PS: Asking for a monthly pass!

In May of the eleventh year of Chongzhen, it was the Duanyang Festival, the bustling flow of people on the Shihua Street outside the valley city, most of the residents came out to buy some application things for the festival, such as calamus and mugwort leaves and male yellow colorful threads.

A group of soldiers on horseback trotted through the bluestone-paved streets, and the sound of Luang bells echoed far away in the bustling street market.

In front of a tea shop, the leader of the riders jumped off his horse. Pushing aside the hungry people crowded at the door, he strode inside.

"The big marshal, the big young marshal is back!"

Several soldiers standing in front of the door of the tea shop told the man who was sitting under the thatched hut and drinking tea with a large coarse porcelain bowl.

The big man wore a red tasseled felt hat and a cloak, and he was very tall, slightly thin, with a yellow face, and the bow man paid attention to his long beard, which hung down from the side of his mouth, and was afraid that it was two feet long. A pair of big eyes like copper bells, from time to time flashed with a cunning and clever light, facing the crowds of hungry people on the street in the distance, from time to time from the table next to him grabbed a handful of Tongbao and scattered it into the crowd.

"Old and young masters, our Lao Zhang is also from a poor background, and I know that this starvation is not pleasant! Everyone took the money to buy something to cushion their stomachs, and when our Lao Zhang had food, he would open porridge sheds everywhere! His expression was full of compassion.

This person is Zhang Xianzhong, the commander of the eight kings of Xiying!

"Eight kings! Eight kings! ”

They picked up the hungry people on the ground, and kept kowtowing to Zhang Xianzhong to thank them. A woman touched the thick and heavy copper coin in her hand, and her yellow, cloudy eyes were full of tears.

"It's still the benevolence of the Eight Great Kings. How thick and colorful this copper coin is! It's much better than the official family sending the poor to run the horse Chongzhen! ”

"Old and young masters, uncles and aunts and sisters, our Lao Zhang came out today, and he didn't have much money with him, if you want to eat, go to our Lao Zhang's camp outside the city."

Quietly, Zhang Xianzhong used more than a dozen copper coins to make a big advertisement for himself among the hungry people in the Gucheng area. It also laid the foundation for the next step in the selection of the hungry people.

"Xiao Wang, you're back?! How's that old bear going?"

The old bear in the mouth of the loyalty. is Xiong Wencan, who is now the prime minister of the thief.

"Damn! This old dog. Eat black food more ruthlessly than anyone else! It's a grind to get things done! ”

For the sake of official positions, defense areas, food and salaries, etc., Xianzhong asked his adopted son Zhang Kewang, who was later Sun Kewang, to carry heavy gifts to Xiangyang to bribe Xiong Wencan. At the same time, he sent his right-hand man Bai Wenxuan to the capital to dig up Xue Guoguan's disciples.

But. A lot of money and jewelry were stuffed into the pockets of Xiong Wencan and others. What Zhang Xianzhong wanted was not implemented.

"Father! This time, the two one-foot-long jasper and six emeralds we gave to the old dog bear were all fucking lost! ”

While scolding, Zhang Kewang received an official letter from his own soldiers.

"We want food for 100,000 people. Didn't give a big son! It's just that I gave my father the rank of deputy chief soldier, and as for the defense area, armor, and weapons, there is no at all! Instead, let's select 4,000 elite horsemen to hand over to the officers and soldiers! ”

"Damn! He scraped more than 100,000 silver pieces of jewelry and money from Lao Tzu's hands before and after, but there was no dry goods at all! What's the use of a piece of torn paper on the top of the head! ”

Zhang Xianzhong waved his leather whip and knocked the document to the ground, his eyes full of fire.

"If you don't give Lao Tzu an official position, you don't have any food and salary, but you have to transfer Lao Tzu's soldiers and horses!"

"Father! Please pause the wrath of thunder! Now is not the time to lose your temper! ”

Zhang Dingguo, who had never spoken next to him, spoke to comfort Zhang Xianzhong.

Zhang Dingguo is in his twenties, with a long body and a good posture, and under the well-cut Shu brocade robe, a set of wiped Nanzhong armor is even more set off, and his whole body is full of heroic and high-spirited spirit.

