Win the Ding 1617

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In May of the 11th year of Chongzhen, it was the Duanyang Festival. The Shihua Street outside Gucheng was bustling with people. Most of the residents came out to buy some practical things for the festival, such as calamus, mugwort leaves, realgar, colorful thread, etc.

A troop of soldiers on horseback trotted across the street paved with bluestone slabs, and the ringing of luan bells was carried far away in the bustling market.

In front of a tea shop, the leading rider jumped off his horse.Pushing away the hungry people crowded at the door, they walked inside.

"Marshal, the young master is back!"

A few soldiers standing in front of the tea shop reported to the big man who was sitting under the hut drinking tea from a large porcelain bowl.

The big man was wearing a red-tasseled felt hat and a cloak. He was tall, a little thin, and had a yellow face. What people noticed was his long beard, which hung down from his mouth and cheeks, probably two feet away. long.A pair of big copper bell-like eyes flashed a sly and alert light from time to time, facing groups of hungry refugees on the street in the distance, and from time to time grabbed handfuls of Tongbao from the table beside him and directed them towards the crowd. Scatter in the middle.

"Men and young men, our old Zhang is also from a poor family, and we know how hard it is to be hungry! Let's use this money to buy something to fill our stomachs. When our old Zhang has food, we will open porridge sheds everywhere! "The expression is full of compassion.

This person is none other than Zhang Xianzhong, the Eighth King of Xiying Commander!

"Eight Great Kings! Eight Great Kings!"

The hungry people who picked up Tongbao on the ground kept kowtowing to Zhang Xianzhong in thanks.A woman touched the thick and heavy copper coins in her hand, her hazy eyes were filled with tears.

"It's still the Eight Great King Renyi. This copper coin is so thick and the color is so correct! It is much better than the horse racing Chongzhen sent by the government to send the poor!"

"Men and young men, uncles, aunts and sisters, we Lao Zhang are coming out today, and we don't have much money with us. If you want to eat, you can go to our camp outside the city."

Without making a fuss, Zhang Xianzhong made a big advertisement for himself among the hungry people in the Gucheng area with more than a dozen slings of copper coins.It also laid the foundation for the next step in the selection of the strong among the hungry.

"Xiao Wang, are you back?! How is that old bear?"

The old bear in Xianzhong's mouth.It is Xiong Wencan who is now the Prime Minister of Suppressing Thieves.

"Damn! This old dog is more ruthless than anyone else when he eats black food! But he is slow to do things!"

Xianzhong asked his adopted son Zhang Kewang, who later became Sun Kewang, to go to Xiangyang to bribe Xiong Wencan with a lot of gifts for the sake of official position, defense area, food and salary.At the same time, Bai Wenxuan, an effective general under his command, was sent to the capital to dig Xue Guoguan's door.

but.A lot of money and jewels were stuffed into the pockets of Xiong Wencan and others.None of what Zhang Xianzhong wanted was implemented.

"Father! The two pieces of one-foot-long jasper and six pieces of emerald we gave to Xiong Laogou this time are all in vain!"

While scolding, Zhang Kewang took an official letter from the soldiers.

"We asked for 10 people's food and wages. We didn't give any of them! We just gave you the rank of deputy commander-in-chief. As for the defense area, armored battles, and weapons, we didn't have any at all! Instead, let us pick out four Thousands of elite cavalry come and hand them over to the officers and soldiers for dispatch!"

"Damn! More than [-] silver in jewelry and money were scraped from my hands, but there was no dry goods! What's the use of a piece of broken paper on your head!"

Zhang Xianzhong swung his whip and knocked down the written notice to the ground, his eyes were full of fire.

"Don't give me an official position, and I don't even have any food and salary, but I want to transfer my soldiers and horses!"

"Father! Please suspend the fury of Thunder! Now is not the time to lose your temper!"

Zhang Dingguo, who stood beside him without speaking, tried to comfort Zhang Xianzhong.

Zhang Dingguo was in his twenties, with a tall body and a straight figure. Under the tailored Shu brocade battle robe, a set of polished Nanzhong armor set off his whole body full of heroic spirit. gas.

