The Qingzhou soldier took the bunch of money and kicked the old man away with contempt.
The old man who wanted to sell grain was anxious and stepped forward to grab the copper coins. The soldier sneered, pushed the old man's hands away, and kicked him to the ground.
The old man's head hit the ground, bleeding out.
"Grandpa!" A girl knelt beside the old man, sobbing and wailing.
All this happened in an instant, but Mi Zhen saw it clearly, her pretty face was frosty, and she said angrily, "Yuan Xianyi! You just robbed my house, you robbed all the rice in the grain store, what will the people in the city eat!" You bastard!"
Yuan Xi was speechless. He also wanted to train an army like the "Yue Family Army" and "People's Liberation Army" in later generations, but reality did not allow it. Tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of soldiers need to eat, and Qingzhou cannot provide itself with food. If we don't rely on looting, we will soon run out of food. Besides, there is also a saying in the art of war that "because the enemy has food, the army will have enough food." Isn't it?
It's just that whether this "enemy food" is official food or civilian food depends on the decision of the chief officer. Yuan Xi also ordered a ban on private looting, but the scale in between was not so easy to grasp.
The soldiers also saw it. Yuan Xi's large group of people were obviously not dressed like ordinary people. The soldier who committed the crime was worried, but he scolded him: "Which camp are you from? What are you looking at! You didn't see us carrying out military duties." Well, get out of here and don’t stop me from waiting..."
Xu Chu was furious, jumped off his horse, pushed the soldier to the ground, and cursed, "You are blind, the young general is here, why don't you salute quickly!"
Hearing Xu Chu calling him "Major General", the soldiers around him cheered, saluted and said in panic, "Major General!" "Major General!"
Yuan Xi and others got off their horses. Yuan Xi stepped forward and looked at the situation inside the grain store, and then at the old man. He saw that the old man was bleeding in a pool, and his chest gradually stopped rising and falling. The girl's body was trembling with fear, she was helpless and weeping, it was very miserable.
"The Major General is aware of this! I, too, carry out the orders from above. Please forgive us." The soldier begged for mercy.
The morale of the military and the people. These two words kept appearing in Yuan Xi's mind. Looking at the group of rebels under his command, he said faintly, "You are right to perform official duties, but are there any military orders that strictly prohibit private looting and the killing of civilians?" There was no joy or anger in Yuan Xi's tone.
The soldier turned pale and said in a trembling voice, "Major General, Major General, spare your life, spare your life!"
"Zhongkang, enforce military law!" Yuan Xi's tone was unquestionable and he ordered expressionlessly.
Xu Chu responded, dragged the limp soldier to the middle of the street, then slashed with his machete, and his head fell to the ground.
Facing Yuan Xi's brutal attack, everyone couldn't help but feel awe-struck, while Mi Zhen on the side was so frightened that she couldn't help but retching. After all, she was a simple girl, and she had never seen such a scene.
"Who doesn't have a family? We raised the army to wipe out traitors and rebels, not to oppress the common people in the countryside. You will not be short of money and silk by following me, but if you dare to disobey military orders, you will not be pardoned!" Yuan Xi looked at this! The gangster said loudly.
"Follow the order!" "Follow the order!" the soldiers shouted.
Yuan Xi came to Mi Zhen, handed her a silk handkerchief, and then said to the soldiers: "Previously, they only focused on collecting the money and food from those who were enemies of my army, but ignored the supply of rice and food for the people in the city. Now it's time to Our army left Tancheng and opened a porridge shop in Mijia's grain store to provide free porridge to the people in the city."
The attendant next to him agreed, and Gu Yong began to make preparations. Yuan Xi estimated that it wouldn't take long for his troops to retreat. Opening a porridge shop was also a generous gesture and a gesture in front of these civilians. Earn some political prestige, why not.
At this time, Mi Zhen's expression gradually recovered. Seeing Yuan Xi's appropriate actions, she felt relieved.
A personal attendant came to Yuan Xi, pointed at the old man and said: "Young General, then, that old man is dead."
