In the evening, in Yingyang City, Yan Zhong walked into the county temple where incense was burning with an extremely exquisite Shu brocade in his arms. "Come and see..."
"What?" Huangfu Song, who was sitting quietly in the hall and almost fell asleep due to the incense, looked up at the sound and couldn't help laughing. "Oh, what a brocade!"
"Not bad." Yan Zhong smiled as he walked. "This is serious Shu brocade, not Chu brocade, not Wu brocade, and not the new Liaodong brocade that is common in the market in Hebei. General, look, the pattern is unique, bright and moving, really Just like gold and silver born on silk... This was specially taken out by the local yellow scarf thief who surrendered and presented to Wang Xiaowei. Although Wang Xiaowei lived in Luoyang and was used to seeing treasures, he felt that this item was particularly outstanding. , so he didn’t dare to keep it for himself, so he asked me to give it to the general instead!”
"You guys!" Huangfu Song smiled bitterly and shook his head. "This thing is certainly a good treasure, but as an old man in his fifties, what do I want with it?! Even if I make two sets of robes, I don't have the nerve to wear them out, right?"
"That's right." Yan Zhong held the Shu brocade and sat behind a table below Huangfu Song and said with a smile. "The general is highly virtuous and highly respected. In other words, since the death of General Ranming (Zhang Huan, one of the Three Ming Dynasties in Liangzhou) three years ago, General This is where our reputation in Liangzhou lies...how can we commoners compare to it?"
"Then Shu Jin Shu De will keep it." Huangfu Song still didn't care.
After all, both Dong Zhuo and Gongsun Xun knew how to give all their belongings to their subordinates, so Human Emperor Fusong really couldn't do it.
"That's not right." Yan Zhong put the Shu brocade on several tables, but shook his head. "It is a treasure that a virtuous person can live in. If the general doesn't want such a treasure, how can I dare to take it over? Even if the general doesn't use it himself, it doesn't matter. Take it home and keep it for the young masters..."
"They're all useless!" Huangfu Song shook his head and sighed. "The brocade clothes made of Shu brocade are best matched with purple ribbons and gold seals, but how can they be qualified to do that in this life?"
"In fact, so what if we did it?" Yan Zhong suddenly shook his head and smiled. "Liangzhou is a poor frontier place, so what if we become a general after being sealed? Doesn't the imperial court still regard us as frontier despots?"
Huangfusong narrowed his eyes slightly but showed no reaction.
In fact, counting from the time when Liu Xiu, the founder of the Han Dynasty, ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor, the Later Han Dynasty has gone through more than 160 years. Social problems are everywhere. Seven or eight states have been affected, as evidenced by the Yellow Turban Rebellion in 20 or 30 counties. .
However, if we had to identify a place with the most serious problems, it would be Liangzhou, which is now particularly peaceful.
Problems in other places were at least hidden under the authority of the Han Dynasty before the Yellow Turban Rebellion, but in Liangzhou they were exposed from the beginning, and what followed was the most direct and bloody violent war.
In fact, if we exclude the wars during the founding period of the People's Republic of China, then starting from the year when Emperor Guangwu passed away (AD 57), there have been four major chaos in Liangzhou, which is basically equivalent to never stopping:
The first Shaodang Rebellion lasted intermittently from AD 57 to AD 101, lasting more than forty years;
The second Xianling Rebellion occurred in the seventh year after the Shaodang Rebellion, that is, in 108 AD, and lasted for eleven years... Although this time was short, the price paid by the Han Dynasty was particularly heavy. , the official military expenditure alone amounted to 24 billion, and directly caused the decline of the entire population of Liangzhou and Bingzhou, as well as the disunity of the people, and the theory of "abandoning Liang" was born from this;
The third great rebellion was actually a repressive move by the central court. The leader was Ma Xian, the famous general at the time and the Qiang Protector Colonel. Ma Xian used his outstanding military skills and brutal suppression methods to carry out a campaign against the Qiang people in Liangzhou for nearly thirty years.
bloody repression;
The fourth time was the complete suppression of the Qiang people in Sanming, Liangzhou during the reign of Emperor Huan... Huangfu Song's uncle Huangfu Gui, Zhang Huan who was once followed by Dong Zhuo, and Duan Xi who later took refuge with the eunuchs all became famous because of this.
