stubborn thief

Zuo Liangyu didn't even draw his sword, he just jumped on his horse and rushed north.

Not only did Liu Tichun know him, he also knew Liu Tichun. They had met on the battlefield more than once.

Just as the Later Jin Dynasty's mid-level officers were composed of many tough guys who were good at fighting, the same was true of the Ming Army's Guanning Army.

The reason is that war is a long wait, and during the wait, the generals from the Guanning Army almost all had the same experience.

They were the elite of their respective troops. They patrolled in small teams during the intervals between wars. They encountered the scouts of the Later Jin Army, and the two sides fought and achieved military merit.

He was promoted to a junior officer, survived the annual war after the Liaohe River froze, continued to capture prisoners in encounters, continued to make meritorious services, and became a mid-level officer.

Thanks to this, Zuo Liangyu was appointed as the commander of Cheying at the age of 29.

As for Liu Tichun, because of his steady character, he had long served as the rear guard in Zhang Xianzhong's West Camp and was often chased and attacked by Zuo Liangyu.

This time he can finally hold his head high.

Zuo Liangyu ran in a panic, hoping that the soldiers could help him stop the enemy.

But this is actually impossible.

Soldiers trying to avoid explosions could be seen everywhere in the battle formation, and the army was unable to form a line in a short period of time.

The infantry were rushed into the formation by the cavalry, and even had to face the general face to face. In such a critical situation, it would be difficult to stabilize the line even if there were more people.

The Ming army, which had just recovered from the rocket bombardment on the periphery, only needed to glance at the central army to see the cavalry rushing in like a tide past where the commander was. How could they maintain their military morale?

Waves of Ming troops fled in all directions in the darkness. The few who remained in their positions and resisted stubbornly were unable to hold on alone. They were either knocked down by the cavalry that rushed past quickly, or were hit by the eagle-feather arrows that flew from farther away.

Soon, Zuo Liangyu's battalion was scattered and the soldiers in the battalion fled on a large scale.

Among the tide of deserters, Zuo Liangyu, who had mounted his horse, was chased the most fiercely and urgently.

It's not that he didn't try to get rid of the pursuit, but it was impossible to escape because the other person's horse was better than his.

Chasing Zuo Liangyu was a big job. Liu Tichun did not take the credit for himself, but gave it to the Yulin Cavalry sent by Liu Chengzong.

The horses those people rode all belonged to Liu Chengzong.

The Grand Marshal would always get good horses through some strange ways. Some horses could be used for breeding and were sent to Longju Temple, but most of them were castrated war horses.

The fate of those war horses was that Liu Chengzong would pick out some of them and give them as rewards to capable generals during festivals. Those that were not given away were kept by the Yulin cavalry and ridden into battle.

The horses they rode were either Hequ horses or Ili horses, which were good horses specially selected as tribute from others. They were tall and strong, and could carry fully armored cavalry for short-term combat without any effort.

As a result, even though Zuo Liangyu ran out of the camp, he was still surrounded and blocked by the Marshal's troops who attacked him head-on. He could neither defeat them nor escape, so he could only keep trying to escape.

He didn't know how long he had been running for his life, but the number of cavalry blocking his way became fewer and fewer. Not far away, he could finally see a row of flags and a small group of cavalry coming out to greet him.

Zuo Liangyu's heart, which had been hanging in the air, finally settled down in his stomach.

I realized it later and was shocked to find that my clothes were soaked with cold sweat. The spring evening breeze made me shiver like a sieve.

But the moment he saw the support cavalry, Zuo Liangyu's heart skipped a beat again.

The two teams of cavalry looked well-organized, but one could only see when one got closer that the cloth armor that everyone wore was filled with thick fur lining, and there was an indescribable arrogance in their expressions as they rode their horses - these were definitely not the Ming army!

More importantly, these flags, which are endless as far as the eye can see, are marching northward.

If the army was marching north, then he was just fleeing south.

