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Yang Chen and her daughter suddenly appeared at Qin Mu's oath-taking ceremony. The onlookers from Ganzhou immediately started talking about it, and many of them looked at Qin Mu with a hint of suspicion in their eyes.
Liu Meng and Su Jin both turned around and wanted to stop Yang Chen, but Qin Mu shook his head to stop them. If Yang Chen really wanted to say something, let her say it. A good reputation is important, but for the sake of a good reputation, he had had enough of it these days.
Madam Yang walked up to Qin Mu, looked at him with complicated eyes, and then sighed softly. Qin Mu's eyes were clear and there was no sign of any disturbance in them.
Madam Yang turned to the soldiers and the people in the city and said as loudly as she could: "Today is the day when thousands of soldiers swear to go to war. As a woman, I should not be here, but I have heard a lot of rumors about my husband in the market, so I think I need to take this opportunity to come out and clarify it;
Yes, my husband is seriously injured and needs to stay in bed. However, this has nothing to do with Lord Qin. Please do not listen to the rumors in the market. That's all I have to say. I hope that the soldiers who go to the battle can fight bravely with County Magistrate Qin and keep the war out of Ganzhou. I also hope that the elders and villagers of Ganzhou can do their best to cooperate with County Magistrate Qin, unite as one, and overcome this difficult time together. "
Madam Yang's words were brief. After she finished speaking, she bowed to the soldiers below and the people in the city, then turned around and went back to the yamen. Her steps seemed more relaxed as she left.
Qin Mu hurriedly took two steps, turned in front of her, bowed and said, "Thank you, mother-in-law."
"You don't need me. I do this only because I hope the people of Ganzhou can be spared from the ravages of war. This is also the wish of your father-in-law... Zhier's father."
Qin Mu opened his mouth but said nothing.
"Husband..." Yang Zhi called out softly, with mixed feelings. She swallowed back all the words she wanted to say, and finally said hesitantly, "Take care of yourself..."
Qin Mu nodded to her, turned around and walked to the steps, and shouted to the two thousand soldiers: "Come on, serve some wine!"
Under the gaze of the people of the city, Qin Mu and the two thousand soldiers drank the wine to send off the troops, threw the bowls, and then gave an order, and the army set out. The two thousand soldiers were in high spirits, and under the guidance of two large flags, they marched out of the east gate with firm steps;
The people of the city followed behind and saw off the warriors who were going to the battle.
"May Lord Qin have a successful start."
"May Lord Qin defeat the thief Zhang and return victorious."
"The soldiers fought bravely and protected Ganzhou from the scourge of Zhang the thief."
"I wish the soldiers would return triumphantly earlier..."
All the people's hopes were placed on the calls. All around were voices wishing the army victory, and each voice seemed very sincere, and the scene was very touching.
After all, if they can enjoy peace, no one wants to suffer the ravages of war, and no one wants to be displaced. Now, people have no other hope except to pin their hopes on the soldiers going to the battle.
Although the imperial court also sent a large army southward, people also heard that Zuo Liangyu's army sent by the imperial court was more brutal in plundering the people than the rebels, and the people would rather the army not come.
Now, whether the rumors were true or not, whether Qin Mu really killed the prefect or not, it was not important. People only hoped that he could keep Zhang Xianzhong's rebels out of Ganzhou like he did last time he put down the rebellion in southern Jiangxi.
Some people, in order to express their gratitude, stuffed some snacks and fruits into the hands of the soldiers, treating them as if they were their own relatives, and followed the army out of the city for several miles. Only then did the people in the city stop.
Perhaps the people are somewhat utilitarian. They treat the soldiers in this way just because they hope to be spared from the ravages of war. But is it too much for the people to work hard in the fields and pay huge amounts of taxes just to seek peace
This time, Yang Zhi's mother was able to stand up and say those words at the critical moment, which played an immeasurable role in eliminating the doubts of the soldiers. After all, in this fight against Zhang Xianzhong's hundreds of thousands of rebels, in addition to the two thousand households of Huichang and Xinfeng, other troops of Ganzhou Guard had to be mobilized to participate in the defense;
At the same time, the logistics supply also requires the cooperation of officials of all sizes in Ganzhou. Although Yang Chen's words were brief, they could bring great help to Qin Mu, and also played a huge role in stabilizing the people's hearts in Ganzhou.
After leaving the city, Qin Mu could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Now, he didn't have to worry too much and just had to fight the battle well.
"Gee!" Qin Mu whipped the horse's buttocks. The warhorse neighed and raised its hooves to gallop northward. The big flag with the word Qin on it fluttered in the autumn wind. Two thousand strong soldiers behind him raised up a long cloud of yellow dust, like a yellow dragon, tumbling to the north.
It was about four hundred miles from Ganzhou to Ji'an. Qin Mu led two thousand men and horses and galloped all the way. It took only four and a half days to reach the city of Ji'an. The average daily distance was nearly one hundred miles. In that era, this marching speed was astonishing.
Lu Daqi led Zuo Liangyu's tens of thousands of troops south from Nanchang Prefecture. The distance from Nanchang to Ji'an is about 450 miles. When Qin Mu arrived at Ji'an Prefecture, Lu Daqi was still 300 miles away from Ji'an Prefecture. On average, the daily march was only 30 miles. In comparison, the gap was not small.
Since the imperial court was unable to pay the soldiers, Zuo Liangyu's army of tens of thousands began looting with confidence and without fear. Wherever they passed, the people fled. The harm they caused was no less severe than that caused by Zhang Xianzhong's rebel army.
