Li Shu drove the main force to the east, and Zhang Xing took charge of the rear. He also designed Xu Dalang to control the waterway from the south line of Baima and Wei to map the back road to Hebei. Wei Daoshi and Niu Da controlled Puyang and Chanyuan, and in turn shared the burden and surveillance with Xu Dalang. A small pattern.
After doing this, Zhang Xing certainly didn't think that he could just sit back and enjoy his life and farm, but he never thought that troubles would come one after another, making him breathless.
In fact, Jijun Chanyuan's troubles seemed to have never stopped from the beginning.
But how to say it? If you think about it carefully, it is natural that there will be trouble in Ji County. If there is a rebellion, troops will naturally be sent to suppress it... Can you really expect that fate will be on you and you can achieve it in one fell swoop? Didn’t you decide long ago that sooner or later you would encounter a big wave and the situation would get bad sooner or later? So on the other hand, what if you encounter a tough nut or trouble?
Do you stop chewing on bones because they are hard?
Of course, intelligence collection is definitely needed before analysis and discussion can be made.
"Is there any paper?"
In the back hall of the county government office, Zhang Xing suddenly broke the silence.
Without saying a word, Wei Xuanding got up and walked to the side hall of the back hall. He personally brought a pen, ink, paper and inkstone to him. Zhang Xing thanked him, got up and took it, but put the pen, ink and inkstone aside and only picked up the paper. , and then took out a sharpened charcoal pen from the back pocket of his waist and began to write and draw on it.
"Who is the governor of Ji County?"
Zhang Xing asked while writing down the name he had known for a long time.
Xu Dalang and Taoist Wei both wanted to speak, but both stopped talking. Then when Zhang Longtou had finished writing his name, Chief Wei spoke quietly:
"It's Wang Huaidu, from the Wang family in Taiyuan... The Jin region is a place where east and west see each other, and the treatment is still different from that in Hebei and the east. A wealthy family like the Wang family can still get into the palace, not to mention he is Master Zhang. s student."
"Master Zhang is also his disciple and his old officials are all over the world." Zhang Xing thought deeply, and immediately drew a line under Wang Huaidu and wrote Master Zhang on it. As soon as he finished writing, he suddenly remembered something, but he couldn't care about much at the moment. , can only be pressed slightly but not expressed.
"Shit is all over the world." Taoist Wei was speechless for a moment. "Master Zhang never left Jin. Although he had many disciples, most of them were from Jin and Guanlong... For example, here in Hebei, if you want to learn more, you have to go to the Cui family and the Lu family. There are only a few Hongshan, Talents from Hebei in the Black Mountains will go to Jin to study... After all, who can be born with a Ningdan that can fly everywhere? Ningdan can't fly for long and can't travel long distances, and has to worry about water, soil and bandits, so it can't reach neighboring counties. It would be good to go on a study tour.”
"That's it." Zhang Xing nodded and wanted to ask more questions.
Taoist Wei paused for a moment, then took the initiative to speak: "I actually have some relationship with Prefect Wang... The three brothers Prefect Wang are all disciples of Master Zhang. Among them, Wang Huaidu is the worst, so he came to be an official; my mentor Ba Huaidu After acquiring Master Zhang's knowledge, he opened a library in Taiyuan to teach his children; there was also Wang Huaiji, who had a very high level of cultivation, but had a strange temperament. After condensing the elixir, he was forced to become an official, but he only served as Tai Le Cheng for two or three years. Then he suddenly resigned, disappeared from sight, and wandered to no one knows where."
"Fortunately, I'm gone." Xu Dalang sighed suddenly. "Otherwise, these condensed pills are all in the local area, and we are rebels and have to provide for them... We have to be grateful to the imperial court for this."
Many past events and people flashed through Zhang Xing's mind. He nodded seriously and at the same time strengthened his previous idea.
"Indeed," Taoist Wei sighed. "But it is said that there is something else going on in the matter of Duke Huaiji..."
"So, can Mr. Wei be able to talk to Prefect Wang?" Zhang Xing put back his unnecessary thoughts and wrote the names of the Wang brothers and Wei Xuanding, circled and connected them, and pulled the matter back.
