Wang Guoning, Yang Youxian, and Chang Guoan don't know whether what Zhang Dingguo said is true, but now, what does it matter if it is true or false?
If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn't have believed that Zhang Xianzhong's adopted son, with only a few thousand troops, was able to capture the city and territory in Nanyang Prefecture, ordering tens of thousands of tribesmen to make the dog officers and soldiers flee.
They also moved to Nanyang Mansion, but the three of them were far inferior to each other. In comparison, it was really embarrassing. This is why Yang Youxian did not call him "Brother Zhang", but called the opponent "Second General".
Within the rebel army, whoever is strong will be respected by everyone. Regardless of age, as long as they are strong, they can obtain corresponding status.
Status and titles are not bought, let alone given. They are really acquired with a knife and a gun. Anyone who dares to disobey can be dragged out.
When we pull them back again, there are more people than before, that means they have real ability.
On the contrary, not only will you lose your troops, but you will also be laughed at.
"The second general led his army invincibly and destroyed the city. He is truly a hero born from a young age. He is truly a blessing to the Eight Kings and the rebel army!"
Wang Guoningxuan even sends kind words, so as to bring the relationship closer between them.
Originally, they wanted to attack Nanyang City together, but from this point of view, it was a bit unnecessary.
Zhang Dingguo's troops were almost several times the number of their three groups combined.
If we really merge into one place, we will be relying on others, just relying on others.
Wang Guoning felt very regretful. If he had known that the scenery here in Nanyang Mansion was so beautiful, he should not have hung out with Luo Rucai and others.
By this time, there must be 30,000 to 50,000 troops, certainly no less than Zhang Dingguo, and they would not act based on his face.
"If the second general can lead his army to attack this city, it will be equivalent to capturing the huge Nanyang Mansion and sweeping away the local dog army. It is really gratifying!"
Chang Guoan wished a complete victory in the siege in advance, and took advantage of the situation to test Zhang Dingguo's true intentions.
"Haha! I'm borrowing General Chang's good advice over there! If the three of you don't give up, you can bring your own troops and horses to attack one side of the city, and our army will be responsible for the other three sides of the city. After the city is broken, whether it's money or food, you can attack Half allocation!”
Although Zhang Dingguo is not very old, he has fought with his adoptive father Zhang Xianzhong for many years. In addition, he is very smart and can understand and figure out people's hearts and words. He immediately understands what the other person means and responds accordingly.
"...Then I'll be disrespectful later!"
Yang Youxian and the other two people looked at each other, confirmed each other's intentions through their eyes, and immediately agreed. Now is not the time to be mean.
Zhang Dingguo's troops had the largest number of troops and the strongest combat power. If the reinforcements from the Dog Officer Army did not come to rescue Nanyang, Nanyang City would definitely fall into Zhang Dingguo's hands.
If you don't contribute to the siege at this time, it would be too difficult to come forward and take a share of the pie after the city is broken. There is no such thing as freeloading in the world.
Later, when the news reached the ears of the eight kings, it was either good or bad. They were all older than Zhang Dingguo and were unwilling to send troops to attack the city. They were more or less relying on their elders to bully the younger ones.
"It's just that our unit was severely damaged by Sun's thieves before, and due to the long distance to fight, we are now short of money and food. I hope the second general can provide some support!"
Since Zhang Dingguo invited everyone to join forces to attack the city, he had to at least show his respect. Yang Youxian took this opportunity to ask for a "deposit". This can be regarded as a back-and-forth business.
"It's easy to say! Although my department consumes a lot of money every day, I have sent people to find out clearly that there are hundreds of thousands of taels of silver and tens of thousands of grains stored in Nanyang City. I will provide each of you with 500 taels of silver and ten stones of grain. As long as Nanyang City is conquered as soon as possible, you can get all the money and food in the city, what do you think?"
No matter how much money or food he had, Zhang Dingguo would not be willing to spend it. If his brother Zhang Kewang made the same request, he could consider it as appropriate.
For the three people in front of them, they have to do something for themselves first. Otherwise, even if they are given a tael of silver or a bucket of rice for free, it will all be for the sake of their father's handsome face.
"...Okay! It's settled then!"
Although Yang Youxian was dissatisfied with the conditions offered by Zhang Dingguo for sending troops, and he was just like a beggar who came to beg for food, it was still much better than not even asking for food.
You are also brave enough to ask the army for money and food, and the other party can only give you bullets and arrows. If the other party agrees without making excuses, it is already quite good.
"Second General, I am worried that these people will only allow our army to attack and enjoy the benefits of the fishermen!"
Zhang Qizai did not believe in the credibility of other rebel leaders. In his opinion, these people all said one thing and did another. In other words, "Cao Cao" Luo Rucai was still generous with his wealth.
"Don't you know? It's just that the current enemy of our army is not them, nor the defenders in the city, but the reinforcements that may appear at any time. This is what worries me the most. If the dog officers and soldiers really give up rushing to help this city , will conquering this city abolish the Great Zhou Zhang?"
