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Chapter 54 Old Jiang

In March, Zhu 81 soldiers came to Wujiazhuang and broke through it.

As for how long this drum was beaten, it is unknown. Anyway, those who were sent by Dock Fort from near and far to secretly inquire about the news, whether they arrived early or late, all they saw was a broken gate and a potholed brick wall. Wujiazhuang has been broken, and the owner Wu Youcai didn't even have time to send a messenger for help!

After the news spread, those Wubao within two hundred miles north of the Yellow River and Xuzhou, who had refused to pay money and grain to the Xuzhou Red Turban, immediately changed their minds. According to the amount demanded by the Xuzhou army, the copper coins and grain were doubled and loaded into the cart, and sent to the camp of Sesame Li in the starry night. At the same time, he sent his henchmen to carry generous gifts and hurried to Wujiazhuang to congratulate Zhu Bayi. lest the latter get a good handle and turn around and stew his dock fort with a spoonful.

However, what made those castle owners and village owners very worried was that no matter how generous the gifts they sent out, they would never see Zhu Eighty-one himself. was just blocked by a personal soldier named Xu Hongsan, and asked everyone to put down the gifts, and then go home to wait for disposal. As for whether General Zhu will come to fight, how he will let everyone go, and what will happen to Wu Youcai, the owner of Wujiazhuang, and his sons, they will not respond.

"I shouldn't have killed them all!" In Liujiazhuang, forty miles away from Wujiazhuang, Liu Er, the head of the gun and stick sect, wiped the dust on his head and reported to Liu Laoquan, the owner of the village, nervously, "The little one is at the gate of Wujiazhuang today, and I specially took a few more looks. The watchtower on the left side of the gate collapsed, and on the courtyard walls on both sides of the gate, there were five or six places that were blown down. But there was no blood on the walls or under the walls. After entering the courtyard, the smell of blood was not too strong.

It's not too strong, it's bloody! If there is blood, it must mean that you have killed someone! Otherwise, how to show the Tianwei of the Xuzhou Army?! Besides, this bandit broke Zhuangzi, how could he give the bitter master a chance to try his courage and plot revenge?! Thinking of this, Liu Laoquan, the owner of Liujiazhuang, sighed, shook his head and said, "Alas! My brother Wu has lived too smoothly in this life, so I don't know when I should bow my head. This time, I'm afraid that after I die, there won't even be a person to put incense on the grave! Alas! ”

"Well, who's to say it isn't." Liu Er, the head of the spear and stick sect, sighed with the owner of the village and echoed in a low voice, "If he had succumbed before the red scarf thief came to the door, it wouldn't have been like this!" It's a pity that the tens of thousands of family fortunes have fallen into the hands of the surnamed Zhu this time! ”

"I'm afraid that the surname Zhu doesn't want to give him a chance to be soft at all!" Liu Laoquan sighed again and continued to shake his head gently, "Among these forts on the north bank, Wujiazhuang is the richest. The leader of the red scarf thief is from a poor ghost, and he is worried that he can't find an excuse to wash it. The owner of Wu Zhuang took the lead in not paying them money and grain, wouldn't it be exactly what they wanted?! Alas, it's a pity, after a military disaster, the copper smelting and iron-making furnaces in the Zhuangzi can be left with two achievements. If you want to restore the scale of the past, I don't know what year and month you have to wait?! ”

Speaking of this, he suddenly remembered one thing again, looked at Liu Er, the leader of the gun and stick sect, and asked in a very low voice, "When you went, did you see the chimney smoking behind Wujiazhuang?" I mean, the red turban thieves didn't destroy all the copper and iron furnaces, right?! ”

"This-?" Liu Er's brows tightened, pondering. When he went to Wujiazhuang during the day to find out the next move of the red turban thief, he really didn't pay attention to whether the thick and big stoves behind Zhuangzi were still smoking? However, when the head of the family asked at this moment, he couldn't truthfully report that he didn't pay attention. After a moment of silence, he replied in a very low voice, "Yes, there should still be a stove smoking." You also know that the biggest feature of the Wujiazhuang area is that it is full of smoke and dust all year round. If the furnaces for copper and iron don't smoke, the difference will be visible at a glance!"

"That's weird, could it be that Zhu Thief wants to occupy Wujiazhuang by himself and open a furnace there to refine ore?!" Liu Laoquan was slightly stunned when he heard this, and a confused expression immediately appeared on his face. "How can it be convenient to practice by yourself?! Besides, at the moment, he is the only lone army hanging in Hebei, since the government of Tengzhou does not dare to provoke him, one day the soldiers and horses of the imperial court will pass by, and he will not be allowed to continue to swagger in Wujiazhuang? Could it be that they broke Zhuangzi, caught the father and son of the Wu family, and then released the four fathers and sons, forcing Wujiazhuang to continue smelting copper and iron for them?!! ”

