The private armies of the estates of the lords and gentry outside the city are all swept away in front of the door, and they use high walls to resist robbers, and they basically have no intention of caring about the affairs of the county.

Tang Yin just idealized that the county was in trouble, and people from outside the city should come to the rescue.

That night, the Xingwang Mansion held an emergency meeting with the state government, and Tang Yin went to discuss countermeasures, and when he returned to the city, the scout informed him that a large camp of bandits outside the city had been built.

"Where is this like to loot and leave? Looking at this posture, it seems that the city must be captured...... It's incredible......"

Zhang Zuo came to inquire about the situation outside the city, and when he learned about the movements of the thieves, he seemed extremely incomprehensible.

Tang Yin said: "The number of thieves outside the city should not be many at present, if you don't take the initiative to attack now, it will be difficult to go out of the city to fight again." ”

Zhang Zuo persuaded: "Mr. Tang, it is more important to defend the city now, but you can't let the nobles of the palace be in danger...... I'm here to inform you, unless Your Highness agrees, otherwise...... Don't think about taking the initiative to face it. ”

Originally, Zhang Zuo supported the royal government to play a key role in the suppression of bandits, but now he has no courage.

The ghost knows that the thieves are more formal than the officers and soldiers, and when they arrived in Anlu Prefecture, they were not busy looting, hiding from the officers and soldiers to fight guerrillas, and actually openly set up a camp outside the city gate?

What kind of play is this?

Are you really not afraid that the officers and soldiers will rush out to fight them in a decisive battle?

But the situation in front of me is ......

In the city, from the state government to the Xingwang Mansion, the idea of sending troops was dispelled, even if Tang Yin himself had a little bit of a mind to fight with the bandits, he could only recognize the reality at this time and give priority to the defense issue.

……

……

On the first day of the bandits' arrival outside the city of Anluzhou, the people in the city were panicked, and before nightfall, the officials came out to block the main street and complete the preparations before the curfew.

Zhu Hao took advantage of the chaos before the curfew to return home.

At this time, Zhu Niang was directing the reinforcement of the door panel, and piled up a large pile of stones at the moon gate connecting the front shop and the back yard, which was to prepare for the thieves to enter the city, and the guards could rely on the portal for some defense, if things were unfavorable, they would retreat to the backyard, block the moon gate with stones, and rely on the high wall to resist.

If the thieves just go into the city and walk around, they must rob whichever one has a weak defense.

But if the thieves enter the city and entrench themselves in the city to confront the officers and soldiers who are attacking...... Basically, everyone is the same, "the rain and dew are evenly wet", and the big guys suffer together.

"Xiao Hao, don't go back to the palace tomorrow, stay at home, my mother doesn't want you to take risks at this time." When Zhu Niang saw her son, she had a kind of warmth and relief that the family was finally neat, and she was afraid of losing.

Zhu Hao said: "Mother, what about our business outside the city?" ”

Zhu Niang sighed, and Aunt Li next to her was relieved: "I told Lao Ma earlier, taking advantage of the fact that the bandits did not come, they moved in all the things that could be carried into the city, but now there are people guarding the ferry outside the city...... The bandits don't have a ship, so they shouldn't be able to do anything, right? ”

Zhu Hao smiled: "This is a good idea. ”

"Xiao Hao, can you still laugh at this time?"

Zhu Niang looked at her son's cheerful smile, and for some reason the tension in her heart was relieved, but there was still a trace of complaint in her words.

Zhu Hao restrained his smile and said, "Mother, haven't you heard that the Zhu family has come to the city?" Are they okay if they stay outside the city? ”

Zhu Niang explained: "The walls of the Zhu family's Zhuangzi are very high, several village gates are built with pillboxes, the courtyards are generally equipped with knives, and there are a few bows and crossbows. I believe that even if the thieves want to rob, they will pick soft persimmons and pinch them, and the risk of robbing the Zhu family is too great. ”

"Hmm."

Zhu Hao thought about it, and it seemed to be such a truth.

