Chapter 2379
Although Ma Cai can obtain certain privileges by virtue of his special relationship with Chen Yixin, after all, his identity is just a local squire, and this Zhifu Island is a highly restricted Haihan military base. Things on the island are not his turn as an outsider. Intervene. He is only responsible for sending people here, and the subsequent resettlement will be left to the Haihan Army.
After Ma Cai completed the handover, he suddenly felt relaxed. He didn't want to have to run up and down in the cold wind in the middle of the night, but it was of no benefit. He didn't want to do it again. If we rush back to Majiazhuang at this time, we can still have a good sleep before dawn.
Returning to the carriage, he opened the curtain and said to the three people waiting for news inside: "Three of you, I can only send you here. Officer Haihan will come to settle you later. If you need anything, just ask Just tell the other party that when the situation outside improves, I’ll come back to see you three again.”
The three people in the car quickly thanked Ma Cai. Without Ma Cai as a middleman to bridge the gap, it would indeed be impossible for them to arrive on Zhifu Island so smoothly. However, they could also hear that Ma Cai's tone was no longer as respectful as before, and even a little impatient. Sure enough, the tea had gone cold before they left, and the other party no longer regarded them as superior parents.
After Ma Cai left, the three of them waited in the car for a long time, but there was no movement outside. They had been warned by Ma Cai and did not dare to take the initiative to look out. Before getting on the bus, they also specifically told their family members not to make any noise in the car until they were greeted, but now that there was no sound outside the car, they couldn't help but worry about the family members on the other carriages.
Just when they were shivering from the cold and began to search for the cold-weather clothes they had packed in the car, there was finally a voice outside. The visitor was Chen Yixin’s secretary Zeng Xiaowen. He had been coordinating various affairs on Zhifu Island for the past two days. He was woken up shortly after he finished his work and fell asleep. He was actually a little confused about the current situation and did not know what the county government was doing. Why did these people suddenly want to live on the island temporarily, but Ma Cai had already produced Chen Yixin's warrant, so he could only find a way to place these people on the island first.
It wasn't until Zeng Xiaowen appeared that the three people in the car finally breathed a sigh of relief. Of course they recognized Zeng Xiaowen, who had stayed with Chen Yixin in Fushan County for a long time. With him coming to receive them, it seemed that the next thing would be stable.
"Three of you have been waiting for a long time. Zeng is so negligent, please give me some thanks!" Zeng Xiaowen said a few polite words after asking the three of them to get out of the car.
Now that the three of them were living under someone else's roof, they did not dare to act like an official anymore and thanked Zeng Xiaowen repeatedly for coming out to receive them and his party so late.
Zeng Xiaowen said: "To be honest, you are here in a bit of a hurry. There is no time to prepare accommodation on the island, so I may have to temporarily aggrieve you for a while."
Zhang Pucheng said: "It's okay for the three of us to wait for you. Could you please Mr. Zeng to take the women and children to a warm place inside the house? If we stay out all night in this weather, I'm afraid we might get sick from the cold."
Zeng Xiaowen said: "The only way I can do this is to aggrieve you all. First, follow me to the warehouse on the island to take shelter from the wind and snow. After daybreak, I can arrange for you to stay."
Although Zhang Pucheng and the others were slightly dissatisfied, they did not dare to show it in front of Zeng Xiaowen and could only follow the other party's arrangements. Although the warehouse doesn't sound like much, it's better than the current situation.
Zeng Xiaowen asked his men to bring the convoy of three people to a warehouse not far away and stopped. The three people found that the place was brightly lit, and at least hundreds of people were coming in and out, constantly carrying materials from the warehouse to the door. on the carriage. These carriages come in various styles, ranging from shabby flat carriages to caravans that can be pulled by at least two pack horses. It is obvious that these are private carriages requisitioned from the local area a few days ago. In comparison, the carriages Ma Cai arranged for them were in pretty good condition.
Zeng Xiaowen took a group of them to the warehouse and explained as he walked: "The convoy outside will set off with the troops later, and some barracks will be vacant by then, and everyone can be accommodated."
Zeng Xiaowen's words revealed at least two pieces of information. One is that the island is currently overcrowded and there are no vacant barracks. The other is that the Haihan Army is about to set off from the Zhifu Island base. As for its destination, it must be military. It was a secret, and if Zeng Xiaowen didn't take the initiative to mention it, they naturally wouldn't dare to risk their lives to inquire.
