The night was hazy and the moon was shining brightly in the sky. Qin Xiaobai was standing under the city of Zuli County in the middle of Zuli County. Although it was a war period and there were hundreds of thousands of troops stationed in Zuli County, no one would have thought that someone would be so bold as to attack Wuwei.
Zuli County has the strongest military presence in the county and has turned into a huge military fortress. Therefore, there are no soldiers roaming around Zuli County to guard. Now, except for various counties and towns and the central county seat, Zuli County only has relatively important ones.
Only fortresses would be stationed with soldiers to guard them. Although Qin Xiaobai rode into Zuli County alone as long as he did not enter the county town, he would not encounter any obstruction. On the contrary, the larger number of people would attract the attention of nearby fortress towns where soldiers were gathered.
, it is troublesome if there are too many people, but it is not as safe as coming alone.
When Qin Xiaobai rode into Zuli, he did not want to enter Zuli County directly, but it was difficult to enter Zuli County directly. Generally, cities at the county level have night restrictions, and ordinary people cannot enter the city at this time. Qin Xiaobai
Bai's goal is a liaison station among several villages near Zuli County. He needs to first understand the situation in Zuli County through this liaison station given to him by Niu Fu. Otherwise, even if there is no contact between Zuli County and Zuli County.
There is no night ban in the house. With Qin Xiaobai's usual attitude towards the world, he would not rush in so recklessly, because doing so would be asking for death. Only by knowing yourself and the enemy can you be victorious in every battle.
Zuli County can be regarded as an important border county. Its city walls are indeed tall and the area in the county town is much wider than that of ordinary county towns. However, most of the county towns are residents and businessmen, and few people will farm in the city.
Like the county town, Zuli County town cannot self-suffice the food of the residents in its city. The whole of Xiliang is short of food if it needs to be transported from outside. It is too expensive to transport food from Guandong, so Zuli County town, like many counties in Xiliang,
The surrounding areas outside the county are all farmland. For convenience, many farmers also build a small shed to live on the edge of their fields. Zuli County has a large population. Before the Baima Qiang invaded, there were once a hundred thousand people. People are social animals.
, when the small sheds were built, they were all gathered together, resulting in the current situation of a semi-village. It is said to be a semi-village because it has not been recognized by the court. However, it has reached the standards of a village in all aspects such as size and population.
Qin Xiaobai now wanted to enter a village in the west of Zuli County to find the contact point on the map. Under the hazy moonlight, Qin Xiaobai rode away from the dust, and he quickly found the village he was looking for.
, there are no militia patrolling in that village, and there is not even a wooden wall in the village. The reason why the Baima Qiang cavalry is in front is because it is close to Zuli County. There is no idea of attacking these villages. Behind the Baima Qiang cavalry, the people have ten rooms and nine empty spaces.
After fleeing, only a few families in the village are still there. In addition, Zuli County has now been recovered. There are also 100,000 troops stationed in Zuli, so there are no militiamen to patrol and guard.
Therefore, Qin Xiaobai easily entered the village without receiving any obstruction. For this, Qin Xiaobai breathed a sigh of relief. Qin Xiaobai did not pay attention to several militiamen and so on, but now this
Whenever possible, he should cause as little trouble as possible. After entering the village, Qin Xiaobai drove his horse around the village, looking for the communication site. After wandering around, he finally found the contact point, the only inn in the village, and finally found the communication point.
It was a very simple inn. Qin Xiaobai got off his horse and walked up the stairs holding the reins. He knocked on the door of the inn three times, two long and one short. This was the knocking signal for communication. After knocking, Qin Xiaobai led the horse outside.
Waiting quietly, everything he looked around was pitch black. After the Baima Qiang people launched an army, Zuli County was empty of all ten houses. Although most of them fled and became hooligans, after Wuwei County's 100,000 troops recaptured Zuli County, the hooligans were not so quick.
They all returned and were stuck on the road for various reasons. Most of them were still waiting and watching, because Zuli County was still at war between the two armies. They were not reassured and hoped that the government troops could completely suppress the rebellion of the Baima Qiang people.
Only then could he return with confidence, so there was no one in the village, and even Qin Xiaobai was not sure if there was anyone.
Everything around is pitch black, without any light from a candle. This place is used to living without the fields. There are no residents who are most reluctant to leave. So will the businessman who runs the inn still stay and drink here?
Northwest wind? Qin Xiaobai is very worried, worried that this contact station will be empty. This is the only contact station near Zuli County. If it is empty, it will be difficult to handle.
