There were two more women in Liu Xiu's team, Xi Cheying and Shi Luo. Originally there was only one carriage, but now it has become two carriages.
Xu Xiling and her maid rode in one carriage, while Xi Cheying, Shi Luo and a maid rode in another carriage.
The group of them continued to travel north.
Liu Xiu's original route was to go east first, enter Chenliu in Yanzhou, and then cross the Yellow River north. Now that Xi Cheying and Shi Luo joined him, Liu Xiu had to change his route and first cross the Yellow River north, and then head east.
The Yellow River is like a dividing line. The forces of the Gengshi imperial court are all south of the Yellow River, and there is no involvement in the north of the Yellow River.
Luoyang is located on the edge of the Yellow River. On the other side of it is the Hanoi area, which was the former Hanoi County. Hanoi and Hedong are a large fertile plain area, which can be called the country's grain-producing center.
After successfully crossing the Yellow River, Liu Xiu and others headed north to Huai County.
Before Hanoi was merged into Sili, it was a county, and Huai County was the county seat. After being merged into Sili, Huai County was still prosperous.
After arriving at Huai County, Liu Xiu held a staff and rode a horse in front.
When the soldiers guarding the city gate in Huaicheng saw Liu Xiu, they didn't know who Liu Xiu was. They stepped forward one after another, looked him up and down, and asked cautiously: "Sir, who are you?"
Liu Xiu said: "I, Liu Xiu, have been ordered by the emperor to perform great Sima affairs and come to Huai County to appease me!"
The soldiers didn't know what kind of official was responsible for the affairs of the Grand Sima, but they had all heard of Liu Xiu's name.
The Battle of Kunyang shocked the whole country. This battle also made Liu Xiu famous all over the world. When they heard that it was Liu Xiu, the soldiers were shocked. One of the soldiers bowed their hands to Liu Xiu and said: "General Liu, please wait here.
I will go back to the city and report to the county magistrate!"
After saying this, the soldier ran into the city gate at full speed.
Liu Xiu and others waited at the city gate for half an hour. A large group of officials wearing Han official uniforms came out from the city gate.
After seeing the clothes of these officials clearly, Liu Xiu and others secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Since the Huaicheng officials were all wearing Han official uniforms, it meant that they were willing to surrender to the imperial court.
Sure enough, the county magistrate and county lieutenant of Huai County took the lead to approach Liu Xiu. They both knelt down and kowtowed forward. The officials who followed also knelt down on the ground. Looking around, they saw a large area of black people kneeling down.
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The county magistrate said: "Chai Qing, the magistrate of Huai County, I didn't know that I came to comfort you, but I missed you from a distance. Please forgive me!"
"There is no need to be polite, Magistrate Chai!" Liu Xiu got off his horse, took the staff, walked up to Chai Qing, stretched out his hand to help him up, then waved to the other officials and said, "Everyone, please get up!"
"Thank you, Sir!" All the officials from the county government stood up one after another. Huai County belongs to Sili and is very close to Luoyang. Although it is separated by the Yellow River, the news here is quite good.
At present, Wang Mang is dead and the Xinmang court has been destroyed. It is replaced by the Gengshi court. The Gengshi emperor and the magistrate of Huai County, Chai Qing, have already submitted a form of submission to the Gengshi court and expressed their willingness to submit. Now Liu Xiu comes to Huai County on behalf of the court.
Chai Qing naturally did not dare to show any slightness.
He turned sideways, waved his hand and said, "Sir, please come to the city!"
"Please, Magistrate Chai!"
Accompanied by Chai Qing and county officials, Liu Xiu and his party entered Huaicheng City. Huaicheng is a large city with a large population and a prosperous scene. Even if it is not as good as Luoyang, it is much better than towns in other places.
At this time, many people were standing on both sides of the streets in Huaicheng. People were stretching their necks to see what the legendary Liu Xiu looked like.
Liu Xiu, Zhu You, Yao Qi, Feng Yi, Wang Ba and others all wore similar clothes. They were all Han-style officials. The common people could not tell who was who and could only guess based on it.
Some people pointed at the tall, majestic-looking Yao Qi and said he was Liu Xiu, others pointed at the calm and mature Feng Yi and said he was Liu Xiu, and some said Zhu You and Wang Ba were Liu Xiu, but few people said Liu Xiu. It belongs to Liu Xiu.
The main reason is that Liu Xiu was young, well-mannered, and elegant in every gesture. It was really difficult for people to associate him with Liu Xiu, who dared to fight hundreds of thousands of reckless troops with only three thousand men. .
Liu Xiu and his entourage were invited into the county mansion. Chai Qing was in the county mansion and had already arranged a banquet.
Chai Qing and the county officials didn't take it seriously when Liu Xiu saw women's family members in his team. Liu Xiu's visit to Hebei was a long journey, so it was normal for him to bring his family members along with him.
During the meal, Liu Xiu asked Chai Qing about the situation in Huai County in detail. Liu Xiu's trip was not only to appease the officials, but also to appease the officials, abolish Wang Mang's legal system, and restore the Han system.
Chai Qing did not dare to hide anything and told Liu Xiu everything about the situation in Huai County.
Liu Xiu nodded while listening and said: "In the past, prisoners who violated Wang Mang's illegal laws had to be retried according to Han law. If they did not violate Han law, they should be released."
When Chai Qing heard this, his face straightened, he cupped his hands and said, "I will immediately send someone to re-examine all cases in the county."
Liu Xiu was very satisfied with Chai Qing's attitude. After the meal, he asked to check the county government's accounts, household registration and other files. These files were the top secrets of a county, and not everyone could see them if they wanted to. .
