The magistrate of Hougang County, Ning Zhuo, was unable to resist the surging public opinion and could only be forced to act as the leader and lead his troops to surrender.
This was contrary to his loyalty to the court, and it also went against the will of his family. He abandoned most of the people when necessary to preserve his territory and troops.
After surviving this period of famine, Lu Ding will turn around and take over the border counties. This is the promise of the overlord of Dingxi.
Maybe most people think it's a little ridiculous, but to the Wangning family in Border City County, it's reasonable.
If they reach the stage like Lu Ding, they will go south to seize the rich land first, instead of going north to collect a burden.
The leaders of Border City County only need to control the hungry people within the county and prevent them from becoming refugees and attacking the wealthy Pinghe County for food.
When Lu Ding goes north in the future, he will be rewarded based on his merits.
Whichever family controls the territory, has the most troops, and contributes more to overall stability will be able to occupy more positions in the new dynasty.
As the largest family in Border City County, the Ning family is naturally the most concerned about this. They not only control the county town of Longbei City, but also control two of the five counties.
Hougang was originally the place where the Ning family felt most at ease, because with Ning Zhuo, the orthodox county magistrate, the family had a name and soldiers, which could be said to be unbreakable.
Another family in the county, the Wang family and other county tycoons, can only share half of Longbei City together. The other three counties are mostly shared by several families.
It is a pity that the elders of the Ning family never expected that as the legitimate son who received an elite education, the most outstanding descendant of the family in recent years would actually have a "conscience".
After the famine broke out completely, Ning Zhuo not only failed to recruit troops to strengthen his real power, but instead misappropriated military rations to provide relief to the victims.
When all the cities dared not let go, Hougang City allowed homeless refugees to enter the city, and at least some of them stuttered every day.
Under such circumstances, even with some food support provided by the Ning family, it would not be able to last for long.
Ning Zhuo and the other refugees were looking forward to the summer harvest before, but they never expected that the Ning family and other large families would jointly send troops to harvest the wheat in advance.
Everyone knows that there will be a severe drought this year and production will be severely reduced. Naturally, these big families also know that food must not be left outside.
Hougang City did not harvest a few acres of summer grain, and the order of people's hearts that Ning Zhuo had carefully maintained completely collapsed. The nearly 100,000 victims gathered every day were like a powder keg, ready to explode at any time.
At this time, even Ning Zhuo's accumulated prestige could not appease the hundreds of thousands of refugees.
On the verge of starving to death, no matter what you say, it's all lies. At the moment, only food is real.
Therefore, no matter what Ning Zhuo was thinking, he had no choice but to surrender after being coerced by public opinion.
Flags were fluttering, horses' hooves were like thunder, and war drums resounded throughout the world. It had been a long time since such a powerful army had appeared in the border city.
The dark black armor, the shining blade, and the cold air.
The cavalry is like the wind, the infantry is like the sea, and they are like military columns like copper walls and iron walls, advancing neatly towards Hougang City.
The extremely domineering military spirit, like a violent wind and rain, swept away the accumulated resentment, evil spirit, and surging calamity energy around Hougang City.
The 100,000 hungry people who poured out of the city were still vicious wolves with red eyes, but they instantly calmed down in front of the sharp blades of the 3,000 demon-defying army.
Yes, in order to control the situation immediately, the demon-suppressing army was at the forefront.
They moved like thunder, controlling key points in the city with unparalleled speed, and then rushed into the crowd to form human walls, as silent as mountains, blocking the impact of the waves of hungry people.
Of course, there will inevitably be violent suppression in the process, but as long as too many lives are not lost, it will be fine.
When Zhou Bai arrived, what he saw was a phantom of Pixiu condensed with military aura, proudly holding its head high, sitting in the sky above Hougang City.
One hundred thousand hungry people were like trembling chickens under the shock of the three thousand demon-defying army. They had never seen such a terrifying army.
The average person has achieved more than a full degree of physical training, with majestic qi and blood, and rolling heat, not to mention the fact that they have a murderous aura that firmly suppresses their hunger impulse.
And what kind of monster is that above the head and why is it here...
So even though the grain truck was right in front of them, Hougang City, the volcano that was about to erupt, was still forcibly cooled down by force.
Zhou Bai rode Jijing, surrounded by generals and guards such as Gao Hu, Jiao Tu, Lou Jinpeng, etc., and slowly arrived in front of the welcoming team.
There are only a few officials, more than ten generals, and then there are rows of thin and weak soldiers with weapons laid out.
The entire Hougang City was maintained by them before, which made Zhou Bai's eyes flash with a strange color.
He is very clear about the horror of human nature in the famine era, and he also understands the concept of a hundred thousand hungry people in a city, otherwise the demon-suppressing army will take control of the situation.
It can only be said that Ning Zhuo, the magistrate of Hougang County, may still have some abilities.
In fact, after hearing what Ning Zhuo had done from the soldiers in Shazhou City, Zhou Bai was a little disdainful, because in his opinion, this was the "Holy Mother".
