Entering October, it’s a serious winter day. However, when it rains in late autumn, it is often cold first, and the southerly wind in early winter often leads to Indian summer conditions.
North of the river, that's been the case lately.
This is a good thing, because it can save everyone a period of terrible winter. In the past year or so, Hebei has suffered too many disasters, and winter is destined to be difficult to endure.
Let's say that the counties in Hebei are all typical large counties. It is common for a county such as Bohai, Pingyuan, Qinghe, and Hejian to have a general governor elsewhere. It is precisely because of this that the county governors of Hebei's large counties have always been decent people. .
Moreover, because they were responsible for suppressing the homeland of the Eastern Qi Dynasty, they generally had a military flavor. This became more obvious after the Three Expeditions.
From this point of view, whether Li Ding, a descendant of Guanlong who was born in the Ministry of War, became the governor of Wu'an County, or Qian Tang, a new member of Guanlong who was born in Jingantai, became the governor of Pingyuan, it makes some sense, but they have both left. Great luck.
The opportunity for them to take office lay in the Eastern Capital's compromise with the situation in the world, the internal power struggle in Guanlong, and the predicament of Hebei rebels flying all over the place at that time.
I don't know what Li Ding will do, but Pingyuan Tongshou Qian Tang knows this very well. He knows that this life is likely to be farther and farther away from the romantic pursuit he once imagined, so he cherishes this career that has obviously entered a new stage.
The south wind blows and the sun hangs high. More than ten miles south of Husu County, a man dressed in brocade clothes seems to have returned to the Jing'antai era. Qian Tang suddenly reined in his horse, causing more than a dozen mounted guards around him to stop hastily. Then he immediately surrounded Prefect Qian in a well-trained manner and observed from all sides at the same time.
But the surroundings are mostly clean winter fields, and there is only a small forest in the field of vision that can hide people, and there is no movement at all. This puzzled the guards.
"What are they doing?"
Sure enough, Qian Fujun's attention was elsewhere. He pointed in the direction of the fields that had lost any greenery in the past, and there were quite a few thin young girls in tattered clothes busy on the fields: "This is the season. Is there anything else you can find in the fields?"
Naturally, there were smart locals among the guards. They immediately dismounted and went to the fields. After a while, they turned around and reported back: "Report to the Lord, they are catching field mice."
Qian Tang suddenly realized that as long as they are not unable to go out and can still look for food in the wild, ordinary people will always try their best to get food from the outside world and catch voles. This is one of the most common behaviors in the countryside. one.
Because voles not only store food in their holes, but also eat the food themselves, it is not surprising that they are also considered a clean source of meat.
Knowing the whole story, Mr. Qian Fu could only sigh in his heart that the world was not good and people's livelihood was difficult, and he continued to ride on his horse, but after taking two steps, he stopped again, and then couldn't help but ask again: "Shouldn't the field mice be after the autumn harvest?" Did you just take advantage of the situation? At that time, there was the most food in the hole and the rats were the fattest, right?"
The attendants around him all nodded, and the attendant who went to check it out in person looked embarrassed. Qian Tang asked sternly: "Is this really a case of hunting field mice?"
"really."
The attendants had no choice but to repeat, but the embarrassment on their faces did not change. When Qian Tang saw this, he knew something was wrong, so he simply dismounted and came directly to the field. The attendants also quickly followed with their knives, so that when the young men saw it, they all Escape.
Qian Tang was helpless and called from afar: "Don't be afraid. I like to eat field mice. Do you have any fat ones? I will pay more to buy them. It will be enough for you to buy the same weight of pork in the city. Pork is also convenient for you to divide, right?" "
The thin teenagers visibly hesitated and then stopped.
But when Qian Tang and his party were about to arrive, the young man at the head of them had no choice but to remind them: "Uncle, there are no fat people, only three or five thin ones."
"It doesn't matter." Qian Tang stepped forward and took out some copper coins from his arms: "I'll give it to you even if I don't buy it after looking at it."
When he saw the money, the leading boy finally opened a torn bag and took the initiative to show it to the visitor.
