The man was about to walk over to talk to the woman when suddenly an officer shouted loudly in the crowd: "Everyone obeys the order and is inspected by the soldiers in units of one hundred people. After release, follow our people to the square at the gate of the county government office. Those with families can go together after they find their own families. Those without families can go to the other side, do you understand?"
The people had washed their bodies and felt refreshed. When they heard what the officer said, they immediately said: "I understand."
The officer added: "We have prepared meals somewhere. Everyone has been hungry for a long time. Don't overeat. We provide them according to rations. If you feel you are not full, it doesn't matter. In a few hours, there will be another meal, right? If you don’t give everyone a meal, but if you eat too much suddenly, your stomach will burst. Please sit down in an orderly manner at that time, everyone will be seated, and those who compete will be severely punished!”
Everyone thought, obviously, this officer was not joking. It could be seen from his expression that this place had strict rules. An old man in the crowd whispered to the people around him: "As the saying goes, nothing can be achieved without rules. It's good to have rules, and it's good to have rules. The Annan people just don't have rules and don't treat people as human beings. The soldiers here look like regular troops." ”
The officer said: "Please move forward." The officer who spoke was none other than Wu Rong. He is the artillery company commander. If he can command the artillery, he must have a loud voice. Otherwise, who can hear you clearly on the battlefield with the continuous artillery fire? What can I say? It would be appropriate for Wu Rong to explain to these refugees the rules of the survival brigade.
The man finally reunited with the mother and son. This was regarded as the woman's acknowledgment that she and the man were a family. The man seemed very happy. Although he was very tired, he still carried the boy on his shoulders.
Before they arrived at the county government square, the smell of meat wafted over. In order to cleanse these five thousand people, Gao Heng took great pains. Not only did he take out all the horse meat that was pickled last time, he also allocated grain. Of course, although it sounds scary, the food placed in front of everyone is not rich. Each person only has three things, a bowl of rice, a bowl of horse meat soup and a bowl of local Annan wild vegetables.
The refugees kept coming out of the bathroom. After being inspected, they went to the square in batches. Gao Heng collected a lot of benches and tables in the city, and asked the carpentry shop to temporarily make a batch of stools. They were all brought to the square, which was barely enough for several thousand people. People sat down.
The county seat of Tuoxian County is not big to begin with. It originally had only 30,000 residents. More than 5,000 people arrived at the gate of the county government office and immediately blocked the square and street entrances, making it slightly crowded.
People who have been hungry for a long time will light up when they smell the aroma of food, but with soldiers guarding them, they dare not act rashly. Some children want to see where the source of the aroma is, but their parents tell them Holding them tightly to prevent them from moving, these refugees had just been rescued from the concentration camp. They all had some fear of the soldiers. Although they knew that the Survival Brigade was their savior, people would always make some inertial reactions. .
With the bang of the gun, everyone was startled and looked towards the gate of the county government office. They saw Gao Heng, wearing his helmet, walking up the steps. With the sound of gunshots, hundreds of women entered the venue, each of them carrying a wooden bucket in their hands. Some were responsible for setting the dishes, and some were responsible for distributing food.
Three large bowls were placed in front of the little boy, as well as in front of the man and woman. The first woman came over, scooped out a large piece of boiled horse meat from the barrel, and put it in the little boy's bowl, followed by a large spoonful of horse meat soup with a layer of oil floating on it.
The second woman added a spoonful of wild vegetables to another bowl of the little boy. The ancients may have been eager for meat because they could rarely eat it on weekdays, but Gao Heng had insights four hundred years ahead of his time and knew the importance of a balanced diet. Sex, for example, the night blindness of ancient soldiers was due to insufficient vitamin intake. Of course, the survival brigade did not have better conditions now, but he had to try his best to combine meat and vegetables.
Finally, a woman came up and placed a bowl of rice. Annan's rice was of good quality, and the bowl of hot rice was full of the aroma of grain.
The little boy stretched out his hand to grab the horse meat. Perhaps he was so hungry that he didn't notice the temperature of the horse meat. As soon as his hand touched the horse meat, it was so hot that he shrank back. The woman said quickly: "Don't be anxious, don't be anxious, wait a little longer, wait a little longer."
