The road to Huguang was extremely difficult to walk. Floods had changed the road. The original fertile fields turned into ponds, and the original villages turned into quagmire. The convoy of the disaster relief imperial envoy encountered many fleeing victims along the way.
Fu Jie's convoy immediately gathered around and begged the adults for some food. Seeing these hungry people, Liu Ziguang immediately ordered the car to stop and provide food.
There were dozens of carriages loaded with rice in the relief convoy. In fact, the rice was just a cover-up. What was hidden under the rice bags was gunpowder and cannonballs. If all the rice was put away and the weapons inside were exposed, it would not be able to hide it from the Zuo Army anyway, so Hou
Xun firmly opposes grain release.
Hou Xun's reasons were very good. It was a small gain to release food now. It was not worth ruining the entire operation for hundreds of refugees. He asked the leader of the soldiers to convey the order to Liu Ziguang, but Liu Ziguang ignored it and still stood on his side.
Soldiers were directed on the cart to distribute food to the refugees.
Hou Xun rushed over angrily and asked: "General Liu, you have finished distributing all the food. Are we going to go into Huguang naked and armed with weapons? I'm afraid we can't even get through Ezhou. I am an imperial envoy.
The officer now orders you to stop this senseless action immediately."
"Master Hou, why did you say this? We are here to provide disaster relief. Look, these refugees have not been affected by floods. If food is not given to them, why should it be left to Zuo Liangyu?" Liu Ziguang said nonchalantly.
"You only have small kindnesses in your heart but no great righteousness. This is called the benevolence of a woman. You saved these hundreds of refugees, but you delayed the task of rescuing hundreds of thousands of victims. Which is more important? Doesn't General Liu have a clue?" Hou
Xun said angrily.
"I want to rescue these hundreds of victims, and I also want to rescue hundreds of thousands of refugees in the disaster area. From now on, I will rescue every victim I meet. As for the important tasks of this trip, I don't need to remind you, Mr. Hou. I know it very well. I promise
It won't be a mistake." Liu Ziguang didn't listen to Hou Xun's advice at all, and he was so angry that he walked away.
Most of the imperial envoys were Liu Ziguang's people. Hou Xun only brought a dozen or so personal followers, so naturally he could not compete with him. He simply ignored him and distributed food all the way until Zuo Liangyu's army and the imperial army
Near the Line of Actual Control, this is Songzi County under Anqing Prefecture in South Zhili. Tens of thousands of refugees have gathered. The entire dilapidated county is full of refugees with children and daughters. The county magistrate heard that the imperial court
The imperial envoy passed by and hurriedly came to serve him with three shifts and six wards of government officials. Liu Ziguang's dozens of carts of grain had almost been distributed. He wanted to add some supplies to Songzi, but after asking the county magistrate, he learned that Songzi's grain stock was empty.
, all of which were used to open porridge sheds and provide relief to the victims.
When Hou Xun heard this, he was furious again. All the grain was wasted by Liu Ziguang. He originally expected Songzi to make up for the gap, but the county magistrate actually distributed the grain secretly before the order from the court to open the warehouse and release grain. This was simply reckless.
Wangfa!
"The good things your county has done, just wait until you pick up the black yarn." Hou Xun scolded him coldly.
The magistrate of Songzi County raised his hands and took off his black gauze hat, and said solemnly: "My subordinate Zhu Tao is guilty, but tens of thousands of hungry people flocked to the city. If we don't open the warehouse to provide relief, our conscience will be uneasy. From the day the warehouse is opened, let alone this hat."
It’s a black gauze hat, even the head on the lower official’s neck is temporarily placed on his neck, ready to be taken away by the court at any time.”
"I won't kill you, but you can no longer serve as a county magistrate. Give the seal to the chief registrar and go home to wait for the court's disposal." Hou Xun concurrently held the position of censor of Zuodu and an imperial envoy for disaster relief. Naturally, he could act expeditiously.
