Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 118: Who Can Ask Lian Po’s Old Age? (Part ) ( words)
On August 10, the weather between Shuhe and Yishui was overcast.

Just as Wei Sheng expected, the rain seemed to be coming as expected.

This also caused widespread panic among farmers. You know, if the crops that are about to mature are caught in rain, even if they don't rot or sprout, the grains and beans that are knocked to the ground by the rain will be a loss that is painful enough to make people suffer.

Besides, how could it not get moldy?

Based on Wei Sheng's personal observation, there were obviously more young and strong people participating in the autumn harvest, which means that many armed farmers gave up their combat duties and participated in the harvest.

It can't be said that they are at the end of their rope, but they are definitely pushed into a corner.

Just when the farmers in several villages were in a state of anxiety, a large group of laborers came out of the Loyal Army’s base, holding sickles and other farm tools, and joined the harvesting team.

There were also many people in the Loyal and Righteous Army who did not understand Wei Sheng's actions. Although the Loyal and Righteous Army was reasonable both externally and internally, it was ultimately a violent armed force with clear class divisions.

There are class laws in the military. You can't ignore Wei Sheng's orders just because he's easy to talk to!

Therefore, once the military order is issued, no matter what you are thinking, you must obey it.

It should be said that there is an effect.

Originally, the farmers thought that these laborers were here to steal food, but after they loaded bundles of harvested grains and beans into the farmers' carts, the farmers expressed their gratitude to these strangers. Although it was not convenient to talk to them directly, they gave them a bowl of water to relieve the heat and a piece of dry food to fill their stomachs.

The various managers and owners watched this strange scene in silence, feeling a mixture of anger, joy and gratitude.

The 'Jin people' and the 'Song people', the 'defenders' and the 'invaders', the 'followers' and the 'enterprising people', the two groups of people who should have been incompatible with each other actually united as one and overcame the difficulties under the oppression of the time of divine power.

It seemed to be so moving that the sky was gloomy that day and not a drop of rain fell.

On the morning of the second day, August 11, when the harvest was almost underway, someone finally couldn't sit still anymore.

"What on earth are these Song dogs doing?"

A few miles north of the center line between Hejiazhuang and the Loyal Army camp, there is a small hillside where seven or eight riders are stationed, looking at a piece of farmland below the hillside.

There was a bustling scene of autumn harvest.

The person in the middle was Zhang Chou, a Han Chinese from Liao, and it was he who had just spoken anxiously.

"Brother, what are you asking?" Zhang Chou, who was carrying an extremely long spear on his left hand, responded, "Aren't they helping us harvest the crops? And, brother, please don't call them Song dogs. They have done so much for themselves, so why shouldn't they be called Southerners, Han Chinese, or Song people?"

Before Zhang Chou could say anything, the man on his right immediately became furious: "Ma Jintuo, you are so brave! Who told you to speak to my brother like that?"

The bearded man named Ma Jintuo turned curiously. "Zhang Er, isn't the reason Big Brother uses me so that I can constantly remind you with words? If Big Brother only wants to hear flattery, wouldn't it be enough to just bring you along?"

"Okay, stop arguing." Zhang Chou shook his head irritably and stopped his second brother: "Zhang Baicao, you bastard, don't make trouble for no reason."

Zhang Baicao and Zhang Erlang immediately kept silent.

Ma Jintuo just sneered and said nothing. He was not a farmer of Zhangjiazhuang, nor was he a brother of Zhang Chou. Instead, he was the owner of another small village north of Zhangjiazhuang. He was not a Han Chinese from Liaodong, but a native of Shandong.

Of course, if Ma Jintuo wants to survive in this damn Jin Kingdom, he naturally has to rely on someone, and the person he relies on is Zhang Chou.

This was the situation in the feudal era: ordinary farmers were dependent on Ma Jintuo, who was dependent on Zhang Chou, who was dependent on He Boqiu, who was dependent on Pushandamo. Layer upon layer of dependence and control was a typical relationship of personal dependency.

This will inevitably lead to a situation where there are gangs within gangs and factions within factions.

Although it has not reached the level of "my vassal's vassal is not my vassal" in the West, it is inevitable that the interests of the lower-level dependents and the highest level are often misaligned, which leads to internal friction.

As a middle-class member of the feudal class, Zhang Chou's dependents wanted this, and the objects of his dependence wanted that. Zhang Chou was the object of simultaneous pressure from both above and below, making it wrong for him to do anything and wrong for him to do nothing. He was torn and felt extremely irritated.

The quarrel between Ma Jintuo and Zhang Baicao has been going on for several days. If nothing unexpected happens, the quarrel will continue until He Boqiu comes to a conclusion.

As expected, Zhang Baicao was silent for a moment before speaking again, "Brother, this won't do. We must dispatch troops to clean up the mess. Otherwise, how will we explain this to Governor Pushan?"

Ma Jintuo sneered, put his hands on the ground and searched for a while, then pointed his finger forward.

