Li Laoshi was an honest stonemason. He was born in the year of the Chinese zodiac, so he behaved like a little mouse. He would take everything home. He was a little stingy, but he never took advantage of others. He was also very dutiful in doing business and never cut corners. Therefore, his neighbors had a good evaluation of him.
Because he was easy to talk to, sometimes when people couldn't pay him, he would accept things that could be priced. For example, not long ago, he made a stone roller for someone. The employer had no money to pay for it, so he gave him two bags of sweet potatoes, a bag of rice, and a cart of wheat bran as payment. Li Laoshi gladly made a big stone roller for the employer.
At this moment, the stone roller had yet to be delivered, and it was pressed against the door. Because of the two bags of sweet potatoes, a bag of rice, and a cart of wheat bran, the Li family did not have to starve. His wife, who had scolded him badly because he had accepted this business deal, was now praising his luck.
Li Laoshi, who was lucky, leaned against the crack of the door and looked outside quietly. The woman walked over and asked in a low voice, "What is it now?"
"Don't be noisy," Li Laoshi said, "Chieftain Qin is going to send troops to war again."
The woman bit her nails worriedly. "Are we still going to fight? So many people died when we went to Plentiful City last time. Can we defeat them if we send troops this time? I heard … "
"Eh? Is there going to be a war? " Li Laoshi raised his butt even higher, and his eyes were glued to the crack of the door. "It's not a war, not a war! Chieftain Qin wanted to escape! So many crates, who would carry so many crates to war? "
On the street, some soldiers were carrying a lot of chests and cages, hurriedly following the procession. Some of the chests and cages were so full that the lids could not be closed. Silk, satin, gold and silver utensils could be vaguely seen.
"Chieftain Qin is running away? Let me see. "The woman pulled her husband aside and stuck her eyes to the crack of the door.
Li Laoshi was so angry that he slapped his wife's buttocks, which could take up half of the bed. He mumbled to himself, "Strange! Where could Chieftain Qin run off to? If he lost, so be it. At worst, he could just invite Chieftain Ma back. The two of them could fight at the head of the bed and reconcile at the end. What else could it be? "
The woman turned her head and said, "What do you know? Do you think Tusi's family matters are like your own? Is that a game? "
The woman stood up and tilted her head in thought. She said resolutely and decisively, "Chieftain Qin must have gone to Chieftain Yang in Bozhou. Hey! I knew it, there was something going on between them! "
In fact, Li Laoshi's wife was not as knowledgeable as Li Laoshi, who often dealt with people in business. However, for this kind of thing, a woman's perception could completely crush a man's knowledge and IQ. This woman's words hit the nail on the head: Madam Qin had joined the adulterer.
…
Ma Bangpin and the others' siege of Stone Pillar City was simple and crude. They didn't have any siege tools or watchtowers to monitor the movements in the city from above. That was why Madam Qin could gather in the southern part of the city in such an ostentatious manner without worrying about being discovered by people outside the city.
A large group of people gathered at the foot of the city, tightly blocking the city gate. Only when Madam Qin and a few trusted leaders arrived did the native soldiers make way for them.
Madame Tan ascended the city gate tower. She cautiously looked all around, and then she looked up the mountain. A moment later, three plumes of thick smoke suddenly rose from the bamboo forest on the mountain, rolling toward the sky. Madam Qin became spirited and said, "The signal is here, let's leave the city quickly!"
Immediately, the city gate opened and the drawbridge was lowered. The vanguard troops at the front rushed out of the city and set up camp on the left and right, guarding against Ma Bangpin and the others rushing over. The middle troops protected Madam Qin and the leaders as they rushed out of the city and up the mountain.
"Quick, quick, quick!"
Madam Qin ran to the middle of the mountain in one breath. Fortunately, she wasn't a delicate woman with small feet. Even though she was sweating, she still ran pretty fast. She only stopped when she saw that she was halfway up the mountain. She felt slightly relieved and turned around to look. She couldn't help but be stunned when she saw what she saw.
