There were fifteen people standing in front of Zhang Zhao, and the leader was a majestic man. Judging from the thick calluses on the jaws of his left and right hands, he was not only a long-time weapons player, but also capable of using both hands.
The big man's eyes flickered. Apart from not daring to look directly at Zhang Zhao, his eyes did not stay in one place for too long and he always looked to Zhang Zhao's right.
Because a Jinyi guard Qianhu named Wang Shangda was standing there. He was a Jinyi guard in charge of Qianhu in the Jianghuai area.
This shows that this strong man knows Wang Shangda, and judging from the strong eyes and mental quality of the strong man, he is not an ordinary gangster or Huainan bandit, but a private salt dealer from Huainan recruited by the Jinyi Guards.
The rest also had different forms, including a real Huainan water thief. He thought he was captured and beheaded, and he was beaten several times on the road before he stopped.
In addition, there are a few real farmers who only wear linen clothes in the cold weather, and there are also rich and elegant rural elders.
There were scholars with cold faces, and even a few Chuzhou Prefecture and County soldiers and Tuanjie Township soldiers stationed in Huainan.
Without exception, these people were brought directly from Huainan by the Jinyi guards.
And the reason why the three religions and nine streams were so complete was that the short and strong man standing in front of Zhang Zhao played a big role.
This is Zhang Sanlang, the famous private salt and sugar tea shop from Chuzhou to Haizhou (Lianyungang) in Huainan.
Ever since Da Qi Emperor Huang Chao shocked the world, the private salt dealer industry seems to have begun to take on an unusual flavor.
Zhang Sanlang was like this. He was very famous for winning over rural heroes in Huainan, connecting with state and county soldiers and local wealthy families to protect himself in the name of benefiting the countryside.
This kind of person, when there are benefits, will definitely be fished out. He will definitely be a bit arrogant in doing things in the countryside, but he is not like a fish and meat village.
In essence, they are the products of the local middle and lower classes seeking to protect themselves after the Southern Tang court brutally oppressed Huainan.
Siluke
However, historically speaking, after the Later Zhou Dynasty captured the Huainan region, not only did they not implement benevolent policies, but because the war with the Southern Tang Dynasty became more intense, the oppression in Huainan became even more severe. The quality of the Zhou army's soldiers varied greatly, and many of them looted the countryside.
As a result, the people of Huainan, who had been deeply oppressed by the Southern Tang Dynasty, could only gather in the mountains and rivers, build fortresses, pile up paper into armor, and named it the White Armor Army, hook up with the soldiers and horses of the Southern Tang Dynasty, and attack and kill the Zhou army in order to protect themselves.
It was with their cooperation that the Southern Tang Dynasty was able to recover Yangzhou.
This also gave the ambitious Guo Rong a great warning. From then on, Guo Rong strictly enforced military discipline, and the Zhou army gradually became like a heavenly soldier of the imperial court.
However, they were very lucky in this time and space because they met Zhang Zhao.
Zhang Zhoujun, who was born out of the Guiyi Army, originally had good military discipline. Zhang Zhao also understood the importance of people's support better than Guo Rong, and of course he also knew how to use people's support better.
These Huainan people, who were extremely oppressed by the Southern Tang Dynasty, would soon become weapons used by Zhang Zhao to oppress the Southern Tang court.
Now that Zhang Zhao has regained Huaibei and can stabilize Huainan, from now on, the Southern Tang Dynasty will become a rat at his feet and can be beaten and beaten whenever he wants.
Of course, it is not easy to completely regain the hearts and minds of the people in Huainan.
There is nothing more than profit in life, and in this era, the people of Guizhou, where even the lowest class cannot have enough to eat, cannot use it, or it is difficult to use it.
What can really be used is the "popular support" of people like Zhang Sanlang and the wealthy country elder. With their support, Zhang Zhao can conquer Chuzhou as quickly as possible.
After conquering Chuzhou and taking control of political power, Zhang Zhao was qualified to appeal to the people's hearts and minds at the bottom of Guizhou Province.
Therefore, the question Zhang Zhao asked the farmers was very simple. As a person from a later generation, Zhang Zhao himself came from the grassroots level of society. Zhang Zhao had no pretensions, and he never looked down on these farmers at the lowest level.
He walked over in person, came to the shivering farmer, and asked softly: "Has the spring wheat planting been finished this year?"
Zhang Zhao didn't know Huainan dialect, and the farmer naturally didn't know Heluo Mandarin, so someone needed to translate.
After listening to what the translator said, the farmer lowered his head. After a long time, he muttered his answer: "The official's field has just been planted, but his own field has not been planted yet."