"Everyone!" Gao Heng said loudly on the steps. Everyone's eyes were focused on him. He raised the ceramic bowl in his hand and said, "I have a bowl of horse meat soup here just like everyone else. There is no wine here for the time being. I'm sorry for all of you."
"Today is a special day. The survival brigade has welcomed more than 5,000 newcomers. You all came out alive from the camp of the Annan people. You have been short of food and clothing for such a long time, and you have never had a decent meal. , you are suffering in the camp, enduring the whipping and torture of the Annan people, it is not easy for you, thank you for your hard work."
As soon as Gao Heng finished speaking, there was a faint sound of crying in the square, and then the sound became louder and louder. Everyone was crying for their tragic fate and their lost relatives.
"But, starting from today, you can hold your chest high and live an upright life. You are welcome to join our big family. You are the first batch. More expats will arrive later. The survival brigade defeated the Annan people and captured He gave birth to the crown prince and used the crown prince to exchange all the overseas Chinese. From now on, this is your new home. We have only one goal in this land, which is to live, live better, and live a good life. For this To achieve the goal, all of us must shoulder our own responsibilities. Men must serve as soldiers, engaged in military affairs and production, women must wash and cook, and children must learn to help. In the future, if conditions permit, we will also build schools so that children can have Reading, in short, I hope you all will fight with me and the soldiers and people here to create your own world. Come and drink together!" Gao Heng picked up the bowl and took a sip of horse meat soup.
Everyone picked up the pottery bowl in front of them and shouted, "Thank you, General, for saving your life!"
"How is this possible? Gao Heng, Gao Heng is a kid." Zuo Bin's exclamation came from the Zhennanguan military office. Since the last retreat, the Ming army has strictly defended itself against the Annan people. Possible retaliation, so the border is basically closed, cutting off all contact with Annan. Once private exchanges are discovered, they will be sent to the government for punishment.
The same goes for the Annan people, who are wary of the Ming army. The more than ten miles of the border between the two countries has basically become a no-man's land. Whoever appears in this area may be regarded as a local spy and be punished. to be captured or shot.
As a result, news about Gao Heng and the others was basically cut off. Although Zuo Bin also wanted to know what happened to them after they arrived in Tuoxian County, he had no choice but to find out what happened next.
Until today, the two sides have been in peace for more than a month. Zuo Bin sent some spies to find out the news about Annan. However, if you don't spy, you won't know. When you did, you were shocked. Gao Heng actually made such a big noise in Annan. , after the last separation, Gao Heng actually took over Tuoxian County. He didn't care if he took it, and firmly occupied Tuoxian County. When the Annan people came to attack, they suffered a big loss, and Zheng Zuo was captured.
Zuo Bin really couldn't understand how Gao Heng did it on his own. No wonder there was no movement from Annan during this period. In the past, if the Annan people suffered such a big loss in Yuan County, they would definitely retaliate against the town. Otherwise, he would not be on strict guard against the defenders of Nanguan, but there was really no movement from the other side. Now, Zuo Bin finally understood. It was not that the other side was silent, but that Gao Heng suffered a big loss. It is no longer possible to threaten Zhennanguan.
Huang Kun shook his head and said: "I can't believe it, I really can't believe it. The problem I can't understand the most is that even if he was lucky enough to win Tuoxian, the people he rescued from Tuoxian were just ordinary people. How did he inflict such hunger and disease on him?" The common people organized themselves to resist Annan’s tens of thousands of troops, and how they managed to capture Zheng Zuo is simply unbelievable.”
Not to mention that Huang Kun couldn't understand, Zuo Bin couldn't understand either. Zuo Bin's face turned red when Huang Kun said this. In the battle report he submitted to Nanning, he basically gave all the credit to the army at Zhennanguan. To put it bluntly, he praised himself for his strategizing and commanding. Basically, Gao Heng's credit for taking the lead in conquering Yuan County was wiped out, because he felt that it was impossible for Gao Heng to come back. The mission he requested to carry out was almost a fatal mission, so there was no need to mention it.