Zhang Dingguo was adopted as an adopted son by Zhang Xianzhong at the age of ten, followed him to fight in the north and south, was brave, liked to read the art of war, quite strategic, and was called "Xiao Chai King" in the army, and because he looked handsome and fair-skinned, like a jade doll, every time he fought with white horses and silver armor, he had a nickname of "Zhang Yuer". He and Zhang Kewang, Zhang Wenxiu, Zhang Nengqi, who are also Zhang Xianzhong's adopted sons, are known as the "Four Generals". Among these four adopted sons, because Zhang Kewang was the first to be adopted by Zhang Xianzhong, he has a transcendent status.

"What? They took Lao Tzu's money, but they didn't do anything with Lao Tzu, and they couldn't let Lao Tzu scold them? As the commander of the First Army, Xianzhong's grasp of his emotions is far greater than that of Zhang Kewang.

"Father, it's naturally okay to scold, but don't forget, Zuo Liangyu's men and horses are still stuck in our necks at the mouth of the old river. The camp was defeated, and King Li Chuang's whereabouts were unknown. Cao Ying and several other marshals also surrendered, and Zuo Liangyu naturally set his sights on our Xiying. At this time, we still want to rest the army and raise horses, and we must not directly clash with the officers and soldiers! ”

"Ning Yu," Zhang Kewang stared at Zhang Dingguo with a pair of eyes, calling his words, "Then what do you say?" ”

"Father, doesn't he have the personal notice and official title of the deputy chief soldier? In addition, we planted wheat on both sides of the Hanshui a few days ago to build a house, and this can be a good show! ”

After Zhang Xianzhong entered Gucheng, he ordered people to build hundreds of houses outside the city, and at the same time forcibly turned the fields of many nearby landlords into military grain fields and rented them to the common people for farming. This matter has been heard by Chongzhen in Beijing.

"With the official title, the father can order the brothers of each outpost to guard the various intersections, rivers and wharves, and collect taxes to expand military salaries. With official titles, we can swagger and send people to Xiangyang, Wuchang, and Shashi to purchase goods. ”

"That's right! You can even put a big ship directly in Nanjing! Ship the mountain medicinal materials in the mountains and forests to Nanjing and exchange them for what we want! ”

Although Zhang Kewang was wary of the momentum that this younger brother had gradually shown in recent years, he still greatly appreciated Zhang Dingguo's idea.

"Not bad! Xiao Wang, Yu'er, haven't you been telling us Lao Tzu to change the swords, guns and armor of the old camp? We're decided! These money and jewels are all things outside the mother's body. It's not so much cheaper than cheapening those dog officials, but it should become the capital for us to settle down! If the brothers of the old camp are all armor, swords and guns of the Southern Barbarians, we are afraid of Zuo Liangyu who is a bird?! ”

"Father, not only must we have swords, guns, armor, but also firearms and artillery, with those cannons, we will pull out a city and village in the future, so that the brothers don't have to take their lives to fill it!"

"Xiao Wang! You don't understand this! When we fight, what we pay attention to is to lead to the enemy, and it is good to get rid of the eyes of the officers and soldiers! If you carry such a wolf cannon, a big guy weighing thousands of pounds. How to walk the mountain road? How to drill a ravine? Don't mention this again! ”

"Father. The eldest brother is right. I heard Qin Laoxian, the shopkeeper of Xinghuachun Restaurant, say that now in Nanjing's Nanzhong merchants, it is said that there are big Buddha Lang machines and small Buddha Lang machines for sale, and one door is only a few hundred catties. A few horses can be easily carried away. Or. Let's try two? ”

"Ha Lu Ha! You two ghosts! Is it good to collude at the bottom? Come and fool us? ”

Zhang Xianzhong blinked happily and grimaced at his two sons.

"Don't dare to deceive your father."

"Don't dare to deceive your father!"

"If it's really so lightweight, it's good to buy it and use it. It's just that these thousands of miles, how can you guarantee that it will be transported to us? ”

"Father, we don't have to worry about this! Qin Laoxian said that people can ship the goods by themselves after receiving a deposit of 20%, as long as we pay the water foot labor fee! ”

"This Qin Lao Xian, our Lao Tzu also went to his restaurant to eat and drink, why didn't he tell us Lao Tzu about such things?!"

