After walking out of the barracks, Zhang Dongtao looked up at the blue sky.

The sultry summer has passed and the climate has become cooler, but the rain has not decreased.

He had been lurking beside Li Zicheng for several years. In order to ensure his safety, the sergeants who had been lurking in the army were evacuated one after another. Some returned to Dengzhou, and some went directly to Liaodong. The only one left was Zhang Dongtao, and

The route for transmitting information has also changed. He needs to go to the Xinyi Station set up near the city to transmit the information.

Because of his bravery in combat, Zhang Dongtao became one of Li Zicheng's most trusted guards and was promoted to deputy general manager of the guard camp, focusing on the daily affairs of the guard camp.

Following Li Zicheng to fight in the north and south, Zhang Dongtao almost forgot his true identity. It was impossible to say that he and Li Zicheng had no feelings at all. Of course, in Zhang Dongtao's heart, he always insisted on one thing, that is Li Zicheng

He is a thief and he is an officer.

Zhang Dongtao has maintained the good military discipline formed in the Denglai New Army. He has always strictly controlled himself. He cannot get drunk, cannot make casual relationships, and avoid making drunken gaffes that reveal his true identity.

Nearly a year has passed, and the rebels under Li Zicheng have been at war with the imperial army. However, the situation in which the rebels were defeated in the past rarely occurs, and more and more people join the rebel ranks, which makes Li Zicheng's strength continue to increase.

grow.

Li Zicheng was the king of Chuang elected by many rebel armies, and was nominally the overall leader of the various rebel armies. However, there was no unified order among the various rebel armies, and they acted independently, and no leader of the rebel armies truly obeyed Li Zicheng's command.

Recently, Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong, the two most powerful rebels, have shown signs of joint operations. Moreover, Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong met several times and discussed the matter of combining the forces of the various rebels. However, no two groups were formed.

Find a way that satisfies everyone.

Zhang Dongtao knew all this, and he also tried every means to send this top-secret information to Xi'an Fucheng through letters, because there was a specially established intelligence station for the Denglai New Army in Xi'an Fucheng.

Since the Denglai New Army was adjusted to Liaodong, Li Zicheng has basically been active in Shaanxi and has not left most of the time. This is Li Zicheng's base camp. The terrain is familiar and the personnel are familiar, so he can expand his strength very well. Moreover, the rebel army is in Shaanxi.

He has a good reputation. If the imperial army comes to encircle and suppress him, Li Zicheng can obtain information as quickly as possible.

The confrontation between Li Zicheng and the imperial army was basically a 50-50 split, and Li Zicheng was able to win about half of the battles, which was unimaginable before.

What made Zhang Dongtao feel depressed was that the combat effectiveness of the imperial army was too weak. In several battles, the imperial army clearly had a numerical advantage. However, after the elite sergeants of the rebel army were dispatched, the imperial army was unable to resist and almost suffered a one-sided defeat.

Zhang Dongtao is very clear about Li Zicheng's strength. Now there are more than 10,000 sergeants in Li Zicheng's old camp. These people have experienced dozens or even hundreds of battles and have rich combat experience. Even on boarding.

When the Lai Xin Army attacks, it must seize the opportunity to be able to annihilate them all.

It was precisely because of the over 10,000 old battalion sergeants that Li Zicheng ranked first in strength among the various rebel armies, and he was confident of calmly handling the confrontation with the imperial army.

"Deputy General Manager, King Chuang invites you to go to his barracks..."

When the personal guard saw Zhang Dongtao, he had a respectful look on his face.

The sergeants in the Guards Battalion around Li Zicheng are definitely different from other sergeants in terms of treatment. Not only can they get more money and food, but their families can also benefit from it, so almost all the sergeants in the rebel army want to enter the Guards Battalion.

The more critical point of the Guards Battalion is that they basically don’t have to go to the battlefield to fight. Their main task is to protect the safety of King Chuang Li Zicheng. If Li Zicheng personally charges on the battlefield, the sergeants of the Guards Battalion must surround Li Zicheng and use

He sacrificed his own life to protect Li Zicheng's safety, but most of the time, Li Zicheng would not go to the battlefield to fight in person.

Zhang Dongtao is the deputy general manager of the Guards Battalion, and is actually in charge of the money, food and other matters of the Guards Camp. Of course, many of the Guardsmen try their best to please so that they can obtain more benefits.

Zhang Dongtao nodded to the bodyguard and took out a wooden sign from his arms.

"Go to the barracks and get a portion of pork and two measures of white rice to take home."

"Thank you, deputy general manager, thank you, deputy general manager..."

The guard's eyes narrowed as he watched Zhang Dongtao turn around and leave, heading towards the barracks of King Li Zicheng.

Zhang Dongtao walked to the front of Li Zicheng's barracks.

The guard guarding the door looked at Zhang Dongtao and nodded, allowing Zhang Dongtao to knock on the door and enter.

Li Zicheng was resting his mind with his eyes closed. After Zhang Dongtao came in, he didn't even open his eyes.

