Tens of thousands of troops, marching against the wind and snow, and carrying a large number of heavy artillery, even if Fan Xiaozeng was anxious and kept urging his men and horses to speed up the march, he could only sigh at the snow. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

When his Chinese army brigade entered the territory of Dengzhou Mansion, it was already the third day that Zhang Xiaohu had captured Dengzhou City.

The soldiers and horses were handed over to the deputy general to lead, and slowly marched in the direction of Dengzhou. Fan Xiaozeng himself led hundreds of light horsemen, and under the guidance of Xu Tai'an, he quickly rode to Dengzhou.

As soon as he saw the city wall of Dengzhou, Xu Taian couldn't help crying. When I left, the family was thriving and in full swing. However, in ten days, he was in trouble, and his family was ruined.

"General Xu, Uncle Ling sacrificed his life for the country, and we are also very saddened by the rape and plot. At the moment, we are still in the advanced city, so we might as well discuss the aftermath of Uncle Ling and Dengzhou with Admiral Zhang. ”

The kind words comforted Xu Tai'an for a moment, and finally made him stop his grief.

"Tai'an listens to General Fan." Xu Tai'an wiped his tears, took the lead, and led everyone to Dengzhou City.

Before he arrived at the urn city, he heard the voices of people in the city.

The city of Urn became a temporary prison. At least tens of thousands of people are being held here.

Sandbags were built on the horse road, and two gun forts were located at the intersection of the horse road and the city wall. The muzzles of the four six-pounder cannons were pointed at the crowd inside the urn city. At the head of the city, the officers and soldiers of the naval division with firearms on their backs, wearing thick woolen tweeds, still kept stomping their feet to resist the bitter cold.

There was the sentinel who was so angry by the cold wind that he was annoyed by the crying from the city, so he pointed at the city and shouted: "Damn fart! Give Lao Tzu a little howl! It's going to be uncomfortable! When you killed Lao Tzu and robbed Lao Tzu's things, that majesty and that pride were taken away? Why didn't you think of today at that time!? ”

"Master Fan doesn't know. These people are all traitors who rebelled against the water in Dengzhou, as well as their families. Our siege was so fast that they didn't have time to escape. We've been blocked in the city! The officers of the left flank fleet who came to pick up Fan Xiaozeng into the city, with a bit of a taste of showing off their military exploits, pointed to the heads of people in the urn city that were constantly surging. The city is so small that tens of thousands of people are crammed into it at once, and there is no place to sit and lie at all, so they can only stand one after another. From time to time, people fall backwards and backwards and left and right because they are too tired, and the crowd is like waves on the sea, constantly rising and falling.

"It's freezing this day, let these people be like this, it's a little, right?" Fan Xiaozeng is a person who has read books for a few days, and he can't help but feel a little slanderous about Zhang Xiaohu's treatment of these traitors and their families.

"My lord, you only know one and don't know the other." The officer of the Sailor put away the smile on his face and took off the fur hat on his head, revealing his shaved head. "These thieves look pitiful at the moment, they weren't like that when we first entered the city! If you know what they are doing in Dengzhou and how they treat our people in the Nanyue Army, you should think that we are too merciful to them! The compassionate one is simply an old lady who eats fasting and recites Buddha! ”

After saying this, the officer of the sailor shook the reins and urged the war horse under his crotch. The group went to the Dengzhou Mansion. Here, it has been re-turned into the seat of the supreme command organ of the Nanyue Army in Dengzhou.

"Xiao Fan, you played well!"

As soon as they met, Zhang Xiaohu praised him straight to the point. As the old man of the Nanyue Army, the commander of the left flank fleet of the Navy Division, and the enlightenment teacher of the eldest lady Li Huamei, what he said naturally carried a lot of weight. Moreover, everything Fan Xiaozeng did was there. In the case of Li Huayu's unfortunate death, he was able to ensure that the main force would not suffer major losses, and fought a beautiful counterattack, so that the Qing army did not dare to pursue at the end of the tail, and bought time and space for the troops to shrink. If it weren't for the opposition of the gentry in Shandong, the war between the Qing army and the Nanyue army, it would not be known who would have killed the deer.

