"Returning to my words, there was neither Wang Guohua nor Huang Wending. The leader among the heads was Zhu Zong. Pang Yu did not enter the yamen, so he talked to Yang Fangqian in front of the eight-character wall. According to him, he was influenced by Yang Fang
He was assigned to quell the chaos, and now everyone in the city knows that he was the first to quell the chaos."
In the study of the Fang family in Fengyi, Fang Kongzhen looked gloomy and waved the servant who reported the news to leave. There were two people in the room, one was the pale-faced Fang Zhongjia, and the other was Fang Kongzhen's son-in-law Sun Lin.
Last night, a group of servants first fled back and said that Fang Zhongjia had been killed by the rebels, which made Fang Kongzhen regret it. Then he worried that the news of quelling the rebellion would be leaked, allowing Huang Wending to escape, and even Huang Wending would raid Fengyili.
The Fang Mansion was in chaos, and all the gangsters got up to prepare, and they kept sending servants around to inquire. As a result, Fang Zhongjia returned injured before dawn, which made Fang Kongzheng feel heavy.
Fang Zhongjia was injured in two places. After escaping from the hall, he entered the forest. Fortunately, the mountains of Yunji Temple were not high. He found a gentle slope and slowly went down the mountain. The chain armor was too heavy, so he also threw it in the forest. His clothes were covered with
The branches and leaves of the bushes were torn to pieces, and the Chizhou soldiers had not yet arrived after reaching the main road. Fortunately, they found the horses they came with, and this way they saved their lives.
Neither of his injuries were fatal, but he lost a lot of blood and was very weak. Fang Kongzhen originally asked Fang Zhongjia to direct the fighting, but now he can only change it to Sun Lin, and Sun Lin's eldest brother Sun Yi (Note 1)
assist.
Sun Lin's second brother, Sun Jin, was the censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate and an official in the capital, so the Sun family also had a very high status in Tongcheng. With the addition of the Fang family and the Sun family, their leadership status could also be recognized among the gentry.
Sun Lin himself practiced martial arts and archery, and was also good at riding. Compared with Fang Zhongjia, he just lacked actual combat experience, so he could be considered a qualified candidate.
Fang Zhongjia probably told what happened last night. He was not sure about Pang Yu's detailed identity. He only told Fang Zhongjia that he seemed to be a government servant named Pang. He originally joined the rebels and had an internal strife with Wang Guohua last night.
In fact, all three of them had met Pang Yu, but such a low-level government servant could not attract their attention. They had no impression of this government servant named Pang. So they all thought he was a subordinate official who was attached to the rebellious people.
During civil unrest, there are many people, and they tend to act according to the prevailing situation. Once the thieves are weak, they will seek wealth.
Not long after the doctor came to get the arrowhead, and the three of them had just discussed it for a few words, news came that Pang Yu had brought the head into the city.
Fang Zhongjia leaned weakly on the back of his chair and said to Fang Zhong, "If Yang Fangqian assigned him to quell the chaos, it would be difficult."
"I'm afraid there's something fishy about this matter." Sun Lin frowned and said, "It's been nearly a month since the civil uprising. The Tongcheng County government is helpless and keeps trying to appease the people. It's just because it's worried that it won't be able to quell the rebellion and will anger the rebels, causing them to be defeated. This will make Mu Shou the county magistrate.
Sin. Now that the situation has not changed, how could Yang Fangqian suddenly send a government servant to quell the chaos alone? Isn’t it just child’s play.”
Fang Kongzheng said coldly, "If we want to quell the chaos, we should put Huang Wending down together. Knowing that Huang Wending is not here, but going to kill dozens of rebels in Yunji Temple, isn't it forcing Huang Wending to fight for his life? We know what Zhongjia said first
As a matter of fact, this Pang Zaoli was just motivated by wealth. Because Zhongjia escaped, he was worried that the news would be leaked, so he had to make an excuse to the county magistrate."
Sun Lin turned to look at the sky and said: "The most terrible thing now is that Huang Wending and his gang are gathering outside Wuyin Temple. There are already three to five hundred people. Just now the servant reported that the mob seems to have learned that Yunji Temple was attacked.
