Chapter Three Hundred and Twenty-Three Clearing Up the Remnants
After listening to Wang Ba's introduction, Liu Xiu pondered for a moment and said: "In that case, I can meet this person!"
Wang Ba said: "Lord, I'm going to find Ji Zun and come here!"
"Okay." Liu Xiu nodded in agreement.
The longer the battle lasted, the more blood stuck to his hands, and Liu Xiu's murderous intention became less serious than before.
In the past, after Liu Xiu captured a city, he would kill all the officials in the city without ceremony, but now, he rarely does this anymore.
Too many people have died on the battlefield, and indiscriminate killing can easily lead to innocent people dying.
As an official in Xiangcheng, Ji Zun's survival is attributable to Liu Xiu's current benevolent policies.
Ji Zun is already in his early thirties, but he looks like he is still under thirty. He is very energetic and handsome.
His face was as white as jade, his eyebrows were clear, his figure was slender, and his demeanor was graceful. Liu Xiu's first impression when he saw Ji Zun was that he had the air of a gentleman.
While Liu Xiu was sizing up Ji Zun, Ji Zun was also sizing up Liu Xiu. Liu Xiu was much younger than he thought, only in his twenties, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a straight nose. He was a very handsome young man.
What surprised Ji Zun was that Liu Xiu could not see the unruliness and brutality of ordinary rebels, but instead had the gentleness and elegance of a scholar.
Liu Xiu's first impression of Ji Zun was very good, and Ji Zun's first impression of Liu Xiu was also very good.
The two of them looked at each other for a very short time. Ji Zun took the lead in bowing his hands and saluting, saying: "The little man Ji Zun, courtesy name Di Sun, pays homage to General Liu!"
Liu Xiu waved his hand and said with a smile: "There is no need to be polite when offering sacrifices to Mr."
"Thank you, General Liu!" Ji Zun straightened his body. Just as Wang Ba described, Ji Zun's figure was neither burly nor tall. On the contrary, he was thin and weak, giving people a sense of weakness.
It’s hard to imagine that such a weak-looking scholar would dare to kill a county official with a sword. You really can’t tell a person’s face!
Liu Xiu sighed in his heart and said, "What does Mr. Ji think of Li Wen and Jia Xuan?"
"A greedy, selfish villain!" Ji Zun answered simply without thinking.
Liu Xiu asked curiously: "Since Mr. Ji thinks that Li Wen and Jia Xuan are villains, why do you still work under them?"
"Firstly, villains have to support their families and make a living. Secondly, Li Wen and Jia Xuan are not unique to Xiangcheng. They can be found everywhere in the world. Even if villains go elsewhere, they will still encounter them.
Two Li Wen and Jia Xuan."
Ji Zun looked directly at Liu Xiu and said seriously.
Liu Xiu was very satisfied with Ji Zun's answer. He did not hide his secrets and expressed his helplessness. He nodded and asked casually: "Mr. Ji, do you think our army will be permanently stationed in Xiangcheng?"
"
Ji Zun's eyes flashed. Liu Xiu's question was really difficult for Ji Zun to answer. If he told the truth, he was afraid of arousing Liu Xiu's fear. If he didn't tell the truth, he might make Liu Xiu feel that he
No talent or ability.
Ji Zun answered all other questions fluently, but when it came to this question, Ji Zun suddenly got stuck. After Liu Xiu thought about it for a while, he understood his concerns and said cheerfully: "Mr. Ji Zun, it doesn't matter, Xiu."
Although he is not talented, he is not a jealous person."
Ji Zun took a deep breath and said bluntly: "General Liu will not be stationed in Xiangcheng permanently."
"Oh? Why did Mr. Matsuri say that?"
"Wang Mang assembled hundreds of thousands of troops in Luoyang and was eyeing Nanyang. At this time, the Han army divided his forces to attack Yingchuan. There were only two possibilities, either to leave a retreat for Nanyang, or to introduce the Mang army into Yingchuan. Whether it was
In any case, the Han army will not be satisfied with the status quo after only capturing a few cities in Yingchuan. If the villain guessed correctly, General Liu will probably use troops against the county and city next..."