It's just that Zuo Bin feels that it's a pity for people like Gao Heng. If he stayed in Zhennanguan, with his bravery and fighting skills, it wouldn't be a problem to join a hundred households or even become a general. But for what righteousness did he insist on dying? Who would have thought that not only did he not die, but he also made such a great contribution with his backhand. If he had known it earlier, he should have endured it, and when the news was confirmed, he would have included Gao Heng's contribution in the battle report. It would be best to get in touch with Gao Heng again, win him a general position, and bring him back. By taking him under his command, he would add a lot of merit to his list of achievements.
"Huang Baihu, I think we should send someone to find a way to get in touch with Gao Heng. It's a pity for such a talent." Zuo Bin said.
Huang Kun pursed his lips, "Sir, do you want Gao Heng to be re-incorporated into the army?"
Zuo Bin nodded and said, "Someone has this idea."
Huang Kun said: "Although the information is not accurate, I have roughly reasoned it out. You know, Gao Heng can now control tens of thousands of people, can defeat the Annan people, and capture Zheng Zuo. How can he have fewer men? I shouldn't say that. In other words, Gao Heng is now like a warlord who has suddenly emerged in northern Annan. He has soldiers under his command. If you want to contact him again, what position can you give him? At this level, I am afraid that it is no longer within the control of Zhennanguan. .”
"This." Zuo Bin was speechless for a moment. He had to say that Huang Kun was right. Zuo Bin was just a small boss. Of course, after the battle report came up, he might be promoted, but to what level? It wasn't him who had the final say. After all, he was only fighting Annan, and his weight was different from that of the bandit Jianlu.
It is estimated that Gao Heng may have more than a thousand or more armed men under his command now. In the Ming Dynasty, at least they were guerrillas. He has a thousand bosses, so what price can be offered to him? He can control hundreds of households, and he can control the boss. No more. It doesn't appeal to Gao Heng. If Gao Heng is really to be recruited, the state government or even the chief envoy must come forward.
But it brings a new problem. There is no problem in recruiting him and the army, but what about the people? This is not a small number. If Pingxiangzhou suddenly has tens of thousands more mouths, the finances will collapse immediately. The government will definitely not be willing of. If so many people are not satisfied, it will be a huge factor of instability. The Central Plains is already full of thieves, but don't let this happen in the southwest.
"Well, let's put this matter aside for a while. In short, it's best to send someone to contact him. It's also good to get in touch." Zuo Bin thought for a while and said.
"General, general, someone wants to see the general." At night, after a tiring day, more than 5,000 newly joined people fell asleep in the buildings in the city after eating and drinking. Gao Heng and Cheng Zilong were still there The county government stays up late at night to deal with various affairs in the city. They are like the heads of a family, and they need to worry about all the big and small things in the family. The generals did not take a break and gathered together in the lobby to discuss matters.
After Cheng Zilong became a military advisor, he repaired and reorganized the city. Since they had occupied a territory, they had to have a certain appearance. It would definitely not be a mess, so Cheng Zilong used the map of the city found from the county government to organize the city. The functional areas have been divided as a whole. Needless to say, the county government office is now the military government office of the survival brigade. With the county government as the center, it extends to the periphery.
For example, many of the buildings near the city wall were destroyed by the war, so they were all demolished and military camps were set up. The tents were used as tents left by the Annan people. In this way, the Annan camp outside the city became a simple campus. The military barracks in the city are used as living quarters for the soldiers, and they can sleep more peacefully in the city at night.
Then there are the residential areas. The original 10,000 people were first concentrated around the county government and arranged to live. The later people came, the more they dispersed to the periphery. The buildings in the north of the city became workshops, where craftsmen worked. In short, although the sparrow is small and well-organized, Tuoxian County is still in good order under Cheng Zilong's arrangement.
However, Cheng Zilong is also very distressed, because as the population continues to increase, the city can only accommodate a few thousand more residents before it is full. They have taken tens of thousands of lives from the Annan people, which means that in the future, the city will be full. The residents probably don't even have a place to stay, so they have to live outside the city. Living outside the city requires a lot of tents and other materials, which is a huge sum of money for the poor and poor people seeking survival.
