Chapter 266 Death Struggle

More than 300,000 people who fled from all over the country had gathered outside Fuzhou City, and there were also many rich families who came later and had no way to enter the city, so they had to stay outside the city, and were forced to be exploited by high prices by food merchants in the city. However, despite this, they also felt more at ease to stay here.

Fujian is really poor and bad. Even if the land is poor, even if it is good weather, it can only be filled. If you want to live a good life, you can only go to sea. However, after the Ming Dynasty banned the sea, even larger fishing boats were not allowed to go into the sea.

In addition to some scholars who had studied and dreamed of becoming famous by studying and studying for imperial examinations, ordinary people had to take the risk of doing maritime business, traveling to Southeast Asia, Luzon, Ryukyu, and Japan. However, in this way, they violated the laws of the court. There were more and more people who were openly good people and secretly bandits.

The Japanese pirates swept across the Fujian territory, which was already a worry. In addition, these local bandits took advantage of the government's paralysis and robbed and kidnapped the taxi everywhere, which scared these rich gentry and businessmen to panic all day long. Now they can only sleep peacefully if they escape to the city of Fuzhou.

Unexpectedly, the Fujian governor refused to allow them to enter the city, but the tax collectors were busy and sent out the city every day to collect "war-time taxes" from them, but his soldiers won a victory, and the people secretly cursed them.

At this time, the city of Fuzhou was still peaceful, with green willows flying in and cicadas singing softly. Although the jurisdiction was unstable, Japanese pirates were rampant, thieves and thieves rose up, and the people were displaced and could not bear to say anything, but the street where high officials and gentry gathered was still singing and dancing to peace.

The powerful and wealthy people who drove cars or in sedan chairs were still traveling through the flowers and willows and alleys. The lazy soldiers were swaying around the governor's yamen with big guns. The people did not dare to approach, otherwise they could hear the gentle singing and the sound of silk and bamboo coming from the pink wall.

Ruan Dawen sat behind a short table, holding a fine porcelain and gold-inlaid wine cup, siping the wine happily. As the singing and dancing, six beautiful girls in gorgeous clothes were dancing gracefully in the hall.

The inspector Zhai Qingshan was attracted by their graceful dance postures. After watching for a while, he woke up and hurriedly picked up the wine glass and rushed towards Ruan Dawen from afar, smiling and said, "Mr. Ruan, please."

"Haha, Lord Zhai, Lord Zhou, Lord Wang, come and have a drink together." Ruan Dawen also happily raised his glass and advised several people to drink. Ruan Dawen was in his early forties, with a slender figure, a crown of jade, and a small beard under his jaw, with a handsome appearance.

A beautiful and inconsistent woman beside her was lying on his shoulder and whispering. Ruan Dawen drank halfway through a sip of wine and squirted out "puff", so happy that she leaned back and forth.

He twisted the buttocks covered by the woman's light silk shirt. He laughed and said, "Go, go, the master wants to have fun with a few adults."

The beautiful woman laughed, Yingying stood up and bowed to Zhai Qingshan and others, and quietly retreated. Ruan Dawen waved her hand, and the six singers stopped singing and dancing. Her sleeves brushed the ground and retreated out of the hall.

Ruan Dawen said: "My dear sir, this disaster in our Fuzhou City has been considered a disaster, but the Japanese are always in chaos in our Fujian territory. As the highest military and political officials of Fujian, we always have to explain to Governor Yang. We can't wait until they have enough to leave, right? Lord Zhou has a clever plan?"

Zhou Hong was the admiral of the Fujian Navy and the commander of the Three Guards. The military in the Fujian territory regarded him as the commander, but this person was afraid of Japanese pirates as if they were tigers. As soon as the Japanese pirates entered the Fujian territory, he avoided war everywhere and let the people suffer, for fear that he would really face the Japanese pirates. Ruan Dawen's trick of "sending ships and silver to buy a stable place" came from this Zhou Lang.

Seeing Ruan Dawen asking about this, Zhou Hong frowned and said slowly: "Sir, the Japanese pirates now have signs of moving to Guangdong and Guangxi, and they have always been unable to gain a foothold from north to south. With the six warships we sent, they already mean to go to Yizhou or Manshijia to gain a foothold. I believe they will leave here soon."

Ruan Dawen knew nothing about military affairs. He felt relieved when he heard this. He sighed and said, "That's good. The six warships that had just left the factory were given to the Japanese. I submitted the official documents to the Governor's Office that our army suffered huge casualties and all six warships were destroyed. However, our army fought with the Japanese pirates and vowed not to retreat. They would fight for an inch of land, and the Japanese pirates would also suffer great losses. If the Japanese pirates did not leave, the war reports would continue to be sent to Suzhou, and the filling would be exposed."

