In the early morning of February 6th, the sky became gloomy, and there was a faint hint of spring rain.
This is Guixiang, the capital of Wuyang County. On the official road three miles outside the city, a group of dozens of cavalrymen are standing idle on the road, and their escorts are young men who came from the Taiyuan-Wu'an coalition camp on the banks of the Qingzhang River.
Scholar Fang Xuanqiao was standing in front of the bulletin board at the intersection, looking at the notice on it in a daze.
That's not all. After staring at the notice in a daze, he climbed up a hill beside the mountain road that had completely turned green, and stared at the endless green fields around him like a chessboard.
Just like this, I watched for a while, and saw that the drizzle had already fallen. Although it was not a problem at all, it meant that I knew that this young Mr. Fang had a real backer, and his background, knowledge, and ability were not low.
, but due to a certain professional ethics and strong sense of ownership, Dou Li, the soldier who led this team of knights, still took the initiative to come forward and ask:
"What are Mr. Fang looking at? Why don't we go to the city? Will it delay things?"
Fang Xuanqiao looked back at the other party, as if he was suddenly enlightened, and then put his hands in his hands and smiled: "If you don't hide Dou's joining the army, you are just looking blindly. As for why you are blindly looking, it is to delay time for testing... We went to the north of the city last night
The other party should have known about the place ten miles away, and Wuyang County, under the leadership of Lord Yuanfu, has always been cunning. Not only did it act on its own, but when the army marched westward last year, they just surrendered the entire county. At this time,
You should be careful and watch his attitude."
Then Dou Li understood immediately... It's very reasonable to show off and establish authority.
Fang Xuanqiao also smiled when he saw this.
Sure enough, after waiting for more than an hour, as the drizzle fell across the fields outside Guixiang City, a large group of people emerged from Guixiang City, hundreds of people in total, including both infantry, cavalry, and civil and military personnel.
, even playing and playing, coming to the north of the city.
When he arrived, it was actually the county magistrate himself who brought someone out to greet him. His words were humble and cautious, and his intention to please was obvious. At this time, Dou Li even admired Fang Xuanqiao.
In this way, the two sides met. Wuyang County heard that the British envoys had arrived, and they did not dare to neglect. They directly led the group into Guixiang City, and then came to the government office, where Dou and Dou saw these people.
Wuyang County Governor, Hebei Warlord, and Yuan Baocun, the clan leader of the former dynasty, have always stood firm in the tide of Hebei.
There was a huge gap between the two parties in status, birth and qualifications. Even when Dou Li came in front of this person, he began to be cautious. On the other hand, Fang Xuanqiao still talked and laughed freely, and greeted each other with greetings. He was neither humble nor overbearing. This made Dou Li convinced for three times.
point.
When both parties came to sit down in the hall, Fang Xuanqiao presented Bai Hengqiu's personal letters and Duan Wei's Department of War documents one by one.
Yuan Baocun read it carefully and sighed slightly in his heart, but his face did not change at all. He also asked some gossip: "Are you a descendant of Duke Huai Tong? Your ancestral home is Qinghe? Qinghe Fang family?"
"Exactly." Fang Xuanqiao quickly stood up and answered seriously. "Now he lives in Qijun. He traveled to Guanxi with his father as an official and studied in Jin with his mentor."
"This is all alive." Yuan Baocun also smiled. "Sit down, where is Duke Huai Tong now?"
"At the place of Duke Xue and General Xue." Fang Xuanqiao sat down and replied.
"Where is General Xue?" Yuan Baocun continued to ask.
"I don't know." Fang Xuanqiao looked back at Dou Li, who was sitting next to him, nodded, and then came back to continue talking to Yuan Baocun. "However, according to time, on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, General Xue and
My mentor is on the north bank of the lower reaches of the Qingzhang River, about a hundred miles away. If you hurry, he should be there tomorrow or the day after."
Yuan Baocun nodded, thoughtfully: "So who is the messenger sent to General Xue? Someone from Li Ding or someone from Dongdu?"
"He is Li Fujun's student..."
"Oh, I have the impression that he is a very smart and capable young man..." At this point, the man suddenly came to ask. "How is the battle ahead? Was Zhang Xingke captured?"
This is very offensive. Wuyang County is at the rear of the battlefield. Otherwise, Wuyang County would not be responsible for the logistics transfer. And it has been a whole day. It is impossible for Yuanbaocun not to know the situation of the battle. Even if it is
I don’t know, what does it mean if I just read the letter?