Qian Fujun just looked over and instantly understood why his trusted attendant had such an expression. What these young men said was absolutely correct. There were only three or five skinny vole corpses, and they were not adults. Rats correspond to the bodies of these thin young men.
Qian Tang's face turned red. He only put a handful of copper coins into the bag, and then asked seriously: "Actually, we have already caught voles once in this field in autumn, right?"
"Sir, I've caught him four or five times." Seeing that the noble man was easy to talk to, the thin young man quickly answered.
"But you have to catch it, even in the ditch."
Qian Tang nodded, not daring to ask or stay any longer. Instead, he turned around and walked back to the road. The Pingyuan Tong guard waited for a long time, but only stayed on his horse.
The reason couldn't be simpler. He is a smart man and he knows what this situation means. People say that it is wrong to fish from all the marshes. However, under his rule, even the field mice had to survive four or five crops, and in the end they were almost extinct. It can be seen that What has happened to people's livelihood?
However, this is Pingyuan County.
From the name of this county, we know that this is the granary of Hebei.
"How did things get to this point?" Just when the close followers around him were hesitating whether to persuade him or not, Qian Tang finally asked with a wry smile.
The attendants looked at each other, of course they knew what their own prince was talking about. After a while, one of them answered bravely: "Master, the main reason is that it is too chaotic. Even if you want to bring peace to the people, you should kill the thieves." The army is defeated, let’s talk about other things.”
Qian Tang nodded, managed a smile, and then walked away.
In fact, how could Qian Tang, who was born in a good family and had extensive experience in security inspections, not understand what was going on?
Even if he didn't understand it before, his one year as a county guard is enough for him to understand what's going on.
Let’s not talk about the conquest of Dongyi. The three conquests against Dongyi that were prepared in the late spring of last year were the beginning of everything. All production and security orders were disrupted at that moment, and then the rebels swarmed up and the rebels gained momentum. Later, the rebels lost control, and then the Hejian Camp and the Youzhou Camp joined forces to sweep away the bandits like a comb and the soldiers like a grate.
The social order may have been "reorganized" under the pressure of the Hejian elite, but production was basically scrapped, and the most fatal of these was the huge food gap caused by the two autumn harvests.
So, this comes back to the most classic question in disaster years: what should we do if there is less food but not less people? It's very simple. According to the consistent thinking of Guanlong and Dongdu, just kill some people. After the last autumn harvest, the government and army relied on their strong fighting power to make the rebels and some ordinary people become this group of people.
However, last year's autumn harvest troubles have not been resolved, and this year's autumn harvest has been delayed again. We don't know who should die, and how many people should die.
In other words, Qian Tang ventured out of the semi-surrounded county and ventured through the dangerous "enemy-occupied area" to go to Bohai County next door. Including listening to the advice of his subordinates, he himself wanted to solve this problem.
In this way, everyone continued eastward and soon came to a manor located at the junction of Pingyuan County and Bohai County. The manor was so huge that the edge of the wall could not be seen at all. There were earthen ramparts and trenches outside the wall, and there were arrows on the wall. There is a high platform in the middle of the oar, and even before entering the boundary of about twenty miles around the park, you have already met the inspectors and the long-awaited greeters. After all, Qian Tang is a prince of the county. Although he came here incognito, No one dared to neglect, but after just a moment, the master of the manor and the two elderly guests who had arrived earlier came out to greet him.
The owner of the manor, whose surname is Gao, is called Gao Shizhan. He is about thirty years old this year. The manor with such a regulation is placed here, and it is in this location. It goes without saying that it must have experienced the massive expansion of the Eastern Qi Dynasty. The "Bohai High" that is now flooding in Hebei and Northern China looks like a powerful house similar to Xu Shiying and Dan Tonghai. It is conceivable that once this person raises an army, he can at least gather three to five thousand people like Shan Tonghai.
The other two guests are not simple either. One is a heroic knight from Xindu County in the northwest. Zhuge Yang, a master of elixirs who has long been famous, is a wealthy man who just abandoned his official position in Guanlong and returned to his hometown. The middle soldiers and horses joined the Hejian Camp and became a Zhonglang General under Xue Changxiong of the Hejian Camp. I can only say that the masters who gathered around the two capitals under the old Wei policy of strong cadres and weak branches returned to their hometowns after the war. The situation is increasing day by day.
