When the sun rose again, Luo Xiaoliu and his battalion began their return journey. They had received news that another unit had also achieved success.

But the two companies of the first battalion did not go with them this time, but were left behind to continue to intimidate and support the new native officials.

Luo Xiaoliu failed to talk to Zhao Dongdong in the end.

After Zhao Dongdong woke up, he took some cavalry and left first, walking in a hurry.

However, when Luo Xiaoliu walked back, he did not rush or take the nearest and fastest shortcut. Instead, he began to pass through villages one after another, even taking many detours for this purpose.

This made their return journey look like an armed march.

But no one complained, and no one complained about fatigue anymore. Many recruits, including many squad leaders, were always full of pride and excitement. They held their heads high and their chests were always held high when they passed through the villages and met the mountain people.

.

That is the pride of the victor and the pride of the conqueror.

Their self-confidence is growing rapidly, they also understand the significance of marching to the war, and they are even more aware of the incomparable power of their own army.

When they received new orders on the road, they were no longer afraid or hesitant, but full of confidence and optimism.

They quickly started walking and headed straight for Daye County.

Soon, they met the battalion of the Third Regiment again. They were in a similar situation and had the same mission.

They walked together again and boarded the boat together at Yuan Lake.

Looking at the protruding black gun barrels of the two naval battalion warships that accompanied them on one side to provide cover for them, the officers and soldiers of the two battalions, who were divided into several boats, pointed excitedly.

They were very excited. They had never seen these recently brilliant and legendary weapons so close.

Especially when they passed by a water area full of shipwrecks, many people even started cheering.

They admire and are proud of him.

However, Luo Xiaoliu felt a wave of confusion in his heart.

Even though the waterway is not very wide and far away, they actually need the escort of the naval battalion, which is not a good thing. Then, there are traces of fighting in the lake, which is even more disturbing.

The black smoke-filled Daye County in the distance only aggravated Luo Xiaoliu's worries.

Daye County is built on the corner of a large peninsula sunk into Yuan Lake. It is surrounded by water on three sides. There are no city walls on the three sides surrounded by water. Only the northwest side that is not surrounded by water has a city wall. This makes its defense conditions both favorable and unfavorable.

.

But soon, Luo Xiaoliu's focus began to shift again, because the smell of black smoke began to be clearly audible.

It was a strange and familiar smell of burnt pork. The soldiers who had just eaten several meals of delicious meat were obsessed with smelling it with their noses, and their expressions became more cheerful and expectant.

But the expressions of Luo Xiaoliu and most of the officers suddenly changed, and the crew members also looked full of disgust.

Soon, a huge burning fire on the south bank of the lake in Daye County attracted everyone's attention. That huge fire was the source of most of the black smoke over the county.

At this time, Luo Xiaoliu, who was alert, noticed some oily flowers floating on the lake. His expression immediately became very scary, and his whole body suddenly opened up some terrifying memories from the past.

As the distance gets closer, you can see that beside the huge burning fire, there are many people wearing masks carrying strips of yellow and soft things that are constantly being transported from the city and piles of wood piled on the shore.

Throw it in, and that's where the strange and familiar flavors come from.

Many people quickly recognized by instinct that the yellow and soft things were actually naked human bodies.

Not only almost all the soldiers, but also many officers like Luo Xiaoliu, who had been prepared for it, began to vomit. Guessing and seeing were always incomparable. The officers and soldiers were looking for anything to cover their mouths and noses.

When the troops stumbled off the boat, they quickly passed by the huge burning fire, which was also the source of a grease creek flowing to Source Lake.

Everyone was even more stunned and vomited even more seriously.

But no one in the crowd who were burning and transporting corpses laughed at them, and no one paid them more attention. They just went about their business numbly and calmly.

"The weather is too hot. We must burn these corpses in time. You will get used to it soon." A soldier who came to guide him curled his lips and explained to the man next to him who was vomiting and asking him questions.

His eyes were full of vicissitudes of life, his tone was full of strangeness, and his explanation was brief and unclear.

"Why are there so many corpses? Who are they?" The person who asked obviously did not intend to stop there.

"Who are they! Of course they are thieves. They attack every day and endlessly, so of course there are many corpses. But don't worry, we basically focus on defense. If you die, your corpse can usually be found and buried.

." The soldier who answered decided to say a few more words to comfort his horrified new comrades.

However, the comfort he thought did not have the expected effect, but instead caused greater panic in the surrounding areas. His new comrades were not ready to endure huge casualties and face death so soon.

Fortunately, the well-informed officers began to urge the troops to move faster.

"Then why are you burning here? Can't you just change the place? Isn't this going to smoke up the whole city?" Someone who was not willing to be a good boy shouted and asked.

There are always people with many questions and questions.

"The bandit army has completely gambled away the land route. Only here is the safest and has enough open space. Moreover, it can also rely on ships to continuously transport wood, and it is easy to clean up the leftovers. As for whether the whole city is smoked or not, the city wall is all covered with this

The taste is not bad at all. We are all used to it, and you will get used to it too." The soldier responsible for the guidance became more and more friendly, and maybe he felt that he should be more patient and kind to his new comrades.

Luo Xiaoliu heard the exchange between the soldiers and kept listening. He put away his last fantasy and his mood became heavier.

