Mainly in mid-June, the power of the Second Eastern Expedition of the Deposed Dragon Army was completely different from the previous one, and at the same time far beyond the imagination of the locals and surrounding people.
This kind of grandeur is not the kind of unstoppable force that relies on tens of thousands of troops marching along the official road in large numbers, attacking every enemy along the way, like spears advancing and piercing everything, but a kind of unstoppable force similar to the one that is not uncommon in the Jishui River Basin.
The flood soaked everything.
Tens of thousands of troops marched eastward, but they dispersed into thousands, thousands, even five hundred, one to two hundred people, and penetrated into key places in the three counties in order, from the main official roads and main cities,
They went to transportation hubs, towns, mines and ferries, and then to rural houses, followed by various clear and unmistakable government orders and large-scale public security cleaning.
The last step is the actual implementation of the decree.
In almost half a month, in the area occupied by the Deposed Dragon Army in the three counties, most of the commercial activities, agricultural activities, handicraft activities, cultural activities, and public security activities were all related to the Deposed Dragon Gang and the Deposed Dragon Army.
A tangible convergence occurred between this military and political entity.
There must be chaos and disorder, perfunctory and covert resistance, and even bullying due to excessive force. But no one can deny that the Deposed Dragon Gang used this method to bring down the three counties in the upper reaches of Jishui in a short period of time.
There was an impression that was engraved in my bones - they really wanted to take over everything on behalf of the government, they really wanted to rebel.
This group of people who wear Liuhe boots, carry long swords, and march almost all the time really want to change the dynasty!
However, this kind of strong, flood-like march and conquest is by no means without its disadvantages. The most obvious point is that the troops invested too much energy and troops in the local area. This led to the deposed army in late June.
The Dragon Army had to face an embarrassing fact when trying to carry out the next stage of its conquest plan.
That is, at the beginning of the Second Eastern Expedition, the troops mobilized by the Qilong Gang included 30,000 troops from Lihu and Lishan, plus the Niuda tribe who advanced early, and the southern reinforcements led by Wang Zhen who caught up later. In fact,
The number of troops was as high as more than 35,000; but when they were ready to attack the western part of Lu County, the western part of Jibei County, and the most important, Qi County, there were only more than 23,000 temporarily available mobile troops.
A total of 12,000 people were dragged along these sites.
"It's not 12,000 people." Here in Sucheng, the junction of the three counties, with the cicadas chirping in the afternoon, Xu Shiying, who actually served as the acting commander-in-chief of Zhang Xing's military strategy, thought for a moment and stood in the shade of the front yard of Cangcheng.
A correction was made. "We also surrendered about 3,000 troops of various types, including the Jinbor Army..."
"Then it's even more inappropriate...Fifteen thousand people were just pinned down." Wang Shuyong, who came from Jibei, became a little restless.
"That's not how the accounts are calculated." Chief Wei Xuanding, who was obviously angry these days, immediately shook his head. "Fifteen thousand people sounds like a lot, but in fact, it falls into more than 20 counties, which is just one person."
There are seven to eight hundred people in the county... and to put it bluntly, do you dare to use the surrender of the army? Should more troops be deployed in key places such as Yuncheng and Liangshan Village?"
"Not bad." Bai Yousi, who was gradually getting used to the atmosphere and new identity, also interjected. "According to my observation, in fact, there are only about 500 garrison troops in an average county."
"Five hundred is too much, right?" Dan Tonghai, who was sitting in the corner, also followed suit. "This is a garrison, not a government official."
"The key is that there is a shortage of government officials now. They are actually doing the work of government officials and city defense." Wei Xuanding immediately refuted. "As far as I can see in the past ten days, we have been urging farm work and harvesting crops, including collecting land taxes on site.
The transshipment is to deal with the big and small landowners... Without the pressure of soldiers and horses, how could those people be so honest?"
As soon as these words came out, there was an obvious pause in the surrounding area.
