Shuozhou.
Under the dazzling sunlight, the tall city wall in the distance, intertwined with shadows and flares, seemed even larger.
He Shikai blocked the dazzling light with his hands, his face full of helplessness.
A knight came forward and said, "He Gong, ahead is Zhaoyuan."
"I'm not blind!!"
He Shikai scolded him, and then complained: "It's a terrible place! A hellish place!!"
It has been a long time since we set off from Yecheng. When we set off, Yecheng was still very cold, but when we arrived here it was already hot summer.
This bad road, after leaving Sizhou, you can't even take a car, otherwise you will die in the car and your urine will be shaken out.
He Shikai could only move forward on horseback. After riding like this for many days, his legs were sore and he almost lost consciousness.
He Shikai is a good horseman, but he has not ridden a horse for such a long time.
Looking at the city in front of him, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Let the knights under your command go and inform the city gatekeeper so that he can be led into the city.
The city gate was quite deserted. The knights came forward to negotiate, but the city gate officials would never dare to embarrass them. Soon, someone led them towards the governor's official office.
As soon as they entered the city, someone tried to block their way.
"My lord! Do you want to buy a woman?"
"Cheap, they are all good women, complete, not incomplete, each one only costs 300 yuan!!"
He Shikai kept a straight face and said nothing. The knight's whip made several cracks in the air, and those people did not dare to get close and retreated to their positions.
Some people didn't give up, and chased after them, shouting: "There are men too!"
He Shikai had an angry look on his face. He looked at the official in front of him and cursed: "Are you such a bad person under your rule?"
"I don't know etiquette and I don't know shame!"
"How do you govern?"
The casual official lowered his head, not daring to refute him. He said a few words to the person next to him, and the person rushed out with a loud shout.
Soon, bursts of wailing and crying came from behind.
At the corner in the distance, a group of people could be seen sitting on the ground, looking blankly at the passing nobles, not avoiding them, just looking at them and watching them leave.
He Shikai was taken to the entrance of the official office, and the officials went in to report.
After a while, a man came out.
This man has a handsome face and a gentle manner. He is not as ugly as the people from the frontier. Without waiting for the official to introduce him, the man smiled and saluted, "My lord, this is Guo Yuanzhen, the governor of Shuo! Meet your lord!"
He Shikai saw that this man knew etiquette and hurriedly bowed to see him.
"It turns out to be Mr. Guo!"
"Don't take it seriously, just call me cousin uncle."
The two exchanged some polite words, and He Shikai calmly held his hand and said, "Mr. Guo, I will definitely get together with you when I meet the governor!"
Guo Yuanzhen nodded, "That's natural."
He Shikai then followed him to the official office. Guo Yuanzhen said with a smile: "Just now, the officials came to report, and I was shocked. This is a bitter and cold place. It is not easy for He Gong to come here, right?"
"It's not easy."
"I hate coming to this kind of place. But the king sends me out every time. The frontier fortress is hot in summer and cold in winter, and the people here are all different."
He Shikai didn't say anything clearly, but winked at Guo Yuanzhen.
Guo Yuanzhen laughed, "That's right."
The two passed through three gates before arriving at the door of a main house.
Guo Yuanzhen asked the soldiers at the door to step aside and led He Shikai into the house.
In the house, a burly man was lying on the bed beside him, with beauties on both sides gently waving fans.
Hearing the footsteps, the strong man suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes were particularly sharp, staring at He Shikai.
The monk felt a chill in his back and hurriedly bowed to see him.
"Meet Mr. Hu Lü!!"
Hu Luxian looked at He Shikai in front of him, sat up slowly, and motioned for the beauty to go out.
"Did King Changguang ask you to come?"
"Yes."
Hu Luxian glanced at Guo Yuanzhen and said, "Guo Jun, please go back first."
Guo Yuanzhen didn't say anything more, bowed, turned and left.
Only Hu Luxian and He Shikai were left in the room. Hu Luxian then asked: "Why did the king ask you to come here?"
"I'm here to pay homage to Duke Hu Lü and hand over a letter."
"Where's the letter?"
