weaving

Chapter 1149 Is it true? Is it fake?

In the large tent of the Central Army of the Governor of Baoding, Yang Wenyue leaned forward and whispered in Ding Qirui's ear: "There is a young officer under Zuo Kunshan named Liu Zhongwu. He came back from the bandit camp in secret. Because my Baoding soldiers and Zuo Kunshan The battalion had been changed, and he accidentally entered my Baoding barracks and was captured by me. I found the evidence and interrogated him to find out. There is something fishy about it. "

After he finished speaking, he added in a pretense of mystery: "Wen Yue asked the supervisor to stay alone because he wanted to present this matter to you!"

Amidst Ding Qirui's confusion, Yang Wenyue waved his hand to the lieutenant officer standing by and said, "Go and bring Liu Zhongwu to see the superintendent."

The lieutenant general left in response, and after a while, he brought back a small officer who looked like an officer. As soon as the small officer entered the tent, he "plopped" towards Ding Qirui and Yang Wenyue, knelt down, and begged in fear: "I'm humble. He was sentenced to death and was captured by thieves outside Zhuxian Town. Fortunately, he survived. How to deal with it? I sincerely hope that I will show mercy outside the law. "

Yang Wenyue smiled and said to him warmly: "I am not asking you about your crime now. I am asking Governor Ding to ask you something. You must answer it honestly."

"Yes, yes. I don't dare to hide a word about my humble position. I will definitely report it honestly."

Ding Qirui looked at Liu Zhongwu and asked him, "Is your name Liu Zhongwu?"

"Yes, sir."

"Stand up and tell me how you were captured, and why they didn't kill you, but instead released you?"

Liu Zhongwu stood up obediently and stood respectfully with his hands down, looking very well-behaved. He only heard him reply: "Reporting to the master, at five o'clock that day, two thousand troops from our Zuoying camp entered Zhuxian Town. I led the five Hundreds of people rushed forward, but suddenly there was a heavy fog, and no one could be seen even ten steps away.

We took the wrong road, mistakenly entered the bandits, and were surrounded by them. Before we could see the faces of the thieves clearly, we were... captured alive by them..."

Ding Qirui then asked: "Then...what happened next?"

"Later... the people who were captured were all sent to Liu Erhu, and there were three to four hundred people in our area. But at noon the next day, Liu Erhu suddenly brought him to trial for his low-level position. He thought he would be severely tortured.

But Liu Erhu looked at the humble position and smiled slightly, and said to me, "Brother, I think you are a bit kind, as if I have seen you somewhere." Sniff, I remembered that I once had a friend who looked similar to you. Do you want to live or die now? '

Of course, the humble position said to him, 'I want to live, but I can't surrender. '..."

When Liu Zhongwu said this, he couldn't help but secretly glance at Ding Qirui and Yang Wenyue. It was precisely because the words "I can't surrender" were purely lies made up by him on the spot, and even he himself couldn't believe it.

Seeing that Ding Qirui and Yang Wenyue didn't react much to this, he calmed down and continued: "After Liu Erhu heard Beizhi's words, he said to Beizhi, 'I don't want you to surrender, nor do I want you to die. I have no enmity with you in the past life. There is no injustice in this life. I just want to save your life because you are an officer from Zuoying. I have been ordered by King Chuang not to kill the guests from Zuoying.'

He said that he was humble..."

Ding Qirui interrupted him and asked hastily, "Why...he said you were a 'guest'?"

Liu Zhongwu was stunned by his question, but he still replied truthfully: "Yes, sir. Then Liu Erhu sometimes calls me a guest, and sometimes calls me Zuoying's friend."

After Ding Qirui and Yang Wenyue exchanged glances, they turned to Liu Zhongwu and said pleasantly: "Okay, I understand. Go on, what did he do to you?"

"Liu Erhu took his humble post into another military tent. He accompanied me to eat wine and chat. He told me not to worry and was afraid. He said that he would definitely send me back to Zuoying. He also said that this was a special event for King Chuang. command.

Liu Erhu also said that in the battle at Zhuxian Town, King Chuang was determined to completely eliminate Ding and Yang's troops, but he did not want to fight the Zuo army. He also said that Zuo Shuai's pearl girl was now in Chuang Wang's old camp. Chuang Wang was willing to make secret peace with Zuo Shuai. To show his sincerity, he could return Miss Zuo to Zuo Shuai in advance. "

Ding Qirui and Yang Wenyue exchanged glances again, and nodded tacitly. In fact, they had also heard about Miss Zuo Mingzhu being kidnapped by Li Zicheng, but they never thought that it would be confirmed by Liu Zhongwu today.

