Chapter 4 4. Yuan soldiers returned to Xuzhou, and all the soldiers voted for Haozhou

Guo Zixing and his followers are in Haozhou city, having fun, fighting and fighting, and have no time to care about things outside the city.The rebel armies from all walks of life developed rapidly, Xu Shouhui was only four or five months away from Guo Zixing's successful uprising, and the troops split up and seized a large area of ​​territory in one fell swoop.Faced with this situation, the Yuan Dynasty had to send troops to suppress it.At this time, Liu Futong was in a stalemate with Chahan Timur in Henan Province.The imperial court wanted to lure and recruit Fang Guozhen, but Fang Guozhen ignored it, and the crusades by various armies of the imperial court failed again and again.

Faced with so many uprising teams, the Yuan Dynasty set its sights on Xuzhou.Xuzhou was conquered by Zhima Li and his generals Zhao Junyong and Peng Da as early as the autumn of the eleventh year from Yuan to Zhengzheng. The number of rebels gathered more than 100,000 and occupied many nearby counties.This sesame plum is from Pizhou. During a famine, he distributed a warehouse of sesame seeds in his home to the surrounding victims for disaster relief. He was deeply loved by the people and won the title of "Sesame Plum". In the twelfth year from Yuan to Zhengzheng, the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty listened to the analysis of the current situation by Prime Minister Tuotuo and the ministers of the Privy Council, and decided to eliminate the rebel army in Xuzhou first, and then pacify the Jiangnan area.The imperial court sent Tujian Buhua, the deputy envoy of the Privy Council, and Daerma, the envoy of the Tongzheng Yuan, to lead 100,000 troops to pacify Xuzhou.The two went all the way south from Dadu, easily pacified several smaller counties, and soon arrived in Xuzhou, where they surrounded the city with heavy troops.At the same time, Pingzhang Zhengshi in Sichuan and Pingzhang Zhengshi in Shaanxi Province destroyed Xiangyang City together, and then broke down several cottages.They led their troops to rendezvous with Xuzhou's soldiers and horses, preparing to capture Xuzhou City together.

Zhima Li, Zhao Junyong, and Peng Da reinforced the city wall of Xuzhou City with stones, blocked the gates of the small cities, sent troops to guard the gates of the three major cities, and placed stones, lime, and various equipment on the top of the city to protect the city. It is used to counterattack when Yuan soldiers come to attack. Zhima Li's spies came back and reported that the siege was fierce and the number of people was large. There were more than 50,000 soldiers surrounding the city alone, and tens of thousands of others were stationed nearby.Hearing this news, Zhima Li, Zhao Junyong, and Peng Da were very anxious.

"At present, there are only more than 10,000 people in the city, and the food in stock can only last for a month or two at most. What should we do!" Faced with this situation, Zhima Li was at a loss. Peng Dayan said: "It's really helpless, let's hold on first, and see the movements of the Yuan army. Could it be that the pile of trash will really guard for a few months, I didn't see that when Guo Zixing and the others attacked Haozhou, Yuan soldiers didn't dare to resist, don't Said he was killed." Hearing this, Zhima Li and Zhao Junyong felt a little relieved, and immediately ordered all the generals not to leak any information about the strength of the city and food and grass.It seems that he wants to stage an empty city plan. At this time, he can only hold on. Of course, he cannot retreat at the most difficult moment.Sesame Li and the others know that sometimes momentum can intimidate people. They must not be intimidated by the Yuan army first, and then they can use tricks to intimidate the Yuan army.