In the last days of turmoil, a heart attack will not only fail to save people, but will also cause greater losses.
Just like the situation in Hougang City, if Zhou Bai didn't come, a hundred thousand hungry people would riot and eventually turn the city into ruins.
There were countless casualties, and the tragedy of cannibalism was almost predictable.
And this situation can obviously be avoided, as long as Ning Zhuo chooses to sacrifice a very small number of weak people.
"Ning Zhuo, the magistrate of Hougang County, led the people of Hougang to ask the Governor of Anbei to surrender."
Ning Zhuo wore the already somewhat dirty Daxu official robe and followed the formal etiquette, trying hard to maintain the last bit of dignity.
"Magistrate Ning, please get up."
Even though Zhou Bai felt that Ning Zhuo's previous actions were a bit hypocritical and pedantic, he still dismounted, received the surrender letter and official seal list, and completed the surrender process.
There are one county and four counties behind him, and he wants to set up Ning Zhuo as a sign.
The last trace of reluctance in Ning Zhuo's heart disappeared, replaced by a sense of relief. The lives and deaths of a hundred thousand people weighed on him every day, almost making him unable to breathe.
Without waiting for Zhou Bai to arrange Ning Zhuo, he took the initiative to ask Ying and said: "Captain, can you let me participate in the relief and relief work? The grassroots people are familiar with the people's sentiments and may be able to help."
This former county magistrate was in a very good position. After surrendering, he actually called himself a commoner. He did not have the self-confidence supported by various statuses.
Ning Zhuo's sincere request may be seen by others as a newly demoted official who is eager to perform meritorious service.
But Zhou Bai heard that the former county magistrate never meant this. He was always concerned about the emotions of the hungry people and could not pretend to be so.
Zhou Bai suddenly felt a little confused. Maybe this was not the Hypocritical Virgin, but a pure person?
"You are still the magistrate of Hougang County for the time being. Let's see how the follow-up goes."
With these words and a group of alternate officials brought from the Governor's Mansion, Zhou Bai strode into the city. Next, he had to consider where to attack.
Taking Shazhou City can still cover up, but taking Hougang, it is impossible to hide the arrival of the Anbei Army at all costs.
The whole county was shaken, horses were everywhere, and the sky was full of carrier pigeons.
No one expected that the first one to conquer them was not the northern grassland tribes or Lu Ding from the south, but the Anbei Dudufu who came across Baishazhou.
And before they could react, they had already captured Hougang and gained a foothold in Border City County.
The big and small forces everywhere have different thoughts on this. Some are panicked and afraid of losing their current positions of power; some are overjoyed because the famine may be alleviated with the arrival of a new person in power; but most are still hesitant and arguing. , fight or surrender.
…
In Longbei City, as soon as they received the news of Hougang's sudden change, representatives of the major forces immediately gathered in the county government office.
The county guard abandoned his official position and returned to the court. No one could unite the various forces in the county and the city, and no one could take the chief seat in the government hall.
Even Ning Cheng, the most powerful head of the Ning family, could only add a chair next to the main seat and could barely be regarded as the person presiding over the meeting.
In the past, because of the Ning family's advantage in the county, he could control the situation every time a crowd gathered to discuss matters, but it was different today. The Wang family joined forces with several other county tycoons to launch an attack.
"What do you mean by the Ning family? Ning Zhuo surrendered without any resistance. Could it be that the Ning family has climbed to the heights of the Governor of Anbei?"
"That's right, head of the Ning family, the Ning family is in charge of Shazhou City and Hougang County. If you lose it quietly, how will the safety of the entire county be in danger!"
"Anbei's army gained a foothold, but it was like a tiger descending from the mountain, unstoppable."
The continuous questioning made Ning Cheng look gloomy, and he had already cursed Ning Zhuo countless times in his heart.
But at the moment, he can't break up the trouble after all: "Ning Zhuo must have done this carefully. In his eyes, he should not be able to stop An Beijun."
"I'm going to Ruinan in January. Is it possible that our border town is stronger than Ruinan County?"
Wang Yi, the head of the Wang family, sneered and said, "That's not necessarily true. At least my sons and daughters on the Great Wall are all first-class strong soldiers."
"Can you still afford to support them now? The 20,000 border troops have been abolished for half a year, but now there are still 5,000?" Ning Cheng refused to give in and said sarcastically.
Seeing that the two families were about to confront each other, Zhu Weng, the good old man of Longbei City, stood up and changed the subject: "Thirty thousand people starved to death last month. This summer harvest can only last for a month at most. If there is a war, summer planting will not be possible." Guaranteed, there is no hope for the autumn harvest.”
"Master Jun Cheng, do you want to vote?" There was no emotion in Wang Yi's voice.
Zhu Weng kept his mouth shut and didn't answer. He just looked at Ning Cheng. He knew that only those with soldiers in Border City County had the right to speak.
The reason why the Ning and Wang families are called county commanders in this small county is because they have been serving in the border army for generations, and their relationship is complicated.
