My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Chapter 229 What to do if the peasant army has no food to eat? Of course, rob the motherfuckers!

The hot weather is actually not a big problem.

For example, drink more water and find a cool place to rest, you will always be able to get through it.

Although there is severe drought and water shortage in Henan Province, it is not yet a desperate situation where there is no water to drink.

But if there is no food, then we are completely doomed.

Most of the peasants who followed him in the rebellion did so because they could no longer survive.

But if we can't even provide them with food, these people will definitely scatter.

By then, even the morale of his own camp might become unstable.

Thinking of this, Zhang Xianzhong gritted his teeth, a trace of determination flashed in his eyes, and he immediately made up his mind that he would attack Xinyang no matter what and seize the food and supplies in the city.

Because only in this way can we obtain enough supplies to stabilize the morale of the army and allow our team to continue to survive in this chaotic world.

Just as Zhang Xianzhong was about to give the order, he suddenly thought of something and subconsciously glanced at Luo Rucai beside him.

He knew that Luo Rucai was resourceful and probably knew that he had to attack Xinyang next.

However, Zhang Xianzhong did not express his opinion directly, but asked:
"General Luo, what do you think about this matter?"

When Luo Rucai heard this, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

He knew Zhang Xianzhong too well. In fact, when he heard that the food supply was about to run out, Zhang Xianzhong had already made up his mind, that is, to attack Xinyang no matter what.

The reason why I am asking for my opinion now is just to seek some support and recognition from me.

Anyway, whether he agreed or not, Zhang Xianzhong would attack Xinyang.

Moreover, as the leader of a peasant army, he naturally knew the difficulties they were facing!

No matter what, the army cannot be out of food, otherwise not only Zhang Xianzhong's troops will face collapse, but his army will also face collapse.

Thinking of this, Luo Rucai said:

"Now that the army is running out of food, there is nothing to worry about. Let's attack Xinyang City."

"However, this battle must be concluded quickly. We cannot give Zuo Liangyu any opportunity to exploit the situation."

"In addition, we must send people to contain Zuo Liangyu while we attack the city, preventing him from getting close to us and buying time for us to attack Xinyang."

When Zhang Xianzhong heard this, he smiled and nodded, saying:
"General Luo's idea coincides with mine. In that case, let's attack Xinyang."

After saying this, Zhang Xianzhong turned around abruptly, his eyes instantly sharp as an eagle, and shouted at a messenger beside him:

"Go, tell Dingguo and Wenxiu to come see me!"

The voice carried unquestionable authority.

The so-called Dingguo and Wenxiu are naturally Li Dingguo and Liu Wenxiu.

They were Zhang Xianzhong's most capable generals and also his adopted sons.

On weekdays, Li Dingguo and Liu Wenxiu were very respectful to Zhang Xianzhong, and Zhang Xianzhong also had high hopes for these two adopted sons.

Li Dingguo came from a peasant army and was destined to be just an ordinary little general in history, but he had another identity in history.

That is the outstanding national hero in the late Ming Dynasty!

Although he was once Zhang Xianzhong's adopted son and subordinate, after Zhang Xianzhong's death, he resolutely surrendered to the Southern Ming Dynasty and became the core pillar supporting the crisis in the precarious Yongli regime.

When Li Dingguo fought, his bravery was unmatched, and his strategy was even more extraordinary.

He defeated the Jiannu many times and turned around the decadent situation of the Southern Ming Dynasty which was on the verge of collapse. Because of this, he was even honored by later generations as the "pillar of the Southern Ming Dynasty."

His most brilliant military achievement was the crushing defeat of Jiannu's King Dingnan, Kong Youde!
It is said that Li Dingguo used a clever strategy to force Kong Youde into a desperate situation. With no other options left, Kong Youde eventually burned himself to death.

Then, he carefully set up an ambush and successfully killed Nikan, the Prince Jingjin of Jiannu, and finally completed the immortal feat of "defeating two famous kings and shocking the world".

Let the people of the world respect him.

