We new recruits gathered before dawn, and after about nine o'clock, the veteran veterans wandered over, standing in the line crookedly and in no shape. When the sun came out and rose very high, the officials slowly moved over, looking clearly hungover. Then he stood on the stage like a dog and started lecturing. I don't know if he invited the master to give him half a bucket of water or if he simply didn't understand. What he said was half-written and full of jokes. Generally speaking, they want us big-head soldiers to "fight to the death" and "defend Sangxin" for them.
I stood below and wanted to laugh but didn't dare to laugh. I was feeling very uncomfortable. Therefore, I am not happy to call these officers "officers" at all. If these corrupt, uneducated and unskilled people are worthy of being called officers, then this is the worst insult to my career. Our Fubo Army officers and comrades come from all over the world, and there are people from all over the world. Of course, there are some who like to drink, some who like to brag, and some who are not very educated... But they will never be late, and they will never show off in front of their comrades. They charge forward every time they fight. They don't hide behind and rush their fellow soldiers forward to die. They run away decisively when they see the situation is not going well. There is an anecdote circulating among the Fubo Army. When our army eliminated the Zheng Zhilong gang, the gang's artillery fire was extremely fierce. Leader Shi Zhiqi stood motionless in front of the enemy's artillery fire and stood at the front of the team smoking a cigarette. Later, whenever we talked about this matter, we said that even the leader was not afraid of death. Why did you let the brothers block the bullet for you while you retreated yourself?
After ordering, I followed the new recruits who came with me to the warehouse to receive armor and weapons. It was said that it was armor, but the iron leaves were completely rusted, the cloth was completely rotten, and it would break with just a little force. Where are the weapons? What I received was a spear. The tip of the spear was blunt with rust. If I were to use it on the battlefield, it would not only kill people, but I would probably break it first.
In fact, good armors and weapons have long been distributed by officials to their servants and soldiers. In their eyes, we big-headed soldiers are nothing more than cheap cannon fodder and slaves accompanying the army, just pretending to be good.
At that time, I was so angry that I argued with the warehouse manager, "How can we still fight if we don't want these scrap metal collectors?" The person in charge of the warehouse said very arrogantly, for this thing, if you like it, don’t pull it down, or if it’s better, ask your family to prepare it on your own! What a nonsense! In the Fubo Army, any person in charge of logistics who dares to do this will be shot in a military court.
At this time, I remembered what Uncle Chicken often said: What can your court compare with the Senate? Yes, what qualifications do you have to compare with me, Fu Bojun? Are these the soldiers standing still? Just these corrupt officials? Are these weapons so difficult to kill a mouse? What is ridiculous and hateful is that the pseudo-Ming authorities knew that they were no match for the Fubo Army, so they spread rumors wildly to slander the reputation of the Senate and the Fubo Army in an attempt to incite people's fear and tie their chariots. It was said that the Fubo army relied on sorcery to win the battle, so they wanted to plunder boys and girls to sacrifice to evil gods; it was also said that people in the Australian and Song Dynasties were lustful and liked to plunder women from good families and commit ulterior acts, which made the whole Zhaoqing panic. What's more, there are rumors in the market that the Fubo Army's guns and cannons are made of evil things. It is said that if women and sisters stand in front of the two armies, take off their pants, expose their genitals and point them at the Fubo Army, they can make them. The guns exploded on their own, euphemistically called the "Yinmen Formation". It is simply the most ridiculous thing in the world and the most ridiculous thing in the world! The power of muskets and cannons depends on the high quality of the Senate's steel materials, perfect craftsmanship, correct proportions of ammunition formulas, and well-trained soldiers of the Fubo Army. How can this kind of feudal dross that insults women and sisters have any influence? What is regrettable is that this kind of strange talk that any elementary school student would sneer at today is actually very popular among the people and officials in Zhaoqing. There was great panic in the market, especially when the government confiscated women's menstrual cloths and toilets from every household. This panic reached its peak. Many women and sisters were afraid of being caught by the officials for setting up the "yin gate array", so they hid at home, just like the ladies in the boudoir, never leaving or taking a step. For a while, there were no women on the street.
When we became soldiers, the officials said that each of us would be given one tael of silver to support our family, which was money to buy our lives. But the money was still not available after all. After the liberation of Zhaoqing, a public trial was organized, and it was discovered that Xiong Wencan had indeed distributed the money, but it had been embezzled by officials of all sizes. The crowd was excited for a moment. The relatives of the soldiers who died in the battle outside Zhaoqing rushed onto the stage crying and cursing. They held up spiritual tablets and bitten to death the officials who drank the blood of the soldiers. The scene was extremely shocking. Although I didn't receive the resettlement allowance, I didn't care about it at all. The only thought I had at that time was to live and surrender as soon as the Fubo Army arrived, and I would never be buried with him under the pseudo-clearance authority.
