The Ming Dynasty: Starting with bandits, it swept across the land.

At dawn, a shrill horn blared, and Xu Youlu covered his ears inside the tent.

This was the suggestion of Luo Dai, the commander of the vanguard who had come to join the rebels. The rebel army should set up the drums and gongs and display the banners so that they would obey orders when marching and fighting.

After the first blast of the loudspeaker, Dajun got up, packed his things, and cooked.

After the second blast of the loudspeakers, the army ate and prepared to depart.

After the third blast of the bugle, the army rose and set off.

Xu Youlu had no objection to this, but he couldn't understand why the suona could be played so horribly, sounding like the mourning wailing of a filial son at a village funeral.

Do those border troops in Yulin Town and Suide Town hear this every morning?

The horn stopped, he got out of bed, dressed, took a bronze mirror from his luggage, walked out of the tent, tidied his hair and beard in the morning light, and then packed his things away.

People around him would see him from time to time and greet him, saying, "Hello, Mr. Xu."

Xu Youlu was originally an intern accountant at Fengtai Rice Shop on Chengcheng East Street.

In the beginning, it took a lot of favors for the shopkeeper to get him a job at Fengtai Rice Shop, and he only reluctantly accepted him.

Since joining the rice shop, he has always done his best, and he has always been happy to deal with both difficult customers and pressure from the shopkeeper.

It was only because when he entered the rice shop, the shopkeeper told him that once he completed his apprenticeship, he would receive a monthly salary of four qian of silver per month.

This is no small amount. He calculated that he lived and ate at the rice shop and didn't have any extra expenses. He could save four taels a year.

He didn't have any bad habits; he neither gambled nor drank. He just wanted to finish his apprenticeship and earn a monthly salary so he could marry Erni, a girl from the same village.

He worked there for three years, but by the spring of the fourth year, the shopkeeper still hadn't mentioned giving him a permanent position after completing his apprenticeship.

Later, he couldn't resist any longer and at the end of the year, he squeezed out some money to buy two ounces of wine. He mustered up the courage to ask the shopkeeper, but the shopkeeper said that he was not skilled enough and could not graduate yet.

This is a joke!

Over the years, both the shopkeeper and the owner had patted him on the shoulder, saying that he was steady and had a good grasp of things.

No matter who comes to buy rice or how much they buy, he remembers it all clearly. When he checks the accounts and inventory at the end of the month, he can roughly estimate the amount without looking at the ledger. Once he sets up the abacus, the amount is always correct. How come he is not good at it?

He wanted to ask again, but the shopkeeper was already impatient and waved him away.

He later learned that no apprentice at Fengtai Rice Shop ever successfully completed their apprenticeship; everyone remained an apprentice until they left, at which point they were considered to have "graduated."

But given his connections with the rice shop and the government, which rice shop would dare to take him in after he left?

This is a dead end.

Erni from the village also got married; she married the village's black dog.

Black Dog was thin and had a squint, but his family owned land and was willing to spend money. He used an acre of land as a dowry to marry Erni.

After Erni got married and left, he lost his spirit and felt that he was just living day by day without any future. He thought that this was probably how his life would be.

But on April 13th of the seventh year of the Tianqi reign, the world changed.

Xu Youlu remembers it clearly: the weather that morning was exceptionally good, with clear skies and no clouds. Yet the streets were in chaos, like ants in a disturbed nest, with the sounds of horses' hooves and cries mingling together.

He peered through the crack in the door and saw Qiu, the usually arrogant clerk, being dragged out of the yamen like a dead dog. His head was pressed against the street corner, and with a flash of a knife, it rolled to the ground.

Xu Youlu recognized the man wielding the knife; he was a blacksmith from the city's iron shop, and had even come to the shop in March to buy two liters of millet on credit.

He frowned at the time, thinking that with the grain prices then, the poor blacksmith probably wouldn't be able to pay it back in his lifetime.

The door of the rice shop was kicked open, and the people who came in were dressed in messy clothes, their faces were covered in black so they couldn't be seen, but their eyes were frighteningly bright. They were carrying kitchen knives, hoes, and waist knives that they had taken from the soldiers.

The shopkeeper slumped behind the counter and wet his pants.

