Chapter 948
: Night in Xihe County
Chapter 948: Night in Xihe County
Xihe County,
The prefectural government office was also bright as day. In the main hall, there was only one table set up for banquets. There was only one person serving around. The rest of the servants and maids had been driven out long ago.
Outside the Yamen,
The guards here were not yamen runners or patrolmen, but the elite Xihe County Army in full armor, plus the elite garrison soldiers, who surrounded the entire yamen so tightly that not even a bird could fly over.
In the hall,
There were only five people sitting around the table, all of them looking sad. They drank wine that seemed to be full of sadness. They drank one cup after another until they had finished three cups.
The prefect Li Chengliang put down the wine cup in his hand, straightened his sleeves, looked at the four people at the table, and suddenly felt that they were in the same boat. Although they had not liked each other in the past, now was the time to say what needed to be said.
"Everyone, I have invited you all here today. I believe you all know what it is. I wonder if you have any advice for me."
Li Chengliang got straight to the point and asked first, "If you don't tell me and he doesn't tell me, do you think he, as the prefect, needs to beg for help? Xihe County was originally a mess, and it was not because of the greed of the Li family that it ended up like this. Everyone present here has contributed to it. If you reach out to get the money, you won't be as humble as you are today.
The candlelight on the table flickered, and the table was filled with delicious food, emitting an alluring aroma. However, the light reflected on everyone's faces was dim and uncertain, and it was unclear what they were thinking. There were two others dressed in martial arts uniforms, and their faces looked uglier than the others. Fu Qiubai, the commander of the palace army, raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his temples and said with difficulty;
"My Lords, if you don't tell me, I will ask you first. Lord Li, the court said that Prince Beijing Shui Rong came to Xihe County to lead the army to the south to reinforce. Is this true or false?"
Fu Qiubai couldn't believe the doubts in his heart. The court had spent so much effort to take away the military power of the Northern Prince's Mansion. Why would it appoint Beijing Prince Shui Rong to continue to get involved in military power and lead troops to Xihe County? Could there be some misunderstandings in this?
This question was also what the others wanted to know. After all, the details were all in the hands of the prefect. Although they had heard the news, it was not 100% correct, so they all had a little bit of luck in their hearts.
Prefect Li Chengliang saw this and shook his head. He took out a letter and a court document from his arms and placed them on the table.
"These two, one is an official document from the court, and the other is a transfer order from the Ministry of War. Both are here. Take a look. It says in the official document that the entire Xihe County is under the command of Prince Beijing, and the military supervisor is His Royal Highness Prince Wei. No matter how bold I am, I dare not fool around with this matter."
Even if you want to fool them, you can't fool them. How should you deal with the two princes? When they saw this, they quickly took the official documents and letters on the table and looked at them carefully. It was true. The commander of the palace army, Fu Qiubai, looked miserable and said;
"Everyone, I have read the letter. It is true. The document from the Ministry of War calls for the mobilization of 10,000 garrison troops from Xihe County and 20,000 government soldiers. I only have 8,000 government soldiers under my command. There is a huge shortage of soldiers, so I need you to think of a solution."
This is also the most important thing. In the past, when there was unrest outside the city, the city garrison soldiers did not move, but the government soldiers must go out. If there were no people from the court, they could lead their own troops to go out for a round, report more casualties, and get more compensation money.
but now,
The Ministry of War had issued a strict order to prepare 20,000 palace troops. Where could he get them? Besides, there was the might of Prince Beijing. This time, it was not just Prince Beijing who came here alone. There was also the 20,000 troops of Qi Yun, the governor of Ping'an Prefecture. They were part of the frontier army. The most elite Xiandeng Palace Army of Prince Bei's Palace was now under his command.
With this remark,
The hall, which was originally quiet enough, was now in deathly silence. Even if they were to go to the streets and capture people, they would not be able to gather enough soldiers. The White Lotus Sect had already reached Shizhou. The Governor of Runan, Lord Wei, had gathered nearly 100,000 men, but he could not stop them. What was the use of relying on these old, weak, and sick people?
But Prince Beijing is not someone who can be easily fooled. Besides, there is His Royal Highness Prince Wei, who represents the Emperor. Where did these troops come from?
