Qi, West Fenzhou, Huaizheng County.
The woods on both sides of the official road began to sprout green.
The deserted fields in the distance are still desolate and uncultivated.
The path leading from the official road to the village was in disrepair and was overgrown with weeds. Looking further along the path, there was no sign of anyone alive.
The cavalry are heading north along the official road, entering Sizhou from Xifenzhou and returning to their own territory.
Liu Taozi and Gao Changgong were walking at the front of the team. As for the cavalry, they no longer needed to watch one after another. They would not fall behind. The military discipline was also very strict. They did not sneak out to bully while they were marching.
Of the common people.
The main thing is that there seems to be no common people here who can be bullied.
Liu Taozi did not want to scare the people and officials, nor did he want the officials to spend energy to reward themselves and delay the farming work, so he went north from Jinyong and bypassed the city when he encountered it, stationed in the wild, and did not go to the local school grounds.
.
But walking here, Liu Taozi's brows became more and more frowned.
The corpses that can be seen everywhere on both sides of the road and the frightened eyes of those hiding in the woods in the distance all tell Liu Taozi that something big must have happened here.
Gao Changgong looked around and suddenly asked: "Is it possible that there are thieves?"
Liu Taozi did not answer, but looked at the direction of the city in the distance and adjusted his route.
He decided not to go around Huai Zheng in the distance.
The closer you get to the city, the more bones you can see.
Many people were obviously killed by the cold. Some hugged each other, some raised their hands, and some were kneeling on the ground. The corpses were all in grotesque shapes.
The city gradually appeared in front of you.
The city gate is closed.
Outside the city gate, there were many corpses lying without anyone taking care of them.
When they had almost reached the gate of the city, the defenders discovered them. The whole city gave out a sharp warning and became a mess.
Some soldiers were shouting, and the officers were in a panic.
Liu Taozi calmly raised her head and looked at the people in the distance.
Gao Changgong immediately stepped forward, took off his mask, and said loudly: "Pingcheng, the two kings of Lanling are here!!"
"Open the city gate quickly!!"
Hearing Gao Changgong's voice, these people not only did not calm down, but became more and more confused.
Gao Changgong just watched the chaos on the city wall for a long time. Gao Changgong almost lost his patience. Finally, officials appeared on the city wall.
The official stared at the dark-faced Gao Changgong at the foot of the city, exclaimed, and hurriedly ordered the city gate to be opened.
After he gave the order, the city gate remained motionless.
Gao Changgong heard various noises coming from the city gate and waited for a long time.
The city gate was finally opened.
Gao Changgong saw many discarded stones, wood and other debris. Apparently, the city gate was originally blocked.
Gao Changgong was a little stunned. The enemy didn't seem to be here, right?
The official just rolled up and rushed to Gao Changgong, bowed to him, and then went to pay homage to Liu Taozi.
Liu Taozi remained silent, but Gao Changgong asked hurriedly: "What kind of military chaos is going on here?"
The official's face was full of pain, but he just shook his head, "Your Majesty, you don't know. We were so disturbed by the bandit army that we almost got into chaos!"
"An army of thieves?"
Gao Changgong's face immediately became solemn.
The official hurriedly asked the soldiers to line up in formation and made an invitation gesture, "Invite the two kings to come to the city for a talk."
"good."
Gao Changgong looked at Liu Taozi who was standing aside, "If you know it, I will send someone to send the army to the school grounds."
"No need."
"Let's go into the city together."
Gao Changgong was a little stunned, and the official quickly said with a smile: "There is also a county military academy in the city, no problem, no problem!"
Liu Taozi then led everyone into the city.
The city was desolate, and there was no one on the road. It was lunch time, but there was no smoke anywhere. Liu Taozi looked around without saying a word. The official also knew that Liu Taozi was not easy to contact, so he just
Follow Gao Changgong and tell him about the dangers his family has encountered.
"As soon as the enemy launched their attack, the thieves in the city began to spread rumors, saying that the enemy had defeated Jin Yong City and was heading towards here."
"The morale of the military was unstable, and the people were terrified and fled in all directions."
"The situation was extremely critical, so my governor searched for the bandits in the city, and the result was quite good. We successfully captured the enemy's leader. However, these bandits did not give up and took up weapons again. They wanted to break the city, but we blocked them.
