weaving

The sunset in the autumn harvest season is always particularly beautiful. It hangs red in the western sky and falls on the treetops at the end of the plain. It looks a little bigger than usual, like a huge red apple, which can be picked with one hand.

In many places here, the sparse crops have not yet been harvested. Some crops are more prosperous, and many of them have dried up in the fields, and no one cares about them.

In the past few days, there have been news from various parties.

It is said that a large number of officers and soldiers will pass through here and go to northern Henan to suppress bandits. They are very afraid when they hear about it. After all, "thieves pass like a comb, and soldiers pass like a grate."

In short, what they know best is that once a war really breaks out, ordinary people like them will suffer in the end, so many people leave the village and avoid the main road, and the crops in the fields are delayed because of this.

The people in the south of Henan are quite different from those in the west of Henan. Although they have heard of the title of "Chuang Wang", they don't have a good impression of it, and they still regard them as people who do all kinds of evil. "Rogue".

Although the impression of the officers and soldiers is not friendly, in the eyes of these poor people, at least the officers and soldiers are still under the control of the imperial court, as well as the checks and balances of local officials.

And the so-called "rogues" are not just like a man-eating devil. They plunder all the way and grab wherever they go. It is said that there are almost few rogues and locust disasters, and there is not a blade of grass left in the places they pass.

At this moment, after conquering Luoyang, Li Zicheng, the Chuang Wang, opened a granary to release grain, and gave relief to the people, etc., which has won the hearts of the people. It is far from being praised here.

Even if someone mentions it occasionally, the common people mostly treat it as a joke after dinner, and not many people believe it.

For many years, all they have heard is how cruel the "rogue bandits" are. Every time a city is broken, not only the food, fodder, gold and silver in the city will be looted, but even the city walls will be leveled, so they call it "shoveling the city".

Moreover, after shoveling the city, the rogues would kidnap all the people in the city and serve as porters and handymen to expand their own troops. Of course, those useless old and weak would be abandoned and left to fend for themselves.

However, the common people are afraid of bandits as well as officers and soldiers.

Among the many officers and troops of the Ming Dynasty, there are even more soldiers and jade dragons mixed together. They can't encircle and suppress the rogues, but they can disturb the local area and plunder the people, but they are no worse than the rogues.

Therefore, the people here are also afraid that the troops of Chuangwang will go south, and they are also afraid that the troops of the army will come to the west. Especially in the past two days, the wind has become more intense. Escaped early.

…………

In the evening of this day, a group of hungry people fleeing famine were struggling to walk on the road from Runing to Shangcai. In the afterglow of the setting sun, they walked along the road of smoke and dust, and in the gradually thickening twilight, they ran from south to north. .

Suddenly, a large group of cavalry galloped towards them, and the hungry people fleeing the famine had no time to hide, so they had to kneel together in a panic by the road.

They were afraid that if they ran indiscriminately, they would anger the group of cavalry that was running towards them. No matter whether they were officers or bandits, they would kill them in the same way when they got angry, so they were all terrified.

...

At this moment, it was already dusk, the children's stomachs were empty, they were so hungry that they were crying softly, the adults next to them hurriedly reached forward and covered their mouths tightly, for fear of disturbing the passing army and causing a disaster of death .

Some old men with gray beards also knelt by the side of the road. Under the evening wind in late autumn, their thinly clothed bodies could not help shaking, and their painful groans could be heard from time to time.

The heads of this group of hungry people were stuck to the ground. They didn't want to have a look at the passing army, but they didn't dare to look at it head-on. They could only press their foreheads to the ground and quietly peeped at the passing cavalry from the corner of their eyes. His eyes were full of fear.

The reason for fear is that poor people like them will always be lambs at the mercy of others. Whether they encounter officers or soldiers or bandits, they are destined to be looted. If they resist, they will be decapitated. .

In fact, it might be better if you really met the bandits. Most of them just looted and would not massacre poor people like them. However, the officers and soldiers are different. Light, and then cut off the head to pretend to be the leader of the thief to claim credit.

Among these poor people, there are also some people who can read and write. They look at the army passing by from a distance, still unsure of their hearts and minds, but a big flag is particularly eye-catching.

I saw a big word "Chuang" written in block letters on it, and I suddenly realized: "This is the team of 'Chuang Thief'!"

When the surrounding crowd heard that it was an army of "thieves", they couldn't help discussing it.

Some guessed whether this was to attack the city of Runing Prefecture

Some people also speculate that it is likely to go south to face the official army!

