Chapter fifty-eight of the old town looking at the spring
Guangzhou Prefecture is an old city. It is said that the city was built in ancient times. It retains many historical sites dating back thousands of years. Many officials who came to Guangzhou Prefecture would climb the city wall to pay homage to this ancient city and leave poems. The city walls were repaired when the Great Xia Dynasty was first established.
, the old things I see every day just feel simple and flavorful.
But after several battles, arrows, fire, and blood were all colorful on the peeling wall, and the flavorful city wall was like a wet pheasant.
This pheasant looks useless.
The city gate seemed to be deserted, until there was a rapid sound of horse hooves outside the city, and a row of heads emerged from the city gate, their eyes flashing with fear. When they saw that there were only less than ten people coming, they became bolder.
He leaned forward to check, and then recognized him...
"Open the city gate quickly! Xiao Wenzi and the others are back!"
Accompanied by shouts of surprise, the city gate, which had been dented by the impact of the wood, carefully opened a crack, and soldiers with scars and bloodstains on their bodies rushed in.
"My lord, my lord." They ignored the support of the soldiers in the city and fell down from their horses, their voices trembling, "The observation envoy led the city to surrender."
The scout who was inquiring about the news came back. The magistrate and Zhu Tong led the officers and generals to rush over. They didn't expect to hear this sentence head on.
It’s over! There will be no reinforcements! Instead, there will be a lot more rebels!
The magistrate's feet were weak and he staggered, but Chang Shi helped him in time.
Zhu Tong grabbed a scout and gritted his teeth: "How could they surrender? The Taoist government has 10,000 soldiers and horses. Are they all defeated?"
The scouts were lying on the ground, their voices choked with sobs not sure whether it was because of pain or despair: "No beating, no beating."
"Why did they surrender without a fight?" Zhu Tong grabbed hold of him and continued to ask. The shaken and scarred scout was about to die.
The prefect held him down in time: "Zhu Tong, the observation envoy called the whole Huainan Road to wish An Dezhong birthday. He has never been so attentive to his father. Is it strange that he surrendered?"
Zhu Tong let go of the scout and kicked away the scattered wooden frames: "Ten thousand soldiers and horses! Ten thousand soldiers and horses! Ten thousand soldiers and horses!"
"So, we have no reinforcements, right?" the prefect asked the scout.
The scout lying on the ground sobbed: "The soldiers and horses from western Zhejiang are coming fiercely, and they are losing ground everywhere. The prefect of Hezhou died defending the city, the prefect of Chuzhou ran away, and the people in the prefecture spontaneously defended the city and was breached. Ande Zhong's general A Shi
Then the city was massacred..."
Thinking of the tragic scenes he saw along the way, he couldn't stop crying and asked how Huainan Road had become like this.
The officers, soldiers and soldiers around them looked pale.
The prefect murmured: "It's over now. It's over now. What should I do?"
On the one hand, there were no reinforcements. The soldiers and horses, which had not been in battle for a long time, fell like a mud wall in front of Ande Zhong's powerful army.
Zhu Tong stepped on the wooden frame and turned back: "What should I do? Surrender. Didn't you also give Ande Zhong a happy birthday gift?"
The prefect turned around and jumped: "I didn't say I wanted to surrender. I gave the birthday gift to please the observer. I want to take a further step in my official career. What I want is the official career of the Great Xia court, not the career of a traitor! Are you afraid of being young?
Come talk to me!"
Zhu Tong also jumped: "Who is scared! Who is scared! Our dignified Huainan Taoist army does not want to carry the flag of Fan Yangjun!"
Watching the two adults dancing to each other, the people around them looked confused.
The magistrate's shoulders slumped and he sighed: "What's more, Ande Zhong's soldiers and horses are cruel and inhumane. Whenever there is a city that has resisted, even if it surrenders, half of the city will be killed as a deterrent. How can they die so cowardly?
It’s better to fight.”
Zhu Tong lowered his shoulders and gritted his teeth: "Let's fight!"
Another scout stretched out his hand tremblingly, as if he had just woken up: "Sir, there is also chaos on the Xuanwu Road side, and a group of soldiers and horses are coming towards us."
The faces of the prefect and Zhu Tong turned from pale to ashen.
This is the sorrow at the junction! Being attacked from both sides, there is only one way to die! There is no way from heaven to heaven, there is no way from earth to earth, who can save...who?
The magistrate suddenly raised his head: "Dou County! Dou County!"
Zhu Tong shouted: "Don't worry about other counties now! You can't protect yourself!"
The magistrate caught him and his eyes shone brightly: "I mean, please support Dou County!"