Outside the city."
The official spoke very quickly, with a bit of pride on his face.
But both Gao Changgong and Liu Taozi looked a little solemn at this moment.
The knights were led by the officers to the school grounds in the city. Liu Taozi led more than a hundred knights to the gate of the official office.
The door of the government office was open, and a young man ran out quickly surrounded by many old officials.
The young man was swaying, and his whole body exuded a strong smell of alcohol. It seemed that he had not sobered up yet.
He was disheveled and stood among the people. His eyes searched for a while and he instantly locked onto Gao Changgong. He quickly walked to Gao Changgong's side and held his hand directly, his eyes friendly.
"King Lanling!!"
Gao Changgong's brows twitched, "King Changle."
This young young man is the governor here, and he also has a prince.
His name is Wei Shibian, and yes, his grandfather is the founding minister of Da Qi, the brother-in-law of King Gao, and the minister Wei Jing.
Wei Jing himself was similar to Lou Rui. He had extremely poor personal ethics and was greedy for money. She Diqian wanted to be the censor. Gao Huan asked why. He said it was to arrest Wei Jing. Gao Huan later stripped him naked and treated him badly.
He made it clear: If you skin the people, I will skin you.
And Wei Jing's son Wei Can is even more extraordinary. Because his father did not make him a king, he blocked the angels outside the door and shot them with bows and arrows.
It can be said that the family tradition is excellent and has been passed down to this day for three generations.
Wei Shibian looked at Liu Taozi again, wanting to say something sarcastic, but he didn't dare to speak, so he just pretended not to see it.
He drunkenly invited several people into the official office.
Gao Changgong frowned and reminded in a low voice: "You can pay your respects to King Pingcheng."
Wei Shibian drunkenly replied: "How can there be any reason for a master to pay homage to Cangtou?"
Gao Changgong's expression changed drastically. Officials on both sides hurriedly came forward. Some kowtowed to Liu Taozi to apologize, while others came to persuade Gao Changgong. They all said that King Changle was drunk and asked for forgiveness.
Liu Taozi did not fall out, and motioned to Gao Changgong to follow him into the official office.
Entering the official office, Wei Shibian sat directly on the upper seat, looked at the two kings on the left and right, and said proudly: "This time Wei Xiaokuan wanted to attack here, but I was repulsed. There is an edict in the temple, asking me to be the commander-in-chief."
Fen, Nanshuo and other prefectures resist Wei Xiaokuan!"
"I'm here this time."
Liu Taozi suddenly looked at Bie Jia, who was sitting opposite, "There are so many corpses outside the city, are those all thieves?"
Wei Shibian was very dissatisfied with Liu Taozi's interruption, and just expressed his displeasure with a straight face.
Biejia is much more sensible. Faced with Liu Taozi's question, he hesitated and said: "Most of them are."
"Why didn't the bandit army attack from inside the city, but from outside the city? Where did they come from?"
While Biejia was preparing an answer, Wei Shibian immediately said: "Of course I discovered it and drove him out!"
"There were thieves everywhere in the city, so I sent people to find out their identities and drove them all out! They wanted to counterattack, but I blocked them outside the city!"
Gao Changgong suddenly asked: "How to identify it?"
Wei Shibian looked at the officials around him and said, "It's just to see if their identities are true. It's them who are here to handle it."
The faces of several officials around him changed drastically at this moment, and they looked at each other several times, with panic visible to the naked eye.
Gao Changgong said again: "Give me a document regarding identity verification."
Bie Jia hurriedly said: "The matter was critical at that time. There were many officials who identified it. I am afraid they did not make detailed records. After a while, I will send someone to send the documents to Yecheng. Your Majesty can go to Yecheng to watch."
"I want to see it now."
Hearing Gao Changgong's words, Wei Shibian was immediately unhappy, "Chang Gong, originally the temple wanted me to be the governor of Youzhou, but you got there first. I don't blame you, but now here you are.
Command my men?"
Gao Changgong clenched his fists tightly, his expression constantly changing.
The atmosphere in the lobby became a little depressing at this moment.
The officials were afraid to speak.
Wei Shibian looked at Gao Changgong unhappily, and his mood was even worse.
