Chapter 824 Desperate Yan Song
After the war, Jiang Qingzhi returned to Beijing first because he missed his wife and children.
Everyone understood his feelings as a father for the first time, but Zhao Wenhua privately scoffed at it, saying that Jiang Qingzhi had made great contributions in this war, and he was worried about being suspected by Emperor Jiajing, so he chose to return to Beijing in a low profile.
And the glory of the triumph fell into the hands of Yan Song.
Old Yan enjoyed great success along the way. The officials and civilians along the way were delighted to see that this rumored treacherous man was actually so kind, just like the kind old grandfather next door, and their impression of him changed drastically.
This is a huge gain that will improve the reputation of Yan Song and the Yan Party.
The greater gain was the officials who came to him along the way.
The new policy was launched, and the two sides fought each other. Yan Song knew that he could not be a fence-sitter, but he could always protect himself, right?
If the Yan party wants to protect itself, it must have a strong momentum, which means it must have a large number of people.
Only with a large number of people and a lot of talent can we make those scholars and officials be afraid to act rashly.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have one less mortal enemy?
Just when Yan Song was secretly feeling proud of himself, a thunderclap struck.
"Hurry up and intercept some food!" Yan Song's first reaction was not unpleasant. Zhao Wenhua said, "If we save some food this time, we can find a... The convoy is delayed on the road and will be late for half a day. With this night and half a day, we will have enough time to respond."
Du He also thought this was a good idea. Qin Yuan whispered, "I'm just afraid it's too late."
"Why?"
"Everyone has started lining up." Qin Yuan said.
Everyone turned around.
I saw teams of soldiers lined up in the smoke.
"It's time to eat!"
"Slow down!" Shen Jun rode over on his horse. The soldiers, including those who were serving food, looked at him in astonishment.
Many people ahead had already gotten their food and were eating it.
"What do you mean?"
"Does this mean we are not allowed to eat?"
"We have fought bloody battles in Datong for a long time. Why do you want to get rid of us now?"
Most of these soldiers were experiencing such a brutal battle for the first time. The bloody experiences made it difficult for them to sleep at night and their mental state was not right.
If Jiang Qingzhi were here, he would definitely say that this was war syndrome and that one must not provoke others at this time.
Shen Jun didn't know, but amid those fierce looks, he forced a smile and said, "Nothing, go on, go on."
"Damn it, there's something wrong!"
"You bastard! All intellectuals are bastards!"
Shen Jun went back quietly, and Yan Song asked, "How is it?"
Shen Jun looked up and shook his head grimly, "It's too late. Besides... Yuan Fu, those soldiers are quite fierce."
"What did you say?" Du He asked.
"They say we are killing the donkey after it has done its job."
"Kill the donkey after it has done its job..." Zhao Wenhua stamped his feet, "These thieves are unworthy of the army!"
"Shut up!" Yan Song stopped Zhao Wenhua and asked, "Is it possible to appease him?"
You have to ask Qin Yuan and An Jing about this.
Qin Yuan was silent and sighed quietly, "Prime Minister, I am not talking nonsense. If Lord Changwei were here, he might be able to appease them. But even if Lord Changwei were here, he could only appease them for half a day at most."
In other words, if Jiang Qingzhi were there, the army could be cut off from food for half a day without causing chaos.
"As long as my foster father is here, I think those soldiers won't dare to..." Zhao Wenhua's words became less and less confident.
Qin Yuan smiled bitterly, "Prime Minister, I'm afraid the soldiers are...unconvinced."
He and An Jing did not dare to offend Yan Song, but Du He was different. He was Jiang Qingzhi's man, and Jiang Qingzhi and Yan's party were in a state of being neither enemies nor friends, so he said directly: "Yuan Fu, the soldiers in the army will only obey the generals who can lead them to victory and keep them alive."
Du He glanced at Zhao Wenhua, his eyes filled with disdain and anger, "Don't you think the Minister of Public Security, who has read a lot of history books, doesn't know about this?"
"The story of Xiuli Camp!" Yan Song covered his forehead with his hand.
During the Western Han Dynasty, Zhou Yafu was training his troops and the emperor came to visit him in person, but he could not even enter the camp.
