East of Tongzhou, Tongyun Gate.
The city gate had been blown down, leaving only a large mound of earth. It hadn't been repaired for half a month and had been left to dry. On the city wall that hadn't collapsed, Ma Keshi, who was alone, looked out. The rebels who blew up the city wall had circled the capital and returned.
"Ma Gonggong has been defeated again and again. He still hasn't given up. It's really admirable. "Ouyang Jun clasped his hands under the city wall and made sarcastic remarks, mocking the loyal Ma Gonggong.
Luo Lie also stood under the city wall and looked speechlessly at Ma Gonggong, who was determined to resist to the end. He didn't mock him, but he felt sorry for Ma Gonggong. From Liaodong to Tianjin to Tongzhou, Ma Gonggong had been at the forefront of fighting against the rebels from behind the scenes. Others began to waver except for Ma Gonggong. He wanted to fight against the rebels no matter what.
But Ma Gonggong wanted to fight, others didn't want to. Even Luo Lie, who wanted to make a name for himself in the beginning, felt that fighting this group of rebels would be a long battle. It wasn't something that could be won just by persevering for a while.
Half a month ago, Tongzhou was breached, but the rebels ran away. The people in the city were a bit resigned to their fate after a false alarm. The commanders in the city hung themselves and the grain eunuchs were scared out of their wits. Since they couldn't win, it was better to have one less trouble. It had been half a month, but no one had repaired the broken city wall.
Ma Gonggong became a guard eunuch after he came to help, but he couldn't change the morale of the people in the city. So he racked his brains to think of a way to protect Tongzhou, to protect the Tongzhou rations, and to protect Daming's country.
For this idea, Ma Gonggong really did his best. This eunuch of the East Faction Guards really came up with an idea and did something big. He reported to the emperor that Tongzhou could no longer be defended. Instead of letting the rebels rob or burn the city's rations, it was better to give them in advance.
Emperor Wanli had no choice but to pinch his nose and accept that this was not a solution. He agreed to give nine months' worth of rations and pay to the officials in the capital and other places in advance, and six months' worth of rations and pay to the soldiers who came to assist the emperor.
Hearing that there was money to be taken, the officials of Daming's court were very enthusiastic. Everyone was so grateful that they shed tears. All that was left was to build a memorial hall for Ma Gong. Especially now that the war was in chaos, it was a great opportunity to make money.
With this order, the officials of the capital overcame all difficulties and overcame the difficulties of the world. Under the circumstances where there were still rebellious bandits scurrying about outside the city, they displayed their fearless spirit of seeking money and organized tens of thousands of people to run to Tongzhou to transport provisions. Zhou Qingfeng was causing havoc around the capital, and Tongzhou was also in full swing.
Before Zhou Qingfeng returned with his men, more than fifteen million dans of grain and three million taels of silver had been divided up. Now, the warehouse in the entire Tong Province was empty. The entire imperial court was praising Ma Gonggong's wisdom and talent for the country. It was a pity that he was a eunuch. Otherwise, he would have been promoted and put in an important position.
Without provisions and wages, the rebel thieves would not be able to gain any advantage in Tongzhou. The importance of this place was greatly reduced. Eunuch Ma felt at ease, and so did the people in the city. They thought that the rebel thieves wouldn't come back again — who would have thought that the rebel thieves would come back again after running away for half a month?
The North Canal's pier was right outside the transport hub. Ma Keshi could see everything that was happening at the pier from the top of the city wall. The rebels had been here for three days, and it was rare that they did not run around. He had already spread the news that the rebels were here and was just waiting for the imperial army to come and suppress them. For three consecutive days, he had been keeping an eye on the top of the city wall. Whenever there was any movement, he would report it to the capital. He could be called Daming's model worker.
On the third day, there was some movement at the pier of the canal — a flat-bottomed boat had arrived. This ship was strange. It had no sails or oars, but it could sail on its own. There was a pillar emitting black smoke at the stern of the ship. It kept emitting a 'tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu.