Fan Xiaozeng ignored Zhang Xiaohu's praise, but suddenly knelt down, and then said to Zhang Xiaohu with a serious face: "The sinner Fan Xiaozeng pleaded guilty to Admiral Zhang, the sinner is incompetent, he can't assist Li Huayu's son to defeat Dongyu, he can't keep the Shandong side safe, the three armies fled for thousands of miles, Jinan was lost, and Denglai was caught in the sea of fire. ”

Zhang Xiaohu hurriedly helped Fan Xiaozeng up, then patted him on the shoulder and said, "Junior, if you follow what you said, I'm afraid that there are few people in this world who shouldn't die." Even if it is the lord, there is no time when he is played by Abatai. The eldest lady is known as a tiger on the sea, and she has lost her teacher and lost her land when she arrives in Tashan. In the final analysis, defeat is not a problem, the problem is to find out why you are defeated, and to make a comeback, that is the hero. Of course, in the future, if you learn from those unproductive things in the imperial court, you will return with a big defeat every time, lose your teacher and lose your land, and you will find boring literati every day to brag about your victory, then I will definitely not spare you. ”

After listening to Zhang Xiaohu's words, Fan Xiaozeng nodded and said: "The lesson of the predecessors is that I don't plan to pass the responsibility for this defeat to others, and when I have the opportunity, I still have to ask the lord for the crime, and the specific punishment will be determined by the national prince." Zhang Xiaohu didn't say anything else, just smiled and said: "Staff Officer Fan, it doesn't matter if you are responsible or not, the top priority is to decide to defend the battle." It's okay for me to seek one city and one place, but let me control the overall situation, I'm not sure, so I want to hear your opinion, how is the future defense? ”

Speaking of the battle defense, Fan Xiaozeng's confidence returned to his face, and he said: "Admiral Zhang, I have studied the matter of the war defense with my colleagues in the staff office, and our unanimous opinion is to withdraw." Temporarily abandon Dengzhou, and evacuate all the remaining supplies and people to the south. ”

Zhang Xiaohu's eyebrows furrowed when he heard this, and he said with a sigh: "Staff Officer Fan, but I don't know why you want to withdraw?" Although there is a rebellion in Dengzhou, the main force of your army is still there, and my naval division and land battalion are ready to fight at any time, even if you can't defeat the Qing army, it is not a problem to hold Dengzhou. ”

Fan Xiaozeng smiled bitterly and said: "Senior, not to mention my main army, even if there is only your naval division and land battalion, you can hold Dengzhou, but can you ensure the safety of millions of people near Denglai while holding Dengzhou?" ”

Zhang Xiaohu was silent, it was not that he hadn't thought about it, but as a soldier, he couldn't emotionally accept the choice of giving up his land. Seeing that Zhang Xiaohu didn't speak, Fan Xiaozeng coughed a few times and continued: "Dengzhou is lonely in Ludong, it is not easy to defend, it is winter now, and the supply is relatively inconvenient, and since the loss of Jinan, refugees have flocked to it, and the population has increased sharply. If... Fan Xiaozeng paused for a moment and said: "If Brigade Commander Xu is still here and Dengzhou is not in chaos, we will rely on reserve materials to support the arrival of the lord's army." And now, senior, do you know what I've seen along the way? ”

The more Fan Xiaozeng spoke, the more excited he became, and finally he couldn't help but roar angrily: "I can't understand why those rebels are so unaccustomed to the poor people living a good life, aren't their lives good?" After Huayu Gongzi came to Shandong, they had more silver dollar hedonic products than in the past, and the number was far more than that of the tenants. Once they could not satisfy them, they threw aside the Book of Confucius and Mencius and led the beasts to eat people. No, they themselves are beasts! ”

