Yuan Feng and Zhao Ding'an just said indifferently and went off to inquire about the horse. The fact of conquering cities and territories was too common to be worth mentioning. Last year, their brothers were in the Western Regions for eight thousand miles. Both Yun and Yue had experienced it.
, why would you care about a small Tongcheng Prefecture?
Everything is being executed according to the established plan, and as a decision-maker, you only need to strategize.
"Brother Ding'an, I came all the way here, and on the way I saw your soldiers dragging them like sheep shit for hundreds of miles. Which battalion are they from?" Yuan Feng asked deliberately.
Zhao Ding'an smiled: "They are the newly recruited Gan Army. I deliberately asked them to go on a night journey. Those who can hold on here are usable soldiers. Those who are dragged behind are just fine. Let them act as civilian husbands."
"Alas, the Gan army was too indiscriminate. When we attacked, no one resisted. This is all thanks to our Xiliang army. If the Turkic soldiers attack, the people will rely on these people to protect them and not all of them will die.
"Zhao Ding'an is obviously very dissatisfied with these newly recruited personnel.
"That's different. We are a Han army, and the Turks are a foreign race. If the Turks attack, they will be able to fight for two rounds. There are only cowardly generals, not cowardly soldiers. The same people are in our hands.
There are tigers inside, and in their hands they are sheep." Yuan Feng said.
"More than three thousand mouths were added at once, and the military rations can't keep up. Do you think we can collect some on the spot?" Zhao Ding'an asked tentatively. When fighting in the Western Regions, they adopted the Mongolian method to fight the war.
To support the war, replenish the army by looting, leaving no grass behind as long as it was a hostile tribe, killing all the men taller than the chariot shaft, leaving only women, children and the elderly. It was with this bloody and barbaric method that the Western Region was purged and guaranteed
There will be no new threats for some time.
"No, we are righteous soldiers. We are here to avenge avenges and fight for reputation. We are not here to thresh grass and grain. If the people have surplus grain, buy some. We must not plunder."
"That's what I mean, come here." Zhao Ding'an sent someone to call the grain and grass officer over and asked him to buy some grain and livestock in the town. He also specially warned: "Don't treat the people badly."
The grain and grass officer was a very clever young man, so he took the order.
Huangcaopu is the largest town with a radius of hundreds of miles. There are hundreds of families living there, including some wealthy families. When they heard that there was a war today, the townspeople were so frightened that they still didn’t dare even though the sun was out.
Take to the streets. The army is like locusts these days. Everywhere it goes is a mess. If they had known about the attack, the people would have hid out yesterday. But this army came too fast. It arrived before dawn. The townspeople were caught off guard.
They had no choice but to hide the food in a hole in the ground, and the woman hid in a pile of firewood, waiting in horror for the sound of the soldiers banging on the door.
However, there was no sound of banging on the door. Liu Baozheng, who was in the town, bravely leaned on the crack of the door and looked out. He saw the soldiers lying half asleep in the corner with their weapons in hand. It was still very cold in the early spring morning, and the dew was falling.
Their shirts were wet, but it was strange that no one broke into the houses.
While Liu Bao was watching, suddenly a face came over to him and banged on his door. He was so frightened that he staggered and almost sat on the ground.
"Liu Baozheng, open the door." A voice came from outside.
Liu Baozheng shuddered. The one who was supposed to come has arrived. He is the Baozheng of this town. He is the Baozheng of this town. He quickly opened the courtyard door and put on a smile. He was ready to receive a slap in the face or a black tiger to take out his heart at any time. He was a soldier.
He has a bad temper. The last time the army came across the border, they gave him a few mouthfuls. His big teeth were knocked out, and now he can still speak without speaking.
However, the military commander did not reward his loud mouth. He even spoke in a gentle manner: "Liu Baozheng, the general has ordered a local food requisition. I hope you can help us buy some."
Sure enough, they wanted food. Liu Baozheng felt nervous and said with a grimace: "Master, spring has just begun and it is the time to plant. If the food is gone, we will starve to death next year."
It is spring sowing time, and every household has some food, but it is the lifeblood of farmers, seeds. If they are snatched away by the army, they will never live this day again.
"We don't want to grow grain, just buy some old grain from any big family." The soldier still spoke in a soft voice, very kindly, not like giving orders, but like discussing.
