in the field. They are a group of homeless people. It's dusk, the children are already crying with hunger, and the old man is **. The future is uncertain, but they encounter war, which makes them even more worried.

The hungry people wanted to see the cavalry walking by, but they did not dare to look at it head-on, their eyes full of fear, surprise and curiosity. I am afraid that I don't know where this man came from, whether he will be harsh on them, or if he will coerce the young among them. It was astonishing that I had never seen such a neat procession, and when it passed by, it did not do any terrible acts against them, nor did it insult them, nor did it even look fierce. Because they were surprised in their hearts, they couldn't help but secretly observe this army with curious eyes.

They saw a general in the ranks, riding on a horse, and saw that the flag in front of him was "Chuang", and suddenly realized: This is the horse of King Li Chuang! So, is the general on the horse the king himself? People looked at each other, but no one dared to speak. Some people couldn't help but kneel, because according to the custom of thousands of years, the common people had to kneel when they saw officials, whether civil or military, so they saw the banner of Chuangzi coming, and saw the general on horseback, whether it was King Li Chuang or not, they all knelt down.

The line was over, and people began to talk. Some people say that this is to attack the city of Runingfu; Some people say that not necessarily, it may be to meet the officers and soldiers; Some people say that this army is so different from the officers and soldiers, how neat the team is, not even a horse is stepped on the field, it is really disciplined! Some elderly women were worried about their daughters-in-law and daughters, but later found that none of the cavalry came to molest the women, and suddenly put their hearts at ease and secretly recited the phrase "Amitabha".

While there was a lot of discussion, a small leader of the Volunteer Army rode back. When he came to the victims, he reined in his horse, threw down a large bag of grain from his horse, and said:

"Folks, don't be afraid. We are the men and horses of King Li Chuang, who came to suppress the soldiers and pacify the people. Our people have always been sympathetic to the elderly and the poor, and every place they go to, they open warehouses to give relief to the hungry. Today we passed through here, and we didn't bring a lot of food. Just now, our master saw that you were all very poor escapees, and specially ordered me to come back and leave this bag of grain to you. Which of you is the leader, divide the grain and everyone share a little, and help the emergency. When we have defeated the official army and occupied this area, we will take out more grain from the warehouses of the rich and distribute it to the poor people. Do not be afraid, but divide the grain and take it away. It's getting dark, hurry up! ”

With that, the little leader turned his horse's head and prepared to leave. At that moment an old man came out of the victims, who seemed to be a leader, knelt down and kowtowed to the little leader, and said:

"Thank you King Chuang, you are really our lifesaver." After saying this, he asked again, "Is it King Chuang himself who is walking under the word 'Chuang' in front of him?" ”

"No, he's King Chuang's nephew."

A few days ago, Li Zicheng, who was stationed between Xiping and Suiping, found out that Fu Zonglong and Yang Wenyue would meet in Xincai, and he analyzed and studied together with his military advisors, generals, and Luo Rucai, and believed that after Fu and Yang joined forces, there were no more than two trends: First, they tended to defend Runing. Because Runing is a palace city, and it is also the Ming Dynasty's clan Chongwang (Chongwang - Zhu Jianze, the sixth son of Ming Yingzong, was named Chongwang, and now it is passed to the seventh generation of Zhu You. The division is located, so it seems natural for Fu Zonglong and Yang Wenyue to stick to Runing. However, everyone also expected that the officers and soldiers were afraid that once they were surrounded, they would end up dead, so they also planned that they would not defend Runing but tend to defend Xiangcheng, so that Xiangcheng and Runing could be horns for each other, support each other, and have a way to retreat. After discussion, it was decided to send Li Guo to lead 30,000 horses, infantry and cavalry, to the north of Xincai to intercept the northward advance of the Ming army and defeat it in one fell swoop. At that time, Zuo Liangyu was still between Xinyang and Luoshan, and there were many people, and Ding Qirui was also stationed in the Guangshan area, and his intentions were unknown. Therefore, Li Zicheng and Cao Cao led the army to stay between Xiping and Suiping to observe the movement, and continued to urge the nearby states and counties to ask for military rations and collect mules and horses. Among these 8,000 light horsemen, there are 2,000 light horsemen of Cao Ying and Yang Chengzu. Yang Chengzu is Luo Rucai's favorite general, Li Guo and he met a few years ago, and recently Chuang and Cao co-operated, and the two of them had more opportunities to meet each other and became very good friends. Because he knew that they were more compatible, this time he asked Cao Cao to send some men and horses to fight together, and Cao Cao sent Yang Chengzu out.

That night, Li crossed the garrison and ordered the troops not to harass the houses, and only the houses of the large families who had fled could be stationed. Many military tents were erected in the open space. Some of the men and horses were stationed in the wilderness outside the wall, and they also set up tents. All inside and outside the wall, it is strictly forbidden to burn, and no leakage of news is allowed.

Li Guo's old camp was stationed in a temple. As soon as he stayed, he sent people to gather the local fathers and villagers, and more than a dozen people came. Li Guo explained to them that the purpose of the Chuang Wang team was to advocate righteousness in heaven and hang the people to fight crimes, especially at present, it was to suppress the troops and pacify the people, kill all the officials and soldiers who brutalized the people, and get rid of the eunuchs and local tyrants who stepped on the heads of the people. After he finished speaking, the fathers and elders were skeptical, but after all, they began to relax. An old man in tattered clothes and a gentleman in his face said:

"We have long heard that King Li Chuang's men and horses are teachers of benevolence and righteousness, how to do good deeds in western Henan, how to be good to the people, how the people burn incense everywhere to wish for the king, and wish that King Chuang would go to relieve the suffering. Today, I saw that the general personally led the cavalry to our place, and sure enough, the military discipline was strict, and the autumn did not commit any crimes, which was really something that I had never seen before. ”

Li Guo said: "Heaven has become disgusted with the Ming Dynasty. The upper court of the Zhu family is corrupt, and the lower officials are corrupt; The number of qi is exhausted, and it must die. Our Li Chuang Wang's name is in the picture. The words of 'Eighteen Sons, the main artifact', and 'Li Daizhu' are all clearly stated in the diagram, which shows that the will of heaven has long been attributed to our King Chuang. Now in Henan, the people respond everywhere and burn incense to welcome. It shows that we are really obedient to the king, or in three and five years, we will attack Beijing, reorganize the world, and establish a new dynasty. ”

The fathers and elders listened attentively and did not dare to make a sound, but some nodded slightly. They had also heard of "Tui Bei Tu" in the past, but they didn't expect that the Zhu family's court would soon perish, and the true son of heaven who saved the people had been born, and it turned out to be King Chuang! A father said in his heart: "We always thought that the true Son of Heaven had not yet been born, and the suffering of the common people was still long!" Now the fathers and elders have seen Li Guo's people with their own eyes, and listened to Li Guo's words, although they don't dare to completely believe it, but most people secretly hold a festive mood, hoping that this is the case, and they can see the world as soon as possible. Some bold people revealed some heartfelt words to Li Guo, saying that the common people kowtow and burn incense every year, hoping to live a peaceful life, but no one dared to say that rebellious sentence: waiting for the change of dynasty.

Li Guo immediately announced in public: If the soldiers harass the people, everyone is allowed to come to sue at any time, and they will definitely punish the crime according to military law, and they will not be spared if they should be killed. After saying this, he called the Chinese army again and ordered the Chinese army to give relief to the hungry people overnight. The fathers and elders knelt down and kowtowed together and said some words of gratitude. Some rolled out tears, others wept silently. In the past, there were also many officers and rebels passing here, and killing, robbing, and adultery seemed to be the common thing for officials and soldiers, and the rebels were not necessarily good. It's just that in comparison, the officers and the army are worse. But the team that came today not only had strict military discipline, but also had to give relief that night, which was completely unexpected by everyone. Although the fathers and elders were local stewards, they themselves were suffering and sinning, and they were deeply aware of the suffering of the common people. Seeing that the people in this area of the shooting bridge are about to flee, no one can say how many people will not flee and how many will not starve to death by next spring. Receiving an unexpected relief tonight, although it is not a long-term life-saving solution, after all, it is something that has rarely happened in many years, and it is also the life-saving food of the moment, which makes them not shed tears.

After the fathers and elders withdrew, Li Guo instructed the Chinese army to allocate a few more bags of grain so that everyone could get it.

The Chinese army said: "We came by light horse, and there was not much food, so we could only last for two or three days. After the relief, what should I do if the food cannot be helped? ”

Li Guo was very sure in his heart, and said with a smile: "Within three days, there will be a difference." What's more, the army behind us will definitely arrive tomorrow, and they will bring more food. Do as I tell you to. ”

After the Chinese army left, Li Guo led a small number of personal soldiers and generals to go out to patrol the night. He walked a few places inside and outside the village, only to see that the streets were deserted, no idlers walking, and important intersections were also guarded by sentry. When he stumbled upon a fire outside the village, he immediately called the little leader there and reprimanded him. There were two roads leading from the bridge to Xincai and Xiangcheng, and he especially instructed the brothers guarding the intersection that if someone from elsewhere came to shoot the bridge, they were not allowed to leave again; All the people who shoot the bridge, whether adults or children, are not allowed to go out, so as not to divulge secrets. Then he came to the station of Yang Chengzu in the northwest of the shooting bridge. Yang Chengzu's soldiers saw that it was Li who came and hurried to report. Li Guo waved his hand and asked them not to report it, and then slowly walked into Yang Chengzu's military tent.

Yang Chengzu was drinking and having fun with a group of leaders of his subordinates, and when he suddenly saw Li Guo coming in, he felt embarrassed and quickly stood up and gave up his seat. Li Guo smiled and bowed his hand, telling everyone not to get up, and to drink when they should be drinking, saying that he just came out to look around. Yang Chengzu said:

"Brother Buzhi, you have worked hard for days, after you stopped, didn't you rest early, and came out to check the night?"