Zhang Xiaohu sighed and said, "Let's say, in fact, what you see must also be what I see." Fan Xiaozeng tried his best to control his emotions, he didn't want to lose his temper in front of Zhang Xiaohu, but his anger was still difficult to hide: "Our army took in refugees all the way along the way, and those who left earlier still carried vehicles, livestock, cotton clothes and other things, and later, all the people gave up all the supplies and even food and silver dollars. When asked why, the answer was that they were lucky, and when they heard that the rebels were killing and looting everywhere, they left all their possessions and ran as quickly as possible. And those who did not run away did everything from burning, killing, robbing, arresting, and grabbing grain. In just one county, more than 2,000 head of livestock were snatched, and many of these animals were just distributed and sold to the common people. Some of the people were reluctant, and the rebels killed people on the spot, and their bodies were not collected until we arrived. In some villages and towns that were prosperous in the past, we can only see the smoke and dust that has not been extinguished in the distance. When you look closely, the tragic situation is terrifying. Cutting knives and burying alive are common methods, some of which cut off the ears and tongue first, and then bury them alive; Some women were stripped of their hair and died; Some women were stripped naked, tied to trees**, and thrust with red-hot iron bars**, and killed alive; Some were stripped naked and tied to a tree and watered with boiling water, blistered all over the body, and then swept with a bamboo broom, called "sweeping Nanban Mao"; Some use scissors to cut the flesh and skin, called "cutting hedgehogs"; Some of the whole body was cut open by a knife and thrown into a fiery pot, which is called "tenant slave turning over".

Zhang Xiaohu was not moved in the slightest in the face of such a sensational narration, he also smiled slightly and said: "Junior, you calm down, what is the matter you encountered?" When I was conquering Dengzhou that day, a man suddenly crawled in front of our army, and without the lower half, he frightened my naval division and land battalion back a few steps. Later, when I looked at it, it turned out to be a cadre from Nanzhong. He told me that the cadres in the south and north did not disgrace the Guogong, and they all shouted that the Guogong would avenge us and be righteous. He himself asserted that the day of my Zhang Xiaohu's arrival was the time when they died. Therefore, the official gentry in the city beheaded him, saying that they wanted him to watch how Zhang Xiaohu fled in embarrassment. He, he just waited for a day, and finally waited for me to conquer Dengzhou. Then he begged me to give him a good time, and I, who could have slain the wolf with my bare hands, but I couldn't get it done when I sent him on the road, and I made him suffer more. Junior, do you think I'm more damned? As he spoke, tears rolled out of Zhang Xiaohu's eyes.

The two looked at each other and wept. Zhang Xiaohu grabbed Fan Xiaozeng, "You come with me." ”

In the backyard of the government, it became a white world. But it is not a glass world after snowfall, but a world formed by white cloth. As far as the eye can see, the bunks made of stools and door panels are full of human figures covered with white cloth. The sailors and the surgeons who had been temporarily recruited in the city were busy here.

Originally, Fan Xiaozeng thought that this was the location of the water division's health camp, but he quickly dispelled this understanding. If it is a health camp rescue number, there will be a loud wail and moan, but here it is quiet. The atmosphere is even more different, the Langzhong military doctors in the health camp are all busy digging arrows and cannons, dressing and bandaging, all kinds of noisy and noisy, but here it is quiet and abnormal, giving people a feeling of extreme depression.

"Wow!"

A servant of the government rushed to the corner of the wall, holding an empty jar that was placed there, and vomited it until he vomited out yesterday's dinner and green bile, and then returned to his place where he worked.

How could he vomit like this? These people have always dealt with dead bodies, what kind of scene has not been seen, how can they react so strongly? Fan Xiaozeng was a little curious.

"Xiaozeng, it's not strange, look there." Zhang Xiaohu pointed to the corner with a gloomy expression. There, lined up, dozens of vats lined up. From time to time, people who looked like apprentices quickly ran to the front of the tank, took out some things from it, and then ran back to the bunk with a strange and painful expression and handed it to the military doctors.

Those things that are either dark red or bruised, Fan Xiaozeng has also seen countless things, but not on such occasions, but on the battlefield! Those who were hit by artillery fire, the internal organs that flowed out of their bodies!

