Chapter 152: Journey to the Sea of ??Misery (19) (7k2 in 1)
Zhang Xing finally accepted Chen Ling's bribe. One of the two golden awls was given to Qin Bao, and the other was given to Luo Xin. Then he called his acquaintances in Beiya and found Eunuch Yu, allowing the latter to easily lead Chen Ling.
Ling went in to express his loyalty.
Of course, Zhang Xing also entered calmly, found the somewhat haggard Niu Dugong, and handed over the order.
Duke Niu didn't say much and just asked Zhang Xingzi to rest.
However, when Zhang Xing walked out of the wing of Governor Niu's residence and came to Datongpu where Fulongwei and Jinwuwei lived in the outermost area, he was shocked to find that the situation here had changed.
"what happened?"
Zhang Xing asked in surprise.
"Yesterday, only a dozen high-ranking military generals came to the Youzhou Governor's Mansion. But today, here in Jin, it is said that one by one, all the civil and military officers who have passed the fifth rank are here, and there are no less than a hundred attachés of the seventh rank and above.
." General Ding Quan of the Jinwu Guards, who was covered in dirt, had a dull look in his eyes, roughly describing: "When there are more people, Fulong Guards and others are more taboo, but there will definitely be no place for us Jinwu Guards... We are a group of big-headed soldiers, no matter what
There's no way we can compete with a group of lieutenant generals, county magistrates, and county guards for space, right? It would be nice to have a corridor to lie down on."
Zhang Xing was silent for a moment: "Why are you here in such a hurry? It's not so exaggerated in Hebei, right?"
"It is said that His Highness King Qi was in Taiyuan before, and all the people from Jin gathered to rescue him in the name of His Highness King Qi. Now that Yunnei has relieved the siege, these people are afraid of misunderstandings, so they naturally flock here to express their loyalty...
"Ding Quan blurted out. "But the saints can't meet them all one by one, so Duke Niu can only arrange all these big shots here."
Zhang Xing could only nod: "Your Excellency, you have worked really hard."
Zhang Sanlang was not being perfunctory, but he really felt that the other party was working hard - if the siege of the city had not been extremely difficult for these twenty days, and if he had not suffered a serious crime during these twenty days, then with the other party's usual care in the camp, he would never have taken the siege.
The words "His Royal Highness King Qi" were spoken directly.
In fact, Ding Quan was not the only one. When Zhang Xing entered the city, what he saw along the way was that all the officials, palace servants, and attendants in the city were obviously a little confused... It was obvious that Dulan Khan was in trouble.
Not only did a certain Mao Ren saint suffer permanent physical and mental damage, but others will also remember this patrol and siege for the rest of their lives.
"Zhang Changjian." On the other side, seeing Zhang Xing about to leave, Ding Quan hesitated for a moment and rarely took the initiative to ask. "A few of us were sick before and were thrown outside the county government early. You are there with the reinforcements outside.
If you can talk it out, can you take them outside the city to find a camp to recuperate?"
"Of course it's no problem." Zhang Xing naturally agreed. "Send the person to the south gate and I'll wait for you there."
Ding Quan was so happy that he came over and left in a hurry without even having time to say a few words.
On this side, Zhang Xing no longer hesitated. He found another cold-faced black-souled man in Fulong Guard, plus Qin Bao, and explained everything together. He only handed over the things in the city to the two, and then also found a few
Fulongwei, who was feeling unwell, asked Xiao Zhou to take a few people to escort him, and then left the county house full of people again, intending to take advantage of the chaos in the city and no one to care about him, to leave the city and spend the night in the camp.
.
I can't help it, the smell in the city, especially in the county government, is too strong.
When we walked out of the county government, it was already evening. The air in the city was dry and cold, and the smell, fishy smell, and dust were mixed together. Along with the noisy voices, the sound of horse hooves, and the sound of armor scraping, it created a kind of head-turning atmosphere.
dizziness.
Zhang Xing took some things with him when he entered the city and distributed them all. Now he just led the horse and walked south, preparing to leave the city and return to his civilian camp. As a result, he fell into a trance halfway until he suddenly heard another baby's cry.
Crying, it was like waking up from a dream, and then looked around.
Xiao Zhou immediately realized something and followed the sound first. He soon found the source of the crying under a broken wall... Unlike the previous time when he broke out of the encirclement, he took the initiative to handle Qin Bao's affairs. This time Zhang Xing did not step forward...
