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Soon, a member of the Forbidden Army led several villagers to Zhao Junchen's sedan chair.
Several villagers saw Zhao Junchen wearing a scarlet robe and jade belt, sitting in an eight-carriage sedan with a blue cloth and silver roof, surrounded by layers of soldiers with bright swords and armor. This was the first time they had seen such a scene. , was immediately frightened and overwhelmed.
The Imperial Guards Hundred Household deliberately put on a shrewd and capable look, knelt down on one knee, and raised his voice to report: "Jiang Quan, a humble Imperial Guard Hundred Household, went to the village to investigate on the order of the elder, and the details have been found out. The situation, please report back to Mr. Ge!
Mr. Wangge also learned that the village here was called Hujiazhuang and had not been plundered by bandits and horse bandits. Whether it was the corpses hanging outside the village or the cries coming from the village, it was actually a conflict with the Liaodong frontier army. Related to acts of persecution! The fire in the village was also due to the villagers lighting bonfires to discuss the matter all night long. "
As he spoke, Jiang Quan's expression was full of excitement and enthusiasm, as if he regarded reporting this matter to Zhao Junchen face to face as the glory of his life.
This situation is not surprising, because of Zhao Junchen's deliberate arrangement, the five hundred Forbidden Army officers who followed him to the Liaodong area had all participated in the war between Shaanxi and Gansu. They were not only Zhao Junchen's old military troops, but also Having personally experienced Zhao Junchen's illustrious military exploits, these Forbidden Army soldiers all worshiped Zhao Junchen extremely, and there were even many fanatics.
For example, this Jiang Quan was once just a small bannerman of the Forbidden Army, but he followed Zhao Junchen in Shaanxi and Gansu to participate in the Battle of Xiaochuan River, the Great Victory of Weishui River and other battles. He also witnessed "Zhao Junchen" on the battlefield of Xiaochuan River with his own eyes. From then on, Zhao Junchen was regarded as his idol in life with his white horse and silver spear, and his brave and heroic appearance. He himself was promoted to the position of Hundred Households because of his military exploits in Shaanxi and Gansu.
Zhao Junchen was naturally aware of Jiang Quan's experience, but he did not care to reminisce about the past. He just asked with a serious expression: "Jiang Quan, I remember you, you are also an old member of this pavilion... What is going on? Tell me the details. Condition"
Jiang Quan's expression became even more excited when he heard Zhao Junchen refer to him as his old subordinate.
But in response to Zhao Junchen's questioning, Jiang Quan's reaction was hesitant. Finally, he turned to look at the villagers around him and said, "Don't you want to redress your grievances? This gentleman is Mr. Zhao Ge, the center of the imperial court. You must have heard about Zhao Gechen's illustrious achievements in Shaanxi and Gansu. He is one of the top heroes in the court, Da Qingtian! Please explain the situation in Hujiazhuang to Zhao Gechen in detail, and Zhao Gechen will make his own decision next!"
Upon hearing Jiang Quan's instructions, the villagers immediately knelt down and started crying.
Obviously, they have indeed suffered great injustice. If they were not desperate, these honest villagers would not dare to be so presumptuous.
While the villagers were crying and howling, they all told Zhao Junchen about the situation in Hujiazhuang.
"Master Qingtian! You must make the decision for us! Otherwise we will really have no way to survive! Hujiazhuang is a group of poor people, how can they get 500 shi of food!"
"My daughter is only fourteen years old and not yet married! She was snatched away by those soldiers! You must save her!"
"They insist that our Hujiazhuang is related to the civil unrest some time ago! It's unjust! It's unjust! We, the people of Hujiazhuang, have always been honest and responsible, how dare we participate in the civil unrest!"
"Sir, look at those hanging corpses. Among them is Lao Chan's son! Lao Chan's son! Because he couldn't help but explain a few words aloud, he was killed by the border troops and the corpses were hung on the Outside the village... Lao Chan's good son, Lao Chan's only son, has always been filial and honest, but the border soldiers insisted that he was a rebel. Not only did they kill him, but they also hanged his body in public as a warning. Now let alone The white-haired man sent the black-haired man away, and I don’t even dare to collect the body!”
As they cried out and redressed their grievances, anyone could see the despair and anger of the villagers. There was even an old man whose son had died who fainted because of the anger in his heart.
But the villagers' cries were too confusing. Zhao Junchen listened patiently for a long time before finally understanding the general situation.
