weaving

Chapter 1239 A tough decision!

"Xie Junyou, Bai Minghe, how are things going over there?"

Bai Minghe glanced at Xie Junyou, clasped his fists and said, "Master, the government troops in the North Camp are very happy. Although they didn't fire cannons, their muskets were firing non-stop as if they were free.

Our entire battalion attacked for nearly two hours, with hundreds of casualties, and we only managed to remove the first line of his hedge, and we haven’t even reached the edge of the trench yet.”

"Let me ask you, can you use the shield car?"

"No. According to the master's order, all the shield vehicles and bridge vehicles are hidden."

Liu Zongmin looked calm and nodded slightly: "Okay, I got it."

He turned his head and glanced at the generals in the military tent. After a while, he said, "You have seen the feint attacks and tests over the past two days. This Yongyi Army is different from the government troops we have encountered in the past.

They are very patient and their tactics are very cunning and varied. They are especially good at using muskets. You have all seen the power of their muskets, so there is no need for me to say more.

The most important thing is that they are united, obey orders, do not make any noise when lying dormant, and fire in unison. This is the first time we have faced such an opponent, so we must not take it lightly. "

"Yes."

Liu Zongmin looked at Liu Tichun and said, "Erhu, how do you think we should fight?"

"If we don't move, we will be fine. If we move, we will be as quick as a rabbit, like a tiger rushing down a mountain. We will make full use of our superiority in military strength and take turns to attack fiercely, not giving the government troops a chance to change their formation until we win."

Although Liu Zongmin secretly agreed in his heart, he did not make any comment on his face. He kept looking at everyone, observing the changes in their expressions. Suddenly he stopped at Tong Shoushan and asked him: "Tong Shoushan, how do you think we should fight?"

Although Tong Shoushan was somewhat prepared, his thoughts were suddenly disrupted when he was asked about it. He forced himself to calm down, thought for a while, and then said, "I think the government troops must have made some preparations. Maybe they still have artillery, but they just held back and didn't fire."

As he spoke, he glanced at Liu Tichun and continued, "I agree with Master Liu's fighting style. His army is holding back, so we should also hold back and make him not know where we are going to attack. When he is almost done holding back, we will attack from three sides simultaneously, from morning to night, day and night. I don't believe we can't wear him down!"

As soon as Tong Shoushan finished speaking, Xie Junyou, Bai Minghe and others couldn't help but take a deep breath and thought to themselves, "Tong Shoushan, you are really cruel. You are really using human life to fill this hole."

However, Tong Shoushan's fighting style touched Liu Zongmin's heart. From the moment the army arrived, he ordered each camp to build fortifications while cutting wood to make wooden shield carts, bridge-building carts, ladders and other siege equipment.

But he made it clear beforehand that without his military order, these siege weapons could only be hidden behind the camp and must not be used without authorization.

Liu Zongmin seemed unsatisfied. He suddenly asked, "Xie Junyou, you usually have a lot of ideas. Why are you speechless today?"

Xie Junyou smiled very mysteriously and said, "I think it would be better to withdraw the brothers in the north to the west and south, and actually sneak to the northern official road at night to set up an ambush, and then attack the south and west tomorrow.

Just as Tong Shoushan said, if the attack continues from morning till night, the officers and soldiers will surely be panicked and confused, and they might rush out of the north gate to escape, which would mean they will fall into our ambush!"

"It's just three points. Not bad, not bad. You all have made great progress."

Liu Zongmin looked at the others and continued, "We cannot afford to prolong the battle at this critical juncture, and we don't have to fight for just three to five days. Now that our army is rushing here, the government troops are waiting for us to tire themselves out, so it's not the right time for a general attack.

While each camp was working hard to make siege equipment, it was also constantly feinting attacks on the government army's camps. If they could break the flower fences and fill the trenches, that would be even better. But even if they couldn't do that, they had to prevent the government troops from resting and wear down their morale.

Starting tomorrow, each battalion will take turns to attack in three waves in the morning, afternoon, and night. I want to see how long this group of government troops can hold out. "

Liu Tichun also said: "Firearms generally account for 20% of the government troops. Even if his Yongyi Army is more elite than other government troops and firearms account for 30%, then the three locations in the south, west and north probably have less than 2,000 soldiers each."

Bai Minghe also said: "Even if there are some more artillerymen and cavalry, there are only 7,000 to 8,000 troops at most. There are five or six of us fighting against one of them. How can we be afraid of him?"

After such an analysis, the generals suddenly became bolder and the frustration of the previous setback in the attack on the camp disappeared in an instant.

…………

"Marshal, make a quick decision!"

