After Chen Shuren returned to the Xiaogan camp, for the next five or six days, everything was indeed in order, and no large-scale conflicts broke out between the officers and soldiers and the bandits.
At most, it was just a scout battle of reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance. The sentry cavalry on both sides suffered some casualties, but the equipment of the rogue sentry was not good, so it must be the side with much heavier casualties.
Time also dragged on quietly from April 22nd to near the end of the month.
The bandits had been silent for so many days, which made Chen Shuren a little suspicious again.
He thought this was unusual:
If the bandits had gotten the news that Liu Guoneng was surrounding Wei and rescuing Zhao, they shouldn't have been so calm and maintained the stalemate. Moreover, Liu Guoneng wouldn't have arrived so quickly, and there would always be some twists and turns.
If the bandit had not encountered Liu Guoneng and stolen his house, his previous defeats would not have left him in ruins for so many days.
Fighting but not fighting, retreating but not retreating, what's the point?
Chen Shuren had a high IQ, but it was inevitable that he was a bit of a genius. He battled wits with the air for many days, and urged his subordinates to strengthen their scouting operations. Finally, on April 26th, he received a piece of good news that gave him reassurance.
That evening, it was the usual time for the scouts to withdraw their troops, and a group of officers and cavalry came back on time.
What is different from the past is that there are dozens more people who came back today than when they set out. It is obvious that many prisoners were captured.
The size of the scout cavalry usually only ranges from a dozen to a few cavalry, but it is very rare that they can capture as many prisoners as their own.
Generally when encountering this kind of situation, experienced generals will judge that the enemy soldiers must have no fighting spirit, and they will surrender immediately as soon as the two sides come into contact.
Zuo Zixiong was also an experienced general and took this matter very seriously. He immediately caught him and asked about it. Then he was overjoyed and rushed straight into Chen Shuren's tent to report the good news.
"Daotai is so happy! Our scouts captured dozens of surrendered rogue cavalry, and they turned out to be He Jin's confidants. According to what they said, the enemy general who was wounded in our abandoned camp seven days ago was actually It’s He Jin himself!
The bandit was afraid of affecting the morale of the army, so he kept it secret and recuperated quietly. But in the past few days, I heard that He Jin's injury has not improved, and he still has a high fever and faints several times a day.
He Yilong seemed to have other thoughts. He wanted to annex He Jin's men, so he first attacked He Jin's loyal soldiers and others. He found an excuse to march and killed a dozen of them before retreating or protecting the commander. A weak loyalist.
These old cavalrymen around He Jin, together with their bodyguard officers, were worried that He Yilong would find an excuse to kill them, so when they met our scouts today, they had no intention of fighting and surrendered directly."
Chen Shuren was having dinner, and the food was the same as that of ordinary soldiers. When he heard this, he even threw away his chopsticks and stood up:
"Have you inquired clearly? It was He Jin himself who was injured by Yan Zhixian's mine plan? Could it be a trick by the bandits to lure the enemy into surrender? Have those people said how He Jin was injured at that time? Have you? Ask in detail?"
Zuo Zixiong was speechless for a moment. He was not a criminal investigator, so how could he ask such detailed questions in this regard? He couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.
Chen Shuren didn't blame him, he just patted him on the shoulder and said: "This is a serious matter. Please be careful and make no big mistakes. Hand it over to the magistrate Yan immediately. He is a classical historian and is the best at prison torture."
Zuo Zixiong then accepted the order and left. After much trouble, he asked for all the details.
It was confirmed that He Jin stepped into the minefield in person because he was so angry when he saw his nephew He Tianming was trampled to death and was humiliated and scolded by the officers and soldiers. The body was also put on a wooden stake and hung with a white cloth strip to humiliate him.
Yan Yingyuan and Shen Shuren both confirmed that the details and logic were correct, and then they became convinced. They felt that the bandit had really suffered another divine punishment.
"God has blessed my Ming Dynasty, Brother Yan. Although you did not directly participate in the war, if He Jin dies, you can be directly promoted to a general judge based on this merit alone!" Chen Shuren congratulated Yan Yingyuan happily.