"Zhang Er, look at those two old men and women handing out rice water to the Song people, their faces beaming with smiles. Aren't they your third uncle and aunt?" Ma Jintuo said with a half-smile, "I know you've always had a bad relationship with them. How about this? You go down and kill them. I won't say a word and will immediately return to the farm to lead the troops to fight the Song people. How do you do that?"

Zhang Baicao glared back, gripping the knife handle until it creaked, but ultimately he had nothing to say.

Ma Jintuo, however, acted as if he hadn't noticed Zhang Baicao's expression and continued speaking aloud, "In fact, your third uncle is really lucky. No, it should be said that all of you in Zhangjiazhuang are lucky. Big Brother Zhang is close to the officials and was able to avoid the previous two conscriptions of laborers and boatmen.

For example, your third uncle had only two sons and one grandson working as laborers. But in my case, it was miserable. Some families were left with only women, children, the elderly and the weak, while all the young and strong men in the family were out pulling boats on the Yishui River.

If the Song people hadn’t come to help, I don’t know what I would have done.”

Zhang Chou squinted his eyes at Ma Jintuo and said, "Ah Tuo, are you blaming me for being unfair?"

The other knights also came to look, their eyes unfriendly.

Ma Jintuo bowed and said, "Brother, that's not what I meant. Just look at the several villages upstream and downstream and you'll understand. If it weren't for your protection, we wouldn't even be able to stay in our village, let alone those young and strong men. It's just that when the Jin court issued the order to recruit civilians, someone had to take the blame. It's natural that you will start to separate us from our close relatives, and we can't blame others."

Zhang Chou said nothing, but continued to stare at Ma Jintuo.

As expected, Ma Jintuo's tone quickly became fierce before he finished speaking: "But brother, people are all made of flesh and blood. The emperor of Jin, the court of Jin, and the governor of Jin treated us like dirt and grass. And the Song people helped us with the autumn harvest when we were enemies. How can we not be grateful?
In my opinion, it would be better to surrender to the Song people! Let all the coolies on Yishui come back and live a good life! "

Zhang Chou was speechless. "What nonsense! How many troops can the Jin Kingdom send? How many troops can the Song people bring here? When the imperial court sends troops, the best outcome for them is defeat. They can return to the Southern Dynasty, but what about us? We will all die here!" Ma Jintuo bluntly said, "Brother, since you don't want to surrender to the Song, then why don't we just rebel? While we have the Song people as reinforcements, while the autumn harvest is over, and while Pushan Zhizhou and the others are away, how about you lead us in a rebellion?"

Zhang Chou shook his head repeatedly.

Zhang Baicao was also furious: "Ma Jintuo, what's wrong with you today?! Rebellion means the lives of the entire clan and village will be put on the belt. You are willing, but are others willing?"

Ma Jintuo glanced at Zhang Baicao, then looked at Zhang Chou steadily. Seeing that the other party had not responded to him, he finally sighed and said, "Brother, since you don't want to surrender to the Song Dynasty, and you don't want to rebel, there is only one way."

Ma Jintuo pointed to the vaguely visible Loyalty Army camp in the distance and said, "Brother, lead us to attack the Song army camp and show your determination."

Zhang Chou thought this was even more ridiculous.

Regardless of whether He Boqiu brought the main force to Linyi, the several villages north of Zhangjiazhuang could only gather more than a thousand farmers, which was not enough for the Loyal Army to survive.

Even if Zhang Chou were possessed by a famous general from ancient times and won a battle, what would they gain except for countless casualties? Even if Zhang Chou could be made a marquis, what good would that do?

Defend your hometown?
But the Loyal Army didn’t do anything evil!

However, Zhang Chou immediately realized that Ma Jintuo was not an ordinary warrior with only muscles, and he must have a reason for saying this.

Thinking of this, Zhang Chou couldn't help but be startled. "A-Tuo, have you heard something? Could it be that someone in Hejia Village has leaked the village to the Song army, saying that the village is vulnerable and the Song army is planning a large-scale attack, so we have to attack instead of defend?"

Because they all lived in the same village and were neighbors and fellow villagers, the farmers' actions could be hidden from others but not from their own fellow villagers.

Since the Song army was so conciliatory in its northern expedition, it was only natural that someone in Hejiazhuang would leak the information.

Ma Jintuo shook his head and replied, "How could the Song people believe such news unless they had a definitive explanation? Even if the people of Hejiazhuang surrendered to the Song, any Song general with a bit of common sense would have considered it an ambush. Just like if those civilians came running to me and told me that the Song army camp across the way was empty, how could I believe it?"

"I'm talking about something even more thorny. People's hearts are unstable." Ma Jintuo said sternly, "What I just said about surrendering to the Song Dynasty and rebelling was not empty talk. My village is already somewhat unstable, and your Zhangjia Village will definitely not continue to be stable. If you don't do something to show your determination, then in a few days, we will be framed by our own people and will have to rebel even if we don't want to!"

