Usurpation of Mongolia: My father-in-law is Genghis Khan

Chapter 103: Follow the Mongols, kill the golden dogs, rob the rich, what fun!
Of course, what Zhao Shuo gained from Huihe Fort was not just the three generals and the spoils of armor, gold and silver.

The biggest gain was Camp Baru.

After the Battle of Huihe Fort, only 12,000 soldiers of Zhao Shuo's original Baru Camp were left.

However, 70% of the 42,000 prisoners captured in the Battle of Huihe Fort belonged to Zhao Shuo, which means 29,400 people.

To round it up, 1,400 relatively weak Jurchen captives became the token of surrender for 28,000 captives. Their heads were made into a forest of skulls.

Now, the Baru Camp under Zhao Shuo has reached a terrifying size of 40,000 people.

Moreover, these 40,000 soldiers of the Baru Camp are all regular troops from the Jin and Xia countries!

Together with Zhao Shuo's own army of more than 13,000 soldiers and horses, Shi Mi Ming'an's one Khitan thousand-household, Guo Baoyu's one Han army thousand-household, and Shi Bingzhi's eight hundred soldiers, Zhao Shuo's total force reached 56,000.

This is already an army that destroys a country.

If Wanyan Yongji was desperate and used all the Jin Dynasty's field troops to fight a decisive battle with Zhao Shuo, it would be hard to say who would win or lose.

Of course, Wanyan Yongji was not that stupid, and the Mongolian army had to fight step by step.

After resting for half a month, the Mongolian army, with a total strength of 140,000, rushed into the plains.

The entire Xuande Prefecture was captured that day.

Behind Xuande Prefecture is Dexing Prefecture.

Wanyan Chaolai, the prefect of Dexing Prefecture, abandoned the city and fled. The governor Huang Bingjiu led 8,000 soldiers from the prefecture and county to fight to the death.

The Jin Dynasty's military system was divided into three types: the army of the same tribe, the army of other tribes, and the army of prefectures and counties. The first two types were regular armies and the main force of the Jin army. The army of prefectures and counties was the local garrison force and served as an auxiliary force for the Jin army.

Of course, the desperate resistance of these 8,000 soldiers from the prefectures and counties was of no use.

Seven days later, the Mongolian army completely occupied Dexing Prefecture.

Behind Dexing Prefecture is Juyongguan, which is located in the Changping District of the later capital.

At this time, the famous Shanhaiguan Pass in later generations had not yet been built. There was only an important pass called Yuguan nearby.

Juyongguan is the most important pass in the world, guarding the safety of Yanjing. The terrain is dangerous and it is easy to defend but difficult to attack.

This time, Zhebie was the vanguard.

Jebe did not mobilize the Baru camp, but instead led 10,000 Mongolian troops to feign defeat, abandoning a large amount of property and fleeing.

The defenders of Juyong Pass were overjoyed and went out to pursue the enemy.

Zhebie launched a surprise counterattack, annihilated all the pursuing troops, and took Juyongguan.

Then, the 140,000 Mongolian troops all rushed to the outside of Yanjing City, and Temujin's Golden Tent was set up at Longhutai (a high mountain at the south entrance of Changping).

At this time, 10,000 Mongolian troops led by Jochi, Ogedei, and Chagatai also rushed from the west to join forces with Temujin.

Their advance of 10,000 troops was very smooth.

Hu Shahu, the governor of Xijing of the Jin Dynasty, led 7,000 elite troops and 30,000 signed troops to fight with Subutai and others in the north of Anding (later Dingxi, Gansu).

After a day of bloody fighting, Hu Shahu knew that he was no match for his opponent, so he not only gave up the Yinshan defense line, but also abandoned Xijing Datong. He led the remaining 3,000 elite troops to flee to Zhongdu overnight.

Jochi and his men successively conquered Yunnei, Dongsheng, Wu, and Shuo Prefectures, and entered Datong. After plundering extensively, they headed eastward to join forces with Temujin's army there. However, Jochi and his three men, enjoying repeated victories, neglected the Baru camp, and their total force remained at 10,000 men.

Now the Mongolian army has reached 150,000 people.

However, the Jin Dynasty’s Zhongdu is not so easy to attack now.

The Mongols learned about Zhongdu's defense situation by interrogating the prisoners at Juyongguan.

After the Battle of Yehuling, Zhongdu was under full martial law and no man was allowed to leave the city.

The Jin Dynasty Emperor Wanyan Yongji issued a series of decrees to mobilize troops and strengthen the defense of Zhongdu.

