Although the crisis was approaching, the atmosphere in Heyin, especially in Fugu City, was not very tense.
When it is time to work, work; when it is time to work, work.
Everything seems to be business as usual.
It's not that these common people are heartless, but they firmly believe that their county governor will defeat the enemy. If a miracle happens once, it will happen again, right
Since the news was announced, there have been "sneaky" figures appearing at the gates of government offices. They often sneak up in the dim night, then quickly leave behind a bag of corn, dry food, or a few sets of men's clothes made of ramie cloth and run away.
There were also those with mobility problems who were caught by the guards.
It took repeated persuasion before people were allowed to take the things back.
This matter also reached Shen Tang's ears.
Gu Chi smiled and said, "The people of He Yin are loyal to him."
After experiencing the hardship of not having enough food, they realized how rare it was to have a county magistrate who was dedicated to the people and provided them with land to farm, food to eat, and clothes to wear. These common people would strongly support Shen Tang, whether out of simple thoughts or simply for their own interests - if Shen Tang fell, their hard-earned good days would also come to an end, and both would suffer.
But most of them are the elderly, the weak, women and children. How can we support them
It's nothing more than donating military supplies.
Gu Chi knew that the latter factor accounted for the majority.
Before my master came, Heyin was a poor place with bad water and many evil people. In my master's words, Tang Monk arrived in the morning and went to the West in the afternoon, and the Bull Demon King came to plow two acres of land and make beef noodles.
The so-called simplicity...
Well, as long as there is no chaos.
Gu Chi was also happy to say what Shen Tang liked to hear.
Shen Tang paused with his pen in hand and said, "Although this year is a small bumper harvest, every household is short of food. Tell the guards in the government office not to collect it. By the way, Wangchao, have you found a safe mountain? We need to make arrangements as soon as possible, just in case."
When she went back that night and thought about it, she realized that she had been fooled by Kang Jishou. In reality, the refugees and bandits she had to face were definitely not just 30,000 or 50,000. She was not afraid of these refugees and bandits who were armed with sticks, shoulder poles, and hoes, but she could not withstand their large numbers. Once they broke through and rushed into the county, the common people under her rule would be the first to suffer.
Shen Tang has made several preparations.
One of them is to let the common people retreat to the mountains.
Use the mountain terrain to resist the vagrants and bandits.
As long as they cannot find enough food to survive the winter in Heyin, these people will naturally retreat and turn to other places to plunder. But this method is a bad idea. Unless it is a last resort, Shen Tang does not want to do this because it is too bad for his teammates.
If He Yin can't find food, won't the unlucky ones be his neighbors, such as Shangnan, Tianhai, Yiru and other places
The best strategy is to take the initiative and attack;
The middle strategy is passive defense;
The worst strategy is to avoid its edge.
Talking about business, Gu Chi restrained his relaxed smile and said seriously: "My lord, don't worry, the place has been found."
Shen Tang: "So fast?"
Gu Chi replied: "If there is something ready, it will be faster."
Before they took over Heyin, they had been fighting bandits all the way. The abandoned defensive military facilities in the bandit camps could still be used after repair. Each bandit camp was in a good location, easy to defend, and hidden. The most defensive one was the bandit camp secretly funded and built by Zhang of Heyin, which was the one chosen by their lord himself. There was also an iron ore workshop nearby.
It's just that in the previous year, we were busy restoring people's livelihood and wished we had three heads and six arms. We had no energy, financial resources or manpower to take care of them, so we just sent a few people to garrison and guard them.
"Oh, those companies have done something." Shen Tang mocked indifferently, and then thought of other things, "Did Gu Ziyi and Zhang Yongqing respond?"
In times of crisis, we still have to work together.
Gu Ren and Zhang He are not confused people. It is impossible for them not to see the situation clearly. They will most likely send troops over.
Gu Chi said: "It's only been two days."
The implication is not so fast.
Shen Tang rubbed her sore brows and took a sip of hot tea to clear her mind. She said, "How come only two days have passed? Tsk, it feels like a year."
These days, she has been counting the days on her fingers.
Before Gu Ren could reply, he received a letter for help. Along with the letter came a string of very bad news—this group of refugees and bandits had been fleeing all the way, and in order to survive, they gathered their strength to attack the towns they passed by.
That unfortunate county town was overwhelmed without any defense, the government office was captured, anyone they saw was killed, any money they saw was robbed, no matter whether the victim deserved the death or died innocently, all those who were still alive were killed.
For a moment, blood flowed like a river and the whole city was silent.
They rested for two or three days in the local area, and used this looted county town as their base to start an organized attack on nearby neighbors. The autumn harvest had just passed, and every household still had some surplus food. They were not in a hurry to flee, but relied on their large numbers and unexpected attacks to capture another county. They are currently besieging a third county, but have not taken it down yet, and are still in a stalemate.
