Yuxi, also known as Panlong Creek, is a tributary of the Enyang River, which flows into the Enyang River in the town of Enyang.

The Fishing Creek Farm is named after the river. The Fishing Creek winds and winds from the east, and joins the silt riverbed at the Fishing Creek Field, forming a river strip about 300 paces wide.

This area between the rivers resembles a foot kicking eastward. Its heels and feet are the main prosperous area of Yuxi Farm, the street along the Yuxi River; At the tiptoe, there are dozens of acres of fallow blister fields; And where the feet are bare, is the most famous temple in the area near Yuxichang, Yuxi Temple.

There are two natural rivers that act as moats, and such a topographical feature is advantageous for the defenders, because the defenders only need to pay attention to the "barefoot" side, which can greatly save the defender's strength and increase the depth of the defense.

Sadly, however, Yuxi and its small tributaries are not big rivers. Due to the lack of water in winter, the water surface of Yuxi River is not more than five or six zhang wide, and the current is neither deep nor urgent, and it can even be waded in shallow places. The tributaries have long since stopped, and only a stream of clear water remains in the middle of the river. Without the soft silt on the banks of the river, a military barrier would be less effective than a trench. Therefore, after Zhang Zhuokai was driven out of Baoning Mansion by Liao Daheng and settled in Yuxi Farm, he used nearly a month to consolidate his new nest.

In accordance with the traditional method of soldiers going to the barracks, one person takes a step at a time, and the size of the barracks is determined by counting the number of people. The perimeter of the camp is composed of obstacles and shelters such as wooden fences, trenches, deer barricades, earthen walls or brick walls; The passage in and out of the camp was arranged with distance horses and shield carts; In the center of the barracks, there are also trenches and chest wall fortifications, and there are watchtowers, which are inserted with general flags and swagger flags, which are both observation platforms and command platforms.

Zhang Zuokai is a veteran, and this time he camped in Yuxichang, he not only followed the ancient method, but also used terrain and features to build a three-layer defense line.

The first layer of defense was the two outlying strongholds on the north and south flanks. To the north is Jinbao Village, and to the south is the Hengshan Liang in the south of the Yuxi River. Once the two outlying strongholds can't contain the Tyrants, then the Tyrants will approach the second layer of defense.

The second layer of defense is the main line of defense, consisting of three banks of the river and a northern line of defense. Yuxi River and its tributaries, although not dangerous, are better than nothing. Zhang Zuokai used the banks of the river on three sides to build a wall, nailed down a wooden fence, buried a deer, and erected a watchtower. The bamboo skewers made of old bamboo have been soaked in fecal water, which is extremely toxic. He had suffered the losses of the natives in Guizhou, so he did the same, and buried tens of thousands of sharp bamboo sticks in the silt on the bank of the river. On the 27th of last month, the local rioters waded through the tributaries to attack the eastern defense line of Yuxichang and suffered a heavy defeat, which had a great deal to do with the dense bamboo sticks on the river beach.

There was no river obstacle on the northern defense line, and it was predicted that it was the main direction of attack of the local tyrants, and a more complete fortification system was constructed.

Yuxi Temple and an independent courtyard 100 steps to the southeast of it were built into fortresses because of their high walls. The north defense line of the town, about 300 steps wide, the east and west ends against the river bank, in the center and the east and west of the Yuxi Temple two temple walls are connected, so that most of the Yuxi Temple protrudes outside the defense line. The intention was to use its tall temple walls to become the center of the northern defensive line, and to cover the eastern and western flanks of the defensive line.

The third layer of defense is the core defense line, which consists of five compounds at the heel of Yuxichang.

The Yuxi River is blocked by the rocks on both sides of the river, and it has to make a large angle turn, forming a wide water swing. The five compounds are built on an earthen slope, with a towering river bank behind them, which is not easy to climb, and faces the river on both sides, with a narrow frontage. In order to guard against thieves, the big families in Bashan generally built their courtyard walls high and thick, so these courtyard walls themselves are good fortifications. As long as the yard is blocked between the yard with horses, deer and moats, an independent ring defense line can be formed.

Zhang Zuokai had stockpiled food, gunpowder, arrows, and water in these courtyards, and he planned to retreat to the core fortifications formed by these courtyards when the local rioters broke through the perimeter and he was unable to recover, waiting for reinforcements.

……

On the first day of February, before dawn, Ma Gan, the deputy envoy of the Sichuan military garrison, got up. He hastily freshened up under the service of his servants, changed into an ochre-red robe, and then mounted his horse and began to inspect the barracks.

In the past few days, when he went out to patrol the camp, he always hung a sword around his waist. In this way, once he fell into the hands of thieves, he could use the sword to kill himself, leaving a reputation for loyalty and righteousness for future generations. But he refused to put on the armor sent by Zhang Zuokai. Ma Gan felt that now that the national crisis was at hand, he needed court officials and Confucian scholars like him to inspire the soldiers to sacrifice their lives. Most of the soldiers only had a tattered piece of cotton armor, so why should he, a civilian official hiding behind, wear armor?

As soon as Ma Gan went out, the supervisor Ji Tongzhi knew Yang Mingshi, so he chased him out of the alley.

"Lord Ma, please stay!"

Yang Mingshi rode alone, and there was not even a servant who led the horse. He was also dressed in an official robe and wore a black gauze hat.

