In the drizzle of spring, on the east wall of Liting City in Qinghe County, under the cover of the simple wooden houses on the city wall, a hundred crossbowmen were preparing their crossbows, and their leader, Qinghetong Guard Cao Shancheng,
One of the trusted generals, the usually prudent Deputy Captain Han Erlang, also turned pale and pursed his lips as he looked outside the city.
The atmosphere in the city seemed extremely tense.
About a hundred steps away from them, on the official road facing the city gate suspension bridge, in the drizzle that could hardly block any view, there were two teams of cavalry busy there, one team of armored cavalry and the other light cavalry.
, his movements were casual, his posture was relaxed, he was just chatting and laughing around a few people working.
Among them, many knights' horses have bloody heads tied around their necks and behind their waists. Many idle mules still have their stripped armor and pockets hanging on them. It is obvious that they came here after achieving certain results.
, which is why I feel good.
But in short, just don't pay attention to the strong formation in the city.
This distance is within the theoretical range, but it is not within the range of efficient killing. Only an absolute master, such as a practitioner, can use a specific crossbow and a hard bow to achieve any results... And this is also the Qinghe on the city wall.
The county soldiers and the guard Han Er are afraid of this.
Because among the two groups of military knights opposite, the lightly armored knights were obviously just border patrols, but the other group of armored knights all had leather-covered bows hanging on their horses, and everyone had double quivers.
, the leader is wearing an iconic white short cloak on top of his armor and cloak, and on his shoulders, and a big "Xu" character is written on the flag next to him.
As the main participants in the confrontation on the front line, both Han Er and the soldiers below knew who was on the other side - a leader of the Chengdan Realm Gang nicknamed Lujun Daxia.
It is also called Xu Shiren.
Yes, the people who really need to be afraid are the people in the city.
However, the big leader obviously had no intention of starting a war without authorization. They set up four wooden signs on the spot, and then each posted something. Then they rode lightly to clear the way and retreated in an orderly manner.
Han Er also breathed a sigh of relief.
But at this moment, in the room, a young man who had obviously just been recruited as a county soldier, probably because he suddenly relaxed, he accidentally pulled the trigger. A crossbow bolt flew straight out, and the nail fell to the ground.
On the official road outside the moat.
This scene caused an immediate reaction from everyone in the city.
"Don't move around, hold still!" Han Er responded the fastest.
Thanks to his shout, only two or three crossbow arrows came out of the room again. As for outside the city, Xu Shiren smiled and stopped the excited reactions of his subordinates... It was indeed unnecessary, and then waved his hand to urge
The knights left.
The knights went on the road one after another with shouts and curses, Xu Shiren also got on his horse and galloped out easily.
Seeing this, the people in the city finally relaxed completely.
However, just when Xu Shiren had left the city wall for almost 300 steps and the distance was obvious, he suddenly reined in his horse and drew his bow, and fired an arrow back. The arrow was wrapped with the essence of Duanjiang Zhenqi, and shot far away.
Flying over, from the wall, it looked like a pale golden iron spear flying over... it was nailed to the stone carvings on the city gate from a distance of three to four hundred steps.
At this time, Xu Shiren just looked up to the sky and laughed from a distance, then galloped away with all his subordinates.
Han Er and others in the city had just come to their senses and knew what had happened.
In a daze, all the county soldiers lowered their heads to look. They saw an ordinary arrow piercing directly into the city gate's inscription stone for almost half a foot. It didn't look like an iron spear at all before, but it penetrated so deep into the masonry, and it was so deep.
Yes, it seems even more terrifying, and people can’t help but talk about it.
Han Erlang wanted to stop these brothers from talking nonsense to prevent them from hurting the morale of the army, but he was frustrated when he said the words... After all, as an ordinary person with a little more knowledge, he knew very well that on the battlefield, these brothers including
No matter how hard he adheres to his duties, he is destined to be just a stepping stone when faced with a martial arts master like Xu Shiren.
