The third incident involved Zhang Dongtao. Niu did not report the situation directly, and Zeng Yongzhong, Liu Ning and others would not ask.

At this moment, Zhang Dongtao and Li Yan were stationed in Luoyang Fucheng, with almost nothing to do.

No one would have thought that when Li Zicheng led a large army to fight in Shaanxi, Zhang Dongtao and Li Yan did not follow him and stayed behind in Luoyang Fucheng and Tongguan. In fact, Tongguan and Luoyang Fucheng no longer needed to send large troops to garrison.

When the news came that Li Zicheng had led an army to capture Xi'an Fucheng, Zhang Dongtao had no reaction, and Li Yan was even more indifferent. They had great military achievements, but they were deliberately excluded by Li Zicheng this time and lost the opportunity to make contributions. Both of them knew that the rebels would be defeated.

After Sun Chuanting, Shaanxi was already in a defensive state, and the sergeants in many imperial guards had lost their will to resist. It was only a matter of time before the rebels took over the city of Xi'an and the entire territory of Shaanxi.

Not long after the scout left the wing, Li Yan arrived.

Li Yan didn't look very good when he spoke.

"Brother Zhang, the rebel army has captured Xi'an Fucheng. It seems that it is only a matter of time before we take control of Shaanxi."

The change in title means that the relationship between Li Yan and Zhang Dongtao has deepened.

Zhang Dongtao nodded, he and Li Yan had already exchanged views on this matter.

"Brother Li, you are right. King Chuang's control of Shaanxi is expected. I think that if the rebel army maintains its current momentum, it can take down the entire Beizhili in one fell swoop, and even capture the capital of the Ming Dynasty..."

Li Yan did not show any surprise, but instead spoke without paying much attention.

"Brother Zhang, I think the time for King Chuang to proclaim himself emperor is not too far away. I wonder if King Chuang will let me and my brother stay in Henan when he leads his troops to attack Beizhili and the capital."

Zhang Dongtao gave Li Yan a thumbs up.

"Brother Li, your analysis is good. I have made preparations to stay in Henan and even Shaanxi. King Chuang is returning home in glory this time. He will definitely take advantage of this momentum to attack Beizhili. He has Niu Jinxing and

Song Xiance and others will surely achieve victory step by step. As for you and me, staying in Henan is the best choice..."

Zhang Dongtao was not angry, but Li Yan couldn't help it.

Since defecting to Li Zicheng, Li Yan has noticed that the person with the greatest military exploits among the rebels is Zhang Dongtao. Zhang Dongtao led the rebels to victory in many key battles. It is precisely because of these key victories that Zhang Dongtao became the leader of the rebels.

The prestige among them is extraordinary, but Niu Jinxing, Song Xiance and others have a lot of opinions about Zhang Dongtao. In other words, they are jealous of Zhang Dongtao's influence in the rebel army and always try to persuade Li Zicheng, which makes Li Zicheng become more and more dissatisfied with Zhang Dongtao.

Be distant.

Let’s just say that this time the rebels completely defeated Sun Chuanting, the governor of the five provinces of the Ming Dynasty, half of the credit belongs to Zhang Dongtao. If Zhang Dongtao hadn’t made a prompt decision and led 100,000 front troops to garrison Tongguan, cutting off the way for Sun Chuanting to lead the imperial army back to Shaanxi, Li Zicheng would not have even thought about it.

In order to defeat Sun Chuanting, after all, the combat effectiveness of the Qin army and the Yansui border army was by no means ordinary.

If Sun Chuanting returns to Shaanxi and reorganizes the Qin Army and the Yansui Border Army, the Qin Army and the Yansui Border Army will become the biggest hidden danger and threat to the rebels.

Perhaps because of his great achievements, or because he was bewitched by Niu Jinxing, Song Xiance and others, Li Zicheng became somewhat wary of Zhang Dongtao. He not only deliberately downplayed Zhang Dongtao's victory in key battles, but also weakened Zhang Dongtao's influence among the rebels.

, and in every key battle, Zhang Dongtao will be excluded.

The relationship between Li Yan and Zhang Dongtao is better than that of brothers. Li Zicheng knew about this relationship, as did Niu Jinxing, Song Xiance and others. This also caused Li Yan to be ostracized, so he was particularly vigilant.

If Zhang Dongtao is ostracized or purged, it is impossible for Li Yan to have a good ending.

Li Yan is not worth it for Zhang Dongtao.

Of course, Li Yan, who had a great reputation as a civil servant, had read history books and knew some of the art of emperors. He deeply despised the choice Li Zicheng made, but he could not say it publicly.

Zhang Dongtao was also secretly building some connections. Li Yan knew about this, and he even used his own strength to help Zhang Dongtao. For example, the sergeants who used to be his subordinates obeyed Zhang Dongtao's command and gradually became the backbone of Zhang Dongtao's command.

There are also red ladies who occasionally use their influence to build momentum for Zhang Dongtao.

Many times, Li Yan had to think of Luo Rucai and others. Li Zicheng ruthlessly killed Luo Rucai in order to concentrate his strength and power, prevent any external interference, and fully control the rebel army. Although Zhang Dongtao and Luo Rucai were completely different, once

Li Zicheng has complete control of power, and it is not impossible to burn bridges across rivers.

