Before the Lantern Festival, Wang Zhong hurriedly left Quanzhou and rushed to Youyang with dozens of experts, traveling lightly and simply.
Not long after setting off, I received news that Gu Er had defeated the rebels in Luzhou, killed more than a thousand thieves, captured thousands, and seized countless soldiers, armor, and baggage. Not only did they relieve the siege of Luzhou, they also recovered Shen County, which was occupied by the rebels. , based on the thieves north of Luzhou.
However, many rebels escaped into the mountains and forests, making it difficult to hunt them down. Gu Er had already sent people to inform nearby counties, telling them to be careful to prevent the rebels from causing trouble again.
Not long after Gu Er regained Shen County and solved the siege of Haozhou, the rebels attacked several more counties in Shouzhou. Together with the troops stationed in various places, the total number of soldiers and horses was 70,000 or 80,000. Not only did their momentum not weaken, On the contrary, it became more and more massive, and even sent out a large army, divided into two groups, and headed towards Luzhou, with a strong tendency to gnaw away Gu Er's strong backbone.
Gu Er, however, took his time and gathered up the defeated army in Shen County. He also selected tall and strong men from Shen County with clean wealth among the fallen soldiers to join the army and expand his army. The number of soldiers increased to 4,000, and the auxiliary troops also increased to 1,000. Chen Bingshen County was not in a hurry to march to Haozhou, but instead took his time to train soldiers in Shen County.
The rebel forces were originally divided into three parts. One part went west to attack Shouzhou, and another part went south to attack Luzhou. The rest were all stationed in Haozhou to prepare for the imperial army to the north and east. Among them were soldiers and horses from Shouzhou. At most, there were more than 20,000 people. This is why the rebels were able to attack the city all the way in Shouzhou and were invincible.
Now the rebels in the south were directly defeated by Gu Er, and only less than a thousand stragglers fled back to Haozhou. The rest were either killed or captured, or were scattered, sneaked into the mountains and forests, and fled in all directions.
The situation was originally going well, but suddenly a tough guy showed up and knocked out several of his best teeth. Naturally, the rebels would not just sit idly by.
This is why Gu Er chose to station in Shen County instead of rushing in.
Gu Er is well versed in the art of war and knows that food must be eaten one bite at a time and the road must be walked step by step. Now, in the entire West Huainan Road, his branch is the only one with stronger combat power. In the north, the imperial court has transferred Huainan East The soldiers and horses on the road and Jingxi Road are close to the canal in the east, and there is no shortage of soldiers and horses stationed there. However, the length of the canal is too long. In order to maintain the stability of water transportation, soldiers and horses everywhere are not allowed to move lightly.
If he goes all the way into Haozhou regardless of the situation, let alone victory or defeat, given the current situation, he will definitely become a lone army. It's not that Gu Er doesn't have the courage to become a lone army, but once he becomes a lone army, maybe this time he will be alone. This is the biggest opportunity in the rebellion war, but relatively speaking, the soldiers under his command will also face extremely high losses.
Gu Er has no idea how much will be left in the end.
If it were Gu Er in the past, he might not have considered this. After all, there would be no immortals in a war.
But a truly famous general must use the smallest losses to achieve the greatest victory. If the victory is simply based on the lives of his soldiers, there are many people in the world who can do it, and there is nothing worthy of praise. !
These were Wang Zhong's original words, and Gu Er always kept them in his heart.
During this great victory in Shen County, Gu Er ordered Shi Shi to attack Shen County, attracting reinforcements from the rebels who were besieging Luzhou. He then pretended to be defeated and fled all the way. The rebel army that was chasing them was ambushed by Gu Er, who led more than a hundred light cavalry. , hundreds of archers and infantry, took advantage of the night to attack and kill, and made dumplings with the stone who pretended to be defeated.
In the Youyang Sheng family, the eldest lady had just passed away. Sheng Wei and other descendants of the Sheng family had to observe filial piety. Naturally, it was not easy to do everything in the Sheng family's old house, lest it be true.
There is so much chaos outside now, and Minglan has no intention of making a big deal out of it. It would be nice for her family to get together and be happy, but Mrs. Sheng feels that this is too simple and has wronged Minglan.
By the time Wang Zhong and his people arrived at Youyang, it was already the end of the first year, and there wasn't much time left before the wedding.
The original plan was for the two to get married in Tokyo. Unexpectedly, such a big change happened now, and Wang Zhong could only visit the house in person to apologize to Old Mrs. Sheng.
Those who came to Youyang with Wang Zhong, in addition to the accompanying guards, were Wang Qian'er and Madam Wei, as well as Madam Wei's two sons, Zhang Xin and Zhang Yi.
