The purpose of Yang Ji and Pei Ju hiding their identities and sneaking to Qiuxian County in Shanggu County was to obtain evidence of Yuan's crime from the Lu family. Now that their purpose was achieved, there was no need to waste time in Qiuxian County. Before dawn the next day, he followed Fang Xuanling's plan and appointed Liu Xiaosun and Fang Yanzao as envoys. He ordered them to accompany the Lu family's fleet on an envoy to Baekje, and asked King Buyeo Zhang of Baekje to contain He from the south. Harassed Goguryeo.
Baekje had a feud with Goguryeo in the north, and was invaded by Silla from the east all the time. It was in an extremely difficult situation. When Yang Guang listened to Yang Ji's opinion of "using Baekje as a naval landing site", he immediately sent envoys to Baekje. When he revealed to Buyeo Zhang his intention to deal with Goguryeo together, Buyeo Zhang was overjoyed and said that he would comply with the orders of the sage Khan. Since then, the two countries have continued to communicate with each other. Yang Ji knew that Fuyu Zhang was now bent on moving closer to Sui Dynasty, so he would most likely not refuse his small request.
After making arrangements for the mission, Yang Ji first sent a messenger to announce his arrival to Youzhou Prefecture, and asked officials of all sizes to meet at Zhuojun Prefecture. Then he ordered the messenger to bring a letter to Xue Shixiong. Then he and Pei Ju led a group of retinues and galloped towards Ji County, Zhuo County, which was more than two hundred miles away.
When they arrived at Zhuo County, Zhuo County, they reunited with Yu Chigong and 500 soldiers who had been quietly placed by Xue Shixiong in the military camp of the county. After a quick rest, the large army officially raised the flag and continued to move forward, arriving at dusk that day. Arrive at Ji County.
Ji County City is the former Youzhou City. It has a city wall of 10 miles, tall and majestic walls, and a permanent population of more than 200,000. Before that, it was the third largest city in the Northern Qi Dynasty. When Ye City was destroyed and Taiyuan City was included in Bingzhou, Ji County became the most important city in Hebei. Its current functions are the same as Zhangye City, Taiyuan City, Jiangdu City, and Chengdu City. It is not only the seat of the county government, but also the seat of the Youzhou Supervisory Prefecture.
Yang Ji and Pei Ju entered the city and went straight to the state capital.
Youzhou Governor Li Zixiong and Youzhou Sima Han Hong (Han Qinhu's younger brother) have been ordered to go to Yan County to deploy defenses. Now the person in charge is Youzhou Governor Shi Yuanhongli.
Yuan Hongli was the grandson of Wang Yuangang of Yuyang in the Northern Wei Dynasty, the eldest son of the AD Jingshu of Yuyang County in the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and the half-brother of Yuan Hong. He had been serving in Youzhou since the middle period of Emperor Kaihuang's reign, working his way up from the county magistrate to the current governor of Youzhou. If according to the standard that the imperial court will remain stable unless promoted or demoted, Yuan Hongli should have left Youzhou long ago. However, like Yuan Shan, the executed governor of Qinzhou (Tianshui), he also had the mission of taking care of the family business, so He is always transferred back and forth in Youzhou.
As soon as he received the news from the messenger, Yuan Hongli followed Yang Ji's instructions and gathered the officials of the prefecture and Zhuojun in the lobby of Zhuojun. Xue Shixiong, the prefect of Zhuojun, was also present.
In the Sui Dynasty, the Marching Chief was equivalent to the commander-in-chief of the war zone. He had great power. This position was mainly responsible for military and combat matters, and was in charge of military-related matters such as soldiers and horses, armor, city emperors, towns, and grain endowments. However, in order to prevent local officials from getting in the way and making the war unsatisfactory, the imperial court granted the military commander the power to judge political affairs.
It's just that although this important position can be grasped by both the military and the government, since it is a temporary position, and the people appointed by the court are "parachuted" into an unfamiliar environment to fight, so as long as local officials are sensible, they will generally not interfere in taking over the local area. government affairs, so as not to mess up the originally smooth and orderly government affairs; if local officials are not sensible, then don't blame them for turning their backs and disowning people.
Yang Ji is now not only the general manager of the march of Liaodong Province, but also the minister of Xingtai of Hebei Province. Either of these two positions is above the governor of the state and the pastor of the state. In other words, he can take charge of both Youzhou and Hebei if he is willing. Jizhou's government affairs, finance, and people's livelihood...
Yuan Hongli and other officials knew that the army was still in Hejian County, so they were naturally a little uneasy about the sudden appearance of Yang Ji as their boss; and at first, they thought that Yang Ji would only take over military power. However, after Yang Ji read He received the appointment letter from the imperial court and took over the military and political power of Youzhou without saying a word.
His domineering behavior gave people the feeling that he was coming with bad intentions, which made Yuan Hongli and others almost breathless.
Yang Ji and Pei Ju didn't care what they thought. After completing the delivery ceremony, they met with more than a hundred senior officials one by one.