Yuan Xi came to the old man's body. He looked at the girl again and saw that she was only thirteen or fourteen years old. She had unkempt hair and dirty clothes. She did not dare to look at him and was trembling.
"Which of you recognizes these two?" Yuan Xi asked the civilians next to him.
The few people hesitated for a while, and then a middle-aged man said: "We are temporarily living in the south of the city. They are all refugees from various places who came to Xuzhou. His grandfather and grandson are engaged in the steamed cake business, and they seem to be from Huaiyin."
"She's so pitiful. I want to take her in." Mi Zhen said. She often does almsgiving to the poor and weak.
Yuan Xi shook his head. Mi Zhen still couldn't protect herself, and she still had time to seek justice for others. He glanced down, and suddenly his heart moved. It turned out that although the girl had unkempt hair and a disheveled face, the skin on her neck and slender hands were surprisingly white and dazzling. .
So Yuan Xi said inexplicably, "I am also involved in his grandfather's death. I will take him in if he wants to take him in."
Seeing that Yuan Xi did not agree with her proposal, Mi Zhen pursed her lips and looked unhappy. Yuan Xi then gave instructions for the entourage to bury the old man.
■■■
After capturing Tancheng, Yuan Xijun held on while he began to take a major rest and build momentum to coerce Xuzhou to increase his bargaining chips.
Although the peace talks had no final result, Yuan Xi still summoned a group of confidants and explained the current situation to them.
Gu Yong coordinated many materials. He sorted out the account books and reported, "Major General, after capturing Quxian and Tancheng, our army collected a lot of money and food. Especially the money and silk, excluding the rewards, is enough for our army." More than a year’s worth.”
Guan Hai laughed and said, "In the past, if brothers worked for one or two years, they would not earn more than if they worked for one or two months. Brothers, you did not follow the wrong Major General."
Yuan Xi secretly shook his head. Guan Hai and Zhou Cang could not change their gangster ways. They were just fine as ordinary generals. It would be better if they were given big posts, as long as they did not cause trouble for them.
Zhang He also came out and said: "Excluding the soldiers who escorted money and food back to Qingzhou before, and the soldiers who died in the battle, our army now has about 40,000 soldiers. Especially in the attack on Tancheng this time, the number of soldiers has been greatly reduced."
Yuan Xi felt unspeakable depression in his heart. When he sent out the army, he brought more than 50,000 people. Excluding the soldiers who escorted money and food back to Qingzhou, it means that the number of soldiers killed in the battle reached six to seven thousand, accounting for nearly one-fifth of the total number of soldiers. .
Although these casualties were not many in the melee, they were all elite Qingzhou soldiers, not to mention this was not a computer game. Yuan Xi felt depressed for a while, and sighed, "What a pity for these soldiers."
Guan Hai and Zhou Cang heard Yuan Xi's sigh. Guan Hai shook his head and said: "In the past, my brothers were as cheap as dogs. We were surrounded and suppressed by officers and soldiers. There was no time when we suffered tens of thousands of casualties."
Guo Jia nodded with satisfaction and said, "Compared with the money and food our army received, these casualties are still worth it. And after tempering, these remaining soldiers are truly elite soldiers. The elite soldiers of the son's direct line have begun to take shape. "
"Then should our army prepare to withdraw to Qingzhou and rush to help Jizhou?" Xu Huang reminded him.
Guo Jia quickly stopped him and said: "Before returning to Qingzhou, you must not publicize this matter to avoid causing changes. At this critical moment, all generals must restrain the soldiers. Preparations must also be made for the retreat. Who will be the vanguard? Whoever is in charge of escorting will take the back seat."
"With the money and food sent by Tao Qian, how can we transport this much baggage back to Qingzhou? Not to mention the need for separate troops to protect us from prying eyes along the way. The 40,000 of us cannot do it just by escorting the manpower alone. "Gu Yong said worriedly.
