The sun is shining

The weather was as hot as a fire, scorching the earth.

The hot breath made the vibrant trees wilt unbearably, the insects were silent, and only the birds hiding in the shade chirped, and I don't know if they were complaining that the ghost was too hot.

Huaibei, Xiangcheng

Inside the prefectural hall

Feng Minghe, the county official, was pacing back and forth, looking uneasy.

The laws of the Qing Dynasty clearly stated: Those who lose their cities and lands should be beheaded.

Now that the army of thieves is coming, with the height of the city wall, it is difficult to block a small group of bandits and robbers, not to mention those fierce and vicious thieves?

Even if the imperial court will take into account the great power of the anti-thief, it will be light on itself, but no matter how light it is, it will definitely not be able to run away if the official is dismissed.

Thinking of him Feng Minghe, he studied hard in the cold window, more than 20 years, and survived several years before he got this real shortage. I didn't think about it, I didn't have time to sit on the seat on my ass and sit hot, so I got involved in such a thing, how can I not be upset?

If these thieves can make it, I'm afraid... It's the second Wu Sangui again...! Feng Minghe couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

Although the transportation is inconvenient and the information dissemination is slow in this era, as long as you have the heart to understand, you will get relevant information.

Although the thieves continued to kill and came with great momentum, it was only for the enemies of the Manchu court, and it could be said that there was no harm to the literati and the common people. If these thieves can withstand the Manchu soldiers, then maybe they can succeed.

And, most importantly, it is the teacher of the Han family.

As far as the reputation of the anti-thief is concerned, the thief's first Zhang Rui does have a successful appearance. Putting aside the common sense of reason, Feng Minghe is actually more willing to fight against thieves and create a new Han dynasty.

After all, only when you have been an official can you personally experience and understand what a joke it is for the Manchu and Han families to be close.

"Master, master, the king guard has arrived..."Outside the hall, the voice of the attendant came.

Hearing this, Feng Minghe, who was still in the fugue, hurriedly came back to his senses and hurriedly ordered: "Hurry, hurry up, please..."

"Oh, no, you lead the way, and I'll go out to meet the king." After instructing the little servant, Feng Minghe casually tidied up his appearance, and then prepared to leave and walk out.

However, before Feng Minghe had time to walk out of the hall, he saw Wang Zhizheng, a Xiangcheng garrison dressed in military uniform, who had walked over briskly at this time.

When they met, after the two exchanged greetings, they saw Wang Zhizheng ask: "Lord Feng, just now our army probed the horse and reported urgently, saying that the army of thieves is approaching, and it is less than two days' journey from my Xiangcheng at most. A few days ago, I sent a message to Xuzhou asking for help, but until now I have not received any news of reinforcements, so I don't know what the imperial court is planning?

"Don't worry, Lord Wang, in fact, I have just received news from the imperial court, and I was about to send someone over to tell you, but I didn't expect you to come over." Feng Minghe comforted:

"Zhennan General Fu has sent a warrant, and the imperial court is already stepping up the mobilization of troops and horses at this moment, and is already coming over to support Xiangcheng with all its strength at this time. However, as you know, the movement of a large army is not something that can be done in an instant. ”

"And the news that I just received from the forward troops of the imperial court reinforcements, they said that they arrived in Xiangcheng at the earliest, and it will not be until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest." Feng Minghe said with his hands down

Feng Minghe's words made Wang Zhizheng frown, and after quickly retreating from the people beside him, he said with a worried face: "According to what Lord Feng said, the steps of the anti-thieves and the reinforcements are similar, if the soldiers and horses of the imperial court can arrive first, then we can naturally feel much more at ease." Now the most feared thing is that the thief army will arrive first, even if they are only an hour away, with our strength, it will be difficult to resist their attack. ”

"I can understand Wang's concerns. In fact, if you don't say it, I also understand that with our city wall, it is difficult to stop a small thief, and I don't dare to think about it if I want to block the army of anti-thieves. Feng Minghe looked at Wang Zhizheng and replied helplessly.

Hearing Feng Minghe's words, Wang Zhizheng couldn't help but glance at Feng Minghe.

Although this Feng Minghe is also a person who has passed the eight-strand liberal arts examination, he is much better than those sour Confucians who can only point at others at every turn and are useless, but they have no ability to decide problems.

"That's true, now we can only pray that the soldiers and horses of the imperial court will arrive soon. As long as reinforcements appear, even if the thieves arrive first, they will not dare to attack rashly, then we will be safe. Wang Zhizheng said.

"That's what it is." Feng Minghe nodded in agreement, and then asked Wang Zhizheng: "I don't know how Lord Wang is preparing for the city defense?" ”

"I have now gathered all the soldiers under the battalion and the flood soldiers around Xiangcheng back to the city, and at present, counting the city defense soldiers, the green battalion soldiers of our defenders have reached more than 1,000 people, plus the militia recruited from all over the country and Lord Feng from all over the country. The entire city defense is full, and there are 1,600 people nearby. Wang Zhizheng probably reported.

"1,600 people, if according to Sun Tzu's Art of War, if it is counted as ten times the siege, then the thieves have to come at least 16,000 before they dare to attack Xiangcheng. With such a large army, the march must not be fast, even if the thieves arrive in Xiangcheng first, then they estimate that the time will not be too early, and the reinforcements of the imperial court should also arrive at that time. Wang Zhizheng's data made Feng Minghe breathe a sigh of relief.

"Lord Feng, there are so many of our people, but fighting a war is not calculated like this." Wang Zhi, who wanted to praise Feng Minghe just now, is not a dead book, and said with a sigh.

"You have to understand that the militia is for the most part no different from the common people. That is, there is no combat effectiveness. Among our more than 1,000 green battalion soldiers, only 500 soldiers under my battalion can be called soldiers, and among my 500 soldiers, only 300 are really strong. As for those flood soldiers and city defense soldiers, they are just a little more powerful than the civilians, and they are not enough compared to those thieves who have fought in many places. ”

"So, we're still dangerous?" Feng Minghe's face that had just relaxed suddenly resurfaced nervousness.

"Yes, if no reinforcements arrive, our Xiangcheng can be attacked by anti-thieves at any time." Although he was unwilling, Wang Zhizheng still had to nod and admit.

"Then how many anti-thieves can our current city defense army block, and how long will it take?" Feng Minghe asked.

"A conservative estimate is 3,000 anti-thieves for a day or half a day." Wang Zhizheng replied.

"Of course, if Lord Feng can find more people to come over to assist in the defense of the city, or this data will be more reliable."