Traveler Major League

Chapter 170 Next Steps

"You said you were Zuo Guizi's messenger?" Liu Ze looked up and down at the old farmer who claimed to be the messenger. He looked like an honest farmer, about 40 years old, with black and red cheeks. His face was wrinkled enough to trap mosquitoes to death, and he looked like an ordinary peasant in the Ming Dynasty, wearing single clothes and trembling.

The only thing that attracts attention to this old farmer is his eyes, which are different from the yellow and obscure eyes of ordinary people. You can't see it when you squint, but when you get serious, they suddenly widen and flash with a sly light. He shrinks his body and smiles slightly. , when Liu Ze looked at him, he also looked at Liu Ze on the main seat, and quickly glanced left and right. He said hello: "Flag holders, all shopkeepers, Wang Zuohang, the head of my family, started an incident in Yichuan County a few months ago and moved to various places, so he finally settled down."

Liu Ze turned his head to look at Zhang Pu, but Zhang Pu shook his head, meaning he didn't know, then turned his head to look at Yu Ting on the other side, Yu Ting immediately understood, and said: "We also heard about Wang The daimyo hanging on the left has been thriving for the past few months, fighting with officers and soldiers everywhere, and finally settled down in Yichuan County, which intersects with our eastern county."

"But I heard that there are still officers and soldiers in Yichuan County. Why did you come here? Could it be that we also heard that we killed Liu Yingyu and He Huchen's troops?" Yu Ting asked with his head held high, a bit pressing, obviously Well, this Wang Zuohang has obviously had a bad time in the past few months. He was forced to run around by the officers and soldiers, and finally occupied a territory in Yichuan County next to Liu Ze's sphere of influence. Being able to break through, or even Wang Zuogua's ability to settle in the next county, is also the reason why Liu Ze attracted the main force of the army.

This Yu Ting just returned to Luochuan County with the team today, and before he could meet Yu Chou, he was called to a meeting by Liu Ze to let everyone get to know each other. It happened to be for the staff. After all, Liu Ze and the others had been blocked all this time, and they were so busy that they didn't even know the surrounding situation.

"Thanks to the blessing of the head of the family, our family now has more than [-] soldiers, many times..."

"Get to the point." Liu Ze coughed lightly, interrupted the old farmer, joking, there is a way to brag, and he always said that he has tens of thousands of soldiers, so he must be a peasant, or else he would be kicked out like a chicken?Liu Ze was too lazy to go around in circles with him.

The old farmer who was interrupted, licked his dry lips, and said with a little embarrassment, "Go home, here." Then he scanned the room full of participants, seeing that Liu Ze didn't understand, and then continued: "The head of my family said that he would talk to the head of Liu alone."

"Here are all people who are close to our army, so don't shy away from it, just say it directly." Liu Ze was already a little annoyed as he patted the table.

"Quickly tell me, what exactly are you here for?" Wang Shanbao followed behind Liu Ze and patted the table.

"The shopkeeper of my family said that he had heard about the bravery of Master Liu, and that he had created a great foundation in just a few months. He would like to follow the example of Master Liu, and would like to belong to Master Liu." Seeing these individuals, the old farmer was very aggressive. "It's not easy to mess with, so I thought about it in my heart, and quickly knelt down and said respectfully.

It seems that what Zhang Pu said was really good. As the trouble got bigger and bigger, Liu Ze, who was originally small and transparent, had become a figure that attracted the attention of both the officials and the rebels. The riots were all due to famine and food shortages, and Liu Ze was the only one in a few county-level territories, which also meant that Liu Ze would become the chief bandit leader, the kind that the officers and soldiers would stare at endlessly, Liu Ze nodded, his heart turned a thousand times, but on his face he asked again calmly: "Oh, how many troops are there in your army?"

When the old farmer saw something interesting, his cloudy eyes immediately shone. He hesitated for a moment and replied: "Three thousand elite soldiers, ten thousand old and weak."

"Our place is so tightly blocked by the officers and soldiers, how did you come here?"

"Snakes have snake ways, rats have rat ways. I came with the caravan and gave the owner three taels of silver. I said I would go to my relatives and go around."

Liu Ze nodded, that's true. During this period of time, he opened up to buy all available grain, cloth, ironware, saltpetre and sulfur, etc., and exchanged them with snowflake salt and glass products. The cost is low, and the merchants are willing to ask for it. , Turning to another place is to increase the profit dozens of times, not to mention the hawkers who have tasted the sweetness, even those old-fashioned firms in Shanxi who want money but not life and are used to going outside the customs have sent people to trade, and even asked if they want Contraband items such as ordnance, armor, gunpowder, etc., I am afraid that Liu Ze and his group will be easily wiped out by the government army.

"How many days have you been here?" Lao Kong stepped forward and asked, different from his usual joking style, this time he was very serious.

"Four days."

Wang Shanbao also asked, "Why did you come so late? Where did you hide these days?" During this period of time, internal inspections and anti-spies were strictly enforced, and I never thought that this guy would stay for so long.

"I stayed in the inn with the caravan for a few days."

