Daming kill

Chapter 43 Impressions of Xiangyang
At noon, Li Ping relaxed and slept for a while.

Lunch break is a habit he developed in his military life, which can keep him energetic in the afternoon, and now he also brings it here.

After getting up, he went into the city to Zhao Jin's place.Sure enough, most of the news brought by Wang Chengwu, Zhao Jin didn't know, he just heard about Rush.

Regarding Rush, it wasn't a big deal at all, but now near Xiangfan, there are several troubles every day.The forest is big, there are all kinds of birds, and the resources are scarce, so it is strange that there is no competition, but most of them are just some fists and kicks, at most only a few lives are lost.

However, this time the disturbance was too great, not only were weapons used, but hundreds of people were killed and injured, which caused shock.

Although the military discipline of Fang Guoan's army has always been very bad, and even a bit evil, it is still hard to say whose fault it is, and now is not the time to be reasonable. The point is that Fang Guoan's army has suffered a lot.

Fang Anguo has served under Zuo Liangyu's tent for many years, and he is even more expensive as the commander-in-chief of one side.The bandit army that had just thrown in the fight with his subordinates could only run away no matter how aggressive they were.

After talking about this, Zhao Jin told Li Ping seemingly calmly that since he was praised for visiting Zuo Menggeng that day, Shi Ming finally found the reason and began to make do with Zuo Menggeng when he had nothing to do, and often invited Zuo Menggeng to be with him. The young generals of his own soldiers went to his camp to be happy.

In this regard, Zhao Jindao didn't think it was a bad thing. Now everyone has multiple insurances, and we will see if Shi Ming will communicate with him later.But no matter what, Shi Ming is indeed worth learning from sometimes.

Zhao Jin also seemed worried about the soap issue.

The soap did bring them great convenience, and it also allowed Zhao Jin to be known by more military and local officials, and made him a celebrity around Zuo Menggeng, but such familiarity is not always a good thing sometimes.

Pretending to be guilty!

What makes people even more uncomfortable is that most of the soaps they produce are used to give away, and there are very limited exchanges for goods.

This is mainly because the output of soap is too low, and raw materials are not only difficult to obtain in Xiangyang, where materials are scarce, but also very expensive.People can't get enough to eat, so where to get so much fat!It's really not an option to go on like this.

After talking for a while, both of them were a little silent. They seem to be in good shape now, but many things are not stable.

Li Ping thought for a while, and finally made up his mind and said to Zhao Jin: "Brother, I have an idea. Let's give the secret recipe of this soap to Zuo Menggeng directly. What do you think?"

"Huh?" Zhao Jin didn't react for a while.

"Find an excuse, such as Madam likes me, the general treats me well, moves me, etc., think about it carefully. In this way, we will completely transfer the contradiction, and it will actually strengthen our position. Previously Our thinking is a bit simple." Li Ping said directly without making a fool of himself.

After Li Ping finished speaking, Zhao Jin didn't make a sound, but lowered his head and pondered.

After a while, when Zhao Jin raised his head, his brows were relaxed.Then he nodded and said, "You kid can do it, you can be willing, and you dare to think about it. This idea is not bad, so let's do it."

After finishing speaking, Zhao Jin patted Li Ping's shoulder fiercely and cursed with a smile: "Stinky boy!"

……

The next day, Li Ping made an appointment with Song Baolai. He took Liu San, Ma Yong, Hu Zhongshan and others with him and his own soldiers to visit Xiangyang City, while Duan Qiang was left in the camp to watch the house.

After coming to Xiangyang for so many days, Li Ping has never seriously visited this city. He stayed in the mountains to the south for a few days, and made several trips to and from Zhao Jinying. Apart from knowing it well, he basically doesn't know anything about its local customs and city appearance. The previous hesitation left him in no mood and energy.

Today the whole battalion is resting, and the troops are in good shape, so he also relaxes.

Li Ping needs to have a better understanding of this era and his own situation, and more importantly, he wants to relax.

So, a group of people went to the most important building in the city, Zhennan Building (today's Zhaoming Terrace, rebuilt in 1993), which is located in the center of the city (in fact, it is quite a bit to the west).

Zhennan Building is three stories high and faces south. It is built with blue bricks and has a stone arch in the middle. The door opening is 4.5 meters high and 3.5 meters wide.Zhennan Tower is usually responsible for the function of ringing bells and drums to tell the time, which is what we often call the Bell and Drum Tower, but in wartime it is the central commanding height overlooking the whole city of Xiangyang and an important fortress for city defense.

