The Yang Family Temple outside of Wuqiao County was called the Yang Family Temple, but it was a small village. It was the temporary encampment of Liu Liu's army. Liu Liu never resided in the city when he attacked. He even took the trouble to move all the rations and supplies out of the city and set up camp in the nearby villages. This was a habit he had developed as a bandit, he could quickly escape at the slightest sign of trouble.
Liu Liu's army had always chosen small and medium sized towns where there were not many soldiers and horses, and the cities were not too difficult to attack. Therefore, they were unstoppable and unstoppable. This kind of town could easily obtain the supplies they needed, and there wouldn't be too many casualties.
Liu Liu had been a bandit for many years, and he was no amateur in controlling people. In his army, there were soldiers who joined on their own, some who were poor and forced to join, and some who had been coerced into joining. The morale of the troops was the most important. Before he trained these soldiers into subordinates who were not afraid of death like the Rattling Horse Bandits of Bazhou, he had to suffer fewer failures.
He chose to attack Dezhou because his subordinates already had a certain level of combat power. There were very few northerners who did not know how to ride a horse, and this was an area where the imperial court had implemented the horse policy for more than a hundred years, so the people's horsemanship was quite good. In addition, Hebei and Shandong had always been a place of martial arts, and with these basic conditions, they had been eliminated several times in the pursuit of the imperial court.
Those who were able to survive, be it horsemanship, martial arts, or combat experience, were the best of the best, at least more than a level higher than those Wei Suo soldiers who had no fighting spirit. At the same time, with the increase in the number of people, and the imperial court's purposeful strengthening of the city walls, the rations and fodder taken from the small towns could no longer satisfy the needs of his troops, and they urgently needed their own territory.
Zhao Sui proposed to split his troops to the south, because Xu Tai and Jiang Bin were in hot pursuit in Hebei, and they had a large number of people, so it would be difficult to dispatch and resupply. Splitting the troops would make it easier for them to resupply, and it would be easier for them to expand their new territory.
At this time, Yang Hu, who had dominated the whole of Shandong and forced the Shandong Commander to hide in Jinan, sent someone to deliver a secret to him. He proposed to coordinate from the inside and outside to take over Shandong, and use this as a base to control the capital to the north, the Central Plains to the south, and cut off the lifeline of the canal to conquer the country.
Upon seeing this, Zhao Sui slapped the table and applauded. This strategy was brilliant and bold. Zhao Sui's original intention of splitting up the army was to replenish their supplies. But at the same time, due to Liu Liu's violent behavior and lack of morals, Zhao Sui gradually became disloyal and wanted to build his own world.
Now that he had read the secret letter, Zhao Sui was very excited and added to his plan. He suggested that Liu Liu and Liu Qi should lead the main force to Shandong, seize Dezhou, control the Grand Canal and cooperate with Yang Hu to capture Jinan. While the imperial court was focused on Shandong, he would lead the army to Shanxi. Once they gained the upper hand, the east and west would be coordinated, and Henan would be within their reach. By then, they would have completely cut off the north and south, and it would be a piece of cake to seize the country.
Liu Liu strongly agreed with this suggestion and it was precisely because of this that he made up his mind to capture Bazhou. This was the first military fortress that they would attack. Although he was becoming more and more contemptuous of the imperial army, he was still a little nervous.
He was wearing a white short shirt that revealed his upper body and a pair of green silk kung fu pants. He was sitting under a jujube tree and in front of him was a short table with a few big tea bowls on it. He was discussing with his brother Liu Qi about the attack on Bazhou. Qi Yanming rode a yellow buckskin horse and galloped into the village from the entrance. When he reached the fence, he jumped down from the horse, threw the reins to one of his men and walked in with his arms wide open.
Liu Liu laughed and said, "Old Qi, how is it? How many reinforcements did the imperial court send?"
Qi Yanming sat on a stone stool beside him, picked up a big bowl of tea and gulped it down. He snatched the cattail leaf fan from Liu Liu's hand and fanned himself while saying, "The imperial court only sent Duke Wei, Yang Ling, with only three thousand cavalrymen. Other than that, there is no one else."
