In October of the second year of Ming Chongzhen, Emperor Taiji of the Later Jin Dynasty led more than 70,000 troops, known as more than 100,000, avoiding Ningyuan and Jinzhou, and divided the troops into the pass from Longjing Pass, Hongshankou and Da'ankou to capture Zunhua.

Zhao Commander-in-Chief of Shanhaiguan led the Jiao to come to the rescue, and Yu Zunhua died in battle, and the whole army was annihilated. Governor Wang Yuanya, Baoding magistrate Li Xianming, Yongping magistrate He Tianqiu, Zunhua Zhixian Xu Ze, former magistrate Wu Qiqian, etc., refused to defend the city, the city was broken and all died, and Houjin occupied the important iron factory in Zunhua.

After November, the Jin army approached the Beijing division. The Ming court urgently ordered soldiers and horses from all over the country to gallop to help. Yang He, the governor of the three sides, as an important official in charge of the border army, naturally had to send troops north to King Qin. He was also miserable in his heart, King Qin's order was given, but the soldiers and horses from all over the country were rarely assembled. Because of the famine in Shaanxi and Shanxi, and the years of war with the thieves, Yang He has no salary in his hands. The officers and soldiers in various localities were afraid of arrears of salaries, and they refused to send troops without food.

At the critical moment, someone stood up to relieve the governor's worries, and extended the county garrison Zhang Chu wrote a letter to take a thousand men and horses from the headquarters to the north to King Qin. And without immediate demand for food, his troops were ready to depart as soon as the governor's order arrived.

Governor Yang was overjoyed when he received the letter, Yang He almost forgot that there was still Zhang Chu, and only then did he remember that Zhang Chu went to farm after being appeased. When the country was in crisis, this former thief stood up, stronger than many officials who had been raised by the Ming Dynasty for many years. So he immediately agreed, wrote an order to transfer Zhang Chu's troops to the north to Qinwang, and at the same time, in order to play an exemplary role, Yang He also promised that Zhang Chu's food and salary would be repaid in the future.

Zhang Chu, who was preparing for marriage, really lived up to Governor Yang's expectations, and after receiving the order, the marriage did not end, and he set off with a thousand of his subordinates.

The power of example is endless, and under the drive of Zhang Chu, Geng Ruqi, the governor of Shanxi, and Zhang Honggong, the general soldier, also led 5,000 people to the north to Qinwang.

Zhang Chu's men and horses moved early, but they walked very slowly, only Li Yi's 200 cavalry in the team, and the other 1,000 people were infantry. There were also a hundred carts pulling all kinds of baggage, and the whole team was luxurious and bloated.

In order to cherish the mules and horses pulling carts, Zhang Chu strictly controlled the speed of the troops.

Everywhere he went, Zhang Chu resolutely asked for food and wages, and refused to leave when he couldn't get enough food.

The states and counties along the road are afraid of these teams that enter the king of Beijing Qin, they are simply a bunch of hungry ghosts and poor ghosts, and they know that they want food and salary.

This team from the extension did even more excessively, saying nothing without food and pay, and did not seem to be in a hurry to march towards the Jingshi. Although the team seems to be disciplined, who knows what will happen after a long time. The Qinwang troops who passed by in front did not do much to steal chickens and dogs. All localities can only take out food and salary, and then watch Zhang Chucai count them clearly, and send them away like a plague god.

It was not until mid-December that we reached the territory of Hebei.

At this time, Hou Jin's army was already besieging Beijing, and Zhang Chu's army was still walking unhurriedly. In Dingxian County, Hebei Province, he said that he would not leave.

Yang Fan, the magistrate of Dingxian County, sat in the back hall of the county office, the charcoal brazier in the house sent bursts of warmth, and the wine and food on the table were fragrant.

Yang Zhixian didn't have the heart to move his chopsticks, and what made the county magistrate unhappy was the army of King Qinqin who passed by outside the city. This time, it was the army from Yanchang County who came to the outside of the city, and those lowly military ruffians stopped outside the city in order to ask for food and pay. If it weren't for the fact that Jingshi was besieged by Houjin, he wouldn't have bothered to pay attention to these lowly warriors.