Qinzhou Governor Shuhu Gaoqi led his 3,000-man cavalry to urgently aid the Jin army, stationed outside Tongxuan Gate in Yanjing. The cavalry consisted mainly of Khitans, and although they only numbered 3,000, they were the elite regular troops of the Jin Dynasty, with each cavalryman having three horses.

After Hu Shahu fled back to Zhongdu with his remaining troops, he was not punished at all but was promoted to Right Vice Marshal and Acting Minister of the Left. Wanyan Yongji gave him an additional 5,000 imperial guards and stationed them outside Tongxuan Gate, the north gate of Zhongdu.

Thirty thousand regular troops of the Jin Dynasty from Hebei, Shandong and Henan were urgently transferred to Zhongdu.

Originally, the imperial guards of Zhongdu also numbered 30,000 (5,000 of whom were allocated to Hu Shahu).

If everything goes well, the current garrison in Zhongdu is 66,000 people, which is similar to the Mongols' previous estimate.

However, a major incident occurred here.

The Northeast Army moved south.

The Jin Dynasty had only about 30,000 regular troops stationed in the northeast region.

With the Mongol invasion underway, the Khitans within the Jin dynasty were eager to seize the opportunity to restore the Liao dynasty. Khitans in the northeastern region were particularly active. The Jin court issued a decree requiring every two Jurchen households to be separated by a Khitan household to prevent a Khitan rebellion.

However, the Jurchens, who had enjoyed a good life for nearly a hundred years, although more numerous, were not necessarily as combat-ready as these poor Khitans.

The Northeast region has reached a very dangerous moment and must be suppressed by these 30,000 troops.

In addition, the 30,000 troops in the northeast also have the strategic task of guarding against the Goryeo Kingdom in the east, which puts a lot of pressure on them.

In theory, they couldn't spare any soldiers no matter what.

However, after the Battle of Yehuling, Tushan Yi, the governor of Shangjing, Jin, made a prompt decision and sent Tongzhi Wugusun Wutun to lead 20,000 regular troops of Jin to the south to defend Zhongdu.

Wanyan Yongji was overjoyed and promoted Tu Shan Yi to the position of Vice Prime Minister, ordering him to lead another 5,000 regular troops to provide support.

By now, the regular army guarding Zhongdu has reached 91,000 people.

In addition, the Jin Kingdom urgently signed an agreement to send 50,000 troops near Zhongdu, bringing the total military strength to 141,000!

"Now is definitely not the time to attack Zhongdu!"

This was the first sentence Temujin said after he led his generals around the thirty-six-mile-long moat of Zhongdu and returned to the Golden Tent.

Mu Huali immediately agreed, saying, "Zhongdu City is over thirty-five miles long, with thirteen city gates alone. After sixty years of development, the city defenses are complete, making it extremely easy to defend and difficult to attack. There are over a million soldiers and civilians in the city, including over ninety thousand regular troops. Even if we wipe out the entire Baru Camp, I'm afraid we won't be able to defeat them."

"What if we don't attack Zhongdu? We can't just retreat now, right?" Tuo Luan said, "It's hard to attack Zhongdu now. Once the Jin Kingdom recovers from this and reinforcements arrive from all over, it will be even harder to attack."

After Temujin dealt with Kokuchu, Toluan was not marginalized at all. Now he is not only a hereditary thousand-householder, but also one of the six great Cheerbi under Temujin, and he often participates in the decision-making of major military and national affairs.

"Humph, they can't catch their breath."

Temujin smiled coldly and said, "This time, we will not only defeat their reinforcements, but also plunder their homes! I have made up my mind. I will leave some troops to guard the enemy forces in Zhongdu. Then, I will allocate the majority of the troops to attack Shandong, Shanxi, Hebei, and the Northeast, leaving the Jin Dog with no troops to mobilize and no money to collect!"

"Split the troops?"

Suddenly, I felt a little worried.

At first, Subuchi did divide his troops, but his mission was to prevent Hushahu from causing trouble, and he only conquered some cities in Shanxi. Now, with such a small number of troops, how could he control an entire province?
He said, "In this case, we only have 20,000 to 30,000 troops in each direction, while the population of any one place is almost 10 million. Although the regular troops of the Jin army have been transferred, there are still many prefecture and county troops. If these people fight to the death, it will probably not be easy."

"It doesn't matter."

Temujin looked at Zhao Shuo and said, "During the battle at Huihe Fort, in order to boost the morale of the soldiers, you gave each surviving soldier a wooden plaque?"

Zhao Shuo nodded and said, "There is such a wooden plaque. I have written clearly on it that they are considered people who have made contributions to Mongolia. After returning home, if they encounter the Mongolian army's looting, as long as they show the wooden plaque I gave them, they can protect their lives and property.

