Zhao Shui stood on the high platform of the school ground, with thousands of soldiers lined up below. However, they were not practicing formations, but instead receiving food, wages and winter clothing one by one.
"Deacon Zhao, this is a newly made batch of plague-repelling charms. Please take a look at them." Zheng Siyuan arrived, holding several bamboo and wooden charms in his hands.
Zhao Shu took the talisman and looked at it for a moment, then mused: "Real fire burns evil plagues, flying smoke drives away ghost plagues... but it is barely applicable."
"Is there any shortcoming?" Zheng Siyuan asked.
Zhao Shu said: "Although I was not able to witness with my own eyes how Jiuli Kingdom's witches worshiped the plague, I can roughly guess that they used some secret method to cultivate the evil spirit of the plague in advance, and then mobilized it when necessary, and cast it from a distance.
Send it to the Jianjia Pass area."
Zheng Siyuan asked again: "Is it like raising gu?"
"Yes, it's almost the same. It's just that this kind of plague evil spirit can't be maintained by ordinary methods. I'm afraid I have to use methods to control it afterwards." Zhao Miao tugged his short beard on his chin: "So the most appropriate way to deal with this kind of plague evil spirit is
, It should be the method of collecting plague, which is to capture all the evil spirits of plague that have spread in the world and among people, seal them in jars, and then slowly burn them out with real fire. This is the best strategy."
Zheng Siyuan could only say: "I'm afraid there are not many people in the world who can do this to contain the plague."
"I can." Zhao Shu's tone was calm, and to Zheng Siyuan's ears, it sounded like thunder on the ground.
"The witches of Jiuli Kingdom worship the plague, and I can also set up a large mandala to collect the plague and stop the plague." Zhao Shu handed back the talisman: "The gods are not nourished internally, and they become evil spirits externally, turning into five directions to spread the plague.
Ghost. Every time there was a major epidemic in the Tianxia Dynasty, they would praise the officials and pray for blessings to ward off the plague. The Department of Prescriptions and Pharmacy would send people to apply medicine and treat the disease. There are always ways to deal with it, it just depends on whether you are willing to use your heart."
Zheng Siyuan remembered that Zhao Shu had set up a large altar in Xingluo County to subdue the rebellious party and the magic sword, and couldn't help but said: "Then why doesn't Deacon Zhao quickly practice the law to detoxify the plague?"
"I can't leave now." Zhao Shu didn't dare to show his dejection in public, and whispered: "Besides, setting up a large altar is not easy to do. In addition to the need to fit in with the earth's spiritual land, there is also the town of You'an.
The Earthly God on one side holds the talisman to help me adjust the energy of the heaven and the earth. If those Qingyan County ghosts and gods were still there back then and were willing to work together to help, I could have done it, but... alas!"
Zheng Siyuan did not dare to answer. The battle by the Cangshui River almost wiped out the ghosts, gods and spirits in several counties in the south of Huaxu Kingdom. People in the world have different opinions on Zhao Shu's move, but now most ghosts, gods and ghosts will take a detour when they meet Zhao Shu.
Zhao Shu is indeed good at rituals and rituals, but he also knows very well that rituals and rituals rely on the power of ghosts and gods. The greater the effectiveness of rituals, the higher the rank and the greater the power of ghosts and gods.
For Zhao Shu, a local man like Hengbi Gong, who is in charge of surveying mountains and rivers, is the most suitable executive general. If he takes a step back, miscellaneous ghosts and gods who have been rooted in the place for a long time can also accept it. If even these
They are all gone, leaving only insignificant ghosts and ghosts, and those who practice the law will become like charlatans and sorcerers.
However, setting up an altar on one's own to transform demons and ghosts into officials and soldiers is more like a private army under Zhao Shu, and the effectiveness of the ritual is not as good as that of a group of ghosts and gods who have special jurisdiction.
Although the rituals and rituals are useful, they are not omnipotent. Without the merits of the rituals, Zhao Shu would be just a monk with acceptable cultivation, and would not have the status of achievement he has today.
Zheng Siyuan is very busy at Jindingsi Branch these days, but he knows that Zhao Shu is busier than him and has heavier responsibilities on his shoulders.