Li Guo said: "I'm also used to it, every time I go to a place to garrison troops, I always don't check the night and don't worry. Keep drinking, and I'll take a look and leave. ”

Yang Chengzu pulled Li Guo and said, "Since the eldest brother is here, please also drink a glass of hot wine to relieve fatigue." ”

Li Guo wanted to leave, but felt that if he left, Yang Chengzu would leave a pimple in their hearts, so he sat down with a smile. Everyone toasted him, and after he had a drink, he resolutely stopped drinking. He sat for a while, gossiped, got up to take his leave, and told everyone not to drink too much, but to rest early, for there might be a war tomorrow. Yang Chengzu agreed, took the leaders to send him out of the tent, and watched him go. Back in the tent, Yang Chengzu looked at everyone and smiled bitterly. One of the leaders said:

"Now in partnership with Chuangying, I have another mother-in-law."

Yang Chengzu shook his head, didn't let him continue, sighed softly, and said: "On that day, our Cao Shuai wanted to come to Henan to seek refuge in King Chuang, and we all felt that it was not a way. Cao Shuai didn't listen. Now that I am controlled by others, I have to take regret medicine, what is the way? ”

After the third watch, Li Guo was about to sleep, when suddenly the Chinese army came to report, saying that the fine work had been discovered, and the officers and soldiers would cross the Ru River to the north tomorrow, threatening to save Runing. Li Guo thought for a moment and said:

"Probably not the Ru River, it's the Hong River, right?"

The Chinese army also thought for a moment and said: "It's the Hong River, not the Ru River, and I can't figure it out in detail, so I said it was the Ru River in a hurry." ”

Li Guo said: "I understand, the intentions of the officials and the military are already clear. ”

He no longer went to bed immediately, but quickly sent a cavalry colonel to lead a few cavalrymen, and reported the new military situation and his battle plan to the king overnight. In addition, he sent Tangma to urge the army behind to hurry overnight to prepare for tomorrow's battle. When these things were dealt with, he had heard the rooster crowing all over his head, and then he lay down on the bed and fell asleep.

Fu Zonglong and Yang Wenyue met in Xincai yesterday. Due to the common discussion of the gentry and people in Xincai City, the city gate was closed tightly and the officials and soldiers were not allowed to enter the city, so they had to meet in Yuecheng Town in the south of the city. Their old battalion remained in Yuecheng, and the army was dispersed in many villages on the south bank of the Ru River, and a small number of men and horses were sent to the outside of Xincai City to extort grain and grass from the county.

The magistrate stood at the head of the city and said loudly: "Please return to the two governors, Xincai Lian has suffered from a natural disaster, the city is very difficult, and there is no time to save himself, there is really not much food supply army, I sincerely forgive me!" ”

The generals under the city said sharply: "The two governors have Shang Fang's sword, you, the new Caizhi County, dare to disobey, and you will use Shang Fang's sword to cut first and then play!" ”

When the magistrate heard this, he didn't dare to defend excessively, and replied: "Let me discuss with the local gentry and eunuchs again and do my best." After finishing speaking, go down to the city and return to the ya, and never show up again.

However, it was said that before Fu Zonglong and Yang Wenyue joined the teacher, they had already returned through messengers, determined the basic strategy, and took stability as the best policy. Helplessly, Chongzhen urged the war in a hurry for several days, and just yesterday they received separate edicts to exterminate Li Zicheng within a time limit. Emperor Chongzhen was anxious in his heart, and he only knew how to urge the war, regardless of the consequences, so that these two ministers with troops were at a loss. They all understood very well that the emperor was very unclear about the current overall situation in the Central Plains, and he was even more ignorant of the combat situation. If they march in accordance with the order, they are really not sure of defeating the "thieves"; If they do not obey, they will be punished. After settling the men and horses, Fu Zonglong invited Yang Wenyue to his military tent to discuss countermeasures. As a result of the discussion, there was still no good strategy, and according to their original plan, they did not fight easily for the time being, and did not go to Runing, so as to avoid the enemy's front. They were afraid that as soon as they arrived in Runing, they would be surrounded by Li Zicheng's army. Although Zuo Liangyu and Ding Qirui are in the area of Xinyang and Guangshan, it is difficult to expect them to come to the rescue. So they agreed to march to Xiangcheng and Chenzhou.

Fu Zonglong was not satisfied with this decision, but he was helpless. He has been in prison for almost two years. Now he knows that the situation is not good, but he thinks that since the emperor released him from prison and promoted him to be the governor, no matter whether he lives or dies, he should also do his best to report the emperor's favor. After deciding on the strategy, he sighed and said:

"Lord Yang, the thief is in the northwest, and our army is in the northeast, doesn't it seem like this is to avoid thieves? If the Holy One is responsible, what will it be? ”

Yang Wenyue said: "We want to take it, let it go; Take one step back, then two steps further. In a war, we must always fight a real and false war, and we cannot fight a decisive battle with the enemy from the beginning. We temporarily avoided the enemy's front, in order to save these tens of thousands of horses for the imperial court, and when the enemy had a gap, we would seek a way to win. ”

Fu Zonglong had nothing to say, and he couldn't help but think that Yang Wenyue's words were very reasonable. But he felt that even if he himself was broken, it would be difficult to repay the emperor's kindness, so he couldn't help but sigh deeply.

Since the people fled as soon as they saw the officers and soldiers, the news was unknown, and the grain was very difficult. At night, Fu Zonglong bowed to the table and galloped, saying that he and the governor Yang Wenyue had already met in Xincai, that is, they would work together to suppress it in accordance with the order to relieve the worries of the imperial court. Although the table said so, he also understood that it was all a lie, so his heart was very heavy, he felt that the future was uncertain, and there was little hope of success.

Although he had been tired of saddle horses for the past two days, he was so worried that he did not want to go to sleep, so he walked out of the military tent.

Miles away, several villages were already on fire, and houses were burning. He asked Lu San, a house slave who was following him:

"Why is the village on fire?"

Lu San said in a low voice: "Please open one eye and close one eye." ”

Fu Zonglong understood in his heart, thinking that it was not enough to pay and lack of food and grass, how could it be possible to prohibit officers and soldiers from robbing, committing adultery, and burning houses? But how can such an army, in such a situation, fight against the enemy? He looked at it for a while, couldn't do anything, shook his head, and retreated into the tent.

At dawn the next day, the Fu and Yang armies had a full meal and marched north. Fu Zonglong immediately rushed to the south bank of the Ru River and urged the soldiers to build two pontoon bridges on the Ru River and the Hong River. This was originally an order given last night, but due to the delay of the soldiers and the need for more timber, the houses were temporarily demolished, so the pontoon bridge was not built until about midnight today. When the people and horses had crossed the Honghe, it was already after noon.

The men and horses fought on the north bank of the Honghe River, continued northward, and stayed that night at Longkou, a town about fifty miles away from Xincai. The infantry was very tired and complained. Yang Wenyue had long been accustomed to these complaints, but Fu Zonglong felt terrible. He was told that some of the soldiers scolded the lack of pay and the hard work; Some complained that it was not interesting to work for the court in vain, which turtle grandson was willing to fight the enemy! The officers drank the blood of the soldiers on weekdays, did not dare to ask more about the complaints of their subordinates, and pretended to ignore them, for fear of provoking the resentment of their subordinates and being killed by their subordinates during the battle. In fact, even the generals were not happy to fight, everyone hoped to save their lives, and they were lucky, so when they heard that the men and horses were going to Xiangcheng, everyone was happy. Fu Zonglong couldn't learn the truth from the generals, and could only rely on his cronies to grasp the situation of the troops.

After staying at Longkou, there was fire everywhere and cries everywhere, which made Fu Zonglong restless. That night, the prefect of Runing sent people to report the urgency twice, saying that Chuang and Cao Renma were going to attack the city on a large scale, and asked for a quick rescue. Fu Zonglong himself had been carefully reported, and knew that the enemy had indeed tied many ladders near the shooting bridge. At about the third watch, He Renlong also sent someone to report that his rangers were sentry to the shooting bridge, and saw that the thieves were building a pontoon bridge on the Honghe River ten miles away, and about 120,000 horses were waiting to cross the river, and they were indeed going to Runing.

Fu Zonglong felt helpless, and thought: Since Li Zicheng wants to attack Runing, if Runing is lost and King Chong is killed, he will not escape the blame. So he and Yang Wenyue convened a meeting of generals overnight to discuss countermeasures. The generals were silent at the meeting, and none of them were willing to make a claim. He looked at the tiger and looked at the might. Hu Dawei is Yang Wenyue's trusted general, he knows that his generals and the entire Baoding generals cannot fight, and the Shaanxi generals brought out by Fu Zonglong are even more demoralized. But he didn't want to say these thoughts by himself, so he frequently glanced at Yang Wenyue, hoping that Yang Wenyue could put forward a serious proposition and not rush into a decisive battle.

Yang Wenyue understood what Hu Dawei meant, and he also knew that several generals in Baoding were unwilling to fight, and he himself knew that the official army was definitely not the opponent of the righteous army. But he can't just say something like this. Although he knew that he was only serious at the moment, and it was the best policy to avoid the enemy for the time being, he was afraid that if this was said by him, Fu Zonglong would attack him in the recital for "being cowardly in battle and delaying the opportunity". The emperor was originally a suspicious man and had a short temper, so he would definitely be guilty. In addition, he and Fu Zonglong were both governors, and it is said that he was promoted to governor a year earlier than Fu Zonglong, but the emperor asked him to listen to Fu's moderation after meeting with Fu, which made him very unconvinced. Because he was not convinced, he hoped that Fu Zonglong would bear the burden of this decision-making on the face of the enemy. At the same time, he was also afraid that if he really didn't save Ru Ning, once Ru Ning fell and King Chong was killed, he and Fu Zonglong would be convicted, and they might be imprisoned or even beheaded. After a moment of silence, he looked at Fu Zonglong and said:

"This matter is very urgent, whether to save it or not, please Lord Fu to speak up, and the generals will discuss it again."