Liu Qi laughed in surprise and said, "Only three thousand? So the imperial court sent a duke to hold the line. He has a fair mouth and white teeth, and he guards Dezhou empty-handed. "
Qi Yanming was an educated man and was more cautious so he would not be as careless as Liu Liu. He shook his head and said, "I heard that Bayan Meng is attacking the border again. This fierce tiger cannot be underestimated. The border army cannot spare any manpower and the four families' army has already sent Xu Tai and Jiang Bin to chase after Madman. Will they dare to send more people? Are they not afraid that we will be like Old Zhao and attack the capital?
Besides, it is easy to defend but hard to attack. Dezhou now has sixty thousand soldiers and we only have thirty thousand. Under normal circumstances, we have to outnumber them by one fold to have a chance of winning. Our current military strength should be more than enough. Are you still worried about sending the ever-victorious general, Yang Ling, to come? "
Liu Liu frowned and said, "In that case, attacking Dezhou is not like attacking the county castles and strongholds. If we really attack it, there will be heavy casualties. I'm afraid we can't defend it!"
Qi Yanming grunted. At this time, someone brought him a plate of deep-fried pancakes, a handful of green onions, a bowl of soy sauce and half a braised dog leg. Qi Yanming rolled up the deep-fried pancake and green onions and said as he ate, "No matter what, this is an important step to whether we will continue to be roving bandits or have a chance to rule the country. We must try. Riches are sought in danger. If we want to rule the country, there will be many storms. How can we retreat in the face of difficulties? "
Liu Liu raised his eyebrows and said, "Well, what Old Qi said makes sense. Let's do it. You eat first. After eating, we will set off and go to Dezhou to test Little Yang's ability. This kid is not bad. It is a pity to protect that incapable ruler. If we can capture him alive, father will take him in. In the future, when father becomes the emperor, he will also be a Duke. Let's see if he knows what's good for him. Hahahaha … "
* * *
Shuixi Gate was the dock area. Usually, it was the busiest. There was an endless stream of official and civilian ships. Sometimes, when the ships were loaded and unloaded at night, it was as bright as day. But now, it was much more deserted. The ships coming from the capital to the south had already disappeared. There were very few ships going north, and most of them were ships of the navy. They were protected by the navy, or they were temporarily used as cargo ships. Even so, the ships could only stop here. If they went further north, not only would bandits run rampant, but there were also wooden stakes and hidden locks in the canal, making it difficult to pass.
Right now, there were three large warships anchored at the shore. The ships belonged to the Jiangnan Navy. On the sides of the ships were pitch-black gun muzzles. This was a new type of warship that Yang Ling had built when he was suppressing bandits in Jiangnan. The cannons were also very fast cannons.
Seeing this, Yang Ling felt a sense of familiarity. He did not know if there was anyone that he was familiar with among the leading officers. It seemed that this warship was transporting ordnance. The naval officers that he had brought with him from Jiangnan were now independent. They were important members of the Jiangnan and Southeast navies. They should not be responsible for such a simple task.
Yang Ling thought for a moment, then called over a personal guard and ordered, "Go to the dock and see which general of the Jiangnan Navy is leading. Once the cargo is unloaded, don't be in a hurry to leave. Call their general to see me."
After giving the order, Yang Ling and Commander Luo walked along the wall to the north gate. Wu Hanchao and Song Ai led Yang Ling's personal guards in all directions to protect them.
Luo Guangquan's injury was not very serious. However, under the watchful eyes of the public, the law enforcement team did not fake it. It was just that the strike with the rod only injured the skin and not the bones. That was a skill. For example, Luo Guangquan's twenty strikes were applied with the best wound medicine. However, the wound was still fresh, so he was supported by two of his trusted guards.
They walked slowly between the green brick walls and arrow mounds. The patrolling soldiers stopped and moved aside when they saw them. They looked at Commander Luo's buttocks in awe and watched Duke Wei walk away leisurely. Only then did they pick up their spears, arrows, and shields and quickened their pace to continue patrolling the city.
Now, no one listened to their superior's military orders and did their jobs carelessly. No matter how hot the sun was, they did not dare to not wear their armor neatly and pick up a full set of equipment to patrol the city seriously. No matter how dark the night was, no one dared to slip out in a hurry, find a place to sleep, and leave the responsibility of guarding to the soldiers at the fixed sentry posts.
