Sichuan in July is sultry and humid, with sunny days in the morning and rain in the afternoon, which is a common occurrence.
Even if I didn't move, my whole body would still be sticky, and the big mosquitoes would buzz incessantly. When I woke up, there would be more than a dozen big mosquitoes.
Luzhou Wei is at the same level as Luzhou Prefecture, located in the south, and the scale of its governance is similar.
A characteristic of the Ming Dynasty was that localities and health centers coexisted, and each had its own business.
"Joining the army, the Luzhou Guard has deducted food again."
In an open space, an old man with a scar on his face was holding a hoe and farming under the scorching sun. His white back was already red and peeling from the sun.
A lot of sweat dripped on the ground, but he didn't care.
On the side, hundreds of the same big men, all six feet tall, with their upper bodies exposed and a large number of scars exposed, carefully and painstakingly cultivated fruits and vegetables, like Zhang Fei embroidering a needle.
A big man ran over panting, with a look of reluctance on his face.
"Withholding?" Zeng Ying was stunned, and then said with a wry smile: "There is no way, we eat, drink and live for nothing, and the health center doesn't have much money. It's pretty good to be able to support it for so many days."
Immediately, he looked at the hundreds of people who had followed him in defeat, and said: "However, continuing like this is not an option. We must fight against the Western thieves in order to survive."
Zeng Ying was originally from Putian, Fujian Province. His father was an official in Chengdu. He was a suave and talented man who liked to save people in emergencies. Many people at that time praised him and called him "Master Zeng".
But the invasion of the Western Bandits made him full of blood. To fight against the Western Bandits was to save his own family, so he resolutely spent all his wealth and recruited soldiers to fight against Zhang Xiance.
But this kind of recruit, trained for more than ten days, under his brave leadership, actually resisted the Western Army in Wushan for several months, and was defeated because there were no reinforcements.
Immediately in Chungju, Zeng Ying supervised the navy and resisted the war, burning more than a hundred boats and beheading thousands of people.
It can be said that among all the generals in Sichuan, Zeng Ying was the most courageous.
Of course, this indirectly shows that the Western thief has many talents.
Now retreat to Luzhou Guard for repairs.
"Joining the army, with our little strength, how can we fight against the Western thieves?"
Li Ding, the general, said doubtfully.
"If we don't fight against the Western bandits, the people of Sichuan Province will not know our reputation and will not be able to recruit troops. We will only perish."
Zeng Ying frowned and said worriedly: "I wonder how Governor Chen is doing!"
Although the city of Chongqing is surrounded by water on three sides and is extremely dangerous, it still lacks troops and horses and is very passive in the face of hundreds of thousands of Western thieves.
Hundreds of servants are now defeated but not separated. They are very respectful of this soldier. Now he is lost in thought and surrounded one by one.
"Join the army, join the army!"
At this time, another general, Yu Chong, also ran over shouting, panting: "I have heard the news."
"What's the news?" Everyone asked hurriedly,
Zeng Ying was even more itchy, but seeing smoke coming from his throat, he hurriedly asked someone to bring a bucket of well water.
Gulu gulu!
Yu Chong lifted the barrel and poured it into his mouth. After drinking a third of it, he took a breath and his face was full of joy:
"The city of Chongqing is broken."
"You're an ancestor!"
Zeng Ying was stroking his proud long beard at this time, when he suddenly heard about this kid and grabbed a few strands at once.
He couldn't help but curse: "What the hell is this good news!"
If Yu Chong hadn't been born as a servant, he would have been beaten violently.
Seeing the public outrage, Yu Chong hurriedly waved his hands and said: "Misunderstanding, misunderstanding. I mean, the city of Chongqing was destroyed by the Western Bandits, but Governor Chen and others were also killed and the city was massacred."
"Kick him like a bastard."
This was even more uncomfortable than the news just now. Zeng Ying couldn't bear his bad temper.
After a while, sweat and muscles flew together, snot and blood danced together, and a piece of green grass fell.
Yu Chong's nose was bruised and his eyes were swollen. He wanted to cry but had no tears. He wailed: "I am really unjust!"
"You are unjustly accused!" Zeng Ying touched his beautiful beard, which imitated Guan Gong, and said sideways: "The King of Hanyang entered Sichuan, defeated Zhang Dingguo, and reoccupied Chongqing. You are such a long-winded kid."
"This spanking will make you remember."
Zeng Ying caressed his long beard, thought for a long time, clapped his hands and said: "Let's go north and seek refuge with the King of Hanyang."
"Anyway, it's the Ming Dynasty's food and salary, so who should eat it?"
Li Ding nodded hurriedly and said: "It's very good to go to Chongqing, it's better than growing vegetables here."
So everyone agreed, threw down their hoes, picked up their knives again, and headed north one by one.
The Luzhou guards also breathed a sigh of relief.
Finally let these foodies go.
Who can bear it when hundreds of burly men are naked from the waist up every day, unable to be beaten and driven away, and forced to eat and drink?
As a result, this group of powerful men headed north, with the goal of Chongqing.
At this time, surrounding Chongqing, Zhu Yixi did not act impulsively and challenged Zhang Xianzhong to a duel.
Instead, he chose to mourn the King of Shu and the governor Chen Shiqi.
Because he understood that the longer the delay, the lower the chance of Zhang Xiance's victory.
Not to mention that the Western Army massacred the city of Chongqing and beheaded high-level civil servants in Sichuan Province. For the scholar-bureaucrats, fear and hatred coexisted.
But, when there is another choice, the arrival of King Hanyang, it is another matter.
More importantly, Sichuan does not actually have Zhang Xianzhong's public opinion base.
In fact, in the huge Ming Dynasty, only Shaanxi and Henan were really in chaos.
Shaanxi is due to border issues and drought, while Henan is a narrow land with densely populated areas.
And what about Sichuan? It is a land of plenty, and there are no foreign troubles or natural disasters. Although it is difficult, it is still manageable.
Under such circumstances, it would be extremely difficult for ordinary people to abandon their homes and careers to rebel.
Therefore, in history, when Zhang Xianzhong entered Sichuan, he promulgated many bans and good governance, but they were not accepted. Many people and generals continued to fight and resist.
Therefore, Zhang Xianzhong directly turned over the table, toasted and drank fine wine instead of eating, and tyranny continued one after another.
The longer the delay, the more advantage Zhu Yixi has, and the more initiative he has over the gentry.
"Why is Sichuan so similar to Hanzhong?"
Li Jizu rode his horse and headed towards Luzhou Guard.
The Luzhou Guard, as well as the nearby Yongning Guard and Yongning Xuanfu Division, were all his targets.
Walking on the official road, Li Jizu sighed and looked around. He must not lose his vigilance.
Suddenly, a group of burly men walked out from both sides of the road, holding shabby swords and guns, and they looked majestic.
"Who are you?"
Li Jizu became vigilant, ordered the entire army to be on guard, and then asked condescendingly.
"Ming Army? Which group are you from?"
Zeng Ying squinted his eyes and asked.
"Who are you?"
Li Jizu said unhappily.
"I?"
Zeng Ying smiled and said: "The only Ming army nearby is King Hanyang of Luzhou. Unfortunately, I, Zeng Ying, went north here just to join King Hanyang."
"Are you Zeng Ying?"
Li Jizu was surprised and alert. Last time Zhang Dingguo impersonated, could he be impersonating again this time?
"Replace it if it's fake!"
Zeng Ying noticed his vigilance and said confidently:
"Although Zeng Ying's reputation is not well-known, Sichuan knows a lot. If you are worried, the general can find someone to identify him."
