I

Sanjiang Estuary, where Lushui River and Heshui River meet.

This is the place where Xie Xuelong gathers and trains soldiers, and some gentry bring their soldiers to defect one after another.

Zidi Bing, as the name suggests, is the children of the hometown.

The tenant farmers are not worthy of being called "children". Most of them are clan members and sons of good families. Absolutely loyal and will not pass on traitors.

Today, under Xie Xuelong's command, there are more than 800 soldiers in the guard, more than 500 self-raised soldiers from the countryside, more than 3,200 soldiers from the gentry's children, and more than 2,000 soldiers who transport luggage.

Army camp by the river.

Xie Xuelong sat on the high platform, expressionlessly said: "Come on!"

More than a dozen soldiers of the army were escorted to the audience, crying for their father and mother, and some of them cursed.

An officer hissed and roared, "My surname is Xie. Grandpa is from Linjiang Qianhu. To kill me, you must have official documents from the court. Are you trying to rebel by killing generals without authorization?"

Xie Xuelong snorted coldly: "When you suppressed the bandits in Ruijin, you would plunder. I have warned you long ago. Now, when you are training to suppress the bandits, you have no reason to lead the troops to insult women from good families. What if I kill you?" ? Someone, cut this guy down!"

Seeing the executioner approaching with a knife in hand, the officer began to cry again: "Master Xie, I was wrong, I was wrong, I promise to be obedient, please let me take the blame and make meritorious service!"

With a knife down, the head falls to the ground.

One after another, more than ten people were beheaded, including four officers.

Immediately, the whole army was solemn, and no one dared to make noise anymore, listening to Xie Xuelong reiterating the military order again.

"Futai, Mr. Meng An is here with his disciples." Staff member Li Zongxue stepped on the stage quickly, and whispered to Xie Xuelong.

Xie Xuelong was overjoyed when he heard the words, and ordered the soldiers to continue the drill, while he rushed to the gate of the barracks.

"Jiefutai!" Li Banghua clasped his hands, with more than 30 Xiangyong standing behind him.

Xie Xuelong hastily made a bow: "Mr. Meng An, late student!"

Li Banghua said with a smile: "A person who is dismissed from office should not deserve such a big gift."

Xie Xuelong bowed again and said, "Mr. Meng An, please enter the camp."

Li Banghua, from Jishui, is next door to Luling County.

He was also a self-cultivator. Back then, father and son went to Beijing to take the exam together. Wearing only commoner clothes, he didn't even have the money to take a boat, so he walked all the way to the capital.

Not to mention the previous political achievements, Chongzhen returned to the Ministry of Industry in the first year, and soon became the right servant of the Ministry of War, and was promoted to Minister of the Ministry of War because of his decent military management.

Within half a year, Li Banghua reorganized the Beijing camp, recovered tens of thousands of enlisted soldiers, cleaned up more than a thousand false soldiers, eliminated tens of thousands of old, weak and disabled soldiers, and selected 10,000 elites for drills. He also strictly controlled the military horses of the Beijing camp, first reduced his troop horses by one-third, and prohibited officials from occupying military horses privately, and began to rectify the cavalry.

At the same time, the generals of the Beijing camp were inspected and the treasury of the Beijing camp was cleaned up. After offending countless people, the Beijing camp quickly recovered its combat effectiveness.

At this moment, the Tartars broke through and entered.

Li Banghua sent 3,000 elite soldiers to guard Tongzhou, and another 2,000 elite soldiers to reinforce Jizhou. He personally led various ministries to station around the capital.

The idea is very clear, not rigidly defending Beijing, but deploying lines of defense outside the capital.

The nonsense came, Chongzhen suddenly asked Li Banghua to come back, and ordered the elite of the Beijing camp not to go out to fight, and must guard the city of Beijing honestly. Li Banghua was so angry that he wanted to vomit blood because he didn't even send sentry cavalry and completely cut off the news from the front line.

