weaving

"Prince Chuang, please invite Mr. Niu and Military Advisor Song as well." After Liu Zongmin heard the reason why Prince Chuang called him over, he made a suggestion.

Li Zicheng thought about it and agreed, but before Wu Ruyi could accept the order, Liu Zongmin said again: "Prince Chuang, this matter cannot be concealed. Why not call Han Ju over and let's discuss it together."

Seeing that King Chuang nodded, Wu Ruyi strode out of the camp tent and arranged for someone to summon Niu, Song and Yuan.

Here, Liu Zongmin looked at Gao Yigong and asked him, "Yigong, if we eat as much as we want, how long can we last?"

"If you eat as much as you want, I'm afraid you won't be able to last even five days."

Liu Zongmin asked again: "If we follow the minimum ration, can we last for 15 days?"

"Yes, I can guarantee that. If the supply is further reduced, it can at most last for 20 days."

Gao Yigong first made a clear promise, and then reminded him: "But in ten days at most, we must make a decision, either fight or flee. We can't delay any longer."

Li Zicheng's face was as gloomy as water and he remained silent. Liu Zongmin glanced at him, but he seemed to want to say something but hesitated.

Whether to fight or to flee, both are very important decisions, which will greatly affect the future of King Chuang and the entire Chuang army. Even Liu Zongmin, the second-in-command of the Chuang army, dare not make a decision lightly at this moment.

Hearing that there was no movement in the headquarters, Wu Ruyi walked in at the right time. He first added tea to King Chuang, Liu Zongmin and Gao Yigong, and then arranged for people to prepare three tables and chairs, and put tea bowls on them.

"Grand Marshal, can you give Master Liu and Uncle Gao some food?"

King Chuang glanced at Wu Ruyi, waved his hand gently at him, and said, "Just make the arrangements as you see fit."

…………

"You can only fight, you can't retreat!"

Yuan Zongdi spoke first: "We have hundreds of thousands of troops scattered over a hundred miles of territory. If we retreat, there may be many accidents along the way. Moreover, the government troops on the other side are strong. Although they have been on the defensive and will never leave the camp to fight us, they have not shown any signs of cowardice. Their morale is high. If they hear that our army is retreating, how can they not come to pursue us?"

After hearing what he said, several people fell into deep thought, and the tent of King Chuang became quiet again for a while.

Li Zicheng, the King of Rebellion, broke the silence in the general's tent and said, "Everyone can speak freely today. No matter how you speak, just say what you think today. It doesn't matter whether you are right or wrong!"

Liu Zongmin looked at Niu Jinxing, then at Song Xiance, knowing that they never easily revealed their thoughts and rarely spoke first, so he said, "Prince Chuang, I think what Han Ju said is very true. It is indeed not easy to retreat under the current situation. It is not that we are worried about the pursuit of the government troops, but we have gathered hundreds of thousands of troops here. If we return without success, how can we fight for hegemony over the world, lead the heroes, and change the dynasty!"

…………

His words touched everyone's heart. All the generals and leaders in the rebel army hoped that the rebel king would overthrow the Ming court, ascend the throne as the emperor, and create a new dynasty with peace and prosperity.

Of course, what everyone is thinking about is that they have the merit of following the emperor, and after establishing a new dynasty, they will naturally enjoy endless wealth and glory, and even future generations will not have to struggle anymore.

But now this belief not only appeared in the hearts of the generals of the Chuang army, not to mention the soldiers of each camp, even those who were used as artillery fire and hungry people were all like this. They didn't think much about the merit of following the dragon. After all, as the lowest level of the Chuang army, how could this merit of following the dragon be theirs? However, when they thought that they were actually assisting the King of Chuang to conquer the world, they would naturally feel proud. After all, people have to do something in their lives. In this era where human life is as cheap as a dog, it is worth it to be able to assist a generation of kings, even if they are used as artillery fire, or even sacrifice their lives for him!
Many people in the rebel army thought so. They believed that Li Zicheng, the King of Rebellion, was the savior, and they were willing to die for him, just because they wanted to do something earth-shaking in their short and limited life so that they could live a more worthwhile life.

As the leaders of the rebel army, whether it was the King of Rebellion, the chief sentry Liu Zongmin, the generals Gao Yigong and Yuan Zongde, as well as the head of the civil officials Niu Jinxing and the military advisor Song Xiance, all knew these situations well.

That's why Liu Zongmin had such worries!
…………

After a while of discussion, everyone gradually reached a consensus that they could only fight and not retreat!

"Military Advisor, do you have any ideas for the current predicament?"

Song Xiance had always been Li Zicheng's strategist, and he was personally named by Li Zicheng. He knew he couldn't escape, so he replied, "Grand Marshal, Xiance also thinks that what General Han Ju said is right."

When he said this, he stole a glance at Liu Zongmin before continuing, "However, I think it is not completely impossible to withdraw the troops."

Under everyone's puzzled eyes, Song Xiance continued, "Grand Marshal, my division has another plan. It is an emergency plan for when things get tough. It must not be used unless it is an absolute last resort."

After hearing this, Li Zicheng, the King of Rebellion, asked anxiously, "Oh. I wonder what good plan the military advisor has?"

"If necessary, our division can retreat to lure the government troops to pursue, and then set up an ambush to attack from both sides. If used properly, we may be able to defeat the government troops."

Li Zicheng nodded and asked Niu Jinxing: "Qidong, what do you think of the military advisor's plan of 'retreating the troops to lure the enemy'?"

Niu Jinxing had a leisurely look on his face. He stroked his beard slowly and said slowly, "The military advisor's 'strategy of luring the enemy' is indeed a brilliant plan, but if used improperly, it can put our army in danger and lead to complete defeat. It should never be used unless it is absolutely necessary.

At the moment, I think the proposal of General Liu and Han Ju is right. We should take advantage of the high morale and unity of the people to attack them by surprise and defeat the government troops in Xincheng. Then we can seize their food and grass for our use and remove the last obstacle to the attack on Kaifeng."

"We must fight."

Li Zicheng, the King of Rebellion, made the final decision. He continued, "However, how to fight this battle, where to attack first, and which direction to attack mainly, all need to be determined in advance."

"How about hitting Xianggong Temple?"

Wu Ruyi couldn't help but interjected, "Master Liu is now surrounding the Xianggong Temple. It has been more than two months now. I think the government troops must be exhausted and weak. It is better to defeat them in one fell swoop and then attack the government army camp in Xincheng with all our strength."

Liu Zongmin glared at Wu Ruyi and said, "The Xianggong Temple government troops have long been trapped. Why rush to attack? Aren't you afraid of losing troops?"

Yuan Zongdi understood Liu Zongmin's meaning and said, "The main force of the government troops is the border troops from Xuanda. As long as we beat them hard and drive them back, no government troops will dare to come to rescue Kaifeng again within this year."

"You mean... just attack Shinjoji directly?" (End of this chapter)