"A few days ago, people said it was as hot as a stove. Who knew, but I was the only one who was actually baking on the stove."
"They say that His Majesty has entrusted all the military power to me. They say that our Sima family covers the sky with one hand and the earth with the other... What's wrong with me covering the sky and the earth? If I don't cover it, everyone will die together!"
"Whenever something happened, everyone came to me. When I had something to do, no one dared to come to me. Up and down, the saint, the queen, the king of Qi, the governor of Niu, the manager, Xianggong Yu, a dozen generals, dozens of princes
General, who do I dare to offend? Who can I offend?"
"They scolded me in private, saying that I was a dandy, saying that I deceived the saints, saying that I was incompetent, but little did they know that I was the one resisting in all the 300 prefectures and counties in the five capitals of the Wei Dynasty! I was resisting! These people are standing
It doesn’t hurt your back to talk!”
"..."
"..."
"So Mr. Wang said he wanted to save me, how are you going to save me?" It was the second half of the afternoon, and after three rounds of drinking, Sima Huada's eyes were still red, and he just leaned on the case and patted the case to ask.
Wang Daiji sat there, thinking all the nonsense and having been consumed by the other party's alcohol, but he was stunned for a moment, and then he slowly and carefully put his hands together and asked: "Mr. Sima, I take the liberty to ask, are you still not here?"
Do you know that Zhao Guang was captured by Shan Yang?"
Sima Huada raised his head from the case and looked at the other party for a while, confused: "Zhao Guang was captured? Who said that? Didn't he just go there?"
Wang Daiji didn't say a word, but carefully took out the leather bag he brought, then took out Zhao Guang's gold medal with a ribbon, and gently placed it in front of the other party.
Sima Huada picked up the thing and looked at it for a while, confused for a while, and then looked at Wang Daiji again. The two looked at each other for a moment, and the former realized what the other wanted to express.
Then, the general in charge of Jiangdu's military power wanted to speak several times, but was silent several times. Finally, he suddenly broke down emotionally again and burst into tears: "How could this happen? How could this happen? Zhao Guang couldn't stop it.
Are you staying?!"
There was no question about the accuracy of the message.
"Mr. Sima!" Wang Daiji looked rude and quickly brought up the business. "I'm here to save you. I want to help you deal with the gang's intrusion."
Sima Huada had actually come to his senses when he saw the gold medal, but he was just in a difficult mood. Now he was awakened, thought about it, and finally cleared up some ideas, and then he held his aching head and asked cautiously:
"How did General Zhao's gold medal ribbon end up in the hands of Wang Shilang?"
When Wang Daiji saw the other party like this, he knew that he should not treat the other party as some high-end product, so he said bluntly: "The leader of the gang, Zhang Xing Zhang Sanlang, had a relationship with me when we were in Dongdu. He sent someone here."
, he wants to do business with Mr. Sima."
Sima Huada stopped talking and just stared at the other party without moving.
Wang Daiji took the opportunity to explain clearly the situation surrounding the three-pronged attack, the existence of the two master masters, and the current crisis facing Sima Huada and his son, and finally proposed a transaction plan.
"That's all?" Sima Huada took a long breath of alcohol. "Then Zhang San occupies such a big situation now, but he wants it so cheaply?"
"Of course not." Wang Daiji said with a smile. "They also want weapons and food, and the figures are as big as a lion's mouth... Waiting for our counter-offer!"
"Oh." Sima Huada was slightly stunned. "But I still feel a little bit empty. There must be some explanations from within the gang or from the military."
"Also...although they didn't say it, it is well known that there is a drought in Huaibei and it is not as stable as in Huainan." Wang Daiji continued. "And Zhang Sanlang himself came from Jing'an Terrace to Fulong.
Wei came over and knew the court very well. According to what he said, he seemed to be afraid that there would be a palace upheaval here. When the time comes, no one would be able to control the 100,000-strong imperial army. Without someone like Sima Gong, you would be in charge.
say……"
Sima Huada suddenly woke up: "Does this guy still have such knowledge? No wonder someone called him Xiao Zhang Shizhao that day! Is there any more?"
"Besides that." Wang Daiji paused and continued. "They also appointed a candidate, insisting that I be the Huainan pacification ambassador to supervise the counties of Lujiang, Huainan, Zhongli, and Tong'an..."
Sima Huada was slightly startled and stared at the other person: "Do you have such a big appetite?"