, to deal with local officials below the fifth rank. But Liu Ziguang stood aside and became unhappy. He thought to himself, "Aren't you here for me? If you can't deal with me, just take it out on the local officials. What's wrong with opening warehouses to release grain? Is it because of this?"
Waiting for an official document
Just watch the people starve to death?
"The city is full of hungry people, and they need officials to provide guidance. How can the chief registrar take care of things? I think this county magistrate has done a good job. The court has not said that it is not allowed to open granaries to provide grain. It will take less than two days for the decree to release grain for disaster relief."
, Zhu County Magistrate just carried out the emperor's will in advance, what crime is he guilty of? Not only can't he be punished, but he must be promoted." Liu Ziguang said.
Zhu County Magistrate was surprised to see the man behind the Imperial Envoy, who was wearing a mid-level officer's uniform, speaking so loudly. He almost wondered if he had heard wrong. Liu Ziguang took Zhu Tao's black gauze hat and put it back on his head.
She patted him on the shoulder and said, "Do a good job, I'm optimistic about you."
Zhu Tao was shocked that a martial artist could talk like this, and before he could react, Liu Ziguang had already pulled Hou Xun away: "Master Hou, we haven't even done any serious business yet, so let Nanzhili handle these small things."
The Governor's Yamen will handle it."
Hou Xun had nothing to do with Liu Ziguang. Leaving aside his royal relatives and his status as a marquis, even during this trip to Huguang, he also had an imperial edict in his hand, and he was on an equal footing with Hou Xun.
Imperial envoys, no one can order anyone, but Liu Ziguang, relying on the large number of people and his thick skin, always interrupts like this. This is a place far away from the emperor, and he cannot go to the court to reason, so Hou Xun still endured it.
The convoy did not replenish food in Songzi, but only drank a bowl of rice porridge with the victims that could hold a pair of chopsticks. The imperial court issued a regulation on the opening of official porridge sheds in the early years, saying that rice porridge would not fall over if a pair of chopsticks were inserted into it.
Qualified, but very few officials have complied with it in recent years. Most of them used the rice grains for disaster relief to enrich their own pockets and secretly exchanged them for money. The court laws were weakened, and nothing could be done to these officials. Unexpectedly, in this marginal area under the jurisdiction of the court, there were still
With such a serious local official, even an old-fashioned man like Hou Xun was a little moved: "This man is an honest official. If he doesn't act so radically, he can be held in a big position."
The convoy left Songzi and headed towards Ezhou. The food on the vehicle had been exhausted, the weight had been reduced a lot, and the speed had increased a lot. Ezhou is located on the riverside and is an important town in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. It is connected to Wuchang to the west and Huangshi to the east.
, Zuo Liangyu has stationed a lot of soldiers and horses here. If he wants to reach Wuchang smoothly, he must pass through the Ezhou ferry. The Yangtze River is in the flood season, and the current is turbulent. It is difficult to cross, not to mention there are so many horses and vehicles. If Zuo Liangyu
Without the cooperation of the military, it would be impossible to do it.
The general Zuo Liangyu stationed in Ezhou was named Xu Yong. He was in a dilemma at this time because Zuo Liangyu had no real party. In name, they were still ministers of the Ming Dynasty. Through the telescope, they could see the convoy on the other side with the emperor's talisman.
With the banner of disaster relief, Xu Yong finally decided to send a boat to pick them up, because firstly, the number of the other party was not large, and less than a thousand people were not enough to pose a threat. Secondly, they came to provide disaster relief on behalf of the imperial court, so they must carry them in the car.
Silver and food are both urgently needed in Ezhou City.
The Ezhou garrison sent a robotic ship to meet the imperial convoy. The river was turbid and the waves were surging. The five robotic ships ran at full power and made six trips back and forth before transporting all the carriages and horses. The disaster relief convoy was parked at the pier, and the large group of people on the left
The army soldiers gathered around, obviously very interested in the people coming from the capital. Zuo Liangyu's troops were mainly composed of soldiers and thieves. They were accustomed to lawlessness and naturally did not have the dignity of imperial power in their eyes. They tried to approach the carriage with playful smiles, and immediately
The soldiers of the Red Shirt Regiment used weapons to block them back. There was friction and almost a fight between the two sides. Fortunately, Xu Yong arrived in time to stop the violence.