Zeng Xiaowen found an empty space in the warehouse and asked his men to get a few braziers so that Zhang Pucheng and others could warm themselves around the fire to keep out the cold. He went out for a walk and came back with some hot water and food, finally getting rid of the uncomfortable chill.
Zeng Xiaowen said: "Everyone, please feel sorry for yourself here first and don't move around to avoid misunderstandings. When the barracks are vacated, I will arrange for you to move in as soon as possible."
After Zeng Xiaowen left, Huang Qu looked around and saw that no one was watching them nearby, so he said: "Master Zhang, are we really taking the right step? I think it would be better to go here instead of starving and freezing." It’s better to stay comfortable in the county town.”
Although Zhang Pucheng also felt that the current treatment was a bit poor, he would not regret his decision to leave the county town and come to Zhifu Island. Hearing this, he responded: "We left the county town because we can still leave now. If some time passes, Shandong will be really chaotic. A large number of refugees have poured into Fushan County. Even if you want to leave by then, I'm afraid they won't be able to leave. If Mr. Huang feels that our previous decision is inappropriate, you can ask the Haihan people to send you back to the county after dawn." br>
Huang Qu just wanted to complain, but he didn't get dizzy. He responded immediately: "Master Zhang said something serious. I just vented my displeasure with a few words. How can I lose my priorities?"
When the three of them made such a decision, they were actually mentally prepared to never go back. Even if Ma Cai cooperates with them to cover up their whereabouts, the three of them are not the only ones working for the Fushan County Government Office. If it takes a few more days, someone will naturally find something wrong. However, if Dengzhou is also affected by the war and a large number of refugees flood into Fushan County, then probably not many people will care about their sudden disappearance.
Seeing the two people arguing, Han Qin quickly changed the subject: "The Haihan people have stationed so many troops on Zhifu Island quietly. Are they really planning to take advantage of this moment to cause trouble?"
Zhang Pucheng shook his head and said: "If Haihan wants to cause trouble, why should he take us in? Do you know what those peasant armies in the Central Plains will do when they cause trouble? The first thing is to capture the county government, drag out officials like you and me, and chop them down in public "The Haihan people are not that barbaric, but they will never waste resources to take care of local officials like us who have little use value before committing suicide." The one who saw it most clearly was Zhang Pucheng. He couldn't help but regret now. Maybe he shouldn't have asked Huang Qu and Han Qin, two simple-minded guys, to run away together. The ability of these two people to assess the situation is very different from his, and may become a drag on his foothold in Haihan in the future.
Although the environment in the warehouse is still very difficult, I can get away with it now that I am out of the cold. Everyone waited until the sky was dimming, and finally heard the sound of military bugles coming from outside. They didn't know that this was the wake-up call for the Haihan Military Camp, but since the sound of the horn sounded, Zeng Xiaowen must have appeared soon.
Sure enough, Zeng Xiaowen came not long after, saying that their luggage and belongings had been sent to their residence first, and now they could leave the warehouse.
When they walked out of the warehouse, they found that Haihan's army had already assembled not far outside, and the lineup was almost all cavalry. There were at least several hundred cavalry. It seemed that they were preparing to set off from this base. Thinking that the large number of carriages seen last night were probably used to cooperate with these cavalry operations, everyone's expressions were not very good. Even Zhang Pucheng, who was sure that Haihan would not take advantage of the chaos to cause trouble, couldn't help but feel a little guilty when he saw such a scene.
Zeng Xiaowen saw that their expressions were not right, so he took the initiative to explain: "These people are planning to go outside the county to guide the refugees entering Dengzhou to Fushan County to ensure that there will be no trouble in this area."
Of course, this is just Zeng Xiaowen's opinion. What measures the Haihan Army will take to "guide the refugees" will leave a lot of room for maneuver. It was very difficult for the Ming army in Shandong to even deal with the Qing army's offensive. If another Haihan army emerged that was more powerful than the Qing army, no one would be able to stop them. Moreover, Zeng Xiaowen said that these troops were going to places outside Fushan County. If a blind Ming army joined forces with them, the consequences would be disastrous.
As he was talking, he saw a tall and muscular Haihan officer walking over quickly, saluted Zeng Xiaowen and said, "The first battalion of the Special Forces Regiment is ready, please go!"
