Chapter 240

The bandits of all walks of life are rampant in some mountain villages, and they can't become any climate, and the current Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has no deeds of attacking the state and breaking the county, that is, controlling some villages, so in the county seat, within the county government yamen, naturally I don't feel that there are any potential safety hazards.

They all felt that the Qing Dynasty had been as stable as Mount Tai for hundreds of years, and that there had been chaos in these years, and this was a fact, but it could not shake the national system; in fact, there were many bandits in all dynasties, but how many of them could become a climate?

"Chen Heng's guy died, I really didn't expect that the unintentional act at that time would kill him, brother, you did a good job this time. Xu Mao, the magistrate of the county, looked at a military general under him with appreciative eyes.

This is Xu Zhi, the general of Siling Prefecture, Xu Mao's younger brother, although he has no ability, but with Xu Mao's help, he can be regarded as an official and a half-post, and now the elite of Siling Prefecture have been transferred to the north to suppress Hong Xiuquan, this Xu Zhi has become the leader of the Siling Prefecture military, and the five hundred Qing troops left behind are all Xu Zhi's subordinates.

Well, in fact, the number of people is less than 500, only more than 300, it is common to eat empty salaries, and most of them are old and weak, and the military salary is only given to 30%, but no matter how you say it, they are all serious soldiers, not those who can be compared with the people in the village, and it is naturally impossible to exterminate the bandits around them, but it is not a problem to deter Xiaoxiao.

Xu Zhidao: "Big brother, that Chen Heng is dead, this opportunity can't be missed no matter what, otherwise how can our Xu family gain a foothold, once your official position is gone, we have no land, don't we go back to the past in the end?"

Xu Mao said with a smile: "Don't worry! The others have been persuaded by me, even if they don't support us, they will not help each other, with the name of the imperial court, the Chen family is still not obedient? ”

"But now it seems that it is impossible not to use force, you bring the troops over, if Chen Chong's little boy resists, you will kill it directly, and then those fields will naturally be ours, and the tenant farmers will still remain, just change their employers, although they are not of the same clan, but they will not dare to resist. ”

Xu Zhi nodded again and again: "It's still the eldest brother, you think thoughtfully." ”

Xu Mao waved his hand and said, "The matter is urgent, you should act immediately." After all, the Chen family has been rooted here for hundreds of years, and there are many in-laws, if we really use the relationship, we may all throw a mouse bogey, this action must be fast, only hit the Xu family, and everyone else can let it go, understand?"

Xu Zhi said: "Little brother understands, I'll go." ”

Watching Xu Zhi leave, Xu Mao sighed lightly in his heart, for the sake of the Xu family, he is also exhausted, the growth of a family is not so easy, he has been careful in these years, and he has prestige in Siling Prefecture, and he has a military position for his younger brother, and his position is becoming more and more stable.

I bought some shops in the county, but this is not enough, there is no land, once my brother's official position is gone, then I can only be a businessman, I have been an official for many years, and I have continuously expanded the family industry, but I have offended some people fiercely, once I lose power, the wall will fall down and everyone will push it, and there will be no land foundation, and sooner or later I will not be able to bear it.

So this time it is imperative to deal with the Chen family, as long as the land deed is in hand, even if the Chen family tenant farmers are temporarily used, but subtly, after a few years, the Chen family village will be under control, and the status of the Xu family will be stable, and then the Xu family will be regarded as a local tyrant and gentry, and then marry, integrate into the system, and after a decade or two, who will chew the tongue?

Thinking of this in his heart, Xu Mao was also relieved, in his eyes, the Chen family was a dish, it depended on how he ate it, his heart was not big, it was just a foundation, in fact, inside and outside the city of Silingzhou, those gentry who didn't know his mind, they boycotted him before, but they were worried about finding them.

Now the goal is determined, it is the Chen family, those local tyrants and gentry, they must be both frightened and relieved, the Chen family's in-laws, allies, I am afraid they will not dare to touch the mold, after all, it is not their own family, and they will not fight hard with the magistrate for this, this is not a matter of one person, it is a matter of family luck.