Minglan had not seen her Aunt Wei for several years, and she missed her dearly. When she pulled Aunt Wei, she had endless things to say. She looked at the two cousins of Aunt Wei's family, and felt quite happy, expecting that her biological mother had met. I will definitely be happy for my aunt.
Wang Zhong sincerely apologized to the old lady and explained: "The current situation is chaotic and gangsters are rampant. If we act in a big way, we may cause unnecessary trouble!" As he said this, Wang Zhong looked at Minglan next to him: "Therefore, only I feel so wronged to my sixth sister."
Old Mrs. Sheng had already been helped by Minglan, and she understood that Wang Zhong's considerations were reasonable. After all, when she and Minglan went south this time, they encountered water thieves. If Wang Zhong hadn't made sufficient preparations in advance, , the consequences are unimaginable.
"You have always been thoughtful and prudent in doing things. Now that the current situation is like this, if you can keep a low profile, you should keep a low profile!" Old Mrs. Sheng is not unreasonable: "It's just that Minglan has been following me since she was eight years old. She is so noble and noble." Keep it up, if you make her suffer in the future, my old lady will not obey you!"
"Don't worry, old lady!" Wang Zhong cupped his hands and said: "If the sixth sister is wronged in the future, I will come to you to apologize for it myself!"
"You said that yourself!" When it came to her beloved granddaughter, Mrs. Sheng, who had always been reasonable, started to use forceful words.
"A man keeps his word!"
"It's just that this junior has an unkind request!" Wang Zhong suddenly mentioned it with a change of voice.
"Unkind invitation?" Old Mrs. Sheng looked at Wang Zhong: "Tell me about it!"
Wang Zhongdao: "Now there is a rebellion between the Huaihe River and the Huaihe River. We are in a stalemate with the government and the army. They have been fighting for several months. Each side has its own victory or defeat. For a while, it may be difficult to tell the winner. Bandits are everywhere in the world. If the old lady wants to return to Bian Beijing, the journey is too long, and there are unpredictable fortunes and misfortunes on the way, so it would be better for me and Minglan to go to Quanzhou to stay for a while, and then return to Bianjing after the situation calms down."
As soon as Wang Zhong said these words, Minglan's eyes lit up and she looked at Old Mrs. Sheng expectantly.
"Shall I go to Quanzhou with you?" Mrs. Sheng also didn't expect that Wang Zhong would change the topic so suddenly.
Just listen to Wang Zhong continue to say: "Although Youyang is good, the current situation is chaotic, the distance is too close to the rebels, and there are wandering bandits. Although Quanzhou is remote, the climate is pleasant. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is like spring all year round. It is just right Our family also has many properties in Quanzhou."
Speaking of this, Wang Zhong couldn't help but glance at Minglan and continued: "Sixth sister is still young. If she is directly handed over to take charge, I'm afraid she still lacks experience. You also know the situation in my family. There are no elders who can give advice. If you, old man, can follow me and give me some guidance, Sixth Sister will definitely be able to get started quickly."
"Grandma, my granddaughter also thinks what Brother Zihou said makes sense! After all, my granddaughter is still young and has never seen much of the world..." There was no need for discussion, and the two of them started to persuade Mrs. Sheng in a tacit understanding. .
Seeing the two of them singing and cooperating with each other, Mrs. Sheng couldn't help but smile. She waved her hand and glanced at Minglan, and said deliberately: "Okay, okay, you haven't even entered the door yet, and you started talking to him. Got it!"
Hearing the ridicule in Old Mrs. Sheng's words, Minglan didn't take it seriously. She walked to the old lady shamelessly, took her hand and said coquettishly: "Grandma..."
This move was tried and tested against Old Mrs. Sheng, and sure enough, under Minglan's offensive, Old Mrs. Sheng quickly compromised and agreed to go to Quanzhou with the two of them.
"Are you Sister Qian?" Pinlan, who had arrived late, saw Wang Qian'er wearing a fur jacket and an arrow uniform after seeing the ceremony. She immediately walked up to her out of curiosity and talked to Wang Qian'er. Say hello.
Wang Qier nodded and looked at Pinlan and said, "You must be Aunt Pinlan!"
"How did you know it was me?" Pinlan asked curiously.
Wang Qian'er said: "Third uncle said that there is only one Aunt Pinlan in the Youyang Sheng family, who is about the same age as Aunt Minglan! Moreover, Aunt Pinlan and Aunt Shulan have similar facial features."
Pinlan came close to Wang Qier and asked in a low voice: "Sister Minglan said that you are so powerful in martial arts that you are not even a match for Xiaotao. Is it true?"
