When he was in Zhenshu, Li Xu heard the news that Yang Xuangan had been wiped out. "Good news, good news, the army has won a big victory a few days ago, and Yang Xuangan was consecrated in Shangluo!" The officer responsible for announcing the news banged the copper with all his strength.
Gong, shouting at the top of one's lungs. But the people on the street were obviously not very interested in this. The place where Yang Xuangan was killed was about one thousand fourteen or five hundred miles away from Hengshan County where Zhending was located.
For them, who have been away from their hometown for more than a hundred miles, Shangluo is as far away as Liuqiu. No one cares about what happens there and is not involved.
But the government didn't see it that way. Following the shouts of the officers, the newspaper was posted at the entrance of the government office. Li Xu stepped forward to take a look and learned that Yang Xuangan was captured by the officers and soldiers in Nexiang, less than a hundred miles away from Tongguan.
They caught up. According to the description in the Di newspaper, the battle was very fierce. The rebels actually set up a large formation that was more than fifty miles long, with flags covering the sun. In order to repay the emperor's favor, An Li Shu, the officers and soldiers
Under the leadership of Yu Wenshu, everyone fought bravely and fought for the lead. Yang Xuangan was defeated three times in one day and was completely defeated. Finally, the two sides launched a decisive battle in Huangtianyuan, and the rebels were wiped out. Yang Xuangan broke through with more than a dozen followers and fled to
Jialu Shu. Knowing that he had no way to save himself, he ordered his younger brother Yang Jishan to kill him. After Yang Jishan killed Yang Xuangan, he immediately committed suicide and was captured by the army together with Yang Xuangan's head before he died. (Note 3)
Yu Wen was so happy that he had great success, so even if the Di newspaper exaggerated it ten times, Xu Zi would not be surprised. What surprised him was that it was not the expected soldiers of the Xiongwu Camp that held back Yang Xuangan's westward march, but the food and grass from Hongnong County.
.According to the introduction in the Di newspaper, Yang Xuangan actually thought that he could capture Hongnong County and defend it with danger before being chased by the army. As a result, he stayed at the foot of Hongnong City for three days and three nights until the scouts saw the pursuers.
After raising the flag, they had to march west again. As a result, the officers and soldiers "worked non-stop and pursued closely", and finally successfully quelled the most ridiculous rebellion since the founding of the Sui Dynasty.
"Rebels who don't have enough to eat can't run fast!" Xuzi smiled and looked away from the newspaper. He had already fully figured out why Yang Xuangan took the risk to attack Hongnong County. It was because the food and grass supplies had been completely cut off.
, threatening the survival of the rebels. The reason why Yuwenshu was able to end the war quickly was because the rebels were short of supplies and were too hungry to fight. As for the fifty-mile long snake formation, only Yuwenshu liked to create it.
This was a huge but useless momentum. If Yang Xuangan, who had very few men left under his command, did this, he would only be able to release more than a hundred men per mile, which would not be enough to provide a foothold for the officers and soldiers.
"Brothers Shiji and their outflanking operation failed!" Li Xu, while pulling his horse out of the city, speculated on the reason why the Xiongwu Camp failed to complete its mission. God's unfavorable attitude, heavy rain, and swollen rivers along the way are a reasonable explanation.
There is a possibility that someone deliberately avoided the war passively to protest against the wanton behavior of the old thief Yu Wenshu. The latter inference made Xuzi feel some pleasure in revenge, and at the same time, he was vaguely worried about the fate of his brothers. Yuwen Shiji was a very skillful man.
Guy, he didn't show it before, he deliberately concealed his edge. In the future, in order to control the entire army, this person may do something ruthless.
But now that he was thousands of miles away, it was useless to worry anymore. Xuzi shook his head and threw these messy thoughts into the smoke and dust brought up by the horse's hooves.
The scenery along the way is very desolate, ten times more desolate than when Xu Zi led his troops. At that time, there was still wheat in the fields that no one had harvested, so the people's faces would not show any color. But now, the wheat in the fields has rotted away, and the road
A large number of refugees began to appear near the border. They came in groups, most of them were old people, women and children. They carried all their belongings on their backs and wandered southward along the official road without destination. Winter in the south comes later, the temperature is
It is not as cold as the north, so everyone has a greater hope of surviving this winter. However, local governments turned a blind eye to this. The Sui Dynasty did not allow people to move at will, but no official dared to stop the refugees on the ground under their jurisdiction.