Moreover, although these four major rebellions were nominally Qiang rebellions, for the powerful people of the middle and lower classes in Liangzhou, there were frequent wars and the destructiveness of military turmoil. Simple ethnic conflicts were used to appease them.
It is tantamount to covering one's ears and stealing the bell! Not to mention that in the middle and late period of the Later Han Dynasty, the Qiang and Han ethnic groups were seriously mixed, and the ethnic barriers at the bottom were actually getting smaller and smaller, and most of the officials from other places were corrupt, cruel and incompetent.
In short, it can be said that the entire middle and lower classes in Liangzhou may not hate the imperial court any less than they hate foreign races... because massacres and wars are too frequent!
Under such circumstances, the central government has adopted a general attitude of exclusion and discrimination towards Liangzhou. Not to mention the appeasement and compensation that should be provided, the fact that it does not bully you is already giving you face.
Therefore, Liangzhou's aversion to the Han Dynasty and the Central Committee is basically in a suppressed and spreading state. Now even Liangzhou scholars are extremely dissatisfied with the Han Dynasty and the Central Committee.
Although the Huangfu Song family is famous for its military suppression of the Qiang rebellion and is an authentic representative of the local Loyal Han faction, since he was born and raised in Liangzhou, how could he not know this kind of sentiment among the people?
?Moreover, his uncles Huangfu Gui and Zhang Huan were the side generals who read scriptures and moved closer to the scholars, and Ben and Duan Xi, the side generals who did not read the scriptures and took refuge with the eunuchs, had an antagonistic attitude in themselves.
Therefore, even if he knew this emotion, Huangfu Yizhen had no good way to deal with it. The only way to deal with it was to pretend to be deaf and dumb.
Yan Zhong looked at Huangfu Song, as if he had expected this, but he said no more and mentioned another matter: "General, what is the combat strength of the Three Rivers Knights in the fifth school of the Northern Army?"
"Almost!" Huangfu Song cheered up slightly after hearing this. "After all, it is a long period of peace, but after all, the system is there, and there are sophisticated equipment from the Luoyang arsenal, and the war horses in the West Garden Corridor...
It should be enough to deal with the Yellow Turban thieves."
"This is natural." Yan Zhong said slowly. "The Yellow Turbans of Dongjun were destroyed in the first battle between Cangting and Dongwuyang, and the Yellow Turbans of Yingchuan were destroyed in the first battle of Richangshe. After these two battles, I think no one in the world will think that
The Yellow Turban thieves can succeed again, and it is only a matter of time before they are wiped out."
"You can't say that." Huangfu Song sighed. "There will be problems if the time is delayed too long... I read the military newspaper in Changshe before and said that the three brothers Zhang Jiao of Hebei will general Julu, Anping, Qinghe, Wei
The Yellow Turban thieves in the counties, Hejian and other places have all shrunk to Julu County. They rely on the two big cities in the north and south, Guangzong and Xiaquyang, each gathering more than 100,000 people and hoarding inexhaustible food for several years. Several counties have gathered together
The money, silk and equipment that have arrived are ready to resist... Shu De, you said that if this is to be defended for a year or two, wouldn't it be an ordinary thing? By then, the world may be in trouble!"
"Who says it's not?" Yan Zhong said with a smile. "However, I am not going to talk about this today... General, I saw that the Central Plains and Hebei are so rich that even such treasures can be found casually in one county, and
After all, the Yellow Turban thieves are just like moth thieves, so why should they only let the central children of Sanhe Five Schools, who already have wealthy families, to make a fortune? Look at the general with five senses, when they go out to fight, they not only take care of their hometown, but also take care of their own country.
In the past few days, Bingzhou's old army already had a captain with a meritorious service of 2,000 dan, four commanders of 1,000 shi... and the Liu Bei from yesterday seemed to be in fifth place! And we, the sons of Liangzhou, do
It's hard to get an official position, it's hard to get rich...it's hard!"
Huangfusong was silent for a moment, but slowly shook his head: "I know what Shude means, but... you also know the situation in Liangzhou. If soldiers and warriors from remote places are allowed to come to the mainland, their wild nature will be difficult to control. The imperial court has
Beware is another saying. Therefore, I only recommended queens from famous families like Nan Rong that day."
