When the army was defeated that day, Wang Xi was commanding on the front line. He was shocked when he heard that the leader of the right wing had died in battle, and hurried to the right wing. Unexpectedly, the situation was irreversible. The soldiers got so anxious that they even cut him and his own soldiers, which was how the wounds on his faces were left.
He actually suffered more than one injury that night, and the others were all from being stepped on and bumped. The most serious injury was on his face, which not only made him look disfigured but also bled profusely.
He fainted in a patch of reeds. When he woke up, he found that the battlefield was in a mess with the corpses of his own people everywhere. Knowing that everything was over, he had to carefully avoid everyone and flee north.
I originally wanted to run to Dayuan, but I finally arrived hungry and found that the place had been occupied. In order to avoid interrogation, Wang Xi had to crawl into the mountains.
After much thought, he was afraid that Yin Tuo was already in serious danger, and even if he had not died, he would probably be in a similar situation to his own now, but he was not willing to beg Lou Zishi.
Recalling that Lou Shiyong had mentioned that Yang He was in Fuzhou when he was in the mountains, he gritted his teeth and decided to go west to see if he could have any good luck.
Little did he know that the mountains would get steeper and the forests would get denser as he went west. When he got near Meishan, he turned around and in a panic, he rolled down the cliff again and lost his baggage and weapons.
Wang Xi had to pick wild fruits and drink spring water for six days. If he hadn't been so hungry that he almost ran into Zhou Qin's horse, he was afraid that he would be a lonely ghost in the mountains tonight.
"The hero just said that you are going to Wannian?" Wang Xi suddenly asked.
"Well, what, are you scared?" Shenjie looked at him with a half-smile.
"What do I have to be afraid of? Since I embarked on this road, I have no intention of living." Wang Xi replied in a low mood: "It's just that I don't want to be chopped alive, so I might as well ask you to chop off my head now." .”
"Isn't it good to live?"
"What's so good about it?" Wang Xi smiled bitterly: "Working as a coolie, being bullied, beaten and scolded by others, is this what it means to be a human being?"
"Of course not," Shen Jie shook his head: "There are those who live happily and richly, so why can coolies have to live like animals? Li Sanlang said that all people are born equal. No one is born nobler than others, and no one is born noble. We were born to be bullied and stepped on."
"This, is this what he said?" Wang Xi looked in the direction of Li Dan in disbelief.
"Is it weird?"
"He is the son of a prefect, so of course it doesn't hurt his back to stand and talk."
"You are wrong." Shen Jie lowered his voice: "I think it is very valuable that he, as the prefect's son, can think like this!
Just imagine how many young men in this world can stand side by side and talk to people like us? Does your bank account work?
I heard that he ate only half-full meals in the camp, and the children were so hungry that they cried. But he clearly took the military rations and money that Lou Zi had given him.
Looking back at Lou Zi, he lived in the garden and slept with the magistrate's concubine in his arms every day, while his subordinates lived by the pond and fed mosquitoes... "
Wang Jie tilted his head and looked at Shen Jie for a long time, then narrowed his eyes and asked, "You want to persuade me to surrender?"
"Who do you want to surrender?" Shenjie shook his head: "Since everyone is equal in the world, who do you need to surrender? All you have to do is ask yourself clearly and follow the right person."
"But...how do I know if it's right or wrong?"
Shen Jie pointed with his hand: "Look at this team, there are hundreds of people. Many of these people were originally corps commanders and commanders. When Li Sanlang said that he wanted to return to Yugan to protect the country and the people, everyone would rather be ordinary soldiers than follow him. Walk!
Do you think these people are stupid and not as smart as you, right? "
"I..." Wang Xi was speechless.
"Li Sanlang, with a green shirt and a yellow gelding, fights in all directions. The soldiers secretly made songs about him and sang them, but he is only sixteen years old!
Let me tell you, if they didn't want to cause trouble, the thousands of people in the group training would have followed Li Sanlang. If you follow him, not only will you never lose a battle, but you will also be rewarded according to your merits and everyone will get rich.
If you look carefully, you will know that Li Sanlang will not eat when the soldiers are not fed. During the march, his brothers dozed off on their horses, and he did the same.
Look at the four-wheeled carriage behind you, and the Fengquan wine we drank, which one was not made by him?
In front of him, no brother has to
Kneel down, and you don’t need to hide any captured distribution, because it will be distributed according to military merit.
I don't know what it is like in Yintuo, but I know that Li Sanlang is someone I have never seen or encountered in Suo Tiangang's travels.
I promised to help him finish his errands and then go back to Shangrao to do whatever he wanted, but I don’t want to leave now. Because I want to help him and the brothers who follow him. I want to see how far we can go on this road together.
