Just when Nanshan's "famous" distilled liquor began to sell well, the rebel leader Lou Zishi fell into deep distress.
Shangrao scratched his heart like a piece of moss, but he couldn't take advantage of this city.
Withdraw, the big talk of conquering Shangrao, founding the country, and becoming king has been made. If we don't retreat, we and the city defenders will be equally matched. If we fight, we're not sure who will suffer more losses!
What's more, the army was besieging the city for a long time, and the food and grass were gradually depleted. He pretended to be calm in front of his subordinates, but secretly sent several teams, each with several hundred people, to collect food in various directions to enrich the logistics.
On the other hand, he ordered grain and grass to be transferred from Yongfeng and Chaoyang, and began to plan to seize Qianshan County.
The news that Yang He's troops had retreated to Guangxin Mansion made him alert and expectant.
Although Lou was the nominal commander of various "rebel armies" at that time, in fact many "qu commanders" had great autonomy. Some so-called listened to orders but not propaganda, and some could not even be mobilized, just like Yin Tuo. generally.
Of course, Yin Tuo is the worst. Because on the one hand, he was dependent on Lou Zishi, asking for rice, weapons, armor and even military pay; but on the other hand, Lou Zishi had no control over who he would hit or not, when and how he would hit him!
He hated it so much that he couldn't help it. If you want to build your own stronghold, you can't leave Shangrao's officers and soldiers alone and start a fight with your own family first, right?
Yin Tuo also noticed this, so he kept him in check.
At that time, Lou Zi claimed to have an army of 50,000. This meant that after excluding the men and horses guarding Chaoyang and Yongfeng, and then deducting Yintuo's shit, the actual weight was only about 15,000.
However, although the troops at hand were actually insufficient, he had already regarded Shangrao, or the entire Guangxin Mansion, as meat in his bowl. Of course, Lou Zishi did not want another person to share the food.
He knew very well that the city of Shangrao had to support about 20,000 troops. Even if Guangxin County was included, it could only support 30,000 troops.
It is true that he sent Lao Er there to provide support in name, but his real idea was to bet that Fujian officers and soldiers would not be able to cross the province and run to Jiangxi to pursue the suppression. After the victory, the local stability would gradually shrink the garrison, and Lao Er could take the opportunity to contain them. , and collected a large number of stragglers who fled here.
On the other hand, he had already hinted to his second brother that he would show Yang He a way to go west, and even generously agreed to give Fuzhou to him, so as to take advantage of this guy's ability to attack cities and attract Nanchang's attention for himself. look.
It would be best to make a fuss until Qiu Tianlu, a fellow commander in Jiangxi who is on the way, will turn around with his 10,000 troops when he hears the news. After all, it is much more convenient to go down the river from Fuzhou to Nanchang than to Shangrao.
If someone rebels there, it will pose a greater threat to the provincial government!
Xiao Jiujiu played well, but the reality is still quite annoying. The second brother could not go to reinforce Fengling Town, and Yin Tuo could not command himself, so he could not divide his troops to attack Guangxin County.
After working on it for a long time, it turned out to be a stalemate.
Fortunately, there was news that pleased him. The officers, soldiers and regiment training officers on Nanshan seemed to be tired. It was said that they were now taking the grain that was supposed to be sent to Shangrao and started making wine. They also sent people to find Lao San to open a winery together.
Lou Zishi laughed loudly after hearing this, shook his head and told He Linquan:
"Look, I thought there was a group of evil wolves, but it turned out to be a group of cats that fell asleep after catching a mouse. Huh, how can the army be invincible like this, and how can the imperial court not collapse like this?"
"Congratulations, my lord, it seems that money, wine and sex are the most attractive things. Now that they have made money, they must be holding back!"
Of course, occasionally he had to pretend to wave flags and shout to fool his superiors. As long as it was safe enough, Saburo could also cooperate with them appropriately and even throw some tattered weapons and flags.
As long as there is no further fighting on the northern front and Shangrao cannot obtain this batch of supplies, it is worth losing the little things. "
"Well, what you said makes sense, I will tell Saburo." Lou Zishi said and picked up the small clay pot sent by Lou Shifan on the table. The body of the pot was not big and could be held in one hand.
The two sides are slightly concave for easy grasping. There are four words on it, "Phoenix Breast Manna". The surface is also painted with a thin layer of glaze, and the mouth of the pot is plugged with a wooden core wrapped in cattail grass.
There was originally a piece of blue cloth with the four characters "Guangxin Fengling" written on the surface of the stopper and spout, and oil paper stacked on top of it. They were all tied with cattail ropes. The straw ropes were tied at both ends to form a handle for easy carrying.