Wang Daiji was startled, knowing that he still opened his mouth, so he quickly explained: "Sima Gong misunderstood, the saint and a hundred thousand forbidden troops are here, and there are General Tuwan's troops on the other side of the river. How dare I treat Huainan as a private property?"
...Sima Gong thought about it, I went to Huainan, will Huainan not provide taxes and grain to Jiangdu? I am still an official of the imperial court, an official of Sima Gong. Besides, now that Huaixi is rebelling, Huainan is getting more and more boiling.
There must be someone to appease Huainan and take charge of taxation, right?"
Sima Huada smiled: "Of course this is true at this time, and of course I don't dare to, but in the future, when one day the saint becomes impatient and leaves, won't you also become a prince in troubled times?"
Wang Daiji became more and more embarrassed, but at the same time, he also had other thoughts. He was surprised at the other party's ignorance and sensitivity, and at the same time he was surprised at the other party's sensitivity and intelligence. Stupidity means that this guy is still thinking about what might happen.
One day the saint will be able to return to the Eastern Capital, and his sensitivity and intelligence lie in the fact that people can see through these things about officialdom and power at a glance... His little thoughts will look so ridiculous in front of the other party.
But until now, he could only bite the bullet and explain: "Sima Gong is joking, who are the princes? They are all loyal to the Wei Dynasty... Besides, if I go to Huainan, I can also make the army accept Huaixi
The forces do not threaten Jiangdu. Moreover, I did not propose Huainan myself. The army in Shanyang wants to withdraw and leave from Huainan. They had this intention."
"I can agree." Sima Huada suddenly nodded. "I and Zhang San are obviously mutually supportive, why don't you agree? You are the only one who is the messenger, and you want to draw water from the four counties of Huainan? How can you compare the water supply with the house?
Hospitals are expensive! It’s too much, don’t be greedy.”
Wang Daiji became increasingly embarrassed, but at this point, he had no choice but to grit his teeth: "Sima Gong, I'm not just trying to argue with words. I'm just a minister, and a minister who actually holds power. Given such an opportunity, I can't just be a county minister again."
Prefect, right? More importantly, the southern army over there had just captured Zhao Guang, and they sent people to look for me quickly, as if they only trusted me. In this way, I am the only one who can really act as a buffer in Huainan.
, to prevent the two sides from really causing trouble."
"You are a thief's self-respect." Sima Huada suddenly laughed, smelling of alcohol. "I only said you were too much. When did you say no? What benefits do you get? As long as I don't have to pay, it's none of my business?
"
"Then..." Wang Daiji still couldn't hold himself back.
"This position is too heavy, so what if I agree? His Majesty has personally agreed to it, and it is impossible to ask Mr. Yu for help..." Sima Huada said impatiently. "That's why I told you, Mr. Wang, not to be too greedy. If you are really
If things don't work out and you don't get an official position, it's a small thing, but if you ruin me and the gang, it's a big thing... What good will you do then? You might as well ask for a general with one guard, get military power, and we can all unite together in the future."
Wang Daiji was silent for a moment, then mustered up the courage to say: "Sima Gong, I have thought about it, if it works, it will work, if it doesn't work, it won't work... You can speak for me, I just want to tell His Majesty that the rebels in Huaixi are ready to move, and there is a shortage of people in Huainan... In this case,
It is also good for you, because the loss of troops and generals in the front cannot be concealed from those who are interested. An explanation is better than no explanation. Please slow down and say that I went to Huainan to stop the thieves. I also pretended to fight against the thieves when I arrived in Huainan. So you cover it up this time.
The military affairs at the front, including the capture of Zhao Guang, are all settled, and even the supplies handed over to the thieves can also be explained."
This time, it was Sima Huada's turn to be silent, but he only nodded after being silent for a while: "Okay! But you have to get this business done for me. If not, you have to send the messenger, otherwise I will
I will send you, the Minister of Punishment, to prison! Wait here!"
Wang Daiji took a long breath and was about to stand up to express his position again.
Unexpectedly, Sima Huada got up early and started shouting. He also asked someone to get hot water to wash his face, and brought incense to remove the smell of alcohol. He also asked someone to get a new pair of armor to put on.
I didn't forget to shave my face and rinse my mouth. The yellow-bearded Wang Laojiu was stunned for a while.
I can only look ugly in front of the emperor, while others can only shave their faces. No wonder I can only get the favor of the emperor temporarily, but these people can surround the emperor for a long time.
After struggling for a while, Sima Huada ignored Wang Daiji and went straight away.
