127 [The main force of the anti-thief is going to run away]
County government.
There was a large pot of stew on the table. It was horse meat, from a dead rebel war horse.
The county magistrate was the host of the banquet, and the county magistrate and Dian Shi were present. Wang Yuan, Wu Liande and Si Zhu were entertained.
Zhang Maolan raised a glass of water and said: "It is disrespectful to use water instead of wine. Thank you for saving me in times of crisis."
Zhu Ying glanced at Zhang Maolan's Gebu clothes, and then swept the empty county government living room. The eunuch also felt helpless and said: "Zhixian Zhang, you are too honest to be an upright official, right? You don't even prepare a glass of wine?"
"
Zhang Maolan smiled bitterly and explained: "The furniture in this county government office has been chopped up and used as firewood during the defense of the city, which is used to cook gold juice and hot oil. If you want to demolish the houses of ordinary people, you must set an example by demolishing your own first."
. The county government represents the dignity of the imperial court. It cannot be dismantled except for the furniture inside. The same goes for the wine. They are all used to reward the soldiers and comfort the wounded. There is really not a drop of wine left in this county."
Wang Yuan raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp, and said with a smile: "As long as you have the heart, water is more alcoholic than wine. This drink reflects Zhang County Zun's love for the country and the people!"
"Wang Yushi has over-honored me and is just doing my duty," Zhang Maolan said with a worried look on her face, blaming herself. "It's a pity that my talents are shallow. I can neither kill the bandits nor save the people. I have failed to be a parent and let down the great trust of the court!"
After a wonderful celebration banquet, I gave Zhang Maolan a few words that were extremely depressing, and all Zhu's sons felt very unhappy.
But everyone can also see that this county official is a truly upright official.
What else can you argue with an honest official?
There is no benefit in suppressing him. If you want to increase his reputation, you will only make yourself embarrassed.
The stewed horse meat was unpalatable due to lack of condiments. Zhu Ying, Zhu Zhi, Zhu Cong, Zhu Xiang and Wu Liande just picked up a few chopsticks and found an excuse to leave early and go outside the city to cook something for themselves.
But Wang Yuan ate it with gusto. When he was a child in the mountains, the food he ate was not as good as this.
After the eunuchs and military attachés left, Zhang Maolan finally smiled: "Wang Yushi is really different from them."
"My family has been poor since I was a child, and I'm used to it," Wang Yuan said.
Zhang Maolan suddenly ran back to his bedroom, took out a jar like a treasure, and said: "This is the rice wine brewed by my deceased mother before she was alive. I brought it all the way from Shandong. When I rewarded the soldiers, I only poured out most of the jar, and I really couldn't bear to part with the little left.
I originally planned to hide it and drink it slowly. These are all people I can relate to, so I’ll finish it today.”
With that said, Zhang Maolan poured a cup for each of Wang Yuan, the county magistrate and Dian Shi.
Wang Yuan smiled and said: "Then cheers!"
"Don't toast," Zhang Maolan quickly stopped. "The wine in the jar is only enough for two or three glasses per person. If you drink it too quickly, you will have nothing to drink. Let's eat horse meat, talk slowly, and drink slowly."
The county magistrate and Dian Shi both had wry smiles on their faces.
If it were in the past, they would definitely work together to fool such an upright official and magistrate. However, after several days of continuous battles to defend the city, they had been impressed by Zhang Maolan and planned to assist him with all their strength in the next three years.
His words and deeds are not strange.
Wang Yuan asked: "What is Zhang County Zun going to do next?"
Zhang Maolan took a sip of rice wine and said anxiously: "The summer grain harvest is poor and the autumn grain is extinct. The real hard days are still to come. The rich households in the city were also robbed by bandits once, and their grain reserves are not much. I can only try to let the rich households share
Produce rice and grain, and then find another way to get some grain. How many people can survive depends only on God's will, or there may be a son-in-law who can't bear to eat!"
Wang Yuan thought for a while and said: "When I return to the capital, I will tell you something in front of your majesty. Maybe I can get some food relief for Renqiu County."
"Thank you so much, Wang Yushi," Zhang Maolan stood up and saluted, and shook his head again, "Many prefectures and counties in Northern Zhili were severely affected by the military disaster, and the imperial court was afraid that it would not be able to provide relief. Even if I were to live in Qiu County, the other prefectures and counties would still be starved. Wang Yushi was brave and unparalleled.
