Chapter five hundred and seventieth dialogue with the prisoners
"Don't be downcast, there is no shame in being defeated by our Runing army!" Cheng Niu said with a smile while patting his horse.
Since he was responsible for pulling down the camp fence, Cheng Niu followed the main force and did not win any battle. However, Cheng Niu never dismounted. He was really addicted to cavalry, but his weight weighed down his horse.
It's quite annoying.
It was not until the end of the battle that Cheng Niu dismounted his horse and fed him at the order of the company commander. Seeing that Cheng Niu was in good spirits while riding his horse, the company commander simply sent him to guard the prisoners.
This time, Liu Guoneng brought a total of 12,000 to 3,000 people to camp on the right wing of the peasant army. They were all young and strong men, and nearly half of them were members of his old camp. But just when they robbed the camp, they were suddenly killed.
More than a thousand people were killed. In addition, more than 6,000 people surrendered to the Runing Army.
After confiscating the weapons, the Runing Army drove the prisoners into the empty camp. Li Sanhe only asked two companies of soldiers to guard the prisoners to prevent them from rushing into Liu Guoneng's camp again. The Runing Army didn't care at all that the prisoners escaped.
Don't run, because you have to seize the time to recover your strength and prepare to withstand the peasant army's counterattack after dawn, and also combine with Xue Yongli's main force to completely defeat the peasant army in the center and left.
Cheng Niu's character was familiar, so he chatted with the prisoner sitting on the ground about his daily life.
"You can't live a good life, so why are you rebelling? But I can't blame you. When I was in Runing, the land was deserted, and I couldn't borrow food from Liu Yuan's wife's family, so my whole family fled everywhere, looking for a place to live.
Working part-time."
Listening to Cheng Niu's memories, the prisoners who had the same experience gradually raised their heads and listened carefully to Cheng Niu's words.
"There is no place to go! I thought of the county town. The gate of the county town was closed, and we were guarded like thieves. There was no way to drive to the next county town. Halfway through, my mother and two younger siblings starved to death. Humans are worse than dogs.
Ah! I couldn’t even find a mat. I had to bury them hastily. It wasn’t until I got paid as a soldier that I wanted to take them out and bury them properly. But I couldn’t find them! Alas—!”
"So, are you the only one left in my brother's family?" A prisoner of the peasant army, who was only sixteen or seventeen years old, seemed to have forgotten his fear and asked Cheng Niu.
"There is also a sister!" Cheng Niu smiled at the young captive and said, "But at that time she was also skinny and skinny, and it looked like she couldn't hold on anymore. Fortunately, we adults showed kindness and let us join us.
Go to Zhuangzi. The first meal in Zhuangzi is so delicious! White flour steamed buns. So big!" Cheng Niu gestured to the prisoners, "But the people in Zhuangzi didn't let me eat, so they gave me something to drink.
I'm in a hurry for the porridge, so I'll grab it as soon as I go up."
"Did you get it?" the young man asked again, and the other prisoners also stared at Cheng Niu curiously.
"No!" Cheng Niu smiled sheepishly. "There were so many of them, three or four of them pushed me to the ground. But it was for my own good. People who are hungry cannot eat dry food.
"Brother! Why are you joining the army again?" the young man asked again. Seeing that Cheng Niu was very kind, the prisoners all raised their heads towards Cheng Niu.
"You really don't understand!" Cheng Niu was a little proud when he mentioned his experience as a soldier. "For us, serving as a soldier in the Runing Army is a good place. Not only can we have enough food and clothing, but we can also have a wife and a share of land. That's it.
A few people who didn't give me dry food saw that I was very strong and asked me to join the village protection team. Later, I was recruited into the Runing Army."
"Really? Can I still have a wife and land?" A prisoner on the side couldn't help but interjected.
"Why are you lying to me?" Cheng Niu raised his eyebrows, "You will come in anyway, and you will know when the time comes."
"We also have a chance?" The prisoner felt a little unbelievable.
"Of course!" Cheng Niu looked quite proud, "But only those who are good and join the army can get it. Those who farm in the village or mine in the mines can only find a wife by themselves. The time for dividing the land is also
Much slower."
Cheng Niu's words immediately made the prisoners excited. They asked all kinds of questions about the Runing Army, making Cheng Niu overwhelmed. So Cheng Niu immediately waved to him: "Everyone, please be quiet and come one by one!
"Then, Cheng Niu saw that the young prisoner seemed to have something to say, so he pointed at him and asked: "Little brother! You speak first!"
The young man hesitated for a while, and then he held back a sentence: "Brother! Are you in charge of the food here? I'm a little hungry now." The young man's words immediately caused everyone to burst into laughter.
Cheng Niu also kept laughing. After a while, Cheng Niu stopped laughing and said to the young man: "We, the Runing Army, never go hungry. Wait a minute! The meal should be here soon, and you should be there."
share.”
"Brother! Do you have food to eat here so early?" asked another prisoner. At that time, poor families often had two meals, usually breakfast and lunch together, so the prisoner asked
Such a problem occurs.
Cheng Niu nodded and replied: "We always have three meals here. Breakfast will be served soon."
As if to confirm Cheng Niu's statement, several soldiers of the Runing Army distributed the dry food placed on the cart to everyone, and also moved more than a dozen bags of food and threw it into the captives.
The food was not burned in Liu Guoneng's camp, and he didn't have time to cook, so he had to let the prisoners deal with it themselves.
After hearing about the bright future of Runing's army and having food to eat, the prisoners felt at ease. Some who wanted to find a chance to escape stopped running and were busy making fires and cooking.
While waiting, the young man asked Cheng Niu again: "Brother, is it easy to join your army?"
Cheng Niu smiled and shook his head: "It's not easy! But if you can ride a horse and read, you can join right away."
"Brother! I can ride a horse! Recruit me quickly!" The young man immediately jumped up happily.
"Go, go!" Cheng Niu immediately drove the boy away, "You haven't grown up yet, let's talk about it in two years!"
"Brother! I'm just small, I'm already eighteen!" The young man became a little anxious, "Brother, don't you believe it? Lend me your horse for two turns."
"That's even more nonsense! Can I borrow horses at will?" Cheng Niu immediately refused.
"Then...then brother! Let me show you my strength. I will lift the stone over there." The young man was so anxious that tears welled up in his eyes.
"But it's useless for you to raise it! I don't care about recruiting troops. When this battle is over, I will go and talk to the commander?" Cheng Niu reluctantly told the truth.
As soon as they heard Cheng Niu agreed, the prisoners wanted to surround them. The soldiers of the Runing Army who were watching the excitement immediately put away their smiles and raised their weapons to prevent the prisoners from approaching. Cheng Niu also hurriedly shouted: "I am old man
The cows keep their word, but don’t move! Don’t forget! You are all prisoners!”
After hearing this, the prisoners remembered their identities.