Zhang Dingguo was adopted by Zhang Xianzhong as his adopted son when he was ten years old, and he followed him to fight in the north and south. He was brave, liked to read the art of war, and was quite strategic. He was called "Xiao Chai King" in the army, and because he was handsome and fair-skinned like a jade baby, he often fought against a white horse. When Yinjia came out, he was nicknamed "Zhang Yuer".He and Zhang Kewang, Zhang Wenxiu, and Zhang Nengqi, who were also adopted sons of Zhang Xianzhong, were called the "Four Generals".Among the four adopted sons, because Zhang Kewang was the first to be adopted by Zhang Xianzhong, he has a detached status.

"What? They took money from me, but they didn't deal with me, so why can't I let me scold them?" Xianzhong, as the commander of an army, had far more control over his emotions than Zhang Kewang.

"Father commander, it's natural to scold, but don't forget, Zuo Liangyu's men are still stuck around our necks in Laohekou. Chuangying was defeated, and Li Chuangwang's whereabouts are unknown. Cao Ying and other generals They also surrendered, so Zuo Liangyu naturally turned his attention to our west camp. At this time, we should rest our troops and raise horses, and don't directly conflict with the officers and soldiers!"

"Ning Yu," Zhang Kewang fixed his eyes on Zhang Dingguo, calling his name, "Then what do you say?"

"Didn't Commander-in-Chief already have the letter of indictment and the official title of Deputy Commander-in-Chief? In addition to the wheat we planted on both sides of the Han River a few days ago to build a house, we can perform a good show!"

After Zhang Xianzhong was stationed in Gucheng, he ordered people to build hundreds of houses outside the city. At the same time, he forcibly turned the fields of many nearby landlords into military grain fields and rented them out to the common people for cultivation.Even Chongzhen in Beijing had heard of this incident.

"With the official title, the father-in-chief can order the brothers and four townships of each sentry to guard all the intersections, river wharves, and collect taxes to expand the military salary. With the official title, we can send people to Xiangyang, Wuchang, and Shashi to buy thing."

"Yes! You can even send the big ship straight to Nanjing! We will transport all the precious medicinal materials from the nearby mountains and forests to Nanjing, and replace them with what we want!"

Although Zhang Kewang was wary of his younger brother's gradual momentum over the past few years, he still greatly appreciated Zhang Dingguo's idea.

"That's right! Xiao Wang, Yu'er, haven't you been urging me to change all the swords, guns and armor of the old camp? I've decided! These money and jewels are all belongings of my mother. It's not so much that it's cheaper for the dogs. Officer, it’s better to become the capital for us to live and work! If our brothers in the old camp are all armored swords and guns of Nanban goods, I am afraid of the stupid Zuo Liangyu?!"

"Father, you need not only swords, guns and armor, but also firecrackers and cannons. With those cannons, we won't have to take our lives to fill in the city if we build a village in the future!"

"Xiao Wang! You don't understand this! When we fight, what we pay attention to is to kill the enemy by walking, and the officers and soldiers are blinded to kill the guy! If you bring such a wolf cannon, a big guy weighing several thousand catties .How to walk the mountain road? How to drill the ravine? Don’t mention this matter again!”

"Father handsome. Brother is right. I heard Mr. Qin, the shopkeeper of Xinghuachun Restaurant, say that now in Nanzhong merchants in Nanjing, it is said that there are big and small Flang machines for sale, each of which only weighs a few hundred catties. A few horses can easily carry it away. Or. Let's get two doors to try?"

"Haha! You two ghosts! Did you collude with me? Come to fool me?"

Zhang Xianzhong blinked happily, making faces at his two sons.

"Don't dare to lie to my father."

"Don't dare to lie to my father!"

"If it's really so light, it's a good thing to buy and use. However, how can you ensure that it will be delivered to us for the thousands of miles away?"

"Father, we don't have to worry about it! Mr. Qin said that he can ship the goods by himself after collecting a [-]% deposit, as long as we pay the labor fee!"

"Mr. Qin, we also go to his restaurant to eat and drink, why doesn't he tell us about such things?!"

