Two months is neither long nor short, and it’s November in the blink of an eye. It’s the time of the small glacier. The temperature has plummeted in recent years. During the time of the ancestors, Xihe County could still grow bamboos. Now it’s winter in Xihe, and only autumn can be seen. Leaves are falling, and there are dead grass and bare branches everywhere. Only a few Huashan pine trees planted by unknown predecessors in the prefecture are still covered with needles and leaves, and they still appear to be full of vitality even when everything is silent.
Zhang Yi was passing by in a car and saw several strands of white air flying along the pine needles outside the car window in the cold air, and then condensed into dewdrops and dripped on the needle tips. People of different ages were still coming in and out of the wide-open door. The same thing was that they all He was very thin, but his expression contained a kind of hopefulness.
Suddenly several children rushed out from the door. They were holding a buckwheat steamed bun in their hands, laughing and competing to see who could run faster, booing the somewhat hot steamed bun as they ran. When the children ran all the way into the blind corner where Zhang Yi couldn't see, they heard them singing songs again: "Chen Taishou, Taiqiu Sun; Yingchuanzi, Xihechun; The dragon head from the east rests on the stone, the name of benevolence is heard in the countryside .”
Zhang Yi felt upset and angry for a while, and asked Zhang Yang, who was traveling with him: "Uncle Zhi, today is supposed to be the last day of Chen Tingjian's amnesty, why are there so many rioters coming?"
As a native of Yunzhong in Bingzhou, Zhang Yang's hometown has been occupied by Xianbei and he has no fixed residence. He can only follow the governor throughout Bingzhou. Bingzhou is his hometown for him. When he saw an official like Chen Chong coming to Xihe, he I am very happy to subsidize and take care of the people by myself without caring about the future. Only the boss's anger was visible to the naked eye, so Zhang Yang had no choice but to look at his nose and heart, and analyzed seriously:
"Ming Gong, you have been in charge of prefectures and counties for a long time. You should also know that the rebellious people are the most cunning and will not win the trust of others easily. They have to have predecessors to find the way. The Shang Lord moved to Mu to establish trust. He was rewarded with ten gold, which was strange to the people. Now Chen Junguang Pardoning the rebellious people has a wide range of implications. It is about life and death. Chen Jun used two months to show that he is true to his words, so that the rebellious people dare to come. What's more, you also know, Ming Gong, that the rebellious people think that they are weak and humble, so they can only gather in groups. Only a team can be bold. From what I see below, there is no doubt that a large number of rioters will enter the city that night."
Zhang Yi has been in the officialdom for a long time, so he doesn't understand these principles. What he couldn't understand was why Chen Chong was such a person. He had sent people to ask about Chen Chong's current situation in the past two months. In the past two months, Chen Chong had recruited more than 5,000 rebellious people. According to the rebellious people who came back, the number of people in Yuan Yin and Yuan Yang was very high. When the Baibo bandits in the county heard about Chen Chong's policy, they also had internal discord.
Although the number of returning rebels was less than 11% of the bandit army, there was no fundamental loss to the strength of the Bai Bo bandit army. But as Chen Chong said before, the number of registered households in Xihe is only about 20,000 now, and Chen Chong can increase the number of registered households by 5,000 in two months. It can be said that his governance is immediate, which makes Zhang Yi's actions in the past few years particularly incompetent.
But even if Zhang Yi knew about Chen Chong's policies, he wouldn't even bother to do it. Gratitude is promoted, rice is pitted against hatred, Zhang Yi laughed in his heart: You, Chen Tingjian, are indeed very determined. You can sit here for two months, but can you, Chen Tingjian, support this group of insurrectionists for a lifetime? Most of the money and grain in Xihe County is requisitioned for me. Where do you borrow grain and grass from?
