Three days later, the second cave master under Yan Daniu joined Tang Peiyu with six carts of grain.
"The commander-in-chief and the people who were pursuing the pursuit out of Hengyang City met at the foot of the Peak. Tianhu Village has been captured. The commander-in-chief has informed our Huben camp and the names of the generals. The two sides are in a stalemate, and the commander-in-chief has ordered Xiao to transport grain.
Come here, general, please give the order quickly. If we start fighting first, I'm afraid it will be difficult to negotiate later."
Tang Peiyu looked at the inscriptions of the Hengzhou Guards on the vehicle and the white rice in the sacks on the vehicle. He nodded and ordered: "Hurry up and hurry up. Go and send the order, saying that the general will be here in a moment. I have been to Hengshan City.
Pu Zitong must have known that this general is coming. If we really want to fight, he will inevitably lose his troops and generals!"
At the foot of the peak in the north of Hengyang City, Yan Daniu led more than 200 "tough bandits" to confront a man from a hundred households in the Hengzhou Guard, watching more people coming out from the direction of Hengyang City.
If you see a flag from a distance, it means that someone with enough weight has left the Walled City.
Looking at the smoke and the size of the crowd, it was probably over a thousand.
Maybe it's Pu Zitong himself.
On the dusk of the tenth day of September, the two "generals" Tang Peiyu and Pu Zitong who appeared in the rebel slogan finally "reunited" in the north of Hengyang City.
Tang Peiyu looked ugly: "Pu Zitong, why did you betray your trust and cause the city of Changsha to fall!"
Pu Zitong just smiled and looked at his remnant army: "The orthodoxy is in Hengyang City. Your Majesty wants me to be the governor. How can I not protect you? We had secretly discussed before that we would only defend Changsha first, and if that didn't work, we would retreat to Hengzhou Mansion. Your Majesty
You are young, what should you do if something goes wrong on your way back and forth? General Tang, your Majesty is extremely disappointed that such a strong city like Changsha could fall so quickly."
Listening to his taunting with a gun and a stick, Tang Peiyu just stared at him: "How big a deal is it to rebel against Heaven? You are so selfish, and now all the armies are surrounding Hengzhou Prefecture, is this your clever plan?"
"General Tang came from Hengshan City. Didn't he see the forts along the road built by the governor? This Hengzhou Prefecture is not as papery as Changsha Prefecture." Pu Zitong grinned, "General Tang was originally the superior officer of the governor.
, knowing the talents of this governor, otherwise why would he recommend this governor to be the commander of the Hengzhou Guard? Today is different from the past, General Tang should not put on such airs. Since he knows that fighting against rebellion is a major matter, now that we have joined forces, the priorities should be clear."
After he said this, his eyes turned cold: "General Tang was defeated and fled here, but he robbed my food team. What does it mean?"
The two sides were less than fifty steps apart, and the soldiers around them were ready to protect the two of them as if they were facing a powerful enemy.
Pu Zitong explained the priorities. Tang Peiyu no longer had people like Prince Rui and Fu Rongzhong around him, only the nearly 2,000 remnants he brought with him.
The magistrate of Hengzhou refused to work together, so now all the civil and military officials in Hengyang City are from Pu Zitong.
He looked at the more than a thousand elite soldiers behind Pu Zitong who were waiting for work, and could only say in a deep voice: "We will benefit from cooperation! I can serve you as the leader of the Hengzhou Guard, but my Huben camp cannot be broken up by you, and I must still be the leader.
. Food, fodder and military supplies cannot be lacking!"
"Of course it should be. To be honest, on the bank of Heishui in the north of the city, my governor has already built a military stronghold and is waiting for the general." Pu Zitong stared at him again, "If the general wants to join the king's division, he should enter the city with this governor.
Let’s meet His Majesty first and accept his seal as a general. Now that King Ji has been captured, everything needs to be justified now! What does General Tang think?”
Tang Peiyu shook his head: "In my opinion, if our Huben camp is stationed at Guanji Peak, we can form a powerful force with the Hengyang defenders. The rebel army will arrive in a moment, so there is no need for such red tape. If you want to be sealed as a general, I will send
All you need to do is see me on your behalf."
