The county commander of Hougang County, Ning Zhuo, could not resist the surging public opinion at all, so he could only be forced to act as the leader and lead the team to surrender.

This was contrary to his loyalty to the imperial court, and even more contrary to the will of the family, abandoning most of the people when necessary to preserve the territory and soldiers.

After surviving this famine period, Lu Ding will turn back to receive the border city and county, which is the promise of the overlord of Dingxi.

Maybe ordinary people think it's a little ridiculous, but in the eyes of the Wangning family in Border City, it is reasonable.

If they go to the point of Lüding, they will also go south to seize the rich land first, instead of going north to collect a burden.

The rulers of the border counties only need to control the hungry people in the county, prevent them from becoming homeless people, and attack the rich Pinghe County to ask for food.

Then Lu Ding will go north in the coming day, and he will be rewarded for his meritorious deeds.

Whichever family has more territory, soldiers and horses and makes a greater contribution to the overall stability, which family will be able to occupy more positions in the new dynasty.

As the largest county wang family in Border City, the Ning family is naturally the most concerned about this, they not only control the dominance of Longbei City, the county seat, but also control two of the five counties.

Hou Gang was originally the most reassuring place for the Ning family, because of Ning Zhuo, the orthodox county commander, and his family had a name and soldiers, which could be said to be unbreakable.

The other county in the county, the Wangwang family, and the other county lords can only share half of Longbei City together, and the other three counties are mostly divided by several families.

It's a pity that the elders of the Ning family never expected that as the son-in-law who received elite education, the most outstanding junior of the family in recent years, would still have a "conscience".

After the famine broke out completely, Ning Zhuo not only did not recruit troops to strengthen his real power, but instead embezzled military rations to help the victims.

When all the cities did not dare to let go, Hougang City allowed homeless people to enter the city, and at least stuttered every day.

In this case, even if there is some food support provided by the Ning family, it will not be able to last too long.

Before, Ning Zhuo and the other homeless people were still looking forward to the summer harvest, but they never expected that the Ning family and other big families jointly sent troops to harvest the wheat in advance.

Everyone knows that this year's drought has caused a very serious reduction in output, and these big families naturally know that grain must not be left behind.

Hou Gangcheng did not harvest a few acres of summer grain, and the order of people's hearts carefully maintained by Ning Zhuo completely collapsed, and the nearly 100,000 victims gathered were like a powder keg every day, which would explode at any time.

At this time, even the prestige that Ning Zhuo had accumulated could not appease the 100,000 displaced people.

On the verge of starvation, no matter how much it says, it is false, and only food is real at the moment.

No matter what Ning Zhuo was thinking, he was coerced by public opinion, and he had no choice but to surrender.

The flags are unfurled, the horses' hooves are like thunder, the war drums are resounding all over the world, and the border city has not seen such a strong army appear for a long time.

The pitch-black armor, the shiny blade, the cold air.

The cavalry is like the wind, the foot soldiers are like the sea, like a series of iron walls and iron columns, neatly pushing towards Hougang City.

The incomparably domineering military spirit, like a gust of wind and rain, cleansed away the resentment, evil spirit, and surging calamity accumulated around Hougang City.

The 100,000 hungry people who poured out of the city were originally red-eyed wolves, but in front of the sharp blades of the three thousand demon army, they calmed down in an instant.

Yes, in order to control the situation as soon as possible, the one who rushed to the front was the Demon Army.

They moved like thunder, controlling the key points of the city with unparalleled speed, and then rushed into the crowd to form a wall of people, as quiet as a mountain, blocking the impact of the wave of hunger.

Of course, violent repression is inevitable, but as long as there are not too many lives, it will not matter.

When Zhou Bai arrived, what he saw was a pixiu phantom condensed by military energy, proudly holding his head high, sitting in the sky above Hougang City.

The 100,000 hungry people were like shivering chickens under the shock of the 3,000 demon army, they had never seen such a terrifying army.

The per capita body is more than full, the qi and blood are majestic, and the heat wave is rolling, not to mention the murderous aura on their bodies, which suppresses their hunger impulses.

And what kind of monster is it on top of it, and why is it here......

So even though the grain cart was in front of him, the volcano that was about to erupt in Hougang City was still forcibly cooled by force.

Zhou Bai rode on the scene, surrounded by Gao Hu, Jiao Tu, Lou Jinpeng and other generals and guards, and slowly came to the front of the greeting team.

There were only a few officials, more than a dozen generals, and then there was a row of thin and weak soldiers with weapons down.

The entire Hougang City was maintained by them before, which made Zhou Bai's eyes flash a hint of discoloration.

He knew very well that human nature was terrible in the famine era, and he also knew what the concept of 100,000 hungry people was in a city, otherwise he would let the demon army control the situation.

It can only be said that Ning Zhuo of Hougang County may still have some ability.

In fact, when he heard the mouths of the soldiers in Shazhou City and Ning Zhuo's actions, Zhou Bai was a little disdainful, because in his opinion, this was the "Holy Mother".