Fu Zonglong was actually very embarrassed, but he couldn't help but come up with an opinion. He was in a nervous mood, his gray beard trembling on his chest, and even his fingers trembled, and he said very generously:

"This superintendent was in prison for two years, and was pardoned by the emperor and entrusted with the important task of sealing the territory. Now he is ordered to suppress the thief, but he can only report the emperor's favor with one death. Zong Long is already almost sixty years old, he has never been an escape commander in his life, and today he would rather die than run away. My mind has been decided, the Ming Dynasty will march into a decisive battle, and I hope you will work hard! ”

As soon as everyone heard Fu Zonglong's decision, no one dared to say anything else, but everyone had a ghost in their hearts. Yang Wenyue saw that Fu Zonglong had decided to fight a decisive battle tomorrow, and he was also ordered to suppress the thieves, so he must not express different opinions, but he thought to himself: Tomorrow's decisive battle, nine times out of ten, he will lose the battle, but I hope that the defeat is not bad, and then he can persuade Fu Zonglong to save his troops. Without further ado, he got up and took his leave, saying:

"Since Master Fu has decided to fight tomorrow, I will go back to the camp and prepare overnight." He looked at Hu Dawei again and said, "General Hu, you should also go back and prepare quickly." ”

Fu Zonglong sent Yang Wenyue and Hu Dawei and other Baoding generals out of the big tent, and saw that He Renlong and Li Guoqi, two Shaanxi generals, were also preparing to go, so he said: "Please stay a little longer, this governor still has something to say." ”

He Renlong and Li Guoqi stood in the tent and listened to the instructions.

Fu Zonglong said: "It has been more than ten years since the thieves were suppressed. For the sake of the generals, they are unable to do their best, resulting in thieves flourishing day by day, and the overall situation of the country is in danger day by day. Today, the Governor and Yang Governor will join forces, and they can no longer avoid war as in the past, and they must go all out to eliminate the trouble of the Central Plains henchmen for the imperial court. The two generals sent troops with the governor, and the success or failure was blunt in this move, hoping to fight hard tomorrow, in order to atone for the past sorrows, and strive for great merit, so as not to disappoint the court, but also to live up to the old man's ardent hopes. ”

Although He Renlong and Li Guoqi had their own plans, they pretended to be moved and said, "Yes, yes." I must be loyal and serve the court. Tomorrow will be a battle against the thief, and there will be no advance or retreat, please rest assured. ”

Fu Zonglong felt satisfied, but he was afraid that the words and deeds of the two generals would be inconsistent, and they would just be perfunctory to him, so he said: "As long as the two of you make a little contribution tomorrow, even if you are kind to the emperor in the past, even if you cover it up with merit, you will not blame the past." The Governor will definitely go to the imperial court, and give special grace to the two generals and reward them for great achievements. ”

He Renlong and Li Guoqi said again and again: "You must obey the order and fight to the death to kill the enemy!" ”

After Fu Zonglong sent them away, he didn't know if he could have a decisive battle tomorrow, and whether he could win the decisive battle, and he felt at a loss and uncertain. He looked at Shang Fang's sword, sighed, and said:

"Your Majesty, Zong Long is old. Fight tomorrow, if you don't succeed, Chen would rather die on the battlefield than be a deserter! ”

For the past two days, Li Guo has been stationed near the shooting bridge, sending people to spy on the movements of the officers and soldiers, and waiting for the army behind to arrive. At the same time, he pretended to attack the city of Runing, ordered the soldiers to tie up the ladder and prepare other siege equipment, and also collected a large amount of gunpowder from nearby villages and towns for release, knocking down a gap in the city wall.

Today is the fifth day of the first month of September, and the men and horses have arrived in the area of the shooting bridge one after another, and they are all stationed around the shooting bridge according to the designated places. On the one hand, he sent people to collect grain from all over the country, and on the other hand, he distributed a part of the military grain to help the hungry people. Because he continued to send detailed works to go deep into the outside of Xincai City, and the people themselves came to deliver news, he was quite clear about the movements of the official army.

Li Guo had already found out that the official army was heading from Xincai to Longkou, and he was deeply afraid that the official army would flee to the northeast, so he sent Liu Tichun, Ma Shiyao and other partial generals to lead about 10,000 infantry and a small number of cavalry to rush to the Honghe ferry more than ten miles west of Longkou, and set a time limit to arrive before dusk and act according to the plan.

That night, Li Guotong and Yang Chengzu led thousands of elite cavalry and more than 10,000 infantry to quietly drive towards the vicinity of Mengjiazhuang. All the mules and horses were to take off their brass bells, not to speak loudly, and not to light lanterns and torches. When people and horses are dispatched, there is a tooth and a crescent moon shining on the road. Soon, the crescent moon fell, and the centaurs hurried away under the Milky Way and stars in late autumn.

At dawn on the sixth day of the first lunar month, the officers and soldiers had a full meal and marched west along the north bank of the Honghe River in two ways to find the righteous army to fight. Although the generals of the official army were all afraid in their hearts, because Fu Zonglong insisted on attacking the righteous army and called it "holy decree" at every turn, no one dared to say anything, not even Yang Wenyue. The officers and soldiers walked for more than ten miles, and came forward to report to Malai: "The thief is about to cross the river." After a while, another probe came to report: "The thief is halfway over." After another moment, the third time he reported to the Malay: "The third stop of the thief has passed the second stop!" At this time, Fu Zonglong was convinced that the righteous army was going to cross the Honghe River to the south to besiege the city of Runing Mansion, and thought that the righteous army did not dare to fight against him and Yang Wenyue's army, but avoided the edge of the official army. So he discussed with Yang Wenyue: Is it to pursue immediately? Yang Wenyue hesitated and said:

"Let's take another look, Master Fu!"

Fu Zonglong said: "There is no need to look at it now, take advantage of him halfway to attack him, so that he can't care about each other." If he crosses the river completely, it will not be easy to defeat it. With that, he ordered loudly: "Hurry up and pursue, don't let the thieves escape!" ”

All the generals were worried that they would fall for Li Guo's plan, but they only dared to discuss it in private, and no one dared to publicly suggest it to Fu Zonglong. Everyone is afraid of falling into the crime of "cowardice in battle".

When the officers and soldiers chased to the ferry, they learned that the rebels had actually crossed the south bank of the Honghe River very rarely, and most of them were stationed on the north bank of the Honghe River. However, what made Fu Zonglong feel full of confidence was that the rebels who remained on the north bank did not dare to fight against the official army, and fled in a hurry as soon as they saw the official army coming. The rebels who had already crossed the south bank also hurriedly dismantled the pontoon bridge, obviously afraid that the officers and troops would cross the river to pursue. Since the pontoon bridge was broken, the rebels on the south and north banks could no longer echo each other. When Fu Zonglong saw all this, no matter how fearful the soldiers were, he issued a strict order: immediately chase to the west, and do not allow the "thieves" to escape; As for the few "thieves" on the south bank, they can ignore it for the time being and try their best to catch up with the large "thief army" on the north bank. He encouraged the officers and men of the three armed forces to:

"You must take advantage of the thief's panic, annihilate them in one fell swoop, make great contributions to the imperial court, and eliminate the troubles of the henchmen for the Central Plains!"

The weather was very dry. Although it is late autumn, the sun is still quite hot around midnight. Under the scorching sun, tens of thousands of officers and soldiers of the army pursued westward in the billowing yellow dust. After chasing for about thirty miles, it was noon, and when I arrived at the place of Mengjiazhuang, the people were sleepy and tired, hungry and thirsty. The war horses of each battalion often withheld beans, and the grass was not fed in the past few days, so as soon as they arrived in Mengjiazhuang, they went into the woods, lowered their heads and gnawed on the wild grass, not wanting to go any further. The infantry was even more reluctant to go, and there was gossip everywhere, and some complained and cursed.

Hu Dawei and He Renlong were both very experienced generals who had fought against the peasant army for many years, and they knew very well that with such a military mentality, they really could not advance any further, and if they encountered the enemy, the officers and troops would collapse at the first touch. After they discussed, they came to see Fu Zonglong and Yang Wenyue together, and said to them:

"Two adults, now the horsepower is tired, and the infantry is also tired. The thieves are not far away, and if they rush to fight, they may not be able to win. It is better to stay here, rest the strength of the troops, and attack the enemy early tomorrow morning. ”

Yang Wenyue felt that it made sense when he heard it, and also said to Fu Zonglong: "Rest here for half a day for the time being, and attack the thief tomorrow, you have a better chance of winning, I don't know if the adults think so?" ”

Faced with this situation, Fu Zonglong had no choice but to say: "It's okay to camp here now, but each battalion must be careful to prevent thieves from attacking the camp, and not allowing the soldiers to disperse to find food." The messenger made food immediately, so that the soldiers could eat quickly, and the horses should be fed. If the thieves do not come, they will take a truce here; If the thieves dare to attack and disturb, they will attack at any time, and the thieves will never succeed. ”

After saying that, everyone replied "obey" in unison, and breathed a sigh of relief.

However, it was said that before midnight, Li Guo led the 8,000 light cavalry that had come with him the day before yesterday to shoot the bridge, and went to a forest west of Mengjiazhuang to ambush him. The other more than 3,000 infantry and a small number of cavalry had already passed Mengjiazhuang and lured the enemy near Longkou, and at this time they were retreating according to the plan, and they could already see those scattered teams. From time to time, the horses galloped back to report the situation. Li Guo knew that the whole army was chasing after him, and he was relieved, so he retreated behind the woods, and asked the 8,000 soldiers to quickly dismount, sit on the ground to rest, and tie the war horses to the trees. The soldiers who broke into the camp did not make a sound at all, and were very quiet. Li Guo walked around the camp and noticed that the soldiers were all waiting to fight, all of them were full of energy and high morale, and at the same time he was satisfied that none of his subordinates dared to talk casually, even in small voices, so he often heard the cries of birds in the trees, and also heard the rustling of leaves when the breeze came, and the slight sound of horses grazing. He walked to the bottom of a large tree, where there were more soldiers seated, and there was no one to make a sound, but there was a woodpecker, clinging to the thick trunk of the tree, supporting its body with its tail, pecking at the wood rhythmically, making a sound similar to that of beating a small drum. A GI looks up at a woodpecker, admiring its feathers. Li Guo was happy to see this quiet atmosphere. He said to a general who was following him: "The training of soldiers should be like this, and the orders and prohibitions should be carried out according to the will of the general." Only in this way can we be as quiet as a virgin and move like a rabbit. Then he walked to the place where the soldiers of Cao Ying were resting, but did not go deep inside, for fear of alarming everyone. He only passed by the side, but saw people playing leaf play, some people whispering jokes, some people talking about women, and from time to time there was a small group laugh. Yang Chengzu saw him from a distance and greeted him. He smiled, nodded, and didn't walk over.

