"A few days ago, people said it was as hot as a stove. Who knew, but I was the only one who was actually baking on the stove."
"They say that His Majesty has entrusted all the military power to me. They say that our Sima family covers the sky with one hand and the earth with the other... What's wrong with me covering the sky and the earth? If I don't cover it, we will all die together!"
"Whenever something happens, everyone comes to me. When something happens to me, no one dares to look for me. From top to bottom, there are saints, queens, King Qi, Duke Niu, Manager Lai, Xianggong Yu, a dozen generals, and dozens of lieutenants. General, who do I dare to offend? Who can I offend?"
"They scolded me in private, saying that I was a dandy, saying that I deceived the saints, saying that I was incompetent, but little did they know that I was the one resisting in all the three hundred states and counties in the five capitals of the Wei Dynasty! I was resisting! These people are standing It doesn’t hurt your back to talk!”
"..."
"..."
"So Wang Shilang said he wanted to save me, how are you going to save me?" It was the second half of the afternoon, and after three rounds of drinking, Sima Huada's eyes were still red, and he just leaned on the case and patted the case to ask.
Wang Daiji was sitting there, thinking all the nonsense and having been consumed by the other party's alcohol, but he was stunned for a moment, and then he slowly and carefully put his hands together and asked: "Mr. Sima, I take the liberty to ask, are you still not here?" Do you know that Zhao Guang was captured by Shan Yang, the deposed dragon thief?"
Sima Huada raised his head from the case and looked at the other party for a while, confused: "Zhao Guang was captured? Who said that? Didn't he just go there?"
Wang Daiji didn't say a word, but carefully took out the leather bag he brought, then took out Zhao Guang's ribbon gold medal and gently placed it in front of the other party.
Sima Huada picked up the thing and looked at it for a while, confused for a while, and then looked at Wang Daiji again. The two looked at each other for a moment, and the former realized what the other wanted to express.
Then, the general in charge of Jiangdu's military power wanted to speak several times, but was silent several times. Finally, he suddenly broke down emotionally again and burst into tears: "How could this happen? How could this happen? Zhao Guang couldn't stop it. Stay?!"
There was no question about the accuracy of the message.
"Sima Gong!" Wang Daiji looked outrageous and quickly brought up business. "I'm here to save you, just to help you deal with the advance of the Deposed Dragon Gang."
Sima Huada had actually come to his senses when he saw the gold medal, but he was just in a difficult mood. Now he was awakened, thought about it, and finally cleared up some ideas, and then he held his aching head and asked cautiously:
"How did General Zhao's gold medal ribbon get into the hands of Wang Shilang?"
When Wang Daiji saw the other party like this, he knew that he should not treat the other party as some high-end product, so he spoke directly: "The leader of the deposed Dragon Gang, Zhang Xing Zhang Sanlang, had a relationship with me when we were in Dongdu. It was he who sent someone to He's here, he wants to do business with Mr. Sima."
Sima Huada stopped talking and just stared at the other party without moving.
Wang Daiji took the opportunity to explain clearly the situation of the three-pronged advance of the Deposed Dragon Gang, the existence of the two master masters, and the current crisis facing Sima Huada and his son, and finally proposed a transaction plan.
"That's all?" Sima Huada took a long breath of alcohol. "Then Zhang San occupies such a big situation now, but he wants it so cheaply?"
"Of course not." Wang Daiji smiled. "They also want weapons and food, and the figures are huge... waiting for us to bargain!"
"Oh." Sima Huada was slightly stunned. "But I still feel it's a bit false. There must be some opinions from within the Deposed Dragon Gang or from the military."
"Also...although they didn't say it, it is well known that there is a drought in Huaibei and it is not as stable as in Huainan." Wang Daiji continued. "Furthermore, Zhang Sanlang himself came from Jing'an Terrace to Fulongwei, and he knew the imperial court clearly. Someone quoted his words, and it seems that he was also afraid that there would be a palace coup here, and then there would be no one left for the one hundred thousand forbidden troops. Control, without someone like you, Mr. Sima, taking charge of all the talking..."
Sima Huada suddenly woke up: "Does this guy still have such knowledge? No wonder someone called him Xiao Zhang Shizhao that day! Is there anything else?"
"Besides that." Wang Daiji paused and continued. "They also appointed a candidate, insisting that I be the Huainan pacification ambassador to supervise the counties of Lujiang, Huainan, Zhongli, and Tong'an..."
Sima Huada was slightly startled and stared at the other person: "Do you have such a big appetite?"
