The deserted city quickly became lively.
The defeat of Liang Ying's army was just the beginning, and dozens more groups followed.
There were as few as three to five hundred people and as many as one or two thousand. They found a courtyard to live in the city and ordered the county magistrate to raise food and grass.
“There aren’t even ghosts in the deserted city, how can we raise food and grass?”
Zhao Tai met a civil servant who could provide a supporter. Facing this group of hungry and defeated troops, he had no reason to explain and did not dare to say it, so he had to transport the grain from the mine to share it.
There are several thousand people in the city, and they can only eat this food for three to five days at most.
The generals and commanders of various ministries also knew that there was no food in the deserted city, and they vented their anger on each other in private.
It was announced to the outside world that the walls would be strong and the country would be clear to resist Dayong, and then they began to raid the villages and towns around the deserted city.
The soldiers passed by like a grate, and the robbery was legal and organized. There was nothing left in the people's homes, and they had to become refugees and drag their families with them to the south to escape for their lives.
Those who dare to resist are Dayong’s spies!
The city gate.
Li Hong watched the carts of food and goods being delivered to the various military leaders in the city, trying his best to suppress the anger in his heart.
"Sir, I have often heard from my eldest brother that the millions of troops in northern Xinjiang didn't do any harm to the common people. At least they had strict discipline. How come they have deteriorated to this level in just a few years?"
Fearing death when fighting external wars, oppressing the people internally, bandits are more vicious than bandits and rebels!
"Human nature is like this. It's hard to become good, you need to abide by various rules, and you need to be tamed and disciplined constantly. It's easy to become bad. You can change from an iron soldier to a rogue bandit in just a few months, not to mention five years!"
Zhou Yi said slowly: "War is about to break out in northern Xinjiang. The soldiers are fierce and dangerous, and a gentleman will not stand on a dangerous wall. I will return to Shenjing today. In the chaos, remember to save your life as the first priority."
After being stranded in Huangcheng for less than half a month, news of a series of defeats came from northern Xinjiang.
Yesterday, the defeated army in the city almost mutinied, but because the last fully organized army in Northern Xinjiang was surrounded and defeated by the Dayong Army.
The two prefectures of Yi and Su in northern Xinjiang were once the old lands of Dayong, and now they have been completely returned. It is not yet known how much territory Fengyang Kingdom will fall to in the future.
Li Hong said in surprise: "With your strength, my husband is better than my father. Who else in the world can keep you?"
"You have never even left Fengyang Kingdom, how dare you say how big the world is?"
Zhou Yi said solemnly: "Practice people must not be proud. This world is so big that even a mortal can't visit it in his lifetime!"
Li Hong held the disciple ceremony, bowed and said: "Thank you sir for your teaching."
In recent days, I have been communicating with Zhou Yi, and the many wild and unconstrained ideas in my words have opened Li Hong's horizons. Some of the remarks may seem unbelievable, but when I think about them carefully, I find them to be truly mysterious and extraordinary.
Li Hongming understood many truths that were not found in books. Although he and Zhou Yi did not have the name of master and disciple, they were actually master and disciple.
"gone."
Zhou Yi is not a procrastinator. He has a long and endless life and needs to get used to parting as soon as possible.
Li Hong said goodbye with tears in his eyes: "Have a nice trip, sir."
My parents and brothers are all dead. Today I am separated from Zhou Yi, and I am truly alone in this vast northern territory.
Zhou Yi looked back and said in a message.
"The chaos in Northern Xinjiang is a huge bad thing for the people, the soldiers, and the court. It is only a good thing for you. If you want to imitate the Duke of Zhen, spend your money to buy a guerrilla general."
After saying that, he jumped on his horse, waved his whip, and walked away.
There are only tens of thousands of guerrilla generals with actual power and troops. No matter how declining the Zhenguo Palace is, Li Hong can still use this little money.
…
Follow the official road all the way south.
Three days later.
I saw smoke rising from the kitchen in the distance, and in front of me was Chenjiagou, where I stayed for the night.
In the village, old man Chen is a wonderful man. He roasts crispy rabbit meat, brews fine rice wine, and speaks well.
