Master Sima fainted from the pain and did not wake up until the next day.
The first thing he said when he opened his right eye was:
"Thief Feng, how is Thief Xi's situation now?"
Niu Jin, who had been guarding him, quickly replied:
"Please don't worry, Central Supervisory Army. The scouts from the front have just returned the news, saying that the rebel army is currently setting up camp in Gaodu City. But..."
Niu Jin hesitated:
"However, Taihangxing seems to have discovered the traitor scouts."
When Master Sima heard this, he sighed:
"The Western Bandits not only want to occupy Gaodu City, but they will most likely invade our Tianjing Pass!"
Niu Jin was silent.
The already depressing atmosphere in the room became even heavier.
It seemed to be so heavy that Master Sima could hardly breathe.
He could only be heard breathing heavily.
Although he knew that Feng Thief was the most cunning among the generals of the Western Thieves, before things came to a close, he would always feel a little lucky, thinking that Feng Thieves would be satisfied if he got Gaodu City for nothing.
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After all, Tianjing Pass is an important pass anyway. Feng Thief came to attack in a hurry. He should not be well prepared and will not attack easily.
But the news coming back from the front completely defeated Sima Shi's last bit of luck.
It's right to think about it. Feng Thief has led the army for many years and has never suffered a single defeat.
How could you not see that now is the time when the morale of the troops on our side is wavering and the defenses at Tianjing Pass are at their weakest?
Moreover, this person has a notorious reputation. If the defenders in the pass knew that this person was personally leading the attack, their hearts would be even more disorganized.
If it were Master Sima himself, he wouldn't be able to let this opportunity go.
After thinking about this, Master Sima suddenly remembered something again and asked:
"Is there any news from Luoyang?"
Niu Jin's face turned darker and he sighed.
Seeing his expression, Master Sima was a little angry:
"Quick words! It's already this time, what else can't be said?"
When they retreated to Tianjing Pass, Jiang Gong on the other side of Zhi Pass had already sent news about Luoyang.
It's just that Master Sima was seriously injured, and even if he tried to support the director, it wouldn't last long.
However, the situation was urgent at the moment, and we had to try our best to gather the remaining soldiers who had escaped, and we also wanted to defend Taihangxing well to prevent the Western thieves from entering Hanoi unimpeded.
That's why it has been delayed until now.
After all, no matter how critical Luoyang is, Hangu Pass and Shaanxi County are still holding on.
The Han army will not be able to reach the city for a while.
But the Taihangxing main road must not be handed over to Feng Thief so easily.
Niu Jin smiled bitterly:
"The Central Supervisory Army, from Luoyang, sent someone to send an urgent report. Please ask the Central Supervisory Army to go back and take charge of the overall situation."
In the past few days, Luoyang would send people to urge him every day.
The person in charge of Luoyang affairs now is Sima Zhao.
In terms of character and means, Sima Zhaoyuan is inferior to Sima Shi.
The first time I encountered such a chaotic situation, I was really at a loss.
"That means there's no big problem yet."
Master Sima asserted, "General Niu, I would like to ask you, in my name, to send someone to write to Duke Jiang again, to urge him more and let him be ready to take over Tianjing Pass immediately."
Although I know this is a bit too hasty and even irresponsible.
But Master Sima knew that he could no longer delay.
Just after talking for a while, he felt a huge pain in his left eye, which made him sweat profusely again.
In his current situation, there was no way he could force himself out to appease the soldiers.
If Feng was really going to attack him, and the coach couldn't show up, the soldiers would really have to flee without a fight.
If you stay here any longer, you will only miss the mark. It is better to return to Luoyang as soon as possible.
Niu Jin took the initiative to invite Ying and said:
"If the Central Supervisory Army is worried, why not stay here to keep out the thieves?"
Master Sima took a serious look at Niu Jin, then shook his head and refused:
"No, Luoyang City is much more important than here. General Niu, you must go back with me."
On the surface, Master Sima urged Jiang Ji to prepare to take over Tianjingguan.
But in fact, even he knew that there was a high probability that Tianjing Pass would not be able to be defended.
