Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 111 Two rebels rush in both directions

"Brothers, are you happy?"

"Cool."

"Whoever wants to bully us again must ask the knife in our hand whether to agree or not." Shi Linglun raised the knife and pointed toward the northeast, "Hengtang Town is richer."

For most of an hour,
The soldiers arrived outside Hengtang Town and looked for boats to take turns crossing the river.

This gave the people in the town a chance to escape.

In the morning, the people from the Xukou Inspection Department ran away faster than rabbits and followed Li Inspection all the way.

In addition to dedicating manpower to the capital city to ask for reinforcements, they also shouted along the road to tell the people to run for their lives.

But the peace lasted too long,

The people in Suzhou have lost their vigilance against war, and most people are half-convinced.

Only a few alert people packed up their belongings in advance, helped the old and the young, and fled to Fucheng for their lives.

These people are lucky,
Escaped a military disaster.

After the rebels crossed the river, the massacre began along the main road of the town.

And 10 miles away, Lao Hu was on his way with the city guard camp.

His forehead was covered with sweat, and his heart felt chilly.

"Brother Li should know by now. I hope it won't ruin his plan."

Lijiapu,
Li Yu also just learned of the latest development and called this guy a thief.

I calculated everything, but I missed one thing.

Unexpectedly, Shi Linglun would start marching out of camp at night.

The Yongpu City garrison simply did not have the courage to pursue them, nor did they have the fighting power.

Damn Shi Linglun.

"President Hu Qian said that the black smoke rising into the sky in the direction of Xukou Town is probably gone. The next one must be Hengtang Town, and he has already rushed there."

……

"Where's Liu Wu, and the 100 people he brought with him."

"President Hu Qian said that he could not move them under command. They were pulling cannons and moving slowly."

Sure enough, half an hour later,

They only appeared outside the fort, marching with artillery, but they couldn't move fast.

Li Yu thought,
After this incident is over, the shortcomings of the mules and horses must be resolved.

The oxen and horses pulling the artillery cart were too weak.

"Master, are we going to support? By land or water?"

Li Yu unfolded a self-made "Map around Lijiapu" and fell into deep thought.

You can reach Hengtang Town by water.

But what is my identity, a temporary team training to actively suppress bandits?

He also had a vague worry,

Shi Linglun is so cunning, what are he going to do after he rebels?
Attack Fucheng?

I'm afraid it's a bit overestimating my capabilities.

Thousands of people are not enough to fill the moat alone.

Falling grass on the mountain?Are there mountains in Suzhou?

If the [-]-meter-long solitary mountain counts, I haven’t said that.

Contemporary Ma Su!

If you are going to Taihu Island to fight guerrillas,
Then why did he go ashore just to grab money and food?
"Send more spies, close the fort gate, and wait and see what happens."

Li Yu decided to take a look at the combat effectiveness of the city guard camp.

……

When he hesitated,
The city guard camp finally arrived at Hengtang Town, and the two sides fought.

Shi Linglun gathered his troops and took the lead in two charges. At the cost of more than 70 casualties, he defeated the city's garrison formation.

Lao Hu fled in embarrassment with his confidants for five miles before he stopped.

"Mr. Qian, what should I do?"

"Gather the remaining soldiers and cannot escape."

Lao Hu knew very well how severely the imperial court punished defeated generals.

Although he is now in Cao's camp and his heart is with Han, he has not openly rebelled yet.

Therefore, the imperial court still has to provide for it.

Li Yu told him that he should gradually turn all the city guards into brothers of Lijiabao. His official position as Chief Qian was too low and he had to be promoted.

fortunately,

The Taihu Association's gang of rebels had no intention of pursuing him.

Only some people were left to watch at the entrance of the town, while the rest returned to the town to continue burning, killing and looting.

Shi Linglun's mind was extremely clear at this moment.

"You guys, go and collect mules and horses."

"You guys, go and take over the boat shop."

Suddenly, he met an acquaintance.

A gentry who once served as the Minister of Rites and lived in Hengtang Town after becoming an official.

once,

Because of some trivial matters, he publicly humiliated Shi in Fucheng Restaurant.

He said that they were all holding books from saints and sages, and Shi, a man holding a sword, was not qualified to drink at the same table.

……

"General Shi, spare your life. I am ignorant and have offended you before."

"I will give you all the money in the house. I also have a 15-year-old concubine who just came in last month. I will also give it to you."

