The former army had been stationed in a mountain valley more than thirty miles away from Luonan City. It had been three days. Zhang Dongtao had not issued an order. He neither ordered the former army to attack Luonan City nor ordered the former army to bypass Luonan City and continue marching.

Li Yan couldn't sit still. Although Zhang Dongtao went to Li Zicheng specifically to ask for some food and grass before departure, the food and grass carried by the former army could only last for about forty days at most, and they had to be very economical.

It has been almost twenty days since we set off from Kaifeng, and nearly half of the food and grass consumption has been consumed. We must find a way to raise food and grass.

When the former army arrived at Tongguan, they did not find the imperial army. This made Li Yan secretly happy. He thought that the former army would march in the direction of Xi'an Fucheng, but Zhang Dongtao issued an order to go to Luonan. As the deputy commander of the former army,

Li Yan couldn't understand the reason, but he didn't ask, but decisively carried out Zhang Dongtao's order.

When he arrived at the temporary Chinese military tent, Li Yan tried hard to calm down his emotions.

Zhang Dongtao is looking at the map carefully. In the past few days, Zhang Dongtao has been looking at the map almost all the time, and secondly, he has obtained all kinds of information through scouts.

"Li Yan, you're here, the mood of the brothers doesn't matter..."

Li Yan nodded, picked up the tea cup on the table, and took a few sips.

Li Yan's action brought a smile to Zhang Dongtao's face. Li Yan was famous for his ability to lift people up, and he paid great attention to every move he made. If he hadn't been very familiar with Zhang Dongtao, he would never have done this.

of.

After watching Li Yan sit down, Zhang Dongtao stopped smiling.

"Li Yan, are you thinking of asking me why the former army didn't go to Xi'an Fucheng, why they didn't attack Luonan City, and why they rested here for three days and there was still no movement..."

Li Yan nodded.

"Deputy General Zhang, I have actually thought about the things you mentioned, but I just haven't been able to understand them. To say that the former army did not march in the direction of Xi'an Fucheng, I have some understanding. The former army's combat effectiveness is not strong.

There are only 100,000 people. If we march in the direction of Xi'an Fucheng, we will not be able to deal with the imperial army once we encounter it..."

Zhang Dongtao raised his thumb at Li Yan.

"Li Yan, you are right. In fact, when we set out from Kaifeng, our original intention was that the former army would go directly to Kaifeng Fucheng after passing through Tongguan. However, after setting off, my mind changed. The five hundred thousand soldiers led by King Chuang

The army is more than ten days away from our front army. The intelligence we received is that the imperial army led by Sun Chuanting, the governor of the five provinces of Ming Dynasty, is in the Fucheng area of ​​Xi'an. Once we are surrounded by the imperial army led by Sun Chuanting, the outcome will be very bad.

.”

Zhang Dongtao's praise did not bring a smile to Li Yan's face.

"Deputy General Zhang, I know you are thinking about your brothers. If the front army is attacked by the imperial army, it will not be able to wait for the reinforcements of the Chinese army. Moreover, the front army cannot hold back the imperial army. The Qin army under Sun Chuanting's command,

The fighting power is strong, King Chuang also knows this. I received a letter from King Chuang two days ago and did not blame you for leading the front army to march in the direction of Luonan, so I understood the meaning."

Zhang Dongtao smiled and nodded.

"Li Yan, I know you must have an idea. Let's talk about it. As the commander-in-chief and deputy commander-in-chief of the former army, the former army has never sat down and discussed carefully since it set out from Kaifeng Fucheng. This is not okay.

..”

Li Yan quickly clasped his fists at Zhang Dongtao.

"Deputy General Zhang, this is all my problem. After the front army started marching, I have been busy with the march and did not carefully consider how the front army should act..."

Zhang Dongtao waved his hand, looked at Li Yan and spoke.

"Li Yan, don't say these words between you and me. If you hadn't worried about all the specific matters of the former army, I wouldn't be so detached. Especially the sergeants of the new camp. I don't know many rules. I don't even know how to set up camp."

It’s not very clear. If you hadn’t been teaching them and letting the sergeants from the old camp lead them, they would have become a mess and their marching speed wouldn’t be that fast.”

Li Yan was polite and nodded slightly.

"Deputy General Zhang, the former army has rested for three days. I think we can launch an attack on Luonan City. Once we occupy Luonan City, we can hold on to the city and the situation will be much safer. As for the former army,

Instead of heading towards Hanzhong Fucheng and seizing the opportunity to occupy Hanzhong Fucheng, that is the next step. It is not very safe for 100,000 people to camp in the mountains."

Zhang Dongtao's expression became slightly serious.

"Li Yan, do you think that after the former army captured Luonan, they should march in the direction of Shangzhou, then enter Hanzhong Fucheng, Fengxiang Fucheng, and finally march in the direction of Xi'an Fucheng..."

Li Yan nodded.

"Deputy General Zhang, I think this is your plan."

Zhang Dongtao stood up and waved for Li Yan to come over.

After the two of them looked at the map on the desk, Zhang Dongtao spoke.

