The county seat of Huining County.

At this time, the county seat was surrounded by 30,000 officers and regiments, and the leader of the rebel army, Wang Er, and more than 20,000 of his men were trapped in the city.

Although the official army was only 10,000 more than Wang Er's people, most of Wang Er's subordinates were ordinary people, so they were the opponents of those officials and soldiers, so they were very passive after being surrounded.

In the official army camp outside the city, Yang He, the governor of the three sides, summoned his officials to discuss the siege of the city, and it was imperative for Wang Er in the city to win.

Wang Er is not an ordinary leader of the rebels, but an important person with the title of "Shouyi" of the Shaanxi and Gansu rebels, and he is the first person to rebel, so he naturally has to treat him differently.

Yang He is a jinshi in the thirty-second year of Wanli, who originally served as the right capital of the imperial history in the Imperial Inspectorate, and this time he was the governor of the right side of the military department.

The reason why Yang He served as the governor of the three sides was because he was known to be Qingwang and was an official with very good conduct, and Zeng Shangshu pointed out that the rise of thieves in the Ming Dynasty was because "the famine was extreme, and the people were not able to make a living".

Therefore, Yang He was appointed as the "trilateral governor" by Emperor Chongzhen after being recommended by the courtiers, and put forward the strategy of "appeasement as the mainstay, pursuit and suppression as the supplement" after taking office.

I have to say that Yang He's strategy is very successful, after all, the people want to live a stable life, and no one wants to live the kind of life with their heads pinned to their trouser belts.

Therefore, with Yang He's efforts, the appeasement policy was very successful, and almost all the rebel armies in Shaanxi accepted Zhao'an.

It's a pity that the imperial court's finances are limited, and Yang He's "fu" is powerless, at least let the people who accept the appeasement have enough to eat.

In the face of thousands of victims, the 100,000 taels of gold allocated by the imperial court in Yang He's hands and the 50,000 silver and 20,000 stone of grain donated by the vassal king were undoubtedly a drop in the bucket.

Therefore, those leaders of the rebel army who accepted the appeasement rebelled again after receiving no effective relief, and since the court did not give them food, they must not be starved to death!

As a result, the rebellions in Shaanxi and Gansu occurred one after another, and the officials and soldiers who were purging were tired of coping, so that there was a current situation.

Now, Yang He besieged the rebel army of Wang Er's army in Huining County, and he first appeased him, hoping that Wang Er could return to the imperial court, but unfortunately Wang Er refused, so there was only one way to attack the city.

In order to ensure that Wang Er's rebellious people could be completely wiped out, Yang He issued an order to requisition the passing troops to participate in the war here, he was the governor of the three sides, so he naturally had such power.

"My lord, we have made a fortune this time, and three thousand cavalry passing by have been recruited."

Just when Yang He was discussing with everyone, a thousand households rushed into the tent, bowed to Yang He, and said excitedly, "I don't know where these cavalry are, the war horses they ride are all fat and strong, if they participate in the battle, Wang Er will be in trouble this time." ”

"Three thousand cavalry?"

Hearing this, the officials at the scene couldn't help but look at each other in amazement, knowing that they only had more than 1,000 cavalry, and as a result, 3,000 were requisitioned at once.

You must know that it costs a lot of money to raise cavalry, and in addition, due to the war in Liaodong over the years, many of the cavalry in Shaanxi and Gansu have been transferred to Liaodong, so now there are not many cavalry in Shaanxi and Gansu, and Yang He, the governor of the three sides, has only gathered more than 1,000 horsemen.

"Let's go, let's go."

Yang He was also surprised, if there were so many cavalry, he, the governor of the three sides, would have been withdrawn a long time ago, so he wanted to see where the other party came from.

When Yang He and his party walked out of the camp, they happened to see the requisitioned cavalry arrive, only to see that the horses were not only fat and strong, but also had slender limbs, and they were really rare good horses.

Moreover, those cavalrymen were all strong and full of spirit, which was in stark contrast to the sergeants under Yang He's jurisdiction, who were yellow-faced and thin-skinned, and their spirits seemed to be a little sluggish.

Li Hongyu has always been willing to spend money on logistics to ensure the food and other treatment of the soldiers, but many soldiers in the Shaanxi and Gansu regions rebelled because they did not have enough to eat, and their physical fitness and mental outlook naturally cannot be the same.

"Look, where are they?" Yang He didn't expect that there would be such an elite Ming army in the Shaanxi and Gansu realms, so he asked the Qianhu who had reported the news before.