It turned out that around 12:00 this afternoon, a group of Liaodong border troops suddenly came to Hujiazhuang, claiming that they had received intelligence and believed that the villagers of Hujiazhuang were related to a civil unrest in the Liaodong Defense Zone some time ago, and then began to blackmail the villagers of Hujiazhuang. , requiring Hujiazhuang to produce five hundred stones of grain and grass as "military aid" within three days to prove his innocence, otherwise all the people in Hujiazhuang will be punished for rioting.
Hujiazhuang couldn't raise 500 shi of food at all, and then a few people couldn't help but argue a few words. As a result, the Liaodong border troops killed all the arguing villagers without saying a word, and then framed these villagers. They were all mobs and hung their corpses outside the village as a warning. The remaining villagers were afraid of further retaliation from the border troops and did not even dare to collect the corpses. They could only watch the corpses of their clansmen exposed outside the village.
In the end, the border troops saw that the villagers really couldn't provide food, so they kidnapped all the young women in Hujiazhuang, asking when the people in Hujiazhuang would hand over the food and when they would release these women home.
After the border troops left, the villagers in Hujiazhuang had no choice but to light bonfires and discuss countermeasures all night long. This is why Zhao Junchen saw the village glowing with fire and could hear howls and roars.
After understanding the miserable situation of the people in Hujiazhuang, Zhao Junchen was naturally furious!
The behavior of the Liaodong frontier army was simply insane. How could they look like the soldiers of the imperial court who were protecting their homes and people?
His nature is so bad that he is worse than an ordinary horse bandit!
For a moment, because of the anger in his heart, Zhao Junchen almost stood up to seek justice for the people of Hujiazhuang!
But it’s just a “close call”!
*
During this period of time, the Liaodong military town has repeatedly submitted memorials to the court. One day it is said that there is civil unrest in the territory, and tomorrow it is said that the Jianzhou Jurchens sent troops to provoke the enemy. It was still a provocation by the Jianzhou Jurchen, and in all likelihood it was a fabrication of the Liaodong military town!
It was just because the Imperial Court Central Committee had always wanted to reduce the military expenditure of Liaodong Military Town, and in order to resist the Imperial Court Central Committee's decision-making, Liaodong Military Town made up accidents out of thin air, so that the Imperial Court Central Committee did not dare to act rashly against Liaodong Town.
However, there is one more thing that the Gong Gong princes at the center of the imperial court have ignored intentionally or unintentionally. No one is willing to think more about it, and no one is willing to bring it up.
That is, in order to cope with the investigation by the imperial court, the Liaodong military town must produce conclusive evidence to prove the authenticity of civilian riots, border conflicts, etc.!
Therefore, every time the Liaodong military commander mentions in the memorial "Jianzhou Jurchens send troops to provoke", maybe a group of innocent Liaodong people will be killed by them for taking credit for their good deeds!
Therefore, whenever the Liaodong Military Town mentions in the memorial that "there are riots in the defense area", a group of innocent people must also be selected as rioters and punished!
A few random words in those memorials often mean the death of countless people!
The Gong Gong princes in the imperial court are not idiots, otherwise they would not be able to climb to their current status. They all know what is happening below, but no one dares to expose this matter!
It's like a toilet full of feces and urine. If you don't lift the lid or stir it with a stick, and the smell isn't particularly pungent, you can keep covering up the matter and ignore the existence of the toilet. Everyone can Pretend nothing happened.
But if you lift the lid of the toilet and stir it with a stick, the smell will be overwhelming. You can no longer ignore the existence of the toilet, and the problem of the toilet must be solved.
But who will solve it? Who has the ability to solve it? Who else is willing to take action to solve it?
At least, Zhao Junchen has always been unwilling, Zhou Shangjing is equally unwilling, and Zhu Hejian is even less willing... Maybe Zhu Heyu is willing to take action, but no one dares to let him take charge of this matter.
Everyone hates jerks.
So all the Gonggun princes were pretending to be confused.
And Zhao Junchen has always been one of them.
But at this moment, because of Emperor Deqing's move, Zhao Junchen was forced to leave the center of the court and came to the toilet in Liaodong Town in person. Even if he wanted to pretend that he couldn't smell the stench in the toilet, it was no longer possible.
*
But Zhao Junchen is indeed Zhao Junchen. Even if the stench from the toilet almost kills him, he can still hold his nose and insist that the stench does not exist at all.
After the initial anger in his heart, Zhao Junchen finally calmed down.
Although the situation of the people in Hujiazhuang is extremely miserable, and Zhao Junchen is indeed resentful of the atrocious evil deeds of the Liaodong border troops, Zhao Junchen must "take the overall situation into consideration" at this time, and must not quarrel with Liaodong Town just because of the pity and anger in his heart. conflict!