As long as these three new people haven't defected to join the army yet, there's nothing to be afraid of.
The defenders in the city were even more powerful than others. Facing the tens of thousands of soldiers and horses under their own command, they did not dare to go out of the city to fight.
The only thing that will threaten the lives of the soldiers under his command is the reinforcements that will appear at an unknown time.
For this reason, Zhang Dingguo has ordered more flying cavalry to send out spies within a radius of fifty miles.
He had a vague hunch that the army would either not come to rescue Nanyang City.
If you want to come, there will be many soldiers and horses.
Zhang Dingguo did not want his premonition to come true, so it was best to capture Nanyang City before reinforcements arrived.
After collecting all the money and food in the city, he patted his butt and walked away, leaving the officers and soldiers to eat dust behind his own troops.
"General! This city must be captured within ten days, otherwise military law will be imposed!"
"I will obey the order!"
Whether it was Sun Chuanting or Hong Chengchou, Zhang Dingguo had no confidence in winning against these two thieves who were highly regarded by the Ming Dynasty.
The best way is to evacuate quickly before reinforcements arrive.
The next step is to move to Runing Mansion to the east, and if there is a chance, he will join up with his eldest brother Zhang Kewang's troops.
If you continue to fight alone, you have to think carefully.
If you go north, you can attack Ruyang City, and if you go south, you can attack the Dabie Mountains!
The Gezuo Fifth Battalion is active in the Dabie Mountains, and going to join them may be a way out.
But no matter what, as long as the reinforcements from the Dog Officer Army do not appear, they can continue to besiege Nanyang City.
The next day, three new groups of people arrived at the battlefield and appeared in the area west of Nanyang City.
This is the side Zhang Dingguo specially ordered to get out of the way so that friendly troops can garrison and launch attacks.
"General Rong! Look!"
"hiss……"
Zhang Guoqin, the commander-in-chief, who received news of the unusual movement outside the city, rushed to the top of the city, looked at it with the telescope in his hand, and then took a breath of air.
The much-anticipated reinforcements did not arrive, but it seemed that a new band of thieves had arrived.
Now, Nanyang City has almost become a piece of smelly meat that attracts flies to feed.
Looking at the size, this bandit army has as many as seven or eight thousand, if not ten thousand.
This also directly shows that it is increasingly difficult to defend Nanyang City.
How cunning the bandits are, how can they really wait until reinforcements from the imperial court arrive to relieve the siege before attacking the city?
Since they are camping close to the city, they will definitely launch a swift and violent attack on Nanyang City.
This also made Zhang Guoqin's extravagant hope of holding on for three months come to nothing.
At this scale, not to mention three months, even one month seems extremely arduous.
"Go to Magistrate Wang and Magistrate Yao and send me a message to recruit another five hundred men for each city wall. We will recruit them all today!"
Since the thieves have increased their strength, the defenders must also increase, otherwise they will definitely suffer heavy losses.
Zhang Guoqin only saw the flags of generals with the three surnames "Yang", "Wang" and "Chang", and did not know who the enemy was.
Thinking of this, he suddenly took out the wanted notice issued by the court in his arms and compared it with the surnames he saw.
"……I see!"
There are many people with the surname Zhang on the wanted notice, but there are only three people with the surnames "Yang", "Wang" and "Chang".
Since they appear here, it must be these three thieves.
Zhang Guoqin really wanted to receive the corresponding reward, but he suffered from the fact that he could not kill the enemy from a distance.
This thought only flashed through his mind. Now his first priority is to ensure the safety of Nanyang City.
If the bandit army quickly breaks through the city, not to mention the reward of silver, he will not even be able to save his own life.
"General Rong! How is the situation outside the city?"
Wang Jiazhen, the prefect of Nanyang, no longer lived in the government office at this time, and his food, accommodation and office were in a courtyard under the city.
In this way, if something happens at the top of the city, he can be notified at any time, which can also shorten the time for discussing important matters.
After hearing the report, Wang Jiazhen rushed over immediately to verify the situation.
"Prefect! Please take a look! Here is the new bandit army!"
Zhang Guoqin didn't want to say more. With so many people and horses standing clearly in the distance, it must be impossible to deceive.
"...this...Zongrong...what should we do???"
Wang Jiazhen only knew how to defend Nanyang City, but he had no idea how to defend Nanyang City. He could only ask the generals for help.
"If there is a shortage of rolling wood and thunder stones, we can only use more gold juice. I wonder how much gold juice is left?"
Since the rebel army lacks firecrackers, the key is to suppress the rebel soldiers from climbing at the top of the city.
As long as the city head is defended, the city will not fall.
Zhang Guoqin thought that only golden juice could defeat the enemy.
"...I'm afraid it's less than 5,000 copies!"
Wang Jiazhen counted with his fingers and found that he had accumulated a lot before, but it was consumed too quickly and there was not much left.
Five thousand copies may seem like a lot, but in fact it is only for five thousand people, and can only be used once at most to defend the army.