Thinking about it, Xu Mao didn't think there would be any problems, and after handling some government affairs, he rested.

......

The county government over there was safe, but the Chen family became nervous.

Chen Chong is still wearing linen and filial piety, and on the side of the ancestral temple, the Taoist priest is still practicing, even if the situation is tense and he can't get a seven-seven-forty-nine day, he must finish the first seven days before Chen Heng can be buried.

However, Chen Chong was in no mood to cry for his father, the officials and soldiers were going to kill him, take away the family property, his family could not be protected, and his life was at stake, if his father had a spirit, it was estimated that he would jump out at this time, and the coffin board could not cover it.

On the hall, white cloth can be seen everywhere, just like the mourning hall, but this time the discussion is quite important, the housekeeper Chen Yao, the head of the courtyard Chen Huang, the caravan steward Zhang Qinglu, and the clan scholar Luo Xian were summoned again.

This is the high-level of the Chen family, in fact, the Chen family still has some talents, many people in the clan school are full of poetry and books, and they also have a little ability to apply it to the world, but Chen Chong did not call them, he is young, if this matter is spread, these clansmen may not offend the court for him.

The four people in front of him, he has always relied on, such an important matter, it is basically impossible to hide from them, so he summoned them, and it is also a good thing that a few more people come up with ideas.

Chen Chong was a human being, and at this critical juncture, he also felt extremely nervous.

He is not very afraid of death, he is a human being in two lives, he is used to seeing life and death, and he can see many things, but it is naturally better to continue to live if he can not die, and he has to work hard.

The news was inquired by Zhang Qinglv, and at this time, he was explaining to everyone at 1510, everyone was a little discolored, even if it was Chen Huang, he could be regarded as having experienced the "battle array", but he had never been hostile to the official army, and there was a lot of pressure at this time.

Chen Chong glanced at everyone and said, "This time, Xu Mao is determined to deal with my Chen family, I'm afraid he can't be good." I won't be restrained no matter what, don't say anything about surrendering, talk about how to deal with it. You don't have to be too burdened, even if we are defeated, we will flee to the mountains, and if we can't do it, we will run to Annam, the border checkpoints have long been abolished, and we can't stop us. ”

Chen Chong can be regarded as letting go, he can be regarded as setting a tone, resisting the officials and soldiers, and complicit in rebellion, even if the current situation is a little chaotic, it is absolutely appalling.

When everyone heard this, they were a little surprised, but there were also some feelings that were really so.

They also know more or less about Chen Chong's character, and others may think that Chen Chong is young and ignorant, but as Chen Chong's closest person, he knows Chen Chong's methods very well, and he must not look at it with the eyes of an ordinary teenager.

Chen Huang is the most supportive of Chen Chong's decision, it's not that he also wants to rebel, it's just that he is the most loyal, even if Chen Chong wants him to die, he won't frown, this is the Chen family's return for his kindness.

Chen Huang is a side branch of the Chen family and the Chen family, but he has long been estranged, Chen Chong's father and son see him as brave and strategic, and rely on and cultivate him very much, Chen Heng is like his son, Chen Chong also regards Chen Huang as his brother, and also recommends him to learn the art of war, obviously hoping that he will have greater achievements.

The other three, even if it is Chen Yao, are also resistant to resisting the officers, which is no different from rebellion, if they are caught, ninety percent of their main criminals will be killed, and even their families may not be able to save them.

However, they knew that they couldn't persuade Chen Chong, this young master, well, now he is a master, he has made up his mind, it is not so easy to change, not to mention that it is now Xu Mao's persecution, it is almost forced to Liangshan, and Chen Chong can't be arrested.

"Master of the house, I will do what you want me to do. Chen Huang said directly.

The hearts of the other three people were immediately stabilized, Chen Huang said so, they were not opposed, not how convincing Chen Huang was, but Chen Huang had force, three hundred strong men in hand, they were opposed, then there was no need for the imperial army to arrive, the first step would be killed by Chen Huang, how long did Chen Huanzhi die?

