In November and the twelfth lunar month of this year, the Jishui Basin entered the coldest season of the year as promised, and it snowed three or four times intermittently.
According to the information feedback, the downstream is fine. It may be because it is close to the East China Sea, or it is covered by the Dongyi terrain. Therefore, although the snow falls, it melts quickly without delay, so that there is no excessive snow accumulation. On the contrary, it is upstream of Jishui River. , all the way to Liangjun and Xingyang areas, there were continuous cold winds and heavy snowfall, so that there were obvious superpositions of snow layers.
This is of course a great thing, as it is beneficial to the farming season.
In this era, the foundation of the entire society is still agricultural production activities.
At the same time, in this era of accelerating turbulence, this snow and severe cold seem to have pressed a pause button for the times, allowing everyone to temporarily take a breath and think about their future like a fish swimming in the ice. and the direction of the times.
Of course, some of this thinking is conscious and some is unconscious. And some people seem to never be able to see their own destiny clearly.
On the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, a huge team including a large number of internal servants, palace people, a small number of Jinwu Guards, and three Jing'an Taiwan patrol groups crossed the Sishui River, passed the Xiaoguan Pass, and came to the territory of Xingyang.
As soon as he arrived here, the Xianggong Zhang Shizhao who was in charge of Xingyang and the local governor of Xingyang led local officials, plus 6,000 troops from the county, and thousands of civilians came to greet him.
As a result, an even larger team of twenty to thirty thousand people was formed immediately.
Three days later, this huge team arrived at the county-governed city, where they drove the team to the completely frozen canal and roads on both sides. Six days later, the team arrived in Putian, and ten days later, the team arrived at the border of Liangjun. Cao, the prefect of Liangjun, Wang led 6,000 garrison troops and thousands of civilians to greet him. The local officials in Xingyang stayed on and tacitly watched Zhang Shizhao join the southbound team.
On the night of the 16th day of the twelfth lunar month, the team arrived at Chenliu, the first important town in Liang County.
Moreover, Cao Wang, the prefect of Liang County, was from a remote clan, and Liang County was a large and wealthy county. When the queen and concubines came, Cao Wang naturally had to do his best, so that night he went to a place in Chenliu City that was said to be the property of a local wealthy family. A banquet was held in the large inner hall, and local ladies and talented folk were invited to accompany the banquet. A group of local officials held a banquet in the outer hall.
However, Cao Wang is not only a remote clan, but also serves as the governor of a place like Liang County, which is considered Kinki. Moreover, it is now in troubled times. His so-called political capital is sufficient and his political attitude is self-evident. , inevitably brought a bit of arrogance beyond the ordinary posture, and even some deliberate humiliation and manipulation.
The three Zhu Shou and the three Hei Shou who came out of Jing'antai were left at the banquet, and they were the guests of honor. Zhang Shizhao, Gao Jiang Tangtang's Nanya Xianggong and Beiya Governor were kicked out together with a group of father-in-laws. The Cangcheng in the city was very cold, and only a small banquet was held in the corridor...even there was only cold wine, and serious dishes were hard to find.
This caused many father-in-laws to scold their mothers, and some even swore that when Jiangdu came back to power, they would give Cao Wang a good look.
"Does Mr. Zhang regret accompanying him?"
Everyone was bored with the banquet, so they drank a few more glasses to warm themselves up, and then dispersed after cursing each other. Gao Jiang, on the other hand, was keenly aware of the unconcealed worry in Zhang Shizhao's brows, so he stayed there and waited until there were fewer people, then went back to the party. Ask at the table.
"What do you regret?" Although it was only two or three years ago, Zhang Shizhao no longer had the same spirit as before, and even looked a little old. When he picked up the wine, he was also a little tired. "Time is also destiny, like you and me, we are rich and noble. Power and position are all dependent on the saint. Now that the saint is in Jiangdu, I am just like you. Staying where I am is just sitting on the wax every day... No matter whether I have a chance to survive or I will be responsible for the future, I should make a final decision at the side of the saint. right."
Gao Jiang nodded heavily... If not, why would the palace as a whole move southward?
