There is a space for passenger planes in the late Ming Dynasty

Chongqing, superintendent of the army.

Although the surrounding mountains and rivers are beautiful and the scenery is picturesque, the people in the camp are all in a hurry and have sad faces. Because the encirclement and suppression failed and the future is unpredictable, everyone is depressed and worried.

A staff member who praised the painting of military affairs was called into the hall by Yang Sichang and had a long secret conversation.

After coming out, his colleagues asked him what new strategy Mr. Yang had? He avoided answering, just shook his head and sighed: "People often say that Zhang Xianzhong often appears and disappears when using his troops, and it is true!"

The combined forces of Zhang and Luo marched north from Luzhou, and then rushed out of Sichuan from Kui and Wu. To Yang Sichang's surprise, this route was originally a pursuit route for the army, but now it was completely empty and unable to intercept it.

Yang Sichang knew very well that once Zhang Xianzhong left Sichuan from Kui and Wu, he would be violently attacked by the courtiers and severely punished by the emperor, with disastrous consequences. Therefore, in his graceful and calm appearance, there was a vague look of uneasiness.

He sent several envoys overnight to convey urgent orders: he ordered Zuo Liangyu and He Renlong to send troops to northern Sichuan to intercept them, ordered the new Sichuan governor Liao Daheng to guard the important areas of the provincial capital, and ordered the supervisor Wan Yuanji to command the fierce tiger to return quickly from Luzhou. Master, try your best to intercept and prevent the thieves from leaving Sichuan.

Yang Sichang was thinking about Xiangyang very much at this time, for fear of losing something there. At night he worriedly asked his son: "What do you think of Wang Shuzeng, the prefect of Xiangyang?"

"He is young and promising, and he dares to do his job, but he has some misbehavior. It is said that he privately interrogated two beautiful concubines in the name of prison inspection." Yang Shansong answered.

Seeing that Yang Sichang was silent, Yang Shansong said, "Your Excellency, why not take the opportunity to give an order to the prefect Wang, telling him to guard the city carefully to prevent the traitors from escaping out of Sichuan."

Yang Sichang shook his head and replied: "Don't spread the recent changes in the war situation in central Sichuan. This will shake the morale of the military, cause slander from the ministers in the DPRK, and make the emperor angry."

This is also a common problem among Ming Dynasty officials. When encountering problems, the first thing they think of is concealment. However, Yang Sichang did not expect that in history, his concealment directly led to the loss of Xiangyang City and dug his own grave.

Yang Sichang slowly paced back and forth in the room and whispered: "Xiangyang is very defensive. Although the prefect Wang is frivolous in words and deeds, he is still experienced in strengthening troops and preparing for war. Xiangyang can still rest assured."

Seeing that his father had made up his mind, Yang Shansong walked out of the room without further persuasion.

In mid-May, Kuizhou opened its county.

In order to block Zhang Xianzhong's way out of Sichuan, Yang Sichang ordered the supervisor Wan Yuanji and Meng Ruhu to lead the main force of officers and soldiers to penetrate into Kuizhou, the gateway to Sichuan from the east.

Although Fierce as a Tiger is "pursuing the President", he only has more than 4,000 men, most of whom are infantry. However, he was eager for meritorious service and often sought shortcuts, running through barren mountains and poor valleys. His team suffered heavy losses, and only more than 2,500 people were left when they arrived at Kuizhou.

Coincidentally, he and Zhang Xianzhong's troops arrived in Kaixian County of Kuizhou at almost the same time, and they also took the lead in setting up a formation at the foot of Huangling City Mountain, which was the only way for the rebels to pass.

It was almost dusk, and it started to rain lightly again. The officers and soldiers were hungry and thirsty, so Fierce Tiger proposed to rest for the night and fight again the next day. General Liu Shijie insisted on sending troops immediately. He beat his horse and led his soldiers to fight forward. The fierce tiger had no choice but to command the whole army to follow.

Zhang Xianzhong sent his most valued adopted son Zhang Dingguo to lead troops to attack the Ming army's cavalry. As soon as they engaged in battle, they retreated and attracted the officers and soldiers to the foot of the mountain.

When the Ming army arrived at the foot of the mountain, the peasant army was condescending and took full advantage of the geographical advantages. They only used arrow stones to kill the enemy without counterattack.

Zhang Xianzhong rode up the mountain to observe the enemy's position. Seeing that there were not many enemy soldiers and no backup, he sneered and cursed: "Son of a turtle, why are you as fierce as a tiger? I will make him become a sheep under the butcher's knife today!"
He selected three to four hundred elite soldiers to personally lead them, galloped down from the high ground, and broke into the enemy's position with a loud shout. Luo Rucai also oversaw the counterattack at the same time.

The officers and soldiers were attacked from both sides and were immediately in chaos. He was as fierce as a tiger and led his troops to fight hard. He could not escape. The war horse was shot to death again. He swayed and rolled to the ground.

As fierce as a tiger, he jumped up from the ground and was about to kill himself when he was hugged by the Chinese military counselor and shouted: "Sir, you can't die, hurry up and break out of the encirclement!"

