Win the Ding 1617

The latitude shifts south and the time rewinds to September.

An autumn rain has been falling for nearly half a month, and the weather in Fangxian, Zhushan, Zhuxi and other places in the mountains has dropped sharply.The already rare pedestrians on the road became even more sparse.

The pines and cypresses in the mountains were washed more and more green by the chilly autumn rain, and the flexible bodies of the faint clumps of green bamboos in the bays trembled uncontrollably in the howling autumn wind.

Thanks to Yang Sichang's supervisor, the Ming army gradually achieved some improvement in the war against the peasant army. In the summer and autumn of 13 years, several battalions led by Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai were forced to the east of Sichuan and besieged on all sides.Most of Fangjun's Ninth Battalion headed by Luo Rucai surrendered under pressure.

In order to get rid of the pressure of the Ming army, Zhang Xianzhong took Luo Rucai to the hinterland of Sichuan.In order to eliminate these two most powerful bandit leaders at present, Yang Sichang had to enter Sichuan from Hubei to Chongqing to pursue and suppress them.

On the surface, Xian and Cao were wandering all over Sichuan, and they were at the end of their rope.It only needs a little effort from the towns and ministries that are chasing and suppressing, and these two groups of bandits who have been wandering between the rivers and rivers of the Ming Dynasty for many years will be wiped out.However, this kind of optimism can only exist in the memorials to Chongzhen. As for the private letters between the supervisors, they are not so optimistic.

On the one hand, he had to deal with the thieves and local bandits scattered all over the country. On the other hand, Chongzhen continued to urge Hong Chengchou to command 10,000+ troops to march to Songshan, Xingshan and Tashan to solve the siege of Jinzhou. The grain, rice and other items allocated to the inner warehouse were transferred to the front lines of Ningyuan and Jinzhou.

But right now, the war in Sichuan is confusing.The future is unpredictable, and there are hungry people everywhere in Shandong, northern Jiangsu, northern Anhui, southern Zhili, northern Sichuan, Henan, and Shaanxi.If the Southern Guangdong Army hadn't transported a large amount of grain and rice to the north, I'm afraid that the hungry people in Shandong and northern Jiangsu would have already robbed the water transport completely, and the civil and military officials in the capital and the soldiers of the Beijing camp would be hungry.

Between summer and autumn, not only were the provinces in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River and the Huai River Basin severely affected by drought and locust plagues, but also the south of the Yangtze River, which the imperial court relied on, also experienced drought and locust plagues.

Under the strict orders of the emperor, Yang Sichang wished he could eat Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai who were wandering around Sichuan in one bite.But there was nothing he could do.The soldiers and horses in all towns are well versed in the principle of cunning rabbits and running dogs.Keep Zhang Xianzhong.They have the military salary and official position, without Zhang Xianzhong, they burned, killed and looted the people from all over the place, I am afraid that the emperor will immediately send them to the Jinyiqi school to arrest them and go to Beijing to behead them.

And among the troops of He Renlong, Meng Ruhu and others.In private, it was rumored that Zhang Xianzhong's generals Ma Yuanli, Bai Wenxuan and others quietly passed Zuo Liangyu's generals.Xiao Qin Wang and Zuo Liangyu, who were also born as thieves in Shaanxi, secretly communicated the song.Offered 500 silver dollars.[-] taels of gold, and news of dozens of treasures such as pearls, agates, antiques, and jade.

A letter that came out of nowhere was quietly circulated among several chief executives: "Xiying Rebel Army Commander Zhang Xianzhong paid homage to General Kunshan again: General Manaoshan won. It is enough to shame Luohoushan , Stopping the mouths of those who are suspicious of the general. Not only will it temporarily dispel Yang Ge's desire to seize the seal, but he can also invite a generous reward from the court. The general is currently full of ambitions. However, if there is loyalty, the general can support himself and keep his wealth forever; If you die today, the general will follow you tomorrow. Even if the general has made great achievements in the past ten years, he will inevitably be arrested and sent to the capital, beheaded in the west market. This is a warning for those who have always been arrogant and domineering, and have always been domineering and domineering. Therefore, to offer loyalty to the general, it looks like an enemy country , are actually lips and teeth. The lips are dead and the teeth are cold. This principle is very clear. I respect the general and think twice. It means that Ma Yuanli will take the interview on his behalf. Please be prepared for Feiyi's affairs, and beg for mercy. Leaning on the horse and looking north, you will be waiting for orders in great fear! Zhang Xianzhong nodded."

