On the way back to Shaanxi, Liu Chengzong remembered the days when he returned to Heilong Mountain for no reason.
My father once said that thieves would enter Pingyang Mansion in Shanxi Province.
I'm afraid Mr. Liu never dreamed at that time that the first bandit to lead troops into Shanxi would be his second son.
On the march, they were like a plague of locusts. The five leaders gathered together, but their henchmen led their troops to disperse.
Some walked along the mountain ridge, some along the official road, and some walked on the fields. In front, back, left, right, and in all directions, people in ragged clothes were everywhere walking with their heads lowered. Even the desolate land became a road when they walked through it.
Suddenly seeing him laughing, Gao Yingxiang, who was riding a big donkey, turned around and asked, "Little lion, what are you laughing at?"
"Remembering when I came home from Yuhebao in February, I said that I would give it to my brother and I. We found a good match and accomplished a life-long event. Hey."
Liu Chengzong was also riding on the back of a mule, rising and falling slowly with his horse's steps. He raised his whip and pointed towards the barren mountains and ridges that could be seen everywhere. He said with a smile: "It was not easy to find a good match in the past, but now I'm afraid you can't find one in the world." The Ming Dynasty law is so thick, and the family easily broke half of it.
Everyone in their family is loyal and loyal, but their family is full of vicious people.
Gao Yingxiang laughed dumbly. He wanted to say something, but in the end he just squinted his eyes and faced the sunlight, sighed, shook his head and said, "Everything in the world is impermanent."
Things are unpredictable.
He is thirty-seven years old this year. If we go forward seven or eight years in time, he would never have imagined his current situation.
For people who grew up in border areas, even if they have not joined the army, it is difficult to distance themselves from the military in their own affairs.
Gao Yingxiang grew up in such an environment. He is skilled in bow and horse, smooth and domineering.
Traveling inside and outside the Great Wall, he knew what the Mongolian leaders liked and how to deal with frontier officers.
In addition to buying and selling horses, they also used horseback to facilitate the smuggling of salt and tea, and took in deserters and desperadoes outside the Great Wall to protect themselves. In this way, the poor boy from Ansai expanded his business.
At the best time, six Gaojia boats were transporting goods on the Yuxi River, and eight four-horse four-wheel carts were running back and forth in southern Shaanxi and northern Shaanxi.
I have traveled through three towns and four towns, and also lived in a county prison.
I had many contacts and made many friends, so I often gave generously. My family fortune was neither big nor small. I was established at the age of thirty. This was probably the most prosperous time in my life.
But the drought came, three consecutive droughts in one year, strong winds broke out in Ansai in midsummer, and all the green seedlings were uprooted. The people ate up the grass and bark, and the bark and stones, and sold their sons and wives, leaving nothing useless.
Men throw themselves into cesspools.
People say that it is better to be a thief and be killed than to wait to starve to death.
It's hard to sit back and wait for death when someone is relying on you.
Since the first month of last year, Gao Yingxiang has sold his property, hired craftsmen to make weapons and purchased grain and grass, and has taken in desperadoes without scruples. He even recruited a group of Mongolian Yidin who fled from Hetao to Han.
By October, more than a hundred people in Anseira were officially recruited as bandits and started robbing families and homes.
His planning is very shrewd.
After all, we used to do business, and everything paid attention to cost.
The smaller the team size, the less food and grass will be consumed, and the safer it will be without attracting the attention of the officers and soldiers.
While maintaining a small scale, the more good players there are, the more customers can be robbed, and the greater the profits.
Therefore, Gao Yingxiang's thieves also pursued a policy of elite soldiers at the beginning.
Border army deserters, local guard troops, bankrupt postmen, and deserted government officials—regular troops and trained paramilitary personnel—are his main force.
But plans can never keep up with changes, and there are too many poor and hungry people.
Bandits and bandits have become the most desired employment target for young people. Hunger has made fear of death no longer a weakness of human beings.