The army only knows the generals and military orders, but not the emperor!
"When a general is away from home, he may not obey the orders of the emperor!" Du He said in a low voice, "The soldiers are fighting for the country, but they are out of food... Even if the prime minister comes out to appease them... If things go wrong, it may cause even greater chaos."
"Why?" an official asked.
"Why?" Du He sneered, "The warriors of the Ming Dynasty are like slaves. Those soldiers have been holding back their anger for years. They are very excited after winning this battle. At this time, any civil official is an enemy in their eyes. Is the Prime Minister a civil official or a military general?"
If Yan Song goes to appease the people, it will only add fuel to the fire!
Yan Song didn't know what was going on in the army, so he glanced at Qin Yuan.
Qin Yuan nodded slightly, "In the past, the army never complained about the civilian officials, but after this great victory, I heard some from time to time on the way back."
"The soldiers were angry but dared not speak out... It happened after the Battle of Tumu." An Jing said: "When my ancestor was alive, he said that before the Battle of Tumu, the soldiers were full of energy and had light in their eyes. The civil officials could not control them. After the defeat at Tumu, the soldiers became stinking shit..."
"Those who can win battles are tigers, and those who lose battles are dogs! They are worse than wild dogs!" Qin Yuan smiled bitterly, "Then the warriors were suppressed for many years. Now that we have won a great victory, the morale of the soldiers is high. At this time... it is best not to touch them."
Zhao Wenhua asked Shen Jun, "You said earlier that those soldiers were fierce, have you found anything else?"
Shen Jun said, "The look in those soldiers' eyes..." He thought about it for a moment, "Like wolves."
Several civil servants shuddered, and one said, "If there is a mutiny, we will be the first to bear the brunt."
"That's right. Those soldiers will first kill the civil officials to vent their anger, and then as long as someone instigates them, they will march south..."
"Aren't they afraid of being exterminated?" someone asked.
"After the mutiny, all the soldiers are guilty. And people tend to follow the crowd." Du He learned some psychology knowledge from his boss, "As long as someone shouts, the soldiers will follow blindly. They will plunder everywhere. After plundering once, the wildness of the soldiers will be difficult to suppress."
Zhao Wenhua gritted his teeth. "Foster father, go find a place to collect food and grass!"
"Yes!" Yan Song nodded, "Go and call the local officials, right away."
He wanted to go in person, but he was old and his eyesight was not good. At night, he was old and his eyesight was blurry, and he accidentally stumbled...
"Eat first!" Du He said, "If you stick your head out, you'll get a knife. If you hide your head, you'll get a knife. Who cares!"
Zhao Wenhua sneered: "You still have an appetite."
"Once the army mutinisses, we will either be killed by the rebels or be executed by your majesty. Either way, it's death. It's better to die with a full stomach than to die of hunger."
Du He couldn't help laughing when he saw Zhao Wenhua's pale face.
Grass mud horse!
You bastard, even at this time, you still don't forget to target me, no, you target my uncle. If there is a mutiny... Du He called his confidant, "If there is a mutiny in the army, remember, kill Zhao Wenhua."
"Why?" Du Bao was puzzled. Du He said sinisterly, "If the food supply is cut off, it must be the civil officials who did something wrong and killed Zhao Wenhua. They need a scapegoat afterwards, and a dead person is more useful than a living person."
Du He's IQ soared at this moment, "Also, you should leave immediately and go to the capital to meet with Lord Bo and tell him about this matter..."
"Dad, you go!" Du Bao shook his head. "There is a mutiny in the army. Those soldiers will kill the civil officials and generals first."
"I've eaten more rice than you have. If something is wrong, I have my own way." Du He patted his son's shoulder. "You are going to report the news, huh!"
After dinner, the soldiers returned to their tents. From that moment on, they were not allowed to move around outside without military orders or permission.
Yan Song didn't have dinner.
He stood outside the big tent, feeling lonely and cold.
"Godfather, please eat something!" Zhao Wenhua came over with a bowl.
"I wonder if Your Majesty knows about this. If you know..." Yan Song sighed.
