The Great Rebel at the End of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 067, 3 loads of grain and fodder

"Brother Lun! Everyone's here!" Wang Tieniu ran excitedly to Zhou Lun, shouting loudly. The fat on his dark face was trembling, and his mouth was stretched so wide it almost reached his ears.

Zhou Lun was sitting on a large rock. Hearing this, he looked up and calmly asked, "Is the amount correct?"

Wang Tieniu nodded vigorously, his head bobbing like a chicken pecking at rice, grinning from ear to ear: "Three thousand dan! Not a penny less! Guaranteed to be correct!"

Zhou Lun then burst into laughter, a hearty and cheerful laugh. He stood up, turned around and looked at the Shenmu County city wall, which was clearly visible in the distance, his face full of undisguised joy.

To be honest, Zhou Lun himself didn't expect things to go so smoothly.

From beginning to end, it was nothing more than a letter and his pretentious display outside the city. That scoundrel Qiao Daonan, the magistrate of Shenmu County, actually agreed to his request and obediently and voluntarily delivered grain to the rebel army.

Zhou Lun never intended to take over Shenmu from the very beginning.

Not to mention that ever since the rebel army gathered in the vicinity, Shenmu County has been on high alert, with the city gates tightly closed and patrols on the city walls day and night, making it very heavily guarded.

Even though the garrison in Shenmu was small, numbering only a thousand or so, it was by no means an easy task to capture such a heavily fortified county town in a short period of time.

He had only 2,500 men at most, with about 500 of them being the most capable veterans. Furthermore, he didn't have any decent siege equipment. Even if he really wanted to attack Shenmu, he would have to wait for Gao Yingxiang's main force to arrive, then cut down trees and build siege equipment on the spot, which would take several days before he could take action.

If they were to fight a direct assault, the rebel army would certainly suffer heavy casualties. It might even result in them killing a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of their own. Zhou Lun was not about to engage in such a losing proposition.

Besides, even if we take Shenmu, it won't be of much use.

If they capture Shenmu, the rebel army cannot possibly establish a base there; on the contrary, they will be put on the defensive. Don't forget that Shenmu County's geographical location is different from Fugu County's.

Fugu is located near the Yellow River, making it easy to advance and retreat, while Shenmu is not far from the border, where the government troops from the north have long been assembled and awaiting orders. Once the rebel army occupies Shenmu, the government troops from the north can directly march south and be at the city's gates in just a few days. In addition, the border troops will most likely also send troops. In that case, with an attack from both inside and outside, what would be the point of taking Shenmu?

If that's the case, why did Zhou Lun go to all this way to Shenmu?

The answer is simple: he didn't come to fight at all; he came to scare people.

They made it appear as if they were about to launch a fierce attack on Shenmu, and then shot a letter into the city. The letter clearly stated that the rebel army planned to move south, but was currently facing a severe food shortage, and therefore requested some food from Shenmu County for relief.

If Magistrate Qiao is willing to provide grain, then the rebel army will not attack Shenmu, and everyone will go their separate ways. If Magistrate Qiao is not sensible, then the rebel army will not be polite. When they break through Shenmu, not only will the grain belong to the rebel army, but Zhou Lun cannot guarantee what will happen to the officials and people in the city.

To put it bluntly, this letter is a combination of intimidation and probing.

To be honest, Zhou Lun wasn't sure how Qiao Daonan would choose; it was just an experiment. If it worked out, great; if not, he had a backup plan.

However, Zhou Lun had inquired about Qiao Daonan beforehand. He wasn't a corrupt official, but he was definitely not the kind of incorruptible official who was stubbornly honest. In terms of human nature, such officials certainly had some cleverness, but as for true wisdom... that was another story. Moreover, such people were generally more willing to risk their lives and act flexibly, unlike those who were rigid in their principles and would readily risk their lives to defend the city.

Zhou Lun had initially estimated the chances of this succeeding to be about 50/50. But he hadn't expected that Qiao Daonan would actually agree so readily.

Not long after the message was sent in, Qiao Daonan sent men out of the city to negotiate, bargaining over Zhou Lun's demands one by one. After several rounds of back-and-forth, they finally agreed that Qiao Daonan would provide 3,000 dan of grain in exchange for the rebel army not attacking Shenmu. As soon as the rebel army received the grain, they would immediately withdraw and leave. This way, both sides looked good: the rebel army got the supplies and marched south, and Shenmu was also saved.

Three thousand dan (a unit of weight) is naturally far less than the ten thousand dan Zhou Lun initially asked for. However, given the resources of Shenmu County, it was already quite remarkable that Qiao Daonan could produce this much. Moreover, although this amount of grain was not much, it was enough to feed the rebel army for a while.

