The new era of chaos begins in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 278 Yang Wen is also in trouble

Inspector Chen also has the Yang family's marksmanship, but his moves are not as sophisticated as his opponent's, and they are not as authentic as his opponent's method.

However, the more he fought, the more doubtful he became, and finally he shouted loudly: "The person opposite is the third official of the Yang family! This family is Chen Congshan of Taiwei Chen's family in Xicheng!"

The general on the opposite side heard this, but he struck a few blows so hard that Chen Congshan almost collapsed and fell apart. Then the general said in a hoarse voice: "You have the wrong person! I am not Yang Wen!"

When Chen Congshan heard this, he couldn't help but feel angry. He hit his horse and tried to distance himself, while shouting: "I haven't said anything yet, but you know that Yang Sanguan is Yang Wen! But you still deny it?! Yang Wen, you are also a general son who has been favored by the emperor, how can you be a rebellious gangster? Wouldn't such an act bring shame to the ancestors?!"

Yang San distanced himself because of Chen Congshan, but he couldn't reach him and hit him. He only stared with blood-red eyes and said angrily: "I just want to save my wife, and I have no intention of rebelling against the Song Dynasty court! Humph! I It’s just Jianghu bandit Yang San! He has nothing to do with the Yang family of the capital, so what does it matter if he rebelled!”

Chen Congshan was shocked when he heard this. He reined up his horse and asked, "Yang...Yang San! Have you lost your wife too?"

What does "you too" mean?

Yang San was confused when he heard this, but he said angrily: "What are you talking about? What does it have to do with you if I lose my wife or not?"

Chen Congshan raised his hands to Yang Sangong with a gloomy look on his face and said, "But it's somewhat related! Brother Yang, to be honest, on my way to Nanxiong to take up my post, my own children were also lost!"

"Ah?" After listening to Chen Congshan's self-narration, somehow, Yang San's extreme mood suddenly melted away a lot. His tone involuntarily softened and said: "Brother Chen Shi also lost his wife? Didn't you go and look for it? ?”

Chen Congshan smiled bitterly and said: "Brother Yang, I am very anxious because of the loss of my child. But now is not the time to talk about this. Don't forget that you and I are still fighting!"

Yang San said angrily: "It's already like this, why bother?"

As a result, the two generals stopped the fighting with their own soldiers and horses, and then set up their respective camps.

After both parties settled their men, Chen Congshan and Yang San met again, but this time it was no longer a tense situation, but a pair of unlucky guys with the same disease "licking" each other's spiritual pain.

Chen Congshan told Yang San, or Yang Wen, what happened to his family in Meiling.

And Yang Wen also talked about his family's tragic experience.

Speaking of which, Yang Wen's experience was even more cowardly than that of Chen Congshan.

Two years ago, Yang Wen followed the path of his father-in-law, Leng Taiwei, but he found a job with him as a training officer in the Xingguo regiment. Before he could take office, Zhe Zong died.

Then there was a lot of turmoil in the Great Song Dynasty, and Yang Wen was also somewhat involved and was demoted to the position of deputy leader of the Guangnan military camp (similar to Hua Rong's status in Water Margin).

Yang Wen also took his wife Leng Niangzi to take office. At first, he was docile. Only two months ago, Yang Wen took his wife to the Taishan Temple in Guangzhou City to offer incense and rested in a shop on the way back.

Unexpectedly, a group of strongmen suddenly rushed in. Because Yang Wen was not carrying weapons at the time, he was caught by the strongmen unprepared, chopped with the back of his knife, and fell to the ground unexpectedly.

When Yang Wen woke up, his wife Leng Niangzi and all the salutes had been taken away by strongmen and disappeared.

Yang Wen suffered this disaster, and what made him most angry was that he was a member of a general family, but a strongman robbed his wife's belongings. How would he return now?

In this way, he gave up his official status and honor, but wandered around like a refugee until he ran into a group of bandits. The leader of the bandits was called Li Gui. His ancestors were from Shandong and had the nickname "Yaksha General".

Li Gui's father was a general who followed Yang Zhongrong (Yang Wenguang) south to quell the Nongzhigao rebellion. He later stayed here to marry and have children for some reason. At that time, there were many examples similar to Li Gui's father. They lived in the local area and were quite rejected by the local aborigines. Therefore, some of the younger generations would occasionally appear as bandits to teach the local aborigines some lessons.