The general Zuo Liangyu, the main force in the war against thieves, was like this, so He Renlong, Meng Ruhu and others were even more happy to have nothing to do.

In this very strange atmosphere, the battle continued intermittently, tense and loose. Yang Sichang only hoped that Wu Biao's model brigade could train the five thousand recruits from Sichuan as soon as possible. played a trump card.

Just as the Ming court and the public were watching the war in Sichuan, Chongzhen’s Empress Zhou, Concubine Tian, ​​Concubine Yuan and other concubines also burned incense and worshiped Buddha in the palace, praying for good news from Sichuan as soon as possible. The characters who disappeared for a long time in the movie quietly appeared in Fang County, Wushan and other places.

In the middle of the night, the first quarter moon has already set, the shadows of the mountains are dark, and the colors of the trees are like ink.Nearly a hundred miles away from Zhuxi County, there is a mountain village perched on top of a small hill, surrounded by cliffs on three sides, and only one side has a winding path leading down the mountain. A large temple at the intersection of the mountain has long been destroyed by war.Now there is a group of peasant troops stationed to control this traffic artery.

Many years ago, there used to be a mountain street in front of this great temple, with dozens of households and three or four restaurants.Due to years of wars, the mountain street is now completely in ruins, with piles of rubble and weeds all over the ground.Some houses in the big temple were burned down, some collapsed, and there are very few left.Some of the three or four hundred peasant troops with a Shaanxi accent lived in the dilapidated Daxiong Palace, some lived under the mountain gate, and some lived in tents.A dilapidated Chuangzi banner fluttered faintly in the night wind, and the leader quickly scolded the soldiers in a low voice, and carefully rolled up the banner that exposed Xingzang.

At this moment, more than a dozen tents have been dismantled, tied into bundles, and ready to be carried away.The soldiers gathered in piles to warm up in the leeward place.The war horses were gnawing on the half-dried weeds, and some were eating beans.The saddle is placed next to the horse, ready to be saddled at any time.The Huotoujun cooks in several places.Firewood was burning in the hearth, and smoke was rising from the cauldron.

In the village on the top of the mountain, Li Zicheng's old camp was quietly lurking here.There are only seven or eight families in the stockade, all of which are dilapidated thatched huts.His troops could only live in temples and tents at the foot of the mountain. The team of more than 1000 people crowded the two nearby small villages to the brim.

Because there is no news of the officers and soldiers around, the farthest large groups of armed forces are all more than a hundred miles away.Li Zicheng's troops, who marched all over the place, did not plan to stay here for a long time, but only wanted to take a short rest here.

Li Zicheng lived next to the shrine of Guandi Temple in Zhaizhong. Hay was spread on the ground as a sleeper. He managed to find a low square table, a few stools, and straw piles, and placed them messily in front of the statue of Master Guan.

At this time, he was a little more calm than when Lancaochuan broke through, kneeling on the straw mat in front of the statue, contemplating.In the recent period of time, news has spread from all over the place.It was very detrimental to him and his companions.

First, I heard that Zhang Xianzhong was defeated in Manao Mountain.Almost captured; I also heard that Yang Sichang had a three-month deadline to wipe out Xianzhong, and he had mobilized 10,000+ troops from several provinces to gather in the border areas of Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Hubei, and re-arranged a tight siege on Zhang Xianzhong.

His army was like a small fish, accidentally swimming into the big net originally prepared for big sharks like Zhang Xianzhong and Cao Cao.Although roundabout interspersed.Try to avoid contact with nearby officers and soldiers and village braves.So as not to get burned.But people leave their names, and geese leave their voices.A team of more than 2000 people circled the mountain, how could there be no news of it leaking?

After several small engagements and encounters, Li Zicheng's troops lost dozens of people.Worst of all, hundreds of shi of grain were lost.Wu Ruyi of the Central Army, who was in charge of the entire army's supplies, did not know where he was scattered among the rebellious army.

The road was muddy and difficult for half a month, and they were starving, and the morale of the army was unstable.Dozens of people have deserted one after another.The departure of these people made Li Zicheng very distressed. This is all his old foundation of the old eighth team, and they never got separated even in the most severe battle.Now he is gone because of hunger.

