A cloud of qi rolled in Xu Ping's chest, but he finally bowed his head and apologized: "The last general will not dare." ”

Hou Xianhu waved away the left and right guards with a face, leaving only Xu Ping alone in the tent, and he shouted in a deep voice: "You have repeatedly rushed into this official, but this official does not want to blame you. ”

"The last general......" Xu Ping bowed and hugged his fists and said: "The last general thanks the grace of the Governor." ”

"Alas," Hou Sui stood up again, walked in front of Xu Ping, patted him on the shoulder and said earnestly: "You are a good general, and your future is limitless, and the old man also cherishes his talents for the country." ”

Hou Sui's face was full of worries about the country and the people, sighed three times, and enlightened Xu Ping bitterly: "Only by doing everything possible to exterminate the thieves can the people here live and work in peace and contentment...... Most of the people who promoted Zhendonghou back then were old friends of the old man, and Zhendonghou and the old man were also heart-to-heart, and the old man looked at you like his own sons and nephews...... You go back and think about the old man's words, ah! After talking for a long time, Xu Ping stepped down.

"Yes, Master." Xu Ping respectfully stepped back.

Walking outside the tent, Xu Ping saw Yu Shenhe bring a person. This sturdy man with thick eyebrows and big eyes looked a little familiar, and before Xu Ping could ask, this person had already bowed down: "Villain Yuanbao, I've seen General Xu." ”

"Oh, oh." Xu Ping suddenly remembered who this person was, and when Zhang Jiefu invited him to dinner, this person had stood behind Le Lin. Since they are acquaintances, Xu Ping's tone is also polite: "Yuan Shaoxia, what a coincidence, please hurry up." ”

After a few polite words, Yuan Bao said that this time he was ordered by his master to come to the Ming army camp to buy women and children. Yesterday he saw a group of prisoners being brought to the camp of the superintendent, and among them the young and old men were killed by the officers and soldiers, leaving the women and children untreated. Yuan Bao had already inquired clearly that these captives were sent by Xu Ping, and he wanted Xu Ping to hand over these women and children to him.

"General Xu has opened his mouth," Yuan Bao patted his chest and promised, "The villain will never bargain." ”

Xu Ping shook his head and said, "I don't sell it." ”

"Oh," Yuan Bao turned his mind, and thought that he had understood the reason, Xu Ping must have used these women to form a women's battalion for his army first. Yuan Bao felt that this was also reasonable, and said with a smile: "That boy, General Xu, don't want it, give these to the villain." In addition, the woman and the villain want to settle down first, and then hand it over to the villain when the teacher is the master of the Xu. ”

Xu Ping frowned and said, "What do you want the boy to do?" ”

Yuan Bao smiled when he heard this, and explained to Xu Ping that the handsome of these children could be singled out, dressed up and raised, and sold to scholars to be prostitutes. Because it is easier for boys to accompany their masters in and out than women, and the owners are not easy to get sick, so generally the slightly richer Ming scholarly families will buy scholars for their sons, and even the elderly have many good boys, so the sales have always been very good. Other boys who were a little worse in appearance could also be sold to theater troupes or rich families as slaves.

Yu Shenhe saw that Xu Ping's face was ugly, so he hurriedly pulled the ingots away and said, "This matter is considered in the long run, well, my department may have other arrangements for these boys." ”

After Yu Shenhe pushed the ingots away, Zhou Dongtian behind Xu Ping saw that the chief was still stunned there, and couldn't help but say: "My lord, I think it's best not to turn your face with such a villain, for fear of hurting the adult's harmony." ”

Xu Ping understood what Zhou Dongtian meant, if he punished this trafficker, it would be tantamount to ...... in the face of other Ming army generals No, not only to other generals, but also to Hou Sui, who acquiesced in this behavior, in the face.

"I know." Xu Ping whispered.

When Yu Shenhe rushed back to Xu Ping's side, he saw the chief holding a tree and was speechless, and there was only Zhou Dongtian by his side. Yu Shenhe coughed: "My lord." ”

"Hmm." Xu Ping looked up at the white clouds in the sky, surrounded by vast mountains and rivers: "Brother Lin, Brother Zhou, what are we doing?" ”

Zhou Dongtian and Yu Shenhe glanced at each other, Yu Shenhe clenched his fists and whispered: "My lord, you are just obeying military orders." ”

Zhou Dongtian persuaded: "They are thieves who gather people to make trouble, they are thieves!" We are officers and soldiers, and it is only natural for officers and soldiers to catch thieves.

"I swore that I would cut off the heads of countless enemies, and that I would travel thousands of miles to ...... to gain fame. Xu Ping felt that his eyes were hot, and he shook his head at Lin and Erren: "But I can't...... I shouldn't have taken the flesh and blood of these people...... to gain fame. ”

Yu Shenhe and Zhou Dongtian didn't speak, and Xu Ping suddenly laughed and said, "Yes, but I've already done it, haven't I?" I kill innocent people indiscriminately......"