"Impossible!" Liu Er, the head of the gun and stick sect, immediately denied it, "We are forced to be helpless, and it is one thing to secretly send money and food to Sesame Li." After all, even the government itself does this, and even if the court knows about it in the future, it will turn a blind eye. But it is clear that if you work for the Red Turban Army, the imperial court will not tolerate it no matter what, and if you don't do it, it will be the next disaster for Pei County. In order to survive for a while, the father and son of the Wu family put the entire clan and thousands of men and women in the Zhuangzi together, isn't it too blind! ”

"Who knows?!" Liu Laoquan shook his head vigorously, no matter how he shook it, he couldn't shake it out. Based on his life experience, he would rather be killed by the Red Turban Army than offend the Dayuan court. was killed by the Red Turban Army, at most it was just a few fathers and sons, and a family with one surname. And if you offend the Dayuan court, even the clan is lucky, if you don't get it right, the neighbors, the entire Zhuangzi, and even all the neighbors and towns that are related to Wujiazhuang will be a dead end.

And Liujiazhuang and Wujiazhuang have been married before. His second son, Liu Yong, married Wu Yinggu, the eldest daughter of the second room of the Wu family! Thinking of this, Liu Jiazhuang sighed again, grabbed the bell in his hand and shook it, and called into the relatives who had been waiting outside the door, "Go, find a few powerful mothers-in-law, go to the second child's side, and temporarily send the second child's family to the small courtyard next to the ancestral hall for placement." Wait for the exact news of Wujiazhuang to come over, and then send her back to the second child. ”

"This-? Be! The entourage showed a little unbearable look on their faces, and whispered yes. Everyone knows that the so-called placement is actually to be put under house arrest and wait for the news. If the father and son of the Wu family were killed by the red scarf thief, the second young grandmother could still be regarded as a loyal martyr, and she would still have a bowl of rice to eat in the Liu family. If the father and son of the Wu family really voted for the Red Turban Army, I am afraid that the second young grandmother will be sent back to the Wu family, or locked up in the small courtyard by the ancestral hall forever, and she will never be able to come out again!

"Such a big Zhuangzi is worth thousands of lives! What can I do! Maybe it's to explain to Liu Er, maybe it's to make himself feel at ease, Liu Laoquan said to himself.

"Otherwise, the small one will go around Wujiazhuang again. Anyway, the red turban thief didn't seal the road, and the smaller ones went around, maybe they could hear more news! Liu Er, the head of the gun and stick sect, was also very unbearable in his heart, so he came to Liu Laoquan's side and whispered.

"Go ahead! First go to the account to pay ten pieces of money, and take it on the road to defend yourself. If there's any news, come back to me right away! Liu Laoquan thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. By the way, if you see the Red Turban Army coming towards our house, send me a letter in advance anyway. Our Liu family, can't follow in the footsteps of the Wu family! ”

"Yes, the little one understands!" Liu Er saluted and walked out of the study backwards. Then he went to the tent and withdrew a sum of copper coins, rode his horse, and went out again to inquire for news.

Strange to say, this time, he walked around Wujiazhuang for three days. In the past three days, the smelting furnace in Wujiazhuang should be smoking, and the furnace should be opened, but it has not stopped for a moment. Along with the farmland around the Zhuangzi, there were actually people driving the buffalo to continue to the ground, as if nothing had happened in the Zhuangzi.

The more Liu Er, the head of the gun and stick sect, looked at it, the more surprised he became, and finally he couldn't bear it anymore, so he dared to get to a farmer who was going to the field, and lowered his voice to ask, "Hey, my old brother!" Are you the one who has come to this Zhuangzi? ”

"How not?" The farmer raised his head, gave him a fierce look, and responded loudly, "Aren't you the head of Liu Jiazhuang?" Why didn't you go in and sit at the door of Zhuangzi? Squatting in this wild all day, don't you panic with insect bites?! ”

Unexpectedly, the other party actually knew him, Liu Er's face turned red when he was said, and he explained curtly, "I, the owner of our family is worried about the safety of Wu, the owner of Wu Zhuang, and sent me to inquire about the news of his old man's house." Excuse me, brother, is the owner of Wu Zhuang still alive? ”

"You descendant, how can you talk?" The farmer was furious when he heard this, his eyes widened and he scolded, "Of course Master Wu Zhuang is alive, and his old man has not done anything hurtful, how can he be short-lived?" It's some people, hum, who say cool things when they don't save them when they see death, and sooner or later they will be retributed! ”

"Hmm!" Liu Er was scolded so much that his face was red and his neck was thick, for the safety of his Zhuangzi, he had to swallow his anger, "Brother, brother, leave some morality, leave some morality." We, the owner of our family, didn't wait to send people over, but we heard that Wujiazhuang had been broken by the red turban thieves. How? Is it difficult for the Red Turban Army to be the owner of Wu Laozhuang? Then Zhu Eighty-one, how could he suddenly have a kind heart?! ”

