Realm of Power

The Aden army marched north,

A large group of Aden troops holding various military flags moved north from Luzhou, and the smoke and dust swept up from south to north along the route set by the Central and Asian courts. Groups of Aden troops covered the mountains and plains, and towns along the way sometimes fell If they were flooded, they would plunder and leave. If they encountered resistance from the closed city gates, they would take their time to surround the city. Encircled, the Aden Army's advance to the north was aggressive and slow. It could only push 20 to 30 miles north every day. With the main formation of 50,000 Aden Army as the center, the other hundreds of thousands of troops spread out to find their own targets. They passed by along the way. The aristocratic families in those areas were in dire straits. All the private villas owned by aristocratic families were looted by the Aden people.

Even those local snakes who thought they had private military power and hid in the castles built by their families were attacked by the Aden army with slings. The entire family's wealth for many years was swept away by the Aden people. Aristocratic families in these areas also asked for help from the provincial mansion. Pass. However, those who asked for help could not even get through the door of the provincial mansion. Since the province had let it go and the ruling framework of the entire region had completely collapsed, some bold ones gathered in groups and followed them in Aden. They are more destructive than the people of Aden, because they know better where the castles of aristocratic families from all over the world are, and they also know how rich and how poor that family is.

These people did not dare to touch the really powerful aristocratic families, but they would show the way to the Aden people and take a commission. For a time, no aristocratic family along the way was spared. I don’t know how many aristocratic family heads fainted and were willing to serve as the guides for the Aden people. Most of the people in Central and South Africa give directions at night, so that every night, there are campfires all over the mountains and fields within a radius of dozens of miles, which is so loud that it is shocking.

Marshal Hebia of Aden simply recruited more than 10,000 people from these people. As the Aden Army's auxiliary army, the so-called people's hearts are in troubled times. In areas that have experienced the disaster of refugees from the south, a large number of refugees have seen these so-called auxiliary armies. A mountain of wealth earned behind the people of Aden, plus many people They had all been oppressed by powerful families along the way, and suddenly there were as many as 30,000 to 40,000 people gathered under the Aden Army. After the Aden Army integrated these people, they issued some simple weapons and were specifically responsible for guiding the Aden Army to the powerful powers from all over the country. When aristocratic families encountered some well-guarded castles, they would pile them up as cannon fodder.

In a family castle, there is a withered and dilapidated scene. The castle gate was already wide open, and half of the door had fallen to the ground. There were many corpses piled up at the entrance of the village, including men, women, old and weak. There were also many corpses in the trench at the entrance of the village. These young and strong men and women, who thought they could escape into the stronghold with quick legs and feet, ended up with numerous casualties. Those young men and women who could not escape, at least at this moment, seemed to be much luckier. None of them could escape. The Aden people had already opened a large net outside. Those who found the escape were just looking around, and the others did not dare to move anymore. They obeyed the orders honestly and were captured by groups one by one. Some were gathered up, and some were carrying corpses at the moment, with a look of fear on their faces. At this time, all the treasures in the castle were searched and piled up in the open space. No one dared to say a word while looking at the piles of treasures. Occasionally, a child would cry, making the scene even more desolate. "Don't look at it, escort it to the truck." More than a hundred soldiers from the Aden Army drove the carriage over, and soon transported all the wealth to the carriage.

Although people die every day, it is better than closing your eyes today and not knowing whether you will be able to open your eyes tomorrow. And there is no need to be driven away by others. As long as the family fort is laid, the people of Aden promise that 10% of the wealth will be used. Someone calculated it. If it is calculated as three forts a day, in more than ten days, it will be enough. I don't dare to get a fortune that is not small. Talk about wealth, but at least you can find a place to do some small business. With such a plan, you have hope for the future. As for whether you are helping foreigners, people are starving to death, who cares about this? There is no one to blame for this. We can only blame China and Biya for abandoning them.

