weaving

Chapter 1426 Is there another ambush?

Yang Yanchang's attack on the front lines dealt a heavy blow to Liu Zongmin, even exceeding the loss of Xie Junyou's seven thousand men and Xie Junyou's death in battle.

This undoubtedly sets a very bad precedent!

From then on, those generals who joined the rebel army halfway through would inevitably live in fear...

Because of the precedent set by Yang Yanchang, the trust that the rebel leader and his generals, including Liu Zongmin, Tian Jianxiu, and Gao Yigong, had in people like him would inevitably decrease, and they would even be wary of them in every way to prevent similar situations from happening again.

If that were the case, the foundation of mutual trust between the two sides would be broken, gradually evolving into mutual distrust, leading to mutual suspicion, and ultimately resulting in internal disintegration.

Liu Zongmin was fully aware of the consequences of doing so.

But after the example of Yang Yanchang, Liu Zongmin, upon honesty, could no longer maintain the same level of trust in the generals who came to him after the capture of Luoyang.

…………

"You ungrateful wretch!" Liu Zongmin cursed viciously.

At this moment, Gu Ying had also returned to the tent. Seeing Liu Zongmin so angry, she hurriedly whispered to him, "Master, it's not worth getting angry over Yang Yanchang."

Liu Zongmin gave him a disapproving look, but did not reprimand him. Instead, he paced back and forth in the military tent.

Because of the hot weather, Liu Zongmin was only wearing a silk robe, with strips of cloth connecting the front and back of the robe on both sides of his ribs. The strips of cloth had rows of holes to allow the body to dissipate heat and let cool air in. He was also wearing a very loose pair of shorts, with the legs above his knees.

Even dressed so lightly, Liu Zongmin was still drenched in sweat. He walked faster and faster inside the tent, his body sweating more and more...

A moment later, Liu Zongmin finally stopped and shouted, "Zijie, immediately pass down the order: the entire army will set off in half an hour."

"what!"

Gu Ying was taken aback and blurted out, "Sir, where are we going?"

His question did not elicit the expected response, but instead earned him a fierce glare from Liu Zongmin, which startled him so much that he quickly shrank back and hurriedly went to relay the order.

…………

Liu Zongmin's army had just finished assembling and had not yet set off when they received news from Gao Yigong in Zhuxian Town: "Government troops have been discovered in Jinkui Li Village, six miles north of Zhuxian Town, and Jinzhai, eight miles away, with numbers exceeding a thousand in each place."

Gao Yigong, concerned about the safety of supplies at the old camp in Zhuxian Town, specifically asked Liu Zongmin to keep an eye on the movements of the government troops at Xiangong Temple, in order to prevent them from suddenly breaking out southward and endangering the safety of the old camp in Zhuxian Town.

Originally, Liu Zongmin intended to lead the entire army to attack Yangquan Village, using their superior forces to wipe out the government troops there in one fell swoop, and then advance south of Xiangong Temple to recapture the lost positions and once again seal off the encirclement of the government troops at Xiangong Temple.

But now that he had received Gao Yigong's message, he was secretly alarmed: "Where did Zhang Cheng from Xuanfu get so many soldiers?"

Despite his doubts, the current situation did not allow him to risk going to Yangquan Village again. After all, the supplies in the old camp of Zhuxian Town were hard-won and he could not afford to lose them!

Liu Zongmin made a decisive decision and ordered the rebel army at Taodian Camp to set off immediately, heading towards Sunjialou, six miles southwest of Xiangong Temple.

But no sooner had the military order been passed down than a report came in that a government cavalry force appeared two miles northeast of Taodian. The number of soldiers was unknown, but it was speculated that they were the same government troops that had defeated Xie Junyou.

Although Liu Zongmin was furious, he dared not be careless. He first ordered Guo Junzhen to lead a small number of cavalry to clear the way, then ordered Gu Ying to lead a large infantry force to march south, and finally ordered He Hongqi to lead more than a thousand horsemen to cover the rear. "Sir, what about you?" Gu Ying asked anxiously.

"You all go ahead, I'll stay behind and meet with the soldiers coming from the sheepfold!" Liu Zongmin said casually.

However, Gu Ying objected upon hearing this. He stepped forward and stopped Liu Zongmin, saying to him, "General, you are the commander-in-chief of the army. You should be in the center to oversee the entire army. As for the soldiers from the sheepfold, Gu Ying can stay and deal with them."

"Nonsense."

Liu Zongmin's face showed displeasure, and he said sternly, "Those who disobey orders will be dealt with according to military law."

The generals originally wanted to persuade him further, but upon hearing Liu Zongmin's words, they all knew that he meant what he said, and remembering his ruthless enforcement of military law, they immediately wilted like frostbitten eggplants!

Just as Guo Junzhen led the lead cavalry to set off, Liu Zongmin also led more than 4,000 cavalrymen away from Taodian, galloping northeast along the official road.

…………

After leaving Taodian, they traveled less than a mile to the northeast when they saw a well-organized troop of government troops on the official road. Liu Zongmin quickly ordered the cavalry to stop and personally went to the front of the troop to observe them closely.

The official road was lined with infantry, with the first two ranks of infantrymen carrying large shields, extending down to the wilderness and grass on both sides of the road.

Behind the shield wall appeared to be musketeers of the government troops, their dark muzzles pointed directly in their direction. Behind the three rows of musketeers, the tips of long spears gleamed in the afternoon sun.

The only thing that puzzled Liu Zongmin was the continued absence of the government army's cavalry!

According to Zhang Hong's report, the government troops in Yangquan Village numbered 12,000 to 13,000, including 4,000 cavalry. However, the government troops seen at this moment were all infantry, and a rough estimate would not exceed 3,000.

"Could there be another ambush?" Liu Zongmin couldn't help but wonder.

He gazed out over the vast wilderness, seeing only tall grass reaching a person's height. There were no valleys or dense forests; any ambushes would surely be hidden in the tall grass.

"Send out a thousand cavalry from each flank, rush down the official road, and search an area of ​​one mile to the left and right!" Liu Zongmin decisively issued the military order.

Immediately, cavalrymen leaped off the official road and galloped into the open fields on both sides. As they rode forward, they used their weapons to whip the tall grass that was more than a person's height nearby.

Time passed by, and nothing unusual was found in the bushes. But the more this was the case, the more cautious Liu Zongmin became.

He stared at the government troops' formation two hundred paces away for a full quarter of an hour before waving his hand and saying, "Send out three hundred cavalrymen to charge at the government troops opposite and see what their tactics are."

At his command, three hundred cavalrymen immediately rushed out from the ranks, brandishing their various weapons and cheering as they charged forward.

One hundred and fifty steps...

One hundred steps...

The government troops have still not made any move!

But when the bandits were only fifty paces away, the sound of muskets exploding with a "crackling" rang out immediately.

Although the official road was very wide, more than 20 zhang long, it was very limited compared to the width of the two armies arrayed in formation. Moreover, such terrain was most suitable for the Yongyi Army's volley fire to exert its power!