Nanming Engineer

Chapter 220 Kill a Thief and Sacrifice the Flag

He Zhen raised his whip and said loudly to the generals: "Luo Dai and Dang Meng will lead the right army first, and our own army will lead the left army. We will retreat in two ways and run according to the planned route!"

Dang Mengxian and Luo Dai became nervous, with serious faces, shouting loudly to pass on He Zhen's order. Suddenly, the cavalry lined up behind them screamed and quickly changed their formation, splitting in the middle in the wilderness. , like two severed earthworms, quickly running backwards left and right.

The row of human walls that originally stood turned into two puffs of smoke and dust, rushing away.

The distance of five miles, under the hooves of a healthy horse, is just a cigarette away, and the cavalry team of Feng Shuangli and Wang Shangli soon arrived at the place where He Zhen was forming an array. They met at the place where He Zhen was standing just now.

"The thief is gone!" Wang Shangli yelled, reining in the reins, his excellent riding skills made his mount turn around in a circle, and said to Feng Shuangli who was rushing towards him.

"What should I do? Chase or not?" Feng Shuangli replied, Zhang Xianzhong only explained He Zhen's response to changing formations and fighting, and did not say how to deal with this situation where he turned around and ran away without seeing the face.

Wang Shangli made some preparations. He was an old frontier soldier who joined Zhang Xianzhong when he was still in Shanxi. He fought for more than ten years. He was famous for his calmness and loyalty. He won Zhang Xianzhong's trust. , in charge of the imperial palace guards, ranked first among the five governors of the five army governors' mansions.

Feng Shuangli asked him, obviously wanting him to make up his mind, Wang Shangli thought for a while, and shouted: "Chasing! But don't be careless, hang on the tail of the bandit army, just drive them back to Hanzhong City, be careful of ambushes!"

Feng Shuangli clasped his fists in response and said, "Okay, you and I will split up and chase after."

Wang Shangli replied: "Be careful!"

The two moved their hands at the same time, and led the cavalry under their command, like two torrents, briefly converging in one place and then separated again, chasing the huge puff of smoke and dust rising in front, galloping past.

In the large formation of the Western Army in the rear, Zhang Xianzhong and the others watched in amazement as He Zhen's cavalry team turned around and fled before meeting their own cavalry, all of them staring in bewilderment.

"He thief ran away? What do you mean, did you come to hang out?" Everyone talked a lot, and they all felt strange.

Sun Kewang thought for a while, and said to Zhang Xianzhong: "Father, He Zhen is really cowardly and fled before the battle, but I'm afraid there is a fraud in it. I also ask Father to call Jin to withdraw the troops and call the two governors back."

Zhang Xianzhong rolled his eyes, stared at the four strands of smoke and dust that were getting farther and farther away, pondered for a moment, nodded, and said to Sun Kewang: "If you don't chase after this, it will inevitably damage the morale of our army. He Zhen comes whenever she wants, and leaves whenever she wants. How can it be so easy? Chasing or chasing, but you are right, He Zhen is cunning, there is a high possibility of fraud, you must take precautions, you and Ai Nengqi each bring 1 people, follow the second general to respond, remember , Don’t enter the forest, don’t drill into the mountain, just chase after it.”

Ai Nengqi was already impatient, and listened to Zhang Xianzhong's words while scratching his ears and scratching his cheeks. He was overjoyed when he heard that he was going to lead troops to respond, and immediately shouted: "Your servant takes orders! Father, please don't worry, I will definitely Screw that fellow He Zhen's head back!"

Zhang Xianzhong frowned, and shouted: "What care do I have! What did I just say? You will come back after you chase after him. Who told you to screw He Zhen's head? You kid, you are so impatient. If Li Dingguo is here, I will I won’t let you go after him either. Forget it, don’t go, let Liu Wenxiu go.”

Ai Nengqi's face was suffocated and confused. Sun Kewang and Liu Wenxiu looked at each other, knowing that this brother's old habit of being irritable has happened again, but this is also his character. He does things recklessly and violently. If he should be more steady, then he is not Ai Nengqi. It's amazing.

Everyone is a brother, and Ai Nengqi can't lose face in front of the generals, so Sun Kewang and Liu Wenxiu persuaded Zhang Xianzhong: "Father, the fourth brother has a fiery personality, and he can't talk with his head, but he is clear in his heart. There will be mistakes, with the elder brother leading the army, and the enemy army is retreating, there is absolutely no chance to break in, not to mention that you have just issued a military order, and taking it back is just child's play, let the fourth brother go."

