Sunday Qiang’s legs were shaking.
No one was scaring him, he was just a little scared.
There are only more than 900 people in Ningzhou City, but there are more than a dozen camps set up crisscrossing the flat plateau, and they are full of people inside and outside!
He hasn't seen so many people in a long time. How many people are there, ten thousand? Or twenty thousand?
Sunday Qiang didn't know. He only knew that the grain-carrying vehicles were making ruts in the barren fields, and the footsteps of people traveling back and forth had broken the road.
What's even more frightening is Bing. Many people have never seen a senior official like Zhizhou in their lives, and they look at him curiously wherever they go.
However, the young general leading the way looked very respectful. He said his name was Wei Qian'er, and he used to be a postman in Yan'an Prefecture.
He also asked him with a smile: "Mr. Zhou is greedy for the wages of his subordinates?"
Zhou Qiang thought to himself that in the past in Shandong, he often took the paper issued by the sixth house of the county government home and used it to write poems. This seems to be considered greedy, right? But there is no more in Ningzhou.
He shook his head.
Wei Qian'er seemed very happy. He raised his chin happily, raised his hand to rub his nose with his thumb, and gave him a thumbs up: "My former Yi Cheng was greedy for our money and asked me to kill him."
Sunday forced himself to swallow. What was more terrifying than Wei Qian'er's plain words was his left hand that raised his thumb.
The word "anti-Ming" was clearly tattooed on it.
Sunday Qiang didn't dare to speak. It was only at this moment that he began to think seriously: What mission did he receive from Yang He?
Wei Qian'er didn't notice the horrified look in Master Zhou's eyes. He remembered the order given to him by the Generalissimo and asked Zhizhou to take a good look at his troops so that he could go back and spread fear to Yang He in the future.
He pointed to a camp in the distance and said: "Mr. Zhou, look at that camp. The military discipline of that camp is not good. It is a camp of local bandits in Qingyang. It is a mess and doesn't even have a flag."
That was Han Chaozai's camp, and the camp was very large.
Sunday Qiang clearly saw a large flag with Korean characters at the gate of the camp. How could it be said that there was no flag?
boom!
There was a sound of cannon in the distance, which made Sunday Qiang tremble. Wei Qian'er pointed to the distance and said: "There is a fort over there. Maybe the people are complaining that the gentry in the fort are rich and unkind. The commander-in-chief enters Qingyang right at Heshui." Beat up a grain merchant who was hoarding money."
Sunday Qiang looked at the direction where the gunfire came from and closed his eyes helplessly. He knew that place.
Nowadays, there are many forts on the plains of Ningzhou. He was a man who was demoted from the official position. After returning home, he raised sheep and sold donkeys. If he really followed what Wei Qian'er said, he would not be beaten.
But Zhou Zhouqiang knew why. In March this year, His Majesty implemented the Baojia Law and asked the local gentry to organize people's regiment training. The official came to him and asked for some weapons to go home.
Zhou Qiang guessed that there was a conflict between the regiment and the Liu bandit tribe...but he was confused as to how many regiments there could be in that bunker. There wasn't even a few hectares of land when collecting taxes.
The sound of artillery roared in the distant mountains, but the soldiers in the nearby camp were doing business. There were stalls, buyers, and sellers, both men and women, in an orderly manner.
"The Lion Camp Work Sentence, the craftsmen are very good at making knives, but it's a pity that Mr. Zhou is really..." Wei Qian'er looked at Sunday Qiang up and down and shook his head: "It doesn't look like he has money, otherwise you should buy one too. Defend yourself.”
An auxiliary soldier who had just finished shopping had his chainmail rolled up on his arm. When he walked out of the camp gate, he met Wei Qian'er. After saying hello, he looked at Zhou Qiang curiously.
Zhou Qiang had a huge psychological effect that prevented him from looking into the eyes of the Lion Battalion soldiers.
In fact, the combat auxiliaries of the Lion Camp are very kind. People will nod and greet each other, and they are not barbaric at all.
