Upon hearing his uncle's question, Jingze quickly handed over his wine bag.
It stands to reason that drinking alcohol should be strictly prohibited in the military and among officials, but in fact, alcohol has long been a necessity for nobles and officers.
This has nothing to do with enjoyment, but rather means that before boiled water became popular, nobles and military officers wanted to ensure that they could drink water without the risk of getting sick, so generally speaking from experience, they had no choice but to drink alcohol.
Therefore, for a county with two thousand stones, it is normal to always have drinks around. Not to mention that Hebei has just experienced a great epidemic that killed countless people, and at this time, it was trapped in the muddy Julu Ze, with no food at all.
Clean water source.
"You should drink some too." Sure enough, Guo Dian just moistened his throat slightly and handed back the remaining wine bag. "Remember, unless you are extremely thirsty, don't drink the water here. It's really a last resort.
, but also looking for living water to drink..."
Jingze immediately nodded in agreement, then quickly drank a few sips, but carefully tied the seal of the wine bag.
With his back against the edge of the wet mud pond, Guo Dian was pleased to see that his nephew was still very energetic. Then he looked up at the starry sky and sighed softly: "Shenzhen Hengdou Zhuan, Aze, you are a serious disciple of Jingshi Yi."
Successor, you should understand the meaning of this sentence, right?"
"Naturally." Hearing this, Jingze, who still looked young, cheered up a little. "This is a word about the stars in spring. The former means that although Rigel lies across the western sky, it is destined to gradually sink and disappear;
And although the Big Dipper has just appeared from the northeast corner, it has to turn up day by day, hanging high in the north... Such a constellation is in line with the transition between the old and the new at the beginning of the year, and the truth that everything is easy to move."
"That's well said." Guo Dian squinted his eyes and looked at the starry sky above his head. "As the battles turn around, although the old one is tyrannical, it cannot last forever. Although the new one is born, it is destined to change its shape and change its position.
Bei... Actually, the stars are changing, the moon is waxing and waning, these are the principles of heaven and earth, so why should we not see them?"
Jingze heard that something was wrong and quickly comforted him: "Uncle, don't be discouraged. General Zuo Chaqi from the south will definitely send reinforcements as soon as possible. By then we will cooperate internally and externally. Not only can we get out of trouble, but we may also be able to defeat the thieves here!"
"That's right." Guo Dian turned his gaze from the starry sky to his nephew, and then said with a smile. "But it's not that simple. You have to survive tomorrow, or even the day after tomorrow, before you can say these words..."
Seeing that his uncle was still energetic, Jingze immediately breathed a sigh of relief. How could he know anything about military affairs? He was just copying what his uncle had said to encourage the soldiers.
"The reason why I feel sad is because things have changed too fast, which is a bit difficult for an old man like me." Guo Dian continued to sigh with a wry smile. "Although Julu is Zhang Jiao's hometown, I followed General Wei last winter.
When I besieged Quyang, the people in the county were divided into two, and tens of thousands of my disciples were willing to follow me to cross the base first, regardless of life or death. Therefore, although the situation was severe at that time, I never lost my ambition. But now.
?”
Jingze felt sad for a moment when he thought that he was being attacked everywhere along the way and could not find supplies anywhere: "Uncle, if you really can't do it, just resign! Didn't Prime Minister Guo of Pingyuan take the initiative to resign a few days ago? Now?
This situation is all due to the emperor's failure to trust others... He refuses to accept the emperor's orders, there is a war and epidemic, and he insists on collecting money. It is natural that the Han Dynasty has lost the hearts of Hebei people. Why should my uncle bear this blame on the emperor's behalf?"
"I can't resign." Guo Dian shook his head and replied. "It's true that the emperor is unruly and the Han Dynasty has lost all the people's hearts. But it's also true that I have repeatedly received kindness from the Han Dynasty - last year I served as the prefect of Julu, but Zhang Jiao took away all the people.
County, if the emperor did not kill me at that time, I would have already thought of serving the country with all my heart. Just look at it, I will probably be punished if I survive this, whether it is driving into Luo, or whether I am dismissed from office and go home, then there is nothing
That’s enough to say.”
Jingze breathed a sigh of relief again.
"Actually, I have said so much, nothing else, but you..." Guo Junye put his hand on his nephew's shoulder. "I originally thought that the situation was getting better, so I called you from my hometown in Kansai to help me, but now I see
Come on, it's me who has delayed your future and studies."
Jingze immediately laughed, and when he was about to speak, he was stopped by his uncle.