Yuan Hongli has received a letter from the head of the family. The letter said that the current situation of the Yuan family is very serious, and he must be careful and careful. He can only monitor Yang Ji's whereabouts and actions, but must not offend Yang Ji. After the scene just now, he became even more uneasy and cautious. After everyone had finished greeting one by one, he stepped forward very humbly and said, "The names of the King and Prime Minister Pei have been spread all over the world and are known to everyone. The officials and others have admired them for a long time. If they can work with the King and Prime Minister Pei in the future, it will be great." I am deeply honored!”
At this point, he changed his subject, bowed his hands and said politely: "Xiaguan and others have prepared a banquet to welcome the king and Mr. Pei. Please don't dislike it! Please come this way."
The so-called "receiving the wind and washing away the dust" is not an empty talk or nonsense. Since the roads in this era were mostly dirt roads, people traveled long distances and were exposed to wind and rain. It was inevitable that their faces would be sweaty and they would be splashed with mud. Yang Ji, Pei Ju and others After galloping here from Shanggu County to Qiuxian County, I was really "travelled". As the first person left in Youzhou, Yuan Hongli naturally couldn't let them sit down and have a banquet like this, so he had to arrange for them to bathe and change clothes first, wash away the dust, and then eat and drink comfortably.
At the same time, this reception banquet was also a 'prop' used by Yuan Hongli to test Yang Ji's attitude. If Yang Ji agreed to receive the wind and wash away the dust and participate in the banquet, it would mean that he accepted his good intentions and goodwill. His previous move to seize military and political power It is most likely a demonstration, or a habit of being in power for a long time. It is not specifically aimed at Youzhou civil servants, nor is it really about fighting both the military and the government. The fact that he and Pei Ju suddenly arrived at Ji County can be understood as being worried about the war ahead and food supplies, so they separated from the army and conducted a "surprise inspection" of Youzhou.
Of course, it is also possible that he is paralyzing them, but Yuan Hongli believes that this may be less than 10%, just because Yang Ji's mission is to fight, and everything is focused on winning the opponent; under the two prerequisites of a strong enemy and the goodwill of Youzhou officials, Under this situation, Yang Ji would not have time to deal with government affairs, let alone mess up the rear area stupidly.
If Yang Ji turned his face and refused to agree, it would be worthy of his deep thought and consideration.
However, he guessed everything wrong! Yang Ji and Pei Ju came here to arrest people. They had no intention and no time to argue with Yuan Hongli and others. The reason why Yang Ji set the meeting place at the county mansion , mainly because this is Xue Shixiong's territory. The letter he asked the messenger to send to Xue Shixiong was actually asking Xue Shixiong to deploy his cronies so that after he killed all these people, the news would not be leaked and the branches would not grow.
Yang Ji glanced at Xue Shixiong and saw him nodding slightly. Knowing that everything was ready, his eyes moved and finally fell on Yuan Hongli. He suddenly waved his hand in front of everyone's puzzled eyes: "Today, it's time to do some calculations." The general ledger. Come here, take down these rebellious officials and traitors!"
At that moment, chaotic footsteps suddenly sounded outside the hall. More than two hundred soldiers from Xue Wanshu broke into the hall and controlled the officials in the hall like wolves and tigers.
There was an uproar in the hall. Yuan Hongli's expression changed drastically and he said sternly: "Your Majesty, what do you mean?"
"What do you mean? You know it well!" Yang Ji stood in front of the main seat with a Qilin Sword in his hand, sneered, and shouted sternly: "Take him down for me."
"Here!" The two soldiers responded loudly and strode forward to capture Yuan Hongli.
Yuan Hongli was so angry that he violently pulled out his sword with his backhand, held it across his chest, and shouted: "Who dares to step forward without fear of blood splattering within five steps?"
The children of the aristocratic family are so arrogant. The pride comes from their bones. How can they allow their noble status to be insulted?
Unfortunately, the people he faced were from the Wei Wang clan, and even Xue Shixiong's personal guards were once Yang Ji's soldiers. Xue Wanshu said coldly: "The king has an order, and any criminal who dares to arrest and kill will not be punished!"
"Here!" Several soldiers unsheathed the horizontal swords at their waists. There was a "choo-rang-rang" sound, and the horizontal swords were unsheathed and flashed with cold light!
Yuan Hongli was almost scared to death. Even though he looked arrogant and came from a military family, he was actually a scholar. He could show off well, but when he faced the gleaming Heng Dao...
I was immediately frightened!
"Bring it to you!" A soldier stepped forward and snatched the sword from his hand, and punched him hard in the chest. Yuan Hongli vomited and bent over, and the soldier immediately tied his hands with ropes.
Pei Ju took out a piece of paper and called the names one by one: "Jin Wenyan, Jin Wenchang, Wen Rui, Ji Yan, Zhao Zhizheng, Zhao Zhizhi, Wang Chou, Wang Bin, Liu Wu, Liu Han, Zhang Zhong, Yuan He, Yuan Hu, Yuan Bao..."
Every time Pei Ju recited one, the soldiers tied up one person. In less than a moment, there were more than seventy "zongzi" on the ground, and there were less than thirty officials standing, but everyone had a look of panic on their faces.