"Ahem, my lords, please don't forget my brother. We only have 3,000 garrison troops here, and we are short of 7,000. You lords, please help us. Thank you."
The garrison general Meng Enyuan quickly followed up with a sentence. He was the youngest among these people. He called himself a good brother and put down his face. One reason was the shortage of soldiers. The other was that although he had been transferred here for three years, he still relied on the help of several adults to get money. He had no intention of taking care of the garrison. He didn't know the exact number of people until yesterday. After hearing the news, he took people to the camp to check in. There were only more than 3,000 old, weak, sick and disabled people. He was dumbfounded at the time. How could he not be anxious today?
"Ahem, Brother Meng, your matter is the easiest to talk about. When we go south to fight, the government troops go first, and the garrison soldiers are used to defend the city. You must first replenish your brother. If it is not possible, you will follow me when we go south."
Fu Qiubai was somewhat unwilling and sneered. He asked me to speak but you didn't. I asked about the soldiers first. Now you want to have a share right away. I don't know if you will go to lead the troops to fight.
"Brother Fu, this is wrong. The one who came from the capital is Prince Beijing. These things in the army cannot be concealed. I have a soft ear and a soft mouth. If I go in accidentally, I don't know if Brother Fu can sit safely."
Everyone can say harsh words, but we are all on the same boat. Whoever goes in, the others can't escape. All the correspondence and conspiracy must be kept in the house of each person for backup.
"you!"
really,
Fu Qiubai's face changed and he wanted to get angry, but the prefect stopped him and advised him;
"Generals, you two are all comrades in the camp. How can you quarrel over these things? For the shortage, think of a way. I will start by throwing out a brick to stimulate jade. Tomorrow, the whole city will recruit young and strong men to gather the people. The government army has 30,000 soldiers and the garrison has 10,000 soldiers. This requires recruiting more than 30,000 people. The silver should be divided equally among all present, but the time is too short and I think it will not be enough."
Although there must be brave men under a big reward, the White Lotus Sect is not a place for good men and women. It was famous all over the world ten years ago, and its methods are cruel, especially those evil women in the sect, who dare to use any means and leave a lot of reputation.
Who is not afraid?
Especially in Xihe County, all the 13 mu of land is controlled by the martial arts sects. There are many disciples and many martial arts masters. In this way, they are not subject to the constraints of the government. Therefore, if you want to recruit those people, forget it.
"My Lords, even if it's not enough, we still have to do it. We two will never be stingy when it comes to money. Since Beijing Prince Shui Rong can come here, he must have a backup plan. I hope you can give us some ideas."
Fu Qiubai and Meng Enyuan were really at a loss. They felt that the old soldiers in the barracks were too difficult to deal with, not to mention going to the battlefield, even marching was difficult enough for them.
"Ahem, my two brothers, don't be anxious. This matter still needs to be considered in the long run. We have read the documents from the court. We need to recruit soldiers. If the White Lotus rebels come to the city, we will still need them to protect our lives and property. Therefore, the more soldiers the better. In addition, we need to deal with the current situation."
Yu Fei, the co-magistrate of Xihe County, paused for a moment, returned the letter in his hand to the prefect, and considered it carefully.
"Sir, the military camp has always had some shortages, about one-third of the total number of soldiers, so of the 40,000 soldiers, there are about 30,000 soldiers, which is enough to do the job. The rest can be recruited and used to defend the city. How do you think?"
Nowadays, officials and generals have to drink the blood of soldiers. Even the elite Beijing Camp of the court is not fully staffed. Therefore, it is right not to gather enough people. If too many people are gathered, it will arouse suspicion. These words made the eyes of the two generals on the west side light up. What the Tongzhi said makes sense, but where will the people come from now?
"Haha, well said. In that case, I will think of another way. There are so many rich families in our county city, and there are many martial arts sects, so every family has a few servants to guard the house. So, let's write a letter to the gentry and nobles in the city. Tomorrow, at least half of them will be sent to the camp in the city to gather. Don't be negligent. Things have their priorities. Let's deal with the current things first. If I guess correctly, the Prince of Beijing must be on the way. And the old guy Qi Yun, the governor of Ping'anzhou, used to be an old man in the Prince of Bei's Mansion."
