Zhang Xing finally accepted Chen Ling's bribe. One of the two golden awls was given to Qin Bao, and the other was given to Luo Xin. Then he called his acquaintances in Beiya and found Eunuch Yu, allowing the latter to easily lead Chen Ling. Ling went in to show his loyalty.
Of course, Zhang Xing also entered calmly, found the somewhat haggard Duke Niu, and handed over his order.
Niu Dugong didn't say much and just asked Zhang Xingzi to rest.
However, when Zhang Xing walked out of the wing of Governor Niu's residence and came to Datongpu where Fulongwei and Jinwuwei lived in the outermost area, he was shocked to find that the situation here had changed.
"what happened?"
Zhang Xing asked in surprise.
"Yesterday, only a dozen high-ranking military generals came to the Youzhou Governor's Mansion, but today, here in Jin, every civil and military officer who has passed the fifth rank has come, and there are no less than a hundred attachés of the seventh rank or above. ." General Ding Quan, a Jinwu guard general who was covered in dirt and had no eyesight, roughly described. "When there are more people, Fulong Guards and others are more cautious, but there will definitely be no room for our Jinwu Guards... We, a group of big-headed soldiers, can't compete with a group of generals, county magistrates, and county guards for space anyway, right? ? It would be nice to have a corridor to lie down on."
Zhang Xing was silent for a moment: "Why are you here in such a hurry? It's not so exaggerated in Hebei, right?"
"It is said that His Highness the King of Qi was in Taiyuan before, and all the people from the Jin area gathered to rescue him in the name of His Highness the King of Qi. Now that Yun Nei has relieved the siege, these people are afraid of misunderstandings, so they naturally flock here to express their loyalty... "Ding Quan blurted out. "But the saints can't meet them all one by one, so Lord Niu can only arrange all these big shots here."
Zhang Xing could only nod: "Your Excellency, you have worked really hard."
Zhang Sanlang was not being perfunctory, but he really felt that the other party was working hard - if the siege of the city had not been extremely difficult for these twenty days, and if he had not suffered serious crimes during these twenty days, then with the other party's usual care in the camp, he would never have taken the siege. The words "His Royal Highness King Qi" came out directly.
In fact, Ding Quan was not the only one. When Zhang Xing entered the city, what he saw along the way were the officials, palace servants, and attendants in the city. It was obvious that they were unable to recover... It was obvious that Dulan Khan had suffered a lot. Not only did a certain Mao Ren saint suffer permanent physical and mental damage, but others will also remember this patrol and siege for the rest of their lives.
"Zhang Changjian." On the other side, seeing Zhang Xing about to leave, Ding Quan hesitated for a moment, rarely taking the initiative to ask. "A few of our people were sick before and were thrown outside the county government early. If you can talk to the reinforcements outside, can you take them to a camp outside the city to recuperate?"
"Of course, no problem." Zhang Xing naturally agreed. "Send the person to the south city gate, and I'll wait for you there."
Ding Quan was overjoyed and left in a hurry without even having time to say a few words.
On this side, Zhang Xing no longer hesitated. He found another cold-faced black-souled man in Fulong Guard, plus Qin Bao, and explained everything together. He only handed over the things in the city to the two, and then also found a few Fulongwei, who was feeling unwell, asked Xiao Zhou to bring a few people to escort him, and then left the county house full of people again, intending to take advantage of the chaos in the city and no one to care about him, to leave the city and spend the night in the camp. .
There is no way, the smell in the city, especially in the county government, is too strong.
When we walked out of the county mansion, it was already evening. The air in the city was dry and cold, and the smell, fishy smell, and dust were mixed together. Along with the noisy voices, the sound of horse hooves, and the friction of armor, it created a kind of head-turning atmosphere. dizziness.
Zhang Xing took some things with him when he entered the city and distributed them all. Now he just led the horse and walked south, preparing to leave the city and return to his civilian camp. As a result, he fell into a trance halfway until he suddenly heard another baby's cry. Crying, it was like waking up from a dream, and then looked around.
