After Luo Hai took the order, he did not forcefully use his status as a general to suppress the discussion within the rebel army about Shen Yichen's words and deeds.

Instead, he sent his personal guards to various barracks in the army to spread unfavorable words and deeds about Shen Yichen's rhetoric, fame and reputation, etc., thereby reversing the current disadvantage of the entire public opinion.

It must be said that "psychological warfare", a very fashionable name in later generations, has been learned and applied in ancient times.

Shen Yichen wanted to "conquer the enemy without fighting", while Deng Maoqi on the other side counterattacked decisively to prevent the three armies from being deprived of their strength and the general from being deprived of his heart.

The theory of morale confrontation in "The Art of War" is vividly demonstrated!

"Wang Xiaoliu, I just heard from outside that Admiral Shen is lying to us. He has never thought about assuming the responsibility of a parent official. After surrendering and recruiting peace, the court will turn its back and accuse him."

"You know Admiral Shen better. Are the rumors outside true?"

Facing the questions from his companions, Wang Xiaoliu, who was lying on the hospital bed, didn't know how to answer for a while.

After all, he only had a one-time relationship with Shen Yichen back then, and he didn't know him well. Let alone a high-ranking official like him, how could he reach such a high level with his weak legs? How could he determine the truth?

"I don't know whether the rumors outside are true or false, but I believe Admiral Shen will not lie to us."

Wang Xiaoliu could only give this answer, he was willing to trust Shen Yichen!

"Oh, how can I believe it? It is rumored that Admiral Shen is just talking nonsense. I think they are right."

"He kept promising to come down and treat the wounded, but why would the imperial court allow Admiral Shen to treat the traitors?"

Another rebel soldier with an unfamiliar face had a tone full of ridicule.

When Wang Xiaoliu heard this, he subconsciously wanted to refute, but when the words came to his lips, he didn't know where to refute.

Because the other party's words were rough and unreasonable, Shen Yichen was a court official after all. Even if he wanted to help the rebels, he might not be able to do so.

But Wang Xiaoliu always disagreed. Shen Yichen's words from the bottom of his heart were just to deceive the rebels into surrendering.

Admiral Shen is not that kind of person!

Similar conversations were held in almost every corner of the rebel camp. Those miners and furnace workers who had received Shen Yichen's help for many years could still argue with each other with red faces.

But most of the rebels may not have even met Shen Yichen. They only heard his remarks in the camp. How can they have unwavering trust?

Not to mention that the consequences of this kind of trust will cost you your wealth and life!

So soon, Shen Yichen's reputation among the lower-level soldiers of the rebel army was put under a big doubt mark, and more and more people believed that this was a recruitment trap set by the imperial court.

Faced with the reversal in public opinion, Zheng Xiang was the most anxious person.

Because he has always been responsible for the contact between Shen Yichen and Ye Zongliu, probably no one is more aware of Shen Yichen's efforts and help to the Fujian miners over the past few years than him.

Even this time when he went to Fujian to quell the rebellion, in a sense, Shen Yichen had given up the opportunity to serve as the emperor's master. How could he prove that he was not that smooth-talking, fame-seeking official of the imperial court?

To be honest, even if he was in the rebel camp, Zheng Xiang felt a little unworthy for Shen Yichen!

"Admiral Shen, there are rumors spreading everywhere. Do you want someone in charge to come forward and explain it to you?"

Looking at Shen Yichen who was still sitting calmly in the tent, Zheng Xiang couldn't help but ask.

Many of the miners under his command were die-hard brothers who were preparing for the uprising in Zhenjiang. They are Shen Yichen's best witnesses.

"unnecessary."

Shen Yichen shook his head and directly rejected Zheng Xiang's suggestion.

No matter how you explain this situation, it is all empty talk. Judging from the time passing in the past few days, whether it is the soldiers and horses of Fuzhou Three Guards or the material support of Xu Fengyuan, they should soon arrive in Quanzhou Prefecture.

