Facing a group of his cronies and former subordinates, Kuaibai said such words, of course, not really to bankrupt everyone, but to arouse their gratitude and common hatred.
Although the method is old-fashioned, as long as the effect is good, it is a good method. After hearing these words of sacrifice, all the generals knelt down together and shouted that they were willing to share weal and woe with Kuai Bai and his son.
Kuai Bai was overjoyed when he saw this, and hurriedly stepped forward to help the generals one by one, throwing out words of praise and thanks as if they were free of charge.
But after he helped everyone up, Kuaibai paced back and forth, with an indescribable sadness between his brows.
The wise man among the generals saw it and immediately asked.
Kuaibai pretended that he could not hide it, and sighed: "Liang Wenmeng, the governor of Ningxia, is greedy and abuses his subordinates. He is a traitor and a loyal man, and has a cruel heart. He knows that I, Kuaibai, have always been very kind to my subordinates. I, Kuaibai, If I don't die for a day, how can I, Liang Wenmeng, accept my military salary smoothly? So the relationship between me and Liang Wenmeng is already a life-or-death situation.
As for you, the same is true. Mutiny among soldiers has always been tabooed by civil servants. If you continue to stay in the camp, your superiors will blame you, and your life will be worse than death. If you escape from Ningxia, you will be like a lonely ghost, and your wife and children will not be able to survive. My brothers and I have now offended Liang Wenmeng so much. For the sake of our brothers, I am afraid we can only kill Liang Wenmeng so that we can stand on our own feet and still have a chance to survive. Unfortunately, this move is an act of rebellion, and if it is done, there will be no way out... I ask all brothers to think carefully about what to do. "
Liu Dongyang, Xu Chao and others thought about it for a long time, and finally Liu Dongyang, who has always been the boldest and strongest, stood up and expressed to Kuaibai that he was willing to live and die together and make an appointment to start a rebellion. Seeing Liu Dongyang's behavior, the others also followed suit, asking Kuai to be their leader and lead them to "find a way out".
Maybe it was because he had to do a full set for the show, or maybe Kuai Bai had other concerns or thoughts, but Kuai Bai and his son still refused to agree. Kuai Bai even made it clear to everyone that he would never do anything rebellious. However, he left a backdoor, saying that if the generals thought that not raising troops was not enough to attract the attention of the court, they could only seek repercussions.
The generals thought that Kuai Bai was sincerely considering them, and they all agreed. So he ordered the generals to return to the camp to contact officers at all levels, and agreed to remonstrate collectively on the 29th of this month.
After that, under the leadership of Liu Dongyang, the lower-level officers of each battalion frequently moved around with excuses to win over the soldiers. There are more than 80 junior officers such as Wang Wende, He Yingshi, Chen Lei, Bai Luan, Feng Jiwu, etc. in tandem.
In addition to the four major battalions in Ningxia City, many garrison officers from Fort Wu near Ningxia also participated. They met at Guandi Temple at night, and Liu Dongyang, Liu Chuanbai, and Zhang Wenxu were the presidents of the ceremony, and they were sworn brothers to Jinlan.
Liu Dongyang stood in the middle and swore loudly: "Today, brothers from all battalions are sworn to Jinlan and work together to kill evil officials in order to survive. General Fubiao and commander of the Wei family, father and son of the Kuai family, are both wise and brave, and their righteousness is as high as the sky. He has always won the hearts of the military and is worthy of our following. Brothers must strictly keep secrets and act cautiously, so as not to be discovered by Liang Wenmeng, so as not to be exposed and lose the lives of brothers. Today we swear an oath here, not to live together, but to die together. The heart of the fist can be learned from the sun!"
Liu Chuanbai followed closely behind and said loudly: "As Chi Shenrong said a few days ago, if we start an uprising this time, it will be regarded as rebellion and rebellion in the eyes of the court, and it will be difficult to turn back. However, the matter has come to this, and it is not the other way around. There is a dead end, so it is better to give it a try and win a way out! I know that many brothers are worried that Kuai Shenrong and his son are Mongols, but they have no choice but to support Kuai Bai and Kuai Chengen. Brothers, if the imperial court had not drastically cut military pay, if Liang Wenmeng had not repeatedly deducted it, or even...if the imperial court was willing to recruit him again, then why would we have to bear the name of traitors?"
Zhang Wenxu also supported him and sighed: "Yes, it is a sudden change because of arrears of wages. As long as there is still a way to survive, who is willing to take the risk? We are really forced to have no choice, and all the brothers can no longer bear the torture, so they have to come out." Last resort.
