PNB Chapter 107 The enemy army besieged the city.
Chapter 107 The enemy army besieged the city.
"My father-in-law has misunderstood. How dare I be rude?"
Ye Kun chuckled and showed his letter of appointment and official seal: "I am here to announce the good news. Please have a look, father-in-law."
"you……"
Magistrate Liu looked at Ye Kun's letter of appointment and seal, gritted his teeth and said, "You are very good. You have become a county lieutenant, and your official rank is the same as mine. Moreover, you are in control of Cigu County."
Ye Kun nodded: "Yes, I made Miss Yuejuan a concubine, which was unfair to her. So I had to work hard to climb up to be worthy of Miss Yuejuan. When I become a marquis in the future, even if Miss Yuejuan is a concubine, she will not be wronged, right?"
"Marquis?"
County Magistrate Liu laughed and said, "My wife Hou's maternal uncle is the governor of Jingzhou, a local lord, and has 200,000 soldiers under his command, but he is only a Guannei Marquis."
The marquises had their own fiefdoms, that is, they were kings of the vassal states and could have their own armies and issue coins.
Guannei Hou is only one level lower than Lie Hou, but they are incomparable.
Because the Guannei Hou only had a fiefdom, which was the land of the dynasty, and had to be subject to all the jurisdiction of the dynasty.
Ye Kun patted Magistrate Liu on the shoulder and said with a smile:
"Miss Yuejuan, you will definitely see me become a marquis. Father-in-law, please take care of yourself. If you live a few more years, you may be able to see me, too."
"You..." County Magistrate Liu nodded: "Okay, I will definitely live a few more years and wait for you to become a marquis."
Ye Kun nodded and smiled, clasped his fists and left.
After returning to South Street, Ye Kun made proper arrangements for Jiang Yourong and ordered Jiang Youbao and his personal soldiers to lead the troops to protect South Street. He then selected fifty cavalrymen and two hundred cavalry and infantrymen and drove a carriage to Cigu County.
There were tens of thousands of starving people in Cigu County, wandering around everywhere, and the situation was almost out of control.
Some hungry people have gone up the mountain to become bandits and are harassing villages everywhere.
Ye Kun led his troops to the county town, took out the official seal, and forced County Magistrate Huang to open the granary to provide relief to the victims. He then personally led his troops to the countryside to pressure the local gentry to provide porridge and grain.
Ordinary people had no food, but the wealthy tycoons often hoarded hundreds of thousands or even millions of kilograms of grain.
And they also have their own village protection team.
There are two major tyrants in Cigu County, each of whom has a village protection team of three to five hundred people under their command. They can almost fight against the county's military force, which shows how powerful they are.
Ye Kun paid his respects to the two great gentry, gave each of them some broken swords, guns, bows and arrows, and then said:
"There are tens of thousands of starving people in Cigu County, and a civil uprising is imminent. If you are unwilling to help the victims, I am afraid that in the civil uprising, both you and your family will be destroyed. I hope you can open your warehouses and release grain to maintain local law and order. Make money, there is a long way to go in the future."
In Yejiawu in the north of the county, there was a local squire named Ye Qingyang, who had the same surname as Ye Kun. He was about thirty years old, taciturn, but had a strong and decisive character. Without saying a word, he took Ye Kun to see the warehouse.
There are four granaries in Yejiawu, each of which contains more than 100,000 kilograms of rice and various grains.
"Sir, County Commandant, please pick a large warehouse."
Ye Qingyang had a blank expression on his face, and he clasped his fists and said, "But I have a word for you. After I open the warehouse to release the grain, if there are still refugees who come to harass me, I will kill them without mercy."
"Thank you, brother." Ye Kun nodded:
"The food is yours, and the villagers will thank you. If there is a real war in the future, go to Pingye County, and I will protect you."
Ye Qingyang was silent for a long time, then said, "When the time comes, just return the food to me."
Ye Kun laughed and nodded in agreement, leaving behind a small team to help Ye Qingyang distribute food.
But another local squire, Ye Kun, had to work very hard to extort 30,000 kilograms of grain.
After four days of fundraising from various parties, the hungry people were finally appeased.
Ye Kun left behind some troops and worked with the county lieutenant of Cigu County to strengthen the city defense and the defensive arrangements at the entrances and exits of the pass.
Counting the days, tomorrow is the day I will get married with Miss Yuejuan.
Ye Kun returned overnight, ready to be the groom.
County Magistrate Liu could not let his daughter down, so he arranged a large house on North Street, decorated it with lights and flowers, and made it a new home for Ye Kun.
