In the second year of Zhonghe, Huang Chao, under pressure, transferred Zhu Wen as the Defense Envoy of Tongzhou, and ordered him to go from Fuping to Danzhou, and then attack Tongzhou, in an attempt to completely eliminate the hidden dangers in the eastern part of Guanzhong.
At the same time, he ordered Meng Kai to be the governor of Beicheng, station troops on the Wei River, and strengthen the defense around Chang'an; he sent generals Shang Rang and Wang Chongyin to replace them and lead the Cao army to continue attacking Fuping.
In response to Huang Chao's deployment of troops, Emperor Xizong of the Han Dynasty, who was in Chengdu, also made some adjustments. He appointed Tuoba Sigong as the governor of Xicheng and asked him to lead the elite Dangxiang troops to attack the capital from the west of Chang'an. In order to show his favor, he gave him the surname of the country. The leader of the Dangxiang tribe changed his name to Li Sigong in the second year of Zhonghe.
When Li Sigong received the imperial edict, he left in a very miserable state. Most of his capable generals died, and three of his four younger brothers died. Only Li Sijian, who was still in shock, stayed with him.
At the same time, the Tang court also ordered Zhu Li to be the General of the Left Guard, the Protector General of the Shanyu, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Field Camp, and he could recruit soldiers on the spot, hoping that he could defeat the Cao army as soon as possible and recapture Chang'an.
The person who came to deliver the imperial edict was none other than his old acquaintance Zheng Ting. It was also because of him that Zhu Li was promoted two levels and now he is a third-rank official.
Li Xiaochang and Wang Chongying also received rewards, but their promotions were not as great as Zhu Li's. After all, Zheng Ting had a poor impression of their abilities and abilities.
Although Zheng Ting was deprived of his post as Fengxiang Jiedushi by Li Changyan, he was recalled by the court shortly afterwards and appointed as the Prince's Tutor. Now he has been promoted to Sikong, Menxia Shilang, and Tongzhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi, in charge of military affairs.
Zhu Li entertained this loyal minister of the Tang Dynasty in a restaurant in the city, and asked Zheng Ting to make a suggestion on his behalf. He wanted Gao Su to be the governor of Shengzhou. Zheng Ting thought about it and agreed. He had an impression of the place Zhu Li wanted. It was a place adjacent to the Northern Di. It was not a rich county, and it had to guard against the invasion of the Northern Di at all times. Most of the Tang court officials who sat there would have a reputation of being exhausted and not having a good reputation.
After seeing Zheng Ting off, Zhu Li immediately asked Shi Yan to be in charge of conscription. It would be difficult to recruit soldiers in Fuping, but they could try in the neighboring prefectures and counties. Shi Yan accepted the order and took his men to Fangzhou that day.
As the commander-in-chief of the camp, Zhu Li was naturally responsible for the deployment of defenses. After Li Sigong left, a vacant area of Fuping's defense was left. After discussion, the three of them took turns, that is, once a war broke out, there would always be one person responsible for guarding both sides of the city defense within one day.
Zhu Li had the least number of troops, and the number of guards under his command was only over 5,000 at most. If he had to garrison for a long time, this amount of troops would definitely not be enough. Naturally, he was very worried. But if you are in a desperate situation, you must change, and if you change, you will get through, and if you get through, you will last longer. Holding on might not be a long-term solution.
"Governor, are you worried about recruiting soldiers?" Zhou Dewei looked at Zhu Li, who had been frowning these days, and asked softly.
"Otherwise, after what happened with those three guys snatching the wife of the Wang family, there would definitely be no one in Fuping willing to apply, not to mention the obstruction from the local clans and gentry." Zhu Li sighed and spoke.
"Governor, the local people of Fuping are unwilling to come, but Fuping is not only populated by locals," Zhou Dewei reminded.
"You mean recruiting outsiders from Fuping?"
"The governor is wise. This is exactly what I had in mind. Bandits are everywhere these days. Almost every wealthy town has refugees. The governor might as well try to find a way to deal with these refugees." Zhou Dewei suggested sincerely.
"Refugee, yes, Dewei, you reminded me just in time. Why didn't I think of it before?" Zhu Li praised Zhou Dewei sincerely. He himself was a refugee before, but he hadn't thought of it recently.
It seems that we are being too stubborn to try to find a solution by dealing with the refugees.
"I'll go out and take a look. You take care of the military." Zhu Li instructed hurriedly.
"Yes." Zhou Dewei responded quickly.
Meng Juehai sent Yuchi Jin back north and has not returned yet. Shi Yan went to recruit soldiers again. Now there are only two of them left in the Shuozhou military camp. If Zhu Li wants to go out, it will be natural for him to take over. Zhou Dewei is the best choice for this.
Zhu Li didn't continue talking nonsense. He felt relieved about Zhou Dewei's command of the army. Moreover, as they got along with each other, his trust in Zhou Dewei grew day by day, and he trusted him more and more.
With more than ten guardsmen, Zhu Li rode out of the camp on a flat-ribbed Jade Unicorn. On the way, he asked the guardsmen to find out where the refugees gathered, and then headed straight for the destination.
In troubled times, the most pitiful people are refugees, and they are also the most frightening people, because they have nothing and are so poor that they only have one mouth to feed. The shadow of death hangs over them all the time. These people will do anything for a bite to eat.
However, the refugees who fled to the towns and villages were controlled by the local government and suppressed by many other local forces, so very few of them caused trouble. Most people hoped to find a way out, and those who had no way out could only stay in a fixed place and wait.
The refugees gathered in the southwest of Yiting City, which is also the slum of Yiting City. The sound of "groaning" can be heard everywhere. The air is filled with a smell mixed with the foul smell of mud. Everywhere you look, you can see hungry people who are as skinny as firewood and have pale faces.
