"Baima is the seat of the county government, but it was captured almost without a fight before evening. Why hasn't Puyang fallen for so long since the afternoon?"
About an hour after dark, in Niujiazhuang outside Puyang City, the lights were bright, and Zhang Xing, the leader of the right wing of the Deposed Dragon Gang, accompanied by an almost withered yellow flower, was walking around with his hands behind his back, and at the same time scolding a man who was standing with his hands tied. "There is only one county magistrate in Puyang, but there are only 500 county soldiers. The county captain is still your biological father Niuda!"
Taoist Wei and Li Shu were sitting in the back, with equally cold expressions. They had no intention of gloating because the person in charge of Puyang was a member of Zhang Xing's direct family. After all, this was a major event for rebellion, and one bad move could cause problems, especially if there were problems. In Puyang, which is right in front of Niujiazhuang, the trouble was caused by Niu Da, who always seemed reliable.
"Puyang City is strong and tall, and the military camps, government offices, and warehouses inside are also high, and there are also grains..." Niu Da responded awkwardly.
"Actually, Niutou Ling's father is too slippery." Jia Yue, who had a bloody cut on his face, suddenly interrupted coldly. "I have asked him before, and he has always said yes, but it is just perfunctory. The county soldiers have not been controlled at all... There is a team member among them who is an old friend invited by the county magistrate after he took office. He has long been against Niutou Ling's father. I was vigilant. After I noticed something unusual in the morning, I took the first step and took most of the county soldiers away to the county government office. Then I invited the county magistrate and his family to come out, and then went to the warehouse compound that looked like a small town to stay... When we entered the city, we were surrounded by people. Only one of the city gates was captured, and it was taken down by temporary intimidation."
Niu Da clenched his fists, gritted his teeth and turned to look at Jia Yue. His face was red as reflected by the brazier on the side, but he had no way to refute. When he turned his head again and met Zhang Xing's cold eyes, he could only bow his head and salute immediately:
"Third brother, give me a chance and let me try again!"
"How do you try?" Zhang Xing stood there with his hands behind his back and asked coldly.
"Let my father feint attack from the front, and I will lead people to climb the wall from behind!" Niu Da tried his best to speak. "I will never let Puyang have no result tonight... Even if there is no result, I will never let the matter have no result with our father and son."
Zhang Xing's expression softened a bit, and he was willing to fight on his own, at least he knew who was responsible.
"Wait a moment!" After thinking this, Zhang Xing shook his head slightly. "When Liu Yezhong's surrender document comes over from Baima, first try to persuade them to surrender. I will go with you and tell them that I am willing to personally guarantee... The overall situation is like this, so just allow their whole family to leave the country safely."
Niu Da was slightly relieved and grateful... Of course he knew that Zhang Xing was taking the initiative to take responsibility just like him, but he was doing it for his biological father, while others were doing it for Niu Da, the direct leader... And with gratitude, I want to talk again.
Only Jia Yue, although his face was drooping throughout the whole process, seemed to be unable to hide his slightly sarcastic attitude at this time, which made Niu Da feel depressed for a while.
"Why is it so troublesome?" At this moment, Xiong Bonan, who had been sitting beside him, suddenly stood up. "Can't you just let me go? That day in Dengzhou, when we finally broke into the city's arsenal, the master of pill condensation from the army was still there. Under the prestige, the three families passed the buck. It was I who went in directly and took advantage of him. Tired, easy to deal with..."
"Don't move, don't move!" Zhang Xing suddenly turned around and became angry, which actually shocked Xiong Bonan, the top master in the gang. "The whole gang is dispatched, three counties are mobilized, millions of people are living, how can they not have integrity?"
"King Xiongtian, please sit down with peace of mind. Although this kind of thing is a bit unexpected, it is just an irregularity. It is not at the end of the road. How can you kill a chicken with a bull's knife?" Li Shu also sat there to persuade.
"Not bad." In the brightly lit courtyard, Taoist Wei quickly stood up and took Xiong Bonan's hand to greet him seriously. "King Xiongtian, of course we know what you are capable of, but at this time, it is not yet time, and it is not your time to take action... Think about it, if you move now, if there are similar troubles elsewhere, do you want to move? If so, I went to help here, and I went to help there. During the commotion, suddenly a master of condensing pills from the court came out, and you were transferred again. How to count? It is the people. Although the government is very strict, masters of condensing pills are not allowed to be left in the wild. , but it has been more than half a year since the three expeditions, so what if one appears? "
Zhang Xing also realized that he was filled with anger, and Xiong Bonan's special status meant that he couldn't scold him at will, so he didn't care about his face, and immediately stepped forward, took the other person's other hand, and held it for a moment. To explain:
"King Xiongtian, please forgive me for being rude for a moment. Don't you still know what you, the two leaders Liu Zhang, and a thousand elites here are going to do?"