However, the empty city plan is not so easy to play.Tu Jian, the Deputy Privy Envoy of the Yuan Dynasty, had been besieging the city for more than 20 days and had no intention of retreating.While Tu Jian did not spend the siege of the city, he also tried to test the movement in the city from time to time, often ordering officers and soldiers to attack the city occasionally, or shooting random arrows into the city, throwing some big stones, or sneak attacking the soldiers guarding the city wall.These tricks caused many deaths and injuries to the soldiers in the city. Fortunately, Zhima Li could not sit still.Now Tujian is not in a hurry, he really doesn't know the situation in the city, seeing Zhimali standing still, he feels a little flustered.The problem is that just when Tu Jian didn't hesitate, the imperial court sent an envoy to convey the emperor's imperial decree, saying that this battle can only be won and not lost, otherwise everyone will be dealt with by military law.Helpless, Bald Jian didn't see that the siege would not work, so he had to continue the siege instead, and wait for a while. Anyway, the Yuan army has enough food, grass and troops.

On this day, Zhima Li and Zhao Jun used two people to secretly stand on the city tower to check the situation outside the city. Seeing that the Yuan army had set up tents around the city with a large number of people, they suddenly felt depressed and anxious. Encore.The two hurried back, preparing to convene the generals to discuss countermeasures. The faces of the soldiers were full of anger, but it was difficult to hide the panic in their eyes. Zhao Junyong sighed to the crowd: "Oh, this time the court is desperately trying to block us. The city is short of troops, food and grass, and the rest of the troops are far away. Even if they come here, they will not be able to save us."

Peng Da usually doesn't talk much, so he suggested at this time: "It's better to ask for help from the neighboring Haozhou. We are all the Red Turban Army, and the common enemy is also the Yuan Dynasty. Presumably Guo Zixing and Sun Deya will send reinforcements to rescue them." Sesame Li really has no countermeasures, and even the best of the thirty-six strategies is useless.Right now Xuzhou is heavily surrounded by the Yuan army, it is really hard to fly. It seems that the neighbors need to be called for help.Zhima Li's expression was so painful, he never expected that the Yuan Dynasty would send such a strong lineup against him.In his view, Liu Futong, Xu Shouhui and other rebels are stronger and more powerful than himself, and if they suppress them, they should be suppressed first.In order to expand the sphere of influence, Zhimali's troops were scattered in the surrounding areas, leaving very few in the city.

However, he had no contact with his neighbor Guo Zixing, and even though they were all under the banner of "red scarf", they were fighting secretly. Now they asked for help, but they didn't know how the other party would respond, and they were still worried that Haozhou would take advantage of it.In his anxiety, Zhima Li had no choice but to send an envoy secretly to Haozhou to send a sincere distress letter. After about ten days, there was no reply from Haozhou, and it is not known whether the other party has received the letter. Seeing that there is not much food and grass left in the city.

Zhao Junyong said to Zhima Li: "Brother, I have an idea, I don't know if I should say it or not." "Say it quickly." A gleam of light flashed in Zhima Li's melancholy eyes. "There is no reply from Haozhou, maybe the boy who delivered the letter ran away." Zhao Junyong paused for a while, and then said: "Maybe Haozhou thinks that our plea for help is not sincere enough. In my opinion, among us, Eldest Brother and Brother Peng are the best in martial arts. If the two go to Haozhou in person, I don’t believe that the five marshals will not send reinforcements. Even if they don’t send reinforcements, the two can take refuge in Haozhou temporarily, and see if there is any way to contact people in the city to go out , Soldiers can perish, but generals can’t. As long as you keep the generals here, I’m not afraid that we won’t have the chance to avenge our brothers.”

It's really urgent to go to the doctor. When there is no other way, people often pin their hopes on miracles, or imagine that someone will lend a hand to help, but it is only by relying on these hopes that time can flow little by little. In fact, Haozhou received Zhima Li's personal letter, but the five temperance marshals argued over whether to send rescue troops. Originally, since Guo Zixing and Sun Deya occupied Haozhou City, they had some conflicts with each other.At this time, Guo Zixing wanted to send reinforcements. He wanted to take this opportunity to expand his influence. If he rescued Zhima Li this time, then Li owed him a debt that could not be repaid, and it would be more convenient for him to do things in the future.As for Sun Deya and the other three, after all, they had a peasant air, they just felt that they had no contact with each other at ordinary times, so why bother to send troops.Besides, if troops are sent, there is no guarantee that the Yuan army will turn around and attack Haozhou.This kind of dispute can't be resolved, and the letter can't be replied for a while, so let it go.