On the one hand, it is certainly the will of the saint, and on the other hand, it is also because the entire palace was built around the saint. However, as the saint suddenly turned to Jiangdu and Dongdu, the authority from Beiya to the cost of the palace almost plummeted. .
Saints enjoy their own power and blessings, but without saints, what are you palace servants?
This caused the group of people who were trembling in front of the saint to think about the past days, so the commotion became more and more serious. Under this situation, if someone with a heart spreads a rumor again, saying that Uncle Cao wants to send all the servants into the army and all the palace people to serve as soldiers. Because she is a woman in clothes, there will naturally be a lot of noise.
In fact, even the remaining thousands of Jinwu guards who were deeply influenced by Beiya were originally coming, but they were detained by Cao Lin and used as soldiers.
"Then what is Mr. Zhang worried about? Isn't it difficult to explain when he meets the saint?" After sighing with emotion, Gao Jiang couldn't help but ask.
This is also a worry of his. What if the tower collapses during repairs, and twice. What if it is cut down after meeting?
"No." Zhang Shizhao just drank the wine in one gulp and said frankly. "The saint wishes to see everyone abandon Dongdu and go to him. As long as you don't mention the embarrassing things in the past and don't fight for power in Jiangdu, you will be honest. If we continue to stay here, there will be something difficult to explain. We really need to look into those things before, and we are not the only ones who have difficulty explaining them."
Gao Jiang sighed and did not answer. It was obvious that he understood what the other party meant.
However, Zhang Shizhao drank a few glasses of wine at this time, and gradually regained some of his previous attitude, but turned around and asked: "So, Lao Gao, do you think someone will chase you when you get to Jiangdu and cause the tower to fall twice?"
"good."
"If you are worried about this, why are you going to Jiangdu eagerly? Even if Old Man Cao doesn't allow you to touch the emperor's eldest grandson, why not stay in Xiyuan to grow vegetables and take care of yourself in silence? Is it because you are afraid that Old Cao won't let you go?"
"No." Gao Dugong responded in a deep voice. "The main reason is that I'm not afraid of death. I'm just afraid of being poor. I'm just afraid of having nothing to do... If a saint comes somewhere and wants to kill me, I'll admit it even if I die."
Zhang Shizhao, who started to pour himself a drink, was startled for a moment, drank the glass in a flash, and then suddenly looked at the two moons in the sky and burst into laughter.
After laughing, Fu felt that his mouth was full of bitterness, and then his body shook slightly, so that he became tipsy... Once some emotions broke out, he would be stronger than any other governor, but why should they break out?
He is Zhang Shizhao, and it is enough to be drunk with worry and anger.
"But if that's the case, why is Mr. Zhang still worried?" Gao Jiang on the other hand thought about it and felt surprised again.
"One is worried about the overall situation and doesn't know how long this situation can last." Zhang Shizhao answered simply. "The other is worried that the road will be difficult... The neighboring counties of Dongjun and Jiyin have already fallen into the hands of thieves, although they are still supported by local rich people. But the first two people who made the decision are two acquaintances with good eyesight and ability."
"Li Shu, Zhang Xing... I know." Gao Dugong became serious instantly. "We really have to be on guard... However, I made sure to find out before coming here. Didn't their main force go to the east?"
"Indeed." Zhang Shizhao nodded. "But although Li Shu has gone, Zhang Xing is still there, and there should be tens of thousands of people together..."
"What can tens of thousands of local bandits do to us?" Gao Jiang asked seriously. "Although I did not bring the remaining Jinwu Guards brigade, there are still 6,000 troops and thousands of county soldiers. There are no experts, even Uncle Cao. Stingy, the first Taibao is in the realm of elixir cultivation, the second Taibao is also a master of elixir condensation, Shen Xunjian also has the qualifications of the veteran black ribbon, and the two new black ribbons are simply the masters of Fulongwei before. The situation in Dongdu is so difficult, but the three of them lead What else can we do if we bring the three most elite patrol teams over? In the local area, although Cao Prefect is rude, it is said that he has deployed county soldiers in Chuqiu and Yucheng next to Jiyin to stop the Jiyin bandits. origin……"
"Fortunately, the Jinwu Guards didn't come." After hearing this, Zhang Shizhao shook his head repeatedly. "The Jinwu Guards are like that. If they come, they will only cause chaos... On the contrary, right now, the local garrison, county soldiers and three patrol teams you mentioned, It is true that the military force is guaranteed, but it is true that the weather is not good and the military strength is unstable."