The most important point is that Chen Chong also said just now, if you can't beat it, then flee to Annan, although it is not a good place to go, a foreign country, but at least there is a way to live, this is the confidence.

Luo Xian said: "It's not enough for us in Chenjia Village alone, we also need to contact other people. However, since it is a confrontation with the imperial court, it is estimated that other villages will not be able to help. Only those bandits and bandits on the mountain can still be used. ”

Zhang Qinglu said: "Hu Lang on the Five Wolves Mountain has always been good friends with us, and I can contact him on my behalf." ”

These people are not mediocre people, and when the attention in their hearts is set, they no longer hesitate, and they all make suggestions, and there is really something going on.

Chen Yao said: "Hu Lang is not credible, we have to beware of it." ”

Chen Chong nodded and said, "It's true that he is not a good person, but it is okay to unite temporarily." The life of the Five Wolves Mountain is not easy, as long as they are given some good conditions, then they should be able to drive for the time being, and the rest of the matter will be talked about when the time comes. ”

Although he said so, he had a ruthless plan in his heart, Chenjiacun was still too weak, and he wanted to increase his own strength, otherwise, he would really have to defeat Annan, at that time, his identity as a local tyrant and gentry would be gone, and it was estimated that he could only be a bandit, and he was unwilling.

Since you want to make great things, you can't have too many scruples, especially now that you have little background, you have to dare to fight and dare to fight, the bandits of Wuwolf Mountain are not much strength, but at this time they are arm help, as long as they can make them surrender, the power of the Chen family will skyrocket, Hu Lang is okay, if he is not interested, Chen Chong can only think of other ways to annex it.

However, he did not intend to tell the people in the field, for fear of scaring them, and before the imperial army repelled it, everything was suspended.

The group then discussed again, and finally made some rough plans.

Zhang Qinglv was sent to Wuwolf Mountain to contact Hu Lang to discuss the formation of an alliance.

Chen Yao is responsible for taking care of the affairs of the village, and the weapons hidden in the past are all taken out, not to mention the swords, guns, swords, halberds, firearms, and muskets, which are the weapons accumulated by the Chen family for a hundred years, but the weapons and firearms have not been used for many years, and they are worn and even destroyed, which needs to be repaired.

Chen Huang asked people to guard the main roads around the village and explore the movements of the imperial army, the main direction of reconnaissance was the county seat of Silingzhou, and at the same time sent people to start surveying the terrain to find out what terrain was conducive to the battle, which was very important for future wars.

And Chen Huang himself continued to train the three hundred strong men, of course, not to say that he was going to fight against the imperial army, but that there were bandits coming.

......

Wuwolf Mountain is a dangerous place in Siling Prefecture, close to the border, and the Manchu Qing Dynasty and Annan don't care much.

This gave Hu Lang, who was entrenched here, the opportunity to grow slowly, looting places, there were already hundreds of people, and there were 300 people who could fight, of course, because the life of the bandits was more difficult than that of the local tyrants, and there was a shortage of weapons, and the combat power was actually inferior to the local tyrants in the villages.

Why were the local tyrants and gentry able to sit on one side and bargain with the government without being afraid of bandits and plunder? It was because the local tyrants and gentry had the strength to accumulate for tens or hundreds of years, and they had all kinds of grain, grass and weapons, and they became a small kingdom of their own, and those tenant farmers were their people.

Why didn't these tenant peasants resist, it was because if they resisted, let alone whether they could succeed or not, how could the court explain it? The local tyrants and gentry all had backers in the government and often offered worship, so they would naturally be sheltered, and in addition, the local tyrants and gentry were not fools, they were all big up reading the books of sages.

It's not that they follow the example of the saints, it's that they read the book of the dead, and they will also oppress the tenant villagers, but they will not let them all starve to death, but organize their forces to compete with other villages for fields and water, fight against bandits and bandits, defend one side, well, defend their own small kingdom.