In Dou County, the expressions of the people around are gradually changing from green to white and warm.
Dou County has defeated rebels before. Of course, looking at those rebels now, they are definitely not rebels.
"How is Dou County doing now?" Zhu Tong questioned and hoped, "This time tens of thousands of troops from western Zhejiang rushed into Huainan Road. How is Dou County doing now?"
...
...
The drizzle of light rain fell on the ground outside Dou County. The turned soil became moist and seeds were immediately sprinkled on it.
Hundreds of people in the fields seemed not to notice the rain. They all lowered their heads and worked hard to plow the fields and sow seeds. The young people plowed the fields, the old men and women sow the seeds, and the children ran around in the fields, stepping on the fields.
He turned over the soil and looked around cautiously.
Whenever there is the sound of horse hooves, the children will tighten their bodies and relax again when they see the flags flying behind the soldiers and horses on the road.
I was so busy and nervous that my hair was soaked, I don't know if it was sweat or rain, until the gong sounded, the running children stopped, and the people who lowered their heads to plow the fields and sow seeds immediately stood up.
He straightened up, carried his own basket, and drove the cattle and iron plows to gather quickly towards the roadside.
After an older man called his name and confirmed that everyone was present, the group of people hurriedly rushed towards the county seat.
The march of the people was not as orderly as that of soldiers and horses. They did not chat or laugh, and their steps and bodies were tense. At first glance, they looked somewhat solemn.
The atmosphere was tense, but not panic-stricken. When they saw the wall and the soldiers outside the wall, everyone smiled, and let go of their held hearts and let out the breath they were holding.
“We planted five more acres of land today!”
“More than what they planted on East Street yesterday!”
"We'll plant the rest tomorrow."
“The more you plant and the earlier you plant, the more likely you are to have a harvest.”
They were just rubbing their sore shoulders and talking and laughing until now. They looked a little sad when they talked about it. Now everyone is looking forward to tomorrow, and talking about the outcome is just hope. Why did the day suddenly become like this?
Another group of people came galloping over, wearing official uniforms instead of military uniforms. The people waved and shouted in confusion.
"Zhang Xiaoqian! Did the rebels come today?"
"How is the government?"
"Did the Observer really surrender?"
The soldiers have strict rules not to interfere, and the people also consciously do not interfere. The same is not true for the police officers, who are responsible for maintaining law and order and conveying official news.
The latest news from the outside world was posted outside the county government office almost every day. After hearing these repeated inquiries, Zhang Xiaoqian still answered seriously.
"There is no trace of the rebels today. Our patrol is already hundreds of miles away. Don't worry, everyone."
"There is no latest news from Gwangju Prefecture."
"The cities to the east have basically been captured. The observation envoy has indeed surrendered. Bah, he was originally Ande Zhong's lackey."
"Two more cities were burned."
Zhang Xiaoqian answered without changing his speed and led his officers past the people.
The people looked a little sad, and the news was updated every day, but there was no good news every day. I didn’t know when these days would end, and when I opened my eyes, I would be back to the past...
"Folks." The old man knocked the gong in his hand, "Cheer up. At least we still have a tomorrow and hope."
Yes, they still have to calculate the work to be done tomorrow, and hope that the spring plowing will end smoothly, the crops will grow smoothly, and they can harvest a wave of grain before the Ankang Mountain rebels attack.
The officials in charge of grain harvest at the county government said that everything will be in short supply in the future, so they will plant as much as they can, harvest as much as they can, and plant whatever is easiest to grow, survive and mature quickly...
Even if nothing is harvested, eating the leaves and straw can save one's life.
They can still think so much now, and those people outside whose city has been destroyed don't even dare to think about surviving.
In order to keep tomorrow and hope, they must cheer up!
"The people from West Street are back!"
There were shouts and laughter ahead.
"How are you today?"
The people who cheered up suddenly became more energetic: "We are much better than you today!"
Comparisons, taunts, and laughter suddenly broke out in front of the city gate, mixed with shouts.
"Those who are working today, come and get your meal! Everyone has a bowl of broth, no grabbing!"
"After eating, go home quickly. Don't sit here and talk nonsense!"
"You are not allowed to take the broth back and add water for the whole family to eat!"
"The government has said that if you have enough strength, you must make up for the meat, otherwise you won't have the strength next time. If the fortifications are delayed, no one will be able to eat meat or drink soup."
It became noisy in front of the city gate. Zhang Xiaoqian, who had already gone away, turned back. When he saw the soldiers scattered on the city wall and the denizens who maintained order in the residence under the city wall, he calmly withdrew his gaze and looked at the military camp ahead.