Hengzhou, Pingcheng.
Sheung Shui Village.
The cold wind blew, and the trees on both sides of the road swayed involuntarily, their branches waving, and the wind roared like evil spirits.
The road is very solid, hard, and quite wide.
Zhang Ning carried the package on his back and stood on a high ground. Looking into the distance, he could vaguely see the tall city wall of Pingcheng.
He ignored the city, walked down the high slope, and continued walking on the road.
Under the tree in the distance, there were two people sitting with their heads down, motionless. Zhang Ning walked past them vigilantly, and until they were far away, they did not move, and they still sat there in the same posture.
When the wind blew, the two of them suddenly fell down.
After passing a small stream, a village nestled in the woods came into view. The village was surrounded by dense forests on three sides. Even in the village, you could see big trees rising into the sky, but compared to
It's much sparser around.
A small stream flows from the entrance of the village to the low slope in the distance.
An old man and a young man were walking out of the village when they met Zhang Ning. They were both startled and turned around to run away.
"Uncle Guan!! Is that you?!"
Zhang Ning suddenly shouted.
Hearing this title, the old man stopped, turned around, and carefully looked at Zhang Ning in front of him. After examining him for a moment, he suddenly shouted: "Boy Zhang?! Is that you?"
"It's me! I'm back!"
The old man was overjoyed and stopped hiding. He hurriedly came forward and said, "I'm back. I'm finally back. We found someone to read the letter you sent earlier. We've been thinking of you since then!!"
The old man looked at the child beside him and said, "Go to your Uncle Zhang's house quickly and tell him that his uncle is back!"
The child got up and ran towards the village.
Zhang Ning smiled and chatted with the old man.
"Long time no see. How are you at home? How are my brothers?"
When talking about things at home, the smile on the old man's face froze. He just nodded stiffly, "It's okay, it's okay. My grandson survived."
Zhang Ning paused and didn't dare to ask anymore.
The two of them walked towards the village, but the old man couldn't hold back his words. Perhaps because he was too happy, he was shouting loudly all the way. Many people in the village also watched Zhang Ning grow up.
From time to time, people would go out and meet Zhang Ning. There were more and more people. When Zhang Ning's grandfather ran over, Zhang Ning was already surrounded by people and couldn't get out. The old man had to fight off a few young people.
Let their father and son meet each other.
Father Zhang was an honest and honest farmer. Looking at his lost and found son, he cried bitterly and was speechless for a long time.
Everyone returned to Zhang Ning's house together.
It was a dilapidated small farmhouse. The walls of the courtyard were incomplete, not to mention the house. The windows were almost unblockable, allowing the cold wind to blow in. Everyone ignored the cold wind and sat directly in the courtyard.
Zhang's father trembled as he went to look for food, but Zhang Ning opened the package directly and called a few children, "Come on, let's light a fire. It's rare for everyone to come, so I brought some food here."
Everyone declined for a few moments, and then a woman stepped forward and took over the cooking chores, making everyone even happier.
Zhang's father was not good at words. He just sat next to Zhang Ning and couldn't say a word for a long time.
Old Man Guan then spoke for him, "A few years ago you went to do corvee work outside the Great Wall, and there was no news. We all thought you were gone. Your grandpa is the most pitiful. He goes everywhere to find out about you, and we all want to ourselves."
Go and have a look”
Everyone was silent, including Zhang Ning.
Old Man Guan looked around and waved his hand, "Forget about this, is what you said in your letter true?"
“Now all the farmland and cattle are distributed in the north??”
Zhang Ning came back to his senses and said with a smile: "Yes, since General Liu arrived, he has been granted farmland and cattle according to the system."
Everyone listened very seriously, and Old Man Guan couldn't help but say: "This news is everywhere! Not long ago, there were many people passing by, saying that they were coming from the south and were going to the north to distribute farmland and so on.
Is there really anyone who is conferring farmland to others these days??”
"The general is different from those traitors. He keeps his word. Now I am working as an official under him."
“Ah??You became a senior official??”
"Incredible! Incredible!"