Even after the Yongli Emperor passed away and the situation became increasingly difficult, he still maintained his integrity and never bowed his head to surrender in the face of the threats and inducements of the Jiannu. He can be regarded as the last backbone of the Han people in the late Ming Dynasty.

Upon closer examination, Li Dingguo did not really want to rebel from the beginning.

He witnessed the corruption of the Ming Dynasty with his own eyes and realized that it was impossible to save the situation, so he angrily raised the banner of rebellion and followed Zhang Xianzhong in rebellion.

However, when he realized that the Jiannu army was about to wreak havoc on the Chinese land and cause great suffering to the people, he surrendered to the Southern Ming without hesitation.

It’s a pity that it ultimately failed to turn the tide and save China from the dire straits.

Looking back on his life, it was full of tragedy.

Another person, Liu Wenxiu, although not as famous as Li Dingguo, is also a rare and outstanding talent.

Together with Li Dingguo, Sun Kewang and Ai Nengqi, he was known as the "Four Generals of the Great West".

After Zhang Xianzhong's death, he also chose to surrender to the Yongli regime of the Southern Ming Dynasty and was named King of Shu.

He made many military achievements and fought bravely in the anti-Qing battlefield in the southwest.

It is a pity that Sun Kewang later rebelled, causing the situation to take a sharp turn for the worse. Although Liu Wenxiu was filled with worry and anger, he was powerless to reverse the situation and eventually died of illness with regret.

All in all, these two were rare loyal and righteous people in the late Ming Dynasty.

The only pity is that they are not loyal to the Ming Dynasty now, but to Zhang Xianzhong!

Not long after, there was a sudden sound of hurried horse hooves from behind, followed by two riders galloping towards them.

It was Li Dingguo and Liu Wenxiu.

I saw that the two men were of similar age, both around thirty years old, but Li Dingguo was handsome, with a heroic look in his eyes, while Liu Wenxiu was a little weak and had the air of a scholar.

The two men dismounted and quickly walked to Zhang Xianzhong. They knelt on one knee neatly, clasped their fists and said:
"I've met my father!"

Although they were only Zhang Xianzhong's adopted sons, Zhang Xianzhong usually addressed them as father and son, so there was nothing wrong with calling them that.

At the same time, Zhang Xianzhong looked extremely serious, staring at them closely and ordered:
"Dingguo, Wenxiu, listen up! Our army is running low on food and fodder. We can only hold out for about ten days at most, so we must attack Xinyang City to obtain it."

"It's just that in order to prevent Zuo Liangyu from causing trouble during this period, I decided to send you to stop Zuo Liangyu!"

"Each of you will lead your troops and set out immediately to find Zuo Liangyu's whereabouts, and then use all means to stop him."

"But you must not confront him head-on. Instead, you must do everything you can to hold him back."

"If we really can't delay him, we should try to lure him somewhere else. In short, we must not let him interfere with our plan to attack Xinyang."

Upon hearing this, Li Dingguo and Liu Wenxiu looked at each other involuntarily, and a trace of deep worry flashed in each other's eyes.

Because they knew very well that Zuo Liangyu's subordinates were all elite soldiers and generals with extremely strong combat effectiveness. With the troops and strength they currently had, how could it be easy to stop Zuo Liangyu?
This task was like a heavy mountain pressing on their hearts, which instantly doubled the pressure in their hearts.

Zhang Xianzhong keenly sensed their concerns and continued:

"I know this puts you in a difficult position, so I will give you another 30,000 soldiers!"

Li Dingguo and Liu Wenxiu originally commanded 10,000 soldiers each, but with this, their forces instantly expanded to 50,000.

Although the two were filled with trepidation, facing Zhang Xianzhong's unquestionable order, they could only respond in unison:
"Don't worry, father. I will do my utmost to stop Zuo Liangyu at all costs!"

Zhang Xianzhong nodded slightly and added:

"If you can't stop them, send someone back as quickly as possible to report so I can make plans."

The two of them nodded again hurriedly to accept the order.

Then Zhang Xianzhong waved his hand.

"Go!"

He said nothing more, then turned around, mounted his warhorse, raised the whip and left.