"Master Zhang is overthinking." Wei Xuanding answered seriously. "Master Zhang opened Nanpo, and the children of Nanpo were all polite to the Zhang family, but do you think he would care about the three Wang brothers? As for the Huai Tong Open House in Taiyuan, they come and go casually, and they may not even remember it for more than ten years. There was a poor boy surnamed Wei who took his course before... If we really want to talk about the relationship, the two house leaders had a nephew who was my classmate at the same time. He was well learned and was from the direct lineage of the Fang family, so he was very knowledgeable. If the public likes it, it might be more reliable to ask him to come forward."
"What's your name?" Zhang Xing quickly wrote down the names of the Fang brothers, and then continued to underline.
"The name is similar to mine. He should be the son of Erlang Fang Yanrang, named Fang Xuanqiao." Wei Xuanding blurted out. "We agreed in advance that I recognize him, but he doesn't recognize me."
"Actually, it's not bad. There are no words like Shi, Dai, Tong, and Da." Zhang Xing was speechless. He continued to copy while looking at Xu Dalang. "Write this down in advance. When the meeting is over, send a letter immediately and ask Fang Yanlang to the east."
"Understood." Xu Dalang nodded and agreed.
Just for a moment, he seemed to wake up to something. He stood up again, took the pen, ink and inkstone that Zhang Xing had discarded, took out another piece of paper, and wrote down the matter carefully.
"Wei Gong said Wang Huaidu was the worst?" Zhang Xing continued to ask. "Is it the worst among the three, or is it worse overall?"
"Both." Wei Xuanding insisted. "This is a waste of the world. He is timid and afraid of getting into trouble, and he will just perfunctoryly become an official... I agreed to pick up Chan Yuan that day, not just because you two leaders said that I wanted to have a stronghold on the opposite side, but for me personally On the other hand, there is also this reason...but I didn’t expect that he actually got hard."
Of course, the trash in Wei Xuanding's words must be greatly discounted... Everyone seems to look like trash to him, but at least it means that this person is not particularly wise and decisive.
"You don't know much about military strategy either?" Zhang Xing asked proactively just to be on the safe side.
"Of course." Wei Xuanding responded immediately. "Not to mention Wang Huaidu, even if Duke Huaitong and Duke Huaiji passed by together, the three brothers would definitely not know military strategy together... And if Duke Huaiji really passed by, I'm afraid Niuda would be gone."
"So there should be someone else in charge of military affairs?" Zhang Xing asked seriously. "Who is the Captain of Ji County?"
"He is a powerful man named Meng who was born in Liang County. He is called Meng Shanggong. He is actually powerful in the Jiyin Zhouqiao area." Xu Dalang took the initiative to speak. "He is a character, but in my opinion, nine out of ten he also has counter-intentions, and there is no reason to go all out... In fact, I think this guy just wants to go back to Liang County after seeing our business here. rebel."
"Mengshangong." Zhang Xing raised his hand and wrote down the name, and continued to ask. "But if he is not a captain, who would have any pretext to directly intervene in military affairs?"
"There is a wealthy man named Wang Dexin in Jijun, but he probably only wants to rebel, and has no reason to help the prefect, right?" Xu Dalang also became a little anxious.
"Don't say that these local tycoons only want to rebel. Even if they don't think about it, Prefect Wang, who has always looked down on these people, will not listen to them..." Taoist Wei interjected. "As for the imperial officers and soldiers in Ji County, the prefect has the final say no matter what."
Zhang Xing's heart suddenly moved, and he vaguely caught something, but he did not point it out directly, but asked inexplicably while thinking: "I remember that during the Three Expeditions, the imperial court sent Zheng Shanye to take charge of Liyang, Ji County. Has he left?"
"I left early, with Qu Tuda." Xu Dalang said. "Mr. Zhang, after you killed people in Gu Shui, before arriving here, the two of you led troops back to Xingyang together, maybe even back to Dongdu..."
"Will he come back again?" Zhang Xing asked. "After all, there is a Liyang warehouse in Liyang."
"Of course it is possible..." Xu Dalang sighed, and then finally felt helpless. "But Mr. Zhang, if you have such a guess, why don't you send a team to cross the river to investigate... The most we can say now is what kind of help the Wang Prefect got in Ji County, but we were rebelling before and didn't know anything."
