Liu Zongmin, Li Laiheng, Gao Yigong, Bai Wang and others led the soldiers who broke into the camp. After burying all the large materials left by Li Zicheng and Tian Jianxiu in the Laoying cottage, they turned northward without stopping. They chose a road rarely used by people.
The road is a small road with high mountains and ridges. It is very difficult and dangerous. You can often walk for a day without seeing a single person. Although it increases the difficulty of marching, it also ensures that the traces of the rebels will not be discovered by the army, ensuring that they can attack Yiling in the future.
The battle can be unexpected and sudden.
Liu Zongmin concluded that Yang Sichang would definitely fly to the officers and soldiers from various places to suppress the coalition forces, so he kept urging the troops not to rest, but to move forward quickly to meet Wang Guangen. Eat some dry food when hungry, drink some cave water when thirsty, and drink some water when there is no water.
I had no choice but to hold on even though my throat was burning with thirst.
They originally led a dozen large animals, but because of the steep terrain, some animals always fell into the valley. Bai Wang simply suggested that everyone kill all the animals so that the soldiers could have a good meal.
Everyone was really tired from the forced march. Some people were walking when they suddenly felt dizzy, their eyes went dark, and they fell to the roadside with a thud. If there was a deep valley beside the road, they would be finished if they fell down. Some people were just about to fall down.
As I walked, I sat down by the side of the road. I originally planned to rest for a while, calm down, catch my breath before walking, but as soon as I sat down, I couldn't get up again. I tilted my head and fell asleep leaning on a stone or a tree root.
Some people just sit down and never wake up again.
Li Laiheng couldn't stand it anymore. They already knew from the posts posted by the officers and soldiers on the road that this siege was not personally directed by Yang Sichang, but by Fang Kong, the governor of Huguang. Li Laiheng persuaded Liu Zongmin that Fang Kong was not Yang Sichang, and he did not fly to the officers and soldiers everywhere.
Power and Prestige Among the Sichuan, Chu, Yuan, and Qin soldiers mobilized by the government this time, the only ones that Fang Kong could directly command were the Chu soldiers.
"Mr. Liu, I don't think Fang Kong is as capable as Yang Sichang. If we keep going like this, the team will collapse!"
Liu Zongmin breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't get any special treatment. Even his favorite old horse, Liu Zongmin, was given to Tian Jianxiu to take to Xingshan County to look after. He also walked along the way and was equally tired.
"Our attack is related to the outcome of the entire battle. We have tens of thousands of lives on our shoulders!" Liu Zongmin gritted his teeth and said a few words, but he looked at the tired looks of the soldiers and finally paused.
Said, "We can only rest for a short while. If the officers and soldiers discover our traces, this battle will be difficult to fight. Sweating is better than bleeding!"
As soon as the soldiers heard the order to rest, they immediately lay down on the grass and fell asleep. Bai Wang temporarily acted as the chief steward of this team. He led the fire-headed soldiers without rest, quickly fetching water, chopping firewood, and burying pots for making pots.
Rice must be provided so that the soldiers can have a full meal. Bai Wang was worried that the fireworks would be too big and arouse the vigilance of the officers and soldiers, so he paid special attention to directing the smoke and only used small fires.
Li Laiheng was also resting on the stone. When he saw Uncle Qing still standing there, guarding his post, he asked, "Why don't Uncle Qing sleep for a while?"
Uncle Qing quickly replied: "After a person reaches forty, he doesn't have so much drowsiness. I chatted with Waiqi for a while, and then the drowsiness disappeared."
"You'd better sleep for a while. You're old and you've been injured. You won't be able to survive running around like this."
"Young Master, don't worry, my poor bones are getting harder and harder as they get older. I won't break down from exhaustion."
Li Laiheng closed his eyes to rest his mind and stopped talking. But after a while, Bai Wang came over and asked everyone to get up and eat quickly and get ready to set off.
In order to prevent the fire from being seen from a distance, the places where Bai Wang buried the pots and cooked rice were behind big rocks, deep in dense forests, or in relatively hidden ravines. Liu Zongmin stepped on a rock to eat, and Bai Wang was exhausted from the work.
After casually eating two bites of pancakes, Gao Yigong sat with Li Laiheng, and the two of them ate some hot dishes with snow water.
Everyone was quiet. Only Hao Yaoqi ran down a high hillside, shouting: "A team is coming! I don't know if it's officers and soldiers, or Hua Guansuo!"
Hao Yaoqi's words suddenly alerted everyone, and Liu Zongmin was the fastest. He was born with supernatural power, jumped out, and rushed to the top of the mountain to wait and see. Li Laiheng, Bai Wang, and Gao Yigong were all thinking.
