Halfway through the Wuzhou paper-wrapped chicken, Xuancheng came over in a hurry. Xie Erren asked for the chairs, bowls and chopsticks to be placed, and asked for a few more dishes.
"No need to add more dishes," Xu Xu waved his hand, "These many dishes are enough to eat, just give me a bowl of rice."
Seeing that Xu Xu's face was not good, Xie Erren seemed to be worried, and asked: "Old Xu, why are you here so late? Is something wrong?"
"Yes." Xu Xu picked up the bowl and chopsticks, took a big mouthful of rice in his mouth, and whispered while eating, "I just received a telegram from Zhu Mingxia. The scale of the commotion in Bapaiyao has begun to expand. Some Ming troops The settlement has collapsed. Some Yao people's armed forces are gathering and are likely to besiege county towns in various places."
"This is a big deal!" Xie Erren was surprised. Not long after they were taken over, all the county towns were basically empty. Some counties didn't even have the National Army. Except for the local Minzhuang and other local armed forces, It can be said to be an empty city.
The Ming army's withdrawal of the Yao defense generals from the East and West Mountains and the guards in the middle made the Bapai Yao uprising less constraining than in history, so the scale of the outbreak was larger and the scope wider. Many Ming military garrison garrison units that had surrendered in Zhaoqing in the previous stage were besieged, and many stockades had fallen.
"... In a word, the Yao rebellion this time is more violent and wider than in history. Zhu Mingxia asked me to tell you to pay attention to the city defense and surrounding security work - in history, Yao people's armed forces have attacked Wuzhou many times, and once broke through... …”
Xie Erren's hands felt cold after hearing this, and his original ambitions were reduced by more than half. He thought that this was probably the so-called butterfly effect. He hurriedly asked: "Wuzhou is a frontline city, are there any reinforcements?"
"Zhu Mingxia now wants to take back Zhu Quanxing's third battalion. Considering the importance of Wuzhou, he didn't do so." Xu Xu said, "The third battalion will still stay in Wuzhou. You can rest assured..."
"How can I rest assured!" Xie Erren was a little annoyed, "How many people are there in the third battalion? How can we take care of the 9 counties and 1 prefecture of Wuzhou Prefecture! You must know that there are only a hundred big soldiers in this grand city of Wuzhou Prefecture. !”
"Does it all depend on your ability? Speaking of people, there is no shortage of them anywhere?" Xu Xu smiled, pulled off a chicken thigh from the paper-wrapped chicken and ate it, "The National Army in each county will expand... Listen It said that it has received approval to allow county and city administrative leaders to expand the militia on the spot, and is also preparing to increase the quota of 5,000 Nanyang rifles."
"That's pretty much it, but I haven't seen the National Army yet."
"They have already arrived in Zhaoqing and will definitely arrive in Wuzhou tomorrow and the day after tomorrow - the Xijiang waterway is still very smooth now," Xu Xu said.
Hearing that the National Army was coming, Xie Erren felt a little relieved. After all, the company with more money belongs to the third battalion. Although he can use it, he cannot control it. Zhu Quanxing can transfer it with a single order. Compared with the National Army, he can rest assured.
"Will the attack on Guangxi be stopped now?"
"The official order hasn't been issued yet, but it will definitely stop." Xu Xu said, "We only have these troops, and I will go back to Zhaoqing soon."
"Now the old bear can feel comfortable for a few more days."
"Old Xiong is still at ease. I think Chongzhen will soon make him look good - maybe he will commit suicide out of fear of crime."
Hearing that Xu Xu was leaving, Xie Erren felt a faint feeling of loneliness in his heart.
After sending away the permit, Xie Erren looked at the map of Wuzhou again in the lobby. His situation was really not good. If the Yao chaos spread to both sides of the Xijiang River, the traffic lines behind him would be in danger. At that time, I will be alone in front of the enemy...
"This is really not good."
Xie Erren began to feel guilty. Looking at the situation, he really couldn't be encouraged.
The city wall must be repaired as soon as possible! He thought that no matter what, as long as there was a city wall, there would be great security. After all, with the level of the medieval army, it was still very difficult to capture a city like Wuzhou.
That night Xie Erren slept in the back office of the magistrate's office. The thought that he had moved into his house not long after the previous owner of the office committed suicide made Xie Erren somewhat uncomfortable. However, he had been tired for a day and fell asleep without thinking much.
I had no dreams all night, and when I woke up in the morning, I felt energetic and full of vitality. It’s very interesting to show off your skills.
After washing up, I hurriedly had breakfast and went to the second hall of the government office where Quan Chong's office was located. Zhao Toyota was already waiting in the lobby. Next to him was an old man, who was a local scholar.
This scholar is in his fifties. He collects rent from some fields outside the city and has some properties in the city. He has never been too concerned about his career. After entering school, he had no intention of taking the imperial examination. After spending time at home, he would go out to travel around the mountains and rivers. Not only did he travel to Guangdong and Guangxi, but he also visited many barren places that the locals regarded as intimidating. He has also been to Langzhai Yaodong. He is very interested in the geography, customs, customs and products of the places he passes through, and is quite famous in the local area.