Firstly, he had nothing else on him and everything was in the camp; secondly, he felt that Xiao Zhou was more suitable to handle this kind of matter alone.
Sure enough, Xiao Zhou came back after a while and reported in a low voice: "It was cold, the house was demolished, and the child was too young to bear it... I found the officer of the middle base army next to me, made some connections, and then spent money to buy it.
A bedding set, some firewood, and some millet."
Zhang Xing nodded and didn't ask any more questions... Xiao Zhou actually handled it very well.
In addition, there is really no other way, because the entire city is so bad now. In order to defend the city, many people's houses have been demolished, wood is used for heating, and bricks and stones are used to fill the city defense...
Of course, the situation of the soldiers and palace people is also very bad. The saint and his concubines, princes, and princesses are also in bad condition. Everyone is in bad condition, but because of the common people, others can never be the ones in the worst situation.
Just a group of people.
After the small episode passed, Zhang Xing continued walking south and arrived at the agreed place inside the south gate. Perhaps because of a slight delay on the way, Ding Quan had already arrived. In addition, there were seven or eight patients and one patient.
Li Ding.
"Is Li Silang sick too?" Seeing this person, Zhang Xing perked up, but he was still nervous.
"Don't make fun of me." Li Ding said seriously, clasping his hands. "I'm really holding it back. You're coming from outside, so you're definitely not short of firewood and fresh food... How about expecting Wang Daiji to hand over the things he supports immediately?"
I hope the sky will send pancakes...I will go with you to rest outside the city for a night, take a breath and see if there is any fresh meat to eat, I am so hungry."
Zhang Xing shook his head, not teasing him too much.
In this way, Ding Quan had no choice but to turn back, and the rest of the group came to the camp outside the south city, settled the patients, and lit a bonfire... Then, Zhang Xing summoned a group of leaders of Huairong civilians to fight with them one by one.
After making inquiries and taking care of these chores, I finally had some free time, picked up a wooden box, and went to sit by the campfire with Li Ding, eating and drinking.
When I opened the wooden box, I saw nothing but cold pork skin, stacked in stacks, placed in the box.
"Are those people unwilling to leave?"
Li Ding immediately threw down the pancake he was nibbling, then pierced the pork skin with a wooden thorn, and began to grill it on the fire. Oil and water dripped on the firewood, and the aroma was fragrant, attracting the foreign minister of the Ministry of War to stare at him, but he also
Without delaying his multitasking, he asked about what happened to the civilian husband just now.
"Sixty or seventy groups, sixty or seventy leaders, some are small landowners and powerful men, some are gangsters, some are clan elders, and some are domestic slaves, domestic servants, and even county officials of the Gao family in Huairong..." Zhang
Xing sat down, took the things from Xiao Zhou's hands, and started roasting his own pig skins. "Not everyone has the same idea."
"Then how many people are ready to leave after listening to your advice, Zhang Sanlang?" Li Ding still focused on the pigskin.
"Forty or fifty people." Zhang Xing began to stare at his pigskin in a daze.
"So much?" Li Ding finally looked away from the pigskin for a moment. "Have you gained their trust these days? You see, do you even know how to give you meat?"
"It's all because of my peers," Zhang Xingyi said.
"Let me guess, it's the county officials and the small tyrants. The small landowners left more?" Li Ding thought thoughtfully.
"No." Zhang Xing shook his head on the spot. "On the contrary, most of them were gangsters and some of the Gao family's slaves... County officials, powerful men, and clan elders, most of them still listened to me and prepared to sneak in dry food tomorrow morning.
Set off and leave."
"Why?" Li Ding was surprised for a moment.
"Because Youzhou belongs to Hebei, the grassroots core there may not dare to believe what the saint will do, but they know that the Wei Dynasty is not trustworthy, so compared with a little credit, they are more willing to avoid risks... and
There is an urgent need for domestic slaves, gang thugs and the like. For domestic slaves, as long as they can be released from slavery, nothing else matters. Gang thugs are willing to do anything as long as they can change their official status." Zhang Xing said angrily.
After finishing, he started to try to chew the pig skin, and vaguely reminded the other party, "It's almost burnt..."
