The soldiers wore their helmets and armor as they marched. Ten thousand infantrymen and five thousand cavalrymen. Three thousand of them were the cavalry from the four armies that Yang Ling had brought from the capital. The other two thousand were the Dezhou garrison.
Yang Ling had not stayed in Dezhou to supervise the war in this important military town. His ambition was Yang Hu. He stayed in Dezhou because Dezhou was as important as Jinan. If he did not settle this place down, he would not be able to send reinforcements to Tai 'an without worry. At the same time, he could use this to paralyze Yang Hu and secretly mobilize the garrison troops.
Liu Liu had thirty thousand elite cavalrymen. The quality of his troops was higher than Yang Hu's, but they were few in number and were not good at attacking fortifications. Normally, without several times the number of elite soldiers, it would be as difficult as ascending to heaven to take down a military fortress that had been painstakingly built for many years. However, the low morale of the official army led to a serious drop in combat strength. Add to that the fact that the Dezhou garrison was a mix of good and bad people from different backgrounds, and it was difficult to unify orders. The result was that although there were more reinforcements, it did not achieve the effect of 1 + 1 = 2. In fact, it became even weaker than before.
This was the principle of wooden barrels. If the wooden barrels were made of different lengths, then the maximum capacity of the barrel would not depend on the longest wooden plank, but on the shortest one. Defending a city required the entire army to cooperate and fight together. The combat strength of a troop and the victory or defeat of an entire battle to a large extent did not depend on how outstanding a few people or a certain troop was. Instead, it depended on the overall situation of the troop and whether or not it had some prominent weak points.
The Dezhou army had the official army, patrolmen, village soldiers, and strong people. Moreover, the officers and soldiers came from four different places and had many factions. It was easy to imagine the difficulty of unifying all these people. Yang Ling had decisively used torture to establish his might on the eve of the war in Dezhou. He had reorganized the different armies and established Luo Shiquan's absolute command and personal prestige so that he could shoulder the responsibility of defending Dezhou.
He had arranged for the two largest reinforcements in Baoding and Tientsin to be stationed at Mulberry Garden and the Twelve Cities respectively. He had transferred all the local garrison troops back to Dezhou City. At the same time, he had also left the regimental training troops who were easy to command and could follow orders in Dezhou. This strengthened the unified command and ensured the safety of the military fortress.
Yang Ling waited until the morale of the army had risen, and Luo Shiquan's order was enough to command the Dezhou garrison. Yang Ling suddenly vowed to lead a group of troops and stealthily left Dezhou City under the cover of the night, heading toward Tai 'an. The "Yang" flag on the walls of Dezhou was not withdrawn. Liu Liu and Liu Liu did not know that Yang Ling had left the city with twelve thousand men.
At this time, there were still twenty-six thousand soldiers in the city of Dezhou. Under normal circumstances, they would be able to fight Liu Liu's army to a stalemate. Furthermore, there were also the armies of the Mulberry Gardens and the Twelve Allied Cities that were supporting each other. Liu Liu's army did not know the ins and outs of the army, and coupled with the fact that he had suffered heavy casualties, he had turned his attack into a stalemate. On the surface, he still looked aggressive, acting as if he wanted to fight a decisive battle, but his actual intentions had changed to delaying Yang Ling and the Dezhou army, and cooperating with Yang Hu to seize Tai 'an and Jinan.
Yang Ling's plan to build a plank road in the open while sneaking around in the dark could be said to be bold, but in order to reduce Yang Hu's influence in Shandong and minimize the losses of the Great Ming Dynasty, this was the only way. Otherwise, Shandong's territory would continue to deteriorate, and it would become a vicious cycle.
The government publicized how the horse bandits and the White Shirt Army did evil and coerced the people, but some things were difficult to say to the public. The people were bandits. Yang Hu and Liu Liu had gathered tens of thousands of troops in a few short months. They did not just rely on coercion and bribery. One of the reasons was that the government was too harsh.
For hundreds of years, the people of Hebei and Shandong had to pay a heavy burden of corvee labor to ensure the supply of horses for the army. They had to pay a heavy price to ensure that the horses were raised well. Not only did they delay farming, but when the horses died or the breeding of the stallions did not reach the quota, they had to pay for the losses. The destitute farmers had to sell their land and sell their men and women to make up the numbers. It was a bitter life.
