A small soldier of the frontier army in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 385 Fighting the world according to Heluo

Li Zicheng was very happy: "If you have a gentleman, you will be able to succeed immediately. If there are volunteers who are willing to dedicate the city, breaking Luoyang will greatly reduce the damage of our volunteer soldiers. Sir, you should also make the first contribution."

Niu Jinxing bowed deeply to Li Zicheng: "Students are obliged to serve King Chuang."

He said: "As long as King Chuang is willing to respect the teachings of the saints, reduce punishment and killing, relieve the hungry people, and win people's hearts, the great cause will be accomplished."

Li Zicheng stood up, and replied solemnly: "Li has been taught."

Since he attached himself to Li Zicheng, he felt Niu Jinxing's knowledge. Li Zicheng called him Mr. and treated him as a guest teacher.Niu Jinxing also often told Li Zicheng some classics and historical articles. His intention was nothing more than to hope that Li Zicheng would achieve great things, so that he would also become a counselor and virtuous minister like the past dynasties, and leave his name in history.

Now more and more literati are attached to Li Zicheng, so Niu Jinxing attaches great importance to this chief position.Among the crowd, he was more afraid of Li Yan, so even though Li Yan was also from Juren and had good knowledge, Niu Jinxing never suggested to Li Zicheng that he should also be invited to tell stories.

The two saluted to and fro, and sat down happily. Li Zicheng pondered for a while, and said: "The righteous soldiers and righteous people can save our army a lot of effort, but we can't put all our hopes on it. We still have to do a good job in attacking the city." plan."

He asked Yuan Zongdi, "Brother Yuan, how are you preparing for the attack on Luoyang City?"

Yuan Zongdi said: "King Chuang, the brothers in each battalion have slowly adjusted, and the topography of Luoyang City has gradually become clear. In the east of Luoyang City, the water and the moat are very wide, so it is difficult to attack. The moat in the west of the city is also very wide. , it is not easy to build a bridge. The terrain in the south of the city is very low, and the city wall is high, which is not conducive to attack."

"Only the city wall in the north of the city is relatively low, which is more convenient for siege. My brothers and I want to attack the north of the city, mobilize a lot of artillery to blast the north wall of the city, and then build dozens of wooden bridges on the north moat. We should be able to break through."

Li Zicheng said: "Siege is the worst plan, but we have to be prepared. Luoyang must be captured. It is the emperor's pro-vassal land. If it is really captured, it will not only capture a large amount of money and property, but also strengthen the strength of our rebel army." , and more importantly, the shock of the imperial court will increase our confidence in victory and attract heroes from all over the world to join us."

All the generals in the hall got up and said in unison: "Chuang Wang is brilliant."

They all knew that taking down Luoyang would definitely benefit a lot, but Li Zicheng didn't make it so clear, and said it in their hearts.

Indeed, the most important thing to take down Luoyang is the far-reaching political impact.Historically, Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong joined Keluoyang and Xiangyang, representing the balance of power between the two sides and the transfer of the combat initiative to the peasant army.It also made more people in the world see how weak the Ming Dynasty was, and there were countless people who surrendered after that.

The unanimous praise from everyone, and even the admiring gazes of several literati, made Li Zicheng very satisfied. He tapped his fingers on the desk and said, "Even if there is Wang Dou, Luoyang City will definitely be captured. But to conquer Luoyang City, what is the next step?"

Li Yan got up and said: "King Chuang, Luoyang is in the middle of Henan. If Luocheng is not guarded, there will be no Henan. If Henan is not protected, there will be no Central Plains. If the Central Plains is not protected, the throat of Hebei will be broken. So the students once again proposed to use Heluo to fight for the world. In the early Han Dynasty Gaozu used to occupy Guanzhong to rule the world. Ming Taizu also had the strategy of building high walls and accumulating food widely. We and other rebels should find a fundamental place. Advancing can be attacked and retreating can be defended. Wandering around like this. Heluo is where the great cause lies."

Li Zicheng said: "Sir, I also understand that the soldiers can't keep walking around. But now the Henan government is dilapidated, there are no household registrations in ten, and various disasters continue. Drought and locust plagues, I don't know when it will be the top. This It may take many years to stabilize people's livelihood and restore agriculture and mulberry, a Henan province cannot support our 10,000+ soldiers."