Gao Jiang became serious and asked seriously: "Please speak frankly, Mr. Zhang."
"The snow is too heavy and the road is too difficult to walk. If we go further south, the snow will melt quickly. It will be cold but the ground will not freeze. The road will be covered with snow and mud, and there will be ice on the river. You can’t walk or sail…”
"This is the right time. We really have no choice but to bite the bullet and leave as soon as possible."
"Of course there is no way... there is another thing, that is, this kind of military power cannot last long. The troops have to defend the east capital, and the county soldiers are even less likely to leave the county. The civilians have not caused many things, and they dare not let them accompany them. Yes, so once you leave a county, you have to change people... But if you continue to change like this, what will happen to Qiaojun? Qiaojun only has three thousand garrison troops, which is very dangerous."
"really."
"In addition, starting from Qiaojun, it is the core territory of the Huaiyou League. The Huaiyou League is a thing created by the powerful Jianghuai people. The water bandits united to create this thing. They rely on water transportation from the north to the south to help the people. If it exceeds 10,000, it can easily gather more than 100,000 people... Now that the saints are in Jiangdu, they can't see the spring livelihood, and they are afraid that grass has grown in their hearts, but because the Xuzhou camp is right next to them... And when the time comes, once we When we entered Qiao County, the journey was difficult. Zhang Xing led his troops south through Dang County and urged the Huaiyou Alliance to rebel. We only have three thousand soldiers and can't even control the troops, so what should we do?"
"We have to guard against it." Gao Jiang became more and more serious, and then immediately realized. "What do you think Mr. Zhang should do?"
"I would like to send you a message to Xuzhou Camp. Please come to Qiao County to pick me up as soon as possible." Zhang Shizhao spread his hands. "What else can I do?"
"But, who in Xuzhou would obey Yi's decree and send troops without authorization?" Gao Jiang frowned. "Isn't this the most taboo thing for saints?"
"We can only give it a try." Zhang Shizhao was still magnanimous. "There are a lot of troubles, so we just have to do our best..."
"So, Mr. Zhang also thinks that Xuzhou may not send troops?"
"Half and half." Zhang Shizhao remained calm. "It depends on whether they can fight for power and end the internal fighting..."
Gao Jiang was at a loss for a moment.
This does not mean that he does not believe that there is internal strife in the Xuzhou camp.
Are you kidding? What has Dongdu been doing in the past six months?
Of course they fought for power and profit, formed cliques and engaged in internal fighting.
You know what Jiang Du is doing without asking.
That group of people went to Jiangdu to re-establish half of the country's system. They would definitely have to compete for seats, territory, and military power. Moreover, there would be a new conflict between local and external forces. Internal fighting would definitely be no worse than in Dongdu.
Is it even necessary to guess what Youzhou, Taiyuan, and Xuzhou are doing?
Everyone is from the imperial court, who doesn’t know who is who? If you fight within yourself, you will die, but you would rather die than engage in internal fighting! Even if the sky falls and you die together, you will engage in internal fighting!
Of course, Duke Gao must not know that even the rebels in the neighboring county have been forming gangs and engaging in internal fighting in the past six months!
It is impossible not to engage in internal fighting, even in this life.
All in all, internal fighting is inevitable, but Gao Dugong was at a loss as to whether he would send troops to respond when the internal fighting was over, or whether he would send troops to respond when the internal fighting was still intense.
"It would be great if General Tuwan honestly suppressed the rebellion and took the Hanshui Avenue..." At this thought, Gao Dugong also became a little sad.
"This is what I want to say, the trouble comes from within... In this world, people's hearts are growing grass. On the outside, everything looks fine. No one knows who can be trusted. God knows which powerful army will suddenly rush out."
