"Hou Funing, you are finally here."
In order to say these words, Fang Yuegong almost exhausted all his life's strength.
If his teeth could bite someone to death, he would definitely bite Zhu Guobi to death.
No matter how little he knew about military affairs, he knew that the march from Nanjing to Songjiang Prefecture would never take half a month.
But this Ming Dynasty minister explained to him with practical actions what it means to pull the crotch.
Facing Fang Yuegong's anger, Zhu Guobi was also very angry.
"Stop chatting and prepare food and fodder quickly. If you delay the military situation, I will definitely question you."
Thinking of this march, Zhu Guobi was really depressed.
After setting off from Nanjing, he followed Chen Guangbi's instructions, marched and gathered the army. He originally thought that he would be able to gather 30,000 troops.
But the current situation of the Ming Dynasty's official army gave him a heavy blow.
Zhenjiang Guards, which sent the most troops along the way, only had 2,000 troops.
You must know that based on the roster, the strength of Zhenjiang Guards should be 6,700.
Fully two-thirds of the amount was used as free money by local officials and generals.
As a result, all the way to Qingpu Town, Zhu Guobi had more than 20,000 men under his command.
And looking at this army of ten people who couldn't even put together a pair of armor, Zhu Guobi really didn't know how to fight this battle.
Even so, these gangsters are still sneaking around.
Even if they harassed the people and oppressed the good along the way, some people actually escaped from the battlefield.
Before arriving at Qingpu Town, Zhu Guobi inspected the troops and horses for the last time, and more than 3,000 people were missing.
What made him even more angry was that no matter where he went, the local officials kept the gates closed.
He sent people to press for money and food, but the local government just dealt with it hastily.
Anyone who can give some cereals and bran is considered a conscience. Some counties even simply said no and did not take Fu Ninghou into their eyes at all.
So the army arrived at Qingpu almost half-starved.
Fang Yuegong disliked his slow march, and he also disliked these civil servants for holding them back.
As soon as they met, the relationship between the two parties was very tense.
But Fang Yuegong was eager to regain Songjiang Mansion and had to make a compromise.
He found Xu Erxuan and other local gentry.
"Now that the imperial army has arrived, we are close to quelling the rebels and regaining the city. However, food and grass are the top priority for the army's expedition. Please donate generously to help the army win an early victory."
I need money and food!
After hearing this, the gentlemen immediately expressed their opinions enthusiastically.
"Don't worry, sir. It is our duty to help the imperial court, and we will never fall behind others. I, the Xu family, have spent our remaining wealth and two thousand taels of silver to buy grain and grass, and we will never let the heavenly soldiers go hungry."
Seeing Xu Erxuan taking the lead, another gentry quickly agreed.
"My Zhou family is no better than the Xu family. I am willing to be a vassal and give out one thousand five hundred taels of silver."
The third gentleman burst into tears.
"Although our Luo family eats porridge all day long, in order to help the imperial court put down the rebellion, we will raise five hundred taels of silver even if we risk our lives and hand it over to you, sir."
The gentlemen talked to each other, and the scene was extremely lively.
Hearing Fang Yuegong's five thunders, he was furious.
"You are so short-sighted! If the counter-rebellion is delayed, the lives of the local people will be ruined, and it will be your family property that is damaged. That day, you ransacked your house and destroyed your family, and you were all so stingy. Today, you are so stingy. Do you still have the court and loyalty in your eyes? ?”
Xu Erxuan has his own words in his head.
"Your Majesty, what you said is wrong! What we have gained is also our loss, and taking it is a matter of course. Just like the court's suppression of rebellion, it is also a matter of course. The court governs the affairs of the world, and if there is anything wrong, it should be punished. Sin. How can we, the gentry, come forward? If so, wouldn’t we be acting on behalf of the imperial court? This is arrogance."
Others echoed.
"That's right, countering rebellion is a matter for the imperial court, and we can't get involved."
"The imperial court is rich all over the world, but to quell a rebellion, it has to disturb the local area and rob people of their wealth. What's the point?"
"you……"
Fang Yuegong was so angry that he really wanted to kill someone on the spot.
But looking at these people here, he was completely powerless.
He knew very well that the relatives and old friends of these people were spread throughout the government and the public. Not to mention killing them, even if it is a little excessive, the connections of these people can make him die without a burial place.
But when you think about it, you are bent on plotting for the imperial court, even if you are willing to fight to the death, what exactly do you want?
In the end, Fang Yuegong tried his best to get more than 8,000 taels of silver and 3,000 shi of food and grass from the gentry.
Such a little thing is simply not enough for the army to consume.
Fang Yuegong and Zhu Guobi discussed together for a long time, and both felt that there was only one way.
That is to capture Songjiang Fucheng as soon as possible.
Otherwise, as long as the war continues, the army will be destroyed without an attack.
Understanding the seriousness of the situation, Zhu Guobi did not dare to delay and led his army towards Songjiang Fucheng that day.
The news of the arrival of the imperial army had already been known to the city.
Wang Ruixian and Li Chongtian, with the help of Xu Ji and others, have already completed the defense deployment of Songjiang Fucheng.
Among them, the Musketeers and Jinshan Guards are the biggest ones to rely on.
Two days later, the officers and soldiers arrived at the city.
At the same time, Mada Announcement on the North Road finally came forward.
Seeing the officers and soldiers gathered together, regardless of their appearance, it was really scary just looking at the number of people.
"Mr. Wang, can we really hold on?"
Qu Ye had never seen such a battle formation before, and he was so frightened that his two sides trembled.
According to his original intention, he might as well just jump on the boat and run to Shandong.
Wang Ruixian has a lot of wisdom.
He pointed at the officers and soldiers outside the city and commented arbitrarily.
"With this kind of people, even if the number is doubled, there is no way they can defeat us. Please rest assured and just keep watch."
After lunch, Zhu Guobi finally ordered to attack the city.
The officers and soldiers were also prepared.
They pushed out the two general cannons that had been removed from the Nanjing city wall and aimed them at the city wall from a distance.
Seeing that the officers and soldiers were about to fire, Wang Ruixian immediately shouted: "Everyone take cover and come back after the order."
Others were already frightened and ran down the city wall to hide in a safe place.
Wang Ruixian only arranged a few people who were not afraid of death at the top of the city to observe the movements of the officers and soldiers.
Only when the official infantry attacked, he would let the big guys return to the city to defend.
This wait is the time for two sticks of incense.
The officers and soldiers finally completed the loading of the artillery.
The gunner put the torch to the fuse and lit it, and in an instant a roar echoed throughout the land.
But seeing the performance of the army's artillery, the people at the top of the city were dumbfounded.
I saw a cannon exploded on the spot, killing several nearby soldiers. The broken barrel flew high into the sky, then fell heavily and rolled randomly on the ground.
Wherever they went, dozens of soldiers were crushed to death and injured.
The other artillery passed the quality standard and did not explode.
But there was no sound.
Thick gray smoke came out of the barrel, spreading into the air with a musty smell, and those who smelled it couldn't help but gag.
Okay...
The gunpowder is damp!