They have rosy complexions, are well-nourished, and are full of energy. If you pick anyone out, they will look better than Sunday. The gloomy Zhizhou lives comfortably.
Kind people are more likely to be bullied on Sunday, but kind and proud people are less likely to be bullied on Sunday.
Wei Qian'er continued to walk.
A ruined village is a camp. To be precise, wherever there is a well, there is a camp.
On the roads connecting villages, Sunday Qiang could see all kinds of people, including soldiers patrolling in formation, riders galloping to deliver messages, and soldiers galloping past carrying flags.
In the field, there was a man with his hair disheveled and shirtless, holding a wooden stick and writing on the flat land. He taught a group of uniformly dressed soldiers how to read at the top of his voice.
Wei Qian'er didn't stop Sunday Qiang from seeing it, but he only took one look and followed Wei Qian'er forward quickly.
The shirtless young man also had a tattoo on his left hand with the words "Why are the people hungry and the army hungry?" clearly written on it.
The problems studied by these thieves are more profound than his Zhizhou.
There were hundreds of people forming a circle at the entrance of the village. Some of them were wearing the khaki military uniforms of the Lion Camp, and more were wearing messy uniforms. They looked like bandits and were incompatible with the Lion Camp.
In the middle of the circle was a thin Mongolian with a strong Yulin accent. He stepped on the millstone and stood tall, clutching his bones and shouting: "The emperor is ruthless, the court is immoral, the prince is incompetent, and the gentry is incompetent!"
"The commander-in-chief said that this battle will continue for a long time, and we will be invincible!"
The crowd was furious, with everyone clenching their fists and shouting that they were invincible.
This journey made him walk with trepidation, and everything was full of impact.
On the contrary, they passed a camp. The team had less than 800 people. Under the leadership of the officer, the troops were divided into five posts for camp drills. The infantry and cavalry coordination was very familiar, but Sunday Qiang felt a long sigh of relief in his heart.
Finally saw a scene that was within the scope of his imagination.
On the road full of anxiety before coming, Sunday Qiang thought about many possible scenarios.
The general fantasy scene is that of groups of thieves wrestling on the plains to practicing in formations. There are hundreds of guards in the camp with swords and gates. At the end are the leaders sitting on a large scale with tiger, leopard and wolf skins to divide the gold. , drink heavily, and put some bloody human heads on the side.
It is mixed with things like the White Lotus Sect and the equalization of land.
As for military discipline, it is nothing more than a matter of upper and lower limits. Sunday Qiang believes that nothing can change from his origins.
I have seen anti-thieves who practice Kuai'er, but I have never seen anti-thieves who teach people how to read!
Finally reaching the center of the company camp with a radius of ten miles, Wei Qian'er pointed to the only camp with a wooden fence and said: "The Chinese military camp has arrived."
The scale of this camp is not large, but horse inspections are the most frequent, and the camp is also the most heavily defended. There are many soldiers driving horses around the perimeter.
That's the good thing about Ningzhou today. Although this land can't support many people, it can raise as many war horses, donkeys and mules as it wants.
The camp was very quiet, without the hustle and bustle that Sunday Qiang imagined. No one even came to greet him. Wei Qian'er just calmly answered the command and took him into the camp.
There were soldiers in groups in the camp. Some were wiping their armor, some were sharpening their weapons, and some were holding muskets and cleaning the barrels over and over again.
Suddenly there was a loud shout: "Wine bags and rice bags!"
Sunday Qiang was so frightened that he glanced over and saw that there was an open space in the camp. A dozen armored sergeants were sitting around the edge, and a few people in the middle were rehearsing something with papers in their hands.
A young general said to several people: "If you want to be scolded with force and anger, I will put Zhang Honggong in jail and that Geng Ruqi all in jail!"
Zhou Zhouqiang originally thought it was quite interesting, but the bandit camp was also acting. When he heard this line, he didn't dare to move his legs. Oh my god, he is playing the role of the emperor!
