Jingming

Chapter 252

Three days later, the second cave master under Yan Daniu joined Tang Peiyu with six carts of grain.

"The General Manager and the people who went out of Hengyang City to pursue the city faced off at the foot of the Gouyi Peak. Tianhuzhai has been taken, and the General Manager has announced the name of our Huben Camp and the General. The two sides are in a stalemate. Come here, please give the general an order quickly. If we fight first, it may be hard to talk about it later.”

Tang Peiyu looked at the engraving of Hengzhou Wei on the vehicle, and the white rice in the sack on the vehicle, nodded and ordered: "Hurry up. Go and send an order, saying that the general will be here in no time. I have been to Hengshan City. Pu Zitong must have known that this general is coming. If we really want to fight, he will have to lose his troops!"

At the foot of the peak in the north of Hengyang City, Yan Daniu led more than two hundred "thugs" to confront the people led by a hundred households in Hengzhou Weizhong, watching more people coming out from the direction of Hengyang City.

Looking at the flag from a distance, it means that someone with enough weight has left the Walled City.

Judging by the size of the smoke and the crowd, it might be over a thousand.

Maybe Pu Zitong himself.

On the evening of the tenth day of September, the two "generals" Tang Peiyu and Pu Zitong who appeared in the rebels' call to arms finally "joined forces" in the north of Hengyang City.

Tang Peiyu's expression turned ugly: "Pu Zitong, why did you break your promise and cause Changsha City to fall!"

Pu Zitong just smiled and looked at his remnant army: "Orthodox is in Hengyang City. Your Majesty worships me as the governor. How can I not protect and wait around? Before the secret discussion, I only defended Changsha first, and if it didn't work, I retreated to Hengzhou. Your Majesty When you are young, what should you do if something goes wrong? General Tang, Your Majesty is extremely disappointed that such a fortified city of Changsha will fall so quickly."

Listening to his taunting, Tang Peiyu just stared at him: "What a big deal is it to ask for rebellion? Your selfishness is so serious, and now the armies from all walks of life are encircling Hengzhou Prefecture. Is this a clever strategy for you?"

"General Tang came from Hengshan City. Didn't you see the fort along the road that was ordered by the governor? This Hengzhou mansion is no more like paper than Changsha mansion." Pu Zitong grinned, "General Tang is the governor of the capital. , Knowing the talents of the governor, otherwise why did you recommend the governor to be the commander of the Hengzhou Guard? Today is not what it used to be, General Tang should stop putting on such airs. Knowing that it is a big deal to seek rebellion from the sky, now that we are joining forces, we must distinguish between the primary and secondary."

After he said this, his eyes turned cold: "General Tang fled here but robbed my food team. What does it mean?"

The distance between the two sides was less than fifty steps, and the soldiers around them were ready to protect the two as if they were facing a big enemy.

Pu Zitong said the priority, Tang Peiyu no longer has people like Prince Rui and Fu Rongzhong around him, only the nearly two thousand remnants he brought with him.

The magistrate of Hengzhou refused to join in the incident, and now in Hengyang City, both civil and military personnel are Pu Zitong's people.

He looked at the more than a thousand elite soldiers behind Pu Zitong who were waiting for work, and could only say in a deep voice: "Cooperation will benefit both! I can serve you as the leader of the Hengzhou Guard, but I cannot be broken up by you in the Huben Camp. I still have to be the leader." Food, grass and military supplies are indispensable!"

"Naturally. It should be true. To be honest, on the bank of the river in the north of the city, the governor has already built a military camp to wait for the general." Pu Zitong stared at him again, "If the general wants to join the king's division, he should enter the city with the governor. Let's meet His Majesty first, and accept the seal to pay homage to the general. Since King Ji has been captured, everything needs to be done right now! What does General Tang think?"

Tang Peiyu shook his head: "In my opinion, our Huben Camp stationed on the Gouyu Peak can even compete with the Hengyang defenders. The rebellious army will arrive in a short time, so there is no need for such red tape. If you want to be sealed and worship the general, I will send People can see it on my behalf."