If they could gather their neighbors and join the Mongol army after returning, as long as they provided the Mongol army with food and fodder, even their neighbors would not be plundered. If they gathered more people, they might be appointed as local officials by the Mongols.

These benefits are not only written on the wooden plaque, but also stamped with my golden seal."

Temujin said, "Ashuo's idea is excellent. I think we can follow his example. Before each siege, we can recruit strong men from the surrounding areas. Those without male children can leave them alone. If they do have male children, we can have them perform forced labor and help us attack the city. No matter how many male children a family has, as long as they provide one, we will give them a wooden token to guarantee the safety of their lives and property."

Zhao Shuo added, "If there's too much wealth, we can give some to these men. It will make it much easier for us to attack them later."

The Mongolian army was too small and could only capture the city, plunder it and then leave.

The only supplies they could bring were some gold, silver and valuables.

Other things, including precious food, in most cases had to be burned.

But then again, these things are of great significance to the poor farmers outside the city.

The Jin Dynasty is now in its final years, and the gap between the rich and the poor is huge. I am afraid that even the slightest leakage of money will cost these poor families a year's income.

This time, when the Mongol army arrived, those poor peasants not only suffered no losses, but actually made a huge profit. Is there any need to ask what they will do when the Mongol army comes again? I'm afraid they will already be preparing food and drink to welcome the royal army before the Mongol army even arrives.

Temujin understood instantly, nodded in appreciation to Zhao Shuo, and said, "Ashuo's idea is very good. Let's do it this way."

He didn't even bother to talk about how to attack the city. Instead, he said, "Mobilize the militia and attack the city. What should we do? Ah Shuo, tell me."

Zhao Shuo actually had a plan in place. He said, "First, we should send someone to announce that if they are willing to surrender and offer the city, we will only confiscate the property in the Jin Gou treasury, as well as 70% of the property of wealthy households with assets over 10,000 guan, and half of the property of wealthy households with assets under 10,000 guan.

A so-called wealthy family is one with assets of more than 30 strings of cash.

We won't charge a penny to families with less than 30 strings of cash. Furthermore, if they report wealthy families for concealing their wealth, we'll get 10% of the hidden assets. Presumably, those wealthy families would be willing to pay for their lives."

In fact, the standard of thirty strings of cash was the official standard for signing military contracts in the Jin Dynasty.

The imperial court always has to save face.

Families with more than 30 strings of cash had a certain degree of risk resistance and could still survive by sending a young man to the army. However, for families with less than 30 strings of cash, sending another young man would be a real threat to their lives.

However, in practice, these military services were actually borne by those whose family assets were less than 30 strings of cash.

As a result, almost every time the Jin Dynasty launched a large-scale military operation, a peasant uprising would break out. Currently, the peasant uprising army in Shandong, the "Red Coat Army", is still fighting fiercely with the troops of the Jin Dynasty court.

Zhao Shuo simply set the standard at thirty strings of cash.

Families with assets below 30 strings of cash really can’t squeeze out any profit, so it would be better to just go over to Mongolia.

As for what if those rich families are unwilling to give up half of their property?
There's nothing we can do about it. Good words won't persuade a damned ghost.

If you can't give up your wealth, you can only give up the lives of your entire family.

"That's great." Hu Nan nodded repeatedly and said, "This way, the farmers outside the city and the civilians inside the city have all become our allies. So what if there are tens of millions of people in one place? I'm afraid that more people will help us than those who help Jin Gou."

"Then it's settled."

Temujin's original plan was to give preferential treatment to the cities that surrendered, and to massacre the cities that did not surrender according to the old rules. Only beauties, craftsmen and children no older than the wheels of a wheel would be spared.

The details Zhao Shuo has set now are much better than he expected.

After all, the Mongol army's looting was too crude and destructive, but they only took some small fortunes. The rich hid their belongings and it was really impossible to find them.

Now, with Zhao Shuo's meticulous plan in place, the gains will surely be much greater than before, and the resistance from the Central Plains people will be much smaller than before.

Temujin's face darkened. "Have you all heard clearly? First, I approved the wooden plaques that Prince Consort Zhao Shuo issued to those nearly 30,000 soldiers. Anyone who doesn't follow the instructions on the plaques is challenging my authority and will be killed without mercy."

Second, when attacking an enemy city, wooden tokens were directly given to the young men who joined the army to ensure the safety of their families and property.

For cities that surrendered voluntarily, only the treasury of the gold dog, 70% of the property of wealthy households with more than 10,000 strings of cash, and half of the property of wealthy households with less than 10,000 strings of cash were collected. From households with less than 30 strings of cash, not a penny was collected.

The property that could not be taken away was distributed to the able-bodied men who had contributed.