Li Ding came to his senses, quickly took his pig skin away from the fire, took a hard bite, and then chewed hard again regardless of the hot touch.
It took a lot of effort to swallow a mouthful of pig skin, but Li Silang sighed again and threw the wooden thorn into the fire, stirring up a few scattered sparks:
"Yes, yes, that's Hebei. It's not like here in Jin. I still have a lot of trust in the court..."
"But these people who are left behind should be able to do it." Zhang Xing thought for a while, put on a piece of pig skin again, and continued to roast. "A large-scale pardon of sinners was what we said at the beginning of the siege. There is no reason to do this in such a matter.
If you discount it again, let alone if it is indeed a meritorious service... But considering the situation inside the city, and so many towns and villages outside the city that have been raided, it is only a one-year tax exemption, I am afraid it is a bit uneasy. "
"It's useless to say that the three-year exemption is useless. On the contrary, the one-year exemption is most practical." Li Ding sneered. "Because this is the only one year that is really useful. After one year, it doesn't matter whether the court can still control the situation in Mayi.
It's easy to say... the town was empty, and many people, including their families and their families, were sent to the back of the Poison Desert in advance by Du Lan. Even if the cavalry from Youzhou followed and chased some back on the edge of the Bitter Sea, it was not enough to fill the local area...
Next, Mayi and the northern half of Yanmen must be the territory of many border tribes, with strong men and women everywhere. I don’t know how many people the court can leave for Wang Rengong to suppress... Thinking about it this way, the situation north of Taiyuan will not be better, and maybe it will be.
Spread it.”
Zhang Xing thought for a moment and sighed... If not, why did he advise the two women to go south immediately if they found that the man had not returned home?
With this thought in mind, he handed the half-roasted pig skin to the other party.
"Zhang Sanlang is also worried about the country and the people?" Li Ding took the pig skin, took a bite, found that it was half-cooked, and continued to roast it. "Actually, let me tell you, these people who were kidnapped had a hard time at the beginning.
If I get through it, I'm afraid it won't be bad at Dulan's place..."
"The country does not know the people, but the people do not know the country." Zhang Xing glanced at Xiao Zhou who came to listen curiously, and took another piece of pig skin from the latter's hand without any scruples. "So, I only care about the people, not the country."
Worrying about the country..."
"You looked away." Li Ding smiled half-heartedly. "But why did you go out anyway?"
"If Qin Bao hadn't made his own decision and worried about something happening to him, I would definitely enjoy the moon with you in the city." As he said that, Zhang Xing grilled meat with one hand and pointed to the sky, but then he realized that at the beginning of the month at this time, both moons were hidden.
month to come.
"Actually, it's just comfortable, and it's a blessing to go out." Li Ding became slightly awakened, and at the same time put away his smile and became serious. "It's really difficult in the city these days... I knew it was difficult to besiege the city, but I didn't expect it to be so difficult. I felt like I was being strangled up and down.
It means that the city defense is strict, but it can suffocate people to death. There is no epidemic, but a cold wind can knock down many people... It can be seen that famous generals in ancient times not only need to be familiar with military books.
, to learn logistics, you have to practice it in real life."
"This is nonsense. Since ancient times, talents have mostly come from experience." Zhang Xing shook his head. "The times create heroes, and heroes promote current affairs..."
"The current situation can also create absurd and ridiculous people, and absurd and ridiculous people can also promote current events." Li Ding was about to eat the pig skin, but after hearing this, he suddenly became confused. "Do you believe it or not?"
"I believe it." Zhang Xing said frankly. "But times are also changing. This time I went out, I often thought, today's official will be a thief tomorrow, today's hero will be a villain tomorrow, today's vulgarity will be a hero tomorrow, the current situation should be
If it changes, it may not be that thing... Just like last time in Kansai, when we talked about Sima Xianggong, I seemed to have told you that I have always felt that these so-called vulgar people in the court, including those who are in the city today
Those who show their ugly appearance may not necessarily be incompetent, and they may not be unable to be loyal ministers and good generals... It’s just this system, this situation, this court, and this leader, that’s why it is like this.”
Li Ding fell silent... After a long time, he bit into the half-burnt pig skin: "You make sense!"
"If you want to put it this way, if the current situation changes, who will Brother Zhang be?" At this moment, Zhou Xingfan, a good boy who had been listening carefully, couldn't hold back again.
