Chapter 44 Rebirth
The day before Guan Shengyun's army left Yan'an Prefecture, the troops stationed in Ansai County evacuated, took twenty or thirty boats, and arrived at Yan'an Prefecture along the Yanshui River. At the same time, on the official road along the river, a fast horse carrying Chang Wenping galloped towards Ansai, passing by the fleet of boats going down the river.
The defenders had just left, and the people in the county were still too confused to understand what was going on. Chang Wenping had already rode into the city and went straight to the empty back house of the county government - there was no crime here, and everything was still in order. The old man who had nothing to do and took a broom to sweep the floor (the gatekeeper plus a domestic servant, the county magistrate of Ansai could not afford to support more people) was stunned to see the old man falling from the sky, and rushed into the bedroom without even saying hello. After a while, he came out boldly wearing a blue official uniform with the official seal of the county magistrate hanging on his waist. He hurriedly stepped forward and grabbed him: "Master, where have you been these days? You don't know how big something has happened to you! Why do you dare to wear this out? Take it off soon, or you will die if the thief sees you!"
Chang Wenping waved his hand to interrupt his family's chatter: "The thief has run away. Go and summon the local officials to the lobby to listen to the county's orders!"
Ansai County is not very big, and order is maintained very well. In less than a moment, all the officials from the government office were almost there. Everyone was surprised to find that Mr. Chang, who usually seemed naughty and carefree, was sitting upright in the lobby, looking proud and proud. I only listened to Mr. Chang's impassioned speech, asking the yamen and Ding Zhuang to personally attack the thieves in Yan'an Mansion. While expressing his determination to be loyal to the emperor and serve the country, he clapped the gavel loudly. In addition to being frightened, everyone couldn't help but feel admiration: It turns out that we all misjudged him before - this is how the strong wind knows the strong grass, and the rough wind knows the hero!
Chang Wenping hurriedly settled the work in the county and personally led one hundred and fifty government officials to rush to Yan'an Mansion in a majestic manner! Although everyone was afraid, they did not dare to disobey Mr. Chang's order. They walked in fear all the way. Looking at Chang Qingtian's indomitable heroic spirit on the horse, they felt even more ashamed in their hearts.
Fortunately, they encountered a cavalry of hundreds of imperial officers and soldiers in the northern suburbs of Yan'an Prefecture, and everyone felt a little calmer. Chang Zhixian chatted with the guerrillas who led the team for a while, and without any hesitation, he took the lead in crossing Yanshui and drove straight into the empty Yan'an Prefecture with his golden sword.
Mo Hantao, the general magistrate of Yan'an Prefecture, and about twenty other officials, large and small, have been imprisoned for many days.
Beatings are inevitable.
In order to squeeze out money, thieves invented many incredible tortures. For example, one of the most painful punishments for officials is to clamp the head between two wooden boards. After tying it, insert a wooden stick into the rope, grab both ends and spin it hard - the feeling, "splitting headache" is completely indescribable. Just in case! Mo Hantao saw with his own eyes that of a state judge, the seams in his skull that had been closed since he was an adult were squeezed open, his scalp cracked open, two horrifying eyeballs hung completely out of the eye sockets, and his round face became as long as a donkey. ...I am often awakened by its miserable howling in my nightmares.
After the past few days, I can see that there is really nothing to squeeze out of this group of officials. The thieves use less torture with a strong purpose. The situation is better, but it is also limited. From time to time, groups of drunken thieves would come to the prison purely for the pleasure of torturing the once-superior man.
Somehow, no one has come to deliver porridge for more than two days. A large bucket of gruel cooked with rotten vegetable leaves and moldy rice was provided as food for the prisoners throughout the day. Sometimes the criminals even deliberately spit in it in front of everyone. After the officials had been hungry for several days, no one could resist the temptation of this bowl of porridge. Even the bottom of the bowl stretched out their tongues and licked it until it was shiny.
Mo Hantao, who was lying on the haystack and was groggy from hunger, heard a burst of messy footsteps, and then a pair of official boots came into view. He looked up and saw a familiar blue official robe, and then, An. The sincere and concerned face of Sai Zhi County Chang Wenping! In his ears, he could only hear Chang Zhixian shouting: "I am late for the post, and I have made Master Mo suffer. It is a capital crime, a death penalty!" Then someone opened the cell door, and Chang Zhixian quickly rushed in and helped him up with his own hands... and walked out of the prison. Outside, looking up at the bright sun hanging in the sky, and looking around at the majestic army, cavalry, and government officials with swords and guns raised, Mo Tongpan finally believed: This was not a dream, he had really seen the light of day again, and was a human being in two lives. Got it!