"I have something serious to tell you." Guo Dian suddenly looked solemn. "Whether I continue to hold on in Julu or I am punished by the court, Jizhou is not a good place after all. Our hometown Fufeng is not a good place either. Liliang is there.
The state is too close... When you return to Litao City, you must take good care of your aunt, cousin, and cousin for me! When you see the opportunity, immediately escort them back to their hometown in Kansai. When you return home, sell your property and take them with you.
I will take you and my two clansmen to seek refuge in Shu! Aze, I have been favored by the Han Dynasty and cannot help myself, but you don’t have to...especially you, as a man, you always have to take responsibility."
Jingze quickly knelt down and said yes.
"It's good if you understand this truth." Guo Dian couldn't help laughing. "Go ahead and invite the Wang County Lieutenant from Pingxiang County. I have serious military affairs to discuss with him."
After hearing this, Jingze got up from the muddy ground and was immediately ordered to look for the person. After a while, the county lieutenant who had followed from Pingxiang County in the south of mainland Ze led several soldiers to Guo Dian.
.
"Help me knock him out." Guo Dian sat in the mud pit, leaning against a bulge on the edge of the mud pit, and calmly pointed at his nephew and said to the visitor.
When the Wangxian Lieutenant heard this, he simply knocked Jingze unconscious with the scabbard of his ring-shou sword, who had no idea what his uncle meant.
"Everyone." Seeing his nephew being put down safely, Guo Dian sighed, then managed to straighten up and sit upright in the mud. "As I expected, you are planning to defect to the local bandits outside tomorrow.
Bar?"
"Your Majesty, I see you clearly." In the night, County Lieutenant Wang also knelt down and faced each other with a sword in his hand to show his apology and respect. "There are still more people living in this world who live in an ignoble way... We have nothing to do, so we can't.
I hope you will be happy."
"I understand your difficulties." Guo Dian sighed. "The court requires ten dollars per mu, but the land occupied by the eunuchs is not handed over. The innocent families just pay one time according to their respective acres, and go to the powerful to collect the money.
, it is tantamount to asking you to fight for your lives... go to those gangsters to collect money over and over again? Not to mention that there is no business now and there are many wars. They have already devoted all their efforts to spring plowing, and they have paid every penny.
If you don't come out, even if you are a well-off family, if you do it twice, five times, six times, ten times or eight times, how can you get enough money for what the higher-ups want? So everyone is rebelling, and everything is in chaos. You are caught in the middle, and the top
The oppression and resentment from below have long been unbearable. Now that we are surrounded here again, if we are to be an official and our lives are in danger, it is better to be thieves to survive... Anyway, most of those thieves are your old neighbors, right?"
"Now that things have happened, what's the point of saying this?" By the starlight, Lieutenant Wang raised his hand and used the scabbard in his hand to crush a common crab in the swamp.
He said helplessly, "Don't you still want to stabilize us? Let me tell you, the county prince can safely hide here. We will surrender to the thieves tomorrow. All we have to say is that you found our signs at night and got into the swamp... Let's say goodbye."
, when we meet again, we will be an official and a thief, isn’t it good?”
"That's not what you said." Guo Dian shook his head slowly, his gray hair shaking slightly. "You are the king of a county, but you can't find a way out for the people of the county. In this case, what kind of dignity do you have to keep you? What's the point?
The ministers of the Han Dynasty, instead of talking about losing their troops and losing their lives, sit back and watch their subordinates rebel, how can they have the dignity to pretend that nothing happened?"
As he said that, he slowly leaned over and bowed three times to the soldiers in front of him.
County Lieutenant Wang and others were stunned for a moment, but then they soon realized and felt somewhat sad: "The Lord has left alone, why is this happening?"
"Everyone, there is a reason for these three obeisances." Guo Dian stood up and spoke again. "One is that I am the king of a county, but I can't let you live in peace. I feel ashamed, so I bow to you to apologize."
; The other one is that I hope you can help me take this nephew out of Juluze... He lost his father when he was young, and my sister has only him as an only son. I will die if I die, but I really can't bear to let him die at a young age.
Here, I am being swallowed by snakes and insects...so I pray for the grace of survival; the last one is that as the king of a county, with a position of two thousand stones, I am an important minister of the country after all, and I will never let you cut off my head to intimidate the four directions.
Please be sure to keep my whole body."
After saying this, Guo Dian managed to get up with his sword, faced Rigel in the west, which was also the direction of Luoyang, and the direction of his hometown in Kansai. He killed himself with a sword, and then fell into the reed pond behind him.
