The climate in Dayu is generally warmer, but the general trend since the founding of the People's Republic of China has been that it has continued to decline. Now, it is no longer so mild.
This can be seen from the most basic temperature. For example, it is early November, and Jiangzhou, located in the south of the Yangtze River, is already biting with cold wind. Coupled with the humid environment in the south of the Yangtze River, it looks even more cold.
Of course, this is also related to the fact that Jiangzhou is extremely flat from the north, and there are no east-west mountains that can block the cold air.
When Chen Ping heard that the Bailian bandits had defeated the Jiangzhou army, he immediately set out to pursue them northward at a rapid march.
He was not afraid that the White Lotus Bandits would take the opportunity to attack Jinling. After all, Jinling City was also the seat of Jiangzhou, and it was also a fortified city. Not to mention that he was chasing after him. Even if Chen Ping stayed where he was, the White Lotus Bandits would not
A person who has been here for a year and a half can’t even think about gnawing at Jinling.
Chen Ping was mainly worried that the White Lotus Bandits would quickly cross the river and roar in the mountains and forests north of the Yangtze River, causing evil thoughts in the minds of some people who were already restless.
Furthermore, since he took up the post of deputy envoy to the southwest, Chen Ping found that the situation was collapsing day by day, much faster than he expected.
This forces him to get rid of the White Lotus Thief as soon as possible, otherwise something bad will happen.
"Sir, according to the description of Jiangzhou soldiers, the White Lotus bandits seem to have chosen the nearest ferry to cross the river. It's unclear whether they have crossed the river or not now."
During the march, Chen Ping saw the scattered Jiangzhou Xiang army that collapsed, and learned from them the general process and details of the last battle, and obtained the general whereabouts of the White Lotus bandits.
After hearing the report from his subordinates, Chen Ping did not answer immediately. Instead, he took out a sheepskin map from his arms and spread it out. He looked at it carefully before speaking with a tense face.
"Immediately send an order that the thieves will cross the river and flee north. Don't let the thieves get away. The whole army rushes northward. We must defeat the thieves to expand our army's power!"
The military order quickly spread among the sergeants at the front and rear. No one complained about the harsh order. After all, Chen Ping paid them full military pay. This alone was enough.
And there is another extremely important point, that is, Chen Ping has always practiced it personally, marching and fighting with thousands of cavalry under his command. With his status as the number one scholar in the sixth grade, he can lower his body to such an extent without paying any attention to trivial matters.
He has won the respect of his soldiers.
All the money and respect for Chen Ping were given to them, so why worry about not being able to impose restrictions?
The three thousand cavalrymen quickly adjusted their status, fed a few handfuls of black beans, soybean meal and other fine materials to the horses, and then the whole army speeded up and chased them northward.
As for the target, it was naturally the White Lotus thief who they had chased all the way.
Chen Ping led the three thousand cavalry under his command and accelerated northward. The cavalry kicked up dust and the flags were fluttering all the way, which was witnessed by the people of Jiangzhou.
Although they didn't quite know where this official army came from, they understood that this official army, which was composed entirely of cavalry, was not only better than the local Xiang army in terms of weapons and equipment, but the most important thing was the strength of this official army.
The high morale, the solemnity of the military appearance, and the orderliness of the formation are all things that the people of Jiangzhou have never seen before.
It's okay if you haven't seen it before. Now that you see such a powerful army after the Jiangzhou Xiang army was defeated by the Bailian bandits, it will definitely arouse doubts in the hearts of the local people and make a comparison between the two armies.
.
Needless to say, the results of the comparison go without saying.
Due to the urgent pursuit of the White Lotus bandits, Chen Ping did not go to Jinling City along the way, but only sent a few people to inform the Jiangzhou Prefecture and the others.
Of course, they were not required to cooperate with him in suppressing thieves. After seeing the combat power of the Jiangzhou Xiang Army, Chen Ping had completely given up on this fantasy.