Xiong Bonan came back to his senses and felt a little worried. Fortunately, the three top leaders immediately came to lift him up. It was not easy to care about it, so he could only nod his head: "I am indeed a little confused."
"You are using your trump card!" Zhang Xing said sincerely. "On the battlefield, using your trump card will determine the outcome, because firstly, it is the most powerful, and secondly, once you use it, your hand will be empty... This time we will take three counties and twenty-four counties in one go. County, more than 30 cities, hundreds of cities, towns, and rivers. As for us tonight, we can only take a few operating cities in Jiyin and Dongjun; and then we must quickly sweep away the government troops and all the cities in the two counties. ; After everything has been wiped out, we still need to attack Dongping; Dongping County has also been captured, and we need to deal with the bandits in Juyeze and the other powerful and roaming official bandits in the three counties that have not joined forces; finally, we will control all the city crossings and maintain order. , it can be regarded as the success of the reunion... Wouldn't it be ridiculous if we used our trump card that night?"
Xiong Bonan heard that the other party was vaguely praising him, and the steps and the number of strongholds gave him a headache. He immediately nodded hurriedly: "It's really ridiculous."
At this point, everyone has lost face and it’s time to live in peace.
However, Zhang Xing hesitated for a moment and actually continued: "In addition, there are some things that should be said now... King Xiongtian, in addition to dealing with unexpected enemies and fortified enemies, your army In fact, the biggest role is to supervise war conduct... We are not gangsters, but we are here to do important things. If there are leaders in the gang who are not resolute, and even deceive the superiors and flee from the battlefield, or if someone violates the restraint and kills innocent people, we must You should take action immediately and follow the gang rules!"
This statement was so clear that it attracted Li Shu and Wei Taoist priests to look at it. Jia Yue, Zhang Jinshu, Liu Zhouchen and other leaders were also startled, and Niu Da turned pale.
However, the face of the purple-faced king Xiong Bonan is paler than Niuda.
"King Xiongtian, do you understand? We are rebelling in all the prefectures and counties, and we are doing something that will kill thousands of people including their families and subordinates." Zhang Xing sighed in his heart when he saw this. , instead dragging the other person not to let go. "After today, I'm afraid there will be hundreds of thousands of people who will be killed in the eyes of the imperial court... If you have any sense of loyalty and don't even have the consciousness of serious military discipline, then what kind of loyalty will you have? It's better to go to Taibai. It’s time for Feng to become a Taoist priest! King Xiongtian, do you understand?”
Xiong Bonan looked to Wei Xuanding for help, but although Taoist Wei had no strength in his hands at this time, his face was serious, and he actually tried to look back and forth at him.
King Xiongtian had no choice but to face Zhang Xing's burning attitude and could only nod: "I understand."
Zhang Xing then let go and sat aside, waiting for the documents from Baima City... But from the moment he sat down, the surroundings seemed to freeze. The people who were sitting were sitting still, and the people who were standing were standing still. , for a while, only the flames in the brazier occasionally jumped and made crackling sounds.
After all, these people still find it difficult to adapt to the existence of a war supervisory team within a gang.
In other words, some people are still unclear about the significance of this incident.
In this way, everyone waited for about a quarter of an hour when they suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves outside and the rustling of armor leaves. Immediately, two soldiers hurriedly led a messenger to the central courtyard of Niujiazhuang.
"You are Xu Dalang's confidant. Come here now, but have the documents from Baima City arrived?" Niu Da was relieved to see the person coming and took the initiative to ask.
"No." The visitor took a few breaths, obviously very tired, but still couldn't hide his joy. "Reporting to the chief, the two leaders, and several leaders, I am from Weinan, and Weinan City is already ours!"
This was naturally good news, but everyone was almost stunned because Weinan County was sandwiched between Puyang and Baima. In order to ensure the acquisition of these two important cities, the Deposed Dragon Gang voluntarily gave up on Weinan in the middle.
They didn't send anyone to Weinan at all.
"Who took Wei Nancheng?" Chief Wei Xuanding couldn't help but stepped forward and asked. "How did you get it?"
"It was obtained by my family's leader Xu, his father, Mr. Xu, the owner of the village." The messenger quickly explained. "It has been more than half a year since Mr. Xu moved to the outside of Weinan City. He often spends money to socialize with local officials, county soldiers, and heroes. This time, after the Baima Uprising, Mr. Xu directly mobilized the villagers and won over those People who usually hang out with each other suddenly mobilized after dark, surrounded the county government office, and then killed the Weinan County Magistrate in a surprise attack."
"Okay, okay, okay!" Li Shu suddenly stood up and raised his palm to face him. "Brother Xu is so courageous! Go and rest!"
