No one knows what Qin Mu and Ma Yongzhen talked about, but one thing is certain: Qin Mu failed to convince Ma Yongzhen to accept the amnesty immediately.
But when Qin Mu left, it was Ma Yongzhen who personally sent him out of the camp. Qin Mu did not show the slightest sign of frustration on his face. He still had a smile on his face and bowed to Ma Yongzhen to say goodbye, just like an old friend.
Yang Tinglin secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It was a good thing that Qin Mu could return safely. As for the failure to persuade him, Yang Tinglin was not surprised. He had sent people twice before, but was rejected by Ma Yongzhen both times. It can be seen that it is not easy to persuade Ma Yongzhen.
"My dear nephew Qin, in order to appease the gentry and wealthy families in the city, I have already spread the word that I will return the money and grain you seized in Xiniu Town to them..."
Before Yang Tinglin could say anything, Qin Mu suddenly stood up and shouted, "Not good! Ma Yongzhen must have set his sights on Xinfeng's money and grain. No wonder he refused to accept my offer even after I talked him out of it."
Yang Tinglin was also shocked and stood up. He had already made his promise and was counting on the money and grain from Xinfeng to repay his debts. If he broke his promise to the gentry and wealthy families in the city, he was afraid that he would be able to appease the refugees but provoke the officials and gentry to rebel.
"How can my dear nephew be sure that Ma Yongzhen intends to seize Xinfeng's money and grain?"
Qin Mu calmed down and said, "This is almost certain, but Uncle Yang, don't worry too much. I have left 200 soldiers to defend Xinfeng. We just need to notify Xinfeng to beware of sneak attacks. It will be difficult for Ma Yongzhen to succeed for the time being."
"Then nephew Yang, why don't you send someone to inform the Xinfeng garrison? Don't be careless."
Qin Mu went out to send someone to report the news and then returned to the hall. Yang Tinglin looked a little calmer and said slowly, "When it comes to military affairs, I am really like a blind man touching an elephant. I will leave the soldiers and militia in the city to be led by my nephew Yang. However, Ma Yongzhen must be pacified as soon as possible. It is already mid-May. If the rebellion cannot be quelled as soon as possible, it will be difficult for tens of thousands of refugees in the city to return home. Not to mention food and drink, the planting in the second half of the year will be delayed, and there will still be no harvest in the second half of the year. I am afraid that someone will take the risk and gather people to become a bandit."
Qin Mu frowned when he heard this. As the saying goes, if you have food in your hands, you won't be worried. In such troubled times, food is more important than money. Yang Tinglin's concerns go straight to the point. If Ganzhou cannot ensure self-sufficiency in food, no matter how much money you have, banditry and chaos will be rampant and difficult to stop.
"What is the price of food in the city now?"
"It has risen to two taels of silver per stone. If the situation cannot be improved, I don't know how much the price will rise. This is what I am worried about. Unless we put down Ma Yongzhen's rebellion, there is nothing we can do about it."
Qin Mu frowned even more tightly when he heard this. The price of grain in this city has already increased seven or eight times compared to before. There are also other counties and towns affected by the rebellion, and the people are left without food and clothing. The price of grain will probably be even higher.
If this continues, Ganzhou City will be dragged down even without Ma Yongzhen's attack.
"No, we can't wait any longer. I will lead my troops out of the city to fight Ma Yongzhen for a decisive battle."
"No! Nephew Yang, please do not act rashly. The original defenders in the city are mostly old and weak, and the newly formed 3,000 militiamen are untrained. They can barely defend the city, but if they go out of the city to fight, I'm afraid they will be vulnerable!"
"Uncle Yang, the people in southern Jiangxi are tough and brave. The three thousand militias are not weak. As long as we can inspire their bravery and determination, they will immediately become a powerful force."
Qin Mu argued with Yang Tinglin for a long time, and it took a whole incense stick of time before he convinced Yang Tinglin to fully support his decision.
Then Qin Mu and Meng Ke led a hundred "Qin soldiers" in black clothes and armor and galloped into the military camp in the south of the city. The three thousand guards in the camp were shocked and came out to watch.
Soon, Yang Tinglin, along with the yamen officials, entered the camp with several large carts.
"Drum roll! General!"
Qin Mu shouted, and Wang Meng immediately stepped forward, picked up the drumstick, and beat the cowhide drum in front of the central army tent loudly.
The three thousand militiamen had only been trained for a few days, and they were in a hurry to line up. It took them half an incense stick of time to finally get the formation right, and it looked uneven. Qin Mu was mentally prepared and had been waiting patiently.
Yang Tinglin felt a chill in his heart, and hurriedly advised: "My nephew Yang, although I don't know much about military affairs, look at them, they don't have the slightest confidence in winning. If they are defeated miserably, Ganzhou will be lost immediately. We must think carefully again."
"Uncle Yang, I won't joke with my life. Just watch."
Yang Tinglin couldn't dissuade him, so he could only try his best and said a few words on the stage. After he finished speaking, Qin Mu walked up to the stage with his hand on the hilt of the knife, and swept his eyes solemnly around the audience. The three thousand militiamen were still whispering to each other, like a swarm of bees buzzing around.