The reason is self-evident. The so-called landlords are actually the powerful men in these three counties. They have the same professional background as the leaders here. I dare to ask all of you here, who was honest back then?
These words really bring back good memories of those years.
"The power of our advance is too great!" Niuda sighed slightly after a while. "They were frightened and did not dare to move."
"So," Xu Shiying finally expressed his attitude. "Everything going well now has something to do with the fact that the troops are here. If the troops are deployed, many things may not still be in order... And I think the current situation is rare.
Yes, if we hastily mobilize our troops and leave, many things here will be wasted, and even if we come back after winning the battle in the future, we may not have such a good situation."
"But according to Xu Dalang's intention, we are all at the front, but we don't fight forward?" Dan Tonghai asked coldly. "If this is the case, I don't say that the ones in the front will change later, and Fan Bao, Jia Wugen and others will become stronger again.
, Let’s just talk about it later. When these people see that the situation is like this and we are motionless, will they also think that we are timid and afraid to move, and then they will become ambitious again? "
"That's not the case." Niuda shook his head repeatedly. "We're going to finish the battle at Lishan."
"Then we should march with confidence." Wang Shuyong couldn't help but interrupt.
"It's hard to say." Wei Xuanding frowned. "These days, I come all the way from west to east. I think there is nothing wrong with Dongping County, and it's almost the same with Jibei, but I feel something is wrong with Lu County."
"Chief Wei's feeling is reasonable." Shan Tonghai cheered up slightly. "Jibei County, Dongping County and Dong County, Jiyin has the Jishui River passing through it, so the news is smooth and there are many personnel exchanges. And
Lu Jun, I noticed last time that there is some gap between them and us. Not only information, but many things are completely different."
"It's the terrain." At this moment, Zhang Xing, who had been looking down at the form, suddenly spoke without raising his head. "Jishui runs through it, not only because of the convenient transportation, but also because of the difference in terrain... Lu County, south of Qi County,
Langya, as well as the southwest and northeast of Dengzhou, are all typical hilly terrain, while Dongjun, Jiyin County, Dongping County, Jibei County, the northern part of Qijun, and the center of Dengzhou are all plains in the Jishui River Basin."
The surroundings were silent, and many people looked at each other, completely at a loss. They had no idea why Zhang Dalongtou suddenly said this... Everyone knows this, okay?
Of course, Zhang Xing quickly hit the point: "As we all know, the power of the powerful is basically the foundation of manors and fields, but it can't just be manors, but also other things. Therefore, precisely because of the different geography, in the East
Here, powerful people are generally divided into two categories. One type relies on trade and transportation or weaving factories and pottery factories to make a living; the other type relies on mines and forging workshops. Relatively speaking, Jishui and Dengzhou at the end of the river
, he has both, and has raised a large number of good family members who came from martial arts schools.”
As soon as this statement came out, the people around him couldn't help but be a little commotion, because the word "powerful" touched the soft spots of many people, and some smart people had already realized what Zhang Dalongtou wanted to say.
"Absolutely." After a while, Bai Yousi suddenly chuckled and broke the silence. "In the coastal areas, we also need to add the salt industry and Dongyi smuggling routes. This is the foundation of the heroes in the East. It's just that
In the eyes of the government, the private control of land, mines, commerce, and transportation by these heroes is an obvious hidden danger. However, the court cannot get to the bottom, so it cannot do without these people... The two are connected, so
It is the word "heroic" often mentioned in history books, novels, and Nanya documents. At that time, in Jing'antai, Cheng Dalang, Shan Dalang, Xu Dalang, Wang Wulang, as well as the Fan brothers, Jia Wugen and so on, were actually all hanging in the East.
He is a powerful man, and once the patrol team arrives in the east, he will be taken care of."
Xu Dalang was also startled, and suddenly laughed, as if he remembered something.
"Do you understand what I mean?" Zhang Xing also smiled, then looked around and asked.
Some people really don't understand, but some people understand it from the beginning.