Who still doesn't know clearly that now the six-year-old "Emperor" is just a puppet, and Tang Peiyu would never dare to leave his army and enter the city.
He felt that Pu Zitong had bad intentions when he raised this point, which further strengthened his determination to go to the Peak.
Pu Zitong just looked at him and said, "General Tang, why should you be suspicious?"
"Dudu Pu did not lead his troops to defend Changsha, so I used one guard to fight against Gu Shilong's 50,000-strong army and was defeated and fled here. If Dudu Pu wants to use me, a 2,000-year-old veteran of the Changsha Guards, it is now time for Dudu Pu to let me
The general once again believes in the sincerity of the governor."
Pu Zitong looked at the vigilant remnants of the Changsha Guards.
After thinking for a while, he nodded and said: "Brother Tang is right. In that case, Brother Tang will send an envoy to follow me into the city. We still need to build a stronghold as soon as possible on Gongji Peak. The governor can allocate two thousand civilians.
, how about transporting grain, fodder and military supplies to the mountains with Brother Tang?"
"Okay! Tang is waiting at the foot of the peak. Yan Daniu, please come to the city to see Your Majesty on behalf of my general and receive your title!"
Tang Peiyu now lets Yan Daniu do any risky work.
No matter what the Tianhu Village on the Peak is like, you have to check it out and receive it from your closest confidants.
Yan Daniu said without hesitation: "The last general takes orders!"
Pu Zitong stared at Yan Daniu and narrowed his eyes slightly: "Are you Yan Daniu, the master of Zhurong Cave on Hengshan Mountain?"
Yan Daniu just snorted: "Exactly!"
"You voted for Brother Tang, but you didn't come to vote for the Governor?"
Tang Peiyu listened quietly and believed a little more about Yan Daniu's identity.
"My sworn brother Deng Erhu died under your arrow. Now that I have surrendered to the general, I didn't expect to have to obey your orders!" Yan Daniu spat, "If General Tang hadn't raised the flag of righteousness, Changsha Hengzhou would have been in danger of being swept away by the officers and soldiers.
How can I go down the mountain to participate in a righteous act together? If you want me to obey your orders regardless of past grudges, you must kowtow and offer sacrifices to my brothers in the cave!"
After saying that, he waved his hand: "To be honest, all the three caves and nine villages in Hengshan Mountain have been under the general's command. Many people have a blood feud with you! Now that you are the commander-in-chief of the rebel army, you should give me an explanation!"
Tang Peiyu felt a sudden thought, he was really afraid that Pu Zitong would put down his arrogance and give his subordinates a way to conquer these bandits.
Sure enough, Pu Zitong immediately said seriously: "In the past, under the decree of the false emperor, we could not suppress the bandits. All the heroes were bullied, so they went to the mountains and fell into the grass to become bandits. Now they are all rebels, and it is time for this governor to sacrifice to you brothers."
When you follow me into the city, His Majesty will personally offer sacrifices at the altar and offer amnesty to all the brave men and women who have become desperate and have become bandits. Everyone in southern Hunan and western Jiangxi knows the name of Brother Yan. If they can all join us, Brother Yan will do a great job!"
Tang Peiyu saw that Yan Daniu had a complacent look on his face.
He immediately regretted it, thinking that he shouldn't have let Yan Daniu enter the city for him, but Pu Zitong had already gone over in person to hold Yan Daniu's hand.
"It turns out that Governor Pu is also a generous person!" Yan Daniu seemed to be very impressed by this rhetoric. "If it can really be done by His Majesty in the altar, what else can be said?"
Pu Zitong promised repeatedly, and then asked how many brothers from Hengshan Mountain had followed him down the mountain, and then looked at Tang Peiyu with a half-smile.
Of the 2,000 soldiers who fought in hundreds of battles, it turned out that more than 600 of them were fierce bandits on Mount Heng.
Nowadays, most of these tough bandits are headed by Yan Daniu. If Yan Daniu is conquered and another military commission is established to take on important responsibilities, I am afraid that Tang Peiyu's department will immediately fall apart.
Tang Peiyu was now in a dilemma. He could not regret not letting Yan Daniu enter the city and let him feel his suspicion, but he could not sit back and watch Pu Zitong try to conquer Yan Daniu.
