On the 26th of the first lunar month of the eighth year of Chongzhen, in Lujiang County, Luzhou Prefecture, the whole city was filled with heavy fog, and bursts of miserable cries could be heard in the thick fog.
There were many swords and guns inside and outside the county government office. The yellow-faced Zhang Xianzhong, wearing a black gauze hat, sat high in the lobby. Below the hall stood dozens of fierce men, most of them wearing various colored arrow suits. There were more than a dozen people kneeling in the middle of the hall.
"It's always useful to have a tailor."
Zhang Xianzhong said expressionlessly, "Whose family brought it, the elder's family will take it back and raise it together."
The two tailors said tremblingly, "Thank you Grandpa Qiansui for not killing me."
A management team member from the side came up and responded, leading the two tailors away.
"Master, I know that the next one is Dian Shi here. He was injured and hid in the husband-cook's room, and was caught by the third sentry."
Zhang Xianzhong turned his eyes to Dian Shi, who was wearing a short coat in the hall. He raised the gavel and slapped it, pointed at Dian Shi and said angrily, "Since you are Dian Shi of Lujiang and have been appointed by the emperor, you should be responsible for protecting your land.
If you don't prepare on weekdays, since the city has been destroyed by me, you should wear official clothes and sit in the government office to celebrate the festival, why should you hide in the husband's room?"
What he said was fair and righteous, but those who didn't know it thought it was the censor who was impeaching him.
Na Dianshi kept his head silent and just trembled on the spot.
Zhang Xianzhong was shocked again, "Where did Wu Guanglong, the magistrate, escape?
I can keep you here even if I tell you."
"The villain doesn't know."
Na Dianshi finally plucked up the courage to look up and said, "Before the city was destroyed, he was drinking at the squire's house, and then he lost track of where he went after getting into chaos."
"Look at what you were doing while waiting for Mu Shou. You guys were pretty good at guarding the past two days. I was about to withdraw my troops and leave, but it happened to be foggy. Didn't you think that it would be rainy and foggy so we wouldn't fight?
We are attacking the city, and you dare to go drinking and having fun without caring about the lives of the people in the city. You deserve this!"
Dianshi was speechless and huddled on the ground.
"If you have nothing to say, just kill him."
Zhang Xianzhong reached out and picked up a token and threw it into the hall.
Several fierce bandits came up and dragged Dianshi down. Only then did Dianshi burst into tears.
Zhang Xianzhong turned to the other side and said, "The people who went up to the third sentry station have left some people behind."
The boss of the third post said carefully, "When we go back to the elder's house, they were all kidnapped here in Lujiang. I want to keep a husband and seven or eight children."
"What are you doing here, sir?"
"Sometimes you have to write something serious. My husband died of illness a few days ago. Now I can't find anyone to write a fake official document." Zhang Xianzhong looked at the kneeling scholar. The scholar was so frightened that he couldn't kneel down.
The whole person collapsed on the ground.
"If you can't kneel down firmly, why did you raise him? Just kill him."
Another lottery ticket flew out, and the man in charge didn't dare to say anything, so a few bandits dragged the husband out.
Zhang Xianzhong asked again, "Do you want to raise these children together?"
"During the attack on Shouzhou, many of the Boy's soldiers died, so we need to make up for it."
Zhang Xianzhong looked at the seven teenagers and asked, "Do you want to go home?"
Several teenagers crowded together and looked at Zhang Xianzhong carefully without saying anything.
The bandit leaders nearby looked at the young men with great interest, looking forward to their answers.
"If you are homesick, please come forward and I will send you back tomorrow."
Several teenagers exchanged glances with each other, and finally one stood up, followed by five more.
Zhang Xianzhong waved his hand and said, "Send them all."
Someone led six more teenagers out. Zhang Xianzhong asked the last teenager, "Why don't you miss home?"
"No home to go back to."
The young man said gloomily, "I will sell my son to another family because the owner's family is not good. I would like to go with the master."
Zhang Xianzhong waved his hand again, "Okay, I brought it from the third post, and the elder's family will take it to raise."