Zhou Hong originally knew that the Japanese pirates were indeed fighting against Yizhou and Mantaga, and intended to find a stable territory, but after hearing what Ruan Dawen said so seriously, he felt uneasy.

Zhou Hongqiang smiled and said, "Don't worry, Fujian is poor and bad. I don't think they have anything to grab. They can't stand in the north, so it is inevitable that they will continue to move south..."

As soon as he said this, he shouted outside the hall: "Report! Sir, Ruan San'er is back!"

Zhou Hong suddenly stopped and looked at the door with Ruan Dawen and others. He saw two soldiers coming in with an ordinary person dressed in. The man was covered in dust, his face was red, and his temples were dripping with sweat, and both of them were a little stiff.

Seeing that it was Ruan Saner, his confidant general, Ruan Dawen hurriedly stood up and said, "Ruan Saner, why... Why is it like this? Did you encounter Japanese pirates or... or Suzhou..."

Ruan Saner stood firm, got rid of the support of the two guards, waved her hand to let them retreat, and waited until they left the hall before taking a step forward, and said anxiously: "Sir, the situation is a bit bad, as the young man arrived in Suzhou City nine days ago and heard that the governor was going to Fujian to inspect the military situation in person..."

Zhai Qingshan couldn't help but said: "How could it be? He was supervising the military affairs of the six provinces. He did not take the central command at this time, but left Suzhou to inspect southern Fujian. Wouldn't it be even more troublesome to pass on the news of the war in the north to him? If you want to say that the battle is defeated..... Where in the six provinces has never been defeated, why is he so nervous about the war in southern Fujian alone?"

Ruan San'er swallowed and said arduously: "Sir, at that time... our military information had not yet been reported to the Governor's Office."

Ruan Dawen's face changed drastically, and Zhou Hong became scared. So Yangling had another source of news? Even though he received the news that Fujian was defeated, the subsequent messages sent by the Fujian military repeatedly stated that after the tenacious resistance of the Fujian military and civilians, the Japanese pirates suffered heavy losses. Now most of the Japanese pirates have retreated to the sea to continue fleeing south. Yangling did not ask for a message and went south immediately?

At this time, many Japanese pirates in the northern provinces had been placed. It was a good opportunity to eliminate them. Why did Yangling hurriedly come here? Could it be......"

Zhou Hong felt a little "sudden" when he thought of this, and he waved, "Sir, you know, go down and rest first." Looking coldly as Ruan Saner exited the hall, Zhou Hong immediately stood up and walked to Ruan Da's copywriting, and said anxiously: "Sir, Yang Ling has control over the inner factory and has a close relationship with the other two factories and one bathroom. The factory and the local people are everywhere. Could it be..... Could it be that the news has been leaked when we do the local affairs?"

Ruan Dawen's face turned pale when he heard it. He reached out and grabbed Zhou Hong's collar and said tremblingly: "How could this happen? How is it possible? Didn't you say that this matter is foolproof? You...you...you...if we really dominate the city, the Japanese pirates may not be able to defeat Fuzhou, but now...if we are now investing in the enemy, Governor Yang knows that this is the beheading...beheading's crime!"

Seeing that he looked so regretful and cowardly, Zhou Hong felt a little contemptuous. But now everyone is a grasshopper on the same rope and can't bear to each other's face. He suppressed his anger and explained: "

Sir, you have just been transferred from Guangxi for half a year, but how could you know the situation of the garrison troops in Fujian? They are just half-officials and half-bandits, and where are the materials for the war? If you really want to fight, Fuzhou will be captured by the Japanese within a short time. The creatures are suffering. We have taken great pains to do this, and we plan for the 300,000 people in the city."

Ruan Dawen was almost crying anxiously. He let go of Zhou Hong's collar and said with a sad face: "But how could Governor Yang understand my painstaking efforts to protect the place? Didn't you say that he would scold him at most when he saw the military information? What did he do? How could he know what was happening here?"

Zhai Qingshan said with a gloomy face: "We originally thought that Fujian was full of Japanese pirates, and the people of the factory guards were hiding and the people, and it was hard to predict whether they could live or die alone. Such a dangerous environment would inevitably evacuate this place early. Now it seems..."

He took a long breath and said, "The embezzlement of 60,000 taels of silver in the past is easy to hide the secrets of others, but.........The six giant ships have disappeared without a trace without a single battle. If there are still people from the factory and guards hidden in the city, how could they not reveal a trace of their feet?"