It was the first month of the lunar calendar and the weather was cold. Many people had frozen stiff and quite a few had even died. Even with Zhu Li's arrival in such a grand manner, the surviving refugees only turned their eyes woodenly. Faint hoarse and dry howling sounds could be heard everywhere, which were the groans of those who had lost their loved ones but were powerless to do anything.
Seeing all this, Zhu Li felt a sense of sadness in his heart. If he had known about the existence of these people earlier, perhaps fewer refugees would have frozen to death this winter. Even if only one person was saved, it would have been a good thing. A shadow of guilt and sin hung over his heart.
Among this group of people, there was an old woman who was very eye-catching. She and a strong man were staying far away from the crowd. The old woman was wrapped in two layers of worn quilts, her mouth moving as she gnawed on a piece of black meat. The strange thing was that this scene fell into the eyes of the hungry people around, but no one scrambled for it. Although some people swallowed their saliva, they still tried hard to suppress their desire. The situation was very strange.
The sturdy man next to the old woman was holding a knife in his hand. His body was covered in blood and his face was as pale as paper. However, he was looking at the people around him vigilantly, as if he was guarding the old woman's meal.
Out of curiosity, Zhu Li rode his horse forward. When he got closer, he found that a fist-sized piece of flesh had been gouged out from the strong man's exposed thigh. The blood soaked the ground and had now solidified.
The sturdy man looked at Zhu Li vigilantly, making a gurgling sound in his throat, and it was unclear whether he was in pain or wanted to warn Zhu Li of something.
Zhu Li looked at them in confusion. Seeing that the governor was curious about the strong man and the old woman, the guard naturally asked about their origins and what had happened here recently.
Soon, a guard rode up to Zhu Li and reported quietly, "Commander-in-chief, this strong man is a filial son. Their dry food ran out a few days ago. He was afraid that his blind old mother would starve to death, so he cut a piece of meat from his thigh, cooked it and gave it to her. The hungry people around saw it and were moved, so no one came up to rob him."
Cutting meat to feed the mother, Zhu Li was shocked when she heard this
Very.
Ever since the beginning of historical records, the Chinese nation has been a nation that has suffered many disasters. However, to this day, the nation still stands strong. Why is that
From the strong man, Zhu Li seemed to understand a little bit about the reason why the Chinese nation has been able to survive to this day, because this lovely nation has love in the hearts of its people. Cutting flesh to feed one's mother is a great filial piety, but isn't it also a kind of great love, a kind of true love that disregards life and death and is only for relatives.
This kind of deeds have always been recorded in ancient books, but now it is actually happening before his eyes, which brings an indescribable shock to Zhu Li's soul, and makes him feel a kind of respect for the strong man.
"Go and count how many refugees there are nearby." Zhu Li whispered, "Also, send someone back to the camp and have them prepare rice and large pots and send them over. Bring a few doctors with you as well."
"Yes," the guard immediately obeyed the order and left.
Zhu Li jumped off his horse, walked to the strong man and stood in front of him. He looked at him respectfully and asked in a gentle voice, "May I ask your name, brother?"
Seeing a young man who looked like a general standing in front of him, the big man seemed a little nervous, but he still opened his dry and bleeding mouth and replied: "My name is Jing Ming."
"Where are you from?"
"Jingzhou"
"Jingzhou, wasn't that Gao Pian's territory before? It shouldn't be a chaotic place. How did you escape?" Zhu Li was indeed curious. Gao Pian was originally the governor of Jingnan. He was ordered to go south to stop Huang Chao from attacking Guangdong and Guangxi. However, after this guy defeated the Cao army's western route, he waited and watched for some unknown purpose. In the end, Huang Chao plundered Guangdong and Guangxi, left calmly, and finally captured Chang'an.
And now, there are refugees in the area he rules, which is a strange thing.
"General, you don't know that since Commander Gao went south to suppress the Cao army, Jingzhou has been in chaos. First, Wang Duo was appointed as the governor of Jingnan, but he was killed not long after. The court then sent Song Hao to take charge of Jingnan, but he stayed in this position for less than two years before he was assassinated. The court then sent Zheng Shaoye, and soon Duan Yanmo was transferred to replace Zheng Shaoye."
"The superiors have changed several times, which is nothing to us common people. But not long ago, a general named Qin Yan came to Jingzhou and asked Duan Yanmo for an official position. This man is really not a good guy. He robs wherever he goes. He is simply a bandit. I heard that this man was captured by Commander Gao from the Cao army. My hometown in Jingzhou was looted by this man and his men. Countless villagers were killed and injured, so he escaped."
"Qin Yan?" Upon hearing this, Zhu Li narrowed his eyes slightly and his expression was solemn, as if there was a ferocious tiger in his heart that wanted to break out of the cage and tear everything apart.
Qin Yan was originally a thug and was once imprisoned for committing a crime. Later, when Huang Chao started the Uprising, he escaped from prison, stole military weapons and joined Huang Chao, and was then appointed as a general. However, this man could not change his nature. As a general, he did the things of a robber. If I had known this would happen, I would have asked the master to kill this bastard with a knife.
While the two were talking, the Shuozhou army sent people to carry rice and several military doctors were also sent over. Without waiting for Zhu Li's orders, they set up a big pot and cooked porridge. At Zhu Li's signal, several doctors immediately began to treat the wounded for the starving people. Jing Ming was seriously injured and was also given special care by the doctors.
After the hot porridge was cooked, the hungry people went to get food in an orderly manner under the maintenance of the guards. A guard came to report: "Governor, the number of refugees has been counted. There are 6,859 people in total, including 5,914 old and weak people, and less than 1,000 young and strong men."