In the vast desert, the cold wind blew, rolling up sand and dust in the sky.
More than ten guides walked in front of the army, half of which were Hu people, but they were used to the wind and sand.
He talked loudly, and he was having a lot of fun.
Jie Luxian is not so used to it.
He didn't dare to open his mouth. He could eat sand when he opened his mouth. From Lingzhou to Lianggan, there was no official road, only an unmanned desert and wilderness.
In recent years, countless regimes have been replaced here, but none of them think about repairing important commercial roads in the past. The war and other reasons have caused greater damage to the environment here. The ancient official roads were completely buried.
It is rumored that the lush land of the Hanchu period has now become a barren land, and the "treasure land" has also become a desert.
The scenery on both sides looks like it is repeating continuously without any change.
There is no green on the endless desert, and even the occasional vegetation is covered with grey soil.
I don't know how long I left, but the guide signaled them to stop.
After experiencing countless repeated landscapes, they finally saw something different.
A dilapidated inn appeared in front of them.
This inn is the kind that has long been discarded, and half of its body is covered by dust. It can be vaguely seen with its original appearance, but it can no longer be lived in. The area should be quite large. Just looking at the ruins,
It was not a problem to live in nearly a hundred people in the past.
Tonight they camped outside this abandoned inn to rest.
In this environment, you can't rush to the road at night.
Just as the soldiers were busy going to camp for rest, the guides returned to Jie Luxian to report the situation.
Inform the next journey.
Hu Luxian was quite interested in the abandoned inn in front of him and asked about its origin.
"This is the post in the ancient Han Dynasty... At that time, a Qiang tribe was stationed here. The Han Dynasty set up posts here to trade with the Qiang people to convey information. If there is a war, it will be conquered here.
The people of Chu Qiang participated in the war..."
"There was a lively place around this for a while, and then the war continued, the water here was broken and people left,
The post was broken, and it became what it is now.”
The one who spoke was a Hu guide, who seemed quite familiar with the situation around him.
Hu Luxian gently stroked his beard and asked, "How come no one has thought about repairing the inn and restoring this path for so many years?"
The guide shook his head, "It's thankless to have something to do..... The temple is unwilling to do it, and the cost of repairing it is very high. Besides, it doesn't make any sense to repair it. Anyway, I still have to go to Chang'an."
Hu Luxian shook his head, "If I stay in the frontier in the future, the first thing I need to do is to repair the road, and the roads are well-connected before they can develop themselves. The Liang-Ganzhou commercial road was famous all over the world in the past, how could it be so abandoned?"
The guide only felt that the general was boasting, but on the surface he still echoed a few words.
The straight line distance between Wuwei County in Liangzhou and Lingzhou Lingwu County in Lingzhou is actually not far away, but due to the environment, the exchanges between the two sides must first go from Wuwei County to Jincheng, then go to Longxi, pass Anyang, to Pinggao, and to the north.
Lingwu, he took a long way down.
Liangzhou, Wuwei County.
Outside the dilapidated city walls, it is really noisy.
Many Hu merchants gathered here and were quarreling fiercely with the soldiers stationed here.
Chang'an fell and the localities were in chaos, especially these border areas.
As the guardian orders were conveyed, the local soldiers and officials immediately had a good opportunity to make a fortune.
The fall of Chang'an was the most frightening only the real officials, as for the officials, soldiers, farmers, merchants,
They don't care so much about this.
Merchants are anxious to enter the city. Their goods cannot be kept for too long. Some goods will break if they are left for a long time and they must be sold as soon as possible.
The soldiers grabbed these merchants and wanted to make more money. The nobles said they should be careful and they had the final say in how to prevent them and took the opportunity to make more money.
The little official stood in the crowd, looking for partners with his eyes. Most of these officials were from local backgrounds and wanted to find a few merchants to become their partners, so that they could secretly sell things that were forbidden in the temple in the future.
The farmer stood by the roadside, looking at the blocked road, and was silently worried that the time of spring planting would be delayed.
They may know a little about what happened in Chang'an, but they don't care so much.
Only within the official office is this the topic that everyone is talking about.
In the county government office, Prefect Guo sat in the upper position, and the county officials and officers sat on both sides, and everyone was talking fiercely about Chang'an.
"We should send troops! How can we hesitate?!"
A county magistrate said, "We should serve the country's kindness. Now is the time! I think it is better to open arsenal, gather food and grass, and send heavy troops to relieve the crisis in Chang'an!"
Someone immediately refuted: "Without the edict of serving the king, how could he lead troops into the capital like this?"
"Chang'an has been captured, so where can we wait for the imperial edict? If we cannot rescue the emperor at this moment, will we become an ungrateful thief?"
Everyone started arguing.
The current officials are divided into four factions, one advocates sending troops to Chang'an, the other advocates sticking to it, the other advocates blocking the road, and the other advocates moving the capital backward.
The government office became extremely chaotic, and everyone was so quarreled that they could not see the appearance of a noble person.
After only staying for a while, Grandpa Guo felt irritable and left these people behind and came out to relax.
His chief clerk followed him out.
"What do you think about the officials?"
