Chapter 674: Huang Taiji is coming!

North Zhili,Hejian Province,.

Wu Bridge is located in the southernmost part of Hajian Province, only about 70 miles away from Texas.

The Tartars who went south burned and looted here, doing whatever they wanted, and as a result, they were attacked by Zhang Zhun and others. After a series of gunshots, all the Tartars were killed. After counting the battlefield, a total of 114 Tartar corpses were found, 189 horses were found that could be used in a continuous manner, about 500 hostages were rescued, and about 30,000 taels of gold, silver, and jewelry of various kinds were seized, as well as some other materials.

This is the eighth Tartar Niulu to be eliminated by Zhang Zhun and them. The other seven Niulu's Tartars were secretly killed by Zhang Zhun and them by various means. These Niulu's Tartars are all ** actions, and they have no close contact with each other, which gives Zhang Zhun an excellent opportunity for them to ambush. And Liu Heizi is quite familiar with the surrounding situation, and can always find the best ambush location. As a result, every battle was resolved cleanly.

The Tartars, who had suffered a major blow in Dongjiabao, were naturally at an absolute disadvantage when they encountered one of the most elite detachments in the Tiger Ben Army. Coupled with the careful arrangement of Zhang Zhun and others, it would be strange if the Tartars had the ability to resist. Except for the bravery in battle, the Tartars were not opponents of the Han at all in other aspects.

After the battle of Wuqiao was over, even the Tartars on the south bank of the Hutuo River were all cleaned up. None of the Tartars were able to escape and report the news. In other words, the current Huang Taiji should not know what is happening here. He could only infer that something might have happened here through certain circumstances, but it was impossible to know exactly what was going on here.

After killing the Tartars, Zhang Zhun let the rescued hostages quickly go south to Texas. This side is too far from Dongjiabao, the road is no longer safe, and the only way to go to Texas is the safest. After taking control of Jinan City, the Tiger Ben Army took control of Dezhou, and there was no situation where refugees were not allowed to enter the city.

Originally, some people still had some illusions about the imperial court, and they also had some illusions about the Tartars, thinking that the officials and soldiers of the imperial court would come to protect them, or that the Tartars might not reach their hometowns. Now, having experienced the slaughter of the Tartars, the local people no longer dare to have any illusions, so they hurriedly packed up their things and ran in the direction of Texas.

Zhang Zhun from later generations still has a lot of impressions of Wuqiao, the hometown of acrobatics, which basically represents the highest level of domestic acrobatics. It seems that I don't know what occasion, Zhang Zhun occasionally heard people talk about it, as if the acrobatics of the red lady were also learned in Wuqiao. It is a pity that the county seat of Wuqiao has been destroyed, and this ancient hometown of acrobatics has lost its former glory.

In fact, the county town destroyed by the Tartars is not just a small Wu Bridge? On both sides of the Hutuo River, there are more than a dozen county seats, which were destroyed by the Tartars. Ordinary villages and towns that have been destroyed, that's even more. The people inside, if they did not flee in time, were all poisoned by the Tartars. The water of the Hutuo River is said to have changed from dark red to bright red.

According to intelligence, in the province of Ha Jian, the Tartars have gathered more than two hundred thousand hostages. If the 200,000 hostages return to Liaodong by luck, the productivity of the Tatars will definitely be greatly strengthened. The next step of the Tiger Army's plan of action is to intercept these hostages as much as possible, so as not to let the Tartars' plan to loot people and supplies succeed.

"My lord, I found a lot of people in the mulberry garden!"

Liu Heizi hurried to report.

Wuqiao used to be an area where Liu Heizi often moved, and he couldn't be more familiar with the situation here. When Zhang Zhun and the others came to Wuqiao, it had become a ruin, and the people didn't know where to hide, so Zhang Zhun asked Liu Heizi and them to scatter to look for it. After finding them, they were asked to leave quickly and go to Texas.