"Zhang Dongtao, make arrangements. In an hour, the envoy sent by the Eighth King Zhang Xianzhong will arrive. I will not show up. You can contact the envoy sent by Zhang Xian and see what conditions Zhang Xianzhong will propose..."

After Li Zicheng finished speaking, Zhang Dongtao spoke respectfully.

"King Chuang, do I need to reply to Zhang Xianzhong's envoy?"

"This is not necessary. Zhang Xianzhong and I have nothing to discuss. Zhang Xianzhong sent someone to talk. If there is any outcome, just listen carefully and there is no need to write it down. We do not need to record our discussions about the rebel team.

, so as not to become a handle for others, but you must keep it in mind..."

"I know, King Chuang, I'll go get ready right now."

When Zhang Dongtao turned around and was about to leave, Li Zicheng suddenly opened his eyes.

"Don't worry, I have a few more words to say."

After Zhang Dongtao turned around and stood still, Li Zicheng's eyes became sharp.

"Zhang Dongtao, you are very strict with yourself. As the deputy general manager of the Guard Battalion, you never raise your hand. However, you are very good to the guards below. I admire you for this."

"My personal guard camp has never set up a general manager. This does not mean that there are no candidates, but I am not willing. The relationship between the general manager of the personal guard camp and me must be unusual. If those who have bad ideas become

If I become the general manager of the guard camp, I am afraid that my relationship with many guards will also be affected."

"I have decided to let you serve as the general manager of the Guards Battalion. There will be no deputy general manager. There are more than 200 people in the Guards Battalion, and you can manage it by yourself."

Zhang Dongtao cupped his fists at Li Zicheng and was about to speak when Li Zicheng waved his hand.

"You and I don't have to do this anymore. I trust you. From now on, the affairs of the guard camp will be completely left to you. I think the imperial court has adjusted the governors of the five provinces. The newly appointed governor of the five provinces, Xiong Wencan, is in Fujian.

I was very tough and didn’t know what to do next, so the strength of the Guards Battalion needs to be strengthened. Please work hard and expand the number of Guards Battalion to 500 as soon as possible.”

"There is another thing. I have always felt strange that you have no family. I remember reminding you several times, but you were unwilling. The last few times I talked with Zhang Xianzhong, I suddenly understood that you and I are both

Likewise, this head may not be saved at any time, and if there is a woman around, it will be harmful to others."

...

There were faint drops of sweat on Zhang Dongtao's forehead.

"King Chuang, I have some thoughts about family matters, but this is not the most important thing. I am always by Wang Chuang's side. If someone else in the family accidentally leaks King Chuang's whereabouts, it will be very dangerous for him.

King Chuang encountered danger and caused fluctuations in the rebel army, then I deserve death..."

Carpe diem is very common among the rebels. Refugees join the rebel ranks almost every day. There are also good-looking women among them, but Zhang Dongtao, as the deputy general manager of the Guards Battalion, has never looked for a woman, nor has he ever found a woman.

When it comes to this matter, this is a little different from other rebel sergeants.

Zhang Dongtao has strict requirements for himself. Whether in combat or daily life, he always does things according to the rules. This is especially different from the rebel sergeants.

Ordinarily, there were so many differences between Zhang Dongtao and other rebel sergeants that Li Zicheng should be suspicious. However, Zhang Dongtao fought bravely and was very self-disciplined on weekdays. He never did one thing in front of others or another behind his back. His persistence for a long time dispelled Li Zicheng's suspicions.

.

After Zhang Dongtao finished speaking, Li Zicheng smiled.

"Zhang Dongtao, don't think too much. I have been against the imperial court for eight years. During this period, I also captured Fengyang, the central capital. The emperor and the imperial court hate me with all their heart. If I were afraid, I would not have dared to come out.

, I am still well now, which shows that I have a great destiny, and the emperor and the court cannot do anything to me."

"Zhang Dongtao, after you become the general manager of the Guards Battalion, there will be a lot more things. I will hand over many matters in the rebel army to you directly. I hope you will maintain your previous style of being impartial."

"Okay, go and get ready. The envoy sent by Zhang Xianzhong will be arriving soon. Go and deal with it."

...

After walking out of the barracks, Zhang Dongtao looked up at the sky again, and it was still blue.

The Guards Battalion has not had a general manager for a long time. Since the previous general manager was beheaded for embezzling money and food from the Guards, Li Zicheng paid great attention to the fact that Zhang Dongtao, the deputy general manager, was actually responsible for all matters of the Guards Battalion.

Being appointed as the general manager of the Guards Battalion must have gained Li Zicheng's complete trust. This was a great thing for Zhang Dongtao, and he should be very happy.

But Zhang Dongtao is not very happy. He knows that the higher his status among the rebels, the higher the level of attention he will receive, which will affect the transmission of intelligence in the future.

Zhang Dongtao does not want to receive too much care from Li Zicheng. After all, their identities are completely different and they will one day become rivals and enemies.
Chapter completed!