A burly man with a scruffy beard walked up to the rice bin, grabbed a handful of rice mixed with fine sand, and examined it closely.

His gaze finally settled on Xu Youlu, who looked bewildered and still clutched the abacus, and he asked, "Are you here to do the accounting?"

Xu Youlu nodded subconsciously.

The burly man then asked, "Should the heartless shopkeeper be killed?"

At that moment, Xu Youlu's mind raced faster than an abacus. Seeing the knife in the big man's hand and the men behind him gleaming like hungry wolves, he immediately said, "Serves him right! He still has 50 bags of pure, unadulterated rice hidden in the inner room of his storeroom, and the silver buried in the cellar. I know exactly where it is!"

Later he learned that the big man was called Wang Er, who later became Chief Wang.

Chief Wang walked over, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "From today onwards, you'll work for me, managing the grain and accounts."

Then, Chief Wang beheaded the shopkeeper with a single stroke.

And just like that, Xu Youlu, the shop assistant at Fengtai Rice Shop, became Xu Youlu, the grain and ration officer under Wang Er.

The rebel army's ledgers were much more difficult to keep than those in a rice shop. He had to keep accounts and calculate everything from firewood, rice, oil, salt, armor, and weapons—things that Xu Youlu had never dealt with before.

However, Xu Youlu felt much more relaxed than before.

It doesn't matter if the calculation is wrong.

Apart from Zhong Huaidao, who had studied at a private school for two years, the rest of Wang Er's group were completely illiterate.

No one could tell whether Xu Youlu's accounts were good or bad.

Xu Youlu felt that life was different. Before, he was just a rice shop assistant who could be summoned at will, but now he was in charge of the entire warehouse of Chengcheng.

The girls at Chunhua Tower in the city took turns offering themselves to him, serving him a different woman every day, hoping to get a little food from him.

Aside from having to put on a smiling face in front of Wang Er and his ilk, he was the boss, and life was really comfortable.

The crushing defeat of the Yan'an Guard Banner Army, which came to annihilate them, made him feel that this situation could continue.

However, he gradually discovered that there was one problem that could not be solved: there was not enough food to eat.

Ever since Wang Er occupied Chengcheng, refugees from all directions have come to him, and Wang Er has welcomed all of them, setting up shelters and distributing grain.

Chengcheng was originally a severely affected area of ​​drought in northern Shaanxi, and grain prices have been rising for the past two years without ever coming down.

Grain merchants from Guanzhong, Shanxi, and even Henan all knew that grain prices were high in northern Shaanxi, so they transported grain in droves, hoping to make a fortune.

But Wang Er's appearance shattered their beautiful dream.

The day after Chengcheng fell, Xu Youlu's first task was to inventory the grain reserves in the city's official and private granaries. The granaries in the county government compound were so empty that rats could run around in them, but the grain reserves of the gentry and rice shops in the city amounted to eight thousand shi (a unit of dry measure).

This amount of grain is enough to feed the entire city's 10,000 residents for three months.

Wang Er generously opened the granary and distributed grain. Xu Youlu didn't dare to take any for himself, but he gave more to the weak women who had no one to rely on, and no one said anything.

However, to everyone's surprise, the number of disaster victims grew, not only from Chengcheng, but also from nearby Baishui County, Yijun County, and even Suide, who heard the news that Wang Er was distributing grain.

At first, when Wang Er heard Xu Youlu's report that there wasn't enough food, he didn't believe it. After all, he remembered that when they had just captured the city, the grain in the granary was higher than a mountain.

But after hearing the specific data, Wang Er could only scratch his head and tell Xu Youlu to go back so he could discuss it with his brothers.

After two days of discussion, a conclusion was reached: Chengcheng was no longer a safe place to stay.

We have to leave, but where to?

Go to a place where there is food.

Baishui, Yijun, and Chengcheng are adjacent to each other and both have grain reserves. However, Chen Xianze, the magistrate of Baishui, is a clever man who knows how to plan ahead. Long before the Yan'an Guard attacked Chengcheng, he was inspecting the city's defenses, preparing provisions, and organizing the able-bodied men to defend the city. He doesn't seem like someone to be trifled with.

I haven't heard anything special about Yijun, so let's go to Yijun.