Fortunately, Qin Xiaobai was lucky enough, or Dong Zhuo's power in Xiliang was strong enough. Soon after he knocked on the door, he heard a creaking sound, and the wooden door of the inn opened a gap.
Then the gap expanded into a gap, and half of a face with a sinister eyebrow was revealed in the gap of the wooden door. It can be seen that it was a middle-aged man, and he was also a very philistine businessman. Just based on his appearance.
In theory, it fits the image of an innkeeper very well.
"Where did the guest come from? Did he stay in a hotel or in an inn?" The middle-aged man with a sly eyebrow did not open the wooden door of the inn, but asked Qin Xiaobai through the gap in the wooden door.
This sentence seemed very ordinary, but Qin Xiaobai knew it was a code, so he replied: "It's just a random meal, not staying in the hotel. I'll bring you any good food and wine here. I'm fine with it."
Your money."
The owner of the inn with a sly eyebrow suddenly lit up when he heard Qin Xiaobai's words, and hurriedly said: "The best dish in our restaurant is beef wrapped with celery, but one dish costs a hundred yuan. Although the price is expensive, the taste is very reasonable.
, guest, are you willing to buy it?”
Qin Xiaobai casually threw a piece of silver towards the gap in the door and said, "Beef wrapped in celery sounds delicious. So Qian Wen first served eleven plates of beef wrapped in celery to show me often. If it tastes good, I'll give it to you. If not,
Okay, I will demolish your shop."
"Ah, if I hadn't been short of monthly money after waiting for so many years, I would have thought that the governor had forgotten me." The innkeeper with a sly eyebrows saw that Qin Xiaobai answered the code word for word, and he danced with joy and hurriedly opened the door.
He opened the door of the inn, took the reins of Qin Xiaobai's horse and led it into the stable, then invited Qin Xiaobai into the inn, closed the wooden door of the inn, turned on the lamp, and then asked Qin Xiaobai excitedly: "Here comes the envoy."
What's the important matter, but the governor needs information from officials and wealthy families at all levels in Zuli County?"
Qin Xiaobai sat down and was about to speak, but was startled when he heard this. He originally thought that the contact point in Zuli County was someone sent by Niu Fu to collect information temporarily, but he didn't expect that it turned out to be Dong Zhuo for a long time.
People have been sent to establish a contact point here before, and they also collected intelligence from officials at all levels in Zuli County. Boss Dong is really ambitious enough. In other words, Dong Zhuo also feels that his direct roots have always been in Xiliang, so although he became Hedong
The prefect and governor of Bingzhou have never forgotten their business in Xiliang.
And it seems that Dong Zhuo has hidden them well enough. He has not contacted them for several years, but he has never been short of funding for them. This is definitely a precious wealth. A power with huge potential, but it is a pity that Niu Fu
The prodigal son didn't know how to cherish it, so he gave it to Qin Xiaobai so casually, or he thought that after this battle, Qin Xiaobai had no use value and should be cooked to death, or he could truly become one of his own, thus giving him the right to do so.
For the entire Xiliang, it was just a casual contact point for Zuli. There was nothing to worry about. After Qin Xiaobai figured this out, he was very surprised. Dong Zhuo had already placed them in Zuli for several years.
For a long time, there has never been a shortage of funds, so they must have found out a lot of information about officials and wealthy families at all levels in Zuli County.
What does this mean? It means that indirect means can be used to affect the officialdom of Zuli County, and even affect the official decisions of Zuli County. This is just Zuli County. From a small perspective, if Dong Zhuo
These secret contact points installed in Xiliang and the various information collected from officials at all levels will indirectly affect the situation in Xiliang. This is very important for Qin Xiaobai who wants to rise in Xiliang.
It is important to say that regardless of the direction of the army, it is enough to capture the city and capture the territory. It is only a temporary glory. Take the Overlord of Western Chu as an example. The Overlord has won many battles, while Liu Bang has been defeated. Why is the person who finally conquered the world not the Overlord?
But as for Liu Bang, many people will say that Liu Bang has many talents. Then the talent advantage of Liu Bang is reflected in that no one can defeat Xiang Yu in battle. Even Han Xin did not dare to confront Xiang Yu in terms of strategy and tactics. Liu Bang's real talent lies in
Talents like Zhang Liang and Xiao He, one of them is a representative figure at the peak level of strategy, and the other is a representative figure at the peak level in the later period. This makes Liu Bang defeated again and again, but he has full strength, while Xiang Yu becomes poorer as he fights, and the more he fights, the more soldiers he fights.
The less you have, you can only win continuously and never lose once. If you lose once, you will lose everything and you will never be able to stand up again. Having said so much, I can summarize it in one sentence: the foundation.