It’s not that they are so capable, but we received the news a day or two in advance, but the situation is not optimistic.
_(:з)∠?)_
Because they were besieged.
There are tens of thousands of people outside the city!
It's embarrassing to say, but it's true
Although most of these refugees and bandits were ordinary people with pale faces, skinny bodies, and poor food and clothing, and the weapons in their hands were only hoes, sickles, and shoulder poles, they were still frightening when gathered together, and they were beaten into fleeing in panic. The chief of the administrative office also wanted to send the warriors to kill indiscriminately, preferably to break the courage of these people and drive them away, but two of them went out, one dead and one injured.
There are also brave warriors among these people.
The strength is not weak!
In desperation, I could only find a way to call for help.
Send out seven or eight people to cast a wide net.
Among these seven or eight people, some were captured alive, some were shot dead, and the rest escaped capture by chance and ran to their destinations. Their relatives were all in the besieged city, so even if they were afraid of death, they had no choice but to go ahead.
One of the letters was delivered to Shen Tang.
The person who delivered the letter was a young man.
He hadn't closed his eyes for two days and two nights, his lips were dry and cracked, and his straw sandals had been worn out, revealing a pair of big bare feet. In order to deliver the letter smoothly, he dressed like a refugee, his clothes were tattered, and you could vaguely see his firm muscles under the old clothes. If you smelled him closely, you could still smell the strong smell of blood and sweat on him.
This person was targeted as soon as he appeared.
Shen Tang asked: "Was he beaten by Shao Xuan?"
Bai Su: "Not having the upper hand."
It turned out that the messenger didn't dare to take the main road, and went deep into the mountains and old forests, deliberately choosing a remote path with few people. It just so happened that Bai Su practiced there every day, and he ran into her hands directly.
The Messenger is skilled with the bow and arrow, and is also a courageous warrior.
The two of them started fighting.
The young man was obviously worried about something and did not dare to fight vigorously. In the end, he was captured by Xian Yujian, who was leading the troops in a training exercise nearby. After some interrogation, he found out that the man was a messenger, not a spy.
Xian Yujian couldn't make up his mind: What should I do
Bai Su said: Take him to see the lord.
Xian Yujian said to the young messenger: I'm sorry.
The messenger also guessed that the two were under the command of Lord Shen, the governor of He, and did not resist. However, when he was being escorted, he could not help but glance at Bai Su, who was wearing plain clothes. Xian Yujian, who was escorting him, kicked him in the calf in anger: What are you looking at
The messenger said: This Alang is handsome.
She has delicate skin and tender flesh.
At first glance I thought it was a girl.
Xian Yujian: Stop talking nonsense!
The messenger's identity has not been verified yet, but he is flirting with others. Is he looking for death? Since Xian Yujian came to Fugu City as a teenager, he has been working with Zhao Feng and Gong Shuwu every day, working on the front line of building houses, plowing fields, and repairing roads, and he has had a lot of contact with Bai Su.
Knowing that Bai Su hates others talking about her face, if this little thief doesn't want to be hit in the face by Bai Su's double swords, he'd better shut up. Xian Yujian's warning was still effective. The messenger was quiet, and Bai Su came to the government office to inform Shen Tang of the matter.
The above conversation took place.
She felt relieved when she learned that Bai Su had suffered a little loss.
"Shao Xuan has only been practicing martial arts for a short time, unlike the others who started when they were young. Just because he can't gain the upper hand today doesn't mean he won't be able to in the future. Did the messenger tell us his name?"
Bai Su shook her head: "No."
The messenger acted cautiously.
He had to meet Shen Tang before he was willing to tell the truth.
"Okay, come with me and take a look."
Bai Su followed behind with two swords in hand, acting as a guard.
"My lord, you still need to be careful of this person."
Who knows if he is a real messenger or a fake one? Bai Su is worried that this guy has snatched the letter from the real messenger and is here to assassinate Shen Tang.
Shen Tang said: "Don't worry."
Assassination
Or assassinate her
Haha, I’m afraid you’re here to get killed.
The autumn harvest had just passed and the weather had not yet completely turned cold.
Shen Tang was as hot-tempered as a small stove, still wearing a thin summer shirt. In addition, he had grown taller this year, and now he was a graceful, elegant and handsome young man, whose smile could make spring flowers bloom.
The messenger had already been beaten again and again by Xian Yujian.
But when he saw Shen Tang, he still couldn't help but be distracted.
Shen Tang sat in the main seat.
He asked, "Who sent you?"