You don't have to care too much about who you were, really. My brother was originally a thief, but Li Sanlang treated him with sincerity. As long as he was a good person and did good deeds in the future, he would let the past go.
I don't ask for changes in the world. Even if Li Sanlang can only make a good life for his brothers in this land of Yugan, I feel that I am following the right person and it is worth it. As for whether you agree with this, that is your own business. From here to Yugan, you have plenty of time anyway, so you can think about it slowly. "As he said this, he dusted himself off and stood up.
"Wait a minute, you said I have time, don't you plan to hand me over to the government to receive the reward in ten thousand years?" Wang Xi asked.
It depends on what you think, should you go with us to Yugan to fight the thieves, or should you stay in Wannian and be buried with Yintuo and his gang?
As for receiving the reward," Shenjie chuckled and turned around to look at him:
"Do you know how much silver the government gave each of us for defeating Yintuo? One tael. Do you know how much Li Sanlang got when he distributed the captured money to his soldiers? Ten taels!
How about it? Now you still think we care about the government bounty. Do you think Saburo is so anxious to hand you over? Don't be stupid, you're not that valuable yet! After saying that, he patted Wang Xi on the shoulder, shook his head and left with a smile.
"I, my boss' price is forty taels of silver..." Wang Xi said to himself, and after he finished speaking, he thought about it: "It's shameful, it doesn't seem to be worth much!"
He had always been proud of the bounty on the wanted list, but after hearing that each member of the regiment who participated in the war could be divided into ten taels, he felt that the forty taels did not seem to be that much.
"Brother, is it true that what Master Shen said, Li Sanlang gave each of you ten taels of silver after beating Yin Tuo?" Wang Xi called the Zhen Fu who was guarding him and asked.
The governor looked at him like a beggar: "I am a governor, and I get a bonus based on the salary of a corps leader, so it's fifteen taels!" After he finished speaking proudly, he raised his head and was about to walk away, but was stopped by Wang Xi again. .
"Well, brother, have you ever killed a general and captured the flag, or saved the life of a certain general?"
Zhen Fu was a little impatient, curled his lips and said in a lecturing tone:
"The governor is responsible for maintaining military discipline, managing prisoners, recording military exploits, counting seizures, and adjudicating disputes. Even if we don't go to the battlefield to kill the enemy, as long as we do our jobs well, Li Sanlang will still share the dividends with me. Do you understand?"
"Why is this?"
"Why? Even the auxiliary soldiers and civilians will get a share of the bonus, as long as they have contributed on the battlefield." Zhen Fu shook his chin:
"Everyone in our team is equal and the same. The only difference is that each has different responsibilities. Hey, why am I talking to you, a prisoner, for so much?
Let me tell you, Li Sanlang said that when we return to Yugan, everyone can choose according to their own minds whether they would like to farm or work, or go to the caravan route.
Anyone who has ever done this like me is at least a corps commander. If you are still literate, you will definitely be unable to run away as a shopkeeper in the future!
Didn't Hero Shen just tell you that we are all willing to follow Li Sanlang? You said, I was originally a waiter in a restaurant. If I had a future as a shopkeeper, how could I not follow Saburo to fight for it? Wouldn’t I be a fool?
You rebel every day with your head in your belt, isn't it for the sake of a better future? Isn't it better for me than for you to follow Yin Tuo? "
"Since you don't go to the battlefield, why should you share the military merits with others?"
"We usually don't go to the battlefield, but if the morale is shaken and the battle line is unstable, in that critical situation, I and the governor must charge forward and set an example for the brothers. Let them see that even the governor is not afraid of death. , there’s nothing to panic about!”
"Oh! You are like servants!"
Wang Xi opened his mouth for a long time, then suddenly raised his head: "Are you also sent by Li Sanlang to persuade you to surrender?"
"You're overthinking." Nazhen smiled and shook his head: "Chief Xiao Song only asked me to be responsible for guarding you. I have to accompany you all the way. Even Chu Gong has to accompany you, unless you have surrendered. ap.
But we have rules as governors. If you can persuade prisoners to surrender, you will be credited with merit, especially if you are a general! Tsk, if I can get you demoted, you will definitely get a good job in the future with this merit, and won’t you be freer too?
How about you think about it carefully? "
"Ah?" Wang Xi rolled his big eyes and didn't react for a moment. The governor sighed in disappointment and walked aside.
The team passed Tianwang Village, and the road ahead suddenly became wider. The vanguard sent back news that they had started to go down the mountain, and everyone felt relieved physically and mentally: Alas, we are finally out of this endless mountain road.
Legend has it that Tianwang Village was the place where troops were stationed during the Huangchao period. It has stone walls and stone arches. Due to the recent prevention of banditry, Shaxi Town has placed 200 regiment trainers in this village as a guard.