If the court can make a clear decision about what we have done this time, that would be a good thing. But if the court does not distinguish between right and wrong, then brothers will have no choice but to fight on their own. It is not in vain to be a good man for once in this life! "
Good, bad, hard, soft, everything that needs to be said has been said. Everyone was already dissatisfied, but now in front of many comrades, no one wanted to admit that they were a coward, so they all made up their minds and agreed to start a fight. Kuaibai ordered his generals to enter the city one by one with their own private soldiers under the guise of a clever name, and settled in each group, waiting for military orders.
On the 24th of this month, Ningxia Governor Liang Wenmeng sent someone to ask Chief Military Officer Zhang Weizhong to accompany him to inspect the city defense. Zhang Weizhong introduced Ningxia Zhencheng guerrilla general Liang Qi and Ningxia Zhencheng garrison Ma Chengguang to pay homage.
Although Zhang Weizhong was a military general, he had a reputation for being loyal and upright. Liang Wenzhong and Meng had a good attitude towards him. He said warmly: "Since Benfu took office, he has been faced with a severe cut in the pay of the three armies by the imperial court. The matters are important and the responsibilities are overwhelming, so he has been busy. General affairs, so far that we still don’t know everything about Ningxia’s defense.
A few days ago, Gongbao, the Minister of Rongzheng and the senior manager of the Seven Towns, thought of his friendship with the same family, and wrote a letter to me, saying that I am currently in trouble in Ningxia, both internally and externally - there are captives outside and arrogant soldiers inside. He reminded me to be careful and beware of both. I wonder what Zhang Zongrong has to say about this? "
Gao Wuzhen is now not only "at the peak of his literary fame", but his martial arts is also famous all over the world. Especially the towns in Jiubian have been fighting the Mongols all year round. Everyone praises Gao Gongbao who won the great victory in Monan a few years ago. , Everyone admires him. Liang Wenmeng specifically pointed out that Gao Jingshi was his "fellow disciple" at this moment, and said that Gao Jingshi had personally written to him a few days ago, not to show off, but to inadvertently close the psychological distance between himself and Zhang Weizhong. At the same time, It also made Zhang Weizhong more confident in him.
Pulling the flag into a tiger's skin, this skill is not only highly pragmatic, but Liang Wenmeng seems to be a good one as well.
Zhang Weizhong was originally a taciturn man from Shaanxi. He originally planned to say less and make fewer mistakes, but when he heard Liang Futai's high-level Gongbao, his heart moved and he decided to speak carefully, so he bowed his hands and said seriously: "Return to Futai, Ningxia Town The city directly governs the five guards, and the rest has five thousand households in Lingzhou, Xingwu, Weizhou, and Pinglu, as well as Ningxia Zhongwei and Ningxia Guards. There are also other battalions of 3,000 each such as Zhengbing Camp, Qibing Camp, Reinforcement Camp, and Ranger Camp. .
Today, there are a total of 37,800 registered and actual horse infantry troops in a town in Ningxia, but the private soldiers of the border generals are not among them. The exact number changes from time to time, and the final general dare not say it lightly. The soldiers and horses of each department divide and defend the territory in peacetime and perform their respective responsibilities. In wartime, they support each other and fight together.
There are many castles in Ningxia Town. The soldiers are gathered in forts, the piers and towers are used to light the beacons, and the border walls are used to limit the Huayi. So far, 35 piers and piers and 17 forts have been built. Together with the two cities inside and outside Ningxia Town, they are collectively called the Four Ningxia Towns. Nineteen cities. In addition, there are 453 gullies in the pass wall, which are reinforced and improved every year. The pass stone is 18 feet tall and 2 feet three feet high; the parapet wall is seven feet high, three feet wide at the bottom and one foot and eight feet wide at the top.
If we talk about the external defense situation, the mountain in the north is 597 feet long, and the mountain in the south is 76 feet long. It has deep ditches and high forts, and is heavily guarded. It is surrounded by the Yellow River in the middle and Helan in the west. However, the terrain from the east of the river to Huamachi is flat and there is no danger to defend. Therefore, four dangerous roads were set up in the east of the river, and fortifications such as the wall along the river, the Taole Changdi, and the Beiguan and Xiguan were built successively, which can be said to be impregnable.
As for internal rebellion, our government has strict laws and with the help of superiors and subordinates, the rebels are actually in the minority. However, despite this, there are still multiple gates in Ningxia City. As long as you lead one department to defend according to danger and order all the departments to rush to rescue, you will be foolproof. "
Liang Wenmeng listened to Zhang Weizhong's words and he was very satisfied and praised him greatly. The two of them stood on the high platform of the city tower and looked around. Liang Wenmeng pointed to two large houses in Ningxia City that were bustling with people and asked, "Whose families are these two? How can they be so prosperous?"