, are moving to the south gate. If Huang Wending and others attack the county government, should we still follow the original strategy to raid the rebels?"
Fang Zhongjia's disastrous defeat last night caused Fang Kongzhen great passivity. He was a little ashamed, lowered his head and said solemnly, "What if Huang Wending and others don't save Zhang Ru, but instead escape back to Yunji Temple? It's all my fault."
It's too careless. If I had brought two bows and arrows or protected the torch, I wouldn't have been like this."
Fang Kongzheng did not complain at all, "How can you cover everything during a life and death struggle? Zhongjia does not need to blame himself. As for Huang Wending's escape back to Yunji Temple, I think he may not be able to. Zhongjia, did you see him when you came down the mountain?
Chizhou soldiers and torches."
"Indeed, it was the Chizhou soldiers who arrived at that time. It was difficult to move the money away. Pang Zaoli and others had a dispute, so I took advantage of this panic to escape."
Sun Lin stood up and said, "Yunji Temple should have been captured by Chizhou soldiers. It is useless for Huang Wending to go back. This person lacks a plan. Since Wang Guohua is not here, he will definitely advance and retreat and lose ground. He will be unprepared to attack it at the right time."
Fang Zhongjia suddenly raised his head and said, "Otherwise, Huang Wending will capture the county government and kill Pang Zaoli and others, and we will take advantage of the chaos to attack and kill the people."
Sun Lin looked at Fang Zhongjia and said, "It's no longer a civil unrest, but a rebellion. Once the chaos breaks out, it may be difficult to clean up. Pang Zaoli was able to get grain from the fire last night, so he must be a cunning person. Even if Huang Wending captured the county government
It is difficult to catch this person, he will probably get away, and Wang Guohua is still in the hands of this slave. Once he is handed over to the court after the chaos, it will inevitably cause more trouble to the Fang family."
Fang Kongzhen nodded and said, "If Huang Wending conquers the county government, Chizhou soldiers will definitely enter the county to govern. By then, Tongcheng will not only suffer from bandits, but also from soldiers."
The three people in the room were silent for a moment. Compared with the ordinary people, the wealthy families had no confidence in facing the military disaster.
Fang Kongzheng walked back and forth in front of the desk twice. After stopping, he said to Sun Lin, "Inform Yang Zhixian that the Tongcheng gentry has put down the chaos today."
Sun Lin agreed and immediately began to summon the gangsters and servants when he went out. There was a sudden uproar in the Fang family courtyard.
Fang Kongzheng listened to the sounds outside, and after a moment of silence, he asked Fang Zhongjia, "Was Wang Guohua still alive when you left?"
"He seemed to have been poisoned. He yelled and cursed many times in the hall and asked who was responsible for the poison. However, he was probably the least poisoned person and the one who fell last. As for whether the poison can be cured, I dare not say for sure."
"Since Pang Zaoli had time to chop off more than 20 heads, he had time to confirm whether Wang Guohua was alive or dead. If he was dead, he would definitely have his head chopped off. This means that Wang Guohua may not be dead. This person is a bandit leader, and Pang Zaoli had time to chop off more than 20 heads.
There is some meaning in Zaoli not handing him over and letting go of this great merit."
Fang Zhongjia gnashed his teeth and cursed, "He must have heard me talking to Wang Guohua in the palace and knew about the dispute between our family and Wang Guohua. He was not sure whether I survived, so he left Wang Guohua in his hands to act as he saw fit. This man is ruthless, and he not only poisoned
, and he killed at least three or four people with his own hands. When he can use a crossbow, he must use a crossbow and never give his opponents a chance."
"But after all, he is just a Zaoli. He is afraid that you will retaliate against him, so he wants to use Wang Guohua as a bargaining chip." Fang Kongzheng pondered for a moment and said, "I hate that this Zaoli ruined my important affairs, just for some money, and also for the Chizhou soldiers.
To make a wedding dress, Chizhou soldiers must have taken away the money in the end."
"Do you want someone to go talk to him first?"
