Just like dry firewood and dry grass all over the ground were set alight, Liu Liu, Liu Qi, Yang Hu and others from Wen'an County in Bazhou raised their flags and started a prairie fire at an extremely fast speed.
The day after the uprising, all the Wen'an County seats and even the manors outside the city were captured, and all the powerful landowners and officials were killed. The red-eyed people went around looting, looting, burning and killing, venting their dissatisfaction and releasing their inner feelings.
devil.
In two days, the rebel army gathered nearly 3,000 people, including dozens of regiment trainers from Wen'an County.
On the third day, after hearing the news, the people of nearby counties and thieves from the green forest came to join the rebel army. The rebel army increased by another thousand people within one day, and the total force reached 4,000 people. The momentum was huge and known to everyone from far and near.
He Zhiyi, the governor of Bazhou, received the news the day after the accident in Wen'an. He urgently summoned Bazhou garrison Zhou Sheng to discuss countermeasures.
Since thieves are already rampant in Hebei and other places, most of them are caused by small groups of soldiers and horses. Therefore, after research and judgment, He Zhiyi, Zhou Sheng and others believed that what happened in Wen'an this time was probably a civil unrest instigated by thieves. Based on past incidents
Experience shows that as soon as the imperial officers and soldiers arrive, the people will disperse, the thieves will also flee, and the situation will be calmed down quickly.
As a result, He Zhiyi agreed to Zhou Sheng's plan to send troops and horses from the nearby Baoding Qianhu Division to suppress the attack. Baoding Qianhu had 800 officers and soldiers, including 100 cavalry, and these 800 troops were more than enough.
On the twelfth day of the first lunar month, Li Yongcheng from Baoding Qianhu Station Qianhu Station led 600 officers and soldiers, together with fifty Jinyiwei from Baoding Jinyiwei Baihu Station who were preparing to take the credit together, and set out in a mighty manner to Wen'an to quell the rebellion.
In the evening of that day, Li Yongcheng led his troops to arrive outside the north gate of Wen'an County. However, he saw that the gate of the north city was wide open and the city was empty. Li Yongcheng was more careful and sent dozens of cavalry into the city first to check the situation.
, grab a few people and ask.
More than twenty cavalrymen rushed into the city, but saw that the city was in ruins everywhere, and some ragged people were wandering on the streets. When the officers and soldiers arrived, they hurriedly ran away.
The cavalry rode up to catch up with several old men and captured them out of the city.
Li Yongcheng rode on his horse and shouted to several trembling old men: "Where have the anti-Japanese rebels in Wen'an County gone?"
An old man with a cane said tremblingly: "Rebels? What kind of rebels? They all ran away. After burning, killing, looting, and destroying the city, they all ran away."
The other old men also nodded in agreement.
Li Yongcheng frowned and said, "Where did you run to?"
Several old men shook their heads to express their ignorance.
Li Yongcheng asked a few more questions, but nothing came out. So he discussed with his left and right: "It seems that we are late. The mob and thieves have already escaped. There is no need to enter the city."
The accompanying Jin Yiwei Baihu Ma Sihai said: "That can't be done. We have come all the way. How can we deal with it if we don't go to the city to arrest a few thugs? The thieves have escaped. There must be some unscrupulous people involved in the riot. We have to go in and arrest some people.
, so that we can communicate with the higher authorities.”
Li Yongcheng thought about it and thought it made sense. He drove more than eighty miles to Wen'an. How could he go back to Wen'an if he didn't capture some people? Besides, it was getting late and he couldn't go back in time, so he could camp in the city and rest.
So Li Yongcheng ordered the soldiers and horses to enter the city. More than 600 officers and soldiers and military guards in golden uniforms entered Wen'an County from the north gate in a mighty manner.
Li Yongcheng rode his horse and walked on the streets of Beicheng, looking at the houses and alleys in the dusk around him. Suddenly he felt a little uneasy because he found something strange. That is, the alleys on both sides of Beicheng seemed to be blocked.
