"To your Majesty the Governor, this is a personal letter from His Highness the Crown Prince!"
"Okay! My dear nephew, sit down quickly and serve tea!"
Zhang Kentang, the governor of water transportation, was full of concerns when he got the news of Li Yuanyin's arrival. He knew that the son of his colleague Li Chengdong was now the prince's disciple, which was quite impressive.
Even if this is not the case, according to the old practice, Li Chengdong was promoted to the chief water transport officer by His Royal Highness, so Li Yuanyin could probably get a job as a general.
Li Yuanyin did not come alone this time, but brought four thousand soldiers and horses with him. However, he frightened the defenders at the west gate of Tongzhou. Fortunately, the leading general knew his young master, so it was considered a false alarm.
These troops and horses were temporarily lent by Zhou Yuji to the command of Li Yuanyin, with the purpose of helping his father Li Chengdong transport the people and food of Tongzhou as quickly as possible.
The court meeting must have decided to completely abandon Tongzhou, then the food and people here must not be left to the Donglu to harm them, and all must be moved to the new city within ten days.
Tongzhou is the most important military fulcrum around the capital. Once it is lost, water transportation will be cut off, which means that the capital will never receive food transportation by water.
However, Huang Taiji's trip south this time was probably not just for plundering. If he had the idea of taking over the Central Plains, he would not leave for a while.
Although Tongzhou City is also a fortified city, it is still far from the rock-solid capital. After Huang Taiji weighs this, he will concentrate his forces to besiege Tongzhou.
This place is not far from the capital, but it is still dozens of miles away. The Ming Dynasty King's Division does not yet have the ability to win in field battles, and there is a danger of the entire army being annihilated if they leave the city.
Therefore, no matter how important Tongzhou is, we have to give up. Otherwise, if Tongzhou cannot be saved, Xincheng may also fall into the clutches of Donglu.
By abandoning Tongzhou, Li Chengdong's troops can be put into the defense of the new city. This can be regarded as demolishing the east wall to make up for the west wall, and that can only be done for now.
Since the new city has been built, if we want to hold on to the old city and the new city, we must concentrate all the troops around Jifu. The Ming Dynasty King's Division has no time to rush to help Tongzhou.
"Your Majesty is currently leading an inspection on the river bank. I will send someone to inform you!"
Zhang Kentang was the governor of water transportation, but he was just a civilian errand and had no troops under his command. The task of patrolling the canal from Tongzhou to Tianjin fell on the commander-in-chief Li Chengdong.
He had read the newspapers published yesterday and this morning, and he was probably aware of the court's attitude and plans, but Zhang Kentang was still shocked that His Highness the Crown Prince wanted to abandon Tongzhou.
The letter was very clear and could not be resisted. Zhang Kentang could only send someone to find Li Chengdong first and then discuss how to act according to the order.
It is easier to take away the food from Tongzhou, because the Tongzhou Canal leads directly to the capital, and you only need to let the water transport ships sail west. The difficulty is to get all the people in Tongzhou to move away.
As long as all the defenders withdraw, turning Tongzhou into an undefended city, the people will have to leave, otherwise they will surely be ravaged by the Donglu.
"What is Zai Ning (Zhang Kentang's nickname) looking for?"
Li Chengdong didn't go far, he just walked around outside the city. Suddenly he reported to Zhang Kentang that he had something urgent to discuss, so he rushed to the government office without stopping.
"No hurry, let's see who's coming?"
Kentang Zhang was not in a hurry to discuss official matters with Li Chengdong, but cheerfully pointed to the person next to him. It was rare for father and son to get together.
Although the training base of the Donggong Guards is very close to Tongzhou, Li Chengdong also intended to take this opportunity to train his son. Even though he was ordered to go to Beijing, he never visited Li Yuanyin.
"Father!"
"After not seeing each other for several months, my son has become very energetic!"
Li Chengdong first looked at his son up and down, then stroked his beard with satisfaction and smiled. Just looking at his son's mental outlook, it was much better than when he went for training. The prince's method of training soldiers in the immortal world was indeed good. There is something mysterious about it.
"This is a personal letter from His Highness the Crown Prince to his father. I hope my father will read it quickly."
"good!"
The content written by a certain prince to Zhang Kentang was mostly about Minsheng matters, while the content written to Li Chengdong was about military matters, such as how to escort grain, how to harvest crops, and how to move the camp from Tongzhou to Xincheng.
"It's easy to talk about transporting grain, but it helps the surrounding people harvest crops..."
Li Chengdong had never received a similar order. It was unheard of for the soldiers to help the people harvest crops, but the food in the fields could not be left to the Donglu in vain.
It would be okay to let the soldiers under his command harvest crops, but apart from the waist knife, they don't seem to have any handy tools. What should I do?
"Father, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince ordered Zhou Zongrong to lend his four thousand soldiers and horses to help the people of Tongzhou harvest crops. All the surrounding grain must be harvested within ten days. Otherwise, all the crops that have not been harvested must be harvested. ignite."