The person who was speaking was a veteran in the officialdom. He was Liu Yunluo, the magistrate of Xihe County and the head of the Liu family. He had served as an official in the capital for several years and was now returning to his hometown to retire. His words were a reminder to everyone not to fool around. Beijing Prince Shui Rong's methods were no joke. Moreover, there was Qi Yun, a shrewd master who was loyal to the old prince. Since he could be transferred to Beijing Prince, the White Lotus Sect would be difficult to deal with and a way out should be prepared.
After hearing this, the faces of the people changed. They no longer had the heart to eat the food. The prefect Li Chengliang was not a person who would drag his feet. In order to avoid any more trouble, he simply nodded to the people and said;
"In this case, everyone, please work harder tonight. In this hall, each of you should write a visiting card and send it to each government office in the city. Tomorrow, we will start to assemble the army. One reason is to take stock of the city defenses and weapons, and the other is to deter those thieves. We still need to keep a trick up our sleeves."
"Well, I'll listen to Brother Liang."
"Write it now," several people nodded, feeling that time was pressing. Whether it was the people from the imperial court or the White Lotus Sect in the south, they were all very difficult to deal with. They called the steward to serve pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and began to write letters on the banquet table with the help of oil lamps.
And inside the city,
There was still singing and dancing, and the night was as bright as day. It was strange to say that since there were so many gangs and so few cultivated fields, the county town of Xihe County should have been in a state of depression. But now it seemed the opposite. The brothels, wine shops, teahouses, and operas were almost all packed with guests.
The caravans traveling back and forth from north to south were almost endless.
In front of the government office, at an inn at the south street entrance, a caravan came to rest. After unloading and tying up the horses of the caravan and feeding them with hay, a dozen strong men looked around and rushed into the inn. The leader had a knife. After entering the door, he glanced around and saw nothing unusual, so he shouted;
"Waiter, we need six rooms, three tables for the banquet, a plate of braised beef in soy sauce for each table, and a jar of good wine, hurry up,"
"Here we are, heroes, please take a seat."
A waiter with nimble legs but thin stature came out from the back hall, holding a teapot in his hand, and immediately entered the hall to greet people. There were still many guests dining in the inn. Seeing that the newcomers were all armed, they knew that they were not to be trifled with, so they quickly ate a few mouthfuls of food, packed up, hurried upstairs and returned to their rooms. Only some people from the Chamber of Commerce and some wanderers continued to eat leisurely, not caring at all.
The gentlemen who came in were none other than the White Lotus Sect's Left Protector Qin Linsheng, and the Hall Master Duanmu Yang, etc. They were the Saint's confidants who came to have a secret meeting with the Sect Leader. They were traveling with a secret caravan that the White Lotus Sect had long commanded. They entered the county city in the evening today, and this is what happened before their eyes.
"Well, these tables will do. Damn, we walked all the way, and suddenly the city gate said that we couldn't pass through to the south. I don't know what happened. I have been walking on the trade route for many years, and this is the first time I have encountered this."
The burly man who just spoke was Jiao Hui, the incense master under the command of the Left Protector. He was big and strong, with a dark complexion, and he looked like a bad person. He deliberately complained a few words, and when he turned around inadvertently, the people behind him sat down at three tables at the corner. The waiter quickly poured tea for them, nodded and bowed, and replied;
"Sir, it's really unfortunate. Not to mention the merchant caravan, even the government officials can't get through."
"Oh. Why is that?"
Jiao Hui picked up the tea bowl, brought it close to his nose and sniffed it. There was no strange smell, so he took a sip, put it down again, and asked again,
"Master, the tea is simple, please bear with me. The meat and vegetables are all stewed in the back. Just now you asked why we couldn't get through to the south. To be honest, this matter has spread everywhere. They all say that the city of Runan is strong and cannot be easily conquered.
Who would have thought that those imperial guards were such good-for-nothings that they couldn't even hold out for ten days before being captured by the White Lotus Sect? Now they have surrounded Shizhou and are about to enter Xihe County. Who wouldn't be afraid of what you say?"
The waiter was swift in both his hands and his words, but he felt something was wrong after talking too much, so he quickly stopped talking. In fact, the whole Xihe County was in a state of panic. If the Taiping Rebellion army surrounded the city, there would be no peace in the future. Unfortunately, ordinary people like them did not even have a chance to escape.
