In Linjin City, the battles at the top of the city during these days were naturally extremely cruel. Even the busyness and misery in the city were not much better than the bloodshed. The refugees who entered the city before the war and lived in the surrounding areas were all confident.
Those who were strong enough were recruited with a meal of hot porridge a day, and formed into a team to carry city defense equipment, bows, arrows and crossbows. They carried waves of supplies onto the city, and carried the wounded and wounded soldiers one by one.
Under the city wall, they were piled in sheds built on the city roots.
Some mud-tile houses near the city wall have been temporarily demolished. The demolished wooden boards, wooden beams and masonry have all become materials for defending the city, leaving only half of the yellow mud wall standing alone on the ground.
This is the practice of this era. For the owner of the house, there is no room for negotiation. With the sword and gun in front of him, if he dares to say more than half a word, he will be beheaded as a collaborator, without even needing to compensate him afterwards.
Shops on both sides of the main streets in the city are closed. Even if they are ordered to open, the grain stores guarded by special soldiers will only open for half an hour at noon during the day, and then close immediately when the hour comes. Food prices have already
It has risen to the point where five Jiaozi of the usual face value is required for a small bucket. Even so, the five shi of rice that must be sold under the daily restrictions are still in short supply...
For other things like firewood, soy sauce, salt, etc., the people in the city can only think of ways to do it themselves. Since the city gate is not open anyway, even firewood is used a little less, not to mention the vegetables and other things that were originally outside the city.
In the main streets and unattended alleys, the refugees from Guanzhong who were fleeing the military disaster outside the city were either squatting, or half-lying, huddled under the walls and corners of the houses. Those who went to the city to help still had something to eat, and those who were not recruited were left.
They didn't even have a bite to eat, so they could only fill their stomachs with well water, and then tear off the bark and grass roots and chew them randomly. In some cases, they couldn't even collect the bark and grass roots, so they could only look for some white clay.
Mix with water and form into balls and swallow whole.
In Anpingfang in the city, things are much better. At least there are no soldiers from the Western Expedition coming to the door. At the gate of the square, there are also some servants from various families helping to maintain order and prevent stray people from entering.
These are some of Zuo Fengyi's rich tribesmen who do not live in Wubao in the countryside, and there are some reserves in the Gaomen compound. Even if it is twenty or thirty days, let alone three or two days, these people may not be hungry.
However, in order to prevent the refugees in the city from coveting them, self-organized patrol teams patrolled the square day and night. If they saw unfamiliar faces wandering around the square, they would directly capture them without saying a word and send them to the government office.
On the street where the government office is located, there are always soldiers stained with blood, running from the city wall from time to time, and then taking the written approval from the government office, and rushing out again, with a murderous atmosphere, even
Even looking at it from a distance makes me feel intimidated.
Xu Shu's military background was similar to that of a military general. He had a burly figure. He also learned some martial arts when he was young. Naturally, he was not afraid of battle. He wore a helmet and a military uniform and went to the front lines of the city to supervise the battles. Other civil servants in the city
, they are not as good as Xu Shu, some even have cramps in their legs and stomachs when they see blood in their stools, so they can only stay in the government office and not see them for as long as possible.
At this time, in the government office, in addition to several civil servants, there was another person, who was tall and round, sitting in front of the hall. In front of him stood a gleaming crescent halberd, with two short halberds crossed behind his back. He was extremely sturdy.
But he has five strands of beard, thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a dignified appearance. This combination of handsomeness and martial prowess is none other than Taishi Ci.
In the past two days, no matter how fierce the battle was on the city, Xu Shu did not order Taishi Ci to support him, but repeatedly emphasized that he must stay in the city.
Originally, Taishi Ci could sit in the hall, but Taishi Ci insisted on sitting in front of the hall, sitting under everyone's gaze.
After all, Taishi Ci was Taishi Ming's cousin, and Taishi Ming had a deep friendship with Fei Qian, Pang Tong, Xu Shu and others under Lushan. With such a relationship, he was naturally closer than ordinary people. Xu Shu came in person
Supervising the formation of the city wall, the important task of guarding the city naturally fell on Tai Shici. The position of Sima of Zuo Fengyi County Army was enough to temporarily mobilize any soldiers in the city.
At a time when the storm outside the city is turbulent and people in the city are panicking, Taishi Ci is the anchor of stability in Linjin City. Even the busy civil servants beside the government office naturally feel at ease when they see Taishi Ci in full military uniform.
Slightly less panicky when dealing with things.