"Yes!" Yan Zhong stood up and said with a sneer. "I have nothing to say about Fu Nanrong's talents, but how many talented people like Fu Nanrong are in Liangzhou who are well-educated and come from famous families?" At this point,
Without waiting for Huangfu Yizhen's response, Yan Shude pointed to the brocade on the table again and said, "The general really doesn't want this top-grade Shu brocade? This is the wish of the people below."
Huangfusong could only laugh dryly: "Since everyone agrees, I will stay."
Yan Zhong smiled slowly and said goodbye.
Huangfusong watched the other party go out, sighed, and in a blink of an eye, he fell asleep with his eyes squinted in the incense... There was no way, he was already very old, and the banquet last night made him pay special attention to this fact.
.Facing the young Gongsun Xun, Cao Mengde, and many many young heroes present at that time, he was really envious and helpless.
"Brother Zhicai."
Returning to the city of Yangzhai, the sun was almost setting. In an empty and dilapidated house, Lou Gui, who was in an extremely depressed mood, finally couldn't bear it anymore. "Whether it's successful or not, could you please give me a word?"
"Let me ask Mr. Zibo." Xi Zhong is in his thirties this year. He has thin eyes and fair skin. Judging from his clothes and unkempt beard, as well as his sunken eye sockets,
From the looks of it, his life seems indeed desolate. "All this money, treasures, and cars are mine?"
"Of course!"
"Even if I don't go, according to etiquette, these gifts don't need to be repaid?" Xi Zhicai continued to ask curiously with his hands behind his hands.
"That's right!" Lou Gui nodded helplessly. "So, brother Zhicai, please stop looking at me. If you agree or disagree, please speak frankly."
"To be honest, Mr. Zibo, I... don't know." Xi Zhong spread his hands and smiled.
"I don't know what you mean?" Lou Gui felt the veins on his forehead throbbing. Didn't they agree that one of the two would be hard-working and the other would be knowledgeable about techniques? Then one should be like Wang Xiu and the other like Lu Fan. How could they become
How is it like today?
"Don't know means I don't know." Xi Zhong touched the gold on the tray in front of him and said. "Mr. Zibo, I have been poor for almost thirty years, and I am always dissolute. Although I have Brother Yuanchang's
Recommended, but the gentleman with five senses was willing to send someone to invite me with such generous money and gifts based on just one word. I was still surprised and quite touched... To be fair, people are not grass and trees. Suddenly, in this situation, if
It would be strange not to be moved."
"That……"
"But, as the saying goes, good birds choose trees to roost, and good ministers choose their masters." Xi Zhong turned around with his hands behind his hands and said slowly to the low west wall of his house, which was covered with people watching the excitement. "I
The actor has been in chaos for thirty years, and he doesn't even dare to marry a wife... Of course, no one wants to marry... Don't you just want someone who can truly entrust your ambitions to show off your talents? What if your general is a Jinxiu?
Besides, the people who are in ruins, aren’t they the people I entrusted to them?”
Behind the other party, Lou Gui hesitated to speak.
"Mr. Zibo, being a private person is just like marrying a man and marrying a wife." Xi Zhicai turned around and smiled. "You think, what if the bride only finds out after she gets married that her husband is a gambler like me?
As a drunkard, wouldn’t I have wasted the bride’s youth in vain? And I...if your general is a loser, will I be the one who betrays the master? Do you think I am that kind of person?!"
Lou Gui finally clasped his hands and sighed and said: "Brother Zhicai's words are quite a bit like Legalist magic... Then what do you mean, do you have to wait until my general comes to Yangdi for you to see him in person?
Make a decision?"
"That's not necessary." Xi Zhicai shook his head with his hands behind his hands. "Your general is a chastity-minded general with five senses, and he has just destroyed a hundred thousand Yellow Turban thieves in Changshe. By then, he will be so powerful that he will lead to
Tens of thousands of victorious troops came to Yangzhai City, and they had countless good generals. If I, a prodigal, went to meet him, I would only be sweating profusely and getting confused."
"Then what are you going to do?" Lou Gui couldn't bear it anymore.
"Mr. Zibo, don't be anxious." Xi Zhicai smiled slowly. "I guess you are the confidant of General Wu Guan?"
