In the central military tent of Huichang Qianhu Division, Hu Ge looked at the last Xiang Liancheng who also fell under the table, and couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief. No matter what kind of army it is, if the commander to the middle and lower-level officers are gone, no matter how many people there are, it will just be a mess.
What is there to be afraid of an army that has no cohesion at all
Hu Ge went up and shook Xiang Liancheng. After confirming that he was unconscious, he immediately ordered Zhang Qi and others, "Quick, tie them all up and act according to the plan immediately."
In the camp, nearly two thousand soldiers gathered around huge pots, eating big chunks of meat and drinking big bowls of wine. The shouting filled the camp. Some were singing Eighteen Touches, some were playing drinking games, it was a lively scene.
"A toad with a mouth, two eyes and four legs, jumped into the water with a splash."
"Two frogs, two mouths, four eyes and eight legs, jumped into the water with a splash."
"Hahaha, you are wrong. Drink it quickly. Drink it quickly."
"Your mother is cheating, what did I do wrong? I didn't yell wrong."
"You clearly said two frogs, four mouths, eight eyes and no legs. How can that be correct?"
"You want to play with me, right? Is that what I call you?"
"Hey, hey, hey, if you two are drunk, just go and rub against the wall. Don't act wild here."
Bang! The big iron pot was suddenly overturned by someone, and the people around the pot were splashed with soup. They cursed in pain, and they didn't care who overturned the pot. They were drunk and angry, and they beat anyone they caught. It was normal for a group of soldiers to fight after drinking because they had no generals to control them and they formed factions.
Where there are fights, there are those who watch the fun, some who take pleasure in seeing others being beaten and cheer loudly, and some who are eager to get involved in the fight and end up getting beaten black and blue;
The whole camp was in chaos, with pots overturned and wine spilled. Some people were just scrambling to drink the wine, and fell asleep on the ground while drunk. The scene was a mess.
The customs in southern Jiangxi are diverse, the people are strong and brave, and the Huichang Qianhu Suo's arrogant soldiers and brave generals are carefully selected. Fights often occur when Qin Mu is in the camp, not to mention when he is not there;
Xiang Liancheng and the others had anticipated this kind of scene and had put their weapons into the warehouse in advance. Without weapons, you can fight however you like. At most, you can just treat it as a combat training.
But this provided Hu Ge with the greatest convenience. He first asked Zhang Qi to lead people to guard the warehouse, and then he put on a helmet and armor, carried a sword and held a bow, and went up to the platform to review the generals.
Boom boom boom!
The big drum of the central army was suddenly struck, and the messy parade ground suddenly became quiet. More than a thousand soldiers opened their hazy drunken eyes and looked curiously at Hu Ge and others on the reviewing platform.
Hu Ge glanced at the messy soldiers and shouted, "Brothers of Huichang Qianhu Suo, I am Hu Ge, the garrison commander of Ganzhou. I came here today on the orders of the prefect. In addition to rewarding you for your bravery in fighting and suppressing Gu Xiancheng's rebellion, I have one more thing to tell you. Everyone, remember what I said. No matter what you hear, don't panic. Otherwise, don't blame me for shooting him on the spot as a rioter. Everyone, remember, remember."
The soldiers on the parade ground looked at each other in confusion. Some of them were so drunk that they didn't hear what Hu Ge said at all and kept shaking their heads.
Hu Ge then shouted, "Just yesterday, Ma Yongzhen, the captain of the Huichang Thousand Households, was dissatisfied with the scolding of Qin Mu, the Huichang County Magistrate, and took Qin Mu hostage, intending to rebel again..."
Boom! It was as if a bomb had been thrown into the quiet training ground. Nearly two thousand soldiers suddenly started to make a scene, interrupting Hu Ge's words with a roar as deafening as thunder.
"Impossible, impossible, General Ma can't hold Lord Qin hostage, this is impossible."
"This is a rumor, it's not true."
"Damn it, hostage? How dare you hold Lord Qin hostage."
“Deserve to die…”
The composition of the soldiers in Huichang Qianhu Suo was complicated, and they were all factions. After a while of shouting, Huo Sheng and Qin Mu's direct subordinates unconsciously looked at Ma Yong's faction, their eyes full of distrust.
Ma Yongzhen has rebelled before and has a criminal record. Who can guarantee that he won't really rebel again? If he rebels again, it's no wonder that he holds Qin Mu hostage.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Hu Ge ordered the drums of the central army to be beaten again, and finally suppressed the shouting of the Manchu soldiers. Seeing the arrogant and angry appearance of the Manchu soldiers, Hu Ge was secretly frightened. The most critical moment had arrived. If this moment was not handled well, it might immediately cause chaos. He must not let the situation become chaotic. He must not let it become chaotic.
