Outside Lintong City, Cao Yu came back with a dozen scouts to inspect the city wall. Seeing a restaurant on the side of the road, he said: "It's surprising that there is a restaurant at this time. It's freezing cold, let's go buy a bowl of wine."
With that said, everyone got off their horses outside the restaurant, and Cao Yu led two soldiers into the restaurant.
An old man was sitting by the fire and taking a nap. When he heard someone coming in, he stood up quickly and came forward to salute.
Picking a seat and sitting down, Cao Yu said: "Now that the Jin people are raging, it's really not easy for your restaurant to open."
The old man said: "To tell you the truth, sir, it was closed a few days ago. A few days ago, the imperial army broke into Lingkou Town, and the golden captives did not go out in the city, so I reopened the door. Otherwise, it would be like me. It’s a small business, but if a few Jin people come over every few days and feast on them, they can’t care about the capital.”
Cao Yu said: "That's it. Give us a dime of wine and a plate of whatever meat and dishes there are. By the way, get another bucket of wine and take it out of the room to give it to my brothers outside to relieve the cold."
The old man said: "It's cold, why don't the guests outside also come into the store? Although the store is small, you can still squeeze in if you squeeze in."
Cao Yu looked at the old man and smiled and said: "Ten miles away is Lintong County, with hundreds of Jin troops inside. How can we not be on guard?"
The old man nodded repeatedly after hearing this and quickly went to get a drink. Then he ordered his son behind him to carry a barrel of wine and go out. I went to the back kitchen and cut a large plate full of meat, brought it to the front and put it on the table.
While scalding the wine, the old man said: "May I ask my guest, are you here to suppress the king's army?"
Cao Yu said: "Who else do you think it could be?"
The old man said: "Little old man, I can't think of anyone else coming. Alas, in the summer, the imperial army gathered in this area, how lively it was! Who would have thought of fighting a battle with the Jinlu in Fuping and then disappearing into thin air. We people When I think about it, I feel a pity."
Cao Yu nodded, but for a moment he didn't know what to say. Since the Jin army went south, they have suffered consecutive defeats in the past few years, and the people have no confidence in the imperial army. After drinking a bowl of wine in silence, Cao Yu said: "It doesn't matter if you suffer a temporary defeat, as long as you can win back later. Look, aren't we at Jingzhao Mansion again? One day, we will drive the Jinlu back outside the Great Wall and restore the Central Plains! "
The old man nodded: "That's good, we people are looking forward to this day. By the way, when Master Wang comes to Jingzhao Mansion this time, he won't leave, right?"
Cao Yu was stunned for a moment after hearing this. How could you not leave? The Jin soldiers have an army of 100,000 in Shaanxi, what can they do? What's the use of telling the people to stay away for a while and wait for an opportunity to fight again? Shaking his head, Cao Yu could only drink.
Seeing that Cao Yu didn't answer, I knew the result. He sighed, shook his head and returned to the counter, continuing to warm himself by the fire.
After drinking a few bowls of wine and feeling a little warm, Cao Yu ordered his soldiers to count the money and leave. Knowing that they would leave soon, the old man felt a little unhappy and did not say anything after accepting the money.
After leaving the door, Cao Yu sighed. This time, the Jin army took advantage of the emptiness in Guanzhong and raided Jingzhao Mansion. The credit is naturally great, but I can’t say anything to the people. Wang Xiaolie's army did not have a clear strategy at this time, and did not clearly explain the goals and strategies of resisting Jin to his soldiers. Naturally, the soldiers did not know how to tell the people.
As he was getting on his horse, a man suddenly came out from behind the hotel. He walked forward, cupped his hands and said, "I wonder which lieutenant you are?"
Cao Yu looked this man up and down. He has a medium build, fair skin, and looks a bit quiet, unlike someone who does heavy work. He said in a deep voice: "We are Wang Zhenfu's soldiers, and we are here to attack Jingzhao Mansion on Zhenfu's orders. Who are you?"
The man hesitated and said, "I would like to ask, does the Taiwei have the final say in the army?"
After hearing this, Cao Yu couldn't help but narrowed his eyes, and his eyes shone with light. Said: "Why do you need to know so much? Tell me, who are you?"
The atmosphere suddenly became tense, and the man was startled. He said hurriedly: "Lieutenant, don't be suspicious. I am an ordinary citizen, and I came here to inquire on the order of my master. My master wants to find someone in the army who he can speak to, so he can inquire."
Cao Yu just sneered. He looked the man up and down, and after a while he said, "What's your name? What do you usually do?"
When the man saw that Cao Yu's hand had already grasped the handle of the waist knife, his face turned pale with fright. He said hurriedly: "Lieutenant, don't scare me! My name is Shen Ruchang, and I always do some chores for my master! - My master is in the room over there, please come over and talk!"
Cao Yu looked in the direction Shen Ruchang pointed. It was a small courtyard with a fence outside. It was quiet and no one was there, not even a guard dog. There were only a few sparrows, jumping around in the idle land to pick up some grass seeds to eat.
Cao Yu winked at the soldiers beside him and said to Shen Ruchang: "Lead the way!"
Shen Ruchang obeyed the order, and with his legs shaking in front, he led Cao Yu and his party towards the small courtyard. When he arrived at the door, he said tremblingly: "Lieutenant, my master is a man of status. Don't make any mistakes."
Cao Yu snorted coldly and said, "Just open the door, no need to say more!"
Shen Ruchang opened the door. Cao Yu followed him into the courtyard. The four soldiers held the hilts of the swords and stayed outside the door, looking around cautiously. The rest of the soldiers followed Cao Yu closely and entered the courtyard.
