Father Zhu was a talented person and spoke well. He followed Xie Qian and headed towards Dazhuang Village.
Zhu Yiyuan was late on purpose and set off with Tan Laoqi and the others.
After all, this was his first expedition, so it was very memorable. If he had achieved anything, it would have been something to write home about.
But Zhu Yiyuan soon gave up this idea. Is this called going on an expedition? Why is it more casual than armed training?
Xie Qian's group of people were shouting, smiling, and waving their swords incessantly, just like going to a temple fair or outing in the spring.
Hey, be serious, this is a war!
Zhu Yiyuan was speechless. At this time, Tan Laoqi came to his side and cupped his hands, "Sir, my fellow villagers can all count on me for saving my life."
Zhu Yiyuan was startled for a moment, "Master Qi. How did you know?"
Tan Laoqi chuckled, "Master, it's not easy to bribe Xie Qian's soldiers! When we set off, we knew that if it hadn't been for you and Master, the villagers would have rushed ahead and died."
Zhu Yiyuan was quite pleasantly surprised and said to himself that Tan Qiye was really good. In just a few days, he not only organized the villagers, but even started to reverse infiltrate Xie Qian. He was indeed a powerful person.
But soon Zhu Yiyuan felt a little worried again. He lowered his voice and said, "Master Qi, if you can find out the news, I'm afraid the Zhang family can do the same."
Tan Laoqi was stunned for a moment, then nodded quickly and said: "Master, I think it's almost the same. This Zhang family is not simple."
Zhu Yiyuan nodded vigorously. Indeed, the Zhang family in Zichuan became famous because of a pavilion elder named Zhang Zhifa, nicknamed Shenghu. He was a Jinshi during the Wanli period and was very senior. During the Chongzhen period, he entered the pavilion to pay homage to the prime minister.
, and was later defeated by Wen Tiren.
It was a bit funny that Zhang Zhifa was dismissed from the prime minister. According to the usual practice, when he was impeached, he had to write a letter claiming to be ill, ask for treatment, and decide whether to stay or go. As a result, Zhang Zhifa did not write a letter claiming to be ill, but Chongzhen issued an edict to let him return to his hometown for recuperation.
Regardless of whether you are sick or not, if the emperor thinks you are sick anyway, then you are sick. Therefore, Zhang Zhifa got the reputation of being sick by decree and became a laughing stock for a while.
Of course, even so, as a bachelor, Zhang Zhifa was still very prosperous after returning to his hometown. He died three years ago and was awarded the title of Shaobao posthumously.
He was lucky enough to leave before the Ming Dynasty, thus saving Wanjie.
Look at his descendants who are eager to shave their heads and act as thugs. If Zhang Zhifa were alive, he would probably be a traitor.
Zhu Yiyuan naturally despises the Zhang family, but it is undeniable that a powerful family like them, with big trees and deep roots in the local area, lots of land, money and many people, should not be underestimated.
Xie Qian thought that he could take over the Zhang family with just a raise of his hand. He must have thought it was easy.
Zhu Yiyuan served in the army for several years in his previous life and still had basic qualities. However, Xie Qian was too conceited and would not listen to him at all.
And if Zhu Yiyuan had to say it, he couldn't think of a solution right away.
So Zhu Yiyuan turned around and looked at Tan Laoqi, then looked at the other villagers, asking everyone if they knew the details of the Zhang family, and seeing if they could find a way to get in...
Facts have proved that Zhu Yiyuan still underestimated the situation. They had just set off from Qingshiji, and Liu Hu led the vanguard and had already reached the outskirts of Dazhuang Village.
Unlike villages like Qingshiji, which develop in a long strip along the river and have little protection, Dazhuang Village has long been managed by the Zhang family and is quite strong.
Their village has an outer wooden fence. Outside the fence, there is a ditch. Although it is not wide or deep, it is an obstacle at least.
What's even more amazing is that the Zhang family's house is located in the core of the village. It has a solid wall. After years of expansion, it is one foot or eight feet high, which is more majestic than the average small county town.
The Zhang family also raised hundreds of thugs, including outlaws.
The last time Zhang Xu brought someone out, he was ambushed by Xie Qian and was killed.
But this time it was a frontal attack, which was completely different.
As Xie Qian's vanguard, Liu Hu shouted and charged forward without waiting for the troops to arrive. However, when they just approached the outskirts of Dazhuang Village, some people felt pain in their feet and began to cry.
It turns out that at some point, the Zhang family actually arranged iron caltrops outside.
The rebels at the front were injured on their feet and fell down one after another.
At this moment, many servants armed with bows and arrows came out from behind the wooden fence to guard the courtyard, shooting at the rebels indiscriminately. In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen people fell down.
Even Liu Hu was almost shot.
what happened?
It was obvious that the last attack was not so troublesome. How could the Zhang family have so many tricks in just a few days?
