Chapter 234: Crowd

When the bandits first broke out, the Ming court mobilized troops to encircle and suppress them. After Yang Sichang's strategy of spreading a net from all sides failed, the bandits broke into Henan and wreaked havoc in the Central Plains. At that time, Yang Wenyue, as the governor of Baoding, was defeated in Kaifeng, which was the same time that Wang Qiaonian, the governor of the three sides, died in the battle.

Emperor Chongzhen ordered Hou Xun to supervise the seven towns of Baoding. Yang Wenyue, the governor of Baoding, was no longer worthy of his name. He had no choice but to patrol Huguang with a few troops and submit to Ding Qirui.

Hou Xun commanded the seven towns of Baoding, not because of Hou Xun's military prowess, but because of Zuo Liangyu. At that time, Zuo Liangyu was the mainstay under the command of Ding Qirui, the supervisor of the suppression of thieves. But everyone knows what kind of person Zuo Liangyu is. Hou Xun had a grudge against Zuo Liangyu. In order to win over and restrain Zuo Liangyu, Hou Xun was ordered to supervise the army.

Soldiers are the major event of the country, the place of life and death, and the way of survival. However, the so-called kindness between these ministers can only be restrained a little, which shows that the demise of the Ming Dynasty is the general trend.

Hou Xun, a mere civil servant, was able to overwhelm Li Chuang and Zhang Xianzhong when it came to moral articles. But when it comes to fighting, I'm afraid he's not even as good as a mountain king.

He is timid and afraid of the enemy. When Kaifeng was besieged for more than half a year, he was on the other side of the river with more than 70,000 troops and horses, but he did not dare to take a step forward.

In comparison, Sun Chuanting was more than ten times and a hundred times stronger. The situation Sun Chuanting was in at that time was countless times worse than that of Hou Xun. The troops in Guanzhong were completely defeated. When Sun Chuanting took office, Chongzhen didn't even give him a tael of silver. Didn't Sun Chuanting still raise tens of thousands of horses?

Chongzhen urged Sun Chuanting to send troops no matter how bad the situation was. But the old god Hou Xun was there, and no matter how much Chongzhen urged him, he seemed unable to hear him.

Who gave Hou Xun a party backer?

Donglin Party, Fushe, hey, they are all behemoths.

Hou Xun held the soldiers and horses of Qizhen, across the Yellow River, and first watched helplessly as millions of people in the besieged city of Kaifeng were on the verge of death. Then he watched Ying Yi defeat the intruders and occupy Henan. It was as if all these changes had nothing to do with him and he was an outsider.

There are seven towns in Baoding, four of which are stationed on the river bank. From west to east, they are Chenqiao Town, Zhujiazhai, Tongwaxiang and Xiaosongji. The four towns are spread out and watching each other.

The remaining two towns are located in Fengqiu.

Kaifeng is a mansion across the Yellow River. Most of them are in the south of the Yellow River, and a small part are in Hebei. Fengqiu is the central city of Kaifeng, Hebei Province.

It is said that over the past thousand years, the Yellow River has changed its course many times. For example, Fengqiu was located south of the Yellow River during the late Han and Three Kingdoms periods, but now it is north of the Yellow River.

Hou Xun stationed two towns of soldiers and horses in Fengqiu, and four towns of soldiers and horses blocked the river bank. It seemed that he was done. Even after Ying Yi occupied Henan, he turned a blind eye to many major actions.

He seems to feel that as long as the Yellow River is not frozen, he can sit back and relax.

For example, at the end of the New Year last year, the river froze, so he became vigilant and often mobilized troops and horses. At that time, Ying Yi had to put Zheng Jiu's troops in Zhao Pizhai as a precaution. As soon as the Yellow River thawed, Hou Xun's troops became lazy.

Ying Yi acted as the vanguard and landed three thousand golden-armored guards. The nearest copper-tiled compartment did not even react at all. Not a single secret sentry was set up, which shows how loose the army was.

Ying Yi raised his sword and walked swiftly, followed by three thousand personal guards, walking silently and hurriedly. The old man's legs were exhausted, but it was Wang Yisheng who carried him on his back and guided him.