The new army soldiers brought by Li Yuanyin were not equipped with sickles, but each was issued a waist knife. This thing could even kill people, let alone harvest crops. It’s just that I lack relevant experience and it’s more laborious to cut wheat.
"Okay, it's getting late today. I'll discuss a feasible solution with your Uncle Zhang first. Early tomorrow morning, all the soldiers will be dispatched. Some of them will be responsible for escorting the grain, while most of the troops will go out of the city to help the people cut wheat!"
Li Chengdong believes that there is not much danger in water transportation at present, so it is not necessary to mobilize troops and mobilize a large number of people. He can just hire some people to escort him. The important task of his department must be to collect crops.
Based on past experience, Li Chengdong felt that these wheats were likely to become military rations for his troops. Naturally, the more he harvested, the better.
However, the prince also sternly stated in the letter that he was accepting, not robbing, and it would definitely not work in the same style as before.
Fortunately, the prince offered a wheat purchase price of two taels and one stone, which made it easier for the ministries to collect grain quickly.
"Furthermore, His Highness the Crown Prince has warned that not a single large livestock can be left to the Donglu. Except for poultry, all four-legged animals must be taken to the capital!"
Li Yuanyin suddenly remembered this matter and said it directly. The prince's approach was right. Since the food could not be left to the Donglu, the more delicious livestock could not be left.
Wherever the Donglu went, it was very likely that not even the people would survive, let alone the livestock. If they were left to the Donglu to enjoy, it would be considered a waste of natural resources.
If it doesn't work, even if he joins a group of brothers to jointly invest, he will buy as many livestock as possible from the people near Tongzhou and bring them to the capital.
People, livestock, and food must be taken away within ten days. This is a quite difficult project.
Because part of the bulk of the grain is still in the ground...
The boundaries of Tongzhou can be said to be large or small. Specifically, it is the enclosed area south of Shunyi, north of Wuqing, and west of Sanhe and Xianghe.
A certain prince didn't know whether the food in those four places could still be harvested, but Tongzhou was the closest to the capital, so most of the food grown in the territory had to be taken away.
Li Chengdong had more than 5,000 soldiers and horses, and Li Yuanyin brought another 4,000, for a total of more than 9,000.
As Zhang Kentang's uncle and the highest official in Tongzhou, he would entertain Li Yuanyin and his party who came to help him in his work both in public and private affairs.
Following Li Yuanyin were their class monitor Wan Li, third brother Zhang Huangyan, and fifth brother Zeng Ying. Li Yuanyin was the sixth eldest in the class, and only the youngest Zheng Chenggong and Zheng Shengying were left behind.
The three brothers were not polite at all when they arrived for the first time. They knew very well who Li Yuanyin's father was, so they regarded dinner as a rare opportunity to have a teething ceremony.
Although the food of the East Palace Guards was good, it was not as good as the banquet in front of them. Zhou Zongrong did not take any care of their special team, let alone open a small stove for them.
It was not easy to eat a lot, and of course the three brothers would not miss it. There were chickens, ducks, elbows, fish, and a lot of hard dishes on the table. There was also good wine. It was really satisfying to eat the wine and meat.
Li Yuanyin is from the north, and Wan Li, Zhang Huangyan, and Zeng Ying are all from the south. But after staying in the north for a long time, they naturally follow the local customs. When eating northern dishes with thick oil and red sauce, there is no ambiguity at all.
In the army, not to mention thick oily red sauce, even a bowl of two or three taels of roast pork, you have to train hard and get a good ranking in the competition before you can eat it.
Therefore, at this moment, no one of the four people at the table was chatting. They were all eating hard, for fear that talking would waste time and the others would eat the meat. 168
The East Palace Guards are different from other places. Their training and daily routine are in full compliance with the relevant regulations set by the Crown Prince. You are not allowed to talk while eating. The price of talking is that you will eat less food. When the time is up, you must clear the place and leave.
"Uncle...uh...so refreshing!"
After the meal, Wanli expressed his gratitude with a full belly. He ate most of a duck, but he made up for the oil and water lost in many days.
These days, ducks are more popular than chickens because ducks are rich in oil. Those who are short of oil and water in their stomachs will of course give priority to ducks, which is a very satisfying food.
"That's right, I haven't had such a satisfying meal in a long time!"
Zeng Ying also chimed in. Although he was from Sichuan, he was not ambiguous about his food at all. He was nicknamed "Little Rice Tong", and the title of "Big Rice Tong" naturally belonged to his eldest brother Wanli and second brother Gan Hui.
I don’t know when the last tooth-beating ceremony happened. This time I came to Tongzhou, which was the territory controlled by the sixth brother’s father, but it was a fat job.
"Eat and drink enough today, and go to work in the fields tomorrow!"
Although Zhang Huangyan is from Zhejiang, he also knows that he will have to work hard tomorrow, so he tastes it in an unambiguous way. Although they are the prince's disciples, they still have to set an example for themselves.
