The soul is back!
Heroic spirits often appear in the Dragon Court. They serve their country loyally during their lifetime and still protect their country after their death.
Generally, only the Dragon Court of the Dynasty would collect the heroic spirits wandering in the underworld and consume precious incense and luck to support them.
Two hundred and forty-four people of the Demon-Suppressing Army died in the battle. After their death, they all became heroic spirits and were summoned from the underworld by Zhou Bai.
The members of the Taoist priest corps accompanying the general's mansion were all dumbfounded, especially the newcomers who came from the county Taoist priest corps. They knew more secrets and were therefore even more puzzled.
They know that the souls of martyrs who died in battle may become heroic spirits after death.
But even in a very intense war, there may not be one heroic spirit among a hundred souls killed in battle. This has a lot to do with the belief of the individual soul and the belief of other people in the individual.
Why are all the martyrs of the Demon-Suppressing Army who died in battle now returning as heroic spirits, with a conversion rate of 10%?
In fact, Zhou Bai himself could not figure out the mystery inside. He only felt that either he personally sacrificed Zhengfeng, or he subdued the demon army to fight against enemies outside the territory, which was more special in the mortal world.
It is also possible that this article on the pinnacle of national sacrifice in my memory has a purple meaning, which affects the rules of the underworld.
After paying great tribute to the martyrs, Zhou Bai allowed the soldiers to enjoy the treatment of returning victoriously.
After all, it is a great victory for completing the planned battle plan, so reward celebration is indispensable.
Praise for merit and parade, take turns to take vacations, reward money and land...
On both sides of the street, wealthy households and ordinary people were all crowded together. The crowds were so crowded that the filled pots of slurry almost blocked the road.
"Look, the Demon-Suppressing Army has entered the city. They are really powerful."
"That's right. This is an army that can defeat demons from outside the territory. Don't you look at how murderous they are."
"Bad Duzi, whatever murderous aura you feel, it's all from our Pingcang descendants. How can you still point the knife at us?"
"Good boy, these are the pears I picked at home. Take them quickly."
An army that can protect them in troubled times and bring prosperity and peace is so rare, how can we not welcome it.
Happiness comes from contrast. Ever since Zhou Bai led his troops to conquer Yangyuan, the chaos around Pingcang has become more and more intense day by day.
The county town was occupied by Sun Yucheng. The county lieutenant led the main force of 10,000 county soldiers back to the division and fought against the Fumin Army in an attempt to end the chaos.
Because the county soldiers were eager to return to the city, in the first few games, the commander-in-chief was the main attacker and Sun Yucheng was the main defender. However, as time went by, the offensive and defensive positions changed.
The county soldiers who had lost their foundation relied on their energy to forcefully attack the city. Once that energy was carried away by Sun Yucheng, the county soldiers who realized the reality immediately lost their fighting spirit.
Although the Fumin Army, which has a fortified city and sufficient logistical supplies, cannot be defeated head-on, it is not afraid of attrition at all.
In order not to fall into a siege and attrition war, the county lieutenant asked the Taoist priests to strike with thunder as a promise to the court.
This is a very reasonable request. Now that Sun Yucheng has just captured the city, his foundation has not been solidified. The legal network formed by the status system is extremely weak and has insufficient suppression power against the extraordinary.
Of course, as the lord of a city, Sun Yucheng was heavily protected by the army and had great luck.
If you really want to assassinate, when an ordinary monk gets close, his strength will be weakened by at least 20 to 30%.
But all things considered, there is no problem for the 20 Taoist priests to take over this task.
It has become a habit for people like the Taoist priests in the county and city to be under the jurisdiction of the Taoist Department of the imperial court, and their salary and luck have only recently been reduced.
They followed the army back because they were considering quickly suppressing the rebellion. Now that they had other benefits, they readily agreed to the county captain's request.
If the local commander rebels, how many monks can he support, three or five?
Half of the Taoist priests guarded the county soldiers' camp and were on the periphery in case of unexpected events. Another one from the second realm led nine senior first realms. They were full of confidence and braved the army's blood and the majestic master's luck, and rushed straight to the county. Mansion.