"It is inevitable to send agents across the river to explore, to find acquaintances in the Ji County government and to contact local powerful people. It is also inevitable to find a contact channel for Fang Yanlang. It is also inevitable to even rush downstream to inquire about the situation and prepare to mobilize our water power. Because the matter is probably caused by many factors." Zhang Xing analyzed seriously while continuing to draw on the notebook with a charcoal pen. "You should also remember it."
"Yes." Xu Dalang immediately wrote down these items.
Zhang Xing waited for the other party to record his orders one by one before continuing: "Actually, we are not making random guesses now, but we are trying to collect known information and find out the key to the matter... And I won't hide it from you, When you said that Wang Huaidu was just an official with mediocre talents, but at the same time he was still the king of a county, and he had no say in military and political affairs, I thought of something interesting, and then I became suspicious..."
Xu Dalang and Taoist Wei both sat solemnly.
"I don't know much about military strategy. Why do you think our 30,000-strong army pretended to be heading here to rescue Niuda, but the officers and soldiers from Ji County had to withdraw for no reason?" Zhang Xing asked seriously. "If you want to prepare a naval army, you don't need to withdraw from the siege, right?"
"Of course I was frightened by the 30,000 people." Taoist Wei blurted out, but immediately he was a little unsure, and turned to look at Xu Dalang in a questioning manner. "Are you scared?"
"He must have been frightened by the 30,000 people." Xu Dalang thought thoughtfully, and then suddenly realized. "But why are you scared? This is completely inconsistent with the previous firm siege and the subsequent decisive increase of troops, right? Besides, it's like a navy... What Zhang Longtou said is true. It's not like we are the only one relying on our side. A change that can be made with just intelligence?”
"I actually think there should be only one possibility." Zhang Xing spoke calmly. "That is, the one who chose to withdraw the troops and the one who asked the troops to surround again are not the same person... Moreover, according to Wei Gong, the one who ordered the retreat must be Wang Taishou. In other words..."
"In other words..." Wei Xuanding suddenly leaned forward in his seat. "Not to mention the lack of information and the inability to respond internally, that is, if there is a person who is proficient in military strategy and determined to give orders in Jijun. If he is at the bottom, he may not be able to gain the trust of Governor Wang; if he is at the top, he should be able to do it. Taishou Wang is dissatisfied... Taishou Wang himself does not want to have a bloody battle with us!"
"A counter-intentional plan?" Xu Dalang also blurted out. "Divide these two people!"
"The countermeasure is not accurate." Zhang Xing responded seriously. "I have some guesses, but I still need to send a detailed investigation to find out clearly before making a conclusion... But no matter what, you can talk to Prefect Wang. Hello everyone, how about me?"
If you say this in front of Xiong Bonan, it will definitely arouse confusion. If you say it in public, the impact will not be good... You are all acting righteously, how can you discuss business with the high officials of the imperial court?
But the three people sitting here are all talking about practicality and the bottom line is relatively flexible, so the two of them nodded in disbelief, like chickens pecking at rice.
"That's it for today." Zhang Xing finally stood up. "Xu Dalang, please work hard and carry out these trivial tasks. When the craftsmen come back, I will meet them in person... If anything happens, you must come to me as soon as possible."
"Yes." Xu Shiying hurriedly responded with an extremely dignified attitude.
In this way, everyone was half excited and half helpless and dispersed. Zhang Xing naturally went to a courtyard in the north of Puyang City... That was the place where Qu Tuda, the Zhonglang general who was stationed here during the previous Three Expeditions, was stationed. It is said that it was the White House. A special property of the clan here was occupied by Zhang Xing without any shame during the reward stage for the whole army after the successful righteousness.
In fact, Puyang was the first big city where the three impoverished high-level officials moved into when the uprising began. Taoist Wei and Li Shu also openly received their own residences. Otherwise, where would Taoist Wei get new clothes?
This seems to be an inevitable situation at present, because on the other side, Xu Dalang, Shan Dalang, Wang Wulang, including the Zhai brothers, simply unified the public and official properties of some cities into something that did not distinguish between public and private. .