After all, Zhao Junchen had already thought that his inspection in Liaodong this time was just a formality. No matter what happened, he should try his best to deal with it and never waste time!
It was a troubled time for the imperial court, and Fang Ru's delivery date was just around the corner. If he had a falling out with Liaodong Town, it would inevitably delay a lot of time, which would affect Zhao Junchen's overall considerations.
What's more, the situation in Liaodong Town is completely different from that of the Shaanxi-Gansu border. Before Zhao Junchen went to the Shaanxi-Gansu border, he had made complete preparations and was confident that he could control the overall situation. Moreover, the generals of the Shaanxi-Gansu border were all They support their own troops and do not obey anyone. They often fight openly and secretly and hold each other back, so Zhao Junchen also has the opportunity to defeat each other one by one.
But this time, before Zhao Junchen came to Liaodong Town, he had no preparations, and he didn't even have a plan to break up with Liaodong Town. Liaodong Town was also much more united than the three sides of Shaanxi and Gansu, so once Zhao Junchen was with Liaodong Town, If Liaodong Town falls out, there is almost no chance of winning!
Moreover, the generals of Liaodong Town are not only united and xenophobic, but also bold and stubborn. The total number of supervisors and imperial envoys who have died in Liaodong for no apparent reason over the years has been no less than ten. If Zhao Junchen had a conflict with Liaodong Town, , maybe he will die inexplicably.
Therefore, if you throw away such useless things as "justice", "conscience" and "bottom line", Zhao Junchen should not conflict with Liaodong Town for the sake of the people of Hujiazhuang from any aspect.
Of course, Zhao Junchen also knew in his heart that the situation in Hujiazhuang was definitely not an isolated case, but Zhao Junchen still pretended as always that he had not thought of this at all.
Finally, after the people in Hujiazhuang finally stopped crying, Zhao Junchen was silent for a moment, and then said slowly and expressionlessly: "People don't need to worry. Regarding this matter, I will definitely report it to Liaodong." Ask the town, if everything is true, this pavilion will definitely uphold justice for you... At least, this pavilion will clarify your crimes of chaos, and will also help you get back all your abducted wives and daughters! "
Zhao Junchen did not lie. After all, he was the chief minister at the center of the imperial court. Whether he was clarifying the crimes of the people in Hujiazhuang, or asking for their abducted wives and daughters for the people of Hujiazhuang, as long as he was willing to speak out, Liaodong Town would definitely be sold to Zhao Junchen has a face.
But Zhao Junchen's promise only ends here. He cannot punish the Liaodong border troops who have done evil, nor can he bring justice to the Liaodong people outside Hujiazhuang, nor can he prevent the Liaodong Town border troops from committing evil again in the future, otherwise he and Liaodong Town will Conflicts are bound to occur.
After hearing Zhao Junchen's promise, some villagers suddenly became happy, thinking that they had indeed met a great master Qingtian.
Most of these villagers were not killed at will by the Liaodong frontier army, nor were their wives and daughters forcibly abducted by the Liaodong frontier army. Therefore, the "justice" they expected was originally just to calm the troubles.
But other villagers looked desperate at this time, and their eyes looking at Zhao Junchen were full of hatred, as if they were seeing an ugly ghost!
Most of these villagers have relatives who died at the hands of the Liaodong border troops, or whose wives and daughters were forcibly abducted. Therefore, the "justice" they expect is not just to settle the matter, but to seek revenge. , punish the villains severely, so they can hear the perfunctory meaning in Zhao Junchen's words.
Zhao Junchen, who has always been confident and calm, did not dare to look at these low-level people at this time. After saying a few words of promise, he immediately lowered the sedan curtain to block the eyes of the villagers, and then whispered: "There is no time." It's early, let's go into the village to rest...
I remember that this is the defense area of Yizhou City. The person in charge of the defense is General Huang Shenming of Liaodong Town West Road. What happened in Hujiazhuang today is probably related to Huang Shenming. After entering the village to rest for a while, we arranged a few A soldier rushed to Yizhou City as a messenger to meet Huang Shenming, and told him clearly what I meant, and asked him to seriously consider the affairs of Hujiazhuang, and never let innocent people suffer injustice...
Also, please go ahead and tell everyone not to harass the people after entering the village, and when you borrow a room, you must give the people more money as compensation..."
