The frozen ice of Bailing Mountain turns into a waterfall, rushing down from the mountain top into a river, rushing towards the endless Gobi Desert.
Between the Rizhao Snow Mountain and the majestic Red Cliff Danxia, on the Bazidun Grassland southwest of Zhangye, the Liyuan River meanders eastward, and a Ming Army fortress stands on the river bank, called Liyuan Fort.
This fortress was built in the first year of Chongzhen. It is the center of the Huangfan of the five tribes of Bazidun under the jurisdiction of the border army of Gansu Town.
The Huangfan were the Yellow-headed Uighurs from Hexi in the past. They moved eastward to the Pass during the Zhengde and Jiajing years. For a long time, they were called Xifan by the court. They belonged to the barbarians and were no different from the local Fan people.
It was not until the end of Wanli that because the Mongols flourished in the northwest and the Huoluo Chi tribe fled to the sea to become kings and hegemons, the imperial court began to call them Shuda in order to differentiate between barbarians and pirates in the north and south of the Qilian Mountains.
At this stage, there was actually no significant difference between the Fan people and the Mongolian people in the eyes of the northwest court. Those who farmed in the mountainous areas were called Fan, and those who herded sheep on the grasslands were called Da. In addition, the clothes were different, and they had many names, such as red.
Maofan, Huangtoufan.
Shuda means obedient herdsmen.
However, since Bazi Dun is located in the northern section of the mountain pass that connects the north and south of the Qilian Mountains, they are destined to be oppressed by the imperial court and pirates in both directions.
Living here, you naturally have to pay grain to Si Nama, the camp commander of Liyuan Fort, in the past. In the past, Xiao Lazun also set up several tax collectors in the northern foothills, and asked them for 10% of the tax every year.
Although the five leaders were miserable, they had no other choice. Anyway, the Gansu frontier army couldn't offend the pirates, and the pirates couldn't offend the Gansu frontier army, but both Gansu and the pirates could bully them.
Later, the Marshal's Mansion drove away Xiao Lazun, and the five Huangfans lived a comfortable life for a while, but soon the Huoluo Chi army fled to the mountains and the deserters from Gansu Town jumped across the Qilian Mountains again and again. The Gansu border troops were too lazy to search the mountains.
The five pornographic films can only barely resist.
Until the anti-bandit troops of Haixi County Magistrate Chen Qindai marched into the mountains, they were completely unable to stop them.
Because Chen Qindai's anti-bandit force did not come to do good deeds, Haixi County has a clear boundary marker, which is the pass at the highest point of the Qilian Mountains. To the north of the pass is the boundary of Gansu Town. Chen Qindai did not dare to step across the thunder pond. p>
Therefore, as long as deserters and bandits cross the snow-capped mountains and enter Gansu, Chen Qindai will not pursue them.
The banditry here did not improve slightly until the Three Tribulations spread across Gansu.
Wang Ziyong's resume is complicated. His footprints can be found everywhere along the Great Wall. He led troops to rebel in Yan'an and Ningxia, went to Beijing as a military attache to serve the king, fought against the Donglu under the city of Luanzhou, and was under the emperor's nose.
He pulled out eight camps to burn incense and worship Buddha. In Shanxi, he was the most active general in suppressing bandits. When he arrived in Gansu, he suddenly became the leader of the Three Tribulations Society.
The vast majority of the bandits in the northern foothills of Qilian were deserters who had returned from King Qin. These people were deeply impressed by Wang Tidiao, who led the White Lotus followers to sing that good things are not far away. Many people defected to him when they heard Wang Ziyong's name, so banditry was a natural problem.
Easy to solve.
From then on, Wang Ziyong was the best friend of the five Huangfans in Bazidun. The war horses, donkeys and mules obtained by the Sanjie Society were all fostered on the Bazidun grassland.
The big leader of the five Huangfan tribes is called Tahe Zhike, which means tiger son. The Huangfan tribe often calls him Anzhang, because people think that the big boss of each generation is King Anding of the Northern Yuan Dynasty or the left guard of Handong.
Descendants of the founder Yan Zhang.
He is a big, red-faced man with a yellow beard. He has beeswax Buddhist beads hanging around his neck, and he always wears huge silver earrings that sparkle in the sun.
At this time every year, Tahezhike will lead his tribe to offer tributes to the mountain god, praying for abundant water and grass, a good harvest of food, and more boys for the tribe.
Whenever a sacrifice is offered, there will be a group of white-headed vultures hovering in the sky. The elders in the tribe say that the vultures are messengers sent by the mountain god to receive tributes. The more vultures fly there, the more people and people will be there that year.
The safer and healthier the livestock will be.
But in the Bazidun of Sunan in the seventh year of Chongzhen, there were no vultures in the sky.
Tahezhik looked up at his red face until his neck was stiff and sore. He could not see the vultures hovering in the sky. In his field of vision, there were only low white clouds and circles of halo formed by the vicious sun, and
The braid of hair was blown by the westward wind of the eight-shaped pier.
People's expressions ranged from joy to piety, from piety to fear, and finally from fear to despair.