Just listen to Liu Zhongwu continue to say: "Liu Erhu also boasted to the humble official about how they had so many people and horses, strong soldiers and horses, and sufficient food and grass. Not to mention that within a few days, they would launch a fierce attack on the two teams of the governor and the governor.

Liu Erhu also said that Chuang Wang's soldiers and Zuoying's soldiers were not in conflict with each other. As long as Zuoying's soldiers stood still and only fired empty artillery, Chuang Wang would never attack Zuoying's garrison. "

Ding Qirui was dubious about what he said. He asked himself silently in his heart: "Is it true? Is it false? Is it a plan to create a wedge between thieves and thieves?"

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but turn his head and glance at Yang Wenyue. For a while, he couldn't guess what Liu Zhongwu's scheme was. Could it be a trap set by Yang Wenyue?

After thinking for a moment, he still felt that there were many doubts in it. The matter was so serious that Ding Qirui refused to believe it, so he asked Liu Zhongwu again: "He asked you about the situation of our officers and soldiers. Did you tell him honestly?" Huh?”

Although Ding Qirui's words sounded very gentle and no different from before, Liu Zhongwu still felt scared in his heart. The cold sweat on his back had soaked his clothes, but he still pretended to be very calm and reluctantly Squeezing out a smile, he immediately replied: "Then Liu Erhu really asked about the situation of our officers and soldiers. Naturally, he didn't dare to tell him the truth because of his humble position. He just lied to him, but he really didn't tell the truth."

Liu Zhongwu observed the expressions on Ding and Yang's faces as he spoke. Although they looked very kind, Liu Zhongwu felt more and more unsure of his heart, so he hurriedly continued: "Liu Erhu did not investigate whether what I said was true or false. He just said to me: "There is really no need to ask you about the situation over there. We have already fully grasped it. I just want to be friends with you today. If I interrogate you again, it will not be the friendship between friends." Well, let's stop talking about military affairs and have a good time drinking!'

Therefore, please rest assured, gentlemen, your humble position does not reveal the military situation of our officers and soldiers at all..."

Yang Wenyue smiled slightly. He was very satisfied with Liu Zhongwu's performance, and continued: "Liu Zhongwu, you will soon see what happened to the intruder and Miss Zuo's Pearl. Now report the truth to the supervisor."

Liu Zhongwu hurriedly said: "Yes, yes. I don't dare to hide my humble position, I will report it truthfully." He then told Ding Qirui in detail what happened after he was taken to Li Zicheng's old camp.

Ding Qirui's expression turned gloomy and silent, and he felt even more worried and doubtful. Seeing this, Yang Wenyue hurriedly gave a secret wink to the military officer, signaling him to take Liu Zhongwu out of the tent, and then brought Zuo Mingzhu back to Zuo. Liangyu's things were taken and presented to Ding Qirui for viewing.

After Ding Qirui took a rough look at it, he said to Yang Wenyue: "Ah, I understand. I heard that Mrs. Zuo Kunshan was not extraordinary in appearance, but after Zuo Kunshan became successful, because she was a wife of wretched men, she had shared hardships with him, so He always treats her with the same kindness as before and never covets other women.

Now Mrs. Zuo is separated from her by life and death, leaving only this memory with Miss Zuo. Today, the bandit and I are facing each other here. Li Thief asked Miss Zuo to return this memory to Zuo Kunshan, and said that he and Zuo Kunshan He has always said no injustice, but his intentions are now quite clear. "

Yang Wenyue also nodded solemnly and echoed: "That's exactly what he said. Fortunately, Liu Zhongwu didn't know that I had changed defenses with Zuoying, so he mistakenly entered our Baoding camp and was caught by our battalion's patrolling soldiers. Otherwise... Otherwise..."

Ding Qirui bowed his head in silence for a moment, then looked up at Yang Wenyue and asked him: "Has the news about your camp's capture of Liu Zhongwu been leaked?"

"Never leaked the news!"

The expression on Ding Qirui's face did not change, but he stretched out his right hand and made a slight gesture under the candlelight. Yang Wenyue understood immediately when he saw it. He called the lieutenant officer to his side and whispered to him: "Personally bring a few trustworthy soldiers to the general." This Liu Zhongwu's mouth was gagged, and he was taken to the area near the bandit camp, and then his clothes and armor were stripped off and hacked to death. I will rot in my stomach and no one will tell anyone about it!"

After the Chinese officer took the order and left the tent, Ding Qirui sighed and said: "Sigh... Now there are powerful enemies outside and the morale of the army is unstable internally. The situation is already very scary. If... Zuo Kunshan has another agenda, here The consequences of the war... are disastrous."

The two of them looked at each other in the big tent, both shook their heads and sighed. They talked for a while about how Zuo Liangyu's officers and soldiers might not be reliable in the end, and they both placed their hopes on the commander-in-chief sent to Kaifeng the day before yesterday. body.

