Chapter 41
Several yamen runners also ran over quickly, and the rest of the people, including the soldiers, were also cautiously trying to get close to Bai Lang - I'm afraid there is only one general who can really use a 64-jin iron mace. If this person is not bragging and the demonstration on the parade ground is true, I dare not say anything about the others, but a personal soldier or a servant is not a problem. Maybe he will even become a personal guard of the local guerrilla or the general.
In this world, anyone with a little bit of heart knows that the Ming Dynasty is in danger, and it is likely to be doomed, with internal and external troubles. There are bandits at home, and the Jianlu are constantly breaking through the borders and plundering. The current emperor of the Ming Dynasty is also eager for quick success. How many prime ministers have been replaced over the years? How many ministers have been beheaded and imprisoned? Smart people compare him with the previous emperor and think that the previous emperor is a better carpenter... The more diligent this emperor is, the more doomed he is.
The old man missed the reign of Emperor Wanli, when the world was peaceful and prosperous. How could the Ming Dynasty have reached this point in just a few years? Now was also the time for strong men to come to the fore. As long as one was skilled in archery and horsemanship, could fight, and could cut off heads, there was a future - so Bai Lang had a future...
The yamen runners here are quite cunning. Such a fierce man is definitely not a bandit. Which bandit would use such a fierce general to capture the city? Recently, the bandits in the vicinity were also suppressed. A large number of bandit leaders were captured and executed in the capital. Moreover, in Shandong, it is more realistic to worry that the Tartars will break through the border and plunder again. Wasn't Jinan ravaged by the Tartars two years ago? When the bandits meet the Tartars, they will run as far as they can. Because they will be killed or simply plundered and made into bondservants.
Bai Lang had almost figured this out, but he didn't expect that the two purple gold maces would make him a clean-minded person. After thinking about it, it was indeed true. Soon, the yamen runner bought the best clothes for Bai Lang to wear, and also invited him to the best bathhouse in the city to wash and change clothes. Later, he heard that the prefect also wanted to see him, and the general of the city naturally wanted to see him too.
Fortunately, this is a big city, and clothes of this size can be bought here. After Bai Lang washed and dressed, he used a belt to carry the water-polished purple gold mace on his back and went to see the master. Bai Lang stepped into the official hall and just sang a "yes". Several officials and those wearing military uniforms took this opportunity to look at Bai Lang.
"What a brave warrior!" It seemed that the second-in-command, or even the third-in-command, military officer cheered first. Several big masters also stroked their beards and smiled, "The brave warrior Bai wants to join the army to fight for a future, and sell his literary and martial arts to the emperor's family. Good!" He was immediately rewarded with ten taels of silver, so that he could serve under the command of the general of this city.
Meeting Bai Lang was just an interlude. The main thing was that the military and political officials discussed the affairs of the pacification area, especially the banditry in the vicinity. After hearing a word from the master of the mansion, Bai Lang was also led out of the official hall by the servants and went to the military camp to register his name. This could also be considered as surveillance. It was better to let him stay in the military camp than to let him wander around the city.
The camp also received the order from the general, and really gave Bai Lang a whole new set of fat coats, but no armor, only an iron helmet, and naturally no horse. No bow and arrows, but a goose feather knife was given - Bai Lang took it out and thought that he had a conscience and did not take kickbacks. This knife is really useful. Bai Lang did not take the spear, and there was nothing else. "It's hard to be a soldier in the Ming Dynasty. I only get one set of winter clothes, and no replacement..." Bai Lang muttered a few words, but the barracks he was given were for him to live alone, which was not bad.
The general returned to the camp and summoned Bai Lang. After a few words of consolation, he proposed that Bai Lang serve as a personal guard - but at the beginning, he could not stay by his side, but as a vanguard. "That's just a family servant, but not a confidant. It's better to say that he is the vanguard of the battle. But it's just what I want."
The next day, Bai Lang was still waiting for the roll call, but he didn't expect it to be there. He pulled a soldier over to ask and found out that they only had one roll call every five days and drills every ten days - this was already considered quite diligent... Then Bai Lang had no choice but to practice martial arts by himself, anyway, it was non-stop every day. Then a circle of soldiers gathered around and cheered as they watched Bai Lang practice martial arts. Some people would say it was just a show-off, but is there a show-off with a 64-jin purple gold mace? What's more, Bai Lang really held two iron maces, and every move he made blew up the wind, which looked extremely fierce.
The general was also watching from outside, and he exclaimed, "He is truly a general with a hammer and mace who is invincible." Everyone was also quite afraid of Bai Lang. The strength of this man's arms must be several thousand pounds, how could ordinary people compare to him? This was almost like the appearance of a fierce general in the storytelling performance, and we could follow him to collect heads.
The government's plan was to wipe out the bandits nearby, but before they could finish their preparations, bad news arrived - the Tartars broke through the pass again, and divided their troops into several groups. Among them, the slave chieftain Abatai led one of the groups to Shandong. At this time, Bai Lang had only been in the army for two months, and he had gathered dozens of soldiers around him. "Defend the city!" This was the decision of the prefect, and the general also thought so. Fighting against the Qing soldiers in the field? The soldiers of the Ming Dynasty probably no longer had the courage to do so. It seemed that they could only resist by defending the city.
Who made Bai Lang come here just after the great defeat at Songshan, where the elite troops of the Nine Frontiers were almost completely lost, and then the great defeat at Zhuxian Town, where Li Zicheng and other bandits could no longer be controlled, and now the situation is completely corrupted. Bai Lang also said that he was willing to lead the army out of the city as a pincer force, and that it was absolutely impossible to defend the city to the death. However, after being rejected, Bai Lang took another step back, "I am willing to lead a few people to explore the Qing troops from afar and guard the defenders."
Bai Lang repeatedly requested to fight, and the prefect was very supportive. However, others thought that Bai Lang might be ready to flee because of the bad situation, so they tried to stop him. Bai Lang also smiled bitterly, "Well, let's kill the enemy on the top of the city." He was . Because it was very simple, Bai Lang found that no one in the world seemed to have cultivated internal strength? Or it seemed that no one practiced this kind of horizontal training kung fu - he was not sure that there was no one who practiced internal strength, but it was probably not.
"With the help of horsepower, the heavy sword and long knife should be able to break my golden bell, but it will be difficult to kill me. In this case, let the top of the city become the grave of the Qing soldiers." This prefect Deng is also an official with some ability, but the King of Lu in the city... Bai Lang heard that he refused to give money to boost morale, "Is he really a pig?"
The Qing soldiers surrounded the city without any resistance outside. Bai Lang looked down from the top of the city wall and saw that the Qing soldiers below were also wearing cotton armor and looked quite fierce. They also drove away a large number of looting civilians. The morale of the defenders in the city was low, but no one was willing to surrender. However, once the Qing soldiers attacked the city gates, it didn't take long for these gates and the top of the city wall to be in danger.
"I never thought I would be so useless." Bai Lang muttered. He was only wearing chain mail at this time. Seeing that the Qing soldiers on the top of the city had already climbed the city wall, he rushed over alone. The soldiers behind him were also stunned. Only a few followed him. The Qing soldiers who climbed the city wall were strong and wearing double armor. As soon as they climbed the city wall, they killed and dispersed the nearby defenders. This Qing soldier, together with several people who followed him to climb the city wall, wanted to kill and open the door, but the man in front of him became a hollow character...
