After making some brief explanations, Liu Fang stood up to leave and prepared to return to the military camp. He insisted on his habit. However, Wu Ping hesitated for a moment and took the initiative to call: "Your Majesty!"
"What else is there?" Liu Fang looked at him doubtfully.
Wu Ping held up his hand and said, "Your Majesty, please move to Beiguan!"
Winter inevitably gives people a gloomy and gloomy feeling, especially when there are dark clouds floating in the sky, and the world is even more shrouded in gray tones.
On the fort, right at the wind outlet, the north wind whistles and whines, and the wall made of bluestone and loess gives people a sense of solidity. This is the key to a strong pass.
Several pots of charcoal fires were burning brightly. Although the north wind was strong, it could not extinguish the swaying flames. Facing the bad weather, it seemed hard for the garrison to close the door. After all, the heat released by the charcoal fires could not play much role in keeping out the cold.
, However, at this moment, everyone straightened their chests and showed their loyalty to their duties, because His Royal Highness King Zhao went to the city in person.
Of course, Liu Fang did not come here to inspect the defense and military appearance. The cold winter wind was raging wildly, his hair on his temples was fluttering, and his robes were hunting. Liu Fang looked at the scene outside Guide Castle with a stern expression.
Under the cold weather, the traces of the war seemed to be frozen and were vaguely visible. Of course, due to battlefield discipline, there were no corpses left everywhere, and they were all cleaned up.
The Guide Road was opened up relatively wide, at least enough for large vehicles to pass through. There was an open space in front of the fort along the mountain plateau, but now it was occupied by a dense crowd of people.
There were men and women, old and young, sitting or lying down. It was hard to tell how many people there were, but they looked quite "spectacular". The strong ones were holding knives, and the weak ones were clinging to each other and sleeping. However, there were no exceptions.
They were all shivering in the cold wind. Some people even leaned against the fort wall, hoping that the firelight on the fort could dispel some of the chill, even if it seemed insignificant.
Needless to say, these people outside Guide Castle are all refugees fleeing south to escape the war. Although the Yanzhou rebellion broke out only one month ago, the civil order in Yanzhou has completely collapsed. In the midst of the chaos, everyone's bottom line is at stake.
When it is reduced to the lowest level, everyone's first goal is only "survival".
For ordinary people in Yanzhou, the winter of the 21st year of Kaibao was extremely cruel. In the face of rebellion, they had no more choices.
Either they were taken into the rebel army, or they were plundered and killed. Those who really did not want to join the rebels had no choice but to seek self-protection and refuge, either by hiding in the mountains or by flocking to the city to seek protection from the government.
However, Yanzhou only has two cities, Dingbian and Yanchi, with limited carrying capacity. Generally speaking, Qianshou is not qualified to enter a safe city, and after accepting a wave of refugees, it refused to open the city.
Even so, there are still a large number of Yanzhou people who rely on the Second City. Even if they cannot enter the city, they are relatively safe outside the city. At least it is better than the scattered people who are preying on the rebels. Yanchi and Dingbian Second City are just like in the middle of a winter night.
A little flicker of fireflies brings a tiny bit of hope to people.
Of course, not everyone chooses to seek asylum in Dingbian Yanchi City. Yanzhou is already extremely unsafe. Many people have to choose to drag their families with them to escape this war-torn place. Guide Road is a road of hope.
, but it is also a difficult journey.
They brought the old and the young, and brought their families with them. Even though the distance was not too far, they were always facing danger. Only the Yanzhou army, through the actions of Wang Xuanzhen and others, slightly attracted the attention of the rebels, was able to give them
Strive for some chances to survive.
But even so, only three out of ten who fled south to Guardburg survived. However, when they arrived at Guardburg, their way of survival was shut down by the government, and their hope almost turned into despair.
Under the strict orders from above, Wu Ping, the town general, did not dare to open or close the door to let people in. Instead, he closed the door tightly and waited for the refugees, even guarding these refugees to the death.
Regarding the strategy of blockading Yulin, the government and soldiers around Yulin implemented it very resolutely. Not to mention the rebels, even the refugees were not allowed to pass through.
Of course, there are many factors involved, not only the influence of the imperial court's strategy of suppressing bandits, but also local protectionism. For the military and political officials of Guannai Road, chaos in Yulin will lead to chaos, and they cannot endanger themselves.