He was forty-three years old.
From the king's county captain down, everyone bowed down and kowtowed.
The next day, in order to prevent fish and shrimps from eating them, Wang County Lieutenant burned half of the reed pond with a fire before setting off with Jingze who was tightly tied up. Then he went to meet his fellow villagers. Because they had done something like this
The county captain came with dozens of armored warriors, so he was elected as the leader by the local bandits in Pingxiang who surrounded Juluze.
Although the Wang county lieutenant did not dare to shirk, he still had some fear of the imperial court, so he concealed his name and called himself Ku Ku. He rose up in a serious way and gave Jizhou another bandit with a surname.
And within a few days, probably after Wang County Lieutenant had just released the lost Jingze, news came. Suddenly, news came that a Boling native named Zhang Niujiao took up the banner of the successor of Taiping Tao and traveled all the way from Mount Tai.
Passing through the plains, Anping came to Julu with great momentum. It was said that they wanted to conquer Julu County Zhili Tao and rebuild Huangtian!
Kuji, who had no clue at all, immediately set off, just like the big and small bandits in Jizhou, just like a stream flowing into Juluze, he directly led everyone to defect to Zhang Niujiao.
Jingze, who had just returned to Litao, had not had time to follow his uncle's last words and take his aunt, cousin, and cousin back to his hometown to escape the chaos. He was once again surrounded by countless bandits, including the Kuji who had just released him.
Entering the city... Jingze, who claimed to be the direct descendant of the Yi family of the Jing family, felt that what he had learned was a joke.
Under the general trend, the fate of individuals is of course ridiculous.
Another person who was also made a joke by the general situation and fate was Chu Yan, the leader of Liao Tao.
This bandit leader who was supposed to appear outside the city in history was actually arranged by Gongsun Xun to be the guard of Litao City due to a mistake a few years ago. Then he was terrified when facing tens of thousands of bandits outside the city... The county
Cheng pushed everything to him.
In theory, this city is easy to defend because there is Huangfu Song in Jizhou. Chu Yan knew very well that as long as the Zuo Chaqi General broke out of the quagmire of bandits and led his elite troops to the city, the city would
Such a rabble will inevitably be defeated in one battle.
But it was not easy to defend, because facing so many bandits and the unstable people in the city, Chu Yan didn't know if he could survive until Huangfu Song's arrival.
Really...why?
Starting from his youth, he, Chu Yan, had been a bandit for so many years, cautiously fearing that he would be destroyed by the army; but now, after he had fought hard and worked hard to become the county magistrate, the world suddenly changed!
Why? Nowadays, officials have to be cautious, but being a thief has become an aboveboard matter?
With inexplicable fear about the situation, Chu Yan, who was in charge of city defense, welcomed an old friend of Zhao State on top of the city.
"Have you also become a thief?" After the screen retreated, Chu Yan was speechless in the turret where the soldiers on duty usually rested. "It's true that you are a serious successor of Taiping Taoism, and you are a disciple of Zhang Jiao, but that day Zhang Jiao
You have never rebelled against such great power, but now that the Yellow Turban Army has been wiped out, how come you have become a thief instead?"
The thin-looking Zhang Sheng laughed dryly, and then couldn't help but move his wrists that were tied when he entered the city: "County Magistrate Chu asked this question, do you really not know the reason? I have no other aspirations in life.
I just want my followers to be safe... When the Great Teacher rebelled, most of my followers were able to survive. Plus, the fat man Dong Zhao had strict supervision, so it was naturally difficult for him to be a thief. But now, there are so many rogue leaders.
Wherever I live, how can I watch them being swept away by the epidemic and then forced to death by the officials and starved to death?"
Chu Yan shook her head and asked, "Didn't you ask Lieutenant Dong?"
"Please, it's no use." Zhang Sheng spread his hands and said. "There are bandits and chaos everywhere, and he is also very worried. Besides, you also know that he has a fat face and a dark heart. He doesn't know how to protect himself from me.
What would this remnant of the Yellow Turban do to cause trouble, so I hurriedly led the believers out of Zhao State to look for the horns... He is indeed a disciple of the great virtuous master, the former Qingzhou Yellow Turban Commander Qu, and I have an old relationship."
Chu Yan sighed, then sat on the couch and nodded slightly, as if to express understanding.