Zeng Xiaowen returned the military salute and responded: "Battle Commander Sun, please be more careful and keep in touch. We are waiting for your good news!"
This officer was Sun Zhen who was sent to Fushan County for reinforcements this time. After several days of preparation, his troops were finally embarking on a mission. Zeng Xiaowen was supervising the preparations for the war on Zhifu Island on behalf of Chen Yixin. Sun Zhen naturally had to say hello to him before setting off.
Sun Zhen prepared to mount his horse and gave the order to set off. Zhang Pucheng and the other three unintentionally witnessed the Haihan Army's expedition.
As soon as Sun Zhen set off with his troops, many barracks were naturally vacated, finally allowing Zhang Pucheng and others to have temporary accommodation. But what can affect the situation in Shandong at this time is of course not the three people who gave up their official positions and hid in Zhifu Island to seek asylum, but the troops who had just set off from Zhifu Island.
According to the action plan formulated by the combat headquarters, two reinforced companies affiliated with the special operations group will be dispatched to Zhaoyuan and Laixi respectively to set up outposts to guide the refugees. Its main task is to guide refugees entering Dengzhou to Fushan County by the fastest route, and to remove obstacles that may arise during this period - such as the Dengzhou government that blocks refugees from going to Fushan County.
After leaving Zhifu Island, the group heading to Laixi continued southward along the Jiahe River, while the group led by Sun Zhen personally turned west and headed for Zhaoyuan, nearly two hundred miles away.
The road to Zhaoyuan is much more difficult than the marching route of the other group of troops. It needs to pass through a large area of hilly areas. For this group of troops carrying a large amount of baggage, the traveling speed will inevitably be greatly affected by this. Influence. Although according to the map, the straight-line distance from Fushan County to Zhaoyuan is only about 160 miles, considering the environment on the way, the actual distance is probably at least double, and it will take at least three to four days to reach the destination.
The only good news is that almost all the garrisons in Dengzhou have been transferred to the direction of Jinan Prefecture. There should not be many Ming troops left in Dengzhou. Most of the few armed personnel are only stationed in various cities and dare not Then divide the troops to move to places too far away from the city. Therefore, the possibility of running into the Ming army on their way to Zhaoyuan County should be very small.
However, the flow of refugees to Fushan County seems to be faster than the headquarters expected. On the afternoon when Sun Zhen led his troops to set out, the troops were still in Fushan County and encountered a group of about forty or fifty people fleeing.
Sun Zhen intercepted this group of refugees and asked them carefully about their origins and itinerary. It turns out that these people came from Zichuan County, Jinan Prefecture, which was later known as the Zibo area. Although the area was still a hundred or so miles away from Jinan City, it was also attacked by the Qing army. Those who ran fast first fled into the mountains and forests south of Zichuan, and then fled all the way west. Those who ran slowly were inevitably kidnapped by the Qing army, and were probably taken outside the customs to be slaves.
The little food these refugees brought from their homes had long been eaten, and they could only beg for food along the way. But in such troubled times, with tens of thousands of refugees escaping from Jinan Prefecture, how many people can still come up with food to help? Others, so many people died on the way due to hunger and disease. Those who were able to make it to Fushan County either had outstanding physical fitness and were able to withstand hunger and fatigue, or their families were relatively well-to-do. In addition to food, they also brought a lot of property with them when they fled their homes, so they could travel along the way. I bought some food at a high price to survive.
But despite this, the people Sun Zhen saw were all sallow and thin, with slutty faces, and they probably wouldn't last long.
"You just continue walking eastward along the official road in front. When you get to the village in front of you, ask for the direction of Majiazhuang. When you get there, someone will naturally settle you down, and you will be provided with food and accommodation. Remember not to cause trouble on the way. Otherwise, if you are regarded as a bandit, you will be beheaded!”
After Sun Zhen inquired about the news, he pointed out the direction to the refugee camp for these refugees. He looked at these refugees kneeling on the ground to thank him, as if he saw himself on the way to escape a few years ago. At the moment, I couldn't help but sigh secretly. After all these years, Shandong still has a big chaos at every turn, and the one who has the ability to save the situation is Haihan. It seems that nothing has changed. Fortunately, I already have certain abilities, and finally We can rescue more people affected by the war.
(End of chapter)