Zhang Xing, who was about to pass the exam, immediately answered with a smile: "Maybe I will paint or write a novel."
"Your third brother Zhang will definitely be a capable minister of the country if he lives to rule the world." Li Ding swallowed the second piece of pig skin and sneered. "You should have known this statement for a long time, right?"
"That's natural." Xiao Zhou said with a proud smile. "Since I followed Third Brother Zhang to Jing'an Terrace for the first time, I heard similar words from Cao Zhongcheng. Others also said that Third Brother will enter Nanya sooner or later.
The world makes rules."
Zhang Xing, on the other hand, seemed a little familiar to these words, and quickly handed over the pig skin he had just roasted, and then hurriedly interjected: "According to Li Silang's usual boast, the next thing I should say is, if I were born in troubled times,
He must be some kind of hero who can shed blood all over the world."
"I have changed my mind." Li Ding took the third piece of pig skin today, chewed it hard, and then said seriously. "Who can know what will happen in the future? Just looking at your behavior today, it seems ordinary, but there is already a faint trace of it.
The weather in the Valley of Desolation has changed... and now, the Desolation is right in front of us!"
Zhang Xing felt bored and immediately curled his lips: "How can there be a minister who can govern the world? A hero in troubled times sounds heroic?"
Li Ding was furious and threw the wooden thorn in his hand into the fire again.
Almost at the same time, in the crowded lobby of the Sheriff's Mansion in the city, the saint who seemed to know the stakes was discussing the outcome of this trip with his superiors.
So far, it is no longer possible to avoid the anticlimactic outcome of this patrol.
However, the saint seemed to have other ideas.
"It's okay to set off early tomorrow morning and go to Taiyuan immediately, but do we have to go back to Dongdu?" The saint was obviously anxious.
"Your Majesty!" Prime Minister Su Wei was dumbfounded and came out to dissuade him at all costs. "You must not joke at this time. The accompanying sergeants, officials, and palace people are all from Dongdu, and they have experienced this siege and have reached the limit. If the saint is still
If you go out to him again, I'm afraid it will cause a big mess!"
"What's the trouble?!" The saint was extremely impatient.
Su Wei saw the saint getting angry and felt weak for a moment.
On the other hand, Wei Chi, the Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment, did not hesitate to move out of the queue and replied boldly: "Report to your Majesty, the troubles that Dulan Khan dared to do, even the Fifth Army would dare to do."
"A bunch of rebellious officials and traitors!" The saint immediately became furious, took another long breath, and then hurriedly waved his hands, causing Wang Daiji, Chen Ling and other high-end rescuers who had seen this scene for the first time to be stunned. "Then go back to Dongdu, go back.
Chinese New Year...is that okay?"
The hall was silent for a moment. Everyone looked at each other, but no one answered or excused themselves.
The saint thought for a moment and immediately realized: "Let's talk about the reward after we return to Taiyuan... we only need to issue decrees to appease the local officials and people."
"Your Majesty." Wei Chi had no choice but to sincerely hand him over. "Don't forget the promise of the Sixth Grade to rise from the ground, otherwise the morale of the Forbidden Army will be unstable."
The emperor suddenly understood, but then hesitated: "This matter needs long-term consideration... I am not saying that I will not reward you, but I was so anxious at the time that I misunderstood what others said. It would not be appropriate... If they are both in the sixth level, I will not say anything else.
, return to Dongdu, what should we do with the other two armies of the Fifth Army?"
All the ministers and workers immediately looked embarrassed.
This is a question that I have thought of before. It is indeed absurd to rise from the ground at the sixth level, but it seems to be common sense for a saint to be frightened by an arrow that can take his life. He loses his composure and is desperate... But now this big thing has happened
The trouble is simply overwhelming.
If the promise is fulfilled according to the original plan, the army and Wei's official positions will no longer have any prestige.
But if the promise is not fulfilled, there is something that is difficult for everyone to say... But if someone really says that the emperor has broken his promise to the world, how can the court defend it? Intangible harm is also harm.
"Your Majesty." Sima Changying took a long breath. "I feel that this matter really needs to be considered in the long term, because this matter is not only the 30,000 people guarding the city, but also the reinforcements from the Youzhou Governor's Mansion and the Jin Dynasty.