Zhang Zhun estimated that Huang Taiji's movements on the south bank of the Hutuo River should soon be deduced. Once his old man knew, what would follow would inevitably be the craziest counterattack. Therefore, it is extremely dangerous for any Han Chinese to continue to stay here. You must quickly escape to a place that Huang Taiji can't catch.

According to Liu Heizi, the people of Wuqiao, after fleeing Wuqiao, did not go far, but continued to stay in the nearby town of Sangyuan. Before the Tartars discovered Mulberry Town, the Tiger Ben Army shot the Tartars, otherwise, the people hiding in Mulberry Garden Town would definitely fall into the hands of the Tartars. Speaking of which, some Chinese are still too home-loving and refuse to leave their hometown until the last step.

"Go to Mulberry Garden!"

Zhang Zhun said in a deep voice.

The group galloped at high speed and rushed towards Sangyuan Town.

Soon, the town of Mulberry Garden arrived. Sure enough, there was a huge crowd of people gathered here, about 3,000 or so, men and women, old and young, all of them. They all retreated here in a hurry from Wuqiao before the Tartars attacked Wuqiao. The city wall of Mulberry Garden is only less than five meters high, which is worse than Dongjiabao. Obviously, it is not safe, and if the Tartars arrive later, they will definitely suffer from the poisonous hands of the Tartars.

"Tiger, let them retreat to Texas immediately!"

Zhang Zhun said in a deep voice.

"Good!

Wang Laohu agreed.

Soon, Wang Laohu squeezed into the crowd, found a high platform, and said loudly: "Folks! The Tartars are coming again! The number of Tartars is huge, probably in the thousands! Sangyuan Town is very unsafe here! Hurry up and run in the direction of Texas! ”

In fact, there is no need for the advice of the Tiger Ben Army, and some people in Sangyuan Town have already evacuated to Texas in a hurry. Only a very small number of people are reluctant to leave. But in the end, they packed up their things and left. Most of the people who evacuated last had illusions about the imperial court and didn't believe in the Tiger Army. Otherwise, when the Tartars crossed the Great Wall in the first place, they should have evacuated.

Most of the people killed in Wu Qiao this time are also such people. They did not believe the information provided by the Tiger Army, and thought that the Tartars would not reach such a far distance as Wuqiao when they went south. So that he had the psychology of luck and missed the great opportunity to escape. As a result, when the Tartars did come, they were stunned. The massacre of the Tartars at Wuqiao killed at least twenty or thirty thousand people.

After experiencing the bloody slaughter, they finally understood, and finally opened their minds. They finally believed that the imperial court could not have high hopes. The imperial court relied on the stretching Great Wall, but it could not stop the Tartars from moving south, so how could they stop the Tartars from killing in the core hinterland? In front of the butcher's knives of the Tartars, only the Tiger Ben Army can guarantee their safety.

They didn't believe the words of the Tiger Ben Army before, and they definitely lost a lot. Thinking of those fellow villagers who migrated to Shandong a long time ago, many people feel regretful. If they were in Laizhou Mansion or Dengzhou Mansion in Shandong at this time, they wouldn't need to worry about any Tartars at all, and no Tartars would be able to appear in these two Mansions. Their property, their families, will not suffer any loss.

Zhang Zhun suddenly found something, grabbed the horse's belly, and rushed towards the crowd. The snipers next to them thought they had discovered something, and hurriedly rode their horses to follow. Their eyes followed Zhang Zhun's eyes, and they only saw a young woman in the crowd, wearing a red tight skirt and carrying a long sword, and her movements were very vigorous. Zhang Zhun's gaze fell on the woman in red.

Dugu Hunt and the others had sharp eyes, and immediately stopped the horses.

Liu Mang hurriedly asked, "Boss? What's wrong? ”

Dugu Hunt said in a low voice: "It's Miss Lin, an acquaintance of adults." ”

Liu Mang didn't react at once, and asked a little blankly: "What acquaintance?" ”

Brother Wei patted his head and whispered, "Red lady!" ”

Liu Mang came to his senses at this time, and then stopped the war horse.