It’s so difficult for a defeated general!
…
The people of the Ming Dynasty have indeed lived a very poor life for so many years. There are many bandits living in many high mountains in every province.
Pu Zitong's innocence is different from that of Tang Peiyu.
Raising an army means treason and rebellion. It is indeed better to have a flag for rebellion, but Pu Zitong does not really regard King Ji or King Rui as someone who must bow his head and respect him.
Just taking advantage.
But Pu Zitong is not a reckless man. He knows the core of the success or failure of this incident: first, the rebel army cannot have two leaders, regardless of priority.
Without going to Changsha Prefecture, he could achieve more with one stone. With Changsha Prefecture as bait, Zhan Huabi was able to plunder more than 300 miles and arrived at Hengzhou Prefecture with a large amount of money. Pu Zitong did not attack aggressively, but relied on Hengzhou Prefecture first.
The location was favorable and several lines of defense were built inside and outside; Tang Peiyu was defeated and fled here, King Ji was captured, and he had the final say in the rebellion from then on.
At this point, what he needs is to hold on and continue to grow in strength.
Two words: people and food.
Bandits are the easiest type of people for Pu Zitong to win over.
Under the very strict household registration management system of the Ming Dynasty, once you become a bandit, it will be difficult to turn back. Even if you are reduced to zero and go down the mountain to hide your name, you are still a fugitive living in seclusion, worthy only of being a slave. People who are used to being free and easy can still
Can you bear that kind of grievance?
Now, Pu Zitong has to do one thing.
At his mercy, the six-year-old Zhu Zaiyan used the seal and issued an "imperial edict": Most of the bandits in the world fell into disgrace because the pseudo-emperor failed to practice good governance after he succeeded to the throne and was desperate.
On the contrary, bandits from all over the country can raise righteous troops. On the day of success, the land will be divided into large areas, rewards will be given based on merit, and it will be easy to award Yin Zi...
And Zhu Zaiyan indeed set up an altar and incense table in Prince Rui's Mansion, which was renamed the "Imperial Residence", and personally offered sacrifices to the suffering bandits represented by the original master of the Second Zhurong Cave.
"...Now the Lord of Zhurong Cave, Yan Daniu, is very loyal and loyal. He has joined the king's army. He is brave and good at fighting. He has been specially awarded General Zhaoyi. He is hereby appointed as the Hengyang garrison general. He will command the Hengzhou Prefecture and join the rebels to guard the Haoyang camp in the north of the city!"
Yan Daniu looked ahead. The six-year-old child was wearing a dragon robe and sitting on a chair silently.
The person who read out the "imperial edict" was a eunuch, known as the ceremonial eunuch.
"I thank your Majesty for your grace. Long live your Majesty! Long live! Long live your Majesty!"
General Zhaoyi is a military attache of the third rank, and General is also a military officer of the third rank.
After Yan Daniu received the "order", there was another appointment for Tang Peiyu and other generals under Tang Peiyu's command.
Tang Peiyu was successful in sniping against the "rebels" in the First Battle of Changsha, and was promoted from the second-rank General Dingguo to the second-rank General Longhu. He was awarded the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Former Army, and could nominally command the armies north of Hengyang City.
Including Yan Daniu and the defenders of Hengshan City and the forts along the route.
However, Pu Zitong had meritorious service in "setting the strategy" and had been awarded the rank of General Zhaowu. He was also the commander-in-chief of the entire "King's Division" and commanded all the troops.
"Come, General Yan, let me introduce you." Pu Zitong held his hand warmly, "This is General Zhan Huabizhan, the commander-in-chief of the Left Army and the commander-in-chief of Huguang."
Yan Daniu looked at the man in front of him with bright armor and a thin and stern appearance. He cupped his fists and said, "General, I will meet with Governor Zhan. The name of Changde Mansion's Soul-Destroying Halberd is as loud as thunder. I only get to see you with honor today!"
Pu Zitong laughed and patted him on the shoulder: "Now that I have joined the king's army, I have slowly changed my tone of Jianghu. Governor Zhan is in command of the army, but he does not need to personally hold a halberd and go into battle to kill."