The person in charge of the third post didn't leave immediately, and no one in the hall urged him to do anything. They all seemed to be waiting for something to happen, and the young man looked around strangely.
After a while, several bandits came into the hall, each holding several heads in their hands. They were the heads of the scholar and six young men. The young man couldn't help but take a few steps back in fright.
"You don't know how to find someone to take care of you."
Zhang Xianzhong suddenly became furious, grabbed the warrant on the case and threw it at those people, "The hall is full of blood, how can I judge the case!"
The gangsters fled out of the hall quickly.
The man in charge of the third post then led the young man away.
There were only three people kneeling in the hall. Zhang Xianzhong sat down angrily. He didn't look at the three people in the hall, but looked at a person standing in charge of the plate. "You have always been able to do your best when you went to the fifth post. Why did you come back when you entered Tongcheng?"
How many people are these?"
The man in charge lowered his head and whispered, "Originally, thirteen people entered, but Tongcheng got wind of it. On the 11th day of the New Year, they started to search the whole city. A boy soldier was killed by the government officials at the city gate. The more Tongcheng investigated, the more
Well, the government officials there were very powerful. The old management team felt that they couldn't stay in the city and were afraid that someone would be caught and questioned, so they took people out of the city and sent them all the way to Qianshan in Huaining. Only two people were lost.
When these three people went to Qianshan, they encountered Tongcheng horses on the way and quickly checked them, then turned back and waited for the main camp in Lujiang."
Zhang Xianzhong stood up and walked to the three kneeling people. Two of them were wearing Taoist robes. He glanced sideways and asked, "Are the two old ones from Shanxi?"
"My master remembers it right. The ones from Yangcheng are always suitable for being spies. This time there are just a lot more Tongcheng yamen. I heard that the leader of the squad is quite good. Last year, one man beheaded more than 30 people to put down the chaos. Now he has two
Class..." Zhang Xianzhong interrupted, "Since entering southern Zhili, I have taken Gushi, Huoqiu, Yingzhou, Fengyang, Chaoxian, and Lujiang all the way. The support of the front stations at each post has been very good.
There has been no news from Wuwei Prefecture for the past few days. Yesterday, the man from Shucheng was arrested. Today, the man from Tongcheng said he was beaten and killed by the government officials. The master is not satisfied. What's the use of supporting you for several years? Just kill him."
When the two Taoist priests heard this, they kowtowed and begged for mercy, shouting, "Sir, spare my life!"
Zhang Xianzhong ignored the two people and bent down to look at the last person kneeling. He was a young man wearing a Taoist robe that was a little too big.
The boss said in a low voice, "This is the boy army brought from my hometown. The one who was killed in Tongcheng was his brother."
"What's your name?"
The young man's tone was very calm, "Master, I don't have a name, they call me little kid."
Zhang Xianzhong said coldly, "I have always told you that spies should not draw attention to themselves, how could they miss their whereabouts?"
"That day when I was resting in the horse stall, I thought that Hanako had gone to give porridge. When the team was talking about the matter, they found a person hidden in the fodder, so they had to kill him and attracted the dog officer to investigate."
"Gouzha killed your brother, why did you escape on your own, but you were afraid of death?"
"I'm not afraid of death. My brother was killed by the government officials just because he wanted me to escape. If I don't escape, his death will be in vain."
There was a smile on Zhang Xianzhong's face, "Do you hate those people in Tongcheng?"
The little boy slowly raised his head, with a pair of dark eyes on his dirty face, but full of hatred, "My brother asked me to kill everyone in Tongcheng before he died. If the master agrees, I will kill him."
Zhang Xianzhong squinted at the little boy, and the person in charge of the fifth post did not dare to speak. Everyone in the hall was quietly waiting for Zhang Xianzhong's decision.
"Take those who go to the fifth post back to raise them."
The hostess breathed a sigh of relief, Zhang Xianzhong turned his eyes away from the little boy, walked a few steps in the hall, and glanced around at the bandit leaders.
"Shucheng said that we can't defeat it, and Wuwei Prefecture lost internal information, so I'm a little unhappy.