This battle was very noisy, with thunder and fire everywhere, strong winds roaring, and three entire streets were smashed.
However, it was not the court's Taoist priests who won in the end. Only five of the ten people were able to withdraw with the support from outside. There was no need to think about the beheading operation anymore.
After a few days of confrontation, because the county soldiers who had abandoned their baggage and marched in a hurry were short of food and grass, the county lieutenant could only lead them to fight and retreat, resulting in huge losses.
When they retreated to the north of the county, that is, Yuanmin County east of Pingcang, only 7,000 of the 10,000 people remained.
The county government fell, and without orders from superiors, the seven counties naturally went their own way.
The county captain's original intention was to recuperate in Yuanmin County and wait for the court's support to counterattack. However, the county magistrate Tao Xiangwen was not willing to let them enter the city at all.
They are dignified Jinshi County Magistrates. At this time, they take care of the people in the city and protect the safety of the people. The county captain who only cares about military affairs really can't do anything to them.
Sun Yucheng had warned in private that the counties could not join forces temporarily, but the bottom line was that the two sides would not help each other.
In the end, Tao Xiang Wencai provided food and grass for three days, allowing them to continue their retreat.
Pingcang and Yangyuan in the south of the county are also not allowed to go. The county captain can only transfer to the four counties in the south of the county. It has been quite peaceful there.
But who knows, just when the food is exhausted, the exhausted remnant army that arrived in the south of the county is still not accepted by the four counties.
No county magistrate is willing to let them go to the city to recuperate. The best thing is to provide three days of army rations like Tao Xiangwen.
They are king masters, why are they in this situation?
However, this county lieutenant was still a loyal minister who abided by Daxu's laws and did not dare to threaten the city arbitrarily. He could only be trapped in the countryside "grabbing food".
Little did they know that this was a sign that the prestige of the imperial court had collapsed. Without the county seat, one could still count on the state to send troops. What if the state also had to compromise with Sun Yucheng?
Soon, the news spread around the world that the imperial court had sealed hundreds of vassal towns. Sun Yucheng was on the list, ranked as the governor of Bei'an, and was in charge of the military and civilian affairs of a county.
The county captain was surprised and restrained himself, and sent his own soldiers to the state to seek the governor's opinion. However, the county soldiers who had been bullied so far could not bear it anymore, and a roar broke out in the camp that night.
More than ten senior officers, including the county lieutenant, and thousands of soldiers died in the riot. In the end, 4,000 of the 6,000 people left became rebels.
Without the restraint of the county lieutenant, there would be no restrictions on these rebel soldiers collecting food. No matter whether it was a wealthy manor or a settlement in a rural area, they would not be able to escape looting.
There are another two thousand people, led by the guard general Jiao Tu, stationed in a commercial town in the east of the county, temporarily waiting to see the situation.
Today's Bei'an County can be described as a mess. The north of the county is intimidated by the General's Mansion, but there is no peace in the south of the county.
Innocent people die every day, and energy is wasted away by internal friction every moment.
General Fumo's Mansion, Study Room.
I didn't reply for more than half a month, so of course I first had a chat with Chen Zhongbang, the chief minister in charge of the overall situation.
After chatting for a long time, Zhou Baicai raised his hand and said seriously: "It's been a hard work for me during this time, sir."
Chen Zhongbang did not dare to neglect, he stood up and bowed and said: "My lord is away at war, how can you say it's hard work? You are not in the house, it is hard for everyone to rest assured."
"Now that the Taoist priest corps is getting more manpower, the communication array must be arranged in place, and major decisions must be made by you."
Zhou Bai nodded slightly and said: "Well, the communication array on the Yangyuan side has been arranged. If there is a major event, the sixth room can respond in time."