Wang Daiji was startled, and realized that he still opened his mouth, so he quickly explained: "Sima Gong has misunderstood. The saint and a hundred thousand forbidden troops are here, and there are General Tuwan's troops on the other side of the river. How dare I treat Huainan as my private property?" ...Sima Gong thought about it, I went to Huainan, will Huainan not provide tax and food to Jiangdu? I am still an official of the imperial court, an official of Sima Gong. Besides, now that Huaixi is rebelling, Huainan is getting more and more boiling. There must be someone to appease Huainan and take charge of taxation, right?"
Sima Huada smiled: "Of course this is true at this time, and of course I don't dare to, but in the future, when one day the saint becomes impatient and leaves, won't you also become a prince in troubled times?"
Wang Daiji became more and more embarrassed, but at the same time, he also had other thoughts. He was surprised at the other party's ignorance and sensitivity. Stupidity means that this guy is still thinking about what if one day the saint can return to the Eastern Capital, but sensitivity and intelligence lie in the fact that people can see through these things about officialdom and power at a glance... his own little thoughts are in front of the other party. Seems so ridiculous.
But now, he can only bite the bullet and explain: "Sima Gong is joking, what kind of princes? They are all loyal to the Wei Dynasty... Besides, if I go to Huainan, I can also make the deposed dragon army accept the new ones." The forces in Huaixi do not threaten Jiangdu. Moreover, I did not propose Huainan myself. The army in Shanyang wants to withdraw and leave from Huainan. They had this intention."
"I can agree." Sima Huada suddenly nodded. "I and Zhang San of the Deposed Dragon Gang are obviously mutually supporting each other, why don't we agree? You are the only one who is the messenger, asking for water pumping from the four counties of Huainan? This water pumping is more expensive than a house! It's too much, you Don’t be too greedy.”
Wang Daiji became more and more embarrassed, but at this point, he had no choice but to grit his teeth: "Sima Gong, I'm not just trying to argue with words. I'm just a minister, and a minister who is actually in power. After getting such an opportunity, I can't just be a county minister again." Prefect, right? More importantly, the southern army of the Deposed Dragon Gang had just captured Zhao Guang, and they quickly sent people to look for me, as if they only trusted me. After all, I am the only one who can really do this in Huainan. It’s a good buffer to prevent the two sides from really causing trouble.”
"You will take advantage of the thief's own dignity." Sima Huada suddenly laughed, smelling of alcohol. "I only said you were going too far. When did you say no? What do you gain? As long as you don't have to pay for it, it's none of my business?"
"Then..." Wang Daiji still couldn't hold himself back.
"This position is too heavy, so what if I agree? His Majesty has to personally agree to it. Maybe he will ask Prime Minister Yu to help..." Sima Huada said impatiently. "That's why I told you, Mr. Wang, not to be too greedy. If things really don't work out, it's a small thing if you don't get the official position, but it's a big thing if you ruin the big thing between me and the Deposed Dragon Gang... What good will you do then? What else can you do? It is better to ask for a one-guard general, get military power, and then we can all unite together."
Wang Daiji was silent for a moment, then mustered up the courage to say: "Sima Gong, I have thought about it, if it works, it will work, if it doesn't work, it won't work... You can speak for me, just tell His Majesty that the rebels in Huaixi are ready to move, and there is a shortage of people in Huainan... In this case, It is also good for you, because the loss of troops and generals in the front cannot be concealed from those who are interested. An explanation is safer than no explanation. Slow it down and say that I went to Huainan to stop the thieves. I also pretended to fight against the thieves when I arrived in Huainan. So you cover it up this time. The military affairs at the front, including the capture of Zhao Guang, are all settled, and even the supplies handed over to the deposed dragon thief can also be explained."
This time, it was Sima Huada's turn to be silent, but he only nodded after being silent for a while: "Okay! But you have to get this business done for me. If not, you have to send the messenger, otherwise I will I will send you, the Minister of Punishment, to prison! Wait here!"
Wang Daiji took a long breath and was about to stand up to express his position again.
Unexpectedly, Sima Huada got up early and started shouting. He also asked for hot water to wash his face, brought incense to remove the smell of alcohol, and even asked for a new pair of armor to put on. Not forgetting to shave his face and rinse his mouth, Wang Laojiu, the yellow-bearded man, was stunned for a moment.
I can only look ugly in front of the emperor, but others can only shave their faces. No wonder I can only get the favor of the emperor temporarily, but these people can circle around the emperor for a long time.