In the last days of troubled times, Our Lady's heart attacked, not only could not save people, but would cause greater losses.

Just like the situation in Hougang City, if Zhou Bai does not come, the rebellion of 100,000 hungry people will inevitably turn the city into ruins in the end.

The tragedy of countless deaths and injuries and cannibalism was almost predictable.

And this situation can obviously be avoided, as long as Ning Zhuo chooses to sacrifice a very small number of infirm people.

"Hougang County ordered Ning Zhuo, led Hougang's subjects, and asked the Governor of Anbei to surrender."

Ning Zhuo was wearing the Daxu official robe, which was already a little dirty, and according to the formal etiquette, he tried hard to maintain the last bit of decency.

"Ning County Order, please get up."

Even though Zhou Bai felt a little hypocritical and pedantic about Ning Zhuo's previous approach, he still turned over and dismounted, took over the surrender letter and the official seal list, and completed the surrender process.

There are one county and four counties behind, and he wants to set up Ning Zhuo as a signboard.

The last trace of unwillingness in Ning Zhuo's heart dissipated, and was replaced by a relief in his heart, the life and death of 100,000 people pressed on him every day, and he was almost out of breath.

Without waiting for Zhou Bai to arrange Ning Zhuo, he took the initiative to ask Ying: "Governor, can you let me participate in the pacification and relief, the grass people are familiar with the people's conditions, and they may be able to help." ”

This former county magistrate is in a very correct position, and after surrendering, he actually called himself a grass people, and he did not have the pride of being blessed by various identities.

Ning Zhuo's sincere request, others may think that this is a newly descended official, eager to make meritorious contributions.

But Zhou Bai heard that this former county magistrate definitely did not mean this, and he could not fake the emotions of the hungry people at that time.

Zhou Bai suddenly felt a little dazed, maybe this is not the Holy Mother of Hypocrisy, but a pure person?

"You are still the commander of Hougang County for the time being, and let's see how the follow-up is done."

Leaving such a sentence, and a group of alternate officials brought from the governor's mansion, Zhou Bai strode into the city, and then he had to think about where to attack again.

Taking Shazhou City can still be covered up, but taking Hougang can't hide the arrival of the Anbei army in any way.

The whole county shook, probing horses everywhere, and the sky was full of carrier pigeons.

No one expected that the first one to conquer them was not the northern grassland tribes, nor the southern Lüding, but the Anbei Governor's Mansion across Baishazhou.

And before they could react, they had already captured Hougang and were able to gain a foothold in the border city county.

The large and small forces everywhere have different thoughts about this, and some are panicked and frightened, afraid of losing their current power; Others rejoiced that the famine might be alleviated by the arrival of a new ruler; However, more of them are still hesitating and arguing, whether to fight or surrender.

……

Longbei City, just got the news of Hou Gang's mutation, and the representatives of the major forces immediately gathered in the county government yatang.

The county guard abandoned the official and returned to the court, no one in the county could unify the large and small forces, and no one could sit on the main seat of the yatang.

Even Ning Cheng, the most powerful head of the Ning family, could only add a chair next to the main seat, barely being the one who presided over the meeting.

In the past, because of the Ning family's advantage in the county town, he was able to control the situation every time he gathered to discuss matters, but today is different, the Wang family and several other county tycoons have joined forces to make trouble.

"What do you mean by the Ning family? Ning Zhuo surrendered without resistance, could it be that the Ning family had already climbed to the high branch of the governor of Anbei? ”

"That is, the head of the Ning family, Shazhou City and Hougang County are all in the hands of your Ning family, and this will be lost quietly, and the safety of the whole county is at stake!"

"The Anbei Army has gained a foothold, but it is really like a tiger descending the mountain, and it is unstoppable."

The successive questions made Ning Cheng's face gloomy, and he had already scolded Ning Zhuo in his heart for not knowing how many times.

But at the moment, he can't dismantle the stage after all: "Ning Zhuo must have done this after careful consideration, and in his eyes, he should not be able to stop the Anbei Army." ”

"Under Ruinan in January, could it be that the strength of our border city is stronger than that of Ruinan County?"

Wang Yi, the head of the Wang family, sneered and said: "That's not necessarily, at least my family's sons on the Great Wall are all first-class strong soldiers." ”

"Can you afford to raise them now? 20,000 border troops have been reduced for half a year, and now there are still 5,000? Ning Cheng didn't let it go, and said sarcastically.

Seeing that the two families were about to face each other, Zhu Weng, the good old man in Longbei City, stood up and changed the topic: "30,000 people starved to death last last month, and the grain harvested this time will last for a month at most, and the war will start, the summer harvest cannot be guaranteed, and the autumn harvest is not hopeful." ”

"Lord Juncheng wants to vote?" Wang Yi's voice couldn't hear any emotion.

Zhu Weng shut up and didn't answer, just looked at Ning Cheng, he knew that only soldiers in the border city and county had the right to speak.

The reason why the Ning and Wang families are called county wangs in these small counties is because they have served in the border army for generations, and the relationship is complicated.