Who doesn't know that the six-year-old "emperor" is just a puppet now, and Tang Peiyu would never dare to leave his army and enter the city.

He felt that Pu Zitong already had bad intentions in raising this point, which strengthened his determination to go to Yichen Peak.

Pu Zitong just looked at him and said, "Why should General Tang be suspicious?"

"Pu Dudu did not lead the army to defend Changsha. This general fought against Gu Shilong's [-] army with one guard and fled here. If Pu Dudu wants to use me, a Changsha guard with [-] veterans, now it is Pu Dudu who makes me The general once again believes in the sincerity of the governor."

Pu Zitong looked at the vigilant Changsha Wei remnants.

After thinking for a while, he nodded and said, "Brother Tang is not unreasonable. If that's the case, Brother Tang will send envoys to follow me into the city. The fortress needs to be built as soon as possible. How about transporting grain, grass and military supplies to the mountain with Brother Tang?"

"Okay! Tang waits at the foot of the peak. Yan Daniu, you enter the city on behalf of the general to meet and receive the seal!"

Tang Peiyu now asks Yan Daniu to do risky work.

As for the Tianhu Village on the peak, you have to check and accept it with your confidantes.

Yan Daniu said without hesitation: "The last general takes orders!"

But Pu Zitong stared at Yan Daniu, narrowing his eyes slightly: "Are you Yan Daniu, the master of Zhurong Cave on Hengshan Mountain?"

Yan Daniu just snorted defiantly: "Exactly!"

"You voted for brother Tang, but you didn't come to vote for the governor?"

Tang Peiyu listened quietly, believing in Yan Daniu's identity a little more.

"My righteous brother Deng Erhu died under your arrow. Now that I have voted for the general, I never thought I would obey your orders!" Yan Daniu spat, "If General Tang hadn't raised the flag of righteousness, Changsha and Hengzhou would be in danger of being wiped out by the officers and soldiers. Would I be willing to go down the mountain to join in righteous deeds? If you want me to obey orders regardless of previous suspicions, you must kowtow and sacrifice to my brother in the cave!"

After finishing speaking, he waved his hand again: "To be honest, the three caves and nine villages in Hengshan are now under the general's command, and many people have blood feuds with you! Now that you are the commander of the rebel army, you should give an explanation!"

Tang Peiyu's heart skipped a beat, he was really afraid that Pu Zitong would put down his airs and plant a nail for his subordinates to subdue these bandits.

Sure enough, Pu Zitong immediately said seriously: "In the past, under the order of the false emperor, the bandits were not allowed to be suppressed. All the strong men were bullied, so they went up the mountain and fell into the grass and became bandits. Now they are all rebels. The governor should tell you brothers. When you enter the city with me, His Majesty will personally pray at the altar, and pardon the bravery of the bandits who have nowhere to go. Everyone in the south of Hunan and the west of Jiangxi knows the name of Brother Yan, if you can all join us, it will be a great contribution to Brother Yan!"

Tang Peiyu saw that Yan Daniu had a smug look on his face.

He immediately regretted, thinking that Yan Daniu should not have entered the city for him, but Pu Zitong had already personally gone to hold Yan Daniu's hand.

"It turns out that Pu Dudu is also a bold person!" Yan Daniu seemed to be very pleased with this remark, "If it is really possible for His Majesty to pray at the altar, what else is there to say?"

Pu Zitong promised repeatedly, and then asked how many brothers from Hengshan Mountain followed him down the mountain, then looked at Tang Peiyu with a half-smile.

What are the soldiers of two thousand and one hundred battles? It turned out that more than 600 were bandits on Mount Heng.

But now these bandits are mostly headed by Yan Daniu.If Yan Daniu is subdued and another military commission is established to take on important tasks, Tang Peiyu's department will fall apart immediately.