A few days ago, Zheng Siyuan also received a letter from the Zheng clan, which stated that there are many people in the government and the public speaking ill of Zhao Shu and writing letters for impeachment. He hoped that Zheng Siyuan could turn back as soon as possible and stay away from Zhao Shu. What else could he say about the restoration of the Zheng family in Jiujiang?
There is hope for this.
"Deacon Zhao, why are you here?" Zheng Siyuan quickly changed the subject.
"Today is pay day, I'm here to keep an eye on it." Zhao Shu said, "There's going to be a war soon, and we expect these soldiers to work hard."
Zheng Siyuan smiled and said: "There are military officials to handle things like paying wages, so why does Deacon Zhao have to work so hard?"
Zhao Shu smiled and shook his head: "Before I came to Jianjia Pass, I had almost the same idea - anyway, there are so many military chiefs, Cao Yuan and other officials, why do they have to do everything personally?
But when it comes to actually doing things, it's not that simple at all. It's just a payment, or the military officials have their hands in it, deducting it at every level, or making extra payments on the pretext of military information. Even for winter clothes, I spent countless words and ink before I started from it.
Ask for help from the new Qingyan County Sheriff.
I was the only one who went to the scene to supervise, publicly read the roster, and distributed pay and supplies one by one. This not only prevents the military officials from making small moves, but also calms the minds of the soldiers and makes them understand that there are still people who value them."
Zheng Siyuan nodded silently and was greatly enlightened.
"Okay, you go back." Zhao Shu said, "Just make talismans according to the existing style and hang them on the lintels of important places in the city. In addition, prepare more braziers and copper stoves. People who have recently entered the city must step over the braziers.
Fume your clothes to prevent evil spirits from invading your body."
"Yes." Zheng Siyuan was ordered to retreat. Before he could have a moment of free time, Liang Hui came in a hurry.
"What happened?" Zhao Shu saw Liang Hui looking a little nervous.
"Dantu County is lost." As soon as Liang Hui finished speaking, several military chiefs arrived from a distance.
"Is this also a matter of Dantu County?" Zhao Miao looked as usual, without any panic.
"That's right!" The chief secretaries who joined the army glanced at Liang Hui and said quickly: "The soldiers and horses of Jiuli Kingdom don't know how to bypass Jianjia Pass, attack Dantu County, and capture the county seat overnight!"
"Didn't the soldiers stationed at Suibao Fortress notice it?" Zhao Shu asked.
"We haven't seen any warning signs of the enemy's situation in the past few days." Seeing that Zhao Shu was silent, the chief secretary of the army urged: "Zhao Changshi, please give the order as soon as possible! Dantu County is an important transportation route for military supplies, and the loss of the county seat is of great concern.
ah!"
Zhao Mian slowly stroked his beard. He was indeed nervous and uneasy, but now that he was shouldering the attention and expectations of everyone, he couldn't be flustered in his words and deeds.
"Who brought the news back?" Zhao Shu asked first.
Liang Hui was the first to say: "The county captain of Dantu County is a close subordinate of the Liang family in Yongjia. He escaped by chance and rushed to Jianjia Pass."
"Let him stay in the palace first, and he is not allowed to talk to other people." Zhao Shu signaled Liang Hui to leave, and then said to the army: "Send multiple teams of reconnaissance cavalry to confirm the enemy situation in Dantu County, and at the same time pay attention to the surrounding area.
Regarding the situation in the county, we will also send people to report to the counties, asking them to take precautions and strictly guard the city gates. After the payment is over, summon the captains of the battalions and schools to come to the mansion."
"Also, once Dantu County falls, don't make it public inside the pass." Zhao Shu said, "Write another military intelligence report. I will read it later."
Seeing that Zhao Shu was not panicked, everyone calmed down a little, and each of them followed orders. After everyone retreated, Zhao Shu held on to the fence of the high platform and secretly relieved his nervousness.
"Go ahead and tell the people below to move faster," Zhao Shu said to He Dangguan.
