The boat approached the other side, where a group of soldiers had already been waiting. Tao Sanlang stood at the bow of the boat, looking nervous.
A leader stood on the bank and shouted: "Who are you? What do you do? Why are you crossing the river?"
Tao Sanlang said: "Captain Taiwei, we are kind-hearted people on the other side. Today Dong Ping deceived people to go to Jinying to work as camp prostitutes. There was a dispute, and they killed people at will. There was really no way to survive there, so they crossed the river. "
The leader felt relaxed when he saw that Tao Sanlang was the only man on the boat. Signal the soldiers to retreat and let the ship dock. Tao Sanlang on the boat threw a cable and tied it to the big willow tree by the river.
Everyone got off the boat, and the leader roughly guessed their identities by looking at their appearance. He called Tao Sanlang aside and asked in detail what happened on the other side. Said: "We all have orders not to allow people to cross the river privately. If anyone sneaks over, he must be taken to the government first and await treatment!"
Tao Sanlang said: "They are all people who cannot survive. As long as they have a mouthful of food to eat, they can do anything."
The leader nodded. Send two soldiers on board the boat and sail the boat to a nearby dock. At that time, it will be decided by the government whether to return Tao Sanlang or calculate the money. The rest of the people were escorted by the leader and troops to the nearby town of Rufen. There is a prison town there that can handle these things.
Dong Ping's people searched along the Ru River for two or three miles, but found no trace of Luan Qingshan. Because Wang Xiaolie had already sent troops to occupy Yancheng, he did not dare to continue searching, so he had to return.
In the evening, a small fishing boat ten miles away from Yancheng was about to return home when it saw a man lying under a big willow tree in front of him. He didn't know whether he was dead or alive. He shook it over and poked it with the oar. Hearing the groaning sound, he hurriedly rescued the person on the boat. This man was covered in wounds, many of which were soaked in water and turned white. He looked a little scary.
The fisherman's home is on the edge of the Ru River, and there are only three families in the village. After reaching the shore, we moved people into our homes. The fisherman rummaged through the boxes and cabinets, but he couldn't find any medicine at home. I had no choice but to go to the other two houses, find some leftover herbs, and apply them randomly.
Fishermen from the other two families came over to watch.
Cao Erlang leaned against the door frame, looked at Luan Qingshan lying on the bed, frowned and said, "Who is this? There are so many injuries on his body?"
Yan Dalang said: "It's not easy to say. In this world, there is chaos and war, and people are dying or injured every day. Seeing as this man has been soaked in the water for a long time, it is not easy to survive."
Li Tongdao, who came back after rescuing the man, said: "He was too seriously injured, so we can only do our best and obey fate. Saving one life is better than building a seven-level pagoda. He can really survive, firstly, because he has a hard life, and secondly, God wants me to Do this as a meritorious deed."
The other two nodded together. Looking at Luan Qingshan on the bed, he couldn't help but shake his head.
Yan Dalang suddenly said: "Look at the black and blue marks on his arms. Is he someone in the army?"
Li Tong heard this and came forward with a lamp. He raised Luan Qingshan's arm and looked carefully, and said: "It is indeed the word "thorn". Unfortunately, there is no one in our village who is literate, and we don't know what kind of military he is from."
Cao Erlang said: "I heard people say that people in Wang Kuan's army don't have tattoos. If there are tattoos on his arms, he must have joined the army before Jin Lunan came. In the past two years, the surrounding troops have been rampant in the countryside and are doing random things. I think This person is not a good person either."
The other two nodded, feeling a little uneasy in their hearts.
After a while, Yan Dalang said: "Looking at him, he must be weak. Brother Li had better cook some gruel and feed it to him. Having something in his stomach always makes him feel better faster. By the way, I still have some at home. There are dates, let’s cook them together.”
Li Tong nodded: "That makes sense. Just wait here while I call the Hun family to cook porridge."
After the porridge was cooked, Li Tong held it, helped Luan Qingshan up, and fed him bit by bit. Although Luan Qingshan was unconscious, he could barely drink the porridge. Luan Qingshan drank two bowls of porridge. The people watching looked at him and felt that he might not die for a while.
When Wang Xiao arrived at Qingtai Town, official documents from Ye County were delivered on flying horses. It introduced in detail the tragic situation on the bank of the Ru River, and said that a Tao Sanlang brought fifteen women to the other side of the Ru River to ask for what to do.
After reading the official document, he slammed it on the table. Standing up and walking to the window, Wang Xiaolie looked out the window in trance.