Fortunately, the thieves did not burn down the prefect's Yamen. The only drawback was that all the property inside, including official uniforms, hats, boots and other items, had long been looted. Chang Wenping personally cleaned up Mo Hantao, then brought a bowl of thick vegetable porridge, saying that Lord Mo should nourish his stomach first - unexpectedly, Lord Mo was hungry, but it was fine. When he saw the bowl of porridge, he Vomited on the spot! Well, all the adults who saw the vegetable porridge vomited. There was no food in their stomachs, and all they vomited out was green water. The adults used up the remaining strength in their bodies to wave their hands and said: "Get it away quickly, I will never see this kind of thing again." The cook had no choice but to steam it for the adults again. Soft noodles...
Changzhi County rushed back and forth to settle Master Mo and apologized: "Master Mo, please feel sorry for me first. You can wear the clothes of humble post first. The thieves have kidnapped all the tailors. Come back to humble post." Find someone to make two new sets for you." As he spoke, he put the replacement clothes he had brought on Master Mo with his own hands...
Before Master Mo could express his feelings, he heard a burst of noise coming from the yamen gate, and vaguely heard someone shouting loudly: "Let me in!", and even louder was the yamen guard guarding the door: "You damn beggar, get out of here! Look! You are like a traitor’s spy, if you don’t go away you will be killed on the spot!”
Chang Wenping hurried out and saw an old beggar in rags with dirt on his face. He was holding a broken bowl in his left hand and waving a bamboo pole in his right hand. He was stopped by his own yamen servant and was shouting that he was going to the prefect. Break into the Yamen! Just as he was about to turn around and go back, he suddenly felt that the old beggar looked familiar. At the same time, he heard the old beggar shout: "Changzhi County, I am Yan Wenlong!"
Yan Wenlong, a fellow governor of Yan'an Prefecture, showed up.
Chang Wenping scolded the yamen soldiers guarding the door and hurriedly invited Mr. Yan in to avoid washing and bathing again. Changing clothes was more troublesome. Chang Zhixian only brought a change of clothes, which was already worn by Mo Hantao. Just as he was about to take off what he was wearing, Mr. Yan stopped him: "I don't want it! The reason why I endured the humiliation is to leave this useful body to kill thieves and serve the country! I want to wear these clothes to kill thieves and let them know I am blind, I call this shameful and courageous..."
Everyone knew that Mr. Yan was making such hysterical noises to hide his face, but now that he was at a high level, no one would be stupid enough to expose him on the spot. They all praised him for his wisdom and courage, knowing that a small amount of impatience can lead to a big plan. road. Everyone talked about it, and Mr. Yan himself believed it, and he was determined not to wear Chang Wenping's official uniform. However, the tattered clothes he bought from who knows where had been worn for such a long time. Needless to say, they were dirty and tattered. They were infested with lice and fleas. He definitely couldn't wear them back, so he changed into a pair of green clothes and a small hat. dress up.
Several adults shouted loudly to kill the thief to serve the country, but except for Chang Wenping, no one else knew clearly: the thief seemed to have left, but it was hard to say how far he had gone, and whether he would kill again It’s even harder to say when you come back! Therefore, they only shout harsh words but never move forward, and they cooperate with each other very well.
"How did you get here these days?" is a question that Changzhi County cannot get around. However, he and Luo Yonghao had already thought of a countermeasure: they suddenly had a headache during the night patrol, and as soon as they lay down at the inn, the thieves came in. There was an old gentleman in the inn who was writing documents for him. He ran out and was stabbed in the head by a thief, so he took the old gentleman's disguise and pretended to be him. A thief leader named Guan wanted to be his master, so he pretended to agree. Unexpectedly, this guy is actually the brother of the bandit leader Guan Shengyun! After a while, I heard the thieves talking about attacking Ganquan. In the middle of the night, I took advantage of his drunkenness and smashed his skull with a stick. He stole his horse and galloped back to Ansai. He gathered his men and returned to fight... This heroic act The officials were dumbfounded by the deeds, and some did not believe that Mr. Chang had the guts to kill someone - the brother of the bandit leader was the one he killed! But Mr. Chang seemed to suddenly remember, and said lightly: Go to a certain room in the backyard to see if the thief's body is still there. After a while, the yamen officer reported that there were no corpses in the house, but there was a new mound in the yard that was very conspicuous. When everyone dug it open, they found that inside the thick coffin was indeed a body dressed in brocade, with the face smashed until it collapsed completely!