Zuo Liangyu looked ashen and thought to himself that something was wrong.

He was shepherded.

Only then did Zuo Liangyu realize that he had lost his sense of direction while being surrounded and driven away by the cavalry, and was intentionally driven to the south by the Marshal's cavalry.

The cavalrymen who came to greet him were arranged in two groups with flags and banners. A group of people walked out on the road. The young general who was surrounded in the middle had a relaxed smile on his face and was talking to the left and right. The cavalrymen went forward to pass on the order.

Then, the young general rode his horse to a place not far in front of Zuo Liangyu, and examined him from head to toe. Then he stopped smiling and said, "Brother Zuo, now that you have seen me, why don't you dismount and salute?"

Not far away on both sides, a row of soldiers was bypassing them and moving northward without slowing down.

Zuo Liangyu had already guessed that the person opposite him was Liu Chengzong. He sat on the horse in silence for a long time, staring blankly, thinking of various possibilities in his mind.

What he was thinking about was not using a shield to attack Liu Chengzong, but wondering why he was always in such a mess.

He was herded all the way to the army formation like a sheepdog herding lambs. If he surrendered to the Marshal's Office after this embarrassing experience, he would never be able to raise his head in front of this group of people in his entire life.

If this happened to someone with a hot temper, they would probably not be able to get over it and would commit suicide.

Zuo Liangyu is different. He has been in too many embarrassing situations in his life and has a very strong ability to withstand pressure.

Finally he sighed, turned over and dismounted, tripping over the stirrups as he did so.

After he stood firm, Zuo Liangyu bowed and said, "I am the defeated general Zuo Liangyu, paying my respects to the Grand Marshal."

To be honest, this time can't be said to be the most embarrassing moment in his life.

His most embarrassing moment was probably when he transformed himself from a fugitive suspect into a deputy general after waking up from sleep.

When the Ningyuan mutiny broke out, Zuo Liangyu, who was already a mid-level officer, led his good brothers such as Qiu Lei to rob military supplies in Jinzhou. They dared not stay in the army, and his accomplice Qiu Lei took the blame, while Zuo Liangyu was exiled to the capital. He went to Hou Xun's mansion and became a hanger-on.

The job that Hou Xun assigned to him at the mansion was to be responsible for reception.

Putting him in charge of reception is not a sign of disrespect; on the contrary, it is an arrangement that shows great care and respect.

Because it is suitable for Zuo Liangyu, he is not a professional martial arts student, he has a low starting point, a small circle, and a low level of education.

The reception work at Hou Xun's mansion was a good opportunity for him to learn the intricacies of dealing with people and expand his network.

But it was also at that time that Zuo Liangyu, who was working as a receptionist for a while, encountered the most embarrassing moment in his life.

When the Jin army invaded, You Shiwei recommended him to lead the troops. After discussing with Hou Xun, Hou Xun asked You Shiwei to go to Zuo Liangyu's house at four o'clock in the morning to inform him of the matter.

Zuo Liangyu first heard that Hou Xun was coming, then heard that You Shiwei had already arrived, and also heard You Shiwei shouting in the yard: "General Zuo, your wealth is here, hurry up and order some wine to entertain me!"

This is what he did in Hou Xun's mansion, and You Shiwei was also an acquaintance of him.

But Zuo Liangyu's first reaction was not to think about the surprise in the future, but to think that something happened on Qiu Lei's side that he was involved in, and he was so scared that he hid under the bed.

You Shiwei pulled him out, told him the good news, and told him that he would be the deputy general. When he asked him again, his legs became weak and his face turned pale. Zuo Liangyu knelt down in front of You Shiwei on the spot. You Shiwei, who was so frightened that he knelt down in front of him, and then he put his hands under his armpits to lift him up.

It was this drinking hanger-on who crawled under the bed, who became the deputy general one day later. He resisted the Later Jin at Songshan and Xingshan, overpowered Cao Wenzhao and achieved the first place in military exploits.

