At this moment, the army in the city had gathered, and the small Jiming Posthouse was filled with soldiers. The Ming army was divided into two types: the military guard station and the military camp. The border army was the military camp. General He had five officers under his jurisdiction, each of whom led 1,120 people. At this time, the total strength of the city reached 5,600 people. Whether it was manpower or morale, it was above the Tartar army.
Just now, if they could take advantage of the moment when the Tartar army was panicking and unprepared to use their vanguard to attack the center and disrupt their formation, then use the two wings of the army to attack them, they could have at least lost a centaur. Unfortunately, they missed the opportunity, which was truly a pity.
Chief Wang lived near the county office. He had originally carried County Magistrate Min and was about to organize the commoners to escape together with the village gentry, but he saw the army rush in from the north city. Naturally, he did not have to carry out his original plan. He first sent Lord Min back to the county office, and as he hurried back, he met Yang Ling and Chief Wang.
Yang Ling and Captain Wang had rushed over on horseback. Yang Ling didn't know how to ride a horse, so in order to make the most of the time, he braced himself and got on his warhorse. Even though the horse wasn't galloping, the jolting still made his legs sore, and his waist felt like it was about to break.
Yang Ling hurriedly told him about his temporary appointment as the deputy of the Courier Station when he saw him. He then humbly asked for advice and immediately rushed to the Courier Station after getting the gist of it.
The post office was a five-door chain courtyard with brick and wood structure. The building complex was very large. The outermost door was the post office, the second door was the post warehouse, the post school and the bar room were even deeper. As for the post office and bedroom, it was in the last courtyard.
After receiving the military order from Captain Wang, the Courier Station was temporarily placed under Yang Ling's control. Jiming Posthouse was too small and did not have a special treasurer. Therefore, the post officer was responsible for the treasurer. Ma had six small officials under him, four of whom were in charge of the post officer's affairs, and two of whom were in charge of the warehouse.
During the battle on the city walls, the defending soldiers had suffered heavy casualties. Only four of the six minor officials who had gone up to the city walls to help defend were alive, and one of them was seriously injured. Yang Ling could only summon three people to order around, and all three of them had faces that were covered in smoke and had not had the time to wash them. Even though they were not like the kitchen god like Yang Ling, they were still impressive.
Yang Ling instructed them to prepare the best rooms for the three lords to move in, and he also asked them to clean up the storehouses and store the grain and equipment separately. He also asked them to check and register the grain and supplies they had received on the spot, and then organize the messengers to distribute them to the various battalions.
After giving all the instructions, he looked around and remembered that this was where Ma Yi Cheng usually worked. He couldn't help but sigh. Speaking of which, the two of them were really fated. He had only arrived at Jiming Posthouse a day earlier than her, and she had only gotten to know the county magistrate because of his family's lawsuit and found a position to make a living.
However, Ma Yi Cheng had only been in office for a little more than a month before he died tragically here. He, who was prepared to die at any time, was still alive. The world was really unpredictable. Yang Ling thought to himself, Should I go and see the Ma siblings? They should know about Lord Ma's death by now, and I should go and visit them.
But now, the military's supply camp was constantly arriving. He and a few minor officials were extremely busy with contacting the officials, receiving the grain and fodder, calculating the needs of the various armies, and arranging the supply of military supplies for the various battalions. At this time, there was no time to mourn.
Besides, Ma Ang had just died, and he had replaced him as the deputy. If a group of messengers and minor officials constantly came to ask for instructions in front of the Ma siblings, Ma Ang and his sister would probably feel even more uncomfortable, so after thinking about it, they could only give up.
The flow of grain in and out of the army was really complicated. Yang Ling could not understand why the army's rations, which had only been stored for ten days, would be left in the army camp. Such frequent mobilization was a waste of manpower and money, and it was also time-consuming and laborious to start and transfer the rations. Even if it was to control the lifeline of the army's rations in the hands of the civil officials, it was still too much.
He was as busy as a spinning top, riding a horse to escort the grain to the city gates to make arrangements. When he passed by the door, he hurriedly jumped off the horse and wanted to go back and change into a robe. The robe he was wearing was really dirty.
When Yang Ling jumped off the horse, he felt as if his legs were light as if he had just gotten off a boat. As he did not know how to ride a horse, his inner thighs were chafed, and he felt uncomfortable walking. He was afraid that the young lady would feel distressed when she saw him, so he slowed down his pace as soon as he entered the door, appearing more natural.
As soon as he entered the door, he saw Young Miss Han wearing a blue floral apron, sitting in front of the stove and making dumplings. When she saw her husband return, she was like a happy magpie, happily welcoming him, her red face full of joy.
There was the smell of vegetable filling in the air. Yang Ling took a sniff. Yes, that was the feeling of home, a warm feeling. When he saw the flour on Han Youniang's cheeks, a touch of gentleness and friendliness appeared in his eyes. He liked to see her childish and gentle expression more and more.
He saw four neat rows of dumplings on the pot lid, looking like little white ingots. He couldn't help but laugh."You, I told you to go home and rest. Just make some food to eat. Why do you have to waste your energy making dumplings?”
Young Miss Han helped him take off his dirty robe and said sweetly," Hubby, today is the new year. How can we be careless? This is the first new year we've celebrated together."
Yang Ling was stunned. He had been through so much that he had even forgotten that it was the first day of the new year. It was the first New Year's Eve of the Ming Dynasty, and he had spent it with the young lady amidst the shadows of swords. Seeing the blissful and unresentful smile on Young Lady Han's face, his heart ached. It was the first New Year, but would he be lucky enough to spend the second New Year with her?