"My lord, they are thieves ......"

"Your Excellency." Yu Shenhe shouted loudly and interrupted Zhou Dongtian: "My lord, do you still remember the village chief's family in Zhangjia Village." ”

"Yes." Xu Ping stopped laughing, looked at Yu Shenhe, and said, "Of course I remember." ”

"There is one thing that has not been told to the lords. Yesterday, the lord asked the lowly to escort the captives to the Yucheng camp, and the lowly saw the daughter-in-law of the Zhang family. Yu Shenhe's eyes suddenly showed a look of hatred, it was a kind of hatred that went deep into the bone marrow.

Xu Ping also had a faint premonition in his heart, and asked, "Why did you meet her?" ”

"Tell your lordship," Yu Shenhe couldn't bear it anymore as soon as he opened his mouth, he gritted his teeth and said: "I have inquired about it, it turns out that the people of Zhangjia Village were called by the Governor for questioning, and it was determined that they had misbehaved and had traces of banditry, and several old people in Zhangjia Village were executed, and the village chief was naturally the first evil, and their father and son were buried alive......"

Xu Ping closed his lips tightly.

Yu Shenhe's whole body trembled, and he squeezed out the following words from between his teeth: "The daughter-in-law of the Zhang family who baked cakes for us was ruined by a group of people in the standard camp, and she was crazy, and she hid in a ditch outside the camp every day and cried. It is said that several soldiers saw that she was crying pitifully, so they brought her some water and some food. The lowly saw her outside the camp yesterday and gave her something to eat, but she only cried and refused to eat. When the prisoner was sent to the camp and returned to look for her, the lady of the Zhang family did not know which rebel was dragged away. When he went to look for her again this morning, he saw her body dumped in a ditch. Before the adults came, the humble position had just buried her, but the murderer could not be found. ”

Xu Ping's hand shook violently, and his face turned pale: "This is the fate of those who believe in me Xu Ping." ”

Xu Ping closed his eyes for a long time, and after opening his eyes again, Xu Ping asked the two people around him: "What should we do with those prisoners of our army?" ”

Zhou Dongtian was silent, Yu Shenhe's mouth opened, and he didn't speak in the end.

"When we're gone, it's estimated that the camp will sell them, and even use the women as prostitutes first, and then sell them later. As for the children, I don't know what will happen to them. Xu Ping muttered to himself, his eyes full of exhaustion. He found it difficult for him to rescue these people, and it was probably difficult to release these people, and even if he did, they would have nowhere to go.

Holding on to the tree with one hand, Xu Ping bent over and cried out in pain: "I, Xu Ping...... What is the difference between them and Tartars and beasts? ”

"If it's a Tartar, we'll slaughter them." Yu Shenhe, who was always silent in the past, suddenly seemed to be a different person, and poured out the grief and indignation in his chest to the fullest: "Jia Yan asked me to join the army to repay my wish, but this is actually my humble wish." The life of the lowly post should have been gone twenty years ago, but it was the Marquis of Zhendong who saved it from the hands of the Tartars, and when he joined the army, he vowed to save more lives......"

"My lord," Zhou Dongtian hurriedly interrupted him when he heard Yu Shenhe's tone getting higher and higher, and lowered his head: "My lord, Brother Yu, I haven't heard these words. ”

"yes, yes." Xu Ping laughed bitterly a few times self-deprecatingly: "Military law is ruthless, I know." ”

……

After returning to the Changqing camp, Xu Ping began to wait for backup to arrive. But until the 15th, the follow-up Ming army was still searching for bandits in the rear. At the same time, worse news reached the Changqing battalion, when Hou Sui announced that due to various reasons such as road blockage and bandit harassment along the way, the food reserves of the large camp were insufficient, so each battalion had to collect grain and grass on its own.

"Collect your own grain and grass?" As soon as this question was raised at the military meeting of the Changqing Battalion, Xu Ping loudly questioned: "There are no magistrates here at all, who does our army go to collect grain and grass, and how?" ”

"This is the order of the Overseer, well, the Overseer has also explained this." Staff officer Fu Tianjun looked at the official document and reported to the three commanders and colleagues in the battalion: "...... The imperial court has stopped distributing grain and grass, and instead provided it by the government along the way. Collecting grain and grass by yourself is also an order from the imperial court to the Governor. ”

"The order of the dynasty changes," Wu Zhong complained loudly and dissatisfiedly: "Before sending out the army, the Hou Ye said that this time the army must be properly prepared, at least enough food and grass for the army for half a year. At that time, the princes of the court and the central government urged us to send troops immediately, and assured the emperor that there would be no problem in supplying grain and grass for a year, not for half a year. It's only been a month now, and the Tongzhou granary has been declared exhausted, and I don't know how they did it. ”