As night fell, we sat around the big bonfires, cooked the rations, and ate them hungrily. Occasionally, there will be chatter and laughter, and some people will even sing folk songs. It is still a bit lively. Compared with the desperate situation when the refugees went south in large numbers, I don’t know how many times better it is. Although there is help for the people of Aden. There are risks, but the Aden people also offer a lot of benefits. As long as the Aden people are willing to give benefits, these refugees who have been driven southward by powerful people from all over the world will The people don't care about so many people. These powerful families don't regard them as human beings. On the way south, at least a million people died on the way. How many of them just for a mouthful of food. There are many people who sell their children and daughters. They all hate these powerful families to the core. Now that they have a chance to take revenge, even if the people of Aden don't give them money, they will do it as long as they are willing to support them!

Zheng Chenggong was one of the refugees. He was born in the Imperial Capital. He was actually a member of the Zheng family, a family of fourth-grade military ministers. When the Imperial Capital fought, he was also an upright general of the Flattery Army. He had 800 people under his command. However, during the Imperial Capital battle, , the entire 300,000 Fengcheng army was wiped out. Zheng Cheng was captured because of his injuries. Because he looked tall and powerful, he was captured by the prairie people. They were sold as slaves and the refugees returned south. Zheng Cheng was among them. Although his injuries had healed, one of his legs was already lame. Fortunately, he had a good foundation for hard work. He raised his hand in front of the Aden officer who recruited the refugees. After throwing a big stone, he was directly appointed as the squadron leader. There were actually two thousand people under his command, which was more than what he had in the Fengcheng Army.

The old soldier's habits can still be seen in Zheng Cheng, who staggered around dragging his residual leg. When he couldn't walk any further, he would just find a campfire to rest and chat and laugh with his subordinates. Every time he passed a campfire, there would be a burst of laughter there. Compared to the blank stares he received when he returned south, for such a On these days, Zheng Cheng always has a satisfied smile on his face. Only when no one sees him, his His face became heavy. As he was collecting food for the Aden people along the way, he clearly felt that the Aden army was actually not short of food. However, the Aden people had always claimed that they were short of food and asked for food from various places heading north. Come, otherwise the army will stand still. This can only mean that the people of Aden are hoarding food.

Zheng Cheng sat down at the last campfire spot with a tired look on his face. This was the edge of the camp. Except for a veteran opposite, there was no one else at all. The veteran opposite looked at him with a vicissitudes of life, and picked up a stick next to the fire. The jug was handed to him, "Don't say you didn't see it. The Aden people are using you as cannon fodder. The most likely thing is to send you directly to attack Huizhou controlled by the empire, and then the Aden people themselves will watch from behind."

"So what if I see it? Now that I have stepped on the boat of the Aden people, what else can I do?" Zheng Cheng sat by the fire, picked up the wine bottle and took a sip, with a wry smile on his lips. "Your identity, I roughly guessed that the Aden people marched north with such great fanfare, and their troops were directed towards Huizhou controlled by the empire. As the emperor How could the country not take any action? The Aden people took in so many refugees along the way, and among them there would be eyes sent by the empire, and even the court. I am afraid there are eyes, those who actively guide the Aden people to hunt down local powerful people. There must be several among them, and are you on the side of the empire or the court? "

"Haha, what do you think?" The veteran curled his lips slightly.

"It should be the Empire. It's been three days since you came to my place. I haven't seen you go out once, and your eyes always turn to the Aden camp. I'm not blind. If I didn't see this, I wouldn't I will provide you with good wine and meat every day. After all, I He's just a poor guy caught in the middle, and all he wants is to live." Zheng Cheng said with flashing eyes. To be honest, taking refuge with the Aden people is just a temporary measure. No matter how slow the Aden people move north, they will still be able to survive. We will definitely be able to reach Huizhou within a month. What will we do then? Do you really want to fight against the imperial cavalry that dominates the world? Isn't this a joke? The ferocious grassland army was completely defeated by the imperial cavalry. How many times can refugees like myself withstand being trampled! No matter how good his life was, as long as he thought about the decrease of time day by day, he would become more and more unwilling to accept it. So when he found out that there was an imperial gap in his camp, it was like discovering a treasure.

