Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

“Those who refuse to sell grain are colluding with thieves...colluding with the Ming Dynasty.”

"Even the gentry around Fuzhou city,"

"They were also forcibly requisitioned for grain by Tong Guan's troops,"

"Any resistance will be met with arrest and execution on charges of treason."

"Where can we get the grain we need right now?" Zhang Shun asked again.

Quanzhou!

Yang Shao replied without hesitation, "That place has not yet suffered from war."

"And it wasn't just the gentry and merchants who had grain,"

“Large amounts of grain were piled up in the temples and monasteries.”

"Temples such as Kaiyuan Temple and Shaolin Temple,"

"Not only did they annex countless tracts of land,"

"They still control the inland waterway business,"

"We have been supplying goods to those maritime merchants for many years."

"Why didn't Tong Guan rob the temples in Quanzhou?" Zhang Shun asked.

Yang Shao replied, "I heard that Liangzhe has been captured by the Ming Dynasty."

"Tong Guan also sent several thousand soldiers to Quanzhou to requisition grain,"

"They were driven back by the monks who were jointly organized by various temples."

Zhang Shun exclaimed in surprise, "Tong Guan's troops were actually defeated by monk soldiers?"

Yang Shao explained, "Quanzhou has countless temples of all sizes."

"The largest ones alone have tens of thousands of monk soldiers!"

"Actually, there are even more temples in Fuzhou,"

"But Tong Guan's army is here,"

“They dare not resist,”

"They proactively provided some food,"

"Tong Guan then stopped his blatant looting and robbery."

Zhang Shun then inquired about Yang Shao's situation and gave instructions.

"Have your father appease the soldiers in the city,"

Tell the soldiers that military rations will arrive soon.

"Anyone who dares to stage a mutiny will not only be sentenced to death,"

"Even family members won't be able to buy food."

"Also, immediately gather all inland river vessels,"

"I'm going to lead my troops to pursue Tong Guan!"

Yang Shao hesitated, "The ships outside Fuzhou city,"

"When Emperor Xin Xingzong led his troops, he took a batch with him,"

"The rest were all taken away by Tong Guan."

"Collect as much as you can!" Zhang Shun said.

Chapter 1807: An Ambush?

Half an hour later,

Zhang Shun led a thousand men into the city.

Follow-up troops are arriving one after another.

Yang Yingcheng was deeply impressed by this.

He definitely wouldn't dare to go directly into the city.

What if the defending troops are lying in wait and have set up an ambush?

The reason Zhang Shun was so bold was...

It was because he caused Emperor Huizong of Song to disappear.

A small, isolated court that has lost its emperor.

How could Tong Guan possibly control the army?

There has been no mutiny so far.

All I can say is that Tong Guan is quite capable.

Zhang Shun asked directly, "How many ships did you get?"

Yang Yingcheng said, "There are only twenty or thirty small boats left."

"Each boat can hold a maximum of a dozen or so people."

Zhang Shun then asked, "How many soldiers are there in the city?"

Yang Yingcheng said, "More than thirty-seven thousand."

"They were all local militia and newly recruited village soldiers,"

"The kind of people who can't even beat bandits if taken out of the city."

Zhang Shun then asked, "How many temples are there in Fuzhou?"

Yang Yingcheng said, "About three or four hundred seats."

Of course, there are more than three or four hundred.

There are 539 officially recognized temples (excluding Taoist temples and those associated with illicit worship).

After the male children of a farming family reach adulthood...

They all ran off to become monks.

An official said that half of them become monks.

Some officials also said that one-third of them become monks.

Even when Tong Guan organized his troops in Fuzhou,

They also recruited a large number of monk soldiers.

As long as he doesn't loot the temple.

The abbot was willing to send the monks to join the army.

Zhang Shun said, "Be a guide for a few of us locals."

"I must immediately lead my troops to pursue Tong Guan!"

Yang Yingcheng reminded him, "Tong Guan traveled by boat."

"I have only managed to collect twenty or thirty small boats."

“That’s enough. There are still some riverboats in Min’an Town,” Zhang Shun said.

Under Yang Yingcheng's astonished gaze,

Zhang Shun led his troops onto the ship, carrying torches.

Because there are too few ships

Zhang Shun led only seven hundred soldiers.

Moreover, they only brought a small amount of dry food.

So they rowed a small boat to chase after Tong Guan?

Moreover, they had taken off all their armor and outer clothing.

Wearing only a single layer of clothing in the dead of winter.

Yang Shao looked on with an expression of admiration.

"General Li is truly a brave general!"

Yang Yingcheng muttered to himself, "A madman."

Actually, Yang Yingcheng was quite crazy too.

Historically, he offered advice to Zhao Gou.

They wanted to send troops to land in Goryeo by sea.

They went straight into the heart of the Jin Dynasty to rescue Emperors Huizong and Qinzong.

.....

Tong Guan's side,

Again, it was the emperor and officials.

Another five thousand monk soldiers,

They also carried a large amount of wealth and provisions.

The fleet of boats stretched for three or four miles along the Minjiang River.

It was dark at night, so the speed was very slow.

By daybreak,

The ship at the very front,

They hadn't even arrived in Baisha Town yet.

Several thousand monk soldiers whispered among themselves on the ship.

Although most of them have no family.

Or they had already lost contact with their family.

But that doesn't mean they're willing to leave their hometown.

Moreover, the Song Dynasty was on the verge of collapse.

Why should they be buried with the imperial court?

The reason why a mutiny has not yet occurred is

It was because of the leading monk officers.

He had already been bribed by Tong Guan's lavish rewards.

Tong Guan even made a promise,

Once you reach Nan Jian Prefecture

The entire army can plunder for three days.

The sky gradually turned a pale white.

The scenery along both banks of the Minjiang River is becoming increasingly clear.

The puppet emperor behind Tong Guan

He was held in a woman's arms.

The mother and son sat there trembling.

They are not members of the royal family at all.

Tong Guan randomly picked a child surnamed Zhao to fill the quota.

He only hoped that the garrison in Fuzhou could buy them some time.

So that he could escape smoothly.