Hey! Ji Zun is so powerful, he can actually guess his own deployment clearly. Ma Wu present subconsciously stared at Wang Ba, wondering if he had revealed his side's information to Ji Zun first.
Wang Ba glared back at Ma Wu fiercely, as if to say, are you doubting my character?
Liu Xiu deliberately showed disapproval, shook his head and said: "Mr. Ji is too confident! Our army is going north alone, so we need to fight more steadily. Xiangcheng is not close to the county seat. Even if our army wants to go to war, we should attack the nearby ones first.
Fucheng or Yingyang is the right place!"
Ji Zun said bluntly: "My father's city is located in a remote place. We need people and no one, and we need food but no food. It is a complete waste of time and force to send troops to attack. If we can't defeat it, we will lose all our money. If we defeat it, we will only increase the number of people."
The burden of the Han army. As for Yingyang, it is even more impossible. Yingyang has Yingshui as a support. To attack Yingyang, a naval force is needed. But as far as I know, General Liu has cavalry under his command and no naval force."
Therefore, it is impossible for the Han army to attack Fucheng or Yingyang. There is only one possibility, which is to attack the county city.
Liu Xiu nodded secretly and glanced at Wang Ba with admiration. The talent recommended by Uncle Yuan was really extraordinary. He had a thorough mind and a unique and far-sighted vision. Although he was only a small county official, he was already quite talented.
The style of a general.
"I wonder what Mr. Ji thinks of our Han army?"
Ji Zun's face straightened up and he said in a loud voice: "As Wang Mang got older, his government became more and more stupid and unruly. Excessive taxes and miscellaneous taxes were imposed one after another. Starvation and death were everywhere, and the people were in dire straits. The people of the world have been thinking about the Han Dynasty for a long time. The Han army in Nanyang elected the Han Emperor. See
It seems to be hasty and reckless, but in fact, it is to obey the way of heaven and the people's will. I am not talented, but I am willing to contribute my modest efforts to the Han Dynasty!" As he spoke, he knelt down and kowtowed forward.
Ji Zun is not a person who is content with the status quo. He really wants to make a difference in troubled times. Otherwise, with his family background, he does not need to hold an official position in the county government and can live a comfortable life relying on his ancestral business.
good.
Liu Xiu stood up, walked to Ji Zun, and asked: "If I let Mr. Ji be the magistrate of Xiangcheng, will Mr. Ji be able to govern Xiangcheng well?"
Ji Zun said: "I am willing to follow the general and join the army!"
Haha! Liu Xiu was delighted. It seemed that Ji Zun didn't even think highly of the official position of Xiangcheng County Magistrate.
He looked at Ji Zun happily, and after a moment, he bent down, reached out to hold Ji Zun's arm, helped him up, and said softly: "Do small things first, and then plan for big things. What do you think, Mr. Ji Zun?"
?”
The implication is that you have to let me see that you can do small things first, instead of just talking.
Ji Zun could naturally hear the underlying meaning of Liu Xiu's words. He bowed and said, "The villain will obey the general's arrangements!"
Wang Ba reminded him meaningfully: "Brother Di Sun, you should change your name to lord!"
Just now, when Ji Zun said that he was willing to serve the Han Dynasty in a small way, he felt that it was inappropriate. There were also factions within the Han army. His lord and Gengshi Emperor Liu Xuan obviously belonged to two factions.
Ji Zun's mind was clear, and he knew it at a glance. After hearing Wang Ba's reminder, he immediately changed his mind and said: "Lord!"
Liu Xiu smiled and said: "Di Sun, a former Xiangcheng County soldier, has taken many captives. It is difficult to distinguish between loyal and treacherous people. Can you possibly select the loyal ones among them and use them for our army?"
Ji Zun didn't even hesitate, he raised his hands and said, "My lord, my subordinates will definitely fulfill their mission!"
"Okay! I'll leave this matter to Di Sun!"
