Li Hanzhi made a little fortune recently. He intercepted a batch of goods sent by the princes of Guandong to Guanzhong. The details are kept secret, but he did become generous.
Li used the money to buy a lot of grain from the river, and bought horses from Datong Horse Racing. Not only war horses, draft horses, but also riding horses, which made him feel refreshed.
At the same time, he also coveted the water in the river. He could deliver tens of thousands of grains in one go without blinking an eye. Isn’t that rich? If you have a chance, you have to grab him!
Sun Ru is gone.
The five counties of Heyang were completely in ruins, and the people fled.
They did not dare to flee to Henan Prefecture in the south, because that was the direction Sun Ru was withdrawing, and most of them ran north. Pei Tong asked people to set up camp south of Huaizhou, and at the same time sent cavalry to collect the refugees at various intersections.
People came from Yang, Jiyuan, Wenxian and even Sishui, Heyin, Wuzhi, Wude, Huojia, Xiuwu and other counties in Huaizhou south of the Yellow River.
At that time, there was a lot of noise and rumors were spreading. Many people said that Qin Zongquan was running away and was going to massacre cities in various states and counties. The refugees ran north one after another. They knew that Hedong Town in the north was powerful and Qin Zongquan was unlikely to go north. At this time, the farther north the safer he was.
.
It has to be said that the common people’s wisdom in survival is not low.
Pei Tong set up a camp north of Mengzhou and within Huaizhou. Within ten days, there were more than 20,000 people, almost 5,000 households, which was unexpected.
When five thousand households go to Suizhou, they will consume 35,000 hu of grain along the way. This is really life-threatening. Today, Huaizhou Datong Mazhuang only has more than 7,000 hu of grain, which was obtained with great effort. I really don’t dare
Save more. If you save too much, you are afraid that Li Hanzhi will grab it directly. The number of 7,000 dendrobium makes him feel that it is useless and it is not worth it.
With more than seven thousand grains, if you save some food, it will be enough for these people to enter the territory of the river.
On the sixth day of June, Pei Tong asked Li Fa, who had returned by chance, to sit in Huaizhou and continue to gather the refugees. He rode lightly to the river and asked to see Wang Chongrong. He planned to use the face of Lingwu County Prince to borrow food from him, but he did not know whether he would be willing to do so.
.
Before leaving, he met the four hundred soldiers sent by Li Hanzhi to help him, for a fee.
The team was led by a gloomy-looking general named Fu Cunshen. Pei Tong knew him and had a drink in private. After running away to Heyang with Li Hanzhi at the end of last year, he had been depressed and planned to go to Jinyang for a try.
luck.
Pei Tong once asked him to go to Xiazhou to join Lingwu County Prince, but Fu Cunchen was more willing to join Li Keyong. Pei Tong didn't know what his level was. After all, the commander-in-chief didn't accept everyone.
I didn't want to, and I didn't continue to persuade him later.
The soldiers brought by Fu Cunshen are indeed good. They all look fierce and unruly, but it is people like this who can ensure safety on the road.
Li Hanzhi was really interesting and didn't just send any cats or dogs to deal with it. The money was not given in vain.
"It's peaceful in the river, but not so peaceful on the road. Sun Ru retreated, and there were a lot of rebels. General Manager Pei just rode lightly to the river?" Fu Cunshen leaned against the door frame and asked casually.
"Everyone has been sent to Meng Huai." Pei Tong said: "The few followers around me are all warriors from the Xiang Wei Mu tribe of the Pingxia Party. They are good at riding and shooting, which should be enough."
"That's all. For the sake of the two drinks we've had, I'll send you a team of strong soldiers to see you off, but they must be equipped with horses. Don't worry, they can all ride horses." Fu Cunshen stood up and said.
"That's fine." Pei Tong hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
They said they were a group of people, but in fact they numbered less than twenty. Li Hanzhi's army had been beaten to pieces by Qin Zongquan's subordinates before, and was a bit dilapidated, and the organization was incomplete.
The two fire chiefs, one named Yang Shihou and the other Wang Jianji, are both strong and brave men. After receiving Fu Cunshen's order, they immediately packed up their gear.
Pei Tong didn't know these two people, but it was not surprising. Now he is considered a moderate figure. He travels in and out of Hedong, Henan, and Hebei. The generals from all over the country are polite to him, at least they will not take the initiative.
Looking for trouble, some even have a good relationship with him.
Having seen so many big shots, who would pay attention to those low-level warriors who are like weeds? Fu Cunshen, Yang Shihou, Wang Jianji and the like should survive first.
After leaving Huaizhou, the group worked hard and arrived at Hedong County on June 17. However, the city gates were closed and people were panicked, as if something big had happened.
"What's going on? Did the Jin army attack the middle of the river?" Pei Tong was so anxious that he kept going in circles.
If nothing unexpected happens, the first batch of Heyang people must have entered the territory of Zezhou, and Mengzhou should still be fishing for people. How long will more than 7,000 dendrobium grains be enough to feed them? One month?
“Let’s ask someone.” Pei Tong turned around and saw that the people around him were all members of the Kunfa Party, which was inappropriate, so he called Yang Shihou and asked him to go find the people in Hedong to find out the news.
Yang Shihou came back soon, with a funny expression on his face: "Wang Chongrong is dead."
"Dead?" Pei Tong almost couldn't sit still on his horse and asked, "How did you die?"
