When the team entered the city, its own lieutenant arranged to set up camp. Lu Wenyuan led Zhu Shiji to patrol around the city. Zhu Shiji marched from the south of the Yangtze River to this point, but he was still in good spirits, did not show any fatigue, followed Lu Wenyuan around the army, and then stood next to the big pit of molten iron, and asked suspiciously: "What are they doing here?

Lu Wenyuan said: "Back to the prince's words, he is casting a pot." ”

Zhu Shiji looked puzzled, but it became clear in an instant: "It's a pot used to help the victims, right?"

Lu Wenyuan said with a smile: "The prince is wise. To deal with the victims of the uprising, in the 'relief' not in the 'town', the minister's pot is precisely to be used to help the victims. ”

Zhu Shiji said with a smile: "I really want to go to the same place with this king." However, the group of displaced people should arrive soon, and these soldiers who cast pots are so tired that if there is an emergency, it will be difficult to deal with it. ”

Lu Wenyuan sighed: "There is no way. I only hope that those victims can accept the relief, return to the imperial court, and not make a big move. ”

Zhu Shiji said: "This is all inaccurate, and you need to be fully prepared." As he spoke, he instructed the lieutenant general who followed behind him: "Gather the king's soldiers, exchange them with these people, let them also go and rest, and save up their spirits before they can deal with the homeless." ”

The lieutenant general took the order and left. When the soldiers around them heard the words of the prince, they cheered one after another, and Lu Wenyuan and Zhu Shiji were infected, and they couldn't help but look at each other and laugh.

After a while, Zhu Shiji's lieutenant general assembled the soldiers and came to replace the soldiers who cast the pot. The soldiers who cast the pot worked hard for a day and a night, and when they were amnesty, they returned to the tent and fell asleep, and went to nourish their spirits without mentioning it.

The next morning, all the iron objects had been melted into pots, and there were as many as 100 mouthfuls. Lu Wenyuan ordered to fill it with rice and pour water, and boil thick porridge. Two more cavalrymen were sent to investigate the enemy. Zhu Shiji also got up early in the morning to inspect the soldiers in the open space in the city, and the soldiers on both sides were lined up in two formations, listening to his lectures before the battle.

Half an hour later, two horsemen returned, reporting that the rebels were ten miles away and should have reached the city at noon. Lu Wenyuan immediately became nervous, and ordered the city to step up the boiling of porridge and steamed buns, and arrange the formation in front of the formation.

Zhu Shiji stood side by side with him on the high platform in front of the formation, and several lieutenant generals behind him wore armor and held swords, lined up, as if the tense atmosphere of facing a great enemy spread in the army.

Lu Wenyuan said in a deep voice: "Ladies and gentlemen, the rebel team of the displaced people will arrive at noon today, less than an hour away. Whether or not we can quell the rebellion and save the court from dire straits depends on today's move. I hope you can all work together and stay the course. ”

The soldiers of the two armies agreed in unison. Lu Wenyuan said again: "But you are not going to fight today. These rebellious refugees are actually just ordinary people, your brothers and sisters, your fathers and villagers, not enemies. They were forced to leave their homes by natural disasters, and they had no way to survive. Therefore I will not allow you to take them lightly and slaughter them at will, unless they push them too much. Today your main weapon is a shield, not a sword, and what you have to do is to defend, not to attack. Even if the homeless people beat you to the point of breaking your head and bleeding with branches and stones, even if the homeless people look at you angrily and speak ill of you, I hope you will not be impulsive, because they are unarmed, and if you use your sword against them, you will slaughter. I still say the same thing before, I just ask you to treat them as your wives and children, parents and brothers, treat them well, and comfort them. The prince and I will watch you from the castle tower, and we will work together to put down this rebellion. ”

The soldiers of the two armies agreed with a loud "yes", which had been aroused by Lu Wenyuan's words. The people in the city who were listening could not help but have hot eyes, and some even spontaneously cried out. Zhu Shiji turned his head and looked at him with a smile, with deep approval in his eyes.

"Listen to my orders below, General Shi is responsible for leading people to escort rice porridge and steamed buns out of the city, and the prince's army is guarding the city, just in case. ”

Half an hour later, the procession out of the city was arranged, and 100 carts carrying large pots full of thick porridge and a basket of steamed buns, guarded by 5,000 elite soldiers, gradually drove out of the city. The outermost soldiers in the ranks are armed with shields, and the inner soldiers wear □□ just in case.

