Cui Qing stood up, went to Xiao San, and took out a piece of paper from his arms. He said: "This is our meal money. If you use it for defense, you can return it to the boss. When you get to Dengzhou, you can naturally use it as money."
Xiao San caught it carefully. He kept saying: "It's just a meal, how dare you let the defense take money?"
Cui Qing said: "You put it this way, could it be that some of the soldiers who walked by did not pay for their meals? No matter where the defense goes, it will never be careless when asked to pay. If someone does not pay, just tell us. "
"No, no -" Xiao San waved his hands repeatedly. "This is a rule in the army, no one dares to break it!"
Cui Qing looked at Xiao San and smiled when he saw his fearful look. The rule in the military is that you have to pay for these meals. Moreover, when the army went south, those who did not follow the army paid money in advance. But rules are rules, not everyone follows them. There are always some people who pretend to have forgotten their meal and leave without paying. How dare people like Xiao San go up to pursue him? Fortunately, there were not many people and the food was enough.
Everyone below knows this kind of thing. Even Cui Qing, who was with Wang Xiaolie, knew it. But they all kept it from Wang Xiaolie. If Wang Xiaolie knew about it, he would be in too much trouble to investigate these matters thoroughly.
Of course, when an army marches, it is impossible to actually use copper coins. They are all paper tickets signed and signed by the military. When you arrive in Dengzhou, you can take these paper notes and exchange them for cash in the army. Some people become greedy because it is easier to exchange money.
Watching Cui Qing leave, Ge Erlang asked: "Third father, what is that piece of paper?"
Xiao San said: "This is money! When you return to Dengzhou, you can take this note and cash it in cash in the army. Our places specialize in cooking for the people who moved south. There are people in the army. You have to pay for food."
"Yeah, we don't have to pay for meals, but people in the army have to pay for meals!" Ge Erlang couldn't help but open his mouth after hearing this.
Seeing Wang Xiaolie and others packing their bags there, Xiao San whispered to Ge Erlang: "What do you know, the people eating over there are very powerful officials! Things in this world are so strange. The bigger the officials are, the bigger the officials." The more people follow the rules, the more petty officials don’t take them seriously.”
"Strange, strange!" Ge Erlang nodded and looked at Wang Xiaolie and his party over there curiously.
In fact, it's not surprising. The rules are set by these high officials, and of course they abide by them. And he has people under him to do it, so he doesn’t bother himself. The petty officials can only abide by the rules, and the benefits of not following the rules go into their own pockets, which is of course different.
Wang Xiaolie got on his horse and looked back at the people migrating south who were preparing to set off. He said: "It will take a year to arrange the population of the two states. Once they move there, many idle lands in Dengzhou will be cultivated."
Niu Gao said: "Everything needs talents. If we move these people here, Dengzhou won't seem to have too many people."
Wang Xiaolie nodded. He said to Niu Gao: "You took away the cook's wine gourd. Did you calculate the money clearly with him? You can earn some hard-earned money by cooking here. Don't cheat them."
Niu Gao said: "Defense and peace of mind. I paid for the wine when I got it. Seeing that this old man is addicted to alcohol, there is nothing we can do."
Wang Xiaolie smiled. Without saying any more, he led everyone on the road.
It wasn't until Wang Xiaolie and others could no longer see the shadows that Xiao San patted his chest and said he was lucky. Unexpectedly, he could actually see Wang Xiaolie here and entertain them for dinner. When I return to Dengzhou, I will brag about it for a few years.
After passing Lushi County, we entered the Xishui River Valley. After traveling for a few more days, we arrived at Neixiang County. Rest for a day in Neixiang County and rush to Dengzhou.
Wang Ruohai and the city officials had already welcomed him out of the city. When he saw Wang Xiaolie arriving, he stepped forward to salute with a respectful attitude, no longer the same as before.
Wang Xiaolie returned the gift. Said: "These days, please punish me."
Wang Ruohai said: "It's all an internal matter, why mention it! Defensively lead the army to save Shaanzhou, defeat Lousu, and cheer up the world. This is an unparalleled achievement! When the news came back, several states were convinced, Who doesn’t obey the defense!”
Wang Xiaolie didn't expect this battle to be so prestigious, and couldn't help but be stunned for a moment. It is normal for you to win a battle, be valued by others on your own side, and gain a reputation among your enemies. But his reputation among the people has unexpectedly improved.
After entering Zhizhou Yamen, Wang Ruohai asked Wang Xiaolie to take a seat. After a brief exchange of greetings, we introduced the recent situation in Dengzhou.
Not long after Wang Xiaolie's army set out, Sang Zhong led his army to Tangzhou, hoping to take advantage of the situation to attack the city and seize territory. Soon the news of Wang Xiaolie's victory came. Sang Zhong was frightened and led his troops to retreat to Guangzhou overnight. Entering Lianghuai from Guangzhou is the route taken by many bandits from Kaifeng Prefecture.
Wang Xiaoxing said: "Sang Zhong runs fast. If he doesn't leave in Tangzhou, our army will come back and destroy him there!"