"Someone rebelled and was slaughtered. The rebels plundered the whole city a few days ago and stopped in two days." Yang Shihou was a little envious when he said this. Every time they rebelled, it was a carnival for low-level warriors like them. Not only could they plunder money,
Damn it, even the usually aloof official women will become their playthings, not to mention how exciting they are.
Pei Tong stopped talking and sighed heavily.
Wang Chongrong has a good relationship with the marshal. He usually provides convenience when recruiting soldiers and people from Shaanxi and Guo in Henan. The governors of various prefectures in Hezhong Town and the county magistrates also know about this and have always cooperated happily. This time the people of Heyang passed by,
Most of them will not make things difficult, even if Wang Chongrong is dead.
But I want to borrow grain from the river! This matter cannot be done without the commander-in-chief's nod, unless the governor is brave enough to directly open the warehouse to release grain, and can withstand the investigation at the time, but this is obviously impossible.
what to do?
“Who is in charge of the river now?”
“I don’t know.”
“But you want to be selected by the military?”
“You have to be elected, otherwise how can you convince the public?”
The "military democracy" of the late Tang Dynasty came to be here. Whether the rebels can rise to power depends on the support of others, at least to prevent others from opposing them.
Wang Chongrong was cruel, whipped many times, and insulted his subordinates. It is unusual for him to be rewarded like this. But most of the people who killed him did not have any soldiers. After all, they were in the middle of the river. Everyone had handed over their military power. The only ones who could be used were generals and soldiers.
That's all, how many people are there?
Wang Chongrong was also careless. If all his soldiers were around, he would definitely not die.
But it’s hard to say! Wang Chongrong is a man who beats and scolds even his own soldiers endlessly. If someone really rebels and wants to kill him, even if there are only a hundred or ten people, once the soldiers let go, the outcome will probably be bad.
Commanders, please take this as a warning!
"Let's go to Zezhou first. After gathering everyone, we will leave for Shaanxi and Guo. Brother Chongrong Chongying also has a close relationship with the commander, so he must be able to help with this." The gate of Hedong County is closed, and it is not suitable to stay here.
After thinking about the method for a while, Pei Tong finally made up his mind and said.
Others had nothing to do, so they rushed back to Zezhou.
On June 22, everyone hurriedly hurried and encountered a large army of fleeing people who were struggling to move forward in Yangcheng County, Zezhou.
Fu Cunshen is capable and has professional ethics. He knew that after the people of Heyang fled to Zezhou, he didn't want to leave. He planned to wait for the news to pass before running back to his hometown. After all, it is difficult to leave his hometown.
But he did something that Pei Tong never expected: Datong Horse Company recruited a lot of soldiers in Henan. Recently, 2,700 people were sent to Huaizhou, intending to cross the river and return to Suizhou. These people have not yet
Weapons, but after going on the road, Fu Cunxen dispersed the 400 people he brought into the army to serve as the backbone of all levels, and then gave each person a sharpened wooden spear, which increased to 30,000
Many people in Heyang are on the road...
"General Fu, what do you mean..." Pei Tong stuttered and felt a little dizzy.
Those two hundred Party Xiang cavalrymen are dead, and they won’t stop them. If Fu Cunshen takes this troop and runs back to Huaizhou, it will be a big joke! When the commander-in-chief is furious, can he afford it?
Can the Pei family afford it?
Even if we don't run away, if we use these three thousand people as the backbone to drive tens of thousands of Heyang people to attack the city and seize territory, wouldn't it be another Qin Zongquan?
"General Manager Pei is judging a gentleman's heart with a villain's heart." Fu Cunzhen sneered and said, "Even if I want to leave, if I leave alone, how can I earn anything from you? Since I am serving Li Shuai, I will leave alone."
Order, help you send the person to the river, and he will do it, no matter what the reason is for the unreasonable suspicion!"
Hearing what Fu Cunchen said, Pei Tong put down his snack a little, forced out a smile, and said: "General Fu has a kind-hearted nature and trusts people, so I will apologize to the general."
Having said that, he made a great gift as expected.
Fu Cunshen was just a mid-level officer, and he had never commanded more than a thousand troops. When he saw a big man like Pei Tong apologizing to him, his face softened slightly and he said: "Well, General Manager Pei knows that the army does not have much food and grass, only enough for five soldiers."
We have enough food every day. If there is no food in five days, the people will disperse."
It's okay not to mention this matter, but Pei Tong's face was full of depression when he mentioned it. He just heard him say: "There is still some food and grass in Jiangzhou Horse Racing House, which should be enough for more than ten days. But we still have three hundred and thirty days to go to Jiangzhou."
For more than ten miles, there is nothing you can do."
Fu Cun Shen was a little silent when he heard the words, and after a moment he asked: "Are you really out of food?"
"Wang Chongrong died suddenly, and there is no owner in the river. Who dares to lend me food now, alas!" Pei Tong couldn't help but sigh. He originally wanted to surprise the commander and make a great contribution, but he didn't expect it to end up like this. It was terrible afterwards.
How should one respond if Shuai pursues him?
“In this case, there is only one way.” Fu Cunshen said.
“Is there any other way? General Fu, please tell me.” Pei Tong said happily.
“What does General Manager Pei think of Yangcheng County’s urban defense?”
“What do you mean, General Fu?” Pei Tong felt that his brain was a bit lacking. Fu Cunxian was going to...
“The only way is to capture Yangcheng County. At this time, there is no food supply in the countryside, and there is probably no food in the countryside, and there is nothing to plunder. Isn’t there only one way to capture the city?” Fu Cunshen said matter-of-factly.