Chapter 377 Guess
Although the Xiang army from Jiangzhou and other places plus the 20,000 troops sent by Zhao Xing were quite large.
However, the area affected by the rebels was too large. This small number of soldiers and horses had to guard those prefectures and counties and also suppress the rebellion, which was a bit stretched.
And those rebel thieves are very different from the previous rebel thieves.
The Song Dynasty experienced numerous rebellions over the years.
Generally speaking, peasant uprisings lack effective organization and discipline, which is why they can be quickly put down.
However, this time the rebels were very unusual. Not only did they not loot everywhere, they also did not gather on a large scale.
Instead, they were scattered in various places, forcing the imperial court to divide its troops to guard various cities.
Whenever they want to concentrate their forces to exterminate the rebels, these rebels will make a move to attack the city.
Although Xianggong Shen was not a military expert, he still knew that he could serve as Xianggong. He also knew that he could not be led by the rebels like this, so he proposed to mobilize some troops from various cities to quell the rebellion.
With the city there, it is not easy for the rebels to break through the city. If the rebels really have the courage to attack the city, they can take the opportunity to catch them all.
However, officials in Jiangzhou and other places were afraid of losing the city and collectively opposed it.
For local officials, preserving the city is the most important thing.
At this time, the difference between civil servants and military generals is reflected.
Not to mention whether Xianggong Shen was Xianggong, he was sent by Zhao Xing to supervise the disaster relief, and he was an imperial envoy.
It is entirely possible to ignore those objections and send troops forcefully.
However, in the face of opposition, Shen Xianggong did not persist at first.
It was not until the past two days that I felt something was wrong more and more, and I firmly proposed to mobilize troops to quell the rebellion. However, before taking action, hundreds of thousands of rebels surrounded Jiangzhou City.
There were thousands of soldiers and horses in Jiangzhou City, but they were not breached, but Xianggong Shen was frightened.
You must know that Jiangzhou City is a state city and one of the top important cities in Jiangnan. Once it is lost, the impact will be too great and no one can afford the consequences.
Song Chaozhong frowned after hearing this. He thought that suppressing the rebellion would be easy and it would be an opportunity for him to take credit.
But after listening to what Shen Xianggong said, I felt that it was very difficult.
"Ms. Shen, colleagues!"
Song Chaozhong raised his hands to everyone and said: "The army has traveled hard at night and starry. We are tired and need rest. Please give me the detailed information about the rebels. After I understand it carefully, I will start to suppress the rebellion and will not let these rebels continue. Loot! ”
"Don't worry, General Song. I'll have someone send you information about the rebels right away," Xianggong Shen said.
"Then Mr. Lao Shen will be here!"
"General Song, we've finished talking about the business. I've ordered people to prepare a banquet at the best restaurant in the city to welcome the general!" Jiangzhou Zhizhou said with a smile.
"I appreciate Chen Zhizhou's kindness, but the rebels haven't been wiped out yet. I'm very tired from traveling all the way, so let's forget about the reception banquet. When I put down the rebellion, wouldn't it be nice to go to Chen Zhizhou's celebration banquet?" Song Chaozhong smiled. road.
"Haha, then I will wait for the good news from General Song. The rebels are plundering, and the people in Jiangzhou and other places will suffer. When General Song quells the rebellion, at the celebration banquet, I can offer a toast to General Song on behalf of the people of Jiangzhou. ." Chen Zhizhou laughed.
"Definitely, definitely."
After some pleasantries, Song Chaozhong left the Zhizhou Yamen and returned to the military camp, accompanied by a group of officials from Jiangzhou.
"General, the rebels are so brave, they dare to attack Jiangzhou City!" Gu Tingwei said with a look of anger: "Your Majesty is only merciful, otherwise these people should be executed!"
Song Chaozhong frowned and said: "Don't talk nonsense! Even if there is no official decree, it is impossible to kill them all. Otherwise, if there is another rebellion in the future, won't they be desperate to resist?"
"It turns out that His Majesty's decree only punishes the first culprits. This is the reason." Gu Tingwei suddenly said.
"Otherwise, what do you think? Many things are not as simple as they appear on the surface. When something happens, you should see more, think more, and talk less." Song Chaozhong said. He still remembered the kindness of the Gu family, so he reminded Gu Tingwei.
If word like what he just said spread, it would be a big problem.
"I've written it down, thank you General for your teachings!" Gu Tingwei bowed.
Song Chaozhong nodded and said: "Go and prepare tea, guests are coming soon!"
"General, who wants..."
Gu Tingwei was about to ask, but when he thought of Song Chaozhong's words, he quickly stopped and bowed: "Yes!"
Song Chaozhong looked at Gu Tingwei leaving and shook his head slightly.
Not long after Gu Tingwei left, a soldier came in and reported: "General Qi, Mr. Shen is here!"
"Got it!"
Song Chaozhong tidied up his clothes and walked out.
"Why don't you let Mr. Shen inform you in advance when he comes, so that I can go and greet him?"
Not long after Song Chaozhong left the camp, he met Xianggong Shen, bowed and smiled.
"It seems that General Song has guessed that I am coming, so I feel relieved." Xianggong Shen said with a smile.
"Haha, Mr. Shen has been in Jiangzhou for some time. The official has just arrived. I thought Mr. Shen would come to give me a few words. I have already ordered people to prepare tea. Mr. Shen invites you!" Song Chaozhong said with a smile.
"General Song can guess that I am coming, so I don't need any advice."
"Xianggong Shen was joking. The lower official didn't know anything about the situation in Jiangzhou, so he was just looking forward to Xianggong Shen coming."
The two exchanged a few words, and Song Chaozhong welcomed Mr. Shen into the camp.
When Gu Tingwei brought tea, Song Chaozhong asked him to retreat.
Xianggong Shen put down the tea cup and said seriously: "General Song, this rebellion is a bit unusual. Jiangzhou and other places suffered floods, and the people needed government relief. However, after the people rebelled, in addition to looting some county government warehouses , but Qiu Qiu did not commit any crime against the wealthy households in the city.”
"Without moving the wealthy households in the city, there are so many rebels, where will the food and grass come from?"
"Xiangong Shen means that someone is providing food and grass to the rebels?" Song Chaozhong asked in surprise.
"That's right. Otherwise, if there are hundreds of thousands of rebels, where will the food and grass come from?" Shen Xianggong said.
Song Chaozhong was silent for a while and asked: "Did Xianggong Shen ever find out anything?"
"No!" Xianggong Shen shook his head solemnly and said, "I suspect that those who provided food and grass to the rebels were some rich locals in Jiangzhou. If the food and grass were transported from other places, it is impossible for such a large amount to be traced without any clues. .”
"Only local wealthy people can give me less than a clue. I even suspect that some officials in Jiangzhou are involved."
"It would be troublesome if we did this."
Song Chaozhong said with a solemn face: "The enemy is hidden and we are clear, maybe our every move is being monitored."
"I am also worried about this. I came here this time to remind the general to be careful." Xianggong Shen said.
"Does Prime Minister Shen report this matter to His Majesty?"
"Yesterday I submitted a letter and sent it to Bianjing."
"That's good." Song Chaozhong said: "No matter what, I have to go to the army tomorrow, and I have to worry about the food and grass. I have to worry about the food and grass. The army now only has three days of food and grass."
(End of chapter)