Chapter 242

Xu Zhi was very panicked, he was running on the road, and he lost his soul.

Defeated, defeated like this, why he was defeated, he still can't think clearly, his head is a mess.

How dare the people of the Chen family resist, why did the bandits from Five Wolf Mountain appear, he couldn't understand, did they have already colluded? Could it be that the crime of his brother's casual security was actually true?

There are too many things that he can't understand, Xu Zhi feels that his head is not enough, but there is no room to think about it at this time, although the enemy doesn't seem to be pursuing, but he still feels unsafe.

There are more than a dozen relatives around him, and when he saw that the situation was wrong, he immediately fled, although he was an official soldier, but he had never fought, and he hadn't even practiced, and he didn't even bother to go every day.

Also, compared to mud legs, they are full of food and drink, and their nutrition is enough, although they don't exercise much, but their physical fitness is not bad, and those ordinary soldiers actually have no training, which is actually similar to eating empty salaries.

This is the general status quo of the Manchu Qing Dynasty today, the soldiers have not been trained for a long time, the weapons are not proficient, and the muskets will not be used, no wonder in the face of the Taiping army, repeated defeats.

And now facing Chen Chong, he is also the same, more than 300 officers and soldiers, but he can't beat more than 600 rabble!

Chen Chong is actually not optimistic about the combat effectiveness of the coalition army he masters, the strong man of Chenjia Village, he has been trained, and he can be regarded as attentive when asking himself, but when he fights against the official army, he will inevitably be timid, and psychologically he will not pass the test.

And the Five Wolf Mountain is a bandit, in terms of their profession, they are a rabble, and their combat power is definitely not good.

But such a rabble still defeated the Qing army in front of him, and more than half of the prisoners were captured, which surprised Chen Chong, and gave birth to infinite ambitions, so he immediately integrated the prisoners, bandits, and went straight to Siling City.

A Chenjia village is really cold, and Chen Chong still wants to be the king and hegemon! Such a village, it is embarrassing to say it, others still think that you are crazy, and if you take a city, it will be different, and the weight will be different immediately.

How confident Chen Chong was, how frightened Xu Zhi was, panicked, and returned to the city like a fart.

The news of Xu Zhi's defeat of the Xu family spread all over Siling City almost in a blink of an eye, and the whole city was boiling all of a sudden, this is simply unbelievable, you must know that almost all the soldiers and horses of Siling City have been taken away, and now they are defeated, so what will happen?

Suddenly, many people inquired about the news, wanting to know the detailed situation, and at the same time closed their doors, and everyone began to gather their families and nurses to prepare for emergencies.

......

Silingcheng County.

Xu Mao looked at the disheveled Xu Zhi, and the roar in his heart was almost erupting, "Waste!

"I ...... I ......" Xu Zhi opened his mouth, not knowing how to speak.

Xu Mao scolded Xu Zhi angrily, and really wanted to beat the other party hard, but thinking that the other party was his brother, this time was not the time to continue entanglement, so he took a few deep breaths and finally stabilized a little.

"Brother, what are we going to do?" Xu Zhicheng said in fear.

Xu Mao said: "Send someone to close the city gate first, Siling City cannot afford to lose." I can't hide this thing, I need to go to the palace city. ”

Soon, Xu Mao showed his talent, if the command is determined, needless to say, there are no soldiers in the city gate, there are no soldiers for a long time, so he can only send people to the homes of the gentry who are familiar with him, and ask them to provide some family members to help defend the city.

And the chapter sent to the Taiping Mansion City Chongshan is very skillful, for the Chen family's collusion with the bandits, it is natural to say it directly, this time the army is also defined as a bandit, but it ended in failure, and asked for reinforcements, and bluntly said that this bandit is estimated to be implicated in the bandits in the north, and took the initiative to ask for his brother's guilt, when he wrote here, Xu Mao's heart hurt, but there is no way, this matter must be explained.