"What? Buy?" Liu Baozheng keenly noticed the rare word "buy" in the other party's words.
When has the government ever bought something? It has always been about asking for it and taking it away if it is not given. Everyone knows that officers and soldiers are more ruthless than thieves. How come these people have changed their gender now?
This was Liu Baozheng's first feeling if he wanted to buy it by force. It would be a knife to extend his head and a knife to shrink his head. It would be better to do it neatly to avoid the pain of flesh and blood. Liu Baozheng himself is a big local businessman, plus a few local wealthy households. Anyway,
If I can scrape together hundreds of loads of food, I will just feed the dogs. I just hope that these soldiers will stop harming the people. The bones of the little wives who were forced to death by the army when they crossed the border are still cold.
Liu Baozheng and the big family members carried out a hundred loads of millet with mournful faces. They had some backup, and with the unique cunningness of farmers, they also left eighty loads of millet. If the military men were not satisfied, there was still room for squeeze.
However, the officer collecting the grain did not hit them on the head with the scabbard as they imagined. Instead, he looked at the grain and smiled, and waved his hand for the soldiers to carry a box of money. When the heavy money box was placed on the ground, the sound was heard.
Makes people feel at ease.
"Eighty-Guan God-Blessed Tongbao, please order it from Liu Baozheng and all the elders."
Liu Baozheng was so shocked that he couldn't speak. When he looked around, he saw that the box was full of yellow coins. Wasn't it copper coins strung together? He rubbed his eyes and looked again. It was still copper coins. He looked at the big businessmen and they were all dumbfounded.
.
The sun was rising in the west. The officers and soldiers collected grain and paid them in cash instead of white notes. Moreover, the price given was much higher than the market price. A hundred tons of millet was equivalent to fifty guan at the market price.
Gave eighty strings!
It wasn't until the grain collection officer left that Liu Baozheng realized what he was doing. He picked up the copper coin string and took a look. The copper coins were in excellent condition. The four official script characters "God Bless Tongbao" were shining brightly. The coins were new as if they had just been cast. He took a look.
, a total of eighty verses, and a lot of articles.
The elders were confused and looked at the officers and soldiers who had already started to set off. Suddenly Liu Baozheng uttered an ouch and fell to the ground. Others quickly helped him up and asked: "Baozheng, what's wrong?"
Liu Baozheng was trembling as he spoke: "That's that, that's not a soldier of the imperial court."
Everyone looked around and saw a vigorous word "Liang" printed on the sills of the soldiers.
Oh my god, it's the soldiers from Xiliang who are coming.
The northwest is vast and sparsely populated, and information is not smooth. It is impossible to hide when the army crosses the border. Who dares to take a closer look? They just think it is the troops of the imperial court. Who knows that the Xiliang army is coming to kill them.
Having said that, the military discipline of the Xiliang army is really good. They sleep on the streets and charge high prices for food. Compared with our army in Dazhou, they are more like the king's army.
"Liu Baozheng, why did the Xiliang soldiers come here? What are they going to do?" The fellow villagers came out of their homes in twos and threes with their hands folded, asking all kinds of questions.
"How do I know?" Liu Baozheng shook his head, and then added: "I'm afraid things are going to change."
…
Tongcheng Prefecture is the nearest organized state to Xiliang, and it is also a very important city in Gansu. Tongcheng, as the name suggests, produces copper ore. Copper is a strategic material. Xiliang has nothing to produce and can only rely on imports.
, occupying Tongcheng is an important part of Yuanfeng's plan.
There were no defenders in Tongcheng. They were the government officials from the third class of the state government and a hundred or so rural soldiers guarding the city. When they saw the large group of cavalry approaching, they thought they were imperial troops and hurriedly opened the door to greet them. Little did they know that when they came in, they would just attack them.
They disarmed, occupied the prefecture government office, and sealed the treasury and archives. All this was done in the early morning. The common people did not know it in their dreams. It was only at dawn that the king's flag was changed on the city wall, and Tongcheng had returned to Xiliang.
However, the lives of the people were not affected in any way. The Xiliang army did not steal anything or harass women. Except for the sergeants who warned the state government, the army did not enter the city at all and set up camp outside the city. In the afternoon, the captured
All the rural soldiers were released back, and they were all locals. The relatives, who had been worried for a long time, came to visit in a hurry. Not only were these prisoners uninjured, but they were all in high spirits, bragging to their relatives about the meal they had eaten with the Xiliang army in the morning.
