In the early morning, when the sky was dim, there was some noise in the camp. Luo Tang and other servants had started to make fires and cook meals, but most of the soldiers were still asleep.
A scream rang out from the commander's tent. Chen Wangting and other personal guards were shocked. They stood up and ran away with knives. However, they saw Chang Yu kneeling on the ground with his head in his hands and roaring, vowing never to drink again.
The guards immediately breathed a sigh of relief and looked at each other with smiles, but they didn't take it seriously. Drinkers will make this kind of oath when they wake up with a headache the next day, but they will never abide by it.
Chang Yu doesn't like wine and has always drank less. However, he has been under too much pressure recently and is a little bit drunk to relieve his worries. Or maybe he wants to use a big drunk to relax his tense nerves in the past few days, but he didn't expect Erguotou's stamina to be so strong.
Woke up with a splitting headache, which made Wuzhong and Jia Waixiong, who had not drunk any alcohol, secretly gloated at the misfortune.
After a night of hot porridge, a pot of tea, and cold water to wash his face, Chang Yu felt that his headache was gradually disappearing. At this time, the four battalions under his command were getting ready and setting up camp.
The dust was flying in the north, but Li Yan's vanguard had arrived. Chang Yu stepped forward to plan with him for a while, and then immediately ordered the troops to set off for Dingxing County.
Dingxing County is a hundred miles northeast of Baoding, with dense surrounding counties such as Gaobeidian, Yixian, Laishui, etc. It belongs to the northern end of Baoding Prefecture and is only adjacent to Shuntian Prefecture. However, they are all small towns, and some even have no garrison.
Soldiers, close to some Yamen policemen or militiamen to maintain law and order.
At three o'clock in the morning, Chang Yu led the four battalions to gallop forward. After traveling no more than ten miles, they encountered many refugees fleeing northward for famine. Each of them looked sallow and thin, and looked frightened. When they saw a group of soldiers and horses approaching, they all fled in all directions.
He didn't stop until he saw that the soldiers and horses were not pursuing them. Chang Yu led more than ten of his guards to dismount and inquired, and learned that they had all fled from Baoding Prefecture and had been gone for several days.
When I asked again, I learned that out of ten houses around Baoding Mansion, nine were empty. The rich gentry were tortured to death by the bandits. Most of the remaining people joined the bandits and responded to their call to attack the city and plunder the land.
The temptation was too great. The people who had suffered so much suddenly discovered that they didn’t have to farm or pay taxes. They could eat and drink by following the rebels, burning, killing and looting. How comfortable this life was! There were so many followers.
But there are also real people who don't want to become thieves and have no choice but to flee in all directions. They usually choose to flee north. After all, the further away from the capital, the safer they are.
"Master Jun, are you here to support Baoding Prefecture?" an old man among the refugees asked. Seeing Chang Yu nodding, he smiled bitterly and shook his head: "This is not enough. The rebel army is like locusts, covering the sky and sun everywhere.
Baoding Mansion is surrounded by bandit troops..."
"The soldiers are not many, they are the best!" Chang Yu smiled slightly, took some dry food and handed it to a child: "The bandit army is just a mob, vulnerable to a single blow. It can take anywhere from half a month to a month. It will definitely make them lose their shit. Some time ago in Taiyuan
If you can defeat them, you will defeat them this time. You must have confidence in the court and the officers and soldiers." Chang Yu's eyes were so murderous that the refugees were so shocked that they did not dare to speak.
"By the way, fellow countryman, the emperor has issued a decree exempting the whole of Henan and parts of Hebei, Shanxi, and Shandong from taxes for three years. Baoding Prefecture is also among them. Please remember to return to your hometown to make a living after the rebel army retreats. Please tell me around."
Chang Yu did not forget the warning, immediately got on his horse and ordered the team to move forward quickly.
The further south he went, the more refugees there were. Chang Yu couldn't bear to look at the horror of dragging his family with his family. Chang Yu was heartbroken, so he asked Luo Tang to get some military rations and spread the news about the imperial tax exemption. The refugees burst into tears of gratitude and asked which army they were from.
