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Chapter 1430 Zhang Cheng... Does he really have such abilities?
Liu Zongmin finally made up his mind to divide his troops into two groups: one to rescue Zhuxian Town, and the other to protect the rebel king's camp. The only thing he would give up was the encirclement of Xiangong Temple.

All of this was a decision he made after careful consideration. After all, the rebel leader was the core of the entire army. As long as the rebel leader was still alive, the rebel army would not have failed, nor would it have disappeared.

Compared to the government troops at Xiangong Temple, the old camp at Zhuxian Town naturally prioritized protecting military supplies over eliminating the government troops. As long as their main force and supplies remained, the government troops could be eliminated later.

However, once the main force is lost and military supplies and provisions are gone, the rebel army may once again fall into a difficult situation like that of Shangluo Mountain and Yufu Mountain. If it really comes to that, it may be difficult to rise again.

After all, now there is this troublesome "Earl of Yongning Zhang Cheng". Although he is a young general who has risen to prominence in recent years, the "Yongyi Army" he leads is stronger than Zuo Liangyu and He Renlong, and even more ferocious than the Liaodong soldiers such as Cao Wenzhao and Zu Kuan that they encountered before.

However, Liu Zongmin had just made his decision and had not yet conveyed it to his generals when he received news that the rebel king was retreating.

He hurriedly summoned his general, unfolded a map, and stared at the area around Xiangong Temple, especially the triangular area formed by Shanche Li, Zhuxian Town, and Sunjialou, which was the focus of his study.

The main force of the rebel leader had retreated to the areas of Shanche Li, Shazui Village, Xiajiazhai, and Matou Liu, while further north was the main force of the Yongyi Army led by Zhang Cheng.

Our main force is concentrated in the Sunjialou area, while there are still some small groups of people guarding key positions around Xiangong Temple that we haven't had time to recall.

The town of Zhuxian is garrisoned by Uncle Gao Yigong and his troops. Although there are not many troops there, the fortifications are complete, and they can hold out for a period of time even if attacked.

Liu Zongmin's gaze gradually shifted to the distance. He looked towards Qi County, where Li Yan's troops were still present; and towards Xuzhou, there was Li Guo's force, a formidable force.

At present, the main force of the rebel army is almost entirely concentrated in Kaifeng Prefecture...

The original plan was to divide the troops into four groups after breaking through Kaifeng, conquer cities and occupy territories, establish officials to govern the people, and carry out a grand plan to change the dynasty!

But now, not only are they stuck outside Kaifeng, but signs of defeat are already emerging...

From Li Guo's failure to restore the grain supply route, to Li Yan's obstruction in securing grain, to the retreat of the main force of the rebel army, the restless government troops at Xiangong Temple, and the threat to Zhuxian Town, it seems that an invisible hand is controlling all of this!
Zhang Cheng?

Does he really have such abilities?
Could it be... that Brother Li and I really misjudged each other?

Liu Zongmin's eyes remained fixed on the area around Kaifeng Prefecture on the map, but his thoughts had already shifted to the Yongyi Army.

Zhang Cheng's main force must be on the Dragon King Temple side, otherwise he wouldn't have forced Brother Li to retreat ten miles; but where did the government troops that appeared on the Xiangong Temple side come from?

Suddenly, his gaze stopped at the Da Guan Tou position, as if he had thought of something. His eyes darted around, and then he looked at Liu Zhuang's position by the Shahe River.

"This is it... Daguantou and Liuzhuang, it must be the soldiers from these two places who have come to Xiangong Temple."

Liu Zongmin turned to the middle-ranking officer: "Go, call Gu Ying and the others in."

…………

Soon, Gu Ying, Zhang Nai, Liu Hongcai, Guo Junzhen, He Hongqi, Zhang Hong and others arrived at the military tent. Zhang Hong was still wearing his armband when he came in.