The old farmer answered several questions in a row, and his mind was a little distracted. This series of questions were like cannonballs. Then he was running fast in his heart, thinking about how to answer to convince Liu Ze.

"If you want to vote for me, then let your shopkeeper lead the troops to come, but you have to agree, our army is strictly disciplined, and we don't allow the existence of hilltopism. If you come, you have to disperse the troops." Liu Ze smiled. Dao, this is actually because he doesn't really want to accept them. According to Liu Ze's mind, although these people are called rebels, they have no good enemies. Killing and arson are common things. It is best to attract the officers and soldiers to encircle and suppress , is far better than merging with yourself.

Sure enough, when he heard Liu Ze's obviously harsh conditions, the old farmer said, "He really deserves his reputation as the head of the family, he is really a good man. My shopkeeper said that there is a famine in Shaanxi, and there is no food in the county town." , There are so many officers and troops in Xi’an, why don’t we fight Tongguan in the east, enter Shanxi in the north, and enter the Central Plains in the east, I heard that the hinterland of the Central Plains is empty of armaments and much richer, wouldn’t it be better than us suffering here?”

After speaking, he tore it open from a corner of the padded jacket, and took out a wax ball from the middle, like a jujube, raised his hands, and the guard at the side picked it up and handed it to Liu Ze. When Liu Ze was confused, Yu Ting stepped forward and squeezed it hard. A long note appeared in the broken wax pill, which was made of extremely thin white cotton paper, and a few lines of small characters were written on it, reading:

I have heard for a long time that brother Liu is high-minded, he hangs the people and punishes crimes, and the younger brother is willing to lead the army to vote, just to save the people from the fire and water. I asked the officers and soldiers that Tongguan is empty, and the officers and soldiers are also in arrears for many months. Only pawning wives and selling daughters can make ends meet. Only the superintendent of food Participating in politics, Hong Chengchou, a civil servant, is nearby. It is better for his elder brother to attack Tongguan and leave the hinterland of the Central Plains for food. The younger brother is willing to be a pioneer, and Wang Zuohang left a letter.

"If Master Liu has this intention, my shopkeeper will definitely die with a tail." The old farmer knelt down on both knees, kowtowed a few times, and said loudly, "Please learn from Master Liu."

Hearing this, Liu Ze rubbed his chin. The beard that had grown in more than two months was very prickly. This Wang Zuohang is really arrogant. Hong Chengchou is not well-known now, but he is not easy to deal with. According to the historical line, Hong Chengchou killed the peasant army with corpses all over the field, and almost completely wiped out these rebels.

But what Wang Zuohang said is true, there is a shortage of food everywhere, especially now that it is winter, Liu Ze has tried his best to raise food and grass, but now the food can last for less than two months at most, let alone other people It is estimated that the courier took the initiative to report his name after a few days of investigation here. After all, with Liu Yingyu and his group of officers and soldiers being eliminated in the Luochuan camp, the war is over, and they moved from various counties. There are more and more people, and most of them are supplied by Liu Ze who opened a warehouse to release food. The daily food consumption is as much as a mountain, and everyone who sees it is envious.

Liu Ze stood up and looked at the note in Yu Ting's hand. He didn't need to pick it up at all to avoid it being poisonous. He just nodded and said, "Brother, it's hard work. Someone will take him down to have a rest. I'll talk about it after the discussion." A few guards came up and took the old farmer down under surveillance in the name of protection, ignoring the old farmer who still had some nostalgia and wanted to say something.

"Commander, what should we do next?" Wang Shanbao couldn't hold back his breath as he watched the old farmer walk away slowly.

"The key is whether this person is real or not?" Old Kong stroked his beard and said, "No one knows him. If it's the secret of the officers and soldiers, lead Liu Ze out of this mountain, go to Tongguan, and then gather to besiege him." It is really difficult to fight on the plains by taking advantage of the cavalry of the officers and soldiers.

"How many people are there in Xi'an? How many elite soldiers are there in Xi'an?" Liu Ze asked suddenly, staring at everyone in the hall, hoping to get some useful information from everyone's faces.

All the people in the hall looked at me and I looked at you, they all shook their heads and sighed, saying they didn't know, their highest rank was only Zhang Pu of the county grand master, and none of them understood these important military and state secrets. Only then did Liu Ze feel that This Wang Zuogua has some discernment, and he can see where the future lies.

"Liu...commander." Yu Ting stood up, realized that he had said something wrong, and quickly changed his words: "Liu Yingyu, who is a prisoner of our army, should know the truth of the officers and soldiers."

Wang Youyuan saw Yu Ting's embarrassment. Originally, his status was still higher than that of Liu Ze. He never thought that he would lose it in just a few months. a high official."

Liu Ze also saw Yu Ting's awkwardness, waved his hands and laughed and said, "Brother Yu, don't call me Commander, you still call me by my name, Liu Ze."

"No way, no way, let's call you Brother Liu, you'll know you're not an ordinary person the first time you see Brother Liu." Yu Ting flattered with a smile, just like flattering Liu Yingyu and others in the Ming army Ordinary, but I still felt a little embarrassed, so I changed the subject and said, "Why don't you bring that Liu Yingyu up for interrogation?"