, please put down the rebellion as soon as possible. If the bandits are eliminated as soon as possible, countless people can live longer!"
Wang Yuan clasped his fists and said, "This is a matter of personal responsibility."
After eating half the pot of horse meat and drinking all the rice wine in the jar, Zhang Maolan personally sent Wang Yuan to the guest room to rest.
The next day, two hundred cavalry remained outside the city to rest and recuperate, waiting for the hundreds of civilians who had been left behind to return. The Jinyi Guard sentry cavalry was sent out to continue to the north to inquire about news. Wang Yuan looked for an opportunity to stab him in the back.
Three days later, the Sentinel Cavalry suddenly came back to report that the main force of the rebel army had retreated.
Wang Yuan took out the map and frowned: "Are the bandits planning to return to Shandong?"
Wu Liande drew a line on the map: "We are in Renqiu, and the return camp to support the capital has reached Bazhou and Zhigu. The Shanxi frontier army also came from Zhuozhou and was surrounded by Wuqing. Lu Shilang personally led the army to guard Bazhou. The thieves and bandits
If they don't run away, they will be surrounded within three to five days. They should go to Jinghai County, and then go south to Cangzhou... Damn it, it's just like that time in March, they ran away from the army and ran to Shandong, causing havoc in Henan."
"Shilang Lu just allowed these tens of thousands of people to flee?" Wang Yuan couldn't understand.
Eunuch Zhu Ying sneered: "He only has 20,000 people in his hands. How can he dare to attack the rebels with 40,000 to 50,000 men before all the armies have gathered? You know, Liu Liu, Liu Qi and Yang Hu have so many people in their hands."
There are many old thieves here, not comparable to Sun Hu outside Renqiu City."
Zhu Zhi also said: "Wang Yushi, although what Lu Shilang has in his hands is also the Jingying camp, the Jingying camp is different from the Jingying camp. Don't look at us who are good at fighting, and think that all the Jingying camp dare to fight. Lu Shilang's side
They are all young soldiers, and they are very cowardly when it comes to fighting. Even if he wanted to pursue them, he would not be able to do so."
Wang Yuan scratched his head: "Then let's leave immediately and go to Cangzhou to wait for the bandits."
This time no one objected. Firstly, Wang Yuan gained prestige and the soldiers all admired his bravery. Secondly, everyone also saw that Wang Erlang seemed to be a reckless man in battle, but in fact he was very smart and would not lead two hundred cavalry.
Die.
Wang Yuan wanted to scold his mother for the behavior of the main force in the Beijing camp to indulge the enemy.
Even if you don't dare to attack brazenly, you should at least bite your tail and don't let the main force of the rebels leave calmly. As long as the rebels are slow to retreat, other Beijing camps and border troops will arrive, and the official army will be able to occupy it.
Absolutely proactive.
It's better now that the commander-in-chief of the front line of the official army personally leads an army of 20,000 people and watches the rebels swaggeringly withdrawing from the established encirclement.
It’s hard to say whether Lu Wan, the Minister of War, is mentally retarded, but he is definitely a guy who is incapable of controlling the generals in the Beijing camp!
Four months ago, Ma Zhongxi, who led the Beijing camp to kill the rebels to pieces, was extremely anxious when faced with such a situation. He knew very well that he could not allow the rebels to wreak havoc in Shandong and Henan, so he actually ran away in person as the censor of the left deputy capital.
Go to the Liuliu and Liuqi camps to recruit them.
This shocked both Liu Liu and Liu Qi. Instead of killing Ma Zhongxi, they sent a horse to Ma Zhongxi to celebrate his birthday and summoned various bandit leaders to discuss recruitment matters.
Liu Liu wanted to be recruited, but was almost convinced by Ma Zhongxi.
But Liu Qi advised: "Sixth brother, it's hard to get off the tiger. Nowadays, eunuchs and traitorous ministers control the state affairs. This is a fact known to everyone. Even if Ma Dutang sincerely appeases us, can he make the decision for the court?"
Liu Liu's mind suddenly came to his senses, but he still had some illusions about the imperial court. While leading his army to retreat south, he sent people to the capital to inquire about the news, and found his own reward notice in the capital.
Since the rebels did not accept the recruitment, Ma Zhongxi went to the rebel camp in person.
Haha, the officials have something to say. Ma Zhongxi will shed his skin this time even if he is not dead. Who allowed him to contact the leader of the bandit without permission? If he had not colluded with the rebels, why didn't the rebels kill him to vent their anger? Very true.