The warlords who came out of Xiliang all made a living by plundering, including Dong Zhuo, Ma Teng, and Han Sui, the three largest warlords in Xiliang. The small warlords under them were even more unbearable. They lived purely by plundering and had no foundation in production.
In this land, no matter how powerful and powerful this kind of warlord is, once he encounters a powerful enemy that cannot be defeated in an instant, he will inevitably become a shooting star in the night sky, just a flash in the pan.
Qin Xiaobai definitely doesn't want to be that kind of warlord, and if he doesn't want to be that kind of warlord, then he needs a foundation. How to build a foundation, as long as the policy is not too harsh, and the army does not disturb the people too much.
, ordinary people will not have much resistance. The most difficult thing to establish is those wealthy families and former local officials. Both have unparalleled influence in the local area. The former is especially dominant, and the latter has great influence.
Although they are slightly weaker, they can understand management and operations, can win over the people in the shortest time, and can become officials. However, they are talents in themselves. As long as they have enough information, they can make the best use of them and place them in the most suitable place.
In their positions, let them use all their talents.
Qin Xiaobai was very clear about the importance of the official information of this wealthy family. Therefore, as soon as the innkeeper with sly eyebrows said it, Qin Xiaobai's heart skipped a beat. If he could conquer the city, he must hold it, and he must hold it.
It must be managed well. If you can only conquer a city and land, you are a warlord. If you can capture a city and capture it, you can defend it, you are a prince. If you can capture a city and capture a territory, you can defend it and manage it well. Then you can establish a country on your own, like Wei, Shu, and Wu.
.
This detailed information on wealthy families and officials is less effective in siege and defense, and more important in the defense of the city. As for management, it is the top priority. If you don’t see that after Cao Pi becomes emperor, he must bow his head to the noble families and make a decision.
In the nine-level Zhongzheng system, there are no Hanshi at the top and no nobles at the bottom. If Qin Xiaobai has this detailed information, it will be much easier to win over, suppress and divide the wealthy families at the beginning of conquering the city, destroying the system and rebuilding the order. And if it is done,
, this advantage is also very obvious. During the war, it can achieve internal unity, at least it will not hold him back. If he has a large territory after the war to establish a country, he will not have to look at the faces of these aristocratic families after the establishment of the country. After all,
After the founding of the country, the influence of the aristocratic family in the country is unparalleled, and can even be said to share weal and woe. If you want to get rid of the cancer of the aristocratic family in the territory in one fell swoop, you will inevitably inflict serious damage on yourself and your own vitality. Moreover, the aristocratic family will never be completely eliminated.
If one piece falls, another one will immediately spring up to fill the gap.
But if before the founding of a country, every time a place is conquered, and at the beginning of destroying the system and rebuilding order, the aristocratic families we face at that time are isolated and helpless. As long as we win over them, suppress them, divide them, and achieve the purpose of control, we can
It is not easy to eliminate this endless trouble, and even to suppress it is not that easy. You cannot solve the problem with fists only if you don’t understand the situation. It will be too late to use fists after you understand the situation. The contact point dispatched by Dong Zhuo has been here for several years.
Spying on information, with continuous financial support, and the information it knows about various wealthy families and officials is definitely ten thousand times better than just scrambling for information and randomly asking people for information.
Therefore, when Qin Xiaobai heard the sly innkeeper said this, his heart immediately jumped. He now only has the contact point in Zuli County. If he can get the contact point in Xiliang from Niu Fu,
That would be a great development. It would almost mean that the foundation that Dong Zhuo had planted in Xiliang for many years could be used by him. Thinking of this, Qin Xiaobai was extremely excited and secretly made up his mind to find a way to get all the contact points of Xiliang from Niu Fu.
No matter what method is used, Qin Xiaobai is not afraid of Dong Zhuo's revenge. The emperor is far away. He is far away in Xiliang, but Dong Zhuo is in Bingzhou. Dong Zhuo cannot think of your personal grudges and mobilize an army to kill Xiliang.
Although Boss Dong and Huangfu Song led the imperial army to crusade during the Qiang uprising in Xiliang, and they won a big victory, they did not take much advantage. Han Sui and Ma Teng were still standing.
As long as this battle plan is successful, Qin Xiaobai will be regarded as a small warlord by then. He can stand up and follow Ma Teng, Han Sui and Dong Zhuo, and there will be nothing they can do to him.
At this time, Qin Xiaobai's mind was racing with thoughts, but on the surface he remained calm and replied calmly: "That's true. The governor now needs all the information on Zuli County, various wealthy families, officials, and the details of Zuli County."
The more detailed the map, the better.”
