weaving

Chapter 1139 Hurry, protect King Chuang

In fact, King Chuang didn't know it at this moment, but Liu Zongmin had already sent someone back to report to him!

However, due to the sudden appearance of heavy fog, the primary school reporter who reported the news lost his way. He mistakenly took another long road and ran straight to Yanli Town, so he did not meet Li Zicheng, Luo Rucai and others.

At this time, the fighting inside and outside Zhuxian Town had completely stopped, and it seemed extremely quiet. There was no more roaring sound of cannons, nor was there a sound of roars or shouts of death.

In fact, in Zhuxian Town, it was just the vanguard of the army led by Zuo Liangyu and Hu Dawei. Relying on their huge advantage in numbers, they really wanted to capture "a tiger" Li Guo alive in one fell swoop, so they He will command his subordinates to fight to the death.

However, it was later discovered that a large number of reinforcements had arrived, and most of them were elite cavalry. The official army suddenly changed from an advantage to a disadvantage.

Although the rear ranks of the officers and soldiers were catching up one after another at this moment, the weather was unfavorable and a heavy fog suddenly arose. Because they did not know how many rebels there were, the officers and soldiers did not dare to fight. They took advantage of the beginning of the heavy fog. He immediately returned to Zhuxian Town.

The rebels were afraid of being ambushed by the officers and soldiers, so they did not launch a pursuit. They only rushed into the north gate to rescue the brothers who were surrounded in the northwest corner. However, the officers and soldiers were frightened by their violent attack and panicked. They actually gave up their defense and withdrew directly from Zhuxian Town.

Liu Zongmin did not accidentally capture Zhuxian Town, but he did not know the details of the official army for a while, and did not organize troops to pursue him. He only strengthened the defense of the town wall and sent out cavalry to swim around Zhuxian Town, waiting for the attack. After the fog cleared, they were sent out to investigate the details of the officers and soldiers.

…………

When Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai led their troops to the north gate of Zhuxian Town, it was already bright. Although the fog had not dissipated and was still very heavy, people's faces and faces could be vaguely distinguished three or four feet away. The color of the war horses and the outline of the town gate and town wall more than ten feet away were gradually revealed in the fog.

Zhuxian Town is a famous commercial and trade town not only in Henan Province, but also in the entire Ming Empire.

Since the Song Dynasty established its capital in Kaifeng, great efforts were made to build water conservancy facilities to facilitate the transportation of products from various places, especially grain and rice from the south, to Beijing. From this time on, Zhuxian Town gradually evolved from a post station to a village, and then to a large market. town.

The first time Zhuxian Town was recorded in historical records was in the early years of the Southern Song Dynasty. The deeds of Yue Fei, the anti-golden hero who ranked first among the "Four Generals of Zhongxing" in the Southern Song Dynasty. The "Victory of Zhuxian Town" that year greatly boosted the Southern Song Dynasty. The morale of the military and the people.

After hundreds of years of development in the Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties, especially after the success of "Jialu River Regulation" at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Zhuxian Town ushered in its real rise and gradually developed into one of the "Four Famous Towns" "one.

Jia Lu, whose courtesy name is Youheng, was born in Gaoping, Hedong. He was a famous river defense minister and hydraulic conservancy expert in the Yuan Dynasty. He was very smart, studious and ambitious when he was young. He served successively as Dongping Road Confucian Professor, Director of the Household Department, Zhongshu Provincial Inspector, and Xingdu Water Supervisor and other positions.

At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the Yellow River broke through Kaifeng many times. In the 11th year of the reign of Emperor Shun of the Yuan Dynasty, Emperor Shun of the Yuan Dynasty sent Jia Lu to serve as the minister of the Ministry of Industry and concurrently as the general river protection envoy, dedicated to managing all matters related to the Yellow River.

Jia Lu first forced the Yellow River into its old course, and then diverted the water from Mi County through Zhengzhou and Zhongmou, then turned south to Zhuxian Town in Kaifeng, and then merged into the ancient canal, directly to Shangshui County and then merged into the Huaihe River. His move not only eliminated the local After the floods were eliminated, canal water transportation was revived, and the river he dredged was named "Jialu River".

After the opening of the Jialu River, Zhuxian Town served as the terminal station for shipping on the Jialu River, and therefore became the only outer port in Kaifeng City. It is an indispensable and important part of Kaifeng.

At that time, there were two roads to go from the south to Kaifeng, or from Kaifeng to other places in the south. The east road continued from Suizhou and Shangqiu to the southeast, crossed the Huaihe River to the north bank of the Yangtze River, and then headed either to Nanjing or Yangzhou. The road is divided again; and the west road passes through Zhuxian Town, from Xuchang, Yexian, Nanyang to Xiangyang, and then goes to Hunan and Guangdong and Guangxi via Wuchang, or to Jingzhou and enters Sichuan along the Yangtze River.

Similarly, if the gentry, gentry, and merchants from Yunnan and Guizhou want to go north, they will go through Xiangyang, Nanyang, and Zhuxian Town, and then cross the Yellow River via Kaifeng and go north to Beijing. As for people from prefectures and counties in southern Henan, If they go to the provincial capital, the capital, or Shandong, Zhuxian Town is also the only way for them.

