The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

The northern part of Yunyang Prefecture and the border of Yunxi County.

Snowflakes were falling from the sky, and the sky and the earth were vast.

The mountains are like jade and there are millions of pine forests, all of which are like Fu Qiong Shuang, making it look like the northern country.

The Jade Mountain lies windingly, like a white wilderness, and the sky is vast and the fields are white and connected into an endless expanse.

Among the white snow, the orange-red firelight seemed extremely abrupt.

Shrill cries echoed in the wind and snow, painful wails lingered in the towns and villages, and desperate pleas echoed in the streets and alleys.

There were fires everywhere, screams everywhere, and figures running around everywhere.

Ma'an Township, a township located in the southern foothills of the Qinling Mountains and in the hinterland of Yunxi County, had most of the area turned into a sea of ​​flames.

The defeated bandits at Baituguan fled all the way north. They gathered together and plundered various places.

The Ming army in Yunyang Prefecture was approaching step by step and wanted to wipe them out, so the rogue bandits had to flee further north.

They repeated their old tricks and fled into the mountains in the northern part of Yunyang Prefecture again, just like before.

Facing the Ming army's advance and suppression, they retreated when they were strong and advanced when they were weak.

Taking advantage of the time when the main force of the Ming army turned to Yun County, these rogue bandits hiding in the northern mountains attacked again.

They besieged Ma'an Township for five days, and finally seized the flaw in the defense line and invaded Ma'an Township.

The hysterical laughter of the bandits echoed in the sky above Ma'an Township. They have been living a precarious life since the defeat of Baituguan, hiding in the mountains in the north of Yunyang, suffering from hunger and cold.

Now that the township is broken, it's time to let off steam and enjoy.

Ma'an Township has fallen into complete chaos at this time. A large number of bandits have broken through the outer wall and are coming to kill the generals in the township.

All the villagers in the villages and towns were devastated. The outside of the village was already surrounded by rogue bandits, and the rogue bandits had now entered the village.

But there is no way to heaven, and there is no door to the earth. Even with wings, there is no way to escape.

There was no way to escape or avoid, so most of the villagers hid in their homes, blocking the doors and windows with things, and hiding the children in hidden corners.

The men were holding wooden sticks or farm tools and guarding the door of the house. Most of their legs could not stop shaking and their whole bodies could not help but tremble, but most of them still stood at the door.

Money, grain and other valuable things were placed outside the courtyard gate.

Even if they guard the outer wall, they can't stop the rogues. How come only one or two of them can stop the rogues when they enter the village?

They took out valuable things in advance and placed them outside the courtyard gate in order to buy their lives.

I just hope that those bandits can let them go if they take the money.

If the bandits are not satisfied after taking the money and want to kill them, they will have no choice but to fight.

After the bandits broke through the wall, this was the only thing they, the common people, could do.

The women smeared the black ash from the bottom of the pot on their faces to make themselves as ugly and dirty as possible. Many found sharp objects and held them tightly in their hands.

The sharp weapons in their hands are not used to deal with rogues, but weapons to commit suicide. How can they defeat those extremely vicious rogues? They commit suicide just to suffer less and not be tainted by those wolves.

Rogue bandits also came to their Yunyang Mansion a few years ago. Those rogue bandits were all murderous devils who destroyed the villages and towns. They were said to commit all kinds of crimes including burning, killing, looting and looting.

Now that those extremely vicious bandits have come in, I'm afraid they will also be brutally murdered.

On the streets of Ma'an Township, more and more bandits are pouring into them, and the sound of dense footsteps echoes in the villages and towns.

The cries of children, the cries of women, and the curses of men lingered in everyone's ears. The bandits who entered the countryside seemed to be burning, killing, and looting...

The flames soaring into the sky, accompanied by the wanton laughter of the rogue bandits, swept away in all directions.

All the villagers hiding in their homes were filled with despair and their faces were pale.

Wu Yue stared at the door of the courtyard, gritting his teeth and holding the crude weapon in his hand tightly.

The sights and sounds coming from outside all tortured his fragile nerves.

Wu Yue's legs were shaking like chaff and his whole body was weak.

But Wu Yue was still standing at the door. He knew that he was no match for those rogue bandits.

