Autumn of the 17th year of Chongzhen

Chapter 151
One day and one night, Wuzhou City, which was guarded by [-] rebels, fell into the hands of the government. After Liu Shun attacked the east gate, there was a sudden chaos and they fled Wuzhou one after another.

After this defeat, King Jingjiang's regime was beaten back to its original form again.

Wuzhou was occupied, and Wang Yan then ordered the army to pull out the camp and enter the city. He also asked his subordinates to post notices on the safety of the people, strictly enforcing military discipline.

Overnight, the flags in Wuzhou City changed drastically. Listening to the shouting and noise last night, the people who had been in fear all night, still did not dare to go out at dawn. The city slowly regained some vitality.

At noon, a large group of Wuzhou gentry came to the front of the mansion to meet Wang Yan after entering the city, and thank the officers and soldiers for their comfort.

But Wang Yan said: "Restraining the barbarians outside and keeping the people inside safe, this is the duty of our army. Why do you need to say thank you?"

The gentry was shocked when they heard the words. Whether it was King Jingjiang or Ding Kuichu, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi who captured Wuzhou before, the first thing they did after entering the city was to let them, the gentry, help with their wages. Not only did the Zhongyonghou not disturb the people, but they took the initiative to come to the door to help them pay according to the regulations, but they were rejected. How surprised the gentry was.

"The imperial court has its own laws and regulations. You good citizens only need to abide by the law and pay taxes according to the system." Wang Yan continued: "From now on, under the rule of this Marquis, everything will follow the laws of the Ming Dynasty. For the actions of the people, you can report to this lord, and this lord will definitely punish him severely."

Since the Chongzhen Dynasty, the people were overwhelmed by exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes, which led to the swarms of bandits in the north. Although the south was rich, life was not easy.

The imperial court took the tax money, but the army of Ming Dynasty could not keep the peace of the people. It neither stopped the northern captives nor wiped out the bandits, and even the two capitals fell one after another.

The officers and soldiers not only waste food and salaries, but also massacre the people from time to time. In the original Zuozhen, the military discipline was extremely corrupt, even worse than the rogues.

In Yangzhou, Huai'an and other places, there have been incidents of gentry defending the city bravely with their villages and refusing the entry of officials and troops. How far has the popular support been lost for this to happen?
The officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty were unable to defend the barbarians from the outside, and could not comfort the people inside.

In troubled times, human life is not as good as a dog. The imperial court can require ministers and scholar-bureaucrats who are favored by the country to be loyal to the Ming Dynasty, but how can they ask those who are regarded as worthless people to be loyal to the country?

Although the northern captives are of a foreign race, they have strong soldiers and strong horses. Wherever they conquer, there is peace. Ordinary people have no Confucian education. Roe roe food, who cares who dominates the world.

What's more, when the northern captives went south, so many princes and ministers bowed their knees and surrendered, and the people were massacred by the captive soldiers. In order to save their lives and the safety of their families, they became obedient citizens of the northern captives. What can the court say?

Now that the world is in turmoil, and the Hulu want to find a magic weapon, Wang Yan wants to clean up the rivers and mountains, and compete with the powerful Hulu. Under the rule, start step by step.

The gentry in the lobby were shocked when they heard Wang Yanzhi's words, but they didn't believe it easily. After all, no matter how nice the words of the officials they met before, they would still attack them later.

Wang Yan personally sent these gentry out of the mansion, Wang Yan didn't take their precautions seriously, after all, the gentry would know sooner or later that what he said was not false.

The gentry are also very satisfied with this trip, no matter whether Wang Yan is sincere for the people, or just saying good things for fame, but at least they don't have to worry about being disturbed by the officers and soldiers recently.

At this time, all the gentry saluted and bid farewell to Wang Yan, but Wang Yan suddenly remembered something, and said casually: "I am ordered by His Majesty to manage Guangdong, to open Guangdong and sea, and to start trade with overseas countries. Wuzhou has the convenience of waterways. , you can go directly to the sea by big ship, and you can come to Guangzhou for trade, and this Marquis will definitely support you."

After Wang Yan finished speaking, he retreated into the Yamen, but the gentry couldn't help being surprised when they heard the words. In the coastal area, the gentry clans didn't know the benefits of opening the sea, and their expressions changed suddenly. They wanted to ask Wang Yan what happened, but they had already No one was there.

The gentry left with each other, but they were planning in their hearts when they would look for an opportunity to visit the government office again in order to get more information.

After Wang Yan sent the gentry away, he returned to the mansion and began to ask his subordinates to arrange a celebration banquet for tonight.

Rewards and punishments are clear, and military discipline can be strict. He still has a lot of silver in his hands, so naturally he will not be stingy in rewarding meritorious soldiers.

It's just that his celebration banquet this time is not for celebration, it is actually for other purposes.

Outside the city, when Ding Kuichu learned that Wang Yan hadn't captured Yang Guowei, he was still happy for a while, but when he learned that Wang Yan had captured Wuzhou, his face changed drastically.

When Wang Yanba entered the city, he ordered the former camp to also enter the city, but Ding Kuichu hesitated.

In the battle last night, Chen Bangfu and the others lost another 2000 troops. They were depressed and were about to enter the city to plunder as usual to compensate for the loss last night, but Ding Kuichu stopped them.

The four of them could not help complaining in Ding Kuichu's tent: "Your Excellency said last night that Wang Yan has not yet obtained some evidence of collaborating with the enemy, so why not enter the city?"

"Yeah~" Ma Jixiang said: "Wang Yan has been in the city for a long time, and if he doesn't enter the city again, he will have nothing to snatch. When will this loss be made up for?"

Ding Kuichu looked at the four of them, and couldn't help being a little angry: "You know how to rob, but you don't want to think about how strict Wang Yan's military discipline is. This time he came to attack Wuzhou. He is a confidant guard. Seeing that the weather is hot and the heat is unbearable, he rests in the army. At that time, I picked a few fruits and vegetables for him, but he whipped him twenty times to improve military discipline. Do you think he would allow soldiers and horses to plunder?"

The four of them couldn't help being excited when they heard the words, but they still said: "Most of the tent materials in the camp have been burned, even if they can't be looted, the army can't stay outside the city for a long time!"

Ding Kuichu frowned, "It's not that the governor doesn't want to enter the city, it's because he is hesitant! If Wang Yan takes Wuzhou, if Yang Guowei doesn't follow the agreement and destroys the correspondence and is searched by Wang Yan, then the governor and you will enter the city." , wouldn’t it mean more bad luck than good luck.”

"What should I do~" the four of them couldn't help exclaiming.

At this time, the guards outside the tent came in to report again, saying: "The Marquis of Zhongyong sent someone to recruit, please invite the Governor and the four generals to enter the city for a banquet tonight to celebrate the victory of the battle last night, and bring wine and food. Reward the whole army."

(End of this chapter)