At most, it would delay Thief Feng for some time.
Letting Niu Jin stay here will serve no other purpose than losing another powerful general.
It's not that he doesn't trust Niu Jin, but that he trusts Feng Thief too much.
Besides, although the road from Gaodu City to Hanoi is only two hundred miles, it is full of passes.
It is true that the northernmost Tianjing Pass is the most important, but there are two other passes to the south of Tianjing Pass that should not be underestimated.
One is Xingjinyi and the other is Wanzi City.
Especially Wanzi City, although it is not as dangerous as Tianjing Pass where there is only one man to guard the pass and ten thousand men are in danger, it has the advantage of being located in the southernmost part, close to Hanoi.
Unlike Tianjingguan, it is close to Gaodu City and faces the threat of Western bandits.
Therefore, the only thing he could hope for was that Jiang Gong could take advantage of Wanzi City's proximity to Hanoi and the delay in Tianjing Pass to make more preparations.
Abandoning Tianjing Pass and retreating to Wanzi City is naturally not the best policy, but putting Luoyang in danger for the sake of Tianjing Pass is even worse.
Even if we have to give up Luoyang in the end, we will never give up at this time.
Because in Luoyang, there are still too many important things and people that have not been dealt with.
Tianjingguan and Luoyang were more serious and less serious. No matter how seriously Sima Shi was injured or how severe the pain was, he could still tell the difference.
I only heard Master Sima sighing long and long: "After all, in this world, you can't have your cake and eat it too!"
After finishing speaking, he closed his eyes and lowered his voice, as if whispering:
"Go quickly and get ready and return to Luoyang."
Compared with Sima Shi who had to retreat to Luoyang secretly, Shibao, who was hundreds of miles away, was much more energetic.
Seeing the village elders who came to reward Master Wang, each with a smiling face and a little flattery, Shi Bao also had a kind smile on his face:
"Uh-huh! Fellow villagers, it's over, it's over, it doesn't have to be like this, it doesn't have to be like this!"
As he spoke, he picked up the pot of "Tao Shi Ke Ju Pu", smelled it, and made a "tsk" sound.
"This wine doesn't seem to be a good wine for us big men, right?"
The old man was stunned: "Huh?"
"The great man's good wine, strong wine, honey wine, rice wine, peach wine, smells mellow, fiery, sweet, and so on."
Shi Bao said, holding the wine bottle and smelling it again, then looked away with a look of disgust on his face:
"Look at this wine, it's sour and sour!"
He approached the village elder again, frowned, and asked:
"Are you sure you can drink this wine?"
The village elder seemed to have never thought that he would encounter such a problem, or that he would encounter such a green-skinned rogue general.
Didn’t it mean that the Han army’s military discipline was very strict?
How did such a person become the commander-in-chief of the army?
But seeing the old man's face stagnant, Na Na said:
"Back to the general, Changzi County is located in a remote area, the people are poor, the products are scarce, and there are few good things. How can it compare with the rich countries of Shu and Guanzhong?"
"So the wine is watery and the food is hard to swallow. If the general doesn't like it, I will go back and prepare it again."
Isn't the so-called eating pot and paddle just for show?
How can a good thing be put directly on the street for people to see?
We definitely need everyone to have a good talk behind closed doors.
Do you understand the rules?
Hearing this, Shi Bao laughed:
"Hey, no, no, no, no, no, no, I've known for a long time that the people in Shangdang are poor, so how can I bear to be so demanding?"
When the village elder heard this, he breathed a sigh of relief.
As a smuggler, Chad is powerful, and his words are inappropriate, which is understandable when you think about it.
At this moment, Shi Bao turned around and pointed at a group of young people in Tsing Yi behind him. Then he took the tin speaker handed over by someone and suddenly raised his voice:
"Therefore, the imperial court took pity on the people of Shangdang and specially sent students from the Royal Academy to re-measure the acres, clear household registrations, and divide the land according to ding!"
"Measure the acres of land, clear the household registration, and divide the land according to ding," Shi Bao raised his voice again, "If you have registration, you have land, if you don't have registration, you have no land!"