He Shikai handed the letter to the other party respectfully, and Hu Luxian did not shy away from others, so he opened the letter and read it in person.
There is no real content in the letter. It just recalls the past friendship between the two, talks about old times, talks about love, and entrusts He Shikai to send some gifts to each other.
After Hu Luxian finished reading, his eyes were slightly complicated.
To be honest, he is closer to Gao Zhan and has a better relationship.
Gao Zhan has many friends.
The current situation has become delicate and complex.
There are rumors that His Majesty sent people to kill the King of Jinan, there are rumors that His Majesty is seriously ill, and there are rumors that His Majesty is crazy.
When Gao Zhan was imprisoned, his official title was not removed. After he was released, his momentum became even greater.
I don’t know if His Majesty is really sick, but the Queen Mother seems to be.
Yecheng fell completely into the hands of King Changguang, and everyone doubted whether he was issuing the edict in the name of the Queen Mother.
The situation is extremely complicated.
The Hu Lu family was a direct participant in the incident. The moment Hu Luguang promised the emperor to betroth his daughter to Liu Tao Zi, their family could not escape.
Hu Luxian hated such trivial matters the most. Even if he fled to the border fortress, he couldn't escape!
Looking at Hu Lvxian, who was frowning and saying nothing, He Shi smiled and said, "I know what you are worried about."
"Please don't worry. When your brother agreed to your Majesty's request, it was because my king was serving the queen mother in the palace and could not pay attention to what was going on outside. My king understands that, and he will never blame your brother for this matter."
"Today's situation is different from before. I think Governor Luodiao will reconsider and know which side to stand on."
When Hu Luxian heard this, he was immediately unhappy.
"If my brother doesn't support your king, what will you do?"
He Shikai realized that his tone was inappropriate and hurriedly apologized. He said sincerely: "This is not something I can discuss."
"General, I am here not for Governor Luodiao, but for you."
"I?"
"The general is a smart man. Naturally, the two brothers have their own choices. This has been the case since ancient times. How can the general not know such a simple truth?"
Hu Luxian curled his lips and said, "You don't need to discuss these things."
"Only the Governor, I will continue my work. However, there is one thing. I wonder if the Governor can help me."
Looking at He Shikai who was squirming, Hu Lüxian asked displeasedly: "What's going on?"
"Your Majesty sent me to General Liu. General Liu and I had some misunderstandings in the past."
"I know that General Liu is impatient and is afraid that something will happen again. I wonder if the governor can send someone to escort me there?"
Hu Luxian pointed at the monk and laughed, "They say you are as bold as a tiger. How come you were so frightened by Liu Taozi today?!"
He Shikai clasped his hands pitifully, "Who can not be afraid when encountering tiger generals like you and General Liu? I really don't dare to go alone. I know that you are close to General Liu. As long as you send one person to go with me,
I feel at ease and ask for mercy, General!!"
Hu Luxian waved his hand and put away the letter, "Okay, no need to say more."
"Okay, I'll send someone to go with you. Remember to come back early."
"Wei!! Thank you so much, Governor!!"
He Shikai thanked him again and again, then said goodbye to Hu Luxian, and went to the other courtyard for the rest of the officials. As soon as he entered the courtyard, the joy and grievance on He Shikai's face were wiped away.
He sneered in displeasure and cursed in a low voice: "Idiot."
He looked to the left and right, "Get the gifts ready, let's go meet that Guo Changshi."
He Shikai just rested for a while and then set off again to visit Guo Yuanzhen.
Guo Yuanzhen had already prepared the banquet and was waiting for him to come.
When the two met, the atmosphere was exceptionally harmonious. They ate wine, talked about poetry and poetry, and discussed the general trend of the world. They talked happily.
We didn't know how long we talked, but when the atmosphere was at its most intense, He Shikai wiped his tears.
"Mr. Guo, the king of my family really has no face to face you."
"Your wife and brother's matter, the king is really powerless!!"
The smile on Guo Yuanzhen's face paused, she took a sip of wine and said nothing.
Guo Yuanzhen’s wife, surnamed Yang, is Yang Min’s biological sister.