Ning Cheng thought for a moment and said hesitantly: "Let's see whether we vote or not. The conditions offered by Lu Ding are very generous. I heard that although Ruinan Jiedushi is not dead, he does not receive any preferential treatment."
What he was thinking was that anyway, Ning Zhuo had surrendered and his eggs were placed in two baskets, so he didn't have to worry about the Ning family being wiped out.
"Second the order and stick to it, and at the same time send the message to Pinghe..."
Unlike other county towns located in the very center of the county, Longbei City, the county town of Border City, is located at the northernmost end of the county.
As a county seat, it guarded the northern border of the border city to prevent the Jin Kingdom or the grassland tribes from going south.
The five counties, including Hougang County, are distributed in a fan shape, with Menju County at the southernmost end and Menjuguan County at the same time, adjacent to Pinghe County.
Therefore, after acquiring the stronghold of Hougang, the Anbei Army's next primary goal is Longbei City and Menjuguan. If they capture one south and one north, they can conquer the entire county.
After walking around the starving camps for a few times, making many promises to "eat", and gaining a lot of reputation, Zhou Bai stopped taking care of the people and providing relief.
In the dilapidated county government office in the center of Hougang County, Zhou Bai held a military meeting to adjust the budget for attacking temples in Border City County.
The civil servants and generals of Hougang County knew Biancheng County better than Shazhou City. After several descriptions, the generals of the Anbei Army had a good idea.
The Great Wall and Longbei City are the strongest and have the most troops. Basically, the bases of all the major forces are there.
There are more than 20,000 county soldiers, including 10,000 elite border troops, who are in the hands of the Ning family and the Wang family respectively.
In addition, there are five thousand elite soldiers at Menjuguan, blocking the main transportation routes of Pinghe County and Biancheng County.
In the past, when Biancheng County was not yet developed, Menjuguan was like Cangshan Mountain, the dividing line between grassland and farming civilization, and a barrier for Pinghe County to block the invasion from the north. However, now it has become the basis for Biancheng County to establish its own rule.
With the gate in hand, Anbei will take the strategic initiative against the Lu family.
It was up to Zhou Bai to choose if he wanted to level the river in the border town and move south from the mainland, or to hold on to the border town and hold back part of Lu Ding's troops.
"Don't worry about the county soldiers and horses. The serious county soldiers have been replaced by the county's private soldiers. They will not be easily consumed and harass us..."
"The land in the border town has been famine for a long time. Even if there are strong soldiers, I'm afraid they can't maintain their energy and spirit."
"My subordinates suggest that we divide our forces. One force will move southward, while the main force will go straight to Longbei..."
Lou Jinpeng pointed at the map provided by Ning Zhuo and talked eloquently. Zhou Yuan was away, so he usually did the strategy and command.
Zhou Bai listened silently to Lou Jinpeng's report, and after waiting for the generals to give similar suggestions, he summed up and issued orders.
"Pass an order, Jiao Tu will lead five thousand soldiers of the government and one thousand soldiers of the subduing demon army to attack Mengouguan. Pinghe's soldiers are not allowed to take a single step into the border city."
"He Zhiwu led two thousand cavalry to patrol the entire county and blockade the counties. If they can be forced to surrender, they will be forced to surrender."
"Except for the two thousand militiamen led by Xu Yun who stayed behind in Hougang, the rest of the main force followed me northward and marched straight to Longbei."
"General, I obey!" Once the military order was issued, all the generals responded without any objection.
Even though the number of troops and militia heading north was less than 20,000, the accumulation of consecutive victories had made them accustomed to defeating more with less.
A warrior in the Houtian realm is a middle-level backbone in any army, but in the Anbei Army, he is often just a grassroots officer. It is very common for corps commanders to have this kind of realm.
With such a quality of soldiers, why should they be afraid of the scattered armies in the border towns?
On August 22nd, the Anbei Army, which had been repairing for a day, divided its forces and rushed out. Its strong military momentum was fully displayed, and its military spirit swept the surrounding areas.
Before Zhou Bai left, he visited the camp for hungry civilians who had all been relocated outside the city. Although it was not in order, there was no violence and oppression in it.
The steaming porridge shacks melted the heroic spirit of some reckless heroes into the invisible.
Ning Zhuo led a group of officials to distribute food, assign tasks in an orderly manner, build roads and cities, and provide relief work.
According to him, the hungry people have been hungry for too long and need to stay here for a few more days to regain their strength.
Also, the county was not yet settled at this time. Even if there was food relief, it would still cause unnecessary hidden dangers if one hundred thousand hungry people were sent back to the countryside.
On August 26, Zhou Bai led the main force to Longbei City. No county soldiers from other counties intercepted him on the way, but he encountered a few hungry and dizzy refugee troops who wanted to rob grain trucks.
On the same day, the monk Feijian who accompanied Jiao Tu southward sent a message that the gates had been closed and the south gate had been closed.
The general of Menju County was bribed by Lu Ding and tried to resist, but was beheaded. Two other wealthy families in the county were massacred...