After all, no one will be ill-intentioned all of a sudden." Zhang Shizhao poured himself the last half a glass of wine and looked at the sky with emotion. "For example, regarding General Tuwan, I think I am a smart man, but I really don't know who he is.
Why did you leave...were you instigated by those people in Kansai to deliberately cause trouble for Old Man Cao? Or did you receive a hint from the sage? Or did you leave in anger? Or did you think Jiangdu could make a comeback? Or was it just that the war was unfavorable and that you couldn't go on?
"
Gao Dugong had previously firmly believed that the reason why Tu Wan Chang Lun left was because he was instigated by those in Guanlong, because the main line of internal strife in the Eastern Capital was the suppression and counter-suppression of those in Guanlong by Uncle Cao.
But now when he heard Zhang Shizhao talk, he became confused.
Apart from anything else, the sage's hint to let the master Tuwan Changlun lead the troops was a possibility that was extremely consistent with the sage's character and was destined to be impossible to falsify.
"Just do your best!" After thinking for a long time, Gao Jiang could only sigh like this.
Zhang Xianggong naturally had nothing to say.
Just like that, the next day, the team set off south again.
We had just left Chenliucheng but only ten miles away. In the morning, a routine vehicle skid in the team caused the team to come to a halt. The most noble woman in the team, and possibly the woman with the highest theoretical status in this era,
She was the queen. For some reason, she suddenly took the opportunity to call the actual person in charge of the main team, Beiya Governor Gao Jiang, saying that she had something to ask.
"Your Highness." Gao Jiang, who was wearing a gorgeous python robe that represented his status as a governor, hurried over and bowed his head in front of the huge palace carriage. "What are your instructions? I must do my best."
"There's nothing else." A gentle female voice immediately sounded in the palace carriage. "It's just that when we were in Xingyang, we encountered livestock again and again, and the vehicle skidded..."
"Don't worry, Your Highness." Gao Jiang responded suddenly and seriously. "But with my ministers here, the journey will not be delayed...Besides, the local government will supplement the vehicles along the way, so it won't be a problem."
"I...I don't mean that." The female voice obviously hesitated, and then further explained. "Last night, I heard from the local female guests that the snow was very deep on the further journey. Even knee-high, I can't help but feel a little worried... The road is difficult, and the weather is cold. If I rush on the road, I am afraid that it will shake people's hearts and cause dissatisfaction, which will lead to people fleeing. Once people's hearts are broken, they will not be able to go on even if they are on the road."
Gao Jiang was silent for a moment.
He probably understood that after the queen heard the description of the difficulties, she was afraid that the team would be in a situation like the three expeditions against Dongyi... But to be honest, who is not afraid? Last night, I discussed with Zhang Shizhao, which one of him was concerned about the difficulties ahead? do not know?
If you are only afraid of returning, can you still not leave?
Even if I die, I will die in Jiangdu.
After thinking about this, Gao Dugong became magnanimous: "Your Highness, don't worry, we are different from the Three Zhengs... The reason why those people in the Three Zhengs escaped was because they were doing corvee work and were taken from their homes to fight in Dongyi. We are afraid that we will die if we go to Dongyi. But this time, it is natural for us, the palace servants and chamberlains, to go to Jiangdu, but we stay here in Dongdu. The treatment in the palace is getting worse day by day, and it is easy for everyone to panic. As for stationing troops and counties Soldiers and civilians do not need to leave the county, so this journey is completely different from the three expeditions."
"What Mr. Gao Du said is absolutely true." The voice in the palace car softened slightly, and it seemed that he heard the answer he wanted to hear.
"As for the snow..." Gao Jiang thought for a moment and continued to answer seriously. "Your Majesty is overstepping your bounds. Please open the curtain and take a look with your own eyes."
There was a slight movement inside the carriage, and then a side door of the palace carriage was opened, a thick blanket stretched tightly up and down was lifted, and a silk curtain was rolled up.
However, looking out from inside the car, it is destined to be completely white, and I don’t know how to see it.
