At the same time that Yi Xiangming led a small army to Wujiang County, the results of the battle with the White Lotus Sect bandit army had been transmitted back to Suzhou City, and also to Zhang Pu's ears.

Zhang Pu has been paying close attention to the battle situation, in his opinion, Xiang Yong is just some hired workers, they are all honest and obedient people, such people can't even fight, let alone fight. Moreover, the number of village warriors led by Chen Zilong is not as large as the White Lotus Sect army, how can they be the opponents of the fierce White Lotus Sect bandits?

Chen Zilong actually led such an army to take the initiative to meet the White Lotus Sect, and he didn't know how thick the sky was.

In Zhang Pu's opinion, there is no suspense about the outcome of the battle at all, and he has even begun to arrange the next things. Shen Heng, the head of the Shen family, authorized Zhang Pu to command the power of the gentry in Wu, so now Zhang Pu is nominally the leader of the gentry in Wu, and he can mobilize the power in the hands of the gentry to control the city of Suzhou.

Zhang Pu had already ordered a part of the people to hide in the streets and alleys outside the gate of Suzhou, and when Chen Zilong was defeated and returned to the city, he suddenly came out, took the opportunity to kill Chen Zilong, captured the city gate, and took the entire city of Suzhou.

Now that the matter has come to this, Zhang Pu is no longer ready to hide, he wants to force the gentry of Wuzhong to occupy the open side, and oppose the emperor with a clear sword and a clear gun. The strength is already poor, and then it is hidden, how can it be the emperor's opponent?

Zhang Pu has even planned how to gather the army after taking Suzhou, how to arrange the defense, how to deal with the relationship with the White Lotus Sect, and so on.

Everything was ready, just waiting for the results of the battle to come, but the results of the battle surprised Zhang Pu and shocked him incomparably!

"Lost to a group of hired workers who have just been recruited for a few days and can't even use knives and guns, did Zhuge Sanhe grow up eating shit, it's just a waste!" Zhang Pu could no longer care about the elegance and self-cultivation of the scholar, and scolded.

However, it has come to this point, and it is useless to scold, and it is useless. After venting, Zhang Pu began to think about what to do next, and then sadly found that he was completely helpless at this time.

With the rout of the White Lotus Sect, Chen Zilong had completely taken control of the situation. At this time, it is to gather the power that all the gentry have in their hands, and it is by no means Chen Zilong's opponent. Because of the slave release edict and the impact of Chen Zilong's victory over the White Lotus Sect, the gentry were already frightened, and the house slaves were even more reluctant to fight with the villagers.

At this time, if anyone dares to stand up, he will inevitably be severely attacked, and he can be killed if he is charged with the White Lotus Sect. And in this case, the gentry of Wu Zhong will not listen to themselves anymore. And if he stayed, he might be betrayed by the gentry.

In a short period of time, Zhang Pu thought clearly about the current situation, knowing that things were no longer possible, and even his life would be in danger if he stayed any longer. jumped like this, how could Chen Zilong let himself go?

After thinking about it, Zhang Pu immediately left his residence, took a boat into Taihu Lake, and headed for Xishan Island. It would be safer to escape into Taihu Lake, and then we had to discuss with the Shen family master what to do next.

However, what Zhang Pu never expected was that when he landed on Xishan Island and arrived at the Shen family's courtyard, he was told that Shen Heng had left.

"When did Brother Shen leave? Where did he go? Zhang Pu hurriedly asked.

"Just half an hour ago, but I don't know where the villain went." The servant of the other courtyard said respectfully.

"When will you be back?" Zhang Pu asked unwillingly.

The servant shook his head and hesitated: "The master didn't say it, but it shouldn't be coming to Xishan Island for a short time." ”

"How do you know?" Zhang Pu hurriedly asked.

The servant knew that Zhang Pu was the guest of his lord's seat, not an outsider, so he told the truth: "Because the master brought a lot of salutes when he left, the villain guessed that he was going to live outside for a while." Master Zhang, if you don't want to go to Suzhou to see, the old man should have returned to the old house in Suzhou, the island is too cold, and the old man will go back to the old house every winter to spend the winter. ”

Zhang Pu's face became gloomy. The situation in Suzhou City is so dangerous, how can Shen Heng return to Suzhou? It was clear that he heard the news of the defeat of the White Lotus Sect, and when he saw that the situation was not good, he fled!

The most annoying thing is that this guy ran away without notifying himself!

Hiding behind in everything, never willing to take the initiative, the situation is not good, the first to escape, what a gutless rat! Such a person is still the head of the first family in Wuzhong, and the gentry in Wuzhong are all so virtuous, what can they do to compete with the emperor?

At this moment, Zhang Pu was angry, if he listened to himself from the beginning, the lake bandits led by Zhuge Sanhe did not fight Wujiang, but attacked Suzhou directly, where would it end up now?

