Late Ming Dynasty: Starting with the overthrow of the county magistrate, a rebellion was launched to

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone nodded, their faces pleading.

Zhang Da was very unhappy to hear this, and felt even more annoyed.

In the past, there would have been no problem with him doing this, but now that his generals and soldiers have experienced a fierce battle, their first priority is to restore morale and energy.

Zhang Da didn't really approve of opening granaries and distributing grain...

The money and provisions should be distributed first to support our own troops...

But doing so would tarnish my reputation. You see, these people below may seem humble and pitiful, but if you offend them, the things they say about you behind your back will be far more unpleasant...

Sigh, it's tough!

"Rest assured, everyone. Now that I have captured Hengzhou, I will take on the responsibility of defending the land and ensuring the safety of the people. Starting today, I will issue several decrees, which will be announced to all the citizens of the city shortly. You may also convey these decrees to the entire city."

Zhang Da coughed once, then continued muttering.

"First, we opened the granaries of the Prince Gui's mansion and distributed grain according to the number of people. All the people in the city, regardless of their wealth, status, age, or gender, were registered and given daily rations to ensure that no one starved to death. We also took in refugees; those who wished to return home were given travel expenses and dry rations; and those who wished to join the army were treated well."

"You are hereby ordered to open for business immediately, and all exorbitant taxes and levies shall be abolished. Within three months, all commercial taxes in the city shall be waived, so you can rest assured. However, anyone who dares to hoard goods or drive up prices shall be severely punished; anyone who dares to take advantage of the chaos to loot or plunder shall be executed on the spot without any leniency."

"Thirdly, all military medics should prioritize treating wounded soldiers and civilians within the city, with all medicines provided by the royal treasury free of charge. Furthermore, all corpses in the streets and alleys should be cleared immediately, and the entire city should be cleaned to prevent the spread of plague."

"Fourth, former officials of Hengzhou who wish to remain in their posts will be reinstated and shall perform their duties diligently; those who do not wish to remain will be paid their salaries and allowed to leave. However, anyone found guilty of corruption, bribery, or oppression of the people will have their property confiscated and be executed without mercy."

Fifth, I will have the four gates of Hengzhou heavily guarded, patrolling day and night to prevent the remnants of bandits and spies from causing trouble.

After Zhang Da finished speaking, the hall fell silent. This silence was felt by everyone present, including Liu Bingzhong, the local gentry, officials, and generals.

After a moment, Liu Bingzhong and the others finally showed their expressions. They were stunned, then their faces lit up with joy, and they trembled with excitement.

They initially thought their request was a bit much, but now... they've actually gained a lot!

"Your Excellency is wise!" Liu Bingzhong was so moved that he knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down his face. "On behalf of all the people of Hengzhou, I thank Your Excellency for your great kindness and virtue! Your benevolent rule is truly a blessing for the people and a fortune for Huguang!"

The others knelt down one after another, shouting in unison, "Thank you for your grace, Your Excellency! Your Excellency is wise!"

The sounds rose and fell, echoing throughout the hall and dispelling the long-standing fear and despair.

Zhang Da said without any joy or anger, "This is what I should do, and you need not be so polite. Since you are all virtuous people in the city, I hope you will assist the government in pacifying the people, restoring order, and protecting Hengzhou together."

"We obey!" Liu Bingzhong bowed respectfully. "Whatever your command, sir, we will serve you with our lives!"

The crowd readily agreed, bowed and thanked them repeatedly, and then respectfully withdrew from the main hall, each going their own way to spread the word of Zhang Da's benevolent rule throughout Hengzhou City.

Before long, everyone in the hall seemed to hear cheers erupting from within Hengzhou City…

Seeing that everyone had left, Zhou Wenqu stepped forward and whispered...

"Brother, there were too many of you just now, so I couldn't say anything. But if you say that, the local gentry and commoners will be at peace, but what about our brothers?"

"Yes, brother, during the siege I told the brothers countless times that we'd be rich and powerful, and that you'd distribute the wealth of the royal palace to them... So what are we going to do?"

Zhang Da remained calm and composed.

"Do you think I'll just say it's all to be distributed to the starving people and then distribute it all to them? Do I need to teach you how to do this?"

After another exchange of glances, the generals of Baoqing Prefecture breathed a sigh of relief, no longer worried about the matter.