Wang Qier shook her head and said, "I just learned some three-legged cat kung fu from my third uncle. I can't say I'm a strong martial artist."
As she gets older, and I don’t know if it’s because of the pressure Wang Zhong instilled in her, Wang Qier’s body gradually loses a bit of the innocence of a girl, but becomes a bit more calm and old-fashioned, and she doesn’t talk as much as before. .
Pinlan said enthusiastically: "I have seen how powerful Xiao Tao is. There are four or five strong women who do rough work, but they were knocked down by her in a few seconds. You are more powerful than Xiao Tao, you must be He’s a master.”
Wang Qier said: "Sister Xiaotao is not bad in talent and has extraordinary perseverance. She is older than me and has more strength than me. I may not be my opponent."
"Why don't you and Xiaotao compete with each other another day!" Pinlan said still enthusiastically, just to watch the fun and not think it was a big deal!
Wang Qier smiled, neither agreeing nor rejecting.
Early the next morning, just after dawn, Pinlan rushed to the wing where Wang Qian'er was. As soon as she entered the yard, she saw Wang Qian'er practicing a spear in the yard. She was nearly ten feet long, with a white wax pole and a gun tied under the head. The big gun with red tassel was as flexible as a swimming dragon in Wang Qier's hand.
There was no too fancy routine, it was just a simple stabbing, but in Pinlan's view, the spear, which was supposed to be a dead thing, seemed to come alive in Wang Qier's hands.
From that day on, Pinlan came here every day to look for Wang Qian'er. If it weren't for the current chaotic situation and the fact that it was late winter and early spring and the weather was cold, Pinlan would have led Wang Qian'er around the entire Youyang. .
In order to avoid accidents, Wang Zhong and his party only stayed in Youyang for a few days. On the first day of February, Sheng Laotian and Minglan packed their bags and followed Wang Zhong from Sheng's home to Quanzhou.
Also accompanying him were brothers Changsong and Changwu and sisters Shulan and Pinlan. Originally, Sheng Wei wanted the whole family to go to Quanzhou, but now that rebels are rampant, Youyang is not too far away from Haozhou, and his family They couldn't live without someone to take charge, so they only asked their children to follow Wang Zhong and his companions to Quanzhou. The couple stayed behind to take charge, and then they had to keep filial piety to the eldest lady.
Wang Zhong, Changsong and Changwu were riding on horses, followed by nearly twenty carriages. In addition to Minglan and old lady Sheng, sisters Shulan and Pinlan's carriages and their luggage carts, the remaining dozen carriages , are all dowries given to Minglan by Sheng Wei and Li, including pearls, jade, agate jade, coral brocade, etc., and they are all very precious and rare items.
There were forty or fifty guards with knives scattered around the motorcade, and a dozen strong servants carrying sticks, surrounding the carriage, the people and the female envoys.
Ling Ling Zong's fleet of twenty cars with nearly a hundred people was no longer small in size. It left Youyang City in a mammoth manner and headed straight towards Jinling. Because there were female relatives in the car and a female envoy, It's not going fast.
After noon, everyone had just finished resting in a mountain col and continued to drive forward for only a few miles. Suddenly, a group of bandits came out of the forest next to them, roaring towards the convoy. They looked at them and said something. One or two hundred people.
"Don't panic! Form a team to defend against the enemy!" Wang Zhong raised his arms and shouted, and the guards immediately pulled out two maces, Chang Wu held a long stick, and Chang Song led his servants to guard around the carriage of Mrs. Sheng. , the guards drew their long knives, set up simple wooden shields, took out their bows and arrows from the car, and stood guard around the car formation.
However, in just a few breaths, we had already made the safest decision, which was the result of Wang Zhong's years of training.
If Mrs. Sheng, Ming Lan and other ladies were not here, it is estimated that Wang Zhong would have led his men to rush forward and fight with this group of bandits.
As the saying goes: When we meet on a narrow road, the brave wins!
Wang Zhong looked at the bandits who were shouting like a tide of killers. He held a bronze mace in each hand. He turned to look at Chang Wu next to him. Suddenly, the corner of his mouth raised and asked: "Brother Chang Wu, how dare you Come to the battle with me?"
Chang Wu swung the long stick in his hand and drew a beautiful arc in the air. The tip of the stick pointed diagonally at the ground. He held his head high and looked at the bandits who had rushed to the car formation and exchanged hands with the guards. His eyes were full of eagerness to try. , grabbed the reins with his left hand and made a circle, put it on his hand and pulled hard, the horse raised its head and raised its hooves, neighing loudly, and white mist came out of its mouth and nose.