"Father Commander Huwei, ordinary people are not as timid as they see it, so how dare they talk to Father Commander about this?"

"Then, what's the benefit of Mr. Qin being so aggressive? Don't fall into other people's tricks, just give someone a handle!"

"Father, don't worry." Zhang Dingguo answered Zhang Xianzhong's question very firmly.

"This man is our fellow Shanxi fellow. He has been doing business in Gucheng for many years. He did this for money. He has also made a lot of money doing these things in the past few years. Several poles within a few hundred miles nearby Most of the high-quality weapons in his hands are passed through his hands. The price is fair, but it’s just an increase of [-]%. I bought fifty iron-tired hard bows and one hundred high-quality steel knives from him last month. , twenty iron-steel swords arrived two days ago. My son selected half of them and sent them to the father-in-law's personal army."

For a person like Zhang Xianzhong who rolls on the knife's edge every day, the best weapon is the guarantee of life. Hearing Zhang Dingguo's actions, Zhang Xianzhong couldn't help but feel very happy.

"Okay! Yu'er, go and make arrangements and tell Mr. Qin that we will reserve the venue for my father at night. We will hold a banquet in his restaurant and invite the nearby officials, gentry and rich people to drink to celebrate my becoming the deputy commander-in-chief." !By the way, talk to him about business!"

Xianzhong's eyes the size of copper bells were shining brightly. Although his western battalion was brave in battle, it was not equipped well. Except for some elites in the old battalion, most of the soldiers wore turbans and waist armor. First.Or wrap a turban, wear a rain crotch, wear hemp shoes, and wear a walking scorpion.Many people not only have tattered clothes, but also the weapons in their hands are all kinds of tattered.

If not, he would not have arranged for Pan Duao, a scholar who joined Xiying after failing to compete for land with others to help him make weapons such as maces.If you can buy high-quality Nanzhong weapons from the black market, your strength will be greatly increased in a short period of time. Then Xiong Wencan from Xiangyang will not be able to make any plans for him. Hypocrisy and submissiveness go on.And time is what Xianzhong lacks the most right now.

The Shaanxi accent of the father and son has been spread far and wide on the street, but fortunately, all three of them speak the dialect of northern Shaanxi. There are not many people who can understand the dialect of northern Shaanxi on the ground in Hubei, so they can do whatever they want. speech.

The topic of discussion soon shifted to Pan Duao, who is currently in full swing in the training team for manufacturing weapons.

This Pan Xiucai is said to be a character.In his hometown in Yingcheng, Hubei, he organized group exercises and built water villages to prevent chaos in the world.Because of the dispute over Hutian, Wang Quan, the son of Wang Zhen, colluded with the clan and sued the county magistrate: others suffered losses when they encountered bandits, but Pan Duao made a windfall, and suggested that he should be "encouraged" , donated 1 taels of silver in exchange for a "future" that Pan Duao had always dreamed of.The county magistrate immediately took out the title of "instructor" and Pan Duao paid the money and delivered the goods.start.Pan Du'ao resisted the "encouragement to raise money", and later, deterred by the crime of extortion, he agreed to donate 5000 taels of silver.During the bargaining, the people along the lake jointly filed a letter accusing Pan Duao of embezzling other people's property and plotting wrongdoing.In a fit of rage, the county magistrate put Pan Duao into prison, hoping to punish him.Thanks to his wife who sold the real estate, managed it up and down, and redeemed him.After he was released from prison, Pan Duao gave up half of the Hutian to others and still lived in seclusion in the village.Continue to drill the navy.Be punctual and wait for the opportunity.

Zhang Xianzhong's army crossed the Han River from Luohan Beach in the winter month of the ninth year of Chongzhen, and Pan Duao, who was guarding the water village of Xiaojiafan Lake, surrendered immediately.He told Zhang Xianzhong that Yingcheng "has a lot of officials and rich wealth, which can be used for military pay."So he led the army to approach the city of Yingcheng on the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, that is, the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month in the Bingzi year of the old calendar.Under the leadership of Pan Duao, a leading party who is familiar with the situation.Naturally, the first battle broke the city.Zhang Xianzhong received enough military pay.And Pan Duao also avenged his personal revenge.