Zhang Yang couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that his boss's expression had softened slightly, and he took advantage of the situation and said to Zhang Yi, "Ming Gong, although Chen Shijun has made outstanding achievements, the Xiongnu and his party have also gained a lot! Now Shan Yu has been ordered to leave. King Xian, King Zuo Rizhu, King Xiutu, Dajiequ, and Xubuguduhou each gathered an army of 10,000. The army of 50,000 could be reorganized only by the end of the year. The troops left the north. In the eyes of the imperial court, Chen Envoy Although you are an outstanding person, you are not as capable as you are at solving the urgent needs of the court!"
These words tickled Zhang Yi, and his expression was not only no longer hesitant, but also quite content. He stroked his beard and said with a smile: "This is all due to the general trend of the imperial court, the emperor is wise, and there are great generals." , Yuan Rong, the officials, and the help are the only way it can be so smooth. We, who have the salary from the imperial court, must do our best to relieve the imperial court's worries."
Zhang Yang repeatedly said yes. As he spoke, the convoy had arrived at the Governor's Mansion. But there was another motorcade standing at the door. Judging from the standard patterns, they were all white tiger cloud patterns belonging to the General's Mansion. After Zhang Yi got off the car, a clerk hurried over and said to Zhang Yi: "Ming Gong, the envoy from the General's Palace has been waiting for you for two hours."
Zhang Yi's political sense allowed him to smell some strange smells. Now that the recruitment was going smoothly, there was no reason to send people to ask questions. It was very likely that there were some changes in the court. He asked the clerk in detail: "Who is the messenger? Did he reveal why he came? What did he look like when he came? Was he happy or sad?"
The clerk replied: "Back to Ming Gong, the one who came this time was Mr. Xun Chen, the meritorious Cao of the General's Office. He kept silent when he came. His subordinates asked many times. He was also tight-lipped and looked indifferent. It is really difficult for me to see that Mr. Xun was Your mood."
Zhang Yi suddenly felt uneasy in his heart. Xun Chen is Yuan Shao's confidant. Even without the support of the Yuan Clan, the Yingchuan Xun family is regarded as a first-class famous family in the whole of China. Now that the general has sent him here, it must be a big deal, and now Xun Chen is not showing off. He must not want outsiders to know about his appearance. Could it be that the court official was making a desperate attempt to make a final counterattack in front of the emperor?
But there was no result in his wild thoughts, so Zhang Yi simply restrained his thoughts and told the officials to do their own thing. Xun Chen has arrived at his residence. No matter how corrupt the government is, the officials in the capital will be the first to bear the brunt, and the chaos will not affect the local government.
After entering the wing, Zhang Yi left everyone behind. Xun Chen's figure could be seen sitting quietly through the dark plum screen. Xun Chen is now over thirty years old, but due to family tradition, he pays special attention to health and well-being, and he still looks young. When Zhang Yi approached, he smelled a faint scent of incense, and then discovered that Xun Chen was flipping through a book. , the ink on the book is fresh, obviously it was compiled not long ago.
Before Zhang Yi could say anything, Xun Chen closed the book and sighed: "Nowadays, the country is in turmoil and the world is full of disputes. Zhang Gong is still running around for the country, but Chen is sitting here, which makes Chen's conscience uneasy." After that, he stood up and saluted Zhang Yi.
Although Zhang Yi's official position was much higher than that of Xun Chen, Xun Chen was now an envoy of the imperial court and a staff member of the general. However, Zhang Yi did not dare to assume a high position. He smiled at Xun Chen and said, "What are you talking about, Mr. Xun? Zhang Yi He is just running around the county, but Xunjun is traveling all over the world, from Henan to Xihe, the journey is long, but I can't welcome you to the banquet, and it is my negligence that makes Xunjun wait for a long time."
Xun Chen shook his head and said with a smile: "Mr. Zhang doesn't need to be like this. I haven't had this opportunity to study in a quiet room for a long time." Then his handsome face gradually showed a stern expression: "Since Mr. Zhang retreated, he should know that Chen I have something important to tell you."
Zhang Yi was really tired of these useless efforts before getting down to business. He nodded and said, "I won't hide it from Mr. Xun. It's true. I don't know what the big event is. I need to bother you to come from afar. Is there any change in the government? I still need your advice."