There was also Liu Wenbing, who was too badly injured to participate in the military council and stayed in the medical tent to receive treatment and recuperate.

In just half a day, they had already lost two generals, Xie Junyou and Xie Yinglong, and Yang Yanchang had turned against them. Liu Zongmin was getting angrier and angrier as he thought about it.

At this moment, he was unaware that Xie Yinglong had also been recruited by the Yongyi Army and become a general under the enemy Zhang Cheng. Otherwise, he would probably be so angry that he would vomit blood! Liu Zongmin had already made up his mind and did not want everyone to waste words. He immediately issued a military order: "Gu Ying, I will give you three thousand elite cavalry and ten thousand infantry. Head south to Zhuxian Town immediately to meet up with Uncle Gao. From now on, all actions will be at Uncle Gao's command."

"Yes. Gu Ying obeys."

Gao Yigong was not only the brother-in-law of Li Zicheng, the rebel leader, but also one of the core leaders of the rebel army. His position was no less than that of Liu Zongmin, the chief sentry, but he was usually very low-key.

In fact, Gao Yigong was just like Liu Zongmin and Tian Jianxiu, second only to Li Zicheng, the leader of the rebel army. Therefore, even Liu Zongmin would call him "Uncle Gao" in public.

Seeing that Gu Ying had received the military order, Liu Zongmin's gaze lingered on the group of men again, and he said, "Little Nai, your firearms battalion is slow to move and inconvenient to mobilize, so go with Zijie to serve under Uncle Gao."

Zhang Nai also wanted to follow Liu Zongmin to help Chuang Wang, after all, Chuang Wang was his adoptive father. However, hearing Liu Zongmin's very serious tone, he dared not say anything and could only clasp his hands and accept the military order.

"Liu Hongcai, Guo Junzhen, and He Hongqi, the three of you must immediately muster your troops and come with me to Shancheli to see the Grand Marshal."

"Yes."

“Zhang Hong, your arm is injured, why don’t you come to Zhuxian Town with Zijie?”

"Yes."

Gu Ying, standing to the side, tried to dissuade him: "Sir, the enemy situation around Xiangong Temple is unclear. If we advance tonight, we may fall into an ambush by the government troops."

Although Zhang Nai was young, he was well-liked by the leaders. He spoke up and advised, "Sir, marching at night is dangerous, and the government troops are unpredictable. Let's rest for the night and advance at dawn."

“Yes, sir.” Gu Ying added, “Sunjialou is only fourteen or fifteen li away from Shanche Li. If we march quickly, we can arrive in an hour and a half at most.”

Although Liu Zongmin was assertive, he was not immune to advice and could listen to good suggestions. What he disliked and found annoying was just being verbose and overly complicated.

“Alright.” Liu Zongmin readily agreed: “Order all battalions to stay at Sunjialou. Zijie, arrange the night patrols properly, and don’t be negligent.”

"Yes. Please rest assured, sir."

…………

The night was silent, without a single sound. All that could be heard were the chirping of insects and birds, mixed with the rustling of the wind through the grass, like a piece of light music, which was very soothing and had a great hypnotic effect.

People with worries on their minds will find it hard to sleep, no matter how quiet the conditions are.

Although the daytime fighting had ended...

But the sky will always rise again!
The battle will continue on the second day, and with the outcome still undecided, whether it's Zhang Cheng, the Earl of Yongning, or Li Zicheng, the rebel leader, or even their generals...

People like Zhang Guodong, Chen Zheng, and Wei Zhice from the Yongyi Army system, or major bandits like Liu Zongmin, Tian Jianxiu, and Gao Yigong from the rebel army, would carefully consider how the upcoming battles would unfold.

Even Yuan Shizhong, who was far away in Wu'an County, Zhangde Prefecture, and Cao Cao Luo Rucai, who was in Suizhou, Guide Prefecture, were very concerned about the war in Kaifeng and eagerly awaited news from there day and night...