"What?" Li Zicheng was furious when he heard this and shouted loudly: "How could such a thing happen?"

After hearing this, Song Xiance said with a little ashamed: "This is my fault, I should have thought of it, but I have ignored it. Please punish the general!"

Li Zicheng originally wanted to scold him, but he didn't expect that he would admit it on his own initiative. At this time, he was still relatively rational. After pondering for a while, he still did not get angry. He just said sternly: "Take people immediately and find out the ones that disrupt the morale of the army and kill them!"

"General, now the rumors have spread. I am afraid that I can't tell who is disrupting the morale of the army. If everyone says that they have been arrested, I am afraid that they will not be able to catch them." Song Xiance replied with regret.

Seeing Li Zicheng's gloomy face and seemed to show a little cruel meaning, he understood what Li Zicheng thought at this time, and added helplessly: "When I was patrolling, I found that even many soldiers in the old battalion and the kids had been affected."

When Li Zicheng heard this, he felt very difficult. If it were just those cannon fodder-consuming troops, he might have really disturbed the morale of the army so much and killed them. But now, even the direct troops such as Laoying and Haierbing are saying this, so he can't kill anyone casually.

Thinking of this matter, Li Zicheng suddenly realized that he had no good way to solve this matter.

In the end, Li Zicheng could only order: There will be such things happening in the army strictly forbidden. If anyone dares to discuss it, no matter who it is, he will be killed without mercy!

At this time, they obviously hadn't realized that this was actually a public opinion war between the imperial government army. They thought that this was caused by the prisoners who spontaneously told what they saw and heard after they came back.

They discovered this situation at the beginning. But they didn't believe it at all, because those who came back actually brought female soldiers to such big-headed soldiers. And for them, the big-headed soldiers of the bandits bandaged the wounds and dealt with the injuries. How could this be possible!

Now, although they have confirmed that this should be true, they are surprised by this, but they feel that it is such a shocking act that has led to the people who come back to promote such things.

There have been such advanced public opinion wars since ancient times, but for most people who lead troops to fight, they are actually ignored. Especially this indirect public opinion war is not a morale battle in front of the two armies like the first day, which is even more likely to be ignored.

Perhaps this kind of thing may have been seen in history for knowledgeable cultural people and knows the importance of public opinion war. However, for Li Zicheng, who was a thief, it was a bit difficult for him to face such a situation for the first time.

Even Song Xianzi, who knew the people's hearts best in Li Zicheng's army, proposed that "Eighteen Children are the main artifacts", was actually just a fortune teller like Zhou Kui.

Besides, in the bandit army, the entire camp suddenly became deserted after a ban on military orders.

However, as the saying goes, guarding against the people is better than guarding against Sichuan. No matter how powerful Li Zicheng is, how could he forbid ordinary soldiers from stopping talking?

Moreover, the more Li Zicheng did this, the more ordinary soldiers became disgusted. So they secretly carried the leaders on their backs and discussed these things privately. But if they talked too much, they would eventually be caught.

"General, today, he arrested more than 600 people in the camp and was still secretly discussing the affairs of the court." As the evening approached, Niu Jinxing came to Li Zicheng and told him, "There are eighteen children in them!"

When Li Zicheng heard this, he was furious. So many people took his military orders as farts, and shouted sternly: "I'll hang them in the army for three days and kill them again. I want to know who else wants to be the same as them!"

Niu Jinxing was a little stunned and quickly confirmed: "Does those kids also deal with this?"

You should know that these kids were carefully trained by Li Zicheng. It can be said that they devoted considerable efforts and put in place great expectations.

Hearing Niu Jinxing's words, Li Zicheng was even more angry and said sternly: "A group of ungrateful wolves dare to ignore my military orders and kill!"

If he could hear the determination in his words, Niu Jinxing didn't say anything else and took the order to go out and execute it.

