Three days later, Chang Yu and his party went north along the Qijiang River to a place called Madaozi, and then headed north for dozens of miles to the confluence of the Yangtze River, which was within the territory of Jiangjin and more than a hundred miles away from Chongqing.
But Chang Yu did not intend to go any further, because the water on the other side of the Yangtze River was wide and the water flow was fast, making crossing the river difficult. Moreover, the situation there was unknown and he did not dare to go deep. If he accidentally fell into the siege of the bandits, he would be in serious trouble.
And even if you don't reach the other side of the river, you can't go eastward along the river to reach the stone pillars. Although the distance is closer, as mentioned above, that section of the river is a natural chasm, and there is no road to reach it, and it is difficult for monkeys to stand.
So he decided to cross the east bank of the Qijiang River from Madaozi, then go over the mountains and ridges to Nanchuan County (now Nanchuan District, Chongqing), then go around Fuzhou, Fengdu, and enter Shizhu.
Thinking about it later, it was fortunate that he crossed the Qijiang River from here to the east. If he continued north to the Yangtze River estuary, he wouldn't even be able to find a single boat, because everything there was commandeered by Ma Wannian.
After searching ten miles and eight villages in Madaozi, we finally got dozens of large and small boats. It took the team more than two hours to cross the Qijiang River. As soon as they landed, before they could take a breath, a warning signal came from the outside. Hundreds of people were actually there.
People came armed to kill.
Chang Yu was shocked when he heard this, and quickly ordered the team to enter combat readiness. He did not dare to underestimate these local armed forces. You must know that both Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng suffered in the hands of these local armed forces in the end. They were fierce and good at fighting and familiar with the terrain.
It's very difficult, even in history our party has suffered heavy losses at the hands of armed forces in these places!
The ferry was located in a mountain valley and had no geographical advantage. Chang Yu decisively ordered Tu Yuan's Black Tiger Camp to face the enemy head-on. Ji Jike and Hao Yaoqi led their troops to the two wings to seize the high ground. If a fierce battle broke out, they could
Encirclement and reinforcements.
Perhaps the reaction was too quick, which surprised the opponent. The soldiers did not attack directly, but faced each other more than a hundred meters away. Chang Yu and Li Muxian climbed up from the flanks to watch. The opponent was stuck on a high mountain pass and looked down from a high ground. There was a man in charge.
momentum.
"They don't look like Xidong soldiers," Li Muchian muttered. Chang Yu took out his telescope and looked at them. They looked more like Han people, so he concluded that these were not Xidong soldiers, but the local Han landlords' armed forces.
The armed forces of the landlords are generally just grassroots. Whichever side has the strongest wind will follow. Chang Yu pondered and was not sure which side this force belonged to. After Zhang Xianzhong captured Chongqing, many surrounding counties also surrendered. This place belongs to Qijiang County, although it is the same as the one in Qijiang County.
Chongqing is separated by mountains and rivers, but because it is close to the Qijiang River, the rebels can come along the river, so they have taken refuge in the rebels early, and some of the armed forces in the surrounding places have also been recruited by it.
But how could the thieves in Qijiang County come to this remote place to ambush them? So in all likelihood, they were armed by the landlords nearby.
So he asked Li Muchian to go and question him, and found out that he was indeed a Han.
"Are you the one who offered the thief?" Li Muchian asked.
The other party yelled: "You are the fucking thief."
"Why ambushed the officers and soldiers if they are not thieves? Do you want to rebel?" Li Muchian asked again, and the leader of the other party looked confused: "Are you officers and soldiers? Have you never seen the world to bully me? How can there be such officers and soldiers?
Where did the officers and soldiers come from around here? Why did the officers and soldiers come here..."
Li Muxian didn't know how to answer a series of rhetorical questions. Tu Yuan drove his horse forward: "We are the guards of the East Factory of the imperial court. We are ordered to go to General Qin's place in Shizhu. If you are not thieves, retreat immediately, otherwise you will be killed without mercy!"
Then he raised the token in his hand.
The leader of the opponent couldn't see the token clearly, and even if he could see it clearly, he might not be able to read the characters. However, he was shocked by Tu Yuan's aura, and although he had never heard of Dongchang Wei, he had heard of Dongchang. He took a closer look.