If people starve to death, they will be impeached. Once someone imitates Yang Xuangan and rises up, the black veil on their heads will be in danger.
Seeing Xuzi riding a tall horse and walking in the opposite direction. The faces of the refugees showed disgust. It was these "official thieves" riding horses and holding weapons who robbed the last morsel of food from their homes.
They hated these people even more than Yang Xuangan who broke his peaceful life. But no one tried to pull Xuzi off the horse and divide his luggage. Compared with fleeing without enough food,
For readers, Li Xu was too tall. With a height of nearly nine feet and a beard on his face, he looked like he would not dare to offend easily.
Li Xu once tried to be a good person. He stuffed some naan to a mother holding a child. When he just turned around and was about to mount his horse and drive away, a shrill cry came from behind. Xu Zi
Looking back, I saw the mother and son being pushed into a mud puddle by the roadside by a group of ragged guys. The naan rolls fell to the side, covered with mud. Then, those naan were snatched by those with the fastest hands and feet, and they fought hard.
After stuffing it into his mouth, the others punched and kicked the guy who grabbed the naan while trying to dig out a piece of residue from the corner of his mouth.
"What are you doing!" Xuzi shouted, used the back of his knife to disperse the crowd, and helped the mother and son up. The refugees dispersed and fled away like flies. The woman glared at Xuzi with resentful eyes, and then snatched him away with her hands.
He took out the naan from the luggage again, then put down the child and neatly untied his clothes.
"Here!" The woman lay on the side of the road under Xuzi's shocked gaze, holding the naan with both hands and spreading her legs. "Come on! Hurry up!" She ordered in a vague dialect, intending to use the fastest speed.
It takes time to complete a transaction. On the body covered with mud and filth, the sweat and weird smell make people want to cry.
Li Xu didn't dare to desecrate the holy body with his eyes. He took out a handful of copper coins and placed them next to the woman like a thief. Then he jumped on his horse and ran away as if he were fleeing. He didn't even dare to look back and see if the woman was wearing any clothes.
He picked up his clothes, not daring to see if the refugees who had fled away would turn around and take the food away from the mother and son again. He ran and ran until he saw the next city.
In the restaurant in Xianyu County, Boling County Office, Xuzi heard the news of His Majesty the Emperor's amnesty. Except for a few "chief criminals", all the children of the aristocratic families who participated in the rebellion and repented were pardoned. His Majesty the Emperor sentenced them consecutively.
He had no interest in working, and just ordered the ministers to take their children and grandchildren home and take good care of them. Among them, Yu Rou, who had made a great contribution to defecting before the battle, was actually awarded an officer and climbed directly to the position of a fourth-rank military general.
Xuzi understood that he had been fooled again. Since those guys with names in the rebels could be spared by His Majesty the Emperor, staff like Yang Fuzi who had no ambition in the rebels would not be held accountable. As for himself, he was spared privately.
The behavior of my mentor is probably not a big deal and will not be punished by the court at all.
"Why am I so stupid!" Li Xu regretted it and couldn't help but slam the table. As a result, the old shopkeeper of the restaurant was so frightened that he ran over at a speed that was extremely inappropriate for his age.
"Master Jun, what else do you want?" the old shopkeeper asked in a trembling voice while nodding and bending. Ever since the other party entered his shop, the old man has been praying to God to be merciful and protect him from this disaster. And God
Not hearing his prayer, the military master got angry and prepared to make him walk away without food.
The few diners in the store stood up at the same time, put their food money on the corner of the table, and slipped out quietly. They didn't dare to care if the military master caused trouble. These guys were all desperadoes who had returned from Liaodong, so they killed
People can go into the ravines in the suburbs and gather a group of people in a few days. If they offend them, the whole family and even the neighbors will not be able to live in peace.
"No, no more, check out!" Li Xu realized that his behavior scared the old man, smiled apologetically, and said. He was not surprised that others regarded him as a soldier, although he did not bring a follower when he left Xiongwu.
