Chapter 206: First Arrival in Qianzhou
So she anxiously asked the signalman, "Twenty thousand soldiers, how many are left?"
"Reporting to the City Lord, there are still 12,000 people left! These 12,000 people have surrendered. Instructor Jiang has been busy incorporating them into our army these past two days."
"Where's the city's defending general, Bai Ci'en? Jiang Yongkang wouldn't kill him too, would he?"
Bai Ci'en is the son of Wu Hou. If Bai Ci'en is killed, it will certainly cause the wrath of the court. She wants to maintain the stability of her foundation and develop for a while. She has no intention of tearing her face with the Zhou Dynasty now.
"That's not the case. Bai Ci'en refused to surrender and was imprisoned by Instructor Jiang."
Xu Zhenying finally breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Why did this battle go so fast?"
The communications officer couldn't conceal his pride in his voice: "Reporting to the City Lord, the soldiers of the Great Zhou Dynasty are all good-for-nothings. Aside from the leader Bai Ci'en and a few other generals, the rest of them can't stand a fight! When our men charged in, they were scared to death!"
Xu Zhenying felt a headache after hearing this.
Although she had anticipated that the soldiers of the Great Zhou Dynasty might really be a mob, especially considering the low level of productivity in ancient times, the soldiers were not well fed and clothed, and were all illiterate. It was good enough that they could understand military orders, and they were probably not as good as the modern soldiers she had carefully trained.
But she never expected that the battle would end so quickly.
We haven't even concentrated our artillery fire yet, and all the soldiers of the Zhou Dynasty have surrendered?
When they were almost reaching Lan County, the soldiers had already become proud.
Ming Xiaoshuang, who was standing on the side, couldn't help but feel happy and said quickly, "City Lord, then we have taken over Qianzhou Prefecture, right?"
Wang Sanniang said, "That shouldn't be the case. The Tusi's power cannot be underestimated. If we want to take Qianzhou Prefecture, I'm afraid they won't agree. It's possible that Jinzhou Prefecture is just an appetizer, and the real tough battle will come with the Qianzhou Tusi."
Too.
The biggest problem at the moment is probably competing with the chieftain of Qianzhou.
No wonder the city lord rushed day and night, because he was afraid that if he arrived too late, all the cakes would have been divided.
What's more, although Jiang Yongkang is brave in battle, he lacks experience in governing a city. This time the city lord must come out in person to suppress the rebellion.
"Go back first and tell Jiang Yongkang to wait. I will rush to the Qianzhou government office immediately."
The communications officer took the order and left.
Xu Zhenying felt a little uncomfortable. Although she knew that war was cruel and the era of cold weapons was even more cruel, she still felt uncomfortable when she suddenly learned that thousands of people were burned to death.
But this feeling of discomfort was an emotion she should digest.
With the news that Jiang Yongkang had attacked Qianzhou Prefecture, the entire team was obviously encouraged and more excited.
By the time they arrived at Shunyuan City in Qianzhou Prefecture after traveling day and night, Jiang Yongkang and others had already led the crowd to greet them ten miles away at the city gate.
Speaking of which, Xu Zhenying hasn't seen Jiang Yongkang for a long time.
The man who had seemed somewhat youthful in my memory now had the outline of an adult man. His face and eyes, in particular, seemed calmer and more composed than before.
Jiang Yongkang left the main force in Shunyuan City and only brought 500 light cavalry to meet them.
Xiao Nan beside him had never seen Jiang Yongkang so excited. The boss used to be very aloof, like an immortal who was not affected by the mundane world. But since last night, he seemed to be in an indescribable excitement, and he seemed to be a little lively.
Xiaonan couldn't help but look at the "City Lord" whom the boss and Instructor Liu both respectfully addressed.
She had always been curious about what the city lord looked like. Did he have three heads and six arms? Otherwise, why could he conjure up food and weapons from a distance? Otherwise, why did the headmaster always look solemn when he mentioned the city lord?
That should be a teenager, right?
Yes, he was a young man with red lips and white teeth. He was not tall and his facial features were not particularly outstanding, but he had a pair of plump and restrained eyes, and there was always a faint, unpredictable smile at the corners of his lips.
He was wearing a very strange outfit, neither androgynous nor feminine. He wore a short, double-breasted shirt with cuffs, and pants underneath! He looked like he was walking around in his bedroom clothes, a very strange sight.
But the boss and his men seemed to be used to it. As soon as that person got out of the car, everyone behind her immediately rushed over, shouting excitedly, "City Lord!"