The so-called child camp is not really a child, but refers to selected and trained from childhood. Just like Zhang Xianzhong, there was also such a practice. Li Dingguo and others, who were famous later generations, were one of the many adopted sons trained by Zhang Xianzhong, and were outstanding figures among the children's soldiers.

At this time, on the side of the kid camp, a group of people gathered around the eighteen companions who were caught, comforting them or asking questions.

"You are really, the general said it, you can't say it anymore, why do you still say it?"

"What, do you think Princess Kunxing can't be that good? Actually, I also think that if the emperor's daughters were so good, we would not be orphans, and there will be chaos in the world today!"

"You don't have to worry too much. After all, we are all the generals. Although we just said a few words, our loyalty to the general is not comparable to other people. Don't worry, the general must have scolded you a few words or slap you a few words!"

“…”

Just as they were talking, Niu Jinxing came over with a military order. What they never expected was that there was no difference, and they wanted to hang these eighteen companions for three days before being executed.

After hearing this military order, many kids didn't believe it and became a little furious.

"A man surnamed Niu, did you get slandered?"

"The general is definitely not so ruthless. It is probably this fake military order from Niu!"

“…”

Among them, the most terrifying one was Li Guo's adopted son Li Laiheng; and the other was Zhang Nai, who was named Yihou by Li Zicheng according to the original historical development, later fought with Jianlu, and fought in Shiniuzhai and died in the battle.

At this time, the two of them were the best among the kids, so they naturally had to stand up for their companions.

Niu Jinxing was also annoyed by what they said, and immediately pointed at them and shouted: "The two armies are still fighting, and those who disrupt the morale of the army should not be killed? The general's orders are not strict, so why should he seize the world? If you are not convinced, go and find the general!"

He was not afraid that these kids would not be in the same system. Therefore, he was so angry that he showed no mercy and asked his subordinates to tie the kids up and hang them up.

Li Laiheng and others naturally dissatisfied. Although they thought that it was indeed their companions who had done something wrong, they shouldn't have been guilty of being guilty, so they immediately went to Li Zicheng's side. Needless to say, Li Zicheng scolded him and almost dealt with them.

Faced with Li Zicheng's serious military laws, the others in the bandit camp immediately did not dare to speak again.

However, those who have been arrested know that they will die and have no scruples.

"It is said that the emperor is stupid and the treacherous ministers are in power. Is the regulations on the preferential treatment of military soldiers in the Ming Dynasty fake?"

"My family is in the same family. It was originally a good thing. The thief Li came and ruined my family. Now I am the only one left and I will not let it go. Don't you know who is the disaster in this world?"

"Duke Xingguo is a good official, dedicated to serving the country and the people, and to pacify the world and prosper, it is many times better than Li Thief!"

"What is the King of Rebellion who doesn't pay food when he comes, I'll bah!"

“…”

Originally, Li Zicheng meant to kill one to warn a hundred people. Therefore, these people were watched by a large number of soldiers. Unexpectedly, they said these words, which made Li Zicheng angry and embarrassed. He waited for less than three days and was killed directly and hung up to show his head.

In this way, the effect of banning in the military is indeed better than before, but the reality may not be as calm as it appears.

This is true for Li Zicheng, and Luo Rucai's side is actually similar. However, the impact of these things on the war is not yet visible. At this time, they are all worried about the same problem.

Strong military strength is both an advantage and sometimes a disadvantage. For example, in terms of food and grass problems, the more people there are, the more food and grass they need. Whether it is Li Zicheng or Luo Rucai, they are all troubled by food and grass problems.

The teams they sent out to collect food and grass before have returned to the camp one after another, but without exception, there was no good news to bring back.

"What's going on?" After hearing too much, Li Zicheng became more disappointed and he couldn't help but get angry, "Are you lazy? Or are you going too late and you were attacked by Luo Rucai's subordinates?"