Soon, a group of about 50,000 soldiers broke away from Zhang Xianzhong's army and quickly ran away.

Fifty thousand people may seem like a lot, but at least forty thousand of them were peasant soldiers who had just come to join the army a few months ago. The remaining ten thousand were partly from the old camp and partly from peasant soldiers who had participated in many battles.

Zhang Xianzhong looked at the army marching away, and a trace of worry flashed across his face.

He always felt that something big and out of control might happen this time.
Immediately afterwards, Zhang Xianzhong did not rush to order the troops to set off, but instead ordered the troops to rest on the spot and cook.

The soldiers received the order and took action quickly.

They skillfully set up the stove, took out rice and flour from their bags, and then made a fire to cook.

Soon, wisps of smoke slowly rose and drifted away under the scorching sky, carrying a hint of the aroma of food.

Zhang Xianzhong stood aside and watched all this quietly. He knew in his heart that only after the soldiers were well fed and well-rested could they be in the best condition to fight in the upcoming battle.

After all, siege is always a physical job, you can’t do it without eating enough!

He secretly planned in his mind that after finishing his meal, he would let the army rest for a while and then immediately launch an attack on Xinyang City.

No matter what, we must fight quickly and capture Xinyang City.

Half an hour later, Zhang Xianzhong took the lead, riding a tall black horse. He then waved his hand and shouted loudly:

"set off!"

Then, a large group of people marched towards Xinyang City in a mighty manner.

For a moment, dust was flying all over the sky, and the sounds of horses' hooves and footsteps echoed together, like a magnificent war song, being played on this scorching hot land.

At the same time, Xinyang!
The scale of Xinyang City is actually not that large, with a population of only 30,000. Compared with other cities in Henan, it seems somewhat deserted.

The officers and soldiers stationed here were all urgently transferred from other places. The officers and soldiers originally stationed here had long been exhausted in the battles with Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong.

The general stationed here at that time was named Wang Qiaonian. He came from an imperial examination background and passed the imperial examination in the second year of the Tianqi reign. When he first entered the officialdom, he served as the head of the Ministry of Justice. After that, he worked hard in the officialdom and finally served as a doctor.

Later, because his mother unfortunately passed away, he followed the filial piety and returned to his hometown to observe mourning.

In the second year of Chongzhen, he was reinstated as a Langzhong of the Ministry of Works. With his outstanding governance ability and good conduct, he was steadily promoted and served as the prefect of Qingzhou, deputy envoy of Denglai Military Preparations, and prefect of Pingyang.

Later, he was promoted to Right Censor-in-Chief and Governor of Shaanxi and Henan.

As the original governor of the three borders, Fu Zonglong, was defeated and killed in Xiangcheng, the situation was critical. Wang Qiaonian was appointed to take over his position and become the governor of the three border military affairs.

Wang Qiaonian was well aware of the severity of the current situation, so after taking office, he immediately rushed around to gather the scattered soldiers and mobilize border defense forces. He finally managed to gather 30,000 people to defend Henan.

However, at this moment, most of the troops were sent to deal with Li Zicheng, leaving only 5,000 soldiers to guard Xinyang.

On this day, Wang Qiaonian was patrolling the city with his soldiers as usual. The sun was high in the sky and the heat was unbearable. His official uniform was soaked with sweat, but he still did not stop.

Suddenly, at this moment, a soldier came running over in a panic. He was running so fast that he didn't even bother to salute. Instead, he said breathlessly:
"Sir, something terrible has happened. We have spotted an army outside the city. Judging from their flags and attire, they appear to be Zhang Xianzhong's troops."

"What? Zhang Xianzhong?"

Hearing this, Wang Qiaonian's face instantly became solemn, as if covered by a layer of frost.

He knew in his heart that Zhang Xianzhong's coming this time was probably to attack Xinyang City.

This was like a bolt from the blue for him!

After all, although most of Zhang Xianzhong's troops were peasant soldiers, they were numerous. What's more, this guy, like Li Zicheng, spread slogans such as "We don't need to pay taxes when the righteous army comes" to mislead people.

