In the seventh month of the lunar calendar, it is the hottest season in Shaanxi, do nothing outdoors, just stay in the sun and stand for a while, sweat can soak the clothes on the back, and only the second half of the night to the early morning can be cooler, so that people can have a good rest. However, the people of Chengcheng got up early in the morning in such weather, and they had to rush to harvest the ripe spring wheat in the field in the cool air of the morning.

Although this year's year in Shaanxi is not smooth, it is much better than in previous years, and it has finally given these farmers a normal year. If it weren't for the fact that those exiles from other places had wasted part of the harvest, with the tax exemption decree issued by the imperial court, they would have been able to live a more comfortable life this year, but now they can only barely survive.

Although the people of Chengcheng have been robbed twice this year by the displaced people and the official army, many people have relatives who died innocently in the chaos, but in order to let the remaining family members survive, these people have no time to grieve the death of their relatives, but risked their lives, and the whole family went into battle together, grabbing the hope of the family's survival.

When Yan Yingyuan led a team of cavalry and escorted five or six deserters who were tied up with flowers, and marched along the official road to the Chengcheng camp, he saw that in the endless wheat fields on both sides of the official road, groups of peasants were scattered and bent down to harvest the yellow and clear wheat. Not all of these wheat harvesters were men, and a large number of them were women, some of whom even had dolls tied to their bodies to work.

Seeing the appearance of their group of officers and soldiers, the peasants who had been immersed in their work suddenly stood up vigilantly, and many women hid in the wheat waves with frightened faces. Obviously, in their eyes, the officials and soldiers representing the imperial court were no different from the bandits, and this discovery made Yan Yingyuan's heart feel heavy.

Yan Yingyuan, who was not from a high family, still quite agreed with the people-oriented concept of governing the country put forward by the emperor when he was studying in the military academy, and the most fundamental task of the army is to protect the family and defend the country. As a new army, the resources they get are not comparable to other armies in the Ming Dynasty, for example, the new army is one of the few armies in the Ming army that does not owe wages.

It is precisely because of the basic material satisfaction that the ideological and cultural education of the New Army officers and soldiers of the Mission Department can be truly accepted by these soldiers. Although many of the personnel of the Sixth Division of the New Army were born in Beijing and Liaoxi Town, after the disbandment and reorganization of the General Staff, there were more soldiers from newly recruited peasants in the suburbs of Beijing.

After being drafted into the new army, these simple and honest peasants went through six months of recruit training and more than a year of military life, and they were accustomed to living under strict military discipline.

And the war at the end of last year also put the soldiers of the New Army to a test of blood and fire, allowing them to speed up the process of transformation from civilians to soldiers. After a war, the invisible boundaries between the people selected from the old army and these farmers and newcomers began to slowly disappear, and the two sides seemed to begin to coalesce into a close group.

However, although the contradictions within the new army are being resolved, they still maintain a condescending attitude towards the old officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty. Of course, this sense of honor because of the army in which you belong is also the biggest difference between the new army and the old official army.

However, the sense of honor that the officers and men of the new army had tried so hard to maintain was now undermined by a group of old officers and soldiers. Looking at the fear, anger, contempt and other emotions in the eyes of the people in the wheat fields on the side of the road, the mood of Yan Yingyuan's subordinates also fell.

Zhang Erwu, a small soldier who made meritorious contributions in the Battle of Shimen, has now become a platoon commander under Yan Yingyuan, and changed his name to Zhang Qingshi. He was very dissatisfied with the scene before him, but he could not vent it on the frightened peasants, so he took his anger out on the captives who were escorting.

He fiercely pulled out the prisoners who delayed time and refused to advance, and shouted angrily: "Look at the good things you have done, even your own people can do it, it is really a shame for the court." ”

The older of the deserters immediately shouted, "Everyone is a soldier and eats food, so why bother us so much." The imperial court does not distribute food, let us come over with our heads and work hard, are we not allowed to levy a little bit locally?

What's wrong with us coming all the way to rescue them and get paid? Even if this lawsuit is brought to the Golden Luan Palace, I will never be convinced..."

Zhang Qingshi saw that there were still people who dared to speak up, and was about to whip a few more whips, but Yan Yingyuan turned around and stopped him, and said to the deserter: "It's just a matter of requisitioning grain and robbing money, why do you want to ruin the innocence of other people's good women; It's just a matter of destroying other people's bodies, and you have to kill people and set fires, even children, what is the difference between you and those thieves? ”

The deserter, who was still indignant just now, suddenly shook his head, and replied with some lack of confidence: "Although I, Bai Guangen, robbed money, I didn't kill people and set fires, don't frame me for nothing." ”

Yan Yingyuan glanced at him, then turned his head, looked at the road ahead and said, "Have you killed people and set fires, the officials sent by the imperial court will naturally investigate and understand clearly, if you don't have a ghost in your heart, why do you want to flee?" However, you don't have to defend yourself to me, my department has been ordered to clean up the remaining bandits here, and I will not care about your case, and when I hand you over to your general, your general will naturally deal with it. I advise you, don't run away again, and if I catch you again next time, I'll cut off your head and show it to the public. ”

Bai Guangen gritted his teeth and followed Yan Yingyuan's ponytail forward and continued to walk silently. After Yan Yingyuan arrived at the gate of the camp outside the west gate of Chengcheng with his team, he called the officer on duty guarding the camp gate, handed over the deserters he had captured to him, and returned to the camp of the new army across the water with his subordinates.