At that time, Yang Wen was in a confused state and very irritable, but he had a conflict with Li Gui's gangsters.

Fortunately, Li Gui was smart and recognized Yang Wen's martial arts skills in time, so he turned their hostility into friendship. Even after learning Yang Wen's true identity, all the former Yang family generals recognized him. He is the leader.

Don't talk about anything else, just talking about marching and fighting, Yang Wen, a general's son, is indeed more capable than Li Gui and other remnants of the army. After becoming the leader of the rogue bandits composed of the remaining descendants of the Pingnan Army, Yang Wen led them to successively break through seven local indigenous villages that were at odds with the remaining descendants of the army, and defeated the encirclement and suppression of local soldiers three times.

The victory of the rogue bandits made more people want to follow them. Not only the descendants of the military remnants, but also many local indigenous people were happy to join. This allowed the rogue bandit team, which once had only a few dozen people, to grow in just one month. It quickly expanded by twenty times.

At this time, Yang Wen accidentally discovered a strange but familiar face, a strongman who had participated in the abduction of Lady Leng.

Yang Wen didn't know his origin, but he remembered deeply that it was this man who slapped him with the back of a knife, and he would not dare or forget it for a moment.

With the help of Li Gui and others, Yang Wen successfully captured the opponent and tortured out some clues. For example, the strongman leader who presided over the abduction of Madam Leng was called Yang Da, nicknamed "Slender Waist Tiger", and he was the local He sat on the ground with his head down; the plundered Lady Leng was not for him to enjoy for himself, but to be sent to the Little Saint in Meiling as tribute.

Yang Wen copied some of the contents, but he was filled with joy and sorrow at the same time. He was happy that his wife had found her whereabouts, but he was also sad and angry at the thief's arrogance and audacity.

After that, Yang Wen cut open the strong man's liver and heart to avenge him. Unexpectedly, the strong man actually cheered before he died, as if he was not afraid of death, but Yang Wen felt depressed.

With the help of Li Gui and others, Yang Wen wanted to capture Yang Da, the slender-waisted tiger. He didn't want to fail, but Yang Da escaped.

However, Yang Wen and others were arrested for trying to kill an official. One of his subordinates, Chen Qian, had no choice but to gather a crowd to break up the county town, so Yang Wen became a real bandit.

After Yang Wen died, he wanted to go to Meiling to rescue his wife.

However, there are two so-called Meiling in the eyes of Guangnan people. One is Meiling in Nanchang, Hongzhou, where Mei Fu, a martyr of the Western Han Dynasty, lived in seclusion; the other is Dayu Ridge, which is adjacent to the north of Nanxiong Prefecture. Duomei is also called Meiling.

Yang Wen didn't know where Lady Leng was going, but he had no choice but to choose Dayuling nearby as the place to find his wife. He led his men to open a road to Dayuling, and that's when he met Chen Congshan.

But thanks to Chen Congshan's cleverness, otherwise he would have been the victim of the grass bandits. After all, Yang Wen has many tough guys under his command, such as Li Gui and Chen Qian, both of whom are top-notch heroes. With Yang Wen alone, Chen Congshan would have a hard time dealing with it. If the three of them join forces, it will only take a few of them. He can be defeated in one round.

This time the two people talked about their inner affairs. Yang Wen wanted to go north to Dayuling, but he invited Chen Congshan to go with him, saying: "Brother Chen, now you also want to go to Meiling to find your wife, why don't you join us together?" ?”

Chen Congshan was a little reluctant to give up his official position. He also knew that Dayuling was not the place where he wanted to find a wife. He was afraid that Yang Wen would harm him if he refused directly, so he said: "Brother Yang Shi, this is inappropriate. If I join forces with you, let alone say A cadre of subordinates are willing to join the bandits, but you have lost a strong support. The Guangnan Jiedushi is afraid that he will send troops to destroy it.

Wouldn't it be better if you and I acted together in a play, where you fled from the front and I led the army to chase behind. The two sides did not fight each other, but if you entered Dayuling, I would return to the army. ! "

Yang Wen looked at Chen Congshan steadily and said in a low voice: "I don't think Brother Chen has such a strategy, but it is rare! Okay! It's up to you! I just hope you don't betray me!" Chen Congshan smiled and said: " Brother Yang Shi, don’t doubt it, Chen Xin (Chen Congshan’s name) is not that kind of short-sighted person! You can come and attack my camp later, and I will definitely give Brother Shi a big gift."