This makes it inevitable that the people in the city sometimes yearn for them. Once people's hearts are unstable, the city's defense will be in jeopardy.

Thinking of this, Wang Qiaonian no longer hesitated and decisively ordered the soldiers around him:
"You must immediately lead a team of men, divide them into six groups, and rush to the nearby area to seek assistance."

"No matter which army we encounter, we must make sure they rush to rescue Xinyang as soon as possible."

"Remember, be quick!"

The guard's expression was stern, and he answered loudly:

"As ordered!"

Then he took a group of soldiers and rushed out of Xinyang City like an arrow, galloping in all directions. The dust raised by the horses' hooves lingered for a long time.

Under normal circumstances, the troops in each province have fixed garrison areas, and those who want to seek help only need to go to nearby garrisons.

But the situation in Henan was rather special. With the rampant atrocities committed by Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong, Henan had already become a mess. Troops were frequently mobilized from various places, and there were no fixed garrisons.

The officers and soldiers and the rebels were running around everywhere. Sometimes the officers and soldiers chased the rebels and sometimes the rebels chased the officers and soldiers. Their whereabouts were erratic.

This resulted in Wang Qiaonian having no idea which friendly forces were around him, and he could only hope for luck.

Whichever army we encounter will come to our rescue.

Immediately afterwards, Wang Qiaonian hurriedly climbed up the city wall. The sun was scorching and the heat was rolling on the city wall, but he didn't care. Instead, he personally commanded the officers and soldiers in various places to prepare to fight the peasant army.

At the same time, he prayed silently in his heart, hoping that reinforcements would arrive as soon as possible to defend the city.

About half an hour later, the army led by Zhang Xianzhong finally arrived at the city of Xinyang.

When he saw the small town in front of him, Zhang Xianzhong couldn't help but laugh out loud while riding on his horse.

In his opinion, Xinyang City was much smaller than Xiangyang City he had captured before, and there were not many troops stationed in the city, so taking this city was a piece of cake.

Thinking of this, Zhang Xianzhong's face darkened and he shouted an order:
"Siege!"

As he gave the order, the army behind him quickly took action.

Of course, the vanguard were still the peasant soldiers who had just joined the team.

These people were obviously used as cannon fodder.

Although Zhang Xianzhong himself was born into a peasant family, his identity had long since changed with the passage of time and the many years of fighting in the south and the north.

Now he has the coldness and determination of a superior and no longer considers these ordinary farmers as his own.

The farmers who received the order had fear and helplessness in their eyes, because they knew that this was simply suicide.

But they did not dare to disobey the order, so they could only pick up various simple tools and rush forward.

Some held hoes, some held sickles, and some even carried wooden sticks, going into battle shirtless, ready to attack the city.

In addition, many simple ladders were carried forward.

Under normal circumstances, before attacking a city, the army would always persuade the defending general to surrender. If the other side is willing to surrender, it would reduce a lot of unnecessary losses.

But it is obvious that this situation does not fit the current situation.

Because no matter whether the defenders in the city surrendered or not, the peasant army would plunder the city after entering it in order to obtain food and supplies.

In addition, there will definitely be a large-scale massacre!

Therefore, the general defending the city will not surrender under any circumstances. In this case, there is no need for both sides to waste time talking and just do it!
At the same time, Wang Qiaonian, who was on the city wall, saw the dense army outside the city and couldn't help but frown.

Because the number of enemy troops was so large, there were at least tens of thousands of them at a glance, and the crowds were densely packed throughout the entire field of vision.

Although most of them are peasant armies with little combat effectiveness, the huge number is still frightening.

Fortunately, it was not Li Zicheng who came to attack the city at this time, because Li Zicheng's troops had already exceeded 500,000 at that time.

Moreover, his troops were not just peasant soldiers. A large part of them were even surrendered officers and soldiers. This led to Li Zicheng far surpassing Zhang Xianzhong in both the number of troops and combat effectiveness.

If Li Zicheng came, I'm afraid that Xinyang City would be lost in an instant.

At the same time, seeing that the peasant army outside the city was about to approach the city, Wang Qiaonian decisively gave the order.