Wherever the band of thieves passes, they don’t need to climb high and shout, but their followers will already gather there.
Old acquaintances came to seek refuge, and they said: Brother, save me.
He was obliged to do so.
The food prepared before launching the army only lasted for a few days, and the large plunderers could not satisfy the many refugees.
Later, he led his men to surround the Baihu Station at Semen, which was the military garrison in Ansai. He expected that there would be food.
Who would have thought that the officers sitting in the fort with guns and cannons were overjoyed when they saw him besieging the fort.
As long as we ensure that the brothers in the institute can eat a few full meals, it will be fine.
Ansai has no more food.
The rich households don’t have it, the country gentry doesn’t have it, and the army doesn’t have it either.
Who doesn’t want to be a free-spirited mountain king? In northern Shaanxi, there are hundreds of thousands of beams in the mountains and plains. Which mountain can survive?
The so-called impermanence of things means that all previous life experiences are of no use.
Those who follow the rules will die, and those who deviate from the rules will live.
Suddenly, Huntian Monkey laughed strangely: "Another one died."
The crowd in front moved around on the official road, and several donkeys and mules walking side by side also moved out of the way on both sides.
Liu Chengzong didn't lower his eyes to watch. He scooped out half a bowl of fried noodles from the saddle bag with a wooden bowl, poured it into his mouth, chewed it, and tightened the reins to guide the mule in the right direction.
Some people died while walking.
Just like those hungry people who joined in while walking, there is nothing surprising.
The Huntian Monkey asked: "If you don't stick to the mud, this is your person?"
"You ask me, who am I going to ask?" Bu Zhanni's face was not angry at all. He looked at the potbellied dead body on the ground, raised his hand and pushed Tianhou: "Guandao in front of you is yours, right? Bury it?"
”
"I know how to order your grandpa all day long."
The Sky Monkey scratched his head and complained, but he was not like others who had nothing to do with the corpse.
He hurried forward two steps, jumped down and handed the reins to Liu Chengzong: "Master Liu, please help me lead the horse. I will bury my brother's body."
After that, when Liu Chengzong took the reins of the donkey and mule, the monkey in the sky turned around and ran around calling people to carry the body to the roadside. He pulled a piece of linen cloth from somewhere and asked someone to pick up a hoe. The shovel dug a hole in the ground.<
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The groups of people gathered around Gao Yingxiang each had many mules and horses. In terms of the number of horses, the mule camp was the smallest.
Gao Yingxiang had a rule. On the march, no one was allowed to ride a horse except for the scouts who were covering the march of the large troops.
Except for the chief leaders, the team leaders of each team, and the women with bound feet, no one is allowed to ride donkeys and mules. They are all allowed to walk. Donkeys and mules are only used to carry soldiers, armor, and baggage.
Liu Chengzong led several horses and mules, and when he saw the figure of Sky Monkey wielding a hoe disappearing into the crowd behind him, he turned to Gao Yingxiang and asked: "Master Gao, is Sky Monkey always like this?"
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Gao Yingxiang knew what he meant, a slight smile appeared on his square face, and he nodded: "Don't think Jiusi is a bad coward, a gambler and dirty, but as long as others respect him, he can pay others back."
Zhang."
"Even if I don't say anything, the dirty monkey will go down and bury people. Even if I call him a king, I won't treat them badly."
Bu Zhanni, who was leading the war horse, laughed, came over and stretched out his hand towards Liu Chengzong: "What is there to eat? Give me some, too?"
"Have you never eaten fried noodles?"
Liu Chengzong reached out and scooped out another bowl and handed it over.
This thing is a treasure.
It’s not fried noodles, it’s simply fried noodles.
Steam all kinds of grains, wheat, rice, black beans, and mung beans in sequence with sesame oil. After steaming, grind them into noodles, add salt and stir-fry. You can also add sugar if you consider the taste.
This is a simple approach.
If possible, pour high-strength shochu, dry it in the sun and pour it, dry it and pour it again, until the shochu cannot be soaked in.