The crowd was noisy, and Zhang Ning was chatting with them when the sound of horse hooves coming from far away interrupted them.
Listening to the sound of horse hoofbeats, everyone around Zhang Ning became a little panicked, and some of the timid ones had already secretly left. Old man Guan frowned and said nothing.
After a while, a group of people appeared outside the courtyard gate.
“It’s really lively!”
I heard someone shouting, and the next moment, a chubby man led several burly men and strode into the courtyard.
Everyone stepped back one after another and bowed their heads in salute.
Zhang Ning smiled and saluted, "Greetings to Duke Murong."
The man looked at Zhang Ning with a smile, looking up and down, "You're back! I heard that you got a job in Beiheng. It seems like you're making a good living. Is this just what you're wearing?"
The man's eyes became a little unkind, "You can't cross the state without breaking the law."
Zhang Ning nodded and took off his waist badge, "This is my official badge. With this official badge, I can cross the states."
"Using official cards to cross the state? Who said that?"
"My general said so."
"Your general."
The man suddenly closed his mouth. He was silent for a moment, and a smile filled his face again. "If it is General Anxi's order, it does make sense. Are you here under the order?"
"The general gives leave every month, and casual officials are no exception, so I took a few extra days to come back and see my family."
"Ah, okay, that's good. You came at the right time. You see, our villagers won't run away. Why don't you go to my place first, let's eat some meat, and you can come back later to reminisce with them, how about that?"
"
"OK."
Zhang Ning nodded and looked at the people on the side. Old man Guan had some worry in his eyes. Zhang Ning nodded lightly and let everyone eat first, but he followed the noble man and left.
A group of farmers dressed in rags watched them leave in horror.
They passed through the village and headed south. After walking for a long time, they finally saw the real Sheung Shui Village.
Tall courtyard walls, neatly repaired trees, neat and clean courtyards arranged neatly, dogs barking constantly, and children playing around, it was a completely different world from the one just now.
Murong Gong took Zhang Ning's hand and walked on the road, asking about Liu Taozi.
"I heard that General Anxi appointed the governor of Hengzhou. Why didn't he take office?"
"Turkic cavalry frequently appeared outside the Great Wall, and Puppet Zhou's scouts set fire to Baima. The general could not easily leave Wuchuan."
Murong Gong seemed to be relieved and asked: "Then when will he come?"
Zhang Ning smiled bitterly, "Mrong Gong, I am just a casual official in Beiheng. How could I know about such a big thing?"
Murong reacted and quickly laughed.
Zhang Ning told him other things about the frontier fortress. While talking, his eyes were always looking around, from the buildings, to the houses inside, to the patrolling guards in the distance.
Soon, Murong took him to his mansion.
He arranged a grand feast to entertain Zhang Ning, who had come from afar.
"Jun Zhang, I heard people say that there are not many rich and wealthy families left in Beiheng. They were either arrested or killed, and their wives and daughters were raped. After being killed, they were confiscated as military rations. Is this true?"
Zhang Ning paused, "I've never heard of it."
"Well, my family has been here for several generations. You know it even if others don't tell me. In these years, have I ever treated the villagers badly? I never forget to provide relief every year. Let's talk about you. If I hadn't sold you and sent you away.
Serving in the military, where can you find a good job now?"
"Now, I'm afraid that the general will lead those barbarians to kill us. They are a group of barbarians in the border town. They are cannibals."
Murong lowered his head and couldn't help complaining.
Zhang Ning smiled and nodded, "Yes, yes."
Zhang Ning stayed in his hometown for a few days, then said goodbye to everyone and left quickly.
The villagers came out to see Zhang Ning away one after another, and old man Guan couldn't help but sigh.
"Oh, it would be great if we were under the control of that general."
Zhang Ning walked on this road for a long time and saw a few acquaintances waiting for him at the intersection. After a few people gathered, they immediately changed their horses and ran towards the Muma Slope in the north.
When a few of them rushed all the way to Mumapo, the horse farm here had turned into a school ground.
There were knights patrolling inside and outside. Several people took documents and quickly walked into the camp. Under the leadership of several soldiers, they walked all the way inside.