Changbai said loudly and confidently: "Why don't you dare!"
In the motorcade, as soon as she saw the bandits, Wang Qier took out a piece of leather armor from the box and put it on her body. She tied her hair with a red rope. Then, under Pinlan's puzzled eyes, He pulled out a four-foot-long wooden box from under the car seat and took out the long gun divided into three sections.
"Aunt Pinlan, please don't get out of the car!" As soon as he finished speaking, he got out of the carriage, jumped out of the carriage, assembled the spear, took the reins handed over by the guard, stepped on the stirrups, jumped up and sat down He got on the horse's back, took the spear handed by the guard, pointed the spear sideways at the ground, and rode towards Wang Zhong.
Pinlan had already opened the curtain and chased out. Standing on the carriage shaft, she stared blankly at Wang Qier's figure as she skillfully got on her horse and walked away with her gun in hand, her expression full of astonishment.
"Third uncle!" Wang Qian'er galloped to Wang Zhong's side, reined in the horse and stopped: "I'll go too!"
Wang Dian nodded and did not refuse. Instead, he told Yu Chuer next to him: "Chu Er! Be sure to protect Sister Qian later!"
Yu Chuer nodded cautiously and said, "Don't worry, Third Master!"
Wang Zhong turned to Wang Qier again and said, "Follow me!"
"Yes!" Wang Qier's face was solemn, but her eyes were full of eagerness to try.
Wang Zhong pulled the reins, clamped his legs on the horse's belly, and shouted: "Drive!" He immediately galloped the horse, rushing towards the bandits like an arrow from the string.
Wang Qian'er was carrying a steel spear, and Chang Wu, who was holding a wrought copper stick on the left and right, followed on horseback. On the left and right were Yu Chuer and several mounted guards, all holding long-handled plain knives.
But Wang Zhong, holding a pair of four-foot-long copper maces, rushed into the bandits like a tiger rushing into a pack of wolves. As the maces flew, each of the bandits suddenly seemed to be hit head-on by a galloping horse. The same thing flew out across the sky, staining the sky with blood. In just a moment, a channel was plowed out among the bandits, and the horse's speed gradually slowed down.
Although Wang Qier is a girl, the steel spear in her hand is as flexible as a snake and as fast as lightning. Every time the steel spear in her hand is pierced, it will leave a bloody hole in the body of the bandit.
Several people used Wang Zhong as their front target and fought in and out among the hundreds of bandits. After only a few charges, the remaining bandits were frightened and fled in all directions, screaming in fear. , two by two, chasing the remaining bandits.
However, in just a cup of tea, the one or two hundred bandits who suddenly appeared were completely defeated. They died and fled. Some of the timid ones simply dropped their weapons, knelt on the ground, and chose to surrender.
Standing on the shaft of the carriage, holding on to the side of the carriage, Pinlan looked eagerly at Wang Qian'er, who followed Wang Zhong and fought in and out among the thieves several times, shooting out like a dragon. Suddenly, Somewhat absent-minded.
After another cup of tea, the battle was completely over. The scattered bandits fled into the mountains and forests. Wang Zhong and others stopped pursuing them. Those who surrendered were handed over their weapons and kept kowtowing to beg for mercy.
Looking at these 'roving bandits' who were carrying bags, tall, short, fat and thin, old and weak, Wang Zhong was not a murderer, so naturally he would not kill them, he would only hand over their weapons.
After asking about the origins of this group of bandits, they were given two choices.
"I am Wang Zhong, the general magistrate of Quanzhou. Now I give you two choices. Either I send you to Jinling and let the Jinling Yamen deal with you, or you can follow me to Quanzhou. When you get to Quanzhou, I will place you in place! Help you Settled down in Quanzhou."
"Lord Tong San, what about our guilt?" A bold prisoner asked bravely.
"Good question! You have all violated the national law, but this year you are all innocent people who were kidnapped by the rebels. You were only bewitched by the thieves to commit big mistakes. Now that you have repented, I will give you a chance to change your ways. , but anyone who is willing to go to Quanzhou with me will be able to settle down in Quanzhou after one year of work and rest, and everything will be forgotten."
"A friendly reminder to you: During the period of work and rest in Quanzhou, you will have two meals of dry rice, one meal of porridge, and two sets of clothes each in spring and summer!"
"Two meals a day and clothes?" The bandits who were kneeling on the ground looked up at Wang Zhong: "Is what Master Tongpan said true?"
"This general judgment is true to its word and never lies!" Wang Zhong said loudly.
(End of chapter)
