The wind drove the rain down on the high city, and the clouds pressed lightly with the sound of thunder.
An afternoon thunderstorm caused the soldiers and civilians in Lukang Town to stop working and take shelter in the barracks.
Even though it is built of wood, the walls of Lugang Town are still very grand, so people prefer to call them Lucheng.
The wall is hollow, one foot wide and two feet high. Although it is not as strong as the rammed earth brick wall, it is basically enough on Liuqiu Island.
The outer walls are beginning to be covered with a layer of clay as a fire protection, and there is enough area on top to arrange defenses. The hollow part can also be used as a warehouse to continue to store more and more wood that is felled.
The west gate of Lucheng faces the port. The gate tower, which is more than four feet high, is particularly majestic in the eyes of the natives, and they worship it in their hearts.
So Lin Yingjia simply set up the city gate tower as the seat of the state government, taking the meaning of "showing enlightenment" and named it Changhua Tower. The West Gate was naturally called Changhua Gate.
Lin Yingjia's public apartment is on the highest floor. At this moment, he is holding a cup of tea, standing in front of the window and staring at the port in the rain.
In order to save manpower, the construction wood did not undergo much processing and carving. It was basically logs with bark. New branches and buds even grew on the wood knots of the window sill, which gave it a bit of vitality and elegance.
But Lin Yingjia's face was gloomy and full of worry.
All the recent events made him realize that some major changes must have occurred in Quanzhou across the sea, or even on Fujian Road, so he could not take care of Shangshangqiu's affairs.
And it is obvious that someone deliberately blocked the sea route and cut off the transportation connection between Liuqiu and the mainland, which put the pioneering team in trouble now.
A bolt of lightning flashed across the sea, and the illuminated port seemed a little empty, with only seven or eight small fishing boats that had been built recently.
If it is winter, you can take a risk and try to use a small fishing boat to cross the sea and restore contact with Quanzhou. However, in these months, the weather has been bad and the wind and waves are too strong, so the small fishing boat is just a send-off.
Thunder sounded in the distance, and at the same time there was a knock on the door, "Prefect, I want to see you."
Nowadays, everything is kept simple, and there are not so many etiquette and rules. There is no need for any communication to come to Lin Yingjia, the prefect of the state.
When Lin Yingjia heard Fu Yixin's voice, he immediately turned away his sadness and turned calm and calm, "Please come in...Brother Meng Shi, you have come through wind and rain. First, drink a cup of hot tea to get rid of the moisture."
Seeing the water stains on the hem and cuffs of Fu Yixin's shoes, Lin Yingjia couldn't help but feel helpless and admired, and immediately poured him a cup of tea with her own hands.
Fu Yixin was not polite. He took the cup and drank it in one gulp. Then he went to fetch the teapot and poured it himself. He said, "Prefect, the current situation is urgent. The next official went to the granary and took a closer look. There were only two hundred and sixty-six dollars." Thirteen stones of rice, even one liter per person per day, will only last three or four days at most."
"Then let's cut it in half. At least we can hold on for a few more days." Lin Yingjia felt a huge headache.
Fu Yixin had a heavy look on his face, "We, nearly 9,000 people, are all big-bellied men. Nowadays, it is difficult to guarantee a catch, let alone hunting. We only have half a liter of rice. How can we still have the strength?"
Although small fishing boats were rebuilt, the weather was bad and there was not much time for fishing. Secondly, the north and south offshore areas were often besieged by natives. There were even many natives paddling rafts and sampans close to the deer. Port, so fishing becomes increasingly dangerous and the harvest naturally decreases.
As for hunting, even the prey resources in this area could barely satisfy the five thousand natives in the past. What's more, many forests have been cut down, and there will be even less prey.
If the Song army carried out large-scale hunting, the Babuza people would be hungry, and then they would inevitably cause trouble and alienate the government, and all previous efforts would be in vain.
Lin Yingjia was of course aware of the current situation, and said with a wry smile, "Brother Meng Shi, now that the sea route is cut off, I can't produce food. What can I do? If it doesn't work, let's send someone to Pinghu Island to have a look."
"Prefect, I think this may not be possible. Let's not talk about whether we can get across smoothly with a fishing boat. There may not be much food in Pinghu. Even if there is, how can we transport it back?" Fu Yixin shook his head.