Stone Pillar City wasn't very big. At this moment, she could already see Ma Bangpin and the others rushing towards the southern part of the city from the left and right. It seemed that they were at most one and a half miles away and would arrive in a moment. However, the people behind her were scattered, so it was impossible for them to make it up the mountain in time.
Madam Qin was both shocked and angry. She said, "Why are they so slow?"
Only now did she realize that many of the soldiers were dilly-dallying and were intentionally delaying. Seeing that Ma Bangpin and the others were about to arrive, the soldiers who couldn't make it up the mountain in time let out a shout and scattered in all directions. Some abandoned their weapons and returned to the city, immediately scattering like birds and beasts.
What made Madam Qin almost faint from anger was that the soldiers who were carrying the soft goods could be considered her most trusted people, but many of them were still dilly-dallying and didn't go up the mountain. At this moment, they flipped over the chests and everyone scrambled for them. After filling their lapels with their clothes, they fled like a group of rabbits.
Madam Qin had a reason to go to Bozhou, and the leaders also had a chance to make a comeback. What were these soldiers after? Abandoning their parents, wives, and children to go into exile in Bozhou? Of course, they would escape when they had the chance. Madam Qin was so angry that her delicate body trembled. She screamed, "Kill these traitorous beasts for me!"
"Madam Qin, forget it! If you let them go down the mountain, I'm afraid it's exactly what they want. "
A lazy voice suddenly sounded. Madam Qin suddenly turned her head and saw Tian Xiufeng standing at the side with a lazy expression. These two people hadn't seen each other for many years, but they recognized each other at first glance. Moreover, they didn't feel unfamiliar at all.
Ye Xiaotian stood at the side and felt the invisible sparks between the two. Looking at their flirtatious charm, he couldn't help but admit that Yang Tian Wang had a good eye for women. What was especially difficult was that most of the women he hooked up with were not easy to hook up with.
Yaoyao's mother was Yang Lin's concubine. How could there be so many private occasions for him to play tricks on her? Madam Qin was even more so. As the Palm Print Lady, she had even fewer opportunities to interact with him in private, but he was able to hook up with her.
Madam Qin quickly withdrew her hostility and revealed a sweet smile. "Madam Tian …"
"Sister, it's fine to abandon those soft goods and the soldiers who aren't loyal enough. It's better to hurry on the road. If we sisters have anything to say, we can talk on the road! "
Tian Xiufeng also smiled sweetly. Looking at the two of them being so intimate, it was hard to believe that the two of them were actually a pair of enemies who couldn't wait to kill each other.
Madam Qin looked back again. Ma Bangpin's troops were already rushing to the city gate. She could only stomp her feet angrily and retreat up the mountain with Tian Xiufeng and Ye Xiaotian.
At the foot of the mountain, Li Xiangrong was riding a skinny horse. His butt hurt from the jolting, but he still shook the reins and desperately chased after Ma Bangpin who had gone crazy from killing, "Ma Tushe, Ma Tushe, wait for me, don't chase, wait for me …"
Ma Bangpin swung his big knife and chopped down two soldiers. He reined in the reins and turned back. "Ah! Sir Li, you just stay at the back. You're a scholar, what are you doing here? It's so dangerous! "
Li Xiangrong jumped in front of him and said with a bitter smile, "Ma Tushe, don't kill! Quickly command the troops to occupy the whole city so that all the soldiers and horses don't rush into the city and start burning, killing, and looting. How are we going to explain to Chieftain Ma and the others in the future? "
Ma Bangpin glared at him and pointed his knife up the mountain. He said, "You see, as long as we put in more effort, we can catch up. How can we miss this opportunity!"
Li Xiangrong didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He said, "Catch up for what? Ma Tushe, you have to chase after them, but you must not catch up. Once you catch up and capture them, what will you do then? "
Ma Bangpin blinked his eyes and looked confused.