Because there were soldiers guarding it, Li Ping, who didn't want to show off, sent some money, and only took Ma Yong and Hu Zhongshan upstairs to have a look.

But after only a shallow turn, Li Ping lost more interest in Zhennan Tower. It is not much different from the similar towers that Li Ping visited in the original time and space, but even more dilapidated.

Looking upstairs at the surrounding market, Li Ping was only slightly moved by the scenery he was used to seeing.If it weren't for the tall and sound city walls around, those market squares would not be much different from the simulated ancient buildings that later generations are used to. Much interest.

Of course, not being able to go up is the main reason. At present, strict wartime management has been implemented on the city wall of Xiangyang, and the common people and idlers are completely prohibited from climbing the city wall. Li Ping doesn't want to ask for trouble. He doesn't have the strength yet.

Although "Zhongxuan Tower" does not look tall at all from a distance, it is even a bit ordinary, but it is one of the "Four Famous Towers of Chutian" together with "Yellow Crane Tower", "Qingchuan Pavilion" and "Yueyang Tower". The historical significance is still fascinating.

Moreover, there is a turret named "Lion Tower" built on the southwestern city wall of Xiangyang, and a famous "outside the city" - "Lady City" stands in the northwest corner. The thickness and history of Xiangyang lie only in the city wall. It is vividly displayed above.

In addition to looking far and regretting, that's all I can do.

In the end, Li Ping decided to let He Zhuzi who came with him, the friend of the big stupid Liu San - the former clerk of the carriage and horse shop, take them to the famous neighborhood, if he really expected the big stupid Liu San to introduce the city That's definitely overthinking.

However, most of the once famous neighborhoods were sparsely populated at this time, and many gates were closed tightly. The chaos had completely robbed the city of its vitality.

But walking among the contiguous wooden towers and various houses of different styles, one can still feel the prosperity and unique charm of the place.Especially when the surroundings are quiet and there are no pedestrians, walking in the streets and alleys paved with stone slabs and looking at the protruding eaves, you can fully appreciate a unique charm.

Li Ping listened to He Zhuzi's recounting of the past splendor of each block, while savoring, observing and imagining carefully.Ma Yong and the others also looked around, asking Liu San a few words from time to time, this city was the biggest city they had ever seen so far, and it always shocked them a little.

It is a pity that He Zhuzi is not a good tour guide either, his previous level determines his cognition.Moreover, Xiangyang City is indeed a bit small. The east and west walls are only 2.2 kilometers long and 1.6 kilometers long, and the north and south city walls are only 1.4 kilometers long and 2.4 kilometers long. They occupy most of the city, and there are not many places to visit.

Therefore, Li Ping quickly decided to go out of the city and chose Gongchenmen.

There are six gates in Xiangyang, the east gate is "Yangchun", the south gate is "Wenchang", the west gate is "Xicheng", the small north gate is "Linhan", the great north gate is "Gongchen", and the long gate is "Zhenhua".

Li Ping first entered Xiangyang through the Xiaobei Gate—Linhan Gate, which is located on the central axis of Xiangyang City and is the gate connecting the north and south main roads.Therefore, he chose the Dabei Gate this time, which is also the Gongchen Gate in the middle of the North City Wall. It is a gate that has not been destroyed. .

Standing here, you can have a better view of the city defenses of Xiangyang, and you can also effectively observe Fancheng on the other side.Moreover, there is a long distance to the left of Gongchen Gate. Because of the terrain, a large triangular area is recessed in the city wall, which also makes a large enclave outside the city, and there are many docks.

Standing on the side of the Han River under the city gate, with his back against the tall city wall, and looking at the wide river, Li Ping couldn't help but feel emotional. He almost instinctively imagined how to attack and defend here.

The geographical advantage here is too prominent. Leaving aside the city wall, the bank foundation on the side of the Han River is much higher than the river surface, like a tall sloped city wall. It's no wonder why the city is chosen.

Coupled with the complete city defense, no matter how brave the attacking soldiers come to the city, they will probably feel desperate, while the defenders standing on the city will gain countless confidence.

As long as the defenders have enough military supplies and a strong will, this place is definitely a nightmare for the besiegers. No wonder the Mongols spent more than 30 years fighting here at the end of the Song Dynasty.If Zhang Xianzhong hadn't taken risks to open the city gate last year, with his thousands of people, he wouldn't even be able to hurt the hair of the city defense. It is estimated that the defenders would not have dared to think that anyone would dare to do such a thing.

Li Ping called Song Baolai and expressed his feelings.There are some things that he really can't say in front of others.