"Present the city!" After introducing his origin, Zhang Sheng directly stated his intention. "If General Wei was in Hebei, I would naturally not drag you into trouble like this, but now General Wei is in Hanoi, and Dong Zhao is
The black-hearted fat man will not care whether you or I live or die..."
"It's useless to offer the city!" Chu Yan raised his head and sneered after hearing this. "Although this Qitao City is a county government, it is not a big city. It is not as good as Xiaquyang in the north and Guangzong in the south... When General Zuo Cheqi's army comes, this city will
If it changes hands, it will be taken away."
"So what?" Zhang Sheng responded proudly. "As long as we enter the city and kill the few Zhao children who have just returned, then the hundreds of thousands of bandits in Hebei will be our main ones."
"We?" Chu Yan was startled.
"I have been in contact with Zhang Niujiao in his early years." Zhang Sheng said. "He is ignorant and generous, as evidenced by his immediate failure after the uprising in Qingzhou. And you are good at fighting, and I am the direct descendant of the great virtuous master, so you and I join forces.
, you can easily take over other people’s authority.”
"What's the use of taking it?" Chu Yan was speechless and threw up his sleeves directly on the couch. "Although I am also worried that the city will be suddenly destroyed and I will be guilty...but what is the future of being a thief? I was a great teacher back then.
There were hundreds of thousands of people, but I saw with my own eyes that General Wei defeated them easily, how could you and I be stronger than the Great Master?"
"This moment is the same as that moment." Zhang Sheng stepped forward and said calmly. "Hebei is full of bandits now, and they can't be wiped out. Even Governor Guo was so exhausted that he died without seeing his body, let alone others? Huangfu Song was certainly a famous general for a while.
, won't the situation be exhausted now? Moreover, Hebei is not without a place to hide after defeat. Isn't the Taihang Mountain, which stretches for thousands of miles, the place where you used to roam and dominate? If it is backed by the mountain, the imperial court will not be able to suppress it.
If you move, then maybe you can take the initiative to ask for surrender and change to a better background..."
Chu Yan was at a loss for a moment... because this was exactly the best ending he had imagined when he was young. However, the key problem is that he is already an official at this time?! Why do he still need to take the curve to become an official?
Of course, Chu Yan soon laughed like a self-mockery - now he was surrounded in the city, and he was in danger. Once the city was broken, his life would be in danger, and even if he survived after the city was broken, the court would also have to
Cure him for his loss of land.
But if it's a city offering, no matter what, the Taihang Mountains, which are thousands of miles away, are to the west, so there can always be someone useful to figure it out."
After all, Chu Yan is used to being a bandit.
"How?" Zhang Sheng kept asking.
"I feel like I have failed General Wei." Chu Yan still shook her head gently.
"How does General Wei know what kind of life we are living in Jizhou?" Zhang Sheng asked sadly. "Did your second son die of the epidemic? My eldest son also... he was obviously very careful."
Chu Yan felt sad for a moment, but after a while, he suddenly raised his head:
"Is Zhang Niujiao really generous?"
March of the second year of Zhongping.
Because of Chu Yan and Zhang Sheng, Litao City was not as reluctantly defended as it was in another time and space. Zhang Niujiao easily attacked the city, killed the clansmen of Zhao Zhong, who was a regular servant in the city, defeated the county government, and once again
The banner of the Yellow Turban Army was raised.
In despair, facing the Kuju who rushed into the city first, in order to save his family, Jingze could only hold up the banner of Kuju and become a thief... Fortunately, Wangxian Lieutenant felt guilty and accepted him again.
Of course, this small turbulence under the general trend is not enough to change the real current events. As all smart people imagined, Huangfu Song soon led his troops to come, regained the city in one battle, and defeated this rabble.
Zhang Niujiao was completely defeated and was forced to lead his people to the Taihang Mountains.
However, halfway through, he suddenly died from an arrow wound, and then naturally handed over his power to Zhang Sheng, who was also Zhang Jiao's direct descendant.
Zhang Sheng recommended Chu Yan again on the grounds that he was not good at fighting. Chu Yan changed his surname to Zhang and led his troops back to Taihang in the west. He used the Zishan Mountain where he used to live as his banner and was named the Zishan Bandit.
At the same time, some of Zhang Niujiao's old troops were dissatisfied with Chu Yan, so they elected a Hanoi leader named Yu Du who had defected to Zhang Niujiao very early. Yu Du led his troops south and went straight to Chaoge, his hometown in Hanoi.