The troops that lured the enemy, led by Bai Wang and Bai Minghe, did not come to this side of the woods, but went west from the main road two miles to the south, lest the enemy should notice that there was an ambush in the woods.

Li Guo ordered people to climb to the top of the tall trees to watch the movements of the officers and soldiers. He sat on the ground by himself, and a group of important generals gathered around him, some also sat down, some stood, and some walked gently behind him. Everyone was very anxious, and they wanted to attack the official army as soon as possible. But Li Guo's expression was quiet, as if nothing had happened. Usually his only entertainment is to play a game of chess with others, and at this time he ordered his own soldiers to take out the chess. The chessboard is painted on a white cloth and is very old. The soldiers spread the white cloth chessboard on the ground, and the four corners were pressed with stones to prevent them from being blown by the wind. The chess pieces are made of stone, which is a kind of chess piece made from the stone used to make an inkstone, and although it is not large, it is made very smooth. The soldiers set up the red and black pieces. Li Guo smiled at a pro-general and nodded. The general understood what he meant, sat down quickly, and played chess with him.

Just after taking a chess move, a brother came down from the tree, came to Li Guo, and reported: "The official army has arrived in Mengjiazhuang, some have entered the village, and some have stayed outside the village, as if they are no longer coming west. ”

Li Guo nodded and didn't make a sound. Some of the generals next to him thought that attacking the officers and troops at this time was an opportunity, so they whispered to him:

"Since the enemy has stopped advancing here, he must be buried in the pot to make food. Taking advantage of the chaos at their moment, our cavalry will go up and charge for a while, and they will surely win a complete victory. Please give the order quickly. ”

Li Guo shook his head and continued to play chess. After a few more moves, Li Guo's chess momentum gradually gained the upper hand, and a horse had jumped over the river. Then another soldier came down from the tree and reported to him, saying:

"The officers and troops dispersed even more, and there were many small groups that went to nearby villages, presumably in search of food. Many horses have been unsaddled. It looks like the officers and soldiers are going to set up camp here. ”

The generals asked Li Guo again: "Hurry up and give the order, don't miss the opportunity." If you advance now, you can defeat the enemy. ”

Li Guo picked up a cannon and shot at one of the opponent's sidemen, and the "horn" ate a lineman, and the cannon crossed the river. Then he glanced at everyone, shook his head slightly, and continued to play chess.

After a while, another brother came down from the tree and reported to him, "Now there are officers and soldiers coming and going from every village, and some of them are bringing cattle and sheep out of the village, and the people are crying and chasing after them, and they beat the people severely. There are also some officers and soldiers who are transporting straw to Mengjiazhuang to feed the horses, and they are fighting with each other. ”

When the generals heard this report, they became more and more anxious, and they all rubbed their hands and asked Li Guo for battle. Li Guo smiled slightly, jumped the horse forward, lay down in the trough, and said, "Will!" The other party hurriedly pinned the horse's leg with a cannon and said, "I knew that the general would take me." Li Guo said, "One more." "Let a cannon sink to the bottom, and the other party will fly an elephant.

At this moment, another soldier ran and said: "Now Mengjiazhuang is full of officials and soldiers, some are transporting grain and grass, some are coming out to fetch water, and some are drinking horses, which is even more chaotic than just now." ”

Li Guo picked up a rook and was about to go to the opponent, when he suddenly swung the rook to the side and said, "Today's chess is played here, we have another game of chess, and now it is about to start." As he spoke, he turned back and instructed a personal soldier, "Put away the chessboard and chess pieces, and don't stay here." ”

He stood up and ordered someone to immediately invite Yang Chengzu and several generals of Cao Ying, and then he quickly assigned combat tasks to everyone. As soon as the generals had left, he said majestically to the commanders:

"Order the drums!"

Suddenly, the drums beat in the forest, shaking the heavens and the earth. Eight thousand light cavalry rushed out of the bushes, like a galloping wind. In the middle of the day, the sound of horses' hooves, shouting and killing, and the sound of war drums sounded together, and several clouds of smoke and dust rolled towards Mengjiazhuang.

CHAPTER XIX

When the officers and soldiers saw the cavalry of the rebels rushing out of the woods, they panicked, and many of the soldiers tried to flee. Fortunately, Fu Zonglong and Yang Wenyue were still calm, and Fu was determined to die as soon as he left the school. Yang Wenyue accompanied him immediately outside Mengjiazhuang, trying his best to keep the official army from crushing without a fight. He shouted to the generals: "Today's decisive battle here, if the generals retreat, they will be beheaded immediately!" While speaking, he saw an officer fleeing from the north, and immediately ordered someone to chase him back, and immediately ordered his own soldiers to be beheaded in front of him with Shang Fang's sword. As a result, many people did not dare to run away. The small group of officers and soldiers scattered in the village heard the sound of the horn, and only a few fled, and most ran back. The three chief military officers He Renlong, Li Guoqi and Hu Dawei also hurriedly formed a formation outside Mengjiazhuang and prepared to meet the battle. Fu Zonglong said to He Renlong and Li Guoqi:

"You two marshals came to Henan with the old man to suppress the thieves, and today you meet the thieves here, you can only move forward, not retreat. If you retreat, you will inevitably lose, not only the old man will be subject to the law of the country, but the two generals will not be spared. It is better to be broken than to be complete. What's more, the thieves only have thousands of cavalry, and we have tens of thousands of horses, as long as we are strong, it is not difficult to defeat the thieves. Make great contributions, repay the emperor's kindness, in one fell swoop. Two generals, don't miss the opportunity! ”

He Renlong and Li Guoqi are both only claimed. He Renlong even said generously: "Please rest assured, Renlong is determined to fight to the death." ”

Later, Li Guo's men and horses approached, and they formed a long snake formation, advancing step by step, followed by many cavalry behind the banner, apparently preparing to rush the officers and soldiers after the engagement. At this time, the officers and soldiers can only meet the enemy quickly, and must not hesitate, in case the army's heart is shaken, it will become an uncontrollable trend. So Fu Zonglong waved the flag and shouted: "Drums!" General He, General Li, come forward and kill the thief! At the same time, Yang Wenyue also galloped to the Baoding army and shouted on the horse: "General Tiger, come forward and kill the thief!" ”

Since the two governors had already ordered an attack on the enemy, they beat the drums of war on the official positions and shouted to kill the heavens. He Renlong, Li Guoqi, and Hu Dawei refused to fight, although they also beat the war drums, but the flag did not wave forward, let alone rush out on horses. They looked at the enemy and at the other. Among the officers and troops of several towns, He Renlong's cavalry was relatively large, about nearly two thousand, and they were also relatively elite, and they should have been ordered by the governor to go out to meet the battle immediately, but He Maniac not only stood still, but also secretly ordered his cavalry and infantry to line up around him, one to protect himself, and the other to prevent his elite soldiers from being scattered by the rebels. Seeing this, the experienced Hu Dawei acted in the same way.

Fu Zonglong and Yang Wenyue watched the rebel army advance step by step, and the generals of the official army refused to fight, and they were very anxious. At this critical juncture, none of them dared to use Shang Fang's sword to cut a biased general. They knew in their hearts that if they killed a general at random at this time, they would either immediately provoke a mutiny, or the morale of the army would collapse; Not only will they not be able to meet the enemy, but even they themselves will die without a place to bury.

After Fu Zonglong's repeated urging, Li Guoqi had no choice but to lead his own men and horses out of battle. However, as soon as he made contact with Li Guo's cavalry, his men and horses immediately lost their formation, turned and fled, and could not be stopped. As soon as He Renlong saw that Li Guoqi was defeated, he did not answer, and regardless of the governor's life or death, he led his own people to flee north. When Hu Dawei saw that He Renlong was gone, he also hurriedly led his men and horses to flee. After Li Guoqi was defeated, he originally wanted to try to gather some men and horses and retreat to Mengjiazhuang, but now when he saw that He Renlong and Hu Dawei were fleeing to the northeast, he guessed that they were going to flee to Xiangcheng, so he led his remnants to flee to Xiangcheng. As the saying goes, "Defeat is like a mountain." "The three generals took the lead in running first, and the entire battlefield fell into a complete collapse situation. Fortunately, Fu Zonglong and Yang Wenyue are both experienced commanders, and each of them has their own pro-army, that is, the Supervisory Battalion, and most of the generals and generals are the people they are looking for. At this critical juncture, the soldiers of their Governor Battalion were able to keep their respective governors alive with a loyal heart, and they fought and retreated. In the process of retreating, once he was rushed in by the rebels, and a scuffle broke out, Fu Zonglong's Shang Fang sword and the emperor's edict were lost in the melee, and he himself was almost captured alive by the rebels. Thanks to the desperate protection of the soldiers and generals, they repelled the rebels who rushed to their side, and they had to escape.

Li Guo saw on his horse that the army was divided into two parts: one part fled northeast with the three general officers, among whom there were many cavalry; The other part of the team did not rout, but still had the courage to take turns to fight back in the retreat, and it seemed that it was undoubtedly the standard battalion of the two governors and the soldiers of the family. So he led his main force to chase after the three commanders, and only sent a small number of men and horses to pursue the two governors, and did not attack them fiercely, so as to avoid too many casualties among his men and horses in the melee. He thought that as long as the three commanders were eliminated or scattered, the two governors would be very easy to deal with, and they only needed to cut off the road from Mengjiazhuang to Xiangcheng, and they could surround and destroy the two governors in a certain place, and maybe they could be captured alive.

Fu Zonglong and Yang Wenyue resisted and fled. Seeing that the rebels did not rush at all, they continued to gather and break the scattered men along the road. At dusk, the team came to a place called Huozhuodian, about twenty miles away from Xiangcheng, only a very desolate side street, surrounded by a walled wall. Many parts of the wall have collapsed, and people can enter and exit through the gaps. It seems that no one dares to defend the village in recent years, so they don't repair the wall. There were dozens of families in this village, but now there is not a single person in sight. The last group of people learned that the official army was defeated in Mengjiazhuang and was fleeing here, so they quickly fled from the village, taking everything they could carry, even chickens and ducks, and leaving behind all the tattered things that could not be taken away or eaten. So when the officers and soldiers fled here, they didn't see a single citizen.

