The banks of the Qiantang River, which are rushing and tumbling, have been surrounded by green flags erected in the forest.

Looking at the Taiping army formation that approached the city and began to camp in an orderly manner. Jiang Huan, who is described as a long-sleeved businessman who is good at dancing more than an official, is inevitably hot and sweating on his back.

As a local in Hangzhou, a county lord and a wealthy family with shipping and silk fabrics as his business, he actually looked down on Dong Chang, who was born as a local tyrant in the countryside, and he has always had a lot of criticism and criticism of those under him.

In his eyes, the so-called Hangzhou Badu is just eight strong leaders who steal the township to cut off one side, and it is only when others are still hesitant that they take the lead in playing the banner of protecting the land and the people.

Therefore, he was able to flee to the state city alone after the defeat of Dong Chang's army, wanting to get money, food, soldiers and horses from them, the wealthy clans in the city, thinking that it was the time for the resurgence of the East Mountain; resolutely contacted several other big surnames to expel Ding Zhuang.

However, after really grasping the situation in the state city, he found that things were not so simple and not so easy, and what the secession side needed was not only the ability to govern and operate, but also the ability to use strong enough force and sleek and decisive means.

And he may be a good hand at doing business and taking care of the industry, but he is inferior to military strategy, leading troops, and training; Therefore, he had to rely on some old officials and generals left in the old days to maintain the situation.

As a large part of his basic plate and direct force, he is a boater who can travel between rivers and seas. But the strength on land is far inferior to Dong Chang and his ilk, who were born in Shijingdu.

Not to mention that many times on major matters, he, the self-styled Hangzhou assassin, had to discuss with several other wealthy families who had supported his ascendancy, resulting in a tie-down in the battle with Dong Chang.

As a result, Dong Chang not only resisted the attack he sent, but also gained a firm foothold in Lin'an City; It has also encroached on the cities and towns that have already responded to the call of the state and city one after another.

Up to now, the four counties and three towns of Lin'an, Yuqian, Tangshan, and Zixi in the nine counties of Hangzhou have all fallen under Dong Chang's command. And the only things he can control and influence in the state city are Qiantang, Yuhang, and Fuyang on the banks of the Fuchun River.

As for the salt officials and Xincheng who were nominally subordinate to him, that is, after symbolically sending some money, grain, and cloth, the local powerful leaders still held the real power to govern the place.

Therefore, although this attack of the Taiping thieves is a huge crisis, it is also an important turning point, which can give him the opportunity to integrate most of the powerful factions in the territory.

After all, after they retreated to the state capital, they were also under the influence of their own territory and forces; And those big families in the city

Under a certain threat and sense of urgency, he is also willing to fully support himself to defend this state city with strong defenses.

It's just that these Taiping thieves are fierce, and the speed of their movements is far beyond most people's expectations. Originally, I thought that even if the five forces in Suzhou were defeated one by one, it would take some time.

But he never thought that he would be so careless, so that the army of grass thieves had already killed the shore of Linping Lake, which was only one water away from the Qiantang territory, and his military reorganization and combat measures were not ideal.

On the one hand, there are those local heroes, gentry, and big clans, who procrastinate and refuse to pay the miscellaneous donations to protect the land and the township; On the one hand, it is in the situation of fighting with Dong Chang in the east and west, and there is no way to adjust to the north-south direction at once.

As a result, overnight, these Taiping thieves were prepared accordingly, and attacked the lake directly with the boatmen on the water; The hastily arranged water village did not play a role, and he had to send out the water army that he relied on to rely on.

But he didn't expect that the Taiping thieves on land also crossed over, lurking on both sides of the Cao River; First, they silted up the river with a sunken ship and forced a detour to the shore; When the boat slowed down, he attacked the hands and tails of the sailors with firearms.

The entire hundreds of big boats and small Wu boats, together with the three thousand Cao Ding and the sailors above, were gone; It is said that the scene of corpses lying on their backs and boats blocking the river was extremely tragic. So much so that a few brisk boats that escaped back didn't even dare to go back to the state city and fled along the river into the sea.

As a result, there is no need to adjust the adjustments that have not been completed, and the conditions that cannot be negotiated are all negotiated at once. Because the thief army has already approached the city, it has begun to cut off and surround the Qiantang city located at the mouth of the river, and it has not yet bordered the east, west, and north of the river.

He could only patrol the city over and over again, and in the manner of an elder, he shouted encouragement and encouragement to the familiar and unfamiliar defenders:

"I've had my fill of food and drink. When you're full, you'll be able to kill a few more thieves. ”

"Are you settled at home? After settling down, you will be able to protect your hometown better. You and my family are right behind you. ”

"Have you checked all the walls, have you checked all the equipment? The materials under the city may have been well stocked. ”

"When these thieves are defeated, everyone can drink and eat meat, and there will be a reward for their families."

In order to keep this foundation, he can be said to have spared no effort; not only mobilized the children of his relatives on the wall, focusing on those key points, but also scattered his family resources to re-recruit more than 10,000 Ding Zhuang in the city for later use.

Therefore, he not only has the strongest city defense in Hangzhou, but also has 30,000 guards, old and new, to drive. As long as these Taiping thieves can succeed in defeating the city, it will be a great reputation for reuniting the place.

Therefore, he is like the most speculative businessman, after the difficulty of driving out Dong Chang; At the time of this crisis under the city, he once again went all out to make his own choices and investments.

However, near the corner of the southern city wall outside the city, near the (west) lake, Liu Jiwei, the former deputy (commander) of the Huqiu Town Brigade of the Suzhou Army and the current captain of the 55th Regiment of the temporary garrison, also stood on the low Wu Mountain and looked at the towering gray-yellow city wall, muttering:

"How can we fight such a high wall? Not to mention that the west of the city is full of water, and there is not even a place to fiddle with equipment."