In desperation, Li Banghua, Minister of the Ministry of War, could only hide in the city to arrest thieves, arrest spies, suppress rumors, and donate money to make firearms.

Because during Li Banghua's rectification of the Beijing camp, he offended too many people and cut off countless people's wealth. Before the Tartars were repelled, Li Banghua was dismissed from office and returned to Jiangxi to retire.

Xie Xuelong is already a fierce man, and now that he is the former minister of the Ministry of War, Zhao Han, this little rebel, is really showing great face.

Fortunately, Wang Siren was transferred to Jiujiang Brigade in October, and he is still on his way to the post, otherwise Wang Siren would most likely come to join in the fun.

All capable ministers and officials!

Inviting Li Banghua into the commander's account, Xie Xuelong pointed to the map and said, "Mr. Meng An, Wan Sheng has sent out spies, and the army will be formally dispatched in five days. Go up against the river, with Yongyang Town as the center, go north and south to recover the villages and towns, and eliminate the surrounding rebels." Rebels, drive these rebels upstream. At that time, the rebels in various villages and towns will join forces. It seems that there are many rebels, but in fact they have their own ideas, and it is easier to defeat them."

Li Banghua glanced at the map and asked, "Do you have elite soldiers? Those who can withstand long-distance raids."

Xie Xuelong said: "Before I sent troops to Ruijin, I recruited 500 township warriors in Nanchang, and I have been practicing for several months. Although they can barely be regarded as elite soldiers, they may not be able to withstand long-distance raids."

"Forget it." Li Banghua sighed.

Xie Xuelong asked: "What's the master plan?"

Li Banghua pointed to the map: "If there are hundreds of elite soldiers, you can go up the Lu River by boat. Get off the boat halfway and walk to Yongxin County by way. In the name of the governor, ask the magistrate of Yongxin County to collect ships and food. Shunhe Go under the water, go straight into the back of Huangjiazhen, and take down the lair of the Zhao bandit in one fell swoop! Let's approach with a large army, cooperate with the elite soldiers to surround the rear, and pinch the bandit front and back."

Xie Xuelong was dumbfounded, this big detour is too awesome!

Xie Xuelong thought about it, and suddenly decided: "The rare soldiers are more expensive than the elite, and I will immediately select 200 elite soldiers."

This post-circle plan is divided into three sections, two of which can be taken by boat. Even if there are some winding mountain roads, you only need to walk a hundred miles, and the Xiangyong who has been trained for several months is competent enough.

Li Banghua said: "I will lead the troops to make a surprise attack, and the bravery I bring can also be counted."

"Why do you have to run around in person?" Xie Xuelong dissuaded.

Li Banghua sneered and said: "Although I am over fifty years old, I can still walk. I used to walk when I went to Beijing to catch the exam. This trip must pass through Yongxin County. If someone is entrusted by someone else, I will burn, kill and loot all the way. I'm afraid it will stir up riots in Yongxin County! When the time comes, one wave will rise again, and the chaos in Luling County has not been suppressed, and Yongxin County will also be full of mobs."

Xie Xuelong stood in awe, bowed his hands and bowed: "So, please sir!"

The poor former Shangshu of the Ministry of War was full of strategy and could not be used to kill the Tartars, so he could only lead more than two hundred troops to suppress the rebels.

The next day.

Select 200 elite Xiangyong, together with more than 30 people brought by Li Banghua, take a boat along the Lushui detour to Yongxin County.

Counting the time it takes to contact the magistrate of Yongxin County and order him to collect ships and grain, if everything goes well, he will be able to go around to the rear of Wuxing Town in half a month.

At that time, Zhao Han's old nest will definitely be taken away, and he will face the situation of being attacked from both sides.

Will Zhao Han honestly wait to be beaten?

...

"Aren't you going to gather troops with the leaders?" Fei Ruhe asked in surprise.

Zhao Han rolled his eyes at Fei Ruhe: "It's not that you haven't read "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms". What will happen to the princes of the Eighteenth Routes when they seek Dong Dong? We are not princes of the Eighteenth Routes, but village tyrants and villains of the Eighteenth Routes. position."

