Three days later, the Forbidden Army camped.
Liu Bian, Huangfu Song, Xun You, Zhong Yao and others stood on the observation deck, all watching the school martial arts field.
A middle-aged man in his forties, holding a large bow, was testing a new weapon.
call out
The arrow that left the string hit the bull's-eye in the blink of an eye.
"Captain Huang is mighty!" the soldiers cheered.
Huang Zhong is forty-five years old this year, but has thick beard and hair, fair skin, and piercing eyes. He didn't pay attention to the soldiers' shouts. He picked up the crossbow behind him, loaded three arrows, pulled it open hard, and stared at the target not far away.
Bang
The three arrows hit the target, shaking violently and making a continuous buzzing sound.
"What a crossbow!"
Huang Zhong looked at the crossbow in his hand with surprise and joy on his face, and couldn't put it down until he touched it.
In the stands, Xun You glanced at Liu Bian and said, "Your Majesty, is this really found from Qin bamboo slips?"
Liu Bian hummed casually and said, "If the Qing family is interested in this, I will have someone send it to the Qing family."
"I'm not interested, I'm just curious." Xun You said quickly.
'I can't find out if you are interested. '
Liu Bian smiled and saw a dozen cavalrymen galloping past the school martial arts field, their feet in stirrups, very steady.
Zhong Yao quietly observed Liu Bian and said in a pretentious tone: "Your Majesty, Yuan Shu's rebels have already invaded Langya County."
Huangfu Song and Zhong Yao immediately looked at Liu Bian, their expressions unmoving, and they secretly concentrated - three days are up.
Liu Bian looked at Huang Zhong, hummed, and said, "What do you think of Huang Zhong?"
Zhong Yao wanted to say something more, but Liu Bian raised his hand. On the school martial arts field, Dian Wei was neatly dressed, holding a spear and riding a horse slowly out of the side door.
"Fight with me!" Dian Wei stepped forward, pointing his spear directly at Huang Zhong.
After everyone heard this, they had no choice but to shut up and look towards the school martial arts field.
Huang Zhong was testing a new weapon. He looked up and recognized Dian Wei. Without hesitation, he picked up his sword and mounted his horse.
The two of them fought directly without any unnecessary nonsense.
Not only the people on the observation deck were paying attention, but the surrounding soldiers put down what they were doing and came to watch.
After only two rounds, Dian Wei and Huang Zhong realized that they had encountered a powerful enemy. They looked serious, gripped their weapons tightly, and raised their horses to hedge again.
"drink!"
"ha!"
Chang Mao and the big sword fought each other, and the two of them dismounted and retreated abruptly.
"What a physical strength!" Xun You looked at it and couldn't help but exclaimed.
The others also looked shocked. They were more or less aware of Dian Wei's strength. It was truly amazing that Huang Zhong, who was in his forties, could fight with him without losing.
Seeing Xun You's rare gaffe, Liu Bian smiled and said, "This Huang Zhong was originally from Wang Rui. He later went to Chengdu, then Bingzhou, and was transferred back to Beijing by me not long ago. What do Huangfuqing's family think?"
Huangfu Song looked at the two people fighting hard and said, "Your Majesty, Huang Zhong is indeed a brave general."
Liu Bian smiled even more and said: "I plan to order him to replace Xu Rong and garrison at Shenyuan Pass."
Huangfu Song heard this and immediately said: "Your Majesty, the situation is urgent. I believe that Xu Rong, Cao Cao, Gongsun Zan, Zhao Yun, and Dong Zhuo should be ordered to join forces to attack the Liang and Pei countries eastward, and Wang Rui, the governor of Jingzhou, should be ordered to attack Runan. Encircle Yuan Shu!"
Liu Bian shook his head. Runan, order Wang Rui to attack Yangzhou."
Huangfu Song, Xun You, and Zhong Yao were stunned again and again. What kind of arrangement is this?
Huangfusong raised his hand decisively and said: "Your Majesty, this move is too scattered and may be defeated by the rebels one by one. At this time, we should concentrate our forces and wipe out the main force of the rebels!"