Seeing this posture, Shen Ruchang's body trembled even more. Not daring to say much, he led Cao Yu to the thatched house. Knocking lightly on the door, Shen Ruchang whispered: "Officer, I have brought the lieutenant in front of me."
"Come in and talk." The voice of the person inside was low and sounded quite majestic.
Shen Ruchang opened the door and said to Cao Yu, "Lieutenant, go in and talk."
Cao Yu held the sword in his hand, kicked the door open, and rushed into the room with two soldiers.
The light in the room was very dim, and I could only see one person sitting in front of me. Seeing Cao Yu and others coming in, they stood up and stepped forward.
When we arrived, the light was much brighter. Cao Yu looked at this man. He was in his forties, with a graceful posture and a kind expression. He didn't look like a bad person.
The visitor raised his hand to Cao Yu and said, "I wonder who the Taiwei is from Lingkou Army?"
Cao Yu said: "Who are you?"
The man looked outside the room and motioned for Shen Ruchang to close the door. Cai Dao said: "In Xia Shen Zun, he is currently the magistrate of Lintong County."
"Oh -" Cao Yu nodded after hearing this, finally knowing why Shen Ruchang was looking for him. There are only 700 Jin troops in Lintong County. Facing his own 3,000 troops, it can be said that there is no chance of winning. People in Lintong County began to find a way out for themselves.
Cao Yu said: "I am Cao Yu, the deputy commander of the army. If the magistrate has anything to say, you can tell me."
"It turns out to be Captain Cao. Please sit down quickly, please sit down quickly. - Qilang, close the door and be alert outside!"
Outside, Shen said yes as usual. After Shen Zun finished his instructions, he respectfully asked Cao Yu to take a seat.
At this time, the military-level officers in the Song Army were in some confusion. It is generally called a governor, and those who have made outstanding achievements or have high official qualifications are also called governors. The deputy positions include the same commander, the deputy commander, and the same deputy commander, and the positions decrease in order. In addition, there is the commander, who is also the deputy chief under the control. Under the leader, there are co-leaders and deputy co-leaders. It's not chaotic, it's just that there are too many official positions.
Wang Xiaolie's army is relatively simple. Now the commander is a commander and the deputy commander is a member.
Cao Yu is the deputy governor and his status is much higher than that of the county magistrate. Shen Zun originally thought that the person who came out to survey the terrain would not be a high-ranking official, but he did not expect that it would be a high-status official like Cao Yu, so he was naturally overjoyed.
Inviting Cao Yu to sit down, Shen Zun cupped his hands and said, "I didn't know it was the Taiwei who came in person. Don't blame me for being slow to treat you just now!"
Cao Yu said: "I am a man who leads troops to fight, and I don't pay attention to so many falsehoods. You are the magistrate of Lintong County, and the army is outside the city now. You must have something to say to me. If you have something to say, please tell the magistrate directly. There is no need to use falsehoods."
Shen Zun smiled awkwardly. After pondering for a while, he said: "I am originally a Han, a Jinshi from Jingzhao Prefecture, and my family has very little property. After the Jin people took over Lintong County, they arrested my parents and forced me to be the county magistrate. I had no choice but to start from Got them."
Cao Yu nodded slightly and said nothing. In the places occupied by the Jin army, many officials took office in this way. Regardless of whether you are willing or not, the Jin people will use soft and hard means to get you to take office if they think it is appropriate. Of course, it is not uncommon for officials who take office like this to do evil things after taking office. After doing it for a long time, many people will naturally work for the Jin people.
Xiang Gong Jinshi was the term used in the Tang and Song Dynasties. That is, those who have passed the examination and obtained the qualification to go to the Ministry of Rites to participate in the provincial examination. Compared with the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it is not as good as the Ming and Qing dynasties. Because the Tang and Song dynasties were based on prefecture-level examinations, and the Ming and Qing dynasties also had provincial-level examinations, making it more difficult to pass the exam than to pass the provincial examination.
During the Tang and Song Dynasties, the Jinshi who were paid tribute by the township, or who were directly called Jinshi from a certain state, were not Jinshi in the normal sense. For example, Zhang Yuan, who joined Xixia during the Ren-Song Dynasty, was a Jinshi in Huazhou, but he actually went to Beijing to take the exam and failed. For those who don’t understand these things, it’s easy to make a joke by inferring historical records from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Prefectures and counties in border areas such as Shaanxi and Guangxi often have trouble getting the quota of candidates, so it is easy to obtain the qualifications for rural tribute Jinshi. Celebrities in many places were all Jinshi from their hometowns. Later generations took great pains to verify which year they were born as Jinshi. This is actually wrong.
Jingzhao Mansion is a big place, but of course Shen Zun, a provincial tribute scholar, is different from a small place.
Shen Zun thought about it for a while, and then said: "I cried with joy when I heard that the imperial army was coming. We fell into the hands of the Jin people, who didn't just survive? We just had to survive. Since Master Wang is here, it is natural to serve him. "
Cao Yu said slowly: "What do you want the county magistrate to do?"
Shen Zundao: "I want to do this... I wonder what the captain thinks?"
After hearing this, Cao Yu lowered his head and thought for a while. Said: "If the plan of the magistrate has been decided, it will be great! If Lintong County is destroyed, the magistrate should be credited with the first credit! I will report it to the Ming court afterwards and give him many rewards! However, there can be no mistakes in this matter!"
After hearing this, Shen Zun rubbed his hands. Said: "These days, I have suffered enough from the Jurchens! This time I will make a big show!"