A forest appeared outside the city. In order to prevent the rebels from using the cover of the forest to quietly approach the city, the trees within a radius of nearly a hundred feet near the city wall were all cut down. The trees in the distance were also not cut down and became sparse. In the distance, the canal zigzagged along the embankment and extended into the distance.
There were some houses on the inside of the embankment, which were now dilapidated. Some had collapsed and some had collapsed. It was not known whether it was caused by the wind and rain or the masterpiece of the Ringing Horse Bandits or the White Coat Army during the previous attacks.
Beneath the ruins was an empty field that the commoners had carved out. There were trees all around to block the wind, and a windmill could be used to draw water from the dam. It was supposed to be a fertile field, and crops should be growing there by now. But now, there was only a barren land, overgrown with weeds.
Yang Ling sighed deeply and pointed to the barren land and said to Commander Luo: "The people turn to bandits because of hunger and cold; the soldiers turn to bandits because of lack of pay. Now the people are in chaos because of hunger and cold, but in turn, it will destroy farming. It will only make the world more chaotic and more people have no way to live.
To suppress bandits, the use of troops is only the surface. The fundamental method is to let the people have a way to live. In fact, there is no panacea. It is nothing more than reducing exorbitant taxes to lighten the burden of the people. The officials do more practical things so that the people can eat and wear warm clothes.
However, these things are not difficult to achieve under his rule by only relying on a few honest officials. Looking at the whole country, the first thing is to ensure the integrity of the officials and the justice of the law. You can't just rely on the self-discipline of the officials. This is the most difficult thing. Rectifying the officials is by no means a day's work. It's easy to say, but it's difficult to do. "
Commander Luo said: "You don't have to worry, the current emperor is wise. There are loyal ministers and good generals like you in the court. The Imperial Censorate, Hanlin Academy, and the Imperial Censor have also been reorganized. The officials are clean and clean, and they will definitely be able to do it."
Yang Ling smiled bitterly and said to Commander Luo: "Our army lacks training, the combat power of individual soldiers is poor, and the ability to fight in the field is especially poor. During the battle, we mostly use the advantage of weapons to make up for the gap in people, so we are good at defense and not good at attack. But the most terrible thing is that morale is too low. If morale is low, even if we have advanced weapons, once we go to war, we will still suffer a crushing defeat. "
Commander Luo deeply agreed and nodded: "Yes, the situation in Dezhou is even more complicated, especially when the troops come from different sources and compete with each other. Dispatching them is a headache. Mulberry Garden is the main transportation route between Dezhou and Cangzhou. The Twelve Cities and Dezhou form a corner of each other and help each other. They are all extremely important places. Is it appropriate for Duke to send the reinforcements from Baoding and Tianjin to defend alone? This lowly official is presumptuous, this lowly official … is really uneasy. "
Yang Ling chuckled: "You're worried. Do you think it's better to keep them under your eyelids? Haha, the main forces of Dezhou come from three different places. That's really impossible to perform. I moved them away, and the two reinforcements each guard one place. There's no competition, and they each take their own responsibilities. Instead, it's easier for them to play their role.
Today, I will use military law to establish my authority and make the soldiers fear and understand the law. Military law will be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people in a short period of time, and the soldiers will abide by it. As for how to maintain it in the long run, that will depend on your ability as a general. Military law is strict, rewards and punishments are clear, and you don't disregard human feelings. You will be able to do a good job. "
Commander Luo respectfully said: "Duke is right!"
Yang Ling continued: "To raise the morale of the troops, it can be said to be easy, but it can also be said to be difficult. It's just a question of why are they fighting. What do you think these soldiers are fighting for? To serve the imperial court or to protect the land and the people? If they had this intention, they wouldn't be tired of fighting and afraid of fighting. I will issue a general order that the property obtained by killing a horse will belong to the individual. The effect won't be immediately visible. After a few battles, when someone has tasted the sweetness, the whole army will be like greedy tigers. "
Yang Ling smiled: "When I, Ming Destiny, command the troops with civil officials. I rarely go to the frontlines, but I command from the back, hindering the general. Behind him, there's also the supervisor of the army, hindering the civil officials. This time Duke is here, there are no civil officials to command, no supervisor to interfere, I will give you all the power. With the power centralized, you can do whatever you want. "
Yang Ling gave him a meaningful look and said: "People in the world ridicule me, saying that I, Yang Ling, am the Killer Star, Yang Zhantou, but I have never used killing people to establish my power. I didn't use it when I took over the Shenji Battalion, I didn't use it when I went up the mountain to defend against the Tartars, I didn't use it when I suppressed the pirates in Jiangnan, I didn't use it when I attacked Frang Ji's people in the southeast, and even when I exterminated the barbarians in Sichuan.