We are going to Anqing. A few old guards are coming from the old camp. They will go to the fifth post, the third post, and the sixth post. We will go to Tongcheng first. I want to see how powerful the Tongcheng yamen are."
..."Everyone says that our government officials in Tongcheng are great, but actually it's not the government officials who are great, it's just the boss.
People from all over the country are running to Tongcheng. When we came here, we met a few people from Chao County, saying that they had heard about our master’s reputation and Tongcheng would definitely be able to defend it.”
Jiang Shuqiong shook a quilt and said, "No matter how powerful the boss is, he must always take care of himself.
This room is so damp, this quilt looks like it was fished out of the water.
Tell me, my boss has worked hard to keep us safe, and we have lost a lot of weight. How can we let this great benefactor cover us with such a quilt? What if we get cold? Who will protect us in Tongcheng?
Sister Yue Ru, come and give me a hand."
Jiang Shuqiong chattered to Zhou Yueru, who was coming with her, and spread a new quilt on Pang Yu's bed inside the headquarters.
"This quilt cover is all new. I'm not worried about it, so I washed it again and dried it to make sure it's comfortable to cover."
After Jiang Shuqiong finished speaking, she asked someone to bring in a rocking chair and carefully laid a cotton pad on it.
"Sometimes I don't want to sleep in bed, so it's good to just lie down on this rocking chair for a while or sit down for a while."
Pang Yu smiled and said, "Bantou Jiang took the trouble."
"Don't you dare say this."
Jiang Shuqiong took an exaggerated step back, grinning as if she was about to cry and said, "Master, how can you say that the slave family has bothered? The master family is for the people of the city. The slave family has been here for generations. Now there are dozens of people in the family.
This is a small amount. Tens of thousands of people in the city can be killed by just one person. The boss has not been home for three days at the city wall.
If others don't feel heartbroken, they don't know.
The slave family clearly knows that asking for trouble from the master for doing small things will shorten the slave family's life."
Jiang Shuqiong squeezed her fat face as she spoke. The tears did not come out, but she still stretched out her hand to pretend to wipe them.
Zhou Yueru was quietly adjusting a pillow in the background and did not participate in Jiang Shuqiong's solo performance.
"Shopkeeper Liu said that our biological parents are at home, our parents are in the city, and our reborn parents are at the top of the city. Everyone in our Baishun Hall has a share. If we have money and are able to contribute, no one can say anything about it.
If we run out of stones, if we throw over a hundred kilograms of them down, we are sure to kill a few bandits."
Pang Yu suddenly remembered that Jiang Shuqiong had worked as a dishwasher, and quickly praised, "Jiang Bantou is full of enthusiasm and is really a model for Tongcheng. There is also a lack of talents like Jiang Bantou here. The city gate is the gathering place for the defense materials.
I asked Squad Leader Jiang to be responsible for organizing the food supply. The requirements are that it must be safe and orderly, without causing fires, without blocking roads, without disorder, and ensuring that supplies are delivered to the city."
"Don't worry, boss! I will definitely do a good job."
After Jiang Shuqiong said that, she turned to Zhou Yueru and said gently, "Then my boss, sister Yueru, will take care of me."
Pang Yu recruited the loser Pang Ding and asked him to take Jiang Shuqiong to take over the cooking tasks.
Jiang Shuqiong went out for a while, and there was a commotion outside. Jiang Shuqiong was again shouting slogans with the helpers of Baishuntang.
"Be careful in the city."
Zhou Yueru said softly.
Pang Yu looked at her and smiled, "If you shoot her to death, you won't be able to pay back the mortgage."
Zhou Yueru took a sip lightly, "Don't say those words, it's unlucky. Besides, you didn't receive it in the first place."
"Debts are debts, they will be collected."
Pang Yu lay down on the rocking chair. It was indeed very comfortable. He squinted his eyes and said, "Master, let me beat your legs."
Zhou Yueru's voice said, "It's a beautiful thought."
Pang Yu smiled and said nothing. He had worked too much in the past two days. He lay like this for a while and actually wanted to fall asleep.
Suddenly Zhou Yueru asked, "Has Sun Tianxiu entered the city?"