No matter how you say it, the Zhu family is also a military family, with a hereditary position of Jinyi Wei Qianhu, and is qualified to raise a nursing home with swords and bows and crossbows, which is incomparable to ordinary gentry families.

"Mother, it's just a curfew in the city now, I'll go back to the palace early tomorrow morning, you don't have to worry, the palace is much safer than home, there are a lot of guards in the palace, this time they didn't go out of the city to fight, even if the thieves enter the city and want to capture the Xingwang Mansion...... I'm afraid it's not that easy. ”

Zhu Hao said the reason why he lived in Xingwangfu next.

Zhu Niang thought about it, although she was reluctant to part with her son in times of crisis, but when she thought that the city was broken, the palace might be able to protect her son, and the mother no longer had the luxury of having to reunite the family at such a time.

……

……

Nothing happened that night.

Early the next morning, there were no people on the street, every household was strengthening the doors and windows, and when Zhu Hao and Yu San and others went to Xingwang's Mansion together, they heard the sound of clanging along the way.

Zhu Hao asked, "Little third brother, have you settled down at home?" ”

Yu San smiled and said: "The family has all entered the city now, it's okay now, the house I raised money to buy before has finally come in handy, unlike those who have taken refuge in the city, they don't even have a place to live, if there is a plague...... More people may die than thieves. ”

Zhu Hao was a little impressed by the three.

The words are not rough.

At this time, a large number of people gathered in the city to take refuge in the city, and it became a problem to eat, drink and lazar, and the government could ensure that the people could not gather the plague?

It coincides with the warmer weather at the beginning of spring, and occasionally comes to pour the spring cold, and the people do not have a tile to cover their heads after entering the city, and when they are sick and hungry, someone needs to be responsible.

All the way to the west gate of the palace.

The vacant land to the west of the palace, except for the opera garden and its surroundings, has become a concentrated settlement point for refugees, with men, women and children densely packed, and the palace has sent a large number of people to maintain order.

Yuan Zonggao did a good job, that is, he showed the compassionate attitude that the palace should have, and actively participated in the treatment of refugees.

Entering the palace, you can see strangers everywhere, all of them are the eunuchs, captains, heads of the village, companions and even ordinary tenants of the Wangzhuang outside the city, temporarily settled in the outer courtyard of the palace.

……

……

The morning class was temporarily suspended due to Fan Yikuan's physical discomfort, and Tang Yin, another teacher, was responsible for guarding the city.

Zhu Hao and Jing Hong stayed in their dormitory, Jing Hong sat at the desk to read, Zhu Hao buried himself in writing, and there was nothing to do.

Near noon, Zhu Hao put away the manuscript paper and prepared to leave the palace.

"Where are you going?"

Jing Hong asked curiously, "It's so chaotic outside, it's very dangerous...... It's better to wait until the thieves are pacified before you go out. ”

Zhu Hao said: "I'm going to find Mr. Tang." ”

Jing Hong asked curiously, "Isn't he guarding the city?" ”

"Just go to him on the wall...... I've already told Lu Dianzhan that he'll send someone to take me there......"

After speaking, Zhu Hao went out.

Under the guidance of the guards, Zhu Hao and several palace servants went to the east of the city together.

Even the guards usually don't have a proper shape, they always like to make fun of people, but in the face of danger at this time, he is not smiling in armor, his eyes are sharp and firm, giving people a sense of oppression, Zhu Hao is a little uncomfortable.

When he came to the gate tower in the east of the city, the guards took the miscellaneous servants to the nearby room to cook for the brothers patrolling the city, and Zhu Hao was taken over by Lu Song, and the two went up to the city tower together.

"Mr. Tang, you didn't sleep well last night?"

On the second floor of the city gate tower, Zhu Hao asked suspiciously as soon as he saw Tang Yin.

Tang Yin glanced up at Zhu Hao, his eyes were bloodshot, at this time there was no one around except Lu Song, and he had nothing to hide, he closed a military topographic map in front of him, and sighed: "The thieves have set up camp and made a lot of noise, and now there are two more gangs of thieves outside the city......