The other snipers also stopped their horses one after another, and let Zhang Zhun step forward alone.

The snipers have been by Zhang Zhun's side all the year round, and naturally have some understanding of Zhang Zhun's private affairs. However, there are not many people who have seen the red lady. The old men of the sniper detachment have basically been sent out to the army to become officers. Liu Mang is new here, he only knows the name of the Red Lady, but he has never seen the Red Lady herself. The same goes for a lot of other snipers.

Zhang Zhun rode his horse to the side of the woman in red, looked at the people around her, and asked a little strangely, "Xiao Rong?" How did you end up here? ”

The woman in red is the red lady. When she heard the sound of horses' hooves beside her, she didn't pay much attention to it, she just thought it was an ordinary Tiger Warrior cavalry. Later, when he heard that the voice was so familiar, and it was his own name that was called, he hurriedly turned his head to look and found that there was a familiar figure on horseback. She involuntarily cried out, "Huh? It's you? ”

Because Zhang Zhun's military uniform was exactly the same as that of other Tiger Ben soldiers, the Red Lady didn't recognize Zhang Zhun when she started. In the chaos, she knew that it was someone from the Tiger Ben Army who came, but she didn't expect that Zhang Zhun was actually among them. Suddenly found that Zhang Zhun suddenly appeared in front of her, she was not surprised.

Zhang Zhun frowned and said, "How did you get here?" It's dangerous here! ”

The red lady whispered: "My master is here!" ”

Zhang Zhun looked at her a little reproachfully, and stopped talking.

Whether the red lady is his sister-in-law or his own woman, Zhang Zhun will not let her appear in such a dangerous area. It's no joke. The current Beizhili is not even as good as grass mustard. It seems that such a beautiful girl as the Red Lady, once she falls into the hands of the Tartars, the consequences are unimaginable. In front of the Tartar's cavalry, the long sword behind the red lady is purely for decoration.

The red lady naturally felt Zhang Zhun's reproach, her face turned slightly red, and she felt as if she had done something wrong, so she couldn't help but bow her head and said in a low voice: "It's not convenient to talk here, you come with me, and I'll explain it to you clearly." ”

The two came to the open space next to them, and the red lady said in a low voice: "I wrote to the master a long time ago and asked him to leave early, but the master was unwilling, saying that the government would not let them go." I said that the court itself was a mud bodhisattva crossing the river, and he couldn't manage so much, but his old man still didn't believe it. In desperation, I had to persuade him personally. As a result, the master still refused to leave. Suddenly, the Tartars came, and we hurried out. Seeing the power of the Tartars, and without the arrival of the official army, the old man was truly desperate for the court. ”

She was concise and to the point, and in a few words, she made the crux of the problem clear. There is no doubt that the master of the Red Lady can be called an old stubborn, antique, and unenlightened character. They still have high hopes for the imperial court. Even if the actions of the imperial court have repeatedly disappointed them, they have not completely given up on the imperial court. This is also the inherent thinking of many old people. After all, the imperial court is the imperial court, the imperial court of the people of the world, and it does not mean that changing the sky can change the sky.

In fact, in Beizhili, there are still a lot of people like the Red Lady Master. They are all very loyal to the court and will not waver easily, even if the current court is already stormy and crumbling. They will not accept the Tiger Army until they have personally felt the bloody slaughter of the Tartars. They have always insisted that the behavior of the Tiger Ben Army will be punished by God. However, everything in front of them made them have to despair of the court.

No matter from which point of view, when a court is no longer able to prohibit foreign enemies from breaking into its core hinterland and wantonly burning and looting, it is already an inevitable sign of destruction. Back then, the Mongols were so fierce and the Southern Song Dynasty was so weak, and there was no case where the Mongols went deep into the territory of the Southern Song Dynasty to rob. All this in front of him shows that the court of the Ming Kingdom cannot even compare with the Southern Song Dynasty. Perdition is simply inevitable.