Xiao Zhou realized something immediately and followed the sound first. He soon found the source of the crying under a broken wall... Unlike the previous time when he broke out of the encirclement, he took the initiative to handle Qin Bao's affairs. This time Zhang Xing did not step forward... Firstly, he had nothing else on him and everything was in the camp; secondly, he felt that Xiao Zhou was more suitable to handle this kind of matter alone.
Sure enough, Xiao Zhou came back after a while and reported in a low voice: "It was cold, the house was demolished, and the child was too young to bear it... I found the officer of the middle base army next to me, made some connections, and then spent money to buy it. A bedding set, some firewood, and some millet.”
Zhang Xing nodded and asked no more questions... Xiao Zhou actually handled it very well.
In addition, there is really no other way, because the entire city is in such bad condition now. In order to defend the city, many people's houses have been demolished, wood is used for heating, and bricks and stones are used to fill in the city defense... Of course, the situation of the soldiers and palace people was also very bad. The saint and his concubines, princes, and princesses were also in a very bad situation. Everyone was in a bad situation, but because of the common people, others could never be the ones in the worst situation. Just a group of people.
After the small episode passed, Zhang Xing continued walking south and arrived at the agreed place inside the south gate. Perhaps because of a slight delay on the way, Ding Quan had already arrived. In addition, there were seven or eight patients and one patient. Li Ding.
"Is Li Silang sick too?" Seeing this person, Zhang Xing perked up but was still nervous.
"Don't make fun of me." Li Ding said seriously, clasping his hands. "I'm really suffocated. You're coming from outside, so you're definitely not short of firewood and fresh food... It's better to expect Wang Daiji's fellow Wang Daiji to send out his support items immediately than to expect pancakes to fall from the sky... I'll go with you to rest outside the city. One night, I took a breather to see if there was any fresh meat to eat, and I was so hungry."
Zhang Xing shook his head without teasing him too much.
In this way, Ding Quan had no choice but to turn back, and the rest of the group came to the camp outside the south city, settled the sick patients, and lit a bonfire... Immediately, Zhang Xing summoned the leaders of the Huairong civilians to talk to them one by one. After making inquiries and taking care of these chores, I had some free time, picked up a wooden box, and went to sit by the campfire with Li Ding, eating and drinking by the way.
When I opened the wooden box, I saw nothing but cold pork skins placed in stacks in the box.
"Are those people unwilling to leave?"
Li Ding immediately threw down the pancake he was nibbling, then pierced the pork skin with a wooden thorn, and started grilling it on the fire. Oil and water dripped on the firewood, and the aroma was fragrant, attracting the foreign minister of the Ministry of War, who could not take his eyes away, but also Without delaying his multitasking, he asked about what happened to the civilian husband just now.
"Sixty or seventy groups, sixty or seventy leaders, some are small landowners and powerful men, some are gangsters, some are clan elders, and some are domestic slaves and servants of the Gao family in Huairong, and even county officials..." Zhang Xing sat down, took the things from Xiao Zhou's hands, and started roasting his own pig skin. "Not everyone thinks alike."
"Then how many people are ready to leave after listening to your advice, Zhang Sanlang?" Li Ding still focused on the pigskin.
"Forty or fifty people." Zhang Xing began to stare at his pigskin in a daze.
"So many?" Li Ding finally looked away from the pigskin for a moment. "Have you gained their trust these days? Look, you even know how to give you meat?"
"It's all because of peers." Zhang Xing said one by one.
"Let me guess, it's the county officials and the small powerful and small landowners who left more?" Li Ding thought thoughtfully.
"No." Zhang Xing shook his head on the spot. "On the contrary, most of them are gangsters and some Gao family slaves... County officials, powerful men, and clan elders, most of them still listen to me and are ready to leave secretly early tomorrow morning with dry food."
"Why?" Li Ding was surprised for a moment.
"Because Youzhou belongs to Hebei, the grassroots core there may not dare to believe what the saint will do, but they know that the Wei Dynasty is not trustworthy, so compared with some achievements, they are more willing to avoid risks... and There is an urgent need for domestic slaves, gang thugs and the like. As long as the domestic slaves can be released from slavery, nothing else matters. As long as the gang thugs can change their official status, they are willing to do anything." Zhang Xing finished angrily. He started to try to chew the pig skin, and gave the other party a vague reminder. "It's almost burnt..."