Zhang Xianzhong snorted, thinking about it for the same reason, Ai Nengqi, who was slanted and silent, shouted: "Since King Pingdong and King Funan interceded for you, forget it this time, you should have a longer memory, don't He is so frizzy, he is a warrior at least, and he is always so unstable, how can he take on big things?"

Ai Nengqi blushed aggrievedly, and secretly looked around at the group of generals who were stern and pretending they hadn't heard anything. It was even more intense, but he didn't dare to say anything against him, and obediently bowed immediately and replied: "Your minister is taught, you must keep it in mind."

Only then did Zhang Xianzhong spit out two words in satisfaction: "Go!"

Sun Kewang and Ai Nengqi accepted the order with fists in their hands, turned around and left, chasing after the smoke and dust that had almost disappeared into the sky.

As soon as the two of them left, Zhang Xianzhong watched the mighty soldiers of the old guards roll by, his heart was uncontrollable, and he couldn't help laughing loudly: "Happy, the ancients said, it is better to use the remaining courage to chase the poor! Fleeing in anticipation of the wind, just in time for the prestige of Daxi Kingdom! All the generals, follow me back to the camp to have a party and eat meat, and when my son returns triumphantly, we will have a bowl of victorious wine together!"

A group of generals cheered together, flattering like a tide, surrounding Zhang Xianzhong to lead the troops back to the camp. The tens of thousands of main forces of the Daxi Army lined up behind them, led by their respective generals, returned to the barracks in an orderly manner. An army formation gradually merged into the camp.

In the supply camp of the Great Western Army's Rear Army, a group of men dressed in sackcloth lay on the barracks made of rough wood and witnessed all this.

Under Chen Xiang's simple and thick eyebrows, a pair of big eyes sparkled, and his big face had a serious expression. He quietly wrote something with a charcoal pen on a few pieces of kraft paper in his hand, put it in his arms, and beckoned to lead a group of similarly dressed subordinates. Into the cart of the supply camp.

In the distance where Chen Xiang couldn't see, the cavalry's pursuit was still continuing. Under the two groups of gray smoke, He Zhen's two teams were running further and further apart, gradually widening the horizontal distance to five or six miles. In terms of width, behind them, the [-] cavalry of Wang Shangli and Feng Shuangli formed two larger groups of smoke and dust, hanging four or five miles behind, chasing after them, and farther behind, Sun Kewang and Ainengqi With [-] riders, follow closely.

Not long after running out of the big formation, Sun Kewang realized that the troops were divided ahead. In desperation, facing the four strands of smoke and dust running farther and farther, he and Ainengqi also divided up to follow up, because they couldn't figure out what Wang Shangli and Feng Shuangli were in front of them. Who is on the left and who is on the right, they can only be randomly assigned, each leading [-] troops to go separately.

Ai Nengqi chose the left side, and before leaving, Sun Kewang repeatedly urged: "Fourth brother, although the thief has retreated, but not a single soldier was lost, it is hard to say that we will win, everything must be careful, and the third brother and I will fight for you." You made a guarantee in front of your father, don't be hot-blooded, act recklessly, and annoy your father, no one will be able to protect you."

Ai Nengqi shouted excitedly: "Brother, you are really nagging, don't worry, nothing will happen, as long as my brother and son chop off a few more heads and go back, father will be happy, once he is happy, what's the matter?" It will be exposed, I won’t say much, the people in front have all run away!”

After saying that, he couldn't wait to lash the horse's buttocks, yelling and urging his cavalry to speed up.

Sun Kewang shook his head and led the remaining 1 people towards the smoke column on the right.

The cavalry of the Daxisu Guard Army used healthy horses, and they galloped like flying. They ran for nearly twenty miles in less than half an hour. The smoke and dust in front of them were getting closer and closer, and the figures of horses in the distance could be seen faintly. , Sun Kewang found that the smoke and dust in front seemed to stop, and after a while, he began to turn around and move closer to himself.

Sun Kewang ordered the whole army to be on guard vigilantly, occupying a small hillside in the wilderness, which could be attacked or defended. He didn't relax until the flags of the Great Western Army were clearly visible in the dust that came over.

Behind him, the flag bearer was holding his king's flag, and the huge "Sun" character could be seen from a long distance away. I saw a few cavalry from the approaching cavalry team, heading straight for Sun Kewang's position.

"The last general is paying homage to Prince Pingdong!" One of the generals shouted loudly on horseback. When he got close, he rolled off his saddle and dismounted to pay homage.

"General Wang is free of courtesy, if you don't come to this set of fakes in the army, hurry up and talk." Sun Kewang hurriedly said softly.

Wang Shangli agreed, got on his horse and clasped his fists to Sun Kewang to thank him: "My lord personally came to meet the general, I am very grateful."