"The Ministry of Household said that the Ministry of War wanted too much, but the Ministry of War said that it was because of too much wear and tear on the transportation road, and also retorted that the Ministry of Household had done everything in advance, and only said that the grain storage was insufficient at the end of the matter, which caught the Ministry of War off guard." Fu Tianjun was also very annoyed in his heart, seeing that Xu Ping and Wu Zhong were dissatisfied, his courage also increased, and he muttered: "The household department and the military department will shirk each other's responsibilities, and they will not think of how to raise grain and grass at all." ”

"What is too much consumption, I don't know whose pockets are fattened." Wu Zhong snorted. How much wear and tear on the road, the military department should have known in its heart. In the past, when there was a shortage of grain, this excuse had been used many times, so Huang Shi had tried his best to implement the grain and grass in advance, but he didn't expect it to be the same: "But then again, before sending troops, Lord Hou fought hard with the emperor, and the military department had allocated a large amount of grain and grass to the Inspector in advance." Why, have the barracks run out of grain? ”

"I don't know whose pocket it fell into." Xu Ping coldly took over the conversation, and asked Fu Tianjun again: "Regarding raising grain and grass by themselves, what is the plan of the staff team?" Shall we also break down some stockades, seize their winter food, and then pull the women and children to Texas and sell them for food? ”

"Okay, what's the use of saying such cool things?" Zhang Chengye drank Xu Ping: "What do you think of Mr. Fu Qian?" ”

Fu Tianjun glanced at Xu Ping and said to Zhang Chengye in a low voice: "My lord, what Lord Xu said may not be the intention of the Inspector. As far as the lowly officials know, although the battalions of the New Army have been dispatched to search for bandits, they have made very few gains, and the Inspector does not seem to be satisfied. So far, the 10th battalion of the new army has beheaded no more than 7,000, and 5,000 are firefighting, rocking, and selecting fronts, and the rest are ...... Hmmm......"

Fu Tianjun stopped talking, and Xu Ping said coldly: "Three hundred is the result of the battle of three thousand battalions under my command, and Fu Qian doesn't have to be shy about continuing to say." ”

"There is no Shanlan camp level, General Fang claimed that his feet hurt and said that he would not go to see the superintendent, and said that his two adjutants were sick and couldn't even get out of bed; We don't have it at the level of the Evergreen Battalion, but fortunately...... Well, there was a time for Lord Xu...... Well, the Inspector doesn't care about us, the other battalions are hundreds, and General Zhu of the Lu Army alone has captured more than 20,000 levels, and it is said that countless burdens have been seized, and the Inspector has already asked the court for merit for him. Fu Tianjun lowered his head and said with a sigh: "Master Inspector must be a little dissatisfied with my new army, feeling that although Hou Ye is not here, we are still receiving Hou Ye's orders from afar. ”

The crowd was silent. The new army was formed by the imperial court at a huge cost, and Huangshi had long been the master of high merit, thinking that the imperial court could tolerate the dominance of the generals of other armies, but it categorically could not tolerate that the new army was not in the direct control of the imperial court. This time, Hou Sui used Shang Fang's sword against the generals of the new army, which shows that the imperial court is afraid of the Huangshi forces - this behavior is probably not Hou Sui's arbitrariness, but out of the imperial court's instructions. But what makes everyone wonder is that Hou Sui is not afraid of angering Zhendong Hou if he does this? Aren't you afraid that the generals of the new army will really embarrass him by the secret order of the Marquis of Zhendong? Since this incident happened, Xu Ping knew that at least there had been an undercurrent within the Evergreen Camp, and many people had other thoughts.

Zhang Chengye asked blankly: "Capture 20,000?" ”

"That's right, Zhu Yuanhong beheaded 23,000." Xu Ping answered this question for Fu Tianjun, and he gritted his back molars to report to Zhang Chengye: "President Yu Shenhe went to Yucheng Inspector yesterday to report the military situation, and he told the last general that he saw the mountain of heads presented by Zhu Yuanhong, and there were boys and girls in them...... This guy didn't even bother to sell the children, and directly used it as the first level to fill the number, I don't know how many people have been harmed. ”

The people in the tent were silent. Zhang Chengye thought for a moment and ordered: "Go to the surrounding wealthy families again, and ask them to help our army with more grain and grass no matter what." ”

The so-called wealthy family refers to the large local landlords. They built forts to store food, defend their people and property, and raised a large number of armed men. The forts of these local tyrants were stronger than those of ordinary county towns, and their families were far better equipped than the local troops. Most of the forts are equipped with firearms, and some are even equipped with artillery that has been bought with a lot of money, and even the rebels are unwilling to gnaw on these hard bones. These families had enough financial resources to support their outstanding sons and daughters to gain fame and fame, and they were inextricably linked with the officials in the court and at the local level. Before the Ming army sent troops, it was repeatedly reminded that it was absolutely not allowed to endanger the property of these local tyrants. The Chiefs of Staff of the Forces nouvelles, in drawing up their marching routes, also bypassed these forts as much as possible.

After hearing Zhang Chengye's order, Fu Tianjun and the others were embarrassed.

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