His surname is He, and his real name is Shouren, but because he gave himself the nickname "Dongli", over time, people in and outside the city called him He Dongli.
He Xiucai was not disgusted with Australians - he not only went to Guangzhou, but also to Hainan and even to Lingao. He witnessed with his own eyes the stability and prosperity under the Senate and had a great impression of Australians. Therefore, when the army came to Wuzhou this time, he had always had a negative attitude towards resistance: firstly, there was a huge disparity in strength between the two and they would lose the battle; secondly, he did not see the need for resistance. It's not that he has no feelings for Daming, but his feelings are not so deep that he is willing to destroy his family and sacrifice himself.
After Xie Erren entered the city, he wanted to find a suitable guide to familiarize himself with the local customs. Zhao Toyota checked the "Wuzhou Basic Information Handbook" issued and recommended He Xiucai.
He Xiucai did not shirk and came as soon as he was invited. That is to say, he is not as coy as some literati in order to show that he is "forced to surrender and become a thief", and he is not as eager as some people to "follow the dragon and join Ji". His attitude is very calm and peaceful. In a few words, However, Xie Erren had a great impression of him. Now I asked him to be my guide to tour the whole city of Wuzhou.
Naturally, He Dongli had no need to refuse. Xie Erren immediately asked Zhao Toyota to stay behind in the Yamen and ordered a team of guards to accompany him to protect him.
The order on the streets has improved compared to yesterday. The refugees have formed teams and are being led by militiamen to remove corpses and debris. The newly formed militia, led by the soldiers of the Fubo Army, although their military appearance and discipline were average, they still had some semblance of energy and spirit. Xie Erren was less worried last night.
When the cadre leading the team saw him coming, he immediately came up to report. Xie Erren waved his hand: "Don't worry, you guys work first."
There are also traces of the existence of the propaganda team. The walls have been painted with lime water with twisted slogans, such as "Military and civilian cooperation, expel Ming invaders"; "Kill the people of Wuzhou and be willing to be the filial sons and grandsons of the pseudo-Mingtu emperor"... Some places also posted posters and notices. If you look closely, you can see that the ink on the notices and the paste on the back are not dry yet - they were probably put up all morning.
This work efficiency is also quite impressive. Xie Erren nodded secretly - Zhao Toyota was worthy of being brought up by me, and the publicity work is in place.
Wuzhou's government office is located in the south of the city, not far from Xiaonanmen. Only when Xie Erren came out of the yamen did he notice that the Wuzhou government office was adjacent to the Cangwu County government office to the north, and the south and west sides of the government office were close to the city wall, which was in the corner of Wuzhou. Outside the city wall to the west is the roaring Guijiang River.
Because he asked to go to the city gate first to take a look, He Dongli first led him to the small south gate closest to the government office. Because the city tower was named "Dezheng", it was also called Dezheng Gate.
During the siege, both the large and small south gates were attacked by artillery fire, so parts of both yamen were damaged by the shells falling into the city, but the damage was not serious. In contrast, the Dezhengmen gate tower was severely damaged. The artillery fire almost completely destroyed the tower, leaving only a pile of ruins. At this moment, the soldiers are supervising the captive labor team to dismantle the remaining debris and recycle some building materials.
He Dongli said that the small south gate was opened when Wuzhou City was rebuilt in the twelfth year of Hongwu, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Before the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the city wall only had four gates, but it was only in the Ming Dynasty that there were five gates. They are the East Gate, West Gate, Big South Gate, Small South Gate and North Gate. According to the names of the towers built on the city gate, it is also called Yangming Gate, Nanxun Gate, Xijiang Gate, Dezheng Gate and Dayun Gate.
During the Hongwu period, under the abbot Zhu Yuanzhang, there was a climax of infrastructure construction. Almost all government offices and city walls in all prefectures, states, and counties across the country were built during this period. In particular, the pattern of city walls in each city has basically been maintained. Many Ming and Qing city walls that have been preserved into the 21st century can almost all be traced back to the Hongwu Dynasty.
However, the newly built Wuzhou City in the Ming Dynasty was not too large in area. Although the area was expanded compared to the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the perimeter of the Wuzhou City Wall was only 2.8 kilometers, which was not too large among the cities in the Ming Dynasty. It was even smaller. Not as good as some important cities. This is obviously not commensurate with its important commercial status, so Wuzhou's urban area has long been extended to the banks of the Guijiang and Xijiang rivers outside the city. The emergence of floating bridges on the Guijiang River and Xijiang River is also a reflection of the transportation needs after the urban expansion.
Standing on the wall of the small south gate, you can see a city wall surrounding the city. He Dongli said that this is also called the Dragon Barrier. It is more than two feet wide and more than two feet deep. There are wooden fences inside and outside the city wall. ——But probably because of the passage of time, many places have been lost, and willows are still planted on the edge.
"These were built by Master Han Yonghan in the early years of Chenghua when he was the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi. The city wall of Wuzhou was also repaired by him."
"Is this the Han Yong who broke the Dateng Gorge?" Xie Erren only learned about this person when he was training on historical knowledge before taking office.
"Exactly."
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Next update: Volume 7 - Guangzhou Governance Chapter 340
