"But..." Mr. Huaiming was suspicious and walked back and forth: "You also saw the battle by the Cangshui River. Liang Tao took action personally. He clearly used Zhao Shu as a bait to lure out the evil spirits. I don't agree with this kind of action.
I feel that Zhao Shu is kept in the dark and knows nothing."
"Do you think Zhao Shu and Liang Tao colluded secretly?" Mr. Jing Ming asked.
"I know, this idea is very ridiculous." Mr. Huai Ming thought about it again and again: "Over the years, I have fought with Liang Tao three times, and I found that although this person is selfish, indulgent, and unwilling to be bound by moral laws, he is also very calculated.
It's a bit deep and long, and it's difficult for outsiders to detect his intentions... Hey, strange, why does Zhao Shu feel a bit like Liang Tao?"
"It is said that Liang Tao patrolled the country with his sword, which shows that he had actions to protect the common people and promote the great road." Mr. Jing Ming suddenly laughed: "There is a rumor in the countryside of Qingyan County that Zhao Shu opened an altar to patrol the country and punished the evil spirits. It is you.
Did you send someone to release the news?"
"I just want to take the opportunity to test the court of Huaxu Kingdom and Liang Tao." Mr. Huaiming gently stroked his beard: "The Chongxuan Pavilion tree has big roots and deep roots and will not be easily knocked down. But I noticed that Liang Tao didn't seem to be the same.
I have no intention of preserving the power and positions of the children of those aristocratic families."
Mr. Jing Ming said: "Liang Tao has other plans."
"Could it be related to Zhao Shu?" Mr. Huai Ming asked: "But Zhao Shu's cultivation level is not as good as Liang Tao's, not to mention that he was from Huaiying Hall."
"Yu Fenzuo just said that Zhao Shu had seen through the "Emperor of the Earth Wu Tu Jing" he practiced, and even discovered that I had added and deleted it." Mr. Jing Ming seemed to have realized something: "The last descendant of Hou Tu Palace is Tian.
Empress Yuan was the founding emperor of the Xia Dynasty, and the inheritance she brought with her could be regarded as laying part of the foundation for the establishment of the praise officer in the Tianxia Dynasty."
"You mean, Liang Tao has taken a fancy to the rituals and rituals that Zhao Shu is good at?" Mr. Huaiming immediately understood: "With Liang Tao's cultivation level, he can actually ascend long ago. He deliberately stayed in the world, presumably for the long-term.
layout, and Zhao Shu will be of great help to his future plans. You are higher in cultivation than me and have improved a lot over the years. You should be able to see Liang Tao more clearly than I can."
"I can't say." Mr. Jing Ming shook his head and sighed: "Ever since my eyes were enlightened by Dongdan Yuanjun, I have a vague feeling that the immortal family in the sky is interfering in the world more and more frequently. However, due to the fact that I have not yet reached the realm, there are many things that I have not seen through.
.
Liang Tao's cultivation reaches the heavens. He should have noticed it early. He stayed in the world and secretly planned it, which is probably related to this. People like him may not be willing to fly to the cave and rank among the immortals. If he can't open up a new world for himself, he would rather stay there.
."
Mr. Huaiming shook his head and laughed: "These people who are cultivating immortals eat like the sun and the moon, eat immortals and mushrooms, live in beautiful mountains and rivers, and enjoy blessed places. They take advantage of all the advantages and achieve success in cultivation. In the end, they pat their butts and fly away. This is not enough.
You still want to meddle in the world and treat the common people as child's play!"
Mr. Jing Ming pressed the blindfold: "In my opinion, Zhao Shu should agree to the medicine, salt and iron in exchange for the map. If you have a chance, go down the mountain and see for yourself what kind of person Zhao Shu is. You can't always rely on others.
Paraphrase.”
"I already have this intention, but I still need to make some arrangements." Mr. Huai Ming nodded and said.
