Chapter 11 Crisis
Back to business.
Although he is far away from the capital, Jia Shouren has been involved in official circles for many years. The person in charge is an official of the sixth rank. The sixth grade is really nothing in the imperial capital where there are as many dignitaries as crucian carp crossing the river. However, the official department is in short supply, and it is a department with real power. It is much more important than institutions such as Taipu Temple, Honglu Temple, Zhan Shifu, etc. , this chair is certainly not something that ordinary people can sit on casually. He knew everything about the situation in his mind, and after being warned by Wang Yucao when he came here, he knew the weight of the responsibility he shouldered. Therefore, Mr. Jia did not slack off along the way, traveling day and night, and rushed to Yulin Mansion.
The matter is not complicated to solve. After a lot of talking about the pain, threats and curses by slamming the table and hitting the bench, gentle persuasion by the peacemaker, and "mutual understanding" by taking a step back and thinking about each other, and then "mutual understanding", and then "mutual understanding". Through necessary communication and bargaining processes such as "seeing regrets late" and "introducing them as confidants", everyone quickly reached an agreement: the Ministry of War will send one and a half years' worth of grain and beans and a full year's worth of grain and beans at one time according to the number of soldiers that have been surveyed. Amount of military pay, and to ensure that no more than 15% will be "drifted" midway this time. From the prefect Xiao Changhua to the judge Zhou Chizheng to the Yulin deputy general Wu Duogui and the general Li Changfa to guerrilla Lu Youde, they also expressed impassionedly that they will definitely use this as a basis. As a warning, we must keep it properly in the future and never let the large amount of food and wages be "soaked by wind and rain" again. Jin Qing, the garrison who died in the rebellion, reported "died of sudden illness". In addition to the Ministry of War's "compensation according to the code", the local government also According to the position, three hundred taels were collected to pay for the memorial ceremony (hush money) for the family members. Zhou Chizheng, on behalf of the government, swore to the sky that there would be no settlement of accounts later, and no one would be held accountable in the future. Anyone who breaks the oath will be struck by five thunders. Soldiers , including all Yulin Guard soldiers who mutinied and those who have not mutinied for the time being - the private auxiliary serfs owned by the generals are not counted as human beings and do not have their share - also agreed. With these, all previous shortfalls in food and salary will be written off. , never mention it again.
Of course, not long after, there was a little chaos in the camp one night. The next day, everyone discovered that the three rebel leaders who led the trouble disappeared at the same time, and no one saw them again. The soldiers sighed as they gnawed on the pancakes mixed with a lot of white flour: Those who cause trouble to the imperial court will never end well! There are also some people who think of the pancake in their mouths and the disappearance of the three people as one thing, but just think about it. They have already eaten the pancake, so what else do they care about? Veterans who have children have told this story to their children in private, and warned them earnestly: When they grow up in the future, they must take this as a warning and never get ahead in anything!
This result has been expected by adults. Adults all know in their hearts: these beggars are bipeds with one-dimensional thinking, nothing more.
However, these are all afterthoughts and irrelevant - the pond in Yulin is not big to begin with, and this incident did not cause a single ripple.
By the way, while they were drinking and drinking, Tongpan Zhou Zhizheng actually developed a relationship with Director Jia: Zhou Tongpan, the examiner of the mid-term examination, and the cousin of Director Jia, the doctor of the examination department of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, were actually the same year!
At that time, after a person passed the Jinshi examination, he had to worship the examiner as his teacher. From then on, the two parties established a teacher-student relationship and then became a faction. They would look after each other in the officialdom in the future. If you betray your "teacher", you will definitely get the reputation of "deceiving your teacher and destroying your ancestors", which will never be washed away for the rest of your life - even though the examiner has never known the student before, which was the common practice at that time. This is the case for Xiao Changhua and Yuan Shijie.
Those who passed the Jinshi exam in the same year are called the same year, and often form relatively strong friendships (in this day and age, the same is often true for employees admitted in the same batch in the company).
In short, this matter disappeared as if it had never happened.