"Then how do we fight?" Jiang Dashan asked.

Zhao Han didn't even have a map in his hand, and he only knew the distance and direction by asking the locals. He said firmly: "Attack Ji'an Prefecture directly!"

Everyone looked at each other, they were all dumbfounded.

The government's army was pressing down on the border, not thinking about how to retreat from the enemy, so they ran to attack Fucheng. With a total of 800 miscellaneous soldiers, can they capture the impregnable Ji'an Mansion?

Zuo Xiaoliang hurriedly dissuaded him: "Sir, please make a long-term plan."

Pang Chunlai seemed very interested, squinting his eyes and asked, "Tell me how to fight?"

Zhao Han explained: "Officers and soldiers have boats, they come along the He River, and they can fight wherever they want. We don't have big boats, we only have some small fishing boats. We can't fight water battles, so we can only fortify everywhere and be passively beaten everywhere. If you want to reverse the situation, you must attack the enemy and save it!"

"It should be so." Pang Chunlai nodded.

Zhao Han continued: "The government doesn't have any regular soldiers, and it relies on recruiting local bravery. How can there be soldiers to defend the city of Ji'an? It is both a prefectural city and a county seat. Once it is breached, the governor must return to the army, and our territory will be preserved!"

Huang Yao asked: "But if we take all the soldiers away, Wuxing Town will be gone?"

Zhao Han said: "Let all the villagers pack up their belongings in advance. Send people to follow the upstream and downstream, the front and the rear, and once they find the officers and soldiers, they will immediately come back by boat and inform them that everyone will temporarily hide in the mountains. Bring food, money and Just take the clothes away, let them burn the house, let them trample on the crops. As long as the people are saved, everything can be done again! Mr. Pang stayed in Wuxing Town, Huang Shunfu stayed in Lijiaguai, and Mr. Zuo returned to Huangba Village. The enemy will immediately bring the people into the mountains!"

Huang Shunde suddenly asked: "Even if Ji'an Fucheng is captured, we are alone, and the officers and soldiers return to the division to rescue, how can we stop it? I am afraid that if we go, we will not be able to return.

Zhao Han said with a smile: "Take down the Fucheng, open warehouses to release grain, and recruit soldiers in the Fucheng. Then go out of the city to kill the landlords and incite the people to rebel. When the time comes, there will be rebels all over the place. Let's take the opportunity to move. I'll see what the governor will do!"

"Wonderful!" Huang Shunde was convinced.

Zuo Xiaoliang looked at Zhao Han stupidly, and had to admit in his heart that he was a born rebel leader.

It was a total death situation, but it was revived all at once, but instead the governor was given to the general.

Immediately arranged a division of labor, the civil servants went to organize the people, and the political workers also followed the propaganda, urging the people not to take chances and prepare to flee into the mountains.

Zhao Han personally led 800 soldiers, put on leggings, ran to the north slope, walked the mountain road and went straight to Meitang Town.

They could actually take a smoother and closer road, but there are many people along the way, which may expose the marching movement in advance.

The same is true of Li Banghua's big detour. He was afraid of taking a shortcut and leaking news, so he went directly from Yongxin County. by boat.

Zhao Han's army marched lightly, without any support troops, and each of them only brought dry food for three days.

Going to Meitang Town, the straight-line distance is 60 miles, but the mountain road is more than 200 miles.

On the way, the food was almost exhausted, so he killed a landowner in the mountains, and continued to march with a little supply. Relying on leggings and vigor, he arrived in Meitang Town in four days, and immediately killed the landlord to open a warehouse to release grain.

What's interesting is that Li Banghua's big detour also passed here two days ago.

After messing up Meitang Town, because the boats in the town had already been confiscated by the governor, Zhao Han could only pick off the shop door panels and tie them up to make rafts to cross the river.

After crossing the river, go straight to Fucheng, there are only more than forty miles left!