"This group of dog thieves has caught our people, or they are bent on our people. It is often disemboweled. While disemboweling, he shouted; "It's not a new deal to follow the Southern Barbarians!" New! New! Lao Tzu plucked your heart first! ’”

"When Lao Tzu entered Dengzhou City, in this mansion, in several rebel nests, dozens of large vats of hearts and livers were seized. When the brothers cleaned up the battlefield inside and outside the city and restored order, they successively collected thousands of corpses. It's all for these dog thieves! All of them are incomplete bones! I then ordered someone to take all the surgeons and servants in Dengzhou, together with our military doctors, to come here to get the corpses of our brothers. lest they be buried with incomplete bones, and they shall not be born after death. ”

Zhang Xiaohu has been crisscrossing the sea and land for decades, and he has seen countless battlefields in his life, and countless subordinates and enemies have died in front of him. However, he asked himself, apart from fighting in the smoke of gunfire and gunfire on the battlefield, for those who did not have weapons in his hands, he mostly only killed the guilty and killed those who should be killed, but he never tortured and killed people. Since arriving in Dengzhou, this three-headed tiger from hell has opened its eyes. All kinds of torture and killing methods emerge one after another.

Sails, masts, fishing nets, grinding discs, and fishing hooks have become excellent tools for killing. These perpetrators do not use these tools for the purpose of killing, but for the purpose of increasing the suffering of the victims, increasing the deterrence and violent intimidation brought to others.

"So, my lord, gather those thieves in the urn city and prepare... Fan Xiaozeng's heart jumped suddenly, and he instinctively felt that the Zhang Xiaohu in front of him was about to kill again. "My lord, tens of thousands! Are these thieves two-legged beasts, and we are just like beasts? ”

Zhang Xiaohu listened to Fan Xiaozeng's words with a strong scholarly taste, and looked at him a few times with a foolish look, "Shouldn't they be killed for their crimes?" ”

"What they do naturally has a way to death. It's just that the last general thinks that our army should treat the people with leniency when it comes to the way of kings. It's better to kill less! ”

"Humph! Young! Understand what! These people are no different from beasts! Fear of power but not virtue! You are kind to him, and he thinks you are weak and deceitful! If you let go and kill a group, they will kneel down and sing praises to you! ”

"I'm not going to be like them, who are prone to slaughter. It's completely in accordance with the law of the Ming Dynasty! As for the days of detention in the urn city these days, if you can't resist it, death has nothing to do with us! Anyway, in the prisons of the Ming Dynasty, there are many people who have not been interrogated! ”

Zhang Xiaohu's words made Fan Xiaozeng can't help but tighten his grip. But I still felt a chill in my back. This kind of snowy weather, thick Qiu Red Furnace still feels cold, so that these people who are used to being pampered on weekdays are locked up in the unsheltered urn city, without food and clothing, and after a few days, it is strange that they do not die halfway!

"Don't worry! As long as they can survive this time, if they don't have any lives in their hands, they will naturally spare their lives. Zhang Xiaohu grinned, but in Fan Xiaozeng's opinion, this smile was not much different from when the tiger was about to hunt.

"Bang Bang, Bang Bang!"

The sound of gongs echoed in the streets of Dengzhou Mansion full of ashes and bloodstains, and the remaining cadres of Nanzhong and Zhang Xiaohu's subordinates shouted hoarsely and hoarsely with a crying voice: "Fellow villagers, the men and horses of the Duke of Guogong have returned, Admiral Zhang Xiaohu has arrested the rebellious gentry and rebels in Wengcheng, and no one dares to kill people indiscriminately." At noon today, Admiral Zhang Xiaohu and General Fan Xiaozeng will try the rebellious gentry together, and punish them in accordance with the laws of the Ming Dynasty. “

However, despite the fact that the door was already dilapidated, none of the doors were pushed open, which could not help but make the people who shouted propaganda feel very embarrassed and helpless. After all, Dengzhou has just encountered a catastrophe, and it is normal for the people to be afraid, and it takes great courage to open the door to participate in the trial at this time.

"You're useless! The people of Dengzhou have been ravaged by the traitors, and they are afraid! They are worried that as soon as we walk on the front foot, the back rebels and Liaodong rebels will come back together. It's the people who are unlucky! ”

Zhang Xiaohu can be regarded as an old fox who is familiar with people's feelings and sophistication. It didn't take long to find the crux of the problem.

"Listen, the people of Dengzhou! Before noon, one or more people from each household must go outside the government gate to hear the trial. Those who dare not go are regarded as the same party as the thieves! ”

The shouts of the lieutenants resounded in the streets, and with this sound, one door after another opened cracks. Those who don't go are guilty of the same crime as the thieves, who dares not to go?