Ning Cheng thought for a moment and hesitated: "Let's take a look at it again if you vote or not, the conditions given by Lu Ding are very generous, I heard that although the envoy of Ruinan Jiedu is not dead, there is no preferential treatment." ”

What he thought in his heart was that Ning Zhuo had already fallen anyway, and he had put two baskets of eggs, so he didn't have to worry about the Ning family's annihilation.

"Hold on to the herald, and at the same time summon the ...... on the other side of the Pinghe"

Unlike other county towns, which are located in the center of the county, Longbei City, the county seat of the border county, is located in the northernmost part of the county.

With a county to govern the town, guard the northern border of the border city, and prevent the Jin country or the grassland tribe from going south.

The five counties, including Hougang County, are distributed in a fan shape, and the southernmost point is Menju County, which is also Menjuguan, adjacent to Pinghe County.

Therefore, after obtaining the stronghold of Hougang, the next primary goal of the Anbei army is Longbei City and Menju Pass, and if one south and one north are taken, they can reach the whole county.

After going around the hungry people's homes a few times, making many promises of "eating", and swiping up a few prestiges, Zhou Bai did not take care of the relief of the people.

In the dilapidated county government in the center of Hougang County, Zhou Bai held a military meeting to adjust the attack on the temples in the border county.

The military generals of Hougang County know more about the border city and county than Shazhou City, and a few descriptions have made the generals of the Anbei army count.

The Great Wall and Longbei City are the strongest, with the most soldiers and horses, and basically the foundation of the major forces is there.

There are more than 20,000 soldiers in the county, of which 10,000 border troops are elite, which are in the hands of the Ning family and the Wang family.

In addition, there are 5,000 elite soldiers, blocking the traffic arteries of Pinghe County and Border City County.

In the past, when the border city county was not developed, the gate pass was like a cangshan, which was the dividing line between the grassland and agricultural civilization, and the barrier that Pinghe County relied on to block the attack from the north, but now it has become the basis for the border city and county to stand on its own.

If the door sentence is closed, Anbei will face the Lu clan and will grasp the strategic initiative.

Zhou Bai wanted to go out of the border city to fight the Pinghe River and go south from the land, or stick to the border city and drag some of Lu Ding's troops, it was all up to him to choose.

"Don't worry about the soldiers and horses of the counties, the serious county soldiers have long been replaced by the county heroes' private soldiers, and they will not easily consume and attack us......"

"There has been a famine in the border city for a long time, even if there are strong soldiers, I am afraid that I will not be able to raise my spirit."

"The subordinates suggested that the troops should be divided and moved, and a partial division should go south, and the main force should take the ...... of Longbei directly"

Lou Jinpeng pointed to Ning Zhuo's confession and talked eloquently, Zhou Yuan was not there, and he usually did the strategic command.

Zhou Bai silently listened to Lou Jinpeng's report, and after waiting for the suggestions issued by the generals to be about the same, he summarized and ordered.

"The order, Jiao Tu led 5,000 soldiers and 1,000 demon troops, rushed to attack the gate pass, and did not let the soldiers of Pinghe step into the border city and county."

"He Zhiwu led two thousand cavalry, roamed the whole county, blockaded the counties, and forced to surrender if he could."

"Except for Xu Yun's 2,000 militiamen who stayed in Hougang, the remaining main force followed me north and took Longbei directly."

"The last general obeys!" After the military order was issued, the generals did not have the slightest objection and responded one after another.

Even if the army and militia going north are less than 20,000, they have become accustomed to winning more with less.

A martial artist in the acquired realm is a middle-level backbone in any army, but in the Anbei Army, he is often only a grassroots officer, and it is very common for Wu Chang Shi Chang to have this kind of realm.

With such a quality of soldiers, there is no need to be afraid of the scattered border city armies.

On 22 August, the Anbei Army, which had been repaired for a day, was divided into troops, and its strong military momentum was fully revealed, and its military spirit swept through the four fields.

Before Zhou Bai left, he went to the hungry camp that had all been relocated outside the city, although it was not enough to be said to be in order, but there was no tyranny and oppression in it.

The steaming porridge shacks melted the heroism of some reckless heroes into invisibility.

Ning Zhuo led a group of cadres to distribute food in an orderly manner, distribute tasks, and build roads and cities to provide relief through work.

According to him, the hungry people have been hungry for too long and need to recuperate here for a few more days.

At this time, the county was undecided, and even if there was food relief, the dismissal of 100,000 hungry people to return to the countryside might cause unnecessary hidden dangers.

On August 26, Zhou Bai led the main force to arrive at the city of Longbei, and there were no county soldiers from other counties to intercept him on the way, but he encountered a few hungry and dizzy exile troops who wanted to hijack the grain truck.

On the same day, the monk who accompanied Jiaotu to the south sent a message to the flying sword, and the door was closed, and the south gate was closed.

The county guard of Menju was bribed by Lu Ding, tried to resist stubbornly, and was beheaded, and two other county hao families were slaughtered......