The messenger retreated, and the atmosphere became awkward because everyone couldn't help but look at Niuda.
The contrast is too strong.
They are all fathers. Xu Shiying and his father Xu Wei did not receive any request, but he worked so hard at the critical moment, and the effect was remarkable. Here in Niu Da, his father Niu Shuang had always promised, but in the end he fell out... A person who helped his son, A cheating son...and these looks almost made Niuda feel on pins and needles.
Fortunately, another half-quarter of an hour later, the new messenger arrived as promised and delivered the agreed surrender document.
Niu Da was relieved again, and Zhang Xing immediately took the documents, and together with Jia Yue, led a group of soldiers to Puyang City.
After entering the city, Zhang Xing realized that the situation in the city was worse than imagined... Although Niu Da's father Niu Shuang was still besieging Cang City, and Niu Da also left his troops to try to maintain order, there was a stalemate in Cang City in the dark night. No less, sporadic commotions had already been caused, and some obvious cries for help appeared in various places in the city away from the confrontation area.
Zhang Xing did not dare to neglect, and directly asked Jia Yue to send hundreds of people to deal with and strengthen public security. He and Niu Da arrived directly at the foot of Cang City.
Niu Shuang seemed to realize the seriousness of the problem. He cowered for a moment and actually hid among the county soldiers and people gathered together, not daring to come forward to greet him.
But Niu Da couldn't wait. He rode his horse forward and shouted: "Guan County Magistrate, Wang Commander! Baima and Weinan have surrendered, and the commander-in-chief of the county, Dou Jing, has been executed. The commander and prime minister have surrendered. Now the commander-in-chief has surrendered." You should recognize whether the Chinese book here is true or false, you can tell at a glance! Again, if it surrenders, my third brother Zhang promises you and your family to leave the country safely."
With that said, he activated his true energy and threw the documents tied with heavy objects and wrapped in cloth directly into the Cangcheng compound from a distance.
"it is true."
After a while, Puyang County Magistrate Guan Xu, who was sweating profusely, read the documents under the torch, and his sweat became more intense. "The seal is correct. I also recognize Junjun's handwriting. Even the paper is made of soft paper made by Junjun's own paper mill that he brought from Kansai... The white horse is indeed gone. They didn't lie to us. They can't do this with fraud. For your sake!”
"What does the county gentleman mean..." A tall man standing aside asked seriously. "Promise them? Do you want the leader surnamed Zhang to promise in front of everyone?"
"No!" Guan Xu wiped his sweat, threw the document to the ground, stood up, and even stepped on it. "How can a great man leave the lives of his entire family to others?"
"Then..." The big man continued to ask. "Does the county king want to be loyal to the country?"
"That's true, but it's not what you think." Magistrate Guan walked around twirling his beard, then suddenly stopped and faced the big man seriously. "We have soldiers, food, high walls, and experts like you. We just need to delay it as long as possible until we can no longer sustain it. It could be as early as dawn or in three or five days. It would be best if other counties in the county are gone. It won’t be too late for us to surrender again... Do you think this can be regarded as being loyal to the country? Maybe we can make an explanation to the court and go home safely."
The big man was obviously puzzled: "But if the delay continues for a long time and these thieves get angry, how can they allow us to leave the country safely?"
"Why not?" Magistrate Guan sneered, but just kept pacing in the courtyard. "This group of thieves, whose leaders are Li Shu and Zhang Xing, who want to harm thieves, have contacted so many local powerful people, suddenly mobilized at once, and know how to maintain order in the city, capture thieves and kings in the county, and persuade everyone to surrender, it is inevitable The intention is huge. And in this case, they must be extremely careful and attach great importance to the storage behind us... Otherwise, how can they win people's hearts and how can they raise soldiers? Just delay it, don't expect to delay it forever, but try to delay it as long as possible. So what if we trade with them for the autumn grain in the warehouse? Let me tell you, even if they have such a great reputation and run amok for a while, they have to stay out of my way!"
The big man nodded: "Then go to the warehouse and prepare fire starters?
"No need for now, just come over." Magistrate Guan nodded. "The main reason is that there are a lot of soldiers in the local county. If we really prepare those things, I'm afraid there will be trouble."
The big man understood and left.
After a while, the time was already approaching the second half of the second watch. Just when the county magistrate in Cangcheng was determined to hold on, people outside could not help but become restless, and many people who followed him could not help but feel tired. All attitude revealed.
"How long has it been since the paperwork was sent in?"
At this moment, Zhang Xing suddenly turned around and asked Niu Da, his biological father, Niu Shuang.
Niu Shuang was caught off guard and didn't know how to respond for a moment. Niu Da was even more ashamed and angry, and immediately bowed down again: "Third brother, let my father attack from the front. I will lead people to climb over from behind. This matter will be settled tonight." .”