What followed was a very dramatic scene. The Eight Great Kings asked Pan Duao for advice on what to do next.Pan Du'ao then opened up the stance of Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei's countermeasures back then, and spoke eloquently.Now the land of Central Plains has been scorched by ten years of war, and it is useless to fight for it; the Promised Land of Bashu has not yet been seriously damaged, but it can be claimed to wait for the world to change and achieve great things; In the area of ​​disaster, there are only a small group of soldiers. If people are sent to link up, the spread can be confirmed.For the current plan, taking the south of the Yangtze River as the best policy, taking Bashu as the middle policy, and going north to disturb the Central Plains is the worst policy.Zhang Xianzhong said, "Jiangnan is good, but how can we keep it if we get it? It's still your middle strategy. Let's take the middle strategy first and then pursue the best strategy."

It is said that in his early years, Pan Duao had learned the art of managing the country and the times from the monk Kongyin of Qishui.His lofty remarks were Zhuge Liang's reappearance to the reckless hero Zhang Xianzhong. He pulled Pan Duao and said, "It's a godsend to have you help me."From then on, Zhang Xianzhong treated Pan Duao as a military adviser.

After arriving in Gucheng, although the situation was still dangerous, it stabilized a little. Pan Duao carefully developed the three-eyed gun, shield hook, continuous crossbow arrow method and phalanx tactics, and personally taught them to the soldiers of the West Camp.

"Father commander, my son has checked Mr. Pan's accounts with the old battalion secretary. If it takes more money and energy to build a three-eyed gun than to buy a Nanzhong firecracker, which one will father commander be willing to use?"

After talking for a while, Zhang Dingguo suddenly changed the subject and pointed out the problem.

"Let's talk about these terrible things at night when I drink with Mr. Qin! Xiao Wang, Yu'er, take your soldiers and those newly bought iron tire bows, and go hunting with me!"

Seeing that his father was interested, Zhang Kewang had no choice but to look at Zhang Dingguo with a wry smile, and led his own soldiers to follow Zhang Xianzhong out to hunt outside.

Gucheng is located in the west of Xiangyang, on the west bank of the middle reaches of the Han River, with Jingshan Mountain in the south, Wudang in the west, and Hanshui River in the east.In such a geographical environment, there are many natural prey. The soldiers on the river beach raised a flock of waterfowl, dozens of hard bows bent like a full moon, and a rain of arrows passed by.

"It's a good thing! Old Qin! It's a good thing you sold to me!"

At night, after seeing off a group of congratulatory guests, Zhang Xianzhong patted Lao Qin, the shopkeeper of Xinghuachun Restaurant, on the shoulder and couldn't stop praising him.

"It's just more expensive!"

Pan Duao at the side said something coldly with a straight face.

"Yes! Now that the army is stationed here, it costs a lot, and the commander-in-chief's savings are not very rich. How can you afford such an expense?"

Xu Yixian, another military adviser of Zhang Xianzhong, also came to help.

"Marshal, do you know what the alias of Gucheng is?" The chubby shopkeeper Qin handed Zhang Xianzhong a cup of tea with a sincere and honest smile on his face.

"Gucheng is known as the Silver Valley City because of its rich products and the convenience of water and land docks."

"If that's the case, why didn't the commander-in-chief send someone to collect some regular quotas at the pier? The world is in chaos now, and the roads are not safe everywhere. If the commander-in-chief is willing to come forward to protect the environment and the people, even if the business travel costs some money, it will be better than losing everything. Life is not guaranteed to be much stronger?"

"Also, the raccoons, foxes, badgers, deer, squirrels, raccoons, wild boars, flying foxes, mushroom wolves, tigers, leopards, black deer, otters, musk deer, black bears, blue sheep and other wild animals in the nearby mountains and forests. Arranging soldiers to go into the mountains to hunt and kill, firstly, to eliminate harm for the people, secondly, they can be handed over to trumpets in exchange for various military supplies, and thirdly, the soldiers also have a place to use their skills. In addition to wild animals, the metasequoia, Davidia involucrata, nanmu, ginkgo, Eucommia ulmoides, boxwood, green sandalwood, tung oil, black fungus, silkworm, lacquer, fungus, Gastrodia elata, tea, peanuts and other dozens of mountain products can also contribute a little to the commander-in-chief’s Xiying.”