Zhang Weizhong took a look and replied: "That place in the northeast corner is the residence of Kuai Shenrong. He has been in the army for decades, his family is well-off, and there are many servants in the residence, so it is very lively; that place in the south is not an ordinary residence, but It is the Ningxia branch of Jinghua Trading Company. It has many warehouses, stables, etc., and it occupies a large area. In addition, there are many servants and hired workers, and there are many merchants coming and going, so it is naturally busy."
Liang Wenmeng suddenly looked at it and felt thoughtful. After a while, I felt satisfied when I thought that Zhang Weizhong was so familiar with Ningxia City.
However, he also had some doubts in his heart, and thought to himself: Brother Qiuzhen said in his letter that Zhang Weizhong was mature, prudent, honest and trustworthy. It seems to be true now, but he also said that this man lacked judgment when the opportunity came, and that he was not good at serving his subordinates. I am afraid that I am too generous and asked me to pay more attention to it, but I don’t know whether it is true or not. If it is true, where did Brother Qiuzhen learn about it? Could it be Ma Gui's place?
He hesitated, so he ordered his confidant Jiang Tingfu to be vigilant, investigate secretly, and report any news immediately.
A few days later, when the Chinese army was sitting in the camp, Jiang Tingfu noticed that there seemed to be something strange in the camp. He urgently reported to Liang Wenmeng and requested that the insufficient food and wages be reimbursed immediately, in order to stabilize the morale of the army.
Jiang Tingfu said: "Recently, I have noticed unusual movements in the camp. Officers at all levels have been moving around in turns. There are probably no less than a hundred people with names. This must be related to the town's repeated arrears of pay. The rumor of the government's deduction has long been spread. Now in the military camp If things are strange, we should look at them from a low point of view. If things go on like this, there may be a mutiny. Please take pity on the poor military households and be merciful and pay them to avoid catastrophe!"
Liang Wen Meng was furious and scolded: "How can the officials of the feudal territory be slandered at will! I am an honest, upright and selfless official. Who knows, both in the government and in the public? The officers in the Ningxia military town are greedy and the soldiers are unjust. How can they be so presumptuous as to slander me?" Shangguan, where are the rules and regulations and where are the laws and regulations!"
Jiang Tingfu did not dare to say anything and just sighed.
Liang Wenmeng's anger subsided a little, and then said: "You only know that I still have military pay in my hands, but you don't know that this military pay is for the town's annual use. If we start to increase the amount at the beginning of the year, when the middle of the year passes, won't we stop eating?" Not to mention that when winter comes, the cost will be even more. At that time, I will report to the court, saying that Ningxia has stopped paying, and ask the emperor to make another payment? If this is true, what should the emperor think, and what should the cabinet do? What do you think, and what should the Ministry of Finance think?
Furthermore, there may be changes in the Loop now. Once the situation changes, and I don’t have any money here, how can I defend the border? Not to mention that after the loss of Xining, Gao Zhitai repeatedly called for payment in order to gather troops for the Western Expedition. This is a major event of the country. Can I disobey the order and not collect the arrears? "
These matters were obviously beyond Jiang Tingfu's scope of thinking, so he could only remain silent.
Liang Wenmeng scolded him, calmed down a bit, and ordered him to go back on his own. Then he summoned his troops and issued an explicit order: Anyone who communicates with foreign enemies and plunders the people will be killed; anyone who spreads rumors to cause trouble and slanders Shangguan. Those who violate the law will be punished twenty times with a cane; anyone who commits rebellion and holds officials hostage will surely lead to the annihilation of their clan!
Liang Wenmeng believed that under the power of the imperial court, each battalion would not dare to act rashly under such strict orders, and he did not take it seriously that the battalions were connected in series.
On the night of the 28th, Kuai Bai and his son suddenly sent a letter to officers at all levels. The letter stated that Liang Wenmeng intended to wipe out all the officers and soldiers who caused trouble the next day as a warning to others.
Originally, the battalions had received a warning from Liang Wenmeng a few days ago. Many people thought of the majesty of the imperial court and the methods of the civil servants, and secretly retreated. However, when they heard that Liang Wenmeng was going to sacrifice their flags, they suddenly couldn't care less.
All battalions immediately stirred up mutiny, and the officers and soldiers of the fourth battalion of Ningxia Town responded in large numbers. General Jiyun of Kuai Baiyin suddenly broke out in the city and immediately captured and killed the guerrilla Liang Qi and the guard Ma Chengguang.