"The Qilu Army is actually the foundation of local power." Wei Xuanding blurted out. "We are too...for the three counties in the middle, it is actually the same. It's just that they were unlucky. They met us and the Qilu Army, and were suppressed and beaten by both sides.
We have laid the foundation for our own rise. But now that the Qilu army has been defeated and the government has fled. If we want to completely conquer these three counties, the key lies in whether we can conquer these powerful people... Whether we pull them in or suppress them, they will all
That’s the key! Relatively speaking, it’s not a good idea to advance to Qijun one day earlier and to Qijun one day later.”
"That's about it, but it doesn't mean we won't march anymore." Zhang Xing responded seriously. "I don't know if you believe it or not, but I had considered the need for soldiers and horses to suppress the current situation in this place, and made preparations.
, I just didn’t expect that this march would be so neat, so my preparations were in vain.”
"Are they the left-behind troops from the two counties on the western front?" Xu Shiying thought thoughtfully. "At that time, everyone said that there were too many left behind, and it was very difficult to raise them locally. It was better to bring them over, but the third brother said to bring them over.
Come over and spend more in the army..."
"Yes." Zhang Xing nodded. "I wanted to use the old to bring up the new. When the new recruits over there learn the skills, they can be sent over directly to take over the place... The surrendered soldiers and the previous recruits on the Eastern Front are originally these three.
Most of the people in the county are locals...The key is that the progress here is too fast, and the previous plan cannot catch up."
"Then we won't send troops for the time being?" Shan Tonghai was a little frustrated, but he was just frustrated, but surprisingly he didn't have much anger.
Because, like everyone else, he also understood what Zhang Xing meant.
To be fair, when everyone was a powerful person in the past, they naturally had a set of views on things, but now that they are officials, they feel that those views are serious.
Zhang Xing's meaning is very simple. He won't subdue and disperse the powerful people in these three counties. He won't straighten out the land taxes and taxes. He won't eat up the ferries, markets, fleets, livestock farms, iron mines, and gold mines.
, who can feel comfortable? The most direct one is, how to expand the army? How to improve everyone's treatment and salary? How to make everyone feel like they have real control over the territory?
Therefore, it is time to persevere and try to take advantage of this great opportunity to complete the cleanup and control of the local powerful.
"We still have to send troops." Turning back to his eyes, Zhang Xing thought for a moment and responded seriously. "We cannot let military operations stagnate... I mean, just leave enough troops to ensure that our political strategy can be implemented, and then we can
According to the previous discussion of priorities, we will first send out 10,000 troops to open up the water channel."
Wang Shuyong suddenly became energetic. He was on the left wing, located in Jibei County in the north. This life was naturally his.
Sure enough, Zhang Xing turned to look at him: "Wang Wulang, we will give you reinforcements immediately. We will gather 10,000 troops and fight along the north bank of Jishui River. We will first join forces with the Pu Tai Army and Cheng Zhili before discussing anything else."
Wang Shuyong was immediately overjoyed, and everyone else had nothing to say.
In the final analysis, this impromptu discussion was because the Deposed Dragon Army advanced too quickly, which caused the plan to deviate. It was a kind of happy trouble. Therefore, since Zhang Xing had spoken out and decided on the strategy, he still passed the credit to his own side.
People and other people are not good enough to say anything.
At the very least, it is not appropriate to have unnecessary discussions on strategy.
However, just after everyone stood up, Xu Shiying still added a little suggestion: "In this case, third brother, how about moving a little bit more appropriately, how about going to Feicheng or Pingyin? Wherever you go, I guarantee that there will be no harm to Qi County.
Dare to move."
"I can't wait for any of them to move." Zhang Xingyi said. "And I have decided to go to Lu County to have a look... Firstly, I want to see the local powerful characteristics, and secondly, I want to wait for King Xiongtian, who is in Lu County.