Dead. A large amount of earth, rocks, branches and other debris were piled between the houses. Except for the long straight street at the foot of the soldiers and horses, all the forked streets seemed to be blocked.
Li Yongcheng was born in the military, and he naturally knew that this situation was similar to walking in a canyon. Only the head and tail could pass. Once blocked from the front and back, it would be a dead end.
But this thought just flashed in my mind, and I didn't think about it anymore. After all, what I had to deal with was just a group of thieves, and they had disappeared. Even if they were still there, according to intelligence, there seemed to be only a few hundred people.
That's all, it's nothing to worry about.
"Speed up." Out of the little remaining leadership experience, Li Yongcheng ordered to speed up and leave this long street as soon as possible.
However, a moment later, there was a muffled roar and smoke flying from the front.
"What's going on?" Li Yongcheng shouted in shock.
"Reporting to Lord Qianhu, several big trees on the street in front have fallen down, blocking the road." Someone quickly reported the news.
Li Yongcheng opened his mouth and eyes, the danger alarm in his heart suddenly sounded, and said loudly: "Clear it, clear the passage quickly."
At this moment, several figures stood above a two-story building on the right. Under the twilight, they looked dark like several ghosts with teeth and claws.
"Bang bang bang bang!" The gong sounded suddenly, the sound was loud and harsh, hitting the eardrums directly, making everyone panic.
"No, there's an ambush. Rush, rush!" Li Yongcheng yelled.
On the streets and houses on both sides, countless black shadows appeared, making homemade bows and arrows, javelins, stones, and even slingshots swarming towards the officers and soldiers on the street.
In just an instant, more than thirty officers and soldiers were knocked down by this sudden attack, and dozens of others were injured. If it were not for the limited number of bows and arrows on the other side, there would only be more than fifty captured bows and dozens of homemade bows and arrows, killing and injuring
If you don't have enough strength, you may be killed in such a congested terrain in an instant.
"Rush forward and move away the objects blocking the road. The archers fight back." Li Yongcheng shouted loudly.
However, fireworks were already erupting from the place where the big tree fell on the street ahead, and a large number of people appeared on the opposite side, lighting firewood and throwing it on the roadblock, completely blocking the road in an instant.
Although the archers of the officers and soldiers began to fight back, they also killed and wounded the people on the opponent's roof. However, more of our own troops fell. Because the opponent was condescending and shot the officers and soldiers in dense formation at close range, they had an obvious advantage.
"Get out of the city. Quick. Quick." Li Yongcheng shouted.
"The city gate is closed, Lord Qianhu. There is someone at the city gate." Someone cried with a sad face.
Li Yongcheng's heart turned cold. This was really a planned ambush. Those old men were lying. The mob rebels in the city did not leave at all. They knew that the officers and soldiers were arriving, so not only did they not escape, but they also set up an ambush.
They really don't have to escape, because their manpower is not only two to three hundred people as the intelligence said. They are all on the roofs on both sides, on the city gate in the rear, and at the intersection in front. There are at least one or two thousand people. Although.
Most of the people did not have decent weapons, but their number exceeded expectations by six or seven times.
Arrows, stones and javelins were thrown like rain from the buildings on both sides. The officers and soldiers who were squeezed within 300 steps suffered heavy casualties. Although not many died, their heads were smashed and bleeding, and some were injured by bows, arrows and javelins.
The number of people keeps increasing.
Seeing the heavy casualties among his soldiers and horses, Li Yongcheng knew that he had to break out of the encirclement. Being beaten passively would lead to death.
So he shouted loudly: "Attack on both sides of the streets and kill!"
He personally brandished the long knife and rushed toward an alley on one side. Although there were piles of debris there, it must be the exit.
However, a fireworks bomb soared into the sky above the city gate at the rear, illuminating the gloomy dusk sky. The next moment, the sound of killing was heard in more than 20 alleys on both sides of the long street, which was earth-shattering.