The prefect suddenly asked.
The chief clerk looked calm, "It's hypocritical, but it's actually selfish."
"oh?"
"Those who propose to send troops are either greedy for military merits or want to use the name of sending troops to open the arsenal privately, steal weapons, and take charge of the military. If the temple is weak, you can lead the army to revive...:"
"What is proposed to stick to is either to worry about the real situation of the arsenal and grain warehouse being exposed, or to fear death and unwilling to fight the enemy..."
"The road is blocked, haha, the merchants outside have long been targeted by them."
"Those who proposed to move the garrison were even more imaginable, or wanted to lead the army to escape from a distance and do big things..."
"But nothing they think is important. Now that the governor is in Longxi, the major events here are under your rule. What do you think?"
Guo Taishou stopped, his eyes were a little confused, and he wanted to speak but stopped.
After being silent for a long time, he asked, "What do you think I should do?"
The chief clerk did not hesitate at all, and he hurriedly said, "Mr. Guo, the current situation is no longer something that manpower can change. The Great Zhou is about to perish. Since His Majesty took over, he has never given us kindness to us. Today, he took away our farmland.
, Let us release our tenants tomorrow, and you were demoted from Hezhou to such a place to serve as prefect... Why should we follow him to die together? The Han Dynasty defeated Chang'an, and its momentum was unstoppable.
Why don’t Mr. Guo surrender to the destiny?”
"What?!"
The prefect was startled and looked at the chief clerk in shock, "You want me to join the army?"
"Do you know what kind of person Liu Taozi is? Although His Majesty is harsh on us, he has never killed us. But how can he survive in Liu Taozi's hands? In the past, many people came from the east, and they were all wise men like us.
, Liu Taozi killed them all...:"
"Mr. Guo, how can the past be the same as the present?"
The chief clerk hurriedly said: "In the past, Liu Taozi wanted to establish his own family business, so he naturally wanted to kill all these outsiders. But now Liu Taozi is determined to unify and there is no pacification in the world. How could he kill the first surrender? If he kills the most
Who dares to surrender to the next step? Even if the Great Zhou Dynasty is defeated, the governors and prefects from all over the country are still going to fight against him. He is anxious to unify the country, so how could he do such a confused thing?"
"I think it is the best time to surrender to Han Kingdom now. The King of Han will definitely not kill those who surrender first. The Duke avoided the war for Wuwei and protected more than 100,000 people. Even this contribution is enough to gain a foothold around the King of Han.
Now,
Even if the King of Han dares not promote and use it again in the future, he will never kill him. The King of Han is a trustworthy person, and everyone knows it. Why is Mr. Guo afraid?"
Hearing the chief clerk's words, Guo Taishou's face changed drastically.
"I treat you with my confidant, how dare you betray me?"
"You have long colluded with the Han people and wanted to convince me to surrender, right?"
The Lord Bo was shocked and immediately knelt down in front of the prefect.
"My husband is as kind as a mountain, how dare I do this?
"My words are sincere!"
"At present, the enemy has captured Chang'an, and its army is in the second place of Lingxia. How far is Lingzhou from us?"
"Since the rise of the Han King, Yang Zhong, Duan Shao, Wu Mingche and others have been defeated by him one after another, and no one can stop him. If he leads his troops, can the prefect stop him?"
"If you can't, will it be too late to surrender at that time?"
The chief clerk said it was quite sincere, his voice was trembling. He kept wiping his tears and looked at his prefect with grievance. His loyal appearance was very real.
Seeing him like this, the prefect couldn't help but hesitate.
"Get up!"
Hearing this, the chief clerk quickly got up and bent down again and followed the prefect with his head down.
Guo Taishou gently stroked his beard, "What you said makes sense, but I am a newcomer, and many officials may not respect me. Besides, the army of Liangzhou does not listen to me...\n:"
The chief clerk hurriedly got up and grinned.
He looked around and said, "I'm willing to do this for you!"
"oh?"
"I predict that the Han people must have sent troops and have to complete this before they arrive. What do you think?"
The prefect nodded. He could probably guess in his heart that his chief clerk must have colluded with the Han people, otherwise he would not dare to say the upcoming Han army in such a tough manner.
However, when things have reached this point, it doesn't matter whether he colluded with the Han army. How to save his life and his family is the most important thing.
After the negotiations by many officials in Wuwei, the prefect believed that the troops from all over the country should be concentrated, food, grass and supplies should be hoarded on the front line, and then wait for the imperial edict from Chang'an.
He asked officials from all over the country to come to Wuwei to discuss strategies against the enemy.
At the same time, he ordered as the prefect to make preparations for the expedition.
Many counties around were once again caught in dispute.
However, some officials also chose to receive the order.
For a time, more and more officials in Wuwei gathered.
Prefect Guo once again held a banquet in the official office to discuss strategies against the enemy with many talented people in the country.
The doors inside and outside the official office knocked open, and many servants gathered at various doors to welcome the guests.
Both courtyards were particularly lively, and when you walked over, you could smell the aroma of wine and meat inside.
The banquet was set up in the back hall to show importance.