Li Ding came to his senses, quickly took his pig skin away from the fire, took a hard bite, and then chewed hard again regardless of the hot touch.
It took a lot of effort to swallow a mouthful of pig skin, but Li Silang sighed again and threw the wooden thorn into the fire, stirring up a few scattered sparks:
"Yes, yes, that's Hebei. It's not like here in Jin. I still have a lot of trust in the court..."
"But these people left behind should be able to do it." Zhang Xing thought for a while, then put on a piece of pig skin again and continued roasting. "The large-scale pardon of sinners was what was said at the beginning of the siege. There is no reason to compromise on such things, not to mention the merits... It is like what is inside the city, and there are so many towns and villages outside the city that have been raided. It is only a one-year exemption. I’m afraid it’s a bit hard to reassure people about taxes.”
"It's useless to be exempted for three years. On the contrary, it is most practical to be exempted for one year." Li Ding sneered. "Because it is really useful only this year. After one year, it is not good whether the imperial court can control the situation in Mayi... The town was empty, and many people and their families were sent to the back of the poisonous desert in advance by Du Lan. The cavalry from Youzhou followed up and recovered some on the edge of the Bitter Sea, but it was not enough to fill the local area... Next, the northern half of Mayi and Yanmen must be the territory of many border tribes. There are many strong men, and I don't know what the imperial court can do. How many people should be left for Wang Rengong to suppress it... If you think about it, the situation north of Taiyuan will not be cured, and it may even spread."
Zhang Xing thought for a moment and sighed... If not, why did he advise the two women to go south immediately if they found that the man had not returned home?
With this thought in mind, he handed the half-roasted pig skin to the other party.
"Zhang Sanlang is also worried about the country and the people?" Li Ding took the pig skin, took a bite, found it was half-cooked, and continued to roast it. "Actually, for me, these kidnapped people will have a hard time at the beginning. If they really get through it, they will be fine with Dulan..."
"The country doesn't know its people, and the people don't know the country." Zhang Xing glanced at Xiao Zhou, who was curious to listen, and took another piece of pigskin from the latter's hand without any scruples. "So, I only worry about the people, not the country..."
"Look away." Li Ding smiled half-heartedly. "But why did you go out anyway?"
"If Qin Bao hadn't made his own decision and worried about something happening to him, I would definitely enjoy the moon with you in the city." As he spoke, Zhang Xing grilled the meat with one hand and pointed to the sky, but then he realized that at the beginning of the month, both moons were hidden. month.
"Actually, it's just comfortable, but it's a blessing to go out." Li Ding became slightly awakened, and at the same time put away his smile and became serious. "It's been really difficult in the city these days... I knew it would be difficult to besiege the city, but I didn't expect it to be so difficult. Everyone up and down felt like they were being strangled by the neck. Even though the city defense was tight, it could suffocate people to death. There was obviously no epidemic, but a person caught the cold occasionally. But he was able to knock down many cultivators... It can be seen that famous generals in ancient times not only had to be familiar with military books and logistics, but also had to practice in real battles."
"This is nonsense. Since ancient times, talents have mostly come from experience." Zhang Xing shook his head. "Circumstances create heroes, and heroes promote current events..."
"The current situation can also create absurd and ridiculous people, and absurd and ridiculous people can also promote current events." Li Ding was about to eat the pig skin, but suddenly changed his mind after hearing this. "Do you believe it or not?"
"I believe it." Zhang Xing answered frankly. "But times are also changing. When I went out this time, I often thought that today's official will be a thief tomorrow, today's hero will be tomorrow's villain, today's vulgarity will be tomorrow's hero. If the current situation changes, it may not be the same thing... Just like the last time we were in Kansai, when we were Sima Xianggong, I seemed to have told you that I have always felt that these so-called vulgar people in the court, including those who are showing their ugly faces in the city today, are not necessarily incompetent people, and they may not be unable to To be a loyal minister and a good general...it’s just this system, this situation, this court, this leader, that’s why.”
Li Ding fell silent... After a long time, he bit into the half-burnt pig skin: "You have a point!"
"If that's the case, if the current situation changes, who will Brother Zhang be?" At this moment, the good boy Zhou Xingfan, who had been listening carefully, couldn't hold back again.