Although these soldiers and horses did not look like the officers and soldiers in my impression, their uniforms were uniform and murderous. They were definitely not thieves that I had seen before, so I was convinced.
"Where did you come from? How did you pass through this place on your way to Shizhu?" The leader asked again: "Ma Tusi is attacking Chongqing at this time. If you want to send reinforcements, you should go north along the river."
"We are acting according to the order. It has nothing to do with you where we come from and where we are going. Let me ask again, who are you and why are you blocking the road!" Tu Yuan roared, and the other party felt fear in his heart when he saw his majesty: "We are
He is from Master Zhang of Hengshan Village."
Mr. Zhang Tu Yuan frowned and shouted: "That bastard is going to rebel!"
The leader was startled and waved his hands quickly: "No, no, no, Mr. Zhang has always been loyal to the court. How could he rebel? It's just that I heard the villain's words earlier and said that there were thieves crossing the river to attack in a sneak attack, so we..."
It turns out that there is a large Han town called Hengshanzhai more than ten miles east of this ferry, and he ordered the surrounding ten or so small villages, whether Han or other ethnic minorities, to take him as the leader. In Hengshanzhai, there was Zhang Haoshen, who had a group of several hundred people.
The armed forces are the largest force within dozens of miles, and neither black nor white dare to offend him easily.
When Chang Yu and his party were crossing the river, they were seen by the people on the riverside and thought they were thieves, so they went to report the news. The wealthy gentleman Zhang was also shocked when he heard this. He thought that recently the stone pillar Qin Liangyu called on the Xidong of the Three Mountains and Five Mountains to fight with him in Chongqing. This bandit army
Could it be that Ma wanted to make a detour from the mountains to attack behind the stone pillar, so he immediately mobilized his troops to prepare for a surprise attack while he was crossing the river.
Who knew that Chang Yu's soldiers and horses were both fierce tigers and experienced old foxes. How could it be no problem when the army crossed the river? They had already set up light and dark sentries all around. They quickly discovered their whereabouts and warned them. When they approached, they had already set up a formation.
Ready for war.
Seeing that the sneak attack failed, the opponent had no choice but to take up a dangerous position at the mountain pass to block the bandit army. When they heard that they were officers and soldiers, they immediately changed their expressions.
As mentioned before, local armed forces are usually just outsiders, but compared to the bandits, they are still relatively close to the officers and soldiers. The reason is very simple. Local armed forces are usually owned by big landowners and rich people. The officers and soldiers do not attack the rich people and do not divide their fields.
The traitor army was different, so they had a lot of hatred for the traitor army, so Li Zicheng finally fell into their hands and was killed directly.
Now that he knew that the visitors were officers and soldiers, and that here were the landlords' armed forces who were close to the officers and soldiers, the tense atmosphere immediately subsided, and the leader invited Chang Yu and his party to visit the village.
Chang Yu did not agree immediately, but ordered him to evacuate from the mountain pass first. He must be on guard against others. If the mountain pass is dangerous, if he suddenly changes his face, he will be seriously injured.
The leader was obedient and withdrew three or four miles to let the Dongchang Guards cross the mountain pass. At this time, Zhang Haoshen, who got the news, came to greet him in person. After all, he had some experience. Although he had never heard of the Dongchang Guards, he knew that he and the Dongchang Guards
There is definitely a close relationship, and these are definitely not ordinary officers and soldiers.
Zhang Haoshen enthusiastically and respectfully invited Chang Yu to visit the village. Li Muxian and others were worried about safety issues and hinted that Chang Yu should not agree. Don't underestimate the local armed forces in these places. The water is deep, and don't think that you are the most powerful person in the world.
Went.
Chang Yu didn't go in the end, because he really didn't know the depth of the water here, let alone the background of this wealthy gentleman. If someone was accidentally tricked by him, who could he talk to for explanation? He said that the military situation was urgent and would be discussed later.
We chatted for a while on the roadside. Of course, we didn't chat about family petty matters, but asked Qin Liangyu about his visit to Chongqing.