Wang Jiulang, on the other hand, was uneasy and sat there holding his yellow beard.
As soon as Sima Huada left, about half an hour later, when it was getting dark, it was probably a critical moment, when someone suddenly came. It was Sima Huada's second brother, Sima Zhida, who was now going to be a junior prisoner.
When he arrived at the back hall, he was even more stunned when he saw Wang Daiji sitting here alone. Then without saying hello, he just asked with a pale face and a trembling face: "Where is my eldest brother?"
"Mr. Sima..." Wang Daiji was about to reply, but suddenly he woke up and laughed on the spot. "Did Young Inspector Sima just get the news from Shanyang?"
Sima Zhida was startled, looked at the other party carefully, then thought about it, and then asked tentatively: "My eldest brother already knows?"
"Of course, it's the news I came to report." Wang Daiji tried his best to comfort him. "But Young Inspector Sima doesn't need to worry too much, because Lord Sima has found a way to solve the matter and is now in the palace to request an order!"
Sima Zhida was relieved and fell to the ground. After a long while, he said: "Wang Shilang, tell me, why did a troop of troops appear and go directly to Shanyang?"
"how could I know?"
Wang Daiji was speechless in his heart, but he only spoke slowly, as if he had already understood: "The strength of thieves is not what it used to be."
"Indeed." Sima Zhida sighed. "Otherwise, how could we capture Zhao Guang and my third brother in one day? My third brother was defeated and was afraid that my nephew would kill him, so he fled back from the mouth of Surabaya. The remaining soldiers were defeated and fell down.
It’s okay, Zhao Guang is a top-notch expert in the army, and he was captured alive in one day. There must be a master among the thieves. My nephew in Xuzhou is also a half-step master, and he failed like that, so there is probably a master who can fight against him!"
Wang Daiji said nothing, but the thoughts in his heart were extremely complicated.
First of all, of course, the news of Sima Shida's capture was unexpected. Although he was not sure whether it was Zhang Xing or the envoy who deliberately left the trap, or whether it happened by chance, this new information made him quickly realize that the gang was behind the scenes.
The initiative in this transaction has been greatly increased, which may make the transaction more troublesome, but it may also be possible to increase one's weight and further threaten the enemy's self-respect in order to demand relevant returns.
It was a mixture of shock, hope and uneasiness.
Secondly, although he had promised so readily before, he still had some doubts about Xie Minghe's words, otherwise he wouldn't have tried his best to verify it before coming over. Therefore, when Sima Zhida personally told the relevant information, he
He couldn't help but feel a sense of fear and anxiety... Needless to say, fear, the most important thing was anxiety, which was something that had been with him for half his life.
He comes from a humble background and works hard to move forward. He doesn't think about food or tea. He makes connections and learns things when he has the opportunity. He will climb up at the slightest opportunity.
Of course, he knew that the current situation in the Wei Dynasty was basically hopeless, and he should get out if it was not possible. However, clinging to the corpses of the old dynasty was the most opportunistic way, and he was reluctant to part with this identity. He even felt that Zhang Xing's
The behavior was too unwise and eager, but it only took two or three years for the other party to reach this point?
This made Huangbeard Wang Jiu feel resentful, lost, and unprecedentedly anxious.
To put it bluntly, this partial division that went directly to Shanyang, and that had a master at its command, not only shocked the Sima clan, but also the yellow-bearded Wang Laojiu.
He couldn't wait, he couldn't wait to catch up!
"Your Majesty agreed." A quarter of an hour later, about before dark, Sima Huada appeared in front of the two of them, with a mocking face, but he didn't know who he was mocking. "Your Majesty was drinking at the time, and he opened his mouth and asked me if I accept you.
How much is it? I said you didn't give me money specifically, but you have always been loyal to His Majesty and honest with others. Now there is a temporary military situation and you need to know the military officers. If you don't need it, you have to use the generals of the Forbidden Army. In your words, you can't do either.
Delay, those generals will most likely learn from Han Yin Gong. His Majesty thought for a moment and nodded... Right now, Mr. Yu is drafting an edict. Don’t waste time. Go get the edict now and then go to thank him. But I guess Your Majesty
I'm too lazy to see you. I'll wait for you when I get out, and then I'll take you with me to get that... that something... Li's head. I'll set off early tomorrow morning. I'll ask Lao Qi to lead a thousand troops to go north with you. Here we are.
Shanyang, you stay and do your work, Lao Qi will take my letter to Xuzhou and give it to my Erlang."