When passing by the county government office, Luo Xiaoliu saw a bunch of heads tied to a row of wooden poles. Initially, he didn't want to look any further, but one of the very familiar heads made him take a few more glances.

Then, Luo Xiaoliu was shocked.

That head actually seemed to have been used to ridicule others.

Xi Dingxuan had been in Qizhou as Xu Wenqi's important assistant, handling various urgent matters and running around. The officers under Li Ping who guarded Qizhou basically knew this person.

But didn't the report say that Xi Dingxuan was captured by the rebellious local officials and sacrificed to the thieves?

After rubbing his eyes carefully and looking around, Luo Xiaoliu found that the other officers also had shocked looks on their faces.

Luo Xiaoliu knew that he had not admitted his mistake!

Then, Daye County also gave the newcomers one blow after another, making them even more frustrated and dumbfounded.

Although they had just entered the city, they were directly placed on the not-so-high city wall, replacing some of the friendly troops who looked tired and like zombies, as well as more common people who were assisting the defenders.

Perhaps to show his welcome and attention to his new comrades, the meal arranged immediately after him actually included meat, and everyone could get a few pieces.

But the newly arrived officers and soldiers carrying simple bowls and chopsticks all looked pale. Many of them not only did not eat, but also vomited again.

Luo Xiaoliu didn't eat either, and his stomach was churning.

Like many others, he stood on the city wall for a long time, staring dumbfounded at the hell-like scene under the city wall.

The bloodshed of the war here has far exceeded their imagination, let alone what they had never imagined.

There are no trees or houses visible within a few miles of sight. The earth is only red and black in color and is riddled with holes. Various siege equipment and human remains are left everywhere.

All.

Without even looking at it, just the various rich flavors are enough to make people tremble with fear.

Some people and soldiers were neatly mixing and burning the charred remains near the city wall with the dismantled siege equipment at the city wall, while most of the relatively complete bodies were stripped of their clothes and brought in.

Inside the city and all the way south.

It is said that this was the only day when the rebels did not launch an attack, and a lot of the wreckage had been cleared away. If it were normal, it would still be a miserable and terrifying scene.

…

While Luo Xiaoliu and other newly arrived officers and soldiers looked down at the ruins of the battlefield for a long time, there was another man who had also just arrived in Daye County who also looked down at it for a long time.

However, he seemed to be in a good mood.

This person is a civil servant named Yuan Jixian, named Jitong, and named Linhou. He is the newly appointed right minister of the Ministry of War and censor of the right capital.

Yuan Jixian was the military affairs chief of Jiangxi, Huguang and Yingtian who was appointed by the Ming Dynasty as an emergency governor in response to the Huguang war situation before the Qing troops had withdrawn from the Pass.

This is a man who is quite knowledgeable about military matters and a man who has a deep understanding of the Huguang area.

Yuan Jixian himself was from Yichun, Jiangxi Province. He served as a councilor in Huguang and guarded Wuchang. He achieved real military exploits and became famous. Later, he also served as a minister of Huguang and patrolled Wuchang and Huangzhou. He was appreciated by the Superintendent Yang Sichang for his military skills.

, and later served as governor of Yunyang until he was exiled to Guizhou due to the fall of Xiangyang (in 1641).

At the same time, Yuan Jixian was also famous in both the government and the public for his upright character and his courage to criticize powerful officials.

The establishment of new governors in Huguang and Jiangxi areas and the re-appointment of Yuan Jixian showed that the Ming court was aware of and anxious about the war situation in the Huguang area, and its intentions were even more obvious. It is not an exaggeration to say that he knew people well and made good use of them and was highly targeted.

The Ming court was not confused at all in selecting and employing people this time, and the facts have proved this.

Yuan Jixian was supposed to be stationed in Jiujiang.

But after he was appointed, he rushed all the way to Jiujiang and found that Wuchang had fallen. The anxious Yuan Jixian immediately ran to Zuo Liangyu and reprimanded: "Although the monarch has many merits, he also has many mistakes. The court does not punish people, but dispatches them every year.

The envoy issued an edict, but he didn't want to retaliate! And there is no one who can die. Zhang Suiyang died, and Helan Jinming also died. I would rather die for Suiyang than live for Jinming."

After saying that, Yuan Jixian led 300 soldiers to leave Jiujiang and rush to the government-controlled area closest to Wuchang.

Zuo Liangyu was so frightened that he chased for twenty miles and urgently ordered Zhao Jin, Shi Ming, Ma Jinzhong and Wang Yuncheng to attack Guangji again and Taihu County at the same time.

Originally, Yuan Jixian was already despairing of the war situation in Huguang, and he was particularly stimulated by the remains of officers and soldiers he saw stacked there when he passed through Guangji.

But arriving in Qizhou and meeting Xu Wenqi shocked him, and now standing at the city gate of Daye County shocked him even more.

Xu Wenqi's title book was indeed not half false. The strength and unrelenting courage of Li Ping's troops greatly exceeded his most optimistic estimates.

Yuan Jixian was not only shocked but also shocked that a small guerrilla dared and was able to single-handedly carry the giant bandit Zhang Xianzhong, who was far more powerful than himself, and then still had the strength to quickly annihilate the rebellion.

The contrast between this and Zuo Liangyu, who controls an army of hundreds of thousands, is too strong!

Yuan Jixian decided to write the title book tonight and rush it to Beijing, where the emperor and courtiers were still waiting for his report.
Chapter completed!