Seeing this, Gao Jiang continued to give instructions: "Your Highness, please send a personal female officer out..."
After a while of rustling, a female official dressed in men's clothing jumped out of the car shivering.
"You." As the governor, Gao Jiang naturally pointed his finger at the female officer without being polite. "Go over there into the untrodden snow. Don't look back without my order... But be careful not to fall." .”
The female officer dressed in men's clothing did not dare to hesitate, her body was trembling, but her feet were nimble, and she directly followed the order and walked forward step by step into the snow.
"Okay, come back." Seeing that the female officer had gone far enough, Gao Jiangfu called again. "No need to dust off the snow powder on your body, just go up and show His Highness where the snow is..."
The female officer hurriedly turned back and boarded the warm palace carriage. The traces of snow on her body melted away almost immediately, but it only wet her calves.
"Has your Highness seen it?" Gao Dugong was too late to ask.
"I saw it." The queen was obviously relieved again.
"Actually, if we really want to talk about difficulties, the biggest difficulty is probably to reach Qiaojun. There are not many troops stationed there. I would like to take the liberty of asking Your Highness to write an edict and send it directly to the Xuzhou camp. Please ask for a reinforcement to go to Qiaojun. Bian...this is the right way."
The queen became nervous again: "The saint doesn't like the harem being so good at issuing orders."
"It doesn't matter." Gao Dugong seemed to have thought about it for a long time. "If His Highness is interested in this matter, he only needs to write a decree, first praising Prefect Cao and Liangjun for the good reception here, and then ask Xianggong Zhang, Prefect Cao, Luo and Xue The two regular inspectors asked them what the strength of the garrison troops in Qiao County ahead was like? Is it as appropriate as Liang County? In this way, they would discuss it in front of the team, and then go to Xuzhou to recruit troops according to His Highness's decree. In this way, they would not It means that Your Highness is going to intervene in the military."
There was silence in the palace carriage for a while.
Gao Jiang was impatient and could only urge: "Your Highness, just now Your Highness was pitying the tens of thousands of Dongdu palace servants who had to travel through the snow. Now that they can protect the team, why are they hesitant? If you really continue to hesitate, wait until the snow melts in spring. If you can't leave Qiao County, then your future is hopeless."
"What Mr. Gao Du said is right. I put the cart before the horse and got confused." The voice in the palace carriage immediately responded. "I will write the decree right now."
After a while, a decree stamped with the Queen's seal was written. The female officer held it out, and the Queen opened the car door and gave instructions to the outside:
"In this case, only Governor Lao Gao can do it."
"Your Highness, please just sit in the car and let your ministers decide what to do when traveling." Gao Jiang saluted sincerely. "This time, I will never let down the entrustment of the saint."
When the queen heard the word saint, she was speechless. She just nodded and ordered the car door to be closed.
After a while, the team continued to move forward, but plunged into the vast white land of the Central Plains.
That is to say, on the same day, as their respective sentries returned, Zhang Xing gathered many left-behind leaders in the lobby of the county town of Jiyin County to prepare for the final discussion and decision.
At this time, in addition to Zhang Xing, there were also the chief Wei Xuanding, the big leader Xiong Bonan, the purple-faced king who had just returned after receiving the news, the big leader Xu Shiying, the leader Niu Da, Zhou Xingfan, Jia Yue, the Lu brothers, and Guo Jingke. , Du Caiqian, Chai Xiaohe, Huang Junhan, Zhang Jinshu, as well as a group of new leaders led by Guan Xu, Zhou Weishi, etc., plus Shang Huaizhi's younger brother Shang Huaien, Yan Qing and other new leaders.
There was even a leader of Dangshan who was sent by Wang Zhen and was uneasy no matter how he sat. He was a fat leader named Fan who was said to be very famous in Dangshan.
Large and small, the county palace was actually packed to capacity.
Obviously, the news that the front line is still attacking cities and opening maps these days has seriously irritated everyone in the rear. From top to bottom, from civil servants to military officers, no one can sit still.