Lin Yingjia's heart suddenly moved, "Brother Meng Shi, since you took the initiative to come to me, you must have a countermeasure. Please tell me."
Fu Yixin pursed his lips and looked solemn, "In my humble opinion, the situation in Quanzhou is unknown. We can't wait too passively. We still have to rely on ourselves. Furthermore, the invasion by the natives is getting more and more intense. We can't just rely on defense." , Therefore, I suggest you gather your troops and take the initiative to attack one side!"
"This..." Lin Yingjia frowned.
For Lin Yingjia, the surrender of the Babuza people is related to the future governance of the entire Liuqiu Prefecture, so every effort must be made to protect their safety to maintain their trust in the government.
So more than half of the Song army was sent out, but the effect was not very satisfactory. Babuza people had their heads cut off almost every day.
If it were a head-on battle, the natives were definitely no match for the Song Army. However, the natives did not confront the Song Army. Instead, they sneaked across the boundary and hid in the forest. Especially on rainy days, the Song Army could only stop. Patrolling, it's hard to spot them.
Then the natives saw the opportunity and either attacked the hunting Babuza people or raided Babuza villages to create panic with killings.
It can only be said that Lin Yingjia still has a traditional literati mentality, which is too passive and defensive.
And what Fu Yixin said about taking the initiative to attack was obviously not an ordinary conquest, as long as the other party surrendered, but the fundamental purpose was to snatch food, which was actually massacre.
Even though Lin Yingjia had said before that he would punish those who were evil and disobedient, he still felt unbearable to have him make this decision.
Fu Yixin saw that his boss, who was eight or nine years younger than him, kept hesitating, so he persuaded him, "Prefect, the barbarians are afraid of power and have no morals. Even if we are extremely kind to the people of Babuza, if we just encounter a little setback and difficulty, among them, Many people began to waver. We can share wealth and wealth, but we cannot share hardships. We conquer the disobedient, and it is to scare the Babuza people. Only by applying kindness and power can we prevent them from being half-hearted..."
"Brother Meng Shi's words make sense." Lin Yingjia nodded, but still had some questions, "Then which side should we attack? Judging from the situation of the natives, they may not have much food, right?"
Fu Yixin had already made a plan, "The mountainous area in the east is too complex and will not be considered for the time being. The lower official's suggestion is to eliminate the Pabra tribe in the north first. Even if we can't get much food, we can get more fishing space. Pabu The La tribe has a maximum population of six to seven thousand. We only need to send 1,500 troops, which should be enough. After the victory, we will immediately turn back, gather 2,500 people to attack south, leaving more than 700 people, and then attack the Babuza people. Organized enough to defend... The Maowu tribe in the south may not have much food, but the tribes further south have a certain level of farming, and they only harvested last month, so they will definitely have enough food..."
This is an understatement. If it were really implemented, at least tens of thousands of natives would die. Even if they did not die under the sword of the Song Army, they would starve to death after losing food.
Lin Yingjia was silent for a while and laughed at himself, "I didn't expect that we would also learn from the Tatars in threshing grain..."
"Prefect, how can this be the same? It's not like we didn't give them a chance. It's just that they didn't accept it. Now they have united to attack us, which makes us more dangerous. We are just fighting back to survive. If the court blames us in the future, I am willing to shoulder the responsibility!" Fu Yixin looked determined.
"Brother Meng Shi made a serious statement." Lin Yingjia shook his head and became serious, "This is the responsibility that I should take. How can I let Brother Meng Shi snatch it away? Let's decide this matter like this. Without further delay, send someone to make the decision immediately. Commander Zeng Zhao came back to discuss the matter."
Fu Yixin suggested, "It rained today, but it will always clear up for a few days. If I call Commander Zeng back and discuss it before going back to gather troops, it will be too time-consuming. There is no guarantee that it will rain again when we are ready, so I'll go." Once we have communicated with Commander Zeng, we will gather our troops tomorrow and take action the day after. The prefect has organized the logistics for the people and will go to Lugeng Village tomorrow to prepare measures to cross the river..."
"Brother Meng Shi is really a great co-ordinator. This is a very good idea, so we have made a plan like this. You and I will do it separately!"