The continuous rain for half a month has caused the horseshoes to be rotten by the rain. How can the peasant army, which has always defeated the enemy by walking, increase its speed?

"Could it be that I never died in Tongguan Nanyuan or Shangluo Mountain, but I was trapped to death in this Badong Mountain?" Perhaps because of the strong psychological suggestion of the weather, Li Zicheng's originally very strong psychology became fragile. stand up.

Seeing that there was no one around, he wanted to untie the ties around his waist, preparing to end his life in the temple of Master Guan, the fellow townsman, so as to leave a whole body behind.

As soon as his hands touched the silk thread, he couldn't help but trembled when the cold hands stimulated him, and he woke up immediately, "Joke! How many times have I come here from the mountain of corpses and the sea of ​​blood? What is this little rain?!"

He stood up and tidied up the ties again, only to find that Li Shuangxi, one of his adopted sons, was standing behind him.

"Double Happiness, what are you doing here?"

"Father, Big Brother Buzhi and Master Liu, the Chief Inspector, have returned from outside. The brothers who came to deliver the letter said that they found Wu Ruyi's team in the Chinese Army."

Li Zicheng couldn't help but feel a burst of joy. If he had narrowed his mind and committed suicide just now, wouldn't he not hear the good news that the luggage has been found?

A rough voice sounded like thunder at the gate of the village: "King Chuang! We are back! We have found Wu boy!"

The speaker was nearly 40 years old, with a very burly figure, and his face was angular, full of wind and frost.The face is rough and bold, with short beards like steel needles and halberds.He was wearing an iron helmet and a heavy armor, with two long knives pinned to his waist, and a bloodstained cloak and cloak.

It was Li Zicheng's number one general, Liu Zongmin, who was born as a blacksmith in Lantian, who was the bravest and most courageous.

Behind him is Li Guo, nicknamed "A Tiger", Li Zicheng's nephew of the same age.

Seeing the return of the two capable generals, Li Zicheng had a long-lost smile on his face.He hastily greeted the two of them to sit down, warmed up by the fire, and told Shuangxi to go to the kitchen to see if the meal was ready.

"King Chuang, don't rush to eat. It won't be too late to eat after listening to my old Liu tell you the matter. I'm afraid that at that time, King Chuang won't be in the mood to eat!"

Hearing Liu Zongmin's words, Li Zicheng suddenly became vigilant. Is there any bad news?

"After Xiao Wu and the others were separated from us that day, they covered the convoy and fought and left. Fortunately, the officer army didn't know our details that day, and they didn't dare to pursue too hard. gone."

Wu Ruyi led more than 100 people to guard more than [-] mules and horses. He didn't choose the way, just walked in the remote place, turned around, and got into the deep mountain.At least I found a small village to settle down, and I was about to send someone out of the mountain to inquire about the situation of my own army, not wanting to be trapped by the rain.

"However, Xiao Wu is really loyal to our camp, and he will come out when the weather is a little better. When it rains, find a place to stop, and ask all the way. However, it is also because of this incident that there is another chance !"

Li Guo talked excitedly to Li Zicheng, dancing and spitting, looking at their blushing faces excitedly, he couldn't help being infected by Li Shuangxi, who was standing aside and always feeling a little depressed.

"Brother Buzhi, what good thing is going on, look at how happy you are!"

In the courtyard of Huang's family in the mountain village where Wu Ruyi and others were hiding, there was another team that was also trapped in this deserted village because of the continuous autumn rain.

Li Zicheng and others looked at Wu Ruyi, who hadn't seen him for half a month, with great interest.

He was wearing a brand new armor, which looked a bit like cotton armor.It is full of large and small copper foam nails.Moreover, it is convenient and free to move, and there is no rattling sound when the nail leaves collide with each other.But judging from the thickness of the armor, it doesn't look like ordinary cotton armor, it seems to be a layer of nail leaves sandwiched in the cotton board.Act as a protective layer.When making cotton armor.Just wet the cotton.Then beat it repeatedly to make a very thin cotton sheet, and then assemble several such cotton sheets into a thick cotton cloth.An iron sheet is placed between two layers of cotton cloth, and the inside and outside are fixed with copper nails, and the cotton armor is made.

This kind of armor has a very good defensive effect on firearms, and it can also protect against cold in winter.