After entering the village, Fu Zonglong and Yang Wenyue relied on horses to discuss secretly, and did not let the soldiers hear. Yang Wenyue still wanted to flee again, but Fu Zonglong insisted on not escaping, he said: "There are still twenty miles away from Xiangcheng here, if we escape again, we can't go to Xiangcheng, we will be killed by thieves." Now that people are sleepy and tired, even if they want to go, they really can't go anymore, so it's better to wait here for help. ”

Because Fu Zonglong insisted repeatedly, Yang Wenyue was not good at disobeying, so their men stopped at the burning shop and resolutely defended it. They had an idea: He Renlong, Li Guoqi and Hu Dawei would never flee far, and they would probably flee to Xiangcheng. If they can hold on to the burning shop for a day or two, the three generals will inevitably return from Xiangcheng to rescue them. In this way, the internal and external forces will be combined against the enemy, and the many men and horses they have entered the fire shop will not be wiped out by the rebels.

All the remaining men and horses arrived one after another, and they guarded the ground, resting while burying the pot and cooking. Fu Zonglong and Yang Wenyue inspected everywhere side by side, asked their generals, and knew that there were more than 10,000 people and horses who came with them. At this time, the pursuers, because they were all infantry, were still coming slowly, and they were still four or five miles away. Fu Zonglong and Yang Wenyue dismounted and stepped into a deserted temple. Half of the temple was destroyed, and the courtyard was overgrown with weeds, and the broken monument fell to the ground. After they entered, they asked the soldiers to stand in the distance, and the two of them talked secretly. Fu Zonglong said:

"Lord Yang, the student was ordered to go out of Beijing and was appointed as the governor of Shaanxi and the three sides. The emperor asked the students to lead the soldiers of Guanzhong to Henan to exterminate the thieves. I don't want to fight today, I can't even form an army, and I really have no shame to face the emperor, and the people of Guanzhong and the Central Plains. ”

Yang Wenyue comforted him and said: "Victory and defeat are commonplace, Master Fu doesn't have to be sad. Over the past few years, whenever the officers and soldiers encountered thieves, they always fled in panic, so the students often advocated being serious and did not dare to fight easily. ”

Fu Zonglong heard the meaning of his words, sighed and said: "It's not that the students are unwilling to take it seriously, it's really the emperor who has repeatedly urged him, knowing that the war may not be meritorious, and if he doesn't fight, he will inevitably be convicted, and between the two dilemmas, he must choose one of them, so the student decided to fight, and would rather die on the battlefield than die in the West City, how can the husband be serious against the prison officials!" ”

Yang Wenyue said: "The adults are bitter, and the servants also know it. Until now, we have to wait here for help. Fortunately, in the melee, the soldiers around us have not yet collapsed, there are still more than 10,000 people, as long as you and I calmly command, encourage the soldiers to be loyal and work together, we can hold on for a few days. Inspector Ding is close to the mall and Huangchuan, and Zuo Kunshan is also east of Xinyang, so it is expected that they will come to the rescue. In case they don't come, it's not too late for us to retreat. What's more, He Renlong, Li Guoqi, and Hu Dawei fled not far away, tonight we faced the emperor Fei Fei to play the critical situation of the defeated army, and on the other hand, the three marshals flew back to the division to burn the shop, and on the other hand, they also flew to the rescue of Inspector Ding and Zuo Zhen. ”

Fu Zonglong said: "That's exactly the idea. Let's deploy the military now. After the deployment, we each flew to the imperial court, and there was no need for joint names. ”

Yang Wenyue said: "Now we should re-demarcate the flood land. There are fewer people around the students, and the southeast area is defended by the students, and the northwest area is guarded by the adults. ”

Fu Zonglong said: "Okay, we have already divided the defense in this way, and we only need to make a slight move. While we made a slight move, we immediately ordered everyone to dig a trench, and the gap in the wall was repaired overnight. ”

As he was talking, the sound of killing outside started again, and a rebel army had already arrived outside the village. Fu Zonglong immediately went to the village to watch, and saw that there were not many "thieves" coming, only a few hundred, but they were far away from the official army, shouting to attack. Fu Zonglong ordered the cannon to be fired. For a moment, the sound of artillery was deafening, and the smoke of gunpowder rose. I saw a rebel general waving a small flag in the smoke of gunpowder, and then the gong sounded, and the team slowly retreated.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Fu Zonglong ordered the officers and soldiers to dig the trench as quickly as possible, and dig the trench as deep and wide as possible; The gaps in the walls were also blocked with demolished house timber and bricks, and the branches cut off from the trees so that the cavalry of the rebels could not directly rush over. Fu Zonglong himself also carried the soil and dug the trenches himself, sharing the joys and hardships with the soldiers. This is something he has never done since he became an official. Today, the situation was critical, and he put down the shelf for the first time in order to encourage morale.

After being busy for a while, he returned to his residence and prepared to draft a recital for the emperor. Only then did he remember that during the melee in Mengjiazhuang, his Shang Fang sword had been lost, and the cronies who carried Shang Fang's sword died in the chaos. The edict given to him by the emperor was also lost. Only his governor's silver seal, which was tied around his waist, was fortunately saved. For these events, how to phrase and describe them in a way that is not detached from reality and does not increase the responsibility for oneself, it is very difficult to hesitate, and I can't help but sigh.

Fu Zonglong began to draft the recital himself. It turned out that several of the staff members who were in charge of copywriting with him were missing, some died in the melee, and one was seriously injured, so although he was old and dizzy, he had to pick up the pen himself.

Just after writing a few sentences, Yang Wenyue hurriedly came to see him again and said to him: "Master Fu, according to the students, it is still not appropriate for us to stick here at present. The thieves rushed to kill for a while just now, and then retreated, waiting for the follow-up of the brigade. It has now been learned that the enemy will be a tiger Li Guo, this person is Li Zicheng's own nephew, very brave and not to be underestimated. This afternoon he was busy hunting down the three escapees. I think that after the pursuit, he will inevitably return to his division to surround us, and then it will be too late to escape. I heard that the enemy is in the tens of thousands, and he is still behind. When the enemy's army arrives completely, and we are surrounded on all sides, will we not sit and wait to be killed in the burning shop? Go, go, go fast! ”

Fu Zonglong said: "I have made up my mind, rather than die outside the burning shop, it is better to die in the burning shop." Now Lord Yang just wants to run to Xiangcheng or Shenqiu. As far as I can see, we can't run to Xiangcheng or Shenqiu, and as soon as we leave the burning shop, we will be crushed in the wilderness. So I'd rather die here than run away. ”

Yang Wenyue saw that he was determined not to escape, so he had to say: "As the governor of Baoding, Wenyue will never flee alone. Whether I live or die, I am with Master Fu, please rest assured. With that, he went back to his station.

Fu Zonglong continued to write the recital. After I finished writing, I couldn't find anyone to transcribe it, so I had to ask a young staff member to copy it. Although he knew that the small print of this staff member was not good, there was no other way. At the same time, he personally wrote a letter to He Renlong and Li Guoqi, telling them to return to the division as soon as possible to rescue the burned shop. After I finished writing, I read it again, because I was in a hurry, my mood was very chaotic, although it was a short letter, I dropped a few words, and I made a mistake in the most ordinary word. He made up the missing words, corrected the wrong ones, handed them over to the Chinese army, and asked him to quickly send people to Xiangcheng or Shenqiu to find He and Li. Then he picked up his pen again and prepared to write a letter to Ding Qirui. At this moment, there was a sudden noise and confusion outside. He was so shocked that the brush fell to the ground. He quickly ran out of the house, watched the situation, and asked in a loud voice:

"What's the matter? What's up? ”

It turned out that after Yang Wenyue came back from Fu Zonglong, he found that his men and horses were in a group here, and there were a group, chattering and talking. He ordered everyone not to leave the defense without permission. As soon as the order was given, the chaos in the camp became even worse. Suddenly, one group of men and horses fled out of the trench to the southeast, and the second group followed suit. He knew that this was a life-and-death situation, and immediately issued a strict edict: anyone who escaped without permission would be beheaded by the first officer. His Shang Fang sword was not lost, and he quickly took it out of the yellow satin sleeve, drew the sword and unsheathed it, as a signal to order the law to follow. But no one listened to his orders, and no one was afraid of his Shang Fang sword. The crowd was more chaotic, and more people fled. His lieutenant general Zhang ran up to him and begged in a panic:

"My lord! Go, go! The army's morale is in chaos and out of control, don't die here in vain. ”

Yang Wenyue asked, "What's going on?" ”

Deputy General Zhang said: "The soldiers all think that there is only one way to die here, so they are unwilling to defend and flee one after another. Please hurry up and get on the horse. ”

Yang Wenyue said: "I'm not leaving!" I just discussed with Master Fu to defend this place together and wait for reinforcements to arrive. Now that the words have just come out, I will go first, how can I be worthy of Master Fu? How to go to the court? ”

Vice General Zhang said: "My lord, now that the incident has changed suddenly, I can't hold it anymore, and if it's a little late, I can't leave if I want to." Besides, now that the people have moved, there is no way to stop it. Please hurry up and get on the horse! ”

"Use Shang Fang's sword to cut a few generals, I don't think anyone dares to leave?"

When the surrounding generals heard this, they all said one after another: "You can't cut it, you can't kill it." The morale of the army has changed, and that will provoke even greater chaos. ”

In the chaos, several generals gathered around him at the same time, making eye contact with each other, and Vice General Zhang stepped forward to hold him, and another general also held him from the other side. Everyone urged together: "Please get on the horse, get on the horse!" While persuading, he lifted him up and sent him immediately. As soon as he saw that the general trend was already like this, he had to step on the horse, thinking to himself: "This is so sorry for Fu Zhonglun." As soon as he grabbed the bridle, a general from behind him whipped his horse's buttocks, and the horse immediately ran eastward. His personal soldiers and generals surrounded him and escaped from the burning shop together. Thousands of Baoding soldiers fled in a hurry.

