Jundushan Great Wall.
Although the cold winter has passed, the new spring has not yet arrived, and the grassland is not green and lush. The grassland is sparse, and there is mud and weeds everywhere.
The cold wind blows, and a red sunset appears on the horizon.
The cold city wall surrounds the low mountain. The tiles and bricks on the city wall are cracked, and huge gaps and wounds are exposed.
The gate of the city tower was open, and there were many soldiers standing on it, holding bows and crossbows, patrolling back and forth.
Soldiers surrounded both sides of the city gate.
The prisoners lowered their heads, some were tied up, and some only had their weapons and armor taken away. They lowered their heads and walked into the city gate with despair on their faces.
The queue is so long that it can't end as far as the eye can see.
After the prisoners, there were many things, including war horses, cattle, sheep, and cart after cart of grain.
These grains are refined grains and are usually fed to war horses. War horses are different from ordinary horses and cannot only be fed weeds. Sometimes, what the war horses eat may be better than what the knights eat.
The items have been transported for three days and have not yet been shipped.
On a high slope not far away, Gao Changgong looked at the last batch of prisoners being transported in, finally took off his mask and smiled.
Under the sunset, the general stood on horseback with a smile on his face. The armor on his body was stained with blood and had many wounds. Together with his flawless and handsome face, it looked like a picture scroll.
Yao Xiong beside him looked at him blankly, and everyone was dumbfounded.
Not only Yao Xiong, but also the junior officers and the knights in the bodyguard were all stunned at this moment.
"The bravery of Guan and Zhang, the appearance of Pan An"
Someone lamented.
Yao Xiong also made his own evaluation, "It's fierce and damn good-looking."
Gao Changgong looked at Yao Xiong with a serious expression, "Thank you, General Yao."
"Oh, Your Majesty, you don't have to be like this. Just call me by my nickname. Why do you have to do this?"
"I charged too quickly. If General Yao hadn't taken charge and gathered up the formation, I might have been scattered first."
Yao Xiong also scratched his head at this moment, "Haha, it's okay. Speaking of which, I also stole the king's first credit."
"That person is very human. General Yao helped me capture this person. How can I use the word 'rob'?"
Yao Xiong became even happier and laughed.
"I think the king is much more powerful than the old man!!"
At this moment, a group of knights appeared in the distance. They rushed towards here and waved a big flag. When he saw the big flag, Yao Xiong shrank and said, "Here comes the one who wants to punish you."
Bao Xian led more than a hundred riders to this place in a hurry, and walked non-stop all the way to the front of Gao Changgong and others.
The old man's face was ashen and his eyes were sharp. As soon as he arrived, he looked in the direction of Yao Xiong.
Gao Changgong hurriedly led everyone to dismount and pay homage to Baoxian.
Baoxian looked at the people in front of him and was silent for a moment, "Your Majesty is really brave."
"With a small force attacking a large number, we have gained so much. From the fourth year of Tianbao to now, there has never been such a great victory."
"I just don't know what the casualties are?"
"Two hundred and seventy-three knights were killed and more than 300 were injured. Nine hundred and thirty-five of the knights were killed and more than 2,000 were injured."
Baoxian nodded, "It's okay."
"Old General, I did not obey your order and sent troops privately. This is not because I despise the old general. I just felt that I could not retain the enemy with my own ability, so I chose a simpler method and attacked first."
Baoxian slowly looked into the distance. The black smoke there had not subsided yet, and he could still see black pillars rising into the sky.
"Simple."
Baoxian nodded, "I said before, the best way to play is the way that suits you best. If the king thinks that this method is the simplest and most effective, then it will be the best."
"But, why doesn't your Majesty continue to attack?"
"Ah? Do you still want to attack?"
"The Khan of the east has been killed, but the Turkic Khan has not yet arrived. The tribes in the east are loose and have no leadership. Now is the best time to seize the opportunity to uproot their tribes."
Gao Changgong reacted, "Wei!!"
"Yao Xiong stays."
"ah?"
Yao Xiong looked at Baoxian in astonishment, his face full of disbelief, "Why?"
"You're still talking about it! I heard someone say that King Lanling, the leader of the general, broke the formation and beheaded the general, but he had already knocked the opponent's general off his horse, and you just went up to behead him. How can you take the head off?!"
