Outside Lintong City, Cao Yu came back from inspecting the city wall with more than a dozen scouts. He saw a restaurant on the side of the road and 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, it was closed a few days ago. A few days ago, the imperial army broke into Lingkou Town, and Jin Lu stayed in the city and did not go out, 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 meat and vegetables. By the way, get another barrel of wine and take it out to 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?"

After hearing this, the old man nodded repeatedly and quickly went to get some wine. He then ordered his son behind him to carry a bucket of wine out. He 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, sir, are you here to suppress the king's army?"

Cao Yudao: "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 been defeated in battles in the past few years, and the people have no confidence in the imperial army. After drinking a bowl of wine silently, Cao Yu said: "For a moment

It doesn't matter if you suffer some defeats, 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 after hearing this. How could he not leave? The Jin soldiers had an army of 100,000 in Shaanxi. What could they do? They would stay away for a while and wait for an opportunity to fight again. What was the use of saying this to the people? He shook his head.

, Cao Yu can only drink.

Seeing that Cao Yu didn't answer, the old man knew the result. He sighed, shook his head and returned to the counter to continue warming himself.

After drinking a few bowls of wine and feeling a little warm, Cao Yu ordered his soldiers to calculate 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, he took advantage of the Jin army's emptiness in Guanzhong and raided Jingzhao Mansion. The credit was naturally great, but he couldn't tell the people anything. Wang Xiaolie's army did not have a clear strategy at this time.

If you clearly explain the goals and strategies of resisting gold to your soldiers, the soldiers will naturally 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 up to him and said, "I wonder which lieutenant you are?"

Cao Yu looked this man up and down. He was of medium height, with fair skin, and looked a little quiet, unlike someone who did heavy work. He said in a deep voice: "We are Wang Zhenfu's soldiers, and we are here to attack Jingzhao on Zhenfu's order. Fu. 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 brightly. He said, "Why do you know so much? Tell me, who are you?"

The atmosphere suddenly became tense, and the man was startled. He said hurriedly: "Captain, 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 can speak with him." When people see you, they ask questions."

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?"

Seeing that Cao Yu's hand had grasped the handle of the waist knife, the man turned pale with fright. He hurriedly said: "Captain, don't scare me! My name is Shen Ruchang. He always does some chores for his master! - My master is here." In the room over there, please come over and talk!"

Cao Yu looked in the direction that 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 and picking up some on the idle ground. Eat grass seeds.

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 reached the door, he said tremblingly: "Captain, my master is a person of high status. Don't ask me." rash."

Cao Yu snorted coldly and said: "Just open the door, no need to say more!"

Shen Ruchang opened the door. Cao Yu followed him and entered the yard. Four soldiers held the handles of their swords and stayed outside the door, looking around warily. The rest of the soldiers followed Cao Yu closely and entered. The yard.

Seeing this posture, Shen Ruchang trembled even more. Not daring to say anything, he took Cao Yu to the front of the thatched house. He knocked lightly on the door, and Shen Ruchang whispered: "Officer, please bring the captain in front of you. coming."

"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. When I saw Cao Yu and others coming in, I got up and came forward.

When they arrived, the light was much brighter. Cao Yu saw that this man was in his forties, with a graceful posture and a kind expression, and did not 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 Yudao: "Who are you?"

The man looked outside the house and motioned to Shen Ruchang to close the door. Then he said: "I am in Xia Shen Zun, the current magistrate of Lintong County."

"Oh -" Cao Yu nodded after hearing this, and finally understood why Shen Ruchang was looking for him. There were only 700 Jin troops in Lintong County. Facing his 3,000 troops, it could be said that there was no chance of winning. People in Lintong County began to Find a way out for yourself.

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 Ruchang said yes. After Shen Zun finished his instructions, he respectfully asked Cao Yu to take a seat.

At this time, there was some confusion among the military-level officers in the Song Army. They were generally called commanders, and those who had made extraordinary achievements or had high official qualifications were also called commanders. The deputy positions were divided into commander-in-chief, deputy commander-in-chief, deputy commander-in-chief, and the rank was lower in order. In addition, there were also There is a commander, who is also the deputy commander under the commander. Under the commander, there are co-commanders and deputy co-leaders. It is not confusing, but 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 raised his hand and said, "I didn't know it was the Taiwei who came in person. Don't be surprised if you were so slow to treat me just now!"

Cao Yudao: "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 say any falsehoods."

Shen Zun laughed 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 have no choice but to obey them.”

Cao Yu nodded slightly and said nothing. In the places occupied by the Jin army, many officials were appointed in this way. Whether you are willing or not, the Jin people will use soft and hard means to get you to office if they think it is appropriate. Of course, in this way It is not uncommon for officials who take office to do bad things after taking office. After serving for a long time, many of them will naturally work for the Jin people.

Xiang Gong Jinshi was the term used in the Tang and Song Dynasties. That is, people who passed the imperial examination and were qualified to go to the Ministry of Rites to participate in the provincial examination. Compared with the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it was not as good as the Juren in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Because the Tang and Song Dynasties were Yizhou Fa Jie: During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there were also provincial-level examinations, which were more difficult to pass for candidates than for township tribute.

During the Tang and Song Dynasties, those who were considered Jinshi from the countryside, or those who were directly called Jinshi from a certain state, were not Jinshi in the normal sense. For example, Zhang Yuan, who voted for Xixia during the Ren-Song Dynasty, was a Huazhou Jinshi. In fact, he went to Beijing to take the exam and failed. There is no such thing as this. You know, it’s easy to make a joke by inferring historical records from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Shaanxi, Guangxi and other border areas’ states and counties often don’t even have the quota for imperial edicts, so it’s easy to get the qualifications for rural tribute Jinshi. Celebrities in many places, They were all Jinshi from the countryside, so 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 rural 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 is not just hanging on? We just have 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. He said: "If the plan of the magistrate has been decided, it will be great! If Lintong County is defeated, the magistrate should be credited with the first contribution! Afterwards, I will report it to the Ming court and give him many rewards! However, this matter cannot be done. Anything went wrong!"
Chapter completed!