"fire!"

For a moment, the cannons on the city walls roared, and shells drew an arc in the sky and then fell into the peasant army, killing many people instantly.

At the same time, officers and soldiers held muskets and fired bullets, and division officers held bows and arrows and shot arrows like a rainstorm. In an instant, many peasant soldiers fell down.

This scene frightened the newly joined peasant army into panic. They threw away their weapons and fled for their lives.

They had never experienced the cruelty of war, and now they saw so many casualties before the war actually started. They were terrified to the extreme and just wanted to escape quickly.

But how could Zhang Xianzhong let them go easily? The next second, the supervision team sent in advance immediately stepped forward.

These members of the supervision team held long swords and had stern faces. They killed all the peasant soldiers who tried to escape.

The remaining people were shocked by the bloody scene. They were trembling with fear and dared not run away anymore. They could only bite the bullet and rush towards the city in rounds.

Zhang Xianzhong rode on his horse and roared loudly:
"Listen up, everyone! Anyone who dares to run away will be killed! Charge!"

"Only after we capture Xinyang City will I give you the capital of the kingdom, whatever you want!"

"Food, silver, women, everything you want!"

However, this sentence did not inspire the peasant army that was attacking the city, but instead inspired the supervisory team.

Then the supervision team stepped forward again, waving long swords and whips, driving the peasant army forward.

At the same time, Zhang Xianzhong was not idle either. The troops behind him had already started to deploy artillery, and the deployment had just been completed at this moment.

With Zhang Xianzhong's order, "Boom boom boom", the sound of artillery was deafening in an instant, and the shells, with the whistling sound of the wind, attacked Xinyang City directly.

In previous battles with officers and soldiers, Zhang Xianzhong seized a lot of artillery. These artillery pieces were extremely powerful and were the best helpers for attacking cities and capturing strongholds.

However, Wang Qiaonian was obviously prepared, because several of his artillery pieces were firing directly at Xianzhong's artillery!

In addition, he was attacking from above and had the advantage, so it didn't take long for him to destroy Zhang Xianzhong's three cannons and some artillerymen.

Zhang Xianzhong was so angry when he saw this scene that his nose was crooked. He could only ask the artillery to readjust the distance and then continue the attack.

For a moment, artillery fire from both sides flew, and the entire battlefield fell into a tragic scene. When the smoke was filled, shouts and screams were intertwined.

At this time, Zhang Xianzhong had already retreated to a safe area.

The area was open and not threatened by the artillery on the city walls, so it was a good place for him to command the entire army.

The messenger on the side waved the command flag continuously, directing the troops' offensive rhythm.

While Zhang Xianzhong was busy attacking the city, on the other side, the spies sent by Li Dingguo finally discovered Zuo Liangyu's whereabouts.

In fact, Zhang Xianzhong’s previous guess was correct. Zuo Liangyu had always been like a dog-skin plaster that could not be shaken off, following closely behind them.

And from time to time he would jump out and stab him!

The reason why Zuo Liangyu did not confront Zhang Xianzhong head-on and eliminate him in one fell swoop was not because he had any ulterior motives, but because these peasant armies were not so easy to be completely eliminated.

Zuo Liangyu had tried this many times before. Every time he was about to kill Zhang Xianzhong, Zhang Xianzhong would abandon his chariot to save himself and let his peasant army attack the officers and soldiers, while Zuo Liangyu took the opportunity to slip away with the troops from the old camp.

what?
Why didn't Zuo Liangyu kill those peasant soldiers and then go after Zhang Xianzhong?
Please!

Can't we kill them all?
You should know that since a few months ago, the number of Zhang Xianzhong's troops has been no less than 100,000, of which at least 70,000 are newly joined peasant troops, while Zuo Liangyu's army has only more than 20,000.

It seems that it is not a big problem for 20,000 regular troops to kill 70,000 peasant soldiers, but when these 70,000 people rush over without any order, Zuo Liangyu's army will also be in chaos.

Once the army is in chaos, the morale of the army will be gone!

How could we have time to hunt down Zhang Xianzhong at this time?

(End of this chapter)