Dragon Soul in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 45

Facing the act of the red-clothed army leaving without warning in three groups, leaving only 1000 people behind, both ordinary people and wealthy local households in the city talked endlessly, wanting to find out what happened.

There are also rumors that this is a conspiracy by the red-clothed army to lure snakes out of their holes. After all, they played this time in Tongzhou City, and it was like a sharp knife hanging above their heads, which made many people with ulterior motives afraid to act rashly.

However, there were still ghost screams at night, which made the entire Texas city uneasy. Many people couldn't bear the harassment and began to flee to the countryside. For a while, the prosperity of Texas city faded and became a little deserted.

Zhu Gan never thought of turning Dezhou City into his own dragon heart. Although it is a place that military strategists must contend for, it is really not suitable for a separate regime. With [-] soldiers and horses, they walked southward on the post road and marched towards Shandong in the east.

Among the [-] cavalry, almost each of them has a horse. Although there are fewer horses, a lot of big donkeys have been collected from Dezhou City. Already by the Yellow River, close to Jinan Prefecture, the governor of Shandong was horrified, and immediately rushed to Laizhou for [-] miles, and then went to Beijing by sea to report to the capital.

Apparently this Shandong chief envoy is a complete idiot. The red army has strangled Shandong's gate, and Jinan Prefecture is only a few hundred miles away from Dezhou, but they have done nothing.

At this time, everyone is guessing that the red-clothed army is divided into three groups, all the way to the south by water, the south is prosperous and has not been affected by any natural disasters, and this is the time when capitalism is sprouting, this is the result that can be guessed, Most importantly, most of the taxes supporting the imperial court came from the south.

Walking all the way to Shandong, we can also guess his purpose. Almost all the food, salaries and supplies needed to stop the Guanning line of defense that built slaves were transported by sea from Denglai. If Zhu Gan wins it, then for Daming, Not only did it block the sea route to Beijing, but it was more likely to cause the Guanning defenders to mutiny. Any of the consequences may lead to the subjugation of the country.

Every move of his seems to be like a god's help, and he can strangle the throat of the court with a single move.

The last army, I don't know how many people are there, but they took the land route, not going south, but going north to Hejian Mansion. It seems that they are going to join the White Lotus Sect who is making trouble in the north. The big boss had a headache, which also caused Zhang Yan a headache, so he could only urge Lu Xiangsheng to find the main force of the red army as soon as possible, and then wipe them out.

Lu Xiangsheng's grandfather was a county magistrate, and his father was a scholar. When he was young, he devoted himself to classics and history, and liked to learn riding and shooting. Although he was a literati in the south of the Yangtze River, he was very talented since he was a child. However, he was born with supernatural power, and he usually uses a bronze Daguan Dao weighing 130 six catties.

At this time, he was riding a white horse at the front of the team, holding an urgent order from the imperial court in his hand, thinking about the upcoming battle with the red army. In chaos, the peasant army became more powerful because of its reduced numbers.

The leader of the red-clothed army is also a wonderful person, and suddenly appeared, claiming to be Zhu Yousong, the son of Prince Fu, even though he came from Luoyang, he had personally seen Zhu Yousong, the son of Prince Fu, but he was just a dude.

Leveraging the name of this dude to bluff and deceive, he is not afraid of flashing his name. The peasant soldiers he saw were all incompetent, but he made a big name for himself. Heavenly Kings and Gerisans sound scary, but they are actually just some thieves who only know how to kill and plunder.

Looking at the leader of the red-clothed army, from the beginning of the army to the present, in less than a month, he has nearly [-] soldiers and horses, attacking the city and plundering the land all the way. The soldiers are sharp and unstoppable. The military discipline of the red-clothed army, I heard that they never harassed the common people, and found that one person beheaded one person, and there was no mercy. Although there was a lot of luck in winning Tongzhou and Dezhou, his people were rare in the world regardless of vision or courage .