He only asked the Jiangzhou government to take good care of his territory and not give thieves an opportunity to take advantage of it. It would be enough if the city was captured and then caused him trouble.
However, what Chen Ping didn't know was what kind of storm his trip to Jiangzhou would cause in the land of Jiangnan.
Because this is already the fourth month after the death of Emperor Tianqi.
...
The White Lotus thief who fled north moved quickly, and it seemed that he had planned it in advance. Even though Chen Ping tried his best to speed up, he was still unable to catch him. In the end, he saw the shadow of the ship crossing the river in the distance on the shore of the Dajiang Ferry. p>
This scene made Chen Ping's heart skip a beat. In the south of the Yangtze River, there were not many places for the white lotus thieves to go, and they were subject to many restrictions. However, once they arrived in the north of the Yangtze River, their range of activities was greatly extended.
Moreover, the White Lotus Sect has a much deeper foundation in the north than in the south of the Yangtze River. If it cannot be wiped out in one battle, it will fall into the embarrassing situation of being burned by wildfires and reborn again by the spring breeze.
"General Luo, I missed it."
"Master Chen, there is no need to sigh. Entering the north is beneficial to the enemy, but it is also beneficial to us."
Luo Li is very calm. He now regards Chen Ping as an adult and a colleague with whom he can talk openly and honestly, so he speaks very directly.
"Lord Lu is already waiting in the north, and the White Lotus bandit's escape to the north is nothing more than a desperate struggle."
Having said this, Luo Li raised the corners of his lips and smiled, scanning the surrounding cavalry and saying, "These people can be considered elites in the Northern Army. Besides, you eat, live, and fight with them, and your military pay is not deducted."
."
"How could they fail to do their best?"
Hearing what Luo Li said, Chen Ping felt a lot more at ease, but also a little proud.
After all, in Dayu, civilian officials have always been promoted and military generals suppressed. The status of military personnel is very low. Few civilian leaders have ever looked directly at the big-headed soldiers, let alone someone like him who is of the same mind as the soldiers?
"I don't do this for anything else, but to quickly arrest the thieves so that the people will have no worries and the country will be stable."
This is his truth. Chen Ping's aspirations have always been simple, but his ambitions are so uncomplicated and can even be said to be simple to the extreme. The deeper he enters the officialdom of Dayu, the more difficult he feels to realize them.<
/p>
Now the country is in a state of chaos, and a chaotic world is about to emerge. This is far from realizing his ideal.
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Chen Ping, who was worried, let out a long sigh, and then devoted himself wholeheartedly to suppressing the thieves.
The boat at the ferry was driven away by the White Lotus bandits, but fortunately Chen Ping is now the Southwest Recruitment Envoy, and he is considered the most powerful person except Lu Wei in the matter of suppressing the bandits.
So he quickly notified the nearby government, urgently mobilized many ships, and then hurriedly and slowly crossed the river.
Fortunately, it is now the dry season in winter, and the river has become shallower, making it easier to cross. Otherwise, the three thousand men and horses would have been delayed on the south bank.
Of course, it is also because of the dry season that the White Lotus Thief can cross the river easily.
"He entered Jingzhou from Zhongzhou, and then chased him from Jingzhou to Jiangzhou. Seeing the thief like this, I'm afraid he might want to kill him and go back to Zhongzhou."
"I just don't know if the Zhongzhou government is on guard. I'm not worried about Mr. Lu."
After crossing the river, Chen Ping breathed a sigh of relief. The land in the north of the Yangtze River was much flatter and more open than that in the south of the Yangtze River. This made it easier for his cavalry to perform, and at the same time, it also made the dark clouds hanging over the land in the south of the Yangtze River go away.
Dissipate completely.
He probably has nothing to worry about. He doesn't have to worry about the White Lotus bandits causing trouble in the south of the Yangtze River. He only needs to focus on catching up with the White Lotus bandits in the north of the Yangtze River and defeating them.