He paused heavily and said miserably: "Mr. Ruan, Lord Zhou, Lord Wang. The six warships are not gadgets of slap, how could they hide from everyone's eyes and ears? Originally, the people below could not make any mistakes even if they knew everything. But if someone above wanted to investigate, a shipman's confession could take the heads of the four of us."

Wang Feiling was the prefect of Fuzhou. He was already in a state of trouble with Ruan Dawen, Zhai Qingshan and others and exploited the people. When he heard this, he was frightened and sweated. He had a cold sweat on his forehead and his face was as dusty as the ground, saying, "What should I do? What should I do? Sir, you guys, you have a solution."

Zhou Hong's eyes turned and he thought, "Maybe Yang Ling was relieved to go south when he saw that the wars in various provinces had improved. This was done secretly enough. Are we making a big deal? Hahaha, don't scare yourself, right?"

Zhai Qingshan sneered and said, "I hope this is the case, but what if Yang Ling really gets the news? As soon as the imperial envoy enters Fuzhou City, we will... people, heads, fall, and ground!"

Ruan Dawen sat down and murmured: "It's a blessing or not a disaster, it's a disaster. Now... let's leave it to fate!"

Wang Feiling heard Zhai Qingshan's implicit voice and immediately asked: "Mr. Zhai, you said that if the imperial envoy enters Fuzhou City, we will be killed. Could it be that Lord Zhai has a way to prevent him from entering Fuzhou City?"

Zhai Qingshan glanced at Ruan Dawen and Zhou Hong and said, "I am just an insurer. If I want troops but no troops, I have no power. The imperial envoy will go on a patrol. I will have at least three thousand cavalry to support him. How can I stop him?"

Zhou Hong looked at Zhai Qingshan, and Wang Feiling and his face became strange and laughed bitterly, "I have soldiers, but so what? I asked them to assassinate the imperial envoy? Who would agree?"

Zhai Qingshan said sinisterly: "Who said he wanted to kill the imperial envoy? The Japanese pirates attacked Quanzhou as Minzhuang. Now we have received news that another Japanese pirate who had been defeated from Jiangnan pretended to be our Ming army and tried to attack Fuzhou. So we set up an ambush halfway to impress the Japanese pirates..."

Zhou Hong was shocked and said in surprise: "Is this plan feasible? As soon as both sides fight, they will lose their feet immediately."

At this time, Wang Feiling couldn't help but be brave and said fiercely: "The terrain of Yueshanyu in the north of the city is dangerous, and one man should be the pass and ten thousand men should be opened. If a strange army sets up an ambush there, a few cannons and piles of wooden and rocks, once the ambush is successful, the opponent will be able to break half of his troops first.

Hehe, then it will be like a tiger's back. No matter how the generals and soldiers find out the truth, they will only make mistakes. Who dares to hesitate? Will they be exempted from guilt at that time?"

Zhai Qingshan also felt energetic and came forward to encourage him, "Not far above Yueshan Valley is a big river. With a cannon sound, you can send people to break the dike and release the water. If they want to avoid the flood, they can only escape to the peaks on both sides, and the ambush is on the peaks. Maybe there is no need for one soldier and one soldier to come down the mountain to contact them opposite them, and they can wipe them out!"

Zhou Hong shivered when he heard the flesh on his face. He suddenly slapped his thighs and gritted his teeth and said, "It's also a knife to stretch his head and shrink his head. If you fight, you may have a chance. Sir, let's do it!"

Ruan Dawen slowly raised his head, staring at them with a dazed eyes, and said silence: "Kill...... Kill the imperial envoy? That is the serious crime of killing the nine clans!"

Zhou Hong's muscles on his face were tense, and he smiled ferociously: "Sir, we use the Kuyin warship to clear the Japanese pirates, which is a serious crime to kill the nine clans. Can people die twice? But if they succeed, they will escape from death. Those soldiers who know the information dare not disclose the news.

Besides, I can also transfer them to the battlefield to use the Japanese to remove hidden dangers. As for the imperial envoy.............., when I meet Japanese pirates on the road, I will sacrifice my life for my country and win the wife and children. We are worthy of him."

Ruan Dawen lost his mind again, his eyes flashed across the faces of the three of them, and Zhai Qingshan and the other two were all shining with fierce lights, with murderous intent. Ruan Dawen finally lowered his eyes and asked softly: "Who will ambush Qin..... ambush the 'Japanese pirates' who are disguised? Lord Zhou. You..."