After simply using a little food, Yang Zhixian still couldn't arouse his interest. I didn't even go to the concubine's room, and went back to sleep with the lady of the main room.

Those hateful poor soldiers and ruffians let them starve in the cold wind, see how many days they can starve, and then maybe they will be punished by the peak because of the missed trip, thinking of these Yang Zhixian mood is better, and he fell asleep in the warm room.

After midnight, Yang Zhixian felt a gust of cold wind blowing. I was very unhappy in my heart, it must have been that Yahuan didn't close the door properly, and was about to scold those things that didn't have long eyes, but I felt that someone was standing in front of my bed, and I couldn't help but be startled and just wanted to open my mouth to shout, but my neck was pinched and I couldn't make a sound.

Yang Zhixian was pinched by the neck and pressed on the bed, he could only stare and look up, he saw a face covered with a black cloth, a pair of shining eyes facing him, and there was more than one masked person, and the other black shadow was a palm on the lady lying in the bed, and there was no sound in it.

Just when Yang Zhixian thought that he was going to see his ancestors and ancestors, the masked man let go of the palm that was pinching Yang Zhixian. A chill spread throughout Yang Zhixian's body, and a sharp steel knife was placed on Yang Zhixian's neck, and the fat on Yang Zhixian's delicate neck felt the sharpness of the blade.

Yang Zhixian knew what he should do, and got up from the bed with his cooperation, and knelt on the cold brick floor obediently, Yang Zhixian trembled, but it was not because he felt the coldness of the weather.

"Heroes, spare your lives, I'll give you whatever you want." The candles in the house were lit, and the masked man sat on the chair opposite Yang Zhixian, who knew that he could speak, and immediately begged for mercy.

"Yang Zhixian is so easy to speak, why didn't you find out before, a few of our brothers came from Yanchang to drink the northwest wind outside the city." The masked man took the knife off Yang Zhixian's neck, kicked a stool in front of Yang Zhixian, and continued, "Fingers or toes are your choice." ”

Yang Zhixian didn't know what to do for a while. The other masked man next to him was already impatient, so he came over with a knife and said, "Whatever you choose, cut off your arm and take it away." ”

Yang Zhixian put his feet on the stool at a fast speed, the masked man's movements were very skillful, the knife flashed in his hand, and his little toe broke away from Yang Zhixian's body, and the masked man held Yang Zhixian's shoes with his other hand and stuffed them into his mouth in time, and the screams were blocked before they could be shouted out of Yang Zhixian's mouth.

"We'll come back, come and pick up a few things at a time, you'll have many opportunities to choose from." The masked man slapped Yang Zhixian on the neck, and Yang Zhixian collapsed naked on the cold ground. The masked man walked out of the house, closed the door, and disappeared into the night.

The people of the county government were awakened by the shouts of killing pigs in the county before dawn, and everyone gathered outside the master's bedroom but did not dare to break in directly, and the disheveled lady ran out and ordered: "The master accidentally injured his foot by a stool, let everyone go to the doctor quickly."

The doctor rushed to help, and the old man's screams stopped.

Yang Zhixian screamed while thinking about the origin of the matter, the hateful thief cut off his little toe and took it away, Yang Zhixian lived so old and became a person with incomplete limbs, Yang Zhixian also knew the origin of those thieves, and wanted to find Shangguan to take revenge, but the thief said that he would come at any time, if the thief didn't let him choose and directly asked him for the middle part, then the meaning of life would be lost, so he could only endure it temporarily.

Yang Zhixian showed the qualities that a Ming official should have, and he still did not forget to work when he was injured. Enduring the pain, he called the master and instructed: "The soldiers of King Qin from Yanchang County outside the city, it is not easy to travel a long distance, immediately distribute the food and salary to them, and take another hundred taels of silver to send it, saying that it is to express my respect for their loyalty and patriotism." ”

The master felt the difference between the magistrate today, and didn't dare to ask more about the magistrate with a distorted face.

The master escorted the food and salary to the outside of the city according to the instructions of the magistrate.

The security forces received their salaries and set out for camp.

They didn't go far, they seemed to have lost their way, and instead of going to Jingshi, they went in the direction of the east.