"Father is handsome and mighty, ordinary people are too timid to see it, how dare they talk about this with their father?"

"Then, what good is it for Qin Lao Xian'er to be so open-minded? Don't fall for someone else's tricks, but give someone a handle! ”

"Father, don't worry." Zhang Dingguo answered Zhang Xianzhong's question very firmly.

"This person is our Shanxi Datong Township, who has been doing business in Gucheng for many years. It's just for the money. He has also made a lot of money doing these things in the past few years. There were several poles within a few hundred miles nearby, and most of the best weapons in his hands flowed out of his hands. The price is fair, but it's just a half-price increase. Last month, I bought from him fifty iron-tired hard bows, one hundred fine steel knives, and twenty iron and steel swords, which had arrived two days ago. The son chose half of them and sent them to his father's personal army. ”

For Zhang Xianzhong, a person who rolls on the edge of the knife every day, a good weapon is the guarantee of life, and Zhang Xianzhong can't help but be overjoyed when he hears Zhang Dingguo do this.

"Good! Yu'er, you go and arrange it, tell Qin Laoxian'er that we will charter a venue for Lao Tzu at night, and our Lao Tzu will have a big banquet in his restaurant, and invite the nearby official squire Caidong to drink to celebrate our Lao Tzu as the deputy chief soldier! By the way, talk to him about business! ”

Xianzhong's eyes the size of copper bells shone outward, although his western battalion was brave in battle, but the equipment was not good, except for some elites of the old battalion, most of the soldiers were wrapped in turbans and wore waist-length armor, all of which were cloth armor. Or wrapped in a turban, wearing a rain crotch, bast shoes, and a cord. Many people are not only in tattered clothes, but also have weapons in their hands, which are all kinds of tattered.

If it weren't for this, he would not have arranged for Pan Duao, a scholar who joined Xiying because of the failure of the lawsuit with others to fight for land and property, to help him build maces and other weapons. If you can buy the best Nanzhong weapons from the black market, you can increase your strength in a short period of time, and then Xiong Wencan in Xiangyang will be even more unable to fight his idea, so he can only be appeased with good words, and it will be convenient for both parties to continue to be false and wrong. And time is what Xianzhong lacks the most at the moment.

The Shaanxi accent of the father and son spread far on the street, but fortunately, the three of them spoke the local dialect of northern Shaanxi, and there are not many people who can understand the local dialect of northern Shaanxi on the ground of Hubei, and they can speak arbitrarily.

The topic of discussion soon shifted to Pan Duao, who was now in full swing to make weapons and train his team.

This Pan Xiucai is also a character. In Yingcheng, Hubei, the hometown of the group practice, built a water village to prevent the chaos of the world. Wang Xuan, the son of Wang Xuan, colluded with the clansmen to complain to the county: others suffered losses when they encountered rogues, but Pan Duao made a windfall, and suggested that he should be "persuaded to raise" and donate 10,000 taels of silver in exchange for a "future" that Pan Duao thought about. The magistrate immediately took out the title of "instructor" and handed over the money with Pan Duao and delivered the goods with the other. Begin. Pan Duao resisted the "solicitation", and later agreed to donate 5,000 taels of silver in fear of the crime of taking advantage of the danger and extortion. While bargaining, the people along the lake jointly wrote a letter accusing Pan Duao of forcibly occupying other people's property and plotting against him. The magistrate was furious and put Pan Duao in prison, and he wanted to punish the crime. Thanks to his wife, he sold the property, and he was redeemed. After being released from prison, Pan Duao gave half of Hutian to others and still lived in the village. Continue to drill the water army. Be punctual and wait for the opportunity.

Zhang Xianzhong's army crossed the Han River from Luohan Beach in the winter of the ninth year of Chongzhen, and Pan Duao, who was guarding in the water village of Xiaojiajia Lake, immediately returned to Shun. He told Zhang Xianzhong that Yingcheng "has a lot of officials and rich money, which can be used for military salaries." So he led the army on the sixth day of the twelfth month, that is, the sixth day of the first month of the year of Bingzi in the old calendar, and approached the city of Yingcheng. Under the guidance of Pan Duao, a leading party who is familiar with the situation. Naturally, it was a battle breaker. Zhang Xianzhong received sufficient military pay. And Pan Duao also avenged his personal vendetta.