Zhao Junchen's tone was quite calm when he gave instructions, but Xu Qingyan and Zhao Dali, who had been following Zhao Junchen for a long time, were keenly aware that Zhao Junchen was forcibly suppressing a certain emotion at this time, so they did not dare to neglect. He quickly agreed.
Afterwards, under the complicated gazes of the people in Hujiazhuang, Zhao Junchen slowly entered Hujiazhuang to spend the night.
*
That night, Zhao Junchen broke his promise again. He was not in the mood to drink with Xu Qingyan and Mr. Zhao to apologize, and went to bed early.
However, probably because the conditions in Hujiazhuang were too simple, even if Zhao Junchen chose the best room to stay in, he still had an uneasy sleep that night. He only felt that the room was filled with a pungent stench, and even he became uncomfortable. It stinks so bad.
Just like this, between sleeping and waking up, Zhao Junchen finally got to the light of day.
Then, Zhao Junchen quickly got up, dressed and freshened up, and couldn't wait to leave Hujiazhuang.
However, when Zhao Junchen called Xu Qingyan and said that he should leave here as soon as possible, Xu Qingyan's expression was a little subtle, and he actually raised objections and said: "Master, let's leave after breakfast. It will take a little delay." Time will be fine."
Not only did Xu Qingyan know Zhao Junchen very well, but Zhao Junchen also knew Xu Qingyan well. After seeing Xu Qingyan's behavior, he immediately noticed something and immediately frowned and asked, "Did something happen?"
Xu Qingyan's expression became more and more embarrassed, but under Zhao Junchen's close gaze, he finally replied in a low voice: "Some unexpected situation happened outside Hujiazhuang Village..."
*
After half a stick of incense, Zhao Junchen arrived outside Hujiazhuang in person.
There are several big trees at the entrance of Hujiazhuang. It was because of the six corpses hanging on the trees last night that Zhao Junchen and others noticed the abnormal situation in Hujiazhuang.
But by this morning, the number of corpses hanging on the tree had grown to fifteen!
It turned out that just late last night, nine villagers chose to come here to hang themselves!
Zhao Junchen had met several of them last night.
There was an old father-in-law who passed out while crying because his son had died;
There is a young man whose fiancée was abducted by border troops, who slaps himself repeatedly and angrily accuses himself of being useless;
There was also an old woman who was crying and complaining to Zhao Junchen last night. Her words were confusing and illogical, which annoyed Zhao Junchen for a time, but when she kowtowed, she made a banging sound, which also impressed Zhao Junchen.
These people all hanged themselves.
Because Zhao Junchen's "justice" was not justice at all in their eyes; Zhao Junchen's perfunctory attitude pushed them into the abyss of despair.
Zhao Junchen is the elder of the imperial court, a big shot that they could never imagine. If even Zhao Junchen dared not pursue the crimes of the Liaodong border troops, they, the lower class people, would naturally have no chance and could only watch helplessly as those who killed their sons and took their wives The hateful border troops continue to do evil and show off their power.
Such a world is too scary, so they would rather die!
Perhaps, after committing suicide, his own life can awaken Zhao Junchen's conscience;
No matter how bad it is, his own body can still disgust Zhao Junchen for a moment.
Maybe, he could even turn into an evil ghost to take revenge.
Other than that, they have no choice.
Because this is the only thing they can do and the only possibility they can hope for.
Standing under the tree with his hands behind his hands, Zhao Junchen looked at the fifteen corpses hanging densely on the tree. His expression was uncertain and he was silent for a long time.
Standing next to Zhao Junchen, Xu Qingyan suddenly recalled his unbearable experience at sea, the calm when the storm was brewing.
So, Xu Qingyan said cautiously: "Master, don't worry, I will have these corpses collected immediately, and I will not let these corpses become an eyesore to the master. Then we can leave here immediately."
However, the storm Xu Qingyan expected did not come.
Zhao Junchen just closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.
Afterwards, Zhao Junchen slowly returned to the village and said as he walked: "We are not leaving, we will stay here for this period of time! The news was spread to the outside world, saying that after I came to Hujiazhuang, I was frightened by the corpses in Hujiazhuang, and then I I am seriously ill and unable to move!
Then send people to nearby villages to inquire about the situation and see how many other situations are similar to those in Hujiazhuang!
Again, find those books of mine and I will look through them again... this time, I will test my own conspiracy! "
Zhao Junchen had originally decided not to conflict with Liaodong Town as much as possible, to be as perfunctory as possible, to endure it as long as he could, and to return to the capital as soon as possible.
But this time, he obviously wanted to break his promise again.
Maybe I will regret it in the future, but at least not yet.
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