When Liu, the scholar who had been invited by Wang Er with generous gifts, heard the news, he cursed "bandits" and ran away.

When Wang Er led his team away from Chengcheng, many people like Liu Xiucai had already fled. Wang Er was furious, but it was all in vain.

But Xu Youlu did not leave.

Then he was promoted to the rear camp commander in Wang Erjun's army.

Xu Youlu greeted the rebels in the main camp all the way to the rear camp. The rear camp contained all of Wang Er's food and supplies, and Xu Youlu was the chief logistics officer of the entire rebel army.

At this time, the dozen or so large pots in the rear camp had begun to steam, emitting a fragrant aroma of food.

Many people were already standing in front of the pot with bowls in their hands, waiting for the meal to be served; however, all of these people were middle-aged men.

Wang Erjun's army is currently short of food. The most elite cavalry members have two meals of dry rice a day, and there is also a late-night hot soup when they patrol the camp. The eight or nine hundred men in the old camp also have two meals a day, but the night meal is thin.

As for the other refugees, regardless of whether they were old, weak, women, or children, they were given enough food to cook a thin porridge every day or two, and left to fend for themselves.

Because of this rough management, in places far from Wang Erzhong's army, there would be serious incidents of casualties caused by the looting of grain every night, and many people would never get up again every morning.

But as long as they can still get up, they will continue to follow Wang Er.

Because there is no other way out.

The food was ready, and the second round of loudspeaker announcements rang out.

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Xu Youlu sat on a small stool with a rough wooden table in front of him. His breakfast consisted of a bowl of thick porridge that wouldn't budge even if you stuck a chopstick in it, a dish of pickled vegetables, and two boiled eggs. Compared to the other soldiers in the camp who squatted to drink their porridge, his meals were undoubtedly a step above.

Just as he finished the last mouthful of porridge, he noticed that Sun Laoliu from the kitchen was standing in front of him with someone.

The man stood a few steps away with his hands at his sides; he looked somewhat familiar.

Xu Youlu remembered that this was a minor leader named Li Chengye who had come to seek refuge just two days ago, and was also a fellow villager of the major leader Wang Er.

However, the two had no further contact after their first meeting.

He wondered what the other party wanted by suddenly coming to see him today. Could it be that they were running out of supplies?

But he remembered that Li Chengye brought several carts of grain and fodder when he came, and Wang Er allowed him to use them himself, which made him quite regretful at the time, as they could not be used as a supplement to the army's grain and fodder.

Li Chengye stepped forward and respectfully clasped his hands in greeting: "I apologize for disturbing your meal, sir. I have some personal matters to attend to today and would like to ask for your assistance."

Xu Youlu was curious and asked Sun Laoliu to step back first, wanting to see what he was up to.

Seeing that no one was around, Li Chengye took out an inconspicuous cloth bundle from his pocket and gently placed it on Xu Youlu's dining table. However, it made a dull sound, indicating that it was quite heavy.

"Mr. Xu, these are the valuables we obtained when we fled the village. They may be able to supplement our expenses in the camp. This is just a small token of our appreciation."

Xu Youlu opened the bundle, which was full of silver ingots of good quality. He weighed them and estimated that there were about thirty taels.

This is no small amount.

If this were in his old rice shop, even if he successfully completed his apprenticeship, it would have taken him ten years to earn that much. But Xu Youlu, who was now quite worldly-wise, didn't even raise his eyelids, his mind racing: What exactly does Li Chengye want with such a generous gift?

"Li, what is the meaning of this?" Xu Youlu asked calmly, but a slight smile played on his lips. "The army has its own rules. How can you privately offer me silver to supplement the camp's expenses?"

Li Chengye said in a low voice, "Sir, you are wise. Our team is small and weak. Nowadays, the army is full of all sorts of people. With my small body, I don't know when I will be swallowed by a passing 'big dragon'."

"I hope you will allow my troops to temporarily return to the command of the rear camp to ensure peace for the time being. This small amount of silver is nothing but a token of my respect, and I will repay you handsomely in the future."

Xu Youlu finally understood; the other party wanted to use his "tiger skin"!

Indeed, the army is currently short of food, and the several carts of grain under Li Chengye's command are like a tempting piece of meat.

