Wuyang County!
Prefect's Mansion, Study Room.
He Zong is reading a book. He likes ancient books, especially bamboo slips handed down from the pre-Qin period and annotated by generations of celebrities. These ancient people's classical knowledge made He Zong immersed in it and couldn't extricate himself.
He Zong is nearly fifty years old, with gray hair, but a ruddy complexion that does not look old at all.
His eyebrows on both sides were meticulously groomed, and the long beard under his chin was neatly combed, giving him a graceful and luxurious look.
He is Liu Yan's old subordinate.
In the past, Ren Qi, the prefect of Jianwei, refused to obey Liu Yan and was destroyed by Liu Yan. He arranged for He Zong, who was born in the He family of Shu County, to come to Jianwei County to take charge of the affairs.
During these years in Qianwei County, He Zong did not work hard to govern, nor did he have the mind to think about local government affairs. Instead, he focused on studying the classics, hoping to further explain the ancient classics.
It was Zhou Shi who took advantage of him and made He Zong immersed in books and knowledge all day long.
He Zong admired Zhou Shi extremely.
It’s good that my son-in-law is eager to learn.
The key is that his son-in-law also respects him.
While He Zong was reading, suddenly, there was a rapid knock on the door, and the housekeeper shouted: "Master, something big has happened."
He Zong didn't like to be disturbed. When he heard the butler's voice, he frowned and said, "Come in."
The steward hurriedly entered, bowed, and quickly reported: "Master Qi, we just received news that Zhou Shi was killed in Qinglong Mountain."
"What?"
He Zong was suddenly shocked.
A roll of bamboo slips fell from his hand, he put his hand on the desk, stood up directly, his eyes were sharp, and he said angrily: "How could Zhou Shi go to Qinglong Mountain and be killed? Who is so brave? If you kill Zhou Shi, do you dare to kill an official and rebel?"
The butler looked sad, sighed, and reported: "Old slave understands the news. Zhou Shi heard that an auspicious white chicken appeared in the direction of Qinglong Mountain. He is going to catch it and let you run it."
"Unexpectedly, he took more than a hundred people to Qinglong Mountain, but a cavalry team killed all the guards and was captured at the foot of Qinglong Mountain."
Having said this, a look of horror appeared on the butler's face.
His eyes were a little wandering.
Emotions, and some uncontrollable fear.
The housekeeper continued with a hint of trembling: "It is said that Zhou Shi was tied to a wooden stake under Qinglong Mountain, and the flesh on his body was cut off with one knife after another, a total of ninety-nine cuts. In the end, Zhou Shi could not hold on and died. .”
"At that time, there were countless people watching, and many villagers near Qinglong Mountain saw this scene."
"The scene was extremely bloody."
"Blood flowed all over the ground, and Zhou Shi was reduced to a skeleton."
The housekeeper was a little dry and said: "The current situation is roughly like this. According to the news, the person who killed Zhou Shi is said to be Ren Qi's subordinate."
"impossible!"
He Zong shook his head decisively.
He Zong said confidently: "Everyone under Ren Qi's command has been killed long ago. It is impossible for anyone to come out to cause trouble again. Seven or eight years have passed, how could it be Ren Qi's old subordinates?"
The steward said: "But the other party, using the banner of Ren Qi, also turned into a bandit in Qinglong Mountain, saying that he would call on the people to defect, and then he would bring order to the chaos in Jianwei County so that the people could live a good life."
"Damn it!"
He Zong was extremely angry when he heard that things were being brought back to order.
Bring order to chaos?
This means that Jianwei County under his rule is a mess. However, he believed that in the Jianwei County under his rule, there were no wars and there were not many bandits. In He Zong's opinion, with the help of his good son-in-law Zhou Shi, everything was quite good.
Even if it is not as good as Hanzhong County, it is still a paradise.
This is He Zong's view.
He Zong stroked his beard and thought. After a long while, he said in a deep voice: "The remnants of Ren Qi have been killed long ago. The people entrenched in Qinglong Mountain should be bandits. In order to find a reason, they said they were Ren Qi's People are putting gold on their own faces. How many troops do these people have?"
The steward replied: "It seems there are hundreds of people, about four to five hundred people. In short, there will not be more than a thousand people."
After hearing this, He Zong showed a hint of disdain on his face.
Four to five hundred people!
He is indeed a bandit.
Only stragglers like bandits can have this kind of scale. If the other party threatens thousands or tens of thousands of people, they can directly raid Wuyang County instead of being entrenched in Qinglong Mountain.
Now, these people must be contained first.
Otherwise, if the thieves are allowed to gather the people, the number of thieves will increase and it will become even more difficult to control.
He Zong thought about it carefully and became more determined and confident. Although he was saddened by Zhou Shi's murder and worried that he would not have a good helper, the matter was at this point and he had no choice but to destroy the bandits first and then support someone else.
He Zong thought of this and ordered: "Go and notify Qian Li and ask him to mobilize the three thousand garrison troops in Wuyang County and follow me to Qinglong Mountain to suppress the bandits and restore peace to the people of Qianwei County."
"Here!"
The housekeeper will make arrangements.
Half an hour later, He Zong finally mobilized his troops. He and general Qian Li left the city and walked in the direction of Qinglong Mountain.
He Zong was the prefect of Qianwei County and had a certain number of troops, namely three thousand men.
After all, raising an army requires huge expenses. Such expenses were all supported by Zhou Shi, who did not spend money at all. Therefore, when bandits appeared, He Zong had to eliminate the bandits first and then consider the issues of money and food.
The Zhou family's supplies can be transferred over.
Zhou Shi has accumulated a lot of wealth over the years and cannot just waste it.
However, the armor of He Zong's three thousand troops was not uniform, and the soldiers were not elite. When they were on their way, many soldiers were still laughing and playing, and many others were wilted and looked lethargic.
However, He Zong is still confident.
His army is a regular army, and this alone is enough to overwhelm the bandits and make them feel terrified.
When He Zong was on his way to Qinglong Mountain, the sentry arranged by Lu Xuan discovered the situation and flew back to Qinglong Mountain. After seeing Lu Xuan, he reported: "Your Majesty, He Zong has sent troops. Among his troops, there were He Zong's banner has about three thousand people. It's just that these three thousand people are crooked and crooked."
Lu Xuan said with a smile on his face: "He Zong is really obedient."
Jia Xu stroked his beard and said: "If He Zong had been more cautious and defended the county seat, we wouldn't have been able to deal with him. But in recent years, Jianwei County has been peaceful and there have been no wars. He Zong has long lost his caution and vigilance."
Lu Xuan's eyes were sharp and he said: "Wen He is right, He Zong has lost his vigilance."
He rolled his eyes and said: "Previously when Zhou Shi came, Zhao Yun led 300 cavalry to charge forward and broke through Zhou Shi's guards in one go. This time I personally led the team, together with Xu Chu and Zhao Yun, to overwhelm He Zong's team and capture He Zong alive. Entered Wuyang County."
Jia Xu nodded and said: "Capture the thief and capture the king. There is no problem with the king's arrangement."
Lu Xuan ordered: "Zilong, send the order to fight."
"Here!"
Zhao Yun answered with clasped fists.
He mobilized the three hundred cavalry under his command, went down the mountain with Lu Xuan and Xu Chu, and led the cavalry away from Qinglong Mountain, along the flat and open official road plain, towards the direction where He Zong led his troops to kill.