"Your character still needs to be polished." Lingxiao said secretly: "The realization by the Cangshui River was lost so quickly?"
"The situation is different." Zhao Shu said: "At that time, I knew that Liang Tao would take action, and I was confident in the face of the evil forces, so I could naturally relax my mind and deal with the enemy. But now that I am replacing General Wei and sitting in Jianjia Pass, countless soldiers and civilians have died.
My safety and survival all depend on my single thought and decision, how can I not have the slightest fear? I'm just holding on to the situation and not letting others follow me into chaos."
"You used to be just the deacon of Jinding Division, and you couldn't take care of the immediate things at hand. Now you are guarding one side, and your mind is not big enough to take on big things, so you will inevitably feel anxious and uneasy." Lingxiao said: "I will give you some secret advice later, at least for now.
The situation will be dealt with.”
"Thank you." Zhao Shu was grateful, but he was also a little more confused about the origin of Lingxiao. She seemed to know a lot about the art of war, and she was not like an ordinary immortal who was born in the Qing Dynasty.
After supervising the payment of wages, Zhao Shui hurried to the mansion. In the main hall, all the military registers and monks were present.
"Are you the Dantu County Lieutenant?" Zhao Shu looked at a man in soap clothes, who raised his hand and said yes.
"How did Dantu County fall? Tell me in detail." Zhao Shu sat on the main seat in the main hall.
The county captain replied: "I reported to Marquis Zhenming that a fire suddenly broke out in the city that night. When we sent people to put out the fire, the east gate suddenly opened wide. Many Jiuli soldiers and horses rushed into the city, and many witches and wizards cast spells.
Everyone was unable to resist for a while and retreated in succession."
"How many soldiers and horses are there in Jiuli Kingdom? How many Wu Zhu show up to take action?"
"It's hard to say the exact number, but it should be less than three thousand, and they will all enter the city soon." Dantu County Lieutenant replied: "Among them, there are about ten Wu Zhu people, and there are also a group of powerful warriors with low-level positions.
I have several very skilled guards, but they couldn't even block three moves."
Zhao Shu pondered for a moment and then asked: "Then how did you escape?"
"Bizhi..." Dantu County Lieutenant thought for a moment, then took out a charm from his arms: "This is the amulet that Beizhi asked for from the Immortal Chief of Chongxuan Pavilion before. It can hide one's appearance and ward off ghosts and gods."
Zhao Shu took the charm and glanced at it, then returned it to the other party with a slightly harsh tone: "Since you are the captain of Dantu County, you are in charge of public security and arrests on weekdays, repair weapons and preside over military affairs during war, if you encounter foreign enemies, you should
We mobilized local soldiers to defend the enemy bravely, why did we abandon the city and flee?"
The Dantu County Lieutenant had no choice but to say: "I'm humble. I felt that it was difficult to hold on at that time. If I couldn't spread the news that the enemy had captured the county in time, it might affect the military situation. Please forgive me, Marquis Zhenming."
"In order to ensure the transfer of military supplies, sentries from Jianjia Pass to and from the rear counties and cities are constantly sent out every day. If Dantu County falls to the enemy, we will still know without you reporting it." Zhao Shu said: "Now General Wei is the commander of Jianjia Pass.
With the military of several counties in the south, people like you should have been executed in accordance with military law to serve as a warning to others."
"Marquis Zhenming, spare your life! The enemy's army is too strong and it's really hard for us to resist!" Dantu County Lieutenant knelt down and kowtowed.
"Take them down and imprison them, and deal with them later." Zhao Shu naturally knew that Jiuli Kingdom would definitely send elite experts to attack Dantu County unexpectedly, and it was indeed not something that this mere Dantu County captain could handle.
After Dantu County Lieutenant was taken away, Zhao Shu looked around at everyone present and asked, "What do you think?"
A soldier who joined the army said: "The attack in Dantu County this time is probably similar to the situation in Chenlu County last time. It's just that this time the barbarians succeeded."
Someone shook his head and said: "Don't treat it as the same thing. Last time the Jiuli barbarians were unable to attack the city, Zhao Changshi mobilized two battalions of soldiers to relieve the siege. This time Jiuli Kingdom took Dantu County overnight, and the offensive
It’s so fierce that I’ve never seen it before!”