In fact, the rule of the Manchu Qing Dynasty was like this, one village after another, each doing its own thing, paying taxes to the county government on a regular basis, if there was a little backstage, pay less, and if there was no backstage, pay more, and then pay layer by layer, it formed the rule of the Manchu Dynasty.

And the local tyrants and gentry are the foundation, but there are also forces that are free from the outside, that is, the bandits and bandits, the bandits of the Five Wolf Mountain, are also very prestigious in Siling Prefecture.

When Zhang Qinglv arrived at Wuwolf Mountain, he was warmly welcomed, a big bowl of wine, a large piece of meat, a good hospitality, Zhang Qinglv is not the first time to come to Wuwolf Mountain, he has been here before, the local tyrant gentry, and bandits, in fact, there are many connections, although the local tyrant gentry are not afraid of bandits, but they are also afraid of the other party to entangle.

Small groups of bandits and bandits, that is not to be taken care of, but large shares, then be a little filial, as long as you don't come to entangle, then you will be fine, and even support and trade at some times, borrowing them to do some shady things.

Zhang Qinglv drank wine and ate meat, and the two sides did not enter the topic for a while, everything was waiting to be full of food and drink, and the day of the bandit was to have wine today and get drunk today, and there would be no wine tomorrow and tomorrow would be sad, and then rob and loot again.

Zhang Qinglv looked at Hu Lang, with disdain in his heart, he knew that the life of Wuwolf Mountain was not good, and the people outside were sleeping in the open, but there was a lot of wine and meat here, but there were bandits, and they didn't even have a foundation, so they wanted to enjoy happiness, and they weren't a good person, no wonder Chen Chong didn't care much about recruiting them, but he also ordered to try to win them over.

Regardless of Hu Lang, it is useful for the time being.

After being full of wine and food, it was natural to discuss things, and Zhang Qinglv was not hypocritical, and directly explained the situation in Chenjia Village.

This is Chen Chong's confession, treat people with sincerity, don't care what Hu Lang thinks, anyway, the other party is just a bandit, even if he defects to the imperial court, there is no way, and the other party will not accept it.

What's more, with Hu Lang's character, he won't accept it, the life of the king of the mountain is used to it, who wants to be a little brother.

Zhang Qinglv had long expected that Hu Lang was not a person who guarded himself, so he did not "recruit" the other party for Chen Chong, but said that they would form an alliance, and everyone would benefit each other, fund the money and grain of Wuwolf Mountain, and unite against the imperial army.

When Hu Lang heard the news, he was slightly drunk, he woke up, and after groaning, he asked people to send Zhang Qinglv to the guest room to rest.

The Five Wolf Mountain Juyi Hall, uh, that means it sounds good, is actually a thatched hut of a slight size.

The high-rise of Wuwolf Mountain all live here, compared to other thatched huts, that is, the advantage of not leaking rain on rainy days, the others really don't.

The people on the Five Wolves Mountain are all bandits, and if they don't produce anything, they will destroy it, and they will be asked to repair their houses, isn't it a joke? Some of the villagers who were arrested are not proficient in this way, that is, they will live there.

This is also the reason why bandits and bandits can't thrive, "giant bandits" like Wuwolf Mountain, threatening a county, vertical and horizontal "invincible", that is, this bird-like, other small bandits, bandits, life is even more unspeakable.

At this time, in the Juyi Hall, Hu Lang was discussing major matters with the high-level officials.

The high-level is actually three or two kittens, except for Hu Lang himself, there are only two people, one named He Tao, the second leader, and the military advisor.

This person is thin, dressed in a Confucian robe, polite, thirty years old, well-dressed, if it is not in this bandit den, thrown into the county seat, he will also be considered a well-educated person, not to mention, he is indeed a scholar, but he is not even a showman, he is still a student, a student in the bandits' nest.

Well, he didn't come to the bandits' den voluntarily, he was arrested, but his life was also very calm, his family was relatively poor, in fact, he also had some land, but he was not even a local tyrant, and he couldn't afford to support his brothers to study, and he didn't study well, so he planned to be a businessman, make a living, and support his brothers.