Wei Qian'er took a few steps forward and noticed that he had stopped where he was. He turned his head and said, "Aren't you looking for the commander? That's it."
I saw a thin soldier in front of me. I could tell it was a girl when he opened his mouth. He came to the side and said, "Commander, why don't you learn how to write a storybook? The words assigned to the emperor are too blunt."
"In the previous scene, he was grateful to King Qin for his reinforcements. He was as close to him as his son, but he turned around and wanted to throw him into jail. He was so angry that he felt like he had killed his son. It's so fake."
Zhou Zhouqiang saw the young general stunned, and then smiled and said: "Sanlang, don't you pay attention to the actual situation? I want you to study hard, Geng Ruqi is really jailed, you are the governor of Shanxi."
Fan Sanlang covered his mouth and looked around, wanting to laugh but feeling embarrassed, he slowly lowered his body, and finally sat on the ground obediently.
Liu Chengzong smiled and said to several actors: "You just act like this. Arrange a few more plays and perform more in the camp. You will be either marching or fighting all day long to make the soldiers happy."
He patted Song Shouzhen's shoulders with both hands: "It depends on you to be happy."
After that, Liu Chengzong saw Wei Qian'er standing not far away from the corner of his eye, and Sunday Qiang behind him, and he waved.
Wei Qian'er stepped forward and said, "Commander, Mr. Zhou from Ningzhou."
After that, he said forcefully to Sunday: "Mr. Zhou, when you see our commander, why don't you be polite?"
Liu Chengzong laughed when he heard this. He gestured to his army tent and said: "What kind of ceremony are you doing? Zhou Zhizhou, come to my tent to talk? Ningzhou produces cherries, let's eat some together."
Anyway, everything along the way was different from what he had imagined. There was nothing unexpected about the difference. Zhou Zhouqiang could only clasp his fists and said: "It is better to obey orders than to be respectful. General Liu, please."
Entering the Chinese army tent, he suddenly felt very good because he saw tiger skins spread on the floor.
He finally found another scene that was similar to what he imagined.
However, this military tent was really simple. It looked bright and made of oilcloth from the outside, but it was quite spacious inside, but it was empty because of the scattered furnishings.
I didn't see any gold or silver, but two old wooden boxes. The upper box was open and filled with books.
A set of armor, a cat's and dog's kennel, and the rest is just a small kang table, a felt bed, a map, several stacks of pens and papers, and a few oil lamps.
"Please take a seat."
Liu Chengzong got fire outside, went into the tent and lit the oil lamp, sat on the ground on the tiger skin next to the kang table, then forced a smile to Sunday and said: "I heard that Zhou Zhizhou came here on the orders of Governor Yang to recruit me."
Zhou Qiang sat down and nodded: "Yes."
"Tell me what conditions Governor Yang wants to offer?"
Zhou Qiang couldn't stand Liu Chengzong's relaxed and smiling expression. He shook his head and said: "General Liu, I think there is no need to talk about what I have seen and heard along the way."
His eyes fell on Liu Chengzong's left hand, and the implication was that you guys have never thought about recruiting people, and what you are doing is not a business of falling into trouble.
Negotiating terms with you is just for your enjoyment and is completely unnecessary.
"Zhou Zhizhou, you can't judge people by their appearance."
Liu Chengzong really just wanted to have fun and know how much he weighed in the hearts of the three governors. He shook his head and said, "If the court makes me the King of Ningxia, can't I tattoo the word "NO" on my hand?"
Liu Shizixin said that if he wanted to be crowned the King of Guanzhong, he could even tattoo an oath on the front of his head.
Zhou Zhouqiang was amused. This was really a big deal. He laughed and said: "The general has lofty ambitions. You might as well think further and just make him the king of Shaanxi."
"No, no, no, if you grant the title of King of Shaanxi, we will no longer be able to discuss this matter."