"I heard that you were born in the Zheng family of the Imperial Capital, and you were a dignified fourth-grade military minister. Now you have fallen into such a situation. Since you have surrendered to the Aden people, it is not a problem to surrender to the empire. It's just a pity that I am not from the empire." The veteran's pupils were a bit Sen Leng raised a hand, and immediately a dozen Aden soldiers rushed out from the darkness and pressed Zheng Cheng, who was still in a daze, to the ground.

He pressed his head to the ground and felt the moist earthy smell entering his nose. Zheng Cheng's face turned as pale as paper and he let out a miserable howl, "Why, if you are from the Aden side, then you have deliberately been in my camp in the past few days." So, for what purpose? The veteran did not answer him, but saluted in a direction in the darkness, a man wearing a black robe. The old figure came out and waved his hand on the veteran's shoulder. "Fortunately, Axinya, these unreliable Central Bians are a hidden cancer for us. If they cannot be removed, they will affect Our follow-up plan." The old man was Yagren, the elder of Aden. He waved his hand to the guards and said coldly, "Detain him first."

Several Aden guards took Zheng Cheng down. An Aden attendant came from behind and whispered in Yagren's ear, "Great Elder, Lord Hebia invites you to go."

Ten minutes later, Yagren arrived at the core of the Aden army camp. In front of the military tent of Hebia, commanded by an army of 200,000 people, ten Aden guards in full armor stood on the left and right sides, and a chilling aura rushed towards them. , Great Elder Yagron walked towards the tent, opened the curtain and walked in. He saw Hebia standing in front of a map of Central Asia. Hearing the dry cough of Great Elder Yagron, Hebia came from He turned around in front of the map, looked at Great Elder Yaglen for a moment, and said, "Great Elder, you have arrested eight Central Asian captains who are assisting us in the past few days. Can you tell me the reason? Although I don’t trust the Central Bians, but if you want to command those Central Bians, you still need to rely on them. Now you have arrested eight of them, do you know how much chaos it will cause? "

"Your Excellency, Marshal, since you also think that these Central Bian people are not worthy of trust, I don't know why you still take them in and even allow them to expand. These Central Bian people are a cancer. If they are not eradicated in advance, the consequences will be disastrous." "Great Elder Yagren said in a serious voice.

"Although it is not trustworthy, it is still useful. As for the use, IMHO, this is related to the next step."

Hebia said bluntly, "Your Excellency's unauthorized intervention has caused a very troublesome situation. Even if the elders have been in Central Bia for more than ten years, when will the elders' rigid and stubborn minds become flexible? Although those Central Bia captains are not trustworthy, at least they are still working. Because of their guidance and hard work, the Aden Army has greatly reduced the time required for searching and can seize more wealth. As for their loyalty, isn't this a joke? What loyalty can a group of refugees have! And once they approach Huizhou, they can use these people as a cover. , forcing them to enter Huizhou. While no one was paying attention, the Aden Army suddenly turned and headed straight for Zhongbia Xinjing. However, now, due to the sudden intervention of the elders, the whole plan is in danger of collapse. "Okay, I will order them to be released, but if there are any consequences, you will be responsible for them yourself." Elder Yagren's face turned pale and blue, and he was choked by Hebia's words. He waved his hand and walked out of the tent. This Hebia was really bullying too much. He was kind-hearted, but he didn't expect the other party to not appreciate it. In this case, let Hebia handle it himself!

Luzhou,

The night wind blew over layers of withered yellow ground, and the dust was flying like an invisible big hand deliberately suppressing something. After the Central Asian court redeemed Luzhou with grain, it immediately allocated 15,000 troops to Luzhou. At this moment, the barren weeds outside Luzhou City, behind a mound more than 2,000 meters away, the dry grass mat was being scraped away by a strong force. A black line came towards Luzhou. The person in the front raised his hand, and the black line stopped moving. Lu Xiaofeng, the head of the Lu family, swept the Luzhou city wall in front with a complicated look. The broken grass debris and roots were blown away in the wind. Behind him, tens of thousands of Lu family soldiers, the red cherries hanging from their helmets fluttered in the wind. The lights of Luzhou City in the distance had already lit up everyone's eyes, as if there was a red flame burning. The Lu family soldiers unconsciously tightened their hands holding their weapons, and almost at the same time, they held their breath for a short moment.