"What? They are all White Lotus Sect rebels! You are not mistaken, right? The White Lotus Sect rebels here in Sichuan are not that sophisticated, right?"
Wu Sangui's eyes widened as he looked at the large group of "White Lotus Cults" crowded on the hillsides on both sides of the official road, feeling a little confused.
"My subordinates are not mistaken. They are singing "Welcome King Ming". Why are they dividing the fields when King Ming comes... they must be the White Lotus cultists!"
The man who was talking to Wu Sangui was a man in his forties, dressed as a scholar, named Liu Maoxia, whose courtesy name was Xuanchu. He was a native of Chongqing Prefecture, Sichuan. He was a scholar and had taken refuge with Liu Wenxiu when Zhang Xianzhong came to Sichuan. Because he was from Sichuan, he could not be used in the Daxi and Dashun camps, so he joined Wu Sangui's sect as a Sichuan righteous citizen six years ago.
After Wu Sangui talked with him, he found that this man was very familiar with Sichuan's topography and the population and wealth of various places. He also understood Dashun's various systems and systems. He was a very rare leader. So he reused him, made him his staff, and gave him a nominal magistrate (a state in Anxi).
He thought about it for a while and then said to Wu Sangui: "My lord, the White Lotus cultists in Sichuan are sworn enemies to the bandits. They have already raised their troops in Dajian Mountain. Perhaps you thought the imperial court would reuse them because of this?"
Wu Sangui glared, "How is that possible? The bandits are rebels, and the White Lotus Sect is also a rebel!"
At this moment, Wu Sangui suddenly remembered that the ballad "Yingming King" was composed by Wu Meicun, so the people who sang it were not necessarily White Lotus followers, so he ordered Liu Maoxia: "Chu Xuan, you'd better go and ask them... You must ask clearly, and you must not wrongly accuse a good person."
Liu Maoxia cupped his hands, got off his horse, and walked forward quickly. When he arrived in front of Wang Youwen, who was taking the lead, he opened his mouth and asked, "Old man, tell the truth, are you a member of the White Lotus Sect?"
Wang Youwen was shocked when he heard this question. Why did he become a member of the White Lotus Sect? He was a good citizen of the Dashun, no, a good citizen of the Ming Dynasty. How could he become a demon from the White Lotus Sect?
He quickly waved his hands and said: "If this is not the case, how can I be a White Lotus sect? I am a scholar and have passed the examination as a scholar, how can I be a White Lotus sect?"
Liu Maoxia glanced at this dark and thin guy who looked like an old farmer who often worked in the fields. He frowned and asked, "Are you really a scholar? From which government?"
"I'm from Huayang County, Chengdu Prefecture!" When Wang Youwen mentioned Huayang County, he couldn't help but burst into tears. "I was living well in the city, but then I met Li Chuang, a thief who killed a thousand people. The young people were all driven out to farm, and the scholar examinations were no longer allowed. Most of them still had to serve as slave laborers, transporting grain to the army. Sichuan people were miserable... They were looking forward to Master Wang's rescue every day, and finally they were given the chance. Come on...how can I be a demon from the White Lotus Sect?"
Was it really a mistake? Liu Maoxia was still a little unsure, so he asked again: "Since you are not a demon from the White Lotus Sect, why did you sing "Yingming King"?"
"Isn't this "Ying Ming King" the King of Ying Ming Dynasty?"
Liu Maoxia was very angry at this question. He looked at Old Man Wang and said, "You are so confused, how come you can't even tell the difference between King Ming and the Emperor of Ming Dynasty? You don't know about the coming of King Ming that has been going on for hundreds of years? And you even blame King Ming." Come and divide the fields... When the emperor comes tomorrow, he will divide the fields for you little people? Is that such a good thing?"
Hearing what Liu Maoxia said, Old Man Wang also felt that he had sung the wrong song. It is true that the Emperor of Ming Dynasty will not allocate fields to the poor people. It would be good if he does not add taxes and sects to you. How can it be possible to allocate fields to the poor?
Thinking of this, he quickly turned around and waved vigorously to the people who were still singing randomly: "Stop singing, stop singing, follow me and shout: Long live the Ming Emperor, long live the Emperor..."
Why did he shout, and someone actually followed him. As the voices of "Long live the Ming Emperor" came together, the singing of "Welcome the Ming King" became softer and softer, and in the end no one sang it anymore.
Wu Sangui also breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that no one was singing "Ying Ming Wang" anymore, and had Liu Maoxia and Wang Youwen called to him.
"Can you speak Mandarin?" Wu Sangui asked Wang Youwen.