That is, Zhang Xing insisted on releasing grain, checking accounts, and checking rewards, and barely managed to save the official treasury.
From this perspective, those civil servants who only know how to talk, including Jiang Ren, seem to be more reliable than these heroes, but these heroes are the real hope of the rebellion.
But to be honest, Zhang Xing and Li Shu are also the hope of the rebellion, but even after they got the house, they performed much better than some leaders and some chiefs... After the two of them got the house, they unanimously handed over the maidservant. , the slaves were dismissed, and some confidant leaders and soldiers were invited to stay together.
For example, here in Zhang Xing, Jia Yue and the two hundred soldiers occupied most of the large house, leaving only a small backyard for themselves.
But on this day, Zhang Xing, who had gone to the county government for a boring meeting, returned here, only to find that most of the two hundred soldiers who should have arrived here at noon and were resting at this time were dejectedly carrying luggage and organizing bedding. .
"what happened?"
Zhang Xing was naturally at a loss... Is there anyone in Puyang City who could force his own soldiers to move?
"It's Mrs. Dou and Miss Bai. Xu Dalang mentioned it during the food distribution and sent it over." Jia Yue came up to him. Although his expression was still cold, he almost couldn't wait to explain. "We are not here. She and her servants and maids occupy the entire second half of the house. All the things they put in when they entered the city were thrown out, leaving only the front yard for us... They say that Bai's daughter is a relative of yours. , and said that this house belongs to the Bai family, and we don’t dare to fight for it.”
Zhang Xing was stunned for a moment, then he came to his senses, then he stretched out his hand and said simply: "Go in, release all the slaves, and hand them over to the Guan Tou leader, and let him go to confer and cultivate the fields; leave two maidservants for her, and place them together in the My small courtyard...As for other questions, if the locals return to their hometown to find their parents, they are not from the local area and are willing to be released from slavery. I will be a matchmaker and match the wives of the rebels. Those who are not willing to be wives of soldiers will be taken to the side courtyard and let the city defense The general brought all the dirty clothes..."
Jia Yue was startled and hesitated: "That's Bai's daughter!"
"So what if she is the queen?" Zhang Xing couldn't help but get angry because Chanyuan was surrounded and was helpless.
"What if there is resistance?" Jia Yue nodded, took two steps, and then turned back.
"Kill with weapons or kitchen knives." Zhang Xing's words were stern. "Without weapons or kitchen knives, you two hundred soldiers, both men and women, can't pull her hair out? She is a prisoner! Not a noble lady! And you are rebels!"
Jia Yue nodded again, walked two more steps in, and then looked back: "We must strictly enforce military discipline and try not to violate women's family members, right?"
"Isn't this nonsense?" Zhang Xing was speechless. "Why are you talking so much today?"
"Isn't this the famous daughter of the Bai family?" Jia Yue responded, nodded again and again, took two more steps in, and then turned back again.
"Do I have to do it myself?" Zhang Xing got angry first.
"No." Jia Yue asked seriously. "I just said that Bai's daughter will be placed in your small courtyard...Aren't you afraid that your sweetheart Bai's daughter will find out?"
President Zhang breathed out: "I didn't explain clearly. I will go in with you now, move my luggage out, and find me a place to live in the back courtyard."
Jia Yue nodded again.
Immediately, there was a flurry of excitement.
And it is not unexpected, these slaves and maids are actually unwilling to leave the Bai family's daughter and Mrs. Dou. Obviously, the slave status belongs to the slave status, but they also know that being a slave of the Bai family is better than being an ordinary person. Sons and wives of good families in the East are much more comfortable.
However, Zhang Xing did not tolerate them, and announced on the spot that the men would be dragged away from the farmland, while the women would be dragged into the side yard for centralized control, and they were going to open a serious laundry room.
This also aroused the extreme anger of Mrs. Dou, who should be regarded as Bai Yousi's serious cousin.
It was no big deal when the male maids were dragged away, but when the maidservants burst into tears and were about to be dragged away, Mrs. Dou, who was born in the Bai family, finally showed off the charm of a Bai family girl.
