After the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the sea at the junction of Fujian and Guangdong began to be lively again.

The ships of the brigade came from the Chaoshan area (sorry, but let's use the place name that everyone is used to!) Departing from various ports, either to Taiwan, or cruising off the coast of Xiamen in Kinmen, on alert. Blocked the passage of the entire Zheng's Navy Group to maneuver to the sea.

Most of those who went to Taiwan were sailors who had just changed their doors from the Zheng Navy's division to the Southern Guangdong Army. In the former training fleet, now the Sailor Academy will run the fleet escort led by Chu Tianlei (imprisoned?) Below, the sailors happily hummed the song of the Gaojia opera coral song they had just learned, and operated the boats to pass through the waters off Kinmen, crossing the Heishuigou (Taiwan Strait) and heading towards Penghu and Tainan.

They must complete a series of trainings in various parts of Tainan, from ideology to military orders to daily life and combat methods, before they can be formally incorporated into the naval division to fight.

Originally, Li Huayu, as the commander of Taiwan's guard, was the most suitable person to handle this matter, but Li Huayu himself shook his head like a rattle, and he was unwilling to go alive or dead.

"I went to Xiamen to train the newly recruited Dongfan soldiers, so that they could see the artillery fire, and let me train the sailors at this time, wouldn't it be a waste of my previous achievements?"

In this regard, some people who are accustomed to speculating about the power of the palace think in private, "Now that the prestige of the eldest lady among the sailors is in full swing, the eldest young marshal will train these Toucheng sailors again, which is tantamount to making wedding dresses for others!" Instead of going back to Taiwan, it is better to make a name for yourself here in Xiamen, or to establish prestige in the land camp! Otherwise, this piece of the lord's family business in the future. How to deliver it to him? ”

No matter how these people analyzed it, Shouhan approved Li Huayu and his three battalions of Dongfan soldiers to participate in the battle against Xiamen. Assigned Chu Tianlei to Taiwan to train sailors.

Zheng Zhilong, in Xiamen, was also vigorously reorganizing and preparing for war, unloading the guns on the ships and moving them to various hills, shores, and forts to strengthen firepower. The artillery, soldiers, shells and gunpowder in the hands of the shipowners are registered and stored in a centralized manner. This virtually deprived the shipowners of their military rights and independence, and it can be regarded as Zheng Zhilong learning the lesson of Shi Daxuan's rebellion.

Half a month is a short time, almost instantaneous.

During this period, the situation in the mainland has improved by leaps and bounds.

On the second day of the first month, Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, played Chen: Ningyuan City has officials such as town guards, military supervisors, governors, and military garrisons, and the battalions are mixed. Restraint of power. Please order the military affairs to be controlled by the commander-in-chief. and all the officers of the army, the governors, the town guards, etc., who are in the same city. This is also the case. Emperor Chongzhen allowed it.

Yang Sichang, as the prime minister of the thief, went out of the town of Xiangyang to deal with the peasant army divided into three routes: Zhang Xianzhong of the West Road was entrenched in Sichuan, the junction of Huguang and Guangzhou, Geliyan on the East Road, Cao Cao on the South Road, Guo Tianxing and others were also very powerful.

Yang Sichang ordered the general army Zuo Liangyu to deal with Zhang Xianzhong, the eight kings of Xiying, who were in the limelight at this time. Zuo Liangyu led the army and Zhang Xianzhong to fight in Zhipingguan (west of Xing'an County, Shaanxi), and the two families were old friends and friends. After meeting, they did not answer. They used the other party's military horses and soldiers to test the performance and quality of the Nanzhong weapons in their hands. After a fierce battle. Zhang Xianzhong was defeated and led the army to retreat to Sichuan. Zuo Liangyu, please chase him from Hanyang Saigo into Sichuan. Yang Sichang ordered Zuo Liangyu to send a partial general to chase after him, but Zuo Liangyu did not obey.

When Zhang Xianzhong moved his army to Jiu Rolling Ping. See the steep Agate Mountain, will be based. Zuo Liangyu's army went to the bottom of the mountain, and Zhang Xianzhong had occupied the top of the mountain. Zuo Liangyu, the chief military officer, and Zheng Chongjian, the governor of Shaanxi, came here to besiege Agate Mountain. Zuo Liangyu was divided into three routes, about the drum and went up, and after a long battle, Zhang Xianzhong's army was defeated. Zuo Liangyu's soldiers swept away the king of the earth, Cao Wei, the king of the white horse, Deng Tianwang and other leaders of the rebel army of sixteen people. Zhang Xianzhong's wife and concubine were captured, and Zhang Xianzhong fled into Xing and returned to the mountains. Soon into Xing'an, Fangxian border, the official army is afraid of the mountain danger and does not attack, Zhang Xianzhong lurked in the dense forest, bribed the mountain people to buy salt and rice, the mountain people became the eyes and ears of the righteous army, Zhang Xianzhong received scattered soldiers, and the momentum was revived.

