Guo Huai doesn't understand what it means if there is a demand, there will be a market, but he knows that if there is a benefit, someone will do it.
He visited Longyou this time at the beginning of spring, firstly for spring plowing, and secondly to beat the powerful Longyou family so that they would not be too blatant.
However, the Longyou area is sparsely populated and is a good place for grazing. The aristocratic families are enclosing the land for profit. As long as it does not cause Qiang and Hu rebellions, in Guo Huai's view, it is not a big deal...
Just as he was thinking of this, he suddenly saw smoke and dust billowing from the front, and a group of people were galloping towards this side.
Upon seeing this, the guards of the Governor's Mansion hurriedly stepped forward with their swords in hand. At the same time, the soldiers nearby rushed up, setting up their bows and crossbows, and surrounded everyone.
The cavalry wandering around not far away gathered together and faced them.
The folk customs of Longyou are fierce. If a small group of ordinary business travelers dare to walk on the open land, bandits will appear out of nowhere to rob them.
Although the governor was accompanied by local officials on this trip, it was always right to be careful.
If you meet someone who really has no eyesight, who should you cry to?
The incoming team was intercepted in front. After a while, another rider came over. Before they could reach them, they immediately turned over and dismounted. They even staggered a bit. It was obvious that they were in a hurry.
After seeing it clearly, Guo Huai realized that this was the story of his confidants who stayed in Shanggui.
The confidant had a look of worry and anxiety on his face. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Guo Huai was safe, "Your Majesty, it's not good. Zhuge Liang, the fake Prime Minister of Shu, led an army of 300,000 to invade Guanzhong Longyou."
"Nowadays, many counties and counties in Longxi have responded, and rebellions continue. This place is dangerous and it is not advisable to stay for a long time. Please mount your horse and return to the city quickly!"
When Guo Huai heard this, it was like hearing a thunderbolt from the blue. He was shocked and said, "How could the Shu captives suddenly invade the border?"
Remembering that there are not many troops in Guanzhong, and as the governor of Yongzhou, he is far away from Longyou. If Zhuge Liang leads his army to suddenly enter Guanzhong, Guanzhong will be in danger!
According to the law of the Wei Dynasty, anyone who fails to defend the city will be guilty of a serious crime.
As soon as he thought of this, Guo Huai was confused and asked anxiously, "Where is the traitor Zhuge now?"
"We are attacking Qishan City. It is said that there are 200,000 troops and horses, and another 100,000 people are walking down the Xiegu from Hanzhong. Now General Cao has arrived in Guanzhong and is leading his army to Xicheng."
When Guo Huai heard this, he breathed a sigh of relief, "With the general here, there will be no worries in the pass. I must guard Longyou."
Zhuge's thieves said there were three hundred thousand, which must be false, but there should be nearly one hundred thousand, and the troops were divided into two groups, so one group must be the main army and the other group was the partial division.
I just don’t know which one is true and which one is false?
If I were alone, I'm afraid it would be difficult to cope.
Fortunately, the imperial court responded quickly and sent General Cao to take charge of Guanzhong.
Thinking of this, Guo Huai hurriedly ordered, "Come here, bring my mount over."
Then he turned to Ma Zun and said, "Prefect Ma, the pseudo-Shu Prime Minister Xiangqin and his army are coming with bad intentions. The situation is critical at this time. You should return to the city quickly, prepare your troops and horses, and guard the city to guard against the invasion of Shu captives."
"Shanggui is an important place. You can go down to Chencang along the Wei River. There is also food and grass in the camp. You must not lose anything. I will go and take charge personally."
Ma Zun was about to speak, but Guo Huai didn't want to wait for a moment. After speaking, he got on his horse and galloped away with his men in a hurry.
What the two said had long been heard by the Tianshui officials who were following behind, causing a panic commotion.
Jiang Wei, a member of the Tianshui Army, came up and whispered, "Ming Mansion, the situation in Tianshui counties is unclear at this time, we should return to Hebei County as soon as possible..."
Ma Zun glanced at Jiang Wei in a panic, and then at the people behind him. Wei Wei nodded, "Okay, let's go back to Ji County."
Guo Huai and his entourage rode away most of the horses. The remaining people did not have enough horses and could not travel fast. They stayed in a small county that was still relatively stable that night.
In the middle of the night, someone suddenly knocked quietly on the door of Ma Zun's wing.
The door opened with a creak, and the person stepped in, and then the lights lit up in the room.
"how?"
Ma Zun asked anxiously who was coming.
"Reporting to the Ming Dynasty, not only the counties in Tianshui County have rebelled, but Nan'an County has also rebelled. Now Longyou is full of people who support the puppet Shu, and many county magistrates have even been kidnapped to become thieves."
The confidant was walking back and forth, breathing heavily from exhaustion, and said to Ma Zun.
"Kiding to become a thief?"
When Ma Zun heard this, his face turned pale.
Fortunately for the county magistrate, many of them are natives of Longyou, or at most people from other counties in Longyou, but their family members are all considered to be in Longyou.
But I am different, I am from Kanto.
If he is kidnapped and becomes a thief, his wife, children and parents may be implicated.