"...The chief governor laughed. Perhaps it was because in the past, Governor Zhan on Dongting Lake would often board a boat with a halberd to kill thieves with his own hands. It was too much to say that the brothers on Dongting Lake fled to Hengshan."
Zhan Huabi raised the corners of his mouth slightly.
"I wonder what weapons General Yan Shen is good at?" Pu Zitong asked Yan Daniu again.
"In addition to playing around with swords, the last general also has some skills in bow and arrow because he often lives in the mountains."
"Oh? How much power can you draw the bow?"
Before the Ming Dynasty, there were many units for measuring bow power. Although people still used kilograms, buckets, stones, and jun, they were mostly measured in terms of "force." One force is about nine kilograms of excess bow power.
The army has even clarified three levels: upper, middle and lower. The lower force does not exceed about six strength, which is only sixty kilograms of bow power; the middle force can reach nine strength, nearly one hundred kilograms; and the upper force can
It reaches thirteen levels of strength. If it goes higher, it is called tiger strength, which is rare to see.
Yan Daniu patted his chest and said proudly: "With a bow of ten strengths, the last general can shoot one or two coins worth of arrows in a bag, and nine out of ten hits can be achieved from a hundred steps away!"
"So brave? Governor Ben and Governor Zhan must see this! Let's go to the school grounds!"
It is not outrageous to shoot a ten-power bow, and there are some who can shoot more than ten arrows or even more.
In the army, if you can shoot eight arrows in a row, you are considered qualified. If you can shoot more than ten arrows in a row, you are excellent.
But those are heavy arrows that weigh one or two cents, and there are fifty arrows in a bag. If he shoots them in succession, he can hit nine out of ten of them from a hundred paces away. This is a perfect archer.
When he arrived at the school grounds, Yan Daniu took out his bow and arrows, and actually shot more than twenty arrows in front of Pu Zitong and Zhan Huabi's eyes. Only two arrows missed the target. This performance only attracted a burst of praise——
This is also why Pu Zitong took the lead in making noise.
But then, the arrow became a little weak. Yan Daniu simply stopped, his face flushed with shame, and he said angrily: "After we got to Zhurong Cave, I haven't eaten well in the past ten days! Let you two
The governor laughed..."
"It's already amazing, hahahaha..."
Pu Zitong was very happy.
The more powerful a person is, the more he or she can eat. Yan Daniu came all the way from Hengshan Mountain, first robbed a grain truck from Hengyang City and sent it to the northern Zhaibao, and then led people to level the sky on the Congqi Peak.
Huzhai. Maybe I had a meal on the mountain, but then I had a confrontation with more than a hundred people who went out to investigate the situation. From noon until now, I really haven't eaten anything since entering the city.
"It's getting late today. Brother Yan will follow me back to my house. Let's have a good meal of good wine and meat first! I also have a few good bows hidden in my house. They should be given to heroes like Brother Yan. Let's go!"
Yan Daniu's brows were filled with joy: "I will thank the Governor first!"
Although the atmosphere in Hengyang City cannot be called peaceful, it is not too tense now.
Pu Zitong obviously has a few brushes. After killing the prefect of Hengzhou, the military and civilians in Hengyang City are still at peace with each other. Business people are still doing business, but there are dedicated people in the city for grain, vegetables, meat, fruits and many other things.
They were bought from outside and then transported into the city.
Most of it was stored as military supplies, but a lot of it was resold to shops in the city. With less supply of supplies, prices would naturally be higher, but in times of emergency, although the people in the city were worried and frightened, their lives were still okay.
At this time, there was a butcher's shop. On the wooden boards and hooks in front of the shop owner, there were only a few bones with almost shaved meat and a few small pieces of meat that no one wanted. The rich people grabbed what was left, and ordinary people took the rest.
I can't afford to eat at this time.
He seemed to be just waiting to sell the last bit of goods, and then he saw many soldiers clearing the way in advance, looking warily at the corners on both sides of the street, especially at some doors and windows high up.
War is coming, and there are actually rebels in the city, and the people are afraid to avoid it. Starting more than a month ago, the city has actually been investigated over and over again, but possible assassins still exist.
Although there has been no assassination of Pu Zitong or new officials in the past month or so.
