"How does it sound like a group of women?"
As Huang Shijie asked the question, he dug his ears. It seemed that he doubted there was too much earwax and he had misunderstood.
"Not a mistake!" the Green Camp captain Zhang Dingxiang said with a wry smile, "It's just a group of crooked women from Guangxi... While all the long-haired male soldiers are attacking Lingling, they sent this group of thieves to attack Mintang, shouting about killing the wealthy and dividing the movable property and land! Ziying, you are the wealthiest nobleman in the three towns of Mintang, Eggtang, and Shuangpai!"
"You'd better run as fast as you can, or they will catch you and it will be the end for you!"
"What does that mean will be the end?"
Huang Shijie can't agree to that! His family owns tens of thousands of acres of good farmland on both banks of the Xiao River, and most of his pawnshops that offer usury are in the three towns of Eggtang, Mintang, and Shuangpai. His grand house, granary, and money storage are all in Eggtang town.
He is in a hurry now and is running away as fast as he can. How much movable property can he bring? Even if he really has to run, he should at least hold out for a while and try to get enough time to transfer his family's assets!
Thinking of this, Huang Shijie shouted at the Green Camp captain Zhang Dingxiang, "Uncle Zhang, you are also a man who has been receiving royal favor for generations. How can you be so afraid of a group of Guangxi bandits? There are hundreds of local militiamen in Eggtang town. You might as well stay and defend with me. If we can repel the long-haired bandits and kill even more bandits, won't we be able to advance in our careers? If you think that military pay is not enough, I will contribute 5,000 taels!"
With that, Huang Shijie held out his palm, raising it high, and shouted loudly with a wide mouth, "I will offer 5,000 taels of silver to reward the troops... For every long-haired enemy head that is cut off, I will reward another 5 taels of silver!"
That's really putting all your eggs in one basket!
Although Huang family in Eggtang is a very wealthy family, it's becoming less prosperous year by year. It is still quite a strain to come up with thousands or even tens of thousands of taels of silver at once.
However, Captain Zhang Dingxiang was not swayed at all. Instead, he bellowed in a despondent tone, "Huang Ziying, do you know what? The female Long hairs are also Long hairs, and they're fierce! They are brave to the point of reckless disregard for death, and their shotguns are incredibly accurate!"
Now, with a total of 8,000 men gathered under the command of General Pei, the Hongjun Camp, General Jiang's family honor, and General Sun's Camp, they dare only to hold their ground at Lingling! Our Green Camp troops and your local militiamen receive just a few taels in pay each month. For what are you risking your lives?”
After saying this, Captain Zhang whipped his horse and rode away without looking back, heading south along the embankment street. Behind him followed a dozen or so Green Camp elite soldiers who were out of breath and thin, though they looked pale, but they didn't have opium pipes hanging at their waists, and they were still holding long spears in their hands. In these times, not smoking opium and only running away when encountering bandits, yet not having discarded their weapons – such a Green Camp was indeed elite!
When they saw Captain Zhang running away again, they didn't waste any words. Carrying long spears, they followed him in running away without hesitation.
In reality, they had already encountered the ruthless Guangxi female Long hairs before! How could Captain Zhang Dingxiang know that the female Long hairs were fierce and their shots were accurate? All of this was because they had been beaten up before!
Seeing Captain Zhang leading a handful of Green Camp survivors and defeated soldiers running away without looking back, Mr. Huang was utterly startled.
While he had several hundred local militiamen, including a brother-in-law who served as the commander of a training team, these militiamen and his brother-in-law had never experienced combat against large bandit groups like the Long hairs. Moreover, they didn't have the courage to do so.
Now that they had witnessed the Green Camp troops from Mintang rapidly fleeing, how could they have the courage to fight back against the Long hairs?
"Kill the Qing bandits, go to heaven! Kill the Qing bandits, go to heaven..."
At this moment, the shouts of the female Long hairs were getting closer and closer. On the embankment street, there was an eerie silence, and everyone seemed to be under a spell. They were just staring fixedly at Huang Shi Jie, the arrogant Huang Daren from Eggtang!
Suddenly, a voice that seemed to erupt from the chest boomed out, "The Taiping Army is here!"
Then, there was a thunderous echo: "The Taiping Army is here! The Taiping Army is here..."
This was a call from people in despair deep down in their hearts, filled with hope!
Huang Shijie had never been afraid like this before, because he was very clear that with the people on the embankment street shouting "The Taiping Army is here," his rule over Eggtang town as the Huang Great Benefactor had already collapsed.
"Master, master... what do we do?"
His old steward Huang Fu was already completely panic-stricken.
