While Chang'an was struggling with Webster's affairs, Hedong was still shrouded in the fog of war.
In the early morning, the sun rose and the mist slowly dispersed, revealing the simple and majestic outline of the Anyi City Wall.
This is a city formed at the intersection of nomadic herding and farming. The city walls are high and built with loess and rammed earth methods. The outside is covered with a layer of blue bricks, which is strong and durable.
On top of the city tower, the soldiers guarding the city patrolled back and forth, staring nervously at the flag of Cao's army cruising back and forth in the distance outside the city.
Although Cao Jun has not yet attacked the city, the Anyi defenders already feel it is difficult to breathe.
The city gates are locked and the drawbridge hangs high.
The streets in the city were originally lined with neat shops and houses, but now they are all closed.
The markets on both sides of the long street are now empty.
It seems that the liveliness and prosperity before have become an illusory dream now.
Near the official buildings in the city, you can see that the officials who usually held their heads high and their nostrils high were now hunched over like dogs with their backs broken.
They run in and out, sometimes bumping into each other accidentally, and then crawling around on the ground like dung beetles.
These old officials from Hedong usually looked well-dressed and talked loudly to guide the country. But now when something really happened, they were as busy as headless flies...
The camp of Cao's army stretched far outside the city, seemingly endless, occupying the fields, destroying the crops, cutting down the trees, and even the rivers seemed to be polluted by Cao's army, and there was a faint stench.
During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the above-ground counties and other places in the northeast of Hebei Province experienced great development. At that time, the city wall was expanded to a circumference of more than six miles, and four more towers were built at the four corners of the city wall, making it powerful and majestic.
Later, in the early Eastern Han Dynasty, Dou Gu sent people to reinforce Anyi in Hedong and expand the city. After the construction, the city formed a larger irregular square city, slightly tripod-shaped, slightly smaller in the north and larger in the south, with a moat.
The city wall is more than three feet high.
There is a small section of the urn city on the four sides of the city gates. Above the city gates, there is a two-story gate tower, and there is also a cave for hiding soldiers on the northern city wall...
That's right, when Anyi was being repaired, the supposed enemy came from the north.
Who would have thought that the knife would be thrust out of the hinterland of the south today?
Cao's army ravaged the Yuncheng Basin, and countless people were displaced.
Although Cao Jun arrived in Anyi and did not immediately launch an attack on the city, the heavy atmosphere did make everyone in Anyi feel frightened and inexplicable. Some people even couldn't control their emotions and would be attacked for some inexplicable reasons.
He burst into heart-wrenching tears and screams over trivial matters.
In the city, there are also defenders lining up and assigning defensive tasks, but no matter from which angle they look, these defenders don't seem to have much confidence.
Pei's military academy face also looked ugly.
Outside the city, Cao Jun was repairing the camp and building siege equipment at intervals, and the clanking sounds were like ecstatic music.
"Are you crazy? Do you really want to attack Anyi?"
At the north corner of the Anyi city wall, there is a towering watchtower. It was originally used to keep an eye on the nomadic enemies in the north, but now it is used to keep an eye on Cao Jun's camp in the south. Unfortunately, the commanding heights of the city are here, although it is somewhat It's a bit inconvenient, but it can only be done temporarily.
High on the watchtower, Pei Ji was standing.
Beside him is Anyi's guard, Pei Hui.
The Pei family is a prominent family in Hedong with a large population. Pei Mao's father also served as a general of the Liao Dynasty, which can be said to be both civil and military. Of course, the Pei family is not too big now. After the Pei family has five houses, it will be truly intertwined and branched. Ye Mao, in the Tang Dynasty, there were more than a dozen prime ministers in a family...
After the Tang Dynasty, the Pei family gradually disappeared. On the one hand, the family members were crippled in the fifth generation, and on the other hand, the forest became larger and there were all kinds of birds. Regardless of the family training, as time went by Forget everything.
But at the moment, the Pei family is still second to none in Hedong.
At least after the fall of the Wei family, only the Pei family was left.