At that time, Chen Zilong was hiding and did not dare to show his head, the Xiangyong camp had not yet been established, and there were gentry as internal responses, and there was no problem in taking Suzhou. But Shen Heng and other gentry were worried about their own bottles and cans, afraid of being robbed by lake bandits, afraid that their own workshops would be smashed and robbed, and sent Zhuge Sanhe to Wujiang. As a result, now, nothing was saved, and Shen Heng was so frightened that he left everything behind and fled.

I knew why I had to do it today, the shaft was not enough and planned!

Even Shen Heng fled, and there was no need for Suzhou to stay. Zhang Pu immediately left by boat, and did not return to Suzhou, but crossed Taihu Lake, landed in Yixing, on the west side of Taihu Lake, and then rushed to Nanjing by land.

Although he lost in Suzhou, the matter is not over, and it is not yet known who will kill the deer!

......

It was nearly dusk, and the villagers who were chasing and killing returned to the camp one after another, bringing back a large number of prisoners and captured weapons.

There was laughter and laughter in the camp, everyone was elated, and the villagers talked and laughed, boasting about their bravery in chasing down the White Lotus bandits.

Looking at the chaotic camp, there was no military camp at all, Chen Zilong sighed, he finally understood that he was not the material to lead the troops. If it weren't for the 100 Praetorian Guards led by Shan Xiangming who were too brave this time, they defeated the White Lotus Sect bandit army with only a hundred people, and most of the battle would have been defeated and lost.

But after all, he won, and Chen Zilong didn't want to bother to rectify the discipline in the camp. Anyway, the White Lotus Sect bandits have been defeated, and there will be no more big battles. And it won't take long for these villagers to be disbanded, after all, there is no longer a need to raise so many troops.

The results of the battle have been counted, a total of more than 500 White Lotus bandits have been killed, more than 3,800 people have been captured, and more than 2,000 bandits have escaped the pursuit and do not know where they have escaped. However, Zhuge Sanhe and other leaders were killed, and these bandits could no longer form much of a climate, and they would be slowly cleared up in the future.

In addition, a large amount of material was seized, five or six thousand weapons, more than 3,000 loads of grain, and more than 100 mule carts for transporting grain, plus other messy things. Not much money was seized, or almost no money was seized. The prisoners were interrogated, saying that it was inconvenient to march with too many things in battle, and that the looted gold and silver treasures were left in Wujiang and guarded by the sect leader's henchmen.

The captives were carrying a lot of looted silver taels at that time, and when they were caught, they were searched by the villagers and all went into the pockets of the villagers. Chen Zilong knows this, and he is not ready to pursue it.

As for the losses of the villagers, it can be said that they are minimal. Because the villagers did not fight at the beginning, they pursued and killed after the defeat of the White Lotus Sect bandit army. The White Lotus bandits only cared about escaping and didn't dare to resist at all, so they didn't cause any casualties to Xiang Yong. Except for a few villagers who sprained their ankles during the pursuit, and a few fell into the ditch and broke their faces, there was no loss.

At night, Chen Zilong couldn't sleep excitedly, because he knew that after this battle, Suzhou would be completely controlled by himself, and the gentry in Wuzhong would no longer be able to make waves.

I couldn't sleep, so I simply took out a pen and paper to write a report on the success, and after writing, I ordered someone to send it to Suzhou overnight, and handed it over to the express shop to send someone to Zhenjiang overnight to report to the emperor.

After resting for the night, early the next morning, Chen Zilong ordered the camp to return to Suzhou. Just after the camp set off, a cavalry galloped close, but it was a single way to send someone to deliver a letter, reporting the news that Wujiang City had been taken, Chen Zilong couldn't help laughing.

With the townspeople, the prisoners, and the triumphant songs, the team returned to Suzhou City, and countless pairs of eyes watched all this on the streets outside the city, in the shops, and in the courtyards.

Ordinary people were elated, crowded on the side of the street to greet the villagers, and the voices of calling for their sons and husbands were endless.

Most of Xiang Yong's homes were outside the city, and their families were naturally very happy that they had defeated the White Lotus Bandits and returned safely. And the villagers also stood up one by one and accepted the cheers of their families and fellow villagers.

Some people are happy, some people are naturally sad, and the squires outside the city are sad, because they know that the sky of Suzhou City is about to change. From now on, their position of power, and even their wealth, may no longer exist. Although Da Ming is still Da Ming, the sky is about to change.

......

Zhenjiang Mansion, after receiving the report sent by Chen Zilong, Zhu Youzhen was stunned for a moment.

"Congratulations to Your Majesty, the White Lotus Sect bandits have been exterminated, and Jiangdong will be settled from now on! Congratulations to Your Majesty for your great talent! Hong Chengchou said with a smile.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty!" Li Yanzhi, Li Dingguo, and Zhang Huangyan also said at the same time.

"Hahaha......" Zhu Youzhen laughed happily.

In the past few days, he has actually been very worried about whether the situation in Suzhou will deteriorate.

In order to make those Wu gentry jump out, Zhu Youzhen did not send troops to Suzhou, but only sent more than 100 soldiers of the Praetorian Guard to guard Chen Zilong and serve as an officer of the Xiangyong Battalion. Otherwise, only one or two thousand troops need to be sent, and there is no problem in pacifying the White Lotus bandits. An army of one or two thousand people can still be drawn out.