Allow neighbors to inform on others and reward them with 10% of the hidden property.

Anyone who conceals property will be considered a criminal, and all male members of his family will be executed, and his wife will be taken as slaves.

No innocent person shall be killed without permission!
Anyone who does not follow this method is also challenging my authority and will be killed without mercy!

Third, if the city still refuses to surrender and no one in the city responds to our call, after the city is captured, all males taller than a wheelbarrow will be killed, except for the craftsmen. Anyone who does not follow this order or defies my authority will be killed without mercy!

We must let everyone know that when they encounter our Mongol army, they have no choice but to surrender."

When talking about these three "kill without mercy", Temujin's tone was already murderous.

As an outstanding politician and military strategist, he certainly understood that it is easy to disperse troops but difficult to gather them together.

With so many troops spread out over thousands of miles, it cannot be overemphasized how much discipline is emphasized.

"According to the order!"

The generals responded solemnly.

They all understood that these measures would not only greatly reduce the pressure on them in attacking the city, but also provide a great opportunity to establish credibility among the people of the Central Plains.

The Mongolian court kept its word.

What the Jin Dynasty court said was worse than shit.

Is there any need to ask whether the majority of the people of the Jin Dynasty were on the side of Mongolia or the Jin Dynasty?
When it comes to national affairs, they dare not be vague at all.

Zhao Shuo asked, "If during our siege, the city splits into two factions, one wanting to surrender the city and the other wanting to defend it, should we reward the one who surrenders the city and kill the one who defends it?"

Temujin said, "Of course."

Zhao Shuo asked again, "Also, when we're attacking a place, if someone comes to surrender to us, can we handle it ourselves?"

"of course can."

Temujin had been considering this question for a long time and was about to issue an order: "On this expedition, you must treat surrendered people with respect. Whoever gathers surrendered people will be considered your subordinate. If they try to cross your defense zone and surrender to others, it will be your fault. You must not stop them in the slightest."

Hu Nan said, "What if the surrendered person changes his mind from one day to the next? He surrenders to a noble today, and wants to surrender to another noble tomorrow?"

Temujin said without hesitation, "The first noble who surrenders will be the standard. For those who are fickle, just kill them directly."

"According to the order!"

Finally, Temujin looked at Zhao Shuo again and said, "The number of soldiers you released was less than 30,000, right? They are all your subordinates."

"Thank you, Father Khan!" Zhao Shuo bowed slightly.

Then, Temujin began to deploy his troops.

He shouted: "Jochi, Ogedei, Chagatai!"

"Here!" Temujin's three sons answered in unison.

Temujin said, "I will give you an additional 10,000 troops, including 5,000 from the Baru Battalion and 5,000 from the grasslands. Together with your original troops, the total will be 20,000. Go and sweep Shanxi again."

"Yes."

That’s right, Subutai and others have captured many cities in Shanxi, even Datong.

However, the Mongols fought differently from any other dynasty. They would not leave troops behind, but would just plunder and then leave.

After Subuchi and others left, the entire Shanxi province was recovered by the Jin Kingdom and became its territory again, able to provide the Jin Kingdom with manpower and supplies.

Now, Temujin wanted them to lead a large army to sweep through Shanxi again and eliminate Shanxi's war potential.

Temujin ordered again: "Jebe!"

"exist!"

"I'm giving you 20,000 more troops, including 10,000 from the Baru Camp and 10,000 from the Grassland Army. Add to that your own troops, and you'll have 21,000 men. Take advantage of the Jin Gou's defenses in the Northeast and seize all of their capital, including Dongjing (later Liaoyang) and Shangjing (Huining Prefecture)!"

"According to the order."

Then, Temujin sent another 10,000 troops to Muhuali, including 5,000 from the Baru Camp and 5,000 from the Grassland Army. Together with Muhuali's own 11,000 troops, the total number was 21,000, and they were sent to sweep the Shandong region of the Jin Dynasty.

Finally, Temujin looked at Zhao Shuo and said, "Ashuo, leave me 20,000 soldiers from the Baru Camp. I will be stationed here to guard the Golden Dog in Zhongdu. Don't let any of them escape. You lead the rest of the troops to sweep Hebei."

"Yes!"

Now Temujin's deployment of troops is very obvious.

Temujin himself led 52,000 troops to guard the city of Zhongdu.

Zhebei led an army of 21,000 to attack the northeast.

Subuchi led an army of 20,000 to attack Shanxi.

Mu Huali led an army of 21,000 to attack Shandong.

Zhao Shuo led 36,000 troops to attack Hebei.

In addition, Hebei is closest to Zhongdu, and Zhao Shuo also has the task of providing nearby support to Temujin.