Moreover, he gave his daughter a lot of dowry.
One hundred taels of gold, two thousand taels of silver, countless silks and cloths, and two boxes of jewelry.
There are eight maids serving the young lady.
After lunch, Hou Qi came to see the bride off and left after drinking.
Ye Kun and Yue Juan worshipped heaven and earth and entered the bridal chamber happily.
Ye Kun's mother didn't come, but Jiang Yourong was here to preside over the wedding.
Before entering the bridal chamber, Miss Yuejuan bowed to Jiang Yourong respectfully, calling her "sister" all the time.
Jiang Yourong smiled and said, "Sister Yuejuan, I am sorry for wronging you. I will go back to South Street tomorrow, and then go back to the countryside to take care of my mother-in-law. You stay in the city and take care of my husband. Thank you for your hard work."
Miss Yuejuan said, "Sister, we can bring mother-in-law here and serve her together. Or, I can go back with you and serve my mother-in-law."
Jiang Yourong shook her head: "I am enough in Caomiao Village. My husband is in the city and needs care. Miss Yuejuan should stay here."
In fact, Jiang Yourong was not willing to be with Yuejuan. She was a lady, and Jiang Yourong felt a little inferior.
Ye Kun waved his hand: "Yourong, Yuejuan, don't fight. From what I see, the world is changing, and it's just around the corner. I've already planned to move all the people in Caomiao Village to the city. From now on, we'll all be together."
My mother, Jiang Yourong and others stayed in Cao Miao Village, which distracted Ye Kun too much and prevented him from working with peace of mind.
Only by bringing it to the city can we deal with the next situation with peace of mind.
Jiang Yourong was surprised: "Are we going to move here?"
Ye Kun nodded: "Yes, tomorrow morning, I will ask my brother-in-law to take you home and arrange for the move."
In these troubled times, Ye Kun had no choice.
On the wedding night, there are still things to worry about.
The next morning, Ye Kun called his personal soldiers and his elder brother-in-law Jiang Youbao and instructed them:
"Brother-in-law, you escort Yourong back, pack up the things at home, dismantle the spinning wheel, and send everything to the county town. Then, go back and bring all the food and workers. Those who don't want to come can be sent back home, or stay in Caomiao Village."
Jiang Youbao nodded, escorted Jiang Yourong, and set off immediately with fifty cavalrymen and thirty carriages.
In the northwest corner of the county town, there is a high hill of about 600 acres, which was originally used to grow hemp. It has been expropriated by Ye Kun and a new military camp is being built.
The villagers from Caomiao Village can move in and temporarily live in the military camp.
After arranging the move, Hou Qi came to invite Ye Kun to the lobby of the county government to discuss the matter.
Now that Ye Kun had gotten Miss Yuejuan, he was no longer afraid of the dog county magistrate plotting against him. He nodded and walked into the lobby with a beaming face.
The dog magistrate had a dark face and said unhappily:
"My dear son-in-law Ye Kun, can we now hand over the defense and taxation of the four gates of the county to Hou Qi? From now on, you can focus on training the troops and spend more time with Yue Juan when you have nothing to do."
Ye Kun smiled and said, "Leave the taxation to Hou Qi, and I'll be responsible for the defense."
Hou Qi laughed softly and said, "We are all relatives, so it is only natural for Lord Ye to be in charge of defense..."
While they were talking, a horse came with the news:
"The county governor has issued an order that the virtuous Huang Tiandao has rebelled, and all states in the country have responded, and the whole country is shocked. The county governor has ordered that all counties should be well defended, and if any of the Huang Tiandao thieves are found, they should be killed without mercy!"
Ye Kun was surprised: "The virtuous Huang Tiandao has rebelled?"
The messenger nodded: "According to reports, the Yellow Heavenly Dao bandits are causing chaos all over the country. In Tianmen County, Changsha County, and Jingzhou, bandits are rebelling, killing countless people, and the sky is full of war!"
Ye Kun asked again: "Do you know what the situation is like in Xichuan?"
"There are tens of thousands of bandits in Xichuan, attacking cities and seizing territories. Wherever they go, thousands of miles of scorched earth remain."
"understood……"
Ye Kun was in a heavy mood and nodded slightly.
The messenger immediately said goodbye and joined Ye Kun's two personal soldiers to continue to send warnings to Cigu County.
County Magistrate Liu was so frightened that he grabbed Ye Kun's hand:
"Ye Kun, let's run away quickly. You take all the soldiers in the county, and we will take money, jewelry and food and go to Madam Liu's uncle, Wei Dingshan, the governor of Jingzhou. Lord Wei has 200,000 soldiers and will protect us!"
