On the fourth day of December in the sixth year of Chongzhen, ten full days have passed since the rebel army rebelled again and crossed the Yellow River. In the afternoon of this day, when it was approaching evening, the sky was about to darken, in Luoyang City, Henan Province, in the governor's yamen and in the back yagong hall, two brocade guards stood there in armor, standing with swords on their shoulders, so not majestic.

A tense atmosphere filled every corner, making people feel a little depressed, so oppressive that everyone in the hall was almost out of breath, and they could only listen cautiously, not even daring to breathe.

In front of the Jinyi Guard, in the center, a eunuch was reading the holy decree, and the civil and military officials knelt on the ground, not daring to raise their heads, and listened with great respect.

"Fengtian carrier, the emperor edict said, the thief has crossed the river, and the land adjacent to the border of Henan should be strictly guarded against rushing. In the land of Qin and Yun, they were allowed to select and transfer soldiers, and they were intercepted and suppressed, and Yu, Jin, Fu, and Jian, and Zuo Liangyu were urgently supervised to pursue together, and they still strictly punished the officials of the province, government, prefecture, and county, and encouraged the township soldiers to block the palace with their own efforts. If you neglect your duties again and delay the war, you will not take a light loan! Chin this ......"

At this moment, the hall was quiet, the sound of needles falling to the ground was particularly audible, and among the kneeling Wenchen generals, most of them had a fire in their hearts, holding their breath, secretly angry, their hands into fists, and their knuckles were white.

However, all this can only be held in the heart, sulking, and being cruel to yourself, but it can't change anything.

In an instant, with the change of mentality, a strange aura began to permeate the hall and affect everyone, although many people were very unwilling, but they didn't dare to say anything, and the kind of majestic light that belonged to the military generals dimmed a lot.

Even the leader, Xuan Mo, who is the governor of Henan, still knelt in front of him, prostrating himself on the ground, it can be seen that his heart can't keep calm, and his heart is shaking up, ups and downs, no matter what, he didn't expect this to be the result? What would be the content of the decree?

At this time, it seemed that he was empathetic and understanding of everyone's performance, and after the eunuch who pronounced the decree finished reading, he put away the holy decree, respectfully held it between his hands, and stood there quietly, not urging everyone, but after waiting for a while, he called softly: "Lord Xuan, or thank the lord Longen... Hurry up and take the order, our family can't stay here for too long, and we have to go back to Beijing to reply to the order. ”

Immediately, Xuan Mo took the lead in standing up, but he still looked weak, as if he was instantly deprived of his spirit, drained all the strength in his body, stood up unconsciously, took the holy decree stiffly, and said: "Thank you, Lord Longen..."

As he spoke, he smiled at the eunuch who announced the decree, and reluctantly squeezed out a smile and cast a look of gratitude.

At this time, the two of them suddenly walked out from behind Xuan Mo, with a flattering and flattering smile on their faces, came to the side of the eunuch who announced the decree, bowed and saluted, deliberately bent his back, stretched out a hand respectively, showed a respectful face, and said in unison: "Father-in-law, please, the two of us will give you a ride!" ”

The two are not others, they are Zuo Liangyu and Deng Xi's supervisors, Xie Wenju and Sun Maolin.

Followed by the two brocade guards, none of the civil officials and military generals said anything, allowing the two to be pugs and patting, but their faces were filled with a faint look of contempt, and they were ashamed to be with them.

Perhaps, this is a contemptuous attitude of everyone, and they don't look down on these two jumping clowns at all, it's better to go!

After the two brocade guards and the three eunuchs left, several more civil and military generals left one after another, their steps hurried and a little scattered, like dodging the broom star, and they did not dare to stay in the hall for a while, for fear of being contaminated with a trace of bad luck and following bad luck.

The rest of the people are either Xuan Mo's henchmen, or people who are sympathetic to the same disease, or like-minded.

After leaving so many people, without those wall grasses, for those who stayed, faintly, the atmosphere was slightly relaxed, not so dignified and nervous, and everyone's words were no longer so scruples.

"My lord, this is too unfair, the matter of recruiting King Chuang and others has been revealed so lightly, and those who have been appeased have not been held accountable, which is also too unfair!"

"Yes, imagine that Yang He, the governor of the three sides at the beginning, also advocated a strategy of appeasement. However, the rebellious thief who was appeased rebelled again, but he ended up in prison and was assigned to the border. Time has passed, and the same or similar things have turned out to be more serious, but it is really unreasonable for these people to escape so easily. ”

"Hey... There is no way, if you want to be an official and make a fortune these years, you don't rely on how brave and good you are, but on having a good backer. Who let us not have that good life? Hey......"

......

Everyone complained, depressed and poured the bitter water in their stomachs, all of them looked listless, as if their bodies had been hollowed out, they had lost their faith in supporting themselves, and they had become deep resentful women, venting their dissatisfaction with the current situation and complaining about the injustice of fate to themselves.

