Ju County, the administrative seat of Langya State.
This place is located in the southeast of Qingzhou and the northeast of Xuzhou.
There are mountains and rivers on the west side and rivers on the right. The terrain is dangerous and easy to defend but difficult to attack.
More than a hundred miles to the southwest is Zhuge Liang's hometown, Yangdu County.
When Chen Mu's army arrived, the gates of Ju County had already been closed, and there was no one in the wilderness.
There are also a large number of villages outside the city, but Xiao Jian has already moved the people into the city, hoarding food and grass, and is waiting strictly to prepare for a tenacious resistance.
So at this moment, the village outside the city was deserted. At first glance, it seemed as if we had arrived at a ghost village with no human habitation.
Although there are small bridges and flowing water, fields are crisscrossed by streets, and ponds are filled with mulberry and bamboo trees, they are all empty and full of strangeness.
Chen Mu looked around.
As the saying goes, "Farmers have less leisure in the month, but people are twice as busy in May."
In fact, ancient farmers rarely had slack time. Only in winter, when the crops were covered with snow, could they barely rest for a while.
Originally, countless villagers should be busy in the fields at this time, watering the millet seedlings, fertilizing the fields or eradicating weeds that compete with the crops for nutrients. But now there is no one in the fields. The millet seedlings are not growing well and the fields are overgrown.
Weeds.
"Send the order to station here."
Chen Mu waved his hand and chose to set up camp on the bank of the Shu River in the north of the city. It was said to be by the river, but it was actually closer to the west of the city, located in the northwest corner of Ju County, about a mile away from the Shu River.
In ancient times, when marching and fighting, it was best to station near rivers and forests because these natural resources were needed.
But you can't get too close. After all, if you are right on the river, it will be a last-ditch battle. Once you encounter an unexpected situation and the enemy suddenly attacks, it is easy to fall into passivity because there is not much fighting space.
As a resourceful man with many years of service, Chen Mu naturally would not deliberately do anything to risk his life and survive. He chose to play a steady and steady approach. He was in the northwest corner and people on the tower could see it clearly.
Chen Mu ordered Zang Ba to lead 3,000 people to be on guard against attacks from people in Juxian City, while he stayed in the camp, commanding the soldiers to cut down trees and build tents, and began to arrange the layout of the camp.
It was not until the next day that the camp was set up. What was strange was that the Qingzhou soldiers did not come to attack the city, but walked into the fields in groups without weapons.
On the top of the city, Xiao Jian stood on it with his chief clerk, doctor, chief historian, chief secretary, doctor and other officials, both large and small, looking at it from a distance.
"What do you think the Qingzhou soldiers are doing?"
Xiao Jian was puzzled.
The chief clerk hesitated and said: "Could it be that they want to destroy the millet seedlings outside the city and besiege us?"
"this......"
Xiao Jian was dumbfounded, shook his hands and said angrily: "How can they be so shameless?"
"Don't be mad at me, there seems to be something wrong."
At this moment, Langya State Chief Shi, who had the best eyesight, set up a pergola and looked under the scorching sun. He saw that the Qingzhou soldiers did not destroy the crops, but came to the fields one by one and started to work.
The doctor also saw this scene and wondered: "They seem to be doing farming in the fields. What are the Qingzhou people doing?"
"I see."
The head clerk's face suddenly fell, and his voice trembled as he said, "They are building houses instead of farming."
Building houses instead of farming?
Several people looked at each other in confusion. They were all scholars. How could they not know the reason why King Zhuang of Chu besieged the Song Dynasty?
The Qingzhou soldiers wanted to build a city outside Ju County, live in their houses outside the city, cultivate their land, and force them to surrender.
"How could they be so mean?"
Xiao Jian's hands trembled even more. He was actually an honest man. After Lu Bu occupied Xuzhou, he forced him to submit. Xiao Jian was not willing to submit. However, Lu Bu sent a letter and told him some important principles, and he agreed.
.
The reason why Chen Mu did not attack the city immediately was because he heard that Xiao Jian was a sensible person, so he wanted to put on some posture and tell him some truth, hoping that he would not be ignorant of praise.