As for the other one, it is quite simple. He is Zhang Shiyu, the governor of Bohai County.
Of these four people, two are prefects and two are powerful men with cultivation or local strength. At this time, they are hiding from the public eye and getting together at this time. Naturally, they are going to do something big.
Sure enough, the four of them entered, did some etiquette, and then went directly to the inner room to plot.
Let’s also say that tyranny itself lacks political foresight. For example, for the tyranny in the east, the two most western counties will naturally rise up against Wei because they bumped into Zhang Xing and Li Shu; the tyranny of Qilu, because they bumped into Zhang Xing, Xuguo naturally became the main force of the official army; while the powerful people in Dengzhou chose to rely on the powerful external rebel army, and they fell behind, and so on.
The powerful people in Dengzhou chose to rely on the powerful rebel army from outside, and they fell into inferior positions, and so on.
And here in Hebei, because of the existence of Youzhou Camp and Hejian Camp, it is natural for the powerful to choose to cooperate with the imperial court.
Of course, if Zhang Xing and Zhang Sanlang were here, they would definitely say that no matter who the powerful people follow, it represents the collapse of the rule of the Wei Dynasty, because local officials have lost control of the local area and have to seek peace. The deal can only be reached by cooperating with the target of suppression and prevention, and it is very likely that a large amount of political power will have to be transferred. This is actually the case this time.
That's it, it's a simple trick to lure the enemy, you lure them in, and the Hejian camp will be surrounded by 20,000 elites. After that, General Xue has promised you to be a Zhonglang general. ”Zhuge Yang concluded this.
"It's natural. Can't I, Gao Shizhan, not be a general?" Gao Shizhan replied proudly: "However, I remember that Brother Zhuge also has brothers from the clan who are acquainted with him. Don't we need to make contact? Two of them It’s better to walk on the road together, right?”
And here in Hebei, because of the existence of Youzhou Camp and Hejian Camp, it is natural for the powerful to choose to cooperate with the imperial court.
Of course, if Zhang Xing and Zhang Sanlang were here, they would definitely say that no matter who the powerful people follow, it represents the collapse of the rule of the Wei Dynasty, because local officials have lost control of the local area and have to seek peace. The deal can only be reached by cooperating with the target of suppression and prevention, and it is very likely that a large amount of political power will have to be transferred. This is actually the case this time.
"That's it. It's a simple trick to lure the enemy. You lure them in, and the Hejian camp will be surrounded by 20,000 elites. After that, General Xue has promised you to be a Zhonglang general." Zhuge Yang concluded this.
"It's natural. Can't I, Gao Shizhan, not be a general?" Gao Shizhan replied proudly: "However, I remember that Brother Zhuge also has brothers from the clan who are acquainted with him. Don't we need to make contact? Two of them It’s better to walk on the road together, right?”
"For this kind of thing, there is one more way and one more flaw." Zhuge Yang explained helplessly: "As long as we can deceive Gao Shitong and let him easily drive the army over, everything will be fine. Why bother?
"You have been retiring in the Western Capital for a long time and have lost your appeal to your descendants, right?" Gao Shichen thought for a while and sneered on the spot.
"Forget it, I'll do it! However, if things don't work out, you can't blame me, because Gao Shitong is a big man after all, and is as famous as me in the county. With his ability, It’s impossible to tell if you can tell something.”
"Gao Shitong will definitely fall into the trap."
Zhang Shiyu, the governor of Bohai, interrupted slightly impatiently, and managed to stop Zhuge Yang's anger: "The bad thing about this guy is that he is a little clever. He knows better than anyone else that he was driven out by the Deposed Dragon Gang; Everyone knows that Shen Xunzhi and those in the Ping Ping Army are dissatisfied with him. They are not rebelling at this time but are just concerned about the Deposed Dragon Gang... Therefore, if you join him now with the friendship of the same clan, he will definitely be ecstatic and regard you as someone he can rely on. , as a means to get rid of the Dragon Gang."