Later, the two separated, and Chen Congshan returned to the camp to arrange some affairs.

Not long after, Yang Wenguo led the bandits to attack. Chen Congshan and his men retreated as soon as the bandits came into contact, leaving behind a large number of soldiers, staff and luggage.

As a result, Yang Wen's group's troops became more powerful and marched northward, chasing cities and breaking strongholds, while Chen Congshan led his troops to pursue them closely.

At the same time, Chen Congshan also sent several military reports to the government office in the state. The report said: The thieves are powerful and powerful, and the leader of the thieves is Yang San. He is a member of a famous family and is a member of the generals who are brave and resourceful. I fought with him several times but could not win. I was unable to catch him, so I had to use my military strength to slowly chase him away. Either guard or suppress, I just hope that the superior officer will be prepared in advance.

——The thieves broke into Shajiao Town and the army chased them. They were unable to win, so the thieves left.

······

Chen Congshan's military report did not include a request for help, but there was a meaning revealed between the lines. The thieves are powerful and I cannot destroy them. I can only temporarily pester them to prevent them from getting bigger. Those of you in higher positions must work harder if you want to destroy the thieves. Money...no, we need to mobilize more troops!

At that time, Renyong Colonel Gao Miao, who was the captain of Nanxiong County, led the state troops to intercept Yang Wen, but was ambushed and defeated by Yang Wen. Gao Miao was also killed by Yang Wen's formation in the rebel army.

Later, Chen Congshan led his troops to the battlefield and did not dare to fight at will. He only set up a position to collect the defeated troops. The rebel soldiers were also "afraid" that Chen Congshan's troops were numerous and powerful, so they had to retreat hastily.

Later, Wang Shen, the training envoy of the Nanxiong Prefecture City Regiment, and Zhang Shouli, the garrison envoy of Meiguan in Dayuling, all sent their heads to Yang Wen one after another. Only the entire senior military attachés in Nanxiong Prefecture were sent away, leaving only one low-level inspection officer, Chen Congshan. Gathering more than 4,000 broken troops, he and his own troops totaled 5,000 troops. They slowly suppressed the retreat of the bandits, and the more than 1,000 bandits who were pressing forward collapsed into Dayuling.

Zeng Zhao, the magistrate of Nanxiong Prefecture, was the younger brother of Zeng Bu, the prime minister of the imperial court. He had an outstanding reputation and was praised for his many political achievements as an official.

Chen Congshan's methods of instigating the enemy could not be concealed from others, but Zeng Zhao noticed it.

When the thieves entered Dayuling, Zeng Zhao went straight into Chen Congshan's army alone and said to him: "Chen Xunjian, your family has been loyal and loyal for generations and has received many favors from the emperor. Why do you associate with thieves?!"

Chen Congshan was surprised by Zeng Zhao's straightforwardness and was afraid of his reputation. However, he told the story of his wife's abduction and the incident of Yang Wen, the leader of the thieves.

Zeng Zhaodao: "Why should a man worry about not having a wife? How can you lose your future for a woman and bring shame to your ancestors! Chen Congshan, if you are really a thief, you will kill me to show your ambition and join the thief party early! If you have any regrets, I will I will remove you and temporarily serve as the training envoy of the Nanxiong regiment, command the entire army in the state, and fight with all your strength to resist the thieves!"

When Chen Congshan heard this, he was shocked at Zeng Zhao's boldness at first, but he soon realized that Zeng Zhao came here because he was afraid that he would lead the remaining five thousand troops in Nanxiong Prefecture to join the bandits. Phase said.

It should be noted that the entire Nanxiong Prefecture has a total of only 3,000 regular soldiers, and 3,000 rural soldiers have been summoned. The Meiguan garrison has more than 700 people. They were disrupted by the bandits led by Yang Wen. Except for a few scattered rebels, the remaining troops were basically all. It fell into Chen Congshan's hands.

If Chen Congshan leads his troops to rebel, not only will all the officials in Nanxiong Prefecture be spared, but even if they do not die in the rebellion, they will be held accountable and punished by the court in the future. The entire Guangnan Road will also be corrupted, and the original Nong Zhigao Rebellion will probably happen again. .

There is a saying that whether a general is excellent or not depends entirely on the support of his peers.