Seeing a large group of people coming out of the mountain, the group members on the wall were so frightened that they started to fight.
It wasn't until the leading soldiers approached and waved the flag "Li, the training and preparation commander of the Geyang Guards" (the defense commander had been handed over to Xiao Wanhe, so Li Dan temporarily asked General Cai for this name) that he felt like he was being amnested and hurriedly dispatched People go report.
The person in charge of the village was a guard surnamed Wu. After hearing that, he went to watch on the wall of the village. He was a little overwhelmed when he saw so many carriages and horses passing by the main road in the direction of Shaxi.
It was Shenjie who brought two guards forward and told them not to be nervous. The team came from Geyang and was ordered to return to defend Yugan. He was relieved and quickly sent people to take the path down the mountain to report to the officers and soldiers stationed in Shaxi. .
There are two hundred officers and soldiers stationed in Shaxi Town, and the leader is also a famous general. After hearing the news, he came out to see Zhao Jingzi. Seeing that he was a leader with a yellow belt, he didn't dare to make any mistakes and respectfully asked the team if they needed to go to the town to rest.
However, Zhao Jingzi had already received Li Dan's instructions and responded simply, saying that the military situation was urgent, and that Li Zhengbei had made an appointment to visit the Tongzhi of the Huifu and the Qianhu of the Fendu Division's Marching Division respectively today, so he continued on his way without stopping. .
The general didn't dare to say anything, so he had to watch the team leave and said to his subordinates:
"I heard a report from Kuai Ma in the front line that Li Sanlang cooperated with the army in Shangrao to defeat the rebels and killed and captured over ten thousand people. I thought it was a lie. Today I saw that his soldiers were like tigers, so I know that the rumor is true."
Li Dan also sent his own messengers to Wannian, one to the Marching Department and the other to the Left Behind Office.
After Li Biao learned about it, he rode a donkey out of the city and waited at the gate of Nanguan Village. Seeing Shen Jie and Zhao Jingzi arriving with their top soldiers from a distance, he grinned.
When the soldiers guarding the gate saw that there was a yellow belt among them, they did not dare to neglect them, so they hurriedly invited them to sit under the pergola inside the gate to have tea, and at the same time sent someone to report to the tower.
Li Biao and the two of them also sat down after the ceremony. Han Xian'er and Zhu Siwu had already returned to Yuqian first. They also said that they had purchased more than a dozen carriages and 20 to 30 livestock, and there were also batches of iron materials and medicinal materials that could accompany the team. Bring back.
Not long after, large groups of people arrived one after another. When Jiao Baihu received the news, he also rode a mule out to greet him. When they met, he held hands with Li Dan and laughed loudly:
"You, Li Sanlang, have done great things in Shangrao. We all heard about it here!" He looked proud.
Li Dan made some humble remarks and asked where it would be convenient for the team to camp. Jiao Baihu said: "Since you will still take the road to my father-in-law's house tomorrow, we will place the camp near the Zhushan Bridge in the north of the city, where it will be convenient to cross the river."
Li Dan readily agreed: "It's been arranged like this for hundreds of households."
Wannian City initially had only two gates, the south and the north, called Hongchang Gate and Jiande Gate respectively. Later, for military and political convenience, a small west gate was opened next to the school grounds. You can go directly to the other side by walking on Wansheng Bridge.
However, Wannian is a military town, and it is very inconvenient for large armed groups to pass through the city. So the procession went north from Nanguan, then east along the outer wall of Tianshou Palace, and then turned north.
The reason why Jiao Baihu led them to go this way was because the Wannian City was oriented southeast and northwest, long from north to south and narrow from east to west.
There are large areas of reeds and swamps along the Zhuxi River in the west. The ground is soft and fragmented.
Facilitates movement of teams and heavy vehicles.
There is no city gate on the east side, and there are endless rice fields on the outskirts.
In order to prevent pedestrians from trampling on it, there is a solid dirt road along the outer edge of Donghuhao, which is about twelve or three paces wide and about three feet above the rice fields. If you are not entering the city, this road is the main road for traffic from north to south.
They walked north along the east wall from this high ridge to the station outside Beiguan. The terrain looks like a hill, with a slightly flat front and many trees and bamboo forests in the back half. There are several sparkling ponds not far from the hill.
From a distance, the Zhushan Bridge looks like a brown ribbon across the Zhuxi River. "This place is very nice!" Looking at the open terrain, Li Dan was in a good mood and praised it.
"Yes, the scenery is nice, but it's a pity that we can only stay for one night." Zhao Jingzi put his hands on his hips and put up a pergola with great interest.
"Haha, if Li Sanlang likes this place and wants to buy a property, it won't be difficult." Jiao Baihu was telling the story.