However, Huang Shijie quickly regained his composure and coldly snorted, "This is the end of the world! No one can do anything about it... Without me, they'll have to wait for cannibalism!"
Hmph, let's go! Immediately go to Shuangpai town and ask Yu Junmeng for troops. We'll at least crush these unreasonable Long hair women!"
Huang Fu let out a breath and waved his hand forcefully: "Go... Protect the master to Shuangpai town! Give each person three taels of silver when we arrive..."
Huang Shijie didn't wait for his steward to finish speaking; he held out a palm, "Five taels! Reward five taels... Whichever one accompanies me to Shuangpai town, will be rewarded with five taels!"
Now isn't the time to save money!
He had already smelled the "powder smoke" in the air... Once the female troops of Taiping Army entered Eggtang town, these poor ruffians would explode immediately, and even the militiamen he had raised would explode along with them!
He must now stabilize the morale of his men and leave immediately!
And with a wave of his hand, the Lord Huang shouted, "Let's go!"
"Understood!"
The local militiamen had been somewhat hesitant earlier, but now seeing their lord being so generous, they immediately regained their spirit. They gathered around Huang Shijie and, under the gaze of the thousands of bloodshot-eyed destitutes, marched south along the embankment street!
Just as they had left for a moment, Su San Nun led hundreds of female soldiers of the Taiping Army, strutted proudly along the embankment street of Eggtang town, passed through a low-height city gate, and entered the loyalist Eggtang town.
......
With Su San Nan's shout in the Guangdong official language, "Welcome the Taiping messengers... kneel!"
The thickly packed paupers standing on the sides of the dyke street in Eggtang town had already kneeled down in a sea of bended knees. Some of them were holding up their meager possessions with both hands! One man was holding a tattered bag, another was carrying a roll of straw mat...... Wang Huoxiu was holding a broken bowl, which contained only 10 or 12 copper coins. His sister Wang Xier was kneeling beside him — this was their last bit of money to survive!
Now, Wang Huoxiu and Wang Xier are about to offer all their last bits of survival money to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom... leaving them with nothing, bare-handed, and joining the Taiping Army!
By offering all their property, burning down their houses, abandoning their land, and joining the Taiping Heavenly Army together as a family, it meant no turning back and fully committing themselves to fighting for the Taiping Army to the end!
Don't look at the majority of people who joined the Taiping Army, who were all from the lowest strata of society, almost having nothing to their names.
But to them, that last bit of survival money is probably more valuable than the Lord Huang's grand house, granary, and treasure house combined.
Lord Huang lost his properties in Eggtang and Liantang towns, but he still had businesses in Shuangpai town and Changsha city! He was still the number one scholar in Yongzhou Prefecture, a learned person from the School of Practical Learning, with predecessors like Luo Zeanan and Zuo Zongtang... Even if all his wealth were spent, there would always be a time to recover.
But for people like Wang Huoxiu and Wang Xier, offering up their last bits of property really means they have nothing left... Therefore, the determination they are making is greater than that of Lord Huang when he decided to abandon his property in Eggtang town.
"The Taiping messengers have arrived..."
Suddenly, all the female soldiers maintaining order on both sides of the dyke street shouted together.
The kneeling Wang Huoxiu quickly turned his head and looked towards the northern gate of Eggtang town. He saw two female soldiers of the Taiping Army in red clothes, each holding a red flag on horseback, riding in.
Wang Huoxiu had attended the Montessori school founded and funded by Lord Huang in Eggtang town when he was young, so he recognized some characters. He noticed that the red flags were embroidered with "Taiping Messengers" and "Chief Lecturer" respectively... What are the ranks of these "Taiping Messengers" and "Chief Lecturer"?
While Wang Huoxiu was deep in thought, his thin and emaciated sister suddenly shouted, "Oh my God, what kind of horse is the angel riding?"
What is it?
Looking closely, Wang Huoxiu saw a tall man dressed in a yellow robe and wearing a red wind hat, riding on a "self-propelled two-wheeled vehicle," following the two female soldiers holding flags, and appeared inside the southern gate of Eggtang town!
This vehicle... how can it move without a horse or someone pushing it? Must be some kind of magic!
Could it be that...... Taiping Heavenly Kingdom does indeed have gods? Is there really a God Emperor?
"God the Father Emperor protects us!"
At this moment, the female soldiers cheered loudly.
Wang Huoxiu, Wang Xier, and all other people who had offered up all their property and were about to join the Taiping Army also raised their voices with the loudest cheer: "God the Father Emperor protects us..."
At this moment, each of them had tears in their eyes, their entire bodies brimming with the power of faith, as if they could be invincible in battle!
