There is only more than a hundred miles from Ezhou to Wuchang, and the train can arrive in one and a half hours. In order to get to Wuchang before Ezhou's army collapsed, Liu Ziguang commandeered a train. The trains in Huguang are not for both passengers and cargo like those in Jiangnan.
Ordinary people cannot enjoy this high-tech product. They are usually only used to transport coal, ore, military rations and soldiers. Most of them are simple open-top cars or simply flatbed trucks.
The train station was in a mess, and no one was cleaning up the corpses on the ground. Liu Ziguang's men were all-rounders, and they could control the steam locomotives. However, to be on the safe side, they still captured a few drivers and stokers and brought them to Liu Ziguang. He was kind to him.
He comforted: "Sending the army to Wuchang, I will reward you with twenty taels of silver immediately." These sooty-faced workers were naturally frightened and afraid that they would not agree. One of them saw the Emperor Fujie boarding the car and asked in surprise: "I dare to ask Shangguan, but are you from the capital?"
of?"
Liu Ziguang couldn't help but notice this person. Although his face was coal-black, his fingernails were very clean. There was also a clear dividing line between the color of his neck and face. He was clearly a stoker in disguise. He knew what he was doing and asked in a deep voice: "What are we waiting for?"
They were imperial envoys with orders to provide disaster relief to Huguang. I didn't want the Ezhou defenders to loot supplies, so I took action to kill them. Now I am going to Wuchang to ask Marshal Zuo for an explanation."
The man immediately bowed down and said, "I am Liu Zhijun, the former magistrate of Ezhou. Zuo Liangyu was dismissed from office after he invaded Ezhou. It was only because he knew steam machinery that he became the chief of the Ezhou station. Now that the imperial troops have arrived, I am willing to serve and kill the thief."
"
Liu Ziguang heard that Peng Jingrong said that there was an official in Huguang who was very accomplished in steam engines. He later disappeared and was working as a minor official at Ezhou Station. He asked: "How can you become a thief when you are a beautiful woman?"
Liu Zhijun said: "The lower official was also forced by the leftist thieves. If he did not obey him, his family would be slaughtered. The leftist thieves are cruel. The people of Huguang are in dire straits. They look forward to the imperial army like seedlings looking forward to rain and dew after a long drought."
Liu Ziguang said: "That's good. Mr. Liu can drive it himself. I will definitely ask for credit for you when I get to Wuchang."
With people who are familiar with railway transportation, things will be easier to handle. Liu Zhijun directed the drivers to adjust two locomotives, one pulling in front and one pushing behind. A few more flatbed cars were added in the middle to move the pig iron piled up on the platform.
Went up. This batch of goods was what Wuchang had been urging. With them, we could enter Wuchang Station smoothly. The coal cars behind the two locomotives were filled with coal. The shirtless stoker stood on top with a shovel and walked rhythmically towards the station.
Coal was shoveled into the boiler, and the boiler burned enough steam to drive out of Ezhou Station.
Liu Ziguang's 300 men and horses stood in the convertible in high spirits. The cannon and heavy machine guns were fixed on the flatbed cart with ropes. Except for a small number of war horses and the horses that pulled the artillery cart, most of the horses were left in Ezhou. Hou Xun took a few
The entourage and the soldiers stood together, and they arrived in a hurry without preparing seats. Hou Shangshu was miserable. He kept complaining to Liu Ziguang that he should not have rashly engaged in a big fight in Ezhou and ruined the entire action plan. However, Liu Ziguang disagreed. Ezhou
Zuo Liangyu's army is relatively elite among Zuo Liangyu's army. They are so vulnerable. The combat effectiveness of Wuchang's army must not be worth mentioning. The situation seems to be complicated. The original plan cannot be implemented smoothly. It is better to fight it in one go.
With three hundred tigers, even if Zuo Liangyu cannot be killed, he can still turn Wuchang City upside down.
However, not long after leaving Ezhou, we encountered a situation. The front section of the railway was washed away by floods, the roadbed collapsed, and the rails were broken. This was not a problem for Liu Zhijun. He personally led people to remove the rails at the back and put them in front.
Hundreds of people went into battle together and filled the roadbed with stones, soil, and iron blocks. The locomotive passed through this section of road slowly, and then resumed its normal speed and headed towards Wuchang. Liu Ziguang chose the railway for maneuvering on the one hand to save time;
In order to maintain the physical strength of the soldiers, the official road from Ezhou to Wuchang ran parallel to the railway. However, the railway roadbed was high, and a large section of the official road was flooded. Even when the water receded, it became a quagmire, making it difficult to pass.
.They also caught up with several left army soldiers who fled along the railway to Wuchang. They were obviously rushing back to report the news. These poor guys thought the train was one of their own and were beaten to death on the roadbed on the spot.
The distance of a hundred miles seemed very short, but it was not easy to walk. Many road sections needed repairs, so it took me several hours to see the outline of Wuchang City. There were endless refugee shacks outside the city. It was early in the morning, and the refugees
They had already gotten up and lined up in front of the porridge that had not yet opened. They looked at the train coming from a distance with silent eyes. Everyone knew that this was Marshal Zuo's vehicle to transport food and troops. They must not rob it, otherwise
Life was at stake. There were many new graves around the refugee sheds, and many corpses were left out in the open. They had begun to swell. The wild dogs were very excited, running back and forth with the intestines of the dead in their mouths.
"There is still porridge to eat now. When the porridge is finished in two days, I'm afraid they will start eating people." Liu Zhijun sighed.