.However, as soon as he entered the country, he was attacked head-on by Chaoge's order Guan Yu and General Wei's Sima Han, who led the county soldiers, county soldiers, and Baima Yicong together!
Yu Du's subordinates were scattered, and he led only a few hundred people to flee to the Black Mountains in Hanoi. From then on, he was called the Black Mountain Bandits.
Of course, whether it is a black mountain or a purple mountain, this is a story for another day.
As far as the battle was concerned that day, fortunately, Guan Yu was not a man who killed indiscriminately. Therefore, as Yu Du deliberately went here, Jingze reported his origins in time, and then unexpectedly, he finally brought his uncle's family with him.
He turned the corner and barely survived.
"So, Guo Jun is indeed dead?" Gongsun Xun, who was about to go to Chaoge to deal with the aftermath, met Jingze and his party on the way. He first went to see Guo Dian's widow and children, and then came out to see Jingze.
But he was already mentally prepared.
"Yes." Jingze fell on the ground, inevitably crying for a moment.
"Guo Jun and I have an old relationship." Standing by the roadside, Gongsun Xun was really a little numb at this time. "You can serve your aunt and go to Huai County to live in peace. After a while, I will report to the central government for Guo Jun."
Ask for grace and go back to your hometown to settle down!"
Jingze was naturally grateful and kowtowed in thanks.
"I still don't know your name." Only then did Gongsun Xun think about asking the other party's name.
"Jingze, the word Youxi..." Jingze said sadly. "I lost my father when I was young, so this is the name given by my uncle."
"It is said in the Book of Changes that there is no unreasonable disease, and there is no need for medicine to bring happiness." Wang Xiu, who was following Gongsun Xun, couldn't help but sigh a little. "This word is similar to "Qu Ji", "Qu disease", and I think Guo Fujun is the same.
I regard you as my own son and hope you will live in peace for a long time."
Jingze burst into tears more and more.
"This word is indeed good..." Gongsun Xun also gave a rare sneer after hearing the explanation. "March is about to end, and April is coming. I use this word, and I hope there will be more good news in the future!"
Everyone said yes.
Immediately, the two sides said goodbye on the road. Jingze naturally served his aunt and took his young cousins to Huai County. Gongsun Xun also mounted his horse and led everyone in the curtain to continue to Chaoge.
However, halfway through, another messenger hurriedly caught up with him.
"If the imperial court sent an envoy from Xiyuan to urge for additional taxes, there would be no need to retaliate!" Gongsun Xun was in a bad mood and said directly from a distance on his horse. "Since Hanoi is so close, we can do it two or three times a day. Don't you bother me?"
?!"
"It's not the envoy from the Central and Western Gardens!" The messenger came at a gallop, sweating profusely, and dismounted from his horse, but only came up and reported a sentence. "Lü Changshi asked me to call the prince to return quickly, saying that Sima Shuyi is dead.
.”
"Sima Shuyi is dead?" Gongsun Xun did not turn around for a moment. "Didn't he do well during the epidemic before? I remember that the imperial court also recruited him to serve as an official..."
"It's suicide." The visitor took a deep breath, then lowered his head and said. "He committed suicide in Mengjin. Before his death, he summoned Sima Lang to go there. After his death, he sent a message to the county government, saying that he had left something for the prince to take care of.
Disposal."
Gongsun Xun didn't take it seriously and turned his horse's head back. However, before he could take more than two steps, he looked at Zhao Zi who was stunned and speechless with trembling lips... This was Sima Zhi's student... and then he suddenly realized:
"Hey, my uncle is dead!"
————I am the dividing line between life and death————
"Guo Dian, whose courtesy name is Junye, was the prefect of Julu in the early Zhongping Dynasty. He was responsible for fighting against the Yellow Turban incident and was always on good terms with Taizu. In the second year, thieves appeared in Jizhou. They were innumerable. The big ones were 20,000 to 30,000, and the small ones were six.
Seven thousand people went to fight against thieves and fell into Julu Ze. They looked at the stars at night and saw Rigel passing to the west and the Big Dipper about to rise. Knowing that the destiny of heaven was about to change, he summoned his nephew and said: "Betelgeuse is turning around, the sun, moon and stars are moving."
, The world is about to change. However, as a Han official, I cannot protect its land; as a commander, I cannot care for its people, and I will die. After my death, I must protect my family and go to Hanoi, so that I can be safe.' Nephew
I knelt down and wept and followed his words. I met Taizu in Hanoi, and I was sure to be saved." - "Jiu Yan Shu". Biography of Du Xing Xing