He later became the commander-in-chief, the highest military rank in the country. He was only 32 years old that year.

This time he just tripped over the stirrup when he was getting off the horse, so it wasn't considered a big embarrassment.

Liu Chengzong was very excited that Zuo Liangyu was brought here.

There is nothing more exciting in the world than taking out the enemy's main general before the battle even starts.

He had just sent an order, asking Gao Yingdeng to send another battalion to cooperate with the Tangqi to hunt down the defeated troops in Zuo Liangyu's battalion and further expand the results of the battle.

Although it was already late and no further results could be achieved, we should at least pursue the direction of their retreat, all the way to Hong Chengchou's camp, and find out all the movements of the surrounding enemy forces.

Only by finding out the enemy's position and monitoring its movements could his Tangqi control the entire battlefield, and only then could the troops be mobilized at will and military orders be conveyed smoothly.

When Liu Shizi arrived at the battlefield, he knew that even if the two armies did not take any action tonight, he would not be able to sleep.

More than a dozen camps within a hundred miles radius must contact each other tonight and make unified deployments to ensure that Hong Chengchou's Ningxia army will be completely encircled and defeated in the next two or three days.

But he underestimated Zuo Liangyu's influence.

Not long after Gao Yingdeng's first brigade's deputy general Li Hongsi advanced, he sent someone to bring back a message saying that Xu Yong, a lieutenant general under Zuo Liangyu, had sent someone to negotiate and ask whether Zuo had died in the battle or been captured. If Zuo Liangyu was not hurt at all, his battalion would immediately surrender.

At this time, Liu Chengzong had brought Zuo Liangyu back to the manor they had occupied earlier. Listening to the report from the Marshal's Army, Zuo Liangyu, who was sitting beside them as a prisoner, could no longer suppress a smile.

In fact, if Hong Chengchou had not caused all that trouble in Ningxia, it would have been difficult for Zuo Liangyu to directly side with Liu Chengzong psychologically.

But it was precisely because of Hong Chengchou's troubles in Ningxia that the Ming Dynasty's last legitimacy in the northwest was destroyed.

This is an inevitable price to pay.

If they can hold out for a year or two, the new troops of the three towns of Ningxia will have money, food and land, and this system can run well, then naturally no problems will arise.

But if we can't get through it, the price we will pay is that the new framework will not be established and the legitimacy of the old one will be lost.

Zuo Liangyu had seen through the situation long ago, which is why he proposed not to fight with Liu Chengzong, but to sell out Zhang Yingchang and flee all the way to Yan'an Prefecture and Xi'an Prefecture to become bandits. If that didn't work, he could cross the Yellow River into Shanxi.

It’s just that Hong Chengchou couldn’t let go of his pride for the time being and still wanted to fight hard.

Therefore, as soon as Zuo Liangyu was brought before Liu Chengzong, he no longer considered resisting stubbornly. There was no need for that. The Ming Dynasty would certainly fail in Shaanxi.

Besides, Liu Chengzong didn't insult him as a defeated general. He just said that he couldn't take care of him for the time being and would have a good talk with him after the battle. Then he asked the guards to look after him and take him wherever he went.

At this time, Xu Yong sent someone to ask Liu Chengzong to protect his safety, using a battalion as a bargaining chip, which undoubtedly made Zuo Liangyu extremely happy.

Troops and horses are the capital!
Zuo Liangyu looked at the cavalryman who brought the news, then at Liu Chengzong who was thinking, and clasped his fists and said, "Grand Marshal, Xu Yong is an old subordinate of mine. He followed me when I was in Liaodong, and later served as an officer in Changzhen. He has come to surrender, so I believe he can be trusted."

Liu Shizi looked at Zuo Liangyu in surprise.

Being an officer in Changping Town means that most of the soldiers he led were the earliest Changping soldiers, who were the backbone of Zuo Liangyu's career.