Now that the grain had been obtained and the amount had been accurately counted, Zhou Lun naturally kept his word. At his command, the rebel army quickly broke camp and left Shenmu.

Standing atop the city wall, watching the dark mass of troops march away, Qiao Daonan, whose heart had been hanging in suspense for days, finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Your Excellency's ability to repel the enemy army without a fight and preserve Shenmu is truly a blessing for the people!"

Seeing the rebel army retreat outside the city, a chorus of praise immediately rose from the city walls. Leading the way were the magistrate and registrar of Shenmu County, both of them looking relieved, their faces beaming with joy, wishing they could elevate Qiao Daonan to the heavens.

"Not at all," Qiao Daonan waved his hand, turned around and cupped his hands to the crowd, his face humble: "Today's victory over the enemy would not have been possible without your help. What ability could I have achieved by myself alone? It is all thanks to everyone."

His attitude made everyone present secretly breathe a sigh of relief. Although this matter was Qiao Daonan's idea and the decision he made, if the officials in Shenmu were to be investigated, none of them could escape responsibility.

Using this method to repel the enemy would do no good to anyone if word got out. But everyone wasn't stupid, especially the officials. They were all locals, their homes were in Shenmu, their wives and children were all here. If the rebel army broke through the county town, what would become of their entire families? Just thinking about it sent chills down their spines.

So when Qiao Daonan called everyone together to discuss the matter and revealed his intention to "give them food in exchange for their retreat," everyone agreed almost without hesitation. That's how we ended up with this result today.

Now that the rebel army outside the city had obtained the food and left, the crisis in Shenmu was over. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but another matter began to linger in their minds. How should this matter be resolved? How should they explain it to the imperial court?

Three thousand dan of grain is no small amount. How can such a large sum of grain be patched up just like that? If the higher-ups investigate, it will cause a lot of trouble.

"Commander Li! Registrar Liu!" Qiao Daonan pondered for a moment, then suddenly called out.

"Your humble servant is here!" the two replied in unison, bowing with their hands clasped.

"Quickly write a report," Qiao Daonan said, squinting his eyes as he pondered for a moment. "As for the content... write that the rebel army brought 50,000 troops to attack Shenmu. The entire county of Shenmu was united in its resolve, fighting to the death for three... no! six days, killing countless enemies. Thanks to the dedication of the officials and people in the city, Shenmu was ultimately defended. The rebel army failed to breach the city and retreated south..."

He paused, then added, "Registration Officer Liu, you can decide on the wording. Also, I should mention that, for the sake of defending the city, after discussions with you all, this county has recruited able-bodied men from the city and distributed money and provisions to boost morale. Furthermore, due to the war, the city has suffered considerable losses..."

As Liu, the registrar, listened, he nodded vigorously, his pen flying across the page as he jotted down notes. After Qiao Daonan finished speaking, his gaze swept towards Li, the centurion. Li, understanding, nodded emphatically, indicating that as the commander defending the city, he was willing to sign the report.

As for the others, the idea was the same. The report simply needed to vividly and meticulously describe their desperate defense of Shenmu at all costs, and then explain the grain issue clearly under the pretext of "distributing money and grain to incentivize the people." In this way, the three thousand dan of grain would have a place to go. If handled properly, these people might even be able to make a quick buck.

Everyone immediately beamed with joy, praising Qiao Daonan's arrangement as excellent, and vying to sign their names on the report. In this way, a military disaster was transformed into a merit. By holding the city and repelling the rebel army, they would not only be blameless but also highly meritorious when the court's rewards arrived.

In addition to submitting the report, Qiao Daonan also suggested allocating a sum of money from the county treasury, which he would personally deliver to his superiors and influence the situation. If the higher-ups approved, the matter would be dropped.

Everyone agreed without question, and they showered him with praise, saying that Qiao Daonan was a strategist and that it was a blessing for the people of Shenmu to have a magistrate like him serving as an official.

Now, let's set aside how Qiao Daonan handled the aftermath and focus on Zhou Lun's situation.

After receiving the supplies, Zhou Lun's troops kept their word and abandoned their plan to attack Shenmu.

Moreover, he never really intended to fight. After withdrawing his troops, the army left Shenmu in a grand and swaggering manner under the watchful eyes of everyone in Shenmu County, heading straight south.

After walking for a while, and estimating that the people on the walls of Shenmu City could no longer see clearly, Zhou Lun quietly gave the order: the troops turned around, from south to east, making a large circle, returning to the original marching route, and heading straight north.

Two days later, Zhou Lun's troops arrived in the Gaohanling area and found a convenient hiding place in the mountains to set up camp.

After waiting another day, Gao Yingxiang finally arrived with his main force, looking travel-worn.