When Fu Zonglong heard that Yang Wenyue had fled, he paused again and again, and shouted loudly: "Oh my God! Oh my! He didn't say anything more, his mood was confused, his legs trembled, and he could barely stand. What should be done, he was confused. At this moment, Lord Ren of the prison army and General Chen, the deputy general of the Chinese army, walked to his side together, and at the same time persuaded him to quickly lead the army to escape to Chenzhou. As if he hadn't heard, he asked:

"What do you say? What words? ”

They said it again, and at the same time, other generals also said something, persuading him to lead his army to flee to Chenzhou without delay. He came to his senses and said:

"I see, you're afraid of death! Just now, I couldn't make up my mind for a while: should I be a loyal servant or a runaway commander? Now that I've decided, I, Fu Zonglong, should have died a long time ago. The emperor pardoned me from prison and told me to oversee the thief. Today, I am unfortunately trapped here, and I can only fight a decisive battle with all the kings, and I cannot flee like others. ”

Everyone still persuaded him, saying that there were only people left in Shaanxi at present, and there were very few of them, and they could not stick to the burning shop. He thought for a moment and said:

"You bring all the generals above the guerrilla level to listen to the training."

Immediately, all the generals rushed to him to listen to him. Some still have some illusions, thinking that he will command them to flee. Fu Zonglong suddenly burst into tears and said to the generals:

Now that the situation is critical, Zonglong is determined to repay the country's favor with a death. If you all want to run for your life, just flee, and I will not leave this place myself. ”

When everyone heard him say this, they all felt that there was no way. Some of these generals were hand-picked by him, some were old relatives, some were related to him, some had no special relationship with him, but they were really moved by his loyalty, and some expected to escape from the burning shop and would be hunted down, so no one asked the governor to flee for a while. Fu Zonglong saw that everyone no longer said anything about escaping, so he continued:

"Since all the kings are unwilling to be a fleeing general, then listen to my orders and defend this place together."

So he divided part of the remaining six or seven thousand people around him, filled the defense of the Baoding army, and still placed the main force in the northwest area. After the deployment was completed, he comforted everyone again, saying that he believed that He Renlong and Li Guoqi would definitely return to the army to rescue them after receiving his letter; He also said that he would soon write a letter to Master Ding, the superintendent, and a letter to General Zuo, asking them to come to the rescue as soon as possible. Finally he said:

"Hold on to this place until the rescuers come to your aid. Within a few days, there will be rescuers coming, hoping that you will live up to the ...... of the court."

Speaking of this, he suddenly remembered the emperor's grace again, and he hadn't repaid it yet, so he didn't feel the old tears and couldn't cry. The generals bowed their heads and were deeply moved.

Today, Li Guo used less troops to defeat Fu Zonglong and Yang Wenyue's men and horses, and he himself personally chased after He Renlong, Li Guoqi and Hu Dawei who fled, although he did not kill or capture these three generals, but he captured many prisoners, many officers and soldiers surrendered on the spot, and captured a lot of mules and horses, baggage, and firearms. Because of their invincibility, the casualties of the rebels were very minor. Such a beautiful victory has not been seen in many years ago.

After dusk, he led his troops back and stationed them in the northwest of Huozhuodian. was burying the pot to make rice, and suddenly got a report, saying that the fire burned the shop and the people were noisy, as if they had escaped. He hurriedly sent his soldiers to continue the reconnaissance, and ordered several generals to prepare to pursue and kill the fleeing enemy. Soon after, a report was received that some of the officers and troops had fled from the southeast corner. Li Guo immediately ordered Ma Shiyao, Li You, and others to lead their men and horses to chase after the fleeing enemy, and at the same time ordered to immediately cut off all the intersections around the burning shop to prevent the officers and soldiers from continuing to escape.

After the deployment, he himself went to the outside of the fire shop to inspect the movements, and found that there were quite a few officers and soldiers staying in the village, and they had no intention of fleeing. He sent someone to try to capture an officer and soldier, and after a little interrogation, he knew that it was only Yang Wenyue who had escaped, and Fu Zonglong was determined to wait for help. So he ordered the shop to be surrounded on all sides, so that no more enemies could escape. After the arrangement was made, he personally inspected all places and ordered the trench to be dug deep in order to trap Fu Zonglong. Then he returned to the garrison and issued an order that the soldiers who were going to surround the fire shop must be careful, and if Fu Zonglong escaped from any of the generals' flood land, the generals would be beheaded. After passing down this strict order, he began to eat himself.

That night, although he was tired, he immediately sent someone to report the news of the great victory to King Chuang, and said that he would not attack the village for the time being within five days, so as to avoid unnecessary deaths and injuries among the soldiers; Five days later, if Fu Zonglong was still holding on, he ordered to attack it. In addition, I heard that Ding Qirui and Zuo Liangyu are stationed in the southern Henan area, and they have the intention of coming from the north, especially from yesterday to this morning, there are many rumors, all saying that Zuo Liangyu's army is coming to save Fu Zonglong, and it is heading north. If this is the case, he will storm the burning shop in advance, lest Fu Zonglong take the opportunity to escape when Zuo Liangyu comes.

In the next two days, he really did not move, but only fired artillery at the village. The inside of the village also continued to fire artillery outwards. In order to consume the gunpowder in the village, often when the village was about to stop firing artillery, the rebels deliberately fired a few cannons, causing the village to return fire. The rebels themselves were not afraid to consume gunpowder, and just a few miles away, some craftsmen were making gunpowder day and night. Every night, the rebels would constantly send people to feint attacks, so that the officers and soldiers would be frightened overnight, and they would not be at peace, and they would blindly fire artillery and arrows outward. Sometimes the shells also hit the rebels, so later Li Guo ordered the soldiers to dig the trench deeper, spread wooden planks on top of the trench, and cover it with thin soil. The iron and lead released by the firearms in the village have little strength when they reach the trench, so as long as they are covered with a layer of wooden planks and thin soil, they will not be killed or injured by stray bullets, and they can also protect against the cold at night. In addition, Li Guo sent a part of the rebel army to help the people harvest crops during the day, and also let some of the rebels practice nearby every day, deliberately letting Fu Zonglong see him, so that he believed that the rebel army did have the intention of encircling for a long time, and he had to wait for the official army to surrender when the food was exhausted. The people were very afraid of the rebels, most of them fled their hometowns, and a few did not dare to approach the rebels if they stayed. Later, when he saw that Li Guo's troops were indeed well-disciplined and worthy of their reputation, those who fled came back one after another, no longer afraid of the rebels.

Three days later, an edict came from King Chuang, commending Li Guo's entire army, especially Yang Chengzu and several generals of Cao Ying. So the whole camp rejoiced, beating gongs and drums, and setting off firecrackers. The people sent by King Chuang also told Li Guo that because King Chuang's army was stationed between Tunxiping and Suiping, and some people and horses were sent to pretend to move to the area of Queshan and Xinyang, Zuo Liangyu and Ding Qirui did not dare to come north. King Chuang instructed him not to worry about Ding Qirui and Zuo Liangyu, to besiege the burning shop, to be sure to wipe out Fu Zonglong's entire army, and not to escape Fu Zonglong.

Another day passed, and the soldiers couldn't wait any longer, and they all asked for battle, demanding to attack the fire shop immediately. Li Guo personally came to inspect the outside of the fire shop and saw that although the officials and soldiers on the village were tired, the bows and arrows and artillery fire continued to shoot. He thought that if he launched a strong attack now, the rebels would inevitably suffer many casualties. He remembered very well that when King Chuang decided to send him, he once said to him with a serious expression:

"Make up for it, some of these horses I gave you are the veterans we brought out from Shangluo Mountain, and some of the elite soldiers we trained after we arrived in Henan. You must be good at using your troops, and you must not suffer too many casualties! ”

Li Guo has always carried out King Chuang's orders carefully, especially for the above words, he has kept them in mind. Therefore, when he came back from the inspection, he just shook his head and disagreed.

The soldiers who broke into the camp understood Li Guo's intentions, and they also knew that it was difficult to change what Li Guo decided. However, the soldiers of Cao Ying couldn't stand such a monotonous life, and they were even more anxious to fight. In the end, Yang Chengzu also came to Li Guo in person, and said in a half-joking and half-mocking tone:

"Brother Buzhi, there is no war that does not kill and hurt people. We were killed and wounded, and the officers and soldiers were even more killed and wounded. As soon as we attack the village, the officers and troops will be finished. We didn't suffer many casualties, but in exchange for the annihilation of all officers and soldiers. Why don't you listen to the persuasion of the soldiers, or do you stand still? ”

Li Guo said: "Brother, do you think I, Li Guo, am I a cowardly person? I don't think you're going to say that, are you? ”

"Who doesn't know your nickname is 'A Tiger'?"

"Whether I'm a tiger or not, I'm just going to stand still. Now the officers and soldiers are like death row prisoners in prison, they will starve to death if they run out of food. With their death just around the corner, why should we let our soldiers suffer casualties? He smiled and continued, "I know that the soldiers in your battalion are in a different situation than the soldiers in our camp. If the soldiers of your battalion can't stand it here and are anxious to fight, I will send you to lead them to attack the two counties of Shangshui and Fugou, what do you think? ”

Yang Chengzu was very happy. Originally, he thought that Fu Zonglong's baggage had almost been lost, and there was neither much grain and grass, nor much gold, silver and jewelry, nor women. Attacking the burning shop only eliminated this group of officers and troops, and the oil and water were very small. Now when he heard Li Guo say that he wanted him to attack the two rich county towns of Shangshui and Fugou, he was overjoyed and immediately replied:

"As long as Brother Buzhi gives the order, the younger brother will obey the order and dare not slack off."