Xu Zhenying smiled and looked Jiang Yongkang up and down. "You've become thinner and darker. Life in the village must be very hard. It's really hard for you."
Xiaonan felt very strange that the city lord actually spoke to the boss in such a tone, and the boss actually looked grateful.
Xu Zhenying looked at the dashingly dressed woman next to her and said uncertainly, "Liu Pan'er, right?"
Liu Paner almost screamed!
The city lord actually remembered her!
"City Lord, female soldier Liu Pan reports to you!"
"Good, good, you're all still alive. That's great." Xu Zhenying glanced at the somewhat reserved people behind him, and Jiang Yongkang immediately understood. "These are the refugees I took in in the mountain stronghold. We currently have 2,700 soldiers and 860 women, children, and all of them are accompanying me to fight in Qianzhou this time."
"What are our casualties?"
Jiang Yongkang's eyes were filled with grief. "More than 800 brothers died, and more than 200 women."
Xu Zhenying patted his shoulder to comfort him and said, "Incorporate them all into our organization and enjoy the same treatment as the soldiers in Lan County."
The hundreds of people behind Jiang Yongkang were almost all refugees recruited into the village. At this moment, they did not understand what Xu Zhenying meant by "enjoying the same treatment as the soldiers of Lan County", but they noticed that the boss's mood seemed to have eased a lot.
Liu Pan'er explained, "We soldiers in Lan County receive one tael of silver per month while we're alive, and twenty taels for funeral expenses. If we die on the battlefield, our wives and children receive two taels of silver per month until they grow up and start their own families."
The people behind Jiang Yongkang suddenly widened their eyes.
My goodness, when a soldier of the Great Zhou Dynasty died, the most he would have to pay for his funeral is five taels of silver. But the soldiers of Lan County had to pay twenty taels of silver. Even after his death, his wife and children could receive dozens of taels of silver?
Now everyone suddenly understood why the boss was so loyal to the city lord.
This... who can be unfaithful!
This means I am willing to die for the city lord!
They were so excited that they couldn't express it in words. They could only kneel down in unison to express their loyalty, "Thank you, City Lord!"
Xu Zhenying smiled and helped the generals in front of him to their feet. "No one is allowed to kneel here. I hate people with weak knees. You all worked hard in this attack on Qianzhou. Although you have been training outside, I always treat you as Lan County people in my heart! When things here are settled, you can follow us back to Lan County. From now on, it will be your home!"
When the brothers in the village heard this, they were so moved that tears came to their eyes instantly!
After fleeing for so long, they finally have a place to stay!
And from now on they are no longer bandits, they are real civilians!
The kind that has money and land!
Liu Pan'er was also somewhat moved. She wiped her tears and said, "I've told you all before, our city lord is the best man in the world! All the food, weapons, clothes, and medicine that our village used were sent from Lan County by the city lord! The city lord has always been thinking about us! From now on, we don't have to live in the village anymore. We are now full-fledged people of Lan County!"
The warriors stood up and shouted: "We are willing to serve the city lord!"
After making some fresh chicken soup, Jiang Yongkang, Liu Paner and others welcomed Xu Zhenying into Shunyuan City.
Liu Pan'er had also seen Zhang Wanjun a long time ago, but because Zhang Wanjun was still on duty, the two girls only looked at each other from a distance and then smiled at each other.
Jiang Yongkang and Xu Zhenying walked side by side, and the two of them exchanged information quickly like comrades-in-arms, without distinguishing between the front and the back.
Jiang Yongkang asked: "What is the situation in Jinzhou Prefecture? Have we taken Jinzhou Prefecture?"
"This is fresh battle report. Our men took Jinzhou Prefecture in just half a day. They've kidnapped the prefect and the magistrate, awaiting our decision. The other counties are also gradually disarming their forces and will be able to withdraw soon. What about you?"
"We, with over 2,000 men, joined forces with the chieftain's 40,000 men and forced the imperial soldiers onto Lingshan Mountain. Our leader, Bai Ci'en, was a man of character. Even under such circumstances, he and his men were able to hold out for over ten days. Thanks to the city lord, I also learned common sense before. I figured we could use the wind to help us, so I used fire to burn Lingshan Mountain to force their men out."
"You've done well. What's the situation with the Qianzhou chieftains? While we're considering a fire attack, we only have over 2,000 elite soldiers, while the enemy has 40,000. I'm afraid the chieftains won't tolerate any losses in this negotiation."
"They are being very tough." Jiang Yongkang's face turned serious when he got down to business. "They are convinced that we have just captured Jinzhou Prefecture and haven't established a firm foothold yet, so they are being so tough."
