The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 287 Zuo Liangyu

In the 12th year of Chongzhen, July 25th, it was the hot summer season in the South.

The scorching sun hung high in the sky, like a huge steamer. It was so hot that it was uncomfortable, and it was so oppressive that it was difficult to breathe.

The air above the fields was distorted by layers of heat waves.

There were no animals or birds at a glance, and even the chirping of insects seemed extremely dull.

However, just above the official road, a group of soldiers wearing commoners, wearing red tassel helmets, and carrying spears on their shoulders were slowly marching on the hot official road.

Their steps were dragging, one step at a time, extremely slow, but they still kept moving forward.

Zuo Liangyu held the reins and led the horse under him to walk slowly forward.

Although the Fan Yang felt hat above his head blocked him from the direct sunlight, it was unable to do anything about the heat wave coming from all around.

Sweat slowly dripped down Zuo Liangyu's cheeks.

Even if you are riding a war horse, the scorching heat can still make you sweat profusely.

The sweat from the body soaked the clothes and stuck the clothes underneath to the body. It was extremely uncomfortable no matter whether he moved or not.

The weather was sultry and hot, making Zuo Liangyu feel like his lungs were on fire.

Zuo Liangyu tried his best to control his breathing, but in the end he still had little effect.

But even so, Zuo Liangyu's face remained calm.

"Headquarters, noon is approaching, and the weather is too hot. Do you want to camp and rest first, and then march after noon?"

Jin Shenghuan, a Chinese guerrilla who was following Zuo Liangyu, looked up at the sky, hesitated, and finally asked Zuo Liangyu for orders.

Jin Shenghuan was originally one of the 72 camp bandits, nicknamed "Yidousu".

After being defeated by Zuo Liangyu, he surrendered to Zuo Liangyu's army.

Because he and Zuo Liangyu were from the same hometown, Jin Shengheng became Zuo Liangyu's confidant. After serving as a guerrilla in the Chinese Army, he always followed Zuo Liangyu. He could be said to be Zuo Liangyu's right-hand man.

Zuo Liangyu slowly turned around, first glanced at Jin Shenghuan, and then at the exhausted soldiers beside him.

"Where are we now?"

"Luohou Mountain is about eighty miles away from Fang County."

"Luohou Mountain..."

Zuo Liangyu raised his eyes and looked forward.

The view is still filled with rolling mountains. The official road winds forward and loses its trace in a mountain.

"A journey of eighty miles..."

Zuo Liangyu withdrew his gaze, and then nodded slowly.

After receiving the order, Jin Shengheng immediately handed down the military order.

Along with the stop horn sound sounded on the official road, a group of marching soldiers also stopped one after another.

The atmosphere above the official road was still dull. The long march and the scorching hot weather made it difficult for them to even cheer.

As tents were set up one after another in the shade of the mountain, and garrison items were spread out, it gradually began to gain popularity and gradually began to gain popularity.

Zuo Liangyu sat back on the chair, and two soldiers, one on the left and one on the right, held up fans to fan Zuo Liangyu continuously.

He felt a little better. He put on clean clothes, was in a military tent, and had someone fanning him, so he naturally felt much more comfortable.

Zuo Liangyu is a native of Shandong and was born in the North. He has always worked in the north.

It is not that there is no summer in the north, but although the summer in the north is hot, it is just hot.

It is dry and windy, and the heat will be blown away when the wind blows. Even if the sun is blazing in the sky, you can feel the coolness just by finding a shade tree.

The sweat on your body will soon disappear with the cool breeze blowing.

But the heat in the south is humid and muggy.

The rolling mountains shield the cool breeze from the distance, which is different from the cool breeze blowing from the north.

Among the mountains of Huguang, there are only hot and humid mountain winds that occasionally blow from the mountains.

The sweat flowing out of the body will not dissipate, but will only stick to the underside of the armor, making it extremely unsuitable.

The sultry weather had already made Zuo Liangyu depressed. At this time, the news brought by Jin Shenghuan from outside the tent completely aroused Zuo Liangyu's anger.

"Headquarters, the army's food and grass are only enough for one day. The subsequent food and grass have been delayed for some time. I'm afraid it won't be delivered until the day after tomorrow. Isn't it..."

"Then go get it and grab it. Do you still need me to teach you these things?"

Zuo Liangyu's eyes were cold, he just glanced at Jin Shengheng, and then looked away.

"This……"

Jin Shengheng stood in the tent with a hesitant expression. In the end, he did not turn around and leave the tent. He still stood in the tent and spoke.

"Headquarters, the storm of impeachment has not passed yet. Now if they go to the local area to raise food, then they will be given an excuse and the court will blame them..."

Not long ago, King Qin sent an order to let them enter the capital of the Wei Dynasty and march across Batou and Wuqiao. What they did was revealed to the ears of Lu Jiude, the eunuch who was supervising the army at the time.

Then he was sent to Beijing by a memorial from Lu Jiude. Naturally, he was punished and ordered to be punished.