"Father! Is the wound better? ”

Next to a thatched hut in the deep mountains and dense forests, there are more than ten war horses tied to the old trees, although the saddle chewing ring is a little worn, and some places are densely covered with knife marks and arrow marks, but the horses are very well fed, they appear fat and strong, and their manes are very shiny.

Next to the shack, there is the ruins of a temple that was destroyed by fire, I don't know what kind of armament this mountain temple was destroyed in the recent battle, and the statue of the mountain god was pushed to the ground. Obviously, in the troubled times, even the gods are difficult to save the lives of the whole family.

Although the temple was burned down, the foundations remained, and the broken walls provided temporary shelter from the elements. There are many trees in front of the main hall and the mountain temple, and the two sides of the temple are bamboo forests, although it is still the middle of winter, and the bamboo leaves and branches are covered with snow, but from the bamboo tips of the branches, you can faintly see that the young shoots are being bred.

This shack and this dilapidated mountain temple are where Zhang Xianzhong's old camp is located, and they come and go, all of which are the elite cavalry of his core old camp.

A three-foot-high flag was planted on the remaining wall of the main hall, although it was in the wind and snow, it was still majestic. The snow-white flag tassel made of horsehair, the flag gun made of silver, the flag flew and rolled in the cold wind, and a large "Zhang" character faintly flashed, but it was embroidered with bright yellow satin that was obviously taboo.

There were several pots of charcoal burning in the shack, and around the charcoal fire, the hall was full of people, but it was Zhang Xianzhong and his four adopted sons, as well as Bai Wenxuan, Ma Yuanli and other capable generals.

Zhang Xianzhong was wearing a red tasseled felt hat, wrapped in a thick cloak, his face was slightly haggard and thin, a slightly yellowed face, and the famous beard that had been hanging down from the cheeks of his mouth also looked dry and yellow, and it could be seen that the owner did not have the time and energy to take care of this two-foot-long beard.

Zhang Kewang looked at Zhang Xianzhong's face, his face was full of concern. When breaking through the siege of Agate Mountain, not only Zhang Xianzhong's wife and concubine were captured by Zuo Liangyu, but even Zhang Xianzhong himself was slashed by Zuo Liangyu's soldiers and almost cut off his arm.

"Donkey balls! Shoot this mad dog! When Lao Tzu fought with him back then, he didn't find that he was so able to fight, how could he lower the official army and grow into a good color? ! ”

Lang Zhong, who accompanied the army, carefully removed the bandage from Zhang Xianzhong's wound and re-cleaned the wound with spirits. The effect of alcohol made Zhang Xianzhong grin slightly, "Donkey ball!" It's really strong! ”

"Boss, don't panic. The wound has begun to close, and it has not been suppurated, red and swollen, and it is thought that in a few days, the handsome man will still be able to gallop on the battlefield with a prancing horse and a sword. Lang Zhong quickly changed the knife wound medicine for Zhang Xianzhong, and wrapped the wound with brand new cotton and gauze bandages.

Zhang Xianzhong tried to move his arm, and sure enough, the pain in the wound was not as strong as it was in the previous days. "This thing of the barbarian in Nanzhong is really some evil sect!"

"Father! My son once captured a small leader in Li Wanqing's camp a few days ago, why did Li Wanqing's group of dog thieves look like mad dogs when they beat us? According to this guy. Zuo Liangyu and Li Wanqing have an agreement. seized the goods and baggage of our Xiying, and the two families divided the accounts. All of them are used to buy armor, knives and guns of the Nanban! The guy who injured his father that day should be a fierce figure in Li Wanqing's old camp! Otherwise, there wouldn't be that Nanzhong armor! ”

Zhang Nengqi told his story angrily.

"In this way, it was just right for us to order those bulky things to be discarded that day? No wonder after the fire broke out in the old camp of Onyx Mountain. These dog thieves can't take care of our father and son. Just rush into the camp with one mind. It turned out to be for this! ”

Winning the battle and capturing the head of the thief is not the goal in the eyes of the current officers and generals. It's the means. The purpose was to seize the property in the peasant barracks, so that they could support their families and collect the people. You can use these belongings to go to the big wharf near Dachengchi to find merchants in Nanzhong to buy all kinds of materials urgently needed by the army, from armor, knives and guns to grain, rice, oil and salt. However, it must be traded with real money.