"If there is not enough gold juice and the bandit army has the upper hand, the siege will not encounter much difficulty!"
Zhang Guoqin now only had 2,000 soldiers left in his hands, and the strength of the rebel army on the opposite side was more than thirty times that.
With such a huge disparity in military strength, if they still want to hold on to Nanyang City, they can only rely on mobilizing young men and other city defense equipment.
Gold juice is the biggest weapon he relies on. Without the splash of gold juice, he can't stop the thieves' attack.
"this……"
Wang Jiazhen had no idea. He couldn't make it convenient for the people in the city several times a day, right?
"May I ask the prefect if the food in the city is enough for one month?"
After all, Zhang Guoqin is a military commander and cannot play official tricks, but he is determined to be superior to civilian officials in using hidden tricks that harm others.
"It's enough for three months. I wonder what General Rong wants?"
There is enough food stored in the city, otherwise Wang Jiazhen would not have the confidence to hold on.
"In my opinion, it's better to open a warehouse to help the people in the city!"
Zhang Guoqin thought of an idea as soon as his eyes rolled. Although it was a bad idea, he was so angry that he didn't care about it anymore.
"...relief to the people? Didn't you already provide relief before?"
Wang Jiazhen was confused by what the other party said. Now every family in Nanyang City can receive the food distributed by the government. Although they can't survive, they are determined not to be hungry. Even beggars can receive it.
"Not enough! Not enough!"
Zhang Guoqin smiled and shook his head. Just eating is not enough, he must eat until he burps.
"Zongrong means..."
Wang Jiazhen didn't understand what the real meaning of "not enough" was, so he had to ask clearly.
"Everyone must eat one kilogram of rice every day! If you can't eat it, you won't be allowed to leave! You will also be fined!"
This is the idea that Zhang Guoqin came up with. Only by eating more can you pull more!
One pound of rice is uncooked rice, but when cooked, it is equal to one pot!
According to him, one pot is enough for one person!
"……What did you say???"
This idea frightened Wang Jiazhen, as Henan was the hardest hit area.
However, Nanyang City has to force the people to eat, and if they can't eat, they have to pay for it.
"I don't want to be like this, but the prefect also said that there is not so much gold juice, so we can only..."
Zhang Guoqin acted very simply and passed the responsibility directly to the other party.
"This this……"
Wang Jiazhen was dumbfounded. In order to get more gold juice, the government actually went to the point of forcing the people to eat.
"At least you and I are good officials, thinking about the court and not starving the people, right? If not, all the food in the city will be left to the bandit army!"
Zhang Guoqin found a good reason for himself. Even if the common people eat up all the food, they cannot leave it to the rebels.
"...Okay...Okay! If Nanyang City turns around in the future, I will apologize to the court! This matter will definitely not involve the general!"
Wang Jiazhen thought about it for a while, in order to make more gold juice, this was the only way.
Food cannot be left to the bandit army, so the people can only "worry".
"The governor will send people to feed all the livestock in the city that have not been requisitioned. You can feed them as much as you can, as long as they can't survive!"
Not to mention living people, Zhang Guoqin also had his mind set on livestock.
Regardless of whether it can fly or run, as long as it can still produce golden juice, it must be number one.
When the city is successfully defended, these animals will be great contributors!
"Okay! Okay! General Rong is very resourceful!"
Wang Jiazhen agreed. Since he was going to offend all the people in the city, he didn't need some livestock.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
“Every household, listen!”
"Everyone must eat a pound of rice every day!"
"If you can't eat, you'll be fined! Each person will be fined 500 yuan!"
"Everyone must pay two kilograms of gold juice every day!"
"Those who fail to pay the gold juice in full will be fined five hundred yuan!"
"Go get the rice quickly..."
When the people in the city heard what the clerk shouted out after beating the gong, they all looked shocked and confused. They didn't expect it to be like this.
The government forces the people to eat rice, and fines them if they can't eat it, and fines them if they can't pay for the gold juice. Does this still allow people to live?
What a waste of human life!
A dog relies on human power!
God cannot tolerate it!
What a shit!
In the past, people worried about rice, and dreamed every day that the price of rice would not rise, otherwise their families would starve.
Unexpectedly, after the bandits besieged the city, the situation suddenly changed. Everyone still had to worry about rice, but it was just the opposite.
Children can receive half a kilogram of rice per day, and adults can receive double that, all for free.
Correspondingly, the government must purchase everyone's gold juice free of charge.
We need it every day, everyone needs it, and we can’t do without it!
Even if we are a big family, we will not be able to escape.
The rich gentry even wanted to use this matter to write to Lu Daqi, the governor of Henan, after retreating from the enemy.
Nanyang Magistrate Wang Jiazhen, County Magistrate Yao Yunxi, and Chief Military Officer Zhang Guoqin collaborated to harm the people!
The specific method is to "take people's lives" and force the people to produce gold juice on a large scale!
At least four meals a day are needed...
