On May 17, the eighth year of Chongzhen, on Songyangmen Nei Street in Anqing Prefecture, a long black queue walked into the city along the street, with short spears above their heads shaking densely.
Shops along the way were busy opening their doors, the women walking on the road turned pale and fled to the west, and even the beggars ran into the alleys in panic.
Wu Dacai had some strange feelings in his heart. As a farmer, he knew that the officers and soldiers were not good, and they mainly wanted to rob things. It was understandable that the shopkeepers were afraid, and it was reasonable for the women's families to be afraid, but he was even afraid of beggars. He couldn't think of any beggars.
Nothing to be robbed of.
To be able to scare people so much, apart from being surprised, there is also an inexplicable sense of superiority, which makes people scared.
Ng Tak Choi took advantage of the movement of walking to adjust his belt to make it more comfortable on his buttocks.
The last time I reminded the idiot, I was punished by Pang Pang with ten army sticks. Unlike the beatings inside the yamen, which were beaten to pieces, now this army stick can hurt people to death when hit, but there are no serious injuries, and he recovers quickly, but
My buttocks are still sore and itchy. I have suffered enough during the 140-mile trip from Tongcheng.
He raised his head and glanced ahead. The huge man who hit him was right in front.
Because Wu Tachai was in the first team of the 100th General Administration and was the second tallest, he became the second row of the entire queue. In front was the idiot, and in front was the defensive red flag for guidance.
Under the red flag were five riders led by Pang Pang. They stopped in front of the flag hall of the garrison. Pang Pang took the lead and dismounted, and then waved the red flag.
"Stop!"
When Wu Dacai heard Yao Dongshan's order, he quickly stopped. Each team in front and behind gave orders one after another. The long team stopped one after another, and the end of the team had already landed at the Songyang Gate.
"whole team!"
Wu Tachai probably looked at the distance between him and Du Han, and quickly adjusted it slightly, which was roughly the same distance as he usually stood still.
No one came out to greet him inside the garrison. Panda stood in front of the door for a while and then went in. The team waited outside the door.
After the adjustment was completed, there were no follow-up orders. Everyone could only stand still. According to the training requirements, they were not allowed to speak or move. Wu Tachai was still a little unable to adapt. He had never been subject to such constraints in the countryside before. He wanted to sit on that field ridge.
Sit when you are up and lie down when you want. The requirements of the giant man are indeed strange.
The number of people on the roadside gradually increased, and this Qiu Ba group was completely different from the soldiers they had seen before. All the soldiers in the queue stared at each other and stood motionless, looking a little silly.
There didn't seem to be any harm, so after standing for a while, everyone gathered around. A group of green men happened to be at the head of the team, pointing towards the queue.
More and more people were watching on both sides, and they were even laughing loudly, probably laughing at themselves.
Wu Tak Choi's sense of superiority disappeared, and his face turned a little red. He had never felt like being in the spotlight. He felt that any laughter was directed at him, and his sense of superiority turned into shame.
However, he had already completed the training of standing still. He had received many beatings in the previous twenty days, and he knew that as long as he did not call for dismissal, he could not move except for his eyes.
The stupid guy in front of him was turning his head to look at the young daughter-in-law next to him. On the other hand, there was a woman laughing on the street. He turned around and looked again. He was already taller than others and stood out from the crowd. This movement made him particularly conspicuous.
Just as he was about to remind him not to wander around, a figure suddenly strode past him. Wu Da Tsai was shocked. He was clearly the man playing the board, Guo Fengyou, holding a bamboo stick in his hand.
When Wu Dacai saw the bamboo whip, he felt like he was about to stop breathing. The whip he used was small moso bamboo, which is abundant in Anqing. It is about the thickness of a thumb. It is not the old bamboo that is hard after drying, but a more flexible type, but it is hard to beat.
The severe pain was no worse than a military stick.
The bamboo stick passed through the air in front of him and hit the shoulder armor on the idiot's back.
The stupid man screamed and his whole body trembled as if he had been electrocuted. He quickly turned around and looked over in horror. When he saw it was Guo Fengyou, he stayed where he was.
"Which way is your face facing?"