The messenger came back to his senses, inwardly surprised at Shen Tang's youth. There was still a boyish innocence between Mr. Shen's brows, which made him doubt the value of the letter in his arms that he had sent with so much difficulty - was he afraid that it was given away in vain
I thought so in my heart, but never showed it on my face.
He bowed respectfully.
Reported home.
Just as Chu Wuhui had guessed before, the first few places to suffer were all members of the alliance army. The besieged ones had a quarrel with Shen Tang, causing a small conflict, but he later generously donated a lot of food and military supplies, and this little conflict was smoothed over. It was reasonable to send people to ask for help.
Shen Tang read the letter of help handed over by the messenger word by word. The bamboo slips were limited in length and the content was repeatedly simplified. But it was not difficult to see the anxiety of the writer.
She put down the letter for help, her frowning brows never relaxed.
"I have read the letter you sent, but it is not very detailed. I still have some questions to ask you."
The messenger secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
It's a good thing that you don't refuse right away.
Shen Tang pretended to be puzzled and said, "I remember that we formed an alliance in Sibao County last year. Duke Lu has sufficient soldiers and food, and there are many good fighters. It may be difficult to repel the refugees and bandits, but it is no problem to defend the city. There is also autumn grain from the autumn harvest in the city, so there should be no worries about military supplies. The rebels are short of food and clothing, and they will retreat in a few days... Why do we need to ask for help?"
The messenger hurriedly said, "Mr. Shen, you don't know... This group of rioters are not all ordinary rioters. Among them there are also powerful warriors who serve as commanders. Duke Lu sent his favorite generals to quell the rebellion, but one died and one was injured."
Shen Tang's face suddenly changed.
"Are there any brave warriors?"
The Messenger nodded.
Shen Tang asked again: "Do you know their strength? How many people are there?"
The messenger was not clear about the enemy's specific strength.
But judging from the Wudan warrior who was killed, there was at least an eighth-rank duke on the enemy side. High-ranking Wudan warriors were secondary. What frightened Duke Lu the most was that there were thousands of elite soldiers with strength of second-rank or higher among the rioters.
Shen Tang: "... Thousands of people? Second-class superior?"
The messenger nodded heavily.
Shen Tang: “…”
Thousands of second-class products...
Could this be a mob
Shen Tang couldn't help but think of a conspiracy theory, that this group of elites was directed and acted by Zheng Qiao behind the scenes, with the purpose of killing all the rebels who opposed him. But on second thought, it was basically impossible, because the first place to be attacked was Qianzhou where Zheng Qiao was.
If it weren't for the national seal, they really wouldn't be able to withstand this sudden rise of rebellion. If they couldn't suppress it, they could only drive it away.
Where did these people come from
Shen Tang asked in detail, not missing any details.
The messenger could only suppress his anxiety.
But he knew in his heart that thousands of second-class superiors plus the high-level warriors leading them would be difficult to deal with. He had vaguely heard some rumors about He Yin, and that Shen Jun had excellent governance ability, but he had never heard about how he commanded and trained troops.
He can only tell everything he knows.
Even the general attire of the more than a thousand second-class superior products was described.
Shen Tang held his chin and thought carefully.
The messenger couldn't wait.
He gritted his teeth, bowed deeply again, and banged his head heavily on the ground with a dull sound, which made Shen Tang's head ache.
"Right now, the rioters are causing trouble and harming the people. Duke Lu is in trouble and isolated. The people of Luxia County are in danger. If we can't survive this catastrophe, which is a matter of life and death, Luxia County will be occupied by the rioters. They can use the food and grass of Luxia County to attack all directions. By then, I'm afraid that Heyin County under Lord Shen's feet will not be able to escape the disaster. I beg Lord Shen to send troops to help!"
The messenger must convince Shen Tang.
His family is also in his hometown in Luxia County.
He had witnessed the tragic scenes of people being slaughtered by rioters. Once the city was breached, his own relatives and fellow villagers would also become innocent souls lying on the ground - this was something he absolutely could not tolerate!
The messenger looked anxious.
Little did he know that Shen Tang was also in a difficult situation.
How many people does she have under her
That guy named Lu really thinks highly of her.
But if someone comes to you for help, you can’t refuse.
If she refuses, there will be no allies to help Ha Yin the next time he is in trouble. She took a deep breath and smiled gently and confidently: "The thieves are causing chaos and endangering lives. We can't just sit back and watch..."
Hope welled up in the messenger's eyes.
Shen Tang changed the subject: "It's just that now is not the right time to send troops. Can we wait a little longer, two days at most?"
The messenger asked urgently: "Why?"
Shen Tang sighed and said, "To be honest, I received intelligence a few days ago and immediately sent letters to Tianhai, Shangnan and Yiru to borrow troops, hoping to combine the strength of the four families to repel the refugees and bandits..."
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