Pei Hui was older than Pei Ji, and he was considered Pei Ji's elder brother. Pei Hui looked at the Cao army's camp stretching outside the city with a dull look, and couldn't help but whisper: "Cao Jun is going crazy!" Are you really going to...are you really going to hit us?』
Although the war between Fei Qian and Cao Cao has lasted for more than half a year, people in the Pei family often hear about the fighting here or there, but after all, they feel that the war is still far away from them...
As for the tragedies, casualties, and sufferings, aren’t they just there yet?
In the hearts of Anyi and others, most of them still have a lucky mentality. They feel that if Cao Jun cannot get any advantage, Cao Jun and others will retreat.
However, in the past ten days or so, Cao's army seemed to have changed. It seemed that they would not give up until they captured Hedong. Not only did their offensive become much more determined and fierce, but they also adopted brutal measures against the people in the Yuncheng Basin. , so cruel that it makes one’s heart tremble.
I even heard that Cao Cao himself left the Zhongtiao Mountain camp and headed north, looking like he was going to fight to the death.
The banner of Cao's Zhonglian Zhonghujun also appears around Anyi.
Pei Ji whispered: "Cao's army mainly wants to fight the hussars... We are just, just incidentally..."
Pei Ji instinctively felt that Cao Cao was trying to encircle the area for reinforcements.
This familiar tactic in later generations may only be said to be similar to "attacking the unprepared" or "surrounding Wei and rescuing Zhao" in the Han Dynasty...
Hmm, "Besieging An and Attacking Fei"?
Not everyone in the Pei family is as obsessed with wealth as Pei Jun.
Regarding this situation of conflict between East and West, Pei Mao, Pei Ji and others will have a higher foothold than Pei Jun.
This may be a natural talent, or it may be a deliberate cultivation by the family when they were studying.
There is a natural level difference between the side branches and the main family.
Pei Hui asked: "Husband? Why doesn't the horse come?"
Pei Ji turned his attention to Cao Jun's camp and saw that Cao Jun was not only building a garrison, but also digging trenches and placing horses.
Moreover, at the northern city wall of Anyi, Cao Jun also surrounded three towers and deliberately opened a gap.
Pei Ji sighed: "This Cao army was forced into panic..."
Pei Hui was stunned, but said impatiently: "Why is Cao Jun anxious? Now we are anxious. Judging from Cao Jun's appearance, how long can our city hold on? If reinforcements don't come, we will be doomed."
Pei Ji glanced at Pei Hui, who immediately became speechless.
He was a guard, but he opened his mouth and kept saying "It's over"...
Pei Ji was a little helpless.
Pei Hui is Pei Ji's younger brother, but these are of no use. In the Pei family, age is not what matters, the key is personal ability, and Pei Hui has known since he was a child that he is not as good as his younger brother.
, Pei Ji just looked at him, and Pei Hui shut up and stopped complaining.
Complaining is really useless except to express emotions.
Pei Ji shook his head slightly. As a subordinate, he was a bit brave in martial arts, but his overall strategy was far behind.
Pei Ji said slowly: "What Cao Jun has done recently is just to cause chaos... If we don't wait for chaos, Cao Jun will have no chance to take advantage of it..."
Pei Hui's eyes bulged, obviously not believing it.
Pei Ji stretched out his hand and pointed to the north, "Look, what do you see?"
"What?" Pei Hui asked.
"Emei Ridge!" Pei Ji exclaimed, "Emei Ridge is easy to fight. If Cao Jun wants to capture the high plateau, he doesn't know how many soldiers and horses will die!"
Pei Hui nodded and said, "That's why Cao Jun came to attack us!"
Pei Ji shook his head, "Why can't I explain to you..."
Pei Hui was also confused, "I really don't understand! But if the city wall in front of us is broken by Cao Jun, our family will be ruined!"
Although there is enough food and grass in Anyi City, the firewood reserves are insufficient, and there are gradually problems in making fires and meals. Moreover, the morale is not high. Everyone has no idea, and they don’t know when the hussars will come to help. They are flustered and impetuous.
.
Pei Ji did not scold Pei Hui for his depressing words, but asked, "Has the war situation here been sent to Pingyang?"
