From Chenzhou heading southeast, more than 300 miles away is Shaozhou (Shaoguan City), and heading east and slightly north, passing through Rucheng, Chongyi, Shangyou of Nan'an Prefecture, and 750 miles away is Ganzhou.
Before Zhang Xianzhong's rebels occupied Chenzhou, all the officials and civilians in Shaozhou and its subordinate counties had fled. Wang Sunlan, the deputy envoy in charge of inspecting Nanshao, was so frightened that he hanged himself.
Nan'an Prefecture, southwest of Ganzhou, borders Chenzhou. Nan'an Prefecture governs four counties, namely Dayu, Nankang, Shangyou and Chongyi, with its seat in Dayu. When they heard that the rebels were about to reach Chenzhou, the officials and civilians of Chongyi and Shangyou counties, which were on the transportation line from Chenzhou to Ganzhou, were panicked and fled to Ganzhou one after another.
It can be said that now the northern part of Guangxi, the northeastern part of Guangdong, and even the whole of Jiangxi are shrouded in the shadow of Zhang Xianzhong's rebels. There is panic everywhere, and the rebels are still hundreds of miles away. Many counties have already rebelled, some have fled, and the streets are filled with cries. It is a tragic sight.
In the process of countless refugees fleeing in disorder, bullying, robbery, rape, murder and fraud are everywhere. The strong bully the weak at will, and the weak are not protected at all. Everywhere there are tragic scenes of wives and children being torn apart and families being destroyed.
The ugly side of human nature was exposed without any disguise in this chaotic world. Wherever the rebels went, it became a hell on earth. Ordinary people were in danger of losing their lives, panic-stricken and helpless. There were cries, tears and blood, and corpses everywhere... ... ... .
The people of Ganzhou Prefecture were also in a panic, and the common people were frightened three times a day. At this time, all kinds of rumors were flying around in Ganzhou City. Some said that the defenders of Ganzhou City had mutinied, some said that Qin Mu had rebelled, and some said that the prefect Yang Tinglin had died. In short, all kinds of rumors were spreading and fermenting among the people like a plague.
These past few days, Qin Mu felt as if he was being roasted on a fire, worrying day and night, and his hair almost turned white with worry.
The troops of Huichang and Xinfeng were gathering at full speed towards Ganzhou City under the strict order of Qin Mu.
At his urging, Ma Yongzhen and Meng Ke abandoned their troops and rushed to Ganzhou to discuss matters.
Qin Mu was under tremendous pressure. The news that Yang Tinglin was injured by his sword in Kaimen City would soon spread out. By then, he would no longer be tolerated by the court and would have no choice but to raise the flag of rebellion.
If the city gates are not opened, the rumors of epidemic disease alone will be enough to bring the entire southern Jiangxi to collapse.
In the second hall of the government office, Sima An, Ma Yongzhen, Meng Ke, Liu Meng, Xiang Liancheng, Su Jin, and Tian Yimu were also sitting there, all with solemn expressions.
Sima An's proposal to abandon Ganzhou and use Zhang Xianzhong's rebels to cover up everything has been rejected by Qin Mu. Now everyone is faced with the same four words: where to go.
If they raised the flag of rebellion, things would be simple. They would just expand their army quickly, control the entire Ganzhou Prefecture, and even Nan'an Prefecture and Shaozhou Prefecture, and then take in refugees and resettle the people. At the same time, they would fight on two fronts, resisting Lu Daqi's troops in the north and Zhang Xianzhong's rebels in the south. There was no need to think too much about the strategy, and the only thing left was the tactical issue.
If he did not rebel, how could he cover up the fact that he had his own army and harmed the prefect, which was tantamount to rebellion
Zhu Yijin led his troops to guard the hall. No one was allowed to approach. The air inside the hall seemed to be frozen.
Sima An spoke first, "Sir, I have thought about it and I suggest you take the initiative. Ganzhou is surrounded by mountains to the east, south and west, and the roads are difficult to travel. It should not be difficult to stop the rebels in the southwest by sending a good general to defend the dangerous place. You can concentrate most of the troops in Ganzhou and quickly go north to Ji'an Prefecture and fight with all your strength to stop Zhang Xianzhong's rebels to the north of Ji'an Prefecture. In this way, Lu Daqi will have no reason to come to Ganzhou again."
Ma Yongzhen added: "If we can stop Zhang Xianzhong's rebels north of Ji'an Prefecture, Lü Daqi will not come to Ganzhou because of the rebels. But this does not solve the fundamental problem. Even if Lü Daqi does not come to Ganzhou, the situation in Ganzhou may still reach his ears. Then we will still have no choice but to rebel."
Meng Ke said in a deep voice: "Sir, it is useless to think too much at this point. I also agree that we should march north to fight Zhang Xianzhong's rebels with all our strength to make a name for ourselves. By then, even if Lü Daqi hears something, what can he do to us? Now Zuo Liangyu's tens of thousands of troops are plundering by nature, and are even more brutal than the rebels. What can Lü Daqi do to Zuo Liangyu? What can the court do to Zuo Liangyu? As long as we show our strength and don't raise the banner of rebellion, I'm afraid the court will only turn a blind eye, not to mention Lü Daqi."
After Meng Ke finished speaking, Tian Yimu interrupted and said, "Sir, the matter of Yang Zhifu is the most disadvantageous to you, but most people outside have only heard some rumors, and there are different versions. In fact, we can also send people to spread some rumors that are favorable to you. True or false, who can tell which is true except those who were present at the time? And you can send all the soldiers who were present at the time to go to the expedition, whether it is to the south or the north, it is not a big problem, just pay attention to prevent deserters."