When the border army did not need so many horses, the government would not confiscate all the horses. They could not afford to raise such a large number of horses, so they had to be raised in the homes of the people. The horses that were raised in the homes of the farmers to save money were the source of the large number of horses that Yang Hu and Liu Liu's troops quickly gathered and used. The burden on the people was so heavy that some people sighed, "Jiangnan's biggest problem is grain, Hebei's biggest problem is horses."
At the same time, Hebei and Shandong were close to the capital. There were not as many wealthy merchants as there were in the south, but there were many bureaucrats and landlords. Duke Yan, for example, was one of the biggest landlords in Shandong. He owned millions of acres of fertile land. What did that mean? The people in the nearby counties were all his tenants. As a landlord, if he was just a little bit harsh and greedy, the people in several counties would suffer.
The oppression of the horse government and the annexation of land caused the decrease of grassland, which in turn made the exploitation of the horse government even more severe. The imperial court's method of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs made many people resentful of the government. This was also the reason why when the rebel troops destroyed the hope of survival of the people, they did not place their hopes on the imperial court and chose to become bandits. Some farmers who had been oppressed by the officials and landlords for a long time even took the initiative to help the horse bandits and regarded the government as their enemy.
Thus, even if Shandong was not geographically close to the capital, just the social environment of the area could easily breed rebels and become a stable base for the White Shirt Army. Yang Ling had no choice but to pay attention and do his best to eradicate this threat.
The war horses neighed, the war flags fluttered, and the majestic and swift cavalry galloped in front. Qiao Sihai led the infantry and followed behind. Qiao Sihai had participated in the war against the Japanese and was experienced in battles. Moreover, he was good at ambushing and attacking, so he was worthy of being placed in an important position.
Adeni, dressed in a military uniform, sat next to Yang Ling. Her helmet was placed to one side, and her beautiful long hair was loosely draped over her shoulders. There was a hint of gentleness in her valiance, making her look even more beautiful.
Yang Ling gently held her waist and stroked her hair. He said in a low voice, "When we arrive at the City of Yu, you should follow General Qiao's lead. There are many soldiers and horses in Tai An, I'm afraid I can't take care of you. "
The carriage jolted, and Adeni gently held Yang Ling's hand, and softly said: "Yang, why don't you let me fight alongside you? I don't only know how to fight by boat, I'm also quite good at horsemanship. You … don't have confidence in the outcome of the battle? "
Yang Ling shook his head and pondered: "No, Yang Hu will definitely lose this battle. His army is fierce, but to gather such a huge army in such a short time, he doesn't have time to organize and restrain them. When the battle is going well, in order to fight for property, they are all as brave as tigers, but once they suffer a heavy setback, they will immediately collapse. Bandits are bandits! "
"Locally, they have the advantage in numbers, but in fact, compared to the imperial court's army, they are still weak. The army fights by relying on momentum. Those poor peasants who used to be bandits don't have much combat experience, and they don't have the ability to coordinate and cooperate with hundreds of thousands of troops in a chaotic battle."
Yang Ling said coldly, "Their advantage is their mobility and agility. They can take their opponents by surprise in battle, but Yang Hu has never considered establishing a strong base of operations, using Shandong as his rear. His soldiers have been running all over the place. I think that they are facing a huge problem in terms of supplies. This will make it easier for me to concentrate my forces and defeat them. "
Adeni nodded and gently leaned on his shoulder: "Can we wipe out Yang Hu's rebel army in this battle?"
Yang Ling shook his head and sighed: "It's easier said than done. Even the God of War can't achieve such a result, unless Yang Hu vows to fight to the death and never retreat. Otherwise, even if I mobilize a million troops, don't hesitate to set up fortresses step by step, surround them layer by layer, and block all traffic routes, it will be easy for him to lead a light cavalry to escape from my encirclement. "
Adeni frowned slightly: "I understand. Even in a small country like ours, it is quite difficult to encircle and annihilate a small rebel army. But … with them running around, I'm afraid it will cause a lot of trouble for the country. "
Yang Ling kissed her on the cheek and said with a smile: "Not necessarily. If war can be used well, the damage caused may not be greater than the benefits."