In times of war, such incidents of murder and arson were quite common. When large armies cross the border, they often plunder all the villages on the roadside and kill countless people. How many dead people have you seen in the past two or three years? The once prosperous city of Kaifeng is now a barren wasteland. But such a tragedy happened near the place he governed, and Wang Xiaolie was still furious.
After a long time, Wang Xiaolie ordered his soldiers to ask Xie Linong to come to him immediately.
Xie Linong came in and Wang Xiaolie ordered him to sit down. He gave him the official document and said: "A few days ago, there was a major robbery that killed more than a hundred people, and then this case happened. The other side of the Ru River is not peaceful."
After reading the official document, Xie Linong said: "How many places in the world are at peace now? Looking at people who love their people like sons, only the eight prefectures of Xiang and Deng are at peace. Where else are there wars and chaos? There are several states on the other side of the Ru River, and many places are connected. There are no officials, which can only lead to more chaos. Dong Ping was originally a wealthy family in Tangzhou, and he took advantage of the chaos. Thousands of people died at his hands over the years, which is not unusual."
Wang Xiaolie said: "We can't continue to be in such chaos. We can't do anything about the places we can't control. We can't be so lawless in the places we control! I will ask Wang Ruohai to come to Tangzhou immediately, and you two will take over in Tangzhou! You go to Caizhou and work with Zhang Jun to take care of things on the other side of the Ru River! Our defense line is bounded by the Ru River in the north and supported by Ruzhou, Jiaxian, Xiangcheng and Yancheng. After passing Yancheng, It is bounded by the Ying River and connected to the Huai River in the south. From below Xiangcheng and within twenty miles on the other side of the river, Zhang Jun is ordered to find a way to firmly control it! If a local tycoon like Dong Ping cannot stabilize the place, kill him! Choose Reliable people organize the people and build cities and towns. They stabilize the place in peacetime and organize production. When there is a war, the people can protect themselves. This can form a big network so that the Jin army can easily not dare to attack with a large army!"
Seeing Wang Xiaolie's firm tone, Xie Linong crossed his arms and said, "Follow your orders!"
Wang Xiaolie said: "The next two or three years are very important. If the Jin army wins in Shaanxi and pacifies Shaanxi, it will take one or two years. If it cannot win, it goes without saying. In our place, it will take two or three years. There will be no major war. We must use this period of time to actively develop production, expand our military and prepare for war! The people are fundamental and we cannot let them live in fear!"
Xie Lijiadao: "I have heard rumors that the Jin people intend to let Liu Yu ascend the throne and become their puppet emperor. If Liu Yu is the emperor, how can he be willing to have the land in his heart not in his hands? If the Jin people don't attack, Liu Yu I’m just afraid—”
Wang Xiaolie said: "So what about Liu Yu? He is not a god. What great ability does he have? He can have many soldiers and horses as soon as he ascends the throne. It is a miracle that he can organize an army of 100,000 in one or two years! Ten Tens of thousands of troops still can’t conquer our territory!”
Xie Linong said: "The observation is true. We are safe now, but the Jin people have not established a solid foundation on the bank of the Yellow River and are unable to launch a large-scale attack. As long as we wait a few years, the situation will be different."
Wang Xiaolie nodded: "That's right. So we have to develop before the Jin people establish a solid foundation. It's about speed. Let's see whether the Jin people control the Central Plains earlier or we have an army of 100,000 or 200,000 people first!"
Having said this, Wang Xiaolie looked out the window. He was silent for a while and said: "I have thought about it for a long time. If I want to restore the Central Plains, there are always many risks without an army of 200,000. An army of 200,000 is still not enough with our current territory of eight states. No matter how well we develop, eight states There are only one million households in the state. How many soldiers can one million households support? Only one hundred thousand soldiers."
Xie Linong said: "Other generals also have large armies. For such a big event, you can't just rely on yourself to observe it."
Wang Xiaolie smiled bitterly: "Looking at the world, where is the army? There is no need to rush this matter. Let's think of a solution slowly. The most fundamental thing is that our territory must be stable and the people must develop steadily. The people are living well. Only then can we develop and be able to support an army.”
Having said this, Wang Xiaolie waved his hand and said: "Let's not talk about these troubles for now. The most important thing now is to develop our power to several nearby states before the Jin army controls the surrounding areas of Kaifeng Mansion. Central Plains It has been a prosperous place since ancient times, and occupying this place is very important to the world!"
Xie Li Nong said yes.
The Central Plains has not only been prosperous since ancient times, but has also been a battlefield since ancient times. The Jin army moved south, and within a few years, the Central Plains was in ruins. Kaifeng, the largest city in the world, has very few residents. Not to mention other places, they are already very desolate.
