This request was very reasonable, so Luo Yiming took the newly appointed female county magistrate to inspect all directions along the city wall. On the way, she also asked in detail about the current situation in Yangshan.
"The situation is very bad." Luo Yiming said it quite seriously.
The prestige that Fubo Army had gained by regaining Yangshan was wiped out by this defeat. In particular, Wang Chuyi's serious injury was trumpeted by Sun Dabiao as "formation beheading" - the head of a dead National Army soldier was chopped off, pickled with lime, and the head box was hung in Dalangwei. Although Wang Chuyi did not lose his head, he was seriously injured. He is still in an accident and cannot come out to defend himself.
All the local villages, whether they were Yao people or Han people, were all suspicious of the new "Song Dynasty" in the county - how long can this blue star flag last? In addition, the bandits all spread the news that "the government is coming back!" under the banner of "Ming Dynasty", and the situation that had been generally calm became unstable again.
"...many Han villages in the county are inhabited by clans. Their orientation has a great bearing on whether we can gain a foothold in the county. Now, although they have clearly stated that they will change their banner, they have made various demands on us. It’s passing the buck. The situation is very unfavorable.”
This kind of buck-passing has put the Yangshan County Government, which was already severely weakened, into a dilemma where decrees cannot leave the county seat. According to the original plan, the county government was prepared to make full use of the rural warriors in each village to suppress bandits and restore order in the county. Now these villages have all closed their doors to the county government. Not only could they not make use of their young men, they could not even collect food and grass. Luo Yiming was helpless and watched helplessly as Sun Dabiao and other "official bandits" were strutting through the streets everywhere, openly raising the banner of "Ming Dynasty" and openly levying grain and wages from the villages and demanding young men. As a result, the banditry continued to grow like a snowball.
"...The most worrying thing is that there are still bandits from other counties flowing in. It seems that someone is coordinating in the middle. The people we sent out all said that they were there." Luo Yiming took a deep breath, "Our current situation is very unfavorable. The morale of the army is shaken, and there is a phenomenon of deserters - if it were not for the remote location and fear of being beheaded by bandits on the road, probably half of them would have fled by now."
Pinda held the battlements with his hands and looked outside the city: "How many troops do we have left?"
"There is a squadron of the National Army, as well as the remnants of the disbanded Second Squadron and the Yaomin Squadron, with more than 30 people. There are also dozens of wounded who cannot participate in the battle for the time being." Luo Yiming said, "There is also a Li-Miao Mountain area in the city Company and a small team of White Horse Team escorting the field hospital - we cannot command these troops..."
"Director Huang has given me authorization." Panda said, "The mountain company is currently under the command of the county."
"Really?! This is great." Luo Yiming's originally gloomy face relaxed slightly. To be honest, he really didn't have much hope for the combat effectiveness of this National Army squadron that had only been organized for a few months - it would be good if it could defend the county seat.
"Yes, we can do a lot of things with this company." Along the way, Fuda had already drafted a plan for what to do after arriving at Yangshan. "How are the Yao people in Yonghua? Is the situation still stable?"
"No problem. Pan Tianshun asked to go back to Yonghua, saying that he was preparing to gather a team there to fight Sun Dabiao..." He then briefly introduced Pan Tianshun's situation, "...I think the Yonghua Yao people are still reliable at the moment. They killed and injured many people in Dawangwei, and they are incompatible with the bandits."
Pinda shook her head. She was not as optimistic as Luo Yiming. It is true that Yonghua Yaomin and Sun Dabiao have a grudge, but this does not mean that they will be of the same mind as the Senate. Although she is not a Yao citizen, she understands the thoughts of her enemies and leaders very well. They never believe in the government, let alone take it seriously. They all act on the principle that strong officials obey and weak officials create chaos. Now that the Senate is in decline in Yangshan, although they may not join forces with Sun Dabiao, the possibility of rebuilding an alliance with Ba Paiyao has increased rapidly.
"Is Pan Tianshun still in the county?"
"He was in a hurry to leave, but his leg was injured and he couldn't walk," Luo Yiming said. "He has to wait a few days for his injury to heal better before he can return to Yonghua."
"Comrade Luo, I don't think he will come back once he leaves." Pinda said, "It's true that he went to organize a team to fight Sun Dabiao, but it's hard to say whether he will come back."
"You mean..."
"Pan Tianshun is unreliable." Pinda looked at the wilderness outside the city, "It would be good if we could keep them from hooking up with Ba Pai Yao again."
This statement made Luo Yiming nervous: "You mean..."
"Yeah." Fanda was a little depressed. She had repeatedly deduced the situation in the county many times on the ship, and every time she found it difficult and almost impossible to start.