"Zhang Xing! You are also a court official who once broke into the house, and you are a guest of the Bai family. How come you do such dirty things once you become a thief?" Mrs. Dou shouted, and rushed out of the room, blocking her own way. In front of the maid, there was actually a knife in her hand. There was even a very obvious glow of Qi on the knife, which aroused half a foot of sword light. I don't know how she got it. "This kind of behavior is inferior to that country tycoon Xu Dalang!"
Besides, Jia Yue knew that Zhang Xing had a beau in Bai family, so how could these soldiers not know? Seeing this scene, they, who were already intimidated by the aura of Bai's daughter, retreated even more, not at all as agile as they had been in catching the male servants before.
Not only that, here in the courtyard, after being forced back by Bai's daughter, almost everyone turned back to look at Zhang Xing.
Zhang Xing has no choice but to bother to explain, and he doesn't want to spoil the other party... He still wants to fight! I still want to save Chan Yuan! Who has the time and energy to be related to you here?
You're a prisoner, but you've slapped your nose on your face, haven't you?
I am making a revolution!
So, this dignified leader simply stepped forward and went into battle himself.
But with just one step, Zhang Longtou's gray-white Qi bloomed all over his body, and was immediately surrounded by white Qi driven from the outside, covering most of his body, as if he was suddenly in the clouds. Then he just stretched out his hand, and forcefully pulled the weapon with the blade out of the opponent's hand, and held it backhand. That's not all. Holding the knife in his left hand, his right hand reached directly towards Madam Dou's bun, who was stunned as if she was frightened, and actually pulled up the other person's hair.
Then, there was a swing of the knife.
That action is very similar to Gu Shui killing Xianggong Zhang Han.
Of course, there was no killing. No matter how scum Zhang Xing was, he would not kill a female prisoner of war who did not cause any harm. With a wave of the sword, Bai's girl's shiny and unique Japanese bun was completely shaved off, and then was thrown away casually. to the ground.
A few hairpins were added to her hair, and it was scattered all over the place for a while.
So far, the courtyard, which had been in chaos because of the women crying, shouting, waving swords, and the soldiers running away, fell silent for an instant.
A moment later, Bai's daughter herself plopped down and fell to the ground.
She never expected that the other party would dare to pull her hair, use a knife, and even cut off her bun.
Of course, no one else thought of it either.
In the silence, this scum who actually cut off a woman's hair himself, and cut off the hair of a noble lady and a sister-in-law in a sense, turned around and calmly told the maids: "I am also reasonable, let's Each of you take a step back and allow four of you to take care of your wife. Just the four of you, help your wife in immediately... The rest immediately go into the side yard to wash clothes. I promise you are just washing clothes! After a while, then who……"
Halfway through his words, Zhang Sanlei suddenly froze, and holding the knife again, he looked coldly at Madam Dou, who was kneeling on the ground: "Mrs. Dou, Prefect Liu and Madam Sima have already left, right? Why don't you leave?"
Mrs. Dou, who seemed to be somewhat bald, looked up at the other party and opened her mouth in silence.
Zhang Xing sneered: "You don't think you can use my relationship with Sisi to provide some cover here to avenge your husband? If that's the case, do you think I don't dare to kill a woman? Bai's daughter So what? Do I have to sacrifice the lives of many brothers for you alone? Madam Dou, please see clearly the world!"
Mrs. Dou finally shook her head, her words were trembling, and she looked even more bald: "I had this idea, but it has not been done! Zhang Sanlang, do you want to kill me just because I have this idea?"
"I'm not a saint today." Zhang Xing smiled and just waved his hand. "Madam, please go inside to recuperate, and don't pester me any more. When I find an opportunity in a few days, I will send my wife to the British Duke in Taiyuan as soon as possible..."
Madam Dou tried hard to get up, but fell back down. However, two maids hurriedly stepped forward to help her up. The other two maids who had been ordered before hurriedly picked up the hair and hairpins scattered on the ground, and then hurriedly picked up the hair and hairpins scattered on the ground. Follow up.
Although the other maids couldn't help crying, what could they do if they lost their support, so they had no choice but to move into the side yard collectively.
