Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

Jia Cong led 600 soldiers and several Jinyi captains and Jurchen elites out of the city overnight and went straight to Liaocheng. The reason why the Jurchen warriors were brought was to control Hai Dongqing and exchange news with Beijing in a timely manner.

He broke up with Liu Xianglian in Boye County, Baoding Prefecture. He went east to Cangzhou to inquire about the bandits, while Jia Cong continued south and attacked Liaocheng.

This time the military situation was so strong that he did not bring any baggage. He only provided supplies on the spot in the counties along the way. With one man and two cavalry, he was as anxious as a spark. He quickly caught up with Kong Xing, Xie Hui and his party who had set off first, and passed Jizhou four days later. , arrived in Linqingzhou, Shandong Province, only a hundred miles away from Liaocheng.

At this time, Liaocheng was already in danger.

Under the dark night, Qiao Yin was covered in blood, standing on the city wall with a knife in hand, looking at the sparks under the city, more and more, her heart sank into the abyss, and her whole body was cold.

They had just managed to repulse a wave of nighttime attacks by the rebels. Now the sergeants were all exhausted and suffered heavy casualties. Seeing that the rebel army was strong and the imperial reinforcements were delayed, if the city was breached, they would definitely not survive.

He was already very careful, so he personally transported the money. Unexpectedly, he encountered a sudden rebellion and blocked the water transportation, leaving him in a dilemma.

After weighing the situation, Qiao Yinwan did not dare to let this huge amount of silver float alone on the river, so he made a prompt decision and transferred his fate to Liaocheng for temporary resettlement. He wanted to use this strong city to protect the money first. As for the arrival date, it would be later. It's better than losing your money.

I didn’t want to but something finally happened!
If the city is destroyed and people die, no matter how many people die, Qiao Yin doesn't care. It is not his duty to defend the city anyway, but if this batch of money is lost... He thinks that even if he has a hundred heads, he won't be enough to kill the admiral. .

Qiao Yin took a hard bite of the Shandong scallion pancake in her hand. Seeing that something was going wrong, she began to think about how to shirk the blame and avoid the more serious matters.

"Qiao Zhenfu, the situation is not good. The armaments in the city are empty. Even if we include our people, there are only four or five thousand people. The bandit army has gathered at least tens of thousands of troops. Tomorrow morning... let alone attack the city, I am afraid that the brothers will see This battle will collapse without a fight."

A young general, covered in blood, came over with a long spear and said worriedly, it was Peng Cheng.

Because of his meritorious service in quelling the banditry in the south of the Yangtze River last time, Jia Cong promoted him directly from Baihu to Gaoyou Guard Commander. This time he was sent by Gu Tao to escort the stolen silver.

Qiao Yin asked: "How many people have been mobilized?"

"There are only more than 5,000 people. They can only do menial jobs and cannot fight." Peng Cheng sighed.

Qiao Yin shook his head secretly and said in a low voice: "Brother, with the current situation, you and I should also worry about the future.

"Zhenfu means..." Peng Cheng still didn't understand. Although he was a good fighter, he didn't quite understand the connections in the officialdom.

Qiao Yin said: "Brother, you are confused. You and I have a heavy responsibility this time. If something happens to this money in our hands, even if there is a big reason, we will not be able to escape the knife. It may even affect our family. Why don't we Have you made plans in advance?"

Peng Cheng hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "My little brother, I will obey the governor's orders."

Qiao Yin patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, brother, leave this matter to me." After saying that, he sent someone to call the local chief of Dongchang Prefecture. Liaocheng is the administrative seat of Dongchang Prefecture, and all the prefecture and county yamen are in the same city. .

After a while, a dozen civil servants wearing patched uniforms came running out of breath.

"I've met Qiao Zhenfu and Commander Peng."

Qiao Yin smiled coldly, ignored him, and cursed: "You bunch of stupid, incompetent trash! Bandits are rampant in the territory under your jurisdiction, and the people are living in dire straits. That's all.

The day before yesterday, I asked you to send carriages and horses to transport important goods, but you actually used some broken carriages and old horses to make up for it. As a result, the horses stumbled, the carriages overturned and the goods were scattered. Seven or eight carriages of gold and silver were scattered on the ground, letting the thieves know!
Now the bandit army has gathered a large number of people to attack the city. If the city is defeated and all the thirty million silver is in the hands of the thieves, what kind of crime should you think of?
Moreover, the armaments in the city are depleted, and the generals are outnumbered. They are all eating empty pay, their hearts are broken, and they are drunk on the blood of the soldiers. Now the thieves have invaded the country, and there are no soldiers to fight. What crime should you think of!
Now, I and Commander Peng happen to be passing by here, defending the city with blood for you losers. I tell you, if something goes wrong, if you kill each other one by one, the whole family will not end well! snort! "

"Yes, yes, this is what your Excellency blames. The subordinates neglected to discipline and supervise the inspectors, and were lax in controlling their subordinates. I am ashamed and embarrassed."