When Wang Daiji heard the first sentence, he couldn't help but his hands trembled slightly, and later he nodded continuously.
However, he finally knew the key to the matter. After calming down, he calmly told him: "The new news just brought by Young Supervisor Sima... It seems that when General Sima Lang, my younger brother, was defeated in Xuzhou and fled to Shanyang,
It was captured by that army of soldiers...I guess it happened after capturing Zhao Guang."
Sima Zhida looked at his elder brother blankly. He was a little confused, but he still nodded and verified what Wang Daiji said.
In this regard, Sima Huada was silent for a moment, but had nothing to say: "Same thing, ask them what they want. Although the second in command is a young prisoner, he is actually in charge of things and has no shortage of good things...
You ask Zhang Xing, is he going to be king? Don't always ask for food and weapons. That thing attracts many people. We have to find a way to explain it. We can give him more furniture, coral, silk, and jade.
, and the whale bones from Demon Island, they are all good things.”
At the end of his words, he actually sounded sincere, which shows that he still values brotherhood.
Sima Zhida also nodded: "There are indeed many corals and whale bones."
"Bullshit whale bones! It would be weird if Zhang Sanlang likes these!"
Wang Daiji was speechless, but he nodded.
An hour later, it was already dark in Jiangdu. Wang Daiji, who had brought Sima Zhida and dozens of riders home with the decree, saw Xie Minghe waiting on the roof of his house... The latter was calm and composed, as if he had a pearl of wisdom in his hand.
The two sides communicated properly and summoned Sima Zhida to exchange messages. However, Xie Minghe was relieved at this time. When he heard that Sima Zhida was captured in front of him, he couldn't help but be overjoyed, but he suppressed his emotions and just felt complacent.
That's all.
"So, there is only one thing left for tonight." Xie Minghe asked with a smile.
"That's right." Wang Daiji also said with a smile. He didn't feel uneasy or anxious at all, and he didn't behave in any complacent manner. He didn't know whether he was making progress or pretending to be in control in front of Sima Zhida.
"Even if it's the down payment for buying a house." Sima Zhida already knew the whole story at this time, but he nodded without hesitation. "Should we take his head, or should you take it yourself?"
"I'll do it myself!" Xie Minghe couldn't hold back. "It's like cleaning up the house."
Wang Daiji glanced at the pillar of the Xie family in Danyang, and he understood completely - this guy was indeed a helper, not a middleman.
If you are really a middleman, why not be a pump like yourself?
The three of them had their own thoughts and positions, but they all understood it tacitly. Instead, they went out together, got on their horses, and then led dozens of elite Dongdu Xiaoqi to go somewhere in the city. Although Jiangdu City was the companion capital, it had regulations
It was incomparable to the Eastern and Western Capitals, but within two-quarters of an hour we arrived at a remote residence in the south of the city.
"Li Wenbai, the third Ying Yanglang general on the left and right wing of the Wuwei...is that right?" Wang Daiji pointed to the third small courtyard in the alley in front of him, and turned back to ask a knight who was leading the way.
The knight nodded immediately.
Xie Minghe was a little surprised: "A serious general?"
"Ten days later, he died in the battle in Huainan, or three days later, it was found out that he was an internal agent of the thieves... gang, and he committed suicide in prison out of fear of crime." Sima Zhida said impatiently.
"A fake general without a single soldier." Wang Daiji also added.
Xie Minghe nodded immediately. He wanted to go in first, but he had a bad taste and looked at Wang Daiji.
Wang Daiji was stunned: "Don't you want to clean up the house on your own?"
"Please ask the Minister of Punishment to lead the Dongdu knights to tie him up for me first." Xie Minghe said sincerely.
Wang Shilang, or former Wang Shilang, and now Ambassador Wang was stunned for a moment, then smiled again, but still nodded, and then called the knights to open the door.
Most of the knights were members of the Sima clan. Of course, they didn't care how strange things were. Sima Zhida just nodded, dismounted and swarmed up. They were well-trained, some blocked the back door, and others went.
There was an ambush on the courtyard wall, and then a team general came forward. He only used his true energy to kick it hard, and then led seven or eight people in.
Afterwards, Wang Daiji dismounted his horse and walked in with his hands behind his back: "Wang Daiji, the Minister of Punishment, is here. Li Wenbai, your incident has happened!"
Some neighbors looked under the moonlight to look, but Sima Zhida raised his hand and scolded severely: "The imperial court is arresting imperial criminals, so be silent! Go back!"