…
"It was you who encouraged the other five people to kill the guards at night, and then led the crowd to escape from Caishishan?"
Outside the prison city, hundreds of prisoners were kneeling on the dirt. All of them were in ragged clothes, and almost all of them had scars from whippings. The first six were chained with heavy shackles and knelt in front of Zhao Miao.
"Why don't you say anything?" Zhao Shu stared at the prisoner with scars on his face. The prisoner looked stubborn and glared at Zhao Shu without saying a word.
Next to him, Cao Cao from the prison city raised his finger and shouted: "Zhao Changshi is here in person, but you still don't reply? Do you want to have a taste of the soldering iron?"
"If you want to kill or behead me, it's up to you." The scar-faced prisoner looked arrogant: "I've been tortured a lot in Jianjia Pass these years!"
"Come here! Bring me steel needles. I'll insert them into his nails one by one and let him taste what it means to have ten fingers connected to one's heart!" Lao Cheng Cao shouted.
"That's enough!" Zhao Shu shouted: "I'm still here to ask questions, it's not your turn to talk."
Cao Cao from the prison city was startled, and he quickly bowed and bowed: "How noble a person is Marquis Zhenming, why do you have to work so hard for these lowly criminals? They are all worthless people, and they don't understand good words, so they can only
Torture!"
Glancing at that smooth and flattering face, Zhao Shu suppressed his disgust and said coldly: "Now General Wei has ordered me to guard Jianjia Pass. I have the right to handle all matters in the pass. I know whether to bother or not, and you don't need to do it for me."
I can tell."
"Yes, yes..." Lao Cheng Cao Yu could only nod in agreement and did not dare to refute.
Zhao Shu secretly met with his second brother before, and then summoned officers and soldiers to find out the location of the escaped prisoners, and gave instructions to Zhang Liwei on how to deploy troops to surround them.
Except for a dozen of the recalcitrant prisoners in this group of escaped prisoners, they were killed in the battle. After the leader was captured by Zhang Liwei, the rest found themselves surrounded and soon surrendered and were escorted back to Jianjia Pass.
"Were you accused of being a remnant of the rebels and sent here?" Zhao Shu took the roster from the prison city, rummaged through the identification and asked, "You escaped from Caishishan in order to go to Cangwu Ridge to join the rebels."
party?"
"The remnants of the rebellious party? Haha..." The scarred-faced prisoner's sneer sounded a bit desolate.
"Aren't you?" Zhao Shu understood when he saw him like this.
The scar-faced prisoner knew he was going to die, so he didn't hide it anymore. He straightened his back even though he was wearing a heavy shackle: "I'm just a fish trader outside Quartz City, because the damn Chu Mengchun passed by in a boat and happened to see my wife.
, so they had her taken away by force. I couldn't fight for it, so I called a few friends to file a complaint with the government. Unexpectedly, Chu Mengchun was the new county magistrate...I, I was accused of being a remnant of the rebellious party.
, was sent to the army!"
When it came to the emotional part, the scarred-faced prisoner couldn't help but burst into tears. Several prisoners behind him also wept silently, and they must be his friends.
Zhao Miao remained silent, and Cao Cao from the prison next to him couldn't help but remind him: "Hou Zhenming, these prisoners are very cunning. They always talk about how they have been wronged, but in fact they are all very vicious, otherwise they would not kill the guards. Zhenming Hou
But don’t take their word for it!”
Before Zhao Shu could say anything, the scar-faced prisoner roared with tears in his face: "Kill me! I don't want to live anymore! If I had known this, I might as well have gone to Chiyun City and killed you officials
Master, Master Jue killed them all!"
Seeing the scar-faced prisoner lunging at him with all his strength and opening his mouth to bite, Zhao Shu's expression remained unchanged and he flicked his finger, causing the prisoner to faint immediately.