Looking at the old man who was kneeling at his feet, crying and shaking with fear.

There is not even half of the majesty of a minister.

People, the so-called grace and grace are all illusions given by status.

Peel off that layer of golden disguise, and they all look like a horse.

Shi Linglun glanced at the old man with disgust.
He raised the blade of the blade, placed it on the old man's neck, and pulled gently.

There was one more corpse, and blood spurted out and was absorbed by the soil.

The 15-year-old concubine who came into the house last month,

He was also pulled over, kneeling aside, holding his boots and crying bitterly.

"General, don't kill the slave family, the slave family belongs to you."

With one stroke of the knife, the fragrance disappears and the jade is shattered.

"Hehehe, it's a pity."

"Huh, more physical strength means more chance of survival."

Shi Linglun whispered, leaning down,
He closed his widened eyes and muttered:
"It's your destiny, you have to accept it."

……

"Go, go quickly."

The rebels gathered hundreds of young men, including scholars, hired workers, and ordinary people.

Shi Linglun is in urgent need of replenishing his troops.

This is the only way to make a strong man strong.

In an open space in the middle of the town, he ordered two boxes of silver to be brought to him.

"The Qing court was unkind, so I rebelled."

"If you are willing to join, take a piece of silver and pick up a knife."

"If you don't want to, just die."

"I'll count to three, you choose quickly."

In response to his threats, the surrounding soldiers immediately raised their knives.

"3, 2, 1~"

Shi Linglun looked at these ignorant people with disgust.

wave your hand,
A group of soldiers immediately rushed forward and slashed the people in front.

"stop."

Seeing the dozens of corpses that suddenly appeared in front of them, the remaining people were finally scared out of their wits.

Shi Linglun asked again:
"I'll ask again, if you are willing to join, come and get the money."

This time, most people trembled and came over to pick up a piece of silver.

However, the nightmare is not over.

"Pick up a knife and kill someone, and that's considered a crime."

"As usual, I'll count to three."

……

A cup of tea is less than enough,
Shi Linglun had more than 200 "soldiers".

These people, with ashen faces, were scattered and sorted into various groups.

Hengtang Town is a large town with a long history.

If there is enough time, at least several hundred thousand taels of money or goods of equivalent value can be collected.

Shi Linglun deliberately spread some news,
Let the people think that he will continue to go north to attack Xushuguan and Fucheng.

then,

Pretending that the guard was not strict allowed some people to escape.

Once the false news reached Huang Wenyun's ears, he would not dare to take the initiative to encircle and suppress him.

We will definitely defend the city and divide our troops to station at Xushuguan.

Xushuguan is the hub node of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.

There are tens of millions of taels of silver alone, and countless ships are moored.

All he wanted was to set fire to it and rob it.

The imperial court will chop off the heads of all the officials in Suzhou Prefecture.

"General Shi, I brought someone here."

"Ok?"

"Greetings to the general, I am the second brave soldier under your command. I was injured in the suppression of the bandits, and after taking the money from the court as a pension, I settled down in Hengtang Town and started a small business."

Shi Linglun looked at the man with scars on his face, missing two fingers on his left hand, and kneeling on one knee, but he was somewhat impressed.

nodded and asked:
"Since you are the former Paoze, I will naturally let you go. Take your family, Xinrou, and leave the town quickly."

"Thank you General."

The man was about to leave, then hesitantly said:
"I have something I want to report to the general."

"speak."

"When I was taking care of Mr. Qian's family, I heard something about framing the general."

Mr. Qian was the former minister of etiquette who had just been killed by Shi Linglun.

……

"Say it quickly."

"Master Qian told several guests that Huang Tongpuan framed you in order to get promoted. Most of the ideas came from a man named Li Yu. He is very good at figuring out the holy will."

"Is what you said true?"

Wang Er knelt down again and said loudly:
"My little one once fought with the general and shed blood. The general treated me well. Why should I lie?"

Shi Linglun was silent and nodded:
"I believe you, please leave quickly and leave the land of right and wrong. Remember to go west, not south."

After that, he cut a piece of cloth on a corpse at his feet.

I packed a dozen ingots of silver and gave them to Wang Er.

"Take it and live a good life."

"I'm afraid not many people in Taihu Association can survive. When the Qingming Festival comes, remember to burn a few knives of paper for Paoze, even if you have intentions."