"Hurry up! @精品_书馆...j_h_s_s_d_c_o_mFirst.Update~~" Qian Tang also became a little anxious: "To be honest with you, what I'm worried about now is really not Gao Shitong, but the deposed Long Army. If I can't It would be fine for him to quickly defeat Gao Shitong, or allow Gao Shitong to regain a foothold in the Bohai Sea and the plains. He was afraid that the people from the Deposed Dragon Gang would really take this as an opportunity to go north... The one from Douzigang Soldiers and horses are already difficult enough, but what if the Deposed Dragon Gang's army goes north?"
The soldiers and horses in Douzigang are a bit stronger, but couldn't the previous army sweep away and retreat into the salt marshes of Douzigang? Gao Shizhan seemed to be unkind to Qian Tang: "Why are you afraid of deposing the Dragon Gang?"
"Are you really not afraid?" At this moment, Zhuge Yang suddenly interrupted and asked coldly.
After a while, Zhang Shiyu, who had the highest status and was the oldest, spoke in a slightly calmer tone: "Okay, the country is in a difficult situation and the bandit army is in chaos. There is not much to think about. Since today's strategy is well planned, it should be implemented quickly to avoid a long night and many dreams."
The other three people obviously gave Zhang Shiyu face, and they all stood up and responded. Gao Shizhan even smiled: "Although the three of you came in secret, it is difficult to hold a big banquet, but as a landlord, I have to entertain you. Go and wash your hands, there will be dinner served later, it doesn’t matter if you come back early tomorrow morning.”
There seems to be nothing to say.
The two of them were ushered into the inner room by the maid. Qian Tang couldn't bear it anymore and took the initiative to ask: "Mr. Zhang, what's going on with these two people? It's fine that they are both arrogant and rude. How can they hold guns and sticks with each other?"
"Pingyuan County is in the south of Ande. You have been busy with military affairs in the past few months. After Gao Shitong came back, you blocked the news. So naturally you don't know that Zhuge Yang became enemies with Gao Shizhan within a few days of his return." Zhang Shi Yu's expression was ordinary: "It is said that the fight was caused by the banquet..."
"Has anyone been rude?" Qian Tang couldn't ask further. "It's not that Dou Fu Dou vented his anger. "
Zhang Shiyu briefly introduced: "Zhuge Yang came back from Guanxi, and Gao Shizhen went to visit him to celebrate. Probably because he had just returned and was unprepared, he only killed a dozen chickens to entertain him, and Gao Shizhen laughed at him. As a result, Zhuge Zan On the surface, Gao Shizhan remained silent, but on the second day he killed the largest of the large livestock he had brought back. It is said that the pigs and sheep were eight feet long, and the pancake grid was more than ten feet wide. Gao Shizhan did not say anything on the surface, but he was deeply ashamed. , he immediately invited the other party to come to his place after he came back, not to mention all the chicken, duck, fish, pork, sheep and cattle. It is said that in the end he just found a pair of twin boys, cleaned them, steamed them all, and divided the meat between them."
Qian Tang was stunned. "That's not all. It is said that Zhuge Yang invited her after he returned. He first sent a beautiful concubine to serve her, then cooked the beautiful concubine and ate it in front of Gao Shizhan. "Zhang Shiyu shook his head in response.
"That's about it."
"Is it true or false?" Qian Tang was young after all, so he immediately asked: "Cannibalism?"
"I guess there is fighting against riches, and I guess there is also the killing of slaves wantonly, but I guess there is no cannibalism. At least I haven't heard direct testimony. It's more like this year's famine. People around them think they are extravagant, and they don't care about it. The slave dealers are too harsh, so they specially arranged it. And these two people are all afraid of the Deposed Dragon Gang. It is said that this is also the reason. Doesn’t the Deposed Dragon Gang have a saying that they hate such powerful men extremely? Things like killing slaves and fighting for wealth are anyway The Deposed Dragon Gang is in trouble." Zhang Shiyu is experienced.