Zhang Xing finished cleaning up the chicken feathers on the ground, thought for a long time, and promised the guards who had not dispersed yet that if Mrs. Dou could not leave within the year, he would directly betroth the maids to the maids from Hebei who are now alone. They were alone... This was really a helpless move, because he really couldn't guarantee military discipline, and couldn't guarantee that a sergeant would climb over the wall and do something.
Of course, military discipline can be strictly enforced if something is really done, but considering the current world situation, it is probably the best choice to force these slave girls to be released from slavery and betrothed against their personal wishes.
It's the same for them, and it's probably the same for these soldiers.
An inexplicable trouble was solved by a quick shave, and then a night of silence. In the next few days, feedback from all aspects continued to come in, but it was always difficult to grasp the point.
Fang Yanlang wrote back, saying that his nephew Fang Xuanqiao is now living in the Guanlong area with his father Fang Yanrang... The latter is serving as the county magistrate... But even so, he still has channels to talk to Wang Huaidu, because he himself is very close to him. Well, a letter of communication in the name of his brother Fang Yanrang has been delivered along with the reply.
That's good.
But the crux of the problem is that Xi Zuo, who was sent across the river to conduct self-reconnaissance, did not see or hear anyone leading the troops except the county guard Wang Huadu. Zheng Shanye did not come back. Those who besieged Chanyuan were also local soldiers and horses of Ji County. Testing the local powerful and low-level officials in Ji County, the results were the same - they were very interested in rebelling with the Deposed Dragon Gang who had done great things, but they had never heard of any special people in Ji County. He led the troops instead of Wang Huaidu.
This was difficult for Taoist Wei to understand, and it also put him and Xu Dalang into a state of complete helplessness... How to save Niuda? Do we really have to wait until Zhou Xingfan and the Lu brothers from downstream bring their boats and try to rescue them by water battle? Will ice freeze before the ships arrive, or the city be destroyed first?
However, unexpectedly, Zhang Xing felt a little more confident in his heart, because this result verified his idea.
"I want to cross the river in person for final reconnaissance...and see if we can solve this problem quickly so as not to delay the transfer of winter clothes to the soldiers at the front."
On the second day of November, the weather turned cold. On the same day that 20,000 members of the Deposed Dragon Gang poured into Dongping County and cooperated with the Zu clan's internal forces, they easily captured Yuncheng, the county government. Unknown to the rebels of the Deposed Dragon Gang Zhang Xing, who could no longer hide his reputation, made a suggestion to Xu Dalang and Taoist Wei.
"It's just a transfer of winter clothes." Unexpectedly, Taoist Wei didn't change into new clothes. He was silent for a moment and immediately objected with a dark face. "I can do it without you, but if you die in Hebei, will Li Shu say that I harmed you, and then kill me to win over Wang Wulang and Mr. Zhou?"
"Brother Zhang is worth a thousand pieces of gold..." Xu Dalang also tried his best to persuade him, and he spoke much better than Taoist Wei who couldn't speak.
"What is your cultivation level?" Zhang Xing was confused and asked Xu Dalang a question. "Can't you keep me safe?"
Xu Shiying was stunned for a moment and said nothing.
"What do you want me to ask you?" Zhang Xing's face was expressionless and he didn't have time to ask further. "When I met you on the river that day, you only had a superficial cultivation of a few positive meridians. You should have been a master of the strange scriptures at that time... Later, I looked at the sea of suffering and connected the two strange scriptures of Chongdai, killing Zhang Han and floating horses. The two meridians of Ren and Du were opened by drinking water, and the two meridians of Yang and Yin were opened continuously after the incident... What kind of cultivation have you done since the incident until now?"
Xu Shiying calmed down and told her truthfully: "I barely managed to condense the elixir on the day of the incident, but it was still not flying smoothly."
"That's what I guessed." Zhang Xing ignored Wei Xuanding's strange look and continued to look at Xu Dalang. "So, it's just a big river. You couldn't help me cross it because of the heavy workload back then, but you can't personally help me cross it today?"
Xu Shiying bowed and saluted: "Xu Dayuan is willing to accompany Third Brother Zhang and never let Third Brother encounter any mistakes."
ps: Good night everyone... I was surprised to find that I actually updated 150,000 words this month...
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