Chapter 324: Tongcheng

Zhang Xianzhong hurriedly let people go, and after going back and forth into the city, he saw Zhang Xianzhong and said that he was caught up by Chen Xie and killed. In Zhang Xianzhong's place, Lao Hui saw the stars of the sky, this guy was not slow, he fled to Lujiang first, and brought more than 5,000 people and more than 1,000 people still riding livestock. There are not many horses, and there are many donkeys and mules that can't hold them, and they are all grabbed in a hurry on the way. The two sides discussed together what to do. This time, Zhang Xianzhong was embarrassed to let these two goods continue to carry back, and decided to go south together, sneak attack Tongcheng, and grab more livestock along the way. Zhang Xianzhong set the rule that as long as the sneak attack failed, he would immediately give up the siege.

On the road again, there were only more than 30,000 people in the three groups combined, and Chen Xie chased too closely to coerce the people. But Zhang Xianzhong still decided to use the people, open the granary, let the people distribute the grain, continue to create chaos in Lujiang City, and let Chen Xie delay in Lujiang for a while.

When he got up early in the morning, he heard that Lujiang had been lost, and Chen Xie was speechless. It's not that I sympathize with the people of Lujiang, but it's an inexplicable pain. In front of He Xian and a group of subordinates, he scolded with a righteous expression with a black face: "A group of bastards who mislead the country, Lao Tzu is less than fifty miles away from the Lujiang River, and a county town can't be defended for two days?" ”

In the minds of the generals, Chen Xie established the image of a loyal and patriotic general who was not liked by the monarch and ministers. Originally, the Dengzhou battalion had won so many battles, and the imperial court didn't give it any practical results. That is, the master is so stupid and loyal, if someone else has already fished for three days and dried the net for two days, just pretend. How could it be so hard to chase the rogue.

"Alright. Don't say anything, go back to the right place, and set off at eight o'clock in the morning. Of course, Chen Xie will not forget to ask people to send a letter to Zhang Guowei, saying that the threat of thieves crossing the river has been lifted, and he is leading his troops to pursue. In the letter, Chen Xie criticized the incompetence of the Lujiang officials, who could not hold on for two days, otherwise the people of Lujiang would not have been ravaged by the gangsters.

At noon, Chen Xie rushed to Lujiang, and this time he went into the city to rest. As soon as the Dengzhou camp entered the city, the people who were eating a large household dispersed in a hurry. Some hid in their homes. They closed their doors, and some fled through the four gates. The Dengzhou battalion adhered to the military discipline of Qiu without committing any crimes, and after entering the Lujiang River, it immediately imposed martial law everywhere. Pacify the place. buried the family of Zhao Shiyan, the county magistrate who was killed. Stayed in Lujiang for two days. After the local order was restored, Chen Xie continued southward.

On the fifth day of February, Zhang Xianzhong besieged Tongcheng. At this moment, the city is headed. Two young Confucian scholars stood side by side, looking at the outskirts outside the city, their expressions were calm, one was holding a bow and arrow, the other was holding a long sword at his waist, and they were talking.

"Listening to the fleeing people, Chen Sihua, the general soldier of Dengzhou, saved Luzhou and went to Chaoxian again. Thinking that Zhang Guowei was incompetent, he was afraid that the thieves would cross the river, and ordered Chen Sihua to go east. Sun Lin, who was holding a bow and arrow, spoke with disdain. Scholars comment on officialdom without scruples. Sun Lin is a relatively alternative reader, who likes martial arts and has a strong bow. There was this one standing beside him, it was his eldest brother Fang Yizhi.

"It is rumored that Chen Sihua in Dengzhou has the image of a feudal town, and the ministers of the DPRK and China can crush people to death if they impeach him. A few days ago in Nanjing, the monarchs of the Restoration Society insisted on their own words, and some said that Chen Sihua looked at the wolf and would inevitably follow in the footsteps of the late Tang Dynasty in the future. Some people say that Chen Sihua is literary and romantic, born in Shilin, and the name of the so-called feudal town is just that the traitors in the court are jealous of the virtuous and virtuous. The traitors in the DPRK and China are quite good, the people of the Central Plains are in chaos, and our generation is in troubled times, and when the banner is guarded, we will repay the country with death. ”

Fang Yizhi's words were impassioned, as a big family in Tongcheng, his family made great efforts to defend the city this time. There is an irreconcilable contradiction between the thieves and the gentry, and once the city is broken, it will inevitably be ruined. As people of insight in the late Ming Dynasty, these two were relatively bloody literati. It belongs to the relatively rare type, the poor kind with less.

"The rogues are coming up, look at me." Sun Lin saw the thieves carrying simple equipment and began to attack the city, eager to try. Fang Yizhi smiled and said, "Be careful, I'll go and take a look." After speaking, he took more than ten families to patrol back and forth in the city to cheer up the people.

When the thieves attack the city with ants, they must first fill the moat. Thousands of homeless people were coerced, filling the river with sandbags, and the city was shot with tiger cannons, bows and arrows, but the firepower was limited, and the thieves made rapid progress, but in one afternoon, the moat was almost filled. Look at the late days, and the thieves retreat to fight again tomorrow.

At night, Zhang Xianzhong and others learned that Chen Xie had entered Lujiang City, and packed up and went on the road without saying a word. This time there was a dispute between the two sides again, Zhang Xianzhong advocated going to Anqing Mansion to kill the past, Lao Huihui and Guo Tianxing thought that it was better to go in the direction of Shucheng, and then enter the Dabie Mountains, so as not to be chased by Chen Xie's cavalry and smoke.

The two sides were unable to hold each other, and finally decided to part ways, Lao Huihui and Guotianxing went west, and Zhang Xianzhong went to Qianshan.