Qin Xiaobai knew that talking too much would lead to mistakes, so he did not explain the reason and directly asked the innkeeper for information. By the way, he asked for a detailed map of Zuli County, the main purpose of his coming here. The reason why he did not directly ask about the distribution of soldiers and the location of granaries in Zuli County
, because he was afraid that he might accidentally make this sly innkeeper wary, leading to the loss of valuable information about various wealthy families and officials in Zuli County.
The innkeeper with a sly eyebrow was stunned when he heard this, and said: "I can easily draw the detailed map of Zuli County, but I am only responsible for the officials and wealthy families in Zuli County, and I am only responsible for the intelligence of this city.
.”
Qin Xiaobai's heart tightened, and then he laughed and said: "Of course I know this. What I mean is that you can just give me the information about Zuli County in your hand." At the same time, Qin Xiaobai said in his heart: "It seems that one
The contact point is responsible for a city. No wonder there are so many contact points in Zuli County alone. It seems that these contact points usually do not contact each other. They don’t even know about each other’s existence, or they know each other’s existence, but they don’t.
We just know who each other is."
The innkeeper nodded with relief, and then said: "I am the owner of this small inn in this village, but secretly I am the owner of one of the three largest restaurants in Zuli County. I usually do not show my face but control it secretly.
This restaurant is where I collect information from various wealthy families and officials. Therefore, the information is stored there, and envoys will inevitably go there. This jade pendant is a token, and the waiters in the restaurant are all my confidants. Use this jade pendant to go there.
The information I have collected in recent years can be obtained by coming to Yanlou."
As he spoke, the innkeeper took out an ordinary-looking jade pendant and handed it to Qin Xiaobai, and then said with a slightly excited expression: "I can draw the detailed map of Zuli County immediately, but I don't know what the messenger is, how can I
Then you can return to the governor."
In fact, Qin Xiaobai's performance just now has revealed a flaw. Under normal circumstances, it would be easy for this cunning innkeeper to see through it, and he would be suspicious. He would not be so frank and immediately hand over the information he has collected over the years.
The information, but he is already in an excited mood now. He thought that Governor Dong had abandoned him after not seeing him for many years. How long had he waited until today? He is now eager to leave this place and return to Dong Zhuo.
He was so excited that he ignored Qin Xiaobai's flaw.
Qin Xiaobai was overjoyed to have such information, but he was stunned when the innkeeper asked him. He thought to himself: "Is this a test? It doesn't look like he is excited. What's the benefit of returning to Dong Zhuo?"
Yes, is it better to have him as the boss of a restaurant here? Could it be that he was originally an officer beside Dong Zhuo? Well, the status of merchants in the Han Dynasty was low, and men liked to make contributions in the military. This is also in line with the background needs of this era.
, then how should I answer without exposing any flaws?"
Qin Xiaobai was thinking a lot, but the innkeeper thought that Qin Xiaobai was hesitating. Qin Xiaobai was right to hesitate. This is normal behavior. If he was immediately agreed to by the messenger as soon as he proposed it, then it would be wrong
Problems would arise, so when the innkeeper saw Qin Xiaobai's appearance, he was very prepared and immediately took out a bag of money from his pocket and stuffed it into Qin Xiaobai's hand. He smiled and said, "There is no need for the messenger to give it so quickly.
Reply. I just ask the envoy to give me a few kind words. I am very grateful."
"Oh, that's the case. It's all right. I'll try my best to say a few nice words. Don't expect too much from me whether it works or not." Qin Xiaobai took the purse, weighed it twice, and showed a satisfied smile without leaving any trace.
He took it into his arms, and then with a sanctimonious look, he patted the innkeeper on the shoulder and said, as if a leader was encouraging his capable subordinates.
"Of course it's not strange, of course it's not strange." When the innkeeper saw Qin Xiaobai accept the money bag, his smile became even brighter, he cupped his hands and said with a smile.
"Well, that's good. Why are you still dazed? Why don't you quickly draw a detailed map of Zuli County." Qin Xiaobai said in a tone that was equal to his identity at this time.
"Yes, yes, yes..." The innkeeper respectfully asked Qin Xiaobai to do it. He immediately took out a piece of white cloth and started painting on it. It must be said that the innkeeper still had some painting skills. On the white cloth
The patterns are clear and layered, and there are names next to the buildings. The innkeeper deliberately spied on the information and became a Zuli County town passerby.
The innkeeper started writing quickly, and after a while, he successfully drew the full map of Zuli County. Qin Xiaobai did not directly ask the innkeeper where the food and grass were, so as not to make the innkeeper doubtful, so he asked him to draw a detailed map of Zuli County.
