During the war against Dong the year before last, the Hongnong area suffered from successive wars, which severely damaged the local people's livelihood. But after Duan Xuan's army stationed here, there was a little peace. This can be said to be extremely rare under Dong Zhuo's rule.
Under the rule of Xu Rong Niufu's regiment in Shangjun, Hedong, refugees were everywhere; under the rule of Li Jue and Guo Si's regiment in Yingchuan, Nanyang, corpses were everywhere; only in the area from Huayin to Lianchi, there were still many farmers working hard on the fields. . Today, Duan Yan's army is divided into three divisions, stationed in Huayin, Shaanxian, and Xin'an respectively. They do not loot, but buy and sell with the people. Originally, Hangu Pass had been cut off after it was occupied by Chen Chong, but after a year of peace last year, it is now open again.
After nearly 100,000 refugees moved in from Henan, the state capitals continued to transport rice, grain, and money for reconstruction. Seeing this situation, many merchants in Hongnong did not dare to pass through Hangu Pass, so they transported rice, grain, silk and silk from Xiong'er Mountain along the Luoshui River to Luoyang in Henan for sale. Some of them were quick-thinking. After selling the goods, he did not need gold or silver. He bought special dragon head paper in Henan and transported it back to the capital to sell it. A trade route was soon formed.
Soon after, Yin Guanyu of Henan issued an announcement in Luoyang to open Hangu Pass, allowing Hongnong merchants to pass through without paying taxes. After Duan Yan learned the news, he also ordered his subordinates not to stop it, and secretly sent his cronies to infiltrate the merchants to make profits from trade. After this, although the two counties were called enemies, they were actually quite harmonious. There were famines and wars all over the world, but the road between Lianchi and Xiaoshan was filled with an endless stream of businessmen and people. There were also some monks from the White Horse Temple who had been dismissed by Dong Zhuo. At this time, they simply stayed in Xin'an and preached to the passers-by. In a short time, there were many more Buddhist believers. They built a grass shed on the roadside and built a pagoda with stones. Nearly a thousand people sang sutras and practiced meditation under the pagoda, attracting passers-by to look at each other. It is really a rare sight in the world.
After breakfast that day, the sky was clear, the sun was shining brightly, and it was as refreshing as spring. Duan Xuan had nothing to do, so he led a group of soldiers to go hunting at the west gate of Shaanxi County, and shot several wild geese, several pheasants and two rabbits. Later, when the excitement of hunting passed, he rode north to the outskirts of Xiayang City. Then he dismounted, walked to a stall, occupied a square table and sat down. Some of the soldiers were sitting at the same table with him, some were sitting at other tables, some were standing on the street, and a few were walking outside the street with their sweaty horses.
To the south of Dayang City is Maojin, and to the north of Xiayang City is Dianshiban. They are all the main communication routes between Guanzhong and Hedong. After the trade in Henan was restored, it gradually became prosperous. Therefore, Duan Xuan stationed some troops here and always liked to come here after hunting.
He comes a lot, and the merchants and people here recognize him and are not very afraid of him. Today he was happy because he had hunted a lot of things as soon as he left the city. After sitting down in a stall, he drank a small amount of wine while asking questions from the attentive vendors. The merchants who came from the east of the river were frightened when they saw the arrival of the county soldiers. Then he saw that Duan Xuan's attitude towards the hawker was not bad, and he felt a little relieved. But when they asked quietly and found out that he was Duan Xuan, one of the old Qilang generals under Dong Zhuo's command, they were all frightened and turned pale. …
Duan Yan turned around and saw the businessman beside him, and saw three carriages parked in front of the road. Judging from the ruts, these three carriages should be filled to the brim with goods. Curious for a moment, he couldn't help but stand up again, stepped forward and had a laugh with these businessmen and asked, where did they come from? What did you transport? How much profit can you make from one trip?
The merchants were frightened because the goods were nearby. They did not dare to hide anything and answered truthfully. It turned out that they were distant relatives of the Wei family in Hedong. Now that Hedong was short of food, they transported three carts of silk and satin from Hedong, hoping to exchange it for rice in Hongnong and then transport it back to Hedong to sell it at a high price. If it were normal, the profit would be about six times this time. But now the court is handing out small coins indiscriminately, and prices across the country have skyrocketed, so much so that private markets only accept five baht, and profits have been halved.
Duan Yan was very emotional when he heard this. He went up to see the quality of their silk. He found that the silk they bought was cool and soft, and they were all high-quality fabrics. So he discussed with them and bought a cart at the market price. The merchants did not expect that this Liang man's military With such a talkative head, Duan Yan hurriedly bowed and thanked him. Duan Yan just waved his hands and said, "Forget it, forget it. This is just my duty. What's there to thank you for?" But the businessmen still thanked them and said some words of praise. , and then leave. Privately, he sighed that Duan Lang would be humble and approachable, and he could really be said to be an outlier among Liang people.
But Duan Xuan's heart is far more than as peaceful as it seems on the surface. After the Chang'an coup, he would send several scouts to Chang'an every few days to inquire about the latest news about Sanfu. Some have not yet returned, and those who have returned have no real news. They only know that the grand master was burned to death, and then that Xiwu has been breached, but they cannot explain Chang'an's policy towards the Liang people.