He was afraid that Young Madam Han would see his expression, so he quickly turned around and picked up a robe. As he put it on, he said to Young Madam Han,"" Mm, I really forgot. I'll go buy some food and wine later. When I come back, we'll celebrate the new year together and make up for it on New Year's Eve."
Young Miss Han replied," I've placed the new robe I made for hubby on the Kang. I'll change it when you come back."
Yang Ling grunted and hurried outside. He mounted his horse and rode back to the southern city with the two messengers. There were two battalions of soldiers stationed outside the southern city. They were currently cooking. The trees that had been temporarily cut down from the mountain were damp and difficult to burn. For a moment, thick smoke rose from all directions.
When they arrived at the city wall, they found out that County Magistrate Huang and Chief Jiang had accompanied the officials to eat at the Swan Goose Restaurant. The craftsmen repairing the city gate had also stopped working. Seeing that there was nothing else, Yang Ling turned around and left with a few small officials.
He had been on the run since he had eaten his breakfast in the morning. He was starving. Although he had gradually grasped the essentials of riding a horse, he still felt that riding a horse was much more tiring than walking. Riding a horse required all the strength in his body. He was exhausted and his mouth was dry.
He saw a well by the roadside, so he jumped off his horse and used a wooden wheel to lift a bucket of well water. The well water was clear, and there were transparent ice cubes floating in the water. Yang Ling grabbed a handful of cold and sweet well water and drank a few mouthfuls of it. The cold well water was swallowed, and the sweetness made his stomach ache. He took a few deep breaths and washed his face with the well water. He stood up and stretched his waist, breathing in the white mist, and his hair that was wet instantly became hard.
At this moment, more than a dozen horses from the barracks outside the city rushed over. Because the horses were too fast, the leading general hurriedly reined in his horse when he saw a few people standing by the well in the uniform of the post office. He still rushed out more than ten feet before reining in his horse and turning back.
Yang Ling looked at the general who was surrounded by the soldiers in surprise. This man was about forty years old, and he had a thin figure and dark skin. He had a slight beard, but his cheekbones were too high, and his triangular eyes, which were more white than black, somewhat ruined his elegant temperament.
His expression was cold, and it was obvious that he was suppressing his anger. When the warhorse came in front of him, he arrogantly held the reins and the whip in one hand. He asked condescendingly,"Are you from the Courier Station?"
Yang Ling's hands were red from the cold, and he asked,""Who is the general? What can I do for you?"
The bodyguard beside that person shouted,"Presumptuous! This is our Bi Du Si, quickly reply!"
Yang Ling did not dare to be impudent when he heard that he was a fourth-rank general. He quickly straightened his body and cupped his hands."This humble servant is the acting deputy of the county.”
When the general heard this, he waved his whip, and the tip of the whip whistled sharply, brushing past Yang Ling's ears. Yang Ling was startled, and his personal guards burst into laughter. Yang Ling flew into a rage. He raised his head and glared angrily at the lieutenant, only to see Bi Dusi clench his teeth and laugh coldly,"" You're just a mere deputy, how dare you. This general led the army to reinforce them overnight and saved nearly ten thousand people from Jiming Posthouse. Now, you want my soldiers to starve? How preposterous."
Yang Ling was initially furious when he saw the general's arrogance, but he was stunned when he heard this. His anger dissipated immediately, and he frowned."How is this possible?" He turned his head to look at the south gate, which was still wide open, and pointed at the smoke rising from the chimneys."I have already ordered the post station staff to distribute the rations. Smoke has clearly lit up outside the city, so why do you say you want to starve?”
Bi Dusi's face was livid as he sneered." That's Sun Dazhong's camp. The people under me, Bi Chun, are also soldiers of the Ming Dynasty. Up until now, only half of the officers have received rice. As the saying goes, the emperor doesn't lack hungry soldiers. Could it be that your Jiming Posthouse actually wants us to go into battle to kill the enemy on an empty stomach?”
A thought flashed through Yang Ling's mind."Embezzlement?" When he left the post office, he had personally gone to check the warehouse. The grain that had been escorted over had filled at least two warehouses, enough to supply the five thousand soldiers for ten days. Who was so bold as to dare to deduct it so arrogantly? Moreover, it was a time of war. He was really audacious.
At this moment, he even had the urge to kill someone. His face turned ashen. Yang Ling suppressed his anger and cupped his hands in greeting to Bi Dusi, saying word by word,""Milord, this is my negligence. Please forgive me. Please immediately send the army cooks to the post office. This lowly servant will rush back to the post office and personally distribute the rations."
A minor official beside him had been quietly tugging at his sleeve, as if he had something to say. Yang Ling ignored him, only looking straight at the lieutenant.
After hearing Yang Ling's words, Bi Dusi's stern expression slowly softened. He bent his body and stared at Yang Ling with his triangular eyes for a long time before he suddenly asked,""What's your name?"
"I'm Jiming County's acting courier, Yang Ling," Yang Ling said.
Bi Dusi nodded, sat up straight, and chuckled."Good, what a good acting deputy, Yang Ling. Qiu Dapeng, quickly catch up to Guan Shouying and tell them to behave themselves and not to snatch the grain. Tell them that Yang Yicheng will immediately open the granary and I will return to the camp to wait for your news, hehe."
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。