Not long after, the copper tile box was in sight.

The terrain on the north bank of the Yellow River is gentle and not as mountainous as the south bank. This is true whether it is a copper-tiled cabin or a town in Chenqiao.

In the dark night, under the moonlight gauze, the copper-tiled box looked like a sleeping beast, with a few lonely lights faintly visible.

Wang Yisheng put the old man down, and the old man pointed to the Tongwaxiang and said: "Sir, that's the Tongwaxiang. Tongwaxiang is a town market, and the earthen walls are no higher than a person. Earlier, there were thousands of people, because bandits were stationed there. Because of this, many villagers have fled."

"Yeah." Ying Yi nodded slightly.

Ying Yi knew this information. Since Ying Yi decided to expedition to the north to destroy the Ming Dynasty, all information about the north was quickly collected and sent to Kaifeng. The first was information related to Hou Xun's troops. After soldiers and horses from Chenqiao and other four towns were stationed, the local people suffered. The so-called soldiers passing like a grate is aptly used to describe the Ming army at this time.

Zuo Liangyu was the best among them at the beginning, but the other Ming armies were probably not much better.

Where Ming troops are stationed, the people often do not get better. Almost all the people in this area have fled. And most of them went to Henan and became Ying Yi's people.

"If there are no people, it is a military town." Wang Yisheng stood aside and said: "It's time to let go of your hands and feet, and you are not afraid of disturbing the people."

Ying Yi laughed: "Not bad."

Then he said: "Come two people and send me back to avoid being affected by the flames of war."

The old man didn't refuse and left immediately.

Ying Yi raised his knife and said, "Kill in."

Dull footsteps broke the night, but it wasn't until Ying Yi split the earth wall with his sword, making a thunderous sound that shook the earth, that the Ming army in the copper-tiled chamber became alert.

Some disheveled soldiers ran out of the house, and what greeted them was the glare of swords.

Every time Ying Yi struck out with his sword, it was like thunder, with billowing waves of air that stretched for thousands of meters, almost cutting through the small copper-tiled compartment with one strike!

After only three slashes, Ying Yi stopped.

He grabbed a confused Ming soldier and shouted, "Where is the main tent?"

The soldier pointed in the direction in a daze, and Ying Yi left him behind and strode towards the direction pointed out. Behind him, the three thousand golden-armored guards dispersed, and a team of dozens of people swarmed into the copper-tiled chamber.

The shouts of killing broke out, and the entire copper-tiled chamber was in chaos.

Ying Yi strode down the middle of the dirt road, followed closely by Wang Yisheng.

Ying Yi said: "Such a mob is no better than bandits. Think about how powerful Hongwu was when he swept across the world and expelled the Tartars. It's a pity that he finally couldn't withstand the time and fell to this point."

Wang Yisheng was speechless.

Ahead, the door of a large house opened, and some people rushed out in panic. Some mounted their horses, while others ran wildly, panicking like bereaved dogs.

Ying Yi's eyes narrowed: "Kill."

Wang Yisheng clasped his fists slightly, jumped up and down a few times, and rushed to the front. The dozen or so guards behind him shouted in unison and ran away.

Then I heard screams again and again, and within a moment, when Ying Yi approached, the dust had settled.

Wang Yisheng put away his sword and stood up, saying: "He is a general of the Ming Army."

Ying Yi smiled and said, "As expected."

As far as Ying Yi is concerned, the soldiers of the Ming army may still have the possibility of reforming, but it is a stroke of luck to find one kind person among a hundred generals of the Ming army. No capture necessary.

The cleanest kill.

This battle was extremely simple. No artillery or firecrackers were used. It only took more than an hour for the dust to settle.

More than 10,000 Ming troops were killed, and more than 8,000 were killed. Less than two thousand people were lucky enough to escape capture. A few others escaped under the cover of night.

It can be regarded as a catch-all. After all, Ying Yi has a small number of people, so he can't let everything go.

Zheng Wu led a group of soldiers and horses to come and take over the follow-up sweep. Ying Yi went straight to Fengqiu with his bodyguard and left without stopping.