An old man in his 50s got up and said: "Runing, this is Uncle Liu Hongqi's territory, even if the 'burglar' breaks through Luoyang, it will still be a strong dragon and a local snake!"

After hearing this, several people around him nodded frequently, as if they agreed very much.

At this time, the slogans that have been circulated in the west of Henan, such as "the King Chuang will not pay the food when he comes", "eat his mother, eat her mother, if there is not enough food, there will be the King Chuang", are still very rare in the south of Henan.

And the common people in southern Henan's concept of "Chuang Wang" still stays a few years ago, and they still treat him like ordinary rogues.

Some old women in the crowd were still worried about their daughters-in-law and daughters-in-law, but it was only after the cavalry had passed that no one stopped to tease and harass them. "Amitabha".

While everyone was discussing, a small leader galloped back. When he arrived in front of the victims, he reined in his horse and dropped a large bag of grain from the horse.

He only heard him say loudly: "Fathers and elders, don't be afraid. We are the troops of King Li Chuang, and we came to the border of Runing to suppress the soldiers and calm the people.

We, King Li Chuang, wholeheartedly serve the people, and have always sympathized with the elderly and the poor. Whenever we go to a place, we always open warehouses first to relieve the hungry people.

Today, we are the vanguard of the army, and we went to Runing to inquire about the movements of the officers and soldiers. We passed by here, and we didn't expect to meet the elders, and we didn't bring much food.

Just now, seeing that you are all poor people, the general of my family felt sorry for you, and ordered me to ride back and leave this bag of grain to you, hoping to relieve your hunger for a while.

...

If there is a village elder among you who is the leader, quickly share the grain and grain, share it with everyone, and rescue the emergency first. "

After he dropped the bag of grain, he turned his horse's head, turned around and said, "When we defeat the government army and occupy the surrounding area, there will be more grain to help you.

Don't be afraid to wait, divide the grain and grain first, and take it with you on the road, then go north, pass Yancheng and then go west, as long as you reach Funiu Mountain, King Li Chuang of my family will take you in.

It's getting dark, everyone hurry up! "

After saying these words, the little leader of the Chuangjun whipped his horse and prepared to leave.

At this time, an old man came out from the crowd of victims. He seemed to be the villager who took the lead. He knelt on the ground, first kowtowed to the little leader of the Chuangjun who rode his horse, and then thanked: " Thank you King Chuang, he is really our savior!"

He then asked tentatively, "The one riding under the flag with the word 'Chuang' on horseback is King Chuang himself?"

"No. That's our general. He is King Li Chuang's nephew, and he is called 'a tiger'!" The little leader of the Chuang army rode away after speaking.

…………

It turned out that Li Zicheng attached great importance to the news that Fu Zonglong, the governor of Shaanxi and the three sides, was leaving Shaanxi, and then found out that Fu Zonglong wanted to join forces with Yang Wenyue, the governor of Baoding, in Xincai.

He didn't dare to be negligent, and hurriedly summoned his military advisers, generals, and "Cao Cao" Luo Rucai to discuss together.

They believed that after Fu Zonglong and Yang Wenyue joined forces, there were no more than two directions. One was to stick to Runing, because Runing was a prefectural city, and it was also the seat of the clan Chongwang of the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, it seems to be a matter of course that Fu Zonglong and Yang Wenyue stick to Runing.

The second is that everyone is also worried that if the officers and soldiers are afraid that once they are besieged, they will die, so if they don't guard Runing exclusively, but go to Xiangcheng from the north of Xincai, this will make Xiangcheng and Runing mutually beneficial. Horns, support each other.

However, if the battle is unfavorable, you can go north from Xiangcheng, go to Chenzhou and Qixian, and go straight to Kaifeng.

After deliberation, they decided to send Li Guo to lead 3 horses, including infantry and cavalry, to rush to the north of Xincai as soon as possible, in order to stop the Ming army from going north, and strive to defeat it in the south of Henan in one fell swoop.

At that time, Prince Shaobao, General Pingzei, and Chief Soldier Zuo Liangyu were still stationed between Xinyang and Luoshan, and he had many soldiers and horses under him.

And Ding Qirui is also stationed in the Guangshan area, and he has stopped his troops. At this time, he is the Minister of the Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty, the governor of Huguang, Henan, Sichuan and the north and south of the Yangtze River, and he is doing his best to suppress the bandits.