"These six people attacked and killed the guards, gathered the crowd to flee, took them down, and hanged them." Zhao Shu looked solemn, raised his hands and waved his sleeves, and soldiers immediately escorted the six criminals away.
"Marquis Zhenming is really selfless in breaking the prison sentence!" Upon seeing this, Cao Cao in the prison city felt a little relieved.
"No need to say more." Zhao Shu took the prison roster, looked at He Dangguan coming from a distance, and asked: "Did you count them clearly?"
"The count is clear!" He Dangguan said: "There are 3,540 prisoners in the prison."
"Oh?" Zhao Miao raised his eyebrows lightly, looked at Cao Yu in the prison city, and shook the roster in his hand: "It clearly states that there are currently 5,873 prisoners in custody. Now there are more than 2,000 less. There is no other labor force outside Guancheng, so I wonder where these prisoners went?"
There were beads of sweat on Lao Cheng Cao's face: "This...please allow me to investigate again."
"Why are you running?" Seeing Cao Cao from the prison trying to run away, He Dangguan stretched out his hand and grabbed him: "Marquis Zhenming hasn't let you go yet!"
Zhao Shu said expressionlessly: "I'll give you a chance to tell you where the other prisoners are."
"I'm being punished by Gao Pinggong." Cao Cao in the prison city was shaking like chaff.
"What did Gao Ping Gong ask the prisoners for?" Zhao Shu asked again.
"I heard it's for the purpose of building a manor."
"Why wasn't this reported to General Wei after he took over Jianjia Pass?" Zhao Shu asked with a frown.
Cao Yu in the prison city was so frightened that he cried: "I thought that Duke Gao Ping had already told General Wei, so... I asked Marquis Zhenming to forgive me for my sins. I will go and ask Duke Gao Ping to release the prisoner."
"Who do you think you are? If you go and beg, Gao Pinggong will let you go? You think too highly of yourself!" Zhao Shu waved his hand: "Drag him down, behead him, and hang his head on the city wall."
Cao Tong was dragged away by the soldiers in the prison city. He kept howling for mercy along the way, which made people tremble with fear.
At this time, someone from the army came forward, with a hint of awe, and asked in a low voice: "Zhao Changshi, is this move too worrying?"
Zhao Mo waved his hand: "This matter must not be ignored. I know what you are thinking. This prison city Cao Yu was left behind by Princess Gaoping when she was involved in the incident. I am afraid that this will cause a rift between me and Gong Gaoping. However, I don't know that letting the prisoner go without permission will lead to disaster. Bigger!
The Cao Cao in this prison city is in charge of the prisoners. He uses it to check in and out of the city, and secretly sends out thousands of prisoners without reporting the matter. If enemy soldiers are disguised as prisoners and sent back to the prison, we will be in great trouble!
The battle is raging on the front lines, but the rear is still so negligent, how can we not kill this man? Not only do I want to kill him, but I also want to personally write to Gao Pinggong and ask for the return of those more than 2,000 prisoners! Maybe I will also write a letter to impeach him! "
"Zhao Changshi!" Another chief registrar quickly advised: "Gao Pinggong is a relative of the country's leader. He has guarded Jianjia Pass for many years and has made outstanding achievements. It is inappropriate to rashly participate in the impeachment! I am willing to personally persuade Gao Pinggong and know the benefits. , let him release the prisoners."
"Then it's up to you!" Zhao Shui was also angry. He didn't expect Gao Pinggong to be so indulgent and dare to ask for prisoners in order to build a manor. He completely forgot about the current war between the two countries.
If it weren't for the important status of the king's clan leader, Zhao Shui would have led his troops to kill him, lighted the sky lanterns for Duke Gao Ping, and confiscated his family property!
Realizing that his anger was excessive, Zhao Shu quickly adjusted his breath and concentrated his mind. Xuanzhu was promoted to Jiang Palace. His cultivation was much improved, but his emotions were also more intense.