If it can be annihilated, that would be great.
Regarding the extermination of the White Lotus bandits, the imperial court actually did not make much effort. It only gave Chen Ping the official position of deputy envoy to the Southwest Recruitment and dismissed him.
Don't look at the power of recruiting deputy envoys from the southwest to control the troops of the five states to suppress thieves. It sounds like a high position and a feeling of having great power.
In fact, this is all false!
It's just an empty name, not to mention how he could coordinate the troops of five states in the ancient era when transportation was inconvenient and information transmission was slow. Even if Chen Ping really had that ability, the prefects, magistrates, and other officials of these five states would be old.
Follow his orders honestly?
Chen Ping had thought about this beforehand, but it wasn’t until he actually put it into practice that he discovered that he was still too optimistic.
The magistrate of Zhongzhou is an old fool, and he is a bunch of slippery people. Needless to say, Jingzhou, as for Daozhou? Have you never heard of the saying that the road to Shu is difficult, and it is difficult to reach the blue sky?
After all, the only ones Chen Ping could direct were Qianzhou and Lingzhou. However, Lingzhou also had to be wary of the Dali Kingdom in the southwest. In the end, all the burden fell on Qianzhou.
Fortunately, Qianzhou was his hometown, and Yang Qian, the prefect of Qianzhou, was also on the side of Emperor Yongxing. He seemed to value him very much. Not only did he fully agree to cooperate with the suppression of bandits, he also took the initiative to recruit soldiers for him in Qianzhou. Zhang Luo.
In addition, He Qingxuan's hand-made muskets in Qianzhou have already achieved initial results. As long as the step of large-scale production is completed, the muskets, an epoch-making weapon, can be put to use.
Therefore, although only Qianzhou supports him, Chen Ping's confidence has increased a lot.
After all, in this era of turmoil that is about to happen, only when you have a gun in your hand can you become stronger.
It is true that he originally wanted to become an official with literature. After all, he had invested so much time and energy in it before. He passed five levels and killed six generals, and crossed a single-plank bridge with thousands of troops before he won the top prize of six yuan. Honor.
I thought that from now on I would be able to rise to great heights in the court of Dayu, display my revenge and ambition, and fulfill my long-cherished wish in this life.
However, it is not as good as God. It can only be said that he did not travel at the right time, and he reached the darkest moment when Dayu was about to die.
Fortunately, Chen Ping is not a person who doesn't know how to adapt and only accepts death. When he was studying, he never forgot about business. It was only because of his awareness that he could not overwhelm his body because of his many skills. Now it is not a bad idea to learn how to lead troops in war.< /p>
After crossing the river, Chen Ping led his army all the way north, searching for traces of the White Lotus bandits along the way. In addition, Chen Ping also saw the real life of the people of Dayu again.
Previously, when he was searching for the Twelve Hours Organization to which the Cheng family belonged, he had been to Jianzhou and Qingzhou, and had seen the conditions of the lower class people. Although he hated it at that time, he didn't have any special feelings.
Looking back now, Chen Ping's mood is extremely complicated.
Jiangzhou is already a prosperous place in the world, but across the river, it is completely different. The smoke and willows in the south of the Yangtze River are as prosperous as a dream, and it really deserves the name of the gentle town in the south of the Yangtze River.
However, Jiangbei is not much different from Qingzhou and the northern part of Jianzhou. It may also be due to the invasion of the Northern Liao Dynasty last year and the hardship of life in recent years, so many people from the northern part of the country have moved to Jiangzhou with their families.
He saw many hurried-looking people walking cautiously on both sides of the official road where the team was advancing.
This scene made Chen Ping feel bitter in his heart.
They were just looking for a way out for a glimmer of hope, and even this desire turned into a luxury. Not only did they have to be careful of possible plunder by the White Lotus bandits, but they also had to be wary of the officers and soldiers, for fear that they would suffer the same fate.