When he finished doing this, Xu Mao's whole person felt soft, he felt exhausted, he had been planning for so long, he originally thought that he could give the Xu family a foundation, but he didn't expect the result to be like this, it was really not as good as the sky, even if he had always been determined, he felt tired at this time.

......

Outside the city of Siling, a hidden place.

Chen Chong and He Tao both looked a little nervous looking at the direction of the city gate.

Siling City is not big, but it is not small, the five-meter-high city wall, once someone is guarded, it is not easy to break.

The most important thing is that neither the Chen family nor the Five Wolf Mountain are good at siege, and they don't have any siege equipment.

So Chen Chong thought of a way, deceive the city, Chen Huang and Shi Chaojin all went forward, held those captives who surrendered, and deceived the city gate, once it succeeded, then Siling City basically fell into the hands of his own side.

As for the Qing soldiers in the city, Chen Chong looked down on them, and in the violent beating of his heart, the city gate opened, and the sound of killing came.

With a wave of his hand, Chen Chong ambushed the soldiers and rushed into the city.

He Tao has been watching Chen Chong's actions, his eyes are complicated, he doesn't want to get involved in this matter, but he has experienced it personally, it seems that he can't escape, breaking through the city, then he will commit a taboo in the court, even if He Tao can't help himself, it is estimated that it will be difficult to get rid of the crime.

He already had a plan in his heart, he wanted to inform his family that it was no longer safe to continue to stay in his hometown, let them hide, as for letting them defect to him, He Tao still didn't dare, he felt that even if he captured Siling City, it would be difficult to become a climate, and it would be destroyed sooner or later, and he would eventually have to run away.

Chen Chong doesn't care what He Tao thinks, for this talent, he likes it, and he doesn't need to recruit it, now he is a subordinate, Chen Chong doesn't think that the other party will be a bandit, he is at least more promising than the Five Wolf Mountain, and he doesn't want the other party to be dead set on himself, as long as he does things seriously.

For the loyalty of others, it is naturally the best, but no, it doesn't matter, loyalty is not reliable, interests are the most moving, as long as Chen Chong shows a great future, then others will naturally attach themselves to his side and become his followers.

Chen Chong had a lot of plans, which he had been thinking about when he traveled to this era, but now is not the time, the most important thing at this time is the present, everything else is empty.

The immediate target was this city, Siling City, the first city he would ever have.

Entering the city smoothly, Chen Chong had a feeling of relief, and while instructing his subordinates to go straight to the county office, he asked people to hold the four gates and temporarily seal the city.

Then, on horseback, under the protection of the guards, he marched along the street, there was no one on the road, and he was in disarray all the way, and when he saw the coalition troops entering the city, he was obviously frightened, and everyone hid.

Chen Chong didn't care, he just ordered the soldiers of the coalition army not to disturb the people, and sent people to monitor and maintain order, this is his foundation, and he must not be chaotic, once it gets out of control, it is estimated that he will really become a bandit and bandit, which Chen Chong is absolutely unwilling.

"Big brother, what are you doing!" Xu Zhi immediately rushed to find his brother when he learned that the city was broken, but he was almost stunned when he saw the scene in front of him.

At this time, Xu Mao was hanging from the beam, his head had already hung up, and he almost kicked away the chair under him.

"You're here!" Xu Mao said surprisingly calmly: "The city is broken, I am ashamed of the emperor's grace, and I can only die." The Xu family will ask you, you can take them and escape quickly. ”

"Big brother, don't! Let's go together!" Xu Zhi panicked, and was about to pull Xu Mao down.

"Don't you understand!" Xu Mao said angrily: "I am the chief official in the city, the responsibility lies with me, and there is no way to avoid it! I sacrificed my life for the country, and I am worthy of Your Majesty and the imperial court, even if you are defeated in battle, for the sake of my death, the imperial court will naturally let our family go." You are not a child anymore, don't be a child, I will exchange a family for safety, it's worth it. ”

With that, he kicked his legs, the chair fell, and he struggled constantly, and soon stopped moving.

