Just as Lang Shilong and the other people were waiting calmly for the man in gorgeous clothes and splendid weapons to speak.
The man whetted everyone's appetite, and when he opened his mouth, he shocked everyone and said, "Then Xie Qianqiu has rebelled."
Xie Qianqiu, who was sitting in the front hall of the government office, trembled all over after hearing this, as if a bolt of lightning had struck him hard. He was frozen in place and unable to say a word. His hands on his knees couldn't help but He was trembling slightly, his heart hanging in his throat. Although in the bottom of his heart, Lang Shilong still held on to the last chance, he still couldn't help but have an ominous feeling that became stronger and stronger, so strong that it made him sit up and down. Restless.
"Why do you say that Xie Qianqiu rebelled? Let me tell you, Xie Qianqiu took 3,000 soldiers and horses from Pucheng to recapture Xiagui City. However, not long after the battle with the Green Forest Army, the accompanying General Ma Hongfei died in the battle, and he However, he was captured alive by the Green Forest Army. It wouldn't take long, either tonight or tomorrow morning. He would definitely return to Pucheng with his troops and horses, find an excuse to trick the city gate into opening, massacre the city, and then offer Pucheng to The Green Forest Army made a pledge of surrender and then switched sides," the man said.
"What should we do? What should we do?" When the people heard that General Ma Hongfei, who was guarding the city, had died in the battle, and Xie Qianqiu had also defected to the Green Forest Army and was coming to massacre the city, how could this not make the people anxious, they immediately became restless. As more and more people gathered here, everyone seemed to have seen the end of the world. They were extremely sad. Some women began to hold their children and sobbed faintly.
"Then Xie Qianqiu must have been an official of the Song Dynasty. He would not forcefully attack the city on a large scale. He would definitely lie in ambush near Xia Pucheng, waiting for the opportunity for the city gate to open, and then quickly deceive the city gate to open and come in," the man said : "Master Lang knows his conspiracy, so he doesn't let the villagers leave the city. This is for the safety of everyone's lives. If you go out now, not only will you not be able to escape, but you will be caught and tied up by Xie Qianqiu. After that, he took everyone as human shields to attack the city. At that time, in order to protect the many people in Pucheng, Master Lang must have killed them under the city together with Xie Qianqiu's rebels. "
After hearing this, everyone nodded one after another, and no one clamored to open the city gate. Everyone sighed, not knowing whether they should just surrender now or if there was something they could do.
Lang Shilong, who was sitting in the front hall at the moment, listened to the twists and turns that the man said, and felt a mixture of sadness and joy in his heart. The sad thing was that he heard what the man said so clearly that he could no longer distinguish between true and false, but he was happy that, in the Under his guidance, the people no longer clamored to open the city gate.
The man added: "Today in Pucheng, we are all like grasshoppers on a rope. No one can hide or escape. If Xie Qianqiu is allowed to attack, everyone will be killed. Now we can only twist We will form a rope and live and die with Xia Pucheng. But don’t worry, everyone. Although the situation is not optimistic, we have Mr. Lang, and Mr. Lang has a great plan. You can just go home and wait. Master Lang defeated the Green Forest Army,"
When the people heard what he said, there was no sound at all. Even the funeral people who were about to be buried fell silent. No one shouted to open the city gate, but there was no sign of anyone leaving. At this moment, A young voice emerged from the crowd: "The official's words are natural and pleasant, but maybe he just stabilizes us so that I can sneak away."
After hearing this, the man smiled and said: "Since you said it like this, it makes sense. Who else thinks like this?"
Common people, look at me and I look at you. One or two bold people raised their hands and responded. After that, more and more people responded, saying that they thought so too, and then the voices came one after another. They were all distrustful of the government, and were afraid that Lang Shilong would pack up and escape under the cover of night.
The man smiled and said: "Master Lang has spent all his efforts to guard this city, but you have to stalk and 'defend' Master Lang. In this case, I have a plan to get the best of both worlds. Xie Qianqiu led Three thousand soldiers and horses left the city, and the city was empty. Instead of staying here, why don't you all go to the top of the city and help the officers and soldiers guard the city on all sides, which not only protects your own home, but also prevents Mr. Lang from escaping. How about,"
No one spoke.
The man said: "Just now I saw that you all have grown up in character, but why are you silent now? Those who are rich will contribute money, those who are capable will contribute, and each family will have a banker. Those who are unwilling to contribute to buying and selling will not do so." Okay, I can use fifty taels of silver to pay for it. This money will naturally be used as military expenses. Those who leave will have settlement expenses. If they die in battle, they will get two shares. Mr. Lang will not be sorry for you. Who will go? "
The young people among the people looked at each other, and some of them said scatteredly: "I'll go."