"Yes, yes... I have read books, passed the scholar examination, and can speak Mandarin." Of course Wang Youwen can speak Mandarin, otherwise how could he be a teacher at Fubing Academy? Who can understand someone who speaks Sichuan dialect?
"Then I ask you, who are you?"
"Most of them are civil servants forcibly recruited from all over Sichuan." Wang Youwen replied, "There are also some people from Feng County."
Wu Sangui asked again: "They are all here to welcome the Ming Dynasty King's Master?"
"The enemies, the enemies, are all loyal people of the Ming Dynasty who welcome the king's master!"
"Are you loyal to the Ming Dynasty?" Wu Sangui was doubtful, "Are you disloyal to the Ming Dynasty?"
"Disloyal, never disloyal again!" Wang Youwen shook his head repeatedly and said, "The bandits are too bad. The people of Sichuan have been suffering from bandits for a long time, and they are all looking forward to Master Wang coming!"
"Master Pan Wang? Not Pan White Lotus Sect?" Wu Sangui said with a sullen face, "Why did I hear that the White Lotus Sect raised troops in Dajian Mountain with so many followers?"
"I'm afraid the news the commander heard is wrong," Wang Youwen said. "The demons of the White Lotus Sect are indeed plotting a rebellion in Dajian Mountain, but it is impossible for them to have so many followers."
"Why is it impossible?" Wu Sangui asked.
"Afraid of death!" Wang Youwen replied, "The soldiers of the rogue army are said to have millions of households. They are divided into towns. From the white-haired old man to the women and young people, everyone is skilled in martial arts and capable of fighting. Even though the Sichuan people hate the rogue bandits deeply, They don’t dare to make a big move. Only the demons of the White Lotus Sect are not afraid of death and dare to fight with them... But even if they fight, they will never make too much noise. Because south of Jiange Pass is already Sichuan In this prosperous place, there are many palace soldiers, and the rogue puppet court can mobilize a large number of soldiers to join the war at any time, and the demons of the White Lotus Sect are no match at all."
After all, he had been a teacher at the Fu Bing Academy, and he knew the "Second Generations of the Fu" very well. He had practiced fighting since he was a child, and both men and women were capable of fighting.
Wu Sangui frowned, "According to what you said, the chaos in Dajian Mountain is not big?"
"My enemy, it won't be a big deal."
Wu Sangui felt something was wrong and glanced at Liu Maoxia, "Chu Xuan, what do you think?"
Liu Maoxia said: "The soldiers have reached this point and can only move forward, not retreat... Besides, the Sichuan people have indeed been bitter enemies for a long time. Now that people's hearts are clear, the weather is clear, and the Qinling Mountains' geographical advantages are clear, how can we be invincible?"
Wu Sangui nodded, pointed at the Sichuan people who were shouting long live, and asked: "What should we do with those people?"
Liu Maoxia said: "We can accept them to serve in the army, transport grain and grass, dig trenches and attack the city. They will be needed."
"Okay!" Wu Sangui raised his riding whip and pointed at Wang Youwen, "What's your name?"
"Little Wang Youwen."
Wu Sangui said: "I will order you to be the chief civil servant, recruit the civil servants of Feng County, and march south with the army... If you have merit, I will guarantee you an official position!"
Be an official!
Wang Youwen suddenly felt that he had hope in life again and could have the opportunity to become an official!
...
"The Ming Dynasty will be victorious! Wan victorious! Wan victorious..."
At the same moment, cheers that shook Yunxiao suddenly rang out around Malingguan, south of Fengxian County. A red flag with the sun and the moon shining brightly is already flying high at Maling Pass.
At this time, Malingguan had been occupied by the troops commanded by Shang Kexi and Kong Tingxun.
The door to the Hanzhong Basin has been opened, and the Golden Bull Road to the Chengdu Basin is also in front of us!
Both Shang Kexi and Kong Tingxun were neatly dressed. Surrounded by personal escorts, they climbed to the top of the Malingguan city and watched with their own eyes as their men pursued the fleeing Dashun army along the Jialing River.
"My dear nephew, it seems that the bandits are really at their wits end!" Shang Ke smiled happily, "We have captured Maling Pass... We may still be able to fight in Ruchuan, but Hanzhong has not escaped!"
Kong Tingxun smiled: "Uncle, my nephew thinks we can pursue another chase along the Jialing River! Maybe the White Lotus Sect on the other side of Dajian Mountain is really making a big fuss and messing up the rear of the rogue bandits. If we can take the opportunity to pursue another attack, Rush to the south and see if we can rush to Lueyang in one go... and steal the back road of Qishan Road for him!"
Shang Ke nodded happily: "Okay, this is a great achievement! My dear nephew, should I be the pioneer this time and give it to my uncle?"