In the past few years after the war, he regretted more than anyone else that he had not gritted his teeth and built a foundation when he was young. Even if it was just a simple foundation building and then ignored it, he still had a thought. Why is it like this? In comparison, his family also had no choice when he was young.
How did you learn to read and write, but aren’t you slowly making up for it now?
There was a loud bang on the city wall. Han Erlang came back to his senses, calmed down, and walked down the city wall. After waiting for a while, someone let go of the suspension bridge and looked at the few wooden signs left by the other party on the official road.
It turned out that in order to prepare for the attack on the city, all the surrounding trees had been cut down and the buildings near the city were demolished, so the wooden sign was a notice board that the gang was forced to put up... I had come here to put it up several times before... Han Erlang
Looking carefully at this time, the four documents before and after are still spoken in the typical vernacular of Gang:
The first document is very simple. It is a standard document. It only needs to temporarily add the time, place and troops. I have already gone through it three or four times. It says how many miles away from the city and near the village that the invasion of the army took place.
A vicious incident occurred in the gang territory. In line with the principles of stabilizing the countryside, ensuring spring farming, and maintaining business travel, gang leader Xu Shiren and the 17th Patrol Brigade directly under the Hebei Military and Political Commander-in-Chief jointly wiped out the gang. Now the officers and soldiers in the city are required to collect the corpses.
Seeing this, Han Erlang became more and more depressed and helpless, but also felt a little weird.
Let's say that the entire period from February to March should be the busiest season in Hebei, because this is the season of spring plowing, which is laid out in sequence from south to north.
But what is ridiculous is that this year is likely to be the most peaceful spring plowing process in Hebei in three years. There are no rebels coming to "fight the violent Wei", there are no officers and soldiers coming to "suppress the rebellion", and there are no strongholds building forts to "gather the victims"
.The farmers are just plowing the fields with all their money, as if they are pinning all their hopes on the crops of the new season - just like what they have done year after year.
And all the people with authority and power remained in their own territory, motionless, watching the fields that had been lifeless last year gradually come back to life.
Merchant ships, which had not been seen for a long time, were even gradually appearing on the river, as well as cross-regional bulk goods trading.
No one knows why this weird scene happened? No one knows how long this scene will last.
The former question was something that Han Erlang really didn’t understand, and the latter question, like everyone else, Deputy Commander Han also understood, was just a sigh, not a real question - because the answer could come from happening everywhere."
"Messenger War", that is, the content just described in this notice and Xu Shiren's advance can be seen.
Yes, during the spring plowing period, a situation that is very characteristic of Hebei is that the official roads are full of dozens of military patrols, as well as similar teams of envoys belonging to different forces, with confusing positions and unclear purposes.
Among them, the former cares very much about border protection and has a strong sense of territory, while the latter often needs to travel across states and counties to reach their real destination... In this process, due to the complex situation between the enemy and ourselves, frequent conflicts
It is natural for small-scale and fierce military conflicts to break out.
Blood and death, armor and crossbows remind the officials and people in the fields all the time that this is a break in the war.
Of course, it also reminded Han Erlang, who has always been smart.
The deputy captain who was born in Qinghe County looked at the place where the battle took place and immediately realized that this battle was probably really the result of the officers and soldiers of Qinghe County trying to venture into the plains to intercept someone, but they were discovered by the patrol, and then
Ushered in the support of Xu Shiren, resulting in the death of all of them.
All we can say is that Lord Cao is a loyal minister and a filial son.
Han Erlang shook his head and continued to read the second notice in the rain, but was shocked to find that this notice was the answer to a previous question he had:
The notice spoke in the capacity of Commander-in-Chief Zhang Sanlongtou, saying that the reason why Hebei is temporarily stable is because of the gang's entry into Hebei.