Qian Tang took a breath, but felt that there was something wrong with this bastard. He was afraid of the Deposed Dragon Gang, but not afraid of the government? "However, this does not mean that these people cannot do such things, but we are still here at this time, the saint is still here, the emperor's uncle is still here, and General Xue is still here, so they can't do anything to dominate them." "
Zhang Shiyu didn't know what the other party was thinking, and sighed again: "But if the world continues to be chaotic, no one will care about people like this. They will rely on force, financial resources, and influence to be unscrupulous and competitive. Gradually, they will become disgusting." Everything can be done. When the Southern Tang family first went south, some relatives of the emperor wanted to kill a maid if they refused to drink. That was a real thing. In the troubled times, human life is cheap, not as good as a bowl of millet. And like that How is the behavior different from cannibalism? That’s all.”
Zhang Shiyu didn't know what the other party was thinking. Fu Qiantang sighed, but shook his head: "If we unite with this kind of people, this situation will be solved. I'm afraid there will be a lot of trouble for us in the future."
Zhang Shiyu laughed and seemed to want to say something else.
And at this time, a maid suddenly brought basins, racks, towels and other things, as well as brand-new clothes, and the two of them immediately stopped talking.
Then, all of them were stunned and sighed: "But if the world continues to be chaotic, no one will care about people like this. They will rely on force, financial resources, and influence to be unscrupulous and competitive. Gradually, I am afraid that all disgusting things will happen." It can be said that when the Southern Tang family first went south, some relatives of the emperor wanted to kill a maid if the guest refused to drink. How is it different from cannibalism?"
Because the basin that the maid brought in was filled with milky white milk soup, and the smell of milk was clearly audible.
"What is this?" Qian Tang felt dizzy.
"It's human milk, right?" Zhang Shi said immediately when he met Duo Shiguang.
The maids immediately nodded carefully, and then took the initiative to come up in pairs to hold hands for the two princes.
"Human milk...for drinking?" Qian Tang was extremely cautious.
"Wash your hands and face." Zhang Shiyu sneered and put his hands directly into the warm milk.
Qian Tang was startled for a moment, but then he glanced at the maid beside him. Thinking of the allusions in the history books, he didn't dare to refuse. Instead, he bowed his head and cleansed his face, almost vomiting.
After washing their faces, the two of them turned out. There was a small banquet in a small pavilion outside. However, it was Gao Shizhan and the two county princes who each received one of the three cases. Then they saw dozens of people in the open space outside the small pavilion. The maids came out and stood beside them.
Gao Shizhan looked proud, but he apologized repeatedly, saying that he had not received well.
But the next moment, it may be desserts and fruits, or pork, mutton and beef, or seafood, fish and shrimp, bones, meat and brains, or boiled, boiled, steamed, fried, pickled or mixed, there is no shortage of all kinds of food that can be imagined in early winter.
Not to mention there were seven or eight kinds of drinks. Qian Tang sat there, moved his chopsticks a few times, and drank two drinks, but then he thought about the group of teenagers he met on the road who couldn't find the field mice, and the related cannibalism. The rumors, one false and the other true, made him restless and aggravated, and he lost his appetite. Even the other Lord Zhang didn't eat much.
Qian Tang sighed, but then shook his head: "If we unite with this kind of people, this situation will be solved. I'm afraid there will be a lot of trouble for us in the future." Zhang Shiyu laughed, as if he wanted to say something else.
And at this time, a maid suddenly brought basins, racks, towels and other things, as well as brand-new clothes, and the two of them immediately stopped talking.
Then, everyone was stunned again.
Because the basin that the maid brought in was filled with milky white milk soup, and the smell of milk was clearly audible.
"It's human milk, right?" Zhang Shi said immediately when he met Duo Shiguang.
The maids immediately nodded carefully, and then took the initiative to come up in pairs to hold hands for the two princes.
"Human milk...for drinking?" Qian Tang was extremely cautious.
Wash hands and face. Zhang Shiyu sneered and put his hands directly into the warm milk.
Qian Tang was startled for a moment, but then he glanced at the maid beside him. Thinking of the allusions in the history books, he didn't dare to refuse. Instead, he bowed his head and cleansed his face, almost vomiting.
