——————
On April 30, the eighth year of Chongzhen's reign, Xiangyang City seemed more noisy than usual after nightfall.
The city gates and walls were brightly lit, a large number of torches were lit, and many soldiers patrolled the walls with dirty faces.
It was dark outside the city, but this darkness made the defenders even more afraid.
Because they all know that there is a bandit army in the darkness outside the city!
This afternoon, Xiangyang City had already learned the news that a large number of thieves had appeared outside the city. At first, this news was only circulated among high-level officials. However, as the city gate was urgently closed and a large number of soldiers came to the top of the city, the news inside the city began. Ordinary people gradually came to know that there were bandits outside the city.
In the afternoon of that day, a small number of gentry and dignitaries left the city and fled Xiangyang by boat. However, the gentry who fled urgently were still in the minority, because many gentry knew that the incoming bandit army should only have two or three thousand people, and the number was not counted. too much.
Xiangyang City is well-defended and backed by the world's largest moat. There are five to six thousand officers and soldiers stationed in the city.
In the eyes of many gentry, the thieves outside the city were scary, but they did not wait until they could break Xiangyang City.
In the sixth year of Chongzhen's reign, when the bandits from the Central Plains moved south to Chubei, some bandits also tried to attack Xiangyang. At that time, there were many bandits attacking Xiangyang, and there could easily be tens of thousands of bandits.
But the bandits still had no way to take Xiangyang City, and in the end they were unable to counterattack with their officers and soldiers, so they retreated on their own.
Although the thieves who attacked this time came suddenly, and according to rumors, they were very strange. They all had shaved heads and wore gray robes. However, many officials and gentry in the city still did not think that just two or three thousand thieves could do anything. Able to break Xiangyang City.
Therefore, there were only a few people who fled Xiangyang City in an emergency after hearing the news of the bandit attack and went south along the Han River to seek refuge. Most of the gentry stayed at home and waited for the bandits to retreat on their own.
Even many gentry were thinking about how to use the news of the bandit army's attack to make profits.
As a result, the price of food in the city increased rapidly in just half a day, and in the evening many food stores stopped selling it.
That night, shopkeepers from more than a dozen grain shops in the city sat together to discuss how much grain prices would increase when the market opens tomorrow.
"This time the bandit attack is very sudden. Many families in the city will definitely not be able to stock up on food in advance. When the bandit army appears at the city gate tomorrow, the city will definitely be looting food. According to me, the price will double. questionable."
Another shopkeeper said: "It's still too little. The thieves are coming fiercely and are planning to besiege the city. The situation has doubled. I can't explain it to my boss."
Someone next to me said: "Yes, my boss here has also told me that the price of food must go up. I will take advantage of this opportunity to make all the money for the whole year."
"And we have to act quickly. We will raise prices uniformly tomorrow. Let's double the price first and then triple it in the afternoon. We will try to bring the price to the top within two days. This time we will make a profit. One ticket."
"You must move quickly. My young master's family has sent word that the bandits attacking this time are actually not many. There are only about two or three thousand people. With this small number of people, it is impossible to completely break through our Xiangyang City, and it is even impossible to besiege the city. Let alone blocking our waterways.”
"And these must not be publicized, otherwise ordinary people will know that the rebel army does not have the strength to block the water channels of Xiangyang City, and they will definitely not be in a hurry to stock up on food, but will want to endure it and wait for new food to arrive outside the city. "
"It's simple. Let the news go out tonight, saying that the bandits have blocked the waterway, and our grain ships have been blocked. No matter how exaggerated the number of bandits is, two or three thousand people are still not enough. It's more like 10,000 or 20,000 people."
"Starting tonight, we will spread the news as much as possible, drive people out of their homes as much as possible, and come to our grain store early tomorrow morning to queue up to buy grain."
"Tomorrow we will directly push up the price of food to three or four times, and then ship the goods decisively. We will make money within three days. Otherwise, the price of food will be difficult to deal with if it drags on for a few more days."
"If we operate well this time, our profits will definitely not be less than the one in six years."
When more than a dozen major grain stores in the city were discussing how to raise grain prices and take advantage of the opportunity to make a fortune, Tang Xianyue, the prefect of Xiangyang Prefecture, also calmed down from the panic he had felt during the day.
When he first learned that the bandits appeared nearby, because the bandits came too suddenly, and no matter what he thought, he had no idea where the bandits came from. He was even worried that a large number of bandits would move south from Shaanxi. , Lu Xiangsheng of Yunyang had been defeated, causing a large number of rebel troops to move south to Xiangyang City.
He was also worried that a large number of bandits from the Central Plains would go south, break through Nanyang Mansion and arrive at Xiangyang City.
If it is really one of the two, it means that the situation is completely ruined and Xiangyang City cannot be saved.
But in the evening, based on the information gathered by many sentries, Tang Xianyue knew that the incoming bandit army only numbered two to three thousand people. Although the bald gray bandit seemed nondescript, it was true that there were only such a few people.