Yan Yingyuan also had an eager look on his face: "Promotion is a trivial matter. Killing thieves for the country is our duty. Lord Daotai, the key now is whether our army should take the opportunity to launch a sneak attack? For example, rob a camp at night? The thieves' army must have lost morale. On the verge of collapse."
Chen Shuren raised his hand: "Don't worry! I've been waiting for six days. In the last one or two days, the news that Liu Guoneng stole his lair should arrive soon. By then, there will be many unfavorable news about the enemy. , let’s try our best again!”
…
Chen Shuren held it in for another two days, until the first day of May, when the last straw that broke the camel's back finally came together.
To be precise, as early as the morning of April 30, a piece of bad news came from the bandit camp, which had been unable to advance for many days: Liu Guoneng suddenly sent troops in Yancheng, regardless of the morality of "we were all bandits back then" , attack Xinyang Mansion with the main force!
According to the defeated soldiers who came to report the news, Liu Guo could mobilize more than 10,000 troops. As a surrendered general who had been a thief and later surrendered to the imperial court, it was simply unheard of for him to be so vigorous in crossing the border to support the imperial court's friendly forces. unimaginable.
"What? This is impossible! How could Liu Guoneng work so hard for the army? Didn't he always want to preserve his strength? Let me investigate carefully!" When He Yilong heard this, he was so shocked that his jaw almost dropped. , I simply don’t dare and refuse to believe it.
But throughout the day that followed, bad news came one after another quietly, all sent by He Yilong's confidants who stayed behind, and the identities of the messengers were absolutely reliable.
He also tried every means to hide the truth from He Jin, one of the coalition forces, and reported to He Yilong alone. This shows that the enemy is definitely not trying to shake the morale of the military - if there was a trick to shake the morale of the military, he would have already found a way to publicize it with great fanfare.
He Yilong couldn't help but not believe all this.
what to do?
On the night of April 30th, He Yilong frowned and seemed to have a few more white hairs.
He gathered together his most direct subordinates and two close advisors who had fallen into disgrace as scholars to discuss countermeasures.
At the military meeting, everyone looked at each other in confusion. In the end, a general under He Yilong's command with the bandit name "Broom Star" took the lead in making a careless suggestion:
"Your Majesty, why don't we just go back to the army and rescue Xinyang! I didn't expect that this Shen Gouguan would be such a hard nut to crack. If we continue to waste it, there won't be anything cheap to pick it up.
When we sent out troops, the total strength of our two families was more than 50,000, and now it is good to have 37,800 left - and this does not include the attrition of He Jin's side in recent days. If we take into account the soldiers who were seriously injured by He Jin, their morale is unstable. Counting the soldiers who have fled, we may only have 35,000 to 35,000 soldiers left."
This broom star turned out to be an old gangster who had never been in the mainstream in Shaanxi. After the defeat, he took refuge with He Yilong and was recruited, so he didn't think too hard when he spoke. He just said whatever came to his mind. At that time, there were at least nearly a hundred gangsters of this rank in Shaanxi. So many homes.
He Yilong rubbed his short beard that was hard and prickly, with an anxious expression on his face: "Even if we want to retreat, can He Jin's men be willing to return with us to deal with Liu Guo?
He Jin's home base is here in Suizhou. As soon as we left, he was still seriously injured. We don't know if the few people under his command can hold Suizhou, and they will definitely not help us.
I have always known Liu Guoneng. Although he is weaker than King Li, King Zhang, King Luo, he is also the most stubborn person who dares to risk his life. When we came here, we were said to have 30,000 people, but in fact it was only more than 20,000.
Man, if you lose these things again, you may not be able to defeat Liu Guoneng who is just waiting for work!"
When Liu Guoneng was a bandit, his bandit nickname was "Chuangtantian" and he was considered the number one murderer.
After he surrendered to the imperial court, the total number of troops decreased, but those who remained were all brothers from the old camp, many of whom were the original northwest officers and soldiers who were only forced to rebel in the second year of Chongzhen's reign. Their combat effectiveness was not weak.