Thinking of this, he quickly asked, "Where's the situation in Ji County? How is the situation?"
"Jixian County is too far away and I don't have time to investigate. However, there are rumors that the city gates in Jixian County have been closed and no one can come in or out. I don't know what the situation is."
"I'm afraid he just wants to be a thief."
Ma Zun murmured.
The more he thought about it, the more likely it became. In the past few years, things from the south have become more and more popular in Ji County.
The reason is that several large clans in Tianshui have close ties with the south.
This Ji County is governed by Tianshui County. If all the counties in Tianshui rebel, how can there be any reason for the rebels to let Ji County go?
So, Jiang Wei might not have good intentions in persuading him to return to Ji County?
Thinking of this, Ma Zun trembled and said quickly, "Quick, get our people up, lead all the horses, and leave immediately, leave immediately, we can't stay here for a moment."
"promise!"
The army from the south is attacking. Not only Ma Zun can't sleep, but Jiang Wei and others are also worried. How can they sleep peacefully? Many people simply don't take off their clothes because they are afraid that something will happen.
In the middle of the night, he suddenly heard the noise of people and the neighing of horses outside. Jiang Wei suddenly woke up. He got up in a flash, grabbed the long sword on the bed and rushed out.
But in the courtyard, torches were waving wildly, and Governor Ma was walking hurriedly outside surrounded by his entourage.
"Where are you going in the middle of the night?"
When Jiang Wei saw this, he suddenly felt something was wrong and shouted quickly.
When Ma Zun saw Jiang Wei coming with a long sword, he took a few steps back warily and called out, "Here comes someone!"
The entourage hulaed and surrounded him.
Ma Zun was protected by his subordinates and felt a little at ease. Then he plucked up the courage and pointed at Jiang Wei and said, "Don't come here!"
Jiang Wei had no choice but to stop and ask again, "Where are you planning to go in the middle of the night?"
"All the counties in Tianshui are rebelling. You want me to go to Ji County, but you have other plans?"
Ma Zun's eyes flickered and he looked at Jiang Wei and asked.
Jiang Wei became anxious when he heard this, "Why does the Ming government have such an idea? I asked the Ming government to return to Ji County as soon as possible just to make preparations in case the Shu captives attack. What are your intentions?"
Ma Zun didn't believe it at all. He sneered, "I can't believe you! If others don't know, don't I know the situation in Ji County?"
"Jiang, Ren, Yan, and Zhao are the four surnames in Tianshui, and your Jiang family is one of them. In the past few years, which big family in Hebei County has not secretly traded with the southern city? That woolen cloth alone is a huge profit."
As he spoke, he lit the fire and saw many people coming out of each room one after another. They were Tianshui Gong Cao Liangxu, Chief Bookkeeper Yin Shang, Chief Bookkeeper Liang Qian and others. They were all members of the Tianshui wealthy family, and he felt even more determined at that moment. own ideas.
"In order to get woolen cloth from the south, you did not hesitate to exchange grain for it. Do you really think I don't know about such things that support the enemy? I'm afraid you are waiting for the arrival of Ji Han's army every night? Otherwise, why is Longyou now? Are all the counties rebelling?"
He knows so clearly because he has received a lot of benefits from these companies in the past two years.
But now he feels extremely regretful. If he had known that these wealthy families had the intention to rebel, how could he have dared to get involved in such a thing?
When Jiang Wei heard this, he felt even more anxious. He immediately wanted to step forward and explain, "The Ming government has done something wrong! Is Wei such a disloyal person?"
"Stop!" Ma Zun made a clang, pulled out the sword from his waist on the spot, pointed at Jiang Wei and shouted sternly, "Jiang Boyue, you and I have finally gotten to know each other, do you really want to fight me with swords?" See you?"
Jiang Wei had no choice but to stop again and sighed, "If the Ming Dynasty doesn't return to Jicheng, where else can it go?"
"Where I go has nothing to do with you and others. If you are really innocent, take people back to Ji County and guard the city until the Shu captives are defeated. It will prove that you are innocent. Then I will plead guilty to you in person. "
"But now, I don't believe you! Let's just say goodbye!"
After Ma Zun finished speaking, he was about to take another step and prepare to leave.
Jiang Wei persisted in admonishing, "The Ming Mansion is the governor of Tianshui County. If he abandons the county and governs Hebei County, if the court investigates him in the future, he will be guilty of losing the city. Will the Ming Mansion be severely punished?"
Ma Zun wanted to follow Guo Huai, but how could he listen?
Then he sneered, "The city has been lost a long time ago. It's not my fault, it's all your fault!"
After saying that, he took his followers with him, walked out of the yard, got on his horse, and galloped towards Shanggui overnight.
The prefect left with his cronies, and even the county magistrate who arranged for them to stay disappeared at some point.
Everyone in the guest house was at a loss, not knowing what to do, let alone how much of what the prefect said was true or false.
"Bojo, what should we do?"
Liang Xu came over and asked in a low voice.
Jiang Wei did not answer, but stared at Liang Xu and asked a question, "Lehe, what do you think is going on in Ji County? Is what Governor Ma said true?"