Zhang Haoshen knew everything and said that a month ago, Qin Liangyu of Shizhu called for armed forces from nearby Xidong to gather to attack Chongqing. Followers from hundreds of miles around have joined the army to fight against thieves. Now they have arrived at the city of Chongqing and it is said that the fight has already begun.
.
Chang Yu and others were shocked when they heard this. Qin Liangyu was Qin Liangyu. He obeyed orders and did what he was told. When he climbed high, he was followed by clouds of followers. They were all loyal, brave and trustworthy.
"Since General Qin called for it, why don't you go?" Li Muchian asked seemingly casually, while making the noble gentleman's face turn red, he quickly explained: "There are hundreds of thieves in Qijiang City, and they are staying behind closed doors after hearing about the conquest.
Similar to this, I am worried that if I follow General Qin to Chongqing to fight against thieves, my family will be in trouble."
Whether the reason is true or false, it makes sense.
But regardless of whether it is true or not, Chang Yu doesn't like this reason. As mentioned above, although these landlords' armed forces are relatively close to the officers and soldiers, they are actually just outsiders. It is mostly an excuse to say that they are worried about being taken advantage of by the thieves in Qijiang. Chang Yu believes that the outcome is not decided at the moment.
When the fight was going on, he didn't want to help anyone. He just wanted to quietly watch whoever killed the other, and then make a choice when the time came.
To put it bluntly, I don’t want to stand in line so early.
Chang Yu didn't like this kind of person.
Once he didn't like it, he had to scratch something and leave, so he glanced at Li Muchian.
As one of the people who had the most tacit understanding with Chang Yu, Li Muchian understood with just one look, so he said to the gentleman Zhang: "Since General Qin has issued a call, you should be our neighbors with prosperity and destruction, so you should have the strength and money to contribute.
It’s money”.
"That's right, that's right." Zhang Haoshen nodded quickly and said with a wry smile: "But if the villain sends troops to follow him, he will surely be taken advantage of by the thieves in Qijiang City. In fact, he is powerless."
Li Muxian chuckled: "Since you have nothing, you must have money."
It was so clear that Zhang Haoshen understood it no matter how stupid he was, and he couldn't pretend to be stupid. Since someone asked for it, you have to give it, otherwise you won't be able to get off the stage, and maybe you won't be able to get over it. After all, this is
However, the more than a thousand warriors were far superior to his own hundreds of soldiers in terms of strength and combat power. Moreover, he did not want to start a war with the officers and soldiers, as that would easily lead to him being labeled as a rebel.
"Master Zhang provided the money, and I will provide this strength for you. Or to put it another way, we issued an order to suppress the bandits. Passing by Qijiang Hengshan Village, the wealthy gentry Zhang family donated..." Li Muxian hadn't finished speaking yet.
Zhang Haoshen said quickly: "Young man Zhang Degui, I am willing to donate your salary, please donate!"
I have to say that this noble man is clever and smart, and he has to pay for it after all. Why not leave a good reputation and let the court or Qin Liangyu remember his good deeds? Maybe he will be given an official title in the future, which is the worst.
It would be nice to get a certificate or something and leave it to future generations.
Chang Yu didn't ask for much, only five thousand taels of silver. He felt that he was asking a lot for a wealthy gentleman in such a small place, but Zhang Degui insisted on giving ten thousand taels, but he asked for a certificate!
The best thing the imperial court can give is one from the Provincial Envoy and Secretary of Sichuan Province. If not, it can be given to someone from the Chongqing government office after Chongqing is taken back.
Chang Yu was not happy. Could it be that my Dongchang Yamen was not good enough? He immediately took pen, ink, paper and inkstone and asked Li Muchian to write for him, and then stamped the Dongchang seal. Only then did Zhang Degui realize that the young man in front of him was actually the governor of Dongchang.
, when excited, donate another 10,000.
This made Chang Yu a little bit intolerable, and he wanted to persuade him, "Brother, please take it easy, it's not easy to get some money in a remote country," but he was obviously still not sure about the thoughts of this kind of local tycoon.
Some wealthy gentry in the past dynasties worked hard to donate money and build connections, just to get an official position or to get a government award to hang at home.
Fame, fame, fame!
When you have money, you want fame.
………………………………
Please vote and thank book friends for their support.