"Lord Yang, don't come unharmed."

As soon as his words fell, a loud voice came from the oncoming cavalry, which made Yang He's brows furrow slightly, feeling that this voice was very familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had heard it for a while.

"Li Taibao!" When he saw the appearance of the person who spoke in the cavalry, Yang He was taken aback, and hurriedly walked up to meet him, he was a Beijing official and naturally recognized Li Hongyu.

"Li Taibao?" Hearing this, the officials at the scene immediately looked at each other, and now there is only one Taibao in the Ming Dynasty, and there is no doubt that it is Li Hongyu.

Could it be that the young cavalryman wearing the costume of a hundred households is the Taibao of Daming and Li Hongyu, a scholar of Zuochunfang? Everyone's eyes fell on Li Hongyu, these people were basically magistrates who had never seen Li Hongyu at all.

"Taibao, you're not in the Western Regions, why are you here?"

However, Yang He's induction confirmed their guess, Yang He came to Li Hongyu, looked at Li Hongyu who turned over and dismounted suspiciously, and asked.

"This official was originally going to return to Beijing to report on his work, but he was transferred by your military order when he came here." Li Hongyu smiled slightly, and replied lightly.

"Military orders?"

Yang He was slightly stunned when he heard this, and then reacted, it must be the official document he issued to transfer troops that caused the trouble, although he was the governor of the three sides, how could he mobilize Li Hongyu? Wouldn't that be the following offense?

"This is a misunderstanding, and this official will punish the thing that is not long-sighted."

Then, Yang He smiled bitterly, bowed to Li Hongyu and said, the military attache who blocked Li Hongyu is simply brainless, can't he find out the details of the other party first!

"He's just doing his duty, what's the crime?"

Li Hongyu smiled and waved his hand, he didn't mind this kind of trivial matter, besides, he wanted to join in the fun, otherwise how could that hundred households command him?

"The adult has a large belly, and the lower officials admire it."

Yang He saw that Li Hongyu didn't take this matter to heart, and immediately breathed a sigh of relief, bowed his hand to Li Hongyu, and then made a gesture of please on one side, "My lord, please come in and talk." ”

Li Hongyu bowed slightly, chatted and laughed with Yang He and entered the camp tent, and the officials along the way saluted Li Hongyu respectfully, looking very in awe of Li Hongyu.

When the 100 households who blocked the road learned that the person he recruited was the Taibao of Daming, he was so shocked that he couldn't speak for a long time, feeling like a dream, it was really unbelievable that he could mobilize the Taibao of Daming with a small 100 households.

Later, this incident also became a good story in society, which made Li Hongyu's reputation among the people even higher.

"Lord Yang, how is the situation now?" After entering the camp, Li Hongyu opened his mouth to ask Yang He about the progress of the bandits.

"Back to Taibao, Xiaguan has besieged more than 20,000 people below the bandit leader Wang Er in the county seat of Huining County, and is ready to launch an attack tomorrow to wipe out this gang of chaotic people." Yang He bowed to Li Hongyu when he heard this, and replied in a deep voice.

"Dao Ge is living together, can you recruit them?" Li Hongyu sighed when he heard this, looked at Yang He and asked.

"Lord Hui, many of these rebels are old men who rebelled with Wang Er, murderous, cunning, and capricious, even if they are recruited now, they will definitely rebel in the future."

Without waiting for Yang He to speak, a middle-aged official standing behind him bowed to Li Hongyu and said, "Just a few years ago, Wang Er led the crowd to slaughter Bodhi Town and Lijiazhuang in Luochuan County, and the number of dead was tens of thousands, and the tragedy at that time was really shocking!" ”

"Is this the case?" Li Hongyu's brows suddenly frowned, he didn't expect to have such a hidden feeling.

"That's true, it is precisely because of this incident that the lower officials are chasing after him, and he must be brought to justice." Yang He nodded when he heard this, and replied solemnly.

"Alas!"

Li Hongyu couldn't help but sigh, it is not unreasonable for those rebellious people to be called "chaotic people", because of the loose organization, they often act as they please, and it is very common to burn, kill, and loot.

"How's the current situation?" After shaking his head a little helplessly, Li Hongyu looked at Yang He with a serious expression and asked, Yang He, as the governor of the three sides of the bandits, knows the current situation of the chaotic people best.

Speaking of which, the current situation in Shaanxi and Gansu is not accidental, with both natural and human disasters.