Ye Kun shook his head: "The enemy troops haven't arrived yet, what are you afraid of?"
"Once the enemy soldiers arrive, it will be too late!"
County Magistrate Liu stamped his feet and said, "Even your grandson can't finish my money. Hurry up and take Yuejuan with you and follow me."
Ye Kun stood up and glared, "I am the county lieutenant and also the county lieutenant. I should protect the territory and the people. I must not abandon the city and flee. I am confident that I can deal with these bandits!"
"You have so few horses, what can you do against a fart..."
"Shut up!"
Ye Kun shouted at his personal soldiers:
"Pass on my military order. From now on, the whole city is under martial law. People entering the city will be strictly checked. People leaving the city are prohibited from carrying even a grain of food. Anyone in the city who spreads rumors and disrupts the morale of our army will be killed without mercy!"
County Magistrate Liu shuddered and dared not speak.
Ye Kun ordered Hou Qi again:
"Hou Qi, your police squad, police squad, horse squad, and prison squad are on standby all day and are not allowed to take leave. All prisoners in the prison will be released and sent to build a new military camp. The prison will be vacated to store food!"
Hou Qi clasped his fists and said, "As you command!"
Ye Kun rolled his eyes at Magistrate Liu again and sighed, "The good days are over, father-in-law. You should save money on food in the future. The gold, silver and jewelry you have accumulated in the past cannot be used as food now."
After leaving the lobby of the county government office, Ye Kun immediately arranged for defense.
The whole city was under martial law, and all taverns and brothels were closed.
That night, Jiang Youbao escorted Ye Kun's mother, Jiang Yourong and others to the county town, and all the one hundred spinning wheels were dismantled and brought over.
The Lotus Restaurant on South Street was closed down and Ye Kun arranged his family there.
Hou Qi brought his men to investigate the virtuous followers of Huang Tian Dao in the city, arrested dozens of them, and threw them all into jail.
People from all directions, after hearing the news, flocked into the county town with their families, food and clothing.
Within two days, the county town had an additional population of six thousand people.
Those who had relatives or friends took refuge with them; those who had no relatives or friends were placed in the military camp by Ye Kun, and some young and middle-aged people were sent to Xiping Mountain.
Urgent reports came from Xiping Mountain and Cigu County, saying that a large number of refugees had gathered and were attacking the passes and attacking the fortresses and county towns of local gentry.
Ye Kun ordered: "Shoot the leaders and armored people among the rioters, and scatter the others. Do not chase them down."
The village protection teams of Caomiao Village, Guanjia Village and Jianghetou acted the fastest. They completed the overall relocation within two or three days, and all the food and property were transferred to the county town.
Ye Kun also ordered the village protection team to further strengthen the county’s public security and implement comprehensive control over grain.
All refugees are not allowed to cook.
If you cook carelessly, you will waste food and firewood, which is not conducive to long-term persistence.
The original salt-refining greenhouse was converted into a large canteen where porridge was cooked every day.
The refugees exchanged grain for porridge, one or two ounces of rice for a large bowl of porridge.
There is also wild vegetable rice soup, made by adding one or two ounces of rice to ten pounds of water, some wild vegetables, and a little salt, and it will fill you up!
But it needs a handful of firewood in exchange.
Ye Kun calculated that the food in the city, plus the food in the hands of the people, could last at least three months. If there were some supplements, it could last for half a year.
Ye Kun estimated that the Huang Tiandao uprising would only last half a year at most.
The peak period of the Yellow Turban Rebellion in history lasted only half a year.
These peasant armies did not understand war and could not defeat the regular army of the imperial court. In addition, the armed forces of local princes and local landlords were ruthless in dealing with the peasant armies.
Three days later, Huang Tiandao's rebel army finally broke through from the eastern front in the direction of Changsha County and swarmed forward.
Outside the four gates of Pingye County, there was a large crowd of rioters, more than 20,000 people.
These rioters knew that Pingye County had money and food, so they prepared to attack the city and loot.
Ye Kun climbed up to the top of the city wall and checked the south part of the city where the most rioters were.
These rebels, with their families, carried shoulder poles and hoes, pulled cattle and sheep, held chickens and ducks, and carried dry food...
It's not like a war at all, it's just begging, okay?
There were only a few hundred people at the front, wearing tattered armor and holding tattered swords, guns, and bows and arrows.
County Magistrate Wang and County Magistrate Liu were so frightened that their legs were shaking. They kept asking, "Lord Ye, what should we do now? How do we repel the enemy?"