But the task was so obvious that Temujin didn't need to explain it specifically.

Temujin asked, "Do you have any other questions?"

"there is none left!"

"Then, tomorrow morning, we will act according to the plan."

"Yes!"

Boom~~
Early the next morning, nearly 100,000 Mongolian troops left Zhongdu City and headed towards the northeast, Shandong, Shanxi and Hebei.

Zhebei first attacked Dongjing (Liaoyang), the richest city in the northeast. Although the city had only 3,000 regular troops, it also had 10,000 soldiers from prefectures and counties and 10,000 signed troops, and its defenses were very strong. After two days of attacking, Zhebei realized that the battle could not be fought this way.

Immediately, Zhebei led his army to retreat for seven consecutive days, retreating a total of 500 miles.

Just when the Liaoyang defenders thought they had repelled the Mongolian army and relaxed their guard, Zhebe led his army on a rapid march of 500 miles in one day and one night to the outskirts of Liaoyang and captured the city in one fell swoop.

Then, Zhebei led a large army to besiege the Shangjing Huining Prefecture of the Jin Dynasty and was attacking the city.

Mu Huali's conquest of Shandong and Subuchi and others' conquest of Shanxi were also very successful.

Temujin had a small problem. He originally just wanted to keep an eye on the Zhongdu garrison and prevent them from leaving the city to reinforce other places.

But after a long time, Temujin could not stand the loneliness and tried to attack the capital. At the critical moment of the battle, Temujin personally went to the battlefield.

As a result, he was hit by an arrow in the leg.

But this is not important to the overall situation. Temujin is recuperating in Longhutai.

Subutai led these troops and continued to watch the Jin army in Zhongdu.

In the current Jin Dynasty, Shaanxi was still fighting fiercely with the Western Xia, and the Northeast, Shandong, Shanxi, and Hebei were turned upside down by the Mongols. Only Henan was relatively peaceful, and it looked like a doomed country.

Zhao Shuo's attack on Hebei was also unstoppable.

Today, an army of 5,000 men under his command arrived outside Dingxing City.

The magistrate of Dingxing County, Nalan Ezhen, was a Jurchen. Not only did he refuse to surrender, but he also cursed Temujin and his son-in-law Zhao Shuo from the top of the city wall.

The Mongolian army began to sweep the countryside and recruit strong men from the people.

Because the Mongolian army had accumulated good reputation from the previous capture of the Hebei city, this time the conscription of militiamen went very smoothly.

Even when the army had just arrived and before conscription began, some militiamen came forward on their own initiative.

Now these 15,000 militiamen have been recruited and have begun to build simple siege equipment such as shields, ladders, and shield carts.

Since you can't avoid conscription anyway, why not actively participate?
If I'm lucky and the city is captured, I might be able to make a fortune and give my wife and children a good year or two.

However, neither these militiamen nor the Mongolian troops under the city had expected that a man named Zhang Rou in Dingxing City would become the protagonist of this battle.

This Zhang Rou is not simple.

According to historical records, Zhang Rou faced the brutal southward invasion of the Mongol army by gathering his neighbors and building a stronghold for self-defense. Five years later, he was appointed magistrate of Dingxing County. Later, he was transferred to Zhongdu and concurrently prefect of Daxing. He fought a fierce battle with the Mongol army at Langya Mountain, was defeated and captured, and was forced to surrender to the Mongols.

In the end, the Zhang family became one of the most prominent hereditary marquises in the Han army, and Zhang Rou was granted the title of King of Runan.

Zhang Rou's son Zhang Hongfan led a large army and destroyed the Southern Song Dynasty.

However, Zhang Rou is now just a country tycoon in Dingxing County.

This kind of country-made big hair is mainly divided into two categories.

The first category is people like Shi Bingzhi, who are wealthy, brave, and have hundreds or even two or three thousand private soldiers under their command.

The second type is those whose families are not wealthy, but who are brave and loyal, helping the elderly and the weak, resolving disputes among the people, and thus accumulating great prestige among the people. A single call from a high place can gather hundreds of young men to follow.

Zhang Rou belongs to the second type.

This time the Mongols caused great chaos in Hebei, and the Dingxing County Magistrate Na Lan'e was really panicked.

Not only did he invite a thousand soldiers from Yizhou, but he also invited all the wealthy and powerful people in Dingxing County into the city, including Zhang Rou.

Now, Zhang Rou was appointed as the "Commander-in-Chief" (the organization of the Jin Dynasty's late military forces), and he had five hundred strong men under his command, all of whom were his neighbors.

Zhang Rou is really fed up now.