After a burst of noise, everyone present fell silent, waiting for Yang Ji to explain, but they were all thinking about the same question: Could this be Yang Ji's "three tips for taking office"?
If so, it would be too fast and too cruel, right?
Yang Ji sat back on his seat, his eyes moved around, and finally fell on Yuan Hongli and Jin Wenyan who were pressed to the ground. Looking at Yuan Hongli, who had an earthy face and was wearing a brocade robe, he smiled and said: "Yuan Hongli, do you know crime?"
"Excuse me, Your Majesty, what is the crime of this low-ranking official?" Yuan Hongli met Yang Ji's eyes, and his body stiffened for a moment, but was later replaced by the sense of superiority of a child of aristocratic family in his bones. A cold snort.
"I know it even if you don't tell me, but I'm too lazy to say it!" Yang Ji smiled coldly, waved his hand to Zhu Can who was on standby, and said, "There's no need to interrogate him, just chop him down."
"Yes!" Zhu Can laughed ferociously, stepped forward to grab the horizontal knife, and chopped off Yuan Hongli with one blow.
Zhu Can lifted Yuan Hongli's head and said to Yang Ji: "King, kill him."
"Throw it away." Yang Ji frowned and waved.
"Oh!" Zhu Can casually threw the heads out of the door, and then said with regret: "Last time, Xiao Pei and I cooperated tacitly in Liaodong. I was responsible for throwing the heads, and Xiao Pei was responsible for smashing them. It was very enjoyable. It's a pity that Xiao Pei isn't here, otherwise he could smash people's heads to pieces with a hammer."
Everyone: "..."
"Jin Wenyan! Do you know your guilt?" Yang Ji ignored this idiot and looked down at Shi Jinwenyan, the governor of Zhuo County.
Jin Wenyan's face turned extremely pale and he said in a trembling voice: "I, I, I don't know."
"You don't even know the crimes you have committed?" Yang Ji waved his hand in disgust and said coldly: "Cut it off!"
"Here!" Zhu Can followed the same pattern and hacked Jin Wenyan to death with one stroke, and then threw the head out. This set of actions was smooth and full of violent aesthetics.
Yang Ji looked at Youzhou Cangcao Zhao Zhizheng and asked, "Zhao Zhizheng, what about you? Are you recruiting or not? Are you saying yes or not?"
】
"Your Majesty, what did I say?" Zhao Zhizheng is a descendant of Zhao Gui. Like Yuan Hongli, he is also a descendant of the Zhao family who gave up martial arts and followed literature. At this time, he had collapsed and didn't know what he should say. Along with his shrill scream, a foul smell filled the hall.
"It seems that you have committed so many crimes that you can't even remember them. Since you have committed so many, what's the use of keeping you?" After Yang Ji explained the logical relationship, he said coldly: "Behead him!"
"You are..." Zhao Zhizheng suddenly had an idea and suddenly thought of what Yang Ji had overlooked, so he screamed. However, his shrill screams stopped abruptly in the middle of the scream, and the head was thrown out again.
"Wang Chou!" Yang Ji called out the name of Youzhou official Cao again.
"Your Majesty, I said, I will recruit, but you can't do it like this..." Wang Chou's face turned pale and he said incoherently: "You shouldn't judge the case like this, the way you judge the case is wrong!"
Yang Ji felt angry, slapped the table and said, "You dare to teach me how to do things? Cut it off!"
With a "pop" sound, Wang Chou's head was chopped off by Zhu Can again, and with a "pop" sound, the head was thrown out again.
In an instant, blood burst out in the lobby, and the sky was filled with blood, but a group of Youzhous turned pale when they saw it.
Even Pei Ju looked at Yang Ji with a horrified look. He used to be a little dissatisfied with the nicknames such as the God of Killing and the God of Evil, but now he completely believes that Yuan Hongli is the governor of You and Jin Dynasty. Wen Yan was the governor of Zhuo County, Zhao Zhizheng was the Youzhou Cangcao, and Wang Chou was the Youzhou official. Each of them was of extremely high rank, but Yang Ji would kill him at any time. How arrogant and easy-going was this?
The name of the God of Killing and the God of Evil is truly worthy of its name.
But it has to be said that Yang Ji's method of "killing the monkey to scare the chicken" is more effective than any interrogation.
"Liu Wu!" Yang Ji mentioned the name of Youzhou citizen Cao Liu Wu again.
"Your Majesty, have mercy on me, Your Majesty, have mercy on me! The criminals have committed so many crimes that they are willing to recruit and tell you anything as long as your Majesty asks." Liu Wu felt the force coming from his collar getting stronger and stronger, and understood that Yang Ji was not It was just talk. He really wanted to kill them all, but fortunately he had learned from past mistakes and knew how to answer. Otherwise, he would have been hacked to death again.
"Finally, someone has confessed. I think we should have a lively talk." Yang Ji sat up straight and looked at everyone in the hall with a spring breeze on his face. However, Yang Ji's smile fell into the eyes of those "zongzi", and it was simply the smile of a murderous god. , worse than not smiling.