Not long after this incident, Lu Jiude, the eunuch of the Supervisory Army, was now in Nanyang Mansion in the north. If another memorial was sent to them, I'm afraid they would not be able to live well by then.

"You remember one thing."

Before Jin Shengheng finished speaking, he was interrupted again by Zuo Liangyu.

"My soldiers can die on the battlefield or under military law, but they cannot starve to death or be cold to death."

Zuo Liangyu's voice was cold, like the ice in the far north, bone-chilling.

Jin Shengheng opened his mouth, but in the end he did not continue speaking, but turned around and stepped out of the Zhongjun tent.

After a while, there was a sound of people and horses neighing outside the tent, and the sound of horse hooves came from near and far away, as if a large number of cavalry were galloping out of the camp.

After another half an hour, the sound of horse hooves sounded again, this time from far to near, and bursts of cheers came from outside the tent.

However, the cheers did not last long and were suppressed. Then there were many different voices, which seemed to be arguing about something.

Zuo Liangyu frowned and was about to say something, but someone had already entered the tent first.

The person who came was wearing a black gauze hat and a cyan civilian uniform, embroidered with the white 鸂鸒 (xī chì) patch of a seventh-grade civil servant. He was the official Xiong Wencan sent to the army not long ago. His name was Li Guangxing. of cronies.

It is said that he is helping him handle military affairs, but in fact he is supervising the army.

"Commander Zuo, you are soldiers, how can you do such banditry and rob the villagers!"

Li Guangxing was very aggressive and started asking questions as soon as he came up.

"Plundering with soldiers is a serious crime. Do you think the imperial court is a law..."

"To shut up!"

A trace of fear flashed in Li Guangxing's eyes, and he even took a step back involuntarily. What he wanted to say next made him swallow it alive.

Zuo Liangyu's expression at this time was completely different from before.

Zuo Liangyu's face was almost completely red due to excitement and anger, and his eyes flashed with a fierce light, like a beast that was looking for people to devour.

"Shut up Laozi!"

Zuo Liangyu kicked over the desk that was originally placed in front of him. The anger and resentment that he had suppressed for many days completely exploded at this moment.

"You are a seventh-grade petty official, but you are just a dog of Xiong Wencan's. What qualifications do you have to point fingers in front of me!"

"you you………"

Li Guangxing was frightened and angry, trembling all over and even stammering when speaking. "How dare you call the Governor by his first name..."

Li Guangxing was shocked because it was the first time he saw Zuo Liangyu so angry, and he was filled with fear.

What makes him angry is that he is a civil servant, an official under the Governor's Mansion, and yet he is insulted by Zuo Liangyu, Qiu Ba.

"I can be wronged, but my soldiers cannot be wronged!"

The many embarrassments that had been going on for a long time had now completely filled Zuo Liangyu's chest with anger.

"When Zhang Xianzhong was forced to Gucheng by me, he was cornered. It was Xiong Wencan who insisted on appeasing him. With his official position as governor, he issued seven military orders to stop me from killing Zhang Xianzhong!"

"When Luo Rucai surrendered, I wanted to fight him, but Xiong Wencan wouldn't let me fight him."

"Now Zhang Xianzhong has rebelled in Gucheng, Luo Rucai has rebelled in Fangxian County, and tens of thousands of bandits have rebelled in Huguang. After all, Xiong Wencan thinks of me, Zuo Liangyu, and wants me to fight."

Zuo Liangyu's eyes were red, looking down at Li Guangxing from a high position, his eyes full of violence.

"After pacifying Nanyang, without much rest, they asked me to go south, let me fight, and urged me to march, but the result?
"The promised military salary has not been seen yet, so I just thought it was over."

"We are working hard with our heads, but we have no weapons and equipment, no military pay, and now we can't even get a bite to eat."

Zuo Liangyu clenched his teeth, and his hands were even trembling because of anger.

The rogues were in Fang County, only eighty miles away.

There will be a battle soon after passing Luohou Mountain, and his soldiers will go to the battlefield soon.

After a battle, I don't know how many people can come out of the battlefield alive.

His soldiers cannot go out hungry.

"If you give me the food now, I will give it back. If you can't change the food, just shut up!"

After all, Li Guangxing couldn't produce food. Facing the furious Zuo Liangyu, he couldn't even utter a word.

Even getting out of the tent was supported by the personal guards assigned to him by Xiong Wencan.

After Li Guangxing left his account, there were no further incidents.

Lines of smoke rose, and the aroma of meat porridge floated in the military camp along with the cheers of the soldiers.

However, this leisurely time did not last long. Half an hour after everyone had finished eating, a messenger cavalry galloped into the camp, interrupting everyone's rest.

Half an hour ago, after the army had finished its meal, Zuo Liangyu sent Luo Dai, deputy commander-in-chief of the former army, to lead the troops and horses of his headquarters first, as the vanguard of the former army to explore the situation along the way.

The letter sent back now was sent by someone sent by Luo Dai.

Luo Dai led his soldiers and horses to go ahead and had an encounter with the rogue bandits at Boji Village. He reported that he had encountered the main force of the rogue bandits.