The butcher shop owner also lowered his head, but he clearly saw a familiar face out of the corner of his eye.
Now there was a faint voice not far away. He was sitting upright, but his heart was slightly shaken.
"Grand Governor, you don't dare to ask for a wife now. After we secure Hengzhou Mansion first, you don't need to tell me, Lao Niu himself will also find some good land to cultivate!"
"Well said! Brother Yan, please follow this Governor with peace of mind. If you are knighted in the future, this title will be passed down. My lovely wife and concubine, this Governor will be your matchmaker!"
The butcher shop owner walked away after hearing the sound, and Pu Zitong's soldiers also moved to the next section of the street to guard, and then raised their heads and looked in the direction over there.
...It seems to be Yan Chunsheng, the Orion who was born in Huguang and was brought back to the capital three years ago by Wang Zuo, the governor of Beizhen, on the road?
His archery skills are second to none among the royal guards, and he is the thirteenth member with the smallest official position among all the eunuchs.
How come he arrived in Hengyang and became brothers with Pu Zitong?
In the "Capital Governor's Mansion", Yan Chunsheng, Pu Zitong, Zhan Huabi and their cronies, the civil and military staff, were already feasting.
He is no longer the little hunter who used to hold a bad bow, chase the wild boar that was hit by an arrow and fall dead in front of Wang Zuo from a mile away, and brazenly argue with him about the ownership of the prey.
In the past three years, he has experienced a lot. When he joined the Jinyi Guard, he was a newcomer, a member of Luo An and Wang Zuo's team, and received many new training requirements from the emperor - not only literacy and reading, but also receiving experience from the most talented people in the Jinyi Guard.
.
Yan Chunsheng knew very well that the orderly Hengyang City he saw today was a great governance achievement for a rebel army that rebelled against the imperial court.
Grace and prestige, diligence and talent are both indispensable.
"After seeing the scene in the city today, I really admire the Governor!" Yan Chunsheng toasted, "Daniu is a rough man. To be honest, I only voted for General Tang because I wanted to do something grand and grand. It's not in vain."
This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and the worst I can do is continue to be a bandit. Nowadays, the people in Hengzhou Mansion live a more stable life than Danniu did back then. Daniu feels that by following the Governor, this big thing can be accomplished!"
He was flattering, and Pu Zitong was also very proud: "This is where the orthodoxy lies, and what the people want. For example, Bu Fu Zun, who passed the imperial examination in the third year of Zhengde, could not stand the fact that Liu Jin was in power at that time, so he returned to Fujian to live in seclusion after failing the imperial examination.
.Although he does not have the reputation of being a Jinshi, he is actually a man of great talent. As soon as these people see the appeal, they come from far away to join him, which shows that everyone in the world is looking forward to Master Wang to bring order to the chaos. Brother Yan, in the words of their scholars, this governor is also buying a thousand pieces of gold.
Horse bones, not to mention Brother Yan is indeed a thousand-mile horse."
"Come!" He picked up the wine glass, "I hope that starting from Brother Yan, more and more heroes from all over the world will join us. Everyone, please drink this glass to the full!"
The imperial army was approaching, but the top civil and military officials in Hengyang City were drinking boldly, seemingly not paying attention to Gu Shilong, who had just won a victory in Changsha City.
After putting down the glass of wine, someone suddenly came to report: "To the Governor, Hengshan City has come to report that three of Gu Shilong's surrender envoys have been captured, and there is a surrender letter sealed by Gu Shilong!"
Pu Zitong's eyes flashed, and he still felt slightly drunk just now.
"Oh? Where is he?"
"General Liao Shen has sent someone to escort us here. Calculating the time, we should arrive at midnight tomorrow."
A smile appeared on Pu Zitong's lips: "Then let's wait until tomorrow comes."
After saying that, he looked at Yan Chunsheng and said: "Brother Yan, although the two armies are fighting without killing the envoy, Gu Shilong is acting as a helper but comes to recruit Zhengtong. This is a great treason. Will you dare to kill the envoy outside the city gate tomorrow?
"
Yan Chunsheng's expression remained unchanged: "The Commander-in-Chief has an order, and the general must obey it!"