He was the only man in the family and he had to stand up.

There were many places outside the hospital with flames blazing into the sky. One of the nearest fires was in the northwest.

To the northwest, Wu Yue remembered that it was the mansion of the Qian family, a wealthy family in the village.

There was a fire there, and it seemed that the bandits had already broken into Qian's house and were burning, killing and looting inside.

Wu Yue has already made up his mind. If the bandits don't give up after taking the money, he will really fight with those bandits.

Wu Yue held the pitchfork in his hand tightly, feeling cold in his heart.

It doesn't matter that he died. It's just pity for his wife who followed him. She has been living a hard life with him since she got married and didn't live a good life.

I finally worked a few more part-time jobs during the off-season and got some money. I thought about buying her some new clothes and a good meal during the Chinese New Year.

But now, I’m afraid none of these things can be realized.

Wu Yue glanced at the ground in the corner of the courtyard where a lot of debris was accumulated.

Below there is the cellar he dug three years ago. Ever since he heard that the bandits were coming, he dug a cellar with caution.

I didn’t expect that I would actually use it today.

Wu Yue didn't feel the slightest bit lucky that the cellar he dug was now in use. He really hoped that the cellar he dug would never be used.

Hidden in the cellar is his daughter, who is only five years old now, and two children from the neighbor's family, one aged ten and the other seven.

When the bandits besieged the village a few days ago, Wu Yue had already asked his daughter to hide in the cellar. There were a lot of bedding and food in the cellar. With three children, they could survive for several days.

Wu Yue told them to wait until there was no sound outside in a few days before coming out.

Wu Yue stood at the door of the house, staring at the courtyard door not far away.

The cries and prayers outside were getting louder and louder, and it seemed that many people were gathered together.

Wu Yue looked pale. He could hardly suppress the fear in his heart, and his legs were weak again.

"kill!!!"

A murderous shout suddenly came from the distance, blasting into Wu Yue's ears like a demonic sound.

This sound made Wu Yue tremble all over. He could hardly hold the pitchfork in his hand, and his upper and lower rows of teeth made an unpleasant sound due to the fearful collision.

All the cries and noises outside the hospital suddenly disappeared, as if they had never appeared.

Wu Yue leaned against the door of the house, holding a pitchfork and trying his best to steady his body.You don't need to look to know that the reason why those cries disappeared is probably because the bandits who broke into the countryside killed all those people.

It's over, it's over, it's over.

Wu Yue felt desperate, his eyes fixed on the courtyard door.

How could that thin wooden door resist those vicious bandits?

Wu Yue only felt that in the next moment, those vicious bandits would kick open the courtyard door and rush in.

But when the fires everywhere gradually extinguished, when the sounds of crying and wailing everywhere gradually subsided.

The thin wooden door and the low courtyard wall were like an indestructible barrier, separating the inside and the outside into two different worlds.

Footsteps sounded one after another outside the hospital, and Wu Yue's heart skipped a beat.

Until sunset and nightfall, Wu Yue didn't wait until those vicious bandits kicked in the door.

Wu Yue didn't know why, he didn't know what happened, but these bandits seemed different from what the government said and the bandits in rumors.

However, Wu Yue still held the pitchfork in his hand and did not take it lightly.

The wife in the room asked again. After Wu Yue comforted him a few times, he felt that waiting like this was not an option.

Wu Yue clenched the pitchfork in his hand again, emboldening himself, and then stepped forward, trying to find a place to check out the scene outside.

Just when Wu Yue took a step forward and reached the center of the courtyard, there was a sudden knock on the courtyard door.

For a moment, Wu Yue felt that the hairs on his body were standing on end, and his whole body was as cold as if someone poured a basin of cold water on his head. His whole body froze in place.

"Fellow, please open the door. Don't worry, we don't mean any harm."

The voice coming from outside the hospital was cold and terrifying, and Wu Yue didn't have much trust in these words.

He had heard the hoarse cries and begging for mercy outside in the courtyard before, as well as the fires burning everywhere.

Wu Yue was even speechless because of the fear in his heart.

The knock on the door outside the hospital rang several more times, and the sound gradually became impatient, and Wu Yue finally came to his senses.

Finally, after a fierce ideological struggle, Wu Yue answered the people outside the hospital, and then opened the door of the hospital cautiously.

