*****
When Zhang Xianzhong's army arrived at the city of Changsha, Yin Xianmin, the general of Huguang, and He Yide, the defender of Changsha, surrendered the city. Zhang Xianzhong easily captured Changsha without losing a single soldier.
Yin Xianmin and He Yide surrendered without a fight, which was disloyal and unjust to the Ming Dynasty, but it was a blessing for the lower-class people in Changsha City, as it at least saved them from the ravages of war.
After Zhang Xianzhong entered the city, he prohibited his soldiers from robbing and pillaging at will. This order was of no use in other places, and the rebels could rob and kill as they pleased. However, with Zhang Xianzhong personally in charge of Changsha at the time, the order was implemented relatively well, and the lower-class people were spared.
But this does not mean that everyone in the city is safe. Zhang Xianzhong has not changed his bandit nature of preying on the rich. After entering the city, he extorted money from wealthy households in the name of donations. In addition, half of the properties in the city belonged to the Prince Ji's Palace, and now they have been confiscated by Zhang Xianzhong with good reason.
So when Huang Lianshan and his companions entered Changsha, they saw that although the city had not been destroyed by the war, all businesses on the streets were depressed, goods and materials were in short supply, and every citizen had a look of misery on their faces.
Although they were not openly robbed by the rebels, the prices of daily necessities such as firewood, rice, oil and salt soared by seven or eight times. The people in the city were actually suffering from a disguised robbery.
Moreover, this disguised looting seemed to never stop. Just think about it, the entire Huguang region suffered a crazy looting and destruction. How could goods and materials flow into Changsha? Without the inflow of goods, the prices in the city would only continue to soar.
More and more people in the city were selling their children and starving to death on the streets. Various violent incidents of robbery, theft, and murder occurred one after another and became more and more serious, causing public resentment and complaints.
Huang Lianshan turned a few streets familiarly and came to the Xiangzhong Martial Arts Hall in Yushi Lane on the west side of Prince Ji's Mansion. In the past, the Xiangzhong Martial Arts Hall was always bustling with people, disciples wielding swords and guns, and various heroes who came to visit the Niu brothers.
But now, the door of the martial arts hall was closed, and it was quiet inside. The steps in front of the door were covered with fallen leaves from the two old locust trees, and no one was cleaning them.
Seeing this, Huang Lianshan's heart tightened. His purpose of coming here was to persuade the Niu brothers to be the insiders. If something happened to the brothers, his trip would be in vain.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Huang Lianshan knocked on the door for a long time before an old servant came to open it.
After a cup of tea, Huang Lianshan finally met Niu Wanshan, the eldest of the Niu brothers, in the backyard. Times have changed, and it is inevitable that old friends sigh when they meet.
"Brother Niu, didn't the Great Western King forbid looting and treat the people of Changsha kindly? Why is Brother Niu's family so deserted?"
"Be kind to the people in the city? Alas!" Niu Wanshan replied with deep emotion, "Brother Huang only knows one side of the story. The wealthy families in the city have been forced to pay for their property, and even their families have been destroyed. My Xiangzhong martial arts school has also been emptied, and I still rely on my disciples for three meals a day.
Ordinary people are starving because of the high prices. People are living in misery. If we continue to let a group of disciples play with spears and sticks here, who knows what kind of disaster will happen. I have already closed the door to visitors. If it weren’t for Brother Huang coming to visit, I really wouldn’t have opened the door. By the way, why did Brother Huang run to Changsha during this chaotic time? "
"Brother Niu, I will not hide the truth from you. I came to Changsha to ask for something."
"Brother Huang, we have known each other for many years. We are close friends and willing to help each other. If you have anything to say, please speak frankly."
***
"Can't you just tell me what you want to do?" asked Lady Hong expectantly.
Qin Mu just gave her a cold glance in response.
"I finally figured it out. You wanted to launch a surprise attack on Changsha." Hong Niangzi suddenly looked enlightened, but there was no complacency on her face. Instead, she was even more shocked and bewildered.
In the woods, more than 2,000 people were taking a short rest, eating some dry food and drinking some water. They had rushed all the way here, never getting off their saddles, and had passed outside Shangsu City overnight under the banner of the rebels. They did not enter the woods to rest until dawn. Everyone looked very tired, but also in an excited state.
"Are you sick?" Qin Mu answered disdainfully, nibbling the pancake in his hand in two or three bites. Halfway through, he couldn't help but think of Qiao'er, wondering if she was doing well in Ganzhou.
