Thirty miles east of Xi'an city, Yang Zhan of the Vanguard Camp was directing the soldiers to cook.
"Report!" A scout came to Yang Zhan and said, "Lieutenant General Yang, we found dozens of bandits not far ahead. They claim to surrender to Governor Qin."
"So it was the bandits who surrendered..." Yang Zhan was no longer surprised by this news.
Qin Liangyu is now very famous, and those who surrender are all coming for her.
"Who is the other party?" Yang Zhan asked casually.
"Calling herself a matchmaker..."
"Who?" Yang Zhan stood up directly.
Hong Niangzi had a great reputation and was even on the court's wanted criminal list.
She is going to surrender too?
Yang Zhan ordered someone to bring Hongniang and her group to him.
"Are you really Matchmaker?" Yang Zhan still had some doubts.
"There's no need to lie to you." Lady Hong replied expressionlessly.
"Do you want to surrender to Governor Qin?" Yang Zhan continued to ask.
"Yes, any questions?"
"Well, there's no problem, but there are too many people surrendering, so they have to line up..." Yang Zhan said with a hint of pride, "You know what I mean, right?"
Lady Hong bowed deeply to Yang Zhan and said, "General Yang, please let me cut in line. I have something urgent to do."
"What's the emergency?"
"Li Zicheng is trying to escape!"
Yang Zhan was shocked and shouted outside: "Come here, take them to see the Governor immediately!"
In the afternoon, Hongniang met Qin Liangyu in the central military tent.
Before Qin Liangyu could say anything, her tears began to flow uncontrollably.
Qin Liangyu looked at Lady Hong, who was in tears, and after coughing a few times, she asked leisurely, "Did something happen to Li Yan?"
It would have been better if Qin Liangyu hadn't said this. After she said this, Hongniang cried even harder.
As a woman, Qin Liangyu understood Hong Niangzi's sadness very well. She waved her hand to dismiss the people around her and let Hong Niangzi cry.
After crying enough, Lady Hong wiped her tears with her sleeves and apologized, "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Governor Qin."
Qin Liangyu smiled slightly: "Tell me, the reason and purpose of surrender."
Lady Hong took a deep breath and said, "My husband Li Yan was killed by Li Zicheng and Niu Jinxing. I have an irreconcilable hatred with the bandits! This time I surrendered in order to borrow a thousand cavalry from Governor Qin to chase after the bandit Li Chuang."
Qin Liangyu ignored Hongniangzi's request and asked, "Did you tell Yang Zhan that Li Zicheng was going to escape?"
"Yes," Hong Niangzi answered seriously, "Li Yan offered three strategies to Li Zicheng. The middle strategy was to let He Jin lead the elite troops to abandon Datong and escape into the mountains, and then Li Zicheng would go north to join him."
"The worst option is to go to Hanzhong. Even if Guanzhong is lost, we can still escape to the mountains and hide."
"The worst option is to surrender!"
"So that's how it is..." Qin Liangyu felt a little scared after hearing this.
Li Yan was able to come up with these three strategies when the bandits were at their wits' end, which shows how wise he was.
Fortunately, Li Yan is dead. If he hadn't died, he would have become a formidable enemy of the court.
Qin Liangyu continued to ask: "Do you know Li Zicheng's plan?"
"If nothing unexpected happens, he will go north to join He Jin. After all, He Jin still has some elite bandits in his hands."
"Okay, you can go down and rest for a while."
"But Governor Qin, I think..."
Qin Liangyu shook her head gently: "The governor told you to go down and rest for a while."
Hongniang had no choice but to leave the central military tent and eat and rest under the arrangement of the Ming army.
"Grandma, what Hongniang said..." Ma Wannian asked in a low voice.
Qin Liangyu said calmly, "I can't not believe it, but I can't believe it completely either. Let's wait for the news from the Jinyiwei."