Zhang Zhao nodded, took a piece of rough silk cloth and a bunch of money from the guard and handed them to the farmer with his own hands.
"Go back. This is a reward for you. Tell your neighbors that there will be no conquest this year. From next year, you will no longer need to plant official fields."
After the translator translated it, the farmer didn't react at first and seemed a little confused.
After the translator said it for the second time, the farmer was shocked. He looked at Zhang Zhao in disbelief and knelt down with a pop.
"Is what the official said true? Can the officials of the Tang Dynasty listen to the words of the Emperor of Zhou?"
"Hahaha!" Zhang Zhao laughed a few times. It seemed that the farmer was not stupid. He was quite knowledgeable if he knew who he was.
"I heard that the King of Tang Dynasty was not a good king, so I sent troops to seek justice for you. Then Liu Yanzhen was not a good person, and he has been killed by me. From now on, you can live and work in peace and contentment."
This was a bit cliched, but the translator was able to translate it naturally. After hearing this, the farmer sobbed and kowtowed to Zhang Zhao by thumping on the ground.
Zhang Zhao was afraid that he would knock his head off, so he quickly had someone help him up and take him out.
As soon as the farmer went out, the elders in the countryside immediately knelt down and knelt down in front of Zhang Zhao, and started shouting about the benevolence and righteousness of the emperor.
As a young rural tycoon who felt the oppression of the Southern Tang Dynasty the most, he could better understand the power of Zhang Zhao's words.
Just like that farmer who just came out, he has nothing but a little strength to squeeze, and he has never been the main force being squeezed.
Besides, farmers like this are already considered to have better conditions among the common people. What kind of profit can other people squeeze out?
Therefore, those who have always been criticized are the elderly and small rural landowners and small rich farmers who have some but not much assets.
In Huainan, there are not only 30,000 but also 20,000 households like senior citizens.
They have the right to speak in the countryside, which means that their words are believed and listened to, and they can accurately mobilize strong men who dare to fight, and can travel far away to know what is going on outside.
If the Emperor of Zhou could really abolish the tyrannical rule of Bo Zheng, he would immediately gain the support of these 20,000 to 30,000 wealthy households. Coupled with the bravery of Zhou's army, he would have the capital to establish a foothold in the 21 counties of the seven states of Huainan.
"Your Majesty is really willing to cancel the Bo Zheng and abolish the military fields? Does the sage know how much food the Tang State collects from this every year?
Without the money and food here, even if the saint captures Chuzhou, where will he be able to feed his soldiers?"
But before the elder could speak, the scribe beside him spoke.
Zhang Zhao then observed the scholar carefully and felt that he stood as straight as a pine or cypress, with a heroic look between his brows and an attitude that was neither humble nor arrogant.
He looks like a scholar, but the sword belt hanging on his waist is particularly conspicuous, so he is obviously not that frail.
Zhang Zhao felt that the person opposite might not be a mortal, so he raised his hand and asked, "What's Mr. Unknown's name?"
The scholar's eyebrows moved, a bit of surprise suddenly appeared on his face, and then he bowed to Zhang Zhao to the end.
"He De, a man from the wilderness on the border of the southern country, asked the emperor, "A certain surname is Zhang Dan, whose surname is Wei."
Zhang Wei? Zhang Zhao thought for a long time, but he really didn't recall that there was such a person in the Five Dynasties.
But his feeling was unmistakable. The scholar opposite him was not an ordinary person. He was probably one of those people in history whose ambitions were hard to achieve.
Thinking of this, Zhang Zhao stretched out his hand and said, "Since this is my family, please sit down and talk."
As a result, Zhang Shengren never expected that Zhang Wei on the opposite side would raise his hand again.
"The people in the wilderness thanked the saint for giving him a seat, but the saint has not yet answered the questions of the wilderness."
Zhang Zhao understood. He knew why this man had no fame in history.
With this bad temper, even Zhang Zhao choked and felt a little angry. Who could tolerate another king?
However, for Zhang Zhao, being a courtesy corporal has never been a problem. First of all, he was born at a lower level and was born in a later generation that at least advocated equality for everyone, because he had no idea of arrogance in his heart.
Second, he has read too many plots and articles about Corporal Li Xian from history books, movies, and TV shows, and he has enough mental construction in this regard.
Therefore, when faced with such a direct question, he could still laugh and say without changing his expression.
"This person is really quick to talk, so let me tell you that using military conquests to plunder the people and cultivating military fields to use the people's strength is a tyrannical and tyrannical government, which is not what a king should do.
The leader of the Tang Dynasty, Li Jing, was ignorant of children, so he exploited the people. A certain family came from a humble background and knew the sufferings of the people, so he would never harm the people with harsh government.