Zhong Yao followed and said: "Your Majesty, although I don't know the military affairs, I have been in the army for many years and have made great achievements in battle. I second my opinion."
Liu Bian raised his eyebrows, glanced at him from the corner of his eye, and said to himself: Are you saying that I am an amateur but an expert in commanding?
Liu Bian looked as normal and said: "The so-called main force of Yuan Shu are just some young men who were dragged here by force. They are not even as good as the Yellow Turban bandits. Please don't think too highly of them. In this way, give Dong Zhuo an order to give him half a month's life. Within this period, the Liang Kingdom cannot be conquered, and military law is engaged!"
The four words "engage in military law" often represent capital punishment. For Dong Zhuo, it was actually a capital crime.
Huangfu Song, Xun You, and Zhong Yao listened to Liu Bian's arrangements. They seemed reasonable, but in fact they were very willful.
Just as he was about to continue admonishing, there were bursts of loud shouts from below.
On the school martial arts field, Huang Zhong and Dian Wei were fighting fiercely. As the saying goes, they met their opponents in chess, but the two did not stop there and worked harder and harder.
When Liu Bian saw this, he quickly stopped and said, "That's enough. You two gentlemen, please stop."
When Dian Wei and Huang Zhong heard Liu Bian's shouting, they reined in their horses with some unfinished thoughts.
Dian Wei looked honest, smiled, raised his hand and said, "Chen Liu Dian Wei."
Huang Zhong looked deeply at Dian Wei, held his hands and said, "Nanyang Huang Zhong."
Dian Wei grinned and reined in his horse.
Huang Zhong followed him and whispered to him: "Dian Xiaowei, how does Zhonglang General Zhao Zilong compare with you?"
Dian Wei shook his head and said: "I have never compared with him. He looks thin and weak."
Huang Zhongqing knew that generals should not judge based on appearance. Today, he was on a par with Dian Wei, but he really wanted to compete with Zhao Yun who killed Wen Chou in one attack.
On the observation deck, Liu Bian turned around, looked at the three of them, and mused: "Three Qings, this rebellion may not be a bad thing for me as a big man. Instead of letting those with ulterior motives work in secret, The imperial court is always on guard, so why not lure them all out at once and deal with them in one fell swoop. There is no way to guard against thieves for a thousand days if you can only be a thief for a thousand days."
The three of them were startled and thought to themselves at the same time: So this was your Majesty’s idea?
However, Xun You's expression immediately darkened and he said: "I understand your majesty's painstaking efforts, but now is not the time to lure thieves. Yuan Shu has become powerful and occupies the land of three states. He is an unprecedented traitor. We need to annihilate him as soon as possible to ensure that he is safe." People’s hearts are in order to stabilize the country!”
Liu Bian finally found such an excuse, how could he be persuaded? He hummed and said: "Then order Dong Zhuo to command all the troops and horses in Xu, Jingzhou and Yuzhou, with a total of nearly 100,000 troops, to coordinate the steps and coordinate Go ahead and suppress!"
Xun You's face moved. He wanted to say that Huangfu Song's tactics were the most appropriate, but seeing that Liu Bian finally let go, he had no choice but to look at Huangfu Song.
Huangfu Song thought carefully for a while and said: "Your Majesty, Lu Buchen doesn't know. Should he send Cao Cao or Xu Rong to Xuzhou?"
Liu Bian waved his hand, walked down and said, "The Qing family still thinks too highly of Yuan Shu. Do you think the army of 100,000 is still small? That's it."
Huangfusong thought for a while and said no more.
Gathering the troops from the three states, a hundred thousand troops were indeed a lot.
Xun You and Zhong Yao looked at each other and felt somewhat relieved. An army of 100,000 will attack, even if it does not succeed quickly, it will curb the rebels' arrogance.
When the summer grain comes up and the court has money and grain, it will not be too late to make a decision based on the situation.
Pan Yin came up from below, came to Liu Bian's side, followed him, handed over a memorial, and whispered: "Your Majesty, the prince has returned to the capital."