"This year is not a great harvest, but it is not a scene of reduced production in disaster years. The house is full of food. The autumn grains have been put into the warehouse. Compared with previous years, the warehouse has not decreased but has increased. It is not a problem to support the army and the people. In addition to preventing famines, In addition, it can also support the military expansion of the government." Chen Zhongbang couldn't help but smile on his face when he talked about this year's bumper harvest.
Natural disasters occurred frequently in the forty-seventh year of Xiangxing. Such a harvest was actually due to various factors.
Including Zhou Bai's advance arrangements for floods and droughts, land reclamation, application of chemical fertilizers, etc., and of course, there is also the blessing of gods that the rulers are somewhat taboo about.
"Does the statistics include the Cangshan Grain Depot? Is it based on the regular tax of ten and one of the ten taxes established by me, and all other excessive taxes and miscellaneous taxes are exempted?"
Chen Zhongbang replied affirmatively: "No, the grains produced in Cangshan contain spiritual energy. In terms of being full and able to withstand hunger better than ordinary grains, they are all kept in the Cangshan granary for storage."
"Because other exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes are completely exempted and strictly implemented, the ten-tax-one policy you formulated has not caused any dissatisfaction and resistance."
The Cangshan Grain Depot was not included in the calculation, so the results of Ping Cang Qiu Harvest were indeed in place. With the food and people, he would be confident in whatever he did next.
Zhou Bai smiled and said: "These families in Pingcang are wise. The officials and gentry all follow the instructions when paying for food. They don't give me another chance to scare the monkeys."
"The township officials and militia system of the Twenty-Four Township Department is gradually taking shape. As long as this winter passes, the master's foundation will be truly solid." Chen Zhongbang pointed out the advantages of "imperial power" going to the countryside. There are officials watching from the side. , how can anything be done?
"It's a pity that Sun Yucheng didn't give me a chance to save money in peace. Tsk tsk, Bei'an Jiedushi, this title is enough to win Bei'an." Zhou Bai picked up a piece of information and said teasingly.
Chen Zhongbang shook his head and said: "I don't know what the imperial court intends to do by granting the title to all the princes in the world, but you have not been forgotten. You are the training envoy of the sixth-grade Bei'an regiment, but you don't want it."
Tuanlian Envoy, Defense Envoy, and Jiedushi Envoy are all feudal official positions with the name of recruiting troops. Jiedushi Envoy is an integration of military and civilians. It is the best position for a hero to separate one side before the establishment of a country.
At the end of previous dynasties, such official positions were rare.
In order to develop with the last shell of the imperial court, local tycoons often made large donations to the central government and bribed courtiers, so that they might gain a name.
However, just a few years after the beginning of these troubled times, all the heroes in the world were still developing in their own one-third of an acre. Although there were many rebel kings, there were only a few with names.
Why did the imperial court take the initiative to promote the separatist rule of vassal towns when there was still some energy left?
Most people in the world are unclear about the imperial court's intentions. Zhou Bai, who has been influenced by China's five thousand years of history, vaguely understands it.
According to historical records, after the Anshi Rebellion in the Tang Dynasty, the four towns in Hebei imitated the system of the Warring States princes and established their country.
That is to say, "the four kingdoms will all be crowned kings without changing their reign names, just like the princes in the past honored the Zhou family's Zhengshuo. They built an alliance and built an altar. If anyone fails to agree, we will attack them together."
That is to say, these four towns wanted to reach an agreement with the Tang Dynasty, hoping to become the kind of princes like the Zhou Dynasty and the Warring States Period, and establish a state within a state.
I have always "passed the land to my descendants", but I respect the Tang Dynasty as the suzerain and protect the longevity of the country.
Zhou Bai was now keenly aware that Daxu had allowed the world to enter the feudal system in advance, just to seize the initiative and finally allow the world to achieve the ideal state of "emulating the Warring States Period".
The imperial court was in the center, and all the princes in the feudal towns respected it Zhengshuo, paid tribute year after year, and received support from their luck.
In this way, although Daxu will not last forever, it will definitely be able to continue the country for more than a hundred years.
Blue Star's Zhou Dynasty lasted nearly 800 years, and Daxu's 500-year-old Kingdom Zuo was not an extravagant hope.