Wang Er was moved and sobbed,

The blood is rising, and I want to return to the team.

But he was slapped hard by Shi Linglun.

"Get out of here, run away, and never mention your past in the future."

Sent this former subordinate,
Shi Linglun's hand grasped the handle of the knife so hard that it turned bloodless.

A little nervous trembling,

Li Yu, Li Yu!
The name kept echoing in his mind.

If he hadn't known that Li Yu's fortune was ridiculously fast, he would never have believed Wang Er's words just now.

A few months ago,
When Ma Zhongyi arranged to suppress the bandits, he had a deep impression on this young man.

A guy who is very good at disguise, very thoughtful and ruthless, and whose origins are unclear.

..."Find a few official figures in the town."

Shi Linglun told his men that he wanted to inquire about the news.

The security chief who had dealt with Lijiabao happened to be among them.

No need to scare him, just tell him everything he knows.

"General, spare your life. I've been to the Li Family Fort. It's not big inside, but it's quite mysterious."

"Are there any guards at the hospital, any swords, guns or firearms?"

"There are all swords and firearms. I can't say, but I guess there are some."

"Li Yu lives in the fort forever?"

"Yes."

"How far is Lijiabao?"

"Just across the river, walk 5 miles south."

Seeing that he could no longer provide any valuable information, Shi Linglun signaled to his men to kill them.

Looking to the south,

"General, do we really want to attack that Li Family Fort?"

"Fight. We can't kill Huang Wenyun, but we can still kill Li Yu."

Shi Linglun's eyes were full of madness.

At this time, Fucheng.

After hearing the report of the knight asking for help, Huang Tongpan was speechless for a long time.

The weather is not hot, even a little cool.

But the beads of sweat on his temples rolled down one by one.

The plan had been going smoothly, until now, a huge flaw appeared.

After successfully forcing Shi Linglun to rebel, he took all the blame.

But why doesn't this guy act like a scapegoat?

A trapped beast unexpectedly came and unleashed an astonishing fighting power.

A battle,
Then the city garrison was crippled.

"How many troops do President Hu Qian have under his command?"

"Less than 200 people."

"What about them now?"

"Still monitoring the enemy troops outside Hengtang Town, Mr. Qian said that he will fight to the end. If the enemy does not move, I will not move. If the enemy moves, I will move."

"roll."

……

Huang Tongpan almost twisted his nose with anger.

Doesn't he still understand this kind of nonsense?

This means that I lead my troops and watch the enemy from a distance.

If the enemy troops leave, I will follow them from a distance. This is called pursuing the enemy troops bravely and regaining the lost ground.

If the enemy comes to attack, I will flee and win with my feet.

"Did Li Yu teach him? No, he must be responsible for this to the end."

Huang Tongpuan had not yet come to express his anger to Li Yu.
Another petty official came to report.

"Sir, there are people who have escaped from Hengtang Town and Xukou Town. Do you want to ask about the latest developments of the rebels?"

"Bring it in quickly."

Several common people covered in dust cried out their tragic experiences.

Huang Tongpuan had no feeling for their pain, but was stunned by the last sentence.

"You are saying that the rebels are going to attack Xushuguan?"

"Yes, he also said that he would take down the city to take revenge."

Huang Tongpuan was stunned and quickly summoned all the officials in the Yamen to discuss.

It's nonsense to attack Fucheng. You can't even chew a few bricks of the city.

But it is possible to attack Xushuguan.

There is no defense in Xushuguan, and there is no strong fortress.

The only soldiers are those who only make money.

If you see a thief and run away, it will be considered a difficult thing for someone to do.

Running away is the only way to show your true colors.

"Sir, we must reinforce Xushuguan. There are several million 10 taels of silver stored there, so there can't be any mistakes."

"Where can I deploy troops?"

Everyone was speechless,

Suzhou Prefecture's economic and political troops only have city garrison camps.

The rest are less than a hundred miles away.

The nearest Pingwang camp, Jiangyin camp, and Fu Tongpan were unable to command.

……

"Ask for help. Ask the Governor's Mansion and the Admiral's Mansion for reinforcements. I don't believe it. They dare to sit back and do nothing."

"Deploy another 100 soldiers from the city to reinforce Xushuguan. We will reward you with 3 taels of silver."

"As long as he can hold on for three days and be surrounded by reinforcements, Shi Linglun will be a dead dog."

But in this case, there will not be enough manpower to defend the city.