Only then did Tang Xianyue feel at ease. No matter where these bandits came from, they would not be able to break through Xiangyang City with only two to three thousand bandits.
Tang Xianyue calmed down and began to calm down. He summoned officials and gentry to prepare to allocate some money and grain. At the same time, he also sent people to see Zhu Yiming, the king of Xiang, to ask for money and grain for the defense of the city. He also asked his officials to recruit 2,000 civilians as backup. Just in case.
Although he did not think that two to three thousand bandits would be able to conquer Xiangyang, he was worried that more bandits would come, so it was necessary to prepare early.
Tang Xianyue was busy for a long time in the middle of the night, but the results were not great. Whether it was apportioning money or recruiting young people, it was not smooth.
They asked the gentry to share money and food. Those gentry were not stupid. They also knew that the incoming bandit army was only two to three thousand people, and there were five or six thousand defenders in the city.
Even if the bandit army becomes more powerful, it is impossible to break through the fortress-like city of Xiangyang City!
Since there is no need to worry about safety, naturally they are not very enthusiastic about providing money and food. Many gentry did not even come over to the family head, but only sent their nephews or brothers to deal with the problem.
As for the money and food they gathered together, these gentry only agreed to a mere three thousand taels of silver in total.
As for grain, there is not even a grain. People are busy raising the price of grain to make a lot of money. Where will the grain be taken out? Besides, there is also some grain in the official warehouse, which is enough for five to six thousand officers and soldiers for ten days and a half. .
These gentry were very shrewd in their calculations. Knowing that Xiangyang City had no worries, they gave Tang Xianyue only a mere three thousand taels of silver.
Otherwise, not a cent will be given!
It's the same at Prince Xiang's Mansion. The gentry are not stupid, and their palace is not stupid either. Isn't it just two or three thousand thieves? It's not like the officers and soldiers can't stop them. What kind of money and food are needed? Our family in the palace has a lot of money to spend. After all, how can I have enough money to throw it into the water and listen to the noise?
So I casually gave him five hundred taels of silver and that was it.
These gentry and people in the royal palace also know very well that the money and food provided under such circumstances will most likely not be used on the soldiers defending the city. No matter how much they give, they will be swallowed up by the officials. It is better not to give it... …
As a result, Tang Xianyue was so busy that he only collected 3,500 taels of silver and not a grain of food.
Moreover, as soon as the money was delivered, two thousand taels of silver were gone, and the profits were shared by a group of civil servants on the spot. Everyone had been busy for most of the day, so they had to get some hard work money...
Although the remaining 1,500 taels of silver have been put into the treasury, they will still be floated as usual. You said that the officials had already shared most of the profits before. You are kidding, the total money collected from the donation this time is only 1,500 taels. All right……
The 1,500 taels of silver still have to be floated by 30 to 40% in accordance with the customs of the country. Otherwise, there are so many low-level officials under the big guy, and the yamen and the like will not have to eat to support their families.
The remaining few hundred taels of silver after being floated will be shared among the military generals. After all, they still have to rely on them to defend the city in the future, so they have to give some benefits to others.
As for the ordinary soldiers, I'm sorry, the donations raised are too small, so they won't have a share this time.
The gentry and people in the royal palace also knew about these operations of local officials, which was why they were not willing to pay.
Anyway, this money can't reach the hands of ordinary soldiers, so why stupidly take out the money and stuff it into the pockets of these officials.
It’s not like the big wind blows your money.
As a result, local officials in Xiangyang Prefecture, represented by Tang Xianyue, worked hard to raise donations, but in the end the ordinary soldiers didn't see a penny.
After finishing all these things in the middle of the night, Tang Xianyue temporarily put aside many things and went to sleep.
However, he was woken up urgently in the middle of the night.
"Master, wake up quickly, Master, it's not good!"
Tang Xianyue opened his eyes and said angrily as if someone had woken him up: "What's going on? What time is it? What's the fuss about?"
A middle-aged man who looked like a housekeeper said with a frightened face: "Master, please report from the front that the bandit army has entered the city?"
As soon as these words came out, Tang Xianyue suddenly came to his senses: "What? What did you say? The bandits have entered the city?"
The steward said: "Yes, there is a small emergency report from the front. They say that a large number of thieves have entered the city. Now they are killing people and setting fires everywhere. Master, please come out and take a look. There is a fire all over the west."
Tang Xianyue didn't bother to put on her coat and went out in her middle coat. After exiting the room, she looked up to the west in the yard. Sure enough, the sky in the west was red, and there were faint shouts and screams.
"How is it possible? How could the bandits come in in the middle of the night? Could it be that the city gate has been lost?"
The housekeeper knew about this, so he couldn't answer this question at all. Now the city was on fire everywhere, and some people were shouting that the bandits were coming to the city, which made people panic.
Tang Xianyue