Liu Bian opened it and saw that Wang Yun had approved the Bingzhou reform from beginning to end, blaming the "official system" for disrupting the local area and cluttering private individuals. 'Measuring acres of land' is competing with the people for profit, which does more harm than good. 'Census of households' is the source of civil unrest and chaos.
After reading the ensemble, Liu Bian looked indifferent and said: "The Prime Minister is still in the Third Assistant?"
Pan Yin bowed and said: "Yes. The last time the Prime Minister wrote, he said that this is the land of Sanfu, with nearly a million people fleeing, and the importance of disaster relief is unprecedented."
Liu Bian glanced at Wang Yun's memorial in his hand again and said: "I'll keep this memorial. Tomorrow I'll invite Wang Yun to the palace to have dinner with me. Send an order to Liu Biao, ordering him to go to Bingzhou on my behalf. , remember, the imperial court is unswerving and united towards the 'New Deal', and no one is allowed to change it!"
"Yes." Pan Yin responded quickly.
Xun You and Zhong Yao followed Liu Bian, looking thoughtful but not speaking.
There has always been great resistance from the government and the opposition to the 'New Deal', and there is also a lot of resistance to local reforms.
The prefects and county magistrates sent by the imperial court to Bingzhou encountered varying degrees of resistance. As for the 'measurement of acres' and 'census of households', the stumbling blocks overt and covert are even more serious.
Lu Zhi's implementation of the "New Deal" in Bingzhou can be said to be difficult, and the court received various impeachment memorials every day.
After walking a few steps, Liu Bian looked at Xun You again and said: "Sili's 'New Deal' must be implemented step up. I will do my best to remove all obstacles. There must be no delay! In addition, we must be cautious about filling various vacancies in Yanzhou." Shen, you must be a capable minister and an official, and have the courage to take action! Regarding the 'New Deal', I will order Xu Rong to fully assist. Anyone who dares to obstruct, resist, or even plot rebellion will be resolutely suppressed without mercy!"
"I accept the decree!" Xun You responded solemnly. He felt more and more that His Majesty in front of him valued the 'New Deal' far more than Yuan Shu's rebellion.
Zhong Yao could also clearly detect it, and thought to himself: Your Majesty, are you too dismissive of Yuan Shu's rebellion?
Liu Bian made careful calculations and said, "Take another look at Ding Yuan. If he is not qualified, transfer him back to Beijing."
Xun You's expression tightened and he said, "I understand."
Transferring the pastor of Yizhou back to Beijing is actually a kind of "severe punishment", which indicates that Ding Yuan's official career has come to an end.
Liu Bian hummed and without saying anything else, he got off the observation deck and came to the training ground.
This training ground can accommodate thousands of people, divided into countless square formations.
Some are running, some are shooting, some are training, some are riding horses...
Seeing this, Liu Bian nodded slightly and said to Huangfu Song: "How many people are there in the Forbidden Army camp at present?"
Huangfu Song followed and said, "Your Majesty, there are still 50,000 left. If Zhao Yun and Xu Rong return to the army, it will be 80,000."
"Including Cao Cao's 30,000, there are 110,000 people..."
Liu Bian said to himself, before he knew it, there were as many as 110,000 soldiers and horses in the Forbidden Army camp!
Xun You was behind Liu Bian, his expression unchanged, but his heart was under a mountain of pressure.
The daily consumption of 110,000 soldiers and horses is a terrible figure. The imperial court tried its best to raise money and food, but still could not afford it!
Liu Bian walked casually, looking at Huangfu Song, Xun You and others behind him from time to time.
In his mind, he wanted Liu Xie to go to Dong Zhuo to supervise the army, but Huangfu Song, Xun You and others would not agree to this proposal even if they were beaten to death.
At the same time, too often.
Cai Zheng directed the servants he had recruited to pack stacks of Shihou paper into boxes.
"Be careful, be careful, don't get wrinkled!"
"Waterproof, pay attention to waterproofing! If the road gets wet, I will break your legs!"
"These boxes are for Hanoi, your sticker is wrong!"
"The carriage and carriage are ready! Move it up, move it up!"