Because after the gang came, they first severely hit the official army and squeezed the military forces in Dongdu and Hejian, causing the two places to greatly shrink their defense areas; and the departure of these two military forces and the arrival of the gang also gave various states
The reasons and incentives for counties to develop their own military forces gave them the opportunity to strengthen their control over their respective states and counties; however, the most important thing was to set an example and set an example for them, severely dealing with the Wubao that trapped the population, and integrating the people from nowhere.
The rebels who were placed there then overcame all difficulties and took the initiative to promote and maintain the order of spring plowing.
However, this kind of stability is only temporary. The Wei Dynasty treats the people as trivial, the government recruits excessively, and the powerful people are greedy. They are definitely not happy to see the people of Hebei living a good life, so they will soon do their best to wipe out the killing gangs again.
They plundered the fruits of spring plowing by the people of Hebei.
But it doesn't matter, because I'm not afraid of them, and I will fight them as soon as possible. Then the high-interest debts will be burned, taxes will be reduced, and labor will be reduced, so that everyone can continue to farm with peace of mind year after year, and everyone will live a good life.
It's like boasting and propaganda, but also like a notice to calm the people.
Han Erlang stared at it for a long time, and at first he thought it made sense. After he realized what he was thinking, his scalp became numb again, and he quickly read the third document with fear.
The content of the third document is simple. It says that the purpose is to eliminate the violent Wei Dynasty and stabilize the world, so what policy program is being formulated, so I will openly and honestly ask the people of Hebei for governance. Do you have any good suggestions?
No matter who you are, what your background is, what your status is, what opinions and thoughts you have about anything, you can directly go to Pingyuan County Jiangling City to find the leader Xie Liuyun, or go to Pingyuan City to find the leader Wei Xuanding.
This document is actually no different from the recruitment notice posted a few days ago, except that the target of the report at that time was the leader Yan Qing, and encouraged everyone regardless of their background.
As for the fourth document, Han Erlang only glanced at it twice and then stayed on the spot:
Otherwise, this is a surrender proclamation. The gang accuses Cao Shancheng, the prefect of Qinghe, of forcibly taking the entire county's soldiers and civilians as hostages. He resists the gang just to gain a false reputation in front of Emperor Wei Gou, who launched the Three Expeditions. It is really a heinous crime, and then directly names them.
He, Han Er, asked him to bring the whole city to surrender.
Han Erlang's first reaction was to tear up the paper, but when he turned around, he realized that a few literate men in the army had already followed him, and a few illiterate confidants were also watching out of curiosity, as if they were waiting for him.
Use words to introduce.
Of course, Lieutenant Han himself soon realized that tearing it off would be worse.
"Zhang Laowu, pull out the fourth sign and send it all to Mr. Cao Fu in Qinghe City... Do not touch the paper on it, but hand it over to Mr. Cao Fu!" Han Er said solemnly. "Yes.
Come on! Do you understand?"
"Leave such an important matter to me?" Zhang Laowu, who had already become a team general, was uneasy.
"It's just because it's important that I leave it to you." Han Erlang was extremely helpless. "Because you are my confidant... After the Three Expeditions, we will be brothers who will live and die together."
Zhang Laowu said no more and just nodded in agreement.
After a while, someone dug up the fourth wooden sign, wrapped it in oilcloth, put it on a mule, and then personally led a dozen riders directly to Qinghe County.
Seeing the other party leaving, Han Erlang felt complicated. He turned around and called the others to go east to collect the body. At the same time, he hesitated for a moment, but did not let anyone dig up the wooden sign anymore. He just tore off the paper on it... He didn't want to.
Let the army stay outside the city where you are garrisoned, and simply save the opponent some trouble in advance.
"Throw the sign here, go back and tell Han Er, I know his loyalty, don't worry."
At noon the next day, in the backyard of Qinghe County, which is dozens of miles away, the drizzle finally stopped. Cao Shancheng, the governor of Qinghe County, was sitting on the porch, looking haggard. "Let him guard the city with peace of mind and wait for military orders... I
The reason why I use him is because he is a responsible person."
Zhang Laowu was just a timid person and left quietly again.