Unexpectedly, Song Baolai and Li Ping were not on the same channel at all, and they never thought about it at all.Song Baolai just felt that the water transportation in this place was too developed, and it was almost accessible in all directions through the river. In the era of no cars and no railways, it was definitely an ideal hub for merchants.

After hearing Li Ping's words, Song Baolai stretched his neck to look around carefully, and then said to Li Ping seriously: "Really! This place is really difficult to attack. The degree of difficulty is indeed too high. Only a lunatic Come to die."

Li Ping was amused by his actions, and then he straightened up a little and said, "But, to be honest, Baolai. Let's manage it well, we might have to stay here for a few years?"

Song Bao came to look around. Ma Yong, Liu San and others kept a certain distance from them and chatted in a circle, so he asked in a low voice: "Isn't this Ming Dynasty dying soon? When did Xiangyang lose it?" ? Zuo Liangyu stopped running?"

Li Ping explained angrily: "I really don't know when Xiangyang was lost! I'm not Baidu and I don't study history. I don't know what year it is now. I only know that the year Chongzhen committed suicide was 1644. Then it seems that it took another seven or eight or ten years for the Qing army to completely pacify the south!"

After finishing speaking, Li Ping pointed to the countless large and small boats on the river, and continued: "You also said that the water transport here is well developed. Such a majestic city, to restore order and production, and to communicate with the four directions by water, is definitely a godsend. , the best base. You say Zuo Liangyu is stupid! Doesn’t he hold it well? As long as he has the heart, here is very stable. It is impossible for others to copy Zhang Xianzhong’s methods from here. As for a few years later, Let's talk about it then."

"Yes, yes." Song Baolai blinked and nodded in agreement.

However, just after leaving the city gate and walking west along the avenue sandwiched by the river and the city wall for a few steps, Li Ping was surrounded by a large group of naked and skinny hungry people. Crowds of hungry people were not allowed to enter the city.

Seeing this scene, Ma Yong and others who followed far behind hastily came up with swordsmen, and the hungry people dispersed in an instant.Afterwards, they gathered together and walked, no idlers around dared to step forward, only the constant begging.

Continuing to walk along the main road, what Li Ping saw were low and dilapidated shacks built on undulating terrain or city walls.Groups of men, women, old and children on the road were numb, squatting, lying or standing by the side of the road and by the shack, numbly looking at each group of pedestrians passing by. Individual pedestrians probably would not dare to come here.

And the defenders on the city wall probably have seen this place for a long time, and have never seen anyone show their heads.

These hungry people are basically dirty and thin, with disheveled hair like grass, and various smells from their bodies.Many adults among them even only wore a pair of tattered trousers, some even held a piece of rags around their waists, and some of them just shrank on the ground completely naked, and even many women did not shy away from it at all. Topless, exposing their shriveled breasts, let alone children.

Many people have no flesh at all, only a handful of bones, like skeletons, and many even lick their huge bellies abnormally. Even if those women are naked, no normal person can produce a little bit of it. Interest, only disgust and nausea.

Basically, all of them have empty and numb eyes. When they see people, they just beg for a bite of food. The only reason they don't rebel and rob passers-by is that they are really weak and completely powerless.

Li Ping only continued to walk for a while, and he was very confused by the scene in front of him. He had never seen such a huge extremely poor area before, and he had never seen so many severely malnourished starving people. , This is not the same feeling as seeing corpses all over the ground and countless rioters. This place will make you completely lose hope in humanity and life.

I don't know why a large number of hungry people gather here. Anyway, Li Ping has never seen hungry people gathered near the west gate and south gate, which he often walks. Maybe those two places are under the key control of the government and army because of their strategic location. Or it may be closer to the seat of the highest government in Xiangyang, so it is easier to get relief.

When he saw a broken cart pulling several corpses slowly moving forward, the stupid Liu San explained that the people hired by the government were collecting the corpses. Li Ping couldn't go on because he was afraid of the epidemic. up.

After turning back, they went to the outside of the west gate, where there was the famous Iron Buddha Temple, which Li Ping had only glanced at briefly. The incense here was unusually prosperous. Disappointed.

Li Ping did not enter the temple in the end. He finally turned to the Jiaojun Field outside the east gate to have a look. This was originally Jin Shengheng's residence, and it was also one of the old camps in Xiangyang.

However, since the main force of Jin Shengheng's troops had already gone north, the place was empty at present, and Li Ping couldn't see anything from the sidelines.

At this time, it was past noon, and they had to find a place to eat.

(End of this chapter)