After Guo Fengyou finished speaking, he slapped the stick again, "Still watching!"
The stupid man quickly moved his face forward, his body still shaking, whether it was pain or fear.
Seeing someone being beaten, a few green men laughed loudly at the side.
Ng Tak Choi's fingers were trembling. He had been beaten many times by this little bamboo on the road in the past two days. Every time he saw this little bamboo, he could not suppress his fear.
When the little moso bamboo appeared, it seemed that there was only that little moso bamboo in the world. There were many bamboo forests around Wu Tac Choi's hometown, but this was the first time he discovered that bamboo could be so scary.
Guo Fengyou strode back with a bamboo stick in his hand. Only then did Wu Dachai's breathing return to normal, and the laughter and conversation of the people watching could be heard again.
Ng Tak Choi did not squint and stood motionless on the spot. He stood there for a long time without giving any orders. The entire queue stood in awe. The people watching the excitement lost interest and some people began to leave gradually. There were not that many people watching.
Just when he didn't know how long he had to stand, he saw a large man and a general coming out of the garrison.
..."Is General Pan going to cross the river today?"
Pang Yu said politely to Pan Ke, "Actually, general, there is no need to be anxious. Leave two more days for the clerk to hand over slowly. You and I can just have a good time over the wine."
Pan Keda chuckled, "The book office has been handed over two days in advance, and it's almost ready. Pang Daren has a new official taking office. It's a time when things are complicated, so I won't bother you."
"General Pan has defeated my subordinates. I can't say I'm bothering you there. The general has made great contributions to my safety and security of the country and the people. I am a laggard in my studies. I have many military matters and I would like to ask the general for advice."
Pan Keda tilted his head slightly and looked at Pang Yu. Last year's Tongcheng civil uprising was originally an opportunity to make great achievements and make a fortune. It was originally a foolproof plan.
As a result, this little yamen official used some method to kill all the thieves in Yunji Temple.
Although he had been in the army for many years, he did not have many opportunities to fight. That night in the hall, blood was all over the floor and dozens of headless corpses were strewn about, which left a deep impression on Pan Keda.
The whereabouts of the 40,000 taels of dirty silver have never been known. Not only did Pan Keda not get the money, but he also aroused suspicion. However, this little yamen servant rose rapidly and became the leader of the second shift in Tongcheng.
At the beginning of the year, he defeated the rogue bandits in the city defense battle, and now he naturally became the garrison of Anqing, but drove Pan Keda back to the south of the Yangtze River.
Returning to Jiangnan is not a bad thing. Pan Keda also relied on the civil uprising to rise to the level of guerrilla, but the number of troops decreased instead of increasing.
As a general at this time, there was no source of income. The court allocated salary according to the number of soldiers, and the number of soldiers was silver.
According to an acquaintance at the Anchi Ordnance Office, the number of land and sea troops in Anqing's garrison was actually increased to one thousand, which made Pan Keda feel even worse.
Speaking of which, everything originated from that night at Yunji Temple. Others could doubt Pan Keda, but Pan Keda himself could only doubt Pang Yu, because he never believed that Pang Yu killed all the rioters by himself.
There may be a group of helpers, and the money was transported away by those people.
Pan Keda took a look at the queue in the street and said, "Pang Da, you are so polite. These soldiers have been trained to be mighty.
With Pang Pang's troops alone, the common people were in chaos and the night attack on the bandits was so great that I should have asked Pang Pang for advice, especially in the battle of Yunji Temple."
Pan Keda paused, "I have been in the army for many years, and I can't kill thirty people by myself. It's not that I don't believe in the bravery of Pang Pang. It's because the rebels will definitely flee when they see Pang Pang being so powerful. Killing people is easy to catch."
People are in trouble, Da Da Da must have some secret method, can you tell me something about it?"
Pang Yu waved his hand and said with a smile, "The general is joking. I heard the storyteller talk about Grandpa Yue and the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. One general killed hundreds of people. My thirty heads are nothing. It's true what the general said. I
Thirty heads were chopped off, all of them were slow runners, and there were hundreds of other rioters who ran away."
