As the sun turned to the west, Zhang Xiong sat outside the city with his hands folded, growing more and more impatient.
Looking up at the sunlight and shadow, Qianhu from Yan'an Guard moved his buttocks and took half a step towards the shade of the tree.
Ever since the sun came out, he had been fighting like this with the sun. If the shade of the tree moved half a step, he would move half a step.
"Why don't you believe me yet? Those starving ghosts must be eating in the city, right? Feng Baihu, ask!"
Speaking of rice, Zhang Qianhu's stomach growled unsatisfactorily.
Fucheng has a strict set of alarm methods.
Cao Yao had just captured the Shunyang Gate when the bronze bell in the city, which was cast in the Yongle year, was rung.
The guards in the siege city of Nanguan on Jialing Mountain began to gather. Zhang Xiong gathered 300 men and marched towards Shunyang Gate in a hurry.
The Yan'an Guards had a plan before sending troops last time. They were worried that Li Bei and others would not be able to defeat them all, which would lead to Wang Jiayin retaliating against Yan'an Mansion.
A group of thieves raided Yan'an Prefecture. Zhang Xiong's men would definitely not be able to defend the Nanguan siege, so they marched quickly.
I want to enter the city before the thieves complete the siege.
Not far away, I met the defenders who had escaped from Lian City.
If it is said that the hungry people outside the city are seizing the gate and entering the city, then that's fine.
Zhang Xiong didn't panic anymore, and was even a little happy.
He sent people back to the siege and called out another 300 people.
They all marched along the river beach to the outside of Shunyang Gate.
Go to the city gate and pass the order, sit down on the ground, and wait for the hungry people to come out.
He knew that there was food in the city, and he also knew that hungry people came to the city for food.
But the food in the city will not be given to him, and there is no benefit in fighting thieves in the city.
But if the hungry people go out to transport food and are defeated by him, the result will be different.
His idea was the same as when Liu Chengzong saw Bai Yingzi seizing the siege.
It’s just that the hungry people were too slow to grab food.
Now it was almost afternoon, and the hungry people were still not planning to come out of the city. Zhang Xiong lost his temper and sent people to the city wall again to inquire about the situation.
After all, Cao Yao had few manpower and was unable to clear out the defenders on the entire city wall. He could only barely control the south gate tower.
The defenders also knew that they were difficult to deal with. Some went down to the city to stop the hungry people, while others stood far away on the city wall, forming a tacit understanding with Cao Yao and others.
In fact, at this moment, when Cao Yaoruo called them to go to the city to eat, most of the defenders surrendered.
Not long after, Feng Baihu came back with his flag helmet crookedly on his head and reported: "General, the city said that hungry people robbed the grain store and went to the reserve warehouse. They did nothing but knocked open the official warehouse."
The reserve warehouse was the name of the free warehouse in the Ming Dynasty, and it was mainly used for emergency reserves in response to disasters and famines.
There was no food in the reserve warehouse. As Zhang Xiong expected, he asked anxiously: "Is there food in the official warehouse?"
Feng Baihu nodded and said: "There should be. The hungry people are looking for carts and donkeys and horses in the city, probably to carry food."
Zhang Xiong's hanging heart was relieved.
It is his responsibility to guard the city. If it is for food, he can abandon this responsibility.
But if the responsibility is lost and the food is not obtained, it will be a big loss.
He repeatedly chanted: "It's good to have food, it's good to have food... pass, each person eats half a pancake."
The pancake is very thin and half a piece is very small.
But the Banner Army was overjoyed. Their general was extra generous today and had already let them eat half a pancake in the morning.
Now is not the time to eat, let them eat half a table.
Does that mean you can still eat half a sheet at night?
That’s enough food for three days in one day!
The morale of the officers and soldiers soared.
While people were eating, Zhang Xiong paced among the soldiers and loudly proclaimed his beautiful vision: "Brothers, Zhang only allows you to eat three or two noodles a day. This is not intentional deprivation, but there is really no food.
With a monthly salary of fifteen dan, Zhang only eats one catty a day. Your sister-in-law only eats half a catty a day. My little kid doesn't do anything, so I only let him eat three taels. The rest of his salary can be put into your rations. . "
Zhang Xiong said, raising his arm and pointing to the northeast: "Did Liu Juren of Heilongshan provoke me? Or did the old clumsy Chen Xiucai provoke me? Why did I harm others? You have no choice but to eat. They are the only ones who are easy to bully. The county government will not We will share thirty stones of food, which will be enough for you to eat for a month.
Now in this city, the hungry people have become thieves. They have robbed the official warehouse. There are five hundred stones of rice and grain in the official warehouse. Those hungry people are big fools.
The food was prepared by the government for them. Zhang went to ask for it every day, but couldn't get it, so he cooked porridge for them every day. Now they want to rob it. Grab the food and Zhang will lead you to rob them.
You have to steal at least three hundred shi and hand it over as loot. If you grab more, Zhang will keep it all for you. From now on, we will eat a pound of him every two days. How about that? "
The flag soldiers were overjoyed and applauded loudly.
Zhang Xiong was also very satisfied with the reaction of his banner troops: "You have banner troops who have been following me before, and you also have bandits who have lost their way and returned. I can't say I can feed you.
But Zhang must let you have something to eat. I don’t want my head, but I have to let you have something to eat.
Again, don't be lenient in killing people. They are hungry people and you are pitiful. You are like a starving ghost.
Nowadays, food is limited and there are hungry people. Those bastards in the prefecture can’t see us. They only want to help the hungry people, and they want me to work hard.
After a while they come out and kill one by one as they see them. If you kill them quickly, follow me to the east gate and continue killing them. "
Zhang Xiong has long wanted to kill the hungry people.
He even talked about it with officials at the prefect's Yamen.
This is not a good year. People everywhere are exhausted, and the imperial court is unable to allocate food for disaster relief.
The common people's fields are in drought, and the army's fields are also in drought. The food in the city is limited. It's obvious.
What does nature mean?
As nature goes, this land can no longer support so many people. If it cannot support it, the population will decrease due to various strange reasons.
If it is reduced until the land can sustain food, there will be no disaster.
The magistrate's Yamen's disaster relief approach seemed to Zhang Xiong to be against the will of heaven.
You can survive against the odds, but do you have that much ability?
No, without this ability, if you want to live a hungry life, then a normal person will starve to death.
And depending on a person's status, the two banner troops may have to starve to death before the common people can starve to death.
What's more, Zhang Xiong believed that being killed was more merciful than starving to death.
After dinner, I explored the situation in the city again, and found that the city had changed again.
The defenders on the city said that the hungry people opened official warehouses and county treasury, and got weapons and chariots from them to transport food.
Carrying it with spears and pushing it with chariots, he transported a stone of rice and grain from the official warehouse to the northwest, out of sight from his side.
Zhang Xiong knew something was wrong as soon as he heard this, and hurriedly ordered his subordinates: "Quick, quick, quick, they are going out from the north gate. Let's chase them quickly. We must not let them be caught by President Wu Qian first!"
The siege outside Beiguan is where Mr. Wu Qian is stationed.
Although that guy's men fled, only a hundred or so of them were left.
Zhang Xiong didn't think hungry people could defeat hundreds of banner troops.
The troops marched quickly, and as soon as they crossed the river beach, they heard loud shouts of killing. The two troops were fighting outside the city gate, and the flag army, which had a small number of people, was still faintly outnumbered.
They're trying to move here.
Feng Baihu stepped forward and asked, "General, aren't we going to save people?"
"No, no, no, why save him? If he dies, the food will be ours."