Xiao Changhua, Wu Duogui and others will definitely not know that in the report given by Chief Jia to Wang Shangshu, the amount of food and salary increased by 25%. When Wang Shangshu received the report, he gave Chief Jia a meaningful look. After receiving an equally meaningful look, he happily stamped the seal of the Ministry of War on the material allocation list.
Of course Wang Shangshu and Master Jia knew that if Xiao Changhua, Wu Duogui and others handed it out, what the soldiers would eventually get in their hands was not 90% fine official silver, but only 60% fine private silver. They also knew that the Ming Dynasty There is a specialty of insects and ants that love to eat money, and Yulin is no exception - but what they don't know is that the insects and ants in Yulin are even more powerful, and this time they still ate up nearly half of the ones that were transferred.
The soldiers didn't know any of the above. They only knew that they did get their pay, and they didn't have to worry about starving to death for a long time to come.
Everyone only knows what they should know. As for the rest, they not only don’t know, but they even don’t want to know at all. Everyone understands that rules are paramount - whether they can be spoken publicly or cannot be spoken openly, they must be respected and must be followed.
Well, as long as you want to survive on this land.
The soldiers, who were immersed in joy, had just eaten for two or three days and had a few taels of silver in their arms before they were warm, when they heard the news: they were about to go into battle. A large group of bandits were coming, and the bandit leader was named Guan Shengyun.
The camp was bombed again.
For fear that other battalions would follow suit in the future, even though everyone had a share, neither the local government nor the officers at all levels mentioned the real reason why the court issued the outstanding food and salary this time. They only mentioned the court's sympathy. With the grace of God, in a closed environment without mobile phones and the Internet, and with almost 100% illiteracy rate in the military camp, the soldiers in other battalions were in a dream about this unexpected surprise, and for a while they had no idea what happened. Something happened, so all kinds of speculations were circulated in private... Now, when the mobilization order came, everyone instantly found the standard answer: It turns out that we are required to work hard!
Uh-huh!
Why?
For several years, it’s okay not to pay wages, not even to eat! Finally, we were given food and money, but it turned out that we were going to fight! I just had a few good meals, and I was hacked to death by a thief. Can I take the money with me to spend down there?
No way!
The straight-line thinking of the soldiers directly connected two accidental and concurrent events. As a result, all camps exploded and were always on the verge of explosion.
Guerrilla general Lu Youde once again ran back to the city to deliver a message. Xiao Changhua, Wu Duogui, Zhou Zhizheng and others were also panicked after hearing the news: Misfortune never comes alone! It's just a matter of time, it's just a matter of time. It's just a small matter that the entire battalion has surrendered to thieves, and the rebels have to hand over certificates to join the gang - but it's true that the lives of my whole family are in danger!
On weekdays, the civil and military officials, who regarded civil servants like grass and soldiers as enemies of bandits, gave up all their past grievances for the first time in history. They spent the whole night talking in the prefect's yamen and finally worked out a foolproof plan to defend against the enemy.
At dawn, a burst of urgent hoofbeats sounded on the official road, and six hundred miles of urgent official documents, densely packed with signatures, were sent to the capital with the heroic aspirations of all the local civil and military officials to die generously for the Holy Emperor. At the end of the warning message and the letter of determination, he euphemistically mentioned: Years of natural disasters, insufficient fodder for the horses in the camp, and horse plague, many of them died... However, this does not affect the united efforts to destroy more than ten thousand strong thieves. confidence!
Speaking of which, Guan Shengyun was forced to drive towards Yulin with a thousand and hundreds of hungry mouths, half-reluctantly but confidently on the surface.
The tribesmen are very happy. Most of them have never set foot outside the thirty miles of their residence in their lives, and more than half of them, this range can even be narrowed to ten miles. In the hearts of these people, the worries of leaving their hometown were quickly abandoned: Yulin Mansion existed like a fairyland in Yao Chi, full of beautiful longings and yearnings.