He really asked him to face the army of the imperial envoy. How could Zhou Hong have the courage to be afraid of war and death? He hurriedly said, "Sir, I am the navy admiral. Although I am in charge of the land troops of the three guards, if I, the navy admiral, take action personally, it would be difficult for others to not be suspicious."

Ruan Dawen hesitated: "Then... who else is available?"

Zhou Hong's eyes flashed and he said coldly: "Guerrilla General He Bingwen, what do you think?"

"He...?" Ruan Dawen was stunned.

Zhou Hong said: "Yes! He Bingwen is good at leading troops. His combat power is the strongest among the Fuzhou garrisons. I heard that he was originally a general in the northern border army. He was demoted to Guangxi and became a small family. He was a keen eye for talent and promoted him. When he was transferred to Fujian governor, he brought him here. He should be your confidant?"

"Uh...... This person has always been taciturn and cautious in his words. I found that he was a general, so I brought him by my side," Ruan Dawen stroked his beard and said.

In fact, Ruan Dawen naturally had no vision. After General He Shen was demoted to Guangxi, he built a small family in Nandanzhou. Once, when Ruan Dawen inspected this, the rich horse under his foot was shocked by a hunter's land dog. He broke free and pulled him and ran away. General He Shen stopped the horse and rescued him. Ruan Dawen was promoted to the government office and served as a garrison.

Later, when Ruan Dawen saw that he was good at leading troops and was steady, he was a talent that could be used, he gradually promoted him. When he arrived in Fujian, he had no commander here, so he was also responsible for military affairs. He lacked a talent who knew about military affairs around him, so he brought He Bingwen and was currently the guerrilla general in Fuzhou.

Zhai Qingshan said, "I have heard of him. It seems that after being arrested and entered Beijing, officials from various departments shirked the responsibility and everyone wanted to kill him. Later, the late emperor gave him a favor and pardoned him for his death sentence and demoted him to Guangxi. If this happens, he will definitely have no good feelings for the officials in the capital. Moreover, he is a landlord who brought him out, so he should be a reliable person. Moreover, after the major event is a foregone conclusion, it is impossible for him to withdraw from our ship."

"His five thousand soldiers are the most elite troops in Fuzhou. Only by sending him to be sure. If the adults are worried about his behavior, I can send a few confidants to watch him and kill him immediately if there is any abnormal movement!"

"......Okay!" Ruan Dawen finally made up his mind, slapped his thigh and stood up, and said coldly: "You are unkind. Don't blame me for being unrighteous! Lord Yang, I was forced by you!"

He gasped for a few breaths and shouted loudly: "Come here, I'll send the guerrilla general He Bingwen to see me!"

The vast team of imperial envoys winds south along the rugged and difficult mountain road, with flags covering the sun. A thousand officers and soldiers wearing armor and holding red tassels and painted guns in front guided the way open, and a thousand plain swords, round shields and bows and arrows in the middle, and musketeers surrounded the imperial envoy's ceremonial guards. The officers and soldiers behind the hall were also full of swords and guns, and the flags were waving.

However, this official soldier had a white silk wrapped around his head, and even Yang Ling, who was riding a horse with the central army, Xiao Hengjiang, and Luo Yi, Dusi. When the army arrived in Lishui, Yangling received accurate information on the Fujian battlefield. A team of thousands of people he sent encountered a large number of Japanese pirates. The Japanese pirates were Miyamoto Hiroshi, who held three artillery pieces seized from the Ming army, and had extraordinary combat power.

The Thousand-Person team was struggling to support it with few enemies. However, the Fujian Navy, who was responsible for interception and the garrison officers who attacked the enemy after the rain, did not arrive at the encirclement and annihilation site for the reason that the mountain torrent broke out after the rain, and even the Thousand-Person team in Yangling fought alone, and all 1,125 people died on the battlefield, and none of them survived.

When Yang Ling heard the news, he was no longer angry. He held the secret report from the inner factory and cried for a while. He gritted his teeth and pulled off a corner of his clothes and tied it on his forehead. He ordered the army to set off immediately and speed up to Fuzhou.

The bad news spread quietly in the army. At some point, the soldiers all imitated the Governor, and they all tied white silk on their heads. They were already covered with mourning and filial piety.

Taishun County Magistrate Wang He came to greet the imperial envoy and saw the atmosphere of a cold and solemn one. He didn't know what happened to the army. He hurried and trembled to the central army to see Yang Ling, so he led the army to Taishun County.

