Cutting over the end of the Ming Dynasty: a dog-leg knife at the beginning

Chapter 552 Solving the Bandits 5
He Yilong stuffed the whole steamed stuffed bun into his mouth, chewed it randomly, straightened his neck and swallowed it hard. He was so choked that he gasped hard, gave Li Yan a thumbs up, and laughed. : "You are a bit interesting, a scholar. Don't have any officials want to appease us. We all take gold, silver, jewelry, famous flowers and beauties. It's good for you to come here with a basket of buns! However, it is very suitable for He Laozi's appetite! The other two baskets are What? Could it be buns too?"

Li Yan smiled and said: "Of course not... Everyone, let's go in and talk."

This sentence really appealed to everyone's appetite, and these generals invited Li Yan into the Chinese army account almost like a star.Li Yan is not hypocritical. Immediately after entering, he placed the other two bamboo baskets on the table with his own hands, and lifted the white cloth covering them. Oh, the second basket contained a large pot of soft boiled rice. There are four dishes in a bamboo basket, one is stewed chicken nuggets with potatoes, one is waxy bean teeth, one is sauerkraut pork, and the other is scrambled eggs with tomatoes. The index finger moved.At the end, one of the attendants took out a cup of chicken soup. I don't know how long it had been stewed, and even the chicken bones in it were softened.He Yilong, Luo Rucai, Yuan Zongdi, Liu Xiyao and others looked at each other, but they didn't know what the way was.Judging from the goodwill expressed by the other party, the Heluo New Army undoubtedly hopes to recruit them, but it is too shabby to recruit them with such a little food, right?Even that stingy Yang He took out 10 taels of silver when recruiting Shen Yikui!Everyone, look at me and I look at you, but none of them moved their chopsticks.

Seeing this, Li Yan smiled and said, "Aren't you generals afraid that the food might be poisonous? Tete, get me a bowl of rice."

A tall and tall attendant picked up a bowl to put rice in. Liu Xiyao snatched it away with his hands, slammed it into the basket full of rice, filled a large bowl, picked up a piece of meat with chopsticks and put it in. He stuffed it in his mouth, chewed it a few times, and began to fry rice desperately, muttering as he did so: "I have finally seen it through, Mr. Liu, all the gold and silver pearls must be empty, only the clothes on the body and the wine and meat in the mouth." That’s the real thing…it’s delicious, it’s delicious, I admit that such a delicious meal can poison me to death!”

Everyone has been hungry for a long time, the few buns just now were not worth the effort, and they made them even more hungry after eating them. Seeing how delicious he was eating, everyone couldn't hold back anymore, they picked up the bowls and chopsticks one after another, Let go of the cheeks and eat and chew.Li Yan was shocked to see that these guys didn't seem to have Adam's apple at all, and they didn't see how they swallowed a bowl full of rice. Fortunately, Ming Jun didn't eat with them, otherwise he would have Let them be horrified by their vicious and menacing manner!However, considering that they haven't eaten a decent meal for more than half a year, it is understandable that they look ugly.So Li Yan waited patiently and waited until they were full.

Half an hour later, the gang of hungry wolves put the last grain of rice and the last crumbs of steamed stuffed bun into their stomachs, looked at the three bamboo baskets with unfulfilled satisfaction, and sighed resentfully—— —Why are these bamboo baskets so small that they can only hold such a small amount of things?It would be great if it could hold a crock of rice.Luo Rucai reluctantly put down the bowl that was cleaner than a dog's lick, stroked his round belly, and sighed: "For the past few years, counting this meal is good!"

Li Yan took out a bag of tea leaves and a small bag of rock sugar and threw them over: "The meal just now was relatively greasy, so it's easier to digest with a cup of tea after a full meal."

Liu Xiyao threw the vegetable leaves back: "You are a full man who doesn't know how hungry a man is. We don't know when the next meal will be eaten after we have eaten this meal. We are so hungry that we can't eat what we want to eat. Digested, still drink tea!" He was determined not to drink tea, but he really liked the bag of rock sugar, opened it, took a piece and threw it into his mouth, and was immediately intoxicated by the wonderful sweet taste.He distributed the remaining candies to Yuan Zongdi and the others, and they were also intoxicated after eating it.

Li Yan secretly sighed that these guys really don't know how to enjoy it, put away the tea leaves, and asked with a smile: "Generals, is this meal delicious?"

He Yilong said: "Not bad, not bad, this is the best meal Lao He has eaten in recent years."

Liu Xiyao said: "In my hometown, that black-hearted old man would not be willing to eat like this during the New Year."

Others also nodded, saying that the meal was very rich in oil and water, and they enjoyed it very much.

Li Yan threw the fruit over: "Fruit is a must after a meal. This is a tomato. You should also taste it."

Luo Rucai waited for someone to catch it, and saw that the fruit was not big, about the size of an egg, bright red, very attractive.Yuan Zongdi took a bite, and a sour and sweet gravy splashed into his mouth. He couldn't help shouting: "It's delicious! Mr. Li, what's the name of this fruit?"

Li Yan said: "Tomatoes, brought from the West, are as big as a chicken, bright red like blood, sweet and sour, and very popular. They are widely planted in Nanyang, and the supply is in short supply."

He Yilong sighed in admiration: "Everyone says that life in Nanyang is good. I didn't believe it at first, but now I can't believe it anymore."

Luo Rucai said: "It seems that Nanyang is really rich, and the products are so abundant!"