As far as the standards of military generals in the Song Dynasty were concerned, there was no doubt that Chen Congshan was unqualified. But in Nanxiong Prefecture, with colleagues and superiors committing suicide, Chen Congshan's "qualifications as a famous general" became particularly dazzling.

Be cautious, courageous, and do not waste time in fighting. These are the unanimous views of all officials and even Zeng Zhao on Chen Congshan.

The soldiers thought that their commander-in-chief Chen Xunjian cared about his subordinates and was a good general, much better than those county lieutenants and regimental envoys who liked to give away their lives.

This is also the reason why Zeng Zhao had to risk his own life to go to the military camp to persuade Chen Congshan, because due to a combination of circumstances, Chen Congshan played an irreplaceable role in Nanxiong Prefecture at this time.

Zeng Zhao entered the camp to talk about generals, which can be regarded as a small gain but a big gain.

Regardless of whether Zeng Zhao chose to remain contented and was held accountable by the court, or whether he was killed by Chen Congshan on the spot after the incident, he would inevitably die, so it was better to take a risk.

If Chen Congshan can really be persuaded to stand firm, then the situation in Nanxiong Prefecture can be considered stable. Even if the court holds him accountable in the future, he and others will have some say.

After some battles between heaven and man, Chen Congshan paid homage to Zeng Zhao: "Zhizhou's words suddenly cleared up Chen Xin's confusion! Xin's father and ancestors are all loyal and good, how dare a villain use one person's selfishness to insult the honor of his ancestors. I would rather lead my troops to fight to the death. Thieves and bandits, to prove the innocence of the Chen family!"

At first, Chen Congshan led his elite troops to attack Meiguan. However, Meiguan was dangerous and the enemy also sent elite troops to defend it. Chen Congshan was unable to attack. Not only did he lose many soldiers and horses, he was also hit by several arrows, but he refused to retreat.

Zeng Zhao watched the battle from behind the formation and confirmed that Chen Congshan had a repentant heart. He then called for gold to withdraw his troops and ordered Chen Congshan not to waste any more fighting. It was important to guard the various checkpoints in Nanxiong and prevent thieves from entering.

From this, Nanxiong Prefecture finally calmed down.

Unexpectedly, one wave is about to fall, and another wave rises.

There was a big bandit named Mei Dalang in Meizhou, who connected with heroes from several states and occupied Wuyi Mountain to gather a crowd to rebel.

Mei Dalang, whose name is Mei Zhan, is a native of Pingjiang Prefecture. He is the first-class hero in Liangzhe Road. Under his command are heroes from Fujian Road such as Wang Wende and Xiang Yuanzhen, all of whom are famous heroes.

Mei Zhan gathered thousands of people, claiming to be 30,000, and led troops to attack the soldiers and horses of several states on Fujian Road, Guangnan East Road, and Jinghu South Road. Although they did not break through the prefectures and counties and killed the prefectural and county officials, they damaged the patrols, There are many military attachés such as regiment training envoys and defense envoys.

As a result, all these states were in chaos, and both the army and the people were frightened.

At that time, Guangnan Qian was in charge of dispatching troops to suppress the Wuyi Mountain bandits. Unexpectedly, another bandit bandit, Luzhou Man, came from Guangxi and destroyed several prefectures and counties. Guangnan's soldiers and horses were forced to return to help, but they were ambushed and defeated by bandits in Qingyuan County.

The thieves plundered the prefectures and counties, and then went north to Lianzhou and gathered in Jiuyi Mountain.

Not to mention, the military governor of Nan'an was killed by the Jianghu strongman [Four-legged Snake] Xu Jing for robbing Jianghu prostitutes (women who were performing tricks). Xu Jing and his friend [Jade-faced Rat] Li Congji also Recruiting hundreds of soldiers, he defeated Nankang County, and then rushed into Meiling to join Yang Wen's troops.

Suddenly, the roads north and south of Wuling were in chaos, and reports from all over the country flew to the capital like snowflakes.

The military report reached the capital and was reported to the three yamen and the Privy Council. The court was shocked.

The newly-appointed emperor Zhao Ji only felt that his face was dishonored. Not even two years after he took the throne, a large-scale rebellion broke out in the local area. Isn't this a slap in the face!

He immediately ordered the Privy Council to dispatch troops and horses to severely suppress the rebels.

(End of this chapter)