The barrier was removed, and more than twenty long black dragons poured out from inside. They were all mobs armed with swords, sticks, steel forks and hatchets. They rushed out of the alley one by one, shouting.
Li Yongcheng almost fainted. The opponent had more than one or two thousand people, but four or five thousand. The opponent was not afraid of the officers and soldiers at all. Their ambush was just to trap the officers and soldiers. They actually wanted to fight head-on.
The officers and soldiers were in panic and had no choice but to respond. A steady stream of rebels poured out of the alleys and rushed into the streets, cutting the officers and soldiers on the long street into dozens of sections. The streets were already crowded, and they became even more crowded after more than 2,000 people rushed in.
Unbearable.
There are people everywhere, knives everywhere, and blood everywhere. Someone is injured every second, and someone falls every moment.
If we fight in a formation, even though there are only a few hundred well-equipped and well-trained officers and soldiers, they may not be defeated. After all, the opponent is a mob. But in this kind of melee, the advantage of large numbers is maximized. Between the officers and soldiers
There is absolutely no possibility of cooperation among them, so they can only fight on their own and rely on their own abilities to kill the enemy.
However, it is difficult for two fists to beat four hands, let alone six and eight hands. You can kill the person in front of you, but you can't stop the knives from the side and the back, or the sticks and steel forks coming at you.
The battle lasted for less than half an hour, and the situation was decided. Only less than 30 of the more than 600 officers and soldiers and imperial guards were left, all surrounding Li Yongcheng.
Li Yongcheng was covered in blood and injured in many places. He was breathing like a broken bellows. He watched the large number of enemies approaching from the front and rear slowly approaching. Under the light of the torch, he saw a man holding a long knife and slowly approaching with a sinister smile on his face.
.
"Li Qianhu, do you still know me? I'm Liu Chong. I was caught by you back then and beaten half to death." Liu Liu laughed loudly.
Li Yongcheng stared at Liu Liu with eyes blurred by blood, and laughed: "I wonder who it is, it turns out it's you, a little gangster. You took the lead in causing trouble?"
Liu Liu smiled and said: "Stay tough. Kneel down and kowtow. Call me grandpa three times and I will spare your life."
Li Yongcheng laughed and said: "Bah, who are you? You are worthy of asking me to beg for mercy. I only wish I had killed you with one knife. Little Liu Chong, you are so audacious and lead people to rebel. All of you will be punished by the nine tribes."
of."
Liu Chong sneered and said: "You are the one who will die first today, not us. Li Yongcheng, this is the last chance to surrender and spare your life."
Li Yongcheng laughed loudly, looked at the black corpses around him, and sighed: "What a pity for my brothers. Why should a man be afraid of life and death? The day he joined the army, he knew that today would happen. It's a pity that he died here, because of you, Liu Chong."
I really don’t want to be in the hands of such a thing. You can’t even think of killing me, I won’t give you a chance.”
Li Yongcheng gasped and raised his long knife across his neck, shouting loudly: "Your Majesty, I am loyal to you."
The long knife was dragged, blood rushed out, and Li Yongcheng's body fell to the ground.
Liu Chong was stunned for a long time, then waved his hand and said: "Kill them all, leave no one behind. Collect all the equipment and weapons. We have hundreds of sets of armor and weapons."
At the end of the war, the more than 600 soldiers and horses sent by Qianhu in Baoding to suppress the rebellion were wiped out, and the morale of the rebel army was greatly boosted.
After this battle, the rebels really gained the courage to fight against the imperial officers and soldiers, and many people who were hesitant also strengthened their confidence.
Two days later, the prefect of Bazhou, who could no longer keep it secret, quickly delivered the news to the capital. When the memorial arrived in the capital, the rebel army went south to attack Xiong County and captured the county seat. At the same time, the Zhending Prefecture in Zhaozhou and the Hejian Prefecture in Cangzhou
, two groups of rebel armies rose up. There were wars and smoke everywhere in Hebei.