Liu Chengzong's cynical expression calmed down, he shook his head sternly and said: "If someone becomes the king of Shaanxi now, the emperor, as long as he has a normal mind, can laugh out of his dreams."
Zhou Zhouqiang found out that this Liu Chengzong had no respect for the imperial power, which made him very uncomfortable. He said with a straight face: "Since the general wants to know, the governor gave him a garrison position, dispersed the troops to a thousand, and placed sergeants between Yanqing. "
garrison?
Liu Shizi said in surprise: "Did Governor Yang talk to you about this matter this morning?"
Sunday hesitated for a moment and said seriously: "In the evening."
"I mean he didn't wake up."
Liu Chengzong was extremely puzzled, why did he look down on others so much?
"You have seen my people. Do you think the imperial court wants to recruit me? What official position should I be given?"
Sunday Qiangxin said that the range given by Yang He was between guard and general, and said: "One government general."
He originally thought that Liu Chengzong would be unhappy when he heard this answer, but he didn't expect that he would smile happily: "General, these troops of mine are all good soldiers. One general can arrange for the rest, and the arrangement can make them full." meal?"
Liu Chengzong waved his hand: "Hey, let's not talk about this anymore. Where is Cao Wenzhao?"
"Cao...General Cao?"
Sunday Qiang was choked, and several questions flashed through his mind.
What does Liu Chengzong’s smile mean? Why did you suddenly jump to Cao Wenzhao? How did he know that the commander-in-chief of Guan Ning's army was Cao Wenzhao?
Sunday Qiang only found out the name of his general was Cao Wenzhao two days ago. He was a little-known general. How did Liu Chengzong know?
So he is garrisoning here...waiting for Cao Wenzhao?
There was so much information in that moment that he couldn't answer for a long time: "You, how do you know?"
Liu Shizi did not answer, but continued: "I came here not to attack Ningzhou, but Yang He moved to Ningzhou, the army had to rescue him, and the reinforcements came from Xi'an Prefecture?"
Sunday Qiang didn't want to answer, so he simply asked: "General Liu is not satisfied with the general, what do you want and what are the conditions? You can tell me, and someone will go to Ningzhou to tell the army."
"Conditions, Lintao's chief military officer is vacant, can you afford it? I don't raise the army for my own glory, wealth, princes, generals and ministers."
Liu Chengzong raised his hand and pointed on the table, with a mixture of ridicule and sadness on his face: "Shaanxi, the military supplies of the five towns on three sides, and the people are separated. Who can solve it? If it can't be solved, this year's rebels have been recruited, should they rebel next year? .”
Sunday said forcefully: "What the general means is that he doesn't want to recruit people."
"Whoever can live well will rebel, but Zhaoan cannot live well. I don't see you giving me a way to live, and I don't see the court giving a way to the hungry people and the army. The court only wants to give some false names, and is reluctant to give even false names to the big ones."
Liu Chengzong smiled and asked: "If you disperse my people and let them continue to rebel or starve to death, how do you want me to recruit them?"
"Let me give you an idea. Send someone to talk to Yang He. I have soldiers and enough food. Who can I rob?"
Liu Chengzong raised his hand and drew a line on the kang table: "I want to be a real official, but I also want to have a false reputation. It's probably not possible to discuss this matter at once, but it doesn't matter. If we can't discuss it, we will continue to fight."
In fact, in general, it was quite easy to be strong on Sunday. At least until now, he didn't feel that his life was in danger.
As long as he is not separated from his wife and children, it doesn't matter to him to negotiate terms with Liu Chengzong. He is just a messenger anyway, so he asked: "What is the real official, what is the false name?"
"The commander of the Xining Guard will give it to my brother, and he will buy troops, food and materials with me along the way. I guarantee that the soldiers and horses will not be looted everywhere, and Governor Yang guarantees that no one will stop them."
Liu Chengzong's face was more serious than ever before: "I want Qinghai's Xuan comfort envoy to control this land forever."