"I sent it a long time ago! I sent it in three batches!" Pei Hui raised three fingers, like three sticks of incense, and waved them towards the north again and again, with resentment evident in his words.
"The place where the hussar wants to fight is not just a city or a place..." Pei Ji said slowly, "I heard that the gentlemen of ancient times should cultivate themselves and treat things as they should, and not be inferior to others. Those who seek help from others will easily be poor.
Those who seek for themselves will have their virtues renewed day by day. Water is the weakest thing in all things. When it rises, it becomes air, and when it sinks, it becomes ice. They are all transformed..."
"Uh..." Pei Hui scratched the beard on his chin, "I heard what you said. I understand, but I'm a little confused..."
Pei Ji patted the railing of the watchtower and said, "Let's just say that the Hussars coming to rescue us can only prove that we are worthy of the rescue..."
"How to prove it?" Pei Hui asked.
"Guard Anyi." Pei Ji replied.
Pei Hui's eyes widened, "If we can hold on, do we still need reinforcements from the Cavalry Furball?"
It seems right...
"..."
Pei Ji fell into deep thought.
…
…
As night falls, the refugee camp on the Emei Mountains looks somewhat desolate amid the dim bonfires.
Even though they were treated by the Hussar troops from Linfen, they were not in their own homes after all. Their living conditions were extremely restricted, and physical and mental fatigue were always weighing on these refugees.
No one likes being a refugee…
A journey that can be taken at any time is only possible on the basis of the stability of the country and the happiness of the people.
Only with good order can there be free space. If every time you go to a place, you have to take the risk of being robbed and killed, and you don't even know where the bones are, how many people will "just leave"?
The exhausted refugees sat around the fire. Their faces were full of traces of war and exile, and their eyes revealed sadness and uneasiness.
Although the world is big, there is no home for them.
A shack is only a temporary shelter, and even in such a shack, not everyone can live in it and live well.
On the plateau, hungry wolves who came from nowhere in the distance seemed to be eyeing these poor people who had fled. It was said that some children gathering wild vegetables had been snatched away by wolves...
When the hussars went to search, they only found some torn and blood-stained tattered robes.
In nature, within tribal populations, weakness is the original sin.
Fortunately, however, there is still hope.
It's like a bonfire in these dark nights, dispelling the darkness and bringing warmth.
"Folks..."
Wang Meng muttered these two words silently.
This was the title he heard most often in this refugee camp.
Not Lao Zhangtou, Lao Wangtou, nor Wuna the untouchable, but "fellow folks"...
It is said that this term was coined by Fei Qian, the hussar general.
When saying this word, the military academy was full of pride.
"Whether we are in Sili, Hedong, or even Shangjun or Jingxiang, we all have the same name, Han! We all drink the same water, eat the same food, and speak the same words.
Language, using the same words...』
"Our ancestors live under the same sky, our fathers also live here on the same land, we also live here, and even our children and grandchildren will also live on this land that belongs to us! We are all Han people!
We are friends, brothers, and relatives!"
"So, since we are all Han Chinese, we are all fellow villagers!"
That military academy said so and did the same thing.
He helped the refugees carry water, build shacks, and even dug cesspits for the refugees to excrement...
That was real work, not the kind of pretending to swing a hoe around twice, but real work, sweating and getting yourself covered in mud.
Where can I see such a military academy in Shandong?
In the land of Shandong, anyone who has some authority, no matter how big it is, will look at others with their noses turned up, and will definitely use the authority in their hands to show their uniqueness.
If you really eat low-quality soup cakes with ordinary people, it will simply lose the face of Shandong officials. You must eat some exquisite pastries or something to barely satisfy your hunger, and maybe you will have some strength and refreshment.
Come and do something for Mudlegs...
So Wang Meng couldn't believe what he saw before him, but it was the reality.
Everything was simply beyond Wang Meng's imagination.
And those doctors.
Doctors who don’t ask for money or anything, just treat refugees for free.
Seeing a doctor is free?
Isn't this a big joke?
How can I get medical treatment for free?
How can a doctor survive without money?
How can we reflect the value and professionalism of doctors without charging money?
There is no charge for medical treatment, so who will bear the cost of using the herbs and equipment?
