Yue Le and his army had not yet left Beijing, and the holy decree of Shunzhi had already reached Huguang. The state capital, which was still under the control of the Qing court, immediately began a large-scale migration. Whether you want it or not, now that the government has given an order, all of them have to move out.

Shunzhi and others planned to move all the young and strong people away, and it would be best if they could move all the people. After the order to relocate was delivered, several cities far away from the Restoration Army, such as Jingmen Prefecture, Chengtianfu, Zhongxiang, Qianjiang, etc.

These cities, which are far away from Jingzhou Mansion, can still organize a proper and orderly retreat. However, places like Dangyang, Jingzhou, and Gong'an were too close to the attack place of the Restoration Army. In addition, the Restoration Army looked menacing, and the officials and defenders everywhere were terrified.

I was always looking forward to the imperial court sending troops to rescue, and the official documents asking for help from all over the country were like snowflakes, flying into the yamen of Zhang Changgeng, the governor of Huguang. But where does Zhang Changgeng have troops to send now, he has to pretend not to be able to see the official documents asking for help from all over the country. was in a hurry to be chased, and replied directly: "The court is an official, it is the responsibility to defend the land, and stick to it." ”

But in this mere sentence, how can a large number of officials in Jingzhou and other places be saved? What's more, because of the coming of the Restoration Army, the number of displaced people in various places has increased greatly. So now when he heard that the imperial court was going to retreat, he immediately retreated to Wuchang in a swarm, and no one could organize it at all.

Together with the accompanying soldiers, most of them were local green battalions. Originally, military discipline was bad, but now the people everywhere are mixed, the army is chaotic, and there are many troops that have been put together temporarily. Some ruffians and hooligans even mixed in with the army, extorted all kinds of money, and defiled women.

Suddenly, the whole relocation became panicked, and along the way, the green battalion soldiers plundered the people, and those who resisted at the slightest were hacked to death. However, even if the obedient handed over his belongings, this wave had just left, and another wave had come. After these green battalion soldiers left, the ruffians everywhere came to commit murder.

The people who followed the relocation were miserable, and their cries shook the sky. Bodies piled up on the roadside, wailing all over the field. It attracted all kinds of wild beasts, like the end of the world.

Looking at the homeless people in front of him, the capital of Jingzhou was in Jiangling City, and Han Changgu, the prefect of Jingzhou, was restless in the hall of Jingzhou Mansion. Every time someone came in, Han Changgu was terrified. I'm afraid I heard someone say that the Restoration Army is coming.

Now in Jiangling City, there is only one green battalion guarding Mu Shenghui, and there are only 1,000 green battalion soldiers under his command. Just think about the green battalion soldiers, if you want to block the Restoration Army, don't even think about it.

At this moment, Han Changgu's master came in, and Han Changgu said, "Zhou Chang, how is it?" Is there any reply from the Governor's side? And did the Restoration Army attack it? Zhou Chang said: "My lord, the governor has replied, but this matter is a little difficult to do." ”

This Han Changgu is a Hui people, originally a Jinshi in the Ming Qi period, and later surrendered to the Manchu Qing Dynasty and was awarded the magistrate of Taigu County, Shanxi. Then he was promoted all the way and was appointed as the prefect of Jingzhou. Seeing that although the Manchu Qing Dynasty fought a great war, the fighters sent by the provinces were illiterate generals, and all the directors needed masters. If you leave the master, let alone the director, even the official documents that come and go will not be understood.

At first, Han Changgu couldn't get used to these people, but later he saw that everyone used the master. So after being reappointed as the prefect of Jingzhou, he also hired a local down-and-out scholar Zhou Chang as his master. This comes and goes, and I feel that it is easy to use, so I am used to it.

No, since the Restoration Army called, Zhou Chang has been looking around for news. Zhou Changcai went out just now and came back from inquiring about the news, so Han Changgu immediately inquired about the results. Zhou Chang was inquiring outside, and after knowing the result, he didn't want to say anything, and he looked like he was stumbling.

Han Changgu asked, "Tell me quickly, how did the Governor reply?" Zhou Chang saw Han Changgu asking, and had to say: "The Governor asked the officials from all over the country, with the local elites and soldiers, to withdraw to Wuchang. If the women are old and weak, and they can't be taken away, they will be directly discarded in various places and let the Restoration Army collect them. If the grain cannot be taken away, it will be burned on the spot. ”

Han Changgu was stunned, no wonder Zhou Chang was reluctant to say. Zhou Chang is a local, and when he leaves, Zhou Changke will abandon all his family business, and he may not even be able to take his wife and children away. But Han Changgu took care of this, and immediately said, "Since it is the order of the Governor, we should carry it out immediately." ”

Han Changgu turned around and said, "You go to Mu Shenghui, the garrison of the Green Battalion, now, and ask him to send the Green Battalion soldiers to gather the strong, and then we will set off and retreat to Wuchang." ”

Zhou Chang said: "My lord, if we withdraw like this, wouldn't the women, children and children who stayed in the local area be ruined by the thieves who rebelled against the Ming Dynasty." Your Excellency, you are also the parent official of Gangneung City, how can you bear to watch the people suffer? What's more, he only took away the strong and left the women and children, didn't this force everyone to break up their wives? ”

Han Changgu said: "I don't want to either, but now that the Governor has issued an order, we can't help but implement it." Zhou Chang said: "My lord, if the wives of the people who are really troublesome are separated, will the people still follow us?" What do we do will force the people to turn against us, and then the reputation of the adults will be completely stinky. ”