He said: "The most important thing is that our rebel army is still weaker, and the officers and soldiers are still powerful. If they surround Heluo, it will become a deadly place. So now we have to fight on foot, and we will go to the richer Kaifeng Mansion later. , Runing Mansion, or even go to Huguang to avoid the strong and attack the weak. After a few more big battles like Luoyang, the situation is better, and you can find a richer place to settle down, reward farming, rectify the place, and think of it as a great cause. way."

Liu Zongmin laughed and said: "My old Liu admires my master's knowledge, but when it comes to fighting, you are not as good as us. This battle must be fought alive, not killed. If the enemy is strong, we will go. If the enemy is weak, we will fight." , the enemy retreated, and we chased them. We have to walk and fight, we can’t fight straight, and we should avoid fighting with officers and soldiers. You must know that our capital is small, and if there is an accident, it will all be gone. It is also because we are walking and fighting, so Getting up again and again, the officers and soldiers couldn't destroy us no matter what."

All the generals in the Chuang army laughed, and even said that Master Liu, the commander-in-chief, said it wonderfully and interestingly. This is what they want in the rebel army.

Li Zicheng also nodded with a smile.

Everyone was like this, Li Yan had no choice but to stop persuading, he sighed in his heart, in fact, the various problems mentioned by King Chuang are not impossible to solve.It's just that he has no intention of finding a place to stand at the moment, and the rest of the generals still can't change their thinking of the rogues, so it's extremely difficult to persuade them to settle down.

Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance who were next to them were hesitant to speak, but they didn't speak in the end.

Li Zicheng heaved a sigh of relief seeing that Li Yan stopped persuading him. In fact, when it comes to the place of business, he prefers Shaanxi.It's not as dilapidated as Henan, and it's my hometown.Most of the generals in his army are from Shaanxi, and when they return home in fine clothes, they will naturally have a bright future, which is much better than operating in Henan.

To Song Xiance, whose eyes seemed to be closed but not closed, he tried his best to maintain the skeletal style of Xianfengdao: "As for the attack on Luoyang, and how to deal with Wang Dou, the military advisor may wish to share your opinion."

Hearing this, Song Xiance opened his eyes. His legs and feet were inconvenient, so he didn't stand up. He cupped his hands in his seat and said, "Just now, all of you here are full of insights, and the students also have a plan. It will definitely make the Luoyang officers and soldiers exhausted, and make the Luoyang soldiers feel better." Our rebel army calmly defeated them one by one."

His voice was quite hoarse, as if he had been squeezed out of a bellows. Looking at the expectant eyes of everyone, he raised his hand proudly: "It is the strategy to encircle Wei and save Zhao."

His squinted eyes flashed coldly: "General Yuan once said that most of the officers and soldiers of the Kaifeng Mansion have gone to Luoyang to rescue them. Based on this calculation, the Kaifeng Mansion is empty of troops, which is just an opportunity for our rebels to take advantage of. If our army pretends to attack Kaifeng, the officers and soldiers of Kaifeng Prefecture in Luoyang will have to send a force back."

He said: "The four hundred miles from Kaifeng to Luoyang, my rebel army also has an opportunity to take advantage of it! During the four hundred miles, the mountains on both sides are undulating, and there are many places to ambush. Wang Dou must only be in Luoyang, and the rescue must be other troops. , my rebel army can't ambush Wang Dou's army horses, and can't ambush the returning officers and soldiers?"

He giggled: "Perhaps, maybe you will go to Kaifeng because of this. Kaifeng's prefectural city is no better than Luoyang. The provincial capital is located, with more household registration and wealth. It is several times richer than Luoyang. If you go to Kaifeng..."

The eyes of everyone in the hall lit up, and Li Zicheng also showed attention.

Looking at everyone's expressions, Song Xiance was satisfied, and he continued: "Take [-] steps back, even if the ambush and Kaifeng are not successful, Luoyang City will also reduce its defensive strength, making it easier for our rebel army to attack the city."