The prefect Guo sat in the upper position, and the other officials sat on both sides according to their official positions and qualifications, setting a distance between them. The hall was still open, with slaves coming in and out, preparing various types for everyone.
Although the food and musicians and dancers have not started performing, they have long attracted everyone's attention.
Officials entered one after another.
The entire back hall gradually became fuller and there were no empty seats.
The last time, the officials from Wuwei County gathered together to discuss major events. This time, the people participating in the banquet were not only Wuwei officials, but also from the surrounding counties, Chengzhen, military government, and officials from all over the place.
Everyone has never expressed their fear in their hearts, but they are still chatting and laughing and demeanor.
Just after everyone was almost there, Prefect Guo finally cleared his throat and looked at everyone.
"You are all my distinguished guests of Wuwei. Since I have arrived here, I have no need to be restricted by the good wine and meat here!"
Prefect Guo looked at the left and right, raised the wine cup, and his demeanor was overwhelming.
Everyone drank with him one after another.
Then, Prefect Guo sighed at the current situation in the temple, talked about the chaos everywhere, everyone sighed, and the atmosphere became much sadder again.
Taishou Guo repeatedly said these words without getting to the point. He seemed to have said a lot, but in fact he did not mention what they were going to do.
After listening for a long time, everyone gradually became a little irritated.
Finally, when Guo Taishou talked about the situation in Chang'an for the fourth time, an official couldn't help but interrupt him.
"Prefect, we don't know what the situation is in Chang'an. You called us to come this time and said that there is a strategy to defeat the enemy and save the country. I wonder if there is any strategy?"
Prefect Guo looked at the door.
The chief clerk has not yet appeared. Guo Taishou smiled and whispered: "Call you all to come, of course, is to defeat the enemy and save the country, but how can such a major event be decided by me alone? I went to summon my subordinates and negotiated
Everyone gave their own suggestions on this matter, and someone suggested...\n:"
Just as the prefect continued to fool, people inside and outside the government began to act.
The slaves entered the two courtyards, took out their weapons, put on armor, and then began to act.
Guo Taishouzheng was talking nonsense, and when he looked up, the chief clerk had already appeared at the door.
Guo Taishou suddenly stopped.
"And in my opinion."
"The Great Zhou is no longer able to save him. The King of Han is a virtuous and powerful ruler. Why don't you follow me?!"
When the prefect spoke, everyone was still calm and drowsy when they heard it, but the prefect suddenly mixed it with this sentence, and everyone woke up in an instant.
The official who had just interrupted the prefect had now widened his eyes and jumped up suddenly.
"Guo Jin, are you going to rebel?!"
"Come here!!"
Before he could shout, the chief clerk rushed into the house first. At this moment, the private slaves and strong men in the prefect of Guo's home rushed into the official office with weapons, and several powerful crossbows were directly aimed at everyone.
The man was still shocked, and the chief clerk stabbed him with a sword. The man fell down with a sad sword.
The incident happened suddenly and everyone was shocked.
The chief clerk shouted loudly: "The Han army is coming! Don't move!!"
During the banquet, the officials were suddenly silent, and the officials were stiff and at a loss.
Guo Jin stood up and looked at everyone, "Everyone, Your Majesty has passed away!
"What?!"
Everyone was uproared and looked at him one after another.
Guo Jin said seriously: "My family has connections in the court, don't be suspicious. I have heard about the matter there. King Yuwen Xian of Qi rebelled and seized military power while His Majesty was seriously ill and imprisoned His Majesty.
He was in Nanxiang and poisoned him! He returned to Chang'an to establish the system himself, and he sent people to various places to demand that all places submit to him Yuwen Xian!!"
"I am not a thief, nor am I going to betray the Great Zhou!"
"It's just that I don't want to join a traitor like Yuwen Xian!!"
"I call you all over, not to kill you."
Guo Jin pointed to the fallen man, "Kill this man because he had long colluded with Yuwen Xian!!"
"Everyone, I want to join the King of Han, avenge your Majesty, perform the courtesy of a minister, and repay the kindness of heaven. What do you think?!"
Guo Jin had just finished asking, and soon several officials stood up.
"Yu Wenxian kills the lord and becomes self-reliant, and he is extremely guilty!!"
"We all want to follow the envoy and join the Heavenly King!!"
Driven by these people, the other officials also nodded and expressed their approval, but there was no shortage of hard bones.
There were a few officials who looked at the ugly faces around them and cursed.
"Guo Jin! Your family has also been consuming the king's fortune for generations, why is it so shameless?!"
"Who doesn't know the character of King Qi? How could he do this?"
"It is obvious that you are greedy for life and fear of death. You have made such an excuse for yourself to join Dugu Qihezhen!"
"Everyone, don't fall into this person's plan! King Qi is generous and has good morality, this thief..."
"puff!"
The chief clerk drew his sword and killed people directly.
The other few people began to fight back, but they could not defeat so many servants and were killed one after another.
Before they died, they also pointed at Guo Jin and cursed: "You should receive retribution!"
After these people were killed, Guo Jin's face kept changing.
But there is no other choice.
"Revise a surrender book with me!"
Chapter completed!