Suddenly, a cannon shot was heard a few miles away, firelight flashed, and a plume of smoke rose into the sky. Pi Da was startled, and when he saw it, it looked like a village.
"...It happens almost every day recently." Luo Yiming was already used to it. "The bandits are harassing the villages around the county. They are forcing them to pay grain..."
"Aren't you going to send troops to rescue?"
Luo Yiming smiled sadly: "As soon as we set out, if there are many people, they will run away immediately - there are their agents waiting under the city. If there are few people, they will ambush us there, even if they kill a few, they will be injured." Okay. We are the only ones who can't withstand such consumption. Fortunately, they don't dare to use more troops, they just come to harass. Just fire a cannon and they will run away." As he spoke, he gestured, and someone immediately lit the city head. A large general's cannon suddenly roared and filled with thick smoke.
"Let's go to the county government." Pinda said, "I want to meet with the main cadres of the county."
"There are still two veterans at the field hospital. Why don't you go check in first and report..."
"I have nothing to report now. As for checking in, I can wait until the meeting is over." said Finda.
Luo Yiming secretly smacked his tongue: This Liman woman is really pretty!
Pinda then summoned the National Army officers above the squad level and all the naturalized civilian cadres and activists in the county at the county government.
The arrival of the new county magistrate somewhat dispelled the original haze. Not only were all the cadres who were supposed to be present, but also You Ciren, who was hospitalized in the field hospital. Only Zhen Huan didn't come - he was on duty at the city defense.
"Comrades, I have already had a preliminary understanding of the situation in the county. The situation in the county is very bad." Pinda said, "It seems that I have fallen into a trap. Everyone is worried..."
She saw that most of the attendees were in low spirits and felt very anxious, but unlike the elders, she had some magic power in her words and could arouse everyone's emotions with just a few words. She had seen this technique many times, but she had never learned how to hit people deep in their hearts with just a few words. She thought about it and suddenly laughed.
"Look at you! You are all crestfallen. After a defeat, you are no longer a man?" Pinda said, "Since you dislike Chief Huang for sending a woman to be the county magistrate, then show some men. Come like this!"
Luo Yiming hurriedly said: "It's okay! No matter whether we send men or women, we will resolutely obey the orders of the Senate." He turned around and said, "Everyone agrees, right?"
There was a noisy response in the conference room. The faces of the attendees brightened slightly.
Binda said sincerely: "Comrades! I was entrusted by Huang Yuanlao to be the acting county magistrate here. I came here with my bare hands and a mouth on my two shoulders. I didn't bring troops, nor money or food. I mainly relied on Everyone’s help and support. If you support me more and give me more guidance, we can work together to gain a firm foothold in Yangshan and not be squeezed out by the bandits, so that we can govern Yangshan County here in the way of the Senate in the future."
As she spoke, she glanced at the cadres in the conference room, suddenly felt confident, and continued:
"...You have been in Yangshan for a while, and some comrades are from Yangshan. Whether they are cadres from Hainan, Guangzhou or Yangshan, we are all on the same boat as the Senate. We are all suffering people. , was fished out of the sea of misery by the Senate, studied, became a man, had enough to eat, put on decent clothes, and became a cadre. Now that the Senate wants to help us, we cannot back down because of the slightest difficulty. Am I right?"
"That's right!"
"Our current situation is indeed more difficult. But it is not without hope. The mountain company is now assigned to the county command - this is an elite force, and its strength is to go into the mountains and suppress bandits. Although there are fewer people, but After using it, it is more flexible and more practical than the large army. Besides, we still have two elders in the county who can give instructions on our work at any time, as well as the field hospital and white horse team they brought: these other counties want to If not, what would everyone have to worry about?"
Saying this, it did make many people's faces "suddenly enlightened" - there are elders in Yangshan County, what are you afraid of? Even if the sky falls, the Senate will not care about Yangshan!
"County Magistrate, tell me what to do next? We all listen to you!" You Ciren was the first to express his position. Everyone immediately agreed.
"... You are all looking at me, wondering if I have any clever ideas - I just said that I came to Yangshan with nothing, only four guards - Zhou Liangchen lent them to me. I am a woman, When I was a child, I was born in a mountain village and had little experience. Later, the chief rescued me. I felt my head hurt when I was studying, so I didn't study well. Although I have been working for the Senate for a long time, I have never been a county magistrate. ——Even the village chief is on a temporary basis. But we have so many people here now. Many of you have read a lot of books, have a lot of knowledge, and have a lot of work experience. There is strength in numbers, and everyone can help. If you have the palm of your hand and your eyes, if you come up with an idea, there might be a good solution."
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Next update: Volume 7 - Guangzhou Governance Chapter 441