After washing their faces, the two of them turned out. There was a small banquet in a small pavilion outside. However, it was Gao Shizhan and the two county princes who each received one of the three cases. Then they saw dozens of people in the open space outside the small pavilion. The maids came out and stood beside them.
Gao Shizhan looked pleased with himself, but apologized profusely, saying that he was not well received.
But the next moment, it may be desserts and fruits, or pork, mutton and beef, or seafood, fish and shrimp, bones, meat and brains, or boiled, boiled, steamed, fried, pickled or mixed, there is no shortage of all kinds of food that can be imagined in early winter.
Not to mention there were seven or eight kinds of drinks. Qian Tang sat there, moved his chopsticks a few times, and drank two glasses, but then he thought about the group of teenagers he met on the road who couldn't find the field mice, and the related cannibalism. The rumors, one false and the other true, made him restless and agitated, and he lost his appetite. Even the other Lord Zhang didn't eat much.
But this does not delay the disk like running water, moving up and down quickly.
Mr. Qian Dafu saw with his own eyes that the plates that went down were placed on an ox cart in the courtyard, and they were filled quickly. By the time he had finished his dinner in a daze, the ox cart had come three times.
How is this kind of extravagance different from cannibalism? No wonder people call the two powerful men who compete for wealth cannibals.
After dinner, Commissioner Qian Tang couldn't stay any longer, so he took the initiative to escape on horseback overnight because of his serious military affairs.
The next day, he returned to Ande City, Pingyuan County, which was semi-surrounded. He took a short rest and slept almost until dark before waking up. However, he couldn't help but think on the bed if the people who were in Gao Shizhan's manor yesterday were in vain. What do you think?
The answer seemed obvious. Bai Yousi would chop up Gao Shizhan with a knife, and then take out the food from the manor and put it away.
However, that was Bai Yousi's outstanding cultivation, what if it were someone else? The one whose cultivation level is similar to mine? For example, what would Zhang Xinghui do?
The answer seemed obvious. Zhang Xinghui finished the meal calmly, then went back and asked Bai Yousi to chop Gao Shizhan into pieces and then put out the food.
But it's still not right.
Qian Tang was keenly aware of the difficulty - neither Zhang Xing nor Bai Yousi would let a bastard like Gao Shitong capture half the county and then force him to the city. But he was facing the embarrassing situation of approaching the city. Even if he wanted to deal with a bastard like Gao Shizhan, or even if he just wanted to muster the courage to open the inventory and stockpile food, he probably lacked a realistic basis.
Just like that, after a night, Qian Tang, who was still too young, finally recovered.
But on this day, he received two reports.
A spy arranged by him from the other side of the river informed the Huaiyou Alliance that the Huaixi Gang was directly demoted after the large-scale event in Huaixi, and the whole gang in the Jishui area changed. Now there are folk rumors flying across the river, saying that the Gang is Zhang Xing, the leader of the left wing, wants to personally lead his army northward to open up Hebei!
I just don’t know the route of march, and I don’t know whether the rumors are true or not. The second report comes from Gao Shizhan, whom Qian Fujun is extremely disgusted with. This man is proud and says that the strategy has worked. Gao Shitong has believed him and is actively contacting him. Discuss a raid on Leling, an important town in Bohai County.
If Qian Tang could barely maintain his composure in the first report because he knew that following the uprising of the Huaiyou League, the Deposed Dragon Gang would inevitably start discussions about marching, and Hebei would definitely be one of the directions for discussion, then the second report made it clear that The reason why Qian Tang lost control couldn't be simpler. The second report is probably the evidence of the first one.
Gao Shitong couldn't help but have already received the news, so he couldn't wait to accept Gao Shizhan's invitation.
It took a long time for Qian Tang to calm down and he was determined. He would defeat Gao Shitong quickly, kill the donkey and kill Gao Shizhan, and then privately open the warehouse to release grain to rectify the people's hearts.
This is called cleaning the house before treating guests.
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Chapter 109: Temporary Popularity (12) Free to read.