Zhang Zhun nodded thoughtfully and said slowly, "How is your master now?" ”

The red lady said happily: "His old man is ready to move to Laizhou Mansion and be my father's companion." ”

Zhang Zhun nodded and returned to the crowd with the red lady. He wanted to meet with the master of the red lady to see what these old stubborns who were loyal to the court looked like. In fact, the master of the Red Lady is a thin old man, who looks a little serious, not like a juggler at all. This image is somewhat similar to Zhang Zhun's estimate.

The red lady introduced and said: "My master's surname is Tie, and his nickname is Tie Harrier." ”

Zhang Zhun jumped off the horse and said in a friendly manner: "Hello, Master Tie." ”

The Iron Harrier was a little surprised and said, "You are ......"

Zhang Zhun said generously: "I am Zhang Zhun." ”

The iron harrier was obviously a little stunned, and it took a while to react, and in his sunken eyes, he shot out some complicated looks, and said insincerely: "Wu Qiao's ...... It's you ......."

Zhang Zhun nodded and said affirmatively: "The Tartars have all been destroyed by me, and they are safe for the time being." ”

Iron Harrier breathed a sigh of relief, and his expression immediately became a little bitter, and then, he said with some emotion: "God, I finally saw a savior!" I thought that it would be the imperial army's army that reinforced Wuqiao. Unexpectedly, it was your Tiger Army. ”

Zhang Zhun said lightly: "Master Tie, I'm afraid that the army of the imperial court will not be able to come to reinforce it." The nearest imperial army from here, stationed in the city of Texas, did not dare to come out. The other imperial army was either stationed in Zhending Mansion, or stationed in Baoding Mansion, Jingshi, Tianjin Wei and other places, which were 108,000 miles away from here, but I am afraid that they could not be counted on. ”

The iron harrier sighed heavily, the bitter look on his face became thicker and thicker, and finally said helplessly: "I didn't expect it to be like this...... Alas......"

For an old man who is loyal to and loves the court, such a result is indeed uncomfortable. So many people died, so many materials and wealth were robbed, as long as they were people, they couldn't stand it. Perhaps, it is really time to change the dynasty.

Zhang Zhun said kindly: "The danger has not passed, you should hurry up and go in the direction of Texas!" ”

The Iron Harrier said in a deep voice, "Didn't you bring the army?" What are you afraid of? ”

Zhang Zhun shook his head and said, "The main force of my army is not here. ”

The Iron Harrier was stunned, and stopped talking.

Zhang Zhun continued to emphatically say: "Let's go! Xiao Rong, hurry up and go to Texas, it's not safe here! ”

The red lady whispered: "With you, they are not afraid." ”

Zhang Zhun shook his head and said, "Huang Taiji is coming." ”

The three words of Huang Taiji, as if they were a nightmare, made everyone present immediately have an inexplicable sense of fear. For this name, the people present are really not unfamiliar. Because the name represents evil, blood, and killing. The Tartars are the most ferocious, and as the greatest leader of the Tartars, of course, they are the most evil and the most ferocious.

The red lady didn't dare to hesitate, and said in a deep voice: "That...... Let's go first. ”

Zhang Zhun nodded, waved his hand and said, "Let's go!" ”

The Red Lady, the Iron Harrier and others hurried on the road. From Mulberry Garden to Texas, there are only a few dozen miles, and if you walk quickly, you can get there in half a day. If you want to enter Texas City, it's basically safe. Soon, all the crowd disappeared.

In the quiet town of Sangyuan, there is no noise to be heard. As in many other towns, you can no longer hear chickens barking, dogs barking, or even insects. All around, it was as if there was absolute silence. In it, what people feel is inexplicably weird.

"My lord, are we going to Texas?"

Dugu Hunt asked in a low voice.

"There's no hurry, wait a while and then go."

Zhang Zhun nodded and said slowly.

This absolute silence helps Zhang Zhun to think about some key questions.