Whether it's the Shenji Battalion's General Bao or the Fujian Inspector-General Ruan Dawen, they all sought death. They didn't follow the military law, but according to the national law, they should be killed. Only today, in order to enforce military discipline, I killed more than twenty soldiers. This is really to establish military prestige and enforce military law. If I don't do this, I'm afraid you won't be able to control this miscellaneous army. Duke's black face has helped you, Commander Luo, build up the morale of the army. I'm counting on you for the safety of Dezhou. "
Commander Luo solemnly said: "Duke, rest assured. Luo Shiquan has a duty and will not disappoint Duke. I can only do my best to defend the city. If the people are here, the city is here. If the people are dead, the city is here."
"Not enough. If the people are here, the city is here. If the people are dead, the city is here!"
"Yes! If the people are here, the city is here. If the people are dead, the city is here! "
Watching Yang Ling walk forward for a while, Luo Shiquan hurriedly signaled his two bodyguards to help him get closer. He said: "Duke, I'm still a bit worried about your plan. The son of a rich family will not sit under the eaves. Duke's position is high and noble, and now you're in charge of the military and government of a province in Shandong. Everything you do is of great importance. Doing this … "
"Hey, what's the point of saying this at this time? Just do as I say. Catch them off guard, use the real thing to attack the weak, and win by a narrow margin. "
"What's more, the roving bandits have been attacking and winning every battle for the past few months. The imperial army is no threat to them at all. The rebel bandits are becoming more and more arrogant. Arrogant soldiers will always take the initiative to give their opponents many openings! "Yang Ling lightly hammered the city wall, his eyes flashing as he spoke.
The two of them discussed the city's defense as they walked. When they reached the north gate, they suddenly saw a group of people gathered at the foot of the city wall. They were crying and shouting. The soldiers on top of the city wall shouted at the people below, "Scram! All of you scram! This is an important military area. Commander Luo has ordered that no one is allowed to enter the city. If you listen to my advice, quickly escape to another place. If you continue to make noise here, father's arrows will not have eyes! "
There were men and women, old and young, carrying bags and baskets. At a glance, it was obvious that they were a group of people who had escaped from the war. A white-haired old man in his sixties cried and begged, "Sir, please have mercy. The nearby counties are all occupied by bandits. It's chaos everywhere. We really have nowhere to go. Sir, this old man kowtows to you. Please raise your hand and give us a way out."
When the old man knelt down, the people all knelt down. The guards on top of the city wall shouted, "Go go go, don't f * cking kowtow to me. Father is not dead yet. What bad luck!"
Yang Ling was instantly angered. He frowned and said, "What's going on? Why don't you let the refugees enter the city? "
Commander Luo hurriedly said, "We can't let them in! Duke, you can't let them in! Don't look at how these people are old and young, men and women. It's hard to say who is the Ringing Horse Bandits. Sometimes, their whole family is bandits. Father and son are bandits, mother and daughter are bandits. It's basically the whole family joining the bandits. Sometimes, they are mixed in.
When these people enter the city, they either collect information about the city's defenses or attack the city gates from the inside and outside. Or they set fires everywhere in the city when the bandits attack. They shout that the Ringing Horse Bandits have entered the city and spread false news to disturb the morale of our army. Most of the counties such as Qihe and Huimin were infiltrated by the Ringing Horse Bandits. That's why they could easily enter the city, plunder, rape, and poison the whole city. "
Yang Ling could not help but fall silent. He was just feeling pity and blurted it out. Even if Commander Luo did not remind him, he would have reacted immediately.
In front of two armies, soft-heartedness could not be used. Although these people did not look like the Ringing Horse Bandits, the Ringing Horse Bandits were a newly formed group of farmers. They were thieves on horseback and commoners on horseback. There was no need for them to disguise themselves.