Xu Yong wore a gauze hat and a mended uniform, and was dressed like a civil servant, but the fat look on his face and the big knife on his waist betrayed him deeply, and his mouth was even more vulgar: "Isn't that right, your Majesty the Imperial Envoy?
So many carriages came here, what good things did they give me?"
Hou Xun said: "This general, I have been ordered to provide disaster relief in Huguang. All the supplies and silver I brought with me are to be sent to Wuchang to present to Commander Zuo. General, if you need anything, please ask Commander Zuo for it. There is something missing from the list."
, Zuo Shuai wants to take you for questioning."
Xu Yong stroked his beard like a steel needle and laughed loudly: "The imperial envoy can scare people. Zuo Shuai is my eldest brother, so how can he blame me? Now there are hundreds of thousands of victims gathered under the city of Ezhou, and they are short of food and food."
It’s money. I don’t care about that. I only want my share. You keep 30% and take the rest away. Commander Zuo will mention my name as Xu Yong.”
As long as Zuo Shuai has not named something that belongs to him, everything else can be snatched. This is the motto of the Zuo Army. It is also a way for Zuo Liangyu to maintain the combat effectiveness of the army. Zuo Liangyu has a famous saying: Soldiers who don’t like robbing
He is not a good soldier. Only soldiers who are full of wildness and love to plunder can have strong combat effectiveness, so Xu Yong had the courage to engage in the art of plucking the feathers of wild geese.
Hou Xunke was panicking. The carriage was loaded with ordnance and silver. If it was exposed, it would be doomed. But the Zuo army was so rough and unreasonable. What should I do? It was really leaking and it rained all night. What should I be afraid of?
What happened? The silver box on a carriage fell apart due to the lack of acquaintance. The wooden box fell to the stone floor and broke open. The silver ingots inside rolled to the ground. When the soldiers of the left army saw the silver, they were like flies.
Seeing the dung and the blood, the sharks swarmed around.
Liu Ziguang, who was standing behind Hou Xun, could no longer hold back. He immediately drew his sword and put it on Xu Yong's neck, ordering him to stop the soldiers.
Xu Yong is also a fierce general. Unexpectedly, he was restrained within one move. After all, he was a veteran who had been fighting for many years. He was not afraid of Liu Ziguang's threat at all. He thought that no one in his territory would dare.
He couldn't touch him easily, so he just looked Liu Ziguang up and down, and said contemptuously: "Young man, hold the knife more firmly, don't cut yourself."
At this time, Liu Ziguang and his men were already confronting the Zuo Army. The Zuo Army had an obvious numerical advantage and crowded the dock densely, surrounding the five hundred red-shirted men. All of them wore helmets crookedly and exposed their upper bodies.
, holding swords and guns, looking eagerly at the carts of money, eyes seeming to be on fire.
I have no idea when I meet a character like Liu Ziguang. He is not afraid even if a knife is placed on his neck. Liu Ziguang bites his teeth and his heart goes crazy. He calls you a naughty bitch. I am more ruthless than you. He sends the Baihong knife forward. It’s a big one.
The head fell immediately, but he caught it and raised it high: "Xu Yong consecrates the head, you still won't surrender!"
Of course, the soldiers of the left army would not surrender. Liu Ziguang's brazen killing of their general only aroused their fighting spirit. They rushed over in a swarm, shouting to avenge General Xu. Liu Ziguang was already prepared, and his legs were weak with fear.
Hou Xun pushed behind him and pointed the blade: "Fire me!"
The tarpaulin on the carriage fell, and the steel cannons and pneumatic machine guns revealed their ferocious faces.