Only then did Zhang Weizhong, the commander-in-chief of Ningxia, realize that Kuai Bai had quietly gathered all his servants in the city. Zhang Weizhong was very familiar with the city of Ningxia. He knew that after the death of guerrilla Liang Qi and guard Ma Chengguang in the town, no one could compete with Kuai Bai, who was originally the general in charge of bidding. He could only send someone to urgently notify Liang Wenmeng while leading his relatives. Bing went to Kuaibai and tried to persuade him to step back from the brink. However, Kuaibai knew that he could control Ningxia internally and had strong support from the outside, so he had no intention of turning back, so Zhang Weizhongli was detained.
As soon as Zhang Weizhong was detained, without saying a word, he opened the city gates with the general's seal, attracting the rebels to pour in, and then occupied strategic points, arsenals, granaries and other places. All the officials, guards and soldiers in the city without their knowledge were detained. Kuai Cheng'en then led his troops to forcefully enter Prince Qing's Mansion.
As early as the Zhengde period, Prince Qing's Mansion had been stripped of its bodyguards due to convictions. At this time, there were only dozens of guards in Prince Qing's Mansion.
The governor of the three sides, Gao Guangxian, had previously sent more than a thousand people to protect King Qing, but Gao Guangxian and Liang Wenmengdu only regarded the Ordos tribe in Hetao as an imaginary enemy, and did not expect that something would happen in Ningxia City. Therefore, those more than a thousand people are still there now. Camping outside the north of the city, not inside the city at all, would not help King Qing at all.
When the rebels launched a massacre, the dozens of guards and servants of Prince Qing's Mansion had already fled. At this time, Prince Qing Zhu Shuai Zhen had not yet formally attacked Prince Qing - his father was dead, but his eldest son was still alive. During the "inspection period", the so-called "King Qing" is just what everyone calls him according to custom.
Where has Prince Xiao Qing seen such a scene? He was young and timid, but he was panicking now. Fortunately, his mother and concubine took him into the cellar to hide. Unfortunately, King Xiaoqing was relieved for the time being, but his mother and concubine were hacked to death by the rebels on the spot because they stepped forward to stop the rebels.
When Yi Cheng'en failed to search for Prince Qing, he ordered that all Prince Qing's royal robes and crowns be taken from him, and he would wear them on those of similar stature. He would take them out and parade them through the streets to intimidate Ningxia - after all, in theory, Prince Qing was the one guarding Ningxia. vassal king.
Kuaibai took his second son Kuai Chengchong, his adopted son Kuaiyun, Kuaihong, Kuaisai and his general Tu Wenxiu, etc., and introduced three thousand of his servants directly to the governor's Yamen.
Liang Wenmeng had just received Zhang Weizhong's warning, and before he had time to react, he was surrounded.
However, when Liang Wenmeng saw the arrogant and powerful worshipers, his expression did not change. Instead, he bowed with his fingers and cursed on the spot: "Little Tatar thief, I knew you would have different intentions! I wanted to wait until the decree was issued. I captured you again. I never thought that you could actually instigate the rebellion of the fourth camp of Ningxia Town. This matter was caused by my oversight. I was entrusted by the emperor to seal the territory, so I could only die to apologize. However, you and other rebels and traitors have committed rebellion and killed loyal and good people. As early as ten months , as late as half a year, he will die without a burial place, and will be reviled by all generations!"
Kuai Bai was furious and went crazy. He slapped Liang Wenmeng to the corner and cursed at him: "How dare you pretend to be loyal when your death is about to happen! I usually don't know etiquette and am arrogant and domineering. But I have never had any intention of rebellion. It is you, the governor of Ningxia, who always want to kill me. In addition, you are greedy and regard soldiers as livestock. The morale of the army has been lost. Otherwise, it would be difficult for me to incite rebellion in the four camps. All of this is to comfort me. The merit of Taiwan!"
Liang Wenmeng laughed loudly: "If you want to inflict a crime, why bother? I, Liang, look up to the sky as worthy of the sky, bow to the earth as worthy of the earth, conduct as worthy of the people, and stop as the heart, how can I care about the words of these beasts! The only regret I have in this life is that Ningxia has been wronged by me. I have betrayed the emperor's trust, and I have betrayed the truth and warned you. That's all! Bye, now that the matter has come to an end, I have to leave you to my will whether you want to kill or behead me!"
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PS: I have to go back to my hometown to do some errands starting tomorrow. It is currently estimated that it may take three days. Although updates will not be interrupted, the update time is uncertain. It is also possible that rewards and monthly tickets will not be attached to the chapters for the time being. We will update them when we return. Send it out together, hope everyone knows.