Xun Chen did not answer, but silently took out an edict from his sleeve pocket and handed it to Zhang Yi with both hands. After Zhang Yi accepted it, he continued: "This is a big matter. Please take a closer look at it, Mr. Zhang."
Zhang Yi looked puzzled. He took it and opened it to read. He was shocked at the beginning of the chapter. His hands were trembling slightly, and he almost dropped the edict. After his mood stabilized, he continued to read back. When he finished reading the chapter, He placed the edict on the table, his face was almost ashen, and even his hair on his temples seemed to have aged a bit in an instant. He saluted Xunchen and said: "For such a big matter, if the order is changed like this day and night, I'm afraid it will cause a big disaster. "
Xun Chen took the edict, folded it up again, and sighed: "The country is unfortunate, we will try our best, but Zhang Gong does not have to do this, the edict is clearly written here, not to mention that in February next year, Liu Xuande will lead the army. And, with the help of him and Chen Chong, the situation will not be in chaos."
"There is one more thing that cannot be written in the edict, but the general has reached an agreement with the emperor. As long as the Shanyu agrees, the court can hand over Xihe and Taiyuan counties to the Huns for grazing. At that time, Duke Zhang can His Majesty has agreed to move the prefecture to Hanoi, and transfer Hanoi County to Bingzhou. In this case, Duke Zhang can also mediate, and it will not cause a serious problem."
Zhang Yi thought about it again and again, and finally gritted his teeth and said: "In that case, there is still something that can be done. Zhang Yi will do his best for the court. If he fails, I hope the princes in the court will not blame him."
The edict that put Xun Chen and Zhang Yi in such trouble actually only had one message and two arrangements.
The opening chapter is that in early September, Zhongshan Prime Minister Zhang Chun and fellow countryman Zhang Li launched an army to rebel against the Han. Zhang Chun secretly formed an alliance with Qiu Liju, the Wuhuan leader, and prepared the Wuhuan cavalry to conquer Xiliang in advance and raided Jixian County. However, within two months, he successively attacked and killed the Han Wuhuan captain Gong Qichou and the Youbeiping County prefect. Liu Zheng, Yang Zhong, the governor of Liaodong County, and others.
Now Zhang Chun has more than 100,000 soldiers stationed in Feiru. What's even more terrifying is that Zhang Chun took Zhang Ju as the emperor and proclaimed himself General Mitian and King Anding. The two moved to Shuzhou and County, claiming that Zhang Ju would replace Han as emperor, and asked the emperor to abdicate. The ministers welcomed Zhang Ju.
Then there was a prophecy spread among the people, saying: There is an emperor in Youyan, and a hidden dragon ascends in Xiyuan. Two wings support the clouds to fly, filling the sky with this hill. Such rebellious and unjust words have a more terrifying impact than Zhang Jiao's "Heaven is dead, Huang Tian shall stand".
Although the Xiliang Kingdom is powerful, it only calls itself the General of the Union. Zhang Ju proclaimed himself emperor and launched a stronger political offensive. Moreover, to the south of Youzhou is the Hebei Plain of Jizhou, where most of the court's tax sources come from. After repeated consideration, the court had to turn around and change the first rebellion to be dealt with by Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju. Therefore, the emperor ordered Zhang Yi to step up his recruitment and instead recruit 100,000 troops from the Huns to send troops to Youzhou. At the same time, Liu Bei was mobilized to lead 10,000 Dongping troops in February next year. Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju were bound to be wiped out in one fell swoop!
Although Zhang Yi is mediocre in talent, how can he not know the consequences of breaking his word and changing his orders day and night? Nowadays, one Zhongshan Prime Minister can corrupt the entire northeastern part of the empire. Even if Zhang Chun is killed, won't there be more Zhang Chun afterwards?
Zhang Yi thought of his own official career and the fate of the entire Han Dynasty. For a moment, he saw the brilliant sunshine outside the window, which was like a dream, and he was a little crazy.