"Wait a moment."
Zhang Xing answered expressionlessly. "It doesn't hurt to wait a little longer until it doesn't work this time."
"What does Third Brother want?" Niu Da was extremely surprised.
"Simple." Zhang Xing suddenly turned his head and asked the sergeants and civilians gathered behind him. "Can you sing?"
The rebel soldiers and civilians were caught off guard, and no one responded for a moment.
Zhang Xing asked again: "Do any of you know how to sing ballads?"
"Yes."
"Probably so."
Many people were already sleepy and exhausted. When being stared at and questioned, they seemed caught off guard and could only respond vaguely.
"What songs can you sing?" Zhang Xing asked seriously, even naming them directly. "The one with a stick and a knife, what do you know?"
"I know a few, but they are all random local tunes." The man flinched for a moment. "You shouldn't be the one to take the lead in singing."
"Is there anything more vulgar? It doesn't matter, anything." Zhang Xing couldn't follow up.
"have……"
"How about singing one?" Zhang Xing said with a smile. "I want to learn something."
The man hesitated for a moment, but after all he didn't dare to disobey, but after careful consideration, he chose one that wasn't too vulgar, and then cheered up and sang:
“Go out of the east gate and don’t care about returning.
Coming to the door, I felt sad.
There is no bucket of rice in the ounce, and there is no hanging clothes on the shelf.
Draw your sword and go to the east gate. In the house, your mother holds her clothes and cries:
'His family hopes to be rich and noble, and this humble concubine will share the wealth with you...'"
After singing for a while, the people around him became more energetic. They all looked over to see the singer. Some even whispered that they recognized this person.
Zhang Xing also nodded: "This means that the poor people in the city cannot afford to support their families, and it is old. It is like a ballad from the Tang Dynasty, right?"
"Yes." The man was embarrassed for a moment.
"Not bad." Zhang Xing continued to nod, but continued to ask again. "Are there any farmers? Do you know farm songs?"
"Yes! This one can sing!" This time, someone from below immediately agreed loudly and started pushing. The person being pushed seemed a little shy under the torch.
"Come one." Zhang Xing urged immediately. "one comes"
The man hesitated for a while, then walked up to him and sang:
"The water in the east and west ridges gathers and disperses the clouds in the sky.
Passengers come and go, turning the pond upside down. "
This is still deliberately choosing something elegant.
Zhang Xing smiled and asked helplessly: "Is there anyone who can sing Yidian? I don't want the "Wuxiang Dongyi Lang Death Song", but we want local ones from Puyang."
The man obviously relaxed a little, just nodded, and then lit up his voice in the night and sang again:
“It is better to serve as a soldier and build a city than to defend the border.
It is better to engage in a bloody battle than to dig for a while.
The disciples and teachers have exhausted their fork and pestle, and the generals and soldiers are suffering.
Don’t you see me?
Every time a hundred soldiers are transferred to the army, four or five of the ten men will be killed every day..."
Halfway through the song, many people started singing along, causing Zhang Xing to nod repeatedly. Niu Da and his son, who were waiting, and Jia Yue, who had turned back, looked at the scene blankly, full of doubts, but not knowing how to deal with it.
After singing it all over, Zhang Xing nodded, and finally asked seriously: "It's too late, and I'm all a little sleepy. Could you please help me teach you how to sing these three songs together? Let's sing together!"
The big dragon head has an order, what can the people below do?
What's more, these three songs can be sung by many people...the first is a song for the urban poor, the second is a serious farm ballad, and the third is known to almost everyone.
So, after only teaching it a few times, many people took the initiative to sing along, and the voices became louder and louder.
Within a quarter of an hour, Puyang City, which was already a bit dull, inexplicably came to life again. Many men and women sang in the dark, and it became louder and louder, and they couldn't stop it.
By the time of the third watch, singing started from all sides, and even the songs were no longer the simple three songs. Even the soldiers in Cangcheng started singing along.
Then suddenly, these county soldiers began to shout over the wall and fled on their own initiative.
But there are people who are faster than these county soldiers.
At this moment, the gate of Cangcheng opened, and County Lord Guan Xu came out sweating profusely. He took the initiative to bow down and salute to the crowd in front of him who had stopped singing:
"Who is Zhang Longtou? Today, Guan first saw the golden rings all over the city, and then heard the songs of Simiandong County. He knew that he had met a true hero. Now he is convinced and is willing to dedicate his warehouse to save his family's life."
Niu Da turned back to look at Zhang Xing in shock, feeling it was incredible, and Jia Yue was even more dumbfounded.
Zhang Xing thought for a while, and did not rush to help the other person up. Instead, he asked seriously: "Can Mr. Guanxian sing? I want to listen to a song."
PS: Good night everyone.