Yang Ling's eyes flashed: "In the northern war against the Tartars, we established a strategic alliance with the three Duoyan Guards and the three Jurchen tribes. At the same time, we drove the mutual trade between the two sides. In exchange, we set up many large ranches in Liaodong.
In the fight against the Wokou pirates, we took the opportunity to strengthen the navy, built new warships and cannons, and took back all the islands in the East China Sea that had been reduced to a den of bandits for more than a hundred years. We stationed troops in Ryukyu, controlled Japan in the north, and put the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea in our hands, ensuring maritime trade.
What about helping Mansa Jia fight against Frang Ji? Ruling Yi Province, controlling the South China Sea, garrisoned troops in Mansa Jia, and could extend their influence to the Indian Ocean at any time. At the same time, it accelerated the exchange between the East and the West. The upcoming commercial exchange would also bring about the cultural collision and integration of the East and the West.
Even in Sichuan, they took the opportunity to completely disintegrate this tribe that had been constantly causing trouble for more than a hundred years. They firmly controlled Xuzhou, the strategic hub of the three provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan. At the same time, they deterred the increasingly domineering 15 chieftains of Bashu. This prompted the court to change the inherent policy that was easy to cause ethnic disputes.
In war, if one only fought to their heart's content and only achieved victory on the battlefield, then that would be a real failure. Your husband, I, have defeated the Northern Invaders, the pirates, the Wokou pirates, the Southern Barbarians, and the Western Barbarians. What about the bandits? What are the benefits? My beautiful Pirate Baron, tell me about it. "
Adeni smiled sweetly, put her arms around his waist, and said lazily, "My dear, I don't want to think about these troublesome things when I'm next to you. Besides, you are far more familiar with Ming Destiny than I am, and now you are the Duke of Ming Destiny. I'm giving you a chance to perform. Tell me about it. "
Yang Ling was amused by her softness and charm. He gently pinched her plump and moving buttocks before he said, "Compared to these wars, the White Army and the Ringing Horse Bandits' rebellion this time, of course, have personal reasons for the leaders, but they were able to pull up such a large team, which is thought-provoking.
The chaos in Shandong originated from Hebei. The chaos in Hebei originated from the imperial court. The cause of the imperial court originated from the system. This is the root cause of this rebellion. If this root cause is not resolved, even if I win a hundred battles and kill a million people, it will only be a temporary solution, not a permanent solution.
Even if Liu Liu and Yang Hu are dead, maybe a new Liu Liu and Yang Hu will emerge immediately. The bandits will not be eliminated, and the people will always suffer. Only by taking drastic measures, eliminating the accumulated abuses, and giving the people a way to live can the bandits' rebellion be truly and completely quelled. However, it is easier said than done to solve the root cause.
It wants to touch the existing interests of the entire ruling class of Ming Destiny. This class includes the nobles, the officials in the imperial court, the gentry of the world, and even the kings, aristocratic families, and wealthy families. Even the emperor cannot touch such a huge power. However, it is not only the common people who suffer from the bandits' rebellion.
The entire ruling class will be deeply touched. They will naturally realize that if they want long-term stability and long-term benefits, they must give benefits to the people and take effective measures to alleviate social contradictions. Many old habits and old systems that are usually difficult to shake can be easily solved. "
Yang Ling smiled faintly and said, "To be honest, I have fought so many wars and tried my best to make some reforms in the imperial court, but I have never touched the problems of Ming Destiny's system. This time … this time is a good opportunity. This battle, for me, is the most important battle. Adeni, my real battlefield is not here, but in the imperial court. If I win that battle, I will really have won. "
Adeni raised her head and looked at Yang Ling's eyes. She suddenly found that there was a hint of strangeness in the familiar eyes. That kind of eyes, wise and resolute, carried some ruthless decisiveness. When he discussed politics, he no longer carried strong personal feelings, but was able to calmly consider problems from a long-term perspective. This was the quality that a mature politician should have.