Han Changgu shouted: "Zhou Chang, I am an official of the imperial court, and the order of the imperial court has come down, do you want me to disobey the order?" You don't want to die, how many heads do you have enough to chop off. Zhou Chang hurriedly said: "My lord misunderstood, I mean it's too late for us to retreat like this now, the Restoration Army has been stationed in Zhijiang for five days." If we take the people out of the city at this time and are discovered by the Restoration Army, will we go? ”

Han Changgu hesitated when he heard this, and came over for a while and said, "Let me think about this, you go and call Mu Shenghui to me first." In the past few days, he has to strengthen the city defense, and if the Restoration Army is allowed to fight, we can't resist it. ”

Zhou Chang had no choice but to go out to find Mu Shenghui. After Zhou Chang left, Han Changgu said hatefully: "You don't want to leave, Lao Tzu will stay with you, you are reluctant to this broken place, what does Lao Tzu do, Lao Tzu will still be an official in another place." ”

When Mu Shenghui came, Han Changgu immediately said the governor's reply. Mu Shenghui was worried that the Restoration Army would come over, and his Thousand Green Battalion would not be able to stop the attack of the Restoration Army. In Mu Shenghui's heart, he had long wanted to run. Now that he heard that the governor had ordered a retreat, he was about to set off on the spot and go to Wuchang.

Han Changgu grabbed Mu Shenghui and said, "Let's go empty-handed like this, and we won't be beheaded by the Governor to show the public." Go and gather your army, then go out and force the strong. Only by gathering these strong and bringing these strong can we go to Wuchang. ”

Mu Shenghui suddenly hesitated: "My lord, if you forcibly assemble, will something happen?" took all the men away, which made the people's wives and wives separated. If you force the gathering, I'm afraid that something will happen. ”

Han Changgu said: "You are a pig's brain, they don't want to separate, so you just kill the women and children, otherwise you don't need to separate." Go quickly, when we have gathered the people, we will take the treasury of Jingzhou Mansion. There are 80,000 taels of silver in it, and there is a lot of food, which cannot be thrown to the Restoration Army. ”

When Mu Shenghui heard Han Changgu's words, he immediately lifted his spirits and said, "Don't worry, Lord Prefect, give me a day, and I promise to bring back two thousand strong people for my lord." ”

Han Changgu said: "Why is there only two thousand, can't you catch more?" Mu Shenghui said: "My lord, I don't understand, I only have a thousand soldiers, and I will help the prefect transport the treasury at that time." How can I have so many people in my hands to take care of it, 2,000 people are enough, and when we arrive in Wuchang, we will say that our side of the Ming Army has already attacked, we are in a hurry to take the treasury, and there are fewer people. ”

Han Changgu said: "What's good, you go and do something, bring the officials and the catcher, and let him arrest people too, preferably to three thousand." We can also let these elites help us transport grain, by the way, we can directly deceive, that is, we will send the grain from the treasury to the governor's palace and gather the people to transport grain. ”

Mu Shenghui said: "This method is good, I'll go find someone and let them go out and gather the people." After speaking, Mu Shenghui came out, and after taking the camp, he immediately let his subordinates. He went out with his soldiers, and gathered the people everywhere to carry food.

To say that the servile rule of the Qing court is very powerful, the people around Gangneung City heard that they want people to help transport grain. I thought it was a conscription, and suddenly a lot of strong people went out, and then began to line up in front of the green battalion soldiers.

It didn't take long for more than 100 green battalion soldiers to come here and gather more than 100 people. Immediately, a few soldiers returned to Gangneung City with Minzhuang. In this place, Gangneung City is not far away, called Libu Town, and there are more merchants coming and going, so the population is much larger than that of an ordinary town.

Now I see that these green battalion soldiers have recruited the people, but they are unwilling to leave. Seeing this, these people became a little nervous, and many of them began to secretly hide their family's money and food.

At this time, an old man walked over, who should be a local squire, and when he saw that the green battalion soldiers refused to leave, he thought he wanted to get some silver. Immediately, his family went to withdraw fifty taels of silver, which is not a small amount for ordinary families.

The squire was also very distressed and said to the general who led the troops: "General, you have worked hard to come out, the little old man has some scattered silver here, please let the generals let the military masters go to have some tea." ”

Seeing that the squire was sensible, he also accepted it with a smile. If it were peacetime, it is estimated that these green battalion soldiers would have left, but now when is this, the Restoration Army will come over. The imperial court also asked to take away all the population and food, and if all these people were killed, they would say that they wanted to surrender to the Ming Army and lead their own troops to suppress the bandits.

These heads are their own merits, the money of these people's families is the brothers, and the grain can be handed over as spoils of war. This is a four-pronged thing, and this is always willing to let go.

Seeing that the team with the people had gone away, he wanted his soldiers to make a look and said, "Let's start, don't leave a single man alive, the children and the old people are also killed, just leave some women." ”

The surrounding green battalion soldiers immediately understood and walked towards the crowd with a smile. There were also more than a dozen people to block the way out of the village head and the end of the village. In addition, the general pro-soldier said: "My lord, do you want to leave two girls for you, I just saw two girls in the village who are very smart." ”

The boss also laughed and said, "Okay, leave me two, I haven't enjoyed it for a long time, damn, it's been a really embarrassing day." ”

The pro-soldier said: "Don't worry, we will definitely keep the most clever ones for adults, and when the time comes, adults won't be hooked, and they won't be able to go back tonight." Then the others laughed, and then all the Green Battalion soldiers began to go to the village.

Seeing that the way out on both sides had been blocked, these green battalion soldiers spoke unscrupulously. The people in the village also heard the conversation at this time, and immediately realized that something was wrong. Many people wanted to escape, but the head and end of the village were guarded by green battalion soldiers, and they could escape anywhere.