In Xuzhou City, Zhima Li and Peng Da are disguised as civilian husbands. They plan to leave the city secretly when it is dark, rush to Haozhou on fast horses, and ask for help from Haozhou in person. In the afternoon of the next day, two strong men who looked like civilian husbands appeared at the gate of Haozhou City, leading their horses, and said that they wanted to see the five marshals.The gatekeepers seemed to be not ordinary people, so they introduced Guo Zixing to the Marshal's Mansion. When Guo Zixing saw the two, he felt quite sympathetic, but he could only discuss with the other four for such an important matter. After all, he could not give orders, and the military power was jointly controlled by everyone. As soon as Sun Deya and the others arrived, they greeted each other a little bit, and immediately showed that they did not want to send troops, and that they had no intention of keeping guests. Although Guo Zixing tried his best to save the situation, he was still very cold.Guo Zixing thought that if the two could be kept, there might be room for discussion, but the four had already expressed their intention to see off the guests.After all, Zhima Li was also a leader of the uprising army, so he left angrily after being so neglected. Before he left, he repeatedly asked Guo Zixing that if Xuzhou fell, he would try his best to take care of the remaining brothers, and Guo Zixing immediately agreed. Zhima Li and Peng Da secretly returned to Xuzhou City bitterly.At this moment, it can be said that Zhima Li is in despair. The army grass in the city has been in a hurry. He really can't see any hope. Thinking about it like this makes him feel relaxed, and he can die in the city he desperately captured, which is considered complete. .Despair gives people the courage to die, and also gives people the pleasure of liberation. After more than ten days, the Yuan army saw that there had been no movement in the city. They got impatient and decided to forcibly attack the city. On this day, the city of Xuzhou was in chaos and flames were burning into the sky.The Yuan army attacked day and night, forcibly breaking through the city gates, killing anyone they saw, burning houses when they saw them, and turning a city into a deserted city.Zhima Li resolutely resisted the Yuan army with the mentality of swearing to the death, but his personal strength is always limited. Although he fought bravely and fought desperately, he still failed to save Xuzhou.Like Zhima Li, Zhao Junyong and Peng Da also wanted to die for the city, but Zhima Li brought back Zhao Junyong's previous words: "Keep the generals here, and I'm not afraid that they won't be able to rise again." He led the soldiers to flee to Guo Zixing. Although he felt discriminated against in Haozhou, he believed that Guo Zixing would take his brother in. He trusted this person from the bottom of his heart. Zhao Junyong and Peng Daliu said goodbye to Zhimali, took some remnants out of the encirclement, fled outside the city, and rushed to Haozhou without stopping.Regardless of the objections of Sun Deya and others, Guo Zixing resolutely took in the two generals and these soldiers.Guo Zixing is not trying to fulfill his promise, but has other calculations. He is quietly developing his power, and he has long heard that Peng Dawu is a master of martial arts. Zhao Junyong has a bold temperament and has always been loyal to Zhima Li.With such a person by his side, why would Guo Zixing not do it. This time, the Yuan Dynasty captured Xuzhou and won a big victory, and the destruction of Xuzhou was indeed a blow to the rebels from all walks of life, and at the same time, it greatly boosted the morale of the Yuan army.In the thirteenth year of Yuan Zhizheng (1353), the Yuan Dynasty's encirclement and suppression of the Red Turban Army achieved considerable results: Peng Yingyu, an important leader of the Tianwan Kingdom regime, died in battle, and the capital Qishui was also captured.This is a relatively glorious period for the court at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, but it was also in the confrontation with the Yuan Dynasty that the various rebel armies grew stronger in the struggle.