Now that the straw rope was untied, the cloth and oil paper were spread out on the table. "The container is also made exquisitely and elegantly." Lou Zishi nodded: "They really put their heart into this wine!"
"This is a good thing! The more Nanshan pays attention to these things, it means the more they take it seriously. If they put all their efforts and thoughts on this, they will not seriously think about saving Shangrao. Isn't it?" He Linquan said with a smile.
"Hey, it really makes sense!" Lou Zishi smiled and nodded: "Sanlang said he would give me 30% of the shares. Forget it, you answer a letter for me and I will only take 20%. This kid can't fight, look. He might be an economic talent!"
"My lord will take over the country immediately, but those who will keep the industry in the future will have to guard the country immediately!"
"Huh? Hmm!" Lou Zishi turned around and looked at He Linquan, stroking his beard thoughtfully and nodding.
He has four sons. Except for the youngest son who is too young, the three brothers Shiyong, Shiming and Shifan are all adults. Among them, the eldest and second child are already married and have children.
Usually, he mostly relies on his eldest son to make plans and command troops; his second eldest son is brave and forms an army of his own, providing backup support or flanking cover; and his third eldest son stays with him to teach and care for him.
"This child has brains and intelligence, but is a little willful and mischievous. He hasn't grown up yet!" He always said this before, but now he suddenly felt that the third child was also growing up. This made him very happy.
However, on major issues, Lou Zishi still trusted his eldest son and second son. Mr. Lin Quan didn't say this clearly. He didn't know whether the other party was referring to the boss or the third child. Anyway, he was definitely not talking about the second child. Lou Zishi didn't plan to think about it yet.
"Seventh sister has suffered internal injuries and cannot move for the time being. Let the doctor stay in the camp for diagnosis and treatment at any time." He sighed. Although Yichang Jin was not there, there was no shortage of people beside him.
It turns out that the concubine of Yongfeng County Magistrate was taken by him and kept by his side. He only showed concern for Yicheng Jin out of affection.
In fact, what Lou Zishi was most worried about was the handsome and lovable Lou Shifan. What he was most worried about was his boss who was too smart to be like himself. What he trusted the most was the second child, Lou Shiming, who was brave, decisive and willing to take responsibility.
For example, right now, in the mist and rain, Lou Shiming is stationed on the wet hillside with his team, waiting for the arrival of the "Guiyi Grand Marshal" Yang He and his entourage.
"Second Marshal, they are coming!" A small flag officer who was sent to pick up the people ran up the hillside, knelt down on one knee and reported.
"How many people are there?" This is what Lou Shiming is most concerned about.
"Replying to the Second Young Marshal, Marshal Yang has more than 300 soldiers, about 4,000 soldiers, and two to three thousand dependents. Marshal Yang said it was an army of 10,000 people, but you guys can see it clearly on the mountain. , let Second Young Master know the details!"
"Well, you did a good job, go down and receive the reward!"
The little flag kowtowed and left. Lou Shiming sneered and said to his subordinates: "Yang He still wants to pull the flag and make a tiger skin, bluffing, but he doesn't know that I, the 'Two Heavenly Kings', are not so easy to fool!"
This is another nickname for him. Lou Shiming is very proud of others calling him this, but he is not happy for others to call him "General Red Beard" in person. The general is much inferior to the king!
"Young Marshal, are you going to expose him to his face?" a subordinate asked.
"Then why bother?" Lou Shiming waved his hand: "Let's go down to greet you." As he walked, he told the subordinates following him:
"If he is willing to pretend, let him pretend to the end. As long as we know the truth and the truth, there is no need to embarrass him in person.
Not only that, I also want to praise him, and then persuade him to fight westward to divert the main force of the army away for us. "
"Oh, that's a good idea, you're so smart!" There was a chorus of applause from behind. Lou Shiming was used to hearing it and didn't care too much.
Most people only know how to go straight to what they want, but they don't know that sometimes finding another way can achieve the goal fastest or best. In this regard, they consider themselves to be more knowledgeable than many others.
Before they reached the road below, they saw a group of people walking over under the guidance of their own sergeants. The leader was Yang He, the "Generalissimo of Guiyi" who claimed to be Hengdao Xianxia Mountain and Ma Tafenshui Pass.
This man was just over five feet tall. He was stocky and strong, with two arms as thick as tree trunks. The beard on his face was pierced like steel needles. He spoke in a loud and unscrupulous voice.
"Oh, my dear nephew, why don't you hold an umbrella? This makes uncle feel so uncomfortable!"