Half a day later, the Jinyiwei lurking in the city brought news: Li Yan was dead, and Li Zicheng abandoned the city and fled north with his family.
After receiving the news, Qin Liangyu immediately beat the drum and went to the tent.
After assigning tasks to each department, Qin Liangyu summoned Hong Niangzi into the tent.
Without waiting for Hongniangzi to make another request, she asked directly, "How many soldiers do you want to borrow?"
"A thousand cavalrymen."
"You want to eat Li Zicheng with just a thousand cavalrymen? Your appetite is too big." Qin Liangyu was a little worried.
"Li Zicheng's elite troops were all wiped out at Tongguan, and the rest are mostly old, weak, sick and disabled. A thousand cavalrymen are enough to deal with them."
"What plan?" Qin Liangyu continued to ask.
Hong Niangzi said with a fierce look in her eyes: "We can't chase after Li Chuang thief, he is good at ambushing on the way he escapes. We must make a big detour to get ahead of Li Chuang thief and ambush him on his way of escape."
Qin Liangyu frowned and said, "It's risky to march straight into the enemy's territory, but how are we going to solve the problem of food and grass?"
Lady Hong took out the seal from her bosom and shook it: "Have you, Governor, forgotten my identity as a bandit? The seal in my hand can make the prefectures and counties along the way prepare food and fodder!"
"Li Zicheng must have spread the news of your rebellion, and the prefectures and counties along the way will not help."
Hong Niang smiled bitterly, "This is not my seal, it's the seal of Liu Fangliang's baggage camp. Before he went north to Yulin to quell the rebellion, he left the seal to Li Yan, saying that this trip would be dangerous, so he left the seal as a souvenir. Li Yan left it to me again... Oh!"
"But... Guanzhong is so big, how do you determine Li Zicheng's escape route?" Qin Liangyu still had doubts in her mind.
Lady Hong explained seriously, "Li Zicheng's cavalry is very few left. In order to prevent being caught up by the imperial cavalry, he must have gone into the mountains to avoid the pursuers as soon as he left the city."
"The nearest mountain city to Xi'an is Tongguan County (now Tongchuan City). Going north along this road, you can reach Yan'an Prefecture."
"Li Zicheng's destination is Shanxi. Go east from Yan'an Prefecture and cross the Yellow River to reach Shanxi."
"I will set up an ambush on the road leading from Yan'an to the Yellow River, and then kill Li Zicheng."
After careful analysis, Qin Liangyu felt that Hongniang's method was feasible.
The essence of employing troops is to attack the enemy unexpectedly and when they are unprepared. Sticking to old rules will only lead to missed opportunities.
With this thought in mind, she called in her deputy general Li Shunzu.
"Governor, are you looking for me?" Li Shunzu bowed deeply to Qin Liangyu.
Qin Liangyu stood up, took Hong Niangzi's hand and walked to Li Shunzu, introducing her: "This is Hong Niangzi, she was a bandit before, but now she has surrendered to the court."
She pointed at Li Shunzu and introduced him, "This is Li Shunzu, a descendant of the Liaodong Li family."
"Nice to meet you." They both bowed at the same time.
Qin Liangyu patted Li Shunzu on the shoulder and said, "Although Li Zicheng has escaped, there is a chance to catch him. Are you interested?"
"Yes!" Li Shunzu answered without hesitation.
Whether capturing or killing Li Zicheng would be a tremendous achievement.
This achievement could even get him promoted two levels!
"This journey is extremely dangerous and there is a possibility that the entire army will be wiped out!" Qin Liangyu warned.
Li Shunzu's eyes were firm: "I am a descendant of the Liaodong Li family. I am proud to die on the battlefield and have long put life and death aside."
"Okay!" Qin Liangyu turned around and took out a command arrow: "Hongniangzi will be responsible for food and leading the way, and Li Shunzu will be responsible for charging into battle. This governor wants to see Li Zicheng in person, or his corpse after he dies!"
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