If they don't eat and drink vigorously, they will definitely not be able to carry the crops in the fields. Not only the four of them, but also the four thousand soldiers they brought with them are also feasting and drinking.
Tongzhou is a water transportation hub, so there is no shortage of food. The soldiers of the East Palace Guards can open their bellies and eat vigorously. Although there is not much meat, there is a lot of fish. This can be regarded as a serious meat dish.
The next day, the four brothers worked in pairs. Wanli took Li Yuanyin to the fields in the north of the city, Zhang Huangyan and Zeng Ying went to the east of the city, and the crops south of Tongzhou were handed over to Li Chengdong's subordinates.
"General, spare your life! We are all ordinary people and have not committed any crime!"
A large group of soldiers suddenly arrived in Lijia Village in the north of the city. This made the village ministers puzzled and at the same time terrified, fearing that a military disaster would occur and the whole village would be destroyed by the rebels.
"Do you know who speaks best in the village?"
Li Yuanyin's soldiers sat on their horses and loudly asked an old man who was only fifty years old. This kind of thing naturally did not require his own young master to come forward in person.
"Back to the military master, what the man named Li He in the village said is true. The Li family is the most powerful, with hundreds of servants and thousands of acres of farmland!"
"Lead the way!"
Nearly a thousand soldiers and horses followed the old man into the village. Li Yuanyin was not afraid that someone would ambush his troops, which would mean an open rebellion.
Even if the opponent has thousands of people, they can't defeat the well-trained Donggong Guard soldiers, and they will be beaten until they are bloody and have teeth everywhere.
"Stop! Who are you? How dare you break into my master's house?"
A servant actually raised his voice and asked questions at the door, seemingly not afraid of the soldiers in front of him.
"Ask your master Li He to come out and talk to me. My little general has something to say!"
The soldiers came forward on horseback and directly explained their intention.
"Who is your little general's last name?"
Li He's servants were still confident and called out more than 20 people to confront him with weapons.
"Fuck you! You are the one who should ask about my general's name???"
The soldier suddenly became angry. When the officers and soldiers came, as ordinary people, they should come out to receive them. This Li He was so arrogant.
"Don't dare to tell me your name! He must be a thief in disguise!"
The servant immediately concluded his speculation, and then ordered his companions to push into the courtyard and defend themselves with the high walls.
"...Master!"
"Surrounded!"
Li Yuanyin is not a playboy. Although he is young, he has followed Li Chengdong on the battlefield all year round. He will not be at a loss when dealing with this situation, let alone be soft-hearted.
It is easy to let the people harvest crops. The key is to find the village bully in each village. As long as the village bully nods, the whole village will easily follow the orders.
If the village bully doesn't agree to harvest the crops, then persuade him to agree, and use a method that the other party can understand. This is the shortcut method that a certain prince gave to his disciples.
Is it necessary to carry a blunderbuss and a small folang machine when harvesting crops?
A certain prince thinks it is necessary!
"My general is busy with military affairs. I'll give you a stick of incense to think about it. When the time is up, fire immediately!"
There is no time to talk nonsense with Li He, so he can directly enter the ultimatum mode. Li Yuanyin does not mind directly destroying Li He's family.
Judging from what he saw, Li He was probably not a good person. Not to mention bullying, he was probably about the same.
"fire!"
"Master, it's not time yet?"
"This is why soldiers never tire of deceit!"
"……yes!"
Li Yuanyin would not wait patiently. He brought nearly a thousand soldiers and horses, but he still had to look at the other party's mood. How could such a good thing be possible in the world?
It doesn't matter if the other party is Donglu. If he is just a village bully, then he is looking for death.
His Highness the Crown Prince taught them that the army protects the people and Liangmin, and the village tyrants are naturally not among them.
"boom……"
Although the Xiao Folang machine is not very powerful, it can be used to attack the earthen wall of Min's house easily. The bombardment effect is very good, and it directly blasts out several large holes in the courtyard wall.
"The officers and soldiers are shelling..."
The sound of exploding cats was immediately heard from inside. It seemed that the officers and soldiers came specifically to annihilate them, and they were met with disaster.
The Li family's courtyard is quite large, accounting for almost a quarter of the entire Li family village. It also has watchtowers and is very defensive.
But relatively speaking, for an army equipped with artillery, that's all. If they really use their hands, part of the courtyard wall can be razed to the ground in just one stick of incense.
"Master, don't fight, I'm willing to surrender!"
"Stop the shelling! Order them to disarm and come out! If there is any deception, shoot them without mercy!"
The soldiers and horses brought by Li Yuanyin were still on high alert, and the bandits often resorted to deception, so they had to guard against this move. Besides, being killed and injured by a group of village minsters would not sound good if it was spread out.
"Little man Li He, come and see the general!"
A middle-aged man in silk and satin led the team out of it. After walking ten steps, he knelt down and kowtowed. He accepted that he had failed and blamed his arrogant nephew for everything.