However, he knew that trespassers were in full swing, but he did not dare to attack in the direction of Funiu Mountain. He told the imperial court that the activities of "offering thieves" were rampant in Gushi and urgently needed to be suppressed, but he stopped his troops and hesitated.

However, in the eyes of Li Zicheng, Cao Cao and others, Ding Qirui's intentions became unclear.

Finally, for the sake of safety, after Li Guo's 3 horses set off, Chuang Wang Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai also led the army into Xiping and Suiping to observe the movement.

At the same time, groups of bandits were dispatched to urge the surrounding states and counties to demand military rations and collect mules and horses.

…………

"A tiger" Li Guo led [-] troops to rush all the way. Fearing that the Ming army of Fu Zonglong and Yang Wenyue would escape, he personally led [-] cavalry as the vanguard, galloping day and night between Runing and Xiangcheng. The rest of the brigade followed behind.

...

Among his [-] light cavalry, not only the cavalry of Chuang Wang Li Zicheng's battalion, but also the [-] light cavalry of Yang Chengzu, the general of Cao Ying.

Yang Chengzu is the favorite general of "Cao Cao" Luo Rucai. Li Guo and him are old acquaintances. After Chuang and Cao joined forces recently, they naturally have more opportunities to meet each other, and their relationship has become more harmonious.

It is precisely because they know that the two of them get along better on weekdays, so this time the Chuang Wang Li Zicheng asked Cao Cao to send out some troops to fight together, and Cao Cao sent Yang Chengzu out on the spot.

That night, Li Guo and Yang Chengzu stationed their troops near Sheqiao. He ordered the soldiers not to harass the houses of ordinary poor people. Only the houses of rich families can be stationed.

However, the houses of the rich families are limited after all, so many military tents were set up on the empty land, and most of the intruders were stationed in the wilderness outside the stronghold.

Moreover, in order to prevent leaks of the news of the large-scale invasion of the Chuangjun, no matter whether it is inside or outside the village, fire is strictly prohibited.

Li Guo's old battalion was stationed in a slightly dilapidated temple. As soon as he settled down, he sent someone to gather the local village elders. At that time, more than ten people came.

Li Guo first publicized to them that the purpose of King Chuang's army was to uphold righteousness from heaven and punish crimes against the people.

It is especially emphasized that the main purpose of the present day to Runing is to suppress the soldiers and calm the people, to kill those officers and soldiers who killed the good and pretended to be meritorious, and to harm the people, and even more so to step on the heads of the ordinary people. The local eunuchs and local tyrants were completely eliminated.

After he finished speaking, the villagers who were summoned were also dubious. After all, it was the first time to deal with Chuangjun, so they still felt a little bit uneasy.

There was a villager whose clothes were a little tattered, but with a gentle face, but he approached him wisely and said: "We have also heard about the name of King Li Chuang for a long time, and know that his people are all benevolent and righteous.

How does King Li Chuang behave in the west of Henan, and how well he treats us ordinary people, the little old man burns incense and prays everywhere, hoping that King Li Chuang will come to rescue the suffering of the little old man and others as soon as possible.

Although I couldn't see King Chuang in person today, I was able to see the general leading the cavalry to come here in person. Sure enough, the military discipline was strict and Qiu committed no crimes. This is really unprecedented.

General Li has orders, how dare the little old man not try his best! "

Li Guo smiled, and said: "God has already rejected the Zhu family, now the court is corrupt at the top, and the officials are corrupt at the bottom. This means that his Ming's life is exhausted, and now he must perish.

The name of our King Li Chuang has been revealed to everyone in the prophecy "Eighteen sons, the main artifact", not to mention the folk proverbs of "Li Daizhu", which has been clearly stated in the prophecy, which shows that God's will has long belonged to us Chuangwang's side.

Now, my army has arrived in Henan, and the people are responding everywhere, and they all burn incense to welcome them. This means that my family, King Li Chuang, really responds to people. It is estimated that within three to five years, our army will attack the capital. , Reorganize the universe, and establish a new dynasty. "

All the old folks were engrossed in what they heard, they didn't dare to make a sound, they could only nod their heads lightly.

In fact, in Daming, which is now in turmoil, one of the "Tui Bei Tu" has already been thoroughly spread.

However, most people don't really believe in this. They don't believe that the Zhu family's Daming will perish soon, and they don't believe that the real son who saved the people from the fire and water has already been born at this moment!

An old villager who was invited said in his heart: "Everyone wants to be the real emperor, even the intruder who has never read a book has such a crooked idea.

Could it be that Daming is really over?"