"No need, even if he gets Wang Guohua, he is just a lowly slave. Who has the qualifications to sit and talk to us." Fang Kongzhen said coldly, "After Huang Wending is wiped out, you go to the county government and show yourself to that person.
Zaoli knows that you are still alive, so let him come and beg us."
...
Under the south gate tower, there were crowds of people and noisy voices, and various weapons and farm tools were dangling above their heads.
The rebels from all over the country gathered here. They were all the people who had attached themselves last time. This time they heard that the Chizhou soldiers had retreated and were summoned by the core rebels.
They really missed the feeling of robbing a big house last time, so the number of people was very large. More than 500 people had gathered early in the morning, and people kept coming from all over.
Originally, their gathering place was at Wuyin Temple, but in the morning there was an outrageous rumor that a Zaoli was annihilating Yunji Temple alone. At first, no one believed it, but then there were more and more rumors in the city, and the rebels left Wuyin Temple one after another.
, asked for news at the south gate, some people had left because of fear, and some were still doubtful.
The street outside the South Gate is not wide. Hundreds of rioters gathered here and could only scatter in the streets and alleys. They all whispered to each other about the bizarre news in the morning and asked the familiar core rioters about the situation of Yunji Temple.
"Get out of the way, why the hell are you blocking the road?"
Huang Wending strode forward, grabbing the rioters blocking the road and throwing them away. Compared with the burly Huang Wending, those thin green men looked like children.
In front of the door is the south gate. After Pang Yula's head was pierced through the city, the county government was worried about the revenge of the thieves and immediately closed all the city gates. At this time, the south gate was closed tightly. News came from the gates that the six gates of Tongcheng
All have been closed, and the south gate is the closest gate to Wuyin Temple. If the mob wants to invade, it is best to choose this gate.
Huang Wending held a big knife in his hand, looked up at the tall gate tower, and said loudly, "You said that idiot Pang destroyed Yunji Temple and killed twenty or thirty of our brothers. I have lived in Tongcheng for decades.
I have never seen such a brave person, do you think that fool looks like him?"
Some of the surrounding rioters shook their heads and some remained silent. A nearby rioter said cautiously, "But Li Ban and I saw with our own eyes this morning that the heads of Zhu Zong, Gu Xiaowu, and Zhang Ying were all on the carriage, and Gu Xiaowu's face was smashed."
Already."
"What about Wang Guohua?"
"I haven't seen it." The rioter shook his head, "But there were rumors in Guanxiang this morning that Chizhou soldiers were coming to the town of Khoucheheji. They were going back and forth at the foot of Yunji Temple. The female relatives of the families in Khouchehe were running to the county seat."
"They said that the Chizhou Army Brigade has arrived at the reception pavilion, and the vanguard has arrived at Wulipu, with two to three thousand troops."
"Leader Huang, should we hide for a while?"
The corners of Huang Wending's mouth twitched. Although he was a martial arts examiner, he knew nothing about fighting. In the Ming Dynasty, military examinations did not test military strategy. After reaching the middle of the Ming Dynasty, civilian officials also deliberately guided military attachés toward illiteracy. The military attachés became more and more vulgar. Many martial arts examinations
Often they are illiterate and possess only brute strength.
Huang Wending was completely disorganized at this time, neither confirming the intelligence nor mobilizing troops to stabilize the morale of the army. The chaotic people were like headless flies. All kinds of suspicions continued to ferment in the crowd. Many people who were attached to him saw that the situation was not good and left one after another.
.
There was an old man with gray hair in front of him, carrying a basket on his back and a hoe in his hand. He had a sad expression on his face. With this appearance, he wanted to follow the nearby farmers who came to join in the crowd and grab things. If anything happened, would they?
No effect at all.
Huang Wending was already a little anxious, but this man was still dangling in front of his eyes. He was so angry that he slapped the white-haired farmer in the face, causing him to stagger.
The old farmer was startled and quickly took two steps away. Huang Wending's anger subsided slightly and he raised his head and glanced at the tall city tower. This was the first time since the uprising that he felt powerless against Tongcheng's defense. This was all because of Pang Zaoli.