After listening to the seemingly simple and honest shopkeeper Qin, he told the special products of the mountain products in Gucheng and nearby places in one breath, as if he reported the names of the dishes on weekdays, and how to block the river and set up cards to protect the passage of business travelers and collect road money. Hearing Zhang's father and son and Bai Ma Yuanli and other generals in Wenxuan were mesmerized.

Soon, soldiers from Xiying appeared at the gates of Gucheng County on duty and patrolling the gates. Even Ruan Zhitian, the county magistrate, had to check when he left the city.

On the river, ships from Xiying came and went on patrol, with a big flag planted on the bow, and the words "Protect the environment, protect the people, protect the business travellers" were written, and they charged a fee of [-] per cent, and then protected the caravans when they left the Gucheng and Xiying defense areas.

As for the beasts in Wulong Mountain, Baishui Valley, Daxie Mountain, Mabo Gorge, Shennv Gorge, Wulong Gorge, etc., and even the more distant Shennongjia Mountains, they are in bad luck.The fur was stripped off by a group of Xiying soldiers who went into the mountains to hunt and train soldiers, and the boats of various mountain products and special products were sent down the South River, known as "Pink Water", in exchange for various things that Zhang Xianzhong and others needed.

On the ninth day of May of the following year, Zhang Xianzhong, who accepted the recruitment, raised the banner of the Eight Kings of Xiying again in Gucheng, killed Ruan Zhitian, the magistrate of Gucheng, and wrote down the time and number of bribes that officials at all levels asked him for since he accepted the recruitment. , money, and items were placed on the screen wall of the county government office, and then the government office was burned.At the same time, Luo Rucai led four battalions from Fangxian County, and the two joined forces to conquer the county, killed Hao Jingchun, the county magistrate, and went to Yunxi, Baokang and other places.Soon, the Fifth Battalion of Huideng Xiang, stationed in Junzhou, also rebelled.Only Wang Guangen, the little king of Qin who was recruited together that day, was worried about being annexed by Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai, so he coerced the rest of the peasant army to make a blood alliance and declared that he would not rebel with Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai.

"In order to briefly explain Chen Zhongqu, I would like to inform my elders, Governor Zhou: Loyalty comes from Kusano. He is bold and righteous. He has fought for ten years and never gave up. It is for the crime of punishing the people and punishing corruption. He hoped that the Zhu Dynasty would have a heart of remorse, but The tyrannical government has also changed. Last year, Chunzheng, stationed troops in the state, sympathized with his father and elders and worked hard in the military revolution. He did not hesitate to make compromises, and returned to the Zhu Dynasty. The environment is safe for the people, so that the place can be free from the poison of the officers and soldiers. If you don’t want to be so serious, you will not trust the court, and you will not forgive the officials and gentry. If you don’t pay for food, don’t give out defenses, and sit back and watch the people who have offered their loyalty to hundreds of thousands, you will become ghosts in hungry villages. But Prime Minister Xiong Wencan and other officials, big and small, are in the wild. Zheng Zhilong is waiting for his loyalty. He asks for bribes every day, and he will never be satisfied. His private pockets are exhausted, and he has to include the general. Their desires are hard to fill, but the savings of the general are exhausted. .Swallow your breath, there will be an end...”

After the Eight Great Kings, Zhang Xianzhong, scolded Xiong Wencan, Lin Mingqiu and other officials at all levels in the announcement for their ugly faces of wantonly asking for bribes, he praised Xiangyang Daoist Wang Rui, who had tried several times to get rid of him with Zuo Liangyu, "Officials Among them, Wang Rui of the Xiangyang Road is the only one who has not received loyalty or bribes!"

I will not discuss this matter for the time being. (To be continued..)