Ji Gui looked at Luo Rucai who was listening to the ditty and said anxiously, "I just got a message that Li Zicheng has sent his nephew, Li Guo, the Tiger, to come to our side."

"Oh. Li Guo, what is he doing here alone?"

"Yes. He came here alone with five thousand elite cavalrymen."

Luo Rucai paused for a moment, but recovered as usual in an instant, saying, "Only 5,000 cavalrymen, they are of no use."

Ji Gui shook his head and waved at the singer, signaling her to leave for the time being. At that moment, she didn't know what to do. It was not right for her to sing, nor was it right for her not to sing. She looked at Ji Gui and then at Luo Rucai with her pair of intoxicating phoenix eyes.

Seeing this, Luo Rucai had no choice but to wave his hand, signaling her to leave for the time being. The singer dared not hesitate at all. She stood up gently and retreated quietly without making any sound.

From then on, only Ji Gui and Luo Rucai were left in the huge military tent. He then spoke, "General, Li Guo's five thousand elite cavalrymen are not scary, but the suspicion of King Chuang towards you is scary!"

"what?"

Luo Rucai was stunned. He looked at Ji Gui and said, "You mean...?"

"General, it is a critical moment for King Chuang to deploy troops, but he sent a tiger with five thousand elite cavalry to our Cao camp. Isn't it to monitor our Cao camp? It is obvious that King Chuang has doubts about you!"

Luo Rucai's expression became solemn and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, flickering in the faint sunlight that shone into the military tent.

"But... he only has 5,000 men and horses, what can he do to me?"

Ji Gui was also a little anxious. He asked, "General, how many people in our 'Cao Camp' are loyal to Li Zicheng?" Luo Rucai's originally nonchalant face suddenly flashed with anger, and he said, "Who... Tell me, I'll kill him!"

Ji Gui gently pressed down Luo Rucai's waving arm and said to him, "General, since our Cao camp and Li Chuang Wang have joined forces, as his prestige has grown, many of our soldiers have come to admire Li Chuang Wang and have become dissatisfied with the various military regulations of our Cao camp."

Luo Rucai looked puzzled and asked, "Military Advisor, which one are you talking about?"

"General, those who admire King Chuang are mostly soldiers in the army. Although there are many of them, it is difficult to identify them all at once. The generals in the army are still loyal to you. They also believe that you are not someone who will be under King Chuang for a long time, so they are like this..."

Ji Gui's meaning was very clear. He was hinting to Luo Rucai that if he did not find a way to break away from Li Zicheng, the King of Rebellion, as time went on, the generals in the army would no longer be loyal to him.

As expected, Ji Gui then said bluntly: "But if the Marshal continues to be with Li Chuang Wang, he will always be suppressed by Li Chuang Wang's prestige. After a long time, the world will only know him, Li Chuang Wang, as the 'Great Marshal of Civil and Military Affairs who advocates justice on behalf of heaven'. Who will know that there is also a 'Great General with Virtue and Power who comforts the people on behalf of heaven'?"

  Ji Gui kept an eye on Luo Rucai's expression, and when he saw his face turn pale and his eyes gradually revealed a cold look, he hurriedly continued, "By that time, everyone in the world will know that King Chuang will be crowned emperor and rule the country. Who wouldn't want to be his subordinate and fight for a title of founding hero in the future?

Even if the general still follows Li Zicheng, he will only be given a duke title. What about the generals in Caoying? Will they follow you, the founding duke? Or will they switch to Zicheng, the founding monarch, as soon as possible? "

Ji Gui's words were like thunder, bursting in Luo Rucai's mind...

The expression on Luo Rucai's face gradually became distorted. He bared his teeth, his face was ashen, and his eyes were cold, but his breathing was very light, almost inaudible.

This is a habit of Luo Rucai. He breathes like this every time he makes an important decision. This also shows that he is always very calm when making decisions and his judgment will not be affected by impatience and anger.

In fact, Luo Rucai fully understood what Ji Gui had just said. However, although he was a very righteous person, he was a pleasure-seeking person and had no ambition.

It was precisely because of this that he was able to successively join forces with the two heroes, Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng. Look at Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng, there was no problem for them to cooperate with each other to fight the government army, but if the two of them joined forces, they would inevitably think of taking the opportunity to swallow up the other and expand their own power, so they could not be as closely united as Luo Rucai and Li Zicheng.

However, as the voices in favor of Li Zicheng becoming emperor grew louder and louder, Luo Rucai also felt more and more pressure.