Dou Li looked at Fang Xuanqiao worriedly.
But the latter just smiled slightly: "To be honest with Duke Yuan, Duke Ying and Shangshu Duan, Li Fujun has gathered 80,000 troops to surround 10,000 thieves. The cities around the battlefield have also been wiped out, making it impossible for the thieves to escape.
Next, they are about to clear out the enemy-occupied cities in Qinghe. By then, it will not be an escape, but a ten-sided siege composed of ten times the army and dozens of cities. Zhang Thief can only lead the elite gang in Qing.
People on the banks of the Zhang River are fearful and waiting for death... and the separated gangs are like decapitated corpses, I am afraid they will be slaughtered... It may even be worse."
"Eighty thousand...surrounded from ten sides...the body with the severed head...there is some truth to it." Yuan Baocun twisted his beard to answer, calmly and calmly. "But is the Fulong Seal so powerful?"
"It's really awesome." Dou Li interjected.
"Actually, I still know a little bit about things in the gang." Yuan Bansuan couldn't help but sigh. "Zhang Xing is a rare person with great ideas. He is rare in the world, but he doesn't have great talents... It's not that he doesn't have talents. He has
Talent is a genius, an all-rounder, but no great talent... He knows it himself, so on the one hand, he always joins his gang and uses the system to tie people up, but on the other hand, he is always eager to recruit talents, no matter how high or low he is.
, good wealth but partial talent, all can be accommodated.”
"As expected." Dou Li immediately greeted him with joy. "Duke Yuan wanted to say that he was too eager for talent, but neglected virtue, so that the gang members were mixed, and maybe they broke up? My British father-in-law also said the same thing.
"
"That's not what I meant." Yuan Baocun waved his hand in response. "I mean, his behavior will constrain those who are truly ambitious. Today's siege depends on whether the structure of his gang can trap him.
If these people cannot be trapped, they will become self-reliant and rebel, which is the situation you mentioned... There are quite a few such people in the gang."
"Yes..." Dou Li hesitated for a moment.
When Fang Xuanqiao saw this, he quickly smiled and said: "This is a new statement. Most people think that it will be the traffickers and lackeys below who will cause trouble."
"You are underestimating Zhang Xing. He is very humane to those below." Yuan Baocun also smiled and became solemn again. "And to be honest, this kind of person has great skills but is from a humble background.
People feel more comfortable under his command... Even if they are the lowest-ranking warriors, at least they don’t need to be graded based on merit, right?"
At this point, Yuan Baocun suddenly looked over Fang Xuanqiao to see Dou Li: "Young man from the Dou family, what's your rank in the military?"
"Naturally, first class." Dou Li immediately stood up, answered proudly, and then started to speak.
"What about him?" Yuan Baocun didn't wait for the other party to speak, and gestured with his lips again. "Where is this person from the Fang family?"
Dou Li thought about it seriously and answered seriously: "Brother Fang is the best in talent and virtue, and he is also a disciple of Duke Huai Tong. But it is a pity that the ranking in the army only looks at father and son, clan, and not the succession. Brother Fang's family
He is not a noble person, and he himself has not served as an official, so he can only be second-class."
"Look." Yuanbao Cunfu looked at Fang Xuanqiao with a smile. "People like you are only second-class. When it comes to fighting, no one can rise quickly."
Fang Xuanqiao couldn't help but laugh.
By the way, what is the classification of merit in the military?
That is to say, the world has been in chaos for hundreds of years, and military merit is the most important, so the means of calculating military merit have become very developed and fair. However, the military merit system is developed and it is difficult to cheat. Once the honorable disciples are formed, they always want to make an advantage, and this is the way of the world.
In this way, even if the emperor wants to recognize his origin, what should he do?
It's very simple. Based on family background, a coefficient is set in addition to summarizing military achievements. Those with noble titles and titles are ranked first, and then they are arranged gradually. Basically, beheading one person at the top is equivalent to beheading ten at the bottom.
If it is a collective skill such as Tiaodang Gong (First Climb), basically all the noble disciples can join the Chinese Army as a soldier.
In fact, there are a lot of similar things in the Wei Dynasty, including the classification of crimes, and from top to bottom, class is called a clear civilization, for fear that your class will jump or slip... But how to say? In fact, it is still better than before.
The ancestors were stronger during the Eastern Expedition. At that time, it was still a typical aristocratic politics. But now, although the imperial examination can only be a minor official, you can finally become an official. Although crimes and promotions are divided, they can still be treated.