About to face such a person, hidden in the mist, only focusing on strength and not fame, Lu Xiangsheng found that he had to be more careful than ever, but this person took the lead. He couldn't stop and wait for more information, so he could only quickly Find him, and then put an end to the disaster of the red dress, otherwise, the court will punish him, and he will not be able to bear it.

Looking at the small town of Fengqiu in front of him, Lu Xiangsheng did not stop, but went directly to the Changyuan not far away. He needed to find a large wharf before he could take a boat down the Yellow River, enter Shandong eastward, and find a place that had already traveled to Jinan Prefecture. The main force of the red army decisive battle.

Just when everyone thought that Zhu Gan's main force had really entered Shandong and was about to attack Jinan, Zhu Gan had already led his people back. The foolishness of those who are worried, let the Jurchen Jiannu and other ignorant people finally take advantage of it.

If he can do anything for the sake of ambition, he might as well give up the Red Army, return to the court, play politics with those decades of political veterans, attack Shandong, disrupt the court layout, this is just in his layout Now that the part of him has been mobilized, there is no need for him to do this.

In Dezhou City, Cheng Shao was famous for his generosity, uprightness, and good deeds without seeking fame and fortune. At this time, he was 78 years old, and he was still serving as the right servant of the Ministry of Industry in the imperial court. He was deeply loved by the people. He is a god-like existence, as long as he is even slightly involved, it is never a trivial matter in Dezhou City.

It was precisely because Zhu Gan was aware of the importance of this person in Texas Guard that he heard that this strange case was involved in this person, so he personally came forward to try it.

At this time, Sheng Yulin didn't know that he had become a gun in the hands of others. After Ma Qiao opened the city gate and surrendered, he had already fled to the countryside for refuge, leaving only an empty mansion. At this time, he was a guest at his teacher's house. The four generations of Cheng Shao's family lived under the same roof. Several sons were officials in other places, and several grandsons were well-known, so they stayed at home to study.

The Cheng family is well-educated, and they are the largest landowners in Dezhou Wei. The land accounts for almost [-]% of the entire Dezhou, and the manor is also magnificent, with rockery, pavilions, pools, exotic flowers and plants, stretching over more than ten acres of land.

At this time, Sheng Yulin was entertained by Cheng Shao's youngest son, Cheng Jiao, who was only in his late thirties and had no fame. It is also love, and took him to the capital together. Who knew that he ran into a concubine of the British Duke Zhang Zhiji, and was almost beaten to death by the British Duke's servant. Cheng Shao also had to drive him back to avoid disaster. .

This man can't change his habit of eating shit. When he came back, not only did he not learn his lesson, but he even made trouble for the village. In addition to visiting brothels, he sometimes even blatantly molested women. However, due to the power of the Cheng family, the governor of Dezhou, he did it several times. Let it go.

But now that the red-clothed army has occupied Dezhou City, he doesn't dare to be presumptuous anymore, which always makes him feel angry. Now that his father's disciples come to his door, he can only wait patiently. After all, he He is the most senior person in this family.

Hearing Sheng Yulin's complaints about the red-clothed army, Cheng Jiao seemed to have found a bosom friend, and ran to the guest room to talk to Sheng Yulin from time to time. Opportunity came, and now Cheng Jiao talked about everything to him, which made him want to take advantage of it.

To say that a powerful family like the Cheng family can get a reputation for cheating Cheng Jiao is not easy. Cheng Shao is too upright, and the more important reason is that Cheng Jiao is too stupid. At the age of 20, even his own name would be written wrong. During the reign of Chongzhen, if he tried to cheat again, he would be severely punished if he was caught by Sejong.

If you want to know Sheng Yulin's fame, it's because he studied hard for ten years, and he actually passed the exam. He never bought a test paper, let alone an examiner, so for a dude like Cheng Jiao, he was sincere. despise.