Zhang Feng lost his composure when he spoke: "How is that possible? Why? On what basis? Just because the Song people showed such a small favor? Just because the Song people didn't steal their grain? Just because the Song people didn't kill them when they were harvesting the grain? Just because the Song people sent some laborers to help them harvest the grain?"

As if realizing he had lost his composure, Zhang Chou took two deep breaths and continued angrily, "Do they all think they can live a life of luxury just by following the Song people? The Song people also need laborers! Those laborers are right before their eyes, helping them collect grain!"

Ma Jintuo stared at his sworn brother. How could he not understand why Zhang Chou acted this way? Wasn't it because he, too, had sensed the unrest among the people? He just didn't want to admit it for the time being.

After Zhang Chou finished speaking, Ma Jintuo spoke solemnly, "Brother, I've heard news from the Loyal Army. The Song Loyal Army has begun dividing up the land."

Zhang Chou was stunned for a moment: "Where did they get the land?"

Ma Jintuo answered sincerely, "Brother, don't you understand? The Loyal Army's land was of course seized from the landlords and manor owners who were close to the Jin Kingdom, as well as those Meng'an Mouke households. They are simply doing what the Jin Kingdom has done over the years in reverse."

Zhang Chou was completely stunned. After a long moment, he finally spoke: "Really? Could it be a rumor spread by the Song people?"

Ma Jintuo shook his head: "I specifically asked, some of those civilians received letters from home, some received messages from fellow villagers, and some even volunteered to join the army because their families had divided up land and they wanted to protect... what's that word, oh yes... to protect the fruits of victory.

Among them, meritorious officers and soldiers received the most land, followed by ordinary officers and soldiers, and then civilians. This was a foregone conclusion.

How could so many people, with such a detailed plan for land distribution, lie and fabricate rumors at the same time?"

Zhang Baicao swayed on his horse and exchanged shocking glances with the other knights. He noticed two of them looked calm, as if they had known about the news for a long time. He immediately realized, "The farmers know about this? The Song army just released the laborers yesterday and mixed them with the farmers, and everyone knows about it today?"

Ma Jintuo sneered in response, "Zhang Er, think carefully about what this is all about. This is about dividing up the land! It's a matter of survival! It spread throughout the village in one day. Do you think it's fast? I think it's slowed down by the autumn harvest!"

Zhang Baicao also became more and more panicked: "But, why didn't anyone come to tell my brother, and no one came to tell me?"

Ma Jintuo replied with a sigh, "Zhang Er, tell me, who has the most farmland in your Zhangjiazhuang? If we were to divide it up, whose land would be divided first?"

Zhang Chou shuddered all over and looked at his trusted knight beside him, who felt as if he was falling into an icy cave in the autumn breeze.

The two knights hurriedly bowed on their horses and said awkwardly, "Master, we don't have such outrageous thoughts. We just think this rumor is not a serious statement, so we didn't bother to tell you."

Zhang Baicao waved his hands, indicating that it had nothing to do with them. Then he gritted his teeth and said, "These ungrateful bastards, have they forgotten the kindness of my eldest brother?!"

Zhang Chou immediately scolded his second brother: "What gratitude do I have?! Even if I have some intentions to keep the people safe, I am constrained by the situation and cannot express them. How can I compare to the outstanding work of the Loyalty Army?!"

He originally wanted to reassure the two trusted knights by scolding his second brother, but when he saw that their expressions were still embarrassed, he couldn't help but feel depressed again.

Ma Jintuo intervened, "Brother, those of us above us all know that the evil was committed by the Jin court. But those below us only see it as you, brother, conscripting your sons and daughters into labor. To them, the gratitude Zhang Er speaks of is absurd. What gratitude? The gratitude of sending your third uncle's children and grandchildren to the Yishui River to work as boatmen?"

Zhang Chou's face turned extremely ugly.

Ma Jintuo continued sincerely, "Brother, we are all in this together. The three strategies I just mentioned are the best, the middle, and the worst. Since you don't agree to surrender to the Song Dynasty, nor do you agree to rebel, there is only one way to go. If you don't show some skill now, you will really lose the support of the people."

Zhang Chou broke out in a cold sweat. He never expected that what was originally a small operation to investigate the enemy situation would be forced to this point. After hesitating for a moment, he immediately reached out and held Ma Jintuo's arm.

"Atuo, you are right. Today is the day to make a decision. Send out troops, immediately." Zhang Chou's face turned ferocious: "Send out troops today!"

Ma Jintuo's arm was grabbed, his expression remained unchanged, but he sighed in his heart.

When watching the novels, when ancient counselors gave the lord three strategies, the lord would always choose the middle strategy. At that time, I would secretly complain, wondering why he didn't choose the best strategy.

Now it's my turn, but my master has chosen a bad strategy. However, a man should do his best since he has devoted himself to serving others. I can't blame anyone.

(End of this chapter)