As for your question about why I feed my soldiers, Wang Shangda, you answer it!"
Hearing Zhang Zhao's name, Wang Shangda immediately stood up and glared at Zhang Wei who was rude in front of the king.
"My master of benevolence and righteousness in the Great Zhou Dynasty wants gold, jewels and jade. He should kill the enemy bravely and be rewarded by the saint. If he wants an official position and a house, he should destroy the city and fortify the stronghold and be rewarded by the saint!"
"What are the three most important articles of the Zhou Dynasty's Military Law?" Zhang Zhao continued to ask Wang Shangda.
Wang Shangda puffed up his chest and replied loudly with some pride: "Plunderers will be paid five times, adulterers will be punished with thirty sticks and five months of military pay, and those who plunder and commit adultery will be killed! Those who harm innocent people will be punished."
kill!"
Wang Shangda's two consecutive kills revealed not only the strict military discipline of the Zhou army, but also the pride hidden in his heart. This kind of pride can be cultivated and can be contagious.
Those who would starve to death without looting or freeze to death without demolishing houses were the Yue Family Army. In the feudal era, it could be said that there was almost no one before or since, not even the Qi Family Army.
As for the army of this era, as long as it can achieve these points mentioned by Wang Shangda, it will be a standard army of benevolence and righteousness.
Seeing the uncontrollable pride on Wang Shangda's face, the scholar named Zhang Wei suddenly knelt down like a golden mountain and a jade pillar.
"Zhang Yanqing, a native of the borderland, comes to see the saint! On behalf of the hundreds of thousands of people in Chuzhou, the common people respectfully invite the benevolent and righteous heavenly soldiers of the Great Zhou Dynasty to cleanse the evil atmosphere of Chuzhou. Save me from the fire and water!"
"Your name is Zhang Yanqing? Not Zhang Wei?" Zhang Zhao asked, somewhat dumbfounded.
"The ordinary people will die!" Zhang Yanqing kowtowed again, with a hint of uneasiness finally appearing in his voice.
"It turns out to be Haizhou Zhang Yanqing. Who dares to impersonate a certain family's name?"
At this moment, Zhang Sanlang, who had already paid homage to Zhang Zhao, walked over from the side and knelt down on the ground.
"A saint, a common man is Zhang Wei of Chuzhou. This man is Zhang Yanqing of Haizhou, a hero from Huaisi. Both his father and ancestors were in the Chuzhou Military Academy. He is known as a popular figure in the army. If a saint can recruit three hundred elite soldiers, I will be like Zhang Yanqing."
I can capture Chuzhou for the saint."
Hearing what Zhang Wei said, Zhang Yanqing also fell on the ground and said loudly: "Zhang Wei of Chuzhou is also a hero in Huaishang. It is said that he has five hundred brothers who span Haosi and Chuhai.
As long as he is willing to lead the army of saints, the two states of Chu and Hai will surely be pacified, and even the two states of Hao and Si can be expected."
Zhang Zhao looked shocked. In fact, he had no idea who these two people were. When the two of them did not dare to raise their heads, he looked at Zhang Liecheng and signaled to go check quickly, but he was overjoyed.
"With the help of these two heroes, the people of Huainan will be able to escape the harsh rule of Jiangning City."
Although he is a time traveler, Zhang Zhao is not omnipotent.
What he didn't know was that in history, Zhang Yanqing defended Chuzhou with only 2,000 soldiers and horses, and he defeated the tens of thousands of soldiers and horses led by Guo Rong himself, causing heavy casualties. After the city was broken, they also engaged in street fighting, fighting until the last man.
.
At that time, Huainan, with the exception of Chuzhou, had basically fallen. Zhang Yanqing used an isolated city to kill Guo Rong and then carried out a massacre in revenge. This shows the heavy casualties of the Zhou army. Some later people even believed that Zhang Yanqing was better at defending than Liu Renzhan.
As for Zhang Wei, historically he was the leader of the Huainan Baijia Army and a major contributor to the Southern Tang's ability to recapture Yangzhou. He was later promoted to the commander of the Tianxiong Army of the Jin Army in the Southern Tang.
During the reign of Empress Li, on the eve of the fall of the Southern Tang Dynasty, Zhang Wei said to the disciples: "I will die in national calamity. If you don't follow me to death, you are not loyal and filial!"
After saying that, he led his disciples to the battlefield. In the battle of Lishui, the generals of the Southern Tang Dynasty fled. Zhang Xiong and his son fought alone and could not retreat. In the end, they all died on the battlefield.
It can be said that Zhang Zhao's scoop directly scooped away the two heroes of the Southern Tang Dynasty near Chuzhou and even Huainan.