After struggling for a while, Sima Huada ignored Wang Daiji and went straight away.
Wang Jiulang, on the other hand, was uneasy and sat there holding his yellow beard.
After Sima Huada left, about half an hour later, when it was getting dark, it was probably the critical moment, when someone suddenly came. It was Sima Huada's second brother, Sima Zhida, who was currently serving as a junior prisoner.
When he arrived at the back hall, he was even more stunned when he saw Wang Daiji sitting here alone. Then he did not say hello, but asked with a pale face and a trembling face: "Where is my eldest brother?"
"Mr. Sima..." Wang Daiji was about to reply, but suddenly he woke up and laughed on the spot. "Did Young Inspector Sima just get the news from Shanyang?"
Sima Zhida was startled, looked at the other party carefully, then thought about it, and then asked tentatively: "Does my elder brother already know?"
"Of course, it's the news I came to report." Wang Daiji tried his best to comfort him. "But Young Inspector Sima doesn't need to worry too much, because Lord Sima has found a way to solve this problem and is now in the palace to request an order!"
Sima Zhida was relieved and fell to the ground. After a long while, he said: "Wang Shilang, tell me, why did a troop of troops appear and go directly to Shanyang?"
"how could I know?"
Wang Daiji was speechless in his heart, but he just said it slowly, as if he had already understood: "The strength of the deposed dragon thief is not what it used to be."
"Indeed." Sima Zhida sighed. "Otherwise, how could we capture Zhao Guang and my third brother in one day? My third brother was defeated and feared that my nephew would kill him, so he fled back from Sishui. It would be fine if the remaining soldiers were defeated and bumped into him. Zhao Guang is the best in the army. A master of martial arts was captured alive in one day. There must be a master among the deposed dragon thieves. My nephew in Xuzhou is also a half-step master and failed like that. I guess there is a master who can fight against him!"
Wang Daiji remained silent, but his thoughts were extremely complicated.
First of all, of course, the news of Sima Shida's capture was unexpected. Although he was not sure whether it was Zhang Xing or the envoy who deliberately left the trap, or whether it happened by chance, this new information made him quickly realize that deposing the dragon The gang's initiative in this transaction has been greatly increased, which may make the transaction more troublesome, but it may also be able to increase its own weight and further threaten Kou's self-respect in order to demand relevant rewards.
It was a mixture of shock, hope and unease.
Secondly, although he had promised so readily before, he still had some doubts about Xie Minghe's words, otherwise he would not have tried his best to verify it before coming over. Therefore, when Sima Zhida personally told the relevant information, he He couldn't help but feel a sense of fear and anxiety... Needless to say, fear, the most important thing was anxiety, which was something that had been with him for half his life.
He comes from a humble background and works hard to move forward. He doesn't think about food or tea. He makes connections and learns things when he has the opportunity. He will climb up at the slightest opportunity.
Of course, he knew that the current situation in the Wei Dynasty was basically hopeless, and he should get out if it was not possible. However, clinging to the corpses of the old dynasty was the most opportunistic way, and he was reluctant to let go of this identity. He even felt that Zhang Xing's The behavior was too unwise and eager, but it only took two or three years for the other party to reach this point?
This made Huangbeard Wang Jiu feel resentful, lost, and unprecedentedly anxious.
To put it bluntly, this partial division that directly hit Shanyang, and that had a master at its command, not only shocked the Sima clan, but also the yellow-bearded Wang Laojiu.
He couldn't wait, he couldn't wait to catch up!
"Your Majesty agreed." A quarter of an hour later, about before dark, Sima Huada appeared in front of the two of them, with a mocking look on his face, but he didn't know who he was mocking. "Your Majesty was drinking at the time, and he asked me how much I charged you? I said you didn't pay specifically, but that you were always loyal to His Majesty and honest with others. Now that there is a temporary military situation, we need the high-ranking officials to go out. If you don't need it, you will have to use the generals of the imperial army. As you said, there will be no delay. Those generals will most likely learn from the Korean bow. His Majesty thought for a while and nodded... Now Mr. Yu is drafting the decree. Don't waste time. I'm going to get the order now and then go to thank you, but I guess His Majesty is too lazy to see you. I will wait for you when I come out, and then take you with me to get the head of that... that... Li something. I'll set off early tomorrow morning. Lao Qi will go north with you in Jinda and lead a thousand troops. When we reach Shanyang, you will stay and do some work. Lao Qi will take my letter and go to Xuzhou to give an account to my Erlang."