Looking at Guo Yuanzhen with a frozen smile, He Shikai said hurriedly: "My king is doing this according to orders. He personally values ​​Yang Xiang very highly."
"Now that he thinks about it, he feels annoyed."
Guo Yuanzhen shook his head, "There is no need to mention this matter again. His Majesty was kind enough to pardon the crimes of us people and did not punish us. We are grateful and thank you, and we will never have the thought of blaming anyone."
He Shikaihu said: "At that moment, His Majesty began to promote many scholars, and even you were promoted by him."
"It's all your Majesty's kindness."
Guo Yuanzhen replied, and He Shikai added: "But the king feels that it is inappropriate to resume land equalization."
"Your Majesty is generous, but he is too generous. Those princes and kings can induce Your Majesty to do many wrong things with just a few words."
"The land thirty miles near Yecheng must be taken back from the temples, forcibly taken back, and distributed to those lowly people who are lazy and lazy. How can this be done?"
Guo Yuanzhen's lips trembled, but she didn't answer.
The monk slapped his legs and cursed: "Not only you scholars, but also the old people in Jinyang are very angry!"
"The land in Jinyang has also been taken away!"
"Although those people in Jinyang don't have as much land as you, they still have mines, horse farms, etc. all over the place. How can it be justified if they all have to be taken away?"
"This time I set out from Yecheng to the frontier fortress. When I arrived in Jinyang, I met a few old people. You may also know that they are He Bagong and others. They sent someone to call me over and specifically asked about this matter.
, they had some wine and said to me angrily: Only after King Pengcheng took charge of government affairs did he realize the value of Duke Yang!"
Guo Yuanzhen also took a sip of wine and said, "King Pengcheng is dedicated to serving the public good, and the world knows his virtues."
He Shikai shook his head, "King Pengcheng was greedy for fame. In the sixth year of Wu Ding's reign, he was appointed as the governor of Cangzhou, but he was actually punished for eating a chicken from a commoner's house!"
"My king said to me: The chief clerk was a well-known and capable official with excellent administrative skills. However, Gao Jun dismissed him for the sake of his own reputation and a chicken. In Gao Jun's heart, he was not as good as a capable official.
A chicken can know so much about the world's major events, and his karma in his heart is not as good as his false reputation!"
"Later he became the governor of Dingzhou. Instead of taking care of the state and county affairs, he went to take care of the private affairs of stealing cattle and vegetables! Is this what a dignified governor should do??"
"Just catching a few petty thieves, so what? It just increased his reputation. The governor should have made the state prosperous, not caught the thieves!"
"In the fourth year of Tianbao, when he became the minister, he secretly instigated the common people to come to see him off, and almost called all the people in the city, including hundreds of old people. For the sake of fame, he delayed the people of the city.
How hypocritical!”
"When he served as the Yin of the Qing capital, he did not select virtuous people with good reputations, but selected officials from among the petty officials. He also targeted the nobles of the Qing capital and encouraged his subordinates to expose them!!"
"Now, he has become the Great Sima Lu Shangshu!"
"Just after taking office, he talked about re-equalizing land and making the people's livelihood miserable!!"
"All affairs in the court belong to him. King Pingyang and Zhao Yanshen are in charge. The other two are all obedient to him and have no independent opinions. Isn't the world about to fall into his hands?"
Guo Yuanzhen remained silent, did not speak, and took another sip of wine.
The monk laughed and said: "In the past, my honorable quarreled with you, but in my opinion, it was just for official business and for the sake of the world. But now, it is not good for both of us."
"To be honest, my king has actually talked with several highly respected and virtuous men in the court, and they also have such thoughts."
Hearing this, Guo Yuanzhen finally put down the broken wine in his hand. He looked at He Shikai and asked, "Why are you telling me these things?"
"King Pengcheng has many helpers in the court and in the localities. My king really doesn't want to see Governor Hulu become one of his helpers. If you can help, please advise him for us and see if there is any help.
The little man from Jinyang sent someone to tell you something in time, and my king will definitely be very grateful."
Guo Yuanzhen suddenly laughed.
"He Gong, do you want me to help King Changguang fight against the temple?"
"King Changguang killed my wife and brother."