As soon as the people left, Cao Shancheng sat there with his eyes closed and his forehead raised, without even looking at the wooden sign in front of him... He knew what was written on it without even looking at it, because such a notice was not only for the confrontation front line on the east side of Qinghe County, but also for the confrontation on the east side of Qinghe County.
There are posters on various traffic arteries in Qinghe County and surrounding counties. He has received many copies here.
To be honest, he himself never thought that these mere gadgets would bring him so much trouble.
Orders seeking virtue, benevolent government, martial law, etc. are just clichés. They are nothing more than thieves becoming self-righteous to a certain extent. However, he never expected that the other party would use this method of announcing it to the world to attack him.
Personal criticism.
And the criticisms are repeated again and again, and the scale of the criticisms is getting bigger and bigger.
The origin of the matter is undoubtedly the battle at the beginning of this year, but at that time the thief Zhang San only left some notices in the stronghold when the troops withdrew. He only said that he wasted half his life, relying on suppressing the rebellion, and all his glorious achievements were here.
, so he only focused on suppressing the rebels.
Then at the beginning of the spring plowing, they began to send people to post leaflets with great fanfare, and at the same time they shouted to the soldiers and the people in the fields, saying that Cao Shancheng was recruiting county soldiers for his own promotion and wealth, and was not allowing the common people to plow in the spring, which was a waste of human lives.
Now he is even more straightforward, saying that Commander Cao is willing to kill the entire county in order to please the Saint of Jiangdu.
Among them, Cao Shancheng cared most about the first post, because it was too heart-wrenching. The wasted first half of his life was the most difficult experience for him, who was always proud, but this deeply hurt his heart.
When the post was posted, not many people cared about it because not many people knew about it. But the subsequent posts were obviously more and more ridiculous... He was a county guard, a county guard appointed by the imperial court. Isn't it natural to prepare the army for war and guard against rebels?
Officials and thieves, do we need to discuss it?
However, the consequences of the large-scale announcement were far beyond his imagination.
As soon as the post saying that his war preparations were delaying spring plowing came out, deserters and people who refused to serve immediately appeared. But at this time, he couldn't muster the courage to suppress the rebels that day... because ordinary people would really run away.
But now, with such a ridiculous accusation of incompatibility between officials and thieves, compared to the large-scale posting of notices that would have made him laugh in the past, he didn't know what consequences were waiting for him.
Is it the further betrayal of the noble families and powerful people? Or is it the further alienation of neighboring states and counties, and the beggar-thy-neighbor behavior?
Or is it the direct wavering of frontline officers and soldiers?
This shouldn't be the case, right? The four frontline cities, Sun Juncheng, Shi Duwei, Deputy Commander Han, plus Xue Wanbi, are all trustworthy, right?
Governor Cao's worry did not last long, because not long after the man sent by Han Erlang to deliver the sign left, around evening, Sun Juncheng, who was guarding Chiping, appeared in front of him in person.
"How could you come?" Cao Shancheng was surprised. "None of the four cities on the front line needs to be guarded..."
"Because I want to come and ask the Lord personally." Sun Juncheng waved the notice in his hand in serious response. "Are we really going to die together?"
Cao Shancheng's eyes became sharp: "What does Sun Juncheng mean? You and I have the responsibility to protect our land!"
"Whose responsibility is it?" Sun Juncheng was not afraid at all. "Dongdu or Jiangdu?"
"Eastern capital and Jiangdu are one!" Cao Shancheng was startled. He never expected that he would have to debate such an old topic after two years. "The responsibility for the Wei Dynasty!"
"But the people below don't recognize it." Sun Juncheng suddenly lowered his voice. "Master Fu! This is what happened. I am also an official of the court, and I was appointed by the superior. I understand what you mean, but those county soldiers, they are
It was issued locally, but it was issued from below... This announcement seems absurd, and it seems like a bad thing that we have been thinking about for two years and have been too lazy to think about. But for the people below, this is a fatal thing. You and them
Talking about the Wei Dynasty and the imperial court, usually no one cares about it, but now that the thieves have come, you have to care about it. The Saint of Jiangdu cannot mention it, because the Three Expeditions are too hurtful to the people. We have to tell them that we are here to protect our hometown.