At this point, the courtyard was already buzzing with excitement. Li Wenbai was eating, and there were two wealthy people who came with Lang Ya. The three of them came to Jiangdu and were awarded vacant posts. They were extremely depressed and were discussing how to return.
When I went to Xuzhou to look for Sima Erlong, my door was suddenly broken into. I was shocked. I thought helpers were coming, so I wanted to call for help.
But soon, as Wang Daiji shouted, the three of them were stunned on the spot. However, Li Wenbai reacted the fastest and quickly explained:
"Wang Shilang, I really surrender, don't fall into the thieves' conspiracy!"
Wang Daiji stood proudly in the courtyard, Yuan Ting Yue Zhi, with extraordinary momentum: "Since I am an official of the Jiangdu Criminal Department, I will naturally enforce the law impartially and judge the right and wrong! But the words I got at this time are that you are here to kill me, deliberately provoking
Xuzhou Fangzhen sent troops, resulting in Xuzhou's great defeat! And if you really have a grievance, you must go back to the Ministry of Punishments with me! Take it down and tie it up!"
Hearing this, the knights on the left and right came up holding ropes together, and people outside the courtyard also climbed over the wall to get inside.
Li Wenbai was sweating profusely, but he didn't dare to resist and just cried out for injustice.
After the three of them were tied together, Wang Daijifu put his hands behind his back and ordered: "Break the limbs and shut the mouth!"
Li Wenbai was horrified, and a well-educated Xuzhou strongman wanted to get up and run away, but with the rope already on his body and dozens of good men surrounding him, how could he let them go?
Within a moment, the limbs of the three of them were smashed with a mace, and their mouths were gagged with rags. Some uninformed Xiaoqi even thought that they were really investigating the case, so they went to search the house carefully and took away the hundreds of dollars that Li Wenbai had obtained after surrendering.
Two pieces of silver and dozens of bolts of silk were rewarded to find them, and they were carried out together.
At this point, Wang Daiji finally turned around and said, "Brother Xie, that's all."
Xie Minghe and Sima Zhida walked in silently.
Li Wenbai could see clearly through the torches in the courtyard and the moonlight above his head, but his expression became intense... like he was venting ferociously, like he was smiling bitterly, or even more like he was in disbelief.
Xie Minghe looked at the other party. He wanted to say something, but he was too lazy to say anything. He just shook his head and said, "If I had known this, why bother?"
Of course Li Wenbai couldn't say anything.
Xie Minghe was looking for a weapon, but when he raised his head and saw the bag of silver, he was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly became angry for no reason - the continuous wars had delayed so many things and broken so many people's hearts, but they were just for a short-term goal.
Will Lang take this bag of silver?
As soon as he thought about it, the man didn't take out the knife. He only stepped forward to take out the bag of silver, tied it tightly with the silk satin next to it, and then threw it into the other person's face.
Within three or five seconds, this person's eyes were cracked, black beads popped out, his nose was crooked, and blood was pouring out.
Seeing this, Xie Minghe sighed, and was secretly shocked. How could he be so out of control? Did he really regard the gang as his own business?
It happened that it had already been smashed like this. Sima Zhida and Wang Daiji were watching from the side, and it was really hard to stop. So they quickly mobilized their true energy and smashed with all their strength again, but they smashed the opponent into red and white colors.
There is no breath! Except that it is already evening, the torch is held high, and the twin moons are hanging high in the sky. The red color is not visible, but it seems to be black, and the white color is also yellowed by the light, making it difficult to distinguish the black and yellow color.
At this time, Xie Minghe just picked up the wallet in the silence of Sima Zhida and Wang Daiji, and then said sincerely: "I have lost my temper and made you laugh... The head is in disgrace, so this thing will be kept with the head."
Show it to my chief!"
Their hearts were beating wildly, but they remained silent.
Not only that, with a wave of Sima Zhida's hand, Xiaoqiu had already stepped forward, and with one sword and one sword, they each killed the remaining two people, took away Li Wenbai's disgraceful head, and then threw only the three remaining corpses on the spot.
When he didn't move, he went out with his master.
And Xie Minghe came out carrying a wallet soaked with unknown things. When he looked up, he saw two moons hanging high in the sky. He felt a little lost and inexplicably remembered a sentence he said when he was in Hebei:
"A snake crouching in the mud is not a king!"
PS: Happy Valentine's Day to everyone, and happy birthday to myself...fuck...thirty-three!