Guan Shengyun, Gao Tengdou and other battalion officers and veterans were worried. They know that there is no heavy siege equipment, well, even if there is, those guys don't know how to use it, they have no combat experience, let alone armor, they don't even have decent weapons, let alone food and supplies... Yulin Mansion Gaogao The city wall will be the end of their lives. Moreover, many years of border guarding experience told Guan Shengyun: outside the city, there will be at least three to four battalions of border troops waiting eagerly to harvest their heads in exchange for rewards - the hastily gathered mob is the first level of merit for the regular army. !
However, the situation has reached a point where it is difficult to get out of the situation. Guan Shengyun, who is coerced by the group, has no other choice but to go on.
About twenty miles away from the city, Guan Shengyun set up camp.
In order to prevent "enemy attacks", Guan Shengyun ordered the auxiliary troops to cut down trees, and later build camp walls, fences and horses. Other camps dug trenches and buried pots and stoves... The tribesmen were excited and fearful of being attacked tomorrow. Driven by emotion, he was so busy that he didn't notice that Guan Shengyun gathered together with the battalion officers and cronies... Well, it was normal for the officers to discuss with the enemy before the war.
Looking at the busy scene, Master Luo, who had nothing to do, was a little confused, and muttered to Master Luo: "Dad, is it necessary to do this at this time?"
Luo Yonghao said disapprovingly: "What do children know! General Guan has already said that we need to prevent enemy attacks. General Guan has been in battle for a long time, so he knows more than you, so don't talk too much!"
Luo Shifan blinked and refused to defend and said: "That's what dad taught you. However, although the child does not know soldiers, if the child is a Yulin guard, he will not pull the soldiers out to fight in the field. He only needs to close the four doors and hold on. If you are undefeated and wait for a few days, the attackers will lose their energy and have no food and grass, so they will naturally retreat. At that time, they will take the opportunity to counterattack. Isn't it difficult to win?"
Luo Yonghao was startled when he heard this. He looked around and didn't see any of the leading officers. After thinking about it for a while, he woke up from a dream and hurriedly said: "Pack up our belongings and wait for me in the tent. I'll come as soon as I go! Remember, don't say anything to anyone!" After saying this, he picked up his clothes and trotted straight to Guan Shengyun's Chinese army tent.
Guan Shengyun was discussing with his cronies how to arrange the attack sequence tomorrow. When the cannon fodder rushed up to attract the attention of the defenders, how could his group escape in the chaos? Luo Yonghao ran in and was out of breath.
As soon as he entered the tent, Mr. Luo bowed his arms to the ground, and then he bowed his head without straightening his back and muttered: "General, save your life, general will guide you. Mr. Luo and his son will always be grateful to the general for his great kindness..."
Guan Shengyun was also startled, and while reaching out to help him, he asked: "Master Luo, what are you doing?"
Luo Yonghao hunched over and dodged lightly, dodging Guan Shengyun's outstretched arm. He still maintained the saluting posture and continued to chant: "General, save your life, general will guide you. Luo and his son will always be grateful to the general for his great kindness..."
Guan Shengyun understood immediately and smiled bitterly: "Master Luo, please get up. Please get up. Guan is helpless. If you forgive me..."
Luo Yonghao raised his head slightly and glanced at Guan Shengyun. He was still talking to himself. Guan Shengyun could only respond: "Guan has accepted your request. Master, please rise."
Luo Yonghao not only did not straighten up, but knelt down with a pop: "General, please do not deceive the students. The students have been miserable for half their lives. Zhuo Jing died early and only had a son. I beg the general to show mercy! The students did not tell anyone about this matter. The sun can teach us a lesson! Tomorrow, students are willing to lead the army to attack the city. I only hope that the general can take the dog away and leave a bloodline for the Luo family. Luo Yonghao will always be grateful to the general for his kindness and kindness. Students, I kowtow to you!" As he spoke, , leaned down, and two lines of clear tears fell down.
Guan Shengyun said with emotion: "Sir, what are you talking about? Mr. and his son will be following Guan tomorrow. Sir, please get up quickly and don't want to be bumped into..."
At this moment, another person rushed into the camp in a panic. Without looking at the two people who were tearing each other apart, he knelt down and shouted: "Commander, General! Something bad is happening! Yulin, Yulin, the war is here. coming!"