"Although the Han Dynasty was an old state, its destiny was restored! The emperor of the Han Dynasty felt sorry for the suffering of the people all over the world. Now he has implemented a new policy. The ding tax is merged into the land tax, and it is said that the ding tax is divided into acres." "Except those who have contributed to the country and are exempted or exempted according to the law, the rest will not be ignored Scholars, officials and common people all pay taxes according to the acres of land!"
"Those who dare to obstruct the New Deal will be punished by those who are the masterminds, and those who are accomplices will be removed!"
"Anyone who dares to conceal the land area will be deprived of his citizenship!"
Kang's passionate voice turned murderous.
Like thunder from the sky, it passed over the sky above Changzi City, deafening and enlightening.
The people who were originally forced to come to greet him, as well as those who were hiding in a corner to observe secretly, were all dumbfounded.
As for the village elders standing in front of Shibao, their faces turned pale with shock.
I don't know if he was frightened by what Shi Bao said, or because he was stunned by Shi Bao's loud voice.
"General, general! General, this matter is of great importance, and the general is the eldest son. He doesn't know the situation of the eldest son. It would be worse..."
A village elder reacted the fastest. He rushed directly to Shi Bao's feet, hugged Shi Bao's thigh, and persuaded in a trembling voice:
"Why don't we take a long-term approach first? After all, the eldest son is the only one who suffered the war and the people's hearts are unstable. The most urgent thing at the moment is to appease them."
Compared with the people who are at a loss and don't know why, these village elders know very well what the four words "dividing a small family into an acre" mean.
I also know what the phrase "regardless of officials or civilians, all pay taxes per acre" means.
After all, Shangdang is close to Hedong, and they know best what has happened in Hedong in recent years.
This is simply going to destroy the foundations of major families that have been built for centuries or even hundreds of years!
As the saying goes, it is more difficult to touch interests than to touch souls.
At this moment, Shi Bao's words are no longer about touching these people's souls, but about taking away their souls.
No wonder this old country man desperately hugged Shibao's thigh and risked his life to persuade him.
This person made the first move, and the rest of the people reacted immediately. They all knelt on the ground and begged earnestly:
"General, what Mr. Feng said makes sense!"
"General, if the people's sentiment is unstable, how can we call it governance? How can we introduce a new deal?"
"It was indeed a bit too hasty."
…
The village elders begged together to plead for the people. If it were in the past, it would be public opinion.
Those who are officials, even though they are officials of their parents, if they really go against the will of the people and arouse people's anger, they may lose their official position or their lives.
But Shibao didn't accept this approach at all.
In other words, the Jihan central court behind him has enough confidence, and the iron fist of Han feudalism is strong enough.
Shi Bao's face turned into a ferocious smile:
"Feng Gong, I respect you as Feng Gong because of your age."
"But if you intend to threaten public opinion and force Shi, then you are making the wrong decision."
The Feng family of Shangdang originated from Feng Ting, Lord of Huayang five hundred years ago.
That is, Feng Ting, the prefect of Shangdang in South Korea, who dedicated Shangdang to Zhao and finally triggered the Changping War between Qin and Zhao.
"Two months ago, the eldest son of the Wei thieves was led by someone from your Feng clan, right?"
"I heard that after the Wei thieves entered the city, you, Feng, took the lead in helping the Wei thieves appease the people."
"I even heard that as soon as the Wei thieves entered the city, your Feng family immediately sent a lot of money and food to the thieves?"
The more Shi Bao spoke, the more anger showed on his face. He directly kicked away Feng Taigong who was holding his legs, and then kicked the wine bottle to pieces:
"Master Wang is here. One of you has to take a long-term approach, and the other one says that the people's sentiment is unstable."
"What? Is Master Wang still inferior to Thief Wei?"
Shi Bao's sudden rage frightened all the village elders again.
Taigong Feng even burst into tears:
"General, you are wronged! Our Feng family has been rooted in Shangdang for hundreds of years. We have many branches and leaves. Although we have the same surname, we all do our own thing."