In history, the Mongols committed all sorts of atrocities, such as burning, killing, looting, and committing all sorts of evil. Zhang Rou naturally stepped forward to protect his neighbors. Later, he was defeated and captured, and surrendered to the Mongols. That was out of his choice, but it also meant protecting his neighbors.

What's going on now?

The Mongolian army only collected money from the rich and distributed the money to the poor. It was none of Zhang Rou’s business!
He had even wanted to do this a long time ago!

Why stay in Dingxing City and wait for death?
At this moment, someone suddenly came to report that Qiao Weizhong wanted to see him.

Qiao Weizhong, the deputy commander of Zhang Rou in history, now also belongs to the second type of local tyrant. He does not have much money at home and relies on his prestige to do things.

The two of them had always been close friends, and now they were both commanders, each with 500 men under their command.

Immediately, Zhang Rou ordered someone to invite Qiao Weizhong in.

Qiao Weizhong held a jar of sweet wine in each hand, and they came to drink with Qiao Weizhong.

It just so happened that a wealthy family in the city sent two roast chickens to Zhang Rou.

The two of them ate roast chicken and drank sweet wine, and in less than an hour, they were drunk.

"Brother Zhang Rou," Qiao Weizhong said drunkenly, "the wealthy family in the city treats you well and even gave you such a delicious roast chicken."

"Not a bad fart!"

Zhang Rou snorted coldly and said, "When have those rich people ever looked at the poor? Only now that I have 500 soldiers under my command do they try to curry favor with me. Just yesterday, two of my soldiers stole one of their sheep and ate it. As a result, they forced me to beat them with 30 military sticks each."

These two brothers are still lying in bed, and I don’t know if they can survive.

Humph, it’s time for us to fight for our lives, and you’re still acting like this.

When the Mongols retreat, who knows what they're going to do to us?"

Qiao Weizhong said, "The county magistrate is really lazy and deceitful. He treated you well and even gave you an official position."

"Whoever wants this lousy commander can have him. He's a Jurchen and he wants to protect his Jin dynasty. What does it have to do with us Han people?" Zhang Rou's face was full of disapproval.

"In that case..."

Qiao Weizhong stared into Zhang Rou's eyes and said, "Let's rebel!"

"Rebellion? Are you trying to kill yourself?"

Zhang Rou subconsciously glanced around and said, "Dingxing is a large county. The various powerful families alone have eight thousand soldiers and horses. There are also one thousand state and county soldiers and five hundred yamen runners. What can we accomplish with just a thousand of us?"

"Why can't it be accomplished? Let's not talk about those county soldiers and yamen runners for now. How many of these wealthy soldiers don't come from poor families? Are they really willing to die with these wealthy people? When they are enjoying the best food and the best drinks, they don't think about them."

The "big rich man" that Qiao Weizhong mentioned is of course referring to the first type of big rich man.

Seeing Zhang Rou's intention, Qiao Weizhong continued to persuade him, "As long as we lead these 1,000 men to turn against the enemy and strike while we are defending the city, and everyone else will respond, then this matter will be accomplished!"

"That's it..."

Zhang Rou pondered for a while, his expression changing from gloomy to bright.

Suddenly, he shook his head slightly and said, "This is not appropriate. Not all of our subordinates are on the same page with us.

If we inform our subordinates in advance, there will be many complications and there is no guarantee that someone will inform on us. If we do not inform them in advance, there will be too many variables and the result may not be as we wish.

Besides, a siege would kill people. It would be unacceptable for me to surrender to the Mongols after so many of my neighbors died."

Qiao Weizhong said: "Then what Big Brother means is..."

Zhang Rou gritted her teeth and said, "If we're going to do this, let's do something big! Gather our troops and attack the county government office immediately!"

"This...can this be possible?"

"You said, too, that the soldiers of the great lords are unwilling to contribute. When we were defending the city, they were attacked, and how could they not resist? Now we are attacking the county government office, and they are willing to stand aside. The county soldiers and the government runners total two thousand men. Four hundred men are stationed at each of the four city gates, and the garrison near the county government office is no more than four hundred.

We fight quickly, and those state and county troops may not have time to reinforce us.

Also, if there is chaos in the city, the Mongols will definitely take the opportunity to attack the city.

Do you think we have a chance?"

"Yes!" Qiao Weizhong's eyes lit up.

Zhang Rou said, "Then go gather your people! The sooner the better. Delays can lead to unexpected events."

"Yes!"

Immediately, the two men gathered 500 militiamen each, totaling 1,000 people, and charged towards the county government office.

No mobilization is needed.

The Jiaochao currency of the Great Jin Dynasty depreciated by a million times, and every citizen suffered greatly from it.