"The sentry came to report that the main forces of the three gangs of thieves had rushed outside the city and set up camp. They cooperated very tacitly, stationed outside the east gate one way, and responded to the officers and soldiers leaving the city at any time, leaving part of the other two roads as a forecast team, and the rest were broken into pieces and plundered all over Changshou County. ”

Zhu Hao asked, "Then why don't you decisively go out of the city and fight with you?" They blocked the east gate, so the other gates should be in and out unimpeded, right? ”

Tang Yin shook his head and did not answer.

Lu Song said next to him: "Young Master Zhu, the current situation is that in addition to the temporarily recruited people in the city, there are also officials and officials of the yamen at the state and county levels, as well as a small number of soldiers and horses from the inspection department......

"An Luwei commanded the yamen to send a message, asking all counties to strictly guard the city and not to rush in, and act when the opportunity arises, it takes time for the guards to assemble soldiers and horses, and they can't take into account every precautionary ......."

Zhu Hao suddenly said: "That means that the government and the military do not send troops, and with the strength of the palace alone, they can't fight the robbers outside?" ”

"Hmm."

Lu Song nodded.

While he was talking, there was the sound of boots stepping on the ground at the staircase, but it was Luo An who came back from inspecting the city defense, and was a little surprised to see that Zhu Hao was also there: "Young Master Zhu is here?" ”

In the past, Luo An didn't take Zhu Hao seriously at all.

Now the situation is very different, Zhu Hao is not only a disciple of Tang Yin, but also the head of the county, and he is a student, with his age, Zhongju and Jinshi are almost a sure thing, and the leap in social status is just around the corner, plus Zhu Hao and the prince are also teachers and friends, and the relationship is irreversible, Luo An unconsciously has a sense of awe.

"Mr. Tang, as you expected, now the thieves are looting various manors outside the city, even if the main members of the family are all in the city to avoid trouble, the gentry are now going to the state government to find Kuang Zhizhou, shouting that they will send troops to quell the ......chaos as soon as possible."

Luo An and Tang Yin didn't have much friendship, but the two went to Jiangnan together, and along the way, Luo An learned more about Tang Yin, and slowly fell in love with Tang Yin's talent and insight, and was willing to make this friend.

More importantly, at present, Tang Yin is the nominal commander-in-chief of the former enemy of the palace.

Tang Yin said angrily: "This group of people, when they gathered in the state government to discuss sending troops, they prevaricated one by one, no one was willing to contribute money and food, and even I didn't let them help......

"Now that the thieves are coming to the city and touching their fundamental interests, they have begun to urge the government to send troops? The fighter plane has been lost, and the bandits are now encamped, and with defense, it is so easy to send troops to exterminate them? ”

Luo An sighed: "That's right, but right now, the palace is in Wangzhuang, which is outside the city, and I'm afraid that a lot of materials will be robbed by bandits...... Our people outside the city have basically moved to the city, and one by one Wangzhuang is equivalent to being unfortified. ”

Lu Song has always stayed in the palace, and has never been stationed in Wangzhuang outside the city, so he doesn't know much about the situation outside, so he immediately asked: "Didn't the grain stored in the villages be transported into the city?" ”

Luo An said: "There is always too late to be lucky, and don't even think about those heavy belongings." This thief is too, he is actually lined up outside the city like this, who is the official and who is the bandit? ”

Zhu Hao smiled: "Both an official and a thief." ”

Several people looked at Zhu Hao at the same time, and they discussed things just now, ignoring Zhu Hao's existence.

Lu Song and Tang Yin suddenly realized that Zhu Hao definitely didn't come to condolence this time, there was definitely something, and they had long known how capable Zhu Hao was, maybe he really had a strategy to retreat from the enemy?

"What do you mean by that?"

Luo An didn't know much about Zhu Hao's ability, so he asked curiously.

Zhu Hao said: "Luo Dianzhan, why do you think these three groups of thieves can gather together, and they still have a clear division of labor with each other, some defend, some rob, and use soldiers to compare officers and soldiers with rules?" They dare to go beyond the province to attack, the momentum is so big, the officers and soldiers are strictly guarded but they can't, but why? Are they just a bunch of ordinary bandits? ”