It can be stored for a long time if you make it this way. When needed, you can pour some water and mix it, or you can pour it into a pot, cut off small pieces of vinegar cloth, cook it and eat the batter, or like now, grab a handful and eat it dry as a snack.<
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Liu Chengzong didn't know how long this way of eating had been going on. In this era, this was an emergency ration for the army.
The necessary necessities for the expedition, each person has six pounds. According to military law, they are not allowed to use it until they are besieged and the food is exhausted.
But another memory let him know that this kind of military ration will still exist on this land for a long time, no matter in the past or in the future.
The Ming army ate this, the Qing army ate this, the Red Army also ate this, and even the volunteers who aided Korea ate this.
"It's quite dry. It's not unpalatable, but it's choking."
When I opened my mouth to speak, I poured a full mouthful of flour into my mouth. I quickly handed the wooden bowl back to look for water.
After gulping down two sips of water, he took a breath and said, "Is this something from the border army?"
"Yes, emergency military rations. I grabbed a lot of food from the inn earlier, as well as oil and sugar. Eating too much will bloat your stomach."
In fact, according to the normal method of Bianjun, it is difficult to make it delicious without adding sugar or oil.
In the year of Qiufang, when Liu Chengzong was still riding in Tang Dynasty, he was separated from the rest of the army by burning wasteland. He survived for half a month on six pounds of fried noodles without sugar.
If you don't stick to the mud, you just want to try it. He drank two more mouthfuls of water, shook his head and said, "Then I see you're still eating it."
"Hey, I haven't stopped talking since I left Yan'an Mansion."
Liu Chengzong laughed and put the wooden bowl back into the saddle bag: "Maybe he will die if he bumps into an officer or soldier that day. I can enjoy the meal while I'm alive, and eat it on horseback to save time."
Gao Yingxiang smiled and said: "I thought you weren't afraid of death when you caused such a big thing. What would you have planned if you hadn't met me?"
What was the original plan?
Liu Chengzong spread his hands and said: "Originally I wanted to stay in Shanxi for a month or two, but I was unfamiliar with the place. When I entered, I found that there were passes between the north and the south. I wanted to grab a Wangzhuang, but was blocked by Luliang Mountain. If I hadn't met, I would have returned to Shaanxi.
Return to Yan'an Mansion."
"To enter Shanxi, you have to go through Hancheng. From there, go directly to Pingyang Mansion. We will go there sooner or later... But it's best not to mess with the soldiers in Shanxi first."
Liu Chengzong didn't know whether Gao Yingxiang was talking about his own plan or Wang Jiayin's arrangement: "King Hengtian is in the north, we will go south. When we get out of Yanchuan, we will divide our troops. Huntian Monkey will go to Luochuan to find Wang Hu and Heisha Shen.
."
As he said that, Gao Yingxiang pointed behind him: "Shangtian Monkey went to Yichuan to look for the flying mountain tiger and the big red wolf, and Bu Zhanmu went to Yijun and the central part of the country, each of them gathered the refugees and hungry people, the bandits deserted the army, robbed the grain, grass and horses, and tried to occupy the territory.
County seat."
Liu Chengzong frowned when he heard the plan: "Occupy the county seat?"
"Yes, we don't just want to attack the county town. We are in Yan'an Prefecture, trapping Yanzhou City on all sides, and waiting for an opportunity to capture Hexi Road. There are fields on both sides of the Luo River for farming. There is Yan'an City in the north, Jinsuoguan Pass in the south, and east and west.
There are big mountains. If you retreat, you can defend Hexi, and if you advance, you can enter Guanzhong. What do you think?"
It is profitable to trap Yanzhou and plunder the wealthy families on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Destroying the express delivery at the three post stations in the north, south and west can also cut off the connection between Xi'an and Yulin.
But Liu Chengzong heard Gao Yingxiang's intention and wanted to occupy the Hexi Road from Yan'an to Jinsuoguan for a long time. It was a bit unrealistic to segregate the country.
