roccoschili Chapter 065 A Bird Startled by the Bow
Chapter 065 A Bird Startled by the Bow
Zhou Lun didn't know what exactly Gao Yingxiang had said to persuade Wang Jiayin. On the third day after the alliance was formed, the newly formed rebel army decided to split up.
Wang Jiayin led a force south, intending to first reach Mizhi and then advance southward in an attempt to defeat the Ming army in the south and open up new possibilities.
In fact, Qingjian, Anding, and other counties had already been captured by Gao Yingxiang, and the government troops following northward had easily recovered a lot of lost territory. However, the government troops in the south were much easier to defeat than those in the north, and Wang Jiayin had a full 20,000 troops under his command. As long as the government troops were defeated, it would not be difficult to retake those county towns.
Moreover, Wang Jiayin also had his sights set on Yan'an and Qingyang. If he could capture these two important towns, the rebel army would be able to truly establish a foothold in the heart of Shaanxi.
By then, not only would there be enough room to maneuver, but they could also plan to continue advancing south or southeast. In this way, they would either enter Sichuan or advance into the Central Plains—this was Wang Jiayin's true ambition.
As for Gao Yingxiang's troops, they continued northward, starting with Fugu, which Wang Jiayin had abandoned, to deal with the government troops in the north.
Perhaps it was because Gao Yingxiang, if he went north, could block the northward advance of the government troops and make it easier for him to move south.
Wang Jiayin and Gao Yingxiang shared the same idea. Both wanted the other to hold off a group of government troops for them, and their goals were exactly opposite. After Gao Yingxiang's earnest persuasion, Wang Jiayin finally agreed.
After the decision was made, the rebel army began to make preparations in earnest. The entire camp was occupied by more than 30,000 troops, a formidable force with banners covering the sun, displaying the posture of someone about to launch a major campaign.
But at this very moment, Zhou Lun led his old camp of more than 500 men, plus the 2,000 righteous soldiers assigned to him by Gao Yingxiang, and left the camp ahead of time, setting off first under the banner of being the vanguard heading north and clearing the way for the main army.
However, to everyone's surprise, after leading his troops north for more than twenty li, Zhou Lun suddenly turned around without warning and headed straight west. By the morning of the next day, the troops had appeared outside Shenmu County without anyone noticing.
It turned out that the rebel army's encampment was not far from Shenmu. After Wang Jiayin's 20,000 troops set up camp, they made no attempt to conceal their presence. The camp was extremely large, and the number of troops was enormous. When Gao Yingxiang's troops arrived, the total strength of the rebel army exceeded 30,000, and their momentum was greatly boosted.
Ever since Wang Jiayin led his troops south from Fugu to the vicinity of Shenmu and then stationed them in an area dozens of miles east of Shenmu, Qiao Daonan, the magistrate of Shenmu, has been living in constant fear, worrying day and night that Wang Jiayin's rebel army might attack.
Although Shenmu is only a county, it is slightly different from ordinary counties. In the early years of the Hongwu reign, Shenmu was under the jurisdiction of Yulin Guard and was then called Shenmu Fort. It was not until the fourteenth year of Hongwu that it was changed to a county and placed under the jurisdiction of Jiazhou. During the Longqing reign, the imperial court established Shenmu Circuit, which governed Jiazhou and the three counties of Shenmu, Fugu, and Wubao. As a result, Shenmu's status was further elevated and its position became increasingly important.
Previously, Wang Jiayin had caused a great uproar in Fugu, and Qiao Daonan was worried that the rebel army would attack Shenmu. He was a timid man by nature, so on the one hand, he sought help from the prefecture and province, and on the other hand, he kept the city gates tightly closed and strengthened the defenses, hoping to stop Wang Jiayin's attack.
However, as time went on, Wang Jiayin set his sights on Hequ and Baode in Fugu, and was determined to cross the Yellow River to the east and enter Shanxi. He had been neglecting Shenmu County in the south, which made Qiao Daonan feel a little more at ease.
After Wang Jiayin crossed the Yellow River and fought a battle with Wang Guoliang, the rebel army was defeated by Wang Guoliang, the general of Shanxi. Even Wang Jiayin's deputy, Wu Yangui, died in battle, which greatly boosted the morale of the surrounding government troops. In addition, some border troops also joined the encirclement and suppression, and the government troops began to prepare for a decisive battle with Wang Jiayin. Wang Jiayin suffered heavy losses in his eastward advance and, facing pressure from the government troops, had no choice but to abandon his eastward plan and turn south.
As soon as Wang Jiayin's rebel army marched south, Qiao Daonan was immediately on high alert. The county magistrate, who was hiding in the city, was terrified and lived in constant fear, worried that Wang Jiayin would directly lead his troops to attack him.
Strangely, after Wang Jiayin went south and arrived near Shenmu, he only camped fifty miles east of the county town and showed no intention of attacking Shenmu.
Upon hearing the news, Qiao Daonan finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, he still dared not relax. For days, he strictly ordered the city gates to be kept closed and the surrounding people to be dispersed. He curled up like a tortoise and buried his head in the sand like an ostrich, hoping that Wang Jiayin would forget about him and that he could endure until the rebel army left, at which point his ordeal would be over.