Li Guo said with a smile: "It's easy for me to give an order, but the virtuous brother must obey my three instructions and not violate them." ”

Yang Chengzu hurriedly asked, "Which three?" ”

Li Guo said: "First, it is not allowed to harass the people, rape ** women, and kill civilians in vain. Second, thou shalt give sixty percent of the grain and goods that you have taken to your soldiers. Our camps have always been handed over to the public, and the soldiers are not allowed to hide gold or silver. I don't demand anything from your camp, I just ask you to pay sixty percent of the public, can you do this? ”

Yang Chengzu nodded and said, "It can be done, it can be done." What is the third item? ”

Li Guo said: "The third is easy, after you break the Shangshui and Fugou, you are not allowed to stay outside, and immediately lead your whole battalion back to the marshal's station. ”

Yang Chengzu said: "This third item is easier for me to do. I must act in accordance with the military orders of the eldest brother of the supplement. ”

That night, Yang Chengzu led the 5,000-foot cavalry of Cao Ying's camp and secretly left the fire shop. Before leaving, he deliberately said to Li Guo:

"If the left army comes to extinguish the fire and burn the shop, my brother will rush back in the starry night, and he will never miss something."

Li Guo smiled and said, "Don't worry, brother Xian. Lao Zuo is a smart person, and he doesn't dare to come anymore. ”

After Yang Chengzu left, several of Li Guo's partial generals complained: "Our soldiers are sleeping in the wilderness here, besieging the officers and soldiers, but you let Yang Chengzu go and let them go to Shangshui and Fugou to live happily!" ”

Li Guo smiled and said, "What do you understand? The soldiers of Cao Ying are different from our campers. Our military discipline is strict, and it has become a habit; With an order, you can endure any hardship. But the soldiers of Cao Ying have always been free and comfortable with Cao Shuai, and they are used to it, so why let them stay here and say something to complain? Fortunately, it was only a matter of three or four days to break through the burning shop, and there was no need for them to help here. Let them go, and make them happy. For us, attacking the two county towns and being able to raise food for the old camp is beneficial to both public and private. ”

When everyone heard Li Guo say this, they all looked at each other and smiled, and there was nothing else to say.

On the 14th, the rebels caught an officer and soldier who had come out of the village, and after interrogation, they learned that the food in the village had been exhausted as early as the 11th, and they had relied on killing mules and horses for three days to satisfy their hunger; Some officers and soldiers were killed by the artillery fire of the rebels, and others ate their dead bodies.

Li Guo asked: "If it goes on like this, how many days can the officers and soldiers support it?" ”

The captured officer and soldier replied: "The mules and horses are almost gone, and the bark and grass are gone, and they can last for three days at most." ”

Li Guo asked again: "How much gunpowder is left?" ”

"Not much. There was no brimstone in the camp, and even if there was, no one would make their own gunpowder, so they used a little and a little less. ”

"Where's the arrow?"

"It's almost over, Lord."

Li Guo ordered the escaped officer and soldier to be taken away, given him something to eat, so that he could be treated for life and not killed. That night, he sent people to make a feint attack until they reached the edge of the entrenchment, so that the officers and soldiers had no choice but to fire artillery and arrows.

On the fifth watch of the 17th, the rebels launched another feint attack, but found that the officers and soldiers in the village no longer fired artillery, nor did they fire arrows, but only made a shout. Li Guo personally walked to the vicinity of the moat and listened to the sound of the shout, which turned out to be not majestic at all, sometimes scattered and scattered, sometimes weak. He smiled slightly, and said to the generals around him:

"The time has come to break the village."

At dawn, he ordered all the officers and men of the army to rest during the day today, and at the same time prepare more hemp ropes to catch prisoners. Throughout the day, he continued to send small forces to harass the enemy, and withdrew many of the rebels encircled to the east. After dinner, he called Liu Tichun to the front and whispered a secret plan. He himself went to the trenches of the officers and soldiers, listened carefully, and then returned to the tent, summoned the generals, and said:

"Fu Zonglong is about to escape. We're going to win big, tonight. In two days, we will be able to play Kai Banshi. At this, he stood up and said in a majestic voice, "The generals will obey the order!" ”

The generals stood in awe, their eyes fixed on his face, waiting for the order.

On the night when Fu Zonglong was besieged in the burning shop, he sent his most loyal house slave Lu San to rush out with two cavalrymen and send a handwritten letter to He Renlong and Li Guoqi, asking them to return the army to rescue them quickly. He didn't know if Lu San rushed out, maybe he was killed before he rushed out.

At dawn on the ninth day of the first lunar month, the sky began to brighten. A burst of cannon fire woke Fu Zonglong up. He anxiously asked left and right:

"Is it a thief?"

Left and right replied, "No, my lord." It was the thieves who fired at us, but they did not attack. ”

"Why is the shouting so fierce?"

"It's another feint attack by thieves, not a real attack. It's so hard for adults, so please sleep for a while. The trench here is dug deep, covered with wooden planks, and there is soil on the board, no matter how you shoot the cannon, it is foolproof, please sleep for a while with peace of mind. ”

Fu Zonglong fell asleep again. Since the siege, due to the continuous artillery fire of the rebels, the only houses in the village have been destroyed. At first, some of the officers and soldiers lived in the houses, but because the houses were destroyed and some people were killed and wounded, everyone simply left the houses, dug some trenches next to the wall, and slept in them. Fu Zonglong refused to move to sleep at first, and could not withstand the repeated persuasion of the soldiers, so he finally moved out of his military tent and came to the trench. Because sometimes there were shells falling in the trenches, and there were still officers and soldiers killed and wounded, so the method was improved, and everything that could be found was found and spread on the trenches, and some of them were covered with another layer of soil on the boards. In the past few days, Fu Zonglong has been sleeping in the trenches, working in the trenches, and planning military affairs in the trenches. In the past, he had led his troops to fight many times, but this was the first time he had tasted such embarrassment, hard work and despair.

Now that he had just fallen asleep, he dreamed that He Renlong and Li Guoqi had come back from killing and fighting against the rebels in the northeast corner, and the killing sound shook the sky. Obviously, both of them have increased their new force, and they are coming very violently. The enemy was overwhelmed, and suddenly another detachment of men and horses came from the south. Fu Zonglong looked through the wall, recognized it as Zuo Liangyu's banner, was very excited, and immediately said: "The sky is above!" Both teams are finally here! As long as the thieves can be defeated this time, the situation in Henan will take a big turn. "I just said these words, and sure enough, I saw that the two groups of men and horses in the northeast and south had defeated the thieves, and some continued to chase and kill the fleeing enemy, and some ran straight to the wall. The officers and soldiers on and outside the village cheered. He immediately mounted his horse, led his standard battalion pro-army, galloped out of the burnt shop, and pursued the fugitive thief. At this time, there was an enemy general in front of him, and he kept firing arrows backwards as he fled. He immediately instructed several partial generals: "Hurry up and catch up with that thief general, the officer of the battle slasher will be promoted to two levels, and the officer of the captor alive will be promoted to three levels!" Several of his generals led their men to chase the enemy general, and he himself followed suit. While he was in pursuit, the horse suddenly lost its front hooves and threw him off the saddle. He had just risen from the ground when he saw a large group of enemies returning, and several men stabbed him with guns at the same time. And he saw that his men were near, but no one dared to come and save him. He shouted, "Come and save me!" Suddenly woke up in a cold sweat.

When some of his soldiers and servants heard the shouting, they ran to him and said, "Don't be afraid, sir. Don't be afraid, adults. The thieves bluffed outside the village and did not come in. ”

At this time, the sky was a little brighter, and he suddenly found that Lu San was also caught between his soldiers and servants and called him. Lu San's clothes were in tatters, and he was already very haggard, as if he had changed into a different person. Fu Zonglong looked at him suspiciously and asked:

"Are you Lu San?"

Lu San knelt down and said, "The slave is Lu San, master." ”

Fu Zonglong asked, "Are you back?" ”

"The slave came back just now, and he didn't dare to alarm because he saw that the master had not woken up."

Fu Zonglong looked at him stupidly again: "You are not dead?" ”

"The minion has come back alive, sir."

"Have you seen He and Li Ershuai?"

"He and Li Ershuai ran to Xiangcheng first that day, did not stop long, and then ran to Shenqiu. The minions chased them all the way to Shen Qiu, only to see them and hand over the master's handwritten letter. There weren't many people left in their two towns, and they had become frightened birds. After reading the master's handwriting, they all said that they had to rectify the people before they could save the master, but when they said that, they actually had a difficult face. The minions stayed in Shenqiu for two days, but they didn't know the essentials, and they couldn't even see them later. Their men said to me, 'You can stay here, and you won't be able to go back to the burner.' Anyway, now there are no soldiers back to save the fire shop, and the fire shop can't be held for long, Lord Yang has already fled, leaving only Lord Fu to defend alone, it seems that it will be a matter of a few days. The slave must meet He Shuai no matter what, but he didn't see it, and then it was easy to see Li Shuai. Li Shuai said: 'I don't have many people left, He Shuai has no intention of saving him, I can't scream alone, there is really no way. You just live here, waiting for news. If a new person arrives, then they can go to the fire and burn the shop. The slave didn't expect that these two marshals were so afraid of thieves, seeing that the burning shop was about to be attacked by thieves, they sat back and didn't save them, and they had no heart! The slave burst into tears and left Shen Qiu. Because the outside has been very tightly surrounded, it was not until tonight that he returned to the village and reported to the master. ”

Fu Zonglong asked about the news of Yang Wenyue and Hu Dawei again, and sighed to Lu San and said: "It's really not easy to support here, you don't need to come back, why do you want to die together?" ”

Lu San cried and said, "I am a slave of the Fu family, and I will die in front of the master." No matter how hard it is, I'm back to my lord now. ”

Fu Zonglong shed tears, shook his head, waved his hand to make Lu San withdraw, and said, "You can rest and go for a rest." ”

In order to calm the morale of the army, Fu Zonglong came out of the trench, inspected the village, and then summoned the generals to his trench to explain to everyone that He Renlong and Li Guoqi had fled to Shenqiu. The two marshals watched and fought timidly, and did not dare to come to the rescue. I also heard that Yang Wenyue had fled to Chenzhou. Hu Dawei originally fled to Shenqiu, and then went from Shenqiu to Chenzhou. After talking about these things, he said indignantly:

"They are all afraid of death, and of course they will not come to help, but how can I be as afraid of death as they are?"

Someone suggested: Take advantage of the fact that the army is not exhausted and break through as soon as possible. Fu Zonglong understood that it was difficult to break through and succeed, and said:

"Zonglong is already old, and today he is unfortunately trapped among the thieves, he should lead the kings to fight to the death with the thieves, and he can't learn from others to roll his armor and escape!" After that, he burst into tears, his fingers trembled, he was very excited and desperate.

