Ma Ziyi's face next to him was gloomy like an iron pot: "Hmph, I didn't expect that there were such characters among the thieves, could it be that my great luck was exhausted, and such a demon was born in the recklessness!" ”

Lu Boqi turned his head and said with some surprise: "It's just a brave man, what's so terrible, Ma Gong, you think too highly of him!" ”

"You think I'll talk about him again?" Ma Ziyi sneered.

"Who else can you say? Isn't it the thief who is eating the whip? ”

"I'm talking about the thief!" Ma Ziyi sneered: "You and I both know that the first thing for a general is the way to reward and punish, the reward is easy, the difficult is the punishment, the heavy soldier will have a grudge, and the light soldier will despise the military order." Although Fang Cai's guy was executed, the punished person was convinced, and his soldiers were wary and had no resentment, is this an ordinary person? ”

Lu Boqi had also read the book, and immediately heard the important points, and his face suddenly turned like earth: "Then wouldn't it be very troublesome for you and me to fall into the hands of such thieves?" ”

"Well, but you and I have received the grace of the country in our lives, and we must not be thieves!" Ma Ziyi said awe-inspiringly. At this time, Liu Zongmin had already received fifty lashes, Rao is strong physique, and at this time he was already bleeding all over his back. Li Zicheng walked to the fence and shouted in a deep voice: "Where is Mr. Ma Ziyi?" ”

Hearing his name, Ma Ziyi's body trembled, but he forcibly suppressed the fear in his heart, stood up and said: "The old man is Ma Ziyi, our Ma family is favored by the country, it is easy to kill me, if you want me to be a thief, you will never succeed." ”

Li Zicheng was not annoyed, turned to the person behind him and asked, "This person is your master?" ”

The one who was asked was a house slave of the Ma family, and when the city was broken, he followed the housekeeper to the prefect's yamen with a bird gun, but he was caught running slowly, because he was good at using the bird gun and became the head of the firearms of the peasant army, he looked at Ma Ziyi a little timidly. Nodding his head, "Yes, it's him!" ”

Li Zicheng nodded and said with a smile: "Mr. Ma, as long as you write a letter to the second son outside the city, I will ensure that your whole family is safe and sound, and it is up to you whether you want to leave or stay." ”

"What should I write in the letter? If you want my son to descend on you, it is a fantasy. Hearing that Li Zicheng didn't want to be a thief himself, Ma Ziyi suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, no matter how righteous Ling Ran was, he still didn't want to die after all. Listening to the other party's tone, it should be to extort a sum of money, although he said that although it was a little painful, he could still distinguish the weight.

"That's not necessary." Li Zicheng said with a smile, he took the bird gun from Li Guo's hand and said: "I heard that this bird gun was made in your son's workshop, and there are many of them in the warehouse, so if your son sends one hundred and fifty of these bird guns, gunpowder and guns, then I will let you go back." “

"Don't think!" Ma Ziyi sneered, it turned out that Ma Rencheng saw that this world was getting worse day by day. He was so close to Liu Cheng that Liu Cheng sold twelve to him, but he didn't want to give them all to Li Zicheng. Li Zicheng is also a knowledgeable person. After he test-fired twice, he found that compared with the Ming military firearms he had ever seen, this bird gun was much more powerful in terms of power, range, and accuracy, so he moved the idea of exchanging people for guns. He didn't get angry when he saw Ma Ziyi's strength, so he put it aside. One by one, the names of the gentry in the fence were called, and everyone asked them for more or less money, food and livestock, and those gentry were not as tough as Ma Ziyi. After tossing and turning in this fence for two or three days, his eyes were green when he was already hungry, and he obediently wrote a letter, signed and signed a pledge, and asked people to send him to a mansion in the countryside. The person who wrote the letter was released, and there were large vats of millet porridge and steamed buns and pickles waiting for them. But after half a cup of tea, only Ma Ziyi and Lu Boqi were left in the fence, smelling the porridge outside, Lu Boqi couldn't bear it anymore, climbed to the fence with a shy face, and said with a smile: "Hero, when will you call your name?" “

"You're the Governor of Lu Boqi, right?"