The Qiantang City in front of him was not a square shape like most cities, but an irregular trapezoidal shape with a narrow north and a wide south. And the closer it gets to the south of the river, the more open the city becomes, and the walls become more and more irregular, with the old and the new layered.

Because this city was not directly facing the river before the current dynasty. It is only through the continuous repair and widening of the river beaches and stone ponds along the silted up river beaches and stone ponds that the history of the assassins in the past dynasties, there is a pattern that has now extended a large section.

Therefore, the pattern of Guo outside Qiantang City is actually divided into two parts: the old city and the new city; Among them, the Liupu area, which is located in the north-facing inland, is the core of the old Cheng, and the city walls are relatively old, gray and low.

As the city walls extended to the south of the river, the new city gradually became taller and brighter, and even masonry foundations and outer stone embankments were specially designed to resist the erosion and erosion of the tides.

There are also three canal tributaries of Waisha, Zhongsha and Lisha, which are artificially dug to connect more than a dozen lakes near Hangzhou, and gather in the Zhangshen moat that surrounds the city; Through the bridge that runs through it, it forms an artificial obstacle and buffer.

Therefore, there are four water gates/piers in Qiantang City, but there are only three land gates in the north and east. And it was occupied by a large area of paddy fields and Pize.

Therefore, Liu Jiwei, who has long been a peripheral force supported by the Taiping Army and is active in the Xuangong Mountain generation between Xuan, Hu and Changzhou; I really can't think of any other way to quickly conquer it than a long-term siege or an internal opening.

Because he found that these Taiping armies had not even built siege equipment in time. But he also heard that in the rear areas occupied by the Taiping army, spring ploughing and rice planting had already begun to be organized.

- I'm the dividing line -

And in Chang'an City, where everyone is in danger, in the Liangyi Hall in the Imperial City.

"Holy. Holy. The saint woke up. ”

In a sound of calls and shouts. Huang Chao, who didn't know how long he had been in a coma, also slowly opened his eyes on the brocade satin gold and jade couch.

However, the first thing he saw was Empress Cao, whose face was still the same, but there were some crow's feet and tears at the corners of her eyes; Then another pretty face with tears on his face and crying and wearing makeup came over.

But it was the former concubine Liu, who was ordered to be imprisoned, who was confiding in a crying voice containing indefinite expectations:

"Holy Lord, you've finally woken up. But call us sisters、Our mothers.,I've been worried about being scared.。。 ”

Huang Chao didn't speak immediately, but looked at everyone present from the corner of his eye; In addition to these two pillow people and a cadre of medical officers, internal envoys and palace people, in the distance stood Lin Yan, the envoy of the Vipassana Army, Huang Yi of Ouchi, and Liu Di, the left leader of Weihe Mansion.

Huang Chao couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief from this result, apparently the worst he had expected had not happened. Putting aside those subordinates of foreign courts, at least in this imperial city, he can still ensure and control the basic safety.

"Please forgive me for my unauthorized claim, let the sister of the Liu family come over to take care of the daily life, and also take good care of the two children."

Then, Empress Cao continued to speak.

"It's been hard for you these days."

However, Huang Chao also completely skipped the Liu family, who kept asking for warmth, and said straight to Queen Cao.

"Only the saint can be healthy, and the concubine is willing even if she is paid. After all, you're the only one in our hearts. ”

Cao Shi said lightly.

At this moment, Huang Chao didn't speak, but he held the woman's hand tightly to hide the roughness, and didn't let her back down. Even more continued to dry Liu, whose face had changed slightly, aside.

Because during this muddy and sometimes sober time, it was this woman who was deliberately ignored by him, who was always by his side for several hours, and read to him those progressive movements, talking about some things that happened in the outer court and in the city.

For example, the daily life of the five political affairs halls, as well as their private dispatch of subordinates and children, to contact and co-opt military horses in various places;

As Jing Zhaoyin and the patrol ambassador of Zhumen, Xiao Meng (揩), how to maintain the current situation cautiously and walking on thin ice between the crowd and the crowd of visitors.

Another example is that behind the Huang clansmen and brothers who began to openly compete for power and profit, all kinds of actions that are suspected of seeking a way out and have other ideas; And their tireless efforts to reach out to Ouchi.

"Tell Niangniang, as long as you continue to use needles and stones, supplemented by decoction and massage, the holy wind paralysis will eventually be relieved. Just don't be too tired and sad. ”

At this time, the head of the medical officer, who had been pardoned, trembled and stammered beside him.

"Deliver my edict and send someone to Gangneung to issue the edict."

After drinking a bowl of soup fed by the Cao family, Huang Chao reluctantly raised his hand weakly.

"Closure week... Huai'an is the king of Hailing County, with the book under the door of the Ping Zhang, on the pillar country, the inspection of the school is empty. Just let your Cao family go. ”

During this long torment, sometimes unconscious and sometimes awake, but his whole body was immobile, he recalled many things that had been forgotten and ignored in the past, and he also figured out some things.

Even relatives and family members who are related by blood have their own selfishness and tendencies, not to mention the old brothers who have followed them for many years and their seemingly loyal subordinates. And why did they make them sacrifice their hearts and their lives to two bewildered children for no reason?

Sometimes the person who seems to be the most threatening in the crowd may be the one who has the least imminent danger beyond the reach of the whip. At least once he falls here, maybe the two young and helpless children will have to rely on the help and protection of the eldest sister.

Then, accompanied by the Cao family, he began to take turns to meet with the members of the clan who had been ordered to come, and then the subordinates who felt that they could be trusted. As for those courtiers who did not come for some reason, he also had a preliminary plan in his heart.