However, having been an official for so many years, he has long been an official. For such things as entertainment, it is easy to grasp. During the few days of living in Cheng's house, Cheng Jiao has been so coaxed that he doesn't even know his parents. He promised to help Sheng Yulin ask his father for an official, and if he couldn't, he asked his brother. In short, it was just a sentence, and it was all on him.

Sheng Yulin slapped him with compliments again, Cheng Jiao couldn't tell the difference between southeast and northwest, and his mind was dizzy, so he pulled Sheng Yulin in the middle of the night and said, "Go! Brother, the Red Army is nothing. Bird, there are only more than 1000 people in the city now, and my Cheng family's servants count as tenants, there are nearly [-] people, and with the prestige of my Cheng family, if you drink in the city, you can take down Dezhou City. In terms of merit and reward, no matter what, give him a general."

Seeing Cheng Jiao's intoxicated eyes, Sheng Yulin sneered in his heart: "Sure enough, he is an ignorant person."

However, his proposal moved Sheng Yulin's heart. The status of the Cheng family in Dezhou Wei was higher than that of Zhizhou Yamen. As long as the huge Cheng family made up their minds to capture Dezhou City, it would be nothing more than a matter of flipping their hands. However, as long as he helps the Cheng family take back Dezhou City, will the imperial court reactivate him, or even be valued by Emperor Guangzong and directly promoted.

Once there are thoughts in his heart, it will continue to erode people's hearts like poison, making the thoughts in his heart stronger and stronger.

Immediately, he slapped the table and said indignantly: "The thief in red is a ball. As long as he wins Dezhou City, the imperial court will definitely reward him a lot."

Maybe it's because the red-clothed army kept restraining and hiding their minions, that's why they were treated by this dude as a sick cat. One of them had ulterior motives, the other was in a daze. I also want to be a general who leads the army in battle.

The red-clothed army had been on their way at night. At this time, they had already passed through Pingyuan County and arrived at Huangheya Town. It was less than six miles away from Dezhou City. camped on a small hill and let them begin to rest.

And he himself took some people to Texas City alone.

The violent wind kept blowing by his ears, but Zhu Gan's heart was unprecedentedly quiet. That day in the city of Dezhou, the words he blurted out made him unclear whether this was reality or a dream. If it was reality, why would he He has a close affection for Wang Cheng'en, and even has a strong lovesickness for the few relatives in the capital who have never seen their faces.

If it was a dream, it meant that he just thought of himself as Zhu Youjian, and all of this was just a dream. When he woke up, all karma would be over, and he could see his brother in the dragon soul.

But Wang Chengen in front of him is a real person, telling him that this is not a dream, and that kind of goodwill and lovesickness are because blood is thicker than water, so he has to provoke another burden, or his own conscience He will be uneasy, he can no longer tell whether he is Zhu Qian or Zhu Youjian.

This problem is entangled, but it wakes him up, a big opportunity, hesitation will only miss the opportunity, the first thing he wants to change is to use the red army to become stronger, become stronger, not to save Daming This thick and rotten building, but to protect their relatives, and to establish a brand new and vigorous Han government, will no longer let this troubled nation be completely left behind by the ignorance of more than 300 years. Forest of the world.

That day, he almost jumped out of the small dry well in Dezhou City, but instead set his sights on the whole world, determined to use the world as a chessboard. The first thing to do is to take Fengyang before the peasant army conquers Fengyang, the central capital. Not only does he want to make a name for himself as the Red Clothes Army with a dragon head, but he also wants to protect his family's ancestral grave from being planed out.

If he wants to enter Fengyang, he will not only encounter Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong, the most capable fighters in the rebel army, but also encounter the encirclement and suppression of the army. Therefore, Zhu Gan must strengthen himself before that. Where does he want to be strong? It is nothing more than the morale of the soldiers And weapons!These prerequisites all require silver.

Staying in the city of Dezhou, the silver will not be blown by strong winds, let alone defeat the officers and soldiers, so he had to act, and as soon as he arrived, he divided the army of less than [-] into three groups, pressing every step of the way. It's killing people, but he knows what his purpose is after all, the north to Hejian, and the east to Shandong are just the smoke he released.