"Yes, it's this official!" Lu Boqi habitually puffed up his belly, but remembered his situation again, his waist bent down again, and he said with a forced smile: "I don't know how much food the hero needs, although the lower officials are shy in their pockets, they will definitely try their best to give it." ”

Li Zicheng sneered and shouted, "Come on, tie this guy up for me!" “

"Hero, hero, why did you tie me up?" Lu Boqi suddenly became anxious, and he shouted loudly: "If you have something to say, why bother to be rude!" “

"Others can exchange money and food for their lives, but you can't!" Li Zicheng sneered: "The Son of Heaven shepherds the people of the state and county, but you and the people fatten themselves, how can I spare you, come and behead this guy at the gate of the city to show the public!" ”

"Wait!" Ma Ziyi couldn't sit down anymore, he shouted: "This leader, listen to me!" ”

"Ma Gong save me!" Lu Boqi had already panicked at this time, and regarded Ma Ziyi as the only life-saving straw. Li Zicheng motioned to his subordinates and moved slowly: "Mr. Ma, what do you have to say?" ”

"You just said that Lu Zhizhou uses the people to enrich himself, but after a few years of the catastrophe in Shaanxi, the people in other places are struggling to make a living, but Juzhou is coarse, I'm afraid that Lu Zhizhou's micro work is not without it!"

Li Zicheng was stunned when he heard this, and after Ma Ziyi reminded him, he found that this is indeed different from other states and counties in Shaanxi, although the poor people are also coarse brown, but even in the current spring famine season, the people can eat six or seven percent full, and the crops in the field are also growing quite well. Li Zicheng did not know that this was Liu Cheng's credit, although the construction of Pitang and the canal allowed Ma Ziyi and Lu Boqi to lead the gentry to annex a large amount of land, a large fortune, but also absorbed the surplus labor of the people, so that they would not be displaced, starve to death by the roadside, and the wool trade and handicrafts such as textiles and forging with Mongolia increased the flow of people, but also provided more employment opportunities, the newly built Pitang also played a role in the year of the great drought, all this in Li Zicheng's eyes is naturally the prefect Lu Boqi Lu Daren's credit.

"Let him go!" Li Zicheng said coldly: "Look at this scene in Dunzhou, you are a good official, for the sake of the people of this Dunzhou, I will spare you this time, come here, send a bowl of porridge to Lord Lu!" ”

"Yes, uncle!" Li Guo answered, went to the porridge bucket and made a bowl of hot porridge and sent it to Lu Boqi. Lu Boqi took the porridge bowl, and he smelled the porridge in shock. I couldn't help but burst into tears, and strings of tears fell into the porridge bowl.

"It's useless to look at this official, like a girl!" Liu Zongmin wrapped up the wound and sneered: "The knife has not yet come out of the sheath like this, the court makes full use of such characters, no wonder it was beaten so badly by Dongyu!" ”

Li Zicheng said with a smile: "You can't say that, people have strengths and weaknesses. He is a civil official, so he is naturally timid, but it is his ability to be diligent in government and love the people. To tell the truth, if the county officials in my township had this ability of Lu Zhizhou. How could I rebel with my head in my head? ”

Liu Zongmin snorted coldly, but did not speak, Li Zicheng's words represented the psychology of the vast majority of people at that time, unless they were in a really desperate situation, they would not risk the danger of raiding their families and exterminating their clans to rebel.

"This leader, you go to the pen and paper, and I will write the letter for you!" Ma Ziyi, who was in the fence, said suddenly.

"Oh, Mr. Ma agreed?" Li Zicheng laughed: "Okay, Yufeng, you quickly send the pen and paper over." “

Tian Jianxiu responded. sent the pen and paper, Ma Ziyi did not shirk, took the pen and paper and waved it, and Li Zicheng took the letter. When he was a child, he studied private school for a few years and knew some words. As soon as he saw that the letter was indeed in accordance with the request he had just said, Ma Rencheng sent three hundred bird guns in exchange for his home, and in addition, he really praised a few words in the letter, saying that he was disciplined. An unusual rabble, quite heroic. Li Zicheng thought that Ma Rencheng was a little scared when he saw it, and wanted to please himself. Then he smiled and said: "Mr. Ma praised it falsely, how can he afford it below, but it only needs one hundred and fifty below, not three hundred, Mr. I'm afraid I'm mistaken!" “

"I'm not mistaken!" Ma Ziyi said coldly: "The other one hundred and fifty are for Lu Zhizhou, I ask you to release him together." ”

Li Zicheng was overjoyed when he heard this: "I see, what is not to do, please rest assured, as soon as the bird is delivered, I will immediately let you leave with Master Lu!" “

"Then Ma will wait for good news!" Ma Ziyi's face turned pale and she sat down again. Lu Boqi had already eaten two bowls of porridge at this time, and when he heard that Ma Ziyi was going to redeem himself, he hurriedly made another bowl of porridge, took a piece of steamed bun and brought it to Ma Ziyi, and said with a smile: "Ma Gong, eat some to pad your stomach first, you can't be hungry." ”

Ma Ziyi took the porridge and steamed buns, and he was really hungry and ate them violently. Lu Boqi sat on the side, saw that no one was around, and whispered: "Ma Gong, what did you write in the letter just now, that guy seems to be very happy to read it." “

"I didn't write anything, I just praised that guy a few words, saying that he was broad-minded, strict in governing the army, and an unusual idle person, and then asked Cheng'er to hand him three hundred bird guns in exchange for the lives of you and me."