The nobles punished crimes and promoted ordinary people.
"After all, he is someone who has been reckless for three years and is regarded as the enemy of the world by Duke Bai." Fang Xuanqiao sighed after laughing. "You are still so young. You must have your own methods. How can you underestimate him? It's just Duke Yuan, I
One more question, if you put it this way, what about those who have no ambition but have miraculous talents?"
Yuan Baocun paused, thought carefully, and then answered seriously: "If that's the case, I'm afraid he will be like a fish in water... This is the kind of person he wants, and this kind of person can display their talents under him, otherwise you think
Why does he work tirelessly for Li Ding and Lord Li, admire Bai Sanniang and Sima Erlang so much, and why are Wei Xuanding, Xiong Bonan, Cui Suchen, Chen Bin, Shan Tonghai and others so loyal to him?"
Fang Xuanqiao was stunned for a moment and said nothing.
"Is Wei Xuanding also loyal to Thief Zhang?" Dou Li, who had obviously done some homework, took the initiative to speak up.
"At least that's what he told me." Yuan Baocun did not hide it, but he also did not continue on this issue. "I just said that Bai Gong, Duan Gong, and Li Silang totaled more than 80,000 people? And only
It's not enough to use soldiers and horses, but you are also planning to sweep the entire Qinghe County so that together with Wuyang, Wu'an, and Xindu, you can consume the best of the gang here?"
"Yes." Fang Xuanqiao seemed to have come back to his senses. "More than 80,000 people are sweeping across the entire Qinghe County."
"Then you said that General Xue Changxiong will arrive in the next two days?"
"right!"
"How many soldiers does General Xue have?"
"Thirty thousand." Fang Xuanqiao blurted out. "I can guarantee this."
"Yes." Yuan Baocun bowed his head in response. "General Xue should have this strength. It's hard for you to persuade him."
Fang Xuanqiao did not speak, but looked back at Dou Li again.
Dou Li seemed to understand and immediately added: "To be honest, Duke Yuan, Feng Wuyi and Duke Feng, as well as a leader of the rebel army named Wang Chenkuo who defected to our British Duke, will also join forces and go there. It is estimated that there are 20,000 people...
In addition, I heard that our Duke Bai came out of Hongshan and Hebei was shocked. Luo Shu, the manager in far away Youzhou, sent an envoy, saying that he would personally lead Youzhou's sudden cavalry to join them... All the heroes from Hebei came.
The thief must die without a burial place."
"Youzhou sudden cavalry?! Luo Shu?!" Yuan Baocun finally smiled, but the officials standing in front of the door were already a little pale. "Does this mean that I don't know how to show appreciation? People from so far away are eager to take the initiative.
Come closer, but I'm not moving at the door of my house, will I be captured and punished?"
"That's not the case." Dou Li quickly comforted him. "After all, there is another reason behind Duke Yuan's case, but as long as Duke Yuan's transfer is done properly, no one will regard him as an outsider."
"Oh." Yuanbao looked as if he was stunned. "Just transfer it properly?"
"yes."
"Then do you know how much effort it takes to transport the grain of an army of 140,000 to 150,000 people across a distance of 150 miles?" Yuan Baocun sneered. "There is enough grain left in Liyang warehouse, but I am afraid that the civilians in Wuyang County
not enough!"
"Wuyang County has more than one million people and 300,000 strong men?!" Dou Li defended seriously. "He only served for more than ten days."
"No need for spring plowing?" Yuan Baocun finally said sternly.
Dou Li was stunned for a moment. He really hadn't thought about this problem. In other words, he believed from the bottom of his heart that there was no comparison between spring plowing and the current war... This was a war that would play a key role in the direction of the world.
"Mr. Yuan, some things have to be chosen." After thinking about this, the noble son of the Dou family came to persuade him sincerely. "Both the British Duke and Duan Gong have said that the only one in the world who can shake Guanlong is Hebei, and the rest of the people here in Hebei
It's all irrelevant, or it's one of our own, just a thief, the most important thing is, so this war is of great importance, how can we delay the important event just because of spring plowing?"
"The reason why the Wei Dynasty is what it is today is because of the recruitment of civilians, and because of major events that delayed spring plowing..." Yuan Baocun responded quietly. "In the five or six years I have been in Hebei, this incident is what impressed me the most."