"General, this old man has never supported the Wei thief!"
"Oh? Really?" Shi Bao nodded, "In that case, could you please invite Mr. Feng to invite you?"
"Self-proof? How to prove yourself?"
"For example, which lineage of the Feng family supports the Wei thief? Who is the head of the family? Where do the people live?"
Shi Bao slowed down his voice and said in a persuasive manner: "Even if Mr. Feng doesn't know how many manors they have, he must have heard about the approximate location of their fields, right?"
When Taigong Feng heard this, his expression suddenly changed, and he looked at Shibao in horror.
"Don't worry, Mr. Feng. It doesn't matter if you don't know. I will send someone to investigate carefully."
"I will not wrongly accuse a good person, nor let a bad person go."
After finishing speaking, Shibao stood up straight, raised the iron trumpet again, and shouted loudly:
“Everyone in the city can testify to what I said today!”
After a pause, he continued:
"From today onwards, the government will begin to investigate the traitors. If anyone has helped the thieves and comes forward to surrender within three days, the crime may be reduced as appropriate. Those who dare to conceal it and not report it will be treated as the same as the traitors!"
"Moreover, if you, the common people, report any illegal acts and report against them, you will be rewarded with land depending on your merits!"
Taigong Feng was already dull and lifeless, and his limbs were limp on the ground.
Many other village elders were also trembling.
There are also some people whose eyes are moving around, not knowing what they are thinking.
Seeing the reactions of these people, Shi Bao raised the corner of his mouth slightly, revealing a smile.
This smile was caught by Taigong Feng who just raised his head.
A few days later, Taigong Feng understood what a wolf's smile meant.
"This general, if he reports illegality, can he really be rewarded with land?"
A timid voice sounded from somewhere.
"Of course! I said that what I said today can be testified by the people in the city."
"I want to report the Feng family. He must have deceived the general and followed the thieves, the Feng family members. Before they escaped, they transferred all the manor and land to Taigong Feng's house!"
"Nonsense! Who? Who is slandering our Feng family!"
Feng Taigong, who was still paralyzed on the ground, jumped three feet high when he heard this, and turned towards the direction of the source of the sound with a red face:
"Who? Stand up!"
But I don’t know if someone is really slandering him, or if he has been under Feng’s power for a long time and the person who spoke did not dare to speak out.
Seeing that no one responded, Feng Taigong turned back and said urgently to Shi Bao:
"General, general, this is really slander!"
Shi Bao smiled warmly and said warmly:
"I know, I know. The Feng family is a powerful family in the Shangdang. It is normal for one or two unscrupulous people to appear."
Feng Taigong's face was full of gratitude: "Thank you, General!"
"Huh, didn't I say that? I will not wrongly accuse a good person casually."
Shi Bao said righteously:
"Since someone has slandered Mr. Feng, we will first investigate Mr. Feng's room and clear his name!"
"General?"
Taigong Feng looked at Shi Bao in disbelief.
Shibao supported Taigong Feng with a smile on his face: "Mr. Feng, please!"
Taigong Feng trembled, rolled his eyes, and fainted on the spot.
"喛喛喛! Feng Gong? Feng Gong, what's wrong with you?"
Shibao shouted: "Come here, hurry up, help Mr. Feng back to rest."
"Also, you, take the people, follow, and you must carefully investigate, Mr. Feng, who is treacherous, and don't let Mr. Feng be slandered!"
"Here!"
Taigong Feng, who was dizzy with his eyes closed, suddenly twitched his body, tilted his head, and really fainted.
"Somebody come!"
"General?"
"Go, make an announcement throughout the city, and inform the people of the two things, the investigation of the traitors, and the tenants entering the land."
"Here!"
"Don't forget, reporting illegality and reporting rebellion will reward you."
"clear."
Shangdang, Hedong, Hanoi, and Henan military situation map, please open comments.
ps: Friendly recommend a new book "My Son Cao Ang Has the Look of a Great Emperor".
To be honest, it’s strange for me to recommend a book by Cao Thief among a book written by mostly Shu fans. Don’t you worry that it will have the opposite effect?