Zhao Wenhua's lips moved, "Your Majesty...Your Majesty will be furious."
"If we had gone faster and stopped less frequently, why would we have ended up like this?"
The old prime minister regretted it.
The sound of horse hooves could be heard outside the camp, and torches were gradually approaching.
"Yuan Fu, the local official is here."
The local prefect Mao Su arrived, accompanied by a group of officials from the government office.
Torches were everywhere, illuminating Yan Song who was standing with his hands behind his back.
Mao Su was a staunch anti-Yan party member. When he saw Yan Song, he calmly saluted and said, "I wonder why the Prime Minister summoned me here so late at night?"
If you have something to say, just say it. If not... I will go back to take a shower and go to bed.
Yan Song naturally disdained to argue with such a prefect, and waved his hand. Shen Jun said: "The Ministry of Revenue should have sent a batch of food and grass to the army today, but there is still no carriage..."
Mao Su frowned, "Isn't there much food in the army?"
"Gone."
In an instant, the surroundings became quiet. Apart from the occasional sparks and explosions from the torches, there was no other sound.
Mao Su took a breath, "Out of food?"
Shen Jun nodded, "Tomorrow's breakfast is gone."
Mao Su narrowed her eyes, "Maybe comfort?"
"The soldiers have just come off the battlefield, full of murderous intent." Shen Jun said: "There is only one way at this moment..."
Mao Su calculated the pros and cons of this matter, and Shen Jun said coldly: "If the army mutinis, you will be the first to bear the brunt."
Mao Su was thinking of this, and he calculated the defense strength of the city, and he couldn't help but feel terrified. He couldn't help but get angry, "Who did this?"
"This is not the time to worry about this." Yan Song said calmly, "Gather food and fodder immediately."
Mao Su smiled bitterly, "Prime Minister, I'm not being pretentious. This place... if it was food and fodder for a few thousand men and horses, I could have delivered it tomorrow morning. But this... there are tens of thousands of troops."
"Sixty thousand!" Shen Jun added.
Mao Su shook his head, "Even if you kill me, there is nothing I can do."
Yan Song's heart sank, "Thousands of troops... that's just a drop in the bucket!"
"What about the local wealthy families?" Zhao Wenhua asked.
“The local big players combined are far behind.”
"..."
In the dead silence, someone said, "How about some porridge?"
"Damn you!" Zhao Wenhua cursed, "That amount of food is not even enough to make porridge."
"Then...are we just going to sit there and wait for death?"
For the first time, despair appeared in Yan Song's eyes.
"Go ahead, get as much as you can!"
Mao Su mounted his horse and galloped away.
"Godfather, what should I do?" Zhao Wenhua was at a loss at the moment.
Yan Song did not answer. He stood with his hands behind his back, looking at a lone star in the sky, and murmured:
"Yellow sky means rain, mad people mean disaster, heaven...will not bless you!"
……
Changping Prefecture.
After learning that Altan Khan's army of 200,000 was heading south, Changping Prefecture, as an outer city protecting the capital, went into martial law.
When the good news came, the soldiers and civilians in the city cheered.
Chen San was one of them. As a small flag officer of the defending army, he was glad that he finally did not have to face the invincible cavalry under Altan Khan's command.
"Thanks to Long Wilbur!"
Chen San was on duty tonight. He squatted on the top of the city wall, with his back against the battlements, his hands tucked into his sleeves, sniffing, "If Altan Khan breaks in, Changping Prefecture will bear the brunt. We will all die. Remember that."
Chen San said to his subordinates, "If you have nothing to do, go to the temple and burn some incense for Chang Wei Bo."
"What?"
"May the gods bless Long Wilbur with a long life. As long as he is alive, he can protect us all."
"Yes, I will go to the temple to burn incense later."
Chen San sighed, "It would be great if I could meet old man Chang Wei Bo..."
"There's the sound of horse hooves!"
Chen San stood up when he heard the sound and saw torches approaching rapidly in the distance.
"Who?"
Chen San shouted.
Several riders came galloping over to the city. The man in the lead raised his head and shouted:
"Long Wilbur is here, open the gate!"
(End of this chapter)