Now Mr. Chang is so awesome!
Compared with Mo Hantao's unyielding character and Yan Wenlong's bravery, Changzhi County's feat of killing one of the bandit leaders with his own hands is truly shocking. It must be heard directly from heaven! Yan'an Prefecture produced such a model hero for Ming officials, and the futures of all officials were saved! Well, all the sewage of neglect and slackness has been poured on Yu Shengliang.
The guerrilla troops of officers, soldiers and cavalry led the crowd to "pursue" the bandits, regardless of the various obstacles of the adults. At this point, the civil servants are a little confused: Although this guy is directly under the Dusi Mansion, our Ming Dynasty ancestor system uses civil and military forces. A guerrilla shouldn't be so bold to directly refute the civil servant's face, right? Moreover - there are about a hundred troops to hunt down 20,000 to 30,000 thieves. Is this guy out of his mind?
By the way - if you are so brave, why did your mother go there so early?
It was Chang Wenping who woke up the dreamer with one word: "My lords, since there are officers and soldiers from the Dusi Mansion chasing the remnant thieves, I think it is your duty to protect the land for the Holy Lord. Recovering the prefectures and counties seems to be a top priority, right?"
Yan Wenlong, Mo Hantao and others suddenly realized: That’s right! There is a thief chieftain in Changzhi County whose great achievements are at the bottom of the list. Although I am "loyal and unyielding", it is my duty, and we still have to make meritorious deeds! Since Mr. Chang - who will definitely not be the seventh-rank magistrate of the county in the near future, let's call him honorable for now - has categorically said that the thieves went to Ganquan, the "contribution" to "recovering" the two counties of Yanchuan and Yanchuan lies there. , if you don’t go and get it, you’re just like that guerrilla who’s out of his mind!
Mr. Chang is really interesting. He generously said that all his 150 people would be taken by the adults to recover the lost territory. Having said that, we can't let Mr. Chang serve as the commander-in-chief (the two words are read separately - "Si" and "Ling", this is the original meaning of the word) Yan'an Fucheng, right? Anyway, Lord Chang left twenty to maintain order, and the remaining people were divided into two, and some more people were gathered in the city. Yan Wenlong, Mo Hantao, and others each led a team of about a hundred people.
A lot of colorful cloths were pulled, and the adults showed off their special skills. They wrote with bold strokes and thick ink such big and sincere characters as "Chasing thieves", "Dang bandits", "Jing Ni", "Suppressing bandits", "Protect the environment and the people". , using bamboo poles and wooden sticks to pick out colorful flags. We left Fucheng bustlingly. The refugees along the way had their eyes opened: in front were gongs and drums clearing the way, and in the back were flags waving. The adults should sit on the sedan chair according to their rank (Guan Shengyun dismantled the official sedan chairs and set them on fire, and the two private people who carried the small sedans were in vain, but they were not moved), and the door panels should be used on horseback and donkeys (donkey and horse) All were taken away by Guan Shengyun and others), the two teams went straight to the two counties with a majestic and murderous spirit, fighting bloody battles for the Holy Emperor to regain their lost lands!
There was a five or six-year-old kid among the spectators watching the excitement on the field ridge. He asked innocently: "Dad, who are these people?"
His father rubbed his hands excitedly and replied: "The officers and soldiers are going to kill the thieves."
Xiaowa stared at it for a long time and then asked: "The officers and soldiers are killing thieves. Why are they raising so many flags? Why don't you see a few people holding knives and guns?"
The father was stunned for a moment, and then there was a crisp sound, and the baby was slapped. Dad scolded: "What a bastard, what nonsense are you talking about! Be careful of being caught as a thief!"
The little baby covered his face and cried loudly.
But the cries were immediately drowned in the loud sound of gongs and drums, and no one paid attention.