The only difference is that wherever Zhang Xianzhong's rebel army passed would become an occupied area, while wherever Zuo Liangyu's army passed was still nominally part of the Ming Dynasty, and that was all.
When Li Shen, the prefect of Ji'an, saw Qin Mu leading his troops to help, and the two thousand men were strictly disciplined and did not harm the people along the way, he was overjoyed and personally led the officials of Ji'an out of the city to welcome them.
But Li Shen was obviously happy too early. Qin Mu's not robbing the common people did not mean that he did not need logistical supplies. The reason why his two thousand troops marched so quickly was mainly because they did not bring any logistics, and each soldier only brought a few days of dry food.
Outside the city, Qin Mu was relatively polite, greeting Li Shen and the others warmly. However, before he knew it, Huo Sheng and his men occupied the South Gate, and then the army rushed into the city without saying a word, demanding food and drink immediately.
Li Shen had just tried to make excuses, but Huo Sheng and the others were too lazy to talk nonsense and immediately surrounded the treasury. Will you give it to me? If not, I will rely on myself. I came all the way from Ganzhou to help you fight the rebels, but you still want me to transport food and grass from Ganzhou? Is this fair
"Lord Qin, what are you doing? Can't we discuss this matter properly?" Li Shen came to Qin Mu in a rage to argue.
Qin Mu held the hilt of the Juque Sword, stood in the open space in front of the treasury, looked at Li Shen and replied calmly: "Lord Li, as the saying goes, the emperor does not want hungry soldiers. I can't let my men go to fight the rebels with empty stomachs, right? Zhang Xianzhong's rebels swept across Huguang, and now they want to attack Jiangxi. Lord Li, think about it, if the nest is destroyed, the eggs will be broken. At this time, all prefectures and states need to work together to tide over the difficulties. My Ganzhou troops took the initiative to come to Ji'an to help fight the rebels. Isn't it right for Ji'an Prefecture to provide some supplies?"
"How could I not know what Lord Qin said? I have never said that I would not provide your army with supplies, but you have to give me some time to raise the funds. How can you surround the treasury just because you disagree with me?"
"Lord Li, we don't have time. I just received news that the rebels' vanguard is less than a hundred miles away from Yuanzhou. Yuanzhou is the gateway to Jiangyou. If we lose Yuanzhou, the entire Jiangxi province will be in trouble, and Ji'an will be the first to bear the brunt. In order to rush to Yuanzhou quickly, I have no choice but to offend you, Lord Li. I am doing this for your own good."
Seeing Qin Mu's firm and confident attitude, Li Shen felt helpless about letting a wolf into the house. At this point, instead of letting others rob him, it would be better to just do it straightforwardly. At least he could get a favor out of him. So Li Shen hurriedly sent people to open the warehouse and release the grain.
Qin Mu's troops rested in Ji'an for one night, and Su Jin's cavalry was sent out by Qin Mu overnight. Faced with the enemy, it would not be enough to rely on hearsay information. The enemy situation must be scouted clearly before a detailed combat plan can be formulated.
The next morning, Qin Mu's 2,000 men set out from the city at five o'clock. To the north from Ji'an is Linjiang Prefecture (Xinyu). Qin Mu decided to take a small path in the northwest direction, passing through Anfu County and heading straight to Yuanzhou Prefecture.
Yuanzhou, also known as Yichun, is the gateway for Huguang to enter Jiangxi. Now the rebels' front line has approached Yuanzhou, and Qin Mu decided to choose Yuanzhou for his first battle. Only by keeping Yuanzhou as the gateway can the rebels be prevented from spreading in Jiangxi and Lu Daqi from going south to Ganzhou. It would be best to launch a counterattack and lure Lu Daqi into Huguang.
On the way from Ji'an to Yuanzhou, countless people were fleeing south with their families. They were all ragged, unkempt, and looked desperate and crying. In this disorderly escape, it was common for the weak to be robbed and killed, and corpses exposed in the wild could be seen on the roadside from time to time.
When the fleeing people met Qin Mu's soldiers, absolutely no one was overjoyed or excited; on the contrary, the refugees they met were also afraid of their soldiers, and when they saw them from afar, they all fled in panic, some of them did not even bother to take their remaining belongings, and threw pots and pans all over the ground, just trying to flee for their lives.
Qin Mu couldn't help feeling a little sour when he saw this. The army is used to protect the country and the people, but the officers and soldiers not only failed to bring the people the slightest sense of security, but instead made the people regard them as tigers. This shows to what extent the image of the Ming army has been corrupted in the hearts of the people. Based on this point alone, the Ming Dynasty's demise was not unjust.
Qin Mu was so angry that he wished he could kill all the rebels and bandits. "My ambition is unfulfilled and people are still suffering. There are traces of tears everywhere in the country." Qin Mu couldn't help but draw out the Juque sword, pointed to the north and shouted: "General, speed up the march, faster, faster!"
At his command, two thousand soldiers began to trot out, rolling northward with endless yellow dust.
The army was still 150 miles away from Yuanzhou when a scout suddenly came back at full speed. He rushed to the Qin banner and reported loudly, "Sir, it's bad. The 20,000 vanguards of the rebel army, led by the rebel general Zhang Qi, attacked Yuanzhou yesterday. The defenders of Yuanzhou collapsed at the first blow. The defending general Zhong Weiguo abandoned his troops and fled, causing most of the defenders of Yuanzhou to surrender to the enemy."
"What, Yuanzhou was lost?"
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.(To be continued..)
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