There are no less than 70,000 to 80,000 people. Reinforcements and rewards from Beihuang, Luoyang, and Kansai will probably arrive in a few days... If they are given a sixth-grade flat land, what will happen to these people? If they are given this kind of treatment, the country will not be able to sustain it.
. Therefore, I think that we can give big rewards and many rewards. For example, if we designate 200 people for special merits, and get 1,500 or even 3,000 people for meritorious services, that’s fine. But it really can’t be done just because of one thing.
It has ruined the integrity of the Wei Dynasty... I have a huge responsibility for this matter. Please make sure to point it out in public, so that if there is any resentment between the superiors and subordinates, I can make the old minister bear some responsibility."
With that said, Sima Changying bowed down without her hat.
Everyone in the hall, especially those who came to help this time, felt ridiculous in their hearts when they saw this, but they did not hesitate to follow suit. In a short time, from Wang Daiji to Chen Ling, they all bowed down to express their understanding and praised the saint's kindness.
My subordinates must be aware of this situation and will never let down the divine grace.
For a moment, it seemed that all the officers and soldiers had the realization that they were just joking in a hurry.
Only the two ministers and several county guards stared at Prime Minister Su Wei, waiting for the husband to express his position.
Su Wei knew there was no way to hide, so he took a long breath and said: "Your Majesty, I feel that what Sima Xianggong said actually makes some sense, but... when things spread far away, it is difficult for the soldiers and civilians to clearly understand what happened.
Sometimes, I’m afraid words that are harmful to the saints will come out.”
Saints have the best reputation. Hearing this, I suddenly became angry.
When Duan Wei saw this, he immediately bowed down: "Your Majesty, what Xianggong Su said makes sense. Some things seem easy, but once they are lost, they are like water, and it is difficult to put them back... No matter what, you have to grit your teeth and recognize the reward.
right."
Wei Chi also quickly added: "Your Majesty, please don't forget that when Your Majesty said these words that day, he said them in front of the defenders... If you don't give them, I'm afraid it will be difficult to calm down the soldiers' morale easily."
The emperor became more and more irritable, but he neither agreed nor denied it. It was as if heaven and man were at war and he didn't know how to deal with it.
At this opportunity, Sima Changying, who was looking down at the green bricks on the ground and the tip of his toes, suddenly lowered his head and took a few steps forward, speaking calmly: "Your Majesty... Duan and Wei, the two ministers, are a little worried. It is understandable. After all, the two of them are worried.
In the city, there are probably no shortage of promises these days... If Your Majesty cannot respond, they will not be able to explain to the people below, so please forgive me."
When Duan Wei and Wei Chi heard this, they were immediately shocked and angry, but they didn't know where to refute it.
It was the saint who was the first to "wake up" and immediately said coldly: "You three, are you trying to win people's hearts for yourself?"
Everyone in the hall was shocked. Among the three parties involved, Duan Wei immediately shut up and bowed his head, while Wei Chi looked up to the sky and sighed slowly. Then the two of them maintained their postures, one up and down, and looked at Su Wei together.
Su Wei hesitated for a moment, and actually hid behind a pillar in the county hall while everyone was stunned. He didn't know whether he was hiding from the sight of the saint or the sight of these two people.
Seeing this situation, Wei Chi laughed instead and could only hand over his hand: "In that case, Your Majesty, please allocate five thousand reinforcements to the old minister, and let the old minister lead his troops to pursue the Wu Clan army and serve as your Majesty's queen."
"I would also like to help you." Duan Wei also immediately asked for an order from the ground.
The saint nodded slightly, agreed, and took this opportunity to put his face aside and no longer care about these two people.
With the two ministers taking the initiative to leave, the matter was agreed upon. Tomorrow morning, we will go south to Taiyuan. The promise of the sixth rank of Pingdi will be cancelled. The rest of the rewards will remain the same. At the same time, 200 people will be specially designated for special honors, with a total of 1,500 honors.
As a special reward, the announcement will be made after arriving in Taiyuan.
At the same time, Yi Duan and Wei Shangshu led their troops to pursue the Wu army and attack the palace.
Not mentioning the rest of the matter, I only said that Duan Wei and his ministers went out, symbolically gathered thousands of troops from Fenyang Palace, and some close associates, and then left the north gate overnight.