After we became soldiers, we were given unusable equipment. We did not organize physical training or engage in tactical coordination. We just followed the officials’ orders every day and ran around: looking at the city gates, carrying supplies, and walking on the streets. patrol. These are all okay, they are still in the military category and can be tolerated. The most annoying thing is to pack up the house and move the house for the big officials! Juanbaoer will escape to Wuzhou by boat!
Oh my god, Fu Bojun didn't even see a shadow, and these officials were just thinking about escaping for their lives. You must know that when Wang Zunde entered the army, the heads of the Senate - even the civilian heads - were ready to join the battle collectively!
We were asked to carry all the luggage, including tables, chairs and benches, onto the ship. Instead of going to war, the navy's ships, together with the civilian ships that had been forcibly brought in, transported the old men's wives, young ladies, and gold and silver treasures to Wuzhou one by one. The robes worked tirelessly as coolies for them, and were scolded by their housekeepers. Some people were beaten to death because they accidentally broke things. We are not soldiers of the imperial court, we are just slaves of a group of generals!
In order to make the gentlemen move, the officials asked us to intercept civilian boats at the docks and rivers. We would seize the civilian boats as soon as we sealed the documents. We will let you cry and beg. We are all hard-hearted. If we continue to be verbose, we will kill them with a knife. After chopping, the head is still hung to show to the public, saying that it is "a meticulous work by a thief".
Later, they asked us to go to the four villages to recruit civilian laborers - not for the purpose of fighting, but because it was very slow for a heavily loaded ship to go upriver, so it was necessary to have trackers to pull the fibers. These civilian men are here to stretch the men's hair.
This matter was originally a matter for the prefect of Zhaoqing and the county magistrate of Gaoyao, but the superiors thought that they were not doing enough to recruit men, so they ordered all the soldiers to go. When everyone arrived in the village, they initially called for the Pai Jia and the Bao Chang to come forward, and each household would draw one or several dings. Being an official can also take the opportunity to extort some money and money. In the end, when the people saw us coming, they ran away, and they could no longer recruit Ding, so everyone stopped caring about Bao Jia and arrested men whenever they saw them. From sixty to sixteen, no one is spared. Anyone who resisted was directly killed and said to be "Tongkun". Some ruffians took the opportunity to plunder, and for a time the whole country was in a state of chaos. Later, the villages with walls refused to open their doors to us at all, and even used cannons and cannons to fire at the officers and soldiers. Once, a general commander was directly beaten to death. He died immediately and no one cared about him.
The chaos in society at that time is unimaginable to people today. Let me tell you something that impressed me the most.
After the liberation of Guangzhou Prefecture, many refugees fled from the lower reaches of the Xijiang River and the Pearl River Delta area. Most of them are officials, gentry and wealthy businessmen from various places, but there are also many common people who have listened to rumors and have a small fortune. I thought it would be safer to flee to the governor's residence in Zhaoqing. They all took their families and their children with them to escape by boat. Many of the recruited water braves were water bandits on the river in the past. They colluded with the navy soldiers and intercepted ships escaping from the Sanshui area in the Antelope Gorge. After plundering, they killed all the people, including women and children. I saw with my own eyes that after a soldier came back from a robbery, he proudly grabbed a handful of gold and silver jewelry and showed it off to us. There were many longevity locks mixed in with blood on them.
Such inhumane atrocities of killing women and children actually aroused the "envy" of many soldiers at that time. Many soldiers who had been honest and loyal all their lives were tempted to embark on the road of murder and robbery. Several of my childhood playmates became soldiers and bandits, embarking on a path of no return. In the end, not only did he lose his life, but his family members also became bandits. The old society not only swallowed up people's lives, but also swallowed up people's consciences.
I can no longer live in this chaotic and dark day. So I am even more looking forward to the arrival of the Fubo Army. I am counting the days every day, hoping that tomorrow the Fubo Army will attack Zhaoqing with lightning speed and kill all the rats in one fell swoop.
The darkness before dawn is always short-lived. More than a month after the liberation of Guangzhou, at noon on April 2 of the new calendar, Uncle Chicken mysteriously told me the good news that the Fubo Army was preparing to attack Zhaoqing! He told me to be prepared, "Don't be buried with the imperial court." I said, "Don't worry, Uncle Chicken, I will remember it all. The officials asked me to charge, so I ran slowly and waited for the officers and soldiers. I'm defeated, and as soon as the Fubo Army comes over, I'll immediately put down my weapons and raise my hands to surrender." Uncle Chicken saw that I remembered it firmly, nodded with confidence, and went back to his business. I hurriedly contacted several of my companions who had joined the army and discussed the matter of surrender. They all agreed that they could not sacrifice their lives to the puppet authorities. I had to follow my lead on what to do, as long as I returned home alive. To be honest, whether I am in Puppet Ming or Fubo Army, I am always a soldier. As a soldier, surrendering without fighting is undoubtedly the most shameful thing, and no matter how you whitewash it, it will be in vain. But I have never regretted my shameful determination to surrender. As a result of self-reflection, I dare say that after joining the Fubo Army, I never took a step back on the battlefield.
