When the inside and outside of Kaiyang City were controlled by the Qingzhou Army, Liu Yu immediately ordered Kong An and others who surrendered as the forerunners to find all the officials, powerful men and famous village elders in Kaiyang City.
In front of these fearful figures in Kaiyang City, Liu Yu publicly announced that his Qingzhou Army would not commit plunder or take human lives. As long as these people restrained their respective clans, servants, relatives and friends, everything would be fine. Business as usual.
After appeasing everyone and restoring order in Kaiyang City as quickly as possible, Liu Yu ordered people to take care of all the yellow household registration books of Langya County in the city. As long as these are available, officials can be stationed in the future to search according to the map. management of population and land.
According to Liu Yu's plan, after he captured Dongguan and Langya counties, he would quickly lead his troops westward to assist Dong Ping in his attack on Taishan County.
Therefore, before that, Liu Yu had to find a way to stabilize the situation in Kaiyang City in Langya County to avoid NN when he led the main force westward into Taishan County.
The location of Kaiyang City in Langya County is extremely important. It controls the Yishui River and is the only way from the Langya Mountains to the Huaihai Plain. As long as Kaiyang City is stabilized, then Huaxian, Yangdu, and Meng in Langya County will Most of the important county towns such as Yin, Philadelphia, Yiwu, and Dong'an can be guaranteed to be safe, because if the army attacking from south to north cannot conquer Kaiyang City, it will be impossible to continue to advance north, because in that case, as long as the attack encounters a slight enemy Frustrated, if they want to retreat again, they may be intercepted by the troops in Kaiyang City. If they cooperate with other Qingzhou troops, they can complete a standard closed-door dogfight.
After the defenders of Kaiyang City surrendered, Liu Yu was quite surprised by the performance of these Langya County soldiers. Most of the soldiers in Langya County, a county not close to the frontier, lacked training and fighting will. Faced with this, The Qingzhou Army's siege was able to respond promptly every time, which greatly exceeded Liu Yu's expectations.
According to many county soldiers who surrendered in Kaiyang City, Liu Yu knew that all this was because of Langya County Zhonglang and Cao Ge Rong who joined the army. These Langya County soldiers who surrendered said that the reason why they could stabilize the morale of the army was all because of Ge Rong. Encouragement, coupled with the fact that Ge Rong treated the county soldiers equally and had a high prestige among the county soldiers, so he resisted tenaciously under his call.
When he heard this, Liu Yu asked Kong An, the "leading party" around him, about Ge Rong.
"General, it's true. Ge Shenjun is from Yangdu. Although his family is poor, he has a reputation for talent at a young age. Unfortunately, he has never been reused because of his good character. However, after Peng Lan took office, he got After being recommended, he successively served as a sergeant, a lieutenant, and a military officer. Ge Shenjun was lenient and strict with the county soldiers. Even if many people were punished, they had little resentment. It was all because Ge Shenjun acted fairly and was not greedy for money. On weekdays, he received rewards from the prefect, and he often used them to help his subordinates who were in dire straits." As soon as Kong An mentioned this Ge Rong, he poured out a lot of praise.
After hearing this, Liu Yu said deliberately worriedly.
"It seems that this Ge Rong has such a high prestige among the county soldiers. If some people with ulterior motives use Ge Rong in the future, wouldn't it be a big disaster? It seems that this Ge Rong cannot be kept."
Hearing what Liu Yu said, Kong An next to him opened his mouth, but said nothing.
However, after hearing Liu Yu's words, among the surrendered county soldiers kneeling below, one of them immediately begged for mercy on Ge Rong's behalf.
"General, Ge Canjun is very popular among the people in the county. He led us to resist the general's power this time. He just wanted to repay the favor of the prefect Peng Lan for his recommendation. Now Peng Lan has already abandoned the city and fled, and Ge Canjun has also Holding on to Kaiyang for ten months is enough to repay Peng Lan's kindness. Even if there are people with ulterior motives in the future, Ge Shenjun will definitely not be the kind of person who surrenders and then rebels."
The leader of the Langya County soldiers kept begging as he spoke.
"Yes, general, although this Ge Rong is supported by the county soldiers, he is not the kind of person with ambitions to gain power. This time he sticks to Kaiyang City, really to repay Peng Lan for his kindness, and to protect the country and the people. .”
Seeing this, Kong An finally couldn't help but plead for Ge Rong.
When Liu Yu heard this, he frowned and said coldly.
"To protect the territory and the people, you mean that my general's Qingzhou Army is here to harm the people."
