Time flies so fast, I feel like I went to grab the grain in the spring, and the autumn is actually here again. It just so happened that the "taxes" recovered from the last trip to Baishui were all used to train new soldiers, and they had been exhausted, and it was already an urgent matter to go out to the mountains to collect food again.

Zhu Yuanzhang issued an order for the soldiers to prepare for preparation, and this time he asked the third, fourth, ninth and tenth teams to guard the village at home, and took the old first team and the old second team out of the mountain together with all the other teams.

There are already 1,400 total troops in the cottage, and after staying with 400 people, they can still bring out 1,000, and every time they go out of the mountain, the number of their subordinates will increase by a few hundred, which makes Zhu Yuanzhang feel very satisfied.

The peasant revolt is like a snowball, at the beginning, it grows slowly, but then it rises faster and faster, which is like doing a multiplication problem, two times two is only equal to four, and then four times four becomes sixteen. As long as the current momentum continues, it will not be difficult to build a large army.

But Zhu Yuanzhang also knows that the more troops, the more it will attract the jealousy of the imperial court, and now he can be partial to Huanglong Mountain, and no large-scale officers and soldiers have come to encircle and suppress him, because of his small scale, the eyes of the imperial court are now locked on Wang Jiayin, Wang Zuohang, Guyuan rebels and others, and have not yet paid attention to him.

This is the philosophy of life that Zhu Yuanzhang used in his last life, and he should be low-key, because the gun shoots the first bird. When the peasants revolted at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Zhang Shicheng, Chen Youliang, Zhu Yuanzhang and other heroes rose together, but the imperial court never came to attack Zhu Yuanzhang, but picked Zhang Shicheng and Chen Youliang to beat them to death, and gave Zhu Yuanzhang precious time to "accumulate grain and build a high wall", why is this?

The reason is that Chen Youliang and Zhang Shicheng are too arrogant, Chen Youliang has the most troops, and Zhang Shicheng has set himself up as the king, which is all an act of begging for beating, but they were really beaten, although the Yuan court did not beat them to death, but it dragged them back, which directly led to Zhu Yuanzhang coming from behind.

This time, the morale of the army was much higher than last time, because the first successful "tax collection" gave the villagers and soldiers in the cottage confidence, and it was not as difficult as they thought to collect taxes from the rich, and the resistance from the government was not as strong as they thought, and going to Baishui to collect taxes was as easy as going home to shop.

So his army walked briskly, and soon walked dozens of miles of mountain roads, passing from Huanglong Mountain to the border of Baishui. Just like last time, Zhu Yuanzhang first stationed the army in a ravine and asked them to hide it first, and then he took Ma Xiaotian again, and the two simply disguised themselves, blackened their faces, and planned to go around twice to collect intelligence.

Don't fight a war without intelligence, this is Zhu Yuanzhang's consistent concept, if you don't even know how many garrisons there are in the city, you stupidly rush over to get food, beware of being beaten by others.

The two walked through the countryside and walked towards the city.

The white water in autumn is much bleaker than in spring, because Zhu Yuanzhang has visited here repeatedly, and every time he comes, he has taken away a large number of people, so the population of Baishui is very small, and a large area of farmland is abandoned, ten rooms and nine empty, and it is no longer the same as before. The two walked for a long time, but they didn't see a single peasant, and several rich family compounds stood as usual, but the fields belonging to these rich people were also abandoned in large numbers. Fortunately, the rich people don't care, anyway, it's just a bad year, they just don't have to harvest a few years of crops, they don't have to pay taxes, they have a lot of silver, and many squires are also doing business and doing business, so the impact of the drought on them is not too great, and they are still living well.

In Baishui City, it is exactly the same as when spring comes, there are a few sick veterans at the city gate, listlessly towering, and the sea fishing warrant of Zhu Ba posted at the city gate has been yellowed and tattered, and the county lord actually did not change it, so he let it be so rotten.

It seems that the city is still undefended, and the reaction of the imperial court is much slower than Zhu Yuanzhang imagined. So far, no army has come to Baishui, so he is allowed to take what Baishui wants.

After scouting around, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but sigh: "It can be seen from this place that our Ming Dynasty's administrative * * organ * has been slow to what ground...... In such a situation, how can the country not perish? ”

Ma Xiaotian didn't understand it very well, so he couldn't help but ask: "Brother Zhu, are you saying that Da Ming is going to die?" This one...... Let's laugh at it, if a few of us make such a fuss in the cottage, we can bring down the Ming Dynasty? I don't think it's possible! ”

"Cut, you know what." Zhu Ba smiled and shook his head.

The two walked in front of Lu Yuanwai's door, and saw that Lu Yuanwai's mansion was still standing there as when spring came, the difference was that when they came last year, there were still a few archers on the wall, but this time, the wall was not prepared for anything, and from a distance, the mansion was almost undefended.

This is a very timid outsider, the last time he came to collect taxes, he left a very deep impression on Zhu Yuanzhang, he couldn't help but walk over and knocked a few times on the door of Lu Yuanwai's house.