Whether it is Zhu Youzhen or Hong Chengchou, they all think that in this case, Chen Zilong's ability to defend Suzhou City is already very remarkable. After all, there is a White Lotus Sect bandit army outside, and there are rebellious gentry inside, so it is extremely strong to be able to keep Suzhou City from losing. As for defeating the White Lotus Sect and completely pacifying Suzhou, it is unimaginable.

And now Chen Zilong not only defended Suzhou City, but also took the initiative to annihilate the White Lotus Sect bandit army, and took Wujiang County by chance, directly stabilizing the situation in the entire Jiangdong, so that the squires in other parts of Jiangdong no longer dare to move. It is not an exaggeration to say that he is a great talent.

"With the newly recruited Xiangyong, he dared to give up the city defense and take the initiative to attack and defeat the White Lotus Sect bandit army in the field, this Lord Chen is really bold." Li Yanzhi also praised.

Not everyone dares to make such a choice, for most people, it must be to hold Suzhou as the primary task, after all, as long as to hold Suzhou is a great achievement, and if you take the initiative to attack, once the defeat is really serious.

"That's good." Zhu Youzhen also nodded and said, "Chen Zilong has made great contributions, so he naturally needs a reward, so let's promote him to the prefect of Suzhou." Other meritorious people will also be rewarded, how to be rewarded, Hong Aiqing, you will study it after you go down, and then report it to me. ”

"Wechen obeys!" Hong Chengchou hurriedly agreed.

Just a few days ago, Zhu Youzhen finally issued an order to promote Hong Chengchou to a scholar of Dongge University and a secretary of the military department, which also means that Hong Chengchou has become a cabinet member.

Chen Zilong made great contributions to be rewarded, Huang Zongxi, Xia Yunyi, Gu Yanwu and others broke away from the Fushe and took refuge in themselves, and assisted Chen Zilong in compiling and training the township to defend Suzhou, so naturally they should also be reused. As for the officers and soldiers of the Praetorian Guard such as Yi Xiangming who have made meritorious contributions, they also need to be rewarded, and they must not be careless.

After disposing of the affairs of Suzhou, the monarchs and ministers began to discuss the current situation again, which was the real purpose of Zhu Youzhen's convening of everyone. Suzhou's report document is just a coincidence.

"Sun Chuanting has crossed the Yellow River and is leading the army to Nanyang, planning to destroy the red turban army in Nanyang first, and then slowly deal with the red lady." Hong Chengchou said. He is the secretary of the military department, and the battle reports from all over the country must be delivered to him first, and he is also the most familiar with the situation.

"Why didn't Inspector Sun deal with the Red Lady first, after all, the Red Lady has the most powerful power, and it has grown to more than 300,000, even Pingbei Hou can't help it?" Li Yanzhi asked.

Hong Chengchou said: "Master Sun explained when he arrived in the recital, saying that he thought that Li Gongzi was more harmful than the Red Lady. The red lady is just blindly killing officials and making food, desperately coercing the people to expand the army, seemingly powerful, but has no political ambitions. However, Li Gongzi recruited scholars, treated the gentry well, set up an official system, and appointed officials to govern the territory he had laid. ”

"Appointing officials to govern the place is to compete with the imperial court for the world. What kind of bullshit Li Gongzi is really arrogant, he should be killed! Li Dingguo shouted. Your Majesty is so virtuous and so kind to the people of the world, that bullshit Li Gongzi still thinks about making rice and competing with His Majesty for the country, it's really damned!

"But that's easy to deal with. Li Gongzi occupies the local appointed officials, so he can't easily move the lair, and we can send a large army to conquer at any time. Our Praetorian Guard is so powerful that it will not be difficult to defeat and annihilate him. In my opinion, the real difficulty is to deal with the rogue who doesn't care about the territory. They don't care about the territory, the officials and soldiers run away when they come, and it is the most difficult to exterminate. Zhang Huangyan put forward a different view.

"Cangshui is right." Li Yanzhi nodded, agreeing with Zhang Huangyan's analysis. What occupies a place with huge ambitions, in the present situation is actually stupid. The current Praetorian Guard was the strongest, and even Jiannu was almost wiped out, and Monan Mongolia surrendered directly. Holding on to the ground can only bring about its own destruction.

"Maybe Sun Chuanting has other plans." Zhu Youzhen waved his hand. Now Sun Chuanting is responsible for clearing out the anti-thieves in Henan, so there is no need for him to command remotely, he should believe in Sun Chuanting's ability.

"Your Majesty, although the anti-thieves in Henan have a huge force, it is almost impossible for them to conquer big cities like Kaifeng and Luoyang. On the contrary, the situation in Jiangxi is really dangerous. I think it's better to let Sun Chuanting leave half of the army in Henan, and Zhang Shize will be responsible for suppressing the bandits, and he will rush straight to Jiangxi with the rest of the army, and calm down the Jiangxi rebels first? Hong Chengchou suggested.