"He who knows the current affairs is a hero. Isn't there a saying in the Central Plains that a good bird chooses a tree to roost? You should know very well how confused the Emperor of the Sui Dynasty was!" Ashina Gutuolu did not answer Xu Zi's question.
, continued to persuade him with good words. "Even if you save Hunjun for a while, you can't save him for the rest of his life. If you change the master of Zhongyuan, everyone will live better!"
"If you were to do it, burn, kill, loot, kill all the men, and plunder all the women as slaves, how about living a better life?" Xuzi let out a sneer from his nostrils, and his chest rose and fell rapidly. He admitted that Yang Guang was not a good person.
A good emperor, he also admitted that the Sui Dynasty was extremely corrupt.
However, he still has to defend his homeland.
A general's duty is to protect, and he has never understood Zhang Xutuo like he does now.
From Hanoi, Changping to Shangdang, they did not encounter any bandits. The journey was so peaceful that it was scary, as if the road under their feet no longer led to the human world. Although occasionally there would be a few small ones on the side of the road.
Village, but the people in the village have disappeared, along with their livestock. The crops that were supposed to be harvested in this season are mixed with weeds and grow like crazy everywhere. Doorways, roofs, eaves,
Their weak but indomitable shadows can be seen everywhere.
The sowers are not farmers, but the constant mountain winds throughout the seasons. It is they who blow the seeds scattered in the farmland last year to the eaves of the lost owner, allowing them to take root and sprout there. Half a month later, they will also bring new seeds from the fields.
It blows down from the eaves and blows to new corners where it can get sunlight and rain. When next spring comes, a new cycle will begin, endlessly.
Such a vast wilderness is partly due to the imperial court's relocation order, which drove the people into the city walls to prevent them from being plundered by bandits. As for what the people would eat and where they would live after entering the city, that was not the responsibility of the imperial court.
It is a trivial matter that ministers worry about. Therefore, many people who are not lucky enough to make a living in the city simply choose to become bandits. Although they will inevitably die in a battle with the army or a firefight between bandits, at least they can get more
If you live for a while, you won't watch yourself starving until your bones are exposed under your skin.
Together with the imperial court, there were "heroes" from all over the country who created this "unparalleled splendor". They took away the last bits of property from the people who refused to enter the city, and either drove them into the city or turned them into minions under their own command.
When there is nothing left to grab, heroes will occasionally plant a few plots of land. But those plots of land are all near the village, and they cannot be planted too much, lest the peaceful life destroy everyone's fighting spirit.
In order to avoid being caught off guard on the road, Xuzi, Qin Shubao, and Luo Shixin jointly designed many emergency plans. They even prepared a batch of money to buy the road in case they were polite to some bandits before fighting. To everyone's disappointment, the bandits and common people along the way
One disappeared and none of these plans were used.
Several times, Xuzi intuitively felt that there were eyes watching him from the nearby mountain ridges. Whenever he turned around and looked as far as he could from the horseback, he could find nothing but layers of flaming woods.
"Don't look, the bandits are afraid of our reputation and have fled long ago!" Luo Shixin followed and said carelessly. His words often triggered a burst of relaxed laughter, but everyone knew that this was not true. Li, Qin, Luo San
Although the people are powerful in Dongxia, their fame has not spread to Hedong. Moreover, the bandits have the advantage in location and numbers, so there is no need to take this cavalry seriously.
"I always feel that there are people on the mountain!" Xuzi smiled and replied in a low voice. At the same time, he denied his own idea. "It feels very much like Liaodong here! There are enemies everywhere, but there is no trace of them!"
"There is no point in worrying when there are a pack of wolves around. Let's just move forward boldly!" Qin Shubao joined the discussion and gave suggestions based on years of experience in the army. This is the only practical way. It is better to take one step at a time than to stay where you are.
Move. Xuzi nodded and accepted it humbly. But the feeling of uneasiness and uneasiness lingered in the top of his head like fog.
His intuition told him that the looks coming from the depths of the jungle contained more than just hostility. They were very complicated, and even contained a little appreciation and friendliness. But except for the few around him, he had almost no friends. Xu Dayan,
Wu Heita and others became sworn enemies. Liu Hongji and the warrior Yuan were in Taiyuan. There were also several good brothers. They all died in the fierce battle on the east bank of the Liao River. Weeds had already grown around the bones.
Occasionally, the county soldiers would pass by some forts where big families lived together. The walls were higher than the Great Wall, and the watchtowers were filled with all kinds of defensive weapons. I heard that the passing soldiers were going to Yanmen Pass to visit Queen Qin, and the forts were within their reach.
, expressing cautious enthusiasm. The elders in the village stood on the top of the city and ordered people to use ropes to lower a dozen bamboo baskets. They were filled with dry food, meat, and occasionally some wine. But they never invited the county soldiers.
They entered the stronghold to rest, although both sides were now under the banner of the Sui Dynasty.
"The village is small, so I dare not invite the generals to rest their horses inside!" The patriarch bowed and apologized, and motioned to the archers on the wall to start preparing. These days, we have often heard of situations where people were protected by bandits but were robbed by the army. Who is the official and who is?
Bandits cannot be judged just by looking at the flags.
"Damn it, this old guy actually thinks of us as bandits!" Luo Shixin was very dissatisfied with the performance of the fortress owner and cursed.