He said: "Not only that, our rebel army can also pretend to attack Ruzhou. According to General Liu, he attacked Ruzhou for many days, and the city was at the end of its strength. It was rescued by Wang Dou and Chen Yongfu's reinforcements. Now both of them have arrived in Luoyang. , our rebel army can send a large army to continue the siege, if Luoyang is rescued, and their strength is reduced, if they are not rescued, they can take advantage of the situation and go down to Ruzhou city."

"Ruzhou is rich and has a circumference of nine miles, which is the same size as Luoyang City. If we can take it, it will definitely increase the strength of our rebel army."

Everyone in the hall was excitedly whispering to each other, Li Zicheng clapped his hands and smiled: "Miao, Miao, the military advisor is really talented, he is worthy of being the brains of our rebel army."

He said urgently: "Military Master, let's make a divination to see if the attack on Luoyang is bad or good."

Song Xiance cupped his hands and said, "Students take orders."

Generally, there are four methods of divination, namely the yarrow method, the simplified yarrow method, the money hexagram method, and the Taiji pill method. Song Xiance uses the yarrow method, which is the most difficult of the four.A few divinatory bamboos were dexterously swinging in his hands, making pleasant collision sounds from time to time.

Everyone in the hall stretched their necks and looked at this side. When many generals looked at Song Xiance, their eyes were full of awe.

Only Li Yan sat smiling, with a disapproving expression.He is a disciple of orthodox Confucianism, he does not speak indiscriminately and blames the gods. Although the matter of divination is profound and profound, and it is supported by the profound knowledge of the Book of Changes, it is careless to put military and state affairs on a mere hexagram. .

After a few sounds of reed bamboo, Song Xiance stopped, stroked his sparse beard and pondered.

Li Zicheng couldn't wait to say: "What about the military commander, is it bad or good?"

Song Xiance opened his mouth to speak, but his voice fluctuated from loud to soft: "Bi, Ji. Yuan Di, Yuan Yongzhen, Wugui..."

All the generals in the hall opened their eyes wide as they heard the unpredictability: "What do you mean?"

Song Xiance remained silent, and after Li Zicheng also asked for advice, he said with a smile: "What the hexagram says, this is the upper hexagram. Congratulations to King Chuang."

Li Zi smiled when he was established, and all the generals in the hall also smiled happily, asking the military adviser to explain.

When everyone was waiting impatiently, Song Xiance shook his head and said: "Bi, people standing side by side are called Bi, for blind date, and getting closer. Yuan, the beginning of things is Yuan, for growth, and for creation. Yuan Yongzhen has no blame, There is nothing wrong with it.”

"Although this hexagram indicates a slight danger, it lives on the ground. Everyone knows to avoid it when they see it. It can turn danger into safety and pass through it. From the perspective of image, this is the upper hexagram."

Li Zicheng laughed out loud, his heart became more determined, but Li Shuangxi, who was next to him, still had a childlike heart, he said: "Military Master, let's make another divination, it will be safer."

The generals next to him hurriedly said: "No, no, it's good to have the upper hexagram, and it won't work if there are too many divinations."

Li Zicheng also gave Li Shuangxi a displeased look.

Li Shuangxi and Li Guo are both Li Zicheng's close nephews. Song Xiance explained to him specially: "Meng, Heng. Bandit I beg Tong Meng, Tong Meng begged me. First divination, repeated blasphemy, blasphemy is not reported, Li Zhen also. Divination is not possible Repeatedly and indefinitely, the truth can only be obtained without heart, if it is repeated again and again, the mind is disturbed and the hexagram is chaotic, this is a big taboo."

Li Shuangxi was startled, and put his palms together quickly: "There are no taboos, there are no taboos."

Li Zicheng stood up and said: "Okay, everyone is tired from discussing matters, and it's already afternoon, let's let the kitchen serve dinner."

Soon the food came out, but most of them were rough food such as steamed buns. Li Zicheng ate very sweetly. He was usually hardworking and simple.Among the generals of the peasant army in the late Ming Dynasty, they were in sharp contrast with Zhang Xianzhong, Luo Rucai and others.

(End of this chapter)