The old man was a little surprised when he heard this. This man wore armor and a helmet and was undoubtedly an officer in the army, but why did he talk elegantly and act like a humble gentleman? He didn't have the domineering spirit of an ordinary military attache, and he was still a general soldier.
It was not surprising that many people were polite. Since Chongzhen's attitude was respectful, the old man also softened his attitude. He waved his hands to the tribesmen behind him and put down all the weapons he raised. Upon seeing this, Chongzhen ordered Mengchai to stay where he was and walked forward alone. The old man
Also moving forward, the two met in the middle of the road with a tacit understanding.
But it was the old man who spoke first: "Why did Mr. Jiang come to my Duanjiazhuang?"
"If there is no other, please give me food and people."
In fact, the old man knew in his heart that since the soldier found this place, he would definitely not do anything good, and he did not want to make the matter a big deal. If the money and food he asked for were not much, it would be a good idea to bite the bullet and hand over the matter. But Chongzhen's words were so strange that the old man couldn't help it.
Question: "What does it mean to ask for food and people?"
"Oh, the younger generation is willing to pay for the purchase of grain at the market price. If the village is in a pinch and has no surplus grain, it is okay to spend money to hire people to do the work."
The more the old man talked about it, the more confused he became. He couldn't help but doubt this person's motives. Good guy, it's not about robbery or not. It shows how bad the reputation of being a soldier is.
"You said you hired people to do things. Can you elaborate on that?"
"To be honest with Fu Lao, the reason why I set foot on Lingqiu is to deal with the enemy troops who are chasing our troops. Now that one hundred thousand captives have arrived in Datong, the survival of the people of Shanxi is at stake. I see that the terrain of Lingqiu is steep and can be defended.
He wanted to build a fortification of earth to defend against the enemy, but his troops were exhausted and he was short of manpower." Chongzhen's tone of voice was ups and downs, and his few sentences were very contagious.
Although Duanjiazhuang is located in a remote place, it is not isolated from the world. In addition, due to the flow of refugees from various places, the old man has more or less heard about recent events in the outside world.
After hearing this, the old man nodded lightly and said with some emotion: "Boy Jiang, just think of me as a dying man who relies on his old age to live up to his old age. How about calling you kid?"
"The juniors deserve it."
"Boy, tell me the truth, are you an official or a soldier?" the old man said close to him.
"The younger generation once served in the Chuang army and is now in the Ming army. I support Emperor Zhengshuo of Chongzhen and fight to the death against the Jianlu."
"Oh, that's it..." The old man's words were somewhat meaningful. He couldn't help but look at the ground and think. From time to time, he picked up the royal staff and tapped the ground gently.
Chongzhen was not in a hurry and waited silently.
After a while, the old man looked solemnly and said: "Boy Jiang, this matter is not a small matter. Can you allow me to go back and discuss it with the clansmen and make a reply tomorrow?"
"Junior, take your leave."
Chongzhen nodded and said no more. He bid farewell to the old man and rode away with Mengchai.
"Ancestor, what do the soldiers and thieves want to do?"
"We, Duanjiazhuang, are not afraid of them."
"That's right, that's right."
The young people who didn't know what was going on were getting excited. Amidst the chattering of the younger generations, the old man picked up his royal staff and knocked the ground heavily, and he immediately became quiet.
"The old man wants to discuss something. All the men in the village will go to the ancestral hall to wait, and the male children in the family will also be brought along. Anyone who has the authority must come."
...
On the way back, Chongzhen kept thinking. He had misjudged the speed of relocating people before. He knew it was slow, but he didn't know it was so slow. Judging from the current speed of travel, it would probably be ten days before everyone arrived in Guangchang.
From now on, the buffer time between him and Jianlu will be at most five days.
If Jianlu had discovered his movements now and pursued him urgently, he would be able to catch up with Tang Tong in two days. The reason why he went to great lengths to move was to seek the initiative on the battlefield. After just meeting with the elders of the Duanjiazhuang clan, Chongzhen
Gradually, countermeasures were taken.
Civilians gradually walked out of the mountain pass and continued moving forward at the soldiers' instructions.