Before leaving, Ding Qirui specifically asked the commander to take a detour from Chen Liu to Kaifeng in order to avoid Li Chuang's bandit army. He thought nothing would happen on the way there.

As long as this general can successfully reach Kaifeng Fucheng and bring the information back, he can make an appointment with the defenders on the Kaifeng side to attack together, attack from both inside and outside, and fight to the death with Li Zicheng's bandit army.

Although even if everything goes as planned, there is not much certainty of defeating Li Chuang's bandit army...

But the situation will always be better than now. As long as they can boost their morale and fight forward desperately, plus the Kaifeng defenders are already relatively strong, and they are fighting for their own life and death. With the combined efforts of the two parties, Even if the battle situation in Zhuxian Town cannot defeat the rebel army in one battle, it can at least change the current unfavorable situation!

…………

When the officers and soldiers in Shuipoji gradually fell into trouble, there was another scene inside and outside Kaifeng City...

In the past few days, groups of spies have been dispatched from Kaifeng City to spy on the military situation in Zhuxian Town, but they were all blocked by the bandits' roving horses, and were either captured or killed by them.

Although some spies were lucky enough to escape the resistance of the rebels, they did not dare to approach the battlefield of Zhuxian Town. They only dared to inquire a few miles to the north. According to the people who had not had time to escape, they :

The officers and soldiers are succeeding step by step in Zhuxian Town, and they will definitely defeat the bandits in one fell swoop. Regardless of the large number of bandits, in the final analysis they are just a mob, and they cannot withstand elite divisions like Zuo Liangyu and Hu Dawei. Now, now It seems that within a day or two, the government troops will surely capture Zhuxian Town and defeat the bandit army.

Obviously, someone must have taught them these words, and these common people might even be dressed up as thieves!

However, the officials and gentry people in Kaifeng City firmly believe in this. Perhaps because their expectations for victory are too strong, or perhaps because of the foundation and confidence laid by the previous two victories in defending the city, they firmly believe that Kaifeng City is destined to be indestructible, and The bandit army will be defeated if they attack the city!

In particular, Li Thief suddenly withdrew his troops from Kaifeng City, which made it even more obvious that the war in Zhuxian Town was tense. Otherwise, how could he have left so much food, grass, wealth, and silk without taking it with him?

In the past few days, the defenders in Kaifeng City had worked hard to dig out the soil that had been filled in the city gate. Under the organization of Henan Chief Military Officer Chen Yongfu, it still took two days of hard work to keep the rebels behind. A lot of food, grass, baggage and silk were carried into the city.

Fearing that the rebels might have a conspiracy, they immediately filled the city gate with soil to prevent them from returning, and suddenly launched a fierce offensive. It can be seen that Kaifeng Fucheng has survived two attacks by the rebels to this day, not It doesn't make sense!

Nowadays, everyone in Kaifeng City is talking about it...

If it weren't for the large number of officers and soldiers in Zhuxian Town, how could King Li Chuang be so panicked and abandon so much food, fodder and money outside the city instead of taking it away?

Even if those grains and fodder are a little bulky and difficult to transport, it can barely be justified if thrown away, but why are the many gold and silver utensils thrown away instead of taken away...

It can be seen from this that the wandering thieves are actually just a strong-willed person, and their strength is nothing more than that. They are far less powerful than everyone imagines, and they are not as powerful as the rumors.

Although they can be invincible for a while on the land of Zhongzhou, it means bullying Henan's officers and soldiers who have not been trained in war for a long time. Once they encounter the lion-like officers and soldiers under the command of General Pingthief, they will no longer be opponents!

Rumor has it that the sound of cannons has been rumbling in the direction of Zhuxian Town for several days, and almost every day cannot be heard. Especially in the dead of night, the rumbling sounds of cannons are even more harsh.

Since today, the sound of artillery fire in Zhuxian Town has become denser than before. People inside and outside Kaifeng City believe that this must be the official army attacking the intruders.

Since the Kaifeng soldiers and civilians repelled the army of intruders twice, they are no longer as afraid of the intruders as before, especially this time the intruders fled in a panic and were unable to take all their luggage with them.

However, the biggest reliance of the military and civilians in Kaifeng City is still the Yongyi Army!

On the second day after the army of thieves withdrew from Kaifeng, a group of well-armed Xuanfu cavalry appeared outside the west gate of Kaifeng. Two days later, groups of capable warriors appeared outside Kaifeng City.

Nowadays, tens of thousands of armored troops are camped within a ten-mile radius of Kaifeng City. How can this not make the soldiers and civilians in the city emboldened? What's more, they are no strangers to the Yongyi Army!