He came to confuse the audience to achieve his goal, but he was still not sure whether the innkeeper could let him get the information he knew by painting. When he got the map, Qin Xiaobai still frowned deeply, but then
He relaxed, because the first time he saw the map, he saw the granary located in the north of Zuli County, as well as the distribution of troops in the buildings around the granary, and the road conditions. He was about to be overjoyed, but then he saw the granary in the east of the city.
There is also a granary. I quickly took another look and found that there was another granary in the south of the city. I was dumbfounded and couldn't help but swallow. This is too ridiculous. It is a waste of time to spread the granaries and burn one granary. But here we are.
In the decentralized system, he would not be able to escape after all three granaries were burned, but if he did not completely eliminate the food and fodder for the one hundred thousand army, he would not be able to achieve his goal and let the one hundred thousand army retreat. This is really a scam.
Here comes this trick.
Qin Xiaobai frowned deeply again and glanced at the innkeeper who nodded and bowed beside him. Suddenly, his heart moved. Granaries are also different. There is more or less food. Grab the one with the most food and burn it first. If possible, burn the two at the expense of the soldiers.
There was only one dissatisfied granary left to support the 100,000-strong army. It would be difficult for them not to retreat and could not last for many days. So Qin Xiaobai pretended to be casual and said: "Why are there so many granaries, and they are so far apart?"
, these soldiers really have nothing to do, and they are not afraid of getting tired from transporting them here and there."
The innkeeper who had been standing nearby waiting for Qin Xiaobai's reply immediately responded with a smile: "Envoy, you don't know something, because the enemy this time is the nomadic White Horse Qiang tribe, so there are tens of thousands of cavalry in the one hundred thousand army, so three
Inside the granary, the east granary contains hay and horse grain. When Zuli County was just recaptured, there was a fierce battle with the Baima Qiang people in the front. The rear was unstable and the remnants of the crime were not cleared. There were also gangsters running around, and all kinds of beatings, smashing, looting and burning often occurred.
In order to wait for the riots, the 100,000-strong army was divided into two parts: the north and the south. They continued to attack the Baima Qiang to expand their gains, and stationed in the south to stabilize the rear. Therefore, the granary was equally divided into two granaries, the north and the south."
"Oh? In that case, the grain and grass in the north should be much larger than the grain and grass in the south. How can you draw the same size?" Qin Xiaobai asked again. He could start with whatever he wanted at first, but if he continued to ask the last question, he could only change it.
He got into a posture and said in an accusing tone.
The innkeeper was afraid that Qin Xiaobai would think that he was not serious about painting, so he quickly replied: "Messenger, you don't know something. The division of troops at that time was not the current one with 70% to 80% in the north and only 20% in the south. This was all after the chaos in the rear was settled.
The troops were divided again, and at that time the troops were divided in half, so the granaries were all built to the same size."
After the innkeeper finished speaking, he was afraid that the introduction was not detailed, so he added: "Because the two granaries were only built so big, they could only supply food for 50,000 people. After the troops were divided again, the granaries could not be demolished again.
Cover, it is also a granary for the export of 50,000 soldiers. One side supplies 20,000 people, and the other side supplies 70,000 or 80,000 people. Therefore, when food is subsequently transported from various parts of Wuwei County to two places, the southern food and grass are often at 80%
Above, the grain and grass supply in the north is often less than 30%. Whenever the drop is below 30%, grain will be diverted from the south to the north. Now the grain warehouse in the south is at 90%, and the grain and grass in the north is hovering at 30%."
"You can see the big picture through the small, and you can see the leopard through the tube. You are very good. Wait for the news at home." Qin Xiaobai was overjoyed. He did not expect that after he was frightened, the innkeeper would answer in such detail. Now he finally has a target.
"Farewell to the envoy." The innkeeper wiped a cold sweat and finally passed the test. He didn't want to go back to the military camp or anything. It would be great to be a comfortable and wealthy man here, but the envoy sent by Governor Dong could not be offended.
To let the messenger convey the news that he does not want to go back, Governor Dong must know how loyal he is and how much he wants to return, so that his position will be more secure.
As for self-defeating, he is not worried. He has been lurking here for several years. It will take at least half a year for him to randomly send someone who does not know the truth to control the power he has left. Dong Zhuo's character will not do it for the sake of it.
If a person is upset down there, he will be replaced by someone else, wasting half a year. This level is over. It seems that the messenger is quite satisfied with this level. He can continue to be his comfortable rich man. After sending Qin Xiaobai away
, the innkeeper hummed a tune and returned to the inn. (To be continued...)
