The next day, at noon, outside Qinghe County, in the deserted countryside.
More than two thousand old, weak, sick and disabled people in ragged clothes sat feebly on the ground. Their faces were like cracked bark, and their cloudy eyes were lifeless, while four or five people in official robes , headed by Cui Gongbo, the governor of Qinghe County who was about fifty years old and wearing a red county guard uniform and a black gauze official hat, stood tremblingly in front of these people. More than 10,000 knights carrying swords and swords took these people The open space with a radius of five or six miles was surrounded by three levels inside and outside, and it was impenetrable. The horse and cow flags flying everywhere, accompanied by the low sound of drums and horns, gave off a chilling atmosphere.
Tuoba Gui's face was ashen, he sat on a temporary wooden platform outside the circle, looked at everything in front of him, gritted his teeth and said: "How come there are only so few people in the entire Qinghe County?"
Ba Ba Song said solemnly: "When the envoy entered the city last night, he found that the city gate was open and almost all the households in the city were empty. They fled without a trace. Even the sergeants on duty at the city gate and the servants in the mansion were nowhere to be found. Cui Gongbo, the governor of Qinghe County, and several other officials were very drunk. The county's hundreds of names and household registration books were also missing, and the tax records for previous years were also burned. The army We searched the seven counties and forty-two townships under Qinghe County for a day and a night, and all the people we could find are here."
Tuoba Gui said sharply: "Where is Cui Gongbo, the governor of Qinghe County?!"
Even though Cui Gongbo was dozens of steps away, he could still hear the thunderous roar from the sky. He trembled with fright and hurriedly ran all the way to the foot of the high platform. He lay prostrate on the ground, his whole body like chaff. The ground was trembling, just like his trembling voice: "Chen, I am Qing, Qinghe County, County Governor Cui Gong, Gongbo, see you, see your majesty!"
Tuoba Gui gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice: "As a county guard, why are you so hungover? Why did tens of thousands of people in your Qinghe County escape without a trace overnight? As a county guard, why are you so hungover?" County Chief, you know nothing about these major events. I ask you, where are my people and where is my roster?!"
Cui Gongbo cried and raised his head: "Your Majesty, three days ago, Lu Yuan, a wealthy family in this county, said that he led the local soldiers to capture 320 rangers led by He Lanxiong of Yan Ni who came to our county to rob. . They were all taken to the county seat, and I immediately wrote an official document and delivered it to the capital by horseback to report my merits to His Majesty?!"
Tuoba Gui glanced at Babasong beside him, and Babasong whispered: "It is true that I met the messenger sent by Cui Gongbo on the road. It happened two days ago. His Majesty ordered all official documents at that time. Ignore it for the time being, and the courier will seize it to avoid leaking the news."
Tuoba Gui looked at Cui Gongbo: "Then, you drank and got drunk at this celebration banquet?"
Cui Gongbo's face flashed with fear: "Since I took office as the governor of this county, Qinghe has been often harassed by the Yan army because it is located at the junction of Wei and Yan. The soldiers and people have suffered terribly. This victory is unprecedented in several years." I have achieved great results, so I was excited for a while and drank a few more drinks, but the result was unexpected..."
When he said this, he didn't dare to say anything more and just kowtowed.
Babasong sighed and said sternly to Tuoba Gui: "I heard from those who didn't leave that Lu Yuan colluded with Helan Lu to set up such a scheme. Lu Yuan was executed because he had rebelled. Lu Pu's cousin, who had long been resentful towards the Wei Dynasty, secretly colluded with Helan Lu, who also defected, and first used He Lanxiong's small group of troops to fake surrender, and then used a celebration banquet to get Grand Administrator Cui and the more than a thousand county soldiers who stayed behind drunk."
"After everyone was drunk, the prisoners, with the cooperation of the internal officers, removed the ropes, killed more than a hundred sergeants on duty, then opened the city gate and led He Lanlu's more than 10,000 soldiers and horses into the city. They were originally They wanted to continue to attack several other nearby counties in this way, but the sentry detected that His Majesty's army was heading towards Qinghe, so they immediately changed their mind and drove the entire Qinghe people away. Now, they have returned to Nanyan , the only ones left in the entire Qinghe are these old, weak, sick and disabled people who can’t walk!”
Tuoba Gui gritted his teeth and said with hatred: "Helan Lu, this thief, how dare you bully me like this? If I don't cut him into pieces, how can I relieve the hatred in my heart?!"
A black-faced general in his thirties was Duan Hong, the former Nanyan general who later defected to the Northern Wei Dynasty. He saluted Tuoba Gui and said, "Your Majesty, this time Nanyan dared to invade my important town and rob me." The people, the whole army, all hate it, and the people of Hebei are all hating the enemy! Now that the army is here, it is better to pursue it with force, or to pull out several border towns in Nanyan to recover this loss!"
Tuobagui frowned and said, "General Duan, if I raise an army to attack Yan now, how many troops can you instigate for me in Southern Yan and how many old troops can you summon?"
Duan Hong's face turned slightly red: "The last general was killed by Murong Chao, and he fled with almost only a few hundred old troops. Moreover, the last general was stationed in the Linqu area in the south. He is not too familiar with this northern border. Now we are about to finish. If I go to instigate rebellion, I’m afraid I won’t be able to do what Your Majesty wishes.”
Tuoba Gui sighed: "Only when you know the enemy and know the enemy can you win every battle. Now we don't know the enemy, and we haven't launched a large army. There are several important towns in the northern border of Yan State that have been in operation for many years and the cities are strong. They wanted to pull out a few of me this time. Border County, it means that we have been prepared for a war for a long time. At this time, if we want to go to war without preparation and without knowing the enemy's situation, the chance of victory is not good. If the army led by me is defeated, then the land of Hebei will definitely be defeated. Shocked, heroes from all over the country may even turn to Yan. General Duan, I know that you have a big grudge against the Murong clan of Yan, and I promise you that you will take revenge, but not now, not this time!"
Duan Hong gritted his teeth and made a military salute: "Your Majesty is wise, but the last general is dull and far behind."
Tuobagui nodded, with murderous intent flashing in his eyes: "We came to Qinghe this time to carry out the edict, massacre Qinghe, and kill thousands of people. Although Nanyan invaded, it was impossible to know about this edict, but it was also broken. Our big deal is that the families of these old, weak, sick and disabled people left behind have already rebelled against Wei and Touyan. Keeping them here is a disaster. Pass on my order. Starting from Cui Gongbo, all of them will be beheaded by me. , leave no one behind!”
As soon as he said this, Cui Gongbo jumped up from the ground and cried: "Your Majesty, please spare your life. This is really the conspiracy of the Yan thief. I am willing to make atonement for my sins. I am willing..."
Before he could finish his words, one of the two warriors beside him pulled out his sword, and with just one wave, his head was removed from his neck, and blood dripped all over the floor. The cavalrymen surrounding the common people also drew their bows and arrows and shot at the crowd. The screams and the sound of arrows entering their bodies echoed throughout the wilderness.