Tang Peiyu is now in a dilemma, he can't go back and let Yan Daniu enter the city, let him feel his suspicion, and he can't just sit and watch Pu Zitong try to subdue Yan Daniu.

The defeated general is too difficult!

……

It is true that the people of Daming have not lived very well for so many years. There are many bandits living in many mountains and mountains in every province.

Pu Zitong's innocence is different from Tang Peiyu's.

Raising troops is plotting rebellion, and it would be better to have a banner for rebellion, but Pu Zitong would not really regard King Ji and Prince Rui as people who must bow their heads in awe.

Use it.

But Pu Zitong is not a reckless man, he knows the core of the success or failure of this incident: First, the rebel army cannot have two leaders, regardless of priority.

If you don't go to Changsha Mansion, you can kill multiple birds with one stone.With Changsha Mansion as bait, Zhan Huabi was able to plunder more than three hundred miles and came to Hengzhou Mansion with a lot of money; Tang Peiyu was defeated and fled here, King Ji was captured, and he has the final say on the rebel army from then on.

At this point, what he needs is to hold on and grow stronger.

Two words: people, food.

Bandits are the easiest type of people for Pu Zitong to win over.

Under Daming's fairly strict household registration system, once you become a bandit, it's hard to turn back.Even if they were reduced to pieces and went down the mountain to hide their names, they would still be fugitives and hermits, only fit to be slaves.People who are used to being carefree, can they still suffer that kind of grievance?
Now, Pu Zitong has one thing to do.

At his mercy, the six-year-old Zhu Zaihou used his seal and issued an "imperial decree": most of the bandits in the world fell into the grass because of the false emperor's lack of morality and desperation after he succeeded to the throne.Today, the heir of the late emperor, the orthodox Emperor of the Ming Dynasty is fighting for rebellion against heaven, and bandits from all over the country can make righteous teachers.On the day of success, the land will be divided greatly, rewards for meritorious deeds, and awarding Yinzi with honors is not a problem...

And Zhu Zaihou did indeed set up an altar incense case in Prince Rui's mansion which was renamed the "Imperial Residence", and personally prayed to the suffering bandits in the world represented by the original two cave masters of Zhurong Cave.

"...Today, Yan Daniu, the master of Rongdong, is very loyal and loyal. He is attached to the king's teacher and is brave and good at fighting. He is specially appointed as General Zhaoyi. He is hereby appointed as the general of Hengyang's defense. He will command the Hengzhou government and join the rebel army to guard the Zhaoyang camp in the north of the city!"

Yan Daniu looked ahead. The six-year-old child was wearing a dragon robe and sitting on a chair without saying a word.

It was an eunuch who read out the "imperial decree", known as the palm seal of the supervisor of ceremonies.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace. Long live Your Majesty! Long live! Long live!"

General Zhaoyi is a military officer of the third rank, and the participating general is also a military commander of the third rank.

After Yan Daniu accepted the "Decree", he also appointed Tang Peiyu and other generals under Tang Peiyu's command.

Tang Peiyu made great achievements in sniping the "rebel army" in the First World War in Changsha, and was promoted from the second-rank general Dingguo to the second-rank general Longhu.The post conferred is the former military commander, and he can nominally command the armies north of Hengyang City, including Yan Daniu, Hengshan City and the defenders of the forts along the line.

However, Pu Zitong has made great contributions to "determining strategies", and has been awarded the first rank of General Zhaowu, and he is also the governor of the entire "Wang Shi", commanding all soldiers and horses.

"Come on, General Yan, let me introduce you." Pu Zitong warmly took his hand, "This is General Zhan Huabizhan, the commander of the Left Army and the general of Huguang."

Yan Daniu looked at the man in front of him with bright armor and a thin and stern face, clasped his fists and said, "The final general will meet with Dudu Zhan, the name of Changde Mansion's Broken Soul Halberd is like a thunderbolt, and I can only see the honor today!"

Pu Zitong laughed and patted him on the shoulder: "Since I belong to the king's teacher, the tone of the world has gradually changed. Dudu Zhan commands the army, but he doesn't need to go into battle with his halberd himself."