Zhang Da also felt that after arriving in this era, his modern values ​​began to gradually become distorted, or even disappear...

Now that this matter is settled, we should discuss when to head north.

The situation on Yang Sichang's side is clearly not good. According to the latest letters, Zuo Liangyu is seriously wounded, the Ming army has suffered heavy casualties, and Li Dingguo has also gone up...

No matter how long it's delayed, it can't be delayed for too long.

"Gentlemen, let's all talk about it. When do you plan to head north?"

"Brother, our army has suffered heavy losses. After finally capturing Hengzhou, we naturally need to rest... My suggestion is to delay, delay for a few days."

Zhou Wenqu's words were agreed upon by everyone in the hall, after all, the generals and soldiers were all exhausted after these few battles...

"The more urgently Yang Sichang urges us, the less we should rush. It's not too late to head north after we've reorganized and are well-equipped!"

Zhang Da also agreed, saying, "Let Li Dingguo fight! Our army really needs a few days of rest."

"While I agree with this, how should I respond to Yang Sichang?"

"It's very simple," Zhang laughed. "Draft a document immediately and send it to Yang Sichang's headquarters by express courier. Say: 'I personally led a large army, fought hard for three days and nights, captured Hengzhou, captured Feng Shuangli alive, and quelled the bandits in central Hunan. However, our army also suffered heavy casualties, our soldiers are exhausted, and the wounded are everywhere. Hengzhou has just been pacified, and the people's hearts are not yet settled. We urgently need to reorganize and appease them, and consolidate our rear. In three days, the entire army will be reorganized, and our food and weapons will be fully prepared. We will immediately set off day and night to head north to Jingzhou and Xiangyang to reinforce the commander-in-chief and annihilate Zhang Xianzhong.'"

Three days should be enough. If not, no problem, we can always rest for a few more days.

Anyway, at this point, it's already good enough that I can go north to help. Who would criticize me then?

Thus, the discussion ended amidst cheers and applause from the generals. After assigning duties and tasks to each of them, General Zhang dismissed them.

……

……

Meanwhile, as Zhang Da relaxed a little, dust billowed along the official road that stretched for hundreds of miles, and the sound of horses' hooves echoed continuously.

Li Dingguo rode his steed, with three thousand elite troops of the Great Western Army behind him in neat rows, heading north.

Just as he was estimating how many days' journey was left, a scout galloped up the slope and reported loudly.

"General! Urgent report! Hengzhou has fallen! General Feng Shuangli has been defeated and captured, and the entire city has fallen into Zhang Da's hands!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the accompanying generals all changed drastically, and the rapidly advancing procession came to a halt...

How could you lose so quickly?

Li Dingguo's brows furrowed suddenly. He gestured for quieter sounds around him, then asked in a deep voice...

"Tell me in detail, what was the battle like? Why was Feng Shuangli defeated so quickly?"

So the scout recounted all the information he had gathered.

After listening, Li Dingguo remained silent for a long time. Then he turned around and looked over the continuous forest towards Hengzhou in the south.

He knew that Feng Shuangli's isolated army was trapped in Hengzhou, a dangerous place, and most likely couldn't hold out... But how could it have fallen so quickly, just one night after he had only been gone for a few hours?

"Our lord's decision to leave Feng Shuangli in Hengzhou was a risky move, and now it has completely failed," Li Dingguo sighed. "With the loss of Hengzhou, our path south to return to central Hunan is blocked. We can only fight Yang Sichang to determine the victor."

"General, perhaps we should halt our current position and send a portion of our troops south to attempt to retake Hengzhou and rescue General Feng!"

Many of the generals in the crowd thought the same thing, but Li Dingguo objected.

"No, military orders come first. Rescuing Jingzhou and Xiangyang is of paramount importance. The main army at the front has been fighting Yang Sichang for days and has suffered heavy casualties. They are eagerly awaiting reinforcements. Dividing our forces now would be to abandon our main force. Furthermore, Zhang Da has just captured Hengzhou and his morale is high. The city's defenses will surely be strengthened. If our army launches a hasty attack, we will probably have little chance of winning."

Everyone was speechless.

"General, what should we do now...?"

What else could they do? They could only swallow their anger and wait until they defeated Yang Sichang.

Li Dingguo kicked the horse's flanks with both feet and said loudly:

"All troops, form ranks and proceed!"