Huang Xuan's retreat was very strange, and it was very inconsistent with his cowardice.

First let the people transport grain and then retreat, then let the township soldiers slowly retreat, and finally the box army and the forbidden army. It was not a swarm of escape, but a three-day evacuation, and it can even be said that the evacuation was orderly.

When Deng Chun and Li Jinyi crossed the river to pursue, dozens of forbidden army soldiers stood on the mountain pass, and flags fluttered faintly in the mountains and forests behind them.

"To chase or not to chase?" Even Li Jinyi is a little weak-hearted.

Deng Chun couldn't understand either: "Go and invite Mr. Shi." ”

After a while, Shi Yuangong trotted all the way here, and he also couldn't figure out the reality of the officers and soldiers, so he could only suggest: "It is important to occupy Jianzhou City, and take down the Jianmen Pass by attacking the front and back." ”

Huang Yi stood on the mountain, watching the rebels retreat to Jianzhou, and sat down in prostration.

The dozens of forbidden army armor soldiers who blocked the mountain road after the break, and the full set of armor did belong to the forbidden army. But the person in the armor is a strong man recruited with a lot of money, and he is also the only trump card under Huang Xuan.

From the staff arsenal in Chengdu, he pulled out hundreds of sets of foot armor, and it was the kind with a helmet.

Much of the armor had decayed, and only a few dozen sets were repaired and repainted.

It doesn't matter if you can fight it or not, at least it looks bluffing.

Li Shi, who served as the secretary of the army, stood behind Huang Yi and said: "The envoy, the thieves have retreated, let's go." ”

Huang Yi's legs were weak, and he asked his relatives to help him up.

In the mountains and forests behind him, there were really ambush soldiers. But one by one, the morale was low, and when they heard that they could retreat, they all ran away in a panic.

Li Shi asked: "Envoy, do you really want to withdraw to Lutou Pass?" ”

Huang Yi gritted his teeth and said: "Those big clans in Chengdu, if they don't pay for food and people, why don't I go all the way back to Lutou Pass?" It's a big deal to remove the official from office! ”

Shi Yuangong made a trick to increase troops, and Huang Yi probably guessed it.

But ordinary soldiers believed that the credibility of the government was too low, and the more Huang Yi explained, the more the soldiers suspected him of deceiving.

The vast majority of the soldiers under Huang Yi came from low-level civilians.

He thought that if he was given enough food and encouragement, he would be able to reluctantly go to war. But the walled forts set up all the way fled without a fight, which made Huang Yi feel cold in his vest.

On the side of Gaojingshan, it doesn't matter whether or not he sacrificed the Sword Gate.

The officers and soldiers lost the walled forts along the way, the grain transportation channel was cut off, the communication between Jianmen and Jianzhou was also cut off, and Jianmen Pass had become an isolated city.

The poor performance of his subordinates made Huang Yi dare not go out of the city at all, and he even had no confidence in continuing to defend the city.

The only hope is those big families in the Chengdu Plain!

As a transportation envoy for Sichuan Province and a transit envoy for Chengdu Fulu, Huang Yi couldn't recruit a few soldiers or much grain in the richest Chengdu Plain.

The reasons for those big clans are also very good, they have already paid enough rice this year, and they have also paid a free husband money, and all kinds of harsh taxes and miscellaneous taxes are increasing. It is impossible for them to pay the second waiver, and since they have already paid once, they cannot be conscripted again, because the waiver is used to deduct military service.

The big clans did this, and the small sects of the same clan also did the same to fight against the government.

Even the small landlords and yeoman farmers who had been separated united to resist it.

Huang Yi did not dare to violently expropriate, otherwise the thieves in Hanzhong would not be eliminated, and the Chengdu Plain would be in chaos.

The big clans must be forced to take the initiative to recruit troops on their own!

……

"Oh no, the senior deputy envoy colluded with the thieves and surrendered with the sword gate!"

"Jianzhou is lost, and the Huang envoy wants to lead the rout to retreat to Lutou Pass!"

"If Lutou Pass can't be guarded, the Zhu thief will be killed in Chengdu."

"That thief is very cruel, he will kill people when he occupies a city, and he will kill all the rich people."

“……”

The chaotic rumors spread rapidly in the prefectures and counties of the Chengdu Plain.

spread so quickly, of course, Huang Yi did it on purpose. He sent messengers to the prefectures and counties to warn the officials to defend the city, and revealed some information indiscriminately, and the officials turned around and passed the news to the gentry and merchants.

Those big families finally panicked.