Liu Ziguang was silent, and Hou Xun was silent as well. More than 100,000 refugees were barely clothed, living in shacks made of tree branches and rags, waiting for death. The towering city walls close at hand were heavily fortified, and they were not allowed to enter.
Half step.
It was still early, and before the city gate opened, the train temporarily stopped at Wuchang Station. Wuchang Station was very simple, with only one freight yard, two coal bunkers and one building. The tracks did not extend into the city, but towards the river.
While laying, the destination was the Wuchang Shipyard on the bank of the Yangtze River. The officials at the station were awakened from their beds by the whistle of the train. They were shocked to find that the pig iron from Ezhou had arrived. They quickly called the civilian workers to come over and carry it. Liu Zhijun found the stationmaster of Wuchang Station.
Tell him that in addition to pig iron, there are also distinguished guests from the capital on this train---Shuai Zuo's benefactor, Hou Xun, the Minister of Rites.
The stationmaster hurriedly vacated the house to let Hou Xun rest, and went to the city with Hou Xun's handwritten letter to report to Zuo Liangyu that this was a temporary change of plan by Liu Ziguang and others. He did not mention the imperial envoy, but only said that it was
The old man is coming to visit. Anyway, the news from the court will not be transmitted for a while. If Zuo Liangyu is nostalgic, he will go out of the city to greet him. When the time comes, he will take action at this station and capture Zuo Liangyu. It will be considered a success.
When Zuo Liangyu heard about Hou Xun's visit, he was deeply surprised. How could he come to Huguang so easily without the emperor's order? Moreover, Hou Xun was not from Wuchang, and he would not pass through this place when he returned home.
The possibility is that Hou Xun came to join him. I heard that Hou Shangshu has been unsuccessful in the court and was often suppressed by Liu Ziguang. It is not impossible that he resigned in anger and joined himself. Zuo Liangyu was misled by this idea, and added
He was convinced that there might be enemy troops deep into his hinterland without being discovered, so he took only a few hundred soldiers and left the city.
In order to show off his demeanor as a courteous corporal, Zuo Liangyu specially put on a rainproof cloak. The outer layer was rubber and the inner layer was silk. It was expensive to make. You can choose an appropriate time to take off the cloak and put it on Hou Xun.
Why worry about not being moved by him? At least that's what is written in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Zuo Liangyu left the city, and someone reported to He Renlong over there. He immediately ordered to summon his generals to be promoted, and secretly ambush the swordsman. Yesterday, he went to He Tengjiao to discuss the mutiny, and He Tengjiao advised him to be Shaoan.
Don't be impatient and wait for the right opportunity before taking action. In the evening, he sent someone to call him and introduced to him two officials sent by the court. They said that there would be a big move in the court in the near future and the mutiny could be carried out in advance to coordinate with him.
The actions of the imperial court.
Most of the generals under his command are his brothers, many of whom are serious officers. They are usually dissatisfied with Zuo Liangyu's actions. If he summons them to rebel, he should be able to respond to all calls. If anyone disagrees, they will be hacked to death on the spot.
yes.
He Renlong was nicknamed He Madman. He was never merciless in killing enemies and was extremely rough in leading troops. He simply said: I am also rebelling against Zuo Liangyu and surrendering to the imperial court. Who is in favor? Who is against?" He put his hand on the knife.
On the handle.
He Renlong's tenth battalion of cavalry was brought by him all the way from Shaanxi. All the generals were his brothers. When the boss mentioned mutiny, he agreed immediately. Anyway, there have been many mutinies over the years.
After returning, who else would you rather eat food and serve as a soldier? This proposal was quickly passed. It was He Tengjiao's idea to choose Zuo Liangyu to take action after he left the city, because Zuo Liangyu's prestige among ordinary soldiers is still very high.
Phew, it would be troublesome if the soldiers defected on the spot.
Zuo Liangyu, who was full of confidence, did not know that his subordinates were already planning a rebellion. He led a team of personal followers and went straight to Wuchang Station. At this time, it started to rain again. When leaving the city, Marshal Zuo couldn't help but see the refugee camps filled with victims.
He frowned and instructed his men to open more porridge sheds and take out several hundred kilograms of rice from the official warehouse to cook some porridge and distribute it, lest Lord Hou would see such a desolate scene and think that Zuo Liangyu was incompetent.
We arrived at Wuchang Station very quickly. Since it was the hinterland of the rule, there were not many soldiers at the station, only a hundred or so craftsmen. From a distance, Zuo Liangyu saw Hou Xun standing at the door wearing a white robe, followed by several servants.
He couldn't help but laugh. He clamped his horse's belly tightly and hurried over. He turned over and dismounted gracefully, and said boldly: "Master Hou, we have been apart in Changping for several years. You are getting stronger with age." He said that he was about to bow down.
Hou Xun smiled slightly, and did not come to help or be polite as Zuo Liangyu imagined. Instead, he took out a bright yellow scroll and said loudly: "Pingtai General Prince Shaobao Zuo Liangyu receives the order."
Zuo Liangyu was shocked. It turned out that Hou Xun came with the imperial edict. In any case, he was still a nominal minister of the Ming Dynasty. Facing an old acquaintance holding the imperial edict, he couldn't react for a moment. He knelt down involuntarily and said softly.
The minister Zuo Liangyu accepted the order.
The officers and soldiers behind Zuo Liangyu were all Qiu Ba who had never seen the world. They looked blankly at their commander kneeling down and were at a loss. At this time, a row of elite soldiers appeared on the station wall, holding strange weapons in their hands.