"Admiral Shen, if you let rumors spread like this, it is estimated that Leader Deng will not accept recruitment negotiations."

Ye Zongliu on the other side was also worried at this time.

He knew very well where these remarks came from, but as one of the three leaders of the rebel army and a fellow soldier who once fought alongside Deng Maoqi, it was impossible for Ye Zongliu to stand up and point out the opponent's methods.

Because this would directly cause division within the rebel army and completely cut off the possibility of the peasant army led by Deng Maoqi to recruit troops.

Eighty thousand migrant worker volunteers are not a small number. They are 80,000 living lives. Even Shen Yichen cannot bear to kill. How could Ye Zongliu watch these 80,000 Paoze brothers die?

But left alone, the lower-level soldiers became more and more hostile to Shen Yichen, and at the same time they became more and more determined that the court's recruitment was a trap.

Even if I come forward to clarify at that time, it may not help.

"I'm already prepared for Deng Maoqi to refuse to recruit him, and it won't be sooner than this."

Shen Yichen replied lightly, with a hint of coldness in his tone.

He had given Deng Maoqi a chance to negotiate, and even if the other party was willing to recruit him, he would only kill the culprit. Shen Yichen planned to find a way around it and give him a way to survive!

It's a pity that Deng Maoqi never had any intention of recruiting anyone from the beginning to the end, and was so determined that he didn't even give him a chance to negotiate!

The request for peace was not due to Shen Yichen's weakness for peace, but rather his compassion and righteousness.

Since Deng Maoqi planned to go all the way to the dark side, Shen Yichen had no choice but to implement "only the first culprit".

Ye Zongliu could tell from Shen Yichen's words that the other party had murderous intentions, and the expression on his face was extremely complicated.

He really wanted to say a few good words to Deng Maoqi and ask Shen Yichen to let him go. But Ye Zongliu also knew very well that even if Deng Maoqi was unwilling to cooperate, even if he was willing, he might only punish the culprit in the court. Under the conditions of recruitment, it would be difficult for the three of us to survive.

There is no way to survive anyway, so why bother about how to die?

The only thing that worried me was when the news of the capture of Quanzhou Prefecture reached the capital, and when Deng Maoqi still had to contend with the imperial army. Will the coercion be pardoned and the follower recruited? Will these two still work?

One hundred thousand rebels, their parents, wives and children, in the eyes of themselves and others, are living human lives, but in the eyes of the court and the emperor, they may be just a number.

Their heavy thoughts caused the camp to fall into silence.

At this moment, Jiang Fucheng, the leader of Youxi Luding, ran into the camp from outside with a look of anxiety on his face.

"Admiral Shen, the imperial army has marched to Quanzhou Prefecture. It is currently less than thirty miles away from Quanzhou City and is confronting the rebel army's outer defense line!"

Jiang Fuchen thought that this incident would trigger a big reaction from Shen Yichen, Ye Zongliu and others.

After hearing his notification, Shen Yichen just nodded calmly and said, "I understand."

If Shen Yichen was not surprised, Jiang Fucheng would understand, but even Ye Zongliu's application was normal, which made him feel a little confused.

Could it be that Boss Ye had known for a long time that Shen Yichen would mobilize troops to attack, just like what is now rumored by the outside world, and that the so-called recruitment was a tactic for the imperial court to delay the attack?

Regarding this point, Jiang Fucheng mistakenly blamed Ye Zongliu. He did know that the imperial army was going to Quanzhou City, but this had nothing to do with the strategy of recruiting security and delaying troops. It was purely because Shen Yichen mobilized the three Fuzhou guards to prevent the "unrest" from continuing to expand. .

Half of the country in Fujian is the upper limit of riots that Shen Yichen can suppress with his current status as admiral!

Before Jiang Fucheng could express his doubts, fierce noises could be heard outside the tent. The rebels who learned about the imperial army's attack gathered around Shen Yichen's tent, hoping to get an explanation.