The camp was extremely lively. In addition to the soldiers, many scribes could also be seen. At this moment, they were gathered together, holding documents in their hands, and they didn't know what they were talking about.
When Zhang Ning walked into a main tent, there was a burly general sitting inside.
The general has a dark complexion, a straight face, and is quite solemn.
"General Zhang!!"
Zhang Ning followed the other people to pay homage and just handed him the document in his hand.
"This is the situation in Shangshui. I have already written down the number of Murong family's guards, their specific locations, and many other situations."
"Um."
Zhang Heizu nodded, "Let's go and rest first. We'll get up early tomorrow to set off."
"only!!"
The next day, Hengzhou.
Pingcheng.
It's quite lively outside the city.
There are slaves cleaning the roads, and casual workers running around carrying things.
Many officials gathered outside the city. These people were state officials from various places, as well as prefects, county magistrates, county magistrates, county magistrates and the like.
The officials looked a little worried. They were gathered together at this moment, discussing how to deal with it.
In addition to these officials, some well-known local people also appeared at the city gate.
"Let me tell you, there's no need to panic."
"What General Anxi can do at the frontier may not be possible here."
"Hengzhou is not a small run-down place. Hengzhou was the capital of the former dynasty. Wei took Hengzhou as its foundation and conquered the world. He said that apart from Yecheng, Jinyang, and Luoyang, which city could compare with this Pingcheng?
?”
"Then Beishuo, Beiheng, and those border towns, all combined are not as good as Hengzhou!"
Many people are quite confident.
And their confidence is not blind. Hengzhou is actually different from the shabby places that Liu Taozi made up. As the Longxing land of the Tuoba family, there are a large number of nobles gathered here, and many clans of capable ministers and generals are here.
Here, those who can come here to serve as officials are basically all nobles. It is difficult for Han people to be safe here. It shows that as a Han general with a long history, he can't live here even after serving as governor.
So satisfying.
Many forces are intertwined, supporting each other, and intertwined, making it difficult for outsiders to fight against them.
The prefect Xi Doulu looked into the distance, wiped his sweat, and looked at the officials around him.
"Everyone, now is the time when we need to work together."
"General Liu is here suddenly. If you ask about the Tianjun Order, we must speak uniformly without revealing any flaws."
"Otherwise, given the general's conduct, I'm afraid something big will happen."
Hearing Xi Doulu's words, another prefect, Qi Lifa, was a little unconvinced. He said: "We all complete the temple's decrees according to the corresponding system. There is nothing wrong. Although he is an envoy, he can't
You can’t. You can’t be unreasonable!”
"As long as we protect each other, nothing big will happen. Please don't back down!"
"If you want to punish one of them, the others must not flinch when they plead for mercy. Otherwise, they will be divided and attacked."
Everyone was talking in low voices, and each seemed more confident than the other, but in fact, everyone was quite afraid. Xi Doulu was wiping sweat all the time and never stopped.
"We are the emperor's envoys. They can issue orders on behalf of the emperor. If he wants to kill us, he doesn't need to bother with the temple at all. If he wants to appear as an official, he can use it first and then report it. Don't act shamelessly in front of him.
What a gift!!"
If Liu Taozi had just led a large army, everyone would be scared, but they wouldn't be so frightened. The main reason is that the restraint is too lethal.
Logically speaking, if everyone is an official in the same dynasty, even if you are of high rank, you cannot kill the official. The only one who can kill the official is the emperor.
Even if you are the prime minister, you cannot directly order the killing of officials, even if you are a county magistrate, you must follow legal procedures.
Only the emperor can directly kill people without going through any procedures.
But with the bonus of holding envoys, the situation is a little different. Holding the Emperor's Festival means patrolling the four directions on behalf of the emperor. When you see festivals as if you are seeing the emperor, you have the power to kill officials and appoint and remove officials.
While everyone was discussing impatiently, dust billowed in the distance and the ground began to tremble slightly.
Everyone looked up and looked into the distance.
I saw a large army slowly moving towards the city. The knights held up flags and waved flags. The officials did not dare to speak. They trembled and began to form a formation. They returned to their respective positions and prepared.