Lin Yingjia accepted the suggestion, but at the same time he felt a sense of crisis in his heart.
The subordinates are both talented and extremely hard-working, so there will be no pressure to replace him.
Dingzhai is the military village built on Dingjun Mountain.
Dingjun Mountain was called Bagua Mountain in later generations. From it, you can overlook the seaside and basically put the entire Luding County in your sight. You can also monitor the mesas and mountains to the east, as well as parts of the Bird River.
Although there were attacks by natives from the north and southeast, the natives coming out of the mountains in the east were the most ferocious and the greatest threat. Therefore, the Song army regarded it as a key defensive direction and established six military strongholds.
The other five military villages are not large, with one or two hundred people stationed in each, while Dingzhai has 500 people and is also where Zeng Ba's central military camp is located.
Zeng Ba came back from outside with Yidu soldiers, his face soaked by the heavy rain was full of bad luck.
About an hour ago, the lookout soldiers discovered something unusual in a village four miles to the south, and they were suspected of being attacked.
Although he might have misunderstood the heavy rain, Zeng Ba immediately sent troops to rescue him. After all, the village was right under his nose. It would be a shame if the truth turned out to be true.
I rushed over despite the rain, but was still a step late, and only saw three headless corpses.
This village is one of the Luxu villages. There are only more than a hundred people, and there are only more than 20 strong men. It is said that there are more than 30 natives who attacked. They were caught off guard. After killing the people, the two sides fought for a while. , the attackers retreated calmly.
The Babuza people in the village did not seem to be grateful for the Song army coming to the rescue, and most of them only had indifference in their eyes.
This look made Zeng Bajiao feel very aggrieved, and there was a burning pain on his face, so he was unwilling to stay in the village, and led his soldiers to search around for a while, but found nothing, so he could only sigh. And back.
After holding back his anger all the way, Zeng Ba took off his pocket and smashed it on the ground after entering his barracks.
"Niang Xipi, how dare a bunch of pickled hozens to show their disgust at me!? You are so damn rebellious! If I hadn't been afraid of spoiling His Highness's plan, I would have chopped you all down on the spot... You bastards, I only dare to steal chickens and dogs. If you have the talent, you can hide your head and show your tail. Come and try it in front of me, and you will fuck your mother and rub your bird... God, it will rain endlessly and urinate..."
After scolding the people of Luxu Village, the attackers, and God, Zeng Ba angrily took off his leather armor and threw it on the ground.
A young soldier hurriedly picked up the armor from the ground and put it on the wooden table. He also got a dry cloth for Zeng Ba, and then went to wipe and take care of the armor, stumbling and talking.
"General, it's raining. It won't rain for a while. At most, it won't rain again until there's a full moon..."
The climate of Liuqiu Island is mainly affected by the monsoon. Although the area is not very large, the terrain is relatively complex, with differences from east to west, north and south, and mountainous plains. For example, in the central and western plains where Luding County is located, plum rain usually occurs in April and May of the lunar calendar. , July and August are the main rainfall periods. It is not until the southwest monsoon turns to the northeast monsoon that the rainfall decreases sharply. This climate is very suitable for the growth of crops.
This young man was the one whom Zeng Ba pulled into the horse in the first place. He was also the lucky son. Originally his name was very confusing, so Zeng Ba simply changed his name to Wan Sheng and treated him as a disciple in the army.
Wan Sheng was also smart. After four months in the army, he learned Chinese very well. He was also clever and helped Zeng Ba save a lot of trouble in communicating with the natives.
Zeng Ba dried himself casually, changed his clothes and came out. Seeing that Wan Sheng was taking care of his armor seriously, his anger subsided a lot, "Fortunately, there are people like you who know things, otherwise it would be useless even with such good intentions." Got the dog..."
After hearing this, Wan Sheng quickly raised his head, opened his eyes wide and defended, "My father is also knowledgeable. Everyone in Lujia Village knows how good Da Song is."
Hearing this, Zeng Ba burst out laughing, stretched out his hand as big as a cattail leaf fan, covered Wan Sheng's head and rubbed it, "You are said to be fat, but you are still out of breath!?"