After working hard for more than half a month, although Eunuch Ma's cultivation was profound, his eyes were bloodshot. When he saw the big boat, he cried out in a hoarse voice, "Not good, the rebel thieves' reinforcements have arrived. Are the officials in Tianjin blind? How could they let the rebel thieves ship here so easily? "
Ouyang Jun heard this from below the city wall. He laughed and said, "I'm afraid the Tianjin side is even emptier than here. How can they have the troops to stop the rebel thieves? Eunuch Ma is really pedantic. "
Then he heard Eunuch Ma cry out in alarm, "This is bad, this is bad. These rebel thieves actually have cannons. They've been here for three days to transport cannons. " He had a brush and ink with him. He quickly wrote down the latest military report in Tongzhou and shouted to the bottom of the city wall, "Ouyang Jun, quickly report this military report to the capital and urge the imperial army to come quickly. I'm only worried that the rebel thieves will run away again. "
When Ouyang Jun received the urgent military report, he muttered, "Making me run errands again." He turned around to find a horse. Luo Lie went up the city wall to persuade him, "Eunuch Ma, don't be too anxious. The imperial army has already surrounded them. There will be a decisive battle in a few days, and victory is within reach. "
Eunuch Ma shook his head, "These rebel thieves are extraordinary. They are good at encouraging foolish men and women and are ruthless to the officials. I've been thinking about it recently and found that although their methods seem nonsensical, they are actually vicious. They specialize in destroying the foundation of the imperial court.
Their leader knows my, Daming's, shortcomings very well. He's definitely not an ordinary arrogant person. I'm afraid it will be difficult to achieve victory now. It's already a fluke to be able to chase these rebel thieves away. If we want to eliminate them, we need to reform the imperial court. But this imperial court, sigh … "
Luo Lie did not understand Eunuch Ma's words, but he suddenly pointed in the direction of the dock outside the city and exclaimed, "Eunuch Ma, the rebel thieves have formed a formation and left the camp. They … they seem to be coming towards us. "
After the northbound detachment returned to Tongzhou, they built a camp near the dock with their backs to the water. They had just received supplies from the direction of Dagu Kou and immediately left the camp to kill their way towards Tongzhou City.
Ma Keshi was stunned and muttered to himself in confusion, "The rebel thieves haven't entered the city for three days. Why are they entering the city today?"
Luo Lie stomped his feet anxiously and pulled Ma Keshi's arm, shouting, "Eunuch Ma, why aren't you leaving? The city's defenses are weak, and there's no food to guard. The two of us can't defeat the rebel thieves. Let's leave quickly. "
However, Ma Keshi pushed Luo Lie away and shouted, "The country is in a difficult situation. Naturally, there will be people who will disregard their own safety. I have the imperial grace to guard Tongzhou. How can I flee without fighting? The civil and military officials of the imperial court are all greedy for life and afraid of death, but they laugh at us eunuchs every day for being rootless and not being men. I don't want to be associated with them. I'll just die in battle today. I'll also let the world see that there are men among the eunuchs. "
The situation changed too quickly. Luo Lie was stunned and didn't know what to do. Other than Eunuch Ma, the entire eastern part of Tongzhou was unguarded. If the rebel thieves came, it would be as easy as pie.
Not only did Ma Keshi refuse to leave, but he also jumped off the city wall and stood in front of the ruins of the city gate. Luo Lie's blood boiled for a moment, and then he was hesitant. When he saw the rebel army approaching step by step, he felt his scalp go numb. After a few seconds, he sighed and left with a useful body.
The northbound detachment formed a hollow square formation and charged towards Tongzhou City. Zhou Qingfeng had long known that the city's defenses were weak. He even knew that a eunuch called Ma Keshi had come up with the idea to distribute all the food hoarded here. This matter stunned him and made him rather angry. He had always played his cards unconventionally. He didn't expect that there would be a eunuch who would do such an unimaginable thing.
With the cannons in hand, Zhou Qingfeng deliberately lured the Ming Army to attack Tongzhou. He ordered Ye Na to lead the team to take down Tongzhou. This was the first time the foreign woman led the army alone. Although it was only a small matter, she was very excited and rushed to the front.
Seeing a pale and beardless guy standing in front of the ruins of the city gate, Ye Na asked naively, "Hey, we're going to attack the city. Are you here to surrender?"
