"The people there are saying that Sun Futai brought a lot of horses and horses to be stationed in Tongguan Nanxiang, saying that he wanted to block your men and horses who broke into the king, and you didn't want to fly over even if you put your wings;

Li Zicheng was not only not surprised, but with a smile in his eyes, he waited for Old Man Du to continue, and a cold frost wind blew through, and the two old men shivered a few times, and the people became more and more shrunk.

Zicheng glanced at Shuangxi, who was standing behind him, and said, "Go, get two cotton clothes!"

Immediately, he looked at the camel again and asked, "Do you know how many people there are in the official army?"

The hunchback shivered, and finally replied: "I heard that there is...... Twenty or thirty thousand people. ”

Li Zicheng thought that this number was a bit exaggerated. According to his estimates, Sun Chuanting was able to assemble about 15,000 to 20,000 horses near Tongguan, but even if there were 15,000 men and horses waiting for him, plus the pursuers who had swallowed the Huben camp behind him, and the interception troops on the left and right, there would be more than 30,000 people in total.

He thanked the two old men for their kindness, and said that he couldn't be careless, and he asked, "Is there any other news?"

Du Zongwen bent his elbow to the hunchback, and urged him to say it to King Chuang quickly with his eyes. The hunched thick lips moved a few times, and he also touched Du Zongwen with the crook of his elbow, and said, "Third brother, say it." ”

"It's really delaying your time!Okay, I'll tell you for you!" Du Zongwen looked up at Li Zicheng's cold face and said: "Also, the cottage in Tongguan Nanxiang is different from the cottage here. It's always been a hard ground, and there is no pull with you, but the door god is not in the same face, you know. ”

"I know. ”

"There are rich people, squires, and villagers who are brave and guarded in the cottage there. I heard that Sun Futai had sent a message to the squires of all villages, asking them to assist the officers and soldiers to guard all dangerous intersections and prevent your men and horses from passing. ”

"The cotton robe is here," Shuangxi said to Li Zicheng. Now King Chuang's troops also lack cotton clothes, which are the two old blue cloth cotton robes that Double Happiness himself and his own army leaders usually wear.

King Chuang took the cotton robe in his hand, personally draped it over the two old men, and said, "Give these two cotton robes to you! Although the robes are a little old, they can still protect them from the wind and cold." ”

"This, this ......" Old Man Du Zongwen burst into tears and stammered, "You pity the old and the poor like this, I have no choice but to bear it...... I can't repay you in this life, and in the next life, I will become a mule and a horse to repay you for the kindness of the prince!"

The camel "smacked" twice in a row, his lips and throat moved, and he shook his head frequently but could not say a complete sentence. He was almost bewildered in his cotton robe, his fingers trembling as he buttoned them, and his two lines of tears mixed with snot rolled down to his yellow, thin, deeply wrinkled cheeks, and to his gray beard like weed.

King Chuang smiled and said, "It's just a small meaning, what are you saying about gratitude! Have you heard where Hong Chengchou is now?"

The two old men looked at each other. The hunchback shook his head and said he didn't know. Zicheng felt a little relieved, because he thought that if Hong Chengchou led the army to Tongguan, the common people would definitely have rumors, but his self-comfort was also limited, because he knew that Hong Chengchou was a scheming person.

"I've heard that the Manchu Tartars are besieging Beijing, but is it true?" he asked again.

"Oh, look, look!" Du Zongwen shook his hand and said, "Such an important thing should have been said to you, but if you didn't ask, I would have forgotten it! I also heard that the Lord of Long Live has sent a holy decree to Zhitai and Futai, urging them to enter King Qin. ”

"Urging them to enter King Qin?"

"The common people are so legendary. ”

"How could the common people know that the Holy Decree had come?"

"There are shadows when midges fly by, not to mention that the dignified holy decree comes, who can hide it? Even if Sun Futai himself doesn't say it, his left and right will be spread out. ”

King Chuang was silent for a moment, and then asked, "Have you heard the news of Cao Cao?"

"Cao Cao?......" The old man thought for a while and said, "In the middle of last month, no, at the end of last month, it is said that a large number of rebels have arrived in the area of Shaanzhou, as if they heard that they were led by Cao Cao and were going west. Later, I heard that Sun Futai took the men and horses out of the customs to fight, and after a few days, I heard that the battle was won, and I never heard about the whereabouts of this group of men and horses again. We are in a mountainous area here, far away from Shaanzhou, and separated from the province, but I just heard some rumors, but I don't know. ”

"Didn't you hear anything else?"

"No, I don't. Lord Chuang, be careful tomorrow. ”

"I'll have to be careful. Go back and rest. The next time I pass by here, I'll definitely send someone to look for you. ”

"Alas, the mountains do not turn around. The next time you break into the prince, you will pass by here, as long as my old bones are still alive, I will also greet you with a stick. ”

King Chuang sent the old men out of the gate, listened to the southwest, but could not hear the voice, turned and walked to the upper room.

He thought in his heart, "Sun Chuanting has a lot of people in Tongguan Nanyuan, and Chongzhen has an edict to transfer him and Hong Chengchou to Beijing Qinwang, which seems to be true, how to fight this battle ?......"

He didn't know that Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting didn't dare to deal with Chongzhen in a vain manner, they sent Wu Sangui to lead the people of the headquarters, and as their vanguard troops, they had already gone to King Qin in Beijing overnight.

Li Zicheng sent the two old men away, and as soon as he walked into the courtyard with his front foot, Hao Shaoqi followed. He threw the last chicken bone on the ground, arched his hand to Zicheng, and said with a snort of wine: "Okay, Brother Li, I'm late." ”

"It's not too late, I'm waiting for you. Let's go in and discuss the big things. Li Zicheng took Hao Shaoqi's hand, and the two of them strode into the house.

This general, named Hao Shaoqi, was originally called Hao Dayong. He is not a descendant general of Li Zicheng's old eighth team, but a fierce general raised by Gao Yingxiang himself.

In a vicious battle with the official army, Gao Yingxiang's team was in a very unfavorable situation, and the men and horses suffered heavy casualties under the onslaught of the official army, and the position of the headquarters had begun to waver. At this moment, Hao Dayong snatched the banner from the hands of the flag officer beside Gao Yingxiang, he rode on a horse and shook the flag, and rushed towards the official army with his arms in a wild shout.

The peasant army, which was panicking and shaking, suddenly saw a large banner rushing towards the enemy position, and the people were immediately encouraged, and they all rushed forward with shouts and kills, and in an instant the situation of the enemy and us was out of position. In an instant, the unfavorable situation on the battlefield was completely reversed, and Gao Yingxiang took the lead in the charge, killing the officers and soldiers in a big defeat.

(End of chapter)