Kong An knew he had made a mistake and quickly accused him again and again.
"General, I know now that the army led by the general is the army of benevolence and righteousness, but the common soldiers in Kaiyang City didn't know it before, and I guess Ge Shenjun didn't know it either."
Liu Yu actually didn't take this unintentional remark to heart, he continued.
"In this case, this Ge Rong is not unforgiving."
Liu Xuan looked at Kong An and the several leaders of the surrender kneeling below.
"Has this Ge Rong agreed to submit to me?"
Kong An did not speak, and the several leaders of the county soldiers below also looked at each other. Finally, the leader who had just begged for mercy said.
"You guys, please give me some more advice. I think you can persuade Ge Shenjun a little bit more."
Liu Yu couldn't help but laugh a little. After talking for a long time, Ge Rong himself had not agreed to surrender.
However, it seems that these county soldier leaders really support Ge Rong, and they can actually beg for him for most of the day under such circumstances.
"Hmph! You fools, it turns out that he is still a stubborn person after pleading with you."
Liu Yu pressed his sword and glared angrily, scolding the leaders of the surrendered soldiers who were kneeling below them.
"You guys, go and tell Ge Rong that this general is going to punish him for serious crimes. You guys can go and escort him to me in person."
The leaders of the surrendered troops, seeing the anger in Liu Yu's voice, were all trembling and did not dare to raise their heads or say any more words. They just kept bowing their heads and begging for mercy.
Liu Yu waved his hand impatiently, and the Qingzhou Yamen Army guards who were guarding him immediately stepped forward, dragged the leaders of the surrendered troops out, and took them to escort Ge Rong, who was waiting to be surrendered.
The leaders of the county soldiers, escorted by the Qingzhou soldiers, came to the place where Ge Rong was imprisoned.
As soon as the person in the lead saw Ge Rong, he immediately fell to the ground, hugged Ge Rong's legs and began to cry and beg.
"Ge Shenjun, go and confess your crime to General Zhengdong. Otherwise, if he wants to punish you for your serious crime, he will definitely be beheaded."
"As a member of the county, I join the army. I am supposed to protect the land and the people and resist the violent troops. What is the crime of guarding Kaiyang City?"
Ge Rong said in a very calm tone.
"Ge Shenjun, we are the ones who harmed you." After saying that, a county soldier leader started crying.
"Ge Shenjun, it's all our fault. If we weren't greedy for life and afraid of death, you wouldn't be like this." Another leader couldn't help but blame himself.
After hearing these words, Ge Rong remained calm, but instead started to understand the leaders of the county soldiers.
"At that time, when we were trapped in the county government, it was just a desperate situation where the beasts were trapped and still fighting. It is human nature to seek survival. In fact, I can't blame you."
Hearing what Ge Rong said, the leaders of the county soldiers who personally led the county soldiers to knock down Ge Rong and tie them up to surrender all felt ashamed.
"We beg you, Mr. Ge, just admit your mistake and accept it. This matter will definitely be over."
"Yes, Mr. Ge, even if it's not for yourself, you still have to think about it for your elderly parents, your lovely wife and your child."
"These Qingzhou soldiers are not those who kill indiscriminately. As long as Mr. Ge shows his confession in front of General Zhengdong, he probably won't be harmed."
Hearing this, Ge Rong remained unmoved, but in the end he sighed.
"My parents are taken care of by brothers at home, and even young children can be cared for by them. I just pity my wife, who is only in her twenties and can no longer rely on me to protect her."
He looked at a county soldier leader next to him and said.
"Zhang He, after I die, tell my parents and wife for me, saying that you don't have to mourn for me after my death, and let my wife find a good family to marry as soon as possible."
At this time, there was no long-term view of chastity. Not only were widows not prevented from remarrying, but the imperial court had repeatedly issued orders to encourage widows of childbearing age to remarry. Among the military households directly under the imperial court, there were often those in front of them. As soon as the soldier was killed in battle, his widow was reassigned by the Shangguan to marry another soldier. Among the soldiers who inherited the same line from Cao and Wei, this behavior of treating soldiers and their families as livestock was also an important reason for the low combat effectiveness of the soldiers in the Wei and Jin Dynasties. .
After Emperor Wu of Jin ascended the throne, he gradually abolished the traditional military household, but still encouraged widows among the common people to remarry. However, they usually had to stay in mourning for three years before they could remarry.
The leader of the county soldiers named Zhang He cried and agreed when he saw this.
Afterwards, Ge Rong stopped listening to these unnecessary words and spoke to a few of them and the Qingzhou soldiers guarding them.