"Anyone who dares to make noise again will be killed!" Qin Mu suddenly drew his sword.
"Huh!" Liu Meng, with a hundred black-armored "Qin soldiers", suddenly stamped his feet and roared like a tiger, and the three thousand militiamen below the stage were instantly frightened into silence.
"I, Qin Mu, will be your commander-in-chief from this moment on. Anyone who disagrees, please stand up!"
After Qin Mu finished shouting, the audience remained silent.
"Who made you homeless and your families destroyed?" Qin Mu continued to roar, "It was the rebels outside the city! They burned your houses, robbed your money and food, and even raped your wives and daughters! This is hatred! It is an irreconcilable hatred! Do you want revenge?"
No one answered, but the buzz of discussion started again.
Qin Mu waved his hand, and Liu Meng immediately rushed to the front row, pulled out a young man who was whispering to someone, and slashed him with a knife. Heads rolled everywhere, blood splattered, and the three thousand militiamen were suddenly in an uproar, but then they all fell silent.
Qin Mu hardened his heart. If he didn't kill a few people now and let the discipline continue to be so lax, a hundred or a thousand people would die after leaving the city. He then shouted: "I will enforce my orders. If anyone disobeys my orders, this will be the outcome."
"Huh!" Liu Meng's hundred men roared like tigers again, as if they wanted to bite people and eat them.
"There are hundreds of rebels outside the city now. Not long ago, they were just like you, digging for food in the fields every day. They are not much better than you. What you lack from them is only a courage and the courage to die.
As the saying goes, the foolish are afraid of the stupid, and the stupid are afraid of the desperate. As long as you dare to risk your life, you can take their lives. This officer now solemnly declares that I will take you out of the city immediately to wipe out the rebels outside the city. This officer will rush in front of you. If you want to die, I will die first! "
Many people in the audience looked around quietly, but no one dared to speak out because the smell of blood in front of the battlefield was still strong.
“After leaving the city, anyone who disobeys orders and hesitates to move forward will be killed!” Qin Mu swung his sword again, murderous intent. None of the thousands of pairs of eyes in the audience dared to look him in the face.
"Of course, I will not let you fight in vain. Anyone who bravely takes the lead and takes the enemy's head will be rewarded handsomely. Specifically, if you kill one enemy, you will be rewarded with 100 taels of silver and 300 acres of good farmland. The silver will be paid immediately after the head is brought in after the battle, and the good farmland will be measured by the prefect himself after the Ma Yongzhen Rebellion is quelled. Not a penny less."
When Qin Mu said this, he raised his hand to signal, and the clerks brought by Yang Tinglin immediately lifted the oilcloths on the carts. With a few "rustles", the carts full of silver emitted a dazzling silver light, and some rolled to the ground, jumping up and down.
Three thousand pairs of eyes were suddenly stimulated to the point of being bloodshot. Most of the people present had probably never seen so much silver in their 18 generations. If it weren't for the one hundred black-armored "Qin Army" soldiers, many people would have rushed up to grab it.
The field was still silent, but the faces of the three thousand militiamen were as pale as pig livers. Some of them were trembling slightly with their hands and feet as they looked at the silver chariot, which showed how excited they were. However, the blood of the people who had just been killed was still gushing out, so they dared not make a sound, otherwise the noise would have been deafening.
Qin Mu roared with satisfaction: "Did you hear it clearly? Those who are afraid of the enemy and do not move forward will be killed. Anyone who kills one enemy will be rewarded with 100 taels of silver and 300 acres of good farmland. Now answer me, are you willing to follow me out of the city to kill the enemy!"
"Original!"
"willing!"
The responses from the audience were not in unison, but they were definitely loud and clear, resounding like thunder. Everyone had been holding back for a long time, and at this moment, they all used all their might to shout at the top of their lungs.
"Okay! I'll have someone bring silver to follow the army later. After we defeat the rebels outside the city, we'll count the enemy's heads and give out silver rewards on the spot. I won't let you down even a penny! Now, listen to my command. Turn left and follow me to charge out of the city! Kill the rebels outside the city to pieces, leaving not a single piece of armor behind!"
"Not a single piece of armor will be left!"
"Not a single piece of armor will be left!"
"Not a single piece of armor will be left!"
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
With one hundred taels of silver and three hundred acres of good farmland, one can definitely become a wealthy small landlord in the densely populated southern Jiangxi region. But what if he kills two or three enemies
People die for money, birds die for food. As refugees, they didn't know how many people were willing to sell themselves for a pancake. Qin Mu offered such a huge reward, it was no wonder that the eyes of the three thousand militiamen were red, their blood was boiling, and they were screaming with excitement.
Now, let alone letting them leave the city to fight the rebels, even if Qin Mu said that he would take them directly to the capital and overthrow Chongzhen from the throne, most people would probably follow him.
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ps: The application for Sanjiang was rejected again. With so many clicks, so many collections, and so many recommendations, it’s not surprising that it was rejected.
It's Black Friday, it's raining heavily, the sky and the earth are changing color, I wipe the rain off my face and go to type, I hope you will support me, I bow my head again.
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