Zi."
"The thief not only reminded them." Cao Shancheng immediately softened his tone after realizing that the other party was reminding them in good faith. "In fact, it also emboldened them..."
Sun Juncheng shook his head: "Under heavy pressure, not just them, everything is actually unstable..."
Cao Shanzai was startled for a moment, then realized and smiled: "That's right...it's not that what the thieves said makes sense, it's that their troops are pressing down on the situation, making people unable to breathe. At this time, whether they use coercion or inducement, they will cause trouble.
Even when you talk about so-called truths that are completely unreasonable, there are still people who agree with you for no reason... Are there people in Chiping making noise?"
"Yes." Sun Juncheng was stunned for a moment, then he came to his senses and nodded quickly. "There were a few gang leaders, even the captains, who were all locals, and they started talking to me about this matter. I couldn't hold it in anymore... and
It’s likely that several teams will come out.”
Cao Shancheng nodded: "I knew it, this is good, you go back immediately to appease me, and I will go there in person tomorrow and the day after, and deal with all those with evil intentions!"
Sun Juncheng was silent for a moment and asked seriously: "Do you really want to kill someone?"
"Don't be serious at this time. If the thieves come, they will just disperse." Cao Shancheng replied simply.
Sun Juncheng nodded and was about to leave, but unexpectedly he took a few steps and looked back: "I heard that Cui is also starting to become unstable?"
This time it was Cao Shancheng's turn to be silent.
When Sun Juncheng saw this, he turned back and said, "Master Fu, don't be confused! In your county, the people below you will not leave any room, and the people above you will not leave any room. Big things will go wrong!"
Cao Shancheng sighed: "Don't worry, I just asked Lieutenant Shi's patrol troops to seal the north more tightly to prevent them from coming and going so unscrupulously... You don't know, they keep sending messengers to the plains, just like walking
Just like relatives, that's too much."
Sun Juncheng breathed a sigh of relief and then left.
"Second brother... you don't know, Cao Shancheng wants to kill me!" At almost the same moment in Jiangling City, Cui Ersixulang almost burst into tears, all of which were wiped on his brother. "I'm here to see Tianzhai today.
According to the list, the official road to Zhangnan was tightly sealed, so we walked south from Liting. Just after we crossed the border, we were suddenly surrounded by his subordinates’ sentry cavalry. If we hadn’t encountered the army’s patrol cavalry, twenty-seventh Lang and I would have
Almost died in officialdom!"
Cui Suchen, who had returned to Jiangling City a few days earlier, was stunned on the spot.
"Is he crazy?" Xie Minghe on the side was also surprised, but then he reacted and spoke seriously to Cui Suchen. "Cui Erlang, this matter is caused by Cao Shancheng going crazy and has nothing to do with our gang!"
"I know." Cui Suchen came back to his senses and responded slowly. "You don't have to... But Cao Shancheng, according to the situation you mentioned before, Qinghe County has almost become an island, and it is tight up and down. He can't sing alone. In addition,
I'm afraid it's possible that I'm really desperate because of your literary and military methods... Of course, it could also be Xue Wanbi."
"Follow me to see Zhang Sanlang." Xie Minghe immediately urged.
Cui Erlang nodded immediately.
For a moment, Zhang Xing took a rare break to read a novel in his residence. After listening to it, he immediately raised his head and made a statement: "Cui Erlang, let me say something first... we did not help this matter. We don't have to, and I really mean it."
I don’t want spring plowing to be affected in the slightest. It’s not easy for ordinary people to cultivate land... You, Mr. Cui, are not worthy of me doing this."
When Cui Erlang heard this last part, he was convinced that Cao Shancheng was really driven crazy by this person.