"Ahahaha, oh, you are really good at talking. Go ahead, here's your reward."
Incense Master Jiao Hui grinned. They knew about the White Lotus Sect's siege of Runan. This time, they followed the left Dharma protector to meet the leader to discuss important matters.
Who knows,
Not long after arriving at the county town, they found that the once indestructible Runan City was taken as easily as if it were made of paper. This was something they had not expected. In this case, the White Lotus Sect was still besieging Shizhou, so where was its leader?
"Thank you for the reward, sir."
The waiter was overjoyed and quickly reached out to take the silver, which was as much as two taels. He was indeed a member of the Chamber of Commerce and was generous. He bowed repeatedly and hurried back to the kitchen to see how the food was cooked. After the person left, Guardian Qin smiled, stroked his beard, and asked;
"Duanmu Yang, what do you think of what the waiter said?"
"My dear boss, what the waiter said was not an exaggeration. Master Zhu once wrote to me saying that after the leader takes Huaizhou, he will definitely do his best to capture Runan City and use it as a base to advance northwards into Xihe County, disrupt the Grand Canal and threaten Jiangnan. In the west, the Taiping Cult will support and share the burden. With Huaizhou and Weizhou as the boundary, the two families will divide the territory equally."
This was also something that had been agreed upon long ago with the leader of the Taiping Sect, Chu. He heard that there was a distinguished person present, but he didn't know how the discussion went in detail. After all, there was a layer of estrangement between the leader and them, and they might not know the secrets of the sect.
"Ying Xiancai really concealed a lot of information. No wonder the court appointed Prince of Beijing Shui Rong to lead troops eastward to support this place just because of Runan City. I think the court was forced into this situation. The leader of the Taiping Sect seems to be Zhang Shixian, who calls himself the Great Sage and Good Teacher. He is a strong enemy."
Qin Hufa looked a little solemn. The White Lotus Sect, which had been around for a hundred years, was actually no match for the rising star, the Great Sage and Good Teacher, who had suddenly emerged in recent years. It was ridiculous. It wasn't the Han Dynasty anymore, and they were still using that trick.
"My dear boss, the intelligence from the secret line over there is that the leader is indeed a man named Zhang. I heard that this man claims to be a descendant of Zhang Jiao from the late Han Dynasty. He has continued to this day and should not be underestimated. After all, the Taiping Sect is in its heyday."
Hall master Duanmu Yang smacked his lips and had a bitter smile on his face. No matter what his last name was or what the other side said, the people would believe it. After the capture of Linshan County City, the Taiping Sect had solved its biggest problem. With abundant food and grass, plus the weapons and armor left by the court, it was not something that the White Lotus Sect could compare to now, unless the Saint's line returned. But considering the Saint's current status and most of the troops under the Left Protector, it would be difficult for the leader to use them.
A few people gathered together and talked. After they talked about the things in the south, the waiter and a few waiters came out from the back room, carrying plates, bowls and chopsticks.
Each table had a pork elbow in sauce, a large plate of beef, a large pot of mutton stew, and a large plate of naan bread. The waiter sent the waiter away.
"Gentlemen, the dishes are still being cooked. I will serve you some meat first to fill your stomach, and then we will serve the dishes."
With a smile on his face, he put away the empty bowls, took out a jar of Dao Shaozi from under the counter, tore open the lid, and then filled them up one by one.
"Well, you are really smart. By the way, let me ask you one more question. There are so many people in the county town, but they don't seem to be panicking. Is there anything going on here?"
The incense master Jiao Hui sat on a stool with his slouch slung over his shoulders, holding a naan in one hand and a handful of meat in the other. He rolled it up and took a big bite, his mouth full of oil. Then the others must have been hungry as well, so they started to eat in big mouthfuls.
"Uh, gentlemen, you may not know yet. I heard that the master in the government office issued a notice, saying that the city is recruiting soldiers, and each person will receive 10 taels of silver as a settlement allowance, and a monthly allowance of 2 taels of silver. In addition, the leaders of several sects in Xihe County are preparing to hold a hero conference at Qingfeng Restaurant in three days."
"what?"
(End of this chapter)