You also said a few days ago that as an official, you should make decisions for the people, regard the rebel soldiers as the subjects of your rule, and do your best to protect the rebels and their families, so that they can live a stable and stable life in the future.

Only a few days later, they turned against each other, and troops marched on the border to prepare to put down the rebellion with force.

Everyone in the rebel army has personally experienced the killing methods of the imperial army, and almost no one is left alive under the sword and gun!

"Admiral Shen, are you really just trying to gain fame?"

"I regarded you as the savior in vain. It turns out that you are just delaying time so that the imperial army can prepare for the offensive!"

"He keeps saying that he wants to benefit one party, but does Admiral Shen still dare to say this now?"

"Admiral Shen, I believe you are different from other court officials. Please don't let us down!"

Listening to the constant condemnation outside the tent, Ye Zongliu, who felt that the situation was somewhat out of control, said: "Admiral Shen, let Zheng Xiang lead his people to escort you out of the camp first, and I will handle the rest."

Ye Zongliu could understand Shen Yichen's decision to recruit the three guards from Fuzhou, but the vast majority of the lower-level soldiers of the rebel army with simple emotions would not understand. They would only consider it a naked betrayal.

"Chief Ye, if I leave, can you still explain me clearly?"

Shen Yichen smiled and replied that if he left the camp at this time, it would be tantamount to "absconding".

Without him as a "pawn" in the rebel camp, I am afraid that no matter what explanation Ye Zongliu gives, it will be a signal to the outside world that the imperial army is about to attack.

"Proprietor, even if you stay in the rebel camp at this time, it will be difficult to explain clearly under the fierce public anger, so you should take the first step!"

Cang Huotou also stood up to persuade. As the rebellion became more and more angry, it was impossible to regain sanity, let alone Deng Maoqi and other forces behind it.

Save yourself first, we’ll talk about other things later.

"Yes, proprietor, we can't stay any longer!"

Bian He also raised objections.

Originally, when Shen Yichen failed to negotiate, it was a clever move for him to choose to take the route of the bottom of the rebel army.

But no one expected that Deng Maoqi responded so quickly. In addition, the Fuzhou Three Guards marched faster than expected and arrived in Quanzhou Prefecture before Xu Fengyuan's material aid.

The result was counterproductive. Feeling the "betrayal" emotion, the rebels became even more angry than before.

To be honest, many things can only be said to be in the hands of God. When Shen Yichen ordered Feng Zheng to mobilize troops from the entire province, he was planning to reserve enough time for negotiations and to accumulate enough troops so that he could settle the matter in one fell swoop. rebel.

Instead of turning the war against bandits into a fueling tactic like the Chief Secretary of Fujian did before, the insurrectionary army grew bigger step by step.

It's just that Shen Yichen underestimated the impact of killing Dou Yi in the military camp, and the "forced imperial concubine" of the lower-level soldiers of Fuzhou's three guards frightened Feng Zheng so much that he didn't dare to delay at all, and couldn't even wait to recruit troops from the entire province. , first led the three guards from Fuzhou to rush for reinforcements.

The reversal of the order led to a huge difference in the results. Shen Yichen was not a god after all, and he could not control the changes in people's hearts.

Everyone in the camp reached a consensus. They all believed that in this situation, in order to avoid casualties, Shen Yichen should leave the camp quickly to ensure his own safety.

But at this moment, Lin Zhen walked in slowly but firmly, and said to Shen Yichen: "I can leave the camp at any time, but I can't at this moment."

"To the north, one hundred thousand lives will be lost if we go to the north, and there is no possibility of retrieval!"

Lin Zhen was right. Shen Yichen's departure meant that the trust that had been established before was completely shattered. Even if Ye Zongliu, Jiang Fucheng and others were willing to recruit people, they would not be able to withstand the general trend of the lower-level soldiers.
To be continued...