Guan Hai chuckled and said, "Is it possible that we still need Tao Qian to send us to Qingzhou? In the past, it would not be a problem for hundreds of thousands of brothers to carry this little thing, but now there are few people. Don't use all the horses to tow the truck. "
Yuan Xi had a headache. He only wanted to blackmail Tao Qian, but he had never thought about how to transport so many supplies.
Guo Jia thought about it carefully and suddenly said in horror: "It's not good. The escort of this large amount of baggage is halfway through Xuzhou. If Tao Qian has malicious intentions and secretly hides the enemy's elite, then our army will be in danger."
After Guo Jia mentioned this, Yuan Xi was shocked and felt that he had made a miscalculation. In normal times, it would be okay to slowly send people from Qingzhou to transport him. However, the situation in Jizhou was unclear, and Xuzhou was not a place to stay for a long time. What if he told Guo Jia? It's the same, that's really bad food.
Usually, most of the baggage is transported by horses and mules, and human-powered wheelbarrows also account for a considerable proportion. In this era of backward roads and transportation, it is really difficult to transport these materials without huge manpower.
The East China Sea, transportation, and the Mi family, Yuan Xi suddenly thought of one thing as if he was enlightened—sea transportation!
There is a seaport in Qu County, and the Mi family also has large ships plying between Yangzhou and Xuzhou. Dongnai also has a seaport where sea ships can dock, which not only saves time but also effort. So Yuan Xi told everyone this idea and helped him to provide advice.
Gu Yong clapped his hands repeatedly and said happily, "In this way, our army really has no worries. What a wonderful plan, sir."
"It depends on whether the young master's brother-in-law is willing to help. I would like to see the young master put in more effort on Miss Mi's side, haha." Guo Jia said with a bad smile.
night. After holding the lamp.
Yuan Xi came to Mi Zhen's residence. There are tiger guards all around here, and Mi Zhen's range of activities is limited to a small courtyard.
After the announcement, Yuan Xi entered the room. Mi Zhen snorted and looked at Yuan Xi. Behind her was the girl from Bai Ri.
When the girl saw Yuan Xi coming in, she hid behind Mi Zhen in fear, but still looked at Yuan Xi with her big eyes from time to time.
Yuan Xi shook his head and smiled bitterly, and asked, "What's going on with this girl? Does he have no other relatives?"
Mi Zhen glanced at Yuan Xi and said bitterly: "It's not the good deeds of your bandits. Last year, there was a drought caused by Pei Guo soldiers in Yuzhou. Her grandfather and grandson took refuge in Huaiyin and came to Tancheng to start a steamed cake business. But... Those rebels of yours killed her grandfather."
Yuan Xi had no other feelings. This war disaster often caused a large number of civilians to flee. This time when they attacked Xuzhou, many civilians became refugees and refugees.
"I'm sorry, I was incompetent and caused trouble to the girl." Yuan Xi looked at the fair-skinned girl and apologized.
The girl changed into plain white, her eyes were red, and she looked weak and shy. After washing and changing, the most eye-catching thing was her jade-white skin, which was really better than Bai Xue.
But despite this, Yuan Xi still took a breath. She was indeed a white jade beauty. He did not expect that a woman could be so fair. Even Diao Xiuer, the fairest person in the house, looked a little inferior in front of this woman.
Seeing that Yuan Xi was in a daze, Mi Zhen couldn't help but protect the girl behind her and said warily: "Yuan Xianyi, what do you want to do?"
Yuan Xi's heart moved, and he joked: "You are also my prisoner, right? Do you still need to ask me what I want to do? There is a maid next to me, and I think this girl is quite suitable."
Mi Zhen had an indescribable feeling in her heart, so she protected the girl even tighter and said displeasedly, "Give up, don't even think about it!"
Yuan Xi shook his head. Although the girl was a complete beauty, she was still in bud. Compared with Diao Xiuer, Gao Yue, Cai Yan and others, her charm was still a bit inferior. But as the saying goes, one white can cover up all ugliness, if you want to be pretty, Xiao is not.