"Is he really unable to use this battle to wipe out the White Coat Army, or is he deliberately allowing the bandits to cause trouble, using this to promote the implementation of his policies in order to achieve a more long-term political goal?"
This absurd thought suddenly flashed through Adeni's mind, and then she secretly blamed herself, "How can I think like that? No, Yang will never be a cold-blooded politician. He is just taking advantage of the situation and trying to use uncontrollable unfavorable factors to create beneficial things. "
Yang Ling did not expect that after thinking for a long time, Adeni would actually imagine him as a cold-blooded politician. He was filled with a warm and fragrant jade, but because he was thinking about his own plans at this time, the more he thought about it, the brighter the future became. In his excitement, the gentle comfort of his hands was just a subconscious action. He did not think about it or desire it. Adeni blushed, and her breathing gradually became heavy.
Yang Ling was still unaware, and said with a smile, "It's not your fault that you can't think about it. If the war is operated well, it can have a huge pull on politics, technology, and economy. I also thought about it from the history of war in the United States … oh, from every … every country.
Don't panic in the face of war, turn disadvantages into advantages, and create conditions from chaos. This can minimize the damage of war, and even bring benefits far greater than the damage. War is the struggle and consumption of national power. In order to deal with war, good planning can increase wealth and promote the development of the national economy. Loss of planning will lead to militarism and disaster for the country and the people.
For example, Tianjin Port is one of the three ports that the imperial court tried to open, but the north is not as open as the south. Most of the large interest groups are the landlord class, and they have always been resistant, so Tianjin Port is still a military port.
The chaos of the White Army cut off the north-south land traffic, and the water transport was affected. However, now that the sea is calm, we can take the opportunity to expand the scale of shipping. When people taste its sweetness, even if the war stops, it will continue to be popular. Things that cannot be driven by the imperial court's decree can be easily done this way.
The people of Shandong missed this year's spring plowing, and relying on the food shipped from abroad can barely support them until October. What about next year? Now the refugees have no land and property, and can only become refugees. If they come back, they will not be able to survive. I will suggest the imperial court to formulate some preferential policies to let these people, who regard their home and land as their lives, and will not easily leave their homes, break into Guandong.
The weak foundation of the Han people in Liaodong will be greatly strengthened. Back then, Emperor Taizu had to tie the people of Shanxi to settle in Shandong. Now that we are taking advantage of this unfavorable situation, not only will the people not object, but they will be grateful to the imperial court for helping them create a way out. At the same time, many rich landlords in Shandong, Hebei, and Henan have died, and many lands have become barren. In the war-torn areas, it will be convenient to settle refugees, introduce new grain, and speed up industry and commerce.
In terms of military affairs, the recruitment system can not be fully implemented. The civil unrest is close at hand, and the incompetence of the Wei Suo Army is completely exposed to the nobles in the capital. It will be much easier for the Ministry of War to implement the recruitment system and gradually abolish the Wei Suo Army.
In terms of industry and commerce, because of the war, the imperial court is relying more and more on Jiangnan's taxes. We can take the opportunity to expand the restrictions on merchants, and let them form a scale and group.
In addition, the land bandits will strengthen the river transport in the east and west areas. The war requires tents and armor, so we can expand the handicraft workshops and ranches set up by the imperial court in Liaodong. At the same time, we can solve the problem of employment. The war will promote the disintegration of the horse administration, strengthen the military's combat power, and so on. "
Yang Ling smiled proudly and said, "Because of the destruction of the war, all the natural inertia and resistance in all parts will be attacked. If the rulers can see these problems and actively use the impact of this civil unrest to change, the local officials and bureaucrats who were originally not active will also have to actively respond. This is moving a thousand catties with little effort. Things that usually take a lot of effort and many years to do can be easily solved."
"Oh … Yang, you are so great!" Adeni panted and hugged Yang Ling tightly. "I really didn't think that we could use the war to do so many good things. People who only know how to hold a sword are only fit to be warriors, and you … are a real knight."
Yang Ling's calm and wise expression disappeared, and Adeni suddenly became coquettish and sexy. In this small carriage room, he also became aroused. Only then did he realize that his big hand, at some point, had untied Adeni's collar and reached into her chest.