However, the merchant is not easy to be, the first time he went out, he was planted, and he was taken captive to the Five Wolves Mountain, and he originally wanted to escape, but he was very strictly guarded, and gradually became calm, and his life was not like that, and although Hu Lang restricted his personal freedom, the food was also good, and he also helped him buy books.

Well, he can read, he is not abused, and he even became the second leader, Hu Lang also sent some money to his hometown, He Tao stayed, anyway, he felt that he was not good, well, it was those examiners who had eyes and did not know gold and jade, and it was no fun to get fame, so it was not a big deal to spend the rest of his life here.

He will never say that he is afraid of death, but also teach some little bandits, do the things of sages, at first I felt ashamed, but now I am complacent, there is a Buddha, I don't go to hell, who goes to hell The sense of heroism, he is not greedy for life and afraid of death, but in order to educate these bandits who do not obey the king, he came here.

Look, all of a sudden, it became tall, and the soul seemed to be sublimated.

Another high-level of Five Wolf Mountain, is a sturdy man, called Shi Chaojin, who calls himself the Ten Pattern Dragon, Sai Shi Jin, and also asks others to call him so, it is estimated that the Water Margin heard about it, why did he say that he heard too much, not read too much, because he was illiterate, uh, this is not accurate, he has learned, but he knows too little.

He Tao's teaching, Shi Chaojin also participated, but there is little paper and pen here, and Shi Chaojin often has to rob houses and houses, so he has no time to study, so he can't even learn half a bucket of water.

Unlike He Tao, the nominal second leader, Shi Chaojin, the third leader, is not a good stubble, he dares to call himself a ten-patterned dragon, Sai Shijin, he really has some ability, and his marksmanship is amazing, but remember, this is definitely not a musket, such a high-end weapon, there is no such a high-end weapon here, only the ancient red tassel gun.

Thirty-six pounds of iron and red tassel guns, Shi Chaojin can be said to be dancing vigorously, waiting for idle men, ten can't get close, he claims to be practicing the Yang family gun, no one knows the actual situation, but he is the first person in charge of the armed forces of Wuwolf Mountain, this is not fake, even Hu Lang is not his opponent, and he is very taboo about him.

The reason why Shi Chaojin is the third leader is because he is too fierce, Hu Lang is afraid that he will not be able to control Shi Chaojin, so he puts He Tao, the military advisor, in the position of the second leader, and at the same time asks He Tao to educate Shi Chaojin, so that he knows how to be humble and humble, and not to rebel.

Yes, Hu Lang is afraid that Shi Chaojin will rebel, this is not a rebellion of the imperial court, it is a rebellion of Hu Lang, the thief profession is originally without rules, the big fist is the truth, and the profession of the bandit leader does not say that the father and son will succeed, once the leader cannot serve the public, he will be killed in minutes.

Hu Lang, the big leader, seems to be chic, but life is not easy, he has to make a full meal for his thieves, and he has to prevent the following from becoming bigger, fortunately, Shi Chaojin has not reversed now, otherwise he will have a headache.

Zhang Qinglv's words just now, the people in the audience heard it, and Hu Lang said directly: "The Chen family is in big trouble, and they want us to help each other and ask for an alliance, what do you think?"

"Big boss, this is a big deal, be cautious. In the past, we only plundered some merchant villages, but we did not fight hard with the imperial army, and once we did this, we might be requisitioned by the imperial court. He Tao said immediately.

He is reluctant to participate in such a thing, although he is a bandit and bandit, but he is only rampant in the township, and the court is turning a blind eye, but once he fights against the imperial army, it is not a joke, if his affairs here are found out, his whole family may suffer.

"I'm afraid of a ball!" Shi Chaojin retorted almost immediately, "We, the Five Wolf Mountain, are we still afraid of the imperial court? If that's the case, why don't we go down to the mountains to cultivate the fields!"

He Tao secretly scolded in his heart: I am not a thief, if you dare to let me go, I will dare to leave! Do you think everyone is like you, your family is poor and the grass is a coward.