After hearing what Tian Yimu said, Qin Mu, who had been worried, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Yes, isn't the truth of history meant to be tampered with
Li Shimin killed his brother and forced his father to surrender. Many people think that he was forced to do so, but is this really the case? I don't know. Anyway, in the official history, he became a character who was forced to rebel, because he won and won the sympathy of many people.
But as for Yang Zhi... Qin Mu couldn't help but sigh inwardly when he thought of his new wife. Qin Mu was not that cold-blooded. He believed that he was not the kind of person who would treat women as worthless for the sake of his future.
Besides, if it wasn’t for Yang Zhi that day, Yang Tinglin would have been the winner.
Qin Mu knocked on the table with his hand and said, "Yimu, you should handle this matter."
"Yes, sir. My lord, I think Huang Danian, Hu Ge, Qian Qing and others can be used. I will say that they started a mutiny and intended to hold you and the Lord of the Mansion hostage, which resulted in the Lord of the Mansion being injured..." Tian Yimu was very good at this and immediately came up with a plan to confuse the public.
Qin Mu was not in the mood to talk about this matter any more, and only said lightly: "Yimu, I trust you to do the work, so I will leave this matter to you with full responsibility, but you must be careful not to damage the reputation of the Palace Master."
Although Yang Tinglin wanted to deal with him, Qin Mu did not hate him. On the contrary, he respected people who were loyal and righteous and did not change their minds because of the difficult times.
Because such people represent the spiritual backbone of a nation and a country, you may laugh at their pedantry, like Wen Tianxiang, who knew that something was impossible but still did it, even at the cost of his life. But without the perseverance of these "pedantic" people, what would be left of the spiritual world of this nation
Qin Mu turned around, and his gaze towards the crowd gradually became firm.
He said in a deep voice: "Although to achieve great things, there must be sacrifices, but I don't want to exchange hundreds of thousands of lives in Ganzhou for my reputation. As for other places, our current capabilities are limited and we can't take care of them. But since we have a chance to save Ganzhou, we must not abandon it to the hands of thieves. Let the infamy be the infamy, but it is enough to have a clear conscience. Zhu Yijin!"
"What do you want, sir?" Zhu Yijin, who was guarding outside the door, strode in and saluted.
"Pass on my order to open the four gates of Ganzhou immediately."
"yes."
Qin Mu then said to Tian Yimu, "Yimu, civilians fleeing the war have arrived outside the city one after another. You will work with Chen Shaoping, the co-governor of Ganzhou, to resettle them."
Chen Shaoping had already handed in a letter of surrender. Regardless of whether he was sincere in surrendering or not, with this letter, Qin Mu had his lifeline in his hands, so he no longer had to worry about him not cooperating.
"Yes, sir." Tian Yimu agreed, his triangular eyes turned, and he continued, "Sir, I think it would be more appropriate to ask Ma Sizhong, the Tongzhi of Ganzhou Wei, and the officials of the government office to submit a letter?"
Qin Mu gave him a cold look, and Tian Yimu couldn't help but pause.
Sima An shook his head and said, "This method is too mediocre and the gains do not outweigh the losses. My Lord has a long-term vision. It is better to use this method less, otherwise once you encounter a little setback, you will be deserted by your friends and relatives."
"Yimu, do you understand?" Qin Mu knew that when it came to scheming and scheming, Tian Yimu might not be inferior to Sima An, but in terms of magnanimity and pattern, he was inferior.
"My Lord, I know I am wrong."
"Ma Sizhong is the Tongzhi of Ganzhou. Now that the rebels are attacking, he has the responsibility to defend the territory. Let him accompany the army to the south. It doesn't matter if he is not good at fighting. He can accompany the army to boost morale. As for the other officials in the government office, don't pay attention to them. Let them do their jobs." After saying that, Qin Mu turned around and shouted, "Xiang Liancheng."
"I obey your orders." Xiang Liancheng immediately stood up and saluted.
"This time you take your troops and stay. Ganzhou is experiencing wars in both the north and south, so there will definitely be a large number of refugees pouring in. It is not enough to just provide relief to these refugees. You will be responsible for selecting the best and strongest from the refugees and training them into an army. This can prevent them from gathering to cause chaos, and can also be used as a reserve force."
"I respect your order."
Everyone present couldn't help but feel moved. It was obvious that Qin Mu was going to expand his army.
Qin Mu didn't wait for them to think about it, and immediately instructed Tian Yimu: "After Xiang Liancheng selects the strong ones, the rest can't be left idle. People who are idle will cause trouble. Yimu, you must try your best to organize the refugees and let them do something, such as work-for-relief, open salt mines and iron mines, build water conservancy projects, build terraces, make weapons, and transport food and grass. In short, you can't let them sit idle and eat and drink for free. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir."
"Okay, let's discuss the details of sending out troops. How many troops should be sent to the north and south? Where to defend? Where to attack? What time point is the most appropriate? Let's talk about it."
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ps: When the clock struck midnight and the number of the first order was fixed at "297", I turned off the lights and lit a cigarette in the darkness. The flickering cigarette butt was like the ups and downs of my heart. "Ming Yang Tian Xia" was destined to be another difficult journey.
Miracles are called miracles because they never appear while you are waiting. So don't wait in vain, put out your cigarette and go to sleep. The road ahead is muddy, so you must keep enough energy to trek.
For Hao Yuan, no matter how difficult the road ahead is, he will never give up. I hope that all my friends who are still supporting me will not give up "Ming Yang Tian Xia" easily. Let's keep going together.
Thanks to soleil and others for their monthly ticket support.
Thanks to Yiquliubai, Weimapicai and others for their tips.
I will always remember and be grateful to every friend who supports Hao Yuan. Thank you. It is you who gave me the courage to go on. Hao Yuan bows his head again.
.(To be continued..)
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