However, upon closer inspection, Wu Ruyi's half armor covered with thick copper nails was actually a thick leather armor.

"Xiao Wu, where's your armor? Could it be that it was pawned in a pawn shop?"

Li Guo knew that his uncle was in a very good mood today, so he joked with Wu Ruyi.

"Brother Buzhi, this is no worse than the armor I've been wearing for almost seven or eight years! And it's still warm!" With a bit of show off, Wu Ruyi took off the armor on his body and handed it to Li Zicheng.

"According to those merchants, this is a Jiaolong produced in an extremely hot and humid place in the South China Sea. The natives took advantage of the full moon night when the Jiaolong went from the water to the land to mate and lay eggs, and set up multi-layered fishing nets on the way the Jiaolong must pass. Entangle the dragon's sharp claws so that it cannot move, and then use spears, firecrackers, etc. to bombard and stab the abdomen of the dragon. After it is dead, use a saw to cut its skin, and after tailoring it, use copper about an inch long. The nails are connected at the key points to connect the inlays to make this armor!"

As for the armor, the people present are all knowledgeable, not to mention experts. Although this leather armor is processed from a whole piece of leather, it is very different from the leather armor that is usually made by overlapping several layers of leather. , but some joints and joints are connected with leather strips, so that the movement is not restricted.Although sewing with multiple layers of leather will increase the thickness and toughness of the leather, judging from the situation of this armor, the thickness seems to be no less than that of multiple layers of cowhide.

Li Zicheng took the armor with both hands, and weighed it with his hands. It was heavier than the cotton armor, but much stronger than the iron armor of the army.Judging from the surface of the armor, it is not made of rough iron like that of the army, but it looks good, and it can be compared with the two-eyed bean curd dregs armor with an arrow in the past.

Qi Jiguang once retorted angrily against this kind of one-minded man who only cared about embezzlement of materials: "...today, my armor looks quite new on the outside, with iron leaves inside, and there are several eyes on each piece. The rust is rotten and only the iron shape remains. , is still good, its empty space is like a sieve, the enemy can penetrate it, and it can be broken by a knife..."

Therefore, the ridiculous ballads circulating in the capital ridicule like this: "Tea soup in Guanglu Temple, prescriptions in Taiyuan Hospital, God's optimistic prayers, weapons and guns in the arsenal, workshops in the Ministry of Warehouses, clothing and food in the Nursing Home, wife in the Jiaofang, The constitution of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, the Academy of the Imperial Academy, and the articles of the Imperial Academy." These are things that are superficial and not worthy of the name.

As soon as an arrow passed, the dragon leather armor hanging on the tree swayed slightly in the air twice. The arrows were stabbed obliquely in the leather armor, but the arrow shaft and arrow feathers were still trembling, trying to get into the leather armor. among.

"King Chuang, this was given to me by the caravan that lives in the same village as me." Facing inquiries from Li Zicheng, Liu Zongmin, Yuan Zongdi, Gao Yigong, Hao Yaoqi and others, Wu Ruyi confessed frankly. "Among the things they carried, apart from the leather armor, there were also many kinds of armor sticks and utensils, and most of them were salt, cloth and meat."

People who have not known the taste of meat for several days can't help but swallow their saliva after hearing this.

"Wu boy, why didn't you say it sooner? If we had said it earlier, we wouldn't be in a hurry to come back! Go straight back, let's hack them, these armor sticks, knives and guns are all ours, those salt, cloth and meat are just right for us Brothers use it!" Li Guo's tiger strength came up again, and he was eager to try, ready to set off immediately to rob the caravan.

"Master Li, do you think we didn't have this idea?" Wu Ruyi smiled wryly, "When we ran into this village and found that the village was full of mules and horses, the brothers wanted to do it. But when we turned around, we found that the other party was full of There are four to five hundred people, and they are all young men with knives and guns in their hands. Once we make a move, we may not be able to take advantage of it. We had to lie to them that we are also businessmen who do business, and we had to stay in one place because of the rain."

"King Chuang, Lord Liu, now that I am entering the camp and reciting words, this little property cannot afford to be lost. There are only 2000 people in the old camp including family members, boy scouts, and grooms. The four to five hundred people in the caravan may not be able to get a bargain, in my opinion, it would be better..."

After listening to Wu Ruyi's pros and cons, everyone present stopped shouting, but turned their attention to Li Zicheng. (To be continued..)