He thought to himself, that guy is trustworthy to you, but the problem for me is that you are not a trustworthy person to me, so how can he be trustworthy?
In fact, from his point of view, the most convenient and simple way is to defeat all opponents on the battlefield in the next few days.

Surrender? Why surrender? If you surrender, I will have to find someone to watch you.

But in the actual implementation of things, it is impossible to be so rough.

Because it is easy for him to fart, but those enemy soldiers who cannot surrender will really stab the soldiers following him with knives.

But since Zuo Liangyu had spoken, Liu Chengzong smiled and said, "In that case, please ask General Zuo to write a letter and ask General Xu's troops to lay down their weapons on the spot and wait for reorganization."

Although Zuo Liangyu looked hesitant about this proposal, he agreed quite readily.

Because his difficulties were soon revealed to Liu Chengzong.

Zuo Liangyu can't write!
It’s not that he can’t write it at all, it’s just that it’s a very difficult job for him.

The person is scratching his ears and cheeks, and the handwriting is crooked, just like what a child wrote.

Liu Shizi was delighted when he saw it, thinking that the anti-counterfeiting level was very high.

Not long after the letter was sent out, Wang Yuncheng, a lieutenant general under Zuo Zhen, also sent someone to find Gao Yingdeng. However, Wang Yuncheng was more direct. He did not make any demands, nor did he mention Zuo Liangyu. He surrendered directly.

Wang Yuncheng was an old subordinate of Deng Qi, who was a Liao general. He had been under Zuo Liangyu's command for not long. When he saw that his main general's camp had been breached and he was facing the pressure from Gao Yingdeng's army, he led his troops to retreat for a while, but probably felt that there was no point in retreating, so he surrendered smoothly.

Of the remaining two lieutenant generals, Ge Rulin, who was a civil servant from the Hedong military, ran faster than a rabbit. As soon as he saw Zuo Liangyu being taken away, he led his troops to flee towards Hong Chengchou's camp.

Gao Yingdeng couldn't catch up with him.

Another lieutenant general, Zhou Shifeng, was even more interesting. Gao Yingdeng sent a message back in the second half of the night, saying that he had found out the location of Hong Chengchou's camp.

There are four battalions over there, plus Ge Rulin's half battalion, and their strength is roughly equal to that of the First Brigade. Now the lights are on over there, and they are digging trenches. It is estimated that they will have to attack tomorrow.

However, Gao Yingdeng still suggested that in order to prevent Hong Chengchou from playing tricks and sneaking into Chencang, they should keep a close eye on them tonight to prevent them from digging trenches for half the night and then running away.

Until this time, Gao Yingdeng still hadn't found Zhou Shifeng's battalion.

This battalion made Liu Chengzong a little nervous, fearing that he would also use a decapitation tactic, so he sent out the Tangqi like they were free. As a result, even after contacting people from Ren Quaner's Second Brigade, they still couldn't find Zhou Shifeng.

Such a large battalion just disappeared on the battlefield at night.

Until early the next morning.

Before Hong Chengchou's 10,000-odd troops fled, their positions had already been built in an orderly manner.

Liu Chengzong had nearly four brigades of troops, including the surrendered generals and soldiers, and had almost completed the encirclement before he finally received news from Zhou Shifeng in the east.

The person who brought the news was Ding Guodong, who said that a battalion of newly recruited soldiers from Qingyang under his command were marching last night but were dispersed by a Ming army that was rushing from west to east. Now his men were chasing them from behind, while Zhang Zhen, the general of Yanqing, was blocking them in front.

Let Liu Chengzong rest assured, he will definitely keep this group of people under control.

This news gave Liu Shizi some peace of mind. It turned out that when they saw the situation was not good yesterday, they decisively withdrew from the battlefield and headed east.

The last troop that disappeared on the battlefield was found, which also meant that the encirclement deployment was very successful.

All that remains is to defeat Hong Chengchou's last remaining troops, and Ningxia can be easily recovered and held in our hands. (End of this chapter)