Even the tall outer walls in the village could not stop the bandits. How could the low wall in his small courtyard, which was only about the height of a person, block the bandits?

Wu Yue opened the courtyard door and saw two bandits holding swords at the courtyard gate. One of them was holding the money he had placed at the courtyard gate not long ago.

Wu Yue's courage, which he had finally mustered up, suddenly evaporated, and he fell to his knees on the ground, begging.

"Dear heroes, all the money and most of the food in the villain's house are already at the door. The villain only left rations for a few days at home."

"If you heroes feel that it is not enough, I will take out all the food and offer it to you heroes. I only ask for your life."

At the gate of the courtyard, the two bandits looked at each other helplessly, and then the taller one directly threw the money bag in his hand to Wu Yue, who was kneeling on the ground.

"Our leader's name is King Tuotian, and he is called Chang Guoan. We are rebels, not bandits or robbers."

"We will not steal your things, nor will we harm your lives. You just have to live your life well."

Wu Yue subconsciously caught the money bag, feeling that nothing was like reality, and he was so confused that he couldn't figure out the current situation.

"Take the money bag and take the grain and rice home."

Another gangster, who was slightly leaner, snorted coldly and said.

"Remember, we only kill those landlords and wealthy people who do evil, as well as corrupt officials in the court."

"If you can report to us the news about the officers and soldiers later, we can also send you money and food."

Wu Yue was in a daze until the two people who knocked on the door walked away for a long time. It was not until the neighbor came to the door that he woke up as if from a dream. He returned to the house and hugged his wife with the money and cried.

……

On the hills fifteen miles outside Ma'an Township, Chang Guoan's eyes were cold. The flickering firelight in the distance reflected in his dark pupils, making him look extremely strange.

"After today, I will lead my troops back to the north. The grain, rice, gold and silver will be hidden in the agreed places. When my troops invade Ma'an Township, they will do what you said."

"My soldiers didn't touch any of those villagers. I killed all the big families and gentry in the city. I have done my job well, and I hope you can fulfill your promise."

Chang Guoan turned around, looked at the man standing next to him who was completely covered in black robes, and said in a solemn voice.

"As long as you do things well, we will naturally keep our promises, turn a blind eye and let you go."

The man in black robe's voice was cold, and he showed no fear when facing Chang Guoan, who was once one of the leaders of the 72nd Battalion.

Chang Guoan was not dissatisfied at all with the attitude of the man in black robe.

The situation is stronger than the person, and now he is completely controlled by the person. They are the swordsman and he is the fish and meat.

The firelight flickered, reflecting the face of the man under the black robe. His sword-shaped eyebrows almost reached his temples, his eyes were sinister, and his expression was cold.

It was Hu Zhili who was appointed by Chen Wang as the chief military judge of the Military Law Department!

The north wind slowed down slightly, the swaying fire gradually calmed down, and the surrounding torches gradually became brighter.

Behind Hu Zhili, a group of soldiers with robes and belts, helmets and armor were standing around them.

The two guerrillas from Hanzhong Town, Qian Gong Ji Zhang Er and Yi Dou Gu Huang Long, both lowered their heads and looked at their nose and heart, standing quietly behind Hu Zhili.

Further behind, a huge, brightly lit camp was lying on top of the hills. Countless firelights gathered into a sea of ​​stars, illuminating the surrounding area as if it were daytime.

The villagers of Ma'an Township held on for five days. They waited for reinforcements every day for five days, but the reinforcements never arrived.

They would never have thought that the reinforcements they had been waiting for were actually nearby...

Everything is just a transaction.

"The imperial court's decree states that except for Zhang Xianzhong, the evil leader must be punished, everyone can be pardoned."

Hu Zhili did not look at Chang Guoan, and his tone was calm.

"As long as you continue in this way according to the plan we set, our cooperation can continue, and I will naturally fulfill the promise I made to you."

Chang Guoan's eyes changed, his expression changed, his fists tightened and loosened, loosened and tightened again, and finally he lowered his head.

All his courage and ambition were lost at the Bai Tu Pass.

At this point, he has no other way to go except this one...

The cold is getting a lot worse, I will keep updated as much as possible.