When Wang Daiji heard the first sentence, he couldn't help but his hands trembled slightly, and later he nodded continuously.
However, he finally knew the key to the matter. After he calmed down, he calmly told him: "The new news just brought by Young Superintendent Sima... It seems that when General Sima Lang, my younger brother, was defeated in Xuzhou and fled to Shanyang, It was captured by that army of soldiers...I guess it happened after capturing Zhao Guang."
Sima Zhida looked at his elder brother blankly. He was a little confused, but he still nodded and verified what Wang Daiji said.
In this regard, Sima Huada was silent for a moment, but he had nothing to say: "Same thing, ask them what they want. Although the second prisoner is a young prisoner, he is actually in charge of things and has no shortage of good things... You ask Zhang Xing, is he going to be king? Don't always ask for food and weapons. There are many people watching that thing. We have to find a way to explain it. We can give him more furniture, corals, silks, and jade. , and the whale bones from Demon Island, they are all good things.”
At the end of his words, he actually sounded sincere, which shows that he still values brotherhood.
Sima Zhida also nodded: "There are indeed many corals and whale bones."
"Bullshit whale bones! It would be weird if Zhang Sanlang likes these!"
Wang Daiji was speechless, but he nodded.
An hour later, it was already dark in Jiangdu. Wang Daiji, who had brought Sima Zhida and dozens of riders home with the decree, saw Xie Minghe waiting on the roof of his house... The latter was calm and composed, as if he had a pearl of wisdom in his hand.
The two sides communicated properly, and summoned Sima Zhida to exchange messages. However, Xie Minghe was relieved at this time. Hearing that Sima Zhida was captured in front of him, he couldn't help but be overjoyed, but he suppressed his emotions and just felt complacent. That’s all.
"So, there is only one thing left for tonight." Xie Minghe asked with a smile.
"That's right." Wang Daiji also said with a smile. He didn't feel uneasy or anxious at all, nor did he act arrogantly. He didn't know whether he was making progress or pretending to be in control in front of Sima Zhida.
"Even if it's a deposit for buying a house." Sima Zhida already knew the whole story at this time, but he nodded without hesitation. "Shall we take his head, or will you take it yourself?"
"I'll do it myself!" Xie Minghe couldn't hold back. "It's like cleaning up the door."
Wang Daiji glanced at the pillar of the Xie family in Danyang, and he understood completely - this guy was indeed a member of the Deposed Dragon Gang, not a middleman.
If you are really a middleman, why not be a pump like yourself?
The three of them had their own thoughts and positions, but they all understood it tacitly. Instead, they went out together, got on their horses, and then led dozens of elite Dongdu Xiaoqi to ride somewhere in the city. Although Jiangdu City was the companion capital, it had regulations. It was incomparable to the Eastern and Western Capitals, but within two-quarters of an hour, they arrived at a remote residence in the south of the city.
"Li Wenbai, the third Ying Yanglang general on the left and right wing of the Wuwei... right?" Wang Daiji pointed to the third small courtyard in the alley in front of him, and turned back to ask a knight who was leading the way.
The knight nodded immediately.
Xie Minghe was a little surprised: "A serious general?"
"Ten days later, he died in the battle in Huainan, or three days later, it was found out that he was the deposed dragon thief...an internal agent of the deposed dragon gang. He committed suicide in jail out of fear of crime." Sima Zhida said impatiently.
"A fake general without a single soldier." Wang Daiji also added.
Xie Minghe nodded immediately. He wanted to go in first, but he had a bad taste and looked at Wang Daiji.
Wang Daiji was stunned: "Don't you want to clean up the house on your own?"
"Please ask the Minister of Punishment to lead the Dongdu knights to tie him up for me first." Xie Minghe said sincerely.
Wang Shilang, or former Wang Shilang, and now Ambassador Wang was stunned for a moment, then smiled again, but still nodded, and then called the knights to open the door.
Most of the knights were members of the Sima family. Of course, they didn't care how strange things were. Sima Zhida just nodded, dismounted and swarmed up. They were well-trained, some blocked the back door, and others went. There was an ambush on the courtyard wall, and then a team general came forward. He only used his true energy to kick hard, and then led seven or eight people in.
Later, Wang Daiji dismounted his horse and walked in with his hands behind his back: "Wang Daiji, the Minister of Punishment, is here. Li Wenbai, your incident has happened!"
Some neighbors looked under the moonlight to look, but Sima Zhida raised his hand and scolded severely: "The imperial court is arresting imperial criminals, so be silent! Go back!"