The door opened, and an old man stuck his head out: "Who?" ”

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled: "It's me, Baishui Zhu Ba, please send a message to your master, Zhu Ba has come to collect this year's autumn endowment." ”

The old man was stunned, and seemed to be startled, but he seemed to have been mentally prepared for a long time, and he didn't shout in fright, but muttered: "Ah, it's really here?" The old man was still saying the day before yesterday that it was autumn, and Zhu Ba might have to come to harvest the autumn endowment......"

The old man reported in, and after a while, Lu Yuanwai really ran out with a big box, which was full of silver.

"Outside of Lu Yuan, you are well-behaved." Zhu Ba smiled: "Why don't you prepare a family member, and when you see me, you will hurry up to report to the official to call for reinforcements, but you will pay taxes as soon as you see me?" ”

Lu Yuanwai wiped his sweat and said with a smile: "How can this be...... If you go to report to the officials and dispatch officers and soldiers, if you ask me to pay 500 taels of silver for the labor and military expenses, then I can't afford to pay it. You see, I also summoned a few Xiangyong last time, and this time even Xiangyong was withdrawn, and it costs a lot of silver to feed and train Xiangyong. ”

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled secretly in his heart, this person is quite interesting. In fact, this kind of thing is like this, the first time it is difficult, and the second time, people pay it, and it is not difficult. When Zhu Ba came to collect taxes for the first time, people thought he was a big harm and would desperately resist, but when he came again for the second time, with the first experience, the squires found that he, the king of the mountain, was not very harmful...... So they will pay taxes obediently, and the loss is relatively small.

Zhu Yuanzhang took the box and couldn't help but smile: "Yes, you are a person who understands current affairs, and I like to deal with people like you." ”

He was about to take his leave and continue walking in the direction of the city, when suddenly he ...... On the official road in front of the mansion, a person ran over while knocking on the bang and shouting desperately: "Oh no...... There's a rogue coming...... A large number of rogues......"

When Lu Yuanwai heard the man's roar, his face was a little embarrassed, and he wiped his sweat and said: "King, these guys are rare and strange, seeing you roaring like killing pigs, I will go and reprimand a few words." After he greeted Zhu Yuanzhang, he quickly opened his throat and scolded the man who ran away with a bang: "What are you roaring? King Zhu is standing next to me, can I not know that he is coming? Yelling and yelling, rare and strange. ”

The person who was yelling listened to Lu Yuanwai's words, was stunned for a moment, looked at Zhu Yuanzhang who was standing next to Lu Yuanwai, and said in surprise: "Zhu Ba is also here?" Oh, my God! Is this going to be the end of the white water? ”

As soon as he said this, Zhu Yuanzhang and Lu Yuanwai heard that something was wrong at the same time, and the two couldn't help but ask together, "What did you say?" Zhu Ba 'also' is here? Who else is coming? ”

The messenger shouted: "The king of Yichuan is here, with a large group of bandits, and now the vanguard has been killed not far from the city, and there will be bandits coming soon...... Outside Lu Yuan, run away...... This king Zuojiao is different from King Zhu Ba, he doesn't collect taxes, who catches and destroys whom......"

Catch whoever kills whom! In fact, this is the true nature of the rogue, like Zhu Ba, who comes to knock on the door to collect taxes and leaves, is obviously not a competent rogue, and belongs to the evil path in the profession of the rogue.

When Lu Yuanwai heard this, his face suddenly changed, his legs brushed the ground and he started fighting, and his voice trembled: "King Yichuan hangs on the left?" That one...... That ramp with more than 10,000 horsemen? Oh, my God...... How did he get to Whitewater? Someone's coming...... Come...... Prepare my horse for my lord, let's escape......"

As soon as he shouted like this, the subordinates in the Lu Mansion were also startled, and suddenly the chickens and dogs jumped, and the servants in the courtyard ran away.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked left and right, and couldn't help but feel ridiculous in his heart, he was here, and Lu Yuanwai moved his family, calm as if he was fine, and came to hang up with Wang Zuo, see what he was scared of? Seemingly...... Zhu Ba's name is not as good as Wang Zuo's.

Wang Zuohang, Qingjian * County people, formerly known as Wang Zishun, the first year of Chongzhen, he gathered tens of thousands of thieves, against Yichuan Longerzui, so it was called Yichuan Wang Zuohang, his subordinates have Miao Mei, Feishan Tiger, Big Red Wolf and others, is one of the famous early leaders in the peasant uprising in the late Ming Dynasty. When his name was spoken, the faces of the rich people in the entire Shaanxi * West changed color, which had the miraculous effect of stopping children's night crying.

Zhu Yuanzhang stretched out his hand, slapped Lu Yuanwai on the shoulder, and shouted in a low voice: "Calm me down!" Don't be afraid! You have paid taxes to me, you are my people, with me here, no one will want to destroy your Lu family...... Let me meet for a while, and the king of Yichuan will hang on the left. ”

As soon as Zhu Yuanzhang said this, Lu Yuanwai was suddenly surprised: "You protect me?" You...... Are you still a bandit? ”