weaving

Chapter 1451: Compassion does not command troops
August 2nd, Shen Shi (3-5 PM), Dragon King Temple.

Outside the headquarters of the Yongning Earl, the commander-in-chief of the five provinces in the Central Plains, shouts of battle filled the air, interspersed with bursts of gunfire and the rumble of cannons, indicating that a fierce battle was raging.

The Earl of Yongning and Admiral Zhang Cheng ascended to the high platform on the second floor of the main hall of the Dragon King Temple. Holding up their binoculars, they observed the enemy's attack at a leisurely pace. From the sounds of gunfire and cannons, they could tell that the enemy's attack was not particularly fierce.

Perhaps it should be said that such an intense attack, while not entirely ineffective against the Yongyi Army's defensive capabilities, was far from sufficient.

The Earl of Yongning was accompanied only by his staff officers Liu Chengzhu and Hu Yiwen, along with Zhang Mingyuan, a central military officer, who led a dozen personal guards, and Liu Tichun, who was dumbfounded...

His eyes were vacant and lifeless, his face full of surprise and doubt, and he kept muttering, "No... this shouldn't be... this can't be happening... why did they start fighting..."

Although he couldn't believe it, the scene before him was real. Even though he couldn't see the appearance of the enemy troops in the distance, he could tell from the color of their flags that they were the troops of Commander Liu Zongmin.

"Erhu, Li Chuang is trying to use me to get rid of you!"

"No, no...no. I haven't wronged the Grand Marshal, it's not like that..."

"Here..." Zhang Cheng handed the binoculars to Liu Tichun and said, "Take a look for yourself. See if there are any familiar faces among the enemy soldiers on the other side."

Liu Tichun's outstretched hand was trembling slightly. After taking the binoculars, he did not raise them to look directly. Instead, he hesitated and struggled internally for a while before suddenly raising them to his eyes to observe the situation on the battlefield.

At this moment, a personal guard came to report: "Report, General Chen Yongfu of the left flank has reported that a large number of bandits have been mixed in with the starving people they have received. General Chen is currently engaged in fierce fighting with them, and the starving people are in complete chaos."

"Issue the order that Chen Yongfu should not engage the bandits, but immediately withdraw his troops to camp for defense to reduce casualties."

"Yes, sir!" The messenger quickly retreated.

"Commander, please release Erhu back to ask the rebel king why this happened."

"Ask?" Zhang Cheng said coldly, extremely angry. "Is there even a need to ask? Facts speak louder than words. As the saying goes, 'seeing is believing.' It's already obvious. Why would you ask?"

“But…this…” Liu Tichun, a burly man, was speechless for a moment and could not answer.

“This is clearly a ruse by Li. He is using you as a hostage to lure me into believing him. He will then mix the thieves among the starving people to create chaos, distract me from taking command of the troops, and then launch a surprise attack on my Dragon King Temple camp with his cavalry.”

Marquis Yongning Zhang Cheng calmly continued, "If this plan succeeds, Li the traitor may be able to turn defeat into victory. Even if it fails, there will be no loss; he will simply have to escape. I suspect that Li the traitor has already made preparations to escape."

Sacrifice Liu Erhu, and take advantage of my unpreparedness to break through my Dragon King Temple camp, turn defeat into victory, and then conquer Kaifeng City in one fell swoop, thus dominating the entire Central Plains.

Li thief, you've really got a clever plan in mind!

"No...no...King Chuang...he's not like that!"

Zhang Cheng glanced at Liu Tichun with a mysterious expression, then shouted loudly, "Erhu, wake up!"

With a "thud"...

Liu Tichun's massive body suddenly shrank by half. He knelt on the high platform, covering his face and weeping as he faced the direction of Liu Zongmin's banner in the distance.

At this moment, his heart was filled with mixed emotions. Although he desperately didn't want to believe that he had been betrayed by Li Zicheng, the rebel leader, the facts were undeniable—for victory, Li Zicheng was truly willing to sacrifice his brothers who had risked their lives for him.

"I have a suggestion. I heard that Dejie is still in Zhang Cheng's army. Wouldn't launching a surprise attack now be tantamount to killing him?"

Faced with Li Yan's question, Song Xianze smiled bitterly to himself, but only said lightly, "This is the principle of 'a kind heart cannot command an army, and righteousness cannot manage finances'!"

Li Yan fell silent, a look of confusion appearing in his eyes...

…………

In Li Yan's mind, the rebel leader originally had an extremely lofty image. He even regarded him as a savior, a star sent down from heaven, a hero who could change this tragic world, and a wise ruler who would surely be remembered in history.

But now, Li Yan is gradually demystifying the rebel leader...

As Li Yan learned more and more about him, the mystery surrounding the rebel leader gradually faded, and his limitations in thinking, lack of long-term strategic vision, short-sightedness, and impulsiveness were exposed to him.

For example, Li Yan repeatedly suggested that officials be appointed to govern the people in the conquered prefectures as a foundation, which was actually an excellent suggestion and strategy, but Li Zicheng never approved it.

The underlying reason was Li Zicheng's complacency and deeply ingrained peasant mentality. He even publicly stated, "Shaanxi is my homeland, a strategically important place. I will establish my capital there. Wealth and honor will return to my hometown. Even ten Beijings cannot replace one Xi'an."

For example, Li Yan, Song Xianze, Niu Jinxing and others also suggested that Li Zicheng clarify the ranks and subordinate relationships of military officers. Although Li Zicheng made some changes, they were not thorough enough, and he basically continued to use the old system.

In conclusion, as time went by and he gained a deeper understanding, Li Yan began to waver in his initial choice, even doubting whether he had made a mistake in rebelling and following the rebel leader.

However, there's no turning back for him now!
Rebellious scholars like Li Yan were completely different from figures like Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong, Luo Rucai, and Yuan Shizhong.

Other bandits, whether they were bandit leaders or generals in the bandit army, would mostly be recruited by the court if they were willing to surrender. Even the most stubborn bandit leader, Li Zicheng, would be carefully considered by the court if he really wanted to surrender, and in most cases, he would still be accepted.

But it was different for a rebellious scholar like Li Yan. Even if he wanted to surrender to the court, he would almost certainly be killed, simply because he was a scholar who had studied the classics.

…………

"Fight if you can win, retreat if you can't. Isn't that obvious in warfare? Why sacrifice a great general for a mere strategy?"

A hint of regret flashed in Song Xianze's eyes as he said softly, "I'm not willing to accept this, but so be it!"

Yes, it was only because of the "unwillingness" of the rebel king and others that they changed their original peace negotiation strategy and decided to launch a sneak attack without informing Liu Tichun, hoping to turn defeat into victory.

This is the act of a gambler!
Unfortunately, Li Zicheng's opponent today has changed. He is no longer one of those good-for-nothings, but Zhang Cheng, the Earl of Yongning, who knows the importance of "being prepared for danger in times of peace".

Destiny, this is destiny!

Zhang Cheng, the Earl of Yongning, was not originally a character in this parallel world. It seems that he came to stop Li Zicheng from becoming emperor. No matter how arrogant Li Zicheng was in the past, he immediately became ineffective when he faced Zhang Cheng, the Earl of Yongning.

Mission, perhaps this is Zhang Cheng's mission in this world!
To prevent short-sighted individuals like Li Zicheng, who lacked long-term strategic vision, from becoming emperor, and thus avoid handing over the Han dynasty's territory to foreign tribes.

The world may not belong to the Zhu family, but it must never belong to the Aixin Jue Luo family!
No, absolutely not...