"Don't behave like a woman, and let me, Ge Rong of Yangdu, die calmly."
Ge Rong thought that he came from a humble background, and it was the prefect Peng Lan who fought against all opinions to give him his current official position. He had already offended many people among the gentry in the county. If he knelt down in front of the Qingzhou Army again and licked the If you seek a life with mole-like flattery, then the future of your brothers and nephews who have just become famous in your clan will be completely ruined, and they will definitely be reduced to lowly people among the scholars. Therefore, Ge Rong felt that in this case, he still It's better to be calmer and tougher, and establish a name of loyalty for Yangdu Ge family. Maybe Yangdu Ge family will become prosperous in the future, and he can become the founder of the foundation.
Before Ge Rong saw Liu Yu, guards had already come to Liu Yu in advance and told Liu Yu all about the conversation between Ge Rong and the surrender leaders of Langya County.
After hearing this, Liu Yu couldn't help but admire Ge Rong.
Whether it was Ge Ronggu's reputation or his true generosity and restraint, Liu Yu had only seen this kind of disregard for life and death in books before.
Liu Yu couldn't help but wonder, was this Ge Rong really just doing this for the sake of his family's reputation?
He really didn't understand, even though he had lived in the Western Jin Dynasty for several years, every family member in this era didn't understand the concerns and maintenance of the clan.
In Liu Yu's previous life, it was a small family of husband and wife, but in this era, there were large clans with several generations living together. He still did not fully understand how people at this time valued the clan's reputation, status, and reputation. fanatical pursuit.
However, these did not hinder Liu Yuyan's intention to recruit Ge Rong.
Although I don't know what this man's true character and abilities are, but based on the descriptions of these surrendered county soldiers, Ge Rong is indisputable.
Moreover, more importantly, this Ge Rong came from a humble family, and Liu Yu already knew that when he was an official, he had many conflicts with the powerful nobles in the county. Recruiting someone under his command will be of great benefit to stabilizing the situation in Kaiyang City in Langya County in the future. At the very least, it will not only gain the support of some humble civilians, but also prevent Ge Rong from colluding with various powerful people to cause trouble.
Therefore, when Ge Rong was persuaded by several surrendered county soldiers, he already came to Liu Yu with the awareness of death.
Passing by the Qingzhou Yamen Army guards holding swords and halberds, Ge Rong walked through with his head held high and came to the inner court.
Under the surveillance of two Qingzhou guards, as soon as Ge Rong entered the door, he suddenly saw a tall and strong military general who came towards him with a smile on his face.
"Ge Shenjun, it's so hard for me to wait for this general."
"Hey, what's going on? Why are you still tied up by Ge Shenjun? Why don't you untie him quickly!"
"Ge Shenjun, please come quickly and take a seat!"
Ge Rong was confused by the series of actions in front of him. The general in front of him looked like he was a general of the Qingzhou Army. After all, the gold-plated armor was not something ordinary people could wear, not even ordinary generals. They are not qualified to wear them.
Ge Rong thought hard, and it seems that the only person in the Qingzhou Army who is qualified to wear such gorgeous armor is the general of the Qingzhou Army, the Donglai thief Liu Yu.
Ge Rong, who had just been confused and sat down on the seat, finally regained his composure.
He couldn't help but asked with some doubts.
"This general, may I ask your name?"
Liu Yu laughed, waved his hand and said.
"This is Liu Yu, who is now the governor of Qingzhou, the general who conquered the east, and Liu Jixing of Donglai."
When Ge Rong heard this, his expression changed, he immediately stood up and said with a cold face.
"Since it is General Liu, why do you need to do such a teasing move? It was all Ge who led the army to occupy the city and resist. If the general wants to kill or behead him, it is better to do whatever he wants."
Liu Xian looked suspicious on his face.
"Jun Ge, what you said is wrong. You are deeply grateful to Peng Lan for knowing and meeting. You are able to defend the city for your benefactor and see the majesty of our Qingzhou army without flinching. I really admire you. How could I harm you just because of this matter?" Where is such a loyal person?!"
"Furthermore, I already know that Mr. Ge has a good reputation in the county and has outstanding virtues and talents. I am planning to let Mr. Ge share some of the future affairs of Langya County. How can I harm you?!"
When Ge Rong heard this, he was shocked. This was beyond his expectation. Not only was his life not in danger, he didn't have to kneel down to survive, but he was entrusted with an important task.
Could it be that the Ge family in Yangdu really wants to be prosperous? !