"...The governor laughed. Maybe it's because the governor Zhan on Dongting Lake used to take a halberd to board a boat and kill thieves with his own hands. It's too much to say that there are brothers on Dongting Lake who fled to Mount Heng."

Zhan Huabi raised the corners of his mouth slightly.

"I don't know what kind of weapon Yan Shen is good at using?" Pu Zitong asked Yan Daniu again.

"In addition to playing around with knives, the last general also has some attainments in drawing bows and archery because he often lives in the mountains."

"Oh? How much power can you draw?"

Before the Ming Dynasty, there were many units for measuring bow force.Although folks such as Jin, Dou, Shi, and Jun still use them, they are mostly measured by "force", and one force is about nine catties more than the bow force.

In the military, there are three grades of upper, middle and lower.The lower strength is about no more than six strengths, that is, no more than sixty catties of bow strength; the middle strength can reach nine strengths, nearly one hundred catties; and the upper strength can reach thirteen strengths.Further up, it is called Huli, which is rare to see.

Yan Daniu patted his chest and said proudly: "A bow of ten strength can shoot an arrow of one or two coins in a row, and you can hit nine out of ten within a hundred steps!"

"So brave? That Dudu Ben and Dudu Zhan must see a thing or two! Let's go to the school grounds!"

It is not outrageous to open a ten-strength bow, and there are some who can shoot more than ten arrows or even more.

In the army, if you can shoot eight arrows in a row, you can be called qualified.Shooting more than ten arrows in a row is very good.

But those are heavy arrows that weigh a tael or two, and there are fifty arrows in a bag. If you shoot them in one breath, you can still hit nine out of ten from a hundred steps away. This is a proper archer.

When he arrived at the school grounds, Yan Daniu took the bow and arrows, and shot more than twenty arrows in one breath under the noses of Pu Zitong and Zhan Huabi. Only two arrows missed the target.This kind of performance only attracted a burst of praise-this is also the reason why Pu Zitong took the lead in clamoring.

But then, the arrow became a little limp.Yan Daniu simply stopped, blushing with embarrassment, and said angrily: "After going down to Zhurong Cave, I haven't had a good meal in the past ten days! It made the two governors laugh..."

"It's already amazing, hahahaha..."

Pu Zitong was very happy.

The stronger the person, the bigger the appetite.Yan Daniu came all the way from Hengshan Mountain, first robbed the grain carts from Hengyang City to the Zhaibao in the north, and then led people to level the Tianhu Village on the Gouyi Peak.Maybe he ate a meal on the mountain, but then he confronted more than a hundred people who went out to investigate the situation. From before noon until now, he hadn't eaten anything since entering the city.

"It's getting late today, Brother Yan followed me back to the mansion, let's have a meal first with good wine and meat! I still have a few good bows hidden in my mansion, which should be given to heroes like Brother Yan, let's go!"

Yan Daniu beamed with joy: "The last general thanked the governor first!"

Although the atmosphere in Hengyang City is not peaceful, it is not too tense now.

Pu Zitong obviously had a few tricks. After killing the Hengzhou magistrate, the soldiers and civilians in Hengyang City are now in peace.Those who do business are still doing business, but there are special people who buy grain, vegetables, meat, fruits and many other things outside the city and transport them into the city.

Most of them were stored as military supplies, but many were resold to various shops in the city.With less supply of supplies, the prices will naturally be higher, but in times of emergency, the people in the city are worried and fearful, but they can still get by.

At this time, there was a butcher shop. On the wooden boards and hooks in front of the shop owner, there were only a few bones that had almost been shaved and a few small pieces of meat that no one wanted. I can't afford it at this time.

He seemed to be just waiting to sell the last bit of goods, and then saw many soldiers clearing the way ahead of time, watching the corners on both sides of the street vigilantly, especially the doors and windows on the high places.

