Chapter 38 Sit back and enjoy
From the evening to the early morning of the next day, Yu Shengliang and Liao Xingxiang did not sleep for a moment. Under the swords, guns and sticks of Li Shaobing, the guards, and the county officials, they managed to stop some soldiers trying to escape to Yanchuan, gathered up two to three hundred people, and drove them all up the city wall, especially in the southwest corner near Yanchuan. For that section of the water, let's do our best and let fate do our best, hoping to inflict maximum damage on the thieves who come the next day.
However, although the soldiers could be stopped, the people could not be stopped - there were too many people fleeing with their families. To the south of Yanchang County is Yanshui. The west gate and the north gate are blocked with large stones, but the east gate cannot be blocked: because it is close to the Yellow River beach and has been in disrepair for a long time, many sections of the city wall have collapsed. People can directly enter the city from the city. Walk to the woods on the river beach. Due to the robbery of Guan Shengyun's tribe in Yan'an Prefecture, coupled with the exaggerated propaganda that Yu Shengliang and others spared no effort to mobilize Latin, the thieves were simply heart-eating monsters in the eyes of the people. Starting from the afternoon, people in the city began to flock to the east in an endless stream. At first, there were not many people. Li Shaobing only had four to five hundred frightened birds in his hands. Half of those who wanted to desert were even pushed against the wall. It was really hard to tell the difference. bar. As evening approached, seeing the fireworks in the sky in Yanshui, all the people who could run ran out. Taking advantage of the chaos, hundreds of soldiers blended into the crowd to escape. At this moment, no one could do anything, and Yu Shengliang could only get revenge. I can look up to the sky and sigh, and shed tears all the time.
But in the early morning of the next day, Yu and Liao were working hard to boost their morale and prepare for a desperate fight with the thieves who were about to attack the city. They were once again fatally hit head-on: the people who fled yesterday started to cry again. Running back!
After careful questioning, they found out that those who ran early and fast arrived at Yaozigou, dozens of miles away, before dusk. Here, they met hundreds of people who had come from Yanchuan to support them under the orders of Lord Si Bao's Mansion. Extended officers and men. At first, when these officers and soldiers saw the scattered fleeing people, their eyes gleamed, they shouted to kill the thieves, and robbed them of all their belongings. Later, when more and more people were seen fleeing, the officers and soldiers were obviously afraid, and they clamored to go back to Yanchuan. At this moment, a cavalry of more than a hundred people came from the west, and the officers and soldiers immediately dispersed!
This group of cavalry directly blocked the retreat to Yanchuan and drove the crowd back in circles. Fortunately, they did not kill indiscriminately. The officers and soldiers who tried to escape back to Yanchuan were killed one by one by gunfire. However, as long as they fled to the direction of Yanchang, they paid little attention to the soldiers or the civilians... It was not until dark that the cavalry stopped chasing. All the civilians and soldiers were walking in the wild in the dark. We hurried on foot, and most of them had night blindness. They couldn't really see anything, so they just lurked in the wild. When the sky lightened up, they ran back to Yanchang together...
a bolt from the blue!
The powerful enemy was approaching, but the reinforcements collapsed, and the carefully prepared magic weapon to defeat the enemy was wiped out. Yu Shengliang barely supported himself and returned to the city. Looking to the west, he saw wisps of smoke coming from the enemy camp a few miles away: The thieves were actually at this time. They made breakfast unhurriedly - obviously, in their eyes, Yanchang County was just something they could easily get at any time, and they were in no rush to launch an attack.
Yi Shengliang turned around and prepared to make an impassioned speech to the defenders about "the soldiers must win" to "inspire their loyalty and courage". He sadly found that only Yu San, Li Shaobing and a few guards were left around him—— All the defenders are gone!
The fleeing people and defeated soldiers quickly spread terror throughout the city. There are horse teams in the north, bandit camps in the west, Yanshui in the south, and the Yellow River in the east. The ferries have long been requisitioned by the government and are now burned to ashes. The people don't know where to flee. Some closed the doors and windows, and the whole family huddled together and trembled; more people ran around like headless flies in the woods beside the Yellow River beach, finding a place they thought was hidden so they could get in and catch a cat, and someone else would come later. There were fierce battles among each other for the "good position"; those who relied on their physical strength tried to risk their lives by swimming across the Yanshui River. Those who were exhausted halfway were swallowed up by the waves one after another, and of course others took advantage of the situation. There are those who rob in the streets, those who break into houses, and some who take advantage of the chaos to set fires. A large proportion of the gangsters - a large proportion of them are "official soldiers" who were temporarily recruited not long ago and have just escaped from the wall - many of them After making a fortune... Guan Shengyun's army was still having breakfast leisurely a few miles away. Yanchang County was already a hellish scene.