Yao Xiong's face turned red, "I"
Gao Changgong hurriedly explained: "Old General, that's not the case. The situation was critical at that time. How could we care about this. We fell off our horses at the same time. If it weren't for Yao Changying, we still don't know the outcome."
Baoxian nodded, "This guy has always been like this. It's okay, Your Majesty, if you don't take offense."
Yao Xiong hesitated to speak, but could only watch helplessly as King Lanling led the cavalry and galloped away, with a look of frustration on his face.
"You have done a lot of work, let others get some back, don't be greedy."
"Go back with me."
Bao Xian waved, and Yao Xiong followed him dejectedly.
Bao Xian then said displeasedly: "How can a leader be so impulsive? So reckless? How many times have I told you this?"
"You really can't blame me this time. King Lanling looks kind and peaceful, but when he fights, he is much more irritable than me!!"
"You didn't see him. I couldn't catch up with him. He didn't care about his formation or the enemy's position. He just rushed and attacked whoever he caught. He had no military skills and no worries. Let alone the Turks.
, even if I meet such a person, I will be stunned!"
"When he fights, he is very similar to his relatives. He has a deadly fighting style. When he rushes like this, I become a general. I have been gathering the knights together for fear of being scattered, and I have to protect him on both sides.
, just afraid that he will die first."
Yao Xiong immediately complained.
Bao Xian reprimanded him again: "Without your consent, how could he go to the battlefield?"
"But we won. Why should we be reprimanded even if we won?"
"You are the commander-in-chief, stationed at the frontier, and nearly a million people in the state are under your protection. War is not for showing off your bravery, nor for competing for superiority, but for protecting the country and the people."
"It's good that you won the battle, but what if you were defeated? The enemy marches straight in, and the entire Youzhou will be plundered by the enemy. With more than 100,000 cavalry, there will be no grass and ruins everywhere."
"If you are a deputy general or a vanguard, then forget it, but the general must consider defeat before considering victory."
Listening to Bao Xian's words, Yao Xiong became even more irritable. He finally couldn't bear it anymore and reined in his horse.
"Why didn't you tell Prince Lanling just now?"
Bao Xian also reined in his horse and turned to look at Yao Xiong, who was full of anger. Yao Xiong asked: "Prince Lanling is also the commander-in-chief of Youzhou. Behind him is also Youzhou, which is his defense zone. Why didn't you tell him this? But
Are you always staring at me and scolding me?"
Bao Xian smiled, not caring about Yao Xiong's anger at all, "Because he is the king of princes. Who are you?"
"I am Yao Xiong!!"
"He is the king of vassals, and all of Daqi belongs to him. Even if he fails, there are still people who protect him. No one dares to embarrass him. Even if he loses Youzhou, he can return to Yecheng and continue to be his own vassal king. What about you?
?”
"Without his background and talent, you don't want to improve yourself, just get some military honors and start feeling complacent? Do you still want to compare yourself with him?"
Yao Xiong's eyes turned red, "You just despise me!"
"It's not just him, there are many generals in the army, Han Chinese and Xianbei people. Why don't they listen to you and reprimand them?!"
He suddenly said, "Is he looking down on you?"
"Then you should find a way to make me value you."
"What do you have that I value?!"
Looking at the angry Yao Xiong, Bao Xian smiled again and said: "Well, be prepared. I will review this battle with you tonight. If you can convince me once, you can resist my army of one hundred thousand by yourself."
, I only value you this once."
"good!"
Yao Xiong galloped away angrily.
The officer looked at Yao Xiong walking away and secretly looked at Bao Xian, "Old General. This General Yao is General Wei's confidant after all, you." Bao Xian narrowed his eyes and whispered: "Many years ago, I and him
At an average age, at that time, the generals on my left and right were all from Xianbei and Qihu in the surrounding area, and no one paid any attention to me."
"The more this happens, the more you have to pay so that people don't dare to look down on themselves."
Wuchuan.
The carriage was swaying, and the knights in front and behind were drooping their heads. Even they, after traveling for so long, were feeling a little tired.
The villages and towns on both sides are extremely dense.
Many villages and towns are almost connected together, bustling with people, and large areas of cultivated land are full of hard-working farmers.