"Why isn't it embarrassing? It's not difficult to be people, do you think they are living bodhisattvas?! The farmer seemed to have known that Liu Er would have such a question, and according to the answer prepared in advance, he responded loudly, "Our main Zhuang force was captured in battle, and we were originally going to die." Who would have thought that Mr. Zhu would be cunning and rob all the savings of the owner's family. He also threatened the owner of the village with the lives of all the people of the village, and asked the owner to sign an alliance with him. Every year they have to pay a large sum of copper and iron to them. Otherwise, kill all the people of Zhuangzi! ”

"Damn!" Liu Er felt the same and scolded loudly. After scolding, I felt that something was not quite right. With the lives of tens of thousands of men, women and children in the village, the owner of Wu Zhuang was forced to surrender, and the owner of Wu Zhuang gave in to the red scarf thief, which is understandable. The imperial court will inquire about it in the future, and it can't be pursued too harshly. It's just, what's the use of just an alliance under the city? After the red turban thieves left, the Wu family just didn't continue to pay copper and iron to them, what could they do?

In his confusion, he heard the farmer say in a loud voice, "Not only that, but the thief also took the eldest prince hostage." said that if the second wave of copper and iron could not be received in two months, the eldest prince would be cut in two! Alas, pity our owner who has accumulated virtue and done good deeds in this life, but when he is old, he has ended up like this! Alas! ”

actually plundered Wu Liangmou, the next owner of Wujiazhuang, as a hostage, this Zhu Eighty-one, the means are really vicious! When Liu Er heard this, his heart was suddenly full of sympathy for the Wu family. But it's okay, the Wu family has an explanation to the court, and the Red Turban Army did not kill the Wu family without leaving a single chicken and dog. Those daughters of the Wu family who married outside will not be divorced by their husband's family because their mother's family has something to do with the red scarf thief, or they will be imprisoned and ready to be handed over to the government at any time.

Compared with the Zhuangzi who were washed away by bandits in the past, Wujiazhuang's current ending is not the worst. After sighing with the farmer for a while, Liu Er finally jumped on the horse's back and ran back to report to his owner.

"Stupid pig!" When the farmer saw his back going away, he immediately abandoned the buffalo and trotted back to Zhuangzi. Together with other farmers who came out to spread the news, they reported the results to the housekeeper Wu Fu, and by the way, they received the bounty agreed in advance.

"The master already knows why they came!" After listening to the farmers' reports, the housekeeper Wu Fu pursed his lips and said disdainfully. He immediately ordered the tent to give the farmers a reward immediately, and he tidied up his clothes, ran back to the study, and reported the news to the head of the house, Wu Youcai.

entered the study, but now the eldest son Wu Liangmou, the second son Wu Liangtian and the third son Wu Liangfang are all there, the three brothers have red eyes, and tears on their faces are like tears. Looking at the old owner Wu Youcai, who had just wiped away his old tears, he saw the housekeeper come in, waved his hand, and ordered with a forced smile, "Third child, hurry up and move a chair for Uncle Fu." In the past few days, thanks to your Uncle Fu's great help, our family has passed this hurdle. ”

"Don't dare, don't dare!" Wu Fu immediately waved his hand like a windmill, "Villain, villain will do it according to the master's instructions." Master, if you and the young master have something, the villain, the villain will come in later! ”

"No need!" Wu Youcai stood up and grabbed Wu Fu's sleeve, "Uncle Fu, you sit here!" Today's event, our father and son would like to ask you to be a witness! ”

"Ahh The housekeeper Wu Fu was stunned when he heard Wu Youcai say solemnly, and sat on half of the chair with his buttocks. That Wu Youcai smiled at him, suddenly straightened up, and said loudly: "Our Wu family, since we came here, we haven't separated from each other. Doing the math, it totals more than 70 years. Today, I gave the boss to Zhu Dudu as a hostage, but in fact, I had the idea of spreading the branches! ”

"Ahh The housekeeper didn't expect that he heard the big secret about the rise and fall of the family, and he was stunned, and suddenly stood up and was about to go out.

"Sit down!" Wu Youcai glanced at him and ordered without refusal, "In fact, I don't say these things, and it is impossible to hide them from you." The reason why I want the eldest to go, and let the third stay to take over my position as the head of the family. It's not in my heart as a father that I think the third brother is better than his eldest brother. Uncle Fu, you have to keep these words in mind, and once I am not there one day, remind the second and third children at any time! Let them, let them always remember that the boss was handed over in the first place, and it was also for this family! ”

"Yes, yes" The housekeeper Wu Fu didn't dare to go anymore, standing in place, his eyes red and sweating.

"The reason why the boss is a hostage is because the boss is a reckless character, suitable for enterprising, not suitable for keeping. And the character of the third child is just the opposite of the boss, more than enough, and not enough enterprising. Boss, you followed General Zhu, although you said that you were a hostage, and the family had to remove you from the list in the future in order to protect themselves. But looking at the more than 20,000 catties of copper that the old man will send him in the future, Zhu Eighty-one can't really treat you as a hostage. And you follow him, in case one day you soar into the sky. Don't forget, don't forget, here by Shanyang Lake, there are also your two brothers! ”