"Probably not. I heard that Zhuge Liang is still attacking Qishan and the soldiers and horses of Shu have not really entered Tianshui. How could Ji County surrender after hearing the news?"
Liang Xu shook his head.
What I mean is, before the real situation is confirmed, how could the rich people in Jixian County place their bets so easily?
If the news is false, wouldn't it be a big joke?
Jiang Wei didn't pay attention to the subtle meaning in Liang Xu's words. He nodded and said, "But at this time, the prefect has determined that Ji County has rebelled, and we are also accomplices. If my guess is correct, he must have gone to Shanggui to escape. After all, General Guo is there."
"When the time comes, I'm not afraid that the Shu people won't come. I'm just afraid that the Shu people won't come, or they just harass us and leave, but Governor Ma will tell General Guo that we are rebels. When the time comes, I'm afraid we won't be able to argue. "
Liang Xu was shocked, "I didn't expect this level!"
"So we can't just let Governor Ma talk nonsense to General Guo. We have to explain it clearly." Jiang Wei looked around at everyone and said firmly, "We'd better divide our troops into two groups, one to go to Shanggui, the other to Guo. , I will report back to Ji County."
"good."
Everyone found the last remaining horses in the county. Jiang Wei and Liang Xu led their men to chase after the prefect, while the rest hurried back to Ji County.
After the news of Zhuge Liang's invasion reached Luoyang, the Luoyang palace was brightly lit for several days.
Cao Rui, with bloodshot eyes, sat in the main seat in the east hall, staring at the door. If there was the slightest movement outside the door, he would sit up straight with eagerness and hope.
Below, Chen Qun, Liu Ye, Sun Zi and other important ministers were sitting, but everyone was silent, and there was a heavy atmosphere in the hall.
Everyone has mixed feelings in their heart.
In fact, they had long known about Zhuge Liang's military training in Hanzhong, but after everyone discussed it, they all felt that the Shu Kingdom was exhausted now, and it was good to be able to protect itself. Is An capable of attacking?
If it were not for the natural dangers of the Qinling Mountains, the Wei Dynasty would have sent its troops westward long ago. How could the Shu Kingdom survive to this day?
Therefore, Zhuge Liang's arrival in Hanzhong did not attract much attention.
Now when they suddenly heard that Zhuge Liang led his army to invade the country, everyone felt shameless and at the same time a little angry: This Zhuge village man is really not acting according to common sense!
I don't know how much time passed, but I heard a burst of extremely fast footsteps outside the door, and at the same time there was the sound of the scraping of nails. Cao Rui's eyes burst out with light, and he couldn't help but stand up.
A thin old general in his fifties, wearing armor and carrying a gust of wind, walked into the hall, cupped his fists and said, "I have seen Zhang He..."
"General Zhang, no courtesy!"
Cao Rui stepped down from the throne, hurried forward, supported Zhang He, and said excitedly, "I've been waiting for the general to come!"
"I'm late..."
"Not later, not too late! It's more than a thousand miles from Jingzhou to Luoyang. The general can arrive so quickly, which is beyond my expectation." Cao Rui held on to Zhang He as if holding a life-saving pillar.
"Now the country is in danger, and the Shu captives invade the border. I have looked all over the Wei Dynasty and outside, and only General Zhang can be the supporter of the country. Therefore, Rui invites the general to lead the army to march westward and destroy the Shu captives."
With that said, Cao Rui bowed deeply.
Among the five generals with foreign surnames during the reign of Emperor Wu, Le Jin was the first to die of illness, Yu Jin was humiliated by the late emperor and died of shame, the remaining Zhang Liao also died of illness in the third year of Huang Chu, and Xu Huang died of illness just last year. Now only Zhang He is still alive.
So this time the general is nominally leading the army to fight against Zhuge Liang, but in fact the most important thing is to look at Zhang He.
Zhang He quickly knelt down on one knee and said, "I am deeply favored by the country and driven by your majesty. That is the right thing to do. How can I say that I am asking your majesty to invite me?"
"General Zhang is really the pillar of the country! I am really lucky to have a general guarding the border."
Cao Rui said repeatedly, reaching out to help Zhang He up, "Now the Luoyang Central Army has 50,000 infantry and cavalry. It has been assembled. The general can lead the army first. I will call in foreign troops to follow the general."
At the same time, he asked with some worry, "What I'm afraid of now is that Zhuge Liang will raid Guanzhong and Longyou, and the reinforcements will not arrive and the Kanxi armies will be unable to resist."
Zhang He said with a smile, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. If Zhuge Liang were to rely on the dangers of the mountains, the Wei Dynasty would not be able to do anything to him. Now that he has abandoned his geographical advantage and led his troops out, it is in line with the art of war. He will be defeated this time." undoubtedly."
When Cao Rui heard this, he seemed to agree, "Yes, I think so too. Now there are people in Longyou Nan'an, Tianshui and Anding who echo Zhuge Liang."
"According to the latest news, he has actually dispersed his army and is preparing to take over the three counties. Even Qishan City has just been captured. This is too greedy. He knows how to advance but not retreat, and knows how to attack but not defend. The general will be able to break it!"