Cai Yong relied on his identity and was not in front of him, but in the accounting room not far away, looking at the account book in his hand, which recorded numbers item by item.
"Two years, 70 million, I believe His Majesty will be satisfied..." Cai Yong said quite proudly.
Seventy million means seventy thousand min, which is equivalent to seventy thousand taels of silver. It is already a large sum of money.
Cai Wenji came in with tea and said softly: "Even seventy million is still small for him."
Cai Yong turned around and saw that his daughter was rarely wearing a veil. He also saw that she was less melancholy than before, with a gloomy look, eyes like water, and a pretty face rosy. He couldn't help but wonder: "Have you encountered anything recently? You seem a lot happier?"
Cai Wenji's heart skipped a beat and she said guiltily: "My daughter just read some books."
Cai Yong didn't think much. He continued to look at the account book and sighed, "You are right. Now the court needs money everywhere. This 70 million is just a drop in the bucket. Your Majesty will not be satisfied. You have to find another way."
Seeing that her father had no suspicion, Cai Wenji felt a little relieved, pursed her lips, and said softly: "Father, can you accept the money, Prince Edward?"
Cai Yong suddenly frowned and said: "We have already collected it. Besides, if we collect too much, it will cause criticism. Some people are originally poor. If we collect more money, they will not be able to study. They will waste their talents and have no way to serve the country."
Cai Wenji thought about what Liu Bian had said to her, and said softly: "If you don't have money, you can go to Hongdu School to study. Those who are enrolled in Taixue, their families are not short of money at all. If each person receives a few thousand, there should be no problem." .”
Cai Yong still shook his head and said: "You'd better study hard on your book and don't get involved in these things. By the way, you often go to Puguang Temple recently? Didn't you only go once or twice a month before?"
Cai Yong felt more and more guilty, moved his lips and said, "There is no need to go there in the future."
Cai Yong looked straight at Cai Zheng and the servants, not noticing his daughter's pretty blushing face, and said casually: "Well, it's better to go less often."
How did he know that her daughter had already planned to discuss with Liu Bian and change places.
After calming down, Cai Wenji took out the veil, put it on her face, and then said: "Father, has the Hongdu School in Taiyuan been established?"
Cai Yong suddenly saw a middle-aged man coming in with all his servants. He hurriedly went out and said subconsciously: "It's almost done. You should go back early. Don't leave the house or go to the palace if you have nothing to do. The Queen Mother is preparing to choose a queen for Your Majesty. You and Miss Tang should stay less."
Cai Wenji blinked and thought to herself: Why didn't I know?
Cai Yong came not far from the box, recognized the person, and quietly hid behind the box.
When the person came, Hou Fuwan said to Cai Zheng, "I really can't buy it outside. Please ask Cai Shi Tongrong to sell us a thousand pieces."
Cai Zheng looked at the box that had been packed and saw that there was nothing extra at all. He smiled and said, "If you are not a good man, you will not sell it unless you are a villain. There is really nothing extra."
Fu Wan was dissatisfied and said: "My daughter has entered the palace. Today she wants some Shihou paper to repair the marriage certificate. Could it be that Taichang wants to stop her?"
How did Cai Zheng know what was going on? He was startled when he heard this, and said anxiously: "No, please wait a moment. I will go and ask Taichang for instructions."
Fu Wan snorted and said, "Go quickly."
Cai Yong listened and backed away silently.
Cai Wenji was still in the room arranging the desk for her father. When she saw Cai Yong coming in like a thief, she asked with doubtful eyes: "Father, what's going on?"
Cai Yong entered the room and stood upright. He shook his head and said, "Fu Shou, the daughter of Marquis Buqi, has been elected to the palace. It is said that she will be awarded a noble title. Marquis Buqi came to me to ask for Shihou paper."
When Cai Wenji heard this, she pursed her lips, thinking about what Liu Bian had said in bed a few days ago, and hesitated to speak.
I wish everyone a healthy Dragon Boat Festival!
I’m done, I’ll resume updating tomorrow~
(End of chapter)