Wang Ruohai said: "It's just a bandit, don't worry too much. Defense, now all the officials in Yingchang Prefecture, Chenzhou, Yingzhou and Caizhou have fled, and the place is mostly occupied by bandits. I heard that the defense has won a great victory. Send someone to inquire, and from now on we will obey orders for defense."
This was something Wang Xiaolie didn't expect. After the Battle of Shaanzhou, his reputation soared, and many forces wanted to come and rely on him. Li Xing defected to him before he came back, and there were more people here in Dengzhou. However, most of the powerful people in those states have gone south, and those who remain there are either ineffective country thieves or local tycoons. There is no big use in gathering these people.
After thinking about it, Wang Xiaolie said: "According to my plan, Yingchang Prefecture, Chenzhou, Yingzhou and the areas to the north and west will be used to cover the safety of the surrounding states and counties, and we cannot directly send troops to occupy it. Otherwise, How can the Jin Army send troops to fight with us in these places? Caizhou can send troops to occupy it. In other states, heavy troops will not be sent. Instead, people will be sent to win over the people and form a rebel army. When the enemy comes, deal with it. If there is a large army When we come to attack, these rebels will cut off the enemy's food routes and help the rear to defend the city."
Wang Ruohai was stunned after hearing this: "What's the point? There are no officials in these places now, and it's time to send people to occupy them. If the enemy comes to attack, we just have to defend it. If we send troops, we still can't defend it, and if we don't send troops, we can't defend it even more."
Wang Xiaolie said: "This is not the reason for the punishment. We sent people to the rebel army to defend Tangzhou, Caizhou, and Dengzhou behind us. Those places can only be given up. The Jin army is still strong now and we cannot face it head-on. .There is no way around it.”
Wang Ruohai nodded, although he was still unconvinced, but said no more. Wang Xiaolie won the battle in Shaanzhou, and everything was different from before. Now in the area occupied by Wang Xiaolie, it is really true that no one can refute it.
Seeing that Wang Ruohai stopped talking, Wang Xiaolie said, "I heard that the Jin Army occupied Kaifeng Mansion. What happened?"
Wang Ruohai said: "The deputy Shangguan who was guarding Kaifeng Prefecture stayed behind, and his ambition was very strong. Although the Jin Army and Liu Yu of Jinan Prefecture sent people many times to persuade them to surrender, Shangguan Wu all killed the envoys and was determined to serve the country. He did not want to have Nie, the leader of the Hebei signing army. Yuan, because of trade with the city, the defenders relaxed their guard, and he suddenly captured the north gate at night. The city could not be defended, and Shangguan Deputy stayed behind and had to flee south. A few days ago, he arrived near Wuyang and was captured by a local tycoon, Dong Ping. Dong Ping has been causing trouble to the local area for many years. He heard a few days ago that he had won the defense of Shaanxi Province and wanted to join him. I wanted to use Shangguan's deputy to stay behind as a greeting gift."
After hearing this, Wang Xiaolie sneered and shook his head.
Dong Ping was originally a rich man in Tangzhou. After the Jin army withdrew from Jingxi Road, it went on rampage for a while, causing serious damage to several surrounding states. After Wang Xiaolie sent Xie Linong to occupy Tangzhou, Dong Ping fled to Wuyang with his men and became the local hegemon. Wang Xiaolie won the battle of Shaanzhou. The powerful people in these places wanted to embrace this thigh, and Dong Ping was one of them.
In Wang Xiaolie's impression, the name Dong Ping was very familiar. I originally thought I had confused him with Dong Xian, but then I remembered that he was a character from the "Water Margin" legend, who defeated Dong with two guns. I just don’t know what the relationship between these two characters is.
Regarding Dong Ping, Wang Xiaolie wanted to slowly figure out his personality before dealing with it, so he let it go for now. Asked Wang Ruohai: "Besides, what else is important recently? Is there anything big happening on Jinghu North Road?"
Wang Ruohai said: "Two days ago, I received a letter from Chen Qiudao, the deputy transshipment envoy of Jingnan Road in Ezhou, saying that he wants to come to Xiangyang to take up the post. Is it possible?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "I have been appointed as the envoy of the Southwest Road of Beijing. I have written many times asking Chen Qiudao to come to Xiangyang, but he has never replied. It is naturally a good thing that he is willing to take up the post in Xiangyang this time. There is currently a shortage of officials in the prefecture and county. There are so many, people are urgently needed everywhere.”
Wang Ruohai said: "This is the best. For defense, you can send a letter and Chen Yunshi will come by himself."
Wang Xiaolie agreed.
Wang Ruohai added: "By the way, there is one more thing. Kong Yanzhou came to Lizhou a few days ago and harassed the place quite a lot. Zhong Xiangcheng, a man from Dingzhou, raised an army here and claimed to be the King of Chu, causing trouble in many states and counties."
Wang Xiaolie nodded. I still find it strange that Zhong Xiang is so famous in history, why have I never heard of him? It turns out that he raised an army at this time. Apart from the military leaders who entered the two lakes, Zhong Xiang is considered the largest force in the two lakes and should be paid more attention to in the future.
It was already late February, and the Jin army that invaded the south began to withdraw north. Zhao Gou, who fled to the ship, escaped, and the military leaders from various places who occupied the gaps left by the Jin army were also ready to move, and the world entered a new situation.