"Ma Gong did a good job!" Lu Boqi said with a smile: "A good man doesn't suffer immediate losses, say two good words to make this guy happy, and let us go as soon as possible is serious." “

"Huh!" Ma Ziyi suddenly laughed, Lu Boqi looked strange from the side, and asked, "Ma Gong, what are you laughing at, did I just say something wrong?" “

"Lu Zhizhou, Lu Zhizhou, I can't imagine that even you don't see my intentions?" Ma Ziyi smiled: "If that's the case, then I'll rest assured!" “

"Intentions?" Lu Boqi was stunned when he heard this, he thought for a while and asked, "What other intentions can you have, aren't you just to let the thief leader listen to it and let us go?" “

"Of course not?" Ma Ziyi sneered: "I am writing this in the hope that the recipient will be more vigilant and wipe out this gang of thieves, don't let go of this thief, so that the poison is endless!" “

"Recipient?" Lu Boqi was stunned when he heard this, and said with a wry smile: "Ma Gong, I'm afraid that your son may not be able to understand your mind." ”

"Rencheng naturally can't see it!" Ma Ziyi nodded: "But if Liu Cheng sees it, he will definitely be able to see my intentions." ”

"But what if Liu Cheng didn't catch up with your son and handed over the bird?"

"It can't be!" Ma Ziyi sneered: "I heard that Du Guoying came back with troops two days ago, and he definitely didn't want to exchange firearms for us, and besides, I said in the letter that I wanted 300 firearms, and when my boy came back last time, he mentioned that he had just handed over a batch of goods, and there were not so many in the warehouse at all." ”

When Lu Boqi heard this, he realized Ma Ziyi's intention: the safest place in Yanzhou is Liu Cheng's thousand-household city, and with the good relationship between Ma Rencheng and Liu Cheng, he must have gone there at this time. And if Liu Cheng returns to help Juzhou, the first step will definitely be to rush there, first, to ensure the safety of the materials inside, and secondly, to use the food and equipment stored inside. Since there are not enough birds in the treasury to replace people, Ma Rencheng can only bargain with Li Zicheng, this delay will be delayed for at least a few days, as long as Liu Cheng arrives and sees this letter, he will definitely understand Ma Ziyi's intentions and make every effort to eliminate this thief......

"Ma Gong, you, you-" Lu Boqi was amazed by Ma Ziyi's strategy, and finally held back a complete sentence: "You are hurting people invisibly!" ”

"Huh!" Ma Ziyi laughed smugly: "If my expectations are right, it will only take three days at most, and you and I will be able to snow today!" ”

"Uncle, do you think you can really exchange those two people for so many firearms?" Li Guo asked in a low voice.

"I don't know!" Li Zicheng shook his head, he smiled: "But it's nothing, at least there is a head to probe the reality of the city of a thousand households, I heard that there are a lot of armor in it!" “

"Hmmm! Uncle, let me go! ”

"No way!" Li Zicheng shook his head: "There are too many new brothers who have come in, I can't have no one around me, just let that Liu Zongmin go, we have so many hostages in our hands, and we don't have to worry about what others dare to do with him." “

The city of a thousand households

"This is the military city?" Liu Zongmin pointed to the small town more than two miles away and asked the guide.

"Yes, that's it!" The guide smiled and said: "When Lord Liu cleaned up the military tun in Juzhou, he was stationed here, so the people around him called this Juntun City, and after the state city was broken, Ma Ergongzi of the Pitang Bureau came here. “

"Well, I'm sorry for you!" Liu Zongmin took out half a hanging coin from his arms and threw it into the hands of the guide, who hurriedly stuffed the copper coin into his arms, knelt down and saluted: "Thank you, master!" ”

"Hurry up! A manly man, how soft his knees are. Liu Zongmin kicked off the horse's belly in annoyance, and rushed down the steep slope towards Qianhusuo City.

As the distance from the target was shortened, Liu Zongmin subconsciously reduced the speed of his horse, and he could see that this small city was unusual without any military experience: the cleared trenches, the intact female walls on the towering city walls, and the faintly visible sentinels and flags, all of which became a stark contrast to the child's play-like defense of Yanzhou. Liu Zongmin sneezed and sneered: "I didn't expect that Master Ma to look like a waste of dim sum, but he gave birth to a capable son!" (To be continued.) )