The war is approaching, and there are actually rebels in the city, and the people avoid it for fear.Since more than a month ago, the city has actually been checked over and over again, but the possible assassin still exists.

Although there has been no assassination of Pu Zitong or the new officials in the past month or so.

The butcher shop owner also lowered his head, but from the corner of his eyes, he clearly saw a somewhat familiar face.

Now there was a faint voice not far away. He was sitting upright, but his heart was slightly shocked.

"Governor, you don't dare to ask for a daughter-in-law now. When we secure the Hengzhou Mansion first, you don't need to tell me, Lao Niu will also find some good land to plow!"

"Well said! Brother Yan, follow me with peace of mind. You will be granted a title in the future. This title will be passed on to you. Beautiful wife and concubine, I will be your matchmaker!"

The butcher shop owner heard the sound go away, and Pu Zitong's soldiers also moved to the next section of the street to guard, and then raised their heads to look in that direction.

...It seems to be the hunter Yan Chunsheng who was born in Huguang and was brought back to the capital three years ago by Wang Zuo, the governor of Beizhen, who returned to Beijing on the road?
Archery is the best in Jinyiwei, and Thirteen Yao has the lowest official position among the Taibao.

How did he come to Hengyang and call Pu Zitong a brother?
In the "Governor's Mansion", Yan Chunsheng had already feasted with Pu Zitong, Zhan Huabi and their cronies, civil and military team.

He was no longer the little hunter who held a bad bow, chased the shot arrow from a mile away and fled to the wild boar that fell in front of Wang Zuo, and brazenly argued with him about the ownership of the prey.

In the past three years, he has experienced a lot.Entering Jinyiwei, he is a newcomer, a member of Luo An and Wang Zuo's team, and has received many new training requirements from the emperor - not only literacy and reading, but also receiving experience from the most talented people in Jinyiwei.

Yan Chunsheng knew very well that the orderly Hengyang City he saw today was a great achievement for a rebel army who fought against the imperial court with a rebellion from a single mansion.

Grace and prestige, diligence and talent are indispensable.

"Seeing the sights in the city today, I really admire the governor!" Yan Chunsheng toasted, "Daniu is a rough man, to be honest, I voted for General Tang just because I wanted to do something spectacular, and it was worth it Once in this world, the worst thing is to continue to be a bandit. Now the life of the people in Hengzhou Mansion is more stable than that of Daniu. Daniel thinks that following the great governor, this big thing can be achieved!"

He was flattering, and Pu Zitong was also very proud: "This is where the orthodoxy lies and what the people want. For example, Mr. Bufu, who passed the Zhengde three-year examination, was not used to Liu Jin when he was in power. He failed the palace examination and went back to Fujian to live in seclusion. Although they don't have the name of Jinshi, they really have the talents of the world. These people come from far and wide to cast their votes as soon as they see the essay. Horse bone, besides, brother Yan is indeed a thousand-mile horse."

"Come on!" He held up the wine glass, "I hope that starting from Brother Yan, more and more heroes will join the world. Everyone, let's drink this glass together!"

The army of the imperial court is approaching, but the Chinese and military officials in Hengyang City are drinking boldly here, as if they don't pay attention to Gu Shilong who just won a big victory in Changsha City.

And after the glass of wine was put down, someone suddenly came to report: "Report to the governor, Hengshan City sent a report, captured the three envoys of Gu Shilong's surrender, and there is a letter of surrender signed by Gu Shilong!"

There was a flash of light in Pu Zitong's eyes, and he still had the feeling of being slightly drunk just now.

"Oh? Where is the person?"

"General Liao Shen has sent someone to escort him here, and counting the time, he should be there by tomorrow morning."

Pu Zitong smiled: "Then wait until tomorrow."

After finishing speaking, he looked at Yan Chunsheng: "Brother Yan, although the two armies did not kill the envoys when they were fighting, Gu Shilong came to recruit orthodoxy for the sake of a tiger. "

Yan Chunsheng didn't change his face: "The governor has orders, and the general must obey them!"

(End of this chapter)