"Ma Keshi of the East Faction Guards will fight to the death with you rebel thieves today." Eunuch Ma finished speaking arrogantly and rushed towards the hollow square formation alone.
Ye Na, who had lived in the capital for a long time, had also heard of Eunuch Ma's name. She felt strange at the front of the formation. At first, she thought there was some mystery hidden in it. However, after fighting with this famous eunuch, other than feeling that his cultivation was not low and that he fought like a mad tiger, she didn't feel anything special.
Thinking that this was the first time she led the army to attack the city alone and she met such a crazy guy, Ye Na couldn't help but feel angry.
Previously, when she was under the pressure of Masato Genmu's attack, Ye Na went out to fight under the heavy pressure. Her state of mind had broken through from the eighth to the ninth level of muscles and bones. She had long been thinking about how to make her debut gorgeous. After exchanging a few blows, she knocked Ma Gonggong out as if she was playing with him. Like a storyteller, she arrogantly shouted, "Tie this guy up."
Tongzhou was now open and there were no more obstacles. This place was an important location. There were a large number of Ministry of Revenue, water transport, storage, and other bureaucratic institutions in the city. However, after Zhou Qingfeng came, all the officials fled. There were still a few thousand people left in the city. They couldn't resist the north troop.
After Zhou Qingfeng got the ship supplies, he wanted to give a heavy blow to the Ming Army that was chasing him. He decided to use the city in Tongzhou as a support and build some fortifications to defend and counterattack. If necessary, he could use the waterway to move or retreat. It would be difficult for the Ming Army to stop him.
The process of entering the city was simple. After that, it was to give money and grain and recruit the people in the city as laborers to build the fortifications. Due to the limited number of troops, Zhou Qingfeng patrolled the city and decided where to defend. He soon learned that Ye Na had captured the eunuch Ma Keshi who was guarding this place. He asked in surprise, "Is it the Ma Keshi who gave away all the grain in Tongzhou?"
"That's him. He was also the one who encouraged the White Lotus Society to cause trouble in Jinzhou. He was also the supervisor in Tianjin and killed many of our cavalry scouts. "Ye Na was especially excited to capture an enemy general for the first time. She ordered people to bring the tied up Eunuch Ma and pushed him in front of Zhou Qingfeng.
Eunuch Ma's hands were tied behind his back. His brocade robe was torn, his gray hair was messy, and there were a few bloodstains on his white and fat face. He was of medium height. When he saw Zhou Qingfeng, he did not kneel. Instead, he deliberately straightened his back and raised his head to curse. He kept shouting, "Traitor, traitor." He wanted people to immediately behead him.
Zhou Qingfeng had heard of this Eunuch Ma. When he saw him, he felt that he was indeed annoying. He turned his head to ask Ye Na, "How is this Eunuch Ma's reputation in court?"
"A sinister smiling tiger," Ye Na said. "He has a lot of power and has handled many major cases. But he does not follow the rules and has a terrible reputation. He only listens to the Emperor's orders. The officials in court hate and fear him. Although he is not the Eastern Faction Guards' Commander eunuch, most of the matters that the Emperor has ordered to the Eastern Faction Guards are handled by him. He is a loyal dog with real power. "
"Is he greedy?" Zhou Qingfeng asked again.
"I'm not sure about that. I've rarely heard of him accepting money from anyone. But I've heard from the Imperial Bodyguard's Qianhu Liu Fucheng that this Eunuch Ma is stubborn and annoying. "Ye Na reported truthfully.
Zhou Qingfeng was a little surprised. He ordered, "Strip this Eunuch Ma's clothes. See what material he's wearing underneath. See what accessories he's wearing."
The personal guards immediately rushed forward like wolves and tigers. They did not untie Eunuch Ma and directly tore off his clothes. After taking off his brocade robe, he pulled off his underwear and handed it to Zhou Qingfeng. The material of the clothes was silk, but it was not a particularly good material. He had a jade pendant on him. The material was not bad, but it was worth at most a hundred taels of silver.
Aiya … Zhou Qingfeng grabbed the other's jade pendant and laughed. "Could it be that I've met a eunuch who is not greedy?"
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