Texas is safe and there is no need to worry. After Yuetuo and Abatai withdrew, the Tiger Ben army also followed northward and took the opportunity to occupy Texas. In the current Texas, there are a total of two battalions of the Tiger Ben Army stationed, one is Hao Linyong's Chuang Zi Battalion, and the other is Zhang Youcai's Shun Zi Battalion, with a total of 3,000 soldiers. The dragoon battalion under the command of Yang Weiguo also operated between the triangle of Dezhou, Jinan, and Qingzhou, providing assistance at any time.

According to Zhang Zhun's request, Hao Linyong also organized a city defense army in Dezhou, with a total of 3,000 people. Compared to the 5,000 people in Jinan City, the number seems to be a bit small. In fact, anyone with a discerning eye knows that the so-called city defense army is a tiger army that does not wear military uniforms. As soon as the Tiger Ben Gun is produced, they can immediately be transformed into the Tiger Ben Army on the spot. In other words, at present, Texas has a total of 6,000 Tiger Warriors garrisoned. This is another huge fortified city for the Tartars.

While fighting against the Tartars, Zhang Zhun was taking control of the whole of Shandong in a planned way. Now in Shandong, in addition to Yanzhou Mansion and Dongchang Mansion, the other four prefectures are already controlled by the Tiger Army. However, the area under the control of Jinan Prefecture is still unstable, and the internal affairs of the Tiger Ben Army cannot be carried out smoothly. As long as Huang Taiji is still in Beizhili, Jinan Mansion will not be able to enter a truly stable state.

In order for Jinan Mansion to play a real role, the key is to drive the Tartars out of Beizhili. To do this, Texas, an important city, is very crucial. In terms of military geography, Texas is the gateway to the northern part of Shandong. At the same time, for the imperial court, the important town of Texas is also very crucial. The Tiger Ben Army took control of Texas, which was equivalent to jamming Cao Yun's throat. One can imagine how the imperial court will react.

"Lord Governor, what are we doing here?"

Wang Laohu asked with some confusion.

"Wait for the forward battalion of Huang Taiji."

Zhang Zhun said calmly.

"Huang Taiji will send someone?"

Wang Laohu was a little puzzled.

"Yes."

Zhang Zhun said affirmatively.

The eight Niulu Tartars were completely wiped out by the Tiger Ben Army, and the Tartars would definitely notice that something was wrong, and he would definitely send troops to check what was going on. At present, the only mobile force in Huang Taiji's hands is his forward battalion, so what Huang Taiji can dispatch is also the forward battalion. If there were no accidents, Huang Taiji would definitely order the forward battalion to go south to check and eliminate the Tiger Ben army encountered by the way.

The forward battalion is the main force of the Tartars, the elite of the elite, and Zhang Zhun is very eager to find a way to consume some of it. Field warfare, apparently not. There were only a hundred or so people around him, and even with the dragon riding battalion that could be summoned, there were only a few hundred. Since field warfare is not good, there is only defense of the city. If it's to defend the city, Texas is obviously a good choice. Hopefully Texas can bring good luck to itself.

Of course, the most hopeful thing is that the Tartars are hot-headed and continue to slam into the walls of Texas. The current Tiger Army, the most hopeful, is that the Tartars continue to attack. In other words, the city wall of Dezhou is much higher than Dongjiabao, and the shortest place is more than fifteen meters. If the Tartars hit their heads on the walls of Texas, it would be too much in line with the wishes of the Tiger Army.

However, even if the Tartars do not attack Texas, it doesn't matter. The soldiers of the dragoon battalion, plus the local horse thieves in Beizhili, formed a mixed detachment, can still look for opportunities to carry out sporadic strikes on the Tartars, piecemeal, and accumulate a lot, so that the forward battalion of Huang Taiji suffers direct losses. And Zhang Zhun himself, seizing this time, can plan more things.

Zhang Zhun waited for a day in Sangyuan Town, but did not wait for the forward battalion of the Tartars. Huang Taiji's reaction seemed to be slower and more stable than Zhang Zhun had estimated. Zhang Zhun then marched to Texas. On the sixth day of February, Zhang Zhun and his entourage arrived in Texas smoothly.