From Zhou Bai's point of view, it is not impossible for the Daxu court to do this. The Red Emperor has abandoned you anyway, so why not find a way out on your own.
This is true for the enfeoffment of princes within the territory, and the same is true for the early start of the vassal and town separatist regime, all in order to continue the Daxu Kingdom as much as possible, so that the Yinshi Longting can also accumulate more luck and survive longer.
The next day, a letter was sent from the state, personally written by Governor Lei Haomiao.
The content is to congratulate Zhou Baima on his success, annihilating foreign enemies, and living up to his reputation as a demon-suppressing general.
In order to commend his achievements, the imperial court decided to change his title to Cangshan North and South Defense Envoy, from the fifth rank.
And the title of Cavalry Lieutenant Zhou Baiyun was directly promoted to the fifth rank, and he was named Viscount Pingcang.
He had resigned earlier, so how could he go back and let himself be restricted by the court now?
Zhou Bai immediately replied, saying that he was deeply ashamed to be under Sun Yucheng, a rebel, and he could not accept the position of defense envoy.
Only Viscount Pingcang was a position he felt he could bear due to his contribution to humanity.
…
A few days later, the imperial envoys arrived in Dingzhou and officially appointed Lu Ding as the military envoy of Pinghe County, Sun Yu as the military envoy of Bei'an County, Governor Lei Haomiao as Uncle Zhongyi, and Zhou Bai as Ping Cangzi.
In addition, there are several wealthy families who relied on the wealth and food provided by them and were awarded the title of regiment training envoy, defense envoy, lieutenant, etc.
This wave of proactive edicts benefited the imperial court and gave local tycoons a name. It seemed to be a win-win situation.
For a time, the chaotic world situation actually seemed to be somewhat stable and peaceful due to various superficial restraints.
Even the extraterritorial warships that were hiding in various places to store resources, waiting to adapt to the rules, were therefore annihilated by the Jiedushi Defense Envoy and the local officials.
At the end of October, the Pinghe County warship was forced to self-destruct by Lu Ding. There was only one warship left in Dingxi, and Lu Ding was able to untie the constraints and develop vigorously.
There was one general ship and one warship left in Dingdong, and the main force of the state government was still tightly contained, and the situation suddenly became delicate again.
If the court gives a name, can it really confine the heroes of all parties to a three-thirds of an acre of land?
On November 3, Sun Yucheng, in the name of Bei'an Jiedu Envoy, released the Yangyuan County Magistrate who stayed with him and allowed him to go back and continue to be the county magistrate.
This was the power Jiedushi should have, and it was also his test of Zhou Bai.
Not to mention the hidden dragon heroes in other states, it was Zhou Bai who took the lead in breaking the balance in Bei'an. You care about the name, but I don't.
On November 5th, Yancheng, the governor of Yangyuan County, intercepted the real magistrate outside the city, scolded him, stripped him naked and drove him away.
Not to mention such a naked slap in the face of Jiedushi, the next day, Zhou Bai personally led a cavalry army expanded to 500 horses and reached Bei'an County.
Here comes a show of force, here comes a formal declaration of war.
Zhou Bai used his miraculous bow skills to nail a letter of appeal against the thieves to the top of the city.
"...In order to ensure the stability of one side, he bravely stood on the front line, resisted the powerful enemies of his own realm, and subdued the external demons. Unexpectedly, some thieves later killed the good and harmed the good, and raised the flag to rebel. Countless families were destroyed in the city, and blood flowed like rivers. Shilin The people were angry and resentful. One man stood up and raised the voice of the whole county. This thief bribed the courtiers and obtained the title of Jiedu and was recruited. I wonder if he was a rebel thief yesterday and is a Jiedu today..."
In short, the Fumo General's Mansion did not recognize Bei'an County's restraint, and called on the gentry and people of Bei'an not to obey its rule.
The most important thing is that when this letter of appeal spread throughout Bei'an, several original letters actually had the name and seal of the former county governor Yin Mu.