Until someone ran quickly along the mountain ridge and whispered in his ear: "An Zhang, Wang Guanren is here!"
Tahezhik's face still showed the worry of a vulture. He turned his head and was stunned. He shook his head and said: "Don't bring him into the tribe, take him to the deer farm."
The deer farm is the hunting ground of Tahezhik, which is sparsely populated.
Not long after, Tahezhik appeared in the deer farm like a god on a saddle made of elm wood.
In the forest of tree stumps left behind after clearing the land, he saw the dusty Wang Ziyong sitting on the tree stump.
He got off his horse, raised his whip and said: "Wang Hui, you still dare to come to me. Not long ago, the army entered the Bazi Dun and asked us to kill you without mercy."
Wang Ziyong smiled and didn't take it seriously. He just gestured to the tree stump next to him to sit down and said with a smile: "My horses are all here with you, how can I not come?"
Tahe Zhike also sat on the tree stump, thinking to himself: "There are no vultures in the sky. The lama said this is a sign of war. You are also an enlightened monk. What do you think?"
When Wang Ziyong heard that he was called a monk, he smiled and touched his bun and said: "You know in northern Shaanxi, although some people called me Monk Wang in the early years, more people called me Zijinliang. Zijinliang is the Taoist monk.
crown, so I am not an eminent monk."
"But you asked if there is going to be a war, yes, there is going to be a war, and I am going to raise an army."
Wang Ziyong looked at the big red-faced man in front of him and said: "I came here this time to invite you. People say that your ancestor is the Yanzhang of Handong Left Guard. Come and join the army with me."
"I told you that the officers and soldiers have entered the Bazi Dun and want me to kill you on sight."
Wang Ziyong was confident: "Then you want to kill me?"
Tahezhik shook his head and said: "You have 970 horses in my hands, which is more than the war horses of our five divisions. Those horses are very good, but the grass does not grow well this year and they have lost a lot of weight."
."
"If you kill me, these horses will be yours."
Tahezhik shook his head stubbornly: "You are a friend who has helped us. The friendship between friends is better than a thousand horses. I will not harm you because of these foreign objects. You can take them away at any time... How could you be
Pursued by the imperial court?"
Wang Ziyong sighed: "The incident of arrogating war horses and armor from the military fort has happened."
He shook his head and said: "Originally it was fine. I would not tell anyone if I deceived anyone from above, but it happened that the governors of the three sides sent Bai Guangen."
"Bai Guangen? He is the one who entered the eight-character pier."
"Yes, he is a traitor who was born in the rebel army in northern Shaanxi and surrendered to the imperial court. He is more dedicated than anyone else in his work. He refuses to read the accounts given to him by the officers. He only wants to get into the porridge house to see what the soldiers eat."
Wang Ziyong shook his head. He had no tricks to deal with people like Bai Guangen.
Originally, the members of the Three Tribulations Society were scattered in various military fortresses. To withstand the east wind of the Marshal's Mansion, the guards and battalions in various places had to have their sergeants drill rigorously. There was very little training in the camp, and they could last for three days.
At this time, it was mainly junior officers and even soldiers who honed their skills on their own.
With this method, it is normal for a general banner or a team leader to lead troops. Last month, two pots of arrows were destroyed, two pairs of armors were reported as scrapped this month, and two horses were killed next month.
Even the senior officers who reported it felt comfortable watching it, creating the illusion that the soldiers were studying hard and practicing hard.
However, Bai Guangen didn't believe this. He went into the porridge room and saw that the rice cooked by the army for the soldiers was thinner than the porridge he drank during the days when he was in prison when he first surrendered. He understood everything.
The food is like feeding a rabbit. Even the bow has to be pulled lightly. It is impossible to break the bow and smash the arrows. However, it is still possible for the horse to fall to death. After all, the superiority of the cavalry is at play here. Hungry and anxious
The hungry army will try every means to kill the war horse.
Originally, when things had developed to this point, Wang was still safe for his own use. Unfortunately, in order to coordinate the advance of the Marshal's Mansion, the Sanjie Society also recruited many believers in a short period of time, and many mid-level officers and wealthy people joined the party.
The Three Tribulations Society does not have much of a restraining effect on these people. Many people join the Three Tribulations Society just because of their soldiers, tenant farmers, and villagers. They donate some money to buy an identity so that they will not be ignored.
It is good for them that the Sanjie Society does not cause trouble. They are the bosses of the Sanjie Society. When they feel that the Sanjie Society is going to cause trouble, they will naturally sell the Sanjie Society to make meritorious services and receive rewards.
Wang Ziyong himself just wanted to take a risk. If nothing happens in the next few days, they will raise their flag and rebel if Zhang Tianlin calls. By then, it will be useless for these people to jump. He can still raise funds as soon as possible to start a rebellion.
funds.
Unfortunately, the matter was noticed in advance, and Bai Guangen intervened, causing him to be exposed and had to start the incident in advance.
Thinking of this, Wang Ziyong could only look up to the sky with regret. How could everything go as he wished in life? After all, people are not as good as God. The soul of the great teacher is watching him in the sky.