Originally, at the end of the Ming Dynasty, natural disasters continued, class contradictions became increasingly acute, and the Ming court imposed additional taxes because of the use of troops in Liaodong, which eventually led to a situation of rebellion.

The reason why the situation in Shaanxi and Gansu is the most serious is that the land here is barren, the production is backward, the taxes and forced labor are serious, and the famine has occurred year after year, so it took the lead in causing civil uprisings.

Fortunately, during the Apocalypse, the Emperor of the Apocalypse increased commercial taxes, increased taxes on the rich lands in the south of the Yangtze River, and reduced taxes in the poor places in the northwest, so the people were still able to live.

But after Emperor Chongzhen ascended the throne, the commercial tax not only decreased, but also the tax on the rich land in the south of the Yangtze River also decreased, but the tax on the poor land in the northwest increased.

Li Hongyu was clear about the hidden secrets, but he could not do anything about it, and after the re-emergence of the Donglin Party, he completely repudiated the policies of the Apocalypse Dynasty and began to increase taxes to the northwest to enrich the treasury.

Li Hongyu must have an opposition attitude towards this situation, but what is the use of his opposition, the tax issue involves the Ming officialdom and local forces, and only the emperor himself can settle it.

The Emperor of the Apocalypse has this courage and determination, and has Wei Zhongxian as a helper, but unfortunately he died young, and Wei Zhongxian was also deposed by Emperor Chongzhen, who else can change this situation at this time?

At this point, Li Hongyu can only choose to be a bystander, but he doesn't want to become the target of the court.

"Hui Taibao, at present, there are more than 100 large and small rebels in Shaanxi and Gansu, and the more powerful ones are Wang Er, Zijin Liang, Eight Kings, King Chuang, King Sweeping the Ground, Xing Red Wolf, Black God, Cao Cao and King of Troubled Times."

Yang He was naturally clear about the banditry in Shaanxi and Gansu, and said in an orderly manner when he heard the words, "These people are extremely famous among the people, attracting many rebellious people to take refuge. ”

Li Hongyu knew that what Yang He said was the nickname of the leaders of the rebel army, which was a big crime of beheading, so in order to prevent the officials and soldiers from retaliating against their families, the rebels often used their names, and some even smeared their faces when they rebelled so as not to be recognized.

"King Chuang?"

Among the names Yang He said, Li Hongyu was naturally the most sensitive to the word "King Chuang", and after a while, he asked, "Is this King King Gao Yingxiang?" ”

"Li Taibao, do you also know the name of this bandit leader?"

Yang He was taken aback when he heard this, and looked at Li Hongyu unintentionally, knowing that he had just found out that the real name of "King Chuang" was Gao Yingxiang, but he didn't expect Li Hongyu, who was thousands of miles away in the Western Regions, to know about it.

"I've heard of it." Li Hongyu smiled when he heard this, and replied lightly, presumably Li Zicheng is still Gao Yingxiang's subordinate, otherwise the name of King Chuang would not be Gao Yingxiang's.

To tell the truth, Li Hongyu wants to meet the current Li Zicheng and see what this person who buried the Ming lord's family looks like, if he is killed now, then I don't know if the Manchu Qing can still enter the customs.

How could Yang He know that Li Hongyu thought about so many things in an instant, and he just felt strange in his heart, but he didn't expect Li Hongyu, who was busy with official business, to pay attention to this kind of thing.

The next day, Yang He commanded Chengcheng's official army to attack the county seat, and Li Hongyu stood on a hill outside the city to watch the battle.

Perhaps because of his oversight, the officers and soldiers were more brave and fierce than usual, and braved the arrows, stones, and logs from the towers of the city gates, and soon broke open the gates, and then rushed in with a shout.

Li Hongyu couldn't help but shake his head after witnessing the scene in front of him, the peasant rebel army at this time could only be said to be a group of rabble, and they couldn't go to the battlefield to fight at all, otherwise how could they be so easily breached by the official army?

With the invasion of the official army, the county immediately jumped chickens and dogs, and the cry shook the sky, because it was difficult to distinguish the difference between the chaotic army and the people in the city, so the official army was a big killing of the people in the city, anyway, the more people were killed, the more merits they had, and the more rewards they obtained, which was commonly known as "killing good and risking merit".

Li Hongyu shook his head and smiled bitterly at this, he had nothing to do, only shaking his head and smiling bitterly, even he couldn't stop those officers and soldiers who wanted to be promoted and make a fortune.