Accompanied by Liao Xingxiang, Yu Shengliang returned to the county government office silently and sat down slumped. He took out a cloth bag from his arms, which contained a letter called "Jue Ming Shu" that he had already written. In addition to lamenting the sudden appearance of rogue bandits and his determination to "repay the king's kindness by dying in danger," he also painfully pointed out the various shortcomings of deceiving superiors and concealing lies to turn defeat into victory, and even using armaments to deprive the people of their livelihood. I read it again with trembling eyes, and felt that I was crying every word, and every sentence was heartbreaking. I thought that one day the Holy Emperor would see it, and I would die without any regrets. Putting the bag on his chest, he ordered: "Yu San, when the thieves arrive, tell them that my body will be crushed to ashes with them, but please don't destroy this letter of death. Tell them that I said, In the beginning, human beings are inherently good. How can the thieves of today not be the good citizens of yesterday? Although they committed heinous crimes, I also know their difficulties. My memorial is to tell the Holy Emperor all this! Even if it is for their benefit Children and grandchildren should not be destroyed, otherwise, I will turn into a fierce ghost and haunt them forever! If they don't kill the corpse to vent their anger, then please help me restrain it and transport it back to my hometown for burial. I wonder if they will Why am I embarrassing you? Thank you for your hard work." As he spoke, he bowed to Yu San.
Yu San was so shocked that he fell to the ground and kowtowed: "The villain can't bear it, Master! The villain can't bear it!"
Yu Shengliang said: "If you don't accept my bow, I won't feel at ease when I leave. I'm sorry to bother you."
Yu San had no choice but to stand up, turned sideways and received a half salute, then kowtowed to the ground again and said: "Master, I can no longer serve you. I swear, I will definitely send you back. Woo woo woo."
Yu Shengliang nodded: "I should have about twenty taels of official salary left. You can take whatever is left from your expenses along the way. Don't be too little."
Yu San lay on the ground and cried loudly.
Yu Shengliang turned to Li Shaobing and the others and said, "You should all disperse as well. The matter has come to this, there is no need to risk your life in vain. If you can escape, you can always recognize some of my old friends and join me. It should be okay to find a bowl of food to eat. It is best not to join the army anymore. Without a backer, there will be no way out. But no matter what, you must not become a thief! I say this not because of personal grudges, but because of the way of heaven. There is a sun and moon in the sky. Stars, people talk about kings, ministers, fathers and sons, how can it be true that a son of a good family should serve as a thief? Don’t let them run rampant for a while. If they rebel, they will be punished by God. In the end, they will be doomed to death and the destruction of their family and the legacy of their descendants."
The Li Shaobings also fell to the ground and cried.
Liao Xingxiang helped Li Shaobing and others tie two white silk ribbons on the beam of the county government hall. He paid homage to Shengliang and said, "Master Yu, I will go and burn the granary first. Please go more slowly. I will go with you soon." You get some company.”
Yu Shengliang responded with a half-ceremony: "You and I are loyal to the emperor as we have earned the emperor's salary. This is what I should do. I will take the first step." After saying this, Yu San and Li Shaobing supported him and stepped onto the stool...
When Liao Xingxiang said goodbye to Yu Shengliang, he didn't notice that several officials behind him exchanged glances with each other.
After leaving the county government office, the officials patted their chests and reassured Mr. Liao that they could go home and make arrangements first, and they would handle small matters such as burning the warehouse right away. But Liao Xingxiang was worried. The warehouse and warehouse were both next to the county government office, so he rushed over by himself.
Magistrate Liao did not go to the bank, but went directly to the official warehouse where grain was stored. Although a poor county in the northwest cannot save much official silver and copper coins, it is impossible to destroy them in a short period of time. No matter what, they will be found out by thieves sooner or later, so just burn the stored grains, and you must not support the enemy.