"Of course!" Lou Zibo said proudly. "Otherwise, why would you send me here?"
"How long has Sir been following your general?" Xi Zhicai continued to ask.
Lou Gui opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly felt lost. After a long while, he answered: "It has been eight or nine years... It seems to be almost ten years! The concubines the old lady gave me have all given birth to three children.
A child."
"So that's it." Xi Zhicai also became serious. "So it seems that Mr. Zibo and your general have a one-two-one relationship?"
"Perhaps!" Lou Gui said with emotion. "I understand what you mean. You want to test me and get a glimpse of my family's personality, right?"
"Not bad." Xi Zhicai nodded.
"But my mind is mostly on the military." Lou Gui shook his head and said. "If you want to talk about the treacherous nature of people's hearts, Dong Gongren must be here; if you want to talk about the analysis of affairs, then Lu Ziheng must be here..."
"It doesn't matter." Xi Zhicai shook his head and said, "Seeing the big from the small does not necessarily mean talking about the general trend of the world or the strength of people's hearts... All this gold, silver, wealth and silk are mine?"
"Of course!" Lou Gui was a little impatient again.
"Does Mr. Zibo know how to play animal cards?" Xi Zhicai smiled again. "The two of us will randomly call a good gambler from the neighbors watching, and I will divide the gold in the money.
Third, I’ll give each of you a share, how about we take a gamble? If you lose all, you don’t need anything else, just keep the gold and leave; and if I lose all, I’ll let Mr. Zibo do whatever he wants!”
Lou Zibo twirled his beard and sneered.
The sky was dark, Gongsun Xun returned to the military tent, and from Cao Cao, Cheng Pu, Gongsun Yue, except for Yang Kai who had taken the lead to capture the Lun clan and Yangcheng, and recruited two people, many military generals had gathered here.
...It turned out that most of the corpses were burned in one day, and the army became a little impetuous, and then they couldn't wait to discuss the matter of moving the entire army to Yangzhai.
"There is no need to stay here for too long." Cao Cao said with a yawn. "The victory or defeat of the battle will be decided in one day. Bo Cai has been crowned, Yang Zhai is also in the hands of our army, and the raids in the south of the county have been carried out by two of them.
General Lang will take it away... In my opinion, although there are some remaining corpses, they are scattered everywhere and are not enough to work for the army. They can be entrusted to local officials such as Changshe, Yangzhai, Yingyin, etc. to mobilize the local people.
Just let the civilians do it. Let’s all break up camp and go to Yangdi to rest and recuperate!”
The rest of the people also spoke one after another, but most of them agreed with Cao Cao's words.
Even Guan Yu, who had never been in line with the mainstream, bluntly said that it was because the weather was too hot, and after a big fight, the soldiers were quite tired... but that might as well be the case.
However, although Gongsun Xun, the only one who can make the decision, hates this place and wants to go to Yangzhai to rest as soon as possible, he can't help but have hesitations and worries. What he worries about is not that these locals will be lazy... After all, it is a matter of life and death.
, I think no one is slacking off... But how long does it take for these local people to gather together? And do they really have that 'scientific' awareness of prevention?
The weather was so hot that the corpse would decompose in two or three days. He, Gongsun Xun, was watching here and asked the sergeants and prisoners to cover their mouths and noses and not to remove the clothes of the corpse. I am afraid that everyone would not dare to disobey, right? But if he is not here
Woolen cloth?
At this thought, Gongsun Xun gritted his teeth and acted alone - according to his military order, the wounded and most of the baggage, the extremely tired cavalry and their horses could go to Yangzhai first, but most of the infantry and a small number of them could go to Yangzhai first.
The cavalry, as well as all able-bodied prisoners, were to remain here, continue to look for corpses, and then burn them on the spot.
Gongsun Xun's prestige in this army is getting stronger and stronger day by day. Since he officially issued the military order, although everyone was dissatisfied, no one dared to complain in public. They just agreed immediately.
And the military discussion ended here.
However, that night, there was a sudden commotion in the army.
"What's the fuss about?" Gongsun Xun was completely confused when he was woken up by Han Dang. After walking out of the military tent, he even became a little angry when facing the generals and generals who came in a hurry. "When will the rewards be less than them, but let them stay longer?"