When they learned that it was the fourth battalion under Dongchang, the people were shocked and puzzled. They had never heard of this group of people, but Dongchang's reputation was not very good, so how could there be such a kind army.
After traveling to the Baigou River thirty miles away, they let their horses drink water. Many people were resting here. Chang Yu wanted to go forward and hear the news. Chen Wangting and others were worried that there were rebel spies among them and did not want him to come in person.
Li Zicheng was very ambitious at this time and had made preparations to march all the way north to Beijing. Although the army stopped at Baoding City, he would definitely send a large number of spies and spies to follow the refugees north. If Chang Yu was exposed, Bao Buqi would assassinate him.
Chang Yu went resolutely and killed all the troops and horses. He was not afraid of the assassination by spies, so he went to the refugee group to hear the news. Chen Wangting and other personal servants did not dare to be careless, and they held the scabbard tightly and followed him around.
.
The riverside was crowded with refugees resting. Some were breaking ice to get water, and some even made a pot on the spot to cook. They only boiled a few grains of rice in water, but many people gathered to watch and salivate.
Knowing that they were officers and soldiers, and seeing that the military discipline was strict and there was no harassment, the refugees were not too afraid of Chang Yu. They answered all his questions and even surrounded him to ask questions.
Under a dead tree by the river, a child was holding a body and crying bitterly. Others turned a blind eye and didn't even look at him. After all, death is so common these days and has long been numb.
Chang Yu came closer and found that the child was only five or six years old. He was actually a boy. Lying next to him was an old Taoist with white beard and hair. He was about seventy years old. He was thin and his clothes were stained with blood. He had injuries on his ribs.
Down.
"What's your name?" Chang Yu squatted down and asked.
The child raised his head with tears in his eyes and a sad look on his face: "I don't have a name. Master calls me a little Taoist boy..."
Chang Yu saw that he was extremely sad and couldn't speak clearly, so he asked him how his master died. Xiao Daotong said that his master had traveled all over the world to seek alms. The day before yesterday, he encountered thieves who came into the village to kill people and set fires. The master couldn't bear to see a woman being humiliated, so he picked up a knife to kill the thieves...
"I often say that I don't like monks. Do you know why?" After hearing this, Chang Yu stood up and looked around.
"The factory owner said that those monks only pretend to be gods and tricks to defraud people of money. They get something for nothing and make no contribution. They are just moths," Hu Ling said softly.
"This is just one of them. This Buddhism is not my local religion. In troubled times, it can't stand back, but in prosperous times, it spreads incense and makes money." He turned around and looked at the corpse of the old Taoist on the ground: "On the other hand, my local Taoist sect, in troubled times, went down the mountain and hung a pot to help the world.
"In the prosperous times, he retreated to the mountains and forests to practice cultivation. Although it was all about ghosts and gods, he made judgments about superiors and inferiors."
Everyone under his command nodded, thinking that this seemed to be the case.
"Would you like to come with me?" Chang Yu knelt down and asked the little Taoist boy. In the war years, the chances of such a big child surviving alone were too slim.
The little Taoist boy shook his head: "My master said that all soldiers are bad people and there are no good ones."
Ahem, cough, cough, Chang Yu almost choked. He just praised your master for being the right one, but now he doesn't give you any face.
Li Tiezhu raised his hand to teach the little Taoist boy a lesson, but Chang Yu glared back and said gently: "We are exceptions. We are good people who specialize in killing those thieves. I will bury your master, so you can just go with me."
.
The little Taoist raised his head and looked at him for a while, then nodded slightly: "Then you can bury my master."
Chang Yu had people dig a hole under a dead tree and bury the old Taoist. He also cut the wood into a monument and carved the tomb of the unknown Taoist. The little Taoist boy was too young and did not know the name of the master.
Hu Ling was very fond of the little Taoist boy. He held hands and asked him: "Can you accept me as your father?"
The little Taoist boy was confused: "What is dad?"
Everyone is suffering.
Chang Yu clenched his fists with swollen veins and looked towards the south, shaking violently. (To be continued)