"Report the information!" After withdrawing the case, Zhang Xing, who was sitting in the first place, took his eyes away from Chef Fan and pointed at Yan Qing, who was appearing publicly on such an occasion for the first time.
Under the strange looks of many people below Chief Wei Xuanding, Yan Qing stood up calmly, holding a piece of paper in both hands, and began to announce the intelligence:
"When the team heading south left Xingyang, there were a total of 14,000 to 5,000 people, most of whom were palace servants and chamberlains. They brought with them more than a hundred carriages, hundreds of uncovered carts pulled by donkeys and horses, and numerous boxes and cages. Among them, the Queen With the vast majority of high-ranking concubines, including the family members of King Qi, as well as a small number of family members of officials..."
Just hearing this, many bumpkins in the hall started to sigh, and the initiator of the idea, Taoist Wei, became even more excited and just wanted to call him a good guy.
Of course, the good guy didn't shout out, but Zhang Xing couldn't help but frown: "Why do you just ignore people and things like this? Is it really like running away?"
As soon as he said this, the whole hall fell into silence, and he honestly shut his mouth.
"We can only guess that Cao Zhongcheng wanted to retain manpower and material resources, and at the same time control the families of Jiangdu officials as hostages." Yan Qing quickly explained. "So the scale of the southward expedition was artificially limited, and the utensils and goods in the palace were controlled."
"That should be the case." Zhang Xing sighed for a moment. "Go on!"
"Yes." Yan Qing made a full gesture, as careful and conscientious as a subordinate. "Besides, maybe something went wrong in Nanyang, and Cao Zhongcheng wanted to retain people, or maybe he felt that the team was not large, so There is no Jinwu Guard accompanying him as I thought before. It mainly relies on local troops and county soldiers to alternately escort...
"The person in charge should be Gao Jiang, as I have said many times before. He is the actual core of the team, while Zhang Shizhao does nothing...
"As for Liangjun and Qiaojun, everyone knows the top and bottom, the characters, and the strength of the troops. I won't say more. Who really doesn't know, but let me ask again...
"It is worth mentioning that the first, second, and third patrol teams of Jing'an Taiwan were all escorted. The three Zhu Shou were Luo Fang, Xue Liang, and Shen Ding. Luo Fang was a Cheng Dan, and Xue Liang should have just condensed the Dan. , both are the adopted sons of Cao Zhongcheng. Shen Ding was the old deputy deputy inspector with a black ribbon. Now he is promoted, but I don’t know whether it is because he has achieved a breakthrough in his realm or because he has reached the level of qualifications and needs someone. The three black ribbons are Qin Bao, Li Qingchen and Lu Chang Heng..."
Hearing this, Zhang Xing's eyelids finally twitched as everyone stared at him strangely.
"Zhang Longtou." Wei Xuanding saw the other party's eyelids twitching with his own eyes, but he just pinched his beard and smiled. "How many of these six people do you know?"
When Zhang Xing heard this, he just said it expressionlessly: "Luo Fang is brave but has no strategy, but he relies on his versatility, so he can just let King Xiongtian win; Xue Liang has neither courage nor strategy, and Shen Ding is a bureaucrat. These two people are Ningdan." He is also a waste, and both Xu Dalang and I can win... On the other hand, Qin Bao and Lu Changheng are both my former trusted subordinates, and they are also rare heroes. The former is brave and violent, while the latter is calm and steady. These two are Although they are far behind in cultivation, we must also be careful about their ability to lead troops... As for Li Qingchen, I really can't think of what to say about him. I can only say that at the end of his life, he was as famous as me in Jing'an Taichung."
Xiao Zhou Benn nodded.
At this time, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became a little tense and strange. Only Xu Shiying, who didn't know what was going on, actually took a charcoal pen and smeared something on the paper hastily.
Niu Da next to him had sharp eyes and saw that this guy had written these six names again, and then drew a circle on Xue Liang, Qin Bao, and Lu Changheng respectively, and drew two circles on Luo Fang's name, and hesitated for a moment. Then, he drew three circles on the words Li Qingchen.
The treatment is the same as that of Gao Jiang, Zhang Shizhao and the governor Cao Wang introduced before.