"Zhao Changshi, who are you going to appoint as the prison guard now?" Shenjun asked.
"No." Zhao Shu shook his head: "Now is the time to use the army. I plan to organize these prisoners into an army. I have already written a letter to General Wei in advance. Whether it is successful or not, I should receive a reply tomorrow."
After joining the army, Zhao Shu said: "Winter is coming soon. Although Jianjia Pass is located in the south, when the north wind comes, it will inevitably rain continuously and be bitingly cold. Give the prisoners some clothes. I remember
There is still a batch in the warehouse. When they received the clothes, they reorganized the roster and organized them into separate camps."
After arranging these things, Zhao Shu returned to the palace, and Zhang Liwei happened to return from "patrol" to report the military situation.
"Tudun is good, and the speed of travel is as fast as that of Feitian." Zhao Shu took the list and glanced at it for a moment, his face uncertain.
When Zhang Liwei saw that Zhao Shu was silent for a long time, he had no choice but to ask: "I wonder what Zhao Changshi wants?"
"Chi Yundu has a really big appetite." Zhao Shu casually put the list on the table: "Medicines, salt and iron, these two are of great importance. You want so much at once. If you want me to die, you might as well just tell me."
Zhang Liwei said: "If Zhao Changshi feels embarrassed, he can arrange it in several stages."
"How many more times?" Zhao Shu laughed out loud: "At the critical moment of the war, I sent critical military supplies to Chiyun several times in succession. Do I think that everyone else is blind?"
Zhang Liwei had no choice but to say: "Zhao Changshi, Brother Yu told me that if you get the mountain and forest map, you will benefit a lot in the future. The medicine salt and iron obtained from Chiyundu is only a temporary need. Which one is more important?
You should be able to tell the difference."
Zhao Shuyan said: "It's not like he said this. It should be a message to others."
"I don't know about that."
Zhao Shui couldn't refute these words. Chiyun was able to place people in Chengkuo Village in Qingyan County. It was impossible for him to know anything about the ownerless forest at the border between the two countries.
Especially since Zhang Liwei, a brave leader of the village, could tell the distance between Honghuatan and Jianjia Pass, Zhao Shui concluded at that time that Chiyundu must have drawn a complete and clear map of the mountains and forests over the years. This was also the reason for their elusiveness.
One of the keys.
Now General Wei has sent a letter back, stating the difficulties of marching into the mountains. One of them is that the roads in the mountains are complicated. As for the main roads, the Jiuli Kingdom has also set up heavy military fortresses in the south, which will be difficult to conquer in a short time. It is best to find small roads to detour.
Flanking attack.
The real battlefield is far from as easy as the deduction at the Yingzhou Conference. It is difficult and dangerous for the army to travel through the mountains, and the heavy baggage burden slows down the process, not to mention the changes in solar terms and the amount of precipitation, which may make the road conditions different in four seasons.
.
Moreover, according to General Wei's message, the Jiuli Kingdom was apparently also exploring the road in the mountains, and relying on a few barbarians who were good at trekking, they planned to forcibly cut a road, which had been noticed by the monks in Guanjie.
At present, both armies are trying to get around the other side's back, and the competition is who can be one step faster. Since Zhao Shu has the opportunity to get the mountain and forest map, he cannot allow him to hesitate for too long.
"I can't explain to others that such a large amount of salt and iron medicine cannot be taken from Jianjia Pass." Zhao Shu said helplessly: "I can withdraw it from the counties behind the pass, and then be 'robbed' during the transfer.
"
"Then I don't know who should rob it?" Zhang Liwei asked.
"I will arrange for you to go out on several patrols, try to create a situation where the soldiers and horses of the Jiuli Kingdom are approaching and harassing you, and finally throw the robbed goods on the head of the Jiuli Kingdom." Zhao Shu stared at Zhang Liwei and said: "I hope that by then
Chi Yun can handle it secretly, don't make it too difficult for me."