Pang Yu replied in a daze, "I forgot."
"You can forget this too."
Zhou Yueru glared at Pang Yu and said angrily, "Her home is not far from the official road. There will be trouble when the bandits come. What do you think we should do?"
Pang Yu opened his eyes and replied, "When I notified Zhuangban's family before, I sent someone to tell them. Sun Tianxiu said that his father was seriously ill and did not dare to move. His uncle said that the bandits came and ran into the mountains. Later, he thought about it.
I have been calling the police for a long time, so they will naturally look for me when they come to the city."
"How can you safely let her family go to the mountains? How can the mountains be compared to the county town? If those bandits go, there will be no escape if they are blocked in the mountains."
"The rogue bandits don't have time to go to the mountains. They march at least fifty or sixty miles every day, and they can't search the mountains far away from the official road.
The city is full of people and wealth, and the rogue bandits are focused on attacking the city, so the city is a dangerous place.
If we call the little girl here, it will destroy the city and harm others."
Zhou Yueru hesitated to speak, but finally couldn't help but said, "You can guard the city, and everyone can rest assured. Sun Tianxiu's father is like him. He can live in the mountains for only a few days, but his life is gone. It is more convenient to come to the city for food and accommodation, and for medicinal materials."
There is no shortage either.
I heard people coming into the city say that many people in the countryside are reluctant to go out to avoid disaster, just in case Sun Tianxiu and others don't leave in the end.
Pang Yu opened his eyes, "The news of the rogue bandits has spread throughout the country, and they should have left."
Zhou Yueru frowned, pursed her lips and said nothing.
At this time, someone outside the door said, "For the record, the Guanyin Temple resettlement site is full of people. There are about fifty young and strong men inside. According to the plan, a social soldier can be formed. Captain Zhuang is there. He asked the squad leader if he could
Why don't you go and speak to those people first?"
"Can."
Pang Yu rubbed his eyes and stood up, "Ready the horse first, I'll come right away."
After a while, Pang Yu walked out of the door, and Zhou Yueru followed.
This headquarters is on Xiangyangmen Street. Dongzuomen and Nanxunmen have been closed with bricks and stones. Access from the east and south can only be done through Xiangyangmen.
Because Xiangyang Gate is within the city moat and there is no direct bridge to the outside of the city moat, the bandits who want to attack Xiangyang Gate must first pass through Nanxun Gate or Dongzuo Gate, and then follow the city wall to Xiangyang Gate. The entire route is within the surveillance and attack range of the city wall.
In the direction of Dongzuo Gate, you need to pass through the only passage of Zilai Bridge, and in the direction of Nanxun Gate, you have to pass through the small bridge outside Zhidu Temple. They are both narrow places that must be passed, and it is difficult for rogue bandits to raid Xiangyang Gate.
People were coming and going on the street, and people carrying luggage kept coming in from the city gate. Some people had been waiting in line for a long time, and they were always afraid, and they collapsed on the ground as soon as they entered the city.
There is a Yin Yang Sheng at the door to register the refugees entering the city. If they have no relatives or friends to seek refuge, they are advised to go to a resettlement site. Most of these settlement sites are temples in the city, and a few are houses that were burned down during civil unrest.
There are many thick ropes hanging from the inside of the city wall, and various supplies are being lifted. Some women below the city are shouting towards the top of the city, calling for their men to pick up the things. The soldiers have assigned people to each crenel, and those women also know the location and cannot get on the city wall.
Just shout outside the city.
Groups of social soldiers were going up to the city. There was a lot of noise in the queue. The strong squad in black at the top of the city shouted to the soldiers to be quiet, but the soldiers didn't pay much attention.
Jiang Shuqiong's voice in the city was shocking, and she ordered a bunch of cooks and women to cook.
Amidst the noise, Pang Yu climbed on his horse and headed to the Guanyin Temple.
After Zhou Yueru stayed there for a while, he slowly walked towards Jiang Shuqiong. After walking a few steps, he suddenly stopped, turned around and entered the doorway, squeezed out the crowd waiting to enter the city, and headed towards Nantangli.