.
"They even serve meat in the morning meal, tsk tsk, and there is milk tea, so we also serve meat." A certain soldier from the village said.
In the evening of the same day, Yuan Feng entered Tongcheng Prefecture, came to the lobby of the state government, and ordered people to light butter wax. The hall was full of light. Zhao Ding'an invited Yuan Feng to take a seat. Yuan Feng said: "You are the commander-in-chief, I will just listen."
." Someone moved a chair and sat in the shadow. Zhao Ding'an sat under the plaque hanging high in the mirror, imitating the posture in the drama and said with surprise: "Bring someone to commit the crime."
The one who was brought up was the magistrate of Tongcheng. This gentleman's name was Zhang Ruiqiang. He was a serious Jinshi. He was captured less than two years after succeeding Liu Songpo as the magistrate. The local chief official had the responsibility to protect the land, but he lost the city without knowing it.
, I think this was the first high-ranking local official to be captured in the Zhou Dynasty.
Although Mr. Zhang is a civil servant, he is quite arrogant. When the Xiliang army entered the city in the morning, he personally held a sword and led the government officials on duty to resist. However, the disparity in strength was too great. He was captured in half a round. He even wanted to hit the wall at one point.
He committed suicide, and in order to save his life, the soldiers had to tie him up.
At this time, Zhang Zhiliu not only refused to kneel down in the hall, but also cursed loudly. The barbarians dared to cross the border. As soon as our royal master arrives, you will be in trouble. He is from Yanjing, and his curse words are clear and righteous.
It has the meaning of using the sword to make a quick move and being loyal to the great Zhou Dynasty.
After being scolded, Zhao Ding'an not only did not get angry, but also smiled and said: "I just like Mr. Zhang, a loyal person. If you don't give up, I can also ask Mr. Zhang to temporarily take over the post of governor of the state."
Let the people feel at ease."
"Don't even think about it! I, Zhang Ruiqiang, will never betray anyone for glory." Zhang Zhizhou's stance was quite firm.
Zhao Ding'an still smiled and waved his hand: "Go ahead."
Zhang Ruiqiang was pushed out by the soldiers and stood in the open space in front of the main hall. He closed his eyes and raised his head and said, "If you want to kill, kill here."
But after waiting for a while, the butcher's knife did not come. Instead, the rope on his body was loosened. "Master Zhang, you can leave." A voice came, and the person who untied the rope was Zhao Ding'an.
"Your Excellency is so righteous, the young general is impressed. Here are ten taels of silver, which I will give to you as payment." Zhao Ding'an waved his hand, and the guard brought over a lacquer plate with a thin silk spindle on it.
"It's getting late, sir, it's better to stay overnight and wait until dawn tomorrow before leaving." Zhao Ding'an said sincerely.
"I won't take the enemy's money. I'm leaving now." Zhang Ruiqiang said coldly and arrogantly.
Zhao Ding'an waved his hands to let the soldiers get out of the way. Zhang Ruiqiang straightened his clothes and walked proudly towards the door. When he reached the door, he suddenly heard a voice shouting from behind: "Wait a minute."
"What, you regret it? It's still too late to kill me now." Zhang Ruiqiang turned around and looked at Zhao Ding'an with contempt.
"Bring my horse." Zhao Ding'an ordered, and a vigorous horse was brought from behind. Zhao Ding'an personally put the reins in Zhang Ruiqiang's hands, then took off his cloak and said: "It's cold on the night road, this thing
It can keep out the wind and cold.”
Zhang Ruiqiang wanted to refuse, but when he saw the sincere look in Zhao Ding'an's eyes, he concluded that this person was bowing to his character. The unique pride of a scholar made him feel a little elated, so he accepted the two gifts and said: "I will definitely be a gift in the future.
Return it." After saying that, he rode away and never looked back.
…
"Ding'an, who did you learn this skill from? Are you so stupid?" Yuan Feng walked out of the shadows and asked knowingly.
Zhao Ding'an was furious: "I didn't learn this from you, but tell me, I gave away my cloak, why did he bow to me without paying my respects?"
"Ding'an, you've got the wrong person. He's a civil servant, and his wife and children are all in Dazhou. How can he just bow to him at his request? This trick is only suitable for straight-tempered generals. There are other tricks for civil servants. Come on, let me tell you.