The prefect of Dongchang had cold sweat on his forehead. He bowed his head and bowed his head. He just said yes and kept apologizing. After Qiao Yin finished cursing, he turned around angrily, pointed at Dongchang Guards, Liaocheng County Magistrate, County Magistrate, Chief Secretary and other personnel and cursed loudly.

"You bunch of bastards! I have repeatedly warned you to be honest, conscientious, cautious, and diligent in the king's affairs, but you have all fallen into the trap!
He couldn't even handle such a cumbersome task as transporting goods, so that the secrets of the incident were leaked. Now that the bandits invaded the country, there were no generals, no soldiers, morale was weak, and it was difficult to use them. It actually caused Qiao Zhenfu and Commander Peng to be in danger.

What do you think should be done? This matter has happened, and this government must deal with it seriously! "

The garrison, magistrate and others had no choice but to accept the punishment respectfully, secretly thinking that they had never seen you speak so righteously when they were trying to make money.

However, the accident between the carriage and the horse was indeed an accident. The gold and silver were really too heavy, and Qiao Yin was impatient. He wanted to finish the horse immediately. He accidentally became overweight, so it was reasonable for the accident to happen.

"My lord, I will definitely punish everyone severely when I turn around. But now, what do you think...what should we do? Since we have encountered such an important matter, we must find a way to save the lifeline of the imperial court first. As for your lord's decision to punish me later, I don’t dare to defend myself.”

The prefect of Dongchang is also a good man. Not only did he transfer the blame to his subordinates, he also detained Qiao Yin with one sentence. "Don't pretend to be okay. The money is yours, not mine."

Qiao Yin glanced at him and said: "For the current plan, we can only mobilize as many people as possible to help defend the city, and just wait for the heavenly soldiers to arrive and the crisis will be resolved."

"Your Excellency, I will go and do it now, but the city is short of money and food, so I'm afraid I won't be able to do it." The prefect said in embarrassment.

"Bastard!" Qiao Yin was so angry that he almost vomited blood. You are actually trying to trick me!
But now he has no choice. If he can't defend the city, everything will stop. He can only hold his nose and say: "Fuck, increase the reward! Minzhuang will be given one tael of silver a day for defending the city. If he kills an enemy, he will be rewarded 20 taels of silver. The payment will be settled every day. !

Every mature man in the city will be conscripted to help defend the city. Those who refuse to accept the blame will be beheaded immediately! In addition, people's houses were demolished to raise stones and wood, and the money was taken out of the money brought by the officials. "

"My lord, you are so courageous! I will go and do it right away." The magistrate was overjoyed. It would be easier to do things if he had money. He turned around and shouted: "Have you bastards heard my lord's instructions?
They sent me a message from door to door, demolishing every five houses, and recruiting all men between the ages of 16 and 45. Anyone who doesn't comply will be killed! If you don't do your job well this time, I will kill you first and then apologize to the court. "

"Yes! Your Majesty will take care of it right away." All the officials were busy pissing themselves off.

"Master Magistrate, how many people do you estimate can be recruited?" Peng Cheng asked.

The prefect said: "This city has a population of over 150,000, and we should be able to recruit about 30,000 people."

Qiao Yin said: "It must be completed before dawn!"

"Yes, I will personally go and supervise you immediately!" The magistrate handed over his hand and hurried away.

Peng Cheng breathed a sigh of relief and said: "If we can get 30,000 people to help defend the city, the bandit army will not be able to break the city for a while."

Qiao Yin nodded. After all, except for bandits and demons, most of these rebels were just people who were coerced into becoming thieves. How much fighting power could they have.

As a large number of civilians joined the city defenders to help carry wood and stones, the defenders on the city gradually calmed down. After all, it was a city, and the three-foot-high city wall could not be easily overcome by the mob below.

Its daybreak. Qiao Yin looked at the dark crowd below the city, feeling anxious and uncertain. He was from a royal guard and had never fought in any war.

"Brother Peng, do you think we have a chance of winning?"

"Don't worry, Governor. I've seen it. The bandit army only has 70,000 to 80,000 people. Almost all of them are rabble-rousers who have never held a sword or a gun. Let's defend the city and it will be no big deal." After all, Peng Cheng was born in a military family, and he went to the Passing the battlefield, he was very calm.

Qiao Yin breathed a sigh of relief: "I have to rely on my brother."

"You're welcome, Zhenfu."

Several thieves below the city were gathering together to discuss.

Ye Lizi said: "Everyone, let's proceed as agreed last night. Head Shan and Bai Duo will attack the North City, Ba Qian Sui and Wei Xiang will attack the West City, my younger brother and Nie Tang will attack the South City, and Brother Zhang and Protector Sha will attack the East City."