Yuan Zongdi tentatively asked: "I'm afraid that this kind of delicacy is not affordable for everyone in Nanyang, right?"

Li Yan said with a smile: "Just now, all the generals ate only the war meals of our new army in Heluo, and these tomatoes are just the most common fruit that the citizens of Nanyang use for entertainment after meals, even a farmer can afford it. "

Liu Xiyao's eyes widened: "How is that possible!?"

Li Yan said: "I have no intention of lying to you generals. If you don't believe me, you can go to Nanyang and live for a while to see if I have lied."

These few looked at each other in disbelief.They are all from poor families, and they know very well what kind of life the poor live. Not to mention four dishes and one soup, there are meat and vegetables, and the kind of steamed buns mixed with bran and wild vegetables can be full, thank God !This kind of food is actually just a battle meal for the Heluo New Army?My goodness, is this too unbelievable?
Li Yan suppressed his smile and became serious.The foreshadowing has been laid out, and it's time to get down to business.He said leisurely: "I can also tell you a piece of news: Nanyang still has a surplus of 120 million taels of silver after it has been handed over to the national treasury this year. As for rice noodles, they are piled up like mountains in the warehouse. Provide food for free to clear the old grain."

The expressions of those on the opposite side can only be described as "confused"... They all knew that Nanyang was very rich, but they never expected to be so rich.After paying the taxes that should be turned over to the treasury, there is still a surplus of 120 million taels of silver in the finances. What is the concept?What is the concept of having to provide free meals to the refugees in order to clear the old grain in the granary of a government?They can't imagine it at all!

Li Yan also said: "At present, three universities have been built in the Heluo area (there is one in Luoyang), more than [-] private schools that can accommodate [-] students, and no less than [-] technical schools for young people. [-] to [-] children are provided with the opportunity to study for free, and more than [-] illiterate youths are provided with technical training every year, teaching them a craft... These are all free, including the lunch provided to the students. "

Those few continue to be confused... There is no way, they have no idea at all.

Li Yan took a sip of boiled water and continued: "As for the Heluo new army, there are only less than 4000 soldiers on the surface, but counting the Mongolian army and Sauron's dead soldiers who were attached to Lushun in the Battle of Lushun, and the military households , the number of troops that can be dispatched is no less than 4000. I must remind everyone that there are [-] cavalry among the [-], and no matter whether they are infantry or cavalry, everyone is wearing armor."

When it comes to this, those few people have some concepts, and the result of having concepts is to gasp.4000 people, riding regardless of step, everyone wearing armor, what a terrifying lineup!The most frightening thing is that the Heluo new army has high morale, strict discipline, and strict training. They have learned a lot. More than ten thousand, and listening to Li Yan's tone, if necessary, he can pull out more!And behind this army are nearly a million wealthy people who support them wholeheartedly. Damn, how can this battle be fought!
Li Yan stared at Yuan Zongdi, who was the most scheming, and said: "I heard that General Yuan is both wise and brave, and he is a rare good general. I am here to ask the general, if the Heluo new army attacks in an all-round way with 4000 people, how can the general be able to attack?" Can you stand it?"

Yuan Zongdi's forehead was sweating, and he said after a while: "I can't resist it." All of them are true. For the current Ming army's field elites, their biggest headache is not how to defeat the rogue bandits, but how to prevent them from escaping.It was so difficult to face the ordinary Ming army, but when they encountered the Heluo New Army, which was like a lawn mower, the result was obvious.

Li Yan asked again: "Then I dare to ask General Yuan, even if the Heluo New Army lets you lead the 10,000+ troops to besiege Nanyang, can you take it?"

This time Yuan Zongdi remained silent for a longer period of time. Under the eager gaze of Luo Rucai and others, he finally shook his head in discouragement: "I can't attack!" He didn't want to admit this, but after seeing the new Heluo military concrete After building the camp, he realized that the fortification of this kind of camp was unheard of. The bandits who lacked heavy siege equipment insisted on attacking Nanyang Basin. They might not have a chance to see Nanyang City at all. The fences along the way were enough for them He hit his head and bled.Of course, the solid fortifications are only one aspect. The most frustrating thing is that the Heluo area is so rich that even farmers can eat several dishes for a meal. Who wants to be messed up on such a good day?As long as they dare to rush into the Nanyang Basin, I'm afraid they don't need the Heluo New Army to do anything. Those magistrates will immediately pull tens of thousands of people to fight against them!
All the conditions for the survival of the rogue bandits are not available in Nanyang, so going to Nanyang is purely for nothing.

Li Yan said: "Okay, one last question: It's already freezing cold. Even if the Heluo New Army doesn't pursue them, and the generals lead their troops back to Shaanxi, can you bring back all of these 10,000+ people?" ?”

Yuan Zongdi was unwilling to answer this question, but he couldn't avoid it, so he had to say: "From Henan to Shaanxi, mountains and rivers are blocked, and the weather is freezing. Our army has no food storage and no clothing to keep out the cold. Even an iron man can't bear it. At least nine of them died on the way."

Luo Rucai couldn't help but shouted: "You are a strange scholar, you can just say no if you are suppressing or appeasing, why ask so many questions?"

He Yilong said: "Yes, we are all men, please say something refreshing and don't go around in circles!"

Li Yan looked around at everyone and said, "The Champion wants you to surrender unconditionally."

As soon as the words were uttered, everyone in the crowd was startled, those people all jumped up with a loud sound, and shouted: "What!?"

(End of this chapter)