When we arrived at the granary, the officials pushed aside the obstacles and marched straight in, shouting at the Dou-level officials (see the officials in the granary) to pile up firewood. Several officials promised, but they hesitated to take action. The anxious Liao Xingxiang put on his usual official airs and yelled and cursed a few times. Unexpectedly, these guys just gathered around and talked all over the place. Some politely asked the master to leave everyone a way to survive, while others said they wanted to show off their cards. You are an iron official who burns the grain and destroys the city. We all have to bear the wrath of the thieves. If you die, the court will commend you. What will everyone deserve if you die? Some people even said in a weird way, you should hurry up and deserve it. Go where you want, I won’t tie you up and open the city gate because of the loyalty of the brothers...
Liao Xingxiang, who was about to cry but had no tears, returned to the county government office alone. He cried three times to Yu Shengliang's hanging body in mid-air, stretched his neck into Bai Ling, and kicked over the stool...
When Gu Baihua's fleet sailed to Yanchang, they saw the west gate open in the distance, and two ox carts pulling two coffins heading west - inside were the bodies of Yu Shengliang and Liao Xingxiang.
The resistance that had never begun in Yanchang County came to an end.
After learning everything from the officials, Gong Derun said goodbye to Gu Baihua, who was in charge of the aftermath of Yanchang, and took his Zhenyong Battalion directly to Yanchuan County, which was like an empty city. On the way, he met Gu Baisong, the temporary officer of the cavalry.
Knowledge points in this article: officials, officials and government servants.
Officials: Officials are officials, ranging from the first to the ninth rank, formally established state cadres, wearing official uniforms and official hats, and the state pays wages. Officials are officials, and clerks who do not work much, such as scribes, those who copy official documents, and those who manage files...the salary is decided by the officials themselves, and the state is not responsible - the most famous one is Song Jiang, and Song Yasi is a scribe. Official. Those who call officials are often literate and educated people.
Xu Li: A general term for two types of people - Xu is a government servant and Li is a scribe.
Zaoli: Originally, it specifically referred to the servants in the yamen. They were named after the black color of their uniforms. Note that in ancient times, being a soap official was a despicable job, as detailed below.
Yamen: This scope is wider and includes all the people who work in the Yamen in addition to the officials. include:
Minzhuang: A person who carries a sedan chair and works as a temporary worker. Similar to militia, volunteers, activists.
Kudin: Soldiers, security guards, etc. who guard the bank.
Dou level: people who guard the grain depot, work establishment, eat the imperial grain (of course, private food eats more, the Qing people have records, whenever there is food in the grain depot, whether it is "Dou" or "level", each person first Divide a bucket privately and store it in the warehouse).
Pubing: Soldiers assigned to local authorities and responsible for patrolling and delivering official documents, similar to armed police and armed postmen.
Note that the above-mentioned people are considered "good citizens", and the most important sign is that their descendants can take the imperial examination and become civil servants.
————————This is the dividing line————————
Zaoli: I said it before.
Kuai: The abbreviation of "Kuaishou" (well, it's called "Kuaishou", can't you think of it?), which refers to "an official who catches thieves" - note that the "thief" in the old saying is not a thief, but refers to someone who endangers the country. Safe thief.
Zhai: The abbreviation of "Zhao", "an official who catches bandits" - those who steal are called thieves and those who rob are called bandits. Later, the two were simplified and merged, and they were collectively referred to as "catchers".
Du Zuo: Coroner, Medical Examiner.
Jailer: also called prisoner, prison guard.
Gate: The gatekeeper of the government office, the security guard of the reception room.
Note that the above-mentioned people are considered to have "low-level jobs" and are placed alongside "servants, prostitutes (you know), elite (opera singers), and beggars" - their descendants cannot take the imperial examination for three generations. Intermarriage with official families is also not allowed. In some places, those who hold these professions will be expelled from the family ancestral hall. Therefore, these professions are generally hereditary, so there is a saying of "floating officials and iron officials": officials change every few years, and those who work below inherit their father's business from generation to generation.
Canglin: One saying is that the place where millet is stored is called Cang, and the place where rice is stored is called Lin. Another saying is that the place where new rice is stored is called a warehouse, and the place where old grain (national strategic reserves) is stored is called a barn. In the past, the status of "Linsheng" refers to scholars at the prefecture, prefecture, and county levels (those with student status in prefecture schools, prefecture schools, and county schools). The state pays six dou of rice per month, so that you do not have to work hard to farm. , read with peace of mind.
Warehouse: A place where large amounts of materials are accumulated. In ancient times, the word "warehouse" probably refers to two or even three places: a warehouse is a granary, a warehouse may be a bank storehouse, or an arsenal—a storage place for swords, guns, armor, gunpowder, various offensive and defensive equipment, and military supplies.