More importantly, if doctors don't charge money, then wouldn't it mean that the high-ranking officials and the lowly and unscrupulous people are standing on the same line of life, old age, illness and death? Is this even justified?
As the deadline for taking action approached, Wang Meng felt as if he was being cut in half.
Half of them were persuading him to be loyal, saying that he had sworn an oath and declared that he would be loyal and filial to the great man and that he should take the prime minister as his top priority. How could he violate his oath?
The other half told him that there were things in the world that were more important than those oaths, things that he had not seen in Shandong before, or had been subconsciously forgotten by him...
Wang Meng was very conflicted, and what finally made him make up his mind was not the oath, nor the people in the refugee camp, but some people from the Linfen area.
At dawn, when the sky had just gained some light, some people came from the land facing Fen in the north of Emei Mountain.
These people wandered and hesitantly appeared around the refugee camp, attracting the attention of the sentry.
The warning copper whistle broke the silence.
Wang Meng was also awakened. He saw the hussars rushing forward, but they stopped strangely in front of those small figures. Then they said something unknown, and those black figures turned and left...
Did you go the wrong way?
Or do you want to rob?
Wang Meng wanted to laugh, this is a refugee camp, what else could there be...
No, Wang Meng suddenly felt a feeling that he didn't know how to describe. There was "money" in the refugee camp, that is, people.
Catching some, or "exchanging" some food for some half-grown children, is like selling puppies and piglets. Children are sold as livestock. Isn't it common to see them in Shandong? It has even become a
I learned a subject that I heard is very good!
A well-trained thin horse is favored by many dignitaries.
After all, these children are given an underskirt!
A new starting point!
Could it be that these people came secretly just for such a thing?
But what happened next was completely unexpected to Wang Meng.
Those figures left, but a few hussar soldiers stood there for a long time. After what seemed like a long time, they saw those hussar soldiers slowly coming back...
I also have a lot of baggage, big and small.
Those bundles seemed very heavy and precious, so each of the hussars carefully held and hugged them, as if they were afraid of falling on the ground.
What are those?
The doubts were solved when I had my breakfast...
The fat butcher, who always had traces of smoke and fire on his face that could not be wiped off, tapped the edge of the soup bucket with a wooden spoon, tapping loudly to attract the attention of the refugees in line, and then pointed.
Looking at the cooking cakes that had been cut into small pieces, he blushed and shouted with trembling voice: "Look! Look at these! These steamed buns are sent by the folks from Linfen! They know it."
You are suffering here... They said that they also suffered a lot back then. When they passed through Hedong, they got your food and survived. Now that you are suffering, they want to repay the favor!"
"Look! Look!" The fat cook couldn't help wiping his tears and wiping his stained face even more stained. "They are all good cakes, and they are all strong! These are all... all
! There are few pancakes, not enough for each person to share one, so now they are cut into slices, one for each person! Don’t be too little, these steamed buns are so delicious, I only want to eat such white steamed buns during the holidays! Come on, get it
Okay! A bowl of soup, a steamed bun, and these slices... take a look and try them all!』
What?!
Wang Meng's eyes widened in confusion!
He couldn't believe what he was seeing!
But it was this reality that struck his heart and knocked his soul!
Why?! They are undoubtedly strangers to the people in Linfen.
For some reason, Wang Meng suddenly thought of that military academy, that one that was so exhausted that it was covered in sweat and dusty face, and what he said...
Folks...
When Wang Meng followed the queue almost instinctively and got the thin slice of cooking cake, he seemed to feel that this thin piece of cooking cake was hot, so hot that he could not hold it with his hands.
Unstable!
His whole body was shaking.
There were many people like Wang Meng around, and some even cried.
In this cry, there seems to be a little less sorrow and more hope...
Wang Meng held the piece of cooking cake as if holding his own soul.
It's small, but very hot.
Although the cake was actually cold, Wang Meng still felt that it was so hot that his hands were shaking.
The scent of wheat penetrated his nose, making his nose sore and making him couldn't help but raise his head...
In the eastern sky, a ray of light spread down, dazzling and gorgeous, making his eyes turn red.
