It's raining. Shaanxi, which has been in drought for three years, finally received precious spring rain. The pattering spring rain seems to be nourishing the land and washing away the sorrow in people's hearts. However, the haze shrouding Luo Rucai's heart is still lingering no matter what.
Although he did not get any news about Zhang Xianzhong, he was sure that the rebels were defeated and defeated miserably.
"His big brother, just eat some!" Zhang Xianzhong's mother walked into the big tent with a bowl of wild vegetable soup. It was said to be a big tent, but it was actually just a makeshift shack built with a few rotten wooden piles and rags.
"Godmother, I'm not hungry, you'd better bring it to your nephews!" There is no food in the army. If Luo Ru didn't see the situation and get out early in the battle of Yumendu, I'm afraid that not only the dozens of carts would have been left behind.
Supplies and nearly ten thousand old camp brothers. The original plan to enter Hancheng for a rest has been seen through by the officers and soldiers. If the tens of thousands of refugees who followed the brigade had not been actively dismissed to surrender to the officers and soldiers, the Liaodong general Lu is now surrounding this hill.
Shan Ji wouldn't even give him a chance to speak, let alone let him lead his people to dig roots here.
"It was my family Bingzhong who harmed you..." When Zhang Xianzhong started the army, he took his family with him in the army to prevent them from being captured by the officers and soldiers. Along the way, Zhang's mother also gained a certain understanding of the leaders of the rebels.
This Luo Rucai was really different from the others, even better than her incompetent son. Luo Rucai also attacked cities and plundered territory, but every time he conquered a city, the property he gained was shared equally with everyone; he also killed people and robbed, but he committed suicide
All those corrupt officials robbed are the women from those officials’ families.
"Goddess, please stop saying that! Since I followed Brother Zhang, I don't care about my life." Luo Rucai has always believed in the principle that thieves are also righteous. Although the sworn brother has defected to the Tatars, he
I don't feel any resistance in my heart. I can't survive anyway, so I'll first find a backer to work with the court, and then I'll find a way to persuade my eldest brother to rebel.
"General!" A shout suddenly came from outside.
"Come in!" Why are these old brothers so clueless? What's the use of just a few hundred or two hundred of them staying with him? If the officers and soldiers want to deal with them, it's as easy as squeezing a flea to death? Luo Rucai tried his best to maintain his dignity.
Said: "What's the matter?"
The visitor first bowed respectfully and then said: "The general of the army has asked you to come out of the formation and answer the question."
"I got it!" Luo Rucai stood up, straightened her clothes, turned to Zhang's mother and said, "Godmother, I'm afraid the time has come! No matter what, I will try my best to save the lives of your family..."
"His eldest brother, you don't need to say more." Mother Zhang interrupted Luo Rucai and said indifferently: "I have seen a lot these days, and my mother-in-law's incompetent teachings have caused Bingzhong to commit a lot of sins.
It's time to take the children to repay him. It's just a pain for you..."
Under the unknown mountain outside Hancheng, Lu Shanji did not bring any guards, but set up a wine table to welcome Luo Rucai, who came alone. The two looked at each other but sat down without saying a word, and drank silently until the glasses were dry.
liquor.
"Have you made up your mind?" Lu Shanji broke the silence first. This was the second meeting and he still wasn't here to persuade him to surrender.
"Master Lu really can't let them live?" Luo Rucai did not bargain for himself. His only hope now was to save Zhang Xianzhong's family, even if he only kept a seed.
"I think my general also thinks so, but we can't do this! Our army already issued a military order when we returned to the army. The rebel leader must kill the three tribes!" Lu Shanji stared at the wine glass on the table.
He raised his head, his heart was not strong and he couldn't bear to say such words.
"Why? Because we rebelled?" Luo Rucai roared angrily: "But why did we rebel? The ants are still living in vain, there is a severe drought, and the corrupt officials do not give us a way to survive. What do you think we should do?"...
.
"You are wrong. We will kill you not because you rebelled!" Lu Shanji suddenly looked at Luo Rucai, without a twinkle in his eyes. "We will kill you because you defected to the Tatars and betrayed the entire country and nation! What will happen to you in the future?
The crime has been decided, and he is a traitor to the enemy and willing to be a traitor!"
"Fart!" Luo Rucai slammed the wine glass on the table, pointed at Lu Shanji and cursed: "You are talking nonsense. When did we really surrender to the Tatars? We can't get weapons, weapons and equipment in the Ming Dynasty.
That’s why we had to reach an agreement with the Tatars to have a fair deal with them..."
"Then how do you explain that you cooperated with the Tatars in revolting in the east and west at the same time, treated the people from Liaodong well, obeyed their advice, and even called the Tatar chief the emperor?" Lu Shanji was not angry, but told the facts.
.
"Then... that's just a temporary gain. After overthrowing this foolish imperial court, we will still try to regain Liaodong..." Luo Rucai lost confidence, and his voice became smaller and smaller as he spoke.
"Really? Don't you think that the Tatars really have no one and would be stupid enough to support a powerful enemy to deal with them?" Lu Shanji sneered: "Don't tell me whether you have that idea. Even if you are here
I am afraid that the victory in the battle with the imperial court was also a great loss of vitality. At that time, the blood of our Ming Dynasty had already been drained. If the Tatars take advantage of the opportunity, what will you do to resist it? Is it possible that they will continue to fight against our army like in the past, forcing them to
Let the common people become cannon fodder for you?"
"Do you know Zhang Tianlin?" Without giving Luo Rucai a chance to continue his quibbles, Lu Shanji mentioned another rebel.