"From Lingqiu to Guangchang, set up two hundred soldiers to guide the way, and let the hundreds of households under you watch. You and the remaining eight hundred people will go back to respond. If there is any accident, you will solve the problem. If there is no accident, you will help the civilians push the cart."
"Mengchai's soldiers are not suitable for having too much contact with other people right now. This matter can only be left to the regiment training camp."
Chongzhen sat on a tree stump that had just been chopped down, using it as a temporary office, and gave Yang Boxian careful instructions.
"Your Majesty, aren't we going to Guangchang?"
"Let the civilians go first. I want to set up a line of defense at Lingqiu in order to intercept the pursuing troops."
"promise."
"Boss, please restrain your soldiers and never interfere with the people's livelihood. If there are any offenders, I will kill them without mercy." The tone at the end was decisive.
"The order is given!"
Since the army chose to stay here, it was urgent to set up a military stronghold. Mengchai's soldiers were cutting down trees everywhere for this purpose. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Chongzhen asked Mengchai: "If it were you, how long would it take for you to catch up with me?
"
Mengchai thought about it seriously and then gave the answer: "Three days."
...
The Qing army did not stop at Datong Prefecture. According to the original plan, the troops were divided into three groups. One group was led by Azig himself and Wakda accompanied him. After joining up with Shang Kexi's troops who were coming later, they moved down Yancheng City to attack northern Shaanxi.
Wu Sangui went southeast, first conquering Hunyuan Prefecture and Yuzhou, and then went south to protect most of the east flank and guard the grain roads.
Dorgon took the remaining troops and went directly south with only one target, Taiyuan.
Targeting someone is just a lucky draw. Compared with this, Dorgon is more concerned about the overall outcome, and he is confident that before long, that person will have nowhere to hide in Shanxi.
...
Since the establishment of Fu Fan as the governor of the country, the four generals of the Jiangbei towns who were awarded knighthoods for their decisive contributions, namely Gao Jie, Liu Liangzuo, Huang Degong, and Liu Zeqing, have become increasingly rampant but no one can control them. There is no way to make progress.
They only focus on competing for "good land" in southern Zhili to enrich themselves, and then use it to blackmail the imperial court. Their power is not lost, and the Hongguang imperial court is completely reduced to the plaything of the warlords.
Among the four people, two are defeated generals who fled in the face of the wind, and two are mediocre people with no achievements to record. It is really ridiculous to be so arrogant in the world with just one sentence: "The emperor is established by my generation."
On the same day that Chongzhen rushed to Lingqiu, Gao Jie was ordered by the court to settle his family outside Yangzhou City and then lead his troops to march north. But how could Gao Jie, who knew that Yangzhou was rich, obey the order? He shouted that he wanted to settle his family inside Yangzhou City.
The people of Yangzhou have been afraid of Gao Jie's bad reputation for a long time. It is well known that his soldiers looted, burned and killed villages, so the people stopped (ba) the city and climbed Pipi one after another, and would not let Gao Jie's army enter the city.
Angry and angry, Gao Jie immediately ordered an attack on Yangzhou City. Upon seeing this, a Jinshi named Zheng Yuanxun made an appointment with Gao Jie for a meeting, hoping to mediate. The conditions given were that the officers and soldiers' families were allowed to settle in the city, but the soldiers were still stationed outside, and both sides retreated.
step.
After a major incident was solved, Zheng Yuanxun was happily preparing to ask for credit. Unexpectedly, the angry people killed him on the spot.
Seeing that the matter was getting serious, Shi Kefa, the great scholar in charge of the division, hurried to Gao Jie's camp. After all his good words, Gao Jie agreed to abandon Yangzhou and ask for nearby Guazhou to garrison troops. In the eyes of others, the reason why Shi Kefa was so tolerant was because
Forced by the current situation, this is not the case.
On the first day of June, Shi Kefa received a letter. The person signing the letter was none other than Tong Yangxing, who had been stranded in the north. The eight characters in the letter were shocking.
"Your Majesty is still alive and trapped in Shanxi."