Welcome the general.
The army slowly approached.
The knights came first. They patrolled and controlled the surrounding area, and some knights took over the gate of the city.
A moment later, a war horse carrying its owner appeared in front of everyone.
Xi Doulu hurriedly stepped forward, "Xi Doulu Hui pays homage to General Anxi!"
"I am not General Anxi."
The man spoke, and Xi Doulu quickly raised his head, only to see a burly general with a dark appearance. The general looked at the crowd calmly, "I am Zhang Heizu, the Dangbian general under General Anxi. I serve as General Anxi."
Order to come to Hengzhou."
The officials who were kneeling in worship stood up one after another, and the scene suddenly became noisy.
Everyone was a little displeased. Didn't they say that the general was here in person?
Why did you send a miscellaneous general here??
Xi Doulu did not dare to look down upon Zhang Heizu in front of him. He smiled and saluted again, "It turns out to be General Zhang, whose name I have admired for a long time!"
"I wonder what General Anxi's orders are?"
Zhang Heizu frowned and looked at the people in front of him indifferently, "My general captured the scouts under Yang Zhong's command. According to the scouts, there were officials and a large family in Hengzhou who contacted Yang Zhong privately, betrayed military intelligence, and made black clothes and chanted
'The one who dies in black' is truly treacherous and has sent me here to investigate thoroughly!!"
Xi Doulu was shocked. Just as he was about to speak, Zhang Heizu immediately ordered, "Arrest him!!"
The knights immediately moved out. Xi Doulu then noticed that these knights were not wearing armor, and their clothes and weapons were different from those of the border soldiers. They were much thinner, but their attacks were not light at all. They immediately pounced on them and killed these knights.
The officials knocked him to the ground and tied him up. Everyone was shocked and shouted, some wanted to resist, "Pfft!", the knight slashed him to death, and the officials immediately did not dare to resist.
Xi Doulu was also tied up by the knights. His face was full of disbelief, "What is General Anxi going to do?! Are you going to kill all the officials in Hengzhou?!"
"We are wronged!!"
Zhang Heizu waved his hand and said, "During the thorough investigation, you will stay with me for the time being and do not go out."
Zhang Heizhu ordered them to be brought into the city to guard them, and then quickly began to assign work.
The knights went out in all directions, some rushed into the city, and some rushed outside. The army of more than 10,000 people dispersed in a moment, and ran away with their respective tasks.
Zhang Heizu led his cronies into the city. He also had his own mission.
The knights rushed into the city, causing the people to be extremely afraid. They hid in their homes and locked the doors.
The knights did not move around randomly. Under the leadership of the leader, they changed directions several times and finally stopped in front of a mansion.
"kill!!!"
The knights rushed into the house on horseback and stabbed the oncoming guards with their spears.
Cries of killing were heard from everywhere in the city, and suddenly blazing flames were seen rising.
Inside the official office, the officials were driven helplessly to the front yard, shivering.
A scribe, surrounded by warriors, stood in front of them and said, "We, these people, will be responsible for traveling, governing history, and governing officials from today on. You must remember us! From now on, obey our orders!"
!”
"Start now, count the number of people in the government offices, and then start a thorough investigation of the whole city!!"
In the countryside, there were several knights who wantonly slashed and killed the guards blocking the road, and their horses were covered with heads.
There were officials riding horses, following behind the knight, shouting in the distance: "Don't be afraid, everyone! We are the village officials sent by General Liu! From now on, this place will be under the jurisdiction of the general! Wait!
We killed the evil thieves here and started to distribute the fields for winter grain!!"
In Shangshui Village, Murong was kneeling on the ground, flames were blazing everywhere, and the roars of knights were intertwined with the howls of the guards.
He knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face, and kept kowtowing and begging.
"Please, let us go, for the sake of helping the villagers every year."
Zhang Ning was wearing official uniform and holding a sharp sword. He pierced his chest with the sword and then pulled it out. Murong immediately fell to the ground.
"If it weren't for you, an animal like you, with good fields and good water, why would we need relief every year?!"
Chapter completed!