The bizarre rumors that came out of it.
Pang Yu was seen by many rebels. Even his nickname, Pang Ersi, was known. How could it be imagined that such a bad official could wipe out Yunji Temple alone and make them lose their nest? This must be some trick played by the Yamen.
.
A kind of injustice that had insulted his intelligence welled up in his heart. Huang Wending felt his heart cross and raised his sword high.
"I don't believe it anymore. Today I'm going to take off that bitch's head to see how the government can stop us. Let's crush that county government! Become a door-rammer!"
After Huang Wending shouted, he suddenly felt that there was no response from anyone around him. He looked back and saw that the crowd was noisy and no one paid attention to his order.
He didn't know what to do for a moment, so he missed Wang Guohua a little. Wang Guohua seemed to know what those people were thinking, and he could mobilize the mob with just a few words.
Thinking of this, Huang Wending became angry again and rushed into the crowd, punching and kicking him. The mobs fled one after another, and the street outside the south gate became a mess.
Just as the fight was getting underway, suddenly the crowd around him screamed. Huang Wending stopped and looked around, only to see everyone pointing at the city gate.
The city gate creaked open, and the door was filled with strong men holding spears and swords. These men were strong and fierce in appearance, and could not be compared to the mob. They were not in a hurry to rush out, waiting for the gate to be fully opened.
The mobs retreated one after another. Huang Wending was dumbfounded for a moment. He didn't understand where these people came from in Tongcheng. However, as soon as he gained his brute strength, he summoned the surrounding confidants and waved his sword to fight.
Suddenly, two bowstrings were heard vibrating, screams came from the crowd, and there was chaos in the street.
As soon as Huang Wending raised his head, two archers appeared on the city tower. The two archers fired at extremely fast speeds. The crowds of mobs under the city exploded, scurrying around like headless flies.
"You bitch, don't run around. Stand back and get in position. There aren't many of them."
The rioters were running around Huang Wending. Huang Wending yelled and yelled as he retreated, asking them to retreat a little and gather together, otherwise they would have no power to fight back when the people inside the doorway rushed out.
A figure passed by in front of him, and Huang Wending grabbed him. It was the old farmer with gray hair. After he was caught, he stared at Huang Wending in panic.
Huang Wending shouted angrily, "You useless dog, don't run around and disturb people..."
Before he finished speaking, the old farmer suddenly stretched out his left hand like lightning, and a steel spike was instantly inserted into Huang Wending's throat. In the panic around him, no one noticed that Huang Wending was being plotted against.
Everything happened in an instant. Huang Wending was unprepared and couldn't breathe immediately. He dropped the big knife, covered his throat with both hands, looked at the old farmer with his mouth wide open in horror, and took a few steps back.
The old farmer still had the same sad expression on his face, as if nothing had happened, he ran into the chaotic crowd again, and disappeared after a moment.
Only then did several core rebels realize that something was wrong with Huang Wending and hurried over to help the leader. At this time, Huang Wending's eyes were wide open, a spike was stuck in his throat, his face was flushed, and he kept making hiccups.
The city gate was fully opened, and the gangsters in the doorway swarmed out. Several of his confidants dragged Huang Wending to the east and fled eastward.
The rioters were leaderless and had no fighting spirit. More than 40 thugs marched like tigers into the flock of sheep, killing many people in the crowd. Hundreds of rioters dispersed towards the countryside on the outskirts of the city.
...
Note 1: Sun Yi is Sun Lin's eldest brother. He was a Jinshi in the fifth year of Tianqi, and later resigned and returned home. In Jiang Chen's diary, this person played an important role in quelling the rebellion, "Returning to the underworld to recruit dozens of dead soldiers
, Ritu thief... The dead soldiers recruited from the city were killed with a single arrow from the city, and the medicine was delivered to them... They all went out of the city to kill the thieves, and the thieves fled." The so-called dead soldiers should be recruited by the fighting force. In other records, Sun Yi and Jiang
Zhihuaidu was ordered by Fang Kongzhen, and Fang Kongzhen was the one in charge.