Zhou Yi chatted with him about ancient and modern times, but he couldn't get the upper hand at all. He talked with him all night long before he felt comfortable.
"A strange man from the mountains, nothing more than that!"
Zhou Yi touched his shriveled pocket and said, "You didn't even leave any loose money. Since Brother Chen knows astronomy and geography, he wouldn't be reluctant to borrow a couple of taels for the night, right?"
From a poor family to a rich man, Zhou Yi went out with five thousand taels of silver notes, and a "hero" gave away several thousand taels of silver notes on the way. Now he has spent nothing.
While Zhou Yi was thinking about it, he kept walking and was already close to Chenjiagou.
When the wind blew, his complexion suddenly changed slightly!
"What a strong smell of blood."
Zhou Yi leapt on horseback, reaching a distance of a hundred feet in an instant.
There is indeed smoke in the village, but it is not the farmers who cook, but two to three hundred soldiers lighting the fire at the entrance of the village.
When the soldier on duty noticed someone coming, he shouted with a simple knife: "What are you looking at, old guy? If you don't want to die, get away!"
"Where are the people from Chenjiagou?"
Zhou Yi could guess without asking that these soldiers were stained with fresh blood on their bodies and knives. The cooks were killing pigs and sheep, and there were large and small food bags piled next to them.
The leader said: "What nonsense, just shoot him."
At the command, the bowstring sounded, and more than a dozen arrows shot out.
"Zhou has never been aggressive in his life, but someone came to seek death!"
Zhou Yi's figure was shaking, and his speed was as fast as lightning, which exceeded the reaction limit of ordinary people.
The commander only saw a faint shadow, shuttling between the soldiers under his command. The soldiers could not even utter their death screams and fell to the ground in pieces like mowing grass.
"Ghost!"
The leader screamed strangely and ran towards Chenjiagou with his head in his hands.
After killing more than two hundred soldiers, it only took a dozen breaths. Zhou Yi chased after him at a few speeds, and the cold voice rang in Dutong's ears.
"If you want to see ghosts so much, I will grant you your wish!"
After saying that, he activates the house-resting talisman, and ghosts float out from the houses in the village. Most of them are empty and chaotic, with no discernible faces. A few can clearly see missing arms and legs, and their bodies are covered with stab wounds and gunshot wounds.
Among them, one of the victims was the clearest, with a broken neck and two holes in his abdomen, with blood pouring out.
Phew!
When the wronged soul saw the leader's appearance, his resentment suddenly surged, his face became ferocious, and he let out a piercing ghostly roar.
The other ghosts and ghosts with chaotic consciousness, guided by the call of the wronged souls, rushed over one after another.
The commander had never seen such a terrifying scene. This ghost dragged half of his intestines, and the ghost carried his head. He rolled his eyes in fear and fainted.
A group of ghosts pounced on the leader and were about to devour his yang energy, essence and blood, when suddenly the evil energy of the army appeared to protect him.
The sharp pain like a knife stabbing made the ghost scream and retreat, and Nono did not dare to step forward.
The canthus of the enemy soul was about to burst, and black mist spewed out from its mouth, covering the commander.
Zhou Yi's magic power was running, and he used the lion's roar martial arts method: "Brother Chen, please take a breath, I have something to ask him."
The sound was like thunder, and the enemy's soul woke up from its ferocity and recognized Zhou Yi's appearance, with blood and tears oozing from his eyes.
"Thank you, my benefactor, for avenging Chenjiagou's bloodshed!"
"My condolences to Brother Chen."
Zhou Yi walked up to Du Tong and used his magic power to penetrate several acupuncture points. The severe pain caused him to wake up from his coma.
"Are you the defeated army in Northern Xinjiang?"
Dutong looked at the ghosts around him, his red eyes staring at him bitterly, a chill running down his spine, and he got up, kowtowed and begged.
"I have no choice. Since the defeat and retreat in Northern Xinjiang, the imperial court has not issued new military orders, nor has it allocated military pay and food!"
"I haven't eaten for seven or eight days. In order not to starve to death, I have no choice but to rob the people!"