A glimpse of the leopard from the small to the big can show how rotten the grassroots level has become in a place with great reputation.
"These people..."
"These people abandoned their family properties and had to flee. It seems that the land where Qingzhou was founded did not suffer any major disasters? If so, it must be that the landlords and evil gentry there have exploited and exploited to the point where they can no longer bear it."
"At this critical moment, the Northland is like a raging fire. If we accidentally let the White Lotus thief escape, I am afraid that the raging fire will break out and cannot be controlled again."
While riding on the horse, Chen Ping spoke with emotion, and his words were heard by Luo Li on the side.
But Luo Li didn't answer, he just walked on his way silently.
He was born in poverty, so he naturally knows the difficulties of these people, but Luo Li also knows that there is really a limit to what he can do on his own. If he wants to change these, he can only do his best to reverse the increasingly declining situation. Only in this way can thousands of people in the world be saved.
Tens of millions of people benefited.
...
Zhongzhou.
At the border with Jiangzhou, the troops led by Lu Wei stopped here for several days. During this period, Lu Wei kept ordering people to collect news from various places, mainly the latest situation of Chen Ping in Jiangnan, as well as the changes in Zhongzhou and surrounding states.
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As the first bandit to rise up, he has been wandering in the south for several months and has not been wiped out by the army. This makes the bandits in Zhongzhou and nearby places where the White Lotus Sect has spread widely are ready to move.
Chen Ping could imagine that Lu Wei would not be confused. He also knew that he could not let the White Lotus Sect's troops come out to cause trouble again, otherwise they would be unable to control the situation if there were fires everywhere.
When that time comes, Lu Wei, the southwest recruiter, will no longer be able to work.
"The latest news! The White Lotus bandits defeated the Jiangzhou Xiang army in the south of the Yangtze River and have passed through the north of the Yangtze River!"
"Deputy Ambassador Chen is following closely behind, chasing and fighting fiercely!"
Inside the Southwest Recruiting Envoy's station, Lu Wei's eyes suddenly widened when he heard the news.
He suddenly stood up and paced back and forth, and after a while he calmly said: "Attack from the north and south to strangle this thief in Jiangzhou!"
When he said this, Lu Wei clenched his fists hard and squinted his eyes tightly, as if he had read Chen Ping's thoughts.
Seeing this, Shi Jialuo, the "eldest son" of King Qin who was accompanying him, seemed to be moved, his eyes slightly twitching.
"Master Lu, the thieves are cunning. Isn't it too risky without a foolproof plan?"
"Huh?"
Lu Wei suddenly turned his head and saw that Shi Jialuo had no good expression after speaking. Taking risks? I also want to kill the thief steadily.
But where is the time for him?
Ever since he was ordered to go out to the capital to take charge of suppressing bandits, the imperial court had not given him any news. However, during these days, Lu Wei learned one bad news after another about the capital from the newspapers and merchants.
He can even boldly predict that the imperial court has completely forgotten about him!
After all, except for the name of the Southwest Recruitment Envoy, the imperial court did not issue any military pay at all, and it was all raised by him on the pretext of suppressing bandits and reassuring the people.
This is clearly a sign of a national treasury deficit.
In such a situation, how can Lu Wei enjoy himself?
"Your Highness does not understand military matters. This is not a risk, but a dangerous move. It is the best choice depending on the situation."
"Besides, if I miss this opportunity to annihilate the thieves, I will be guilty of Your Majesty and the whole world!"
Lu Wei chuckled twice and Shi Jialuo choked back, then turned to his direct subordinates and issued an order to go south to cooperate with Deputy Envoy Chen Ping and Chen Ping to suppress the bandits.
At the same time, Lu Wei also sent documents to the governors of Zhongzhou, Jianzhou, Jiangzhou, Jingzhou and other places in the name of the Southwest Recruitment Envoy, asking them to cooperate and to kill the thieves in Jiangzhou and not let anyone go.