"It doesn't matter. You handle the fighting, and I'll handle the negotiations. Let's talk about the chieftains first."
In ancient times, information transmission was delayed, and Xu Zhenying had no choice but to cram at the last minute.
"On the Qianzhou Tusi side, there are four largest ones with the strongest military forces. They are Zhaifang, Gelai, Dongmiao, and Demao Tusi."
"What is the attitude of these four companies towards us?"
"They are very wary. They generally believe that Han Chinese are cunning and dishonest, and they don't like dealing with us."
"Have you privately sounded out their intentions and asked them how they plan to divide Qianzhou with us? Do they want to monopolize Qianzhou or return to their Qianshan Mountains?"
Jiang Yongkang shook his head. "City Lord, they are very united. I have inquired many times, and they have not leaked a single word. Besides, before you came, I did not dare to negotiate with them on my own."
Xu Zhenying smiled. "Unity is good, but it depends on the situation. As the saying goes, anger frustrates them, humbleness breeds arrogance, idleness tires them out, and closeness alienates them. They have varying strengths, so internal strife is bound to continue. We can take advantage of this."
Looking at the calm and composed Xu Zhenying and listening to the familiar voice beside him, Jiang Yongkang seemed to have found his backbone. His tense nerves finally relaxed a little, and he said sincerely, "City Lord, now that you're here, I feel at ease."
Xu Zhenying walked and looked around. She looked at the devastated Shunyuan City and could not compare these ruins with the once colorful and cool Guiyang.
Jiang Yongkang seemed to understand Xu Zhenying's thoughts and immediately said, "We have tried our best to protect Shunyuan City, but as you know, the natives have a deep hatred for Shunyuan City, so when they enter the city, they will inevitably burn and loot, and we are powerless to stop them."
Xu Zhenying quickly said, "No, you've done a great job. It's just that I feel a little regretful. When we conquer a place, the next step is definitely to manage it. These things are equivalent to ours, but we still have to spend money to repair them. This is all unnecessary expenses. Everyone, remember this from now on. When attacking a city, try to damage as little infrastructure and houses as possible to avoid having to buy them ourselves later."
This witty remark made everyone smile knowingly.
And those who are sensitive can naturally hear Xu Zhenying's ambition.
In other words, they will have to attack more than one or two cities in the future.
When they arrived at the gate of the county government office, the subordinates of the four major chieftain families were already waiting for them, but the chieftain himself was nowhere to be seen.
Wang Sanniang frowned slightly, "They are so arrogant! They didn't even bother to go out and greet the city lord!"
The people behind Xu Zhenying were all holding back their anger.
They are indeed barbarians, without any etiquette!
Xu Zhenying, however, was unconcerned. "The locals admire strength and believe in speaking with their fists. They only bow their heads when they're hurt. This only means they don't take us seriously yet. Besides, these are the early stages of negotiations, and they want to give me a warning to dampen our enthusiasm so they can seize the initiative when the negotiations begin."
Wang Sanniang immediately said, "City Lord, we learned this in war psychology! In the chapter on negotiation skills!"
Although some other people could only roughly understand what Xu Zhenying was saying, Xu Zhenying's slow and leisurely manner made everyone feel less nervous.
She seems to be a natural ruler, calm, cool and composed. How exciting it would be to work with such a person!
A group of people walked in.
The negotiation took place in the government office.
The lobby has been cleaned. Most of the people in the hall are Miao people. Most of the men wear blue homespun clothes and blue headscarves, while the women wear cross-collared tops and pleated skirts. They are all batik skirts, and most of them wear tops with capes and back scarves.
As for the silver jewelry that the modern Miao people love most, it is rarely seen, perhaps because of the level of development of the Zhou Dynasty.
Xu Zhenying sent most of the people outside, and left one of his personal guards and Liu Dazhuang to guard the situation outside. Then he took Ming Xiaoshuang, Mo Jinchun, Sanniang, the rest of the personal guards and others and slowly walked into the lobby of the government office.
As soon as I entered the house, it was full of people.
More than a dozen seats in the room were filled with people. Sitting at the top was a slightly older man wearing a green gown embroidered with small flower seedlings and batik. He had dark skin, deep wrinkles on his face, a hunched body, silver hair, and looked very old. He seemed to be an elder of the village chieftain.
Xu Zhenying quickly noticed that there were only sixteen stools in the room, but no empty seat, which meant that the other party had not prepared a seat for her during the negotiation.
Xu Zhenying curled his lips slightly.
What a big show of power.
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