Broom Star was scolded by the king, and he didn't bother to think of a plan for a while, so he just responded straight away: "Since the king is worried that He Jin will not follow us, we might as well do it without doing anything!
I will bring some brothers with strong martial arts skills to pretend to visit the sick, and kill all the guards in Commander He Jin's tent in a sneak attack! Then I will report to the outside world that He Jin died because he was injured by an army mine that day and could not recover from his injuries.
Put all his subordinates under our control!"
After all, He Yilong was a shameless person. Although he had this intention for a long time, he couldn't bear to be exposed by his subordinates. He quickly scolded: "How presumptuous! I am a brother of Gezuo Fifth Battalion. I treat you with sincerity and loyalty. How can you guys?"
To be able to say such arrogant words!"
Broom Star was scolded and didn't understand what was going on, so he had to shut up for the time being.
But next to He Yilong, a failed scholar counselor, nicknamed "Scorpion Tail Needle", was very good at figuring out the king's thoughts. He looked at his words and expressions and knew that He Yilong had already been moved, so he quickly praised:
"Your Majesty... Although what Broom Star said is reckless, his intentions are good. This official Shen Gou is so cunning and full of tricks. Our army suffered two major defeats and several minor setbacks, and its morale has dropped to the extreme. Liu Xiyao was in Huangzhou last year
Seeing the destruction of Suizhou, I am afraid that the future will not be guaranteed.
After all, the south is relatively wealthy and the people do not hate the imperial court, so we can recruit fewer people to fight to the death. Tongbai Mountain lies between Hubei and Henan. We climbed Tongbai Mountain to fight, so it is difficult to supply.
The current stalemate is nothing more than slowly eating up the grain supplies that have been transported so as not to bring them back, and there is no hope of winning the battle. In this case, if He Jin's people are dragged back to Henan, the world will be vast and it will be difficult to live here.
Earning a life in the ravine?
I heard that since Huang Taiji besieged Jinzhou in March, the main force of the Ming army was transferred to western Liaoning, and King Li Chuang had already spread the word that he was going to fight out of Shangluo Mountain to regroup.
At that time, we can come and go in the fertile land of Henan and Hebei plains. What foresight can those people below have? In the future, He Jin and other old tribes will also be grateful to the king."
Not to mention, the words of the Scorpion Tail Needle really made He Yilong understand the general trend of the world: this time the slaves were invaded again, and hundreds of thousands of Ming army elites were transferred away.
From now on, the bandits may no longer hide in the mountains, but may wreak havoc directly on the North China Plain!
This opportunity is not to be missed! We are stuck on the south side of Tongbai Mountain, close to Huguang, with the Yangtze River in front and mountains behind. How much room can we move? It is better to concentrate on returning to Henan! Welcome King Chuang!
After thoroughly thinking about it, He Yilong sighed: "This is the truth. You think of a way to talk to King Zuo Jin when he wakes up and let him give up his territory and retreat with us. After evading Liu Guoneng, There is nowhere in the world to go! If you continue to entangle with Shen Gouguan, you will be nothing but bones and no flesh!"
A stern look flashed in Scorpion Tail Needle's eyes. She didn't say anything on the surface, but just agreed, and then she pulled the reckless Broom Star out.
Broom Star was about to leave in an angry tone, but Scorpion Tail Needle called out to him.
"Why are you calling me? Sir, please take credit for your ability to reason and persuade people!" Broom Star was uneducated, and seeing that the king was preparing to write a book, of course he became angry with those dog-headed military advisors.
However, Scorpion Tail Needle was not as knowledgeable as him, and snorted coldly: "A dog bites Lu Dongbin, but it doesn't recognize a good heart - I am the king who helps you persuade and earn credit for you, why don't you hurry up and kill He Jin and his relatives?" Kill Weidu! I can publicize that he died of serious injuries and pus!"
Broom Star was stunned for a moment, before he could react: "Didn't your Majesty say that you need to use persuasion..."