Just when Yan Yingyuan handed over the desertion, He Renlong, who was called "He Maniac" by his colleagues in the army, was standing on a hillside in the camp and watching what happened at the gate of the camp. The generals Zhou Guoqing, Wei Daheng, He Guoxian, Gao Jinku, He Yong and others around him also saw this scene, but most of them turned their heads away, as if they didn't see these soldiers from the capital humiliating their own soldiers.

However, Zhou Guoqing and Wei Daheng, who have the closest relationship with He Renlong, did not remain silent about this, and Wei Daheng first complained indignantly to the general He Renlong: "These new troops from the capital really don't take our Shaanxi people seriously, we are tired and tired to capture Chengcheng, and there is no merit and hard work."

But now the imperial court actually wants to investigate the crime of killing good people and raping * women, this war is not a family, before going to the battlefield and wielding a knife, do you still have to ask if the other side is a good citizen who is coerced? As for the rape of * women, the brothers rescued them from the bandit cave with their heads, and they are not allowed to repay the brothers

I see, there are traitors in this court, and some people are enthusiastic about the merits we have made, and they see that the generals have no backers in the court, so they want to grab the credit. ”

Zhou Guoqing said calmly: "General, although the tycoon is angry, it is not unreasonable. After the arrival of the new army, they set up another camp across the river from us, which clearly showed that they were spying on us.

There were indeed a few cases of murder and adultery in the battle of Chengcheng, but this was not done by our family, and this Ai Wannian's subordinates were so innocent? Besides, this time the general is also acting on orders, we have fulfilled Governor Hong, this court is to blame, how can this governor have to stand up for us, right?

Those Jingguan and Jinyi guards who came down looked down on us old coarse, but he Governor Hong was born as a Jinshi, and he was personally appointed by His Majesty as the governor of Shanxi.

"Shut up." He Renlong, who was dizzy from the quarrel between the two, finally couldn't stand it anymore and interrupted the two of them with a loud voice. This fierce general, who went crazy when he went on the battlefield, was completely helpless about the current situation. He had cut off one or two of his beard, and he couldn't come up with any ideas out of his mushy mind.

Although he was so persecuted by the imperial court, He Renlong never thought of raising troops to rebel against the imperial court. The reason, first, he didn't want to ruin his future and affect his relatives in Mizhi's hometown; Second, he also knew that his men and horses were raising troops to rebel against the court, which was to seek death. Not to mention the well-trained and well-equipped new troops on the other side, even the Shanxi army led by Ai Wannian will not mess around with him, and maybe they will use his head to atone for their crimes.

He Renlong thought about it for a long time, and finally shook his head and said: "He Yong, you go to contact Ai Wannian in private, what is his special mother's idea, even if he pleads guilty and is punished, he will pass on a word." If he can get through the Luo Commander Envoy, I will not be ambiguous about the money he should spend, even if he smashes the pot and sells iron, he will make it up. ”

He Yong hurriedly replied: "Yes, uncle, I will go to the Dongying of the Shanxi Army to investigate, and I will definitely bring my uncle's words to General Ai." ”

After watching He Yong leave, He Renlong also made a decision in his heart, or go to the city again to meet Hong Chengchou, and always ask for confidence to come back. After he had made up his mind, he instructed the guards on one side to prepare his horses for him, and he was going to go into the city.

Seeing that He Renlong was leaving, Zhou Guoqing hurriedly stepped forward to stop him and said, "General, how to deal with those people?" He Renlong looked at the row of deserters kneeling at the gate of the camp, and the anger in his heart suddenly came up, "What else do you ask, first hit 30 military sticks, and then lock them up, and wait for Lao Tzu to come back." It's really a shame for Lao Tzu, they are also from Shaanxi, and they are not familiar with the local terrain and a group of new troops from other places, they are all rubbish. ”

After Hong Chengchou was personally stationed in the county government in the city, Chengcheng, which had been ravaged by the displaced people and the official army, finally regained some vitality. The ruins of the city that had been burned down in the war, as well as the corpses and limbs that littered the streets, had now been cleaned up, and there were no traces of the war left.

Although the population of the people in the city has decreased considerably, the remaining people either responded to the government's recruitment to clean up the ruins, or put some bulky household goods found in the ruins for sale on the streets, and the people on the street who bargained in twos and threes did not look much different from before the war.

Only when He Renlong entered the city with a team of personal soldiers, he saw them coming from a distance, and the pedestrians and traders on the street immediately abandoned their belongings and scattered to hide. Only then can we see the deep memory that war has left in the hearts of these ordinary people.

ps: On the first day of the Lunar New Year, I wish you all a New Year, and the New Year is auspicious.