"You mean Shanxi's 'Guo Tianxing'?" Everyone is a fan of rebellion, how come Luo Rucai hasn't heard of it? The Tatars also wanted to recruit this person at first, but they just wouldn't give him the face.
Nimacha also cursed the guy more than once for being ignorant of current affairs.
"Yes, that's him. Zhang Tianlin killed more than a dozen court officials in Shanxi, robbed no less than a hundred gentry households, and demolished ten temples in Yungang. He did no less than you?" Seeing Luo Rucai nodded in approval, Lu Shan
He continued: "But my general personally went to the mountain to visit him when he was passing through Shanxi and took him under his command. Do you know why?"
"Why?" In the Ming Dynasty, when Buddhism was popular, it was not a trivial matter to dare to demolish a monk's temple. Zhang Tianlin not only demolished it but also got addicted to it, and later even took pleasure in it. In Luo Rucai's view, that guy was better than himself.
People are much worse.
"Because when the Tatars invaded, he led his troops to the rescue and encountered the enemy at the mouth of the river. Although he was later defeated and returned to Shanxi, he also showed the integrity of a Ming man!" Although Lu Shanji looked down on him!
Zhang Tianlin has little ability, but she really admires this brave guy.
"Is there such a thing?" Luo Rucai also heard about this colleague's actions for the first time. He really didn't expect that a weak guy with only a few thousand people would dare to do this. He actually went north to fight against the enemy, not like himself.
People shouted slogans to defect to the Tatars.
"Isn't that right?" Lu Shanji filled two glasses with wine, and continued: "My general said that no matter who he is, even if he has been a bandit or has done evil, as long as he is willing to fight for national justice at a critical moment.
If he comes forward, we must respect him and admire him. Because he is the common hero of our troubled nation!"
"National hero?" Luo Rucai muttered silently, picking up the wine glass, but could not bring it to his mouth. Recalling the things he and others had done since they started the army, he finally saw clearly. No matter how loud the slogan was, no matter how loud the slogan was,
No matter how upright they are, they can't hide the fact that they are working for the Tatars.
"Then this banquet today is..." Luo Rucai finally figured it out. General Zhenguo was not worried about us wanting to overthrow the imperial court, but was angry because we had become traitors. It seems that he was really wrong. That sworn brother
Wrong too….
"I don't have any other intention, just to express my gratitude to those refugees who were deported by you. Thank you for not driving them as cannon fodder to block our army's progress during such a crisis, but for giving them the remaining silver coins.
Travel expenses." Lu Shanji also felt very sad for this loyal bandit leader. It would be great if he had not become a traitor. Then we might have the opportunity to open up territory for the Ming Dynasty together. Unfortunately, there is no room for redemption for what has happened.
Now, I can treat this meal as my farewell to him.
"Then Luo will be ashamed to receive it." Putting aside his last thoughts, Luo Rucai simply picked up the wine jar and said with a smile, "Luo will lend me flowers to offer to Buddha, so let's do it first as a token of respect!"
"Okay! Mr. Lu also respects you as a man!" Lu Shanji also picked up a jar of wine and said with a bold smile: "Do it!"
The heavy drinking in the rain lasted from noon to three o'clock, and the two of them returned to camp without speaking as when they came.
"General! Old Mrs. Zhang has led more than 80 members of her family to commit suicide by taking poison orally..." As soon as he returned to his camp, a guard rushed up to him crying.
"I got it." There was no expression on Luo Rucai's face, and he said to his brothers who were gradually gathering around him: "Brothers, we were wrong. We should not have led you to treat you as a traitor despised by the world! Now we are all gone.
, the officers and soldiers only kill me and other bandit leaders, they will not embarrass you..."
Someone in the crowd shouted loudly: "I won't leave! If you hadn't saved my whole family, General, I would have starved to death! I didn't join the rebel army for glory and wealth, nor because of the universal unity that Zhang Xianzhong said.
But to express your kindness and righteousness, General..."
"Asshole!" Luo Rucai didn't look for who was shouting these words, and shouted loudly: "We have already made a mistake once, but we can't let you also bear the reputation of being a traitor. You still think that I, Luo, are your brothers?
Then listen to me, everyone will surrender when the officers and soldiers attack tomorrow! Lord Ruolu agrees to take you in, and you will follow him to the battlefield in the future, kill two more Tatars for us, and use their blood to wash away this mess for us
Sin!"
"Brother Luo, the time has come!" It's already three strokes a day, and what should come will come.
"Lord Laolu personally saw me off, and Luo is very grateful!" Luo Rucai pointed to the neatly arranged Zhang Xianzhong family next to him and said, "This is about eighty members of the Zhang family. Please don't embarrass them any more!"
"I promise you!" Lu Shanji said to Luo Rucai: "What about you, Brother Luo?"
"It's a pity that I didn't meet you earlier. If there is an afterlife, Luo would like to be a pawn under your command and go into battle to kill the enemy! Let these brothers realize this wish for me now. Don't worry, sir, they were all born into poor families.
What unjust thing have you done?" Luo Rucai smiled bitterly and said: "I have been unfaithful to the Ming Dynasty, and now I can no longer be unjust to my brother, please forgive me!"
"Good man, have a good trip!" Lu Shanji nodded gently.
"Kill -" Luo Rucai shouted, raising his sword for the last time.
"Send off the martyrs!" Shedding two lines of tiger tears, Lu Shanji loudly gave the order to shoot.
"Send farewell to the martyrs!" the officers and soldiers pulled the trigger with tears in their eyes.