"Don't blame them, there are people who kill good people and take credit!" Qin Shubao pulled up Luo Shixin and comforted him while following the large group of people to continue northward. No wonder the other party took strict precautions. The officers and soldiers were at a disadvantage when it came to thieves. In order to avoid punishment from their superiors, they took the heads of the common people.
This behavior is nothing new in the Sui Dynasty.
"Maybe they and the bandits were wearing the same pair of trousers!" Luo Shi was still confident, looking at the fortress that was gradually broken by dust and smoke, and said bitterly.
This is not an injustice. Those big families who formed strongholds to protect themselves were indeed not involved with the local bandits. Some of them were relatives to each other. Whether they formed strongholds to protect themselves or went to the mountains to become bandits, it was all for the sake of surviving in troubled times.
They were barely surviving. Some forts were protected by bandits nearby. The government paid a share of the taxes and the bandits also paid a share, so neither party was offended.
"You have to let them live!" Qin Shubao's words contained sighs and helplessness. He is much older than Luo Shixin and Xu Zi, has experienced more vicissitudes, and has a better understanding of the world.
Surviving is the only choice in troubled times. Therefore, no one can blame them for the methods they use. If you want to blame, you can only blame those who contributed to the troubled times. It is they who turned the good world into a gangster nest and hell. Although
They can find all kinds of excuses for themselves.
From Shangdang to the north, the terrain becomes relatively gentle, and people gradually gather on both sides of the official road. Li Yuan, the consoling ambassador of Hedong, is a good official who knows how to be considerate of the people, and he does not exploit the people under his rule as ruthlessly as in other places. In addition,
The Li family originally had some prestige in the counties in Hedong, so the public security outside the Taihang Mountains was basically peaceful. According to the local official responsible for providing food, grass and baggage to the county soldiers, another reason for the peace in the hinterland of Hedong was that there were several groups active in the plains.
The big guys suffered fatal blows in the summer and did not dare to approach the plains easily again.
"The imperial court does not allow Mr. Tang to recruit more troops, otherwise we in Hedong would have been free of banditry!" Qi County Magistrate Zhou Jue is a very talkative person. He said with a slightly proud tone when delivering supplies to the county soldiers.
"The Tang Gong you are talking about is Li Yuan?" Luo Shixin looked back at Xu Zi and asked curiously.
"You're such a rude general, can we just call Duke Tang by his first name?" Magistrate Zhou, who had always been so amiable, suddenly turned his face and protested to Luo Shixin with his eyes wide open. "Not to mention his official position, just based on his age, you can't
You shouldn't call them by their first names! Besides, if we, Tang Gong, hadn't said hello in advance and asked us to provide convenience for the soldiers and horses of the King, who would prepare food and grass for you?"
"I can't tell that Li Zhongjian's father-in-law has quite a high prestige!" Luo Shixin muttered in his stomach, and then put on a smile. "I don't know the name of Tang Gong. Besides, I am a foreigner, how can I know Tang Gong?
How old is the Duke?"
"Forget it, I'm not as knowledgeable as a young man like you!" Magistrate Zhou rolled his eyes at Luo Shixin, clapped his hands, and ordered his subordinates to bring a ledger, "Which general is in charge, please sign a pledge on the ledger, I'll wait for you
It will be easier to find Mr. Tang to settle accounts in the future!"
The person who responded to him was another half-grown man. Xuzi smiled and stepped forward, taking the account book and writing brush from the Hutai's hand. The behavior of local officials was very well-behaved, which was very different from the behavior of officials he had seen elsewhere.
In troubled times, he still made his officials behave in an orderly manner. Tang Gong Li Yuan indeed lived up to his name as an official.
The moment he signed his name, Xuzi hesitated. He had not yet told his cheap father-in-law that he had married Zhen'er. Did Ban Shihou drop by to Taiyuan to visit Duke Tang and tell Zhen'er and his father?
How about making up for the rift between them? He was not sure whether he would be beaten with sticks by the other party after he left. But thinking about the longing look in Zhen'er's eyes before setting off for the expedition, his heart felt hot again.
"Go early and come back early, I'll wait for you at home!" Before leaving the house, the affectionate Yu'er took his arm and said. "You are mine, you can't get hurt again!" Her face brushed against his.
The scars left on the arms from previous battles also left a trail of wet, warm water.
"The general's surname is also Li?" County Magistrate Zhou took over the account book signed by Xu Zi and asked hesitantly. The big black man in front of him looked very young, but the mark nailed to the outside of his armor was already that of a fourth-grade Wu Benlang general.
There were only a few people in the entire Sui Dynasty who achieved such a high position at such an age. He suddenly remembered a certain rumor in the officialdom, and the expression on his face immediately became respectful. "It's Mr. Tang's nephew, Marquis Li of Chou County.
Master? You, are you from Henan?"
"We came here from the starry night near Hulao Pass." Xuzi nodded, confirming the other party's guess. Immediately afterwards, he heard countless exclamations coming from all around. "Coming from Henan, my God! Running thousands of miles away
, actually arrived only three days later than other soldiers and horses!"
"Didn't the thieves from the Taihang Mountains stop you?" Magistrate Zhou's eyes widened again, but this time it was because of surprise. "Hey, seeing what I'm asking, you are our Tang Gong's nephew, so naturally you also passed it on to him.
The bravery of the old man. He can defeat the bandits in several surrounding counties with thousands of remnant soldiers and make them flee. Who dares to mess with you even if they don’t care about their lives?!" (To be continued)