But unexpectedly, the girl said timidly: "Little girl, I want to serve the young master."
Mi Zhen was shocked as soon as these words came out, and even the joking Yuan Xi was a little surprised.
"Do you know who he is? Just follow him." Mi Zhen hurriedly advised.
The girl shook her head delicately and said, "Although I don't know, the young master has avenged his grandfather, so it is not an exaggeration for the little girl to be his slave."
"They were not killed by his bandits!" Mi Zhen said angrily, objecting strongly in her heart.
Yuan Xi remembered the real purpose of coming to see Mi Zhen this time, so he asked the maid from the original government office to take the girl down, and then walked closer to Mi Zhen.
"Miss Mi, I will send you back to Qu County tomorrow. Please prepare."
"Are you going to retreat? How are my eldest and second brothers doing?" Mi Zhen asked, blinking her eyes.
"Tao Shijun sent a message, saying that the general supplies will be sent in the next two days, and our army will prepare to withdraw from Xuzhou. Wouldn't it be good for the two families to reconcile and withdraw from the army? Isn't this what you want?"
Mi Zhenxin believed it was true, and the melancholy and annoyance in her silly and sweet mind was swept away, and she said softly, "If you are not my enemy in Xuzhou, the Mi family would welcome you, a great talent and hero, to come to my house as a guest."
Yuan Xi smiled and pretended to ask casually, "I have a wish to see the whole of the vast sea, but I just don't have the opportunity to go out to sea. I wonder if Miss Mi knows about it?"
Mi Zhen wrinkled her beautiful eyebrows, put her chin on her bare hand and said, "Oh, what fun is there in going to sea? They are all low-life people, asking for work on ships."
"Listen to what you said, your Mi family has many large ships?" Yuan Xi's eyes flashed and he continued to explore.
Mi Zhen thought for a while, then the silly girl stretched out her catkins and counted them, and said stupidly, "There must be less than a hundred ships. They are all going to Yangzhou to transport goods. No, Yuan Xianyi, why are you asking this?"
Yuan Xi thought about it for a while, and then he had a plan in his mind. He approached Mi Zhen and said softly, "I have proposed marriage to your eldest brother, and I will marry you soon." He threw a stone that caused thousands of waves.
Mi Zhen's beautiful eyes widened with a look of disbelief. This news was too sudden for her. She had heard about Yuan Xi, and had a good impression of him after being praised by the world. However, since the Qingzhou soldiers captured Xuzhou, her family had described Yuan Xi as a heinous devil, so. . .
Moreover, Mi Zhen, who had witnessed the Qingzhou soldiers' murder, would naturally no longer have a favorable impression of Yuan Xi. But since Yuan Xi appeared in front of her, she could no longer regard this gentle and handsome man as a so-called bad guy. But when it comes to marrying Yuan Xi, she has no idea at all.
Yuan Xi sighed in his heart, saying that it was impossible not to be tempted at all. Did such a beauty take her so seriously that she would suffer the consequences of following Liu? He took a step forward, hugged Mi Zhen's slender waist, put his face close to her ear, and said in an unquestionable tone, "No matter what, I will marry you. You can't run away, just wait."
After saying that, he leaned forward and kissed her cheek gently. Yuan Xi looked at her for a while, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her bright red lips gently.
Mi Zhen suddenly felt that her body was stiff, unable to move at all, and she just let Yuan Xi kiss her. Until Yuan Xi turned around and walked away.
Mi Zhen was angry, ashamed, and anxious. Tears overflowed from her beautiful eyes. She couldn't tell whether they were aggrieved or nervous. Mi Zhen's face turned red and she didn't know what to do. She could only look at him with misty beautiful eyes.
The next day, Yuan Xi sent Mi Zhen out of Tancheng to Qu County. Of course, they were accompanied by more than 15,000 soldiers led by Zhang Liao and Zhang He. They wanted to reoccupy the undefended Qu County in order to seize the outlet to the sea and neutralize Tao Qian's possible secret hand.