"You are the one who is sick?" Lady Hong scolded coldly.
"Changsha City has high walls and a large number of defenders. How can I attack Changsha with such a small number of troops? You are either sick or something."
"Going south from Shangsu is Pingxiang, and going this way is Liuyang. A hundred miles past Liuyang is Changsha. If you're not going to attack Changsha, why would you take this route? Do you think I'm a fool?"
"Hehe..." Qin Mu laughed, and the look on his face clearly meant that you are a silly girl.
Hong Niangzi was so angry that she couldn't help but want to attack him, but this guy always had too many secrets that made her unable to stop, including the broken barrel that she hadn't gotten yet, and why he dared to attack the heavily guarded Changsha City with such a small number of troops. So what she handed over in the end was not a whip, but a piece of barbecue.
"Here, it's for you."
"I will not eat food given out of pity."
"You... your kindness is not rewarded. Next time I feed my dog with my food, don't even think about taking a bite."
Hong Niangzi kept calling herself "old lady", which made Qin Mu feel disgusted. You are a grown-up girl, and you call yourself "old lady". Isn't this degrading yourself? Qin Mu swallowed the pancake in big mouthfuls, and didn't even look at her for a second. He stood up and went to discuss matters with Meng Ke and others.
Hongniang was so angry that she threw the piece of barbecue into the bushes. Her heart was filled with mixed feelings and she couldn't tell what it was, she just felt uncomfortable.
Behind a tree about ten feet away, Xing Laoqi and Gui Sandiao sat on the trunk and exchanged glances. Gui Sandiao whispered, "I think something is wrong with Sister Hong."
"You only see it now, but I noticed something was wrong a long time ago." Xing Laoqi nodded.
"When the great roc rises with the wind, it soars up to ninety thousand miles. Although I don't understand it, this poem sounds very impressive. Sister Hong has always respected those scholars with backbone. The Qin man has some skills in marching and fighting. He can also write this poem and is not bad for the poor people. Old Seven, do you think Sister Hong has fallen in love with the Qin man?"
"It shouldn't happen now, but it's hard to say if it goes on like this. That Qin always has a cold face, and Sister Hong keeps getting close to Qin Mu whenever she has something to do. This is definitely not a good sign. If Qin Mu's attitude gets better, we can't be sure."
"Then we have to persuade Sister Hong to leave quickly."
"How can I persuade her? Hasn't she got the telescope she was talking about yet?"
"It's just a broken tube. I think Sister Hong is just looking for an excuse to get close to that Qin guy."
"You know Sister Hong's temper. Anyway, I can't persuade her. You should do it if you want to."
"I, if I could have advised her, I would have done so long ago."
On the other side of the woods, Huo Sheng said with some concern: "Sir, the key to our operation this time is speed and stealth. It's not appropriate to let Hong Niangzi and her gang follow us like this."
Qin Mu frowned and said, "I'll handle this matter. So far, Su Jin has led people to hunt us, and our identities have not been exposed. But as we get closer and closer to Changsha, it's hard to say what will happen next. Do you have any good ideas?"
Meng Ke thought for a moment and said, "Sir, this place is still 140 miles away from Changsha. At our speed, we can reach it in less than a day and a night. This area is mountainous and densely forested, and sparsely populated. While our whereabouts have not been exposed, I suggest that we rest here for two hours, and then rush to Changsha at full speed.
If we follow this path, it will probably be dark when we pass Liuyang. We will travel at night from Liuyang to Changsha, which should help us avoid being exposed in advance. However, it is not easy to travel ten miles overnight."
Huo Sheng said, "The road from Liuyang to Changsha is relatively easy to travel. A few horses dying and a few people falling behind are not a big problem. The problem is that Ling Zhan and Huang Lianshan have not replied yet. If the internal response does not work, it will be useless even if we sneak into Changsha city without anyone noticing."
Qin Mu said calmly, "Let's do as General Meng said. As for Ling Zhan and the others, even if they can't seize the city gate, I believe they can still set a few fires in the city and cause some chaos. As long as our actions are not exposed in advance, the worst that can happen is that we can pile up all the gunpowder and blow up the city gate."
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ps: Brothers, it’s too quiet, I don’t feel the passion. If you have monthly tickets, please vote for encouragement. Thank you in advance, Haoyuan.
.(To be continued..)
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