"Soldiers, I understand your feelings very well, but something unfortunate has happened. County Magistrate Qin is still being held hostage by Ma Yongzhen in a private house in Ganzhou City. The prefect has urgently blocked Ganzhou City and trapped Ma Yongzhen in the city, and is trying to rescue Lord Qin. The prefect is worried about all the followers of Ma Yongzhen in Huichang Qianhu, so he specially sent me here. Officers above the rank of general flag will be isolated and examined first. If they have nothing to do with Ma Yongzhen, they will not be wronged. As for you ordinary soldiers, no matter whether you were Ma Yongzhen's men at the beginning, as long as you obey orders, do not cause trouble, and do not rebel, the prefect will not pursue you. If anyone disobeys orders and tries to cause trouble, it is equivalent to treason. Not only will they be beheaded in public, but their entire family will also be implicated."
Hu Ge's words were prepared long ago. They sounded flawless and could confuse people. As long as the situation could be controlled now and the soldiers were reorganized and accustomed to obeying orders, even if the truth came to light in the future, who would be willing to risk the death penalty to stand up for Qin Mu
Because the generals were not there, more than a thousand soldiers on the parade ground were at a loss. They whispered to each other and talked a lot. After a long time, someone finally stood up and loudly asked Hu Ge on the stage: "What you said is just your one-sided words. Do you have any evidence to prove that what you said is true?"
"That's right, that's right. Even if Lord Qin was really held hostage by Ma Yongzhen, what about General Huo Sheng and General Liu Meng? They won't rebel with Ma Yongzhen, right?"
"That's right. Even if Prefect Yang really wants to send people to control the Huichang Thousand Households Office, he will send General Huo and General Liu."
“… ... ... ..”
"Shut up!" Seeing that the crowd was getting angry and the situation was about to get out of control, Hu Ge shouted loudly and signaled the dozens of people he brought with him to draw their bows and shoot, with cold arrows pointing at the audience.
He also drew his knife and shouted, "Liu Meng was seriously injured while rescuing County Magistrate Qin. Huo Sheng was held hostage with County Magistrate Qin. How could he come back? This is a document with the prefect's seal. It explains everything clearly. If any of you can read, please come up and take a look at this document to see if it is genuine. You must know that this is a serious matter and cannot be forged. I warn you again that anyone who dares to mess around will be shot immediately as an accomplice of Ma Yongzhen, and the whole family will be held accountable for the death penalty. I will not let you off lightly."
Soon, a few literate soldiers stepped out from the chaotic crowd, came up to the stage to check the documents brought by Hu Ge, and confirmed that the prefectural seal on the document was correct, but someone still started shouting.
"Even if there is a written document, we cannot believe it. Who knows if the prefect will settle the score later? What if he accuses us of being in the same gang?"
"That's right. Unless you meet Lord Qin or General Liu, you must not listen to him."
"That's right, let's go to Ganzhou and find out for ourselves..."
Boom! Boom! Boom! The drums of the central army were struck again, and at the same time, Hu Ge gave an order, and dozens of his men on the stage fired arrows at the same time. The whistling arrows shot into the open space under the stage. This move really shocked many people. After all, although there were many soldiers on the parade ground, they were empty-handed, and their courage was not enough.
Hu Ge took the opportunity to shout, "Look, I have a letter of guarantee written by the prefect here. It clearly guarantees that as long as you obey orders and don't cause trouble or riot, I will never implicate you with Ma Yongzhen's crime in the future. Besides, once Lord Qin is rescued, Lord Qin will also speak for you, so why would he implicate you? You can keep this letter. I have done my best. If you cause trouble again, don't blame me for being ruthless. Zhang Qi, listen to my orders. Anyone who dares to make loud noises, stir up the army, and intend to cause chaos will be shot immediately."
"As you command!"
At this point, if it were an ordinary army, with the absence of officers at all levels, what would be left would be a group of soldiers, like loose sand, unable to unite again; they would basically be under Hu Ge's control.
but... ... ... .
What Hu Ge never expected was that there were a large number of prospective officers on the parade ground. Although they had no actual positions, Qin Mu had been training and teaching them according to the requirements of officers, and in repeated actual combat simulations, he let these people serve as the main generals to command the army.
Yes, these people are the training camp that Qin Mu has spent countless efforts on.
...