They were all more delicate. Li Laiheng and Gao Yi managed to finish the meal in two or three mouths, and then followed Bai Wang and others to quickly extinguish all the earthen stoves and fires, but they were not allowed to wet them with water, nor did they show signs of being trampled with their feet.
trace.
Liu Zongminqi climbed up to a high place, looked around for a while, and then came down and said to them: "I think this is good news. The people below are scattered and moving very slowly. It seems that they must be infantry. They look very tired and the troops are not organized.
But the momentum is not weak, it doesn’t look like the official army, it should be Wang Guangen’s men.”
Liu Zongmin usually only showed a rough and aggressive side, but at this time, he analyzed the marching characteristics of the troops below with just a glance. Li Laiheng admired this kind of vision.
"'Nine Dragons', go and shout and see!"
Liu Zongmin winked at Gu Kecheng and asked him to go to the top of the mountain and shout to the people below. Gu Kecheng understood immediately. He was very agile and strong, and his voice was no worse than Liu Zongmin's.
Gu Kecheng ran to the top of the mountain and shouted to the team below: "Yun Conglong!"
The team below were shocked when they heard the shouting from the top of the hill. They marched all the way, and they were very cautious. They didn't even notice that there was another team on the top of the hill. If the two sides were hostile, they could launch an ambush and attack when they broke into the camp.
They were caught off guard.
A white-faced strong man riding a horse at the front, clasping his hands on the horse, replied to Gu Kecheng: "Feng Conghu! May I ask which pole it is from?"
Gu Kecheng used his words to shout: "We are the ones with the rice sticks and the strips!"
To bring a tiaozi means to lead the way, because the word "lu" for "lu" has the same pronunciation as "lu", which is taboo among the powerful people in the green forest. Therefore, in the slang of the green forest, the road is called a tiaozi, and to lead the way is to lead a tiaozi.
"It turns out to be the camp head of the eighth group of generals! I've been waiting for you for a long time! We've been waiting for you for a while!"
After the two sides confirmed each other's identities, Li Laiheng breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone kept walking with all their might for so long, and finally nothing went wrong. Neither the government nor the army caught them, and they successfully negotiated with Hua Guan.
The troops have joined together.
Liu Zongmin was also very excited. He walked to the top of the hill, exposed half of his head, and shouted: "Wang Shouyu! I am Liu Jiexuan, we haven't seen each other for a while!"
Wang Guangen's cousin is Shouyu. It is said that he was given the name by a clerk when he was preparing to be recruited by Xiong Wencan when he was stationed in Junzhou. After Chuangying resumed contact with Caoying, he also learned about the rebel army from Cao Cao.
The experiences and situations of other battalion leaders over the past year or so. Therefore, Liu Zongmin still showed a very familiar appearance to Wang Guangen.
The white-faced strong man standing at the front of the Guanying team on horseback is Wang Guangen's younger brother Wang Chang1. Wang Guangen is riding a horse and is protected by many personal soldiers in the center of the team. He is more handsome than his brother, so it is no wonder that he can use "flower"
"Guan Suo" is such a nickname.
The men and horses in the camp moved out of the way so that Wang Guangen could drive his horse down the mountain. He was wearing a Ming army's pointed helmet and a piece of armor with iron gauntlets. Looking at the bright light of the armor,
Much more impressive than Liu Zongmin.
"Brother Jiexuan! We haven't seen each other for a long time! I have received the news from Zicheng a long time ago. We are heroes and have the same idea. We stayed here together. When the officers and soldiers make any move, we will raid the damn Yiling.
!”
Li Laiheng also followed to the top of the mountain. He took a look down. He found that there were many women and children among the people in Guanying, but they did not look like the family members in Laoying. They were all girls of fifteen or sixteen years old. Li Laiheng frowned.
Wrinkle, he saw that the girls all had sad faces. Many of them had fair skin, long nails, and many had bound feet. They were probably all good women who had been robbed and kidnapped by Wang Guangen.
This attitude immediately gave Li Laiheng a negative impression of Wang Guangen.
After all, during the camp break-in, because Li Zichen kept himself clean and set an example, everyone was extremely strict about hiding women. Once a woman was discovered hiding in the camp, there was only one way to die. Not only would she be killed by military law, but she would also be killed.
Being criticized by other brothers, who do you think you are? Even though the old boss is a hero, he didn’t snatch a beautiful girl back to suppress the stronghold. Who do you think you have the nerve to hide a woman?
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1 According to Gao Douxun's "Shou Yun Ji Lue", Wang Guangen's younger brother Wang Guangtai was working with Yaohuang at this time, so it is his third brother Wang Chang who appears here.