However, Xiao Jian still didn't understand Chen Mu's good intentions. When he saw Chen Mu's soldiers had started farming outside the city, he suddenly felt that the people of Qingzhou were really shameless and terrifying.
"Should we take this opportunity to send soldiers out of the city to fight and defeat the Qingzhou soldiers in one fell swoop?"
The Registrar makes recommendations.
Chang Shi objected: "Qingzhou has a large number of people. We only have three or four thousand people in the city. How can we resist? Maybe they are waiting for us to leave the city now."
"Then watch them cultivate our land and live in our houses?"
"You will definitely die if you leave the city!"
"Okay, what's the big enemy arguing about right now?"
Seeing the conflict between the two, Xiao Jian interrupted angrily: "There are few soldiers in the city, so we can't go to war."
The Prime Minister said no, so of course it was no, and everyone put an end to their differences.
In the next few days, Qingzhou soldiers outside the city continued to be busy in the fields, quickly raising the dying millet seedlings to thrive.
These Qingzhou soldiers are all young and strong men in their twenties and thirties. The ancients have been the labor force of the family since they can remember. When they were young, they would feed pigs, cattle and sheep. When they were twelve or thirteen years old, they would have to work in the fields with their parents.
Therefore, soldiers are not only good at fighting, but also good at farming. Otherwise, Cao Cao would have obtained 300,000 Qingzhou Yellow Turbans. If these people did not know how to farm, they would not be able to farm.
When the crops and farmland outside the city were almost fully serviced, Chen Mu wrote a letter and sent it into the city.
Soon, this letter fell into Xiao Jian's hands.
Xiao Jian opened it and saw that it read: "The world raised its troops to kill Dong Zhuo'er. Now that Dong Zhuo is dead, the artifact returns to the Han Dynasty and is honored by Emperor Luo Jing. However, the generals in Guandong did not obey the king's order and committed suicide."
Even if we attack each other, we will not care about our country."
"Tao Qian of Danyang was a foolish man. He was appreciated by his maternal uncle Gan Gong and was elected as Zhu Sheng. Later, he was ordered by Sikong Bo Shen Gong to conquer Han Sui and made little achievements. He won the king's order to pacify Xuzhou and borrowed the troops from Qingzhou.
Only then can we put an end to the bandit troubles. Are you now in vain for your divine grace, betraying your faith, not respecting the imperial court's call, and pretending to be the king? This is the duty of not betraying your relatives and being loyal to the king?"
"In today's world, only Duke Xuande of Qingzhou is elegant and trustworthy. He cares about the Han Dynasty and serves the world with sincerity and righteousness. Today, the army is under the imperial edict to fight against thieves. When they see that the fields under the city are barren and filthy weeds are growing, they really can't bear it.
The people in Jucheng have no food to survive the winter, so they are constantly patrolling the fields and doing business in the districts. I hope you will not worry about it."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content that follows! "However, when the soldiers have passed by, the emperor's edict has been fulfilled. If you are loyal to the country, you should abandon the dark and surrender to the bright, and serve Luo Jing to fulfill the destiny. If you do not obey the edict,
From then on, he thought that the prefectures and counties were emperors and the counties were kings. If he betrayed his loyalty and righteousness, rebelled against the country and betrayed his morality, it would be no wonder that he would die at the hands of others."
"In the past, Leyi attacked Qi and conquered more than 70 cities. Only Ju and Jimo could not be conquered. The reason for this is that Tian Dan was among them. Although Mu is not Leyi, you are not Tian Dan. I advise you to encourage him.
Put the Han Dynasty first, be loyal, righteous and benevolent, and do not help Zhou to do evil. If you are still hesitant, you can discuss it in detail with the wise people in the evening book."
The meaning of this letter is very simple, that is, the world is in chaos, but the princes from all over the country are disobeying the king's orders and criticizing each other. Tao Qian was originally the governor appointed by the imperial court, but he attacked Yanzhou without authorization, so the Luoyang imperial court issued an edict to punish him.