The county has not returned yet. The reason why he did not make a large-scale advance is that he did not inform the rebels in the southeast of Shandong. This is also an important reason... Let the leader Shan go to Feicheng! You are still here to make arrangements!"
Shan Tonghai was surprised for a moment, while Xu Shiying had no unnecessary reaction, but still nodded slightly to express recognition and acceptance.
On June 25, just two days after arriving in Sucheng, Zhang Xing once again moved his red flag with the word "deposed" and marched towards the territory of Lu County. Nothing happened that day. The next day, June 26, when the troops
When crossing the Wenshui River, he encountered an interesting incident.
"They said they were a couple visiting relatives." Wang Xiongdan wiped his sweat and reported to Zhang Dalongtou, who was waiting for the army to cross the river on the embankment. "But something was obviously wrong. The two people were in the broken house over there.
Sitting there, I was so panicked when I saw the sentry riders, their words, expressions and gestures were too obvious... The sentry riders didn't dare to neglect, so they all were tied up."
Zhang Xing looked at a middle-aged man and woman standing under the river embankment with their hands tied behind their backs and their heads bowed but obviously trembling. He couldn't help but be startled: "Then they are spies? Such panic spies? Who are they for?"
"This is the strange thing." Wang Xiongdan also felt speechless. "Both of them have no cultivation level, and they were too obviously panicked. They don't look like spies at all... But the sentry cavalry can't ignore it when they encounter this kind of situation.
.”
Zhang Xing thought for a while, got off the yellow gelding, and walked forward, only to see the middle-aged man and woman still bowing their heads. The woman's feet were covered in dust and red cloth shoes that were particularly eye-catching.
After watching for a while, Zhang Xing asked seriously: "Why did you elope? Did your husband beat you?"
The people around were surprised for a moment, and the middle-aged woman whose hands were cut behind her back also raised her head in shock. She was quite angry, but she burst into tears and knelt down on the spot: "My lord, please forgive me, this is not an elopement. This is what my husband promised...
"
"Your husband allows you to go with other men?" Zhang Xing was slightly puzzled.
"It's true." The man shivered and raised his head. "Her husband was disabled during the Second World War, but the family farm is still there. I don't have a wife, so I farm for her family. Her husband allowed us to be together...
…”
Zhang Xing suddenly asked: "Then why are you running away now?"
"Because the autumn harvest is coming soon, the newly arrived government is urging us hard. The eldest man of the Lin family nearby is urging us again, saying that if it doesn't work, he will send me into the army. But I farm two fields by myself, and I can't do it well at all, and because of the previous
We were badly beaten in the war, and we couldn't afford to pay for food, and we were afraid of being caught as slaves, so the two families decided to fight together. She and I escaped together to live a life together, while her husband and my old father resigned themselves to their fate." The man said slightly.
I took courage. "When I got here, I found that there was no boat, the ferry was burned down, and the village was gone, so I didn't dare to go back."
"Where are you from?" Unlike the others who were obviously confused, Zhang Xing instantly realized the rationality of the other party's actions, and then asked the question he was most concerned about with some anxiety.
"Father Liang." The man quickly answered.
Zhang Xing breathed a sigh of relief. This was not the area currently occupied by the Deposed Dragon Army, but he immediately felt funny again... What does this have to do with whether it was the area occupied by the Deposed Dragon Army?
The key to the problem is that after leaving Dongjun and Jiyin County, the further you go, the more obvious the negative impact of the turmoil since the Three Expeditions. To be honest, the Deposed Dragon Army and the Qilu Army are definitely the two most powerful forces in troubled times.
Duo Qipa is very strange, and can be regarded as a standard local force, but as long as they fight, they still cannot stop the world from becoming increasingly corrupt.
Many things are never urgent.
"Go back." Zhang Xing thought for a while and then came to persuade him seriously on the river embankment. "I will write a letter to your Mr. Lin and ask him to slow down your family's land tax this year."
Wang Xiongdan was stunned for a moment and quickly went to untie the rope.