Originally, he was running various operations, and he was about to get the job of governor of Youzhou, but Gao Changgong interfered and was reassigned here. I didn't blame you, but you came here to point fingers?
You are the king of the county, am I not?
Gao Changgong ignored him and just looked at these state and county officials coldly.
"There may be an army of thieves in the city, but are there really so many people?"
"Even at the south gate, I can see hundreds of corpses. How many are there in the other gates? How many are there that I can't see? Are those on the road also an army of thieves?"
"There are really so many thieves who would let you drive them out of the city so easily?"
Gao Changgong questioned word by word.
Biejia said quickly: "Your Majesty, I know that there must be people who have been wronged among them, but there is no way. It is difficult for the thieves to distinguish them. If they cannot be driven out, they will cause trouble, and more people will die.
?”
"This is all for the country and the world!"
"When we think of these things, we feel extremely heartbroken and find it difficult to sleep!"
Gao Changgong laughed, "Is that why you led King Changle to drink wine to smooth over the pain?"
Biejia looked at Wei Shibian in panic, not daring to answer.
Gao Changgong slowly looked at Liu Taozi beside him.
Liu Taozi just picked up the wine cup in front of her and drank it all in one gulp.
"Please don't look at me."
"These are all people who work to preserve the country and are colleagues of Chang Gong."
Gao Changgong immediately clenched his fists and his face turned red, "Here comes someone!!"
Immediately, several tiger-like and wolf-like sergeants rushed in from the door. Everyone was shocked when they saw them. The officials hid behind one after another. Wei Shibian was also startled. He jumped up and said, "High!"
Seriously! What do you want to do?!"
"Someone is coming!"
He also shouted.
The astonished county soldiers at the door hurriedly poked their heads in and looked inside. The sergeants turned around suddenly. They were so frightened that they dropped their weapons and squatted on the ground begging for help.
When Wei Shibian saw this scene, he finally panicked and hurriedly took a few steps back.
"Chang Gong, don't act recklessly. These officials are all officials conferred by the temple. If you don't uphold integrity, you can't do anything to them!!"
Gao Changgong's eyes widened, his face fierce.
He stepped forward in a few steps, grabbed the man, held him directly in front of him, pushed him to the ground, and pointed the sword directly at his neck, "Now tell the truth, and I can spare your life!
!”
Biejia was so frightened that his face turned pale, and Gao Changgong pinned him to the ground, complaining: "Your Majesty!! It's hard to tell the truth from the fake army of thieves. Rumors are spreading in the city. What can we do? We can only send all the suspicious people away.
Go out, it’s all for the sake of preserving the city! It’s for the sake of the country!!”
"If not, how will we face the temple if the city falls?"
"Pfft~~"
Gao Changgong raised the knife and dropped it, Biejia's head flew high into the sky, blood splattered everywhere, Gao Changgong's handsome face was half stained red by the blood, which made him look weird and ferocious.
He then looked at Wei Shibian who was standing in the distance. When Wei Shibian saw him like this, he slumped down on the ground and was sober from drinking.
"I don't know!! They did it all!"
"I'm just protecting the city!"
Gao Changgong looked at the sergeants around him and said, "Take down all these people!"
The sergeants did not hesitate and took action immediately. Many officials in the lobby, including Wei Shibian, were soon pinned down in front of Gao Changgong.
Gao Changgong raised his sword and paced back and forth in front of them.
"Everything you say is for the sake of the country, but what you do is the most despicable things!"
"The purpose of defending the city is to protect the people in the city and drive them out. What are you protecting?! It's just you!"
"How dare you speak so wildly and say that you are selfless for the country?!"
"Deserves to be killed! Everyone deserves to be killed!!"
Seeing the furious Gao Changgong, Wei Shibian lost his original courage and just kept reminding him, "Chang Gong!! Calm down!!"
"I know I was wrong! I am willing to go to the emperor to confess my guilt!!"
"Pfft~~"
Wei Shibian trembled all over and looked ahead in disbelief. Gao Changgong pulled out the sword stuck in his back.
Wei Shibian trembled and his blood surged. He didn't even finish his words, so he stopped immediately.
The officials were scared to death at this moment. Do you think the prince will kill him when he says he wants to?
Is King Lanling planning to rebel??