After going out, Duan Wei was still sighing, but Wei Chi, who had not yet undressed his clothes, suddenly reined in his horse and stopped. He looked back at Yunnei City Gate, which was full of traces of Yamaru's energy, and did not move for a long time.
Duan Wei waited for a while and carefully urged: "Old Wei, don't be angry, hurry up and leave... The worst is to go back and quit. No matter what happens in the future, I can only live in my hometown in Guanzhong without the peace and wealth of people like us."
?”
Wei Chi turned around, his eyes turned red under the large fire basins on both sides of the city gate tower: "Duan Shangshu, you shouldn't think so...or, at least, I shouldn't think so."
Duan Wei was stunned for a moment.
"My father was in a state of embarrassment and had no explanation in his later years. As a result, he defected to the late emperor. The late emperor did not look down on him because of his age. Instead, he promoted us father and son one after another, so that our Wei family could quickly rise to power..." Wei Chi said seriously.
"I don't know what other people think, but when my father passed away, before the Wei Dynasty was even built, he told me that I must be loyal to the Cao family for the rest of my life, and I often made up my mind to do it...
Unexpectedly, although I have a loyal heart, the Cao family and Da Wei met such a saint..."
Duan Wei broke into a cold sweat and immediately interrupted the other party: "Wei Shangshu! Be careful what you say!"
"Is there anything we should be careful about?" Wei Chi sneered. "He is allowed to do it, but we are not allowed to say it?"
"This matter of rewards is indeed a dilemma!" Duan Wei directly tried his best to persuade the other party by pulling the reins of his own horse.
"I know, but no matter what the dilemma is, aren't we working hard to defend the city?" Wei Chi's mouth twitched, and he could no longer control his emotions. "But why do we have to be scolded and dismissed once the siege is relieved? Those people, even Du Lan
He didn't even see the shadow of his 150,000-strong army, and just because he followed his wishes and was good at pretending, he was promoted and encouraged on the spot?"
Duan Wei sighed.
"I've made up my mind!" Wei Chi grabbed his reins and let out a long breath. "I won't make false promises tonight. I will go straight to the sea of suffering to attack the main force of the Wu clan..."
Duan Wei was startled and wanted to speak again, but was held down by the other party. In the end, he could only stand on the horse with awe and even fear, watching the other party hold him down with one hand and point his finger towards the sky to continue his declaration.
:
"Duan Gong, the current situation is like this. Since the founding of the Cao family, the Wei Dynasty has been ruling the world for more than thirty years. Seeing that the four seas are almost unified, it seems that it can last forever; but this saint cannot even connect the most basic military.
Rewards and punishments cannot be achieved, villains and loyal ministers are too lazy to share, they are always arrogant, enjoy their own power, and are so ridiculous when encountering danger, no matter how you look at it, it looks like a sign of the country's destruction. At this time, I, Wei Chi II
I have been favored, dedicated to serving the Lord, and leading the crowd today. I should have gone to avenge my shame, so why risk my life? Now that I am here, if the Kingdom of Wei Dynasty is still blessed by the Supreme Being, then I should be allowed to succeed in the battle tonight; and if
The fortune of the Wei Dynasty is gone, so let me, Wei Chi, die first, so that we can live up to the kindness of the late emperor! Just watch from behind!"
Duan Wei knew that the other party was more resentful and overly emotional, but after hearing these heroic words, he still couldn't help but feel ashamed and embarrassed.
Wei Chi, on the other hand, had no intention of just making a gesture. After saying this, he took the lead in riding his horse and headed north without looking back towards the passage between Wuzhou Mountain and Baishan Mountain where the Wu Clan retreated.
Almost at the same moment, Zhang Xing in the south of the city suddenly stopped grilling meat, because after he peeled off another layer of meat skin in a small wooden box that was braving the cold, he suddenly discovered that there was a piece of tender venison underneath that looked very good at first glance...
...Obviously, venison was what the leader of the people who had shot the deer really wanted to give him when they first met, and the skin was just put on to keep it fresh and dust-proof.
This really made Zhang Sanlang, who had won the new title of Valley of Desolate Years, a bit embarrassed, because at this time, Li Ding had already hiccupped from eating meat skin.
PS: Thank you to the new leader, Tiger Skin King Kong Calabash Master... Such a familiar ID! Say hello.