Liu Xiu had only 3,000 soldiers and horses under his command. He was going to attack the county town. It was impossible to divide his troops and stay in Xiangcheng. However, Xiangcheng could not be guarded without troops, so Liu Xiu could only recruit soldiers from among the captured county soldiers.
It's just that this is not easy to do. It is difficult to distinguish between the recruited county soldiers who sincerely want to join the Han army and those who are hypocritical and have ulterior motives.
Ji Zun is an official in Xiangcheng, and he knows better about the situation of the county soldiers.
Facts have proved that Ji Zun did not disappoint Liu Xiu. In the afternoon of that day, Ji Zun handed Liu Xiu a list. He selected more than 1,000 prisoners from the 2,000 county soldiers.
There were six bundles of bamboo slips in the list alone. Liu Xiu picked up a bundle and unfolded it. It was densely packed with names of people. He briefly looked at some, then put down the bamboo slips, looked at Ji Zun, and asked: "Di Sun, these people
Can everyone be trusted?"
Ji Zun said: "I can't guarantee that everything will go wrong, but at least 90% of them are trustworthy!"
"Oh? Di Sun, tell me, how did you choose the person?" Liu Xiu asked with great interest.
Ji Zun told Liu Xiu his idea of selecting people in detail.
Among the 2,000 county soldiers and prisoners, veteran Youzi was the first to be eliminated, and those from wealthy families were eliminated by him. After many rounds of selection, only these 1,000 people were left.
These more than a thousand county soldiers were basically recruits recruited temporarily from Xiangcheng. They had no choice but to join the army because of their poor family background and because they could no longer take the blame.
These recruits were not very loyal to the imperial court, and even in their hearts, they were extremely dissatisfied with the imperial court. To win these people over to join the Han army, Ji Zun believed that most of them could be trusted.
Hearing what Ji Zun said, Liu Xiu nodded repeatedly. When he finished speaking, Liu Xiu smiled and sighed: "Di Sun's selection is very reasonable!"
While they were talking, Yao Qi came in from the outside, stepped in and saluted Liu Xiu, and said: "My lord, Li Wen, the hiding place of the remnants of Jia Xuan has been found out!"
Liu Xiu's eyes suddenly lit up, he stood up and asked, "Where are they hiding?"
"Tian Yan's Mansion!"
Ji Zun frowned secretly. Tian Yan was one of the nobles in Xiangcheng. Li Wen and Jia Xuan did have close personal relations with Tian Yan during their lifetimes. Unexpectedly, after the deaths of Li Wen and Jia Xuan, Tian Yan was so bold that he even
The remnants of the party who dared to harbor the two of them.
Liu Xiu squinted his eyes and said faintly: "So it's hidden in Tian's mansion!" He had always been a bit polite to the nobles, but this time, Tian Yan undoubtedly stepped on his bottom line.
Yao Qi said: "Lord, my subordinates will immediately send people to search the Tian Mansion!"
Liu Xiu thought for a moment, waved his hand to Yao Qi, turned around and asked Ji Zun: "Di Sun, can the county soldiers you selected fight?"
Hearing this, Ji Zun immediately understood what Liu Xiu meant. The lord wanted to use the incident of raiding the Tian Mansion to test his own achievements.
He bowed his hands and saluted, and said: "I am willing to lead the county soldiers to search the Tianfu and never let a single remnant escape!"
Liu Xiu said: "Let Di Sun handle the matter of raiding the Tian Mansion!"
Ji Zun took the order and left. Liu Xiu, who had not yet stayed at the county government office, took Ma Wu, Yao Qi and others to Tian Mansion with Ji Zun.
There was no need to bring more than a thousand county soldiers to raid Tian Mansion, as such a large number of people could not be used. Ji Zun led 500 county soldiers. After arriving at Tian Mansion, he immediately ordered to surround Tian Mansion.
These county soldiers who had just surrendered to the Han army were much more energetic than those under Li Wen and Jia Xuan. From a glance, they were all full of energy. Following Ji Zun's order, the people dispersed,