Looking at his brother's terrible face after his death, Xu Zhi finally did not rescue, with tears in his eyes, he turned around and left, organizing his family to flee.

The Xu family was not the first to leave, and when the city was broken, the well-informed and decisive people also fled.

They don't know much about the people and horses who entered the city, they only know that they are rebellious thieves, who knows if they will burn and loot, and it will be too late to leave.

For those who wanted to escape, Chen Chong ordered people to intercept and block the four gates, but there were still many people who fled, but this was harmless, most of them stayed in the city, but they couldn't stop worrying.

Chen Chong ignored these for the time being, and first asked people to clear the remnants of the enemy in the city, but in fact, it was only a sporadic resistance, after all, Chengping has been peaceful for a long time, and there are really only a handful of people who really dare to fight against the coalition army, at most they surrender behind closed doors.

When the army entered the city, Chen Chong continued to strictly enforce military discipline, and severely punished some troublemaking soldiers, mainly those thieves from Wuwolf Mountain.

Chen Chong sent Zhang Qinglu to block the inventory, looking at the weapons, grain, and silver taels inside, he was overjoyed, and now he has a city in his heart, although Siling Prefecture is called a state, and there is still a lot of land, but most of it is barren, and there are many mountains, which are not as good as a rich county seat, and they are so poor that they are tinkling.

With this money and food, you don't have to find a way to raise money, you can expand the army, this can be said to be the theme of the future, since it is a rebellion, it will definitely be encircled and suppressed, there is not enough military strength, then everything is a lie, Chen Chong has just risen, he doesn't want to be defeated so soon, and when the time comes, his name will be registered, maybe he will escape to Annan, and he will also be wanted, then it is really hehe.

Chen Chong for his own great cause, without saying a word, directly started the great cause of expanding the army, the captured Qing army, the young and strong are under the command, the old and weak are free labor, not all of them are cultivated, the Chen family's fields are limited, but there are many things that can be done, the road from Siling City to Chenjiazhuang needs to be repaired.

Chen Chong entered this era, and complained about today's road conditions, which was unbearable, potholes, and all dirt roads, which made him miss the cement roads of the past, but cement was not so easy to make, Chenjia Village was located in a remote area, and it was difficult to communicate with the outside world, and talents were scarce, and it was impossible to develop technology.

Now that there is a city, they immediately "invited" the craftsmen in the city, but they don't understand how to make weapons and cement, so they can only find a way to find some knowledgeable people from Macao and Hong Kong, so that they can really build roads at that time.

Now I can only rectify the road conditions a little, especially the road connecting Annam, it must be opened, and I can escape quickly when the time comes, uh, Chen Chong is also very worried now, even if he is ambitious, he must make all kinds of preparations, this is not to worry about victory and defeat first, Chen Chong doesn't want to even be able to escape when the time comes, then he will laugh and be generous.

Out of the list to calm the people, collect craftsmen, and recruit soldiers, Chen Chong ordered things one by one, and the coalition army also gave rewards, and at the same time began to create a system.

Since he wants to fight the country and master a city, it's time to get a name, it's a bit early to call the king the emperor now, Chen Yao and they instigated him, Chen Chong himself of course wanted to, but in the end he restrained himself, claiming to be the Marquis of Yue and establishing the Yue Kingdom, well, it should be Da Yue.

Even the inheritance of his own family has thought of it, the ancestor is the king of Yue Goujian, after the death of Yue, he fled to the south, lying on the salary to taste the courage, according to this pull, this is really the ancestral mastery, until a hundred years ago, migrated to Chenjia Village, and now finally restored.

At the same time, six more ministries, the cabinet, it sounds really a small court, but in fact there is no talent in the hands, although the city is posted with a recruitment order, but this anti-thief name, willing to work, it is estimated that there are not many.

