Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

Fang Wen's loud voice broke the dead silence of Lijia Village.

The croaking of frogs and the chirping of cicadas disappeared. No one answered, and all that remained was silence.

"I am the captain of the Ming army under the command of the Grand Marshal. I have come to rescue you on the orders of the Grand Marshal. I have no other intention. If there are any fellow villagers who are still alive and in need of help, please speak up."

Fang Wen changed his words and repeated his mission again.

This time, the silence didn't last long.

When Li Zhong heard the name, his heart beat violently.

"I! I...Sir, save me!" Li Zhong weakly used all his strength, his voice hoarse.

Somehow, when he learned that these soldiers were coming to rescue him, he was alert at first. After all, there has always been no difference between soldiers and bandits.

But when he learned that they were under the command of that great man, all the strength in his body seemed to disappear in an instant.

He only had time to shout for help before he fainted.

Fang Wen immediately ordered:

"Quick, Zhang Ergou, Sun Laosan, the rest of you go over and rescue them."

At this moment, there was a sudden thud sound from under a tree not far away. Fang Wending took a look and found that it was a young boy who had fallen from the tree due to exhaustion. He immediately sent someone to check.

When the first person dared to seek help from the officers and soldiers, and saw that these soldiers did not seem to be here to kill innocent people and take credit for their deeds, more people immediately emerged from their hiding places.

Some were nestling in the weeds on the higher mounds, while others, like Li Zhong, were clinging tightly to the pillars that had not been washed away.

Of course, more people were lying on driftwood and drifting with the current. Many of them were not from Lijiazhuang at all, but were washed here by the flood from nearby villages.

"Everyone, listen up! This is a military order personally issued by the commander-in-chief. The primary goal of this operation is to rescue the civilians.

Anyone who dares to take bribes or extort money will be beaten with forty sticks and expelled from the Guards. Anyone who commits a crime will be executed without mercy!

At Fang Wen's command, hundreds of Guards soldiers, in groups of three or four, waded through waist-deep water to rescue the people.

Zhang Shikang cared very much about this rescue operation. He believed that it was an important attempt to improve the people's impression of the army. At the same time, it was also an example to the Huben Army, the Yongning Army and even the Ming Navy.

The punishment was very severe. If forty military sticks were used, twenty sticks could kill someone.

However, compared to the military stick, perhaps expelling the Guards was more unacceptable to everyone.

Military pay and food have long been improved. Following the Marshal, you will never miss out on war rewards, not to mention the transparency of promotion channels, which gives all low-level soldiers the opportunity to move up.

The dead and injured received high pensions, so they didn't have to worry about their wives and children being unable to make a living. They also received many honors and could even meet the emperor occasionally.

As a result, the arrogant and proud guards have long sneered at bullying the weak. This is the true pride.

However, all the soldiers could also think that the Marshal used this as a punishment, which meant that he must care very much about the disaster relief. Although they did not understand why the Marshal did this, it did not affect their obedience to orders.

For the sake of efficiency, many soldiers took off their armor on the spot, and gathered the scattered people one by one on the high ground chosen by Fang Wen, either in their arms, on their shoulders, or on their backs.

On the high ground, the survivors still gathered together in fear. No one dared to speak, even though many of them had not eaten for the whole day.

As more and more people gathered, some of them who were brave enough finally began to speak in low voices.

"When did the government troops become so kind? They can't be taking us away to be forced laborers outside the Great Wall, right?

I heard Guan Ningjin has been short of people."

"It's hard to say. There's been constant fighting outside the Great Wall, people die every year, and the farmland is left uncultivated. I guess it's possible.

"But the imperial court has issued many favorable policies in the past two years, even abolishing corvée labor. If they want us to go, why are they trying to bluff us like this? If they exempt us from land tax for three years, there will be plenty of people who can go."

"Oh, I'm afraid you'll go there alive but not return alive!"

"That's nonsense! Didn't the officer say that? They're here to rescue us. Look how hard those soldiers are working, carrying people and covered in mud."

"But why? I've lived to be fifty-four, and I've never heard of soldiers saving us common people."

"I've been wondering about this too. The duty of officers and soldiers is to fight. Hasn't it always been like this?

I'd be very grateful if they didn't bully me."

"That's right. A few years ago, there was a general named Wang Pu in Shanxi who arrested hundreds of people in our town.

Later, there were rumors that they were all arrested for killing innocent people to gain merit, and the price for each head was ten taels of silver."

"However, in the past two years, we have rarely heard of cases of killing innocent people to claim credit for their achievements. The imperial court has been quite active. Those corrupt officials and gentry killed two years ago were not killed in vain."

"But even so, why would the leader of the government army do such a strenuous task? We ordinary people don't have any benefits."

A few bachelors talked to each other, but in the end they couldn't figure it out, not to mention that the people who came to rescue them were the emperor's personal army.

Just as I was wondering, a hoarse voice came:

"Because the Grand Marshal of the Imperial Guards is called Zhang Shikang.

Our land was taken back from the local gentry by him and distributed to us.

It was at his suggestion that corvee labor was exempted.

Last year, those who planted new crops in Lijiazhuang had a good year. These new crops were also found by Marshal Zhang for our people.

Without him, I, Li Zhong, would have starved to death long ago."

As soon as Li Zhong woke up, he heard a group of bachelors from the next village criticizing his benefactor, so he started talking.

His son fell asleep in his arms, holding the tablet in his arms.

The name written on the longevity tablet was Zhang Shikang, the Marshal of the Ming Dynasty.

"Lord Zhenguogong is a good man."

"Ah, right, right! I, Li Wu, rarely praise others, but this Marshal Zhang is absolutely amazing to us common people!"

"Come on, the Grand Marshal still needs your praise, Li Wu?"

……

More and more people gathered, but apart from some bachelors who were talking and laughing because they could feed the whole family, there was mostly silence and sobbing.

Many families have lost loved ones who were swept away by the floods and have no news of them.

Occasionally, soldiers would bring back relatives from far away, and the people would be filled with gratitude.

The scenes in Lijiazhuang were just a microcosm. Within the entire Yongping Prefecture, tens of thousands of guards were divided into dozens or even hundreds of groups and dispersed in every county, town, and village that needed rescue.

They took out the dry food and biscuits from the army and distributed them to the people in need of help. Contrasts were happening everywhere, and for a moment, the people of Yongping Prefecture all knew who had saved them.

It was the imperial court, the imperial guards, and Zhang Shikang, the Duke of Zhenguo and Marshal of the Army.

The rescue efforts are ongoing.

Late at night, Lijiazhuang.

Li Zhong sat in his house, where only a door panel remained. The floodwater had receded to his ankles.

His wife is gone, but his children are still young and life has to go on.

He began to clean up his dilapidated home. Zhang Shikang's longevity tablet was placed in the only place where it would not be exposed to water, and the children were eating the pancakes distributed to them by the guards.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard not far away.

Li Zhong looked up and stood there in a daze.

"Are you Li Zhong? Is this woman your wife?"

……