When the storm in the south was brewing, Confucian scholars in Luyang, Central Plains, who protested against the revision of Wei Shu and promoted the Yan script, also dominated the limelight during this period.
Many officials were scolded by them, but few of them intervened. Some wrote to the King of Xia, but were suppressed by Zhongshu Ling, who only replied: Let them make trouble.
The Luyang government office, and even provincial officials, especially those who revised Wei books and promoted Yan essays, had no choice but to swallow their anger and were scolded bloody.
For a time, the arrogance of these Confucian scholars and scribes was further fueled. They called for friends, carried swords around their waists, and often gathered in restaurants and tea servers to criticize the government. Their words were high-pitched and passionate, and there was an atmosphere of joining the army to save the country.
"...that King of Xia of the Yan State really takes himself seriously. How can his knowledge be as good as fighting with a reckless man? He actually asked me, a student from the Central Plains, to learn the writing of the barbarians from the north. I am not afraid of being attacked by a group of people. I can fight with tens of thousands of them." The soldiers are indeed powerful, but so what, we and the students are not rebelling when they discuss government affairs. If we say a few words and become angry in shame, then we will destroy the city wall!"
At nearly noon, another literary gathering gathered in the Sifang Building. On the second floor above the noisy hall, it was a feast among literati. The speaker was Zhou Fangru, who was somewhat famous. Most of the people who were listening to him were participating in the fight against the government. and the Confucian students of King Xia, noisily slapping the table in agreement.
"I heard that the Xia King was born in the Marquis Palace, but he was just an idler all day long. Even though he could fight, he had no academic attainments."
"He's just a reckless leader!"
"Even if there are some young scholars in the North, they don't dare to speak in front of these reckless leaders. How can they be like us in the Central Plains where the literary spirit flourishes!"
In front of the surrounding wine tables, Zhou Fangru waved his hands with a smile: "I say everyone, to safeguard the learning of the Central Plains, with Wei characters and books in your hands, it is up to us to be brave!"
"Yes! Everyone Zhou is right." Confucian scholars around him applauded.
When talking about the excitement, everyone's faces turned red and they expressed their views enthusiastically: "With such a grand event, why don't we, the Luyang students, join forces to establish a society and take it as our own responsibility to safeguard Wei's writing?"
"How heroic! That's what you should do!"
"Then who will take the lead?"
"Of course it's Mr. Zhou. He is knowledgeable and famous among us. He dares to scold those traitors to the point of leaving his body intact!"
For a time, many people were excited, and even the dead generals who had lost their cities and lost their land were scolding them.
In the noisy atmosphere, everyone was talking loudly. Zhou Fangru picked up the glass and nodded, with the air of a literary giant. He picked up the wine, but before he put it to his mouth, ripples appeared on the water. He shook his head, and the ripples rippled in circles. open.
"Uh, I'm not drunk...Why are there ripples...dazzled?"
The group of Confucian scholars talking around him suddenly stopped talking, and the wooden planks on the second floor under his feet clanged. Then he heard a series of cracking sounds of whips in the street outside, and then the horses' hooves churned, galloping along the end of the street outside. Here, someone looked out from the guardrail. A dozen knights on horseback dressed as men, dismounted from their horses, and behind them were all servants and police officers.
"Get in!"
The entire restaurant hall suddenly became tense. The shopkeeper and his waiters hurriedly came to greet them. Before they could ask whether they wanted to eat or drink, they were pushed aside. The person who came was Fang Tianling. After the Luyang City was destroyed, he was transferred from the original army. Come out and enter the government office to continue doing your old job as the chief arrester in the capital.
He looked gloomy, grinned slightly, and said with a serious tone in his voice: "Are the second floor full of sour scholars gathering in crowds?"
"Some people came here in the morning." The shopkeeper was frightened by his expression. He nodded repeatedly, and then asked in a low voice: "Sir, did they commit something?"
"The higher-ups just ordered that among these Confucian scholars, spies from other countries have infiltrated. They gathered together to initiate a false initiative. They secretly prepared weapons and armor with the true intention of rebellion."
A large number of police officers rushed into the second floor, and there was a lot of yelling and cursing. Then some people were beaten and screamed. In less than a moment, dozens of Confucian students were all brought down and escorted by the police officers and guards.
"There are spies from other countries among you...Don't even think about evading it. Someone reported it anonymously today!" Fang Tianling was dressed in the uniform of a chief arrester, with a sharp look on his head: "I took a pair of armor from someone's house. The arrest will take you all back for interrogation one by one."
Zhou Fangru and others stretched their necks, turned red in the face, and shouted: "You must be slandering me. How could we, the righteous men, do such a thing!"