"Is Lord Yang also going to patrol the camp?" Ma Gan laughed at himself and joked to Yang Mingshi: "The old man can't settle the country, and the military can't set the country." Now that he is old and sleepy, he has to come out to patrol the camp. Lord Yang is in the prime of life, and it is common to be greedy for beds, how can he follow the old man for hours? ”

Ma Gan was born in Chongzhen's sixth year, which is an outright outlier among high-ranking officials in Sichuan. The vast majority of them were born as jinshi, and they were quite complaining about Ma Gan's background and being able to act as an important deputy envoy to the army. It just so happened that Liao Daheng and Ma Gan were both from Kunming, so Liao Fu used the cases of Chen Shiqi and Fu Chongqi to eliminate dissidents and promote the township party became a widely circulated political rumor in Chengdu officialdom.

Ma Gan said that he could neither write (smell) nor martial (dance), but he used a Sichuan people's afterword to laugh at himself, saying that he was a stone in a pit in Sichuan officialdom - smelly and hard, and everyone hated it. Although Yang Mingshi is a petty official of Zhengbapin, he has been immersed in Chengdu, the center of officialdom and rumors, for many years, and he is also clear about these situations.

Hearing Ma Gan's self-deprecation, Yang Mingshi smiled and said: "The Qiangong came to the battle in person, slept in the open air, and shared weal and woe with the soldiers. After less than two months in the camp, the cadres have won the trust of the soldiers. A few days ago, the soldiers handed over their suicide notes to the Qiangong for safekeeping, and their hearts were like this, which can be seen! ”

When Yang Mingshi talked about the suicide note, Ma Qian couldn't help but smile bitterly. Ma Gan mobilized Zhang Zuokai to defend himself, and Zhang Zuokai asked Ma Gan to make a guarantee for his son Zhu Pingjin - "There is medical treatment for the wounded, there is a burial for the dead, and the family life is safe." The veteran Zhang Zuokai got Ma Gan's assurance, did not delay for a minute, and immediately ordered his subordinates to write a suicide note, listing the names and addresses of his father, mother, wife, and baby to be raised in the suicide note.

The battle was imminent, and Ma Gan was put on fire by Zhang Zuokai in front of the soldiers of the whole battalion, so he had to pat his chest and accept it. Of course, Ma Gan was wronged, but he did not regret it. In the past few days, the soldiers have fought desperately like chicken blood and will not retreat, and this guarantee is an important reason.

Yang Mingshi did not sit idly by in the matter of the suicide note. There are very few people in Zhang Ying's camp who can write. Yang Mingshi was born as a person, and it was easy to write a letter. As long as he puts down his official position, what soldier will not look for him? Many of the suicide notes Ma Gan received were written by Yang Mingshi.

Thinking of this, Ma Gan couldn't help but look at Yang Mingshi beside him. He is in his thirties, with a wide forehead and a large face, a black beard under his chin, and a strong body, not like a civilian official but like a military general. Suddenly, a guess burst out in Ma Gan's mind: Could it be that Yang Mingshi made a thick alliance with the officers and soldiers of the Zhang Division, did he want to change from civil to military?

Yang Mingshi noticed that Ma Gan was distracted, so he smiled and said, "I don't know what Qiangong commanded?" ”

"Huh...... The official heard the rumor that Lord Yang said to the soldiers yesterday: As long as you join the Protector Army, this son will give five acres of land to the soldiers' families to rent and plant. It must be known that there are tens of thousands of soldiers in Shudi, and if you count your family, it is hundreds of thousands. Five acres for one person, that's not millions! In the future, if the palace can't be cashed in, the palace will naturally still be the palace, so Lord Yang can ......"

Ma Gan was either kind-hearted, or he was reminding him not to carry the black pot for the Shu Palace's indiscriminate promises. But Yang Mingshi has his own calculations.

"Qiangong, the lower officials are not talking nonsense! Xia Guan has a wife and brother, and he is in Ningchuanwei. Last year, the royal government recruited a lot of sergeants from the five guards in Chengdu to form the caravan. When they first left, they only had military salaries and no treatment. Before sending troops to northern Sichuan, the prince and Liao Fu, Liu Zhao and other adults announced the formation of a national protection army, and the caravan and the official army could join. All the benefits of protecting the soldiers of the caravan will be treated equally by the soldiers of the Protector Army! My brother-in-law first went to the Songlin Mountain base for military training, and then was assigned to the 10th Battalion......"

Ma Qian listened carefully to Yang Mingshi's words, thinking that Yang Mingshi knew more than himself, and he was in contact with first-hand materials. I have been an official in eastern Sichuan, and I don't even know what that son looks like. The prefect of Kuizhou Mansion was appointed for several years, and then transferred to the eastern part of Sichuan to prepare for affairs, and the government was also in Kuizhou Mansion. Before the imperial court received the official appointment of the prefect of Kuizhou, he was transferred to Baoning Mansion to command the army's attack on the local rioters in northern Sichuan. Therefore, although he is the deputy envoy of the Indian army, if he understands the prince, he is really not as good as the Yang Mingshi in front of him.

Thinking of this, Ma Gan asked Yang Ming with a smile: "Since Lord Yang knows so much about the prince and the protector army, can you solve the old man's doubts: the vassal king is not allowed to lead the troops, and this prince is blatantly disobedient; What is the reason why the ministers of the Liao Fu court are attached to the back? ”

Ma Gan's questioning is a highly sensitive issue in politics. Yang Mingshi didn't know how to answer for a while.

Suddenly, Yang Mingshi caught a glimpse of Ma Gan's meaningful smile, so he pretended to be cruel and evaded: "A provincial governor, how can my thoughts be known to me and other petty officials?" Qiangong wants to know the details, but it is just a letter......"