From the 11th, the officers and soldiers began to kill mules and horses for food, and also killed and ate the prisoners of the rebels they caught during the sneak attack. It barely lasted a few more days, and by the 18th the camp was finished with gunpowder, lead, and arrows, as well as the mules and horses, and an air of despair enveloped the burning shop. Some of the soldiers were already very hungry and weak. Fu Zonglong knew that the last moment had come. At the second watch, he summoned the generals and deployed how to break through. At this time, in addition to the dead and wounded, there were about 6,000 men, and the horses had been eaten up, and all of them became infantry.

After intense preparations, at the time of the third watch, the officers and soldiers fought in three ways. Fu Zonglong himself is in the center. After rushing out, they encountered two trenches dug by the rebels. The first trench was only guarded by a few rebels, and when they rushed, the officers and soldiers killed and wounded a number of people, but after all, they rushed through. When they reached the second trench, the rebels violently intercepted and killed, the officers and soldiers were hungry and tired, not opponents, some of them knelt down and surrendered, some were killed on the spot, and the rest of the people were all scattered. The shouts of the rebels rang out everywhere on the battlefield:

"Capture Fu Zonglong alive! Don't kill the Shaanxi folks, only catch Fu Zonglong! ”

The 2,000 people led by Fu Zonglong were more capable of fighting, and the generals were also his cronies, and as he fought and left, the number became smaller and smaller, some surrendered, and some left the team in the dark, fleeing for their lives. Protected by loyal family members, servants, and personal soldiers, Fu Zonglong constantly evaded the pursuing and intercepting rebels, and only chose a place where there were no voices, no figures, and no fires to flee for his life.

After dawn, it was getting farther and farther away from the burning shop, the sound of killing was getting farther away, and the torches were getting farther away. Fu Zonglong was tired and hungry, so he rested for a while in the wilderness, drank a little cold stream water, and found a little bread of grain from the village to satisfy his hunger. Not long after, he heard that the pursuers were gradually approaching again, and he was quickly escorted by his own soldiers, supported by two slaves, and continued to escape.

By noon, there were still eight miles away from Xiangcheng. I didn't expect to run for a little more than ten miles after running in the middle of the night, and the time was spent on the meandering and westward wilderness. Now suddenly looking at the tower of Xiangcheng from afar, although there are only a dozen or so people left around Fu Zonglong, there is still new hope in everyone's hearts. But can the eight-mile road be completed in the end? Fu Zonglong was exhausted to death, and he was puzzled if he could escape to Xiangcheng. Hungry and thirsty, they came to a small river and sat down under a tree to rest. Suddenly, the shouting behind him started again, Fu Zonglong really couldn't walk, and said to everyone:

"Escape for y, and leave me alone!"

The servant Lu San hugged him and said, "Master, you can't die here!" This is not far from Xiangcheng, and you will be saved when you get to Xiangcheng! ”

Fu Zonglong still wanted to stay, but Lu San held him, and someone behind him pushed him, causing him to stagger and continue to walk. The shouts behind him were getting closer, and the shadows of people and knives and guns could already be seen shaking in the sunlight. The people around Fu Zonglong couldn't take care of him anymore, and fled in all directions, leaving only Lu San, who continued to support him.

Fu Zonglong's shoes were originally lost in the escape, and now the other is also lost. He has been pampered all his life, how can he ever walk without shoes? Now both feet are bleeding, the pain is unbearable, and it is even more difficult to walk. Lu San wanted to carry him on his back, but he was so hungry that he didn't have any strength, he was already flustered and weak, sweating all over, and he couldn't carry it, so he could only carry his master step by step. Just as he had no choice, suddenly a group of officers and cavalry appeared in the woods less than half a mile ahead, with the word "He" on the jacket and the word "He" on the flag. Fu Zonglong felt confused, as if in a dream: Why did He Renlong's people greet him here? Lu San was relatively young, his eyes were sharper, and he saw clearly that the uniform and flag were indeed He Renlong's centaurs, and he was surprised and delighted. But when he was in Shenqiu, he clearly knew that He Renlong would not come to the rescue, where did this group of centaurs come from? He felt uneasy. At this moment, a junior colonel rode a horse to greet him, galloped in front of Fu Zonglong, saluted with crossed hands, and reported loudly:

"We are the people of Hezhen, and we are here to greet Lord Junmen!"

Fu Zonglong asked, "Where is General Soldier He now?" ”

The little colonel replied, "He and Master Li Zhen are coming from Shenqiu. Because he found out that the Lord had broken through last night, he first sent 500 cavalry to look for the Lord. After saying that, he and a few cavalrymen jumped off their horses and wanted to help Fu Zonglong onto the horse.

Fu Zonglong was suspicious in his heart and refused to get on the horse. was hesitating, and the pursuers behind him got closer, shouting: "Kill the officers and soldiers in front and capture Fu Zonglong alive!" The little school helped Fu Zonglong to get on the horse, and while helping, he said: "Adults get on the horse quickly, don't delay!" ”

Lu San also said: "Master, without further ado, don't delay!" ”

At this time, the shouting behind him started again: "Folks in He Town, please leave Fu Zonglong." We don't kill the folks, let's go, please leave Fu Zonglong! ”

However, the five hundred cavalry on this side had already met them, one by one, and looked at the pursuers on the opposite side. One of the generals said to the pursuers: "If any of you dare to harm Master Fu, don't try to escape from our hands!" He said to Fu Zonglong again: "Please go to Xiangcheng quickly!" Then he ordered his junior generals: "Tear down the bridge, and after breaking it with 200 people, not a single thief can cross the river!" ”

Only then did Fu Zonglong believe that it was indeed an official soldier who came to greet him, and it was indeed He Renlong's people. He heard these people talking in the area of He Renlong's hometown of Yan'an Mansion, and seeing them treat the pursuers like that, it didn't look like there was any trickery. He began to feel a little relieved, and ran straight to the south gate of Xiangcheng surrounded by all the cavalry.

It was still about four miles away from Xiangcheng, and Fu Zonglong could see that the cavalry that rescued him was suspicious, and it was probably not He Renlong's men and horses. Although he has only been the governor of Shaanxi for a few months, since he left Shaanxi, he has known many soldiers under He Renlong and Li Guoqi, and some have even spoken, why is there not a single face among the five hundred cavalry that he is familiar with? In addition, although their uniforms are He Renlong's, they are not clean, and some are torn, but their spirits are very energetic, not like the official army. Also, the war horses of these people are well fed, unlike the war horses of the official army, which are hungry and skinny. The more he thought about it, the more suspicious he became, and when he turned back to look for Lu San, he saw Lu San following closely behind the horse, making eye contact with him. Suddenly he understood perfectly, and asked the generals who had come to meet him:

"Who are you?"

The general replied, "Please don't ask more, Master Fu, hurry up and run with me." ”

Fu Zonglong glared angrily: "You are really a thief!" Who the hell are you? ”

The general suddenly showed a smile and said, "I'll tell you the truth: I am Liu Tichun, a general under King Chuang." ”

Fu Zonglong was shocked in his heart, but immediately said majestically: "Since you are a thief general, why don't you kill me quickly?" ”

Liu Tichun said: "King Chuang has an order, as long as you call to open the gate of Xiangcheng, spare your dog's life." ”

Fu Zonglong understood the reason for not killing him for the time being, stopped talking, and thought about how to deal with it.

When they arrived outside the drawbridge at the south gate, the five hundred cavalry immediately stopped, letting Fu Zonglong's horse stand in front and someone on the left tightly pulling the reins of the horse. Liu Tichun said to Fu Zonglong:

"Master Fu, please call the city gate open in person, so that we can enter the city quickly."

Fu Zonglong didn't say a word.

Liu Tichun had no choice but to shout to the city: "We are the pro-army following the governor of Shaanxi, Lord Fu!" Please open the gates of the city and let the Governor enter the city! ”

The city was full of defenders, but none of them answered. A few people seemed to be deliberating.

The city was calling for the door again, and said to the city, "You can see very clearly, this horse is riding Master Fu." Are you blind? ”

The people of the city hesitated, and said, "Okay, you wait, but you can't all come in." "It was as if someone had left the city, ready to go down and open the door.

Liu Tichun glanced left and right, ready to rush into the city as soon as the city gate was opened and the drawbridge was released.

At this moment, Fu Zonglong suddenly shouted to the city: "I am the governor of Shaanxi, unfortunately I fell into the hands of thieves, there are thieves on the left and right, you must not be fooled!" ”

Liu Tichun snorted, spat on Fu Zonglong's face, waved his hand, and all the cavalry quickly retreated beyond the range of the strong crossbow. Liu Tichun scolded Fu Zonglong:

"Old dog, I guessed you don't know how to lift!"

Fu Zonglong said stubbornly: "Hmph! I am a minister of the court, if I want to kill, I will kill, how can I earn a city for thieves to delay death? ”

Liu Tichun twisted his mouth, and the strong man holding Fu Zonglong's horse reins pulled Fu Zonglong off his horse, drew his knife and slashed at his head. Fu Zonglong fell to the ground, and people stepped forward to cut off his ears and nose, and slashed him several times.

Artillery began to fire in the city. Liu Tichun guessed that the cannon would be fired in the city, and before the sound of the cannon came, he saw a little firelight first, and hurriedly waved his army back, left the south gate, and continued to retreat into the distance.

At this time, Lu San ran out of a hidden place, walked to Fu Zonglong, carried him on his back, ran all the way to the city, and cried out for the door. After a long time, the people in the city saw that the rebels had indeed retreated, so they hurriedly opened the door and moved in. Fu Zonglong took his last breath under the city gate.

Liu Tichun returned to Li Guo and reported the situation to Li Guo. Li Guo praised him for doing a clean job and not letting Fu Zonglong escape, and then sued him:

"King Chuang came to tell us to destroy Fu Zonglong and then hurry up the class, and there will be a battle."

Liu Tichun asked: "Is it the second time to attack the seal?" ”

Li Guo said: "You can only know when you see King Chuang." Rest and go. ”