Zhang Xing, who was about to pass the exam in Zhupi, immediately answered with a smile: "Maybe I will draw or write."
"Your third brother Zhang will definitely be a capable minister of the country if he lives to rule the world." Li Ding swallowed the second piece of pig skin and sneered. "You should have known this method for a long time, right?"
"That's natural." Xiao Zhou said with a proud smile. "Since I followed Third Brother Zhang to Jing'antai for the first time, I heard similar words from Cao Zhongcheng. Others also thought that Third Brother would join Nanya sooner or later to weigh the world and make rules."
Zhang Xing, on the other hand, seemed a little familiar to these words, and quickly handed over the pig skin he had just roasted, and then hurriedly interjected: "According to what Li Silang always said, next, if I was born in troubled times, I would definitely What kind of hero can bring blood to the world?"
"I changed my mind." Li Ding took the third piece of pig skin today, chewed it hard, and then responded seriously. "Who knows what will happen in the future? Just looking at your behavior today, it seems to be ordinary, but it already has the atmosphere of the valley of famine... And now, the famine is right in front of you!"
Zhang Xing felt bored and immediately curled his lips: "How can there be a minister who can govern the world? A hero in troubled times sounds heroic?"
Li Ding was furious and threw the wooden thorn in his hand into the fire again.
Almost at the same time, in the crowded lobby of the Sheriff's Mansion in the city, the saint who seemed to know the stakes was discussing the end of the trip with his superiors.
So far, there is no way to avoid the fact that this patrol has ended in an anticlimactic manner.
However, the saint seemed to have other ideas.
"It's okay to set off early tomorrow morning and go to Taiyuan immediately, but do we have to go back to Dongdu?" The saint was obviously anxious.
"Your Majesty!" Prime Minister Su Wei was stunned and came out to dissuade him at all costs. "You must not be joking at this time. The accompanying sergeants, officials, and palace people are all from Dongdu, and they have experienced this siege and have reached their limit. If the saint wants to go out again, he is afraid that big trouble will happen. of!"
"What's the trouble?!" The saint was extremely impatient.
Su Wei saw the saint angry and felt weak for a moment.
On the other hand, Wei Chi, the Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment, did not hesitate to move out of the queue and replied boldly: "Report to your Majesty, the troubles that Dulan Khan dared to do, the Fifth Army would also dare to do."
"A bunch of rebellious officials and traitors!" The saint immediately became furious, took another long breath, and then hurriedly waved his hands, causing Wang Daiji, Chen Ling and other high-end rescuers who had seen this scene for the first time to be astonished. "Then go back to Dongdu and celebrate the New Year... okay?"
The hall was silent for a moment, everyone looked at me and me at you, but no one answered or excused themselves.
The saint thought for a moment and immediately realized: "As for the reward, we can return to Taiyuan... just issue the decree to appease the local officials and people."
"Your Majesty." Wei Chi had no choice but to sincerely hand him over. "Don't forget the promise of level six to rise from the ground, otherwise the morale of the Imperial Army will be unstable."
The emperor suddenly understood, but then hesitated: "This matter needs long-term consideration... I am not right and will not reward you, but I was so anxious at that time that it was not appropriate to misunderstand what others said... If they are both in the sixth grade, no matter what, I will reply When we get to Dongdu, what should we do with the other two armies of the Fifth Army?"
All the officials immediately looked embarrassed.
This is a question that I have thought of before. It is indeed absurd to rise from the ground at the sixth level, but it seems to be common sense for a saint to be frightened by an arrow that can take his life. He loses his composure and is desperate... But now this big thing has happened The trouble is simply overwhelming.
If the promise is fulfilled according to the original plan, the army and Wei's official positions will no longer have any prestige.
But if the promise is not fulfilled, there is a saying that it is not good for everyone... But if the emperor really breaks his promise to the world, how can the court defend it? Intangible harm is also harm.