Dou Li didn't know what to say. He didn't dare to show off to someone with Yuan Baocun's status, so he could only go to see Fang Xuanqiao.
Fang Xuanqiao smiled when he heard this: "Mr. Yuan, have you been bewitched by the thieves, or simply fallen into someone else's scheme? I was looking at the notice on the road, and there was an announcement about spring plowing that the thieves had issued a few days ago... informing the possible
The war, as well as not paying close attention to spring plowing, just relying on the grain released at the end of the year will not last until next year...is this what it is?"
"That was the notice posted by Zhang Xing on the Lingxing Platform before he was surrounded by you. The patrol came to post it." Yuan Baocun narrowed his eyes. "And you just came today. Did you ask me to tear it up for no reason before?
Can't we come down? What's more important is that it's early February, which is the time for spring plowing. They put up notices for spring plowing to comply with the weather, but you asked me to go against the weather!"
Fang Xuanqiao was silent for a while, and then he slowly asked: "What does Duke Yuan mean?"
This time it was Yuan Baocun's turn to be silent.
"Then I will venture to say a few words." Fang Xuanqiao sighed. "The truth is the truth, and the sword and the spear are the sword and the spear... The current situation is that, Duke Yuan, as the envoy, I have to say something no matter what, today's matter
It's not something you and I can decide. Please don't get angry, Duke Yuan. Just do what you have to do, because the sword and gun are right next to you. Secondly, it's about reasoning. In this world, individuals have their own truth. As a county guard, Duke Yuan will do whatever he needs to do.
In troubled times, I actually stayed in Wuyang for five or six years. Now this matter is digging into your roots. Of course you have grievances, but let alone Duke Ying and Duke Duan, even Dou Canjun next to you, his principles are the same as yours
The truths are tit for tat, and you cannot fundamentally convince anyone with truth; finally, I ask you to write down all your reasons, and we will forward them to Mr. Bai."
Yuan Baocun sighed deeply: "I will do the things and write the reasons, but I still want to say something that I dare not say in the letter... Bai Gong is really like Cao Che! If this continues, Zhang will be defeated for a while.
OK, as long as people are alive, they can come back in a moment, and Hebei will never be stable."
"Why do you want him to settle down?" Dou Li, who felt relieved when he saw the other party surrendering, stood up. After skipping a certain sentence, he answered boldly. "It's best to keep Hebei from settling down forever, otherwise where will it come from?
Guanxi is stabilized? As Yuan Gong, why do you think about Hebei?"
Yuan Baocun was startled for a moment, and actually became a little confused.
On the other hand, Fang Xuanqiao, who was sitting there and returned to his normal state, couldn't help but smile.
Spring rain is as precious as oil. Fang Xuanqiao "successfully" completed the task and left Guixiang, which had become a bit chaotic and uneasy, with Yuan Baocun's letters. However, when he walked out of the house and passed the bulletin board, there was someone there.
Suddenly, he stopped, then went to check the notice board, only to find that the notice was still there.
After just two glances, he saw a hand reaching out and tearing off the notice in front of Fang Xuanqiao.
"You should tear it up when you leave." Dou Li sneered. "It's even more inappropriate to keep it now."
Fang Xuanqiao glanced at the other party, his expression did not change, he just turned around, got on his horse, looked at the farmers working in the fields along the way, and walked slowly.
This spring rain not only fell in Wuyang County, but also in the surrounding areas. In fact, there were many spring rains falling up and down the river. Even in Dongdu City, which was hundreds of miles away, it rarely fell.
Spring rain.
However, just as people in other places were instinctively rejoicing at the spring rain, a huge shadow shrouded the Eastern Capital, with both undercurrents and fierce conflicts... It was still the same reason, the lag in the news among different classes.
Caused everything.
After the expedition, the Eastern Capital was empty, causing some kind of panic, which was the first level;
The situation in Hebei has changed drastically, and the black tower collapsed, which is another level;
It is conceivable that in two days, when the situation of the fighting in Hebei is reported, a new level of fluctuation will occur;
However, right now, a newer incident has stirred up the storm in Dongdu earlier... because this incident happened in Dongdu.
"Zhongcheng is back!" At noon on the sixth day of the lunar month, Li Qingchen sat on the manger in the backyard of a small house in Chengfufang, looked at the rain outside the shed, and said a shocking sentence. "But he is about to die.
"
Qin Bao, who was shirtless and mixing horse ingredients with his head down, finally stopped.
ps: Thank you Mr. Zhang Daling for joining the alliance!