Taishun is a small county. It is located at the border between Zhejiang and Fujian. The officers and soldiers here often come and go, but have never seen such a big person. Wang He only welcomed a role in front of Yangling, so he did not dare to spread the news that the imperial envoy was here. Therefore, the people in the street market still communicated as usual, and no one was surprised to watch.

Yang Ling was very satisfied when he saw this. When he passed by Qingtian, the county magistrate made a big fuss. All three yamen runners were dispatched and mobilized the people from all over the country. The team was lined up for three miles. All the main streets of the county were martial law, and the loess was placed on the road and water was poured on the street.

In fact, although the imperial envoy was on tour for the emperor, there were still differences in etiquette. The Qingtian County Magistrate's welcome show was a little beyond the rules, so Yang Ling was furious and scolded him on the spot. Now the County Magistrate Wang is sympathetic to the people and does not flatter him, which makes him feel a little favor.

However, Yang Ling did not expect that in order to leave a good impression on the imperial envoy, the county magistrate Wang sent people to various counties along the way early to inquire about Yang Ling's temperament and thus arranged this way. In these details, he tried his best to figure out his boss's intentions.

The guard of honor turned the intersection, and the army ahead had passed through the county government. At this moment, Yangling saw a ragged woman in an alley leading a child to run wildly, but in the end, the few men chasing behind him were kicked to the ground by the fastest chaser. Then several people stepped forward and punched and kicked. The woman was lying on the ground with her head in her arms. The child beside her was crying, but she was slapped to the ground by someone.

Yang Ling was in a bad mood, and when he saw this, he couldn't help but frowned in disgust and immediately tied the reins. His personal guards understood the meaning of the lord, and immediately rushed over the four soldiers, and soon brought all the people over.

He didn't hear what the child cried far away. Although he still couldn't understand what he said when he was brought to the nearest place, Yang Ling could no longer hear that it was not the local dialect, but the Japanese language. He couldn't help but wonder and asked, "Who are you? Why do you hit them?"

The village men saw that it was a general riding on a high-headed horse, and there were so many soldiers around him, his face changed a little. A village man said, "General, this woman... This woman pretended to be a mute to beg for food. We saw that she was pitiful and gave her some food.

Later, I heard her talking to the child, fucking... uh... she turned out to be a Japanese. These wolves and tragic things have harmed so many people, so we... "

He was so angry that his face turned red when he said this. Yang Ling looked at the woman and the child. His face was pale, thin and weak, and he looked pretty, but his face was covered with mud. He was beaten and swollen. He stood there looking at him with his eyes open in horror.

There was a communicative official in the Yangling army. He called a question to the Japanese woman. Although the woman was afraid, she heard that communicative was speaking his own language. She became a little braver, so she trembled and told her situation.

It turned out that she belonged to the family of Masatoshi Nomi and his group of Japanese pirates. This time, the Japanese pirates were unable to stand in Japan and brought their families out. The number of families living on the island was twice as high as the total number of Japanese pirates. After Masatoshi Nomi and his group of Japanese pirates were annihilated, these old, weak, women and children tried to surrender to other Japanese pirates, but the Japanese pirates are not in good condition and their food is limited. They are not allowed unless they can fight. They are always lustful and even those who are somewhat beautiful have rushed away from the island, which shows the tension of food.

From this woman's mouth, Yang Ling learned that the pirate family could not go back to Japan with a small boat and a simple raft. In order not to starve, they had to drift downstream to the mainland. Some people drowned in the sea and luckily got on the shore. Because they looked the same as the Han people and had many refugees along the coast, they mixed in and pretended to be deaf and dumb. Although they were often recognized and were beaten, they always had to get some food after they became aware of it.

Nowadays, there are more and more Japanese pirates such as Masatoko Kasuke and Tohwa Shinosuke, and more and more pirate relatives are forced to go ashore to beg for food. Almost all the coastal counties have these Japanese pirate relatives wandering everywhere.

The Yangling Land Factory Guards obviously did not pay much attention to these characters. If Yangling had not seen this scene accidentally, she would not have known this situation. Yangling looked at the thin young woman and her child. She remembered the inhumane crimes committed by the Japanese pirates along the way. She could not tell whether it was hatred or other emotions.

He glanced at the woman who was holding the child and was covered in black and blue on his wrist and sighed, "The Japanese are cruel and extremely evil. Although they are dead, they will probably not be redeemed as a result of the situation she told me, there are probably tens of thousands of Japanese survivors wandering along the coast of our six provinces.

After all, we Han people are not Tartars or Japanese pirates, and we cannot use inhumane methods of massacre. But these old, weak, women and children will never let them wander like this. Once the people kill people, the people will be in danger from now on."
To be continued...