"General, those people in the mountains are very treacherous and cruel, but they are nothing special. I will go to the forest to guard them tomorrow and I will definitely find their nest..."
Wan Sheng knew that Zeng Ba was worried about not being able to find traces of the enemy and had nothing to do with his strength, so he volunteered.
"Hey, it's not your little brat's turn to show off yet. Give me a good training. In the future, I will recommend you to His Highness and earn a future for yourself."
"His Royal Highness King Yan? General, you said last time that His Highness is about the same age as me, but he is the most powerful person in the world, right?"
"What, don't believe it!? You'll know when you see me in the future..."
The master and apprentice chatted for a long time, and then the soldier came to inform, "Controller, Fu Zhixian asked to see him and said he has something important to discuss."
"What's important in this damn day? Could it be that we're out of food?" Zeng Ba muttered, straightened his clothes, and went out.
At the same time, on the east side of the platform more than thirty miles southeast of Dingzhai, on the territory that originally belonged to the Zhou tribe, many simple huts were built around a large village, and it was unknown how many natives huddled in them.
Close to the edge of the village, there are more than a dozen large cowhide tents that are particularly eye-catching. They are obviously not made by natives.
In the largest tent, there were more than twenty people gathered. Judging from their clothing and appearance, they included Han Chinese, Southern Tibetan people, and natives.
Among the Han people, one was Liu Xikun, the third grandson of Liu Yuanman, the other was Yan Lizheng, the leader of Liujia's smuggling fleet, and there were several powerful sons, Su Jia Chang, Wu Xunji, and Cai Qicang.
One of the Southern Tibetans was the Champa pirate Rudravarman, and the others were tongue-tied people.
The most conspicuous among the natives is a woman with feathers on her head, a fat head and big ears. She is the chief witch of the Pawan tribe at the southern end of Liuqiu Island. Her name can barely be translated as Jiu Gu. I heard that there is also a nickname of Ji Mi Ni. .
Others are talkers from the Maowu tribe, the Zhou tribe, the Bunu tribe, the Luka tribe, the Hongya tribe and the Sila tribe, as well as representatives of the Vaishya tribe.
These strange people actually got together to form an anti-Song alliance, and the people who connected these people were Liu Jia and others from the Song Dynasty.
The reason why Liu Jia and other powerful men did this was, firstly, as part of their plan to deal with King Yan, secondly, because they actually saw the value of Liuqiu Island, and thirdly, it was also to have an extra escape route if things failed.
Although there are countries in Southeast Asia that can escape, the Song Dynasty still has some influence in these countries. It is not particularly safe to escape, so what is the harm in preparing an extra escape route.
Liu Xikun was neither the eldest son of the Liu family nor the direct eldest son of the Liu Yuanman family, but he was rather ambitious and fantasized about being the heir to the Liu family, so he took the initiative to request this task in order to make great contributions to the Liu family.
He has been on this island for more than three months, but he still can't understand the native people at all. In fact, the native people also speak different languages. It's just that they have been on the same island for a long time. Regardless of whether they are harmonious or not, they always There will be communication.
A group of natives chatted for a long time before reaching a consensus, and the general meaning was explained through the tongue.
They believed that after nearly a month of actions, they found that the Song people were not terrible, and they could wipe out all the Song people in one go.
After listening to this, Liu Xikun couldn't help laughing at the arrogance of these local idiots, but he was still polite on his face.
"What you all said makes sense, but I suggest you wait a few more days. According to the news from our people, the Song Army's food can last for two or three days at most. When they are so hungry that their hands and feet become weak, wouldn't it be easier for us? Can you succeed? Besides, several big tribes from the north are still coming. If we wait for them to join us, our strength will be greater..."
After the tongue-taker conveyed his intention, a group of natives had different opinions and started making trouble again.
But the witch Jiugu scolded them with a straight face, relying on the intimidation of the gods and the power of the Pawan tribe to calm down the natives.
Then Jiu Gu looked at Liu Xikun lovingly and said something tenderly in his throat.
The tongue translator said, "She said, I will listen to you."
Liu Xikun's hair stood on end, but he endured his nausea and replied gently, "My Ji Mi Ya, you are so kind, you must be a fairy living in the world."
Some people died, but not completely...