The roving bandits who fought against them had a large number of fine cavalry, all well-dressed and armored. The scouts also saw Zhang Xianzhong's banner and confirmed that they were indeed the main force of the roving bandits, numbering more than [-] people.

The rogue bandits who had previously been scouted to the north actually left and returned, seeming to want to come back to Gucheng again, and they happened to encounter them.

An encounter began.

"Blow the drums and gather the troops!"

Zuo Liangyu stepped out of the tent, climbed onto the war horse brought by the guards in one step, and gave the order to gather the troops resolutely.

Amidst the rumbling drums, the more than [-] camp soldiers who were resting moved in response to the sound.

No one complained, and no one hesitated.

Zuo Liangyu's prestige in his army has already reached its peak.

"Forwards in armor! Cavalry in armor!"

Zuo Liangyu led a group of servants out of the camp and issued the second order at the same time.

As Zuo Liangyu galloped out of the camp, all the soldiers followed him one after another.

Amidst the rumbling war drums, the low sound of horns continued to rise and fall.

Looking down from the clouds, one can see that in the camp, a large number of soldiers and horses are leaving the camp, and the red streams are quickly converging towards the khaki official road.

The military situation is like a fire, and Luo Dai has only three thousand soldiers and horses under his command.

Nowadays, the strength of the bandits is no longer what it used to be, and Zuo Liangyu knows only too well the strength of Zhang Xianzhong's men.

In the past year, Zhang Xianzhong made friends with officials everywhere, spread money everywhere, wooed generals, collected weapons and equipment, and armed his troops.

Xiong Wencan even directly allocated ordnance to Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai several times.

In this year, Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai obtained at least armor that could arm 4000 people, as well as countless bows and arrows.

If he arrived late, Luo Dai would inevitably suffer a big loss.

Originally, they didn't have many troops under their command. The several battalions he led now totaled 1000 troops, plus Luo Dai's [-] troops, the total number was only over [-].

Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai's combined army seems to be approaching more than [-] men, and this does not include hungry soldiers.

Only a combined army has the power to fight.

Therefore, under such circumstances, it was necessary to rush to the rescue of Luo Dai and stabilize the military position.

Once the main force of the rogue bandits is found, the next thing will be simple.

The battalions of Chen Yongfu, Liu Guoneng, Li Wanqing, and Wang Guangen are all in the north. They can be summoned to join forces to attack and defeat Zhang Xianzhong in one fell swoop.

Zuo Liangyu led his servants all the way. This time he must kill Zhang Xianzhong, he must kill Zhang Xianzhong! !
In order to repay Zhang Xianzhong's revenge for killing his brothers and relatives when he attacked Xuzhou in the ninth year of Chongzhen!
The sound of horse hooves roared, Zuo Liangyu jumped on the horse with a spear, and led a group of armored cavalry to gallop all the way. In just a moment, they were already approaching the battlefield.

Zuo Liangyu jumped on his horse in front. He saw Luo Dai who was fighting in formation on the official road, and he also saw the dense army of rogue bandits on the two hillsides like a tidal wave. There was that aspect that he would never forget in his life. Great banner.

Zuo Liangyu flicked his hand and hit the spear, and the low horn sound slowly sounded from behind him.

The group of armored knights following behind him began to increase their horse speed with the sound of horns.

Just when Zuo Liangyu was about to issue the order to attack separately and rush to rescue Luo Dai.

A huge roar overwhelmed all sounds for a moment.

Zuo Liangyu's heart suddenly sank downwards with this huge roar.

Zuo Liangyu's face turned pale in an instant, and he suddenly looked back behind him.

In the field of vision, countless flags were swaying between the two mountains and forests behind, and countless bandits were rolling down like a tide.

Huge noises came from all directions at this time.

On the high slopes of the mountains, Zhang Xianzhong rode a black horse and looked proudly at the chaotic Ming army on the official road.

"Hahahahaha!"

Zhang Xianzhong felt extremely happy and happy. He had already seen Zuo Liangyu's flag.

His expression was ferocious and terrifying, and the scar on his face that was cut by Zuo Liangyu trembled like a centipede while he was grinning. His voice was sinister and cold.

"Zuo Liangyu, this Luohou Mountain is the burial place I chose for you!"

　"Ping Kou Zhi·Volume [-]": "Enter Henan and attack Xuzhou, kill Brother Zuo Liangyu, and gain tens of thousands of supplies."

　　"History of the Ming Dynasty·Volume 270·Biography 161": In the first month of the 11th year, Liangyu and the commander-in-chief Chen Hongfan defeated thieves in Yunxi.Zhang Xianzhong attacked Nanyang under the false official banner and settled in Nanguan.

　　When a good jade arrives at the right time, he is suspicious and urgently summons him, offering his loyalty and leaving.

　　He caught up with him and fired two arrows, hitting his shoulder. He hit him again with his sword, causing his face to bleed.

　　His subordinates rescued him and fled to Gucheng.

　　Not long after, he asked to surrender. Liangyu knew it was fake and asked him to attack him, but Wencan refused.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)