Under this situation, the imperial court has not sent an envoy over for a long time, and he sent an envoy to the city to report the military situation. The military report was like a stone, and there was no response, which made him extremely worried. So he simply came to Xiayang City, actually wanting to inquire about Liu Chen's movements in the north. During this month, they must have received the news. And if they have contact with the imperial court, he and Chen Chong can be regarded as having an old friendship. If possible, he plans to use Chen Chong's way to maintain relations with the imperial court.
But when I asked several groups of passers-by, they all said that the Bingzhou capital was silent, and they were obviously observing the further development of the situation. This made Duan Xuan quite uneasy. Even though he still had a smile on his face, he was already unconsciously thinking about his future retreat in his heart.
"Could it be that the Grand Master's great cause is over like this?" He asked secretly in his heart, and then thought sadly: "Maybe it is indeed the case."
After mounting his horse and leaving Xiayang City, he turned and walked two or three miles toward Shaanxi County. He reined in his horse and looked back at the endless stream of passers-by, thinking in his heart: If there were no intrigues and no war, there would be no war. How wonderful it would be if everyone in the world could live and work in peace and contentment!
Back in Shaanxi County, when he was preparing to trim the hoofs of his beloved horse, his bodyguard came to tell him that Jia Xu, who was stationed in Xin'an, came to see him. This made Duan Yan happy and confused. Fortunately, Jia Xu had always been known for his wisdom in the army. The current situation was complicated and Duan Yan needed his help. But the troubling thing is that he feels that Jia Xu's heart is as deep as the sea, and he is one of the few people he cannot see through. Even though he is now his subordinate, Duan Xuan only contacts Jia Xu on official business. Jia Xu also understood this. It was not until today that he met Duan Xuan secretly for the first time. …
When he arrived at the study, Duan Xuan saw Jia Xu, dressed in light clothes, kneeling in front of the desk. However, he looked very tired, his eyes were closed tightly, and he was holding his forehead with one hand, as if he had fallen asleep. But when he heard Duan Xuan's footsteps, he quickly rubbed his eyebrows with his fingers, then saluted Duan Xuan and said, "I have seen the general."
Although he knew Jia Xu's purpose of coming, Duan Xuan still said politely and caringly: "Wen He, if you are tired, why not take a rest first, why bother yourself so much."
Gu: "Life and death are at stake, what's the big deal if you're a little tired?" Jia Xu was not polite to Duan Yan. He opened his bloodshot eyes and said bluntly to Duan Yan: "Brother Zhongming, the situation is critical now. If you don't take action first, Counterattack, the imperial court will take action against us soon!" In order to get Duan Xuan's letter, he revealed the truth directly, "I have gone to Chang'an in the past few days to inquire about the news personally. After confirming the news, I did not dare to stay for a moment. First go to Shangjun Hedong, meet Jianwei and the others, and then come to find you!"
This made Duan Yan greatly surprised and asked urgently: "What is the current situation in Xijing?"
"It's very bad! The Grand Master's old department was wiped out, the heads of the whole family were hung on the gate of Chang'an, and all the officials of the Third Assistant were replaced. When I was in Xijing, Wang Yun was replacing court officials. But on the streets, no Shao Yuan's old servants have sent word to their retainers that they want all of our heads to be hung in Longshouyuan! I think Wang Yun's intention is not too different."
Duan Xuan's expression changed slightly and he added, "Didn't the imperial court discuss this matter?"
"Of course we have discussed it, but Wang Yun has detained the relevant books and not released them, and there has been no result so far. Obviously, even if his idea is not to chop off our heads, it is indispensable for him to have a glass of poisoned wine."
Silence, silence means agreement. Jia Xu poured a glass of water by himself, and after moistening his throat, he seemed much more energetic. At this time, he heard Duan Xuan ask: "There are many people in the court who have received favors from the Grand Master, and there are always some who will intercede for us." Bar?"
Jia Xu laughed, put down the cup in his hand, and said slowly: "I didn't want to say this at first, but there is indeed a minister interceding for us."
"who?"
"Of course it's Mr. Cai."
"Cai Gong, the leader of the literary circle, is deeply favored by the Grand Master and is well-known among the party members. Moreover, Bingzhou Mu is his son-in-law. The prince is so determined that he won't even betray Cai Gong's face?"
"Wang Yun is a snake that eats elephants! He usually lies on the ground, making people think that he is not a threat, but once he bites, he will fight to the death and will not give up! Brother Zhongming thought he would because Will you let go of the prey after someone's advice? That's impossible! Let me tell you, Cai Gong has been imprisoned by Wang Yun for interceding for us, and most of the people who interceded with him are already dead. In jail!"
"Seriously?" Duan Yan's expression changed greatly when he heard this. He stood up and looked directly at Jia Xu, trying to see if there was any deception in his eyes.
"Seriously." Jia Xu calmly responded to Duan Xuan's gaze and said indifferently: "If not, why would I be here to discuss with Brother Zhongming?"
Duan Xuan slowly sat back down. At this time, he had already guessed what Jia Xu was going to say: "You mean, there is only one way to rebel."
When the word rebellion was mentioned, both of them trembled in their hearts, but they still pretended to be fearless. Jia Xu said seriously: "Brother Zhongming, you are the only one who can take charge of the overall situation now. I hope that you will take the lead and advocate All armies must unite and unite their efforts.”
"Take us back to Chang'an!"
. .