"Your Majesty." Sima Changying took a long breath. "I feel that this matter needs to be considered in the long term, because it is not only the 30,000 people who defend the city, but also the reinforcements from the Youzhou Governor's Office and the Jin Dynasty. The total number is probably no less than 78,000 or 80,000. In a few days, Beihuang, Reinforcements from Luoyang and Guanxi and invitations for rewards are probably coming... What will happen to these people if they are given the sixth grade? The country cannot survive if they are given this kind of treatment. Therefore, I think that we can give big rewards and many rewards. , For example, it is no problem to designate two hundred people with special honors, and get one thousand, five hundred or even three thousand people with special honors, but it is really not possible to ruin the integrity of the Wei Dynasty just because of one thing... This matter, minister It is a huge responsibility, so please make it clear in public, so that if there is any resentment among the superiors and subordinates, the old ministers can be made to bear it."
With that, Sima Changying took off her hat and bowed down.
Everyone in the hall, especially those who came to help this time, felt ridiculous in their hearts when they saw this, but they did not delay and followed suit. From Wang Daiji to Chen Ling, they all bowed down to express their understanding and praised the saint's kindness. His own department must be aware of this situation and will never let down the divine grace.
For a moment, it seemed that all the officers and soldiers had the realization that they were just joking in a hurry.
Only two ministers and several county guards stared at Prime Minister Su Wei, waiting for the husband to express his position.
Su Wei knew there was no way to hide, so he took a long breath and said, "Your Majesty, I feel that Sima Xianggong's words actually make sense, but... when the matter spreads far away, it will be difficult for the soldiers and civilians to clearly understand what happened. I’m afraid there will be words that are harmful to the saints.”
Saints have the best reputation. Hearing these words, the old man suddenly became angry.
Duan Wei saw this and immediately bowed down: "Your Majesty, Xianggong Su is right. Some things seem easy, but once they are lost, they are like water, and it is difficult to put them back... No matter what, grit your teeth and recognize the reward." .”
Wei Chi also quickly added: "Your Majesty, please don't forget that when your Majesty said these words that day, he said them in front of the defenders... If you don't give them, I'm afraid it will be difficult to calm down the military morale easily."
The emperor became more and more irritable, but he neither agreed nor denied it. It was as if heaven and man were at war and he didn't know how to deal with it.
At this opportunity, Sima Changying, who was looking down at the green bricks on the ground and the tip of his toes, suddenly lowered his head and took a few steps forward, speaking calmly: "Your Majesty... It is understandable that the two ministers, Duan and Wei, are a little worried. After all, the two of them are worried. In the city, I am afraid there are many promises these days... If His Majesty cannot respond, they will not be able to explain to the people below, so please forgive me."
When Duan Wei and Wei Chi heard this, they were immediately shocked and angry, but they didn't know where to refute it.
It was the saint who was the first to "wake up" and immediately said coldly: "You three, are you trying to win people's hearts for yourself?"
Everyone in the hall was shocked. Among the three parties involved, Duan Wei immediately shut up and bowed his head, while Wei Chi looked up to the sky and sighed slowly. Then the two of them maintained their postures, one up and down, and looked at Su Wei together.
Su Wei hesitated for a moment, and actually hid behind a pillar in the county hall while everyone was stunned. He didn't know whether he was hiding from the sight of the saint or the sight of these two people.
Seeing this situation, Wei Chi laughed instead and could only hand over his hand: "In that case, Your Majesty, please allocate five thousand reinforcements to the old minister, and let the old minister lead his troops to pursue the Wu Clan army and serve as your Majesty's queen."
"I am also willing to be an assistant." Duan Wei also immediately asked for an order on the ground.
The saint nodded slightly, agreed, and took this opportunity to put his face aside and no longer care about these two people.
With the two ministers taking the initiative to leave, the matter was agreed upon. Tomorrow morning, we will go south to Taiyuan. The promise of the sixth rank of Pingdi will be cancelled. The rest of the rewards and decrees will remain the same. At the same time, 200 people will be specially designated for special honors, and the total number of honors will be 1,500. As a special reward, people will not be announced until Taiyuan.
At the same time, the two ministers Duan and Wei led their troops to pursue the Wu army and attack the palace.
Not mentioning other things, only Duan Wei, the second minister, went out. He symbolically gathered thousands of troops from Fenyang Palace, plus some close friends, and left directly from the north gate overnight.