Perhaps these people were real refugees. Perhaps there were real refugees among them. But what could he do? He was not an omniscient deity. He did not have the ability to do anything. How could he distinguish them? Life was full of helplessness. On top of the city wall of Chicken Crying Post, did he not grit his teeth and ignore the obstruction of District Magistrate Huang and the others to blow up the innocent commoners who were kidnapped by the Tartars into pieces?
In troubled times, human lives were worthless. The most pitiful were always the good commoners who worked silently and contributed silently.
Yang Ling's eyes were glistening with tears. His heart was sour. The order to open the city gates could not come out of his mouth. He could only grit his teeth and harden his heart. He watched as the commoners begged again and again and finally left in despair. They supported the old and the young. Their footsteps were sluggish. They looked back every three steps as they walked. Perhaps they were still hoping that the guards at the top of the city wall would suddenly be kind and open the city gates.
If the country was rich and the people were strong, and the commoners lived and worked in peace and contentment, why would they be destitute and homeless? Even if there were such ambitious people who rebelled, where would there be a mass base and people who would respond?
Yang Ling secretly swore in his heart, "I will work hard to quell this turmoil as soon as possible. In my hands, in my lifetime, I will do my best to change the root cause of this turmoil. I will change the fate of our country. I will change the fate of the commoners who have suffered time and time again in the chaos of war! "
From the moment he walked out of the poor ravine of the Yang Family's plain, there seemed to be a mysterious force that pushed him step by step to the position he held today. It took him two years to set foot on his official career. It took him one year to get close to the central government. This kind of speed could be said to be the pride of the heavens.
And he did not disappoint the high hopes of the heavens. From the moment he decided on his life's goal, he had been working hard. Within the limits of his ability, he cut through the layers of resistance. He tried to make some reforms, and now it had already been half a year in some areas.
Even though what Yang Ling was doing wasn't radical and a direct reform of the system itself, it was still related to it. That was all he could do. It was impossible for him to directly carry out a major surgery on this enormous empire's political, economic, and cultural system. This kind of world-shaking reform, in a situation where it was not the right time and power, even the Emperor could not do it.
However, those who succeeded through reform did not forcibly pave a path according to their vision, and then ask the people of the world to realize what they wanted to do according to their ideas. This kind of person, without power, he was a dreamer. If he had power, he would only harm others and himself.
The reason the great successful people succeeded was because the entire society had already accumulated enough needs and conditions for a certain kind of reform. They were the first to clearly discover that this kind of reform should be carried out, and then they would take advantage of the situation to guide it.
There was another situation where this kind of needs and conditions had already sprouted. Then, the person who was trying to reform had to put his energy into nurturing this sprout, creating more conditions for it, promoting its maturity. When the turbulent and unstoppable flood of history, only then would he act to guide it. When the water reached the channel, the canal would form.
Lifting heavy things as if they were light, quietly achieving the goal of reform, this was the brilliant political strategy of moving a thousand catties with little effort. To create momentum against the natural order, to carry out the Great Leap Forward when the social conditions did not exist, or to pull up the seedlings when the conditions for reform had just appeared, when it was still weak and could not withstand a bit of wind and rain, would only cause one's reputation to be ruined, and even be killed by the old forces that still occupied the mainstream.
What Yang Ling was doing now was to protect and nurture this small sprout of reform, to create the soil for it to grow. When these conditions matured, it would accelerate the evolution of cultural conditions and political conditions, and then the reform would come into being.
This was a long process, and perhaps he would not be able to see it blossom and bear fruit in his lifetime. However, using the power in his hands to consciously nurture it, he could make history take fewer detours, and make it come to fruition before the hundreds of years of ignorance and backwardness arrived.
Now, all of this had just begun, and the dawn was gradually appearing. It must not be destroyed, must not be destroyed by endless destruction, this hope must not be destroyed. This turmoil must be quelled as soon as possible!
Like thunder, a low voice came over. Yang Ling lifted his head abruptly, only to see the flat road in the distance kicking up a cloud of dust. Amidst the rolling yellow sand, the silhouettes of countless men and horses could be faintly seen. Their horses were armored, their weapons brimming with a murderous aura. A large flag appeared amidst the dust, fluttering in the wind.
Liu Liu had come!
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