A few years ago, 100,000 Lunanyi rebelled, and when it was the closest, it had been killed 300 miles away from Chengdu.

When the news of the defeat of the officers and soldiers came back, the family still turned a deaf ear, as if these things had nothing to do with them. When collecting rice and free money, they also deducted and searched for some, and they didn't care about the rest, and they complained all day long about the tax increase this year.

On the outskirts of Huayang County, Wang's ancestral home.

The main seat sits an old man, named Wang Zhongao, who belongs to the nephew of the late Prime Minister Wang Jue.

Wang Zhongao stroked his beard and said: "The Zhu thief is in trouble, and he has fallen into Jianmen and Jianzhou, if Wulian and Zitong are lost again, only Lutouguan can still resist the thief." In order to avoid the misery of life in Chengdu, we should all work hard to deliver township soldiers and money and food to the government, otherwise everyone here will not be able to protect it. ”

An old man named Fan Jun said angrily: "Do you still want to send money and grain? Is there less money and food to pay this year? The summer grain was indiscriminately levied on silk silk, and the money in the fields of first-class households rose to 500 wen. and double the purchase money, and double the purchase money. The government only collects grain, and collects the money in the field again. The imperial court cut Liao, levied and exempted the husband's money, and the children of my Fan family each apportioned 40 yuan. ”

"The dredging of Dujiangyan in Guan County has been levied locally, and the exemption money has actually been received from Chengdu. There are also dozens of other harsh taxes and miscellaneous taxes, and the government collects money in different ways. This Zhu thief came to kill, and asked us to pay the husband money, not only to pay the money, but also to help recruit the villagers! How can there be such a tyrannical expropriation? By the way, I heard that the government is also planning to levy the money of the economic system, and my Fan family will not pay anything about this money! ”

"That is, the government has expropriated too much," said an old man named Liu Keren, "and the children of the small sect of my Liu clan are already overwhelmed, and they go to the clan to borrow money every once in a while." Borrowing is a bottomless pit, if you don't borrow, you will lose benevolence and righteousness, and the clan elders are cursed by the clansmen every day! ”

Another old man named Wu Youshi said: "Our martial arts family is not as prosperous as your family, we have not been in and out of the Jinshi for many years, and the clansmen's land is decreasing day by day. If the Zhu thief comes to Chengdu, the martial arts family doesn't matter, you big clans can watch it. ”

"What do you mean we need to look at? Your martial arts family still can't be a thief! An old man named Liu Ying said angrily.

"Okay, okay, don't be impatient," Wang Zhongao hurriedly played a round, "If the Zhu thief is killed, no one can please him, and all ethnic groups must work together." ”

A group of old men quarreled back and forth, and occasionally middle-aged people interjected, but in the end there was no result of the quarrel.

They want to stay on the sidelines.

Huang Yi did not withdraw directly to Lutouguan, and is still stationed in Wulian County, and he always pays attention to the movements in Chengdu.

The reaction of the family made Huang Yi disappointed.

In a fit of rage, Huang Yifa retreated again and retreated directly to Zitong County.

The big families are still arguing, but they basically agree to send money and grain and village soldiers, but there is no consensus on how much each family should give.

There are only three super clans, more than ten ordinary clans, and twenty or thirty medium clans. And between the same surname, there are also different clans, how can the mess be reconciled?

Huang was so angry that he withdrew his troops again, and the whole army retreated to Mianzhou (Mianyang).

At this moment, the family couldn't sit still, and held a meeting in a few days to discuss the results.

All ethnic groups and branches mobilized, formed township soldiers to send to Huang Yi, and transported money and grain to the front line one by one.

Coupled with Huang Xuan's original troops, the strength of the army instantly reached 30,000!

Moreover, many of the township soldiers sent by these big clans brought their own weapons, and they used blood and surnames as a link, and they were not comparable to ordinary township soldiers when they fought.

Huang Xuan, who was full of soldiers and food, instantly doubled his confidence, and led his troops into Zitong County, he also wanted to continue to move forward to regain the lost territory, but found that the pass ahead had been occupied by thieves.

Let's say that Zhu Ming's side, the Sword Gate Pass has not yet been taken.

Zhu Ming stood outside the Sword Gate, looking at the straight and steep mountain, there was no way at all.

Even if he opens it now, makes ten hot air balloons temporarily, and drops bombs in the air, it won't help. If it can't be attacked, it can't be attacked, and when the People's Liberation Army enters Sichuan, it has to bypass the Jianmen Pass and fight again.

can only wait for the officers and soldiers to surrender due to infighting!