What followed was a very dramatic scene, where the Eight Kings asked Pan Duao for advice on what to do next. Pan Duao then opened the countermeasures of Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei Longzhong, and said eloquently. Now the land of the Central Plains has become a scorched earth after ten years of war, and it is useless to fight for it; The Bashu Paradise has not yet been hit hard, but it can be based on it, so as to wait for the world to change and achieve great achievements; Dozens of state capitals in the south of the Yangtze River, the people are rich, it is an area without military disasters, only a small stream of troops, if you send people to connect, then the spread can be determined. For today's plan, take Jiangnan as the best policy, according to Bashu as the middle policy, and then try to go north to disturb the Central Plains is the next policy. Zhang Xianzhong said, although Jiangnan is good, how to keep it when you take it, or follow your strategy, let's first take the middle strategy and then try to make a strategy.

It is said that in his early years, Pan Duao had learned the art of economic and economic affairs from the monk Qishui Kongyin. His high remarks on the reckless hero Zhang Xianzhong are simply Zhuge Liang's reappearance, he pulled Pan Duao and said, with you to help me, this is a godsend. Since then, Zhang Xianzhong has treated Pan Duao as a military advisor.

After arriving in Gucheng, although the situation was still dangerous, it had stabilized slightly, and Pan Duao carefully developed three-eyed guns, shield hooks, crossbow arrows and phalanx tactics, and personally taught them to the soldiers of all departments in the Western Battalion.

"Father, my son checked Mr. Pan's accounts from the secretary of the old battalion, if it takes more money and energy to build a three-eyed gun than to buy a Nanzhong firecracker, which one is the father willing to use?"

After talking for a while, Zhang Dingguo suddenly changed his words and pointed out the problem.

"Let's talk about these bad things at night when I drink with Qin Laoxian! Xiao Wang, Yu'er, take your own soldiers, take those newly bought iron tire bows, and follow us Lao Tzu to hunt! ”

Seeing that his father was interested, Zhang Kewang had to look at Zhang Dingguo and smile bitterly, and led his own soldiers to follow Zhang Xianzhong out to hunt.

Gucheng is located in the west of Xiangyang, on the west bank of the middle reaches of the Han River, with Jingshan Mountain in the south, Wudang in the west, Hanshui in the east, and two rivers in the north and south and the east of the county flowing into the Han River, surrounded by mountains on three sides, and rivers on both sides. In such a geographical environment, there are many natural prey, and the soldiers on the river beach have raised a flock of water birds, dozens of hard bows are bent like a full moon, and a rain of arrows has passed, and the water birds that have already flown up in the air and are about to spread their wings and fly high have fallen to the ground.

"Good stuff! Lao Qin! It's all good things you sell to us! ”

At night, after sending off a group of congratulatory guests, Zhang Xianzhong patted the shoulder of Lao Qin, the shopkeeper of Xinghuachun Restaurant, and couldn't stop praising him.

"It's just a little more expensive!"

Pan Duao, who was on the side, said coldly with a straight face.

"Yes! Now the army is stationed here, the cost is huge, and the savings of the marshal are not very rich. How can you afford such an expense? ”

Zhang Xianzhong's other military advisor, Xu Yixian, also came to help.

"Dashuai, do you know what the alias of this valley city is?" The chubby shopkeeper Qin handed Zhang Xianzhong a cup of tea, with a sincere and honest smile on his face.

"Because of the abundant products and the convenience of being located on the water and land docks, Gucheng is known as the Silver Valley City."

"In that case, why didn't the marshal send someone to collect some regular amounts on the dock? If there is chaos today, and the roads everywhere are not quiet, if the handsome man is willing to come forward to protect the territory and the people, it will cost some business travel, and it will be much stronger than the loss of blood and life, right? ”

"Also, raccoon dogs, foxes, badgers, roe deer, squirrels, raccoon dogs, wild boars, flying foxes, mushroom wolves, tigers, leopards, black muntjacs, otters, musk deer, black bears, rock sheep and other wild beasts in the mountains and forests, the marshal can arrange for soldiers to go into the mountains to hunt and kill, one to eliminate harm for the people, the other can be handed over to the trumpet in exchange for all kinds of military supplies, and the third is that the soldiers also have a place to use. In addition to the beasts, the mountain metasequoia, dove tree, nanmu, ginkgo, eucommia, boxwood, sandalwood, tung oil, black fungus, silkworm, lacquer, mushrooms, gastrodia, tea, peanuts and other dozens of mountain goods can also contribute to the handsome Xiying. ”