Chen Chong didn't care too much, everything was difficult at the beginning, and the difficulties would always pass, so he could only face it optimistically, but there were still some things that needed to be done, that is, to feast the gentry in the city.

Siling City is not big, but it is not small, tens of thousands of people, the gentry control most of the power, once they make a rebellion, it will be really dangerous, and they have to guard against it.

"I don't know how you plan to treat the gentry in the city, Master Hou?" Luo Xian's expression was full of joy, at this time he was already the prime minister of Dayue, uh, according to Chen Chong, it was equivalent to the prime minister, one person under ten thousand people.

He Tao also watched, as if he wanted to know what Chen Chong was going to do.

Chen Chong said: "It's best to solicit them, but it should be difficult, and they can only be brought to their knees by force." If you dare to do it against me, you will make an example of the chickens and monkeys, and they will not all be afraid of death. ”

Luo Xian smiled: "Of course not, but you can't force it too deeply, otherwise I'm afraid it will be difficult to end, once these people make trouble, it will be very harmful." ”

Chen Chong nodded and said, "I know, my Dayue can't stand the toss." ”

He Tao looked at the pair of monarchs and ministers, his face was a little dark, but he felt helpless, now he can only be subordinate, he has registered and become the minister of the minister.

The first official is not a scholar, but a minister, He Tao doesn't care about this, it's just a grass team court, Chen Chong is a teenager, what kind of official name does he think of, he doesn't let Chen Chong come to Hu, and He Tao doesn't bother to advise.

He Tao is now just thinking about getting by, and he doesn't really want to take refuge in Chen Chong, thinking about running away at any time.

Even such a high-level person has no confidence, you can imagine how worried the people below are, that is, Chen Huang, the head of the military department, is conscientious and maintains order in the city, and Chen Chong, the marquis of Yue, is also the head of the criminal department, and can only maintain the situation in the city by suppressing the lawbreakers and rebels in the city.

In this way, entering the city, the real challenge soon came, Chen Chong invited all the gentry in the city one by one, the county government, uh, is the Yuehou Mansion.

Yuehou Mansion, the plaque was just hung up by the craftsman, and when the gentry entered, they all had ugly faces, this is really a blatant creation, different from ordinary bandits, things are not easy to do.

Chen Chong watched the gentry sit down one by one, with a smile on their faces, under the coercion of force, these gentry agreed to come over to the banquet very "refreshingly", of course, there was some friction and bloodshed.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I don't want to say much about gossip, as Han people, we should be united, before because of the situation, we had to lurk under the Manchurian Hulu, now we Han people can be the masters of the house again, the people of Manchu elected me as the Marquis of Yue, I don't know if you are the same?" Chen Chong is good among his peers, but compared to adults, he is still a little weak.

Everyone in the audience was silent, this young man was the leader of the bandits, he was not very bold, he was just a marquis, but no matter how it was a rebellion, of course they were not willing to agree easily.

Chen Chong pursed his lips and said, "If you are silent, I will take it as your acquiescence, come and pass the Book of All People to you, and let them sign it." If you don't want to, you will be a Manchu spy and will be punished all over the house!"

As soon as he waved his hand, someone immediately handed the prepared book of all the people to everyone.

The first person to receive it couldn't put pen to paper.

"It seems that he is unwilling, he is escorted down, and all the houses are killed, this kind of traitor is really annoying. Chen Chong immediately ordered.

"No, no!" the man panicked, and immediately signed the drawing.

The others were disdainful, but there were also two who shouted angrily and scolded the rebellious ministers and thieves, which showed the loyalty of everyone to the Manchus.

There is no nonsense, the two Manchu spies who jumped out were taken down, killed all over the house, and brought back the heads, and the others were immediately honest, tremblingly signed their names, and touched their fingers.