With elite soldiers in hand, and even more strong soldiers, you can win more battles, and after winning battles, you can have more captures, and with captures, you can raise more families and subordinates, and this has formed a consensus among many officers and generals. A virtuous circle is formed.

Where do they come from?

It's simple! As long as any soldier under his command can kill a thief wearing Nanzhong armor on the battlefield, in addition to the armor on the thief's body, the weapons in his hands, and the property on his waist belong to the person who killed him, even the women in his camp belong to him. The person who killed the rogue was immediately selected into the ranks of the main general.

In such a simple and direct way, the ranks of Zuo Liangyu, Meng Ruhu and others swelled rapidly, and many outlaws were in the peasant army today, and they might serve as family members in the official army tomorrow.

And here in Zhang Xianzhong and Cao Cao, almost the same way was taken.

"Whoever kills an officer or soldier wearing the armor of the South, whether it is a hungry person or a foot soldier, will immediately be carried into the old camp and eaten three times a day!"

Both sides used each other's soldiers in Nanzhong armor as a whetstone to test their soldiers. For a time, under the temptation of huge material interests, the families and old camps in their respective camps were rapidly expanded.

"This group of dog thieves, just go to the old camp of the father to snatch the baggage, I don't want the father to be scheming, and I have long hidden the gold and silver soft things in the remote place outside the village!" Zhang Wenxiu also took advantage of the situation to slap Zhang Xianzhong.

"What is this! Everyone knows the truth of the three holes of the cunning rabbit, but no one is willing to put valuable things in a place where they can't see them! Zhang Xianzhong twisted his yellow beard, which was a little glued together, and educated his sons and generals quite proudly.

"If it weren't for our Lao Tzu's foresight to store the goods in the camp separately, I'm afraid that we wouldn't even be able to eat gruel and pickles at this moment!"

"What about gruel and pickles? Our more than 2,000 old camps are fundamental, if it weren't for the handsome and wise, they would have set up a secret camp in the mountains and forests near the left, not to mention grain, rice, salt, salt, and roots, where to find them when the weather is cold and freezing? Bai Wenxuan also slapped Zhang Xianzhong in time, which made the eight kings extremely comfortable.

Zhang Xianzhong stood up and moved his arms, "Straight lady thief!" These Nanban drugs are really evil! It's only been a few days, and my arm feels like it's not blocking and hanging! I don't know what evil is in their gold sore medicine! ”

"The students are only sparse learners, but judging from the taste of the life-saving package and Chinese medicine package for Dashuai, rhubarb, notoginseng and other things are indispensable. In particular, Panax notoginseng is the most good medicine for hemostasis. Lieutenant generals, after cleaning the wound with salt water, sanitize it with spirits and sprinkle the medicine in this medicine packet to stop the bleeding. Na Langzhong carefully considered the words and carefully answered Zhang Xianzhong's question.

"This medicine is a bit wicked! A personal soldier in my battalion. The day before yesterday, he was hit by a fire hammer, and a lead bullet was put into his thigh, and if it was usual, he would have to be cut out with a knife, and he couldn't walk and ride a horse for at least two months! But after using this medicine, even applying it externally and taking it internally, it was hard to squeeze out the lead bullet in two days! At this time, that guy is on patrol outside! Zhang Kewang boasted to the people outside the world ostentatiously, the reason, there is nothing else, these drugs were looted from Zuo Liangyu's camp when he broke through. Now it has become a life-saving magic weapon to save the wounded soldiers in the West Camp.

"I talked for a long time. Lao Tzu is a little hungry! Get something to eat! ”

Walk to the door of the shack. Zhang Xianzhong shouted at a few of the soldiers standing outside, but his eyes were sharp and glanced at the temporary camp.

Around the temple, in addition to the soldiers and horses who served as guards and patrols, a pile of east and west gathered one after another around the temple. Or camp to rest. Or remove the harness. Repair the wheels and horses, check the horseshoe for those war horses, mules and donkeys, and feed some fodder beans and other things. There was a lot of noise in the camp, but it was also full of morale.

"Hmmm! Not bad! I wasn't scared by Zuo Liangyu's dog! It's our Lao Zhang's team! ”

With a proud compliment in his heart, several of Zhang Xianzhong's personal soldiers walked in from outside carrying some meat and game and two small marching pots.

Chop two washed and peeled rabbits into small pieces, put some mountain spring water in the marching pot and boil them on a charcoal fire, and then throw the rabbits into the pot to simmer.