Now Qingzhou is carrying out the imperial edict and conquering Tao Qian. Because when passing by Ju County, he saw the fields were deserted and couldn't bear that the people had no food to eat, so he helped the people repair their fields to commend Qingzhou's benevolence and righteousness.
However, benevolence and righteousness are limited. If you, Xiao Jian, continue to rely on Tao Qian and act as a talisman, then you cannot blame us, Qingzhou, for sending troops to attack you.
The content of this letter emphasizes both kindness and power, both soft and hard, and is quite effective.
Xiao Jian was very moved after reading it, because the letter was right. Now that Liu Yu has ascended the throne in Luoyang, the Han Dynasty has an emperor. Moreover, Tao Qian also recognized Liu Yu. He, the Xuzhou Mu, is still Liu Yu.
The imperial edict was accepted gladly at that time.
As a result, Tao Qian turned around and attacked his colleagues. Logically speaking, he had indeed committed a capital crime. Liu Bei obeyed the edict and came to attack him. There was no problem. Even if he surrendered to Qingzhou, there would be no moral criticism. After all, he
As the Prime Minister of a place, it is natural to be loyal to the court.
It's just that... this is not the time in history when Tao Qian died of illness and Liu Bei and Lu Bu were fighting each other in Xuzhou. Instead, Tao Qian is still there for the time being, and Tao Qian treats Xiao Jian quite well. According to the second level of the Eastern Han Dynasty,
According to the monarch's view, if one betrays Tao Qian, one is suspected of being unjust.
If you don't surrender, it will be unfaithful. If you surrender, it will be unjust. Whether to choose loyalty or righteousness, Xiao Jian was really in a dilemma for a while.
"What do you think?"
After thinking for a moment, Xiao Jian showed the letter to his subordinates for viewing.
Many officials looked at it and didn't know what to say. There was silence in the mansion.
After a while, Chang Shi said: "Since Qingzhou is traveling according to the imperial edict, why not obey the emperor's edict?"
The chief clerk said quickly: "No, if Tao Gong is blamed, some people will inevitably scold you for being unjust. It would be better to write a letter and sternly refuse."
"But tens of thousands of troops are waiting outside the city. Ju County has few soldiers and food, and the entire city only has more than 10,000 people. How can it be defeated? Don't you want everyone to be buried together?"
"Well...otherwise, then..."
"What?"
"So he went over without repairing the book. He only sent someone to tell him that he was grateful to Xuande Gong for his benevolence and righteousness, but he was unwilling to betray his master, so... the two of them didn't help each other?"
The chief clerk thought for a long time and came up with a bad idea.
Everyone rolled their eyes.
Even Xiao Jian cursed angrily: "You idiot, if this is the case, I will be disloyal and unjust."
If the two don't help each other, they'll be just like the outsiders, and everyone will look disgusted.
The chief secretary felt aggrieved and did not dare to speak.
Everyone was talking about it. Some said it was better to observe and see the movements of the Qingzhou Army before making a decision. Some said not to reply and resist tenaciously, while others said they should simply surrender.
The opinions of several subordinates were not unified, and Xiao Jian's head almost split. After much thought, he still felt that these subordinates were really unreliable, and he still had to make his own decision.
After hesitating for a moment, he drove everyone out, and wrote a reply on Zuobo paper on his desk, preparing to be sent out of the city.
Qingzhou is just around the corner. Bamboo slips may still be used in remote areas such as Guanzhong, Xiliang, Bashu, Huainan, and Jingnan, but in the Guandong area, bamboo slips are mostly popular. Even Jizhou sells them, which is a big income for Qingzhou.
The reply was quickly written, and Xiao Jian ordered people to send him out of the city.
About a quarter of an hour later, Chen Mu, who was in the camp outside the city, had received the letter. He opened it and looked at it. He immediately laughed and said to Zang Ba Cai Yang: "Little Ju County is ready to capture it."
Zang Ba smiled and asked: "Captain, are the people in the city ready to surrender?"
"That's not true."
Chen Mu shook his head: "It's just a common problem among scholars. They are afraid of death and want to gain fame. I will help him."