At daybreak, Zhu Gan just happened to see the tall head of Dezhou City, still flying the red blood sword flag of the Red Army, and he was relieved. Obviously, he had done it once in Tongzhou City, which made the people in the city very angry. Be afraid!Before the situation is clear, dare not act rashly.

Just as he was about to enter the city, he was startled by a commotion. He saw a large group of people. The leader in front was riding a tall horse, wearing a white cotton armor, with Qiushui Yanling knife on his waist, holding his head high. The appearance of being the only one in the world.

And behind him, there is a large group of servants in green clothes and small caps. Many of them are riding behind, with lancets in their hands, firecrackers, bows and arrows on their shoulders, and behind them is A large group of farmers, these people are dressed in rags, many of them are in rags, holding various weapons in their hands, sickles, hoes, and sharpened wooden sticks.

Zhu Gan was stunned for a moment, thinking that a certain peasant army had fled here, but he was vetoed immediately because he saw a few small sedan chairs in the team, which looked more like a peasant army than a peasant army. It's a certain official who is on patrol, temporarily pulling people to make a show!

This is indeed more like an official going on a tour. The people sitting in the sedan chair are Sheng Yulin and the grandchildren of the Cheng family. They originally wanted to warn Cheng Jiao not to be impulsive, but Cheng Jiao exploded Drink, and followed me without worrying.

This doesn't look like a war, it's more like a game to show off its prestige.

The red-clothed army on the top of the city seemed to have noticed this army, and rang the bell on the top of the city, only to see a head sticking out and shouting loudly: "Who is in the city, who dares to gather a crowd to make trouble, is not happy!" roll!"

Although the Red Clothes Army brigade has left, the city has been haunted by ghosts every day for the past few days. Many Red Clothes Soldiers have not had a good rest at all. The people were all descendants of the Ming army, and they didn't have a backbone, so they were extremely flustered.

Cheng Jiao didn't understand the situation at all, and waved his hand from a distance to make the team stop. He pulled out the Qiushui Yanling Saber. Under the foggy city, it was as bright as a pool of autumn water. It looked like a treasured sword. He pointed at the top of the city and shouted: " Hey! Do you know who your young master is!"

The person who shouted in the city just now was a centurion, and he still ordered people to go to know Yu Tai who was sitting in the city. Seeing that the people under the city stopped moving forward, he was surprised for a while, what was he planning to do, and then shouted: " Who are you, hurry up and report to me, so I can tell the commander-in-chief."

Cheng Jiao was about to announce his real name, when a few young men ran out from among the young girls behind him, grabbed the reins of his horse, and begged, "Uncle, please don't announce the name of my Cheng family, if the red The clothes thief came back to take revenge, and our whole family might be killed."

The cool wind in the morning blew, and Cheng Jiao had a cold war. He finally woke up a lot and knew how powerful the red-clothed thief was. Siege without any siege equipment."

I saw a young man who was five points similar to Cheng Jiao in appearance. He shook his head and said, "There is a saying in the art of war: ten times to encircle, five times to attack, and twice as many to divide. We have more than 5000 people, and the red army only 1000 people, and the morale of the people is on our side, that is far more than five times, I suggest that Texas City be surrounded."

Cheng Jiao couldn't make up his mind for a while. In his eyes, these nephews were extremely smart people. Seeing that they all agreed to besiege the city instead of attacking it, he slapped his thigh and said, "Okay, I think so too. Let's take Texas The city is surrounded, and people in the city who don’t want thieves to know we’re coming will definitely find a way to open the city gate.”

Sheng Yulin opened his mouth, and wanted to say a few words of persuasion. As long as he sat down on the ladder and attacked the city, the red-clothed army might be defeated. Can the red army go against the road and turn back?The best policy is to stay alive.

What is the situation, Zhu Gan watched from a distance, feeling that these farmers are really ridiculous.