Therefore, Zhuxian Town has been famous for its prosperous commerce since ancient times. It is not only famous because Yue Fei achieved the "Great Victory of Zhuxian Town" here when he attacked Jin Wushu. Of course, Yue Fei's deeds of garrisoning troops here and achieving great victories added to the The glory of Zhuxian Town's history makes people with patriotic ideas talk about it, and they will arouse the infinite passion of generous tribute to the ancient times.

After Chuang Wang Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai entered Zhuxian Town, they saw soldiers from Chuang Cao's coalition resting along the way. Some of them were cooking and some were feeding their horses.

The saddles and bridles of the war horses were not removed, but the girths of the war horses were slightly loosened so that they could rest, eat some beans and forage, and drink some water to relieve fatigue and hunger.

The same goes for the soldiers. In order to prepare for a possible counterattack by the army, no one took off their armor. However, due to the foggy weather and the sultry heat, they were already very tired after a night of rapid marches and fierce battles. Many soldiers lay down. He fell asleep on the street corner.

Of course, there are still many people on guard on the earthen walls of Zhuxian Town. There are also teams of soldiers patrolling the streets and alleys despite their sleepiness. There are also teams of rangers outside the town, constantly patrolling. In addition, There are many infantry squads hiding in some mounds or among the trees to prevent officers and soldiers from sneaking up and attacking.

As time moved forward, the large infantry units of the Cao Cao coalition from Yanli's camp also arrived one after another. They all followed Liu Zongmin's instructions, set up camp at the pre-selected location, occupied the favorable terrain first, and took action immediately. While they buried pots to make rice, they dug trenches and built walls outside the camp.

After Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai entered Zhuxian Town, they were quickly seen by a primary school officer under Liu Zongmin's tent, who immediately led them to the Yuewang Temple. The two of them got off their horses, ordered all the accompanying soldiers to stay outside the temple, and left. Got in.

The Yuewang Temple, also known as the Yuewu Mu Temple, is located in the northwest corner of the town. It was built in the 14th year of Chenghua in the Ming Dynasty. It was built to commemorate the founder of Wuchang County in the Southern Song Dynasty, Yue Fei and Yue Wumu, the king of Hubei. It was built with Tangyin, The Yuewang Temples in Wuchang and Hangzhou are collectively called the "Four Yuewang Temples", and their scale is evident.

The Yuewang Temple in Zhuxian Town covers an area of ​​27 acres. It faces north and is a three-entry courtyard with a rectangular outer corridor. It consists of painted statues of family members.

In the main hall of the front yard of the temple, there are statues of King Yue Fei and his subordinates. In front of the main hall, there are naked kneeling statues of Qin Hui and other four traitorous ministers. In the main hall of the backyard, there are also statues of Yue Fei and his wife. They are enshrined in the east and west wing rooms respectively. There are statues of Yue Fei's son and daughter-in-law.

The temple also preserves two inscriptions written by Yue Fei to send Mr. Zhang Ziyan's Northern Expedition poem and "Man Jiang Hong". The entire Yuewang Temple is grand and solemn, with numerous steles and pavilions, rich and colorful carvings, paintings, and sculptures, including those from the Ming Dynasty. The calligraphy treasures left by famous ministers, loyal ministers Yu Qian, Yu Shaobao and other historical celebrities came here to pay their respects.

According to the "Xiangfu County Chronicle" quoted from the Ming Chenghua stele: "The Yue Temple was first built in Hubei, then Hangzhou, and the third was built in Tangyin. It is now built in Zhuxian Town, south of Liangcheng. It was in Hubei where the king founded his country; when the king was wronged, it had already been The tomb of the king who was built in Hang is still there; the king's land is in Tangyin; and the king's tomb in Zhuxian Town is in Hang; the king is in Tangyin."

.........

Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai followed the primary school principal through the main courtyard and into the side courtyard. When they were about to enter the Taoist room where Miao Zhu lived, they heard Liu Zongmin's loud voice coming from the upper room.

They paused outside the door and heard Liu Zongmin in the upper room instructing Bai Minghe to quickly build a fort to the north of Shuipoji so that it could be used immediately after Zhang Nai's firearms battalion arrived.

Then, he ordered Li Guo to go and sleep, but Li Guo refused, so he scolded him: "To add to that, you are really disobedient. That's why you chased Xiao Yuan's camp back, and then rushed forward overnight. Now you have two arrow wounds. Why don't you go to bed and rest? You're going to die!" Li Guo replied, "Just wait a little longer, maybe the generalissimo will be here soon."

At this moment, Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai opened the door and walked in with a smile. King Chuang first sternly ordered Li Guo to rest quickly, and then briefly asked Liu Zongmin about the casualties of the soldiers.

Only then did he get to the point, and he asked: "Are all the officers and soldiers here? How are they deployed?"

Liu Zongmin replied without hesitation: "It seems that we have almost arrived now, and the officers and soldiers going to Qixian County will also come here this morning. Even if there are some officers and soldiers behind, they are probably all Just some auxiliary soldiers and handymen.