Sun Kewang smiled slightly and said calmly: "What are you talking about, General Wang? How many times have you and I been on the bloody battlefield and still say this? Don't mention it again in the future, but General Wang looks back, where are the thieves in front?"

Wang Shangli pointed his hand sideways, and said: "Less than four or five li away is the north gate of Hanzhong City. The villages outside the city are densely covered with fields, which is not conducive to cavalry. The general feared that the bandits would be deceitful, so he did not dare to go deep. He saw the bandits marching in. After leaving the city, I turned around and ran into the prince here."

Sun Kewang heard the sound, looked far away, and indeed saw as far as he could see, in the smoke and dust all over the sky, a big city was looming, with towering towers, it must be Hanzhong City.

Around the city, houses are densely covered, villages are scattered in the wild, and the fields are criss-crossed with cypresses of different shades. It really is not a good place for cavalry to come and go, and the fleeing bandits entered the city along a two-foot-wide road.

"General Wang is worthy of being a veteran, and he accepts it when he sees it." Sun Kewang praised: "It is true that there is no need to chase after here, let's go back and hand over the order to the emperor."

At this point, he suddenly remembered something and asked: "General Wang is here, so the general leading the troops on the other side must be Feng Shuangli, right?"

Wang Shangli nodded in agreement, Sun Kewang's heart thumped, and an ominous thought came to him. Feng Shuangli was also from the Shaanxi frontier army. He had followed Zhang Xianzhong for more than ten years and was extremely loyal. , once they see blood, they go crazy and don't know how to stop. They have the same temperament as the reckless and brave Ainengqi, and the two get together...

Sun Kewang couldn't help but shudder. The more he thought about it, the more wrong he became. Then he thought about He Zhen's unexplained splitting up his troops and escaping. There were densely populated houses and villages outside Hanzhong City, and there were excellent design locations for digging holes and laying mines everywhere. If He Zhen really If something happens, I'm afraid Ai Nengqi and Feng Shuangli will get into the trap.

Thinking of this, Sun Kewang hurriedly said to Wang Shangli: "You can't stay here, let's go back quickly, the king of Dingbei is going to meet Feng Shuangli, the two of you are very hot-tempered, I'm afraid there will be mistakes!"

Wang Shangli was startled: "Is there a mistake? It can't be done, right?"

Before the words fell, there was a loud bang in the air, as if a dull thunder had exploded on the other side of Hanzhong City, followed by dull explosions one after another, as if the series of thunderstorms in summer had arrived ahead of schedule.

Sun Kewang and Wang Shangli changed their expressions when they heard the sound. As veteran generals who have fought in wars for a long time, the two of them were very familiar with this sound. This was the sound of the Flange machine gun produced by the Ming Dynasty War Bureau firing. Listening to this force, they opened fire. The cannon is probably a heavy cannon weighing about ten kilograms.

"Oops!" The two screamed in surprise, and hurriedly formed a team, running towards the south gate of Hanzhong City where the cannons rang out.

If you want to be quick, the shortest distance is of course along the wall of Hanzhong City, which takes the shortest time, but of course the two of them dare not. Since there are cannons ringing, they must be mounted on the city. The range of the cannons is several Lidi, once hit, is dead.

So the two had no choice but to take the cavalry, along the outskirts of the empty village outside the city, circled a big circle, and ran to the south.

Sun Kewang and Wang Shangli were going around in circles, while outside the south gate of Hanzhong City, He Zhen was sitting firmly on the horse, watching with cold eyes the cavalrymen of the Western Army rushing left and right in the pile of houses full of horse traps and refusing horse guns.

In those seemingly abandoned houses, countless infantry suddenly appeared. They hid behind the walls and on the roofs, and kept shooting arrows and spears at the soldiers of the Western Army crowded on the narrow roads. He was aiming at the cavalry of the Western Army who were trekking in the muddy field, braving the flames, and fired a round of iron bullets at the cavalry who were in a dilemma.

"Junmen, look, there is a king's flag over there. It seems that Zhang Xianzhong has sent a prince." Guo Deng, one of He Zhen's subordinates, pointed to the distance and said to He Zhen. In the field, a group of cavalrymen of the Western Army were slowing down in the extremely soft ground plowed by the harrow. On this kind of ground, no matter how strong a horse is, it is impossible to run.

"Zhang Xianzhong has only four princes, commonly known as the four adopted sons. There is a word "AI" on the flag, it must be Ai Nengqi!"

"Okay, if Zhang Xianzhong doesn't come, I will kill him as a thief and use his head to sacrifice the flag." He Zhen twisted her long beard habitually and said grimly: "I will give Prince Su a meeting gift on the road. !”

(End of this chapter)