"Sima, we have recruited more than a thousand people recently, so we can save money, but the consumption of grain and grass is astonishing! The public stock of grain is only a small amount every day, but not much. And the attached wheat fields can be harvested after autumn, but this is
The city is under siege, and we don't know when it will be lifted. If this continues, I'm afraid we won't be able to hold on for long!" Cangcao left the side room, approached Taishi Ci, and reported in a low voice.
"How long can it last?" Tai Shici asked.
Cang Cao said: "If we calculate based on the current consumption, it will take as long as twenty days or as short as ten days, and the public treasury will be exhausted. If we use a small bucket, we can still support it for a few more days."
"I know." Taishi Ci nodded and said, "The army has always used big battles. You can't change it without authorization, otherwise things will easily happen... I will discuss the matter of food and grass with the envoy."
Kurasao nodded and then retreated.
Cang Cao left, but the city's master craftsman came with a frown. "Sima, I ordered you to send out the weapons to mend the city... There are soldiers in the warehouse, just use them, but the number of arrows... in the city
The blacksmith has been up all night, repairing and hammering, but it is still not enough, there is still a difference of thirty thousand..."
"As many as you have, give them first!" Taishi Ci also understood that arrows cannot be used by just cutting off a piece of wood, and the process is complicated, so even if you force it, you can't force it, so he said, "Let the craftsman
Hurry up and work quickly, there will be a generous reward once the battle is over!"
The great craftsman in the city bowed his hand in agreement, took two steps, and then turned back and said: "...there is another thing, which is quite strange... The envoy also explained it before... In this bloody battle at the top of the city, the weapons were naturally damaged a lot.
, but in the past two days, Ding Zhuang has sent fewer repairs than the previous two days..."
Taishi Ci was sitting calmly at first, but after hearing what the master said, he thought about it for a moment, and immediately said to the master in a solemn voice and in a low voice: "Don't make it loud and tell it in detail!"
Although Taishi Ci was a military commander, he was not rough-minded. Otherwise, he would not have fled to Liaodong because of the bus memorial. Xu Shu's real intention of keeping him in the city was not to let him approve and review the affairs of various subordinates to Cao Cao.
It is to use the hands of Taishi Ci to eliminate hidden dangers in the city.
Many fortified cities did not fall due to damage to the walls or lack of soldiers, but because of the internal and external cooperation. Linjin was originally Zuo Fengyi's government. There are many people in this city, and it is possible that all of them will be destroyed in a short time.
Check clearly?
In addition, when the Huchuquan Army was approaching, many people took refuge in the city. It was hard to say whether there were some people with ulterior motives among them.
Therefore, no matter how fierce the battle on the city was, Xu Shu did not use Taishi Ci, because both Xu Shu and Taishi Ci knew that only by exposing the hidden dangers in the city and eliminating them completely can people truly feel at ease.
In the past few days, Taishi Ci was sitting in the government office. What made him headache and irritated was not the continuous trivial matters, but the hidden dangers in the city. There were no signs of them, which made Taishi Ci quite tangled for a while.
For several days in a row, although the city was a bit dirty, it was still more or less within the normal range. There were no signs of any bad things, and no attempts to cause trouble were seen. Even if there were occasional fights, they were just between refugees.
A few people were just fighting, and a few patrol officers stopped it without even sending out soldiers.
Could it be that Xu Shu and himself were worrying too much?
Could it be that there are no problems in the city to begin with?
However, Taishi Ci, who had been fighting on the battlefield of flesh and blood for several years, always felt a little uneasy in his heart. If the Zheng family in Guanzhong rebelled, he would unite with Huchuquan and go south, but he would not make any arrangements in Jin City.
, how can people believe this?
Therefore, when the great craftsman in the city reported that the number of weapons was reduced, Taishi Ci was immediately moved. He realized that this was the work of spies who had sneaked into the city, and he immediately paid attention to it. The reason is very simple. In the Han Dynasty, all residents in the city had their household registration.
, there may be some weapons that are the focus of attention on weekdays, especially Anpingfang.
Anpingfang not only has its servants patrolling inside, but people from Xu Shu and Taishi Ci are also watching outside day and night. Some of the more than ten wealthy families in Anpingfang have served as officials under Xu Shu, and not all of them may be killed by the Zheng family.
Because of the bribery, he is even more aware of these key relationships. Whenever there is any trouble or encounters idle people, etc., he will contact the government office immediately to remove himself.