Try your best to avoid becoming a "beggar-thy-neighbor" neighbor. If you face a threat, you must resolutely eliminate it. In terms of protecting the market, the bureaucrats of the Han Dynasty can often explode with strong combat effectiveness.
For Wu Ping, the general of Guideburg, although he felt pity for the refugees, he did not dare to act rashly and was merciful to the refugees. If something went wrong, no one would pity him.
As a town general, his most fundamental task is to guard Guan Fort. Even without instructions from above, he would choose to guard Guan Fort strictly. However, in the past, it was because Guide Fort was not strong enough and there was no one who could really make a decision or even be willing to make a decision.
people.
Now, King Zhao Liu Fang has personally led the army, and is about to enter Yulin to quell the rebellion. Wu Ping feels that he can make a report on the refugee issue. This is his last effort. If His Highness King Zhao cannot solve it, then what will happen to his small town?
General, what can I do? Even if he is promoted to lieutenant general now, he is still penniless.
On the fort, Liu Fang stood up like a pine mountain, looking down at the unavoidable people in front of the fort, his face expressionless, but the more he looked like this, the more solemn he felt.
After a while, Liu Fang asked Wu Ping: "How many refugees are there outside the fort? How long have they been at Guideburg?"
Wu Ping did not dare to be negligent and immediately replied: "Your Majesty, there were only more than 300 people at first. However, after the generals defeated the rebels, they came in greater numbers and gathered more and more. There are now probably thousands of people."
.”
"Just let them suffer outside the fort?" Liu Fang said softly.
Hearing this, a trace of fear flashed across Wu Ping's face, and he replied with some uneasiness: "Your Majesty, the general will not rescue unless it is because there are too many refugees. In order to avoid an accident in Guancheng, I have to turn a blind eye. The general has also sent people out of the city before.
, some more grain and charcoal fires were used, but it was of little use and caused looting and chaos, resulting in a lot of casualties, so we no longer dare to take action rashly."
Seeing that Wu Ping was a little nervous, Liu Fang shook his head and comforted: "I'm not blaming you. You did a good job. You knew the importance and fulfilled your responsibilities."
"Your Majesty is wise!" Hearing this, Wu Ping breathed a sigh of relief and said quickly.
At this time, Liu Fang finally showed an ordinary expression and said with a wry smile: "If I were wise, I should know how to solve this refugee problem!"
Obviously, Liu Fang is also somewhat conflicted about this matter. The imperial court's intention is very clear, to completely block Yulin and use any means to control the chaos within Yulin. In terms of specific implementation, they will not take anything into account.
, the current situation is urgent, one size fits all is also the most effective and efficient method.
Take the thousands of refugees under Guideburg. What if there are rebels among them? This is difficult to distinguish easily. As the commander-in-chief of suppressing thieves and counterinsurgency, Liu Fang’s mission is to eliminate the Yulin rebels.
We have no more time and energy to focus on eliminating the thieves.
On the other hand, if something goes wrong and the rebels infiltrate into the pass, who will bear the responsibility? The pass inside the pass is the base camp of Yulin's counterinsurgency, and there must be no problems. In the past month, there have been more than
There was a turmoil in one place, and the prison camp in the pass was the hardest hit area. Without the instigation of the Yulin bandits, it would obviously be impossible.
In this case, the policy of closing the customs and blocking the border must be resolutely implemented. According to the policy, people and animals from Yulin are not allowed to leave, and all materials from outside the customs are not allowed to enter. Yulin must be locked up and the rebel army trapped.
In the past, many survival materials in Yulin had to be imported from other states. Once this plan came out, although the rebels would suffer, the people of Yulin would also suffer.
Liu Fang also had a clear understanding of this point, but this price was nothing in the eyes of the court, which had unified its understanding early on. Determination, thoroughness, cruelty and ruthlessness were the basic attitudes towards the Yulin Rebellion.
But there is one thing to say: Liu Fang is not a political animal after all. There is still a trace of passion in his heart. He loves the officers and soldiers, hates the rebels, and has compassion for the people, especially those refugees who are waiting for food outside Guide Castle.
When the cold wave came, many people struggled in the ice and snow, and many people died of cold and hunger. Of course Liu Fang knew that most of these thousands of people were definitely not the so-called traitors or spies, and could overcome the hardships and dangers to reach Guide.
The people in the fort can at least prove that they are not willing to associate with the rebels.
However, the harsh policies of the imperial court seemed to make them disappointed and even despaired.