Lu Wenyuan and Zhu Shiji were already waiting for the enemy at the head of the city, and the city wall was full of Zhu Shiji's soldiers, holding shields, and surrounded the city wall impenetrable, so as to prevent the flying stones and arrows of the displaced people from hitting the adults.

The two cavalrymen who had gone to reconnoiter galloped back and forth between the ranks of the displaced people and the city, reporting the movements of the displaced people at all times, and as the mileage they reported became less and less, the hearts of everyone in the city could not help but raise their throats.

Finally, the procession of the outcasts appeared on the distant horizon, and the black pressure was overwhelming, like the tide of the sea bursting the embankment, and advanced towards the city. Lu Wenyuan and Zhu Shiji watched for a while, and they could gradually see the homeless people in the front row, they were really unarmed, ragged, skinny, and obviously hungry for an unknown amount of time.

The displaced people are getting closer and closer, the fastest has arrived under the city wall, and the distant ones are still pouring in, it is really all over the mountains, densely packed like ants, not to mention tens of thousands of people. The homeless people under the walls gradually gathered and began to shout to the city: "Open the door, open the door." ”

After waiting for a while, the ranks of the displaced people had come to an end, the people under the city wall were gathering more and more, and the momentum of "opening the door" was getting louder and louder, Lu Wenyuan and Zhu Shiji glanced at each other, thinking that the time had come, so they ordered the surrounding soldiers to retreat.

The people in the city saw that the soldiers on the city flashed to the sides, and two officials in brocade robes were revealed in the gap, each with extraordinary bearing, and they knew that it was about the people of the court to come out to speak, and gradually quieted down.

Lu Wenyuan opened his mouth and said: "Listen to the people in the city, I am Lu Wenyuan, the secretary of the Ministry of Officials, and this is King Kangping." We are here to recruit you today on the orders of the imperial court, as long as you lay down your arms and submit to the imperial court, we will not do any harm!"

The people in the city shouted, "Why should we believe you!" One of them shouted: "Dog official, don't say it nicely, you were sent by the imperial court to suppress us." As soon as we surrender, we will send the elite soldiers in the city to slaughter us, we must not fall for this dog official, we must resist to the end!" he said, raising his hand to signal the displaced people around him.

The homeless people were so excited that they all raised the branches and stones in their hands for a while, and shouted in unison: "Resist to the end, resist to the end, resist to the end!" Some impulsively, they have already begun to throw stones at the top of the city.

Lu Wenyuan did not dodge or dodge, and continued: "Everyone, don't be impatient, and listen to me a few words. Everyone, please look at the soldiers around me, they are armed with shields instead of bows and arrows, it can be seen that our trip is to surrender, not to suppress, we don't want to hurt you, and have prepared rice porridge and steamed buns, you have worked very hard all the way, and suffered from natural disasters, I think I haven't eaten a full meal for a long time, as long as you are obedient, I will open the city gates, let you enter the city to have a full meal. ”

These words really had a great effect on the displaced people, and many people swallowed their saliva involuntarily, and the momentum of shouting slogans gradually decreased. Lu Wenyuan just secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but listened to the people in the city: "Let your mother's fart, don't be confused by this dog official." He said that the soldiers in the city were holding shields, but I saw a flash of swords between the shields, and I must have hidden □□ in the back row, and if we were not prepared, they would slaughter us all. We must not have illusions about the imperial court, how many people died of starvation in the great drought in Shanxi, and has the imperial court ever controlled us? Only by relying on ourselves to overthrow the faint monarch and let the Ming monarch take power, can we have a trace of survival!"

This remark was extremely harsh, which mentioned the drought and starvation of people, which aroused the grief and indignation of the displaced people in the city, and for a while, the crowd became even more indignant, and the displaced people began to curse the court with their mouths, and the momentum was like a wave, for example, there were even more than that, and the scene was about to get out of control.

Lu Wenyuan glanced at the person who had just spoken in a hurry, and felt that something was wrong. But he didn't have time to think about it, so he hurriedly spoke: "Don't listen to it, there are no bows/crossbowmen behind the soldiers in the city, I will let the soldiers retreat, you will know at a glance." As he spoke, he ordered the soldiers at the head of the city: "Stand out!"

The soldiers at the head of the city retreated one after another, and the empty behind them was empty, and the homeless people just looked up, but they heard someone shouting: "Don't be stunned, fight these dog officers!"