"We have already captured that person. He is a Confucian scholar who hangs out with you all day long. He has already confessed, and you can't escape his involvement. There is no way he is a spy!"
Fang Tianling waved his hand fiercely: "Take them all back!"
"Not convinced!"
"I can't bear to wait!"
Dozens of people struggled and shouted. They were beaten by the police and government officials with sticks until their heads were bleeding, and they became more honest.
A whole street of vendors and people watched this scene, waiting for the officials to leave, and then started whispering to each other. Most of their words were guessing what kind of punishment these scholars would suffer if they went in. There was a lot of gloating in their words. After all, they were not interested in the New Deal. It was a bit uncomfortable for me, but not to the point of being rejected. King Xia's newly established school provided education for everyone, which was a real benefit to the common people and those who were in lowly professions.
The people on the street discussed it enthusiastically for a while, and then gradually dispersed. Most of them took the news and hurriedly informed their relatives and friends.
This was just the first wave. Later, more government officials went around the city to arrest scholars who participated in the rally. More than 600 people were arrested. Their identities naturally represented a force, that is, the entire bureaucracy. , but now no one stands up and speaks for them like Zhao Chuanting did last time.
But these people were really making trouble, and with the pressure from the government, they became arrogant and offended many officials. Behind these officials were wealthy families. After this trouble, Luyang, big and small, The officials didn't have a good look at the troublemaking Confucian scholars.
Most of the scholars who were not arrested had some acquaintances in the yamen. They knew in advance that there was something going on behind the incident, so they listened to the advice and did not participate, thus escaping.
You know, that Zhongshu Ling is a ruthless person.
When the news of the arrest came, Jia Xu was finishing talking to Zhuge Liang, came out of the Prime Minister's Mansion, got on the carriage and went to the palace.
In the slightly shaking carriage, he sipped tea and looked through the messages in his hand, without any expression on his face.
What he does now is different from how he used to be timid. It was only because of what King Xia said to him that day that the scribe, who had kept a low profile all his life, felt a lot of emotion in his heart.
The best thing in life...should die for the one who knows him.
"Zhongshu Ling, we're here." The soldier driving the car said softly outside.
Jia Xu put down the tea cup, put the notes in his hands into his sleeves, opened the curtain and stepped out of the carriage. His gray hair now had a little more black spots, and his waist was much straighter than before.
In the huge Wei State Palace, there was already another carriage waiting here to pick him up and take him to the harem villa. From a distance, he could see the Central Protector Dian Wei, who was carrying a pair of halberds, guarding outside the ancestral temple.
The two looked at each other, and the giant man pressed his fingers, making a 'click' sound.
"Jia Xu, don't let me know what you are thinking about the king, or I will have to reason with you."
"hehe."
The old man just smiled, stepped under the eaves, and walked straight into the ancestral temple. Taoist Li nodded to him and pointed to a back hall, which probably meant that King Xia was behind the ancestral temple and asked him to wait outside for a while.
Soon, the door of the back hall opened, and a tall figure walked out with a puff of white air. His muscular upper body, bulging muscles, and thick arms made Wu Zetian's spiritual tablet on the tribute table jump forward, leaning forward as hard as he could. To see more clearly.
"Your Majesty!"
Jia Xu came forward to greet him, and he took out two pieces of information from his sleeve, "This is from the two countries Wu and Yue in the south. The prime minister also asked Xu to send information on the progress of the Xiliang, Bingzhou, and Yizhou armies."
"The news came quickly."
When Su Chen received the battle report, Wu Zixun put a single coat on him and left. Su Chen unfolded the information and scanned the compiled messages one by one.
Among the three armies, the Xiliang army marched the fastest and the farthest.
On August 27, the Xiliang army was more than 40 miles away from the Meizhou border, and then directly defeated a group of Meizhou soldiers who came out of the city to fight in the wilderness.
On the twenty-eighth day, the infantry began to attack the city. The fighting only lasted for an hour, and they directly captured a county, and continued to attack the next city the next day.
The Bingzhou and Yizhou armies are still on the way, but several cities near the Ganzhou border have sent people to send news of surrender. It seems that King Xia of Yan State is determined to regain all the states.
On the first day of September, the soldiers and horses of Wu and Yue also entered the southern parts of Sui and Qing states to launch a strategy. However, due to turmoil in the rear, the supply of food and fodder could not be sustained, and the advance was much slower. At present, not even a city had been reached. Capture it.
As for the second piece of news Jia Xu gave, it was about the Confucian scholars who had been arrested.
Su Chen's eyes flashed across the corners of his eyes, he glanced at it from the corner of his eye, and then discarded the note.
"Confirm the charges, sentence those who deserve to be sentenced, and kill those who deserve to be killed!"
(End of chapter)