After that, he quickly wrote another reply.
In fact, Xiao Jian's meaning in the letter was very simple. On the one hand, he expressed his loyalty to the imperial court. He said that he was loyal to the emperor of Luoyang. However, Tao Qian treated him well and could not betray his master, so he was in trouble.
Chen Mu's reply was even simpler, just saying, in this case, please don't stop our army from conquering the bandits. Tomorrow the Qingzhou Army will set off south to attack Dongguan, Yangdu, Haiqu, Zhanguo, Jiqiu, I wish them the best.
In Ganyu, Licheng and other places, the grain transport brigade will pass through Ju County in a few days, so please do not disturb them.
This is a hint.
After writing the letter, he was sent back to the city again. Chen Mu immediately ordered to pull out the camp and prepare to leave.
On the second day, Xiao Jian was on the top of the city and saw that operations had begun outside the city. He waited until they left and then sighed: "Liu Xuande's Qingzhou Army really kept their word. They said they would not attack us and immediately withdrew their troops."
Already."
The chief secretary added: "I didn't expect that Chen Zigui was so bold. Ju County was the only way to transport grain to Qingzhou, but he didn't attack the city. He can be said to be a teacher of benevolence and righteousness. If so, we may have to reciprocate.
Please don't disturb their food transport team."
However, Xiao Jian's eyes flashed and he scolded: "Although Qingzhou is benevolent and righteous, everyone has his own master after all. I was appointed by Tao Gong to govern a county, and I have the responsibility of guarding the land. How can I watch and not move?"
"ah?"
Everyone was dumbfounded.
Chang Shi hurriedly advised: "Your Majesty, you must not do it. Now Qingzhou has shown its kindness. If you attack their grain transport team, they will retaliate. I'm afraid Ju County will suffer a loss."
"No need to say more, I have deep meaning."
Xiao Jian waved his hand and said to everyone: "Let the people go out to farm. Since the Qingzhou Army did not destroy our millet seedlings, we naturally cannot continue to close the city gate and prevent the people from going out to farm."
Everyone still wanted to persuade him, but Xiao Jian seemed to be a bastard who had eaten the weight and was determined to have his own way. Everyone had no choice but to let it go.
Soon, the people in the city were released from the city and went back to their homes. The people in the villages outside the city were surprised to find that they had done nothing wrong during the Spring Festival. The money they had not taken away in time was not touched at all, and nothing was lost. In addition, the farmland
It was helped by the Qingzhou Army in farming, and Qingzhou's reputation for benevolence and righteousness spread throughout Ju County.
A few days later, the grain transport brigade passed through Ju County in great force.
Xiao Jian saw this scene and decisively led all his troops to attack. However, before they could reach the convoy, countless men and horses suddenly appeared in the forest of Fulai Mountain not far away. At the same time, a large group of men and horses appeared in the south of the city and on the west bank of the Shu River.
Come.
Seeing that he was ambushed, Xiao Jian quickly led his troops and fled in panic. However, before he could enter the city, he found that the undefended city had already been occupied by Huang Zhong. He was homeless and was attacked from both sides.
As a last resort, Xiao Jian had to lead his troops to surrender to the Qingzhou Army.
There is no shame in surrendering after being captured. After all, surrendering to Qingzhou is equivalent to surrendering to the Luoyang court. Moreover, he also took the initiative and did not betray his master. He was just unlucky and fell into an ambush by the Qingzhou army, so Tao Qian also
Can't blame him.
These scholars are really hypocritical.
Two days later, Chen Mu, who was outside Yangdu County, received the battle report from Gao Shun Huang Zhong, and secretly despised it in his heart.
But the next moment he raised his head and looked at the locked city gate of Yangdu City, he said to Zang Ba and Gao Shun: "I have a plan to defeat Yangdu City."
Um.
In ancient times, Youle conquered Qi with determination, conquering seventy cities in a row in half a year.
Today, Chen Mu attacks Xuzhou and destroys a city with one plan. Xuzhou's sixty counties all have different plans.
By then, it will be famous all over the world and spread all over the world!