After going out, Duan Wei was still sighing, but Wei Chi, who had not yet undressed his whole body, suddenly reined in his horse and stopped. He looked back at Yunnei City Gate, which was full of traces of Yamaru's energy, and did not move for a long time.
Duan Wei waited for a while and carefully urged: "Old Wei, don't be angry, hurry up and leave... At worst, I will go back and quit. No matter what happens in the future, I can only live in my hometown in Guanzhong without the peace and wealth of people like us." ?”
Wei Chi turned around, his eyes turned red under the large fire basins on both sides of the city gate tower: "Duan Shangshu, you shouldn't think so...or, at least, I shouldn't think so."
Duan Wei was stunned for a moment.
"My father was in a state of embarrassment. In his later years, he had no solution. As a result, he defected to the late emperor. The late emperor did not look down on him because of his age. Instead, he promoted our father and son one after another, so that our Wei family could quickly rise to power..." Wei Chi said seriously. "I don't know what other people think, but when my father passed away, the Wei Dynasty had not yet been built. He told me that I must be loyal to the Cao family for the rest of my life. I often made up my mind to do it... but unexpectedly , although I have a loyal heart, the Cao family and Da Wei met such a saint..."
Duan Wei broke into a cold sweat and immediately interrupted the other party: "Wei Shangshu! Be careful what you say!"
"What should you say with caution?" Wei Chi sneered. "He is allowed to do it, but not us?"
"This matter of rewards is indeed a dilemma!" Duan Wei directly tried his best to persuade the other party by pulling the reins of his own horse.
"I know, but no matter what the dilemma is, aren't we working hard to defend the city?" Wei Chi's mouth twitched, and he could no longer control his emotions. "But why do we have to be scolded and dispatched once the siege is lifted? Those people didn't even see the shadow of Du Lan's 150,000 troops. Just because they followed his wishes and were good at pretending, they were able to make special promotions and encourage them on the spot. ?”
Duan Wei sighed.
"I've made up my mind!" Wei Chi grabbed his reins and went out with a long breath. "Don't make false promises tonight, go straight to the sea of suffering and attack the main force of the Witch Clan..."
Duan Wei was startled and tried again, but was held down by the opponent with his hand raised. In the end, he could only stand on the horse with awe and even fear, watching the opponent hold him down with one hand and point his finger towards the sky to continue his declaration. :
"Duan Gong, the current situation is like this. Since the beginning of the Cao family, the Wei Dynasty has been ruling the world for more than thirty years. Seeing that the four seas are almost unified, it seems that it can last forever; but this saint cannot even connect the most basic military. Neither rewards nor punishments can be achieved. Villains and loyal ministers are too lazy to share. They are always arrogant and enjoy their own power. However, when they are in danger, they lose their temper and are ridiculous. It looks like a sign of the country's destruction. At this time, I, Wei Chi II I have been favored and devoted myself to serving the master. I should have avenged my shame by leading the crowd today, so why risk my life? Now that I am here, if the Kingdom of Wei State is still blessed by the Supreme Being, then I should be allowed to succeed in the battle tonight; and if The fortune of the Wei Dynasty is gone, so we might as well let Wei Chi die first, so that we can live up to the kindness of the late emperor! Just watch from behind!"
Duan Wei knew that the other party was more resentful and emotional, but after hearing these heroic words, he still couldn't help but feel ashamed and embarrassed.
Wei Chi, on the other hand, had no intention of just making a gesture. After saying this, he took the lead on horseback and headed north without looking back towards the passage between Wuzhou Mountain and Baishan Mountain where the Wu Clan retreated.
Almost at the same moment, Zhang Xing from the south of the city suddenly stopped grilling meat, because after he peeled off another layer of meat skin in a small wooden box that was braving the cold, he suddenly discovered that there was a piece of tender venison underneath that looked very good at first glance... ...Obviously, venison was what the leader of the people who had shot the deer really wanted to give him when they first met. The skin was just put on to keep it fresh and dust-proof.
This really made Zhang Sanlang, who had won the new title of Valley of Desolate Years, a little embarrassed, because at this time, Li Ding had already hiccupped from eating meat skin.
ps: Thank you to the new leader, Mr. Tiger King Kong Calabash... Such a familiar ID! Say hello.
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