The other two soldiers took out a few meat porcelain jars and were about to cut them into small pieces after opening them, but they were stopped by Zhang Xianzhong.

"If you cut everything, throw it away in the pot and cook it with this jumping cat, and this rabbit meat tastes like meat with whatever meat you have. Stewed with pork, it is also a good dish. ”

In the blink of an eye, bursts of water vapor began to spread in the shack with the boiling of the soup in the pot, and the water vapor mixed with the aroma of meat made everyone present feel a little appetizer.

"Now that the snow has just melted, it's time for the mountain road to be rough and difficult. Let's recuperate here, heal wounds, drink wine and eat meat! Let Zuo Liangyu's group of fools go and search the mountains slowly! When Yu'er takes Lao Feng and the others out of the sentry to come back, we can decide whether to go to Huguang for a stroll or go to Sichuan to relax! ”

The jade in Zhang Xianzhong's mouth is one of his adopted sons, Zhang Dingguo.

At this time, Zhang Dingguo was leading Feng Shuangli and Wang Shangli, two generals under Zhang Xianzhong, to Baokang and Nanzhang to investigate. Trying to find out the virtual and real deployment of the officers and troops in this area can also provide a basis for the next action of the whole army. With Zhang Xianzhong's original intention, he intended to attack the nearby Fang County, Zhushan and other counties to supplement the army with grain and grass to feed mules and horses, but Yuan Jixian, the governor of Yunyang, was well defended and obviously not feasible.

Therefore, we have to see if there is a chance in this area of Nanzhang?

The two rabbits in the pot and a few meat porcelain jars were quickly eaten by everyone, and when they were waiting for their soldiers to fetch some game to eat, there was a slight uproar in the camp.

"Dashuai, Feng Shuangli is back!"

Feng Shuangli, who was covered in wind and frost and exhausted, was tired, but his eyes were full of joy.

"Slow down! Don't panic! Let's talk about it after drinking this hot wine! It is said that Zhang Xianzhong is tyrannical and cruel, but he is considerate of his own people.

After taking a few sips of hot wine and a bowl of piping hot broth, Feng Shuangli regained some strength slightly.

"Xiao Feng, tell me, what's the situation outside the mountain?" Zhang Xianzhong narrowed his eyes and looked at Feng Shuangli, but with his other hand, he motioned for Zhang Kewang to go out.

As the head of Zhang Xianzhong's adopted son, Zhang Kewang naturally knew what the father of the Daoist meant by Feng Shuangli, Zhang Dingguo and others went out to patrol the sentry to spy on the style, but only he and a few personal soldiers came back? Didn't he surrender to the official army and sell Zhang Dingguo, Wang Shangli and others? Come back to lead the way for the officials and soldiers, and exterminate Zhang Xianzhong, a figure who everyone in the court wants to get quickly?

Under the pretext of relieving himself, Zhang Kewang came out of the shack and immediately called several of his cronies and leaders, and ordered them to take people to strengthen patrols and vigilance in various mountain roads, passes, and mountains around the camp, "Take care of the few people that Lao Tzu brought back Lao Feng, and the guys on his body are down!" If you resist, you will be slaughtered immediately! ”

"How dare the little one deceive the big handsome, this news is true, the big man doesn't believe it, just call those brothers in for questioning!"

In the shack, Feng Shuangli reported the military information from the sentry to Zhang Xianzhong.

"Wu Biao's Beijing Battalion Model Brigade arrived in Yicheng as Yang Sichang's direct standard battalion. It was also for Zuo Liangyu and others not to listen to the greetings, Yang Sichang specially transferred the emperor Xiao'er from the capital to deter and suppress Zuo Liangyu and others! ”

"Then, why did Yu'er say that she had a good chance?!" Zhang Xianzhong subconsciously twisted his yellow beard, Zhang Nengqi and Bai Wenxuan on the side both understood his habit, whenever he moved to kill, he had not yet decided whether to kill a subconscious action, once he decided, he would pull his beard violently. It can be seen that he was also suspicious of Feng Shuangli's words.

"Dashuai, we went to the sentinel with the young marshal and met a group of Nanzhong merchants in Jiuji Town between Xiangyang and Yicheng! The good thing that the young marshal said refers to these people! ”

"Jiuji Town?"

Zhang Xianzhong searched for this place in his mind, Jiuji Town is located in the northwest of Hubei Province, east of Xiangyang, west of Nanzhangcheng, south of Yicheng, north of Wudang Mountain, hundreds of miles of Pingchuan fertile field, in the northwest of Hubei can be regarded as the land of fish and rice. (To be continued......)