Her bra was pushed down, half of her soft breasts were exposed. Looking at her snow-white breasts in the darkness, they were pink, trembling, pearls and dew. That charming spring scene made Yang Ling's eyes stare straight. "Adeni, you … you are also great, really great. Hehe, my hands are the best breast enlargement medicine. "
Freshly peeled chicken head, fresh bamboo shoots, tender and smooth! In the center of the light red areola, there were already two delicious cherries, crisp and moist, bright and firm.
Following Yang Ling's pinching, a soul-stirring moan came out from Adeni's lips, making people's hearts ripple. That pair of bright and enchanting eyes were as deep as amber. She panted and said, "Oh … don't … we're in the car. My dear Yang, don't … this … this isn't how a knight should behave."
Yang Ling was aroused by this stunner, but he was not absurd enough to indulge in lust under the entourage of thousands of horses and thousands of soldiers in a carriage protected by many guards. Yang Ling restrained the impulse in his heart, gently withdrew his hand from that warm and soft erection, covered her breasts for her, and said with a chuckle, "If one is not frivolous, it is a waste of youth. After the life and death disaster on Sichuan's Cockscomb Ridge, I am no longer the same person I used to be. Girl, don't easily provoke me."
Adeni blushed and bit her lip, suddenly turned over and rode on Yang Ling's body. Yang Ling was pushed half lying on the soft berth. He couldn't help but stare, "You don't want me to be a knight, don't tell me … you want to be a female knight?"
Adeni glanced at him with a faint smile, lying on his chest and said coquettishly, "After the life and death disaster on Cockscomb Ridge, Adeni is no longer the same person I used to be. Yang, I must give myself to you, I want to settle our lifelong relationship. This is the wish I want to achieve when I go north this time."
"Uh … you don't have to go north now, oh … oh oh …"
※ ※ ※
The advancing speed of the army slowly slowed down. The general of the front army galloped to the front of Yang Ling's carriage and reported, "Duke, we have arrived at the City of Yu."
The inside of the carriage was a scene of spring. Although the two were not in a mess, the intimate scene was enough to make people's eyes red with envy.
"Hurry, tidy up, the army's discipline must be strict." Yang Ling urged in a low voice, straightened his sleeves, calmed his breathing, coughed twice, and said in a dignified manner, "The army will stop in the city to rest for a while, then summon General Qiao and the generals to come over for a discussion."
The general outside the carriage respectfully responded and turned his horse to convey the order. Adeni's expression was like a spring cloud, her eyes like silk, her snow-white teeth biting her cherry lips. She glanced at Yang Ling and smiled charmingly. She quietly took out a silk handkerchief from her sleeve and gently covered her moist and rosy lips.
The City of Yu had also been attacked by the White Army. Although there were no bandits now, the county was in chaos. Some of the local officials had fled to Jinan Prefecture, and the rest couldn't talk about managing the place. However, the imperial court's army entered the city and caused a huge commotion. These officials naturally heard and couldn't help but be wild with joy. They quickly dug out their official robes from the pit and hurried over to pay their respects.
Yang Ling simply asked about the local situation and asked the local officials to take responsibility and quickly reorganize the place. Then he dismissed everyone and went to discuss matters with General Qiao and the others.
Yang Ling reconfirmed the military deployment and then said in a clear voice, "Yang Hu has repeatedly lost soldiers. First, our local garrisons have their own ways and can't cooperate sincerely. Second, Yang Hu's army is mostly cavalry. If they can fight, they fight. If they can't, they retreat. Their mobility and agility are far beyond our army's.
This time, we'll gather the light cavalry forces from all sides to launch an assault. We'll use cavalry against cavalry and speed against speed. Yang Hu will use the same old trick again and choose a path to escape. The infantry of all the reinforcements will guard the main roads and cities and set up ambushes. Remember, you're infantry and they're cavalry, so I don't need you to achieve a complete victory. I don't expect you to completely wipe out the fleeing White Bandits.
You have to make use of the geographical advantage of the ambush sites, using bows, arrows and firearms to eliminate the fleeing enemies as much as possible. Make them become street rats, frightened birds that are frightened by the mere twang of a bowstring. Make them not dare to stay in a city, a mountain, a canal or a forest. Make them feel that there are soldiers and ambushes everywhere. Make them tired, weak and cowardly soldiers!