Listening to the seemingly honest Qin shopkeeper, he said in one breath the mountain goods specialties in Gucheng and various places near the left as if he reported the name of the dish on weekdays, as well as how to barrage the river and set up cards, protect the passage of business and travel, and collect money to buy the road, and listened to the Zhang family's father and son, Bai Wenxuan, Ma Yuanli and other generals were fascinated.

Soon, soldiers from the West Camp appeared at various gates in Gucheng County on patrol at the gates, and even Ruan Zhitian, the magistrate of the county, had to inquire when he went out of the city.

On the river, the boats of Xiying patrolled back and forth, with a large flag on the bow of the boat, and the words "protecting the territory and the people and protecting the business travelers" were written, and the fees were charged according to the standard of five out of 100, and then the caravan was protected out of the valley city and the Xiying defense area.

As for the beasts in Wulong Mountain, Baishuiyu, Daxue Mountain, Mafei Gorge, Shennu Gorge, Wulong Gorge, etc., and even more distant Shennongjia Mountain, they are full of bad luck. They were stripped of their furs by a group of Xiying soldiers who went into the mountains to hunt and train soldiers, and boatloads of various mountain goods and specialties were carried down east along the Nanhe River, which is known as "pink water", in exchange for all kinds of things that Zhang Xianzhong and others needed.

On the ninth day of the first month of May of the following year, Zhang Xianzhong, who accepted Zhao'an, re-raised the military flag of the Eight Kings of Xiying in Gucheng, killed Ruan Zhitian, the magistrate of Gucheng, and wrote the time, frequency, amount, and items of bribes demanded from him by officials at all levels since accepting Zhao'an, and then burned the official office. At the same time, Luo Rucai led the four battalions from Fang County, and the two joined forces to conquer the county, killing Hao Jingchun in Zhi County, and even under Yunxi, Baokang and other places. Soon, the fifth battalion of Hui Dengxiang, who was stationed in Junzhou, also rebelled. Only Wang Guangen, the king of Xiaoqin, who accepted Zhao'an that day, was worried that he would be annexed by Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai, so he coerced the rest of the peasant army to swear a bloody oath and announced that he would not rebel with Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai.

"In order to slightly show the heartfelt song, inform the father and elder Governor Zhou: Dedication to loyalty comes from the grassland, coarse and righteous, ten years of war, not to be spared, cover to hang the people and cut down the crime, punish the greedy, hope that the Zhu Dynasty has a heart of repentance, and the harsh government has been more open. In the spring of last year, the soldiers were stationed in Zibang, sympathizing with the fathers and elders for the hard work of the military revolution, and did not hesitate to compromise and seek perfection, and returned to the Zhu Dynasty, even if they could not sell swords and buy cattle, they would plough together with their fathers and elders on the Han River, and also hope to protect the territory and the people, so that the place could be free from the poison of officers and soldiers. I don't want to be in this heart, I don't see the trust in the court, and I don't see the forgiveness of the gentry. If the food and salary are not distributed, the customs and prevention will not be awarded, and the people who will sit back and watch the loyalty of 100,000 people will become ghosts in the hungry country. And Prime Minister Xiong Wencan and officials of all sizes, and the gentry in the opposition, treat Zheng Zhilong with loyalty, ask for bribes every day, and never have enough to eat. The loyalty and private pockets were exhausted, and they had to be included in the generals. The desires of the other generation are difficult to fill, and the savings of Ben are exhausted. Swallow your anger, there will be an end. ……”

After Zhang Xianzhong, the eighth king, reprimanded Xiong Wencan, Lin Mingqiu and other officials at all levels in the proclamation for their ugly faces that wantonly asked for bribes, and praised Xiangyang Dao Wang Rui, who planned to solve him with Zuo Liangyu several times, "Among the officials, those who have not received bribes from Xianzhong are the only ones in Xiangyang Dao Wang Rui!" ”

I won't say anything about this matter for the time being. (To be continued......)