Not long ago, there was a big battle at Bauhinia Mountain. Although it was a victory with a small number and a large number, it greatly boosted the morale of the army.
Unfortunately, no matter how perfect the process is, the result is never total annihilation.
Something that Wang Zheng had tried hard to hide was now exposed to the light of day for the first time.
While he was sharpening his troops in Guangrao County, Dong Lin's remaining troops also ran back to Linzi in embarrassment.
And the news they brought was more explosive than the last.
During the battle, Dong Lin, the highest military officer in Qi County, was beheaded by the bandit leader Wang Zheng and was killed on the spot!
More than 6,000 officers and soldiers failed to quell the rebellion and were crushed. Most of them died or surrendered...
This is a complete fiasco!
Everyone's first reaction after hearing the news was almost the same.
impossible!
This is a rumor!
It is simply the most ridiculous thing in the world!
There were even many ignorant people who thought it was a trick played by the city's gambling houses for handicap purposes, and went to make a fuss for a while.
It wasn't until not long after that another piece of gossip came out.
It is said that when the county governor heard the bad news, he lost his voice for nearly an hour on the spot.
The first words Xu Xuan spoke after that were:
Quick! Send a message to Master Zhou Mu immediately for help as quickly as possible!
Only then did everyone understand.
This is real.
The entire Linzi was just like the county governor, completely speechless.
And Wang Zheng's name once again resounded throughout the city.
It is foreseeable that as time goes by, as the negative impact of this war continues to ferment...
This name will spread throughout Qi County and even Qingzhou.
If the people's panic was simply because such a large number of officers and soldiers were defeated by a group of yellow turban bandits.
The panic of the wealthy families is even greater.
They are literate, and they are more knowledgeable than those mud-legged people, so they can see more things through this victory or defeat.
No matter how unbearable the Yellow Turban bandits are, it's not like they haven't won a battle in the past ten years, and it's not like they haven't defeated the regular army before.
But that is basically done with a sufficient numerical advantage.
As little as several times, as much as ten times.
But from the news brought by Dong Lin's remaining troops, these upper class and elite people saw something even more terrifying.
1. Dong Lin’s troops were defeated head-on in the field!
Second, in this war, the number of Yellow Turban bandits was actually less than that of the officers and soldiers!
Third, there was no trap, no ambush, no conspiracy!
When these summarized inferences were laid out one by one, they shuddered!
What does this mean?
The combat power of this Yellow Turban Army is far beyond their imagination!
What if Wang Zheng, a thief with an elite force, was allowed to kidnap the people into exile...
To what extent will its real threat and destructive power be?
You must know that the last time the 300,000 Qingzhou army rebelled, the reason why Linzi was not conquered was because they were mixed but not refined.
Just because of the large number of people, for a big city with a moat like Linzi, the difficulty of defense is not high.
And now, for the first time, they felt panic.
Especially when Zhou Mu's army left the country to attack Xuzhou.
Can Linzi be defended with the strength of its own city?
Panic grew immediately and spread quickly.
Affected by this, the price of commercial land in and around Linzi City dropped rapidly.
However, the prices of all commodities have been rising sharply.
Because everyone knows it.
The bandit army has captured Guangrao and defeated the official army that put down the rebellion. Then the day when the sword is pointed at Linzi and the army approaches the city...
It won't be too far.
The whole of Linzi felt like facing a formidable enemy.
The thief's shadow hasn't been seen yet, but he's already surrounded by soldiers.
The east and south city gates facing Guangrao have already been completely closed, and no entry or exit is allowed at all.
Only the west and north gates facing Xi'an County and Bochang County will be opened briefly a few times a day, for no more than half an hour at most, and will be closed immediately once the time has passed.
At other times, no one can leave the city without the handwriting of the governor.
As for the wealthy households and ordinary people in some surrounding villages and towns, they received the news quickly.
In the past few days, almost everyone rushed into Linzi, and the city was suddenly overcrowded.
At this time, the county governor Xu Xuan had no way to solve these problems.
In addition to remaining calm on the surface, he personally came out to appease the people several times.
That is to organize the people to build city walls, fortify trenches, and at the same time keep flags, alarms, and drums at the top of the city.
In addition to asking for help from Cao Cao before, at Sima Ju's suggestion, he also immediately sent a letter to Le'an County in nearby Jinan for help.
In addition to the 4,000 city defense troops left behind before, plus the more than 2,000 who gathered the defeated army, many people flocked to nearby villages and counties in Linzi, and were recruited and organized by Xu Xuan to form nearly 2,000 militia groups.
He always had more than 8,000 men and horses defending the city, and had sufficient defensive equipment and food.
After all, judging from the current situation, holding on for a while is not a big problem.
Linzi is a big city.
...
Le'an State is located in Linji County.
In the south of the city, Xu Mansion.
At this time, most of the wealthy gentry and soldiers in the county lived in this area, and those who came and went were from wealthy families with rich clothes and high crowns.
Something is a little strange today.
Starting early in the morning, all kinds of people appeared here, dressed in different ways. Some were monks wearing Taoist robes, some were dressed as merchants, and some were wearing short shirts and strong clothes, seeming to be bodyguards. Of course, at most
There are still some poor people in ragged clothes.
The upper-class aborigines were either surprised or disdainful of these people of various religions, and no one noticed that they all secretly entered the same house.
"Commander Qu, according to the letter from the deputy commander, Xu Xuan has sent a document to order the officers and soldiers from Jinan and Le'an counties to rush to Linzi to provide support."
A strong man asked excitedly after reading the letter Xu He handed over.
"Are we going to launch an attack as soon as they mobilize their troops?"
"Soldiers are valuable and quick." Xu He nodded, looked around at everyone, and nodded one by one:
"I have summoned you here today to agree on a time. Once the city defenses in the two counties are empty, you must take action at the same time."
The nearly 100 people gathered at his home at this time were not only loyal followers of the Qingzhou Yellow Turban Rebel Army who followed him and Sima Ju back then, but they were also the leaders currently scattered in the two counties and counties responsible for initiating rebellions, gathering people, preaching, and recruiting believers.
.
This is why Xu He still has enough confidence after seeing Wang Zheng and his heavenly army's combat power with his own eyes.
The reason and confidence that he will never be turned against his guest.
No matter how powerful you are in fighting Wangzheng, you are now only the power of two counties.
And he, Xu He, seems to be just a commoner at present, but his power is very huge, and he has already hidden his power. Once launched, his target will be directed at the two counties!
Looking around at the group of cronies, he showed a confident smile and clenched his open right hand into a fist:
"Once an incident breaks out, I want two counties and seventeen counties, and they will all be under my control within half a month!"
He stared at the crowd, raised his arms and shouted:
"Heaven is dead! Huang Tian is here to stand!"
Hearing this sentence, more than a hundred people in the courtyard showed enthusiasm and shouted: