But Zheng Pu, who learned the bad news, traveled day and night.
In my anxious mood, I did not follow the official road of the post office, but took shortcuts through some small roads.
Moreover, the only people around him were his followers Qi Yacuo and Fu Qian.
Originally, Fu Qian didn't need to come. However, this boy was very stubborn and had a special status, so it would not be rude to go with him to pay his respects.
Unexpectedly, when he was surrounded by bandits, Fu Qian became the reason why Zheng Pu did not dare to act rashly.
There were more than a dozen thieves in ragged clothes and disheveled faces. Although four or five of them were holding hunting bows, Zheng Pu thought that with the bravery of Qi Yacuo and his years of sword practice, he suddenly attacked and broke out of the encirclement. It was not without a chance.
However, it is difficult to protect Fu Qian completely.
He is only twelve years old, with a little beard sprouting on his upper lip, and his life has not yet begun.
Zheng Pu couldn't let him suffer here.
In particular, these thieves seemed to have no intention of harming anyone.
"Leave the horses and money behind and let you pass by!"
When the thieves came around, a thief with a bow who seemed to be a small leader shouted loudly.
They were very sincere, not only did they not ask Zheng Pu and the others to put down their weapons, but they also scolded the other thieves to make way for an empty road, indicating that Zheng Pu and others could leave on foot.
Is your conscience still intact?
Or are these bandits just mountain people from nearby villages?
As soon as he heard what the bandits said, such thoughts flashed through Zheng Pu's mind.
Without him, because Prime Minister Zhuge Liang governs the country strictly and will never condone bandits and bandits.
If these thieves are allowed to go back, all Zheng Pu has to do is go to the government and the county guard will definitely go to the prime minister and ask for troops to come and exterminate them!
Therefore, if they were thieves who licked the blood with their swords, for the sake of their own survival, they should have directly shot Zheng Pu and the other three during the siege! Then destroy the bodies and eliminate any traces!
So that the government has no way of knowing that there are thieves and bandits here.
In fact, when Zheng Pu heard that the thieves had made a noise, he said he was lucky.
He planned to surrender temporarily, abandon his horses and money, and escape with his life.
As for the dignified general of the Xuanwu Army, he was robbed by more than a dozen bandits. If word spread about it, he would definitely lose face and become the laughing stock of others.
With his temperament that he must retaliate for every irritation and spend every penny he has, how could he swallow such a sigh of relief?!
As long as he can return alive, he will definitely ask the Prime Minister for orders, personally lead his headquarters here, dig three feet into the ground, and kill all these thieves!
To repay today's humiliation!
Ah, no!
But he, who is dedicated to serving the country, can turn a blind eye to the thieves and bandits, leaving them to continue to harm merchants and travelers, and torment the common people of Li?!
Naturally, he was also angry with himself.
Having held the position of leader for such a long time, because he did not want to cause criticism from others, he never transferred soldiers to establish a bodyguard corps.
Today, if there are more than ten troops accompanying us, not to mention they will be surrounded by these bandits, twice as many will be killed before they get close!
"If you, traveler, don't leave like this, I will shoot you!"
Seeing that there was no movement from Zheng Pu and the others, the little leader roared again and fired an arrow into the three of them as a warning.
The trembling arrow tail caused Zheng Pu's pupils to shrink rapidly.
It's not fear, but shock.
The tails of arrows used by the people are all decorated with poultry feathers.
Even if a hunter in the mountains hunts pheasants, wild geese, mandarin ducks, etc., he will sell the feathers that can be used to decorate arrow tails to the government or wealthy households for profit, and they will never have the luxury of using them for themselves.
And the arrows used by the bandits were exactly the same as those made by the military!
Are these thieves deserters from the army?!
If he is really a deserter from the army, both the Guanghan County Sheriff and the County Captain can be dismissed from their posts and relocated five hundred miles away according to the law!
Knowing that the matter was urgent, Zheng Pu quickly sheathed his sword and pushed away the guard in front of him, Qi Yacuo, "Thank you so much for not killing this brave man! I will leave soon."
After saying this, he asked the servants to throw down their money and strode towards the vacated road.
But he didn't expect it. After taking a few steps, the little bandit leader thought for a moment and then quickly pursued him.
"Clang!"
The sword was unsheathed again, Zheng Pu quickly stood in front of Fu Qian, and scolded in anger, "You guys actually don't believe what you say?"
Needless to say, the retinue begged for teeth and a house.
He had already leaned forward, with his toes halfway into the ground, as if he was about to rush forward and fight to the death.
But the actions of the little leader were once again puzzling.
He actually dropped his hunting bow, stretched out his arms and hands to show hostility, and stepped forward.
After approaching Zheng Pu for five or six steps, he looked around with wide eyes, then bent his knees, knelt down on the ground, and kowtowed repeatedly to apologize, "I didn't notice, but I offended Zheng Lang of Sangyuan. It's a death penalty! A death penalty."
!”
Uh~~~~~
Such a change made everyone stunned for a moment.
Zheng Pu is no exception.
However, he quickly reacted.
"Sangyuan Zhenglang" was the name his children and relatives used to call him when he was teaching in Shifang Mulberry Garden.
But, the children of a bandit also studied in Mulberry Garden?
Moreover, this place is Mianzhu, which is a hundred miles away from Shifang. Why is he here?
Waving his hand to signal the beggars not to be impulsive, Zheng Pu stepped forward to help the man up and asked in confusion, "I wonder who the strong man is? Why do you know me?"
"The villain is Zhang Qing, who is from Shifang like Zheng Lang."
The thief who was lifted up had a look of shame on his face and his voice was like a gnat, "There are two sons in the family, both of whom had received elementary education in Mulberry Garden, so they knew Zheng Lang." After finishing his words, he added another sentence, "
Just now, the villain was far away and could not see Zheng Lang's face clearly, so he dared to offend him. If Zheng Lang has hatred, I must blame him, and the villain will never dare to say anything."
As soon as he said these words, Zheng Pu immediately felt at ease.
In this world, Li Shu's temperament is still very simple, and he rarely repays kindness with enmity.
After thinking about it for a while, I felt that this man's conscience was still intact and he was not the kind of vicious person who kills people without batting an eye. So he took his hand and walked over to sit on a stone and asked softly, "Since you are from Shifang, why did you send your son here?"
I studied in Mulberry Garden. I must have been a common citizen before, so why are I reduced to being a bandit here?"
Perhaps this is because the reputation of the Zheng family in Shifang is quite good among the Li concubines.
It was okay if Zheng Pu didn't ask, but as soon as he asked, the man who was more than seven feet long suddenly had red eyes and burst into tears.
He buried his head in his hands and sobbed for a while, then told the reason intermittently.
He originally came from the head of Guizhou Province and had nearly a hundred acres of land. He had three children at home. Although his life was poor, he was able to get by with food and clothing.
It's just that the weather is unpredictable.
His eldest son contracted a strange disease for some unknown reason, and he was ill for three years.
After repeated attempts to seek medical advice, the family's life could no longer be sustained. Not only did they sell off their land, they also borrowed a lot of money from a wealthy family in the county.
However, in the end, his eldest son died of illness after unsuccessful treatment, and his daughter was taken to work as a maid by a wealthy family to pay off debts. His mother-in-law also died in the cold winter wind and snow due to excessive grief and hunger and cold.
He was inexplicably sad, but had no choice but to take his second son to work as an apprentice to a wealthy family.
However, God did not stop being harsh on him.
His daughter had only been a maid for half a year, but she was repeatedly bullied by the prodigal son of a wealthy family. She couldn't bear the misery and committed suicide.
The corpses were all thrown outside the wilderness.
After hearing the bad news, as a father, how could he bear it?
Hiding the second son in the wild, he lurked in the road with a sharp knife, and when the prodigal passed by, he instantly slashed him with his bare hands!
The great revenge was avenged, but he could not stay in Shifang any longer.
He had no choice but to flee to Mianzhu County overnight with his young son and rely on a clan brother who had already left the fifth service.
Zhang Mu, the bandit chief who lives in the western mountains of Mianzhu County! [Note 1]
Zhang Mu is a man with quite a background.
At the beginning, when Liu Zhang was the shepherd of Yizhou, he led an army of five hundred.
Later, he followed Zhang Ren to Luocheng to resist the late emperor Liu Bei.
Zhang Ren was defeated and killed, and he was reduced to a rout. Since the road back to Chengdu was blocked, he fled along the Shiting River with the remaining soldiers and entered the mountains to become a bandit.
Due to the situation, he was poor and alone, and he did not dare to allow thieves to plunder the countryside.
Therefore, the government also considered the road difficult to travel and did not encircle or suppress it.
After hearing this, Zheng Pu couldn't help but sigh loudly, feeling sad in his heart.
Through the ages, ordinary people's homes would end up with their families destroyed as long as a disease, a flash flood or a drought or other accidents.
After softly comforting Zhang Qing, Zheng Pu felt pity and asked again.
"You were forced to become a bandit, but did you ever hurt innocent people?"
"Return to Zheng Lang, I never did."
Zhang Qing shook it quickly, like a rattle.
Fearing that Zheng Pu might not believe it, he also explained, "When we went out to rob the road, our clan brother once warned us not to hurt anyone's life. And if we succeed in plundering in one place, we need to ambush in another place."
Ha~~~
This thief, Zhang Mu, is quite scheming.
No wonder Zhan Shan has been a bandit for so many years and has never been attacked by the government.
After hearing this, Zheng Pu couldn't help but feel a little interested in Zhang Musheng.
Zhang Qing continued to say, "Zheng Lang, we are all poor people, which does not mean we have become thieves. Therefore, our clan brother told us not to rob poor people. We only treat businessmen who come and go, and travelers who seem to be wealthy.
, Sedao extorted horses and money."
Poor Guizhou, you can't plunder anything.
After secretly saying something, Zheng Pu nodded lightly.
After pondering for a while, he said softly, "You have never hurt innocent people, and you have no choice but to become a bandit. Why don't you stay with me and become a retinue from now on? This will also prevent your youngest son and your elder children from becoming thieves."
"
"Villain. Villain"
Zhang Qing, who finally stopped crying, choked up again.
He murmured several times, but could not utter a complete sentence, so he prostrated himself on the ground again and kowtowed frequently to express his thanks.
The other bandits, who had already put away their weapons and had been listening quietly, also prostrated themselves to the ground after hearing this, saying in unison, "Please Zheng Lang, have mercy on us and accept us as your followers."
Seeing this, Zheng Pu was not surprised.
well.
In an era when filial piety and brotherhood govern the world, and respect for benevolence and virtue is the rule of the world, if the world is not so difficult and forced by life, who would be willing to become a bandit and bring shame to the family and implicate their children?
Moreover, he is now an assistant in the Prime Minister's Palace. The fact that thieves like them can become followers also means that the name of thieves can be removed.
However, he did not dare to accept these people.
It is not because of worries about these people that they will not change their thief nature and will ruin the reputation of the Zheng family in Shifang.
But "Shu Ke" is strict!
Especially the laws against the wealthy Bashu families who embezzled acres of land and hid themselves in hiding are extremely strict.
If you accept a Zheng Qing as a follower, others will not comment on him.
If you suddenly accept more than ten households as tenants, you may be slandered by evildoers.
He did not want to make a small mistake and be recognized by Prime Minister Zhuge Liang as a person bent on self-interest because of more than ten people. This would affect his future promotion and recognition.
A thousand-mile embankment collapsed in an ant nest.
It's always better to be cautious.
However, since these thieves and the reputation of the Mushifang Zheng family have come to vote for them, even if they don't accept them, they should point out a clear path.
So as not to dampen their desire to reform.
"Everyone, please get up."
Zheng Pu, who had made up his mind, stood up and stretched out his hand to help, "Since no one wants to be a bandit anymore, I have asked myself to be a follower, and there is absolutely no reason why I will not accept it. However, to be honest with you heroes, I am now the general of the Xuanwu Army.
All the assets are used to supplement the needs of the soldiers. They are also unable to afford the livelihood of your family members."
Having said this, Zheng Pu raised his hand again to stop the crowd's outburst of disappointment.
"I haven't finished speaking yet, so don't make any noise."
After everyone calmed down, Zheng Pu spoke up again, "Although I can't afford your livelihood, the imperial court can. If you believe me, I can ask the imperial court for instructions on your behalf to absolve you of the crime of being a bandit and give Hanzhong County
This fertile land is enough to provide enough food and clothing for your families to provide food and clothing for them! What do you think?"
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone was silent, looking at each other in shock and confusion.
On the other hand, Zhang Qing, who had already calmed down, spoke on behalf of Zhou Xuan, "Zheng Lang, it's not that they don't believe what Zheng Lang said, but they don't dare to believe the imperial court."
Uh~~~~
It’s clear.
These people, more or less, became thieves and bandits after suffering injustice.
It is understandable that he does not have high hopes for the imperial court.
Immediately, Zheng Pu acted enthusiastically and loudly, "I swear on the lintel of the Zheng family in Shifang that if the court does not grant land to you and others, the acres of my Zheng family's land will be allowed to be cultivated by you! The assets of my Zheng family will be divided among you equally!"
"
It also shocked everyone.
Immediately, they all prostrated themselves on the ground and uttered the words "Wish to believe" and "Zheng Lang's benevolence and righteousness", the sound was like three thunders.
Zheng Pu couldn't help but laugh in his heart.
He admits that he has never regarded himself as a saint, let alone do the things of a saint.
The reason why this statement is so conclusive is that today's Hanzhong County is uninhabited for hundreds of miles and there is no rooster for thousands of miles. Not to mention the resettlement of more than ten households, it is more than enough to provide land and land for tens of thousands of households.
And adding more households to the country is something that Prime Minister Zhuge Liang likes to hear.
In this case, why should he worry about making an oath for everyone?
Then, Zheng Pu told him that he was about to go to pay homage to Qin Mi, and asked everyone to go back and collect their belongings before helping the old and young to find him.
Well, Qin Mi is a famous scholar in Shu.
No one in Guanghan County knows where he was buried.
However, before Zhang Qing left, Zheng Pu also asked him to help bring a message to the thief chief Zhang Mu.
It's a call for surrender: "You are a soldier who serves the country and protects the people. How can you become a thief? If you are determined to get rid of the name of a thief, although I am not talented, I am willing to find a way out for you. Either as a general or as a rich man, no matter what
You come for an interview and make your own choice."
After all the thieves said their goodbyes and left, Zheng Pu and the others walked in a hurry again.
Fu Qian, who was beside him, took the time to ask as he was on his way, "Sir, will the thief chief Zhang Mu come for an interview?"
"Will do."
Zheng Pu's face was full of conviction, and his voice was a little ferocious, "How dare he not come!"
"Hey, sir, why are you so sure?"
Hearing this, Fu Qian couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, his eyes full of surprise and confusion.
Then, there was a light tap on his head and Zheng Pu's somewhat harsh voice, "Think about it based on "捭阖CE·quanpian"!"
"Hey, I understand!"
After pondering for a long time, Fu Qianfang suddenly realized it and said with sincere admiration, "Sir, the plans and plans are really unpredictable!"
Of course!
Zheng Pu had just begun to secretly plot against Zhang Mu.
With the reputation of the Zheng family in Shifang, coupled with the imperial court's benefit of not being blamed and granting land, Zhang Mu's foundation for gathering people to become thieves was cut off.
I would like to ask, how many people can continue to be precarious bandits despite having land and a house to live with food and clothing?
If he doesn't come, then just wait for everyone to betray their relatives and leave!
Ah!--
[Note 1: Zhang Mu, a bandit from the Mianzhu Mountains in Guanghan. In the fifth year of Jianxing's reign, the prime minister settled in Hanzhong. He led thieves to steal military supplies and plunder officials and people. He was beheaded by Zhang Yi, who was the commander-in-chief of the county at the time. 】