Chen Chong looked at these people's "surrender" with satisfaction, and said with a smile: "Okay! Very good! Ladies and gentlemen, although my Dayue Kingdom is very small now, it is also the Han court, and it is definitely better than Hu Lu, so you don't have to worry too much." ”

Suddenly, Chen Chong looked up at the sky, his eyes were stunned, and a lightning bolt fell.

Then, there is no then.

......

On an official road several feet wide, there was a little beggar of eight or nine years old.

Holding a bamboo stick in his right hand and half a steamed bun in his left hand, he struggled forward, leaving a faint trace of blood on the official road with every step. As he walked along, his face was full of pain.

This little beggar's name is Xu Yang, an orphan whose parents died in the mountains on the edge of the Chu State, who has been living on the streets since he was a child, begging for a living.

At this time, Xu Yang checked his feet a little and found that there were small holes in the plates of each of his feet, and blood flowed out from time to time. He frowned, and after the blisters on his feet burst, the injuries became more and more obvious because he did not rest to recuperate.

Looking at the empty official road, he gritted his teeth and continued to walk forward.

Just when Xu Yang felt that the official road was coming to an end, he suddenly found a small city in the distance.

This discovery made Xu Yang's eyes glow with excitement, and after a cheer, the whole person had already rushed forward like an arrow. But he was so happy that he didn't notice it for a while, and he tripped on the ground and fell into disgrace.

Xu Yang didn't care about this, picked up the bamboo sticks and steamed buns again, and continued to run in the direction of the city.

After half a pillar of incense, he had already come to the city.

Although Xu Yang has wandered for many years and visited many places, the city in front of him is definitely the most special one among the cities he has seen! Because this city is too small, only ten zhang square, and the city wall is only half a zhang high.

It is engraved with two quaint characters of 'Dengxian'!

In front of the door, there were two guards in military armor, dressed in bronze armor and holding halberds, which were intimidating, and they were looking at Xu Yang blankly.

Xu Yang looked at the guards and cautiously retreated, but his eyes were looking at the open city gate.

Through the open gates, he could see what was going on inside. It was empty, only a small square platform, on which sat an old Taoist cross-legged.

Xu Yang didn't go in, because at this moment he found that there was an old beggar by the city gate.

The old beggar was in rags, and in front of him was a broken bowl with a few chips, and there was nothing on it.

What made Xu Yang care was that at this moment, the old beggar was leaning against the wall, half-lying, his eyes closed and seemed to be half-dead.

For this colleague, Xu Yang's eyes showed unbearability. He walked over and found that the other party was yellow and thin, and in his experience, the other party should have not had anything to eat for a long time.

He looked at the half steamed bun in his left hand, gritted his teeth and sent it to the old beggar's broken bowl, but Xu Yang found that the other party did not move.

Finding this situation, Xu Yang felt a little uneasy in his heart, and called softly: "This old man, wake up!"

But the old beggar still did not respond.

Xu Yang's eyes finally showed panic, and he put the bamboo stick on the ground, and his dirty right hand was already reaching the end of the old beggar's nose.

After a few breaths, Xu Yang's eyes showed sadness. He approached the old beggar without hesitation, and pressed his hands on the nose and heart of the other man.

There was no breath in his nose, and although his chest was still warm, there was not the slightest heartbeat.

Xu Yang's eyes were full of loss, grabbed the old beggar's hands, and directly dragged the corpse away.

But at that moment, he felt like he was being caught in both hands. Xu Yang was surprised in his heart, turned around and looked, and what he saw surprised him!

Because it was the old beggar who held his hands!

Xu Yang was so frightened that he suddenly got rid of the other party, took a few steps back, and staggered to the ground. However, he quickly recovered, and with joy on his face, he said, "You are not dead!"

"I'm living well, why should I die!" muttered the old beggar, already sitting up.

At the same time, without saying a word, his right hand grabbed half of the steamed buns in the broken bowl, and bit down on them, and in the blink of an eye, half of the steamed buns disappeared in front of Xu Yang's eyes.