Chapter 296 Entering the City in Disguise
"How much have these officials embezzled?"
Bai Dalang exclaimed, and everyone who saw this was filled with anger. These parasites had caused so many ordinary people to go hungry, and even worse, some were forced to sell their children.
"It seems that Simon State is even more corrupt than the Great Zhou!"
Bai Erlang said something more official, which Bai Li agreed with very much.
No matter which dynasty, as long as corrupt officials are rampant, the people of that dynasty will suffer miserably.
Because what they plundered was the people's fat and blood, the flesh and blood of the common people.
However, for now, these properties finally solved Bai Li's urgent needs.
After taking over Qiangzhou County, we must ensure that the soldiers and civilians no longer go hungry.
If she hadn't dared to say this before, now that she had these properties, she could finally breathe a sigh of relief and say it with confidence.
During the break, Bai Li wondered how Nangong Min was doing.
Setting out at the same time, Chizhou County was slightly farther away than Qiangzhou County, so Nangong Min and Ji Huanan arrived with their troops at dawn the next day.
Because it was difficult to attack the city during the day, the two decided to wait until night.
"Let's find a forest to hide first, so the brothers can rest and recuperate. Then we'll attack at night and take over Chizhou County."
Nangong Min had exactly the same idea, and the two hit it off immediately.
The two men opened the map and found a forest on the outskirts of Chizhou County. They first sent a few people to investigate. After a while, a few people came back and said there was no danger. The two men took advantage of the darkness before dawn and divided the 15,000 people into small groups and went there in batches.
After all the soldiers had hidden in the mountains and forests, Nangong Min wanted to disguise himself and go into the city to investigate the situation.
Ji Huanan wanted to follow, but Nangong Min stopped him.
"The soldiers need someone to watch over them, and if anything happens, there's someone to make the decision."
Ji Huanan was worried because this was his niece Bai Li's fiancé. If anything went wrong, how would he explain to her?
"Don't worry, I will bring 500 personal soldiers, disguised as ordinary people, to sneak into the city, and then join forces with you at night."
After Nangong Min said this, he was speechless.
Nangong Min's private soldiers are highly skilled in martial arts, and each of them is better than him. So what is there to worry about?
"Don't rush into anything. Wait until we arrive and launch the attack."
"Uncle Ji, we will proceed according to the plan."
Nangong Min's words "Uncle Ji" almost broke Ji Huanan's defense.
He knew that he was treated as a family member and was not at all shy.
Nangong Min looked far away in the direction of Qiangzhou County, wondering in his heart that Li'er should have taken over Qiangzhou County by now, and the army should have entered the city, right?
When leaving Qinzhou, Nangong Min allocated 5,000 of his men to Bai Li.
Bai Li knew that he had 5,000 private soldiers outside the city, so he didn't bother to be polite with him and took his men away.
Nangong Min disguised himself as a tall old man, and the other personal soldiers were all disguised as old men, small vendors, farmers, etc., and dispersed into Chizhou City.
Chizhou is called a county, but in fact it is a city twice as big as Qinzhou.
However, the area under its jurisdiction is large, including two states and thirteen counties.
Although the area under the jurisdiction of Chizhou County is large, its population is small. It is more remote than Qiangzhou County and its economy is more backward. This can be seen just by looking at the low and dilapidated thatched houses outside the city.
The situation inside the city is completely different from the outside. There are tall buildings everywhere, shops and stalls are scattered throughout the streets and alleys, and there are countless wine shops and tea houses. It is much more lively than Qinzhou City.
The people walking on the street included rich people in gorgeous clothes, dignitaries with groups of servants following them, poor people in rags, and beggars who were covered in dirt and begging with broken bowls.
The gap between the rich and the poor is huge, forming a sharp contrast.
Nangong Min found a teahouse, went in and ordered a pot of tea. He sipped the tea slowly while listening to what others were saying.
"Alas, this year's drought has caused a reduction in the summer harvest, and the people are going to suffer again!"
"Not only that, the harvest has failed, and the imperial court has imposed grain levies several times. I'm afraid the people won't even have bran to eat!"
"So serious? So, why did the imperial court requisition so much grain?
The common people have already paid taxes according to the six-year plan, and they already have very little left. Now they are still collecting grain. Are they going to starve them to death?
"Shh! Don't say that carelessly. If someone hears you, you'll be beheaded!"
The people behind Nangong Min fell silent and started talking about other topics.
Nangong Min listened for a while, but found no useful clues, so he paid for the tea and left.
His men followed closely behind, and after a day of investigation, they had basically figured out the situation in the city by the evening.
There were originally 20,000 defenders in Chizhou City, and 30,000 more were added a few days ago.
The barracks in the city were too small to accommodate all the soldiers, so they were built in the suburbs outside the city, and 30,000 defenders were stationed outside the city.
Before the city gates closed, Nangong Min sent two people out of the city to pass the news and the city defense map to Ji Huanan, and agreed on a time to take action.
In the past, the city gates were closed at 11:00 PM and curfew was at 12:00 PM. A few days ago, it was changed to closing the city gates at 11:00 PM and curfew was at 12:00 PM, a full hour earlier.
The common people didn't know why, but Nangong Min knew it very well. This was because Qinzhou fell and the Simon court took defensive measures.
In the evening, people doing business and visiting relatives and friends all flocked to the city gate, and a few people who had gone out also rushed back home.
Ji Huanan's men took advantage of this opportunity to sneak in several hundred more people.
The yamen runner at the door scratched his head and muttered quietly, "Why are there so many more people entering the city today?"
"Little Sanzi, what are you mumbling about? We're getting ready to close the city gates. Let those who haven't come in yet hurry up!"
"Hey, here it comes!"
After this interruption, Xiao Sanzi forgot about this matter and went back to Java.
Nangong Min saw hundreds of people dressed as a caravan in the inn and nodded slightly.
After dinner, before curfew, Nangong Min slowly walked towards the city wall.
Dusk slowly fell. The guards who were supposed to take over their shifts had not yet arrived. Those who had not yet taken over were hungry and their tempers were at their worst.
"Stop! What are you doing?"
A soldier stopped Nangong Min with a ferocious look. Nangong Min looked around and found that it was almost time for the shift change, which was the time when the defenders were most relaxed.
"Hey! I'm talking to you, old man, stop pretending to be dead!"
Just as the soldier finished speaking, he was hit on the neck with a knife and fell down limply.
Nangong Min hurriedly supported him, saying, "Master Jun, Master Jun, what's wrong with you?"
Seeing that no one noticed, he helped the man to sit down in the corner, reached out and touched his nose, but there was no breath. Seeing that no one noticed, he left quickly.
Thousands of lights were on in the city, and it was pitch dark on the city walls.
"Xiao Wuzi, you can't even see the road and you don't even light the lamp, what the hell are you doing?!"
Someone came over cursing, but because he couldn't see the road clearly, he was tripped by something and almost fell flat on his face. He stood up and cursed even more fiercely.
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