Now, the army will rest here for four hours. After four hours, I will lead the light cavalry to attack Tai 'an City and gather all the reinforcements to attack Yang Hu's camp. All of you go to the ambush sites. The arrival of Yang Hu's army is a combat order. You must be loyal and fight bravely. "
All the generals responded loudly. Yang Ling glanced around and said, "Disperse. Go get ready."
The county magistrate's office had been burned down by the White Bandits. This was a large restaurant that had been ransacked and the shopkeeper was nowhere to be found. Therefore, Yang Ling temporarily used it as a meeting place. After the deployment was completed, they left the restaurant and saw the streets full of soldiers moving back and forth. The commoners crowded on the side of the road to watch.
Adeni moved closer to Yang Ling and whispered, "Yang, I've talked to General Qiao. I'll go with you in a while."
Yang Ling glared at her and scolded, "Impudent! Who allowed him to make decisions? Did I agree? "
Adeni pouted and stubbornly said, "I'll go with you!"
Yang Ling's body shook and his eyes stared hard. Seeing that Adeni had no fear, he couldn't help but slump his shoulders and sigh, "Come with me. You can do it. I can't control you."
Adeni was overjoyed and happily held onto Yang Ling's arm. Yang Ling ignored her with a stern face, but Adeni giggled and didn't care.
Due to Yang Ling's strict orders, all the armies were in good order and didn't dare to disturb the commoners. Yang Ling wandered along the way and was very satisfied with what he saw. Just as he reached the intersection, he heard someone shout, "Yang Hu isn't a thing, but what about his wife? None of the thieves are good. They're all hooligans. How dare you say there's a good place? "
Yang Ling turned his head and saw that it was two commoners who were watching from the side of the road quarreling. Looking at their destitute appearance, they were both refugees from other places and were wearing all their clothes. The other one was grabbed by his clothes and said with a flushed face, "I … I didn't say they're good people. I just said that compared to Yang Hu's White Coat Army, the Red Lady Army is more moral."
When the local officials who were wearing official robes dug out from the ground and following behind Yang Ling heard this, two of them immediately rushed out and pointed at the commoner's nose and scolded, "Bastard! Yang Hu and the Red Lady are both rebels. How dare you say good things about them? Could it be that you're also a rebel? Come on, come on, arrest this rebel. "
When the commoner saw this, his face turned pale. He quickly waved his hands and said, "Master, I didn't say the rebels are good people. I really didn't say that. I'm not a rebel either. Look at me, if it weren't for them, would I have escaped to this state?"
Yang Ling walked over and waved his hand to chase away the officials who were using their connections to intimidate others. He said with a pleasant expression, "Don't be afraid. Where did you escape from?"
The two commoners saw Yang Ling wave his hand and the few low-ranked officials immediately retreated to the side. They knew that this person was an even higher official. The commoner who caused trouble said while trembling with fear, "Master, I escaped from Pingyuan County."
The other one had already let go of his clothes and said with a smile, "Master, I came from Hejian Prefecture."
When Yang Ling heard this, he realized that one was from Shandong and the other from Hebei. He smiled and said, "Hejian Prefecture. Hmm, I escaped here because of Liu Liu and Liu Qi's rebellion."
The person smiled apologetically and said, "Yes, yes, yes. They're hooligans. They led their troops to attack Hejian Prefecture. I was afraid, so I escaped all the way here. These bandits are so hateful."
Yang Ling was stunned. Only then did he understand that he mispronounced Liu Liu and Liu Qi as hooligans. Yang Ling thought for a while and suddenly remembered that he had never heard people use the word hooligan to describe people in this world. Could it be that hooligans were derived from Liu Liu and Liu Qi?