Since his own rear camp was Wang Er's direct subordinate force, if Li Chengye and others had the title of rear camp, others would naturally think that he had become Wang Er's old soldiers and would not dare to cause trouble again.

Recently, there have been frequent incidents of refugees looting grain and fodder around the rear camp. He doesn't know how to march and fight, and he has no one under his command, so he really can't suppress the situation. Wang Er has intervened several times.

He recalled that when they first met, Li Chengye's men were able to form a wagon formation, which seemed to indicate they were fairly disciplined. If they could help him solve this big problem, then borrowing the banner of the rear camp wouldn't be out of the question.

Xu Youlu carefully sized up Li Chengye and said, "You're quite knowledgeable. Are the armor and equipment in your team complete? Do you have any special skills?"

"Reporting to Mr. Xu, our team has more than 30 swords and spears, two muskets, and a certain amount of gunpowder and lead bullets. Most of the team members are farmers, and a few have worked as carpenters and blacksmiths; among the young men, there are five or six who have ridden horses and can also shoot arrows."

Upon hearing "arquebus," Xu Youlu became interested and pressed, "How's the quality? Can we let it go?"

"Let it go, it's usable."

When Li Chengye first obtained those two muskets, he practiced them on purpose. Within thirty paces, he hit the trunk of the willow tree that was being used as a target.

According to Yang Chongwang, these two muskets were Lumi muskets, well-made and crafted from fine iron, much better than the junk in the border army camp.

Xu Youlu pondered for a moment, then beckoned over, and Sun Laoliu came over. He whispered a few words to Sun Laoliu, who then bowed his head and left.

"Old Liu just told me that you helped him build the stove and pots yesterday, and you did a very good job. Now that the main force is moving out, the first priority is food and fodder, and the second priority is to guard against harassment by government troops."

You are few in number, but you are all from the same village, and your equipment is relatively complete. Currently, the camp is short of food, and there are fights and even deaths every day due to the theft of food and supplies, which has caused unrest in the camp. Even the commander-in-chief has inquired about it many times.

If you can handle this matter well, you can borrow the banner of the rear camp.

Since setting up camp the day before yesterday, Li Chengye and his men have been harassed repeatedly. Although there haven't been any cases like the first day where they came to their door with knives, they have caught people trying to sneak into the camp to steal food every night for the past two days.

On several occasions, women would throw their children into their camp and run away, just so the children could have a bite to eat there.

They couldn't find the mothers, so they simply kicked the children out of the camp, essentially telling them to die. With no other option, they entrusted the four or five children to the women in the team for care.

After a moment's thought, Li Chengye said to Xu Youlu, "Since you have given me this order, I will do my utmost! I will certainly maintain order in the rear camp and prevent the displaced people from causing trouble."

"Alright, you will be assigned to the third sentry post of the rear camp. During the day, you will follow around the mess hall and guard the grain carts during marches; when you set up camp, you will also be in this area to serve as sentries. If anyone tries to loot the grain at night, you must stop them."

"Thank you, Mr. Xu."

Xu Youlu paused for a moment, then said, "Now that you are under my command, although the chief previously said that you would be responsible for your own food, from now on, you can eat dinner together in the rear camp. I will talk to the kitchen about it."

Li Chengye was overjoyed and immediately bowed respectfully: "Thank you, Mr. Xu! I will certainly obey your orders, discipline my men, and do my utmost!"

Xu Youlu nodded, then, as if remembering something, added, "By the way, since you've killed landlords and distributed grain before, you know why we've risen up. Although the government troops were defeated by us last time and haven't attacked again, we must still be on guard. I've heard there are signs of government troops moving around in the direction of Fuzhou and Yan'an Prefecture to the north. You have skilled riders in your ranks; keep a close eye out for anything unusual and report to me immediately."

"yes!"

After leaving the kitchen, Li Chengye's palms were slightly sweaty, but he felt mostly relieved.

Then he thought of another crucial question.

Including Chengen and Shitou, his own troops numbered only about fifty men capable of wielding weapons. When he made a rough observation of the rear camp, he found that there were over a hundred carts carrying supplies, not to mention the mules and horses. Moreover, there were at least seven or eight thousand hungry refugees in the surrounding area.

We don't have enough strength to protect some things!

But the words have already been spoken, what should I do?