"Then you can't just sit back and do nothing, right? At present, the army's grain and grass are mainly transported to Dantu County through Tujiang, and then transported by carriage and horse to Jianjiaguan. Such an important town with a thoroughfare of water and land is not only related to the transportation of grain and grass, but also the Jiuli barbarians can transport it along the
Tujiang is coming and going, if you don't go to the rescue, it will be a big disaster!"
Zhao Shu frowned and said: "The fall of Dantu County is too bizarre. The city was captured overnight. The Jiuli soldiers and horses obviously did not attack by force. I suspect there are spies in the county, otherwise there would not be such a coincidence that the fire broke out suddenly."
Everyone present looked at each other without saying a word. The southern counties were adjacent to the Jiuli Kingdom, so it was not surprising that they would send spies to each other to investigate carefully. If they were on strict guard, most of them would be able to be found.
But before Wu Kuijun took over Jianjia Pass, Gaoping Gong's governance was lax. It's hard to say how many secrets of Jiuli Kingdom were hidden in nearby counties.
"Jin Ding Si worked hard to prepare the incense." Zhao Shu did not let everyone think, and immediately ordered: "From today on, everyone entering and leaving Guancheng must smoke incense to dispel evil spirits."
Zheng Siyuan stood up and said yes. Zhao Shu looked at Xu Zhouzi and said: "Currently, the plague is spreading throughout Guancheng. The curse to dispel the plague alone cannot be of much use. I would like to bother Xu Zhouzi, the leader, to lead his disciples to practice the law."
"Is this the method you mentioned before to contain the plague?" Xu Zhouzi nodded and said, "This method is somewhat similar to the white urn demon-locking method in my Jiangzhen Hall. I have roughly comprehended 40% to 50% of it in the past two days, and I can do it in one go."
try."
Zhao Shu nodded, and then said to the army chief and captain Cao Zuo: "Dantu County has fallen into the enemy's hands. It is of great significance and must be recaptured as soon as possible. I wonder who is willing to lead the troops to seize the city and defeat the enemy?"
Several captains also knew that the situation was serious, including Captain Han, who had led troops to break the siege of Chenlu County. At this time, they all looked troubled.
"If you have anything to say, you might as well say it directly." Zhao Shu had already guessed what they were thinking.
One of the soldiers stood up and said: "Zhao Changshi, although we have some martial arts skills, we are not afraid to fight in battle. But this time Jiuli Kingdom sent a master of witchcraft and blessing, I am afraid that Zhao Changshi will need to come to the battlefield in person.
, Only then can the soldiers’ hearts be at ease.”
This result was not what Zhao Shu expected. Rather, it would be better to say that in order to visit Chiyundu in person, he led his troops to leave Jianjia Pass regardless of dissuasion, so he was destined to encounter the enemy today, and he must bear the responsibility.
"In such a crucial place, it is true that I should be the one to lead the troops." Zhao Shu asked, "But I am afraid that the soldiers and horses of the Jiuli Kingdom who captured Dantu County are just a partial division, and the real army will attack Jianjia while I am leaving with the troops.
close."
"I can temporarily guard Jianjia Pass for you." Xu Zhouzi said, "The king sent us here because of this arrangement. Marquis Zhenming can rest assured."
Zhao Shu nodded slightly. The heads of these modern halls have all experienced the experience of the Five Kingdoms War. Even if they are not a god in military skills, they can still be trusted when they are in charge of one side.
"The third battalion of Ding Wuji, come with me to recapture Dantu County." Zhao Shui said: "Another two thousand prisoners will be sent to accompany them to prepare for temporary repairs. The remaining battalions will strictly guard Jianjia Pass. The scouts will patrol every
As time goes by, if there is any failure to report in time, we must send reconnaissance cavalry to investigate again."
Everyone stood up and said yes, and Zhao Miao bowed deeply and returned the greeting: "I have troubled you all to overcome the current difficulties together, and wait for the triumphant song to be played in the future. Thank you, Zhao!"