Within a few days, Li Zicheng led his army to defeat the remnants of the Ming army in Zhending Prefecture, and also swept away several county towns that had taken the initiative to open cities and surrender, adding tens of thousands more "soldiers" to the invading army.

The invading army marched toward Zhending City in great force, preparing to catch a turtle in a jar. They captured Yang Sichang alive and strangled him, inflicting heavy losses on the Ming court and intimidating all officials along the way.

Liu Fangliang, the vanguard general of the Invading Army, approached Zhending City. He first sent an envoy to send a letter of persuasion to surrender to Xu Biao, the governor of Zhending, asking him to surrender to the rebel army and hand over Yang Sichang.

The army camped by the Hutuo River in the south of Zhending City. In a dilapidated small tent, there lived seven or eight bandits, both male and female, all wearing ragged clothes and unkempt faces.

Among them, a young woman with a fair face was hiding in the corner and hugging her knees. She had a head full of chicken nests and a dirty face. Her eyes were full of despair and helplessness. From time to time, she covered her mouth and coughed violently.

She was originally a famous actress in Kaifeng City, with the stage name Yizhimei. Because of her good looks, she was taken as a concubine by an old rich man named Zheng. From then on, she lived a life of luxury and dissipation. However, six months ago, Li Zicheng flooded Kaifeng City and the Zheng family mansion

After the garden was washed away by the Yellow River, she was captured by the invading army.

At that time, Li Zicheng's slogan "Killing one person is like killing my father, and raping another person is like raping my mother" was shouted loudly. Several intruders did not forcibly rape her. They just starved her for a few days and then lured her with food.

....

For a month, Iljimae traveled with the army and endured hunger. She was no longer as attractive as before. She became paler and thinner, no different from a refugee. There were fewer and fewer people interested in her.

Several "comrades" in the same camp were also in poor condition. Several of them were lying on the ground moaning and were either sick or injured.

One of the men, a man in his thirties, suffered a serious stab wound on his right arm. Puss and blood oozed out from time to time, and it had already suppurated. The arm was considered useless.

The Chuang army captured all the doctors along the way and treated the sick people in Laoying and Majun. These hungry people who were trapped were treated like straw and no one cared about them. When they died, they would just be left on the roadside to be eaten by others.

A young man with disheveled hair and white temples complained: "When will this day end!"

I heard the song "Eat his mother, live on her mother, if there is not enough food, there will be King Chuang, if you are not on duty, if you don't pay for food, everyone will have a happy time..." However, when I got to Chuang Camp, I realized that these are all scams!

Not only did he not care about being full when he came, but he also ate very shabby food. Not only did he drink gruel once a day, but he also had to do a lot of work and walk a lot to attack the city.

A shabby old man next to him said: "Young man, be careful what you say, be careful that the walls have ears!"

The old man looked to be in his seventies, but his actual age was less than fifty. He was an old military man, his surname was Liu, and people around him called him Liu Laogen.

When the Chuang army invaded his hometown of Anyang, Liu Laogen rushed to the city gate to greet King Chuang, calling the rebel army a benevolent and righteous army.

In order to live the happy life in the ballad, Liu Laogen joined the rebel army without hesitation. Compared with the passion half a month ago, Liu Laogen's empty eyes at this time also conveyed the despair of life.

He sighed: "Xiao Feng, don't even think about escaping. Yesterday, the rebel army captured dozens of people who escaped. Not only did they behead them alive, they also hung them on trees."

The young man named Feng shivered and quickly shut his mouth tightly. He also looked at the people around him with timid eyes, fearing that the people around him would inform on him.

When he glanced at the plum blossom in the corner, he suddenly paused and sighed secretly in his heart.

Xiao Feng is also from Kaifeng. His family has been a tenant of Zheng's family for generations, and he has been coveting Yizhimei's body for a long time.

After the rich man Zheng was killed by the Chuang army and seized his wealth, he felt that the opportunity was rare, so he followed the Chuang army that Iljimaicai had joined. Firstly, he hoped to find a way out in the Chuang army, and secondly, he wanted to find an opportunity to fulfill his wish.

Since joining the Chuang Army, Xiao Feng not only saw no way out, but also gave up the old habit of lusting after beautiful women. He was so hungry that he couldn't walk all day long. How could he still have the energy to do that kind of thing, and he couldn't do it even if he had the conditions.

Everyone did not dare to talk about this matter and turned to other things.

A man in his thirties said to himself: "I hope the gentlemen in Zhending City can open the city and surrender, so that we don't have to fight."

Next to the man sat two seven or eight-year-old children, who were his sons. He took his family and joined the rebels in order to earn a living and live a good life. Unexpectedly, when he failed to live a good life, his wife followed Chuang.

The little leader in the army ran away...

Liu Laogen lamented: "The imperial court's hundreds of thousands of men and horses were defeated. The dog officers in the city should not be able to defend the city."

Along the way, hungry people and internal officials often opened their doors to welcome the invading army. Now that the imperial court was unable to defend the city, more officials would naturally surrender.

After hearing this, everyone in the camp breathed a sigh of relief. What they looked forward to most was that when they encountered a city, they would be able to open it, so that hungry people like them would not have to lead the battle and die under the city.

Suddenly, there was a rush of footsteps outside the camp, and Liu Laogen quickly cleared his throat to signal everyone to stop talking.

Sure enough, a group of intruders wearing turbans walked in. They looked around at the dilapidated small tent. Everyone in the tent hid aside in fear. There was no sound anymore, only the groans of the men on the ground with injured arms.

The intruders were just about to leave when they suddenly heard a rapid coughing sound. They suddenly stopped and looked for the sound. It was Yizhimei in the corner who was coughing violently.

The leader of the soldiers said coldly: "Take her away!"

As Iljimae screamed in surprise, two intruders put a thick sack over her head and carried her away.

After Chuang Bing left, Xiao Feng asked nervously: "Where are they going to take her?"

Liu Laogen sighed and said: "She must have been infected with the plague. According to King Chuang's military order, all of them will be killed or abandoned in the wilderness and left to fend for themselves."

Xiao Feng had a sad look on his face, feeling deeply sympathetic to what happened to his "first love", but there was nothing he could do about it.

On the second day, news came from Zhending City that Xu Biao, the governor of Zhending, refused to surrender. He not only tore up the letter on the spot, but also killed the envoys from the invading army.

Liu Fangliang, the vanguard general of the invading army, was furious and ordered an attack on Zhending City, swearing to kill the governor Xu Biao!

In the wave of hungry soldiers, Xiao Feng stood numbly in a group of hungry people. He held a wooden stick in his hand and listened to the loud encouragement and shouting of the sentinel in the group: "King Chuang advocated righteousness for the sake of the poor people like us, and fought against the innocent people."

In the government, everyone must exert all their strength and fight with all their strength..."

Another general who broke into the camp rode by with a ferocious look on his face. Beside him was a flag bearer, carrying a blue flag with the word "Chong" crookedly written on it.

The general shouted: "Brothers and sisters of the rebel army, we share the blessings and the hardships. Let us rush into the city and kill all the dog officials and landlords!"

"Chuang Wang's military order, the order is prohibited, the former dies, the latter continues to advance, no turning back before the battle, no retreat until the sound of gold is heard, those who disobey the order will be punished on the spot!"

...
Chapter completed!