Those who have made meritorious service are reprimanded; People who do nothing rely on knots, but they rise step by step!

At this moment, everyone's hearts couldn't help but look up to the sky and sigh, and shouted: "What's wrong with this world? When soldiers eat food... When a soldier eats food, now a soldier can't eat food, has no salary, and has to go hungry to fight, I really don't know what this is for? ”

Gradually, a resentment began to grow, and it was buried deep in the hearts of those generals and hidden. Over time, this resentment is either soothed or swells, taking root and thriving, bearing bad fruit.

I don't know when, it's already dark outside, the hall is already lit up, everyone has regained their calm, temporarily suppressed the resentment and resentment in their hearts, and sat on both sides, but the mood is still not high, and they look lonely.

Xuan Mo was sitting above, the yellow holy decree lying quietly on the coffee table, his voice like gurgling water, calmly and rationally telling the situation.

"Ladies and gentlemen, according to the news from Shaanxi, the rebels have not only captured Shanyang, Zhen'an, and Shangnan, but also the southern part of the country has also fallen, and the rebel army is approaching Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi. Governor Hong Chengchou successively transferred troops from Haoyang and Hancheng to temporarily block the offensive of the thieves. ”

Except for the generals, the civilian officials were all shocked, they didn't expect the situation to change so quickly and deteriorate to such an extent, this is less than ten days~!

However, Xuan Mo's speech did not stop, and one after another explosive bad news was thrown out one after another, making people's hearts turn over one after another, frightened, only to feel frightened, cold sweat broke out on his back, and he became more and more uneasy, and the general's performance was much more calm and calm.

Moreover, only some of the bandits fled back to Shaanxi, and two more are still in Henan. Just a few days ago, anti-thief leaders Gao Yingxiang, Li Zicheng and others occupied the inner countryside. took advantage of the weak defense of Dengzhou and Zhechuan to break through it in one fell swoop and use it as a nest. ”

"Not only that, but there are also many small groups of anti-thieves in the western part of Henan Province and in Ruzhou, and the momentum is getting bigger and bigger. Moreover, in several prefectures and counties in the hinterland of Henan, there were frequent riots, and some victims robbed the granaries of the government and killed the squires and landlords, and the momentum should not be underestimated. ”

Everyone's expressions were extremely solemn, and their mood fell to the bottom, Tang Jiuzhou stood up and said in a deep voice: "My lord, you must block the momentum of the thieves." Once the rebel army entered the hinterland of Henan, Kaifeng Prefecture, Runing Prefecture and the central and eastern part of Nanyang Prefecture, which were located in the plains and were very seriously affected, could be out of control. If that time comes, we will be able to join forces with the local rebels, and it will be difficult for us to compete with the bandits. ”

As a native of Sichuan, he has passed through Henan, and he has almost passed through various state capitals in Henan, Deng Xi knows much more about the situation in Henan, and under the mutual verification of what he has heard and seen, his heart is also very heavy, and he nodded frequently when he heard it, and then echoed: "Yes, my lord, we must stop the momentum of the chaotic army as soon as possible." ”

"Most areas of Henan are plains, starting from the third year of Chongzhen, it has been drought and little rain, for four consecutive years, the fields are almost no harvest, there is no harvest in autumn, and wheat is difficult to plant. There is no grass in the wild, and ten rooms are empty. Among them, the people suffered the most serious disasters. ”

"In the hardest-hit areas of Henan, thousands of miles of red land, there are people who are worth five dollars of silver to raise rice, there are people who cannot raise rice after a day of work, there are people who collect grass roots and leaves to satisfy their hunger, there are husbands who abandon their wives and mothers abandon their children, there are people who sell one child for less than a few meals, there are people who hang themselves in the forest and fill in ditches, and there are people who starve to death on the side of the road..."

Deng Xi's voice stopped abruptly, and he couldn't say any more, his expression was a little moved, with a choked meaning, his eyes were hazy, and some redness.

At this moment, even if you don't need Deng Xi to talk about it, everyone knows what is behind.

Although I have not seen the scene of starving people for thousands of miles, I have also heard some rumors, coupled with the phenomenon of cannibalism by people who have seen it with my own eyes, I feel frightened at the same time, and there is some desolation in my heart.

Zhumen's wine and meat stink, and there are frozen bones on the road, nothing more than that.

In this huge Luoyang City, King Fu lives a life of flowers and wine, only a fief, there are 20,000 hectares of fertile land, even if there is no drought and little rain, the crops in King Fu's field will not reduce the yield and harvest much.

Not to mention the income from salt introduction, tea tax and other aspects, Fuwang's family assets are at least in the millions!

When I think of this, the generals only feel cold!

When many vassal kings were hungry for wine and meat, life was erosive and worry-free, their family assets were more than one million, and there were countless barns, and they went to crawl and roll in the blood and rain, fighting and fighting with the enemy, shedding blood and sacrificing for the Ming Dynasty, but they still had to worry about food and salary, and they were often hungry.