The road protection forest planted a few days ago is now quite tall. It is not a towering tree, but it is full of green. There are villages hidden among the green trees on both sides, and the smoke from cooking slowly rises upward.
Occasionally, I see a shepherd boy driving his sheep from the other side, standing in the woods, watching the passing carriage curiously.
Several small canals in the distance passed by the road. The water level was very low, and children were running back and forth with bare legs in the canals.
Cui Zhan looked to both sides through the car window, grinning at the corners of his mouth, and he couldn't hide the smile at all.
Wang Xi and Xian'an's eyes widened, and they were extremely frightened at this moment.
Where does this bring us?
Is this still Wuchuan??
Both of them have been to the frontier fortress many times. When talking about the frontier fortress, what impressed them most was the desolate and sparse grassland, the dilapidated city beside the mound, the civilians who set up tents outside the city wall to survive, the gray dirt road, and the piles of corpses and bones. There are packs of beasts that you can’t tell whether they are wolves or dogs.
Youzhou and Yanzhou were an eye-opener for them, but the situation at the border fortress scared them silly.
They obviously only came here with Gao Yan in the first year of Qianming Dynasty.
At that time, the frontier fortress was still the frontier fortress in their minds, gray and desolate.
But what is happening now?
The green grassland, groups of trees, hidden villages, herdsmen, children, water canals
How did these things that were inconsistent with the frontier appear here?
Looking at their shocked looks, Cui Zhan couldn't help but laugh.
"Don't be surprised, you two."
"When my general first arrived, he sent people to flatten temples everywhere, freeing many tenants and deconsecrating monks. The construction of many pagodas was forced to stop."
"At that time, there was a very famous monk who cursed his brother before he died: He said that white disasters would continue in the border fortress and that the mandrills and demons would be killed by the cold."
"It's strange to say that since that year, the snow in the frontier has become heavier and heavier, but the sustainable time has become shorter and shorter. Hahaha, this heavy snow is not a bad thing. This year it fell half Although the heavy snowfall last month has made the arable land fertile, especially after the snow melts, water canals can be built everywhere!!"
"From Yongfeng to Huaihuang, the weather started to warm up quickly. The previously barren and sparse grassland has now become like a fairyland!"
"I can only say that destiny is here!!!"
Cui Zhan became a little excited when he talked about it.
He has always been a calm person, but even a person with his personality has become fanatical at this moment, and the corners of his mouth have never been closed.
Mainly, what happened in the frontier in the past few years can be called a major metaphysical event.
Starting from the Wei and Jin Dynasties, white disasters in frontier fortresses began to become frequent and serious. In fact, heavy snowfall in winter is not a bad thing. Both herdsmen and farmers know this. However, if it snows for too long, it will snow continuously. In a few months, it would be easy to destroy the city, and the frontier fortress people called it the 'white disaster'.
But when Liu Taozi came to the frontier and started to take care of everything, the heavy snow that could last for four months miraculously began to weaken.
It rained for three months in the first year of Qianming Dynasty, for one and a half months in the first year of Heqing Dynasty, and in the second year of Heqing Dynasty, it continued to rain. Although it was still snowing heavily, it suddenly changed from a white disaster to an auspicious snow that protected farmland and pastures.
The climate in the dry and desolate frontier fortress has obviously warmed up. The previously sparse and desolate land has been covered with green, and the water flow has begun to become abundant and moist.
This trend is still strengthening.
Not to mention the common people at the bottom, even the scholar-bureaucrats like Cui Zhan were so trembling that they were speechless when they realized this situation.
Is God really helping the evil???
Xian'an listened to the other party's explanation and felt stiff for a long time before he slowly said: "Most of the weather in the North is getting warmer."
Cui Zhan shook his head and said excitedly: "That's where it happened!"
"The public doesn't know that the White Disaster is almost bounded by the Great Wall. Outside the Great Wall, there is a White Disaster, but inside the Great Wall, it looks like this. Do you think this is destiny?!"
Xian'an's eyes widened and he could no longer say a word.
The same is true for Wang Xi.
Those who do great things are surrounded by auspiciousness, but the two of them have actually seen a lot of this so-called auspiciousness. When they were building momentum for Emperor Xiaozhao, all kinds of auspiciousness came out, but they knew best what it was really like.