Protector Sha touched his shiny head and said with a smile: "Let's talk about it first. Our sect has a branch in Liaocheng. If we can open the door and seize the city, our sect will keep 10% of the money and the rest will be divided equally. You don't have any objections. ?”

Everyone said: "What the red mouth and white teeth say will not count. Protector Sha can rest assured."

"Okay, heads and brothers, see you in the city!"

Sha Laosan and Zhang Heilian took people there.

Everyone acted independently.

A moment later, a cannon sounded, and the bandits from all directions began to attack the city with countless ladders built overnight.

To this day, Liaocheng is the first city that the bandits attacked, because everyone knows that tens of millions of money from the imperial court are currently stored in the city, like a huge magnet, attracting bandits from all directions.

Who is going to consider whether the fight can be fought or not, and how many people will die? Fight first and then talk!
If you can defeat it, you will make a fortune.

"Brothers, come together! Take this city and you will have money and women!"

When the rebel soldiers heard this, they swarmed forward with red eyes and howls.
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drive! drive!
Jia Cong rested for a night in Linqing Prefecture. At dawn, he set off with two thousand cavalry and his own soldiers, rushing to Liaocheng.

As soon as they arrived in Shenshi, the army approached Liaocheng. Jia Cong watched from a distance the crowds of people on the city. From time to time, people rolled down the city. Screams and shouts of death could be heard faintly with the wind. A huge thick black smoke column rose into the sky in the city, which was even more obvious. The situation is critical.

Jia Cong was relieved when he saw this. Since he was still attacking the city, it meant that the city had not been lost and the money was still there.

"Change your horses and charge the whole army! Kill me!"

"kill!"

The sergeants immediately replaced their spare horses and charged towards them with swords and guns.

Liaocheng is surrounded by plains. When the defenders on the city saw the official flags, they were ecstatic and shouted loudly. Their fighting spirit suddenly burst out and they tried their best to withstand the rebel attack. The people also tried their best and threw wood and rocks at the bottom of the city. go.

When Qiao Yin saw Jia Cong's banner, he shouted with tears in his eyes: "Brothers, Uncle Dang is here to save us! We are saved! Hold on, hold on!"

When all the captains and sergeants in Jinyi heard about Dang Koubo's reputation, their morale became even higher, as if they had been given a shot of chicken blood. They were a hundred times more energetic. With Dang Koubo here, what could this group of chickens, dogs, and rabble in front of them do?

"Brother Peng, hold on! The admiral is here, I'll go greet him." Qiao Yin yelled.

"Go away, Zhenfu, while my younger brother will guard the city!"

Peng Cheng shouted loudly, and the gun barrel flew like a python, instantly piercing the throats of the two thieves. The two men held their throats and rolled over and rolled out of the city.

Qiao Yin was a very thief, so he took the opportunity to sneak down the city wall. He couldn't miss the critical moment. The admiral was here, and the overall situation was decided. It was important to save his life at this moment, and not to capsize in the gutter.

Just as he was about to find a place to hide, Qiao Yin was shocked when he suddenly heard shouts of killing coming from the east gate.

The north, south, and west gates had long been blocked. Local officials and Qiao Yin had a tacit agreement to leave the east gate unsealed, on the grounds that they would not cut off the people's livelihood and become a turtle in the urn.

In fact, they have secretly left a way out for themselves. Once the city is broken, the east city will lead to the canal dock, and it is easy to escape by river.

Unexpectedly, at this critical moment, the east gate would break into chaos.

Qiao Yin hurriedly led people to investigate, only to see hundreds of mobs wearing yellow scarves. They were not afraid of death and came out of the city. They fought with the gate defenders and tried to seize the gate.

At this time, almost everyone was guarding the city on the wall. There was no one at the city gate. The mob suddenly rushed out and immediately killed the people carrying things around, and also killed a group of gatekeepers to pieces.

Qiao Yin looked at the people around him and made a decisive decision: "Go quickly, protect the money!" Then he led several captains, Sa Yazi, and ran to the treasury.

A large amount of firewood has been piled inside and outside the treasury, and it has been doused with kerosene, sulfur, etc. Qiao Yin has already planned it. Gold and silver cannot be burned anyway. If thieves come, he will not care whether they burn, kill or loot. As long as they come to rob the silver, he will Lighting these firewood can at least delay some time.

"Lord Zhenfu!" Baihu, the captain guarding the treasury, took Qiao Yin and bowed.

"Is there no problem here?"

"Don't worry, my lord, my brothers have been keeping their eyes open day and night, staring at us."

"Okay. The Admiral has arrived with his heavenly troops. Everyone, cheer up!"

Everyone was overjoyed and agreed in unison. After the battle in Jiangnan, Jia Cong was almost like an undefeated god of war in their hearts. Wasn't it easy to defeat a few bandits?

"Report! Lord Zhenfu, the east gate...is broken!" A captain flew over to report. (End of chapter)