At this point, the courtyard was already buzzing with excitement. Li Wenbai was eating, and there were two wealthy people who came with Lang Ya. The three of them came to Jiangdu and were awarded vacant posts. They were extremely depressed and were discussing how to return. When I went to Xuzhou to look for Sima Erlong, the door was suddenly broken into. I was shocked. I thought someone from the Deposed Dragon Gang was coming, so I wanted to call for help.
But soon, as Wang Daiji shouted, the three of them were stunned on the spot. Li Wenbai reacted the fastest and quickly explained:
"Wang Shilang, I really surrender, don't fall into the thieves' conspiracy!"
Wang Daiji stood proudly in the courtyard, Yuan Ting Yue Zhi, with extraordinary momentum: "Since I am an official of the Jiangdu Criminal Department, I will naturally enforce the law impartially and judge the right and wrong! But the words I got at this time are that you are here to kill me, deliberately provoking Xuzhou Fangzhen sent troops, resulting in Xuzhou's great defeat! And if you are really wronged, you must go back to the Ministry of Punishment with me! Take it down and tie it up!"
Hearing this, the knights on the left and right came up holding ropes together, and people outside the courtyard also climbed over the wall to get inside.
Li Wenbai was sweating profusely, but he didn't dare to resist and just cried out for injustice.
After the three of them were tied together, Wang Daijifu put his hands behind his back and ordered: "Break the limbs and shut the mouth!"
Li Wenbai was shocked, and a well-educated Xuzhou strongman even wanted to get up and run away, but with the rope already on his body and surrounded by dozens of good hands, how could he let them go?
Within a moment, the limbs of the three of them were smashed with a mace, and their mouths were gagged with rags. Some uninformed Xiaoqi even thought that they were really investigating the case, so they went to search the house carefully and took away the hundreds of dollars that Li Wenbai had obtained after surrendering. Two pieces of silver and dozens of pieces of silk and satin were rewarded to find them, and they were carried out together.
At this point, Wang Daiji finally turned around and said, "Brother Xie, that's all."
Xie Minghe and Sima Zhida walked in silently.
Li Wenbai could see clearly through the torches in the courtyard and the moonlight above his head, but his expression became intense... It seemed like he was venting ferociously, or he was smiling bitterly, or even more like he was in disbelief.
Xie Minghe looked at the other party. He wanted to say something, but he was too lazy to say anything. He just shook his head and said, "I knew this was the case, why bother?"
Of course Li Wenbai couldn't say anything.
Xie Minghe was looking for a weapon, but when he looked up and saw the bag of silver, he was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly became angry for no reason - the continuous wars had delayed so many things and broken so many people's hearts, but they were just for a short-term goal. Will Lang take this bag of silver?
As soon as he thought about it, the man didn't take the knife, he just stepped forward to take out the bag of silver, tied it tightly with the silk satin next to it, and then threw it into the other person's face.
In just three or five strokes, this person's eyes were already cracked, black beads were popping out, his nose was crooked, and blood was pouring out.
Seeing this, Xie Minghe sighed, and at the same time he was secretly shocked. How could he be so out of control? Do you really regard the Deposed Dragon Gang as your own business?
It happened that it had already been smashed like this. Sima Zhida and Wang Daiji were watching, and it was really hard to stop, so they quickly mobilized their true energy and smashed with all their strength again, but they smashed the opponent into red and white colors, and then No breath! But it was already evening, the torch was held high, and the twin moons hung high in the sky. The red color was not visible, but it seemed to be black, and the white color was also yellowed by the light, making it difficult to distinguish the black and yellow color.
At this time, Xie Minghe just picked up the silver bag in the silence of Sima Zhida and Wang Daiji, and then said sincerely: "I've lost my temper, I made you two laugh... The head is in disgrace, and this thing will be kept with the head." Show it to my chief!"
Their hearts were beating wildly, but they remained silent.
Not only that, with a wave of Sima Zhida's hand, there were Xiaoqiu who had already stepped forward. With one sword and one sword, they each killed the remaining two people, took away Li Wenbai's disgraceful head, and then threw only the three remaining corpses on the spot. Without moving, he went out with his master.
Xie Minghe came out carrying a wallet soaked with unknown things. When he looked up, he saw two moons hanging high in the sky. He felt a little lost and inexplicably remembered a sentence he said when he was in Hebei:
"A snake crouching in the mud is not a king!"
PS: Happy Valentine's Day to everyone, and happy birthday to myself...fuck...thirty-three!
(End of chapter)