But now, even if you want to create such auspiciousness, you can’t create it!!
Damn it!!
It has always been bitter and cold in the past. As soon as Liu Taozi came, the place started to get better. However, the place outside the Great Wall that did not belong to him was still the same as in the past. What the hell is this??
The two of them were silent and just followed Cui Zhan towards Wuchuan City.
Wuchuan is being expanded at the moment. You can see that the city walls on both sides have been demolished. It is being expanded at the moment, and densely packed civilians are working hard.
Looking at the number of civilians building the city, they really look more and more alike.
When they arrived at the city gate, there was already a smiling person waiting for them.
That person was none other than Zu Jue.
Several people got out of the carriage. Zu Jue was not a stranger and met them enthusiastically.
Although Zu Jue had a bad reputation, he was from a wealthy family and had seniority. He was acquainted with many senior ministers, and Wang Xi and Xian'an did not look down upon him.
Cui Zhan couldn't help but asked: "Grandpa, the auspiciousness is more obvious this year??"
Cui Zhan left Wuchuan before the heavy snow stopped. Zu Jue looked at him, smiled and nodded.
Zu Jue also knew in his heart that things must reverse when extremes occur. The Great Cold at the Frontier has lasted for hundreds of years, and it is getting colder and colder. Many counties and garrison towns have become empty spaces. Now, it is time to rebound. As for the difference between the inside and outside of the Great Wall, the Great Wall at this moment It is a relic of the previous dynasty. It was originally built based on the local climate and environment to determine the location. However, in the eyes of most people, this matter belongs to destiny, so Zu Jue will not show off.
What's more, destiny is already here.
"Your Majesty, Lord Shedi, my lord is not in the city at the moment, otherwise he would definitely come to greet you in person. He attaches great importance to you two and has specially ordered me to come and greet you."
Zu Jue led the two of them inside.
The symmetrical buildings in the city are particularly grim, and the roads form a tic-tac-shape. Pedestrians along the road walk in a hurry, with resolute faces and unsmiling faces.
Wang Xi was no longer surprised now.
Very reasonable.
They arrived at the government office, which was also being expanded. Zu Jue asked Cui Zhan to find a way to go to the hospital to report the situation, while he took them to another courtyard to rest.
It was like setting up a simple banquet to entertain them.
Xian'an looked at the sumptuous meal in front of him and said with a smile: "Fortunately, General Wei did not prohibit officials from holding banquets."
Zu Jue heard the meaning of his words and said seriously: "In troubled times, we should respect the law."
He was sitting in the upper seat with a serious look on his face. There was no longer the usual flattery on his face, and there was no trace of wretchedness or villainy in his whole temperament.
He is like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath.
He stared at the two people in front of him with bright eyes.
"In various parts of the Central Plains, governance is lazy, and orders are not sent to the countryside, making it difficult for the people to make a living. In today's frontier fortresses, whether it is laws or many rules, it may be much stricter. It is completely different from the Central Plains. The people are driven frequently and are mostly tired. But at least, in Under such circumstances, many people can survive."
"In these days, many famous people have talked to me about this matter. They all used the past as an example, saying that the way to govern the world is to make the world relaxed, let the people feel at ease, use corvee infrequently, and let the people cultivate and rest. . What he said is clear and logical."
"If the world has just been unified, I will report it myself without them opening their mouths, and then use the name of prime minister to stay at home, eat wine, not fight or build, and let the people live as they please, waiting for the people's strength to recover."
As Zu Jue spoke, he suddenly waved his sleeves, changed the subject, and said solemnly:
"But the current situation is not like that."
"Natural disasters, man-made disasters, Zhou, Chen, Turks, there are still some idiots in the temples, the local officials are in chaos, the tyrants are rampant, the nobles ignore the law, the soldiers have no military discipline, the farmers have no arable land, the merchants dare not go to the market, and the craftsmen cannot get their hands. In return, mothers dare not give birth and fathers dare not die first.”
"Since ancient times, the whole world has never been in such chaos."
"I take history as a guide, and I believe that if we want to help the country and the country, we can only imitate the ancient system."
"Farming and fighting."
"Dharma and Code."
"What do you two think?"
Chapter completed!