When he saw the wet cloak behind Lou Shiming, the drops of water on the nail leaves, and the wet temples, he couldn't help being shocked. He hurriedly ran up the hillside to grab Lou Shiming. He also used his arms to pull up his own cloak and tiptoed to cover his head. .
"It's okay, Uncle Yang, I'm very strong, don't you know this?" Lou Shiming declined him with a smile. Instead, he pulled up his cloak to cover him, turned and walked towards the mountain.
"Oh, my second young master, how could this happen? With so many people watching, this really makes me... so embarrassed!" Yang He was so moved.
"You are the matchmaker between me and Aunt Mei. You are like half a father. Why are you being polite to me?" It turns out that Yang He was the matchmaker for Lou Shiming's marriage. When he mentioned this, he immediately made Yang He smile.
"Alas! That was the most proud matchmaking event I have ever done in my life. I am still very satisfied when I think about it!"
Yang He asked with concern: "You two haven't gotten together for more than half a year, right? The battles are going on one after another without stopping."
"How can we care about it in such a turbulent time? Originally, my father wanted to capture Shangrao and then take them all over, but who knew it would be delayed until now.
Uncle Yang, you're welcome. I'll pick you up. You'll be treated as if you're back at home. Don't ever see your nephew outside. You are the most famous Qu Shuai in my father's generation. It's too late for me to flatter you! "
"Hey, okay, okay!" Yang He was flattered and beamed.
When they reached a slightly flat spot on the hillside, Lou Shiming's soldiers had already cleared it and set up tents. The two of them went in and sat down.
A soldier made a bowl of leaf tea for each of them from the boiling water pot on the fire pit nearby, and then withdrew, leaving the two of them to talk alone.
"I heard that Uncle Yang and the army fought hard in Dapu, but is it true? The casualties were huge? Why, Ah Xing didn't come with you?" Lou Shiming asked tentatively first.
"Ahem, it's not really a 'hard fight'." Yang He shook his head nonchalantly.
He put down the tea bowl, took off the wet soft-footed futon head, hung it on the stove by the fire pit and roasted it, then turned around and said:
"The dog officer army used the general's musket to blast open the city gate, so we had to withdraw first. Hey, if you don't dare to fight face to face, what kind of skill is this?
He chased me, I shot him with a carbine, and then I shot him with a carbine again... Humph, I have an army of 20,000 in my hands, so I am afraid of him!
You ask Yang Xing? This kid is leading the team at the rear. Thanks to him, the officers and soldiers were always two miles away and did not dare to approach. "
"Both uncle and son are heroes, and they are familiar with the terrain of a hundred miles radius. Even if the army retakes the city, they will not dare to pursue it deeply.
This mountain is what we rely on to survive, uncle said, right? However, I would like to ask more, what are uncle's plans for the future?
Twenty thousand people is not a small number in this mountain. We can't just wait for the food to run out and finally disperse, right? "
Lou Shiming deliberately stabbed him at the end, stood up at the same time, personally helped him take off his wet cloak, and hung it side by side with his own cloak on the horizontal pole on the other side of the fire pit.
"What can you say on your father's and son's territory? Naturally, I want to ask Lou Shuai to take care of me. If you can use my old brother, just ask!" Yang He took care of everything and even patted his chest.
"Uncle may not know," Lou Shiming looked outside the tent, squatted down beside him and used a branch to pull the charcoal in the fire pit and said softly:
"My handsome father also has a good reputation, so he probably didn't tell you the truth.
The military rations on his side are only enough for more than half a month. Now they have sent people around to collect food. They have also sent transport envoys to Chaoyang and Yongfeng to say that they want to transport all the remaining food. They are also planning to start collecting autumn grain in advance. "
"Ah? Is there such a thing?" Yang He was surprised.
"You think about it, the summer grain has been harvested and has been put into storage or on the market, and the autumn grain is still unripe in the fields. At this time, we are not relying on both ends. How much rice can be squeezed out even if the autumn grain is collected?
The tenants definitely didn't have much money, and they would have to gain some notoriety and chop off the heads of a few more wealthy households.
Originally, the commander-in-chief had planned to capture Shangrao in one fell swoop. With the grain stored in Jiapingcang and Yongfeng Prince's Mansion in hand, he could easily wait for the army to wait for the autumn harvest. However, he did not expect that Shangrao could not be captured after almost three months of fighting.
No, the army was sending troops to escort tens of thousands of stones of grain to Shangrao. My father, the commander-in-chief, sent his third brother to intercept, but unexpectedly he was defeated. Now it can only hold back the officers and soldiers so that they can't advance or retreat.
Before I came to escort my uncle into Jiangxi, my father actually wanted to ask my nephew to go north to replace his third brother. "
Some people died, but not completely...