He guessed correctly. He heard the person say again, "Hooligans are not good people. They brought disaster to Hebei, and now they are causing trouble in Shandong. I didn't know where to hide. Now that I see so many military masters, I can finally relax. "
Yang Ling laughed and said, "You don't need to hide anywhere. This time, the imperial court will definitely defeat the Ringing Horse Bandits and the White Clothes Bandits." He turned around and walked two steps. Suddenly he remembered something. He turned his head around and said, "Pingyuan County? The Pingyuan County was attacked by Red Madame's troops? When did this happen? "
The commoner who caused trouble from his mouth was about to slip away, but as soon as he was asked, he quickly stopped and respectfully replied, "Master, I … I don't know whether Red Madame attacked the Pingyuan County or not. I am from Pingyuan County's Wang Fenglou. Red Madame's people passed by our place at noon the day before yesterday."
As soon as Yang Ling heard this, his interest was piqued. He quickly turned around and asked in detail, "Tell me, what actually happened? Red Madame passed by Pingyuan County? Where did she come from, where is she going? Do you know anything about the situation? "
Seeing this daren was very concerned about this matter, the man hastily replied, "Master, Red Madame's people are also wearing white cloaks, but their heads are wrapped in red scarves. We have heard about this. At noon the day before yesterday, several thousand people suddenly appeared at our place. I was scared out of my wits. Later on I saw their appearance and realized that they were Red Madame's people."
"She …" The man looked at Yang Ling's expression and lowered his voice, "Compared to other bandits, her people are quite reasonable. They don't rob poor people, and they are not allowed to bully women. They just destroyed the house of Old Moneybags Wang at the east end of town. Old Wang's family is rich, but even if they were given a share, they did not have much left. The rest of the money was given to several orphans and widows in town."
The man smacked his lips as if it was a pity that he did not get a share. He continued, "They stayed in the village for half a day, but I did not see Red Madame who was said to be dressed in red. I only heard them chatting. Those people were also very casual and did not carry anyone's back. I only heard that they killed their way back to Qingzhou from Qufu, and then took a detour to Huimin and Linyi. They said that they could not get along with Yang Hu and wanted to go to Wuqiao to meet up with that hooligan. "
Yang Ling was shocked. Now that the bandits were moving fast, they were defending their own cities. Without the protection of a large group of soldiers, there were no messengers or scouts coming and going. If Red Madame did not go through the big cities and Dafu and specifically went through the small towns, the commoners would not be in the mood to report to the prefectural government. News would be extremely slow.
If Red Madame went to meet up with Liu Liu and Liu Qi, then they would have another main force. Yang Ling panicked. After calming himself down, he remembered that Red Madame would rather have nothing than substandard soldiers. Right now, the number of people should be less than five thousand. The situation of Dezhou's offense and defense would not change. Only then did he calm down and said in disappointment and frustration, "She … went to Wuqiao?"
The honest commoner said, "They did not go. I don't know where they got the news. They said that a Mr Yang came to Dezhou, and he is also a State Duke. Their leader, Red Madame, suddenly changed her mind and did not want to mix with hooligans. Their people went all the way to Xiajin and crossed Qinghe to find a person called Madman Zhao."
Yang Ling was stunned, "Going from Qinghe to Shandong, she is going to Shanxi. She … Is she avoiding me?"
The old farmer saw the official standing there in a daze and did not dare to leave. He bowed and stood in front of him. After a long time, Yang Ling came back to his senses. He saw that the old man was still standing beside him and hurriedly nodded, "En, thank you very much. You can go now."
Yang Ling was not in the mood to continue shopping. He sighed and slowly walked back, "I came to Shandong and she went to Shanxi. Ai! Rebellion is a big crime, a monstrous disaster. Red Madame, oh Red Madame, how long are you going to cause trouble before you are willing to give up? "
Although Yang Ling was a little disappointed, he felt relaxed for no reason, "Suppressing bandits in Shandong is unavoidable. Attacking Yang Hu's White Coat Army will bring along Red Madame's troops. Meeting her on the battlefield, Yang Ling will not feel good. Now that she has left Shandong, he can do as he pleases.
No matter what, national affairs are more important, especially this rebellion. He wanted to make use of it to reform the political system of the imperial court, which he had never touched before. Luck pushed him to this position, so he must not let down the good intentions of the heavens. If one cannot be broad-minded in life, even if they live to a hundred years, they will still die! Personal feelings should be put aside first. "
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