"I'll go too,"
"Count me in,"
There were more reports one after another, and they followed like clouds. The man looked at it and smiled and said: "Okay," he glanced at the dark crowd of people gathered in front of the house and said: "There are all fellow villagers in Pucheng. That is impregnable. Their plan to attack Pucheng is simply a miscalculation. Folks, in this case, go home and clean up the guys. You can use knives, rakes, plows and sticks. You can also carry wooden signs without armor, etc. When you are ready, Master Lang will send agents to register door to door,"
Lang Shilong had heard what the man said a long time ago and knew in his heart what this man was planning. When his mind came to an idea, his eyes couldn't help but shine. He slapped his thigh and regretted that he didn't think ahead, so he hurried out immediately. .
When the people saw Lang Shilong come out in person, under the foreshadowing he had made before, there was a heroic atmosphere of life and death before the war. Now they saw the leader, who looked like a unruly man, and they didn't know which side to start from. , Dushan called "Master Lang" and then knelt down to salute.
When Lang Shilong saw it, he was also very wise. He quickly put on a people-friendly appearance and shared the joys and sorrows with the people. He quickly helped the few people in front of him to get up and told everyone to get up quickly. Then he used his scholar's specialty and became impassioned. Di's words were so coaxing that he would live and die with Pucheng, which moved all the people.
Lang Shilong immediately arranged for the officers to register the villagers of the mountain city on the towers on all sides. The wealthy families did not want to leave anyone, so they received fifty taels of silver from each household. In addition, the shops collected thirty taels of silver from door to door. , very soon, within an hour, there was no one making trouble in front of the government office. On the contrary, there were four thousand more troops on the city gates on all sides, and the originally empty treasury became more abundant.
Lang Shilong saw that the situation was turning to his advantage. Not only did he have soldiers in his hands, but he also had a lot of money, and he also had the love of the people. This was a good thing with both fame and fortune. Although Lang Shilong ruled the world His ability was not weak, but to have it happen overnight was something he had never thought of. He and the man returned to the front hall, without stopping, but directly invited the man in. He came from the flower hall in the backyard and sent someone to set up a banquet. He invited the man to take a seat and said very politely: "I didn't expect that there are talents like you in Pucheng now. Tell me, you can be so helpful." What do I want? Let me see if I have the ability."
The man smiled and said: "Master Lang fell in love by mistake. I came here this time not for gold or silver."
"They are here to ask for an official position," Lang Shilong said without thinking: "Look, how about being my criminal wealth master?"
"this……"
Lang Shilong felt that this man was an extremely rare talent, and he felt that this was someone arranged by God to help him. He wanted to win him over as his own think tank, so he said: "To tell you the truth, this I won’t stay in this place for a long time. I won’t be able to wait for long before I will be transferred back to Kyoto. At that time, whoever is mine will be yours. What do you think?”
"Hahaha," the man couldn't help laughing after hearing this.
Lang Shilong looked at the man's expression and was a little surprised. He was also a little surprised by his smile. He couldn't help but feel alert in his heart and said, "Why are you laughing?"
"I laugh at you, sir, you are so naive," the man said, "Do you really have no idea who I am?"
After hearing these words and this tone, Lang Shilong felt more and more at a loss. This change happened so fast, as if the person in front of the government office and the person in front of him at this moment were completely different. Lang Shilong's heart suddenly felt empty. Full of vigilance, he shouted: "Who are you?" Lang Shilong suddenly thought that even he himself didn't know the news, how could it come from that person? The arrival was so strange that Lang Shilong couldn't help but stand up, stared at the man and shouted: "Who are you, and what are your intentions in coming here?"
The man didn't speak, but he looked around and said, "It's better for adults to know some things alone."
Lang Shilong was not a person who was greedy for life and afraid of death. He immediately dismissed the servants and said, "Now you can talk about it."
The man smiled and said: "As I said before, I am here to bring wealth and honor to you. Master Cai Jing sent you here just to use the war to 'lay a golden edge' for you so that you can rise higher and higher." , However, in the current situation, it is difficult to achieve this feat. If the city is destroyed, Master Lang's future will not be ruined by half, but he will have to retreat for three to five years."
Lang Shilong listened to what the man said, but was unmoved. After all, he now had four thousand more soldiers and horses, and a lot of money, so he was naturally confident. At that moment, he looked at the man and shouted: "This You don't have to worry about who you are. If you don't tell the truth, don't blame me for not being honest."
The man took a look at Lang Shilong and said: "I am Zhu Wu, who is known as the divine machine strategist in the world."