The Jin Dynasty imposed heavy taxes and levied heavy fines, conscripting soldiers and collecting grain. The people not only struggled to get enough food and clothing after working for a year, but also faced the pain of losing their loved ones at any time.

Now that they need the people, they want them to protect their property and official positions with their lives.

How could anything be so cheap?

Every citizen harbors deep hatred towards this court!
"Kill the golden dog!"

"We rebelled and surrendered to Mongolia!"

"The city has been broken! The city has been broken! Join us and kill the officials and rebel!"

"Revenge is necessary for those who have suffered grievances!"

"The Mongolians keep their word and really give money!"

……

When they approached the county government office, Zhang Rou and others had already fought with officers and soldiers loyal to the Jin Dynasty, and shouts were heard one after another!
The so-called "the city has been broken" is of course a lie. The purpose is to undermine the morale of the enemy!
At this time, in the county government office, the county magistrate Na Lan E was drinking with the richest man in Dingxing.

"I offer a toast to the county lord."

The richest man in Dingxing is named Li Yingduo.

The more chaotic the times, the more opportunities these rural tycoons had for plundering and plundering. After forcing countless people to lose their homes and families, Li Yingduo's wealth had exceeded 200,000 strings of cash and over 100,000 mu of land, with 20% of the county's land concentrated in his hands.

Li Yingduo said cautiously, "Your Excellency, can we defend Dingxing City?"

"How could we not hold it?" Na Lan Ezhen said confidently, "Although the Mongolian soldiers are fierce, their numbers are too small. They have been struggling in Hebei for over half a year, and their troops must be old and tired. We have 10,000 troops in Dingxing City, and the city is fortified. How can they capture it? It's a huge joke.

I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, Brother Li. I'm already prepared for a meteoric rise. By then, I'm afraid even you, Brother Li, will be able to become an official, haha."

"Thank you, Your Excellency, for your cultivation. Thank you, Your Excellency, for your cultivation!"

Li Yingduo smiled apologetically and nodded repeatedly.

In fact, he was not that eager to get an official position.

The most important thing is his money, which must not be taken away by the Mongols.

Li Yingduo thought to himself: If you Mongols do not harm the surrendered cities, what does it matter if I surrender to you Mongols?
Unfortunately, you are too few in number and can only break into the city, not defend it. You must plunder a large amount of money and livestock in the city to prevent them from being used by the Jin court in the future.

Then I'm sorry.

The money I, Li Yingduo, earned through hard work.

Although I sometimes force a few people to death in order to collect debts, it is their fault. Who told them to owe me money?
If they don’t have money, they can just use their wives and sisters to pay off their debts. Why do they have to be so pessimistic?
I have a clear conscience!
It's my money, you Mongolians, don't even think about taking a penny!
If you insist on snatching it, don't blame me for breaking all your teeth!

However, at this moment, suddenly there was a burst of shouting and killing outside the county government office.

"Kill the golden dog!"

"Zhang Rou and Qiao Weizhong have both rebelled!"

"Brothers, come join us in Mongolia and enjoy the best food and drink!"

"The city has been broken, the Mongols have entered the city!"

……

"what?"

Pfft!
After hearing these shouts, Li Yingduo collapsed in his seat. When the time came, he realized how close death was to him.

He discovered that he didn't really love money that much.

But it was too late now.

He had just followed Na Lan Ezhen out of the living room in a hurry when he saw Zhang Rou leading dozens of armored soldiers, killing and dispersing a dozen county soldiers guarding the courtyard, and coming towards them.

Thumb thump thump~~
Zhang Rou was holding a caltrop bone in his hand. His armor was stained red with blood, and even his face was splashed with some red and white substances.

The dozens of strong men behind him were all similar.

The red is blood!

White brains!
It really looks like a demon walking out of hell, or an evil ghost crawling out of hell to collect debts!

"Ah! Zhang Rou, you really are rebelling!"

Nalan Ezhen was furious and said, "I have treated you well, why are you rebelling against me?"

"Hmph, not bad?" Zhang Rou sneered. "You just made me a small commander, and you want me to work for you Jurchens? I'm Han Chinese, so working for anyone is the same as working for them. Today, I surrender to Mongolia!"

Then, with a wave of his hand, he said, "Tie him up and hand him over to the Mongolian army!"

"Yes!"

One of his men stepped forward and punched Na Lan He Zhen viciously several times, knocking out three of his teeth, and then tied him up tightly.

Only now did Zhang Rou breathe a sigh of relief. As long as he had Na Lan E Zhen as a hostage, he would be able to protect himself even if the Mongols didn't take advantage of the chaos to attack the city, or even if the prefecture and county troops at the city gates attacked.

“Brother Zhang Rou, no, Brother Zhang Rou!”