Liu Ze nodded, and soon the guards brought up Liu Yingyu, who was tied up in a big way. In order to prevent him from committing suicide, they stuffed a lump of soil into his mouth. It's really embarrassing to not come out.

"Untie him and give him a basin of water to wash his face." Liu Ze blinked his eyes and said with some embarrassment, this Liu Yingyu is also a high-ranking official, being treated like this has lost his dignity, and he will ask questions later It's not good to cooperate.

Soon the saliva and dirt on Liu Yingyu's face were washed away, and he regained his civil official demeanor. He didn't resist at all. He didn't want to commit suicide, but he was so humiliated. The person's eyes followed him all the time, and Liu Yingyu guessed something in his heart, and asked in a muffled voice, "Are you Liu Ze?"

"It was me."

"You are so young. I have talked about you with Yu Ting many times, but I never thought you would..." Liu Yingyu reorganized his words, "You are so talented at such a young age. Why don't you submit to the court?"

Liu Ze glanced at Yu Ting, seeing that Yu Ting had also heard Liu Yingyu's comments, and he was sitting there on pins and needles, so he smiled and said, "Don't be joking, Master Liu is willing to surrender me?"

"Hmph, I am an official of the imperial court, how can I disappoint the Holy Majesty?"

This aroused Liu Ze's curiosity. He really wanted to know what Chongzhen looked like. After all, he had only seen it in history books before. Looking at the upright Liu Yingyu, Liu Ze rubbed his hands and asked, "Have you seen the emperor?" ?”

"Um, never." Although Liu Yingyu didn't know what Liu Ze meant by asking this question, but thinking that Liu Ze was just a commoner thief, he must be like a common man who was proud to see the true face of the emperor, so he smiled contemptuously and talked generously Said: "The Holy Son of Heaven punishes and kills eunuchs, is diligent in government affairs, rises up with rooster crows, sleepless at night, eats and clothes nightly, and works hard at night, everyone knows it."

"But he doesn't know that we are about to starve to death. Maybe he is a diligent emperor, but he is really not a good emperor. The direction is wrong. The harder he works, the more wrong he becomes. If it is a different pig to make decisions, it may be better." Liu Ze recalled the various operations of Chongzhen in history. There were countless loyal ministers and good generals in the late Ming Dynasty, which can be said to be rare in the last years of all ancient dynasties. Ingenious.

Hearing Liu Ze's evaluation, Liu Yingyu was furious, and his beard and hair were all stretched out. He didn't expect Liu Ze's bandits to speak such nonsense. At this moment, he couldn't care about his curiosity about Liu Ze, and spit on the ground He said angrily: "I wish I could kill you to thank the world." He turned his head and rushed out of the meeting room. This meeting room is the highest floor of the concrete blockhouse in the middle of the bastion, at least 15 meters high up and down, and fell down There is no reason to survive.

Seeing Liu Yingyu's actions, Liu Ze knew he was going to suffer, but he didn't expect him to be so strong, so he hurriedly shouted: "Stop him."

Chao Zhongchen, who was near the door, went up and kicked him down. The guards swarmed up and tied him up again.

"Is he looking for life like this before?" Liu Ze asked curiously.

"It was fine before, but suddenly it went crazy." said the guard who had been guarding Liu Yingyu.

"Watch carefully, don't let him die, after a while, let's let him see a miracle." Liu Ze waved his hand, and the others burst into laughter, knowing what Liu Ze meant.

"Wang Shanbao, this wave of officers and soldiers has been repulsed, and it is estimated that you will be able to relax for a while. You have to send the spies out quickly, otherwise we will be completely blind and don't know anything."

"Understood, Commander, let's go as soon as possible."

At this time, Yu Ting suddenly said: "Maybe some of our captured officers and soldiers know the details of the officers and soldiers stationed around us, why not interrogate them all."

"Yes, I don't believe you have to review them one by one. No one really knows. Wang Shanbao, I leave this matter to you. You study carefully according to the booklet I gave you." Liu Ze nodded. The system specially discussed the regulations for sending spies with Lao Kong and Zhang Pu, and also specially selected some ruthless characters who are used to interrogating from the cell bosses, and compiled a comprehensive intelligence manual. This time is an opportunity to experiment and train newcomers.

"Could it be that Brother Liu is going to fight Xi'an? That's a big city with a population of several 10." Seeing that Liu Ze's attitude towards him was still kind, Yu Ting continued.

Liu Ze nodded, "We need people, a lot of people!"

This sentence made everyone who didn't know the secret of time travel feel puzzled, and other people who had experienced it all laughed and said nothing, and didn't explain.

At this time, Yu Ting said again: "Brother Liu, Guo Shunwang and the others were also arrested this time, do you want to meet?"

"Guo Shunwang?" Liu Ze recalled it for a while, and then remembered that this was also Guo Shunwang's sorrow. Liu Ze didn't even remember the great hatred he thought, "What do you see, Brother Yu, you were the one who said it yourself at the time. He said he was going to take their lives."

Yu Ting's face was full of joy, and he immediately understood: "I'm going to kill them now!"

(End of this chapter)