Scorpion Tail Needle said contemptuously: "If you don't say you have no brains, the king will not be able to save his face! He Jin is so seriously ill, why don't you wait until he is cured and wakes up before trying to persuade him? Let's tell the king that He Jin died of his injuries. , can he expose you? All you need is this..."
Broom Star scratched his hair, and then replied with anger and joy: "It's better for you to understand, sir. Don't see it like an old man like me. Sir is really the Zhuge talent mentioned in the play!"
Although this flattery is vulgar, it is quite useful to the Scorpion Tail Needle, and it gives rise to a sense of resentment that talent has not been appreciated: Huh, dog emperor! You have no eyes and no talent! You don't even give me a chance to be elected. You deserve to have me give you some advice. country!
…
That night, Broom Star followed Scorpion Tail Needle's instructions, first pretending that his king had an urgent military situation and wanted to discuss it with King Zuo Jin, and to see if King Zuo Jin's injury had improved.
Of course, the confidant guards of Zuojin King He Jin refused to allow him to visit, because their king finally fell into a coma again. How could anyone easily disturb his recovery? There were some minor conflicts between the two sides.
Broom Star came well prepared and brought with him a hundred elite soldiers with good martial arts skills. Of course, he took the opportunity to subdue all the henchmen around the He Jinzhong Army's tent on the charge of "delaying the military plane."
Then, he asked his men to gag the restrained guys, move them to other places, execute them secretly and bury them, and then disappear from the world.
Finally, Broom Star personally brought a pillow and covered He Jin's head and face with his injuries.
After just a cup of tea, they confirmed that He Jin's remaining leg had stopped moving after a few kicks. Then they removed the pillow and did some more processing.
It all looked like He Jin's leg was broken by a landmine, and the wound eventually worsened, and he died of excessive blood loss and pus.
"It's a brilliant idea of the military strategist. You don't have to get your hands dirty. Just tell the outside world that he died from aggravated injuries. Hey, all the blame will be placed on Shen Gouguan. The king just happens to continue to take the brothers of King Zuo Jin to keep Qingshan here. In the future Slowly settle accounts with Shen Gouguan!"
After doing all this, Broom Star himself felt a little proud. A person with his intelligence could actually cooperate with the plan.
Early the next morning, the officers in the bandit camp were summoned in a heavy atmosphere.
He Yilong was also shocked to hear last night that his beloved brother died of serious injuries. He was extremely sad. He was just afraid that it would shake the morale of the army and spread the word and lead to an active attack by the army, so he could only cry silently, but his expression was already filled with grief and anger. No more can be added.
"Shen Gouguan! I, He Yilong, made a poisonous oath today! One day I will take your dog's head to avenge this great revenge and pay homage to Jindi!" In front of everyone, He Yilong took out his saber and used it like Lu Bu had sworn. Bleeding from stabbed arm.
This righteous act certainly won the gratitude and hatred of most of the officers in He Jin's army.
Some shrewd generals immediately knelt down and expressed their stance: "Your Majesty! In this time of crisis, my King Zuo Jin was killed by a dog officer. It is all up to your Majesty to lead us to revenge in the future! Brothers, there is no way out but to follow your Majesty!"
He Yilong laughed wildly in his heart, but on the outside he still wanted to show off: "How can this be done... Could it be that I, with my sharp eyes, took advantage of others' danger!"
"Don't say that, Your Majesty! Without Your Majesty's leadership, we will definitely be in trouble! From now on, we can do whatever Your Majesty asks us to do!"
Amid the turmoil, most of He Jin's old troops took advantage of the situation and defected to him.
However, there were also a few troops who had a close relationship with He Jin in the past and were suspicious of being liquidated, so they wavered in taking refuge with the army.
Paper cannot contain the fire. Rumors about the true cause of He Jin's death will always spread in the camp - after all, all the guards of the Chinese army's tent disappeared that night. It is impossible to hide this matter from everyone, but it is not evidence.
At least 2,000 to 3,000 people from He Jin's old tribe, which numbered less than 20,000, fled and surrendered to the enemy. The news of He Jin's death was also brought to the Chenshu people.