Li Yingduo was so frightened that he kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Please spare my life! I'll give you money. How about 50,000 strings of cash? 100,000 strings of cash would be fine too! As long as you don't kill me and tell the Mongols that I started the rebellion with you, that's all!"

"I regret it now, it's too late!"

In Dingxing, who didn't know about Li Yingduo's extortion, plunder, and bullying? He must have killed dozens of people!

Zhang Rou had long wanted to kill him, but he just didn't have enough strength to do it.

He snorted coldly and said, "Alright, Mr. Li, stop wasting your energy. Today, not only will your hundreds of thousands of guan be gone, but the women in your family will become slaves of the Mongols, and maybe even my brothers will get a piece of the spoils."

"Don't even think of leaving any of your male offspring alive! Your Li family is doomed to be a river of blood today!"

In fact, the city had already been flooded with blood.

Nalan'ezhen was loyal to the Jin Dynasty and dreamed that the Mongolian army would be exhausted. Li Yingduo was reluctant to give up the property he had plundered, and blinded by greed, he believed Nalan'ezhen's lies.

However, the Mongolian soldiers outside the city brought enormous psychological pressure to the soldiers and yamen runners from the prefectures and counties, as well as to the eight thousand local tyrants' subordinates in the city.

There's not much benefit in winning.

If you lose the fight, your whole family will die.

Then why fight?

At the moment when shouts of killing broke out in the city, the county soldiers hurriedly opened the city gates and invited the Mongolian army into the city.

The eight thousand local tyrants' men, knowing which families had money, attacked the wealthy families in the city. Although half of the money would have to be divided with the Mongolian army, getting half for themselves was not bad either. If not now, when would they seize it?

As for the ordinary men in the city, after instructing their families to shut their doors and windows, most of them headed to the county government office to lend their support. The Mongol notice stated that if they fought hard and surrendered the city, not only would none of their property be taken, but they would also receive a reward! How could such a good opportunity be missed?

A small number of men also rushed to the wealthy homes in the city.

They are not out to rob money, but to take revenge!
Revenge when there is injustice, and revenge when there is revenge!
Certain wealthy families routinely oppress the good, and their blood debts are countless. Today, it is their turn to bleed!
Someone even set a huge fire.

The city was in chaos, flames shot up into the sky, and blood flowed like a river!
Fortunately, Zhang Rou was quite capable. After figuring out the situation, he used his prestige to maintain order. On the other hand, he asked Qiao Weizhong to meet with the Mongolian officer to explain the situation.

Qiao Weizhong was very lucky, as he met Geerile, the first thousandth household leader under Zhao Shuo.

Geerile understood Chinese. After listening to Qiao Weizhong's report, he quickly sent people to put out the fire and sent a thousand soldiers from the Baru Camp to help Zhang Rou maintain order.

An hour later, Dingxing City returned to normal.

However, within this short hour, thirteen of the thirty-eight wealthy families in the city were killed, and no one, young or old, male or female, was spared.

The remaining wealthy families would also face the fate of having all their male members beheaded and their wives demoted to slavery.

However, Zhang Rou did not feel any emotional fluctuations about this.

Are there any wealthy families with good reputations who do not oppress the common people? Of course there are a few.

But when the Jin court signed up soldiers, did they bribe officials to avoid military service? Absolutely!

And as for taxes, did they bribe officials to reduce their taxes? Absolutely!
Don’t these military services and taxes ultimately fall on the shoulders of the poor people?
How could it be that in such a chaotic world, the poor were allowed to be driven to ruin, but the rich couldn't? That doesn't make sense!

The Mongols are coming, and the world will turn around!

Later, Zhang Rou helped the Mongols count the property in the city.

The Mongols would definitely take away the gold, silver, valuables and livestock.

Gold, silver and other valuables are treasures that everyone likes. Livestock are strategic materials that can be used to transport military supplies and troops, so they must not be left to the Jin Kingdom.

But the Mongols had little interest in other things.

For example, the food accumulated by these rich families was enough to feed the people of the entire county for two years, but the Mongols only took enough military rations for 5,000 people for one month, and the rest was distributed to the people of the entire city and the recruited militiamen.

In addition, the furniture, ordinary clothes, pots and pans, and even bricks and stones in the homes of wealthy people are of great use to ordinary people.

The Mongols showed no interest at all, but the people came with their elderly and children to share these things.

For a moment, almost everyone in the city had a happy smile on their face.

"I've wanted to do something like this for a long time! It's fun to follow the Mongols!"

Zhang Rou looked at the smiles on the faces of these poor people and thought secretly.

----

A bit late, 10,000 words, five chapters in one
(End of this chapter)