Early the next morning, before the morning fog had lifted, the two relatives at the head of the city were alarmed by the sound of horses' hooves rolling like thunder. Tongcheng, which was still in a panic, naturally closed the city gates, ready to fight. At this time, the city came down and rode down, standing by the moat and shouting: "The Dengzhou camp went south to suppress the thieves, and the starry night went south, and before eating, please ask the Tongcheng elders to provide some rice and noodles, and we will pay the silver." ”

Fang Yizhi and Sun Lin looked at each other, both of them looked surprised, and said in unison: "Come so fast." ”

When the county magistrate in the city heard the news, he also went to the city, and after asking clearly, he looked around and said: "In order to prevent the city from being defrauded, I want to send a strong man out of the city to find out." I don't know who dares to go? Sun Lin felt that the county order was too cautious, and was about to speak, but was dragged by Fang Yizhi and said: "It's right to be cautious, it's right to figure it out." ”

As soon as Sun Lin heard this, he saw that no one dared to stand up, broke free from Fang Yizhi's hand and said, "I'll go!" Fang Yizhi sighed and did not stop him. Sun Lin's temper is like this, but it hurts the friendship when he stops it.

When he tied the rope around his waist, Fang Yizhi came over and patted Sun Lin's shoulder and said, "Take care." Sun Lin smiled and said: "It's okay, just look at the military uniform, you know that it's really the Dengzhou battalion here." I've always been curious about how a strange man who can write 'life is only as it was first seen' can become a warrior on the battlefield, and I've been fascinated for a long time. ”

Sun Lin descended the city, and when he crossed the suspension bridge, the morning fog dispersed a lot. The knight under the city slowly stepped forward and said unhappily: "What's the matter? ”

Sun Lin arched his hand and said: "Beware of fraud in the city, send me out to see the authenticity." The knight frowned and said, "Get on the horse." ”

I rode only three miles, and I saw countless cavalry resting on the side of the road. Sun Lin immediately dismounted, strode forward, and was stopped by two cavalrymen and said, "Stop!" Sun Lin opened his throat and shouted: "Tongcheng scholar Sun Lin, ask to see Chen Sihua in Dengzhou." ”

For this soldier who called Chen Sihua, the soldier did not have a good face, but he did not embarrass him. After a while, a person came on the main road, tall, walking in a tiger's step, two rows of officers behind him, following forward, there was a feeling of how he was in tune, although there were only more than ten people, when they strode forward like this, there was the momentum of thousands of troops.

Sun Lin directly looked stupid, what kind of army is this, with only a dozen people, it has such an amazing momentum.

"I'm Chen Xie, you go back to tell Sù City, the thieves have run away, I need to wait for the results of further investigation to decide where to pursue. So, you have to hurry up and cook, the military situation is like fire, and I don't have much time to delay. By the way, in the city, prepare more soybeans and eggs, and the war horses need to be replenished. ”

After Chen Xie said this, he immediately turned around and went back, squatted on the side of the road after walking a short distance, and said to everyone: "Everyone come around, discuss, see where the thieves will go, and how to fight next." ”

"Zhang Xianzhong in dog days runs faster than rabbits. Looking at the tracks, the thieves are divided into ....... Sun Lin's heart itched when he heard this, and he couldn't help but look at it for a while. As for Chen Xie's previous "rudeness", he didn't take it to heart at all. Who is Chen Sihua? is an invincible general on the battlefield, how can he have the heart to fight with a messenger. asked for a horse, and Sun Lin, who was reluctant to give up, galloped back and shouted under the city: "It's the Dengzhou camp, it's all cavalry, Chen Sihua is also there, hurry up and open the city gate." By the way, prepare more soybeans and eggs, and feed the horses of the Dengzhou cavalry. After shouting, the city gate opened, and Sun Lin turned around and went back.

The war horse was returned to the soldiers, and Sun Lin saw that a group of people were still discussing, and his heart was itching, and he couldn't wait to go over and discuss with everyone immediately. couldn't help shouting: "Chen Sihua, in Xia Sun Lin, Zi Kexian, can you listen to your discussion of the military situation?" ”

I thought that this voice would not work, but I didn't want Chen Xie to look up over there, and said loudly: "Let him come over." ”

There are maps on the floor, and the delicate printing is hard to believe. No one among the officers got up, and no one paid any attention to him, continuing the controversy on the map. "If I were Zhang Xianzhong, I would go west and enter the Dabie Mountains, so that the power of the cavalry would not be reflected."

"I agree with this point of view, and even if you can't run away in the mountains, it's convenient to ambush the pursuers."

"You are all, don't you see the marks on the road? A large number of seals have been issued on both sides, and it is not at all the result of simple counterfeiting. I see that the thieves have divided their troops just like they did last time in Chao County. Since it is a division of troops, the key question is where we will pursue. Zhang Xianzhong's crime is extremely heinous, and we have to make a judgment on which side he goes. ”

Sun Lin listened while looking at Chen Xie. This strange man with a merry name and a brave name is quietly looking at the map at the moment, holding his chin in his hand, seeing that he is fair-skinned, and he will not look like a general.

"Chase west first, the brothers have eaten dry food, and wait a moment to feed the horses. If Zhang Xianzhong goes west, catch up and kill him. If he went to the southwest, Zhang Xianzhong did not have much time to prepare dry food, and needed to collect food on the spot. Otherwise, even if there were cavalry, he would not be able to run fast. Therefore, even if we chase westward, we will not lose much time. Chen Xie made a decision, and his subordinates stood up neatly, standing up and saluting: "Yes!" ”

This shout frightened Sun Lin, don't look at the fact that there are only a dozen people, all of them have loud voices and are full of momentum. (To be continued......)