It’s only for a day or two, why should we make noise at night? Can we be careless about something like the plague?”
"Don't worry, sir." At this moment, the short and fat Dong Zhao rushed over with his clothes on his belly, and he calmed down Gongsun Xun as soon as he spoke from a distance. "It's definitely not our own.
Sergeant, if the king raises his troops like this, and the sergeants still want to cause chaos, how can there be no chaos in the world? In my opinion, there must be rumors among the prisoners."
Not only Gongsun Xun, but everyone woke up immediately.
After leaning for a while, the guard Sima Gongsun Yue found out the whole story and came to report the incident in full armor.
It turned out that, as Dong Zhao had guessed, there were rumors among the prisoners... It was said that after the military meeting, the baggage and cavalry were packing up, and then the fully armed infantry moved to the periphery of the prisoner camp for guarding. At that time
The prisoners were at a loss and had doubts. Later, in accordance with the military order, Wang Xiu sent people to pick out the injured, old and weak among the prisoners, and prepared to set off with the cavalry and baggage tomorrow. Now, the prisoners were even more panicked.
Got it!
However, at that time, the Han army had just fully armed and moved into camp, so they did not dare to discuss it out loud. It was not until night fell that they could not help but talk to each other. After some discussion, they were extremely worried that they would be massacred tomorrow.
, but there is nowhere to escape! That’s why I panic, hold my head and cry, and even make noises and agitate!
"Don't worry, sir." After a while, as more and more people surrounded Gongsun Xun, Cheng Pu finally arrived in full gear. "I have put the camp on guard with weapons and made arrangements...
More than 20,000 unarmed prisoners cannot make waves."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief now.
"Junhou." At this time, Wei Yue behind him suddenly interjected. "With such rebellion and such troubles, why bother to move to Yangzhai for resettlement? Let me tell you, you might as well really cheat, so as not to
future trouble!"
Wei Yue and Wei Zidu were a bastard from a border area, well known in the army, so few people paid attention to what he said, except that Guan Yu narrowed his eyes and glanced at him.
However, just when Gongsun Xun was about to yell and scold him, he suddenly caught a glimpse of someone beside him. Then he couldn't help but feel something in his heart. He turned to the person and asked, "What do you think, Brother Meng De? Do you want a little punishment?"
Cao Cao thought for a moment, but immediately shook his head: "After all, everything happens for a reason, and the killing is too senseless... I think we can pick some of the troublemakers and execute them together according to the group we compiled for the prisoners before!"
"What do Xuande think?" Gongsun Xunfu named another person.
"I..." Liu Bei, who had been silent for a while, thought for a moment, but did not give his own opinion. "I don't know how to deal with it. Please enlighten me."
Gongsun Xun nodded slightly when he heard this, but then slowly shook his head.
The person who nodded was because his inner estimation of Cao Cao and Liu Bei was correct.
Among them, Cao Mengde has quite a Legalist style, but he is not cruel by nature, let alone a natural hero. How could a person think about slaughtering cities and killing prisoners as soon as he goes to the battlefield? In fact, the one his mother said, "I would rather bear the consequences of the world."
Cao Mengde, who said, "Don't let anyone in the world betray me", seems to have been raised by the troubled times and gradually emerged. Liu Bei is also similar. Facing the troubled times that have just begun, he is still very young and clueless and does not even have his own opinions, so
You can only remain silent and choose to learn and observe.
They all still need experience...whether it's positive or negative...but they all have a lot of promise.
As for shaking his head, Gongsun Xun had already made a decision... To be honest, if he was going to take the newly surrendered soldiers for his own use, Gongsun Xun might stage a drama of staying overnight in the surrendered military camp to attract people's hearts. However, this
More than 20,000 people are just prisoners who escaped with their lives because of the presence of remnant soldiers in Yingchuan. Is he crazy for playing this game?
A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall!
"Watch carefully and threaten severely. If anyone escapes, we will kill him without mercy. If you don't cause trouble, don't pay attention to him!" Gongsun Xun ordered Cheng Pu, and then he turned back to the tent and went back to sleep, as if he wanted to continue sleeping.
Everyone was at a loss for a moment.