Only 20 meters can stand for one person.

Among them, most of them are young men recruited temporarily.

Huang Tongpuan could only scare the businessman again and raise some money.

Recruiting green men and women in the city, they all put on official clothes, went up to the city wall to replenish their numbers, and planted more flags.

If it weren't for the wide moat, he really wouldn't be confident.

The people in the government office were all busy worshiping Wu Zixu.

Thanks to him, he spared no effort to dig the moat so deep and wide 2000 years ago.

time,

Sometimes it's worthless, sometimes it's about the outcome of a war.

Both sides are counting the time!

at dusk,

The rebels did not leave Hengtang Town, but camped on the spot.

After a good meal, we moved into a big house with a tile roof.

He can even hold a crying rich woman in his arms.

Shi Linglun changed his previous strict requirements on military discipline and became extremely indulgent.

Because he knows,
Being a thief and being a soldier are not the same thing.

Except for the patrols outside the town, they change every two hours.

This is the last stubbornness of a battlefield veteran.

……

Fortunately, the night went smoothly.

Lao Hu led the defeated troops of 200 people and set up camp far away.

He didn't dare to advance, nor did he dare to retreat.

Late at night, Li Yu came unexpectedly.

He took a group of guards and set off on a night journey with torches.

"Brother, why are you here?"

"Let me take a look at Shi Linglun's current news."

Lao Hu pointed to the lights in the distance:
"Well, that's Hengtang Town, they haven't left yet."

"Two hours ago, Mr. Huang sent the butler to see me."

"What did he say?"

"He said that if the success falls short, everyone's wishes will be in vain. Let me think of a way to kill Shi Linglun. He will accept my favor."

"You want to use private soldiers?"

"Ah."

"Would it arouse suspicion and suspicion?"

"I don't care about that much anymore. It's the lesser of two evils. It's not for Lao Huang, it's for myself. If Lao Huang is wronged, and Niu Zhongyi and Gou Zhongyi are replaced, my life will be too sad."

"That's true."

……

Li Yu looked at the depressed city guard camp and asked in a low voice:
"How is the team purified?"

"So thorough."

"What do you mean?"

"The rebellious Ci'ertou is dead, and many of the people he could win over are also dead. Even two brothers from Lijiabao have died. Alas."

Lao Hu had a gloomy look on his face.

Even in the darkness, the frustration can be felt.

Li Yu patted him on the shoulder and motioned to sit down and chat.

"Don't be discouraged. There is no military discipline, no training, and no sophisticated weapons. This ending is not surprising."

"My people will arrive early tomorrow morning."

"Do you want to annihilate Shi Linglun here?"

"Correct."

After a while of silence, Lao Hu asked again:
"what can I do?"

"Your flag, official robes, and the uniforms of the soldiers below will all be changed to me. I will fight this battle, and the credit will go to you."

The old man was stunned for a moment, then knelt down on one knee:

"Mark and obey."

……

Li Yu urgently mobilized 300 musketeers and 15 mountain-splitting cannons from Xishan Island overnight.

Carrying 10 ships, it is already on its way.

Take the waterway until you reach the surrounding area of ​​Hengtang Town.

……

20 miles around Hengtang Town,
There is no common people left, all have fled.

Therefore, it also brought convenience to Li Yu.

Tomorrow's battle is destined to have no boring bystanders.

the sun rises,

The Xishan Island fleet also arrived on time and quietly began to unload people.

The escort carrying muskets skillfully disembarked on the gangplank.

Then, line up.

There are 50 people in a team, with their backs to the river.

Then, he sat on the spot and began to eat dry food.

Add lard, salt, chopped green onion to a large round pancake, and drink it with water.

Mainly it is easy to carry and satisfy hunger.

This thing has a name in Hamigua Province, it’s called “Nang”.

It can be stored locally for half a year without going bad.

In Suzhou, that is 2 to 5 days.

6 teams, exactly 6 rows of horizontal lines.

Then, there's the artillery.

Loading and unloading the artillery was more laborious, which made Li Yu a little dissatisfied.

In the future, we need to find ways to improve it and design a device that is easy to load and unload.

The gun barrel plus the gun carriage weighs three hundred kilograms.

The sailors took it apart for transportation, and two people carried it down the gangplank.

Most people can't do this job.

When walking on a swaying springboard and carrying heavy objects, you need to master your balance.

……

(End of this chapter)