Zhang Dongtao must pay attention to this point.

"Brother Zhang, why does King Chuang ask you to garrison Tongguan and Luoyang? I can't figure it out. You are King Chuang's life and death brother. If King Chuang listens to the bewitchment of some people, he will not be able to trust you. Then many of the rebel brothers

What would you think..."

Li Yan spoke very directly and put aside all worries.

A hint of smile flashed in Zhang Dongtao's eyes, which was fleeting.

"Brother Li, sometimes when we take a step back, it is not necessarily a bad thing. For example, this time King Chuang led his troops into Shaanxi and captured Xi'an Fucheng. We stationed in Tongguan and Luoyang, which at least ensured the stability of the rear. Speaking of which, we also

He has a certain amount of merit. As for King Chuang possibly leading troops to attack Beizhili or the Ming Dynasty capital, he can rest assured that Henan, Shaanxi and other places will be handed over to us to garrison. This is also a belief in us..."

Li Yan's face became a little ugly.

"Brother Zhang, what I said is true. If King Chuang doesn't trust you, he can find any reason to prevent you from gaining a foothold in the rebel army. But if you have great military exploits and have been recognized by many rebel brothers

, King Chuang should think twice even if he is bewitched by some people..."

Zhang Dongtao shook his head slightly.

"Brother Li, your thinking is too simple. As the saying goes, one mountain cannot tolerate two tigers. In the past, I led troops to win the battle. No matter what the situation, the credit belongs to the king. It is the same now. Sometimes, the situation changes, and so do you and me.

You have to follow the changes, otherwise no matter how great your achievements are, the outcome will be very bad."

"Actually, I have already figured it out. Although King Chuang and I are brothers in life and death, King Chuang is the leader of the rebel army. If King Chuang feels that I threaten his position, he does not rule out the possibility of taking action."

"At the beginning, Luo Rucai's prestige among the rebels was extraordinary. He was second only to King Chuang. He was also beheaded by King Chuang. Compared with Luo Rucai and you, our influence may not be that great."

"Only good brothers can share joys and sorrows. Unfortunately, there are too few who can do this."

"Brother Li, these words are from the bottom of my heart. I know your thoughts roughly, but there are some things that you and I can't change. Since we can't change them, let's try our best to avoid them..."

Li Yan's face turned a little pale. He never expected that Zhang Dongtao would say such words.

"Brother Zhang, what do you mean by this? Are you going to accept the situation and wait until someone's plan comes to you? I don't agree. If I had known that this would be the outcome, I would have returned home long ago and lived my own life, and even followed King Chuang.

Why are you struggling? I follow King Chuang and I don’t seek any glory or wealth, but at least I need recognition..."

Zhang Dongtao narrowed his eyes. In fact, the meaning behind his words was already very clear. Unfortunately, Li Yan, a scholar, was too straightforward and did not think of the hidden meaning in his words.

"Brother Li, you don't fully understand what I mean. Tolerance does not mean to be submissive. If the forbearance reaches a certain level, it will definitely explode. In front of you, I will not hide my thoughts, although I am sure that Chuang Wang

I was bewitched by Niu Jinxing and others, and they had some opinions on me. However, after all, Chuangwang has experienced too many storms, and I am afraid he is not so easily bewitched, so I think the root problem lies with Chuangwang.

"

"Think about it, if King Chuang supports you and me, how dare Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance speak casually? To put it more bluntly, Niu Jinxing, Song Xiance and others would only jump out if they sense King Chuang's thoughts.

Talk about the bad things about you and me."

"Under such circumstances, you and I don't need to get angry directly, otherwise we are likely to end up like Luo Rucai and others. We only need to assess the situation and pay attention to the changes in the situation. Once we find that the situation is not right, we have the ability to protect ourselves.

"

"From this situation, we still need to be patient for a period of time. We need to see what King Chuang will do next."

...

Li Yan nodded frequently and gave Zhang Dongtao a thumbs up.

"Brother Zhang, what you said makes sense. I finally figured it out. The current situation is not particularly favorable to us. The rebels have captured Xi'an Fucheng and are preparing to take control of the entire Shaanxi. Their morale is high. All we need to do at this time is

Forbearance means finding opportunities. As long as we fully grasp the opportunities, we will be able to protect ourselves..."

...

Two days later, the personal guards around King Chuang came to Luoyang Fucheng and handed Zhang Dongtao a letter.

Although Zhang Dongtao remained calm enough, his body was trembling slightly after reading the letter.

Li Yan, who came later, read the letter carefully and threw the letter on the ground angrily.

"Brother Zhang, you are right. King Chuang is planning to divide his troops to attack Beizhili. Without you or me involved, it seems that King Chuang has forgotten about us..."

Zhang Dongtao's expression had long since become calm.

"Li Yan, remember what I said. Any of our forbearance has a purpose. When the soldiers come, we will cover up the water and the earth. No matter what suggestions Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance put forward to King Chuang, as long as we have the ability to protect ourselves, when the time comes,
Chapter completed!