Gao Changgong pointed to the remaining officials, "Take them out and behead them in public!"
"Your Majesty, please spare my life!!"
"Spare my life!!"
The crowd began to cry, but the sergeant paid no attention to their cries and immediately dragged them outside the city.
Gao Changgong looked at the corpses on the ground. The hand holding the sword was still shaking. He returned to Liu Taozi expressionlessly, sat down, picked up the wine cup in front of him, and drank it all in one gulp.
The blood of the corpse spread rapidly, continuously expanding its area in the lobby, quickly dyeing the surrounding area red, and spreading in the direction of the two people.
Liu Taozi and Gao Changgong were both sitting in their original positions, motionless.
Liu Taozi said slowly: "When I first arrived in Hengzhou, Zu Jue came to join me."
"He persuaded me to take advantage of the chaos to capture Yecheng, take control of the government, and usurp the throne and proclaim himself emperor."
"I didn't agree."
Gao Changgong took another sip of wine.
"Why?"
"Because Da Qi is hopeless."
Liu Taozi didn't even hide it. He said seriously: "It's the same from top to bottom. It's completely hopeless."
"A wise emperor cannot save him, and neither can a wise minister."
"Even if such a temple is usurped, it will be just another Qi Liang people, and it will not help."
Gao Changgong's eyes were sad and he looked ahead in a daze.
"So what are you going to do?"
"Earthshaking."
"I have never had any ambitions. A few years ago, my biggest ambition was to seek a local official position in the south, so that I could take my mother there to avoid trouble and enjoy happiness."
"Later I arrived in Cheng'an."
"People eat people, ghosts eat ghosts."
Liu Taozi took another sip of wine and said, "I met some friends again and they all said they want to do big things with me."
"I changed my ambition and wanted to save these friends."
"Then I did a lot of things and made more and more friends, as well as enemies."
"I saw the people in Cheng'an who dared not walk on the road during the day, fearing that there was no tomorrow. I saw the people in Liyang were forced to offer Buddha statues and starved to death at home. The people in Boling were all reduced to slaves and had no place to stand. The people in Wuchuan were starving.
The belly fights the enemy."
"My ambition has changed again."
"I want to change my life."
Gao Changgong also took a sip of wine and asked, "Do you want to establish a country?"
"It can't be said that it's about establishing a country. I have no interest in being an emperor. I know that something is wrong with the world, but if you ask me to analyze and list it like Zu Jue and others, I can't."
"My idea is very simple. Kill all the insects in the world, end the war so that the Cheng'an people dare to walk on the road during the day, let the Liyang people not have to watch their families starve to death in front of them, and let the Boling people have their own houses and farmland.
, so that the people of Wuchuan can eat and drink enough to guard the gate."
"You are a good person. If there were more people like you in the world, there might be fewer people like me."
Gao Changgong suddenly laughed, "This is the first time Zhizhi has said this to me."
"Because the pseudo-weeks have been repelled, I can now calmly deal with these domestic insects."
"I don't want to embarrass you."
"Rather than letting you live in pain and confusion, I would rather explain it to you clearly."
Liu Taozi pulled out his sword and stuck it aside.
"When I was in Cheng'an, I received your kindness. I didn't have many friends, and you were one of them."
"Today, you have to give me an explanation."
"If you are willing to help me pacify the world and kill the insects, we will have a good time drinking wine today, and then we will go to Sizhou tomorrow."
"What if I don't want to?"
"Then let's have a fight in this room. Qu Bing, Xiong, Zi Li, Liu, and Zhang Laoli all respect you. If it is delayed until later, maybe they will take action against you. I
I don’t want them to bear this, and I don’t care much about reputation.”
Liu Taozi said seriously: "If you insist on having a fight with me, I will kill you here today, use these drinks to sacrifice, and then take your body on the road to Sizhou tomorrow."
"Can my death be blamed on Wei Shibian?"
"No, it would be too insulting for you to die in his hands. I'm here just in time."
"Ha, are you so sure you can capture me?"
"My ambition is greater than yours, and you will never be my opponent."
"Hahaha~~~"
Gao Changgong raised his head and laughed.
He suddenly reached out his hand and grabbed the wine cup in front of him.
“Eat wine!!”
Liu Taozi laughed and grabbed the wine cup.
Chapter completed!