, and completely changed into the common attire of ordinary people in the city. But his long military career has left a deep mark on him. No matter where he goes, people will recognize his identity within half a stick of incense.
Then he hid far away.
"Master, you want to pay the bill?" The old manager couldn't believe his ears. In the past two months, he had seen many military officers passing by, and they all said that the emperor allowed them to eat and drink for free along the way. If they didn't even grab and take away, it would be considered a mercy.
Yes, who has ever paid a penny? He confirmed again with a trembling voice. After receiving Li Xu's confirmation again, he lifted up the corner of his clothes and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and stammered: "Little,
It's a small business, no, I don't dare to count the money. If the military master is used to eating, I'll give him a reward. Five, no, three, three cents is enough!"
"Three grains?" Li Xu asked in surprise. His uncle's family owned a restaurant, and he knew the price of three naan breads for a plate of donkey meat he ate today. Although food was cheap in the Sui Dynasty when he was at home, this meal cost three grains.
It was impossible to make money. His strange and exaggerated expression frightened the old shopkeeper and waved his hands repeatedly. "No, no, it's fine as long as the military master is used to it. Second brother, hurry up and give the military master some more."
Cut three kilograms of donkey meat into a bun and wrap it with ribs, without a speck of white meat on it!"
"Oh, I'll be here right away! Wait a moment, Master!" the waiter promised, and ran away. As he ran, he greeted the shameless soldier and ruffian for eight generations in his stomach. "Sooner or later, the white-eyed wolf who eats people but doesn't spit out their dregs."
We have to add more furrows! What kind of thing does it know how to bully ordinary people..."
Seeing the chaos in the restaurant, Li Xu knew that he had been in trouble again. After serving in the army for so long, he actually forgot about the world of people outside. Thinking of this, he apologetically took out more than thirty pieces of meat from his carry-on bag.
, stuffed them all into the hands of the old shopkeeper. While stuffing them, he tried to explain as pleasantly as possible: "Don't panic, old man, I'm not here to rob anything. You keep the money, today's meal, and the meat that will be cut later!"
"Master, master, we can't use so much, we can't use so much!" The old shopkeeper trembled with fright and threw all the copper coins on the ground. He fell down with a plop, and the old man explained loudly while picking up. "Really?
You don’t need so much, Master Jun, you have already given me a favor by coming here to eat!”
A hand suddenly stretched out in front of him, interrupting the old man's shouting. It was a hand that was also calloused. The fingers were long and strong, but very thick. In the middle of the palm, there were a few copper coins. They were not charity, but real money.
Really pay.
The old man raised his head and looked at Li Xu who was squatting opposite him in bewilderment. He could see that the young man in front of him was a good man, and he was completely different from the soldiers and gangsters in the past. Suddenly something occurred to him and he jumped up.
, ran towards the backyard in three steps and two steps, and shouted loudly as he ran, "You will be later, I will bring you meat right away. Waiter, don't add seasonings, the military master is a good man, a good man!"
The second half of the sentence was an instruction to the waiter. Li Xu was stunned when he heard it, and then he burst into laughter. At his uncle's tavern, he had done this to Zhao Ergouzi who came to catch the autumn wind. He wiped a lot of snot and earwax on his face.
, Brother Zhao ate so well. Today, the same thing happened to him. He looked at the remaining food on the table and felt a little sick in his stomach, but the feeling in his heart suddenly became very warm.
He returned to his own life again. He was less than two hundred miles away from home. He worked hard and could get home to reunite with his parents in just two days. Thinking of his parents, whom he had not seen for more than half a year, the smile on his face became even brighter.
Nong, I wish I could fly back and see what my home has become.
The old shopkeeper quickly came back with an apology on his face, "Master, just wait a moment, I'll ask them to make you a pot of good tea. The donkey meat is just about to be taken out of the pot. It will be fresh and hot, and it will be clean." He was at a loss.
, as embarrassed as a thief who has been caught. He looked at the food and wine on the table and swore to the sky: "This, this guarantee is clean. The little old man guarantees it with the face of the ancestors of the Wang family!" After that, the old man was arrested.
A pair of chopsticks picked up the remaining dishes that Li Xu had eaten and stuffed them into his mouth one after another. (To be continued)