Because the officials and soldiers guarded the four gates of the county seat, none of the people in the city could escape and were blocked in the city, which made the corpses in the city all over the field and the blood flowed like a river.

Wang Er wanted to break through, but was surrounded by Liu Ying, a Taoist soldier from Shaanxi, and was killed by random arrows.

When Wang Er's body was carried in front of Li Hongyu, Li Hongyu felt that the person who appeared in front of him was an authentic country farmer, and it was difficult to connect him with the leader of the rebellious army.

Li Hongyu couldn't help but sigh secretly, and after waving his hand, the officers and soldiers standing aside carried Wang Er's body down.

Of course, as the leader of the rebellious army, Wang Er would not be peaceful even if he died, his head was cut off and hung on the wall of the city gate of Gongchang Mansion to set an example.

"Get on your knees!"

After Wang Er's body was carried away, a strong man who was tied up with flowers and covered in blood was escorted to Li Hongyu and knelt on the ground.

"What's going on?" Li Hongyu glanced at the strong man, and asked a hundred households who were escorting him with some puzzlement.

"Yu Taibao, this person is the second bandit leader in the chaotic army, he killed several of our brothers, and he seems to have been an official soldier before." Hearing this, the hundred households bowed to Li Hongyu and replied, it took him a lot of energy to catch that strong man.

"Taibao?" Hearing this, the strong man couldn't help but look at Li Hongyu in surprise, and asked in amazement, "...... Are you a Lee scholar? ”

"It's the official."

Li Hongyu bowed slightly when he heard this, and asked quietly, "You were also an officer and soldier before?" ”

"Back to Li University, the little one used to be a soldier in the Shaanxi Dusi."

After receiving an affirmative answer, a complicated look appeared on the strong man's face, and then said with a wry smile, in front of Li Hongyu, he had lost the courage to resist, after all, Li Hongyu's prestige was too loud.

"Why join the bandits?" Li Hongyu frowned slightly when he heard this, and then asked in a deep voice, this kind of thing from a soldier to a bandit is really embarrassing.

"Don't hide it from Scholar Li, the villain was forced to take this road out of desperation." The strong man's face was full of bitterness, and he shook his head and replied with a grim face, "There is no money, and the fields have also been occupied by the chief, so I rebelled with them in order to survive." ”

"Take it down."

Li Hongyu sighed secretly when he heard this, he was not in the mood to talk to the strong man, so he opened his mouth and ordered the officers and soldiers on the side, he knew very well what the strong man said, but now everything is over, and the strong man must be punished.

"Taibao, why didn't you also carry out military affairs rectification in the Shaanxi Metropolitan Division three years ago, if you also rectified the military affairs of the Shaanxi Metropolitan Division like the Shaanxi Xingdu Division, why did the villain end up in such a tragic end?"

Seeing this, the strong man suddenly became excited, and shouted at Li Hongyu when he was dragged down.

After the rectification of military affairs, the Shaanxi Xingdu Division now has a new look, and the soldiers and military households will no longer be exploited and oppressed by their superiors, and they will be able to eat their stomachs, so they will naturally not rebel like the soldiers of other capital divisions.

"Garrison system!" Looking at the strong man who was dragged down, Li Hongyu's brows couldn't help frowning, and he slowly spit out three words in his mouth, it seems that the military system has now become an important factor in social instability.

In the late Ming Dynasty, the drawbacks of the cantonment system have been exposed, first of all, the deduction of food and salary, because it is a kind of affiliation, so it is an extremely common phenomenon for generals to withhold food and salary for soldiers, and live a corrupt life with the proceeds of exploitation, and bribe military officials, monitoring eunuchs and Ji Gong Yushi and others to seek promotion or exoneration.

In addition, it is the cantonment system that makes most of the army's cantonment fields occupied by officers, heroes, and internal supervisors, which makes the army lose its source of food, and the contradictions between military attachés and soldiers will inevitably intensify.

As for the corruption of military discipline in the Ming army, it became a very normal phenomenon, such as the "killing of good and risking merit" that Li Hongyu sees today, in which officers and soldiers usually massacre unarmed civilians indiscriminately in exchange for merit.

According to historical records, "Today, where the officers and soldiers go, in the name of collecting grain, robbing merchants, searching for houses, ** women, burning houses." The small people are more afraid of the soldiers than of the thieves. ”

Although he knew all the drawbacks of the cantonment system, Li Hongyu could not do anything but let it go, which has to be said to be a kind of sadness.

(End of chapter)