Li Xiangrong said, "Ma Qiancheng! Can he still be released? Could it be that Ma Tushe wants to be a chieftain? "
Ma Bangpin was shocked. He knew his own situation well. He used his seniority, seniority, and status to call on the Ma clansmen to rebel against Madam Qin. Everyone was willing to gather under his banner. But if he said he wanted to be a chieftain, he would immediately become the second Madam Qin and incur the wrath of all the chieftains and chieftains.
Ma Bangpin suddenly understood. He said, "I understand! I understand! Men, immediately enter the city and control the surroundings. Do not let the soldiers run amok. Anyone who disobeys will be killed! "
After Ma Bangpin finished speaking, he asked Li Xiangrong, "Sir Li, what should I do next?"
Li Xiangrong said, "Report to the Chongqing prefecture! Tell them that Madam Qin has escaped with her people and wants to seek refuge in Bozhou! "
Ma Bangpin suddenly understood. He said, "That makes sense! Yes, let's do that! "
Li Xiangrong stared at him speechlessly. Didn't I already tell you this logic in Plentiful City?
Tian Xiufeng and Madam Qin climbed to the top of the mountain. Before entering the bamboo forest, they turned back to take a look and saw Ma Bangpin's troops rushing towards the city in a mess. The troops that arrived later didn't know whether they should go up the mountain or enter the city. The entire southern city gate was in a mess like a wet market.
Tian Xiufeng smiled and said, "They all want to occupy Stone Pillar City. This is a good opportunity for us! However, they should be sending people to chase us soon. Let's seize this opportunity and leave as soon as possible! "
In the city of Chongqing, Wang Shiqi had just returned from trekking through the pine canals. His face was covered in dust and he ordered the servants to boil some hot water. Just as he soaked his body in the water, a scribe came to report that Shizhu prefecture had sent news that Madam Qin had defected and fled to Bozhou.
When Prefectural Magistrate Wang heard this, he jumped out of the bathtub naked. He grabbed a large bath towel and wrapped it around his body before rushing out of the bathroom. The scribe hurriedly presented Ma Bangpin's handwritten letter.
According to Ma Bangpin's intentions, he originally wanted Li Xiangrong to write this letter. However, after Li Xiangrong saw Ma Tushe's handwriting, he felt that Ma Bangpin's handwritten letter was more convincing.
Thus, Ma Bangpin used no less than sixteen sheets of paper and wrote no more than three hundred words. Some of the words were big and some were small, some were crooked and some were straight. There were even some places that were scribbled and smeared. As for the fake words and misspelled words, there was no need to mention them.
Prefectural Magistrate Wang spent a lot of effort to read Ma Bangpin's letter. As expected, he was very anxious. Li Xiangrong was also a scholar, so his judgment was correct. For a handwritten letter like Ma Bangpin's, Prefectural Magistrate Wang rarely doubted it.
Prefectural Magistrate Wang held the thick stack of messy and messy letters. Wrapped in a towel, he anxiously paced back and forth in the hall four or five times. He resolutely ordered, "Immediately bring Ma Qiancheng out of prison and appoint him as the Shizhu's Chieftain. Order him to return to Shizhu to preside over the general situation and redeem himself with meritorious service!"
The scribe reminded, "Daren, appointing a Chieftain is the responsibility of the imperial court. We … are overstepping our authority!"
Prefectural Magistrate Wang said in a deep voice, "Madam Qin is using the title of Chieftain. This will greatly affect Shizhu and even the whole of Sichuan. We must immediately bring out a Chieftain who is in line with the law to oppose her. Only then can we counteract her influence. This is an urgent matter, so we can't care too much.
Moreover, regarding the Chieftain of Shizhu, this prefecture has the right to propose and recommend him. Furthermore, as the imperial envoy, I am in charge of Bozhou's affairs. Up until now, I have not replied to the imperial edict. I still represent the Emperor. Go quickly! "
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