In response to this, the subordinates he sent out naturally would not admit that he was lazy. They all said that they went wherever they went, but they still gained nothing. As for Luo Rucai and the others, they said that they encountered each other occasionally, and they did not gain anything when they were there. From these signs, it should be that before their army arrived, the government had carried out a solid wall and cleared the fields!

Song Xiance was very worried when he heard this, so he said to Li Zicheng: "General, if there is no food and grass supplement, we may not be able to hold on for long!"

Actually, it doesn’t take him to say this. Everyone present knows that if the army has no food and grass, something big will happen!

However, no one could make more food. For a moment, the central army's tent became quiet.

In the end, Niu Jinxing on the side broke his silence and spoke to Li Zicheng: "General, the current situation is nothing more than increasing revenue and reducing expenditure. Since it is impossible to increase revenue, there is only one way to reduce expenditure. There are fewer mouths in the army that can last longer."

When Song Xiance heard this, he shook his head and immediately said, "This method is inappropriate!"

"What's wrong?" Niu Jinxing was unhappy when he heard this, and hurriedly asked.

Seeing that Li Zicheng was also paying attention to their conversation, Song Xiance looked at Li Zicheng and explained: "General, this imperial official army is an elite. If it cannot be defeated for a long time and is defeated too much, it will definitely affect the morale of the army! In this case, if the morale of the army falls sharply, it may lead to unexpected situations. General, you must not be defeated again!"

Li Zicheng frowned when he heard this, and was a little embarrassed for a moment. The military's food and grass are a big problem, but morale is indeed crucial and must not be ignored. In this way, what should we do?

Just as he thought of this, he suddenly remembered something, and quickly confirmed with a little expectation: "Didn't it be said that the imperial army did not have much food and grass, right? Is this a situation?"

"The general has a good memory. There is indeed such an explanation!" Niu Jinxing nodded quickly, flattered and said.

"But how much food does the imperial army have and how much food is left now? Does anyone know about this situation?" Li Zicheng immediately asked.

When Niu Jinxing heard this, he was a little stunned. He suddenly felt a little regretful. Maybe he shouldn't have taken this topic just now.

No one could answer Li Zicheng's question. In the end, they found the soldiers who were released from the imperial government army and asked in detail, but they did not get the accurate answer. They just admitted that Duke Xingguo told them that the government army had insufficient food and supplies, so they were released.

In this way, this matter is more difficult to deal with. How much food and grass does the imperial army have? Should they not be able to support it first, or should they not be able to support it first?

Regarding this issue, Li Zicheng and others discussed it for a while and had no results. The final conclusion should be taken first.

The issue of food and grass is similar. As for the battle with the imperial government army, the first one is to be afraid that the defeat would affect morale, and the second one is to be afraid that the imperial government army would not be able to defeat the imperial government army and would in vainly consume their military strength. Therefore, before the unsuccessful time, no one thought of going to war with the imperial government army first.

The Battle of Kaifeng was in a stalemate under such circumstances. Although it did not rain every day during this period, it was broken and the road became muddy. The Yellow River water roared even more, and it was unlikely that it would cross the river easily.

Of course, the scout war between both sides is still continuing.

The bandits wanted to trap the imperial army in the camp. The court officials naturally had to send them to investigate the movements of the bandits at night.

This kind of small-scale cavalry confrontation is also a stalemate. If the imperial government army does not take away the night away from the camp, it will inevitably be surrounded by the advantage of the bandits, and the losses will be greater.

However, if the scouts were not far away, the imperial government army would take advantage of their equipment if they didn't collect them at night and ran away when they fought. Therefore, the imperial government army often took a greater advantage.

On this day, Zhang Mingwei was on the watchtower, using a telescope to look at the camp of thieves in the distance, and the bandits who were moving outside to look for horses. He suddenly discovered a situation, that is, the morale of the bandits was a little depressed.

This situation was actually as expected by him. But now he found that it has been effective. Zhang Mingwei was of course happy about this.
Chapter completed!