However, to everyone's surprise, what you fear most is exactly what happens.
Just as Qiao Daonan was losing sleep and appetite these days, a subordinate suddenly reported that a group of rebels had suddenly appeared outside the city, forming a menacing formation, seemingly intending to attack Shenmu.
Upon hearing this news, Qiao Daonan's eyes widened instantly, his face filled with terror, and his heart was churning with dread.
Despite Qiao Daonan's early preparations in Shenmu to guard against an attack by the rebel army, the number of troops stationed in Shenmu County was actually quite small. Apart from the county's yamen runners and soldiers, there were only a little over 500 government troops stationed there, and these 500-plus people were just local garrison troops, not border troops at all.
Because of Wang Jiayin's antics, most of the nearby troops are currently in the north, and even the border troops that came to reinforce have only just recovered Fugu, which was abandoned by the rebels.
At best, Qiao Daonan could only muster about a thousand men to defend Shenmu. Although they had the city walls to rely on, he had absolutely no confidence in facing tens of thousands of rebel troops.
Qiao Daonan was a top-ranking scholar in the imperial examinations, a proper scholar, so he naturally knew what Sun Tzu's Art of War said: "The art of war is to surround an enemy if you have ten times their strength, attack if you have five times their strength, divide if you have twice their strength, fight if you are equal to them, flee if you are fewer than them, and avoid if you are weaker than them."
Compared to their own Shenmu, the rebel army currently has a massive force of thirty to forty thousand men, or even more. This is not ten times the number; it's almost thirty or forty times the number!
To put it bluntly, if so many rebels don't attack us, fine, but once they do, the small Shenmu will be no match for us. Once Shenmu falls, not only will my official career be over, but my life will probably be over too...
Thinking of this, Qiao Daonan felt terrible, and his hands began to tremble uncontrollably as if he had Parkinson's disease.
"Great Master! Great Master!"
Those below, seeing Qiao Daonan so terrified upon hearing that the rebels had reached the city walls, secretly felt contempt. This was a dignified county magistrate! Where was his usual air of authority? Where was the imposing manner he displayed when reprimanding them? But then they thought, who wouldn't be afraid of a rebel attack? But Qiao Daonan's almost wet-chested appearance was truly a bit too…
Even so, Qiao Daonan, as the county magistrate, is the highest-ranking official here. Now that the rebels have reached outside the city, it is up to him to decide how to defend the city.
Although he was already like a frightened bird, his men still had to bite the bullet and shout a few times before they managed to bring Qiao Daonan back to his senses.
"The enemy army has arrived, what... what should we do..." Qiao Daonan stammered, his voice trembling.
"Your Excellency! The most important thing right now is to arrange the defense of the city. The enemy army has just arrived, and even if we want to attack the city, it will take some time."
"Yes, yes, yes!" Qiao Daonan finally came to his senses and hurriedly ordered, "Quickly! Quickly have Commander Li lead men up the city wall! You all quickly organize the able-bodied men to assist Commander Li. You must defend the sacred tree! You must defend it!"
Faced with Qiao Daonan's repeated exclamations of surprise, the subordinates, though inwardly disdainful, readily agreed and left the county office to make their own arrangements.
After everyone left, Qiao Daonan in the county office paced back and forth anxiously, like an ant on a hot pan. His pale face was filled with undisguised terror, and he muttered to himself, seemingly muttering something incoherently. In his nervousness, the urge to urinate surged up repeatedly, and in less than half an hour, he had relieved himself three times.
"Great Master! Great Master!"
Qiao Daonan, who had just finished relieving himself and was hurriedly tying his pants up, suddenly heard someone calling him from outside. He quickly ran out to greet them.
"What is it?" He tried his best to put on the airs of a county magistrate, but the trembling hands hidden in his sleeves could not be concealed, not to mention the look of terror on his face, which was obvious at a glance.
"Commander Li sent me to invite Your Excellency over!"
"But the rebel army has attacked the city?" Qiao Daonan asked anxiously, his face pale with shock.
How long has it been? The bandit army outside has already started attacking the city? It's obvious they want to take Shenmu in one fell swoop! In his anxiety, his forehead was covered with beads of sweat. He had just relieved himself and now he felt the urge to urinate.
"The rebel army has not yet attacked the city. Commander Li asked me to invite Your Excellency over, saying that there is something to discuss." The other party bowed and clasped his hands in greeting.
Upon hearing this, Qiao Daonan felt a sense of relief at first, but then frowned again: "What business does Commander Li have with me? Why hasn't he come to see me?"
Upon hearing this, the subordinate was practically cursing inwardly—had Qiao Daonan lost his mind? Didn't you just give the order for Li Baihu to lead men to the city wall for defense? Now the enemy army is right outside the city, how could Li Baihu possibly get away to see you? Having such an unreliable superior is the worst luck imaginable.
But these words couldn't be said aloud, so the subordinate could only offer a tactful explanation. Only then did Qiao Daonan come to his senses.
"Oh...in that case...take me there..." He coughed slightly awkwardly, trying to put on his usual airs, and waved his hand to instruct his subordinates.
The subordinate acknowledged and led Qiao Daonan out of the county government office. The group hurried towards the east gate.