If you keep wandering in the wild, you can still rely on luck to avoid the officers and soldiers, or defeat the officers and soldiers by luck. In the final analysis, you can hope to win.
"Master Gao, you can still rely on luck in field battles. Offensive and defensive battles require strength. Tens of thousands of horses seem to be a lot, but how many of them can stop running when they hear the sound of cannons?"
Liu Chengzong shook his head and raised a finger on the back of the mule: "Two thousand people can hold up to death, and those who can withstand the lead pellets of artillery shells and move forward, if there are more, there are only one thousand two hundred people."
Of these 1,200 people, Liu Chengzong counted half of the Mule Camp.
It is easy to capture these places.
But expecting this small number of people to defend the north in Yan'an Prefecture and the north-south siege, to guard the Xi'an Prefecture direction at Jinsuoguan, and to guard the officers and soldiers in the Guyuan and Qingyang directions at Ziwu Ridge is nothing more than wishful thinking.
The bastard doesn't want to establish a base area, but he doesn't have the strength to fight against encirclement and suppression. To establish a separatist regime will not only be of no benefit, but will also trap him to death.
Gao Yingxiang felt that Liu Chengzong was too pessimistic, so he shook his head and said: "You can't say that, the Liaodong women are no better than barbarians who drink blood from their hair. They didn't have as many people as we did at the beginning. Didn't they fight back and forth with the imperial court, and they still carry it till now?" Liu Chengzong sneered: "Master Gao, if you can make the imperial court close its eyes, wait until the whole of Shaanxi is defeated, then send troops to suppress us, and station the officers and soldiers east of Tongguan, I won't give a shit about you establishing a government and becoming king, so can we.
Create a Salhu in Henan."
He clapped his hands on the back: "This is not the case now. Whenever a general officer comes, our military formation will be scattered. If we can't go out to fight in the fortress, the fortress will not be defended; if we cannot defend the key points, Hexi will be lost."
, it’s just a matter of keeping watch for a few months.”
Gao Yingxiang was not stubborn, nor did he think it was a loss of face for him to be refuted. On the contrary, he raised his head and laughed, pointing at the muddy monkey, "I came to you for this reason..."
They all think this plan is good, so do you have a better idea?"
Huntian Monkey raised his hand and held his beard, and sneered in a low voice: "I really think it's good to seize the county government office. It's protected by a city wall. It's not much better than being outside in the wind and sun. Not only me, Dirty Monkey thinks so too." "It's okay to fight; it's okay to rob; it's okay to stay there."
Several people were riding closer, and Liu Chengzong changed the subject: "But the officers and soldiers are coming, we can't defend it. The officers and soldiers of Xi'an Prefecture are coming, and three to five hundred people can try to defend Jinsuo Pass. The large army will go north."
Withdraw."
"The north is now full of red land. There will be no large-scale attack by government troops north of Yan'an in a short period of time. A force of two to three hundred people can also defend it."
"The most critical thing is Ziwu Ridge. Guyuan is where the Trilateral General Administration is located, and there are also officers and soldiers from Qingyang. It is easy to gather a large army to fight. When they come, we have to leave and inform each other of the news. We will march south of Yanzhou.
Huanglong Mountain, extend in the north direction, and finally meet in the Yanchuan and Suidezhou areas."
Liu Chengzong said with a sly smile on his face: "The army has always sent troops to carry three days of food and grass. As long as we don't let him resupply, the road from Qingyang to Yanchuan is 700 miles, and the road from Jinsuoguan to Yanchuan is 500 miles, even if it's on the way
Even with a little bit of supplies, they would be outnumbered and outnumbered."
"As long as they are hungry, we have thousands of armored and well-fed men, and we will be able to fight and win a battle."
He raised his hand and said: "It doesn't matter whether we have territory or not. We have defeated the elite troops of the government and the army. In the vast northern Shaanxi, we can sleep wherever we want this winter, and the emperor has no control over it!"