Liu Hu was puzzled, but in anger, he still urged his rebels to charge upwards.
Everyone yelled strangely, braved the bows and arrows shot from time to time, and had to avoid the iron caltrops under their feet. It took a lot of effort, and at the cost of thirty or fifty people's casualties, to get close to the Huzhuang River.
Liu Hu was so happy that he asked people to carry the ladder planks, set up a pontoon bridge, and rushed outside the wooden fence in one breath.
Among the rebels, there were strong warriors who swung their axes vigorously and cut through the fence.
They were overjoyed, thinking they had finally torn open the turtle shell.
Liu Hu raised the knife in his hand and went straight in.
But he never expected that just as he was rushing inside, a team of more than a hundred people emerged from the village. The leading twenty or thirty people were actually wearing armor and carrying bright
weapon.
Liu Hu collided with them and was quickly at a disadvantage. Twenty or thirty of his men were hacked to death. He was injured in the chest and stomach. He rolled and crawled and finally escaped from Dazhuang Village.
Fortunately, Xie Qian led people over and saved Liu Hu.
Those who fought out from inside saw many rebel soldiers, and they were obviously not willing to risk their lives, so they retreated.
Liu Hu, who kicked the iron plate, looked very ugly. His men suffered heavy losses. After a simple bandage, he complained to Xie Qian.
"Da Longtou, you would have listened to me and let the villagers from Qingshiji charge. My men will not die. They are all the best young men. It hurts me to death!"
Xie Qian's face was ashen, and he was in a bad start. He was in a bad mood, and said with a dark face: "Stop complaining, you go and rest, I will attack it myself, don't believe that I can't tear open the tortoise shell of the Zhang family!"
Xie Qian, who personally commanded, had many more methods than Liu Hu. He asked the rebels to carry sand on their backs, rush to the Huzhuang River, throw it out, fill up the Huzhuang River, and then use flying claws to hook the wooden fence, forming pieces into pieces.
piece, knocking over the fence.
After there was no obstruction, they successfully entered Dazhuang Village, and relying on the strength of their numbers, they approached the Zhang family's mansion.
But just when Xie Qian was advancing triumphantly, trouble arose. The group of capable soldiers came out again and drove the rebels to pieces.
Xie Qian was so angry that he quickly regrouped and attacked again.
Three times in a row, they were all beaten back.
Xie Qian counted his men and found that there were about fifty or sixty losses. Including Liu Hu's men, there were almost a hundred casualties. Although there were a lot of cannon fodder among them, the morale of the army was on the verge of collapse.
Many people no longer listened to Xie Qian's words, some even escaped secretly, and some rushed into the homes of other farmers in Dazhuang Village during the attack, looting and killing... This was already a sign that the entire army had collapsed.
This is generally the case with rogue-style warfare. Even Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong, who have hundreds of thousands of people with them, will quickly disperse once they are defeated.
Fortunately, we are in troubled times, and the imperial court is unable to settle the refugees. They lose quickly and grow faster. It won't be long before they can bring more people back.
"Master Zhu, the Zhang family must be prepared. Come with me. When we recruit more brothers and make a comeback, we will definitely destroy the Zhang family!"
I was full of confidence in the morning, but now I want to run?
"Thank you, Chief. My son is still here, as well as my wife, my home..." Father Zhu was so anxious that his eyes were red. He didn't want to run away just like that.
Xie Qian was startled, and then said: "Go and get a few people, call Mr. Zhu over, and let's go together!"
Zhu Yiyuan came soon. When he saw Xie Qian's livid face, he knew something was wrong. His father came up to him and said bitterly: "Boss Xie wants us to follow him."
With just this sentence, Zhu Yiyuan understood that he was going to be like Li Zicheng! Zhu Yiyuan didn't think that he could have better luck than Li Zicheng, and he might have died before he left the battlefield.
Fortunately, he discussed it with the villagers in advance. At the critical moment, he had to rely on the wisdom of everyone.
"Thank you, Chief. Things haven't reached that point yet, and the Zhang family is not indestructible."
Xie Qian frowned and said angrily: "Master Zhu, do you still know how to fight?"
Zhu Yiyuan looked around, then approached Xie Qian, and said in a low voice: "Chief Xie, although I don't know how to fight, some of the folks in Qingshiji helped the Zhang family build their house, and they know that there is a road to the east of the Zhang family's house.
As for the drainage ditch, we can send someone to go in from the inside, secretly open the door of Zhang's house, and do a good job of combining inside and outside."
Xie Qian was startled, "Seriously?"
"It's absolutely true, Chief Xie, you're not willing to just give up, are you? If we retreat, I'm afraid we'll lose most of our troops."
Xie Qian felt a severe pain in his flesh, and finally nodded, "Okay, let's just listen to Mr. Zhu once. Send an order to surround the Zhang family first." This chapter has been completed!