Last night, they arrived first, with 20,000 to 30,000 men, and occupied almost seven of Zhuxian Town. There were too few men and horses to replace them, so they suffered a loss from the officers and soldiers. Fortunately, I arrived in time, and then fought with the officers and soldiers. When I got up, the officers and soldiers saw the ferocious force of my approach, and they didn't know how many people we had come, so they became a little panicked.

In addition, the bastard Wao Qi also did a good deed. He led two thousand cavalry to the south of Zhuxian Town and set fires everywhere. When the officers and soldiers saw the fires going up, they didn't know whether I was real or not, and they were afraid of being surrounded by us. Disrupted his own position.

It happened that there was a heavy fog again at this moment, and no one on either side could see the other. Our soldiers became more and more brave as they fought, but the officers and soldiers became even more panicked. They actually withdrew from Zhuxian Town in one breath and retreated to Shuipoji in the south. I saw The fog was thick, and I was worried that I would suffer losses from the officers and soldiers, so I didn't ask my brothers to chase them out. "

King Chuang nodded and asked him again: "Where is the army's camp now? Has it been found out?"

Liu Zongmin replied with a smile: "The officers and soldiers originally wanted to occupy Zhuxian Town, but unfortunately we came too fast, so he did not succeed, so he retreated to the south of the town and stationed in Shuipoji area, which is to the southeast. It's about ten miles away from the town.

According to the report from the spies who just came back, they are almost ready to set up a camp. I am afraid they originally wanted to station a large army there. If Zhuxian Town succeeds, the rear army will definitely be stationed in Shuipoji.

Nowadays, Shuipoji's official and military camps are about twenty miles across. Ding Qirui, Zuo Liangyu, and Fang Guoan are stationed in the west, and Yang Wenyue, Hu Dawei, and Yang Dezheng are stationed in the east.

Although Yang Wenyue's side does not have many soldiers and horses, only a little over 20,000 people, there are many firearms in his camp, which deserves our careful attention. The situation outside is not very clear yet. "

"Where is the military advisor? Why can't I see him?"

"Lao Song was impatient. After killing the officers and soldiers, he led his soldiers along the Jialu River embankment and went upstream to inspect the water conditions and terrain."

They talked for a while, and King Chuang said to Cao Cao: "Rucai, you should go and have a rest first. There have been so many things in the past two days that you have not had a good sleep."

Luo Rucai laughed "haha" and said "It doesn't matter", but he stood up and said again: "Brother Li, please rest for a while."

"I'll take Shuangxi and Ziyi with me and go out for a walk. I'll be back soon."

Luo Rucai heard the words and said politely again: "Brother Li, the fog has not dissipated yet, and you can't see very far. I think it's better to rest for a while, and wait until the fog clears, then look far to see the enemy's situation."

King Chuang replied with a nonchalant smile, "Wouldn't it be better if it's foggy? I can get all the way to Ding Qirui's camp and take a closer look at him."

After Li Zicheng said that, he stood up and walked out of the Yuewang Temple together with Luo Rucai. Luo Rucai led his own soldiers out of the west gate of Zhuxian Town and went straight to Cao Ying's Chinese army camp to rest in his own Chinese army tent.

King Chuang, with Wu Ruyi, Li Shuangxi and twenty-seven soldiers, rode out of the south gate of Zhuxian Town and patrolled all the way south.

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The sun has risen above the treetops. Under the warm sunlight, the heavy fog is gradually dissipating. The shadows of people and scenery twenty feet away can be vaguely seen, and they can be clearly seen six or seven feet away. human face.

King Chuang rode his horse all the way south. He looked at a few places first and saw that some of the highlands near the water swamp had been occupied by his own troops. He felt very satisfied in his heart and couldn't help but secretly praise in his heart: "Jixuan, you really can't help us." disappointment!"

Soon we arrived at the north of Shuipoji, and from a distance we saw that our soldiers were building a fort there, and there were many soldiers digging trenches in front of the fort.

King Chuang ordered them to dig the trench deeper and wider, no less than one foot or six feet wide. Then he continued to ride his horse slowly and patrolled ahead. Unknowingly, they had arrived at the official headquarters. Not far ahead of the camp.

Li Zicheng rode his black horse up one hill after another, eager to get a clear look at the army camp to the south before he would give up. His lingering look made him seem to have forgotten all the dangers.

Suddenly, a soldier shouted loudly: "Officers and soldiers... they are officers and soldiers... they are thieves!"

Wu Ruyi immediately shouted loudly: "Quick, protect King Chuang."

Li Shuangxi immediately drew out the saber from his waist, rode his horse and rushed in front of Li Zicheng, completely protecting him.

After all, King Chuang had been rebelling for more than ten years and had experienced no less than dozens of life-and-death battles. He had no fear of this. He drew out his flowered horse sword with a "swipe" and shouted loudly: "Don't panic, there are not enough officers and soldiers." fear!"

Not far in front of them, two to three hundred officers and cavalry appeared, rushing towards them.

(End of this chapter)