"His Majesty personally issued an order to pardon his family's crimes and promoted me to an official position."
"You want me to disobey him?"
The monk smiled and nodded, "Yes."
"Why??"
"My father-in-law is so frank with me, so I will be more frank."
"What does it mean to have a dead brother-in-law? What does it mean to be pardoned and promoted? What is the purpose of marrying a nobleman's sister? What is the purpose of being promoted to an official position?"
"Aren't you worried about what will happen to your people when they are given land according to their official title? Without an official title, how can you support yourself with only eighty acres of rotten land?"
"If you are dismissed in the future, what will be left?"
"The accumulation of several generations of your ancestors can be taken back with just one sentence. My king only killed one of your wives and brothers, but the temple wants to kill your entire family."
"You are a smart person, so you will naturally come to help."
"Otherwise, why did you come to greet me in person just now? Are you so generous? You can also greet your enemies with a smile?"
Listening to what He Shikai said, Guo Yuanzhen gently stroked his beard and squinted his eyes, "Speaking of which, not everything King Pengcheng did was right. He took back the cultivated land during spring plowing, and the local farming affairs were chaotic and disorderly.
, if no one works, it will cause disaster sooner or later."
He Shikai nodded, "That's the truth!"
"He thought he was doing a good thing, but he didn't know how many people he was going to kill!"
"Think about it. In the past, many people only had to farm to get enough food, and they could live without having to worry about taxes and corvees. But now, they have to farm by themselves. After paying the grain tribute, they also have to pay a settlement and pay taxes.
After paying all the money and gifts, how much food will be left? Maybe I still owe the temple a lot!"
"If he continues like this, tens of millions of people will starve to death next year!!"
Guo Yuanzhen nodded, "That makes sense."
He raised the wine in his hand and gestured towards He Shikai, "I am not doing this for anything else, but for the people of the world."
"For the people of the world! Let's eat one!!"
The two of them got drunk alone.
The next day, under the leadership of the general sent by Hu Luxian, He Shikai left here in a mighty manner and headed for Wuchuan.
Hu Lvxian, like Liu Taozi, in addition to being governor, also held a military position. General Zhenxi was just a head taller than Liu Taozi. Although this general was only a subordinate general, he was in charge of the military camp and followed Hu Lvxian many times.
Years of warriors.
This person has a similar personality to Hu Luxian, and is quite reckless.
He Shikai paid him great respects and gave him various gifts, which made the rough man very happy.
Not long after they left the city, they saw a group of knights driving a group of people, hundreds of them, crying and crying towards the city.
Those who were escorted here were carrying packages but were themselves disheveled. They were all men, women, old and young.
He Shikai asked curiously: "General, who are these people?"
General Pi scratched his head and said, "It seems like he is catching someone dead."
"Dead people? There are actually dead people with packages?"
"Oh, he escaped from Shuozhou and went to Beishuo."
"Ah??Run to Beishuo??"
He Shikai was even more surprised, "But I heard that Beishuo is desolate, there is no cultivated land, and there is not even a big city. How can it go to where?"
General Pi's face turned red immediately, and he cursed: "These stupid people don't know what is good or bad! They heard some lies and believed them to be true! Flee with your whole family!"
"We in Daqi have our own system. Even if we go to other counties, we need a reason. How can we let them go to other states like this?!"
He Shikai glanced at him and said with a smile: "I see. It seems that General Liu is not only good at fighting, he is also good at administration. No wonder people are running towards him. General Hu Lu is not good at this."
.”
"What did you say?!"
General Pi was furious.
He Shikai was stunned and quickly explained: "General Hulu is better at fighting."
"You clearly said that my general acted tyrannically! That's why the people fled!"
"Then Liu Taozi is always good at pretending to be a good person!!"
"Back then, my general's brother captured Jinhe and captured the Zhou people's mines. Several members of my general's tribe were managing there. They were not good people and did many evil things. But even so, Liu Taozi captured
Just take them and send them to the general for disposal, but do you know what he did??"
"He killed himself!!"
"You really don't have any face for the general!"
"Every time my general talks about this, he is very unhappy!"
Chapter completed!