Of course, everyone also clearly knows that the reason why Deng Xi told about the drought and locust plague in Henan, how serious it is, and how difficult the people of Henan are, is not to make them feel emotional and resentful, but to remind everyone how grim the situation in Henan is.

Time is running out, and we must take action as soon as possible to kill the prestige of the rebel army.

Now Henan, like a pile of dry firewood, only needs such a spark seed, it can ignite in an instant, and spread rapidly, forming a spark of fire, out of control!

What's more, the rebellious army is not as simple as a spark, but a raging fire.

Once the rebel army enters the hinterland of Henan, the plain area, and the hard-hit area, it will completely detonate the entire Henan, making Henan full of riot victims, which will affect the surrounding areas, and the result will be unimaginable, and the scalp will be numb.

is aware of this, so everyone's heart is mentioned in their throats, and they are extremely nervous, even their breathing is a little short, and they have no good way to do it for a while, so they can only look at Xuan Mo with an uneasy gaze, revealing a look of expectation.

In the end, Xuan Mo gritted his teeth and made a decision.

"No matter what, I can't manage so much, now we can only take one step at a time, concentrate superior forces, weaken the momentum of the chaotic army, temporarily stabilize or slow down the offensive of the chaotic army, so as to exchange time for space and wait for the situation to change. At the very least, it is necessary to do the most basic point, and must not allow it to spread to the hinterland of Henan. ”

When Xuan Mo said this, it seemed to be talking to himself, and it seemed to remind everyone, and then he issued a series of orders.

"Zuo Liangyu, starting tomorrow, withdraw all your troops, abandon the Lu clan and Yongning and other places, and leave the city defense battalion. The focus of defense was on the area of Song County, and Deng Xi and Li Bei assisted in the defense, and at the same time encircled and suppressed the rebellious army in Ruzhou. ”

"After stabilizing the situation in Ruzhou, I immediately rushed to Nanyang Province. Even if Li Zicheng and others cannot be exterminated, if they really can't recapture the inner township, Dengzhou and Xichuan, then they will be deployed in the central part of Nanyang Prefecture to strictly defend and defend to the death, and the rebellious army will not be allowed to enter the hinterland of Henan. ”

"That's... My lord, if Gao Yingxiang and other bandit leaders flee south and attack Huguang and other places, should we support? ”

Just when Xuan Mo hesitated, before he could reply, Zuo Liangyu said further: "My lord, judging from the strength of Huguang and other places, once the chaotic army flees south, it will enter Huguang. With such a small number of troops, Jiang Yunyi, the governor of Yunyang, will not be able to hold Shangjin, Yunxi and other places at all, and the rebellious army will be like entering a no-man's land, no one can stop it, and the soldiers will invade Huguang. ”

Although he issued a series of orders and made some of the most prudent and correct decisions, Xuan Mo's expression was still dignified, gloomy and terrifying, and he said meaningfully: "General Soldier Zuo, I am the governor of Henan, not the governor of Huguang. Once the rebel army entered Huguang, it attacked Yunyang, Jingxiang and other places. If the governor of Yunyang can't stop it, there is also Tang Hui, the governor of Huguang. ”

The cold words made Zuo Liangyu feel shocked, and hurriedly said: "My lord, the last general understands that the trend of Huguang is not within the scope of our management. ”

While speaking, Zuo Liangyu realized that he was really worried too much, not to mention that he was already too busy to take care of himself, and he was overwhelmed by the chaotic army in Henan, and his troops were seriously insufficient, so he could only pick up key areas for defense.

Even if the troops are sufficient and can help Huguang face the danger at any time, he can only look at the ocean and sigh and watch from the wall!

Whenever fighting across provinces and troops entering other regions, without the acquiescence of the emperor and the authorization of the Ministry of War, it is no different from death.

As soon as he thought of this, Zuo Liangyu felt that he had broken out in a cold sweat, and blamed himself for how could he say such stupid words, and couldn't help but glance at Xuan Mo with some weakness, but the other party didn't care.

As soon as Zuo Liangyu's voice fell, Xuan Mo showed a thoughtful look, as if he had figured out something, nodded to himself abruptly, and said in a deep voice: "Although we can't take care of Huguang's affairs, and we can't help much, since we have already made such a judgment in advance, we still have to say hello to Jiang Yunyi, the governor of Yunyang, and Tang Hui, the governor of Huguang." Otherwise, once we meet in the future, there will always be some unhappiness among colleagues. ”

"That's what my lord said." Li Bei agreed, and then said: "This is a big matter, and it cannot be done in one place. If we rely on only one province, we will not be able to completely eradicate the bandits. ”

"Yes, General Li, you're right." Xuan Mo responded thoughtfully, turned to look at the dark night sky outside, and muttered, "It would be nice if the imperial court could set up a new governor of the five provinces to coordinate the military affairs of Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Huguang and Sichuan." ”