"What about raising an army? Follow me and raise an army. The generalissimo can give you a higher official position than your ancestor Handong Wei Commander."
"We won't help you."
Tahezhike also refused resolutely. He looked at Wang Ziyong and said: "My ancestors have lived far away from the pass for generations. Winds killed livestock and buried tents with yellow sand. They walked through Thousand Buddha Cave and passed through ten thousand Buddha caves.
Fo Gorge has entered the place where the Han people have lived for generations. The Ming Emperor is also our benefactor. I cannot let my tribe start an army with you for the sake of wealth."
Although Wang Ziyong was rejected, he was not surprised. He just nodded, stood up and said: "In that case, I will take the horse away. If there are troops from the south coming later, tell them that you are my old friend, and they will
I won’t make it difficult for you.”
Tahe Zhike nodded in agreement, and also warned: "Be careful, they have recruited the black and yellow troops from Gaotai, and Brother Tiger Wolf has sent troops."
"Got it."
Wang Ziyong knew that Brother Hulang was the leader of a black and yellow tribe on the Gaotai side, but he didn't care, because in the Ming Dynasty, all the Panyi and Mongolian Tatars within them did not have strong power. What he really had to be careful about was still
The Ming Army in Gansu.
Just when he was about to leave, he was suddenly stopped by Tahe Zhike. He turned around and saw Tahe Zhike taking off the prayer beads he had worn all his life, kissed the beads, and put them on his head. p>
"Sword Comes"
"The merits of memorizing Buddha all my life are here. I hope it can bless you and keep you alive."
Wang Ziyong wanted to run away at first, but after hearing this, he stretched his neck obediently and let Tahe Zhike hang the beads on him. Then he clasped his fists heavily, said take care, and said with a casual smile: "Don't worry, although I
I have never won a battle against an army in my life, but I have never died when being chased by an army."
Watching Wang Ziyong's leaving figure, Tahe Zhike suddenly looked much older. He slowly sat back on the tree stump, waited for a long time and then looked up at the sky. Finally, he let out a long and disappointed sigh: "The vultures are all dead.
War is coming."
A few days after Wang Ziyong left Bazidun, the Liyuan Fort on the Liyuan River was lost in an army mutiny.
That morning, the Liyuan Battalion originally held camp drills as planned, but as soon as the troops left the fort, someone started making trouble during the march, and then the situation intensified.
Ma Pin, the garrison who led the troops out of the fort, was killed on the spot by the sergeant. Then the rebels rushed towards Liyuan Fort with torches held high. Wei Yinglin, the captain of the capital, ordered the castle to be locked up and defended. Unexpectedly, this was a premeditated rebellion, and the west wall of the castle was destroyed in advance.
Bury gunpowder.
There was a sudden loud noise and the fortress wall collapsed. The hungry soldiers held up torches and shuttled through the smoke. Guns fired. In a blink of an eye, raging fire ignited in the official barracks, and black smoke shot straight into the sky.
When the news reached Ganzhou City, the commander-in-chief Yang Jiamo was furious and immediately ordered a battalion of soldiers and horses, led by guerrilla Li Yun, to jointly lead the army with Bai Guangen to attack the rebels.
Bai Guangen's march was in order. Li Yun, a guerrilla, was eager for success and held back more than a thousand infantry. He led 300 cavalry and galloped out towards Liyuan Fort. Who knew that he was only fifty miles away from the city that day when he was ambushed by Wang Ziyong himself and more than a thousand cavalry.
The cavalry broke up and pursued him, and guerrilla Li Yun was also caught in the formation and killed.
Wang Ziyong's plan was very simple. The original cavalry configuration of the army in the north was three horses and seven steps. Gansu is a place rich in war horses, but with his interference here, it was difficult for the army to even deploy two horses and eight steps.
.
His plan was to use the Liyuanbao mutiny to lure the Ganzhou army out of the city and destroy their cavalry, so that they would be able to maneuver in the next battle and be much more relaxed.
Wang Ziyong was extremely excited when he learned that he had killed the guerrilla general.
The leader of the uprising who started in the second year of Chongzhen, all the victorious battles he fought in his life were in Shanxi. He pursued Shanxi grass bandits and gave them to the court to suppress the rebellion, in case they were killed by Cao Wenzhao behind him. Other than that, he never dealt with the official army.
Won.
After winning this time, I was so excited that I immediately decided to lead the troops north to continue to challenge the official army. As a result, I ran into the face of Bai Guangen, who was well-equipped and fat.
Despite his seniority in the rebellion, he only had a thousand people. Bai Guangen had already led a full battalion, and temporarily took over the more than a thousand infantry troops sent from Ganzhou. More than 4,000 horses and horses rolled towards him in a mighty manner.
Wang Ziyong was so frightened that he ran south as if he had seen a natural enemy.
At this juncture, Zhang Tianlin, who was leading 3,000 trembling light infantrymen, finally crossed the Qilian Mountains, holding a big rocket and showing curious eyes toward the unknown Gansu.