While the counselor was shouting at the soldiers on the left and right to fight to the death, the same soldier took the fierce tiger onto another ownerless horse and fled.

Zhang and Luo's coalition forces passed through Huangling City and almost wiped out the entire Ming army. They captured many mules, horses and baggage, as well as the tiger-like flag, seals and important documents of Yang Sichang.

Immediately, Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai led their troops to capture Yunyang and Qianxi near Kuizhou. After resting for a few days, the large army left Sichuan between Wushan and Dachang and headed straight for Xiangyang, Hubei.

At this time, Yang Sichang arrived in Yunyang from Chongqing in a large ship. He was very worried when he learned that Zhang Xianzhong had passed through Kuizhou Mountain and headed east.

Unable to sleep at night, he stepped onto the bow of the boat, looked at the surging river, and repeatedly lamented the difficulties of the country. He almost wanted to commit suicide by jumping into the river, but was stopped by his entourage. Yunyang Mansion, Huguang, Zhuxi.

The banks of the Xiangxi River in Panjun Village, where the Zhang and Luo coalition troops temporarily stayed, have beautiful water and fragrant flowers, and a pleasant scenery.

They were forced into Sichuan in the twelfth year of Chongzhen. Now they destroyed Yang Sichang's military strategy, smashed the blockade of hundreds of thousands of troops, successfully left Sichuan, and reentered Huguang. They no longer feared the siege by the army.

When they came to Zhuxi this time, they were like tigers escaping from trouble. Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai were in a good mood, and the two old men also came to the stream for a walk.

The two of them were walking and chatting, and Zhang Xianzhong whispered: "If you don't do it, I won't stop. How about just killing that bastard Yang Sichang in his lair?"

"Are you going to get rid of Xiangyang?" Luo Rucai asked.

Xianzhong nodded.

Luo Ru just thought for a moment and said: "The city wall of Xiangyang is strong and the defense is very strict. We can only attack wisely, not attack with force. At the moment, people in Xiangyang don't know that we have left Sichuan, and they don't know that Yang Sichang was defeated in Sichuan. We might as well give it a try. ”

"Okay, Brother Luo, you've got it right. Let's make this move and kill Yang Sichang!" Zhang Xianzhong laughed.

The two then convened for deployment and discussed countermeasures. Decided to divide the troops into two groups.

One group, led by Luo Rucai, attacked Fangxian County to contain Yunyang Governor Yuan Jicheng.

The other branch, led by Zhang Xianzhong himself, crossed the Zhang River from the northwest of Dangyang, bypassed Jingmen, and attacked Xiangyang directly at a speed of three hundred miles a day and night.

Xinye County, Nanyang Prefecture, Henan Province.

This is the closest place to Xiangyang in the territory controlled by the Zhenming Army. The distance between the two places is less than two hundred miles, and the cavalry can reach it day and night.

In early May, Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai's troops defeated the Ming army's fierce interception. After leaving Sichuan from Kuizhou, Lin Feng received intelligence from Tingfeng Wei.

Lin Feng read the history books and knew that Zhang Xianzhong quickly captured Xiangyang Prefecture after leaving Sichuan. After seizing Xiangyang's rich money and food, he quickly expanded his team and reached the pinnacle of his life.

Should they directly intercept Zhang Xianzhong's troops and destroy them, or wait until they capture Xiangyang and seize Xiangyang City together?

Lin Feng began to think carefully about the map. Directly sending Fang Xiaoyu's Longnan Corps from Hanzhong Prefecture into Yunyang Prefecture, it should be no problem to intercept Zhang Xianzhong's troops, but they can escape south, and it will be difficult to completely annihilate them.

Moreover, Xiangyang City is deep and has strong walls, so it will be more difficult to attack by yourself in the future. Although it is still unknown how Zhang Xianzhong was able to capture Xiangyang with the thousands of troops who came out of Sichuan, they must have a way.

It would be better to wait until they occupy Xiangyang and gain a foothold, then catch the turtle in the jar. Not only annihilated Zhang's tribe, but also captured Xiangyang, killing two birds with one stone.

But this timing must be grasped very well. If you start early, you may alert Zhang Xianzhong and flee without attacking the city. If you start late, they may not be able to enter Xiangyang City if they have stabilized the city defense.

So Lin Feng ordered Fang Xiaoyu to continue to closely monitor Zhang Xianzhong's troops in Pingli County, Hanzhong. When they passed Yunyang, they immediately entered Huguang to cut off their retreat.

As for the capture of Xiangyang, considering the high requirements for troop mobility and combat effectiveness, Lin Feng decided to personally lead the Guards Division to carry out the mission.

After Li Xiongxing took away 1,500 guards to strengthen the Longnan Corps, Lin Feng selected and strengthened 3,000 people, expanding the Xiaolong Guard Division to 8,000 people.

This time, he led five thousand people to Xinye in Henan Province at night, preparing to look for opportunities in the place closest to Xiangyang. Huang Hongchang from the Royal Palace's Fifth Army Commander's Office and Ma Ang from Tingfeng Guard went together.

(End of this chapter)