"What do we care about these prisoners?" Lu Fan suddenly realized and laughed. "Tomorrow they will naturally know that we are not trying to kill them. In a few days, when the imperial decree comes, they will probably have nothing to do with us! Now that Demou has made arrangements
, then all of you should go back to your camps and appease the sergeants of your headquarters!"
Everyone suddenly woke up and returned to camp speechless.
However, after a night of panic, everyone did not sleep well, and when they woke up in the morning, they were often tired. But fortunately, the more than 20,000 captives gradually woke up and settled down. After this, they became more diligent and honest, which made the body collectors
Work has become much easier.
However, there are exceptions, such as Gongsun Xun. He seemed to have slept very well yesterday and only got up calmly at three o'clock in the morning, which is particularly enviable.
"Two pigs!" In Yangzhai City, Lou Zibo, who had not slept all night, his eyes were red, but he calmly threw out two of the five wooden cards.
Xi Zhicai's eyes were red and he was sweating profusely. He looked at the wooden sign in his hand and felt helpless. The neighbor next to him also shook his head repeatedly.
"Two more pigs!" Lou Zibo threw out two more cards.
Xi Zhicai's face turned red this time.
"A cow." Lou Zibo smashed the last card in his hand, and then said calmly, "You two give me the money."
Xi Zhicai looked down at his last piece of gold, pursed his lips and said nothing for a long time, but finally gritted his teeth and pushed the piece of gold out: "Admit your bet and admit defeat."
Upon seeing this, the neighbor quickly threw out a piece of gold, but hurried away holding the remaining five or six pieces of gold.
Lou Zibo turned over and sat down on the bed, opened the window, and under the glare of the sun, he suddenly squinted his eyes, then twisted his beard and turned back, staring at the only person left on the couch. Xi Zhicai, who was shocked by the sight, was forced to
Stay calm and look at the other person calmly.
"I remember Brother Zhicai doesn't have a wife?" Lou Gui suddenly asked an incomprehensible question while twisting his beard.
"Yes, yes!"
"Looking at the situation in your family, it seems that your parents passed away early?" Lou Gui continued to twist his beard and asked.
"Everyone knows." Xi Zhicai couldn't help sweating again on his forehead. "Otherwise, why would I wander so far?"
"Before you...you said yesterday that you were willing to admit defeat and let me do whatever I wanted?" Lou Gui seemed to have not heard the other party's words and continued to ask while twirling his beard, his eyes becoming more and more weird.
"Not bad!" Xi Zhicai managed to reply. "A real man..."
"That's it, here comes someone!" Lou Zibo suddenly shouted. "Tie this rotten gambler to me and put him in a big wooden box... Now carry him with me from the street to the county temple to examine Zhengnan.
Go there!”
Xi Zhicai was stunned, and then stopped talking.
"If it weren't for the unbearable heat and you are weak." Lou Zibo twisted his beard and sneered. "Otherwise, I would have put you in a wooden box and sent you directly to my general... Just be content!"
After saying this, he proudly walked out with his hands behind his back.
But as several names swarmed in, Xi Zhicai started to speak again but stopped.
————I am the dividing line that once again hesitates to speak——————
"In the past, Xun defeated the Yellow Turbans and surrendered tens of thousands. At night, when he was stationed at Changshe, he was suddenly disturbed and started a fire at night, and the whole army was disturbed. Xun said to the left and right: 'Don't move. I treat my soldiers as brothers and sisters, how can you rebel against me?
"The troops must be sent down because of rumors and slight disturbances." So he ordered all the troops to sit down with their weapons and gather under the tent, and then settled down. When things are calm, I know that because the army has moved camp, there is a fear of surrendering the troops.
, there were rumors that they were going to kill each other, so they hugged each other and cried at night, making noises and unrest, and set fire to fight. Everyone obeyed. Shi Cao was the deputy general, and if he violated the rules by surrendering his troops, he could be killed.
In the barracks, they stayed in the middle tent. The generals were stunned and stayed on guard without rest. At dawn, Xun calmly came out of the tent. All the surrendered soldiers kowtowed without rest, fully feeling his virtue. Everyone was convinced." - "Heroes of the Late Han Dynasty". Wang Can
ps: This chapter is in the evening...because I had to go out to do some things at night, so I stayed up late to code it. It's a bit hasty, so please forgive me.