Pan Ke laughed loudly and patted Pang Yu on the shoulder, "Yunji Temple can accommodate hundreds of mobs, and it is also very crowded. Pang Pang dared to fight them alone. He is a young hero. No wonder Zhang Duye
If you want to appoint me personally, leave Anqing to Brother Pang, I feel relieved."
"Master Zhang said that General Pan is also a general who dares to fight, and he knows that. However, the area near Chizhou is also an important place for Jiang defense. Master Pan knows the terrain well and cannot replace him."
"I see."
Pan Keda walked down the steps and stepped onto the horse stone. The servant immediately pulled the horse over.
Pan Keda got on his horse, looked at Pang Yu and said, "Why did I suddenly transfer our old Pan back to the south of the Yangtze River? It turns out that he still had such an intention. I thank Pang Pang for clarifying his doubts. Since Chizhou is so important, I need to cross the river immediately.
I wish you great success in the future."
Pang Yu cupped his hands and said, "I wish the general a safe journey."
As soon as the two people's eyes met, Pan Ke returned the favor with a big hand, jerked his horse's head and headed in the direction of Jixian Gate.
Pang Ding whispered, "Master, what does Pan Keda mean?"
Pang Yu smiled and said, "Don't worry about what he means."
"Will he go to Wang Gongbi to falsely accuse us?
I heard that Wang Gongbi valued him."
"If he can give it to Wang Gongbi, I can also give it to you, Master. Why should Wang Gongbi stand up for him?"
Pang Yu looked at the team in the street, then turned to Jiang Guoyong next to him, "Have you personally seen the barracks and the school grounds?"
Three days ago, Pang Yu arrived in Anqing in advance. After meeting with Pan Keda, he arranged for the handover of the secretarial office. Pang Yu was with Jiang Guoyong. With Chiang Guoyong in charge, Pang Yu had free time and crossed the river to meet Wang Gongbi first.
, after some troubleshooting, the relationship with Wang Gongbi improved slightly.
Jiang Guoyong came over and said, "I've seen the barracks. There are only twenty barracks for two hundred people."
"How come there are only twenty sailors out of five hundred?"
"Others have been occupied by various officials over the years. Some along the street have been converted into shops and rented out to merchants, or navy generals have lived in them themselves."
Pang Yu rubbed his forehead, "Where is the school grounds?"
"There are three campuses. The small campus inside Songyang Gate belongs to our garrison. The large campus outside Songyang Gate belongs to Anqing Guard. The navy campus is outside Jixian Gate and is not far from the river."
"What about the situation in several school grounds?"
"The small school yard was occupied by gallery buildings, accounting for about half of it. The large school yard was left unattended and became a place for some lumber merchants to stockpile goods. The outer walls of the naval school yard were turned into pavements, and piles of beans and rice were piled in the empty space inside.
There are also porters who have built shacks, so they are basically full.”
Pang Yu hummed and said, "What kind of weapons are there?"
"The arsenal contains thirty-five horses, three pieces of intact chainmail, five pieces of broken chainmail, twenty-three pieces of cotton armor, three hundred cannons, seven general cannons, many of which are badly rusted, and two hundred kilograms of gunpowder.
, the general has 300 cannons, hundreds of cannons are stacked in a room, and his subordinates can’t count them. Anqing’s own guard made 713 spears, 437 knives, 90 palladiums, and a bow.
One hundred and sixty-five, string one hundred and ninety-six..." "Can they all be used?"
Jiang Guoyong thought about it and said, "If you follow the military regulations of your lord, it cannot be used."
Just like the accounts of the county government, the garrison office also has a bad debt. Pan Keda did not run these military barracks, they were handed over all the time. Even if he did not hand over to Pan Keda, he would not be able to solve any problems, but the delay would be in vain.
time.
Pang Yu didn't say anything after hearing this. Jiang Guoyong bit his lip and said, "Your Excellency, you should let those merchants move away. This is the court's military training ground. How can we allow them to occupy it privately? Otherwise, there will be no training ground."
Pang Yu glanced at him, and Jiang Guoyong's face turned red and a little excited. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "Guoyong's words are reasonable, but don't be too hasty. It seems that the big campus outside Songyang Gate is easier.
It's more useful, let's take the big school field first."