Now that Liu Xiu had the opportunity to see these things under the guise of appeasement, how could he let go of such a good opportunity?
Chai Qing had no doubt that he had it. When he heard that Liu Xiu wanted to check the files, he immediately agreed without any hesitation.
In the afternoon of that day, Liu Xiu went through all the tax, grain harvest, household registration and other information of Huai County in the county government. He finally came to the conclusion that the Hanoi area was a must-win area for military strategists.
No matter who it is, as long as they can occupy the Hanoi area, their logistics and food supplies will basically be fully guaranteed.
That night, Liu Xiu and his party stayed at the inn in Huaicheng. As soon as Liu Xiu returned to his room, there was a knock on the door. Liu Xiu opened the door and took a look. Standing outside was Long Yuan.
Liu Xiu looked at him in confusion. Long Yuan walked to Liu Xiu and whispered: "My lord, Magistrate Chai County has just sent two women."
Hearing this, Liu Xiu was startled, and after thinking for a moment, a look of understanding appeared on his face.
This Chai Qing, seeing that he had women with him, must have regarded him as a lecher, so he had two women brought to him on this late night.
Seeing Liu Xiu's half-smiling expression, Long Yuan said, "Master, I'll send them away." As he spoke, he turned to leave. Liu Xiu stopped Long Yuan, shook his head and said, "Don't go. Let Xi Ling go."
A person who travels with his female family members will indeed leave a lustful impression on others. If Liu Xiu drives away the girl sent by Chai Qing, Chai Qing will definitely be suspicious.
It would be different if Xu Xiling did it. Chai Qing would only think that it was jealousy between women and wouldn't think much about it.
In fact, it was pretty much what Liu Xiu expected.
When Chai Qing heard that the two girls he sent to the inn were kicked out, he couldn't help but be startled. Those two girls were carefully selected by himself. They were both outstanding in appearance and talent. Liu Xiu would not like it. ?
The person who handled the matter told in detail that Liu Xiu had not seen the two girls at all. As soon as they entered the inn, they were stopped by the woman next to Liu Xiu and sent away.
After hearing this, Chai Qing suddenly realized, smiled knowingly, and whispered softly: "It turns out that there is a jealous person beside you!"
The next morning, Liu Xiu and others had just had breakfast and were preparing to leave Huaicheng. Two people rushed to the inn after a long journey. Everyone knew these two people. When they saw their arrival, Liu Xiu also had a look on his face. smile.
These two people were Deng Yu and Gai Yan. After Liu Yan's death, Liu Yan's army was taken over by Wang Kuang, and Deng Yu became Wang Kuang's subordinate. Later, Liu Xiu's army was disbanded, and Gai Yan also moved to Under Wang Kuang's command.
Recently, Deng Yu and Gai Yan heard the news that Liu Xiu was ordered to pacify Hebei, and they could no longer stay in Wang Kuang's army. They met and discussed that their lord was going to Hebei, so they still stayed What are you doing here?
The two of them found an opportunity, and without even saying hello, they ran away from Wang Kuang's army, crossed the Yellow River, and pursued them to Huaicheng. As a result, Liu Xiu and his party were overtaken by them. .
After listening to what they said, Zhu You couldn't help laughing and said: "If Wang Kuang knew that Zhong Hua and Ju Qing escaped secretly and followed their lord to Hebei, Wang Kuang's nose would probably be crooked with anger. Think about it. It’s all very satisfying!”
Everyone around them laughed when they heard this. Gai Yan asked with a worried look on his face: "Zhonghua and I came secretly to join the lord. Will it bring trouble to the lord?"
Liu Xiu smiled disapprovingly, waved his hand and said, "It doesn't matter."
If he planned to work in the Gengshi court with peace of mind, the actions of Deng Yu and Gai Yan would indeed bring him big trouble. Wang Kuang, who had become a prince, was not something he, the Marquis of Wu Xin, could afford to offend.
But Liu Xiu didn't want to work for Liu Xuan at all, and worked with Wang Kuang and others. These people were the murderers of his eldest brother. He didn't have the chance before, so that was it. Now that he had the chance, how could he give up? ?
Deng Yu obviously understood Liu Xiu's state of mind better.
He said with a smile: "During this journey, Ju Qing has been whispering in my ear whether it will bring trouble to the lord. I kept saying no, but Ju Qing didn't believe it. Now the lord also said the same, Ju Qing should do it anyway. Are you relieved?"
Gai Yan grinned, scratched his head, and giggled. Liu Xiu looked at Gai Yan and then at Deng Yu, feeling filled with emotion and said, "This trip to Hebei is going to be dangerous!"
Although they received courtesy here in Huai County, it does not mean that the rest of the trip will be the same as here in Huai County.
After all, Huai County belongs to Sili and is considered a peripheral area of the capital. It is very close to the imperial court and does not dare to blatantly resist the imperial court.
But once you arrive in Hebei, or to be more precise, once you enter Jizhou, it's hard to predict what will happen.
There are uprising armies and rebel armies all over Jizhou, and all counties and counties are also supporting their own troops. The future of this trip is uncertain, and any kind of danger may be encountered.
Everyone's expressions became serious and they said in unison: "Lord, we know!"
Liu Xiu looked around at everyone and said word by word: "We haven't arrived in Hebei yet. It's still too late to quit now. When we get to Hebei, we have no friends and are unfamiliar with the place. If we want to quit again, there will be no chance."
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Everyone looked at each other, and Deng Yu was the first to speak: "My lord, before this trip, Yu had already made up his mind and vowed to live and die with his lord, and to advance and retreat together!"
Everyone else also said in unison: "We swear to live and die with the lord, and to advance and retreat together!"