Whenever it was late at night and everyone was asleep, he would often think to himself: if Li Zicheng really became the emperor, what should he do? Should he continue to rebel against the emperor, or become his subject?

This is really a difficult decision for Luo Rucai!

Luo Rucai stood up with his hands on the table, frowned and slowly walked to the window of the military tent. He looked at the ray of sunlight coming in from outside and sighed softly, "I... can't be ungrateful and turn around to beat Brother Li, right?"

Ji Gui had been following behind him. When he heard him say this, he quickly responded, "General, how about this? We should immediately lead our troops eastward, pass the Daguantou Yongyi Army Camp, turn south from Chenliu County, first pass Qi County, enter Guide Prefecture, and wait and see what happens?"

Luo Rucai frowned deeply and said nothing, as if he was struggling with his conscience.

Seeing this, Ji Gui was afraid of missing the opportunity, so he hurriedly continued: "Suizhou, Ningling, and Shangqiu in Guide Prefecture were conquered by us not long ago. Now they are short of troops and weak in defense. They are the perfect place for our Cao camp to stay.

Once we have established a firm foothold in Guide Prefecture, we can wait and see what happens. We can either go south to surrender to General Zhang, or go east to submit to the imperial court. By then, whether we go east or west, we will no longer be constrained by Li Zicheng, and we can make our own decision at the will of the general!"

Luo Rucai turned around suddenly and strode back to the table. He picked up a full bowl of rice wine and drank it all in big gulps. Then he turned around and glared at Ji Gui and asked him, "Who did you contact to surrender to the court?"

Jigui replied, “No contact has been made yet.”

He saw a hint of disappointment in Luo Rucai's eyes, and then continued: "Among the several forces inside and outside Henan, Ding Qirui has been driven away by us, and the Governor of Fengyang Zhu Dadian is far away in Fengyang Prefecture. The only one who is close is the Governor of Baoding Zhang Fuzhen, who is stationed in Kaifeng City."

Ji Gui hesitated for a moment before continuing, "However, I heard that the troops under the command of this governor are not strong, and the military affairs of Kaifeng are entirely decided by Zhang Cheng, the general of Xuanfu and the Earl of Yongning."

Luo Rucai repeated: "Zhang Cheng?"

"Correct."

Ji Gui said softly, "I get along well with Yuan Shizhong's military advisor Liu Yuchi. I heard that their Xiao Yuanying was under the command of the Earl of Yongning."

Luo Rucai's eyes rolled around and he began to pace back and forth in the military tent. Ji Gui knew that he was thinking about the future of Cao's camp and did not dare to disturb him for a while. The two of them stayed like this, one quiet and one moving, without disturbing each other.

Suddenly, Luo Rucai stopped and asked abruptly: "What if... Zicheng defeated Zhang Cheng's Yongyi Army and captured Kaifeng?"

When Ji Gui heard him ask this question, he already knew his decision, but he said with a serious face: "Whether Li Zicheng can capture Kaifeng or not, it has nothing to do with my Caoying anymore."

  Seeing that Luo Rucai's eyes were a little vague again, he hurriedly continued: "Kaifeng is a thoroughfare between the north and the south, and it is also a fiefdom of the Zhou Dynasty. However, after being besieged twice by King Chuang, more than half of the money and grain stored in the city have been consumed. Even if it is conquered by King Chuang, it must be a protracted siege. Just imagine how much money and grain can be left in the city?

Moreover, there are border troops from Xuanda outside the city. Although their troops are not as numerous as the official troops of Shuipoji, they are stronger and more powerful than their elite troops. This fact was able to block the battlefield in the past. The fact that our army and the scouts under the command of King Chuang were unable to penetrate deeply explains everything. "

Ji Gui continued to analyze while the iron was hot, "General, although we have never fought against the Jianzhou Tartars, they dared to penetrate thousands of miles into the interior of the Ming Dynasty, destroyed hundreds of cities, looted countless money and people, and withdrew safely. This shows how powerful their troops are.

However, the Yongyi Army led by Yongning Earl Zhang Cheng was defeated in Liaodong, which shows how weak their fighting ability is. Even if the Prince of Chuang could defeat Yongning Earl's troops, they would certainly suffer heavy losses, and then they would have to attack Kaifeng. Even if they broke the city, it would not be of much benefit. "

He finally said: "In short, after the battle of Kaifeng, King Chuang may not be as strong as before!"

"But... isn't this a betrayal?"

"Marshal, this is a matter of life and death, don't be careless!"

"I……"

"General, if you don't make a decision, you will regret it!"

"Come on! Come on! Come on!"

Luo Rucai seemed to have made up his mind: "I'll do whatever you want this time!"