Therefore, although there are servants and weapons in Anpingfang, they are under the most strict surveillance. If there is any movement, a team of soldiers and horses left in the city will arrive immediately, unable to move at all.
On the contrary, before the arrival of Huchuquan, this wave of refugees poured into Linjin City. Firstly, there was no time to check their identities. Secondly, these people who fled may not be able to bring proof of their past with them. Could it be that
Can't we arrest all these people who have no identity?
But one thing, both Xu Shu and Tai Shici knew, was that although these refugees could sneak into the city, they would definitely not be able to carry weapons with them, so they would either go to the hiding place to retrieve the weapons, or steal the weapons from the soldiers guarding the city.
, anyway, once the war begins, there will naturally be some chaos, especially if there are casualties among the soldiers, and of course there will be fallen weapons...
At the moment, it seems that these people have chosen the method of stealing.
Of course, it is also possible that the patrol around Anpingfang was too strict, making it impossible to obtain the previously hidden weapons from Anpingfang...
Although the weapons sent for repair are usually some damaged swords with a slight chip, or spears with broken wooden handles, as long as they are sorted out a little, they can be put back into use. Who can say that there are gaps in the sword?
Can’t kill people?
After seeing off the master craftsman, Taishi Ci immediately called Tie Gouzi, who was in charge of inspection in the city.
Iron Hook's surname is Tie. Even he himself has forgotten what his original name was. As for his name, it's because he has an iron hook on his right forearm and his surname is Tie, so he is simply called Iron Hook. He was originally a cavalry scout.
Later, during the battle of Zhengxi against Xianbei, the Xianbei people chopped off his small right forearm. With his strong body, he luckily survived the infection period, so he retired and became a local patrol inspector, and then followed the pace of Zhengxi.
, also went from Bingbei to Guanzhong, and changed from an inspection team leader to the person in charge of security in a city.
Most of the patrolmen in the city, including Tie Gou Zi, followed Fei Qian all the way from Bingbei. Naturally, both suffered losses and prosperity. At least Tie Gou Zi still remembers that Fei Qian, the general who conquered the west, personally gave Tie Gou Zi
Helped with bandages...
Perhaps it was Tie Gou Zi who was bragging, but at least it showed that the loyalty of Tie Gou Zi and others was much better than that of ordinary soldiers.
Tiegouzi worked as a scout, and the requirements for a scout are to be bold, careful, and sharp-sighted, and to judge the direction and number of soldiers from clues. A careless guy cannot be a scout, so he changed his job from scout to
Inspection, except for some difficulties in cultural classes, other problems are not big.
When Iron Hook came and heard about this, he immediately frowned, thought for a moment and said: "There are a lot of homeless people in the city, all in the alleys and streets, and there are also a lot of young people recruited in the past few days. When we investigate... Otherwise, there are many homeless people in the city.
We have secretly arranged manpower at the gate. Anyway, these thieves must be targeting the city gate..."
"That's true, but there are eight city gates of different sizes. What's more, we don't have many people in the city, so it's better to arrest them first..." Taishi Ci thought for a while and said, "What's more, we don't have many people in the city first..." Taishi Ci thought for a while and said, "What's more, we don't have many people in the city."
Now that the internal troubles have been eliminated, we can fully support the city wall to resist foreign enemies."
"In this case, we have to patrol among these refugees!" Iron Hook waved the iron hook in his right hand and said, "I think we can start from the area around Anpingfang first!"
"Okay. But don't rush now. Let's first think about whether the soldiers on patrol in the past two days have reported anything strange?" Tai Shici asked.
"Something strange?" Iron Hook slapped the iron hook on the palm of his left hand a few times. He suddenly thought of something, his eyes lit up, and he said, "It's true! Sima, you know that General Zhengxi has some regulations in Bingbei.
,For example, there are detailed rules for drowning..."
Taishi Ci nodded. He did know this. If you urinate or defecate casually on the streets of Pingyang, you will be fined immediately if you have no choice but to serve. Those who have no money will have to serve.
"...So the city also follows the example of merging with the north..." Tie Gouzi said in a deep voice, "Yesterday at dusk, when a certain person was inspecting the neighborhood, he caught a few refugees who were missing in the street. Originally, he thought it was just to make up for some
The craftsmen in the city are working hard. Now that I think about it, food has been restricted in the city for many days. The ordinary refugees are even more deprived of food and clothing. There are even those who swallow earth and have bloated abdomens. There is nothing left to pull out! Those who have diarrhea must eat.
Yes, and where does this food come from? It must be given by someone secretly in the city!"