"Three days ago, the scouts came to report that a large number of imperial troops appeared in Tongguan. They should be the imperial troops led by Sun Chuanting, the governor of the five provinces of the Ming Dynasty. You know this. Think about it, why Sun Chuanting did not launch an attack on us."

Li Yan spoke without hesitation.

"Sun Chuanting must have detected that the Chinese army led by King Chuang was also moving towards Tongguan. After hesitation, he did not launch an attack on us..."

Zhang Dongtao shook his head.

"Not necessarily. The Chinese army led by King Chuang is too far away from us. If Sun Chuanting leads the imperial army to launch an attack on us, the Chinese army will not be able to rush to our rescue. So I think there are two reasons why Sun Chuanting does not launch an attack on us.

.”

"The first reason is that Sun Chuanting does not want to attack us at all. His purpose is probably to enter Henan to fight, hoping to defeat the main force of our rebel army and calm the situation in the Central Plains in one fell swoop, so they will not launch an attack on us after arriving at Tongguan.

"

"The second reason is that Sun Chuanting does not know the overall deployment of our rebel army. If he leads the imperial army to launch an attack on us, we will not sit still and wait for death. We will evacuate quickly. If Sun Chuanting falls into a pursuit, then King Chuang will

The Chinese army led by him can march straight in and attack and capture the city of Xi'an. By that time, Sun Chuanting will be in big trouble."

Zhang Dongtao's analysis made Li Yan nod repeatedly.

"Yeah, why didn't I think of that? If Sun Chuanting wanted to attack us, he would have already taken action. But it's strange. If Sun Chuanting didn't want to attack us, why was he stationed in Tongguan and why he didn't take action..."

Zhang Dongtao smiled slightly.

"The scouts reported last night that there is no imperial army in Tongguan. What is clear is that the imperial army is not heading to Luonan. I can be sure that Sun Chuanting has passed Tongguan and entered Henan. In fact, I admire Sun Chuanting. He is so courageous.

.”

Li Yan also nodded and agreed with Zhang Dongtao's analysis.

Zhang Dongtao pointed his finger in the direction of Luoyang Fucheng.

"Li Yan, if Sun Chuanting follows the conventional combat method, the first thing they have to attack is Luoyang Fucheng. In this way, they are likely to have a fierce battle with the Chinese army led by King Chuang. I think Sun Chuanting will not do this, and he will not confront the Chinese army head-on.

, it is very likely to adopt a roundabout way of fighting, consuming the strength of the Chinese army bit by bit."

Li Yan felt strange. It was impossible for the Chinese army led by Li Zicheng to divide its forces for fighting. This meant that Sun Chuanting had no chance to defeat them individually. As long as they fought together, they would face half a million Chinese army sergeants.

"Deputy General Zhang, I don't think Sun Chuanting has a good chance."

Zhang Dongtao smiled and shook his head.

"What is true is false, what is true is false, what is true is false, Sun Chuanting can use the method of rushing to fight, or threaten the city of Luoyang, or threaten the city of Kaifeng, so King Chuang will have to defend the city, so Sun Chuanting's opportunity will come..."

Li Yan patted his forehead, his eyes bursting with light.

"Deputy General Li, you are so amazing and your analysis is so good. Let's report this matter to King Chuang as soon as possible..."

Before Li Yan finished speaking, Zhang Dongtao's expression darkened.

"Deputy General Zhang, did I say something wrong?"

Zhang Dongtao looked at Li Yan and let out a long sigh.

"Li Yan, you have been with King Chuang for several years. Haven't you noticed the changes in King Chuang?"

Li Yan's expression also became a little gloomy. This was the biggest pain point in his heart. He was originally motivated by Li Zicheng's magnanimous character, but many things that happened later made Li Yan confused.

Zhang Dongtao saw the change in Li Yan's expression. He walked over and gently patted Zhang Dongtao's shoulder.

"Li Yan, the relationship between you and me in the rebel army is better than that of real brothers. This has aroused the dissatisfaction of King Chuang. I know this, and it doesn't matter. If King Chuang listens to other people's slander and punishes me for this reason, I will

You won’t be polite. The worst I can do is leave the rebel army and find a place to live anonymously.”

"Li Yan, you are a scholar and thoughtful. I am not worried, but I am a little worried about the Red Lady. I already know the accurate news. The Red Lady did not fight with the Chinese army this time and stayed in Henan. This Red Lady has a straightforward personality.

, if they encounter any injustice, they will speak out and may even take action. If someone sets a trap, the red lady may not be able to bear it."

...

Li Yan's expression changed several times, he looked at Zhang Dongtao, gritted his teeth and spoke.

"Deputy Manager Zhang, Lady Hong and I went to King Chuang and received your care. I always thought you didn't care about anything. In fact, you know everything. I will remember what you just said. If you leave the rebel army,

I will definitely take the Red Lady with me, leave the rebel army, and follow you..."

A hint of cold light shot through Zhang Dongtao's eyes, which quickly disappeared.

"Okay, Li Yan, the words between us today cannot tell anyone how the front army should march and what actions they should take. After I make a decision, I will discuss it with you. In the future, we need
Chapter completed!