Of course, Zhu Ming couldn't wait stupidly, and had already divided his troops and sent a partial division to attack Langzhong and Nanchong along the Jialing River.

……

Zhu Ming was waiting irritably at the foot of the mountain, and the defenders of Jianmen Pass were also suffering.

is still the same sentence, even if Huang does not abandon the defense of Jianzhou, Deng Chun and Li Jinyi have completely cut off the passage of Jianmen Pass after they have captured several military villages.

"From tomorrow, the meal will be reduced, and the military rations will last for another two months." Huang Deyu said.

Gao Jingshan was silent.

Huang Deyu said: "Why should the senior deputy be discouraged? Zhu Thief came all the way from Hanzhong, and the food had to be consumed countless on the way, and his military rations may be eaten before us. ”

It takes time for Huang to collect grain, and it has to be transported slowly to Jianmen Pass, and there is not much grain left in the pass.

Gao Jingshan gritted his teeth and said: "Huang is incompetent, the Jianmen Pass has been cut off for more than a month, and he hasn't even sent troops to get through, maybe he has abandoned Jianzhou and fled!" ”

"That's not true, he is still a soldier," Huang Deyu said, "This person was my subordinate when he was an official in Shaanxi, and he was not a mediocre official who ignored mundane affairs." It is...... A little timid. ”

Huang Yi has the largest official, followed by Gao Jingshan, and Huang Deyu is the smallest.

But among the three, Huang Deyu is the oldest, and he has also been a calligraphy and painting teacher for the princes.

Gao Jingshan said: "The morale of the army is already unstable, and they have been starved of food for another month, and if they order a reduction in food tomorrow, I am afraid that there will be a mutiny." Besides the two of us, who still wants to fight in the Sword Gate Pass? You and I both eat the king, and we should repay the country with death, but the soldiers below are not the ones who eat the king. ”

"Try to appease as much as possible, from tomorrow onwards the officers and soldiers will be one, and we will also eat the same meal as the non-commissioned officers." Huang Deyu said.

Gao Jingshan looked to the east: "There is more than this way to enter Shu, since the Zhu thief has taken the Golden Bull Road, will he let go of the Micang Road?" I'm afraid that Bazhou is gone at this time, and maybe the thieves have already hit Quzhou (Qu County). If the thieves occupy Hezhou (Hechuan), then Shuzhong is already hopeless, and it will be useless for us to defend the sword gate. ”

The Gao family is a member of the Shandong Wang clan, and Gao Jingshan's younger brother Gao Jingyun was promoted to Shaoqing of Taichang Temple last year.

Do you want to surrender or not?

Gao Jingshan has been thinking about this issue, he knows that the soldiers under his command are all thinking in their hearts, and these days they all rely on giving enough food and salary to stabilize the morale of the army.

The grain route was cut off, and there were enemies in front and behind, in such an embarrassing situation, if he dared to reduce his meal, the soldiers would dare to rebel!

Although he was old, he did not want to die yet, especially when he was killed in a mutiny.

In the evening, Gao Jingshan inspected Guancheng again, and the complicated atmosphere in the army made him feel that he couldn't drag it out any longer.

Gathering a group of obedient soldiers, Gao Jingshan went straight to Huang Deyu's residence.

Huang Deyu was eating, and immediately came out when he heard the movement.

Seeing the situation outside, Huang Deyu didn't scold angrily, but sighed: "You are the deputy envoy all the way, are you so greedy for life and afraid of death?" ”

Gao Jingshan said: "I also thought about suicide and martyrdom, the rope is ready, but unfortunately I can't do anything to myself." What about Your Excellency? If I want to kill myself, I will wait two quarters of an hour to collect the body. If you want to live, I will bind your Excellency and surrender. ”

Huang Deyu thought about it carefully and said abruptly: "My old wife and old servant were killed by thieves in Lizhou City. They have been with me for half my life, and if I want to be lonely on the road to Huangquan, I can go to find them. I have been honest and upright all my life, and I don't want to be stigmatized when I get old. When I die, I and my wife will be buried together in the Sword Gate. ”

"Retire!" Gao Jingshan turned around and left silently with his soldiers.

Huang Deyu went back to the house to finish eating, slowly unbuckled his belt, and recalled that when he was 20 years old, he was a tanhualang and rode around the streets.

At that time, prices in Tokyo were not so high, and the people were happier. Although the party struggle is fierce, there is no faint king and traitorous ministers to cause trouble, everything is so beautiful.

At least, on the surface.

(End of chapter)