Guangzhou, Donglai County, Ye County.
There was a commotion inside and outside the city.
The outside of the city was crowded with people, and the countless crowds surrounded the city. There was a sea of ​​people, and the crowd almost crushed the city wall.
I saw carriages blocking the official road. The guards were pushing each other and the carriage drivers were yelling at each other. Even the nobles who had always been weak were no exception at this moment.
A noble man leaned half of his body out of the carriage, pointed at the person blocking the front, and angrily scolded: "I am the Prime Minister of Tatecheng County! Get the hell out of my way!"
Someone in the carriage in front of him stuck his head out and cursed: "Nai Gong is the lieutenant of Le'an County! Who are you!!"
There was constant noise outside the city, and everyone was squeezing to get into the city.
In front of the city gate, there were many soldiers holding spears, and there were archers and crossbowmen in the distance to cooperate.
They are checking people entering the city.
The person in charge of the interrogation was a young nobleman. He had a good appearance, wore exquisite light armor, and was spotless. He stood in front of many soldiers and looked at the people who were about to enter the city.
A farmer was holding a child and wanted to squeeze in. Several soldiers raised their spears, but he did not dare to move.
"My lord, I have a past. I came from Qingzhou."
The young man looked at the other person up and down and said, "A hundred dollars for each person, two hundred dollars for two people."
The farmer's eyes widened, "Noble sir, just bring some food and let me go into the city!"
"No money? Then go to another city, the next one!"
The man waved his hand, and the peasant wanted to say something else. The soldier swung his spear, but the peasant did not dare to go any further. He hugged the child and squeezed into the crowd on both sides.
The next one was a carriage, but the driver still insulted the farmer just now and dared to stand in front of him.
The noble man in the car came down and glanced at the coachman. The coachman hurriedly handed over the pass to the young man, along with a small bag.
The coachman did this in a very subtle way. Unexpectedly, the young man handed the check back, picked up the money bag, opened it in front of everyone, made a few calculations, and then raised his head with a smile.
"not enough."
"What's not enough?"
"You have to pay five hundred yuan per person and eight thousand yuan for the carriage."
The young man looked at his followers and said, "Thirteen thousand dollars."
The noble man's face changed drastically, and he pointed at the young man, "I have never heard of the principle of having to pay money when entering the city! I am not a merchant!"
"You guarding the city gate, how dare you so blatantly extort people who enter the city, what do you want to do?!"
The young man laughed and said, "My surname is Cui and my given name is Cong. My brother-in-law is Li Gong, the governor of Guangzhou. This time, I am obeying Li Gong's order to guard this place and collect the city tax!"
"fart!"
The noble man immediately stopped pretending and took out his official seal, "I am an official from Qingzhou! Let me in quickly!"
Cui Cong raised his head and looked at him contemptuously, "Since you are an official in Qingzhou, why did you come to Guangzhou?"
"Don't want to pay?"
"Next!!"
"Wait a minute!"
The noble man stopped the other party and looked at the carriage. Soon, a servant took out a bigger bag and handed it to Cui Cong with difficulty. After Cui Cong took inventory, he allowed them to enter the city.
Then came another group of people.
This is the case at several city gates. The officials are extremely busy, busy 'checking' people coming in and out. There are also special soldiers responsible for transporting the results of these 'checks', with cart after cart of money going to the government offices.
Transport in the direction.
There was chaos outside the city, but it was not much better inside.
Along the road, people could be seen kneeling on the ground and trembling. Some people stretched out their hands and prayed, but no one paid attention.
There were cries everywhere, and more and more people poured into the city. These were homeless people who couldn't even find a place to stay.
The carriage transported the money all the way into the official office.
The door of the government office was wide open, and soldiers were patrolling back and forth.
The backyard of the government office.
Li Zuxun, the governor of Guangzhou, walked tremblingly in the backyard warehouse on crutches.
At this moment, the house was filled with all kinds of rare treasures, and coins were scattered on the ground. His wife, Mrs. Cui, who was much younger than him, held his arm and led him back and forth in the warehouse.
Ms. Cui looked at the shining golden treasures around her, and then glared at Li Zuxun beside her.
"Look, in just a short time, we have caught so many good things!"
"Are you still saying that my idea is wrong?"
Li Zuxun was not that old, but his back was stooped and his legs and feet were not very good. Facing his wife, he showed a flattering smile, "I'm not saying what the lady said is wrong, I just have my own concerns."
.”
"It's natural for those untouchables to ask for money from them."
"But among the officials and officials in Qingzhou, many of them have friendships with me, and we have a very good relationship with them on weekdays. Besides, many of them are well-known sages in the world. Isn't it inappropriate for us to treat them like this?"
Li Zuxun also came from a wealthy family, and Li Zu'e of 'Da Qi Sanhuang Pill' was his sister.
However, there was no magnanimity in his body, and his whole person revealed a vulgar and cowardly temperament.
Mrs. Cui was much stronger. Unlike her skinny husband, she looked taller and stronger than her husband. She frowned and cursed: "Bullshit friendship!!"
"Do these friendships count?"
"You are talking to them now. If you are in trouble, will they talk to you?"
"They came here on their own, so what if they pay the city tax?"
"As for those wise men in your mouth, they are all scared to death by Liu Taozi, so why bother?"
Ms. Cui's mouth was very fast, and she refuted Li Zuxun in an instant and was unable to answer. Ms. Cui looked at the treasures around her and said softly: "Only these are the most precious."
Li Zuxun also looked at those treasures. He swallowed and looked at Cui again.
"Madam, what you said is correct. However, Liu Taozi's army has arrived in Qingzhou, and I heard that Gao Chuo of Qizhou was quartered in public by him. Money is good, but we also have to find a way to save our lives.
"
"Don't worry! I've already thought about it for you!"
Ms. Cui raised her head, looking exactly like her brother at the city gate, and said, "Those people in the state are just trying to scare you. Gwangju is a big state and there are so many people from Qingzhou who have fled in. Even if they are recruiting, they are also trying to scare you."
He can recruit tens of thousands of people, tens of thousands of people, but if he can't defeat Liu Taozi, can't he still defend the city?"
"How difficult can it be to defend the city? If tens of thousands of people stand on the city wall, what can Liu Taozi do?"
Li Zuxun said hurriedly: "This is not how war works."
"Interrupting me again?!"
Cui's tone raised another level. She stared at her husband, "Are you the only one who is smart and everyone else is stupid? When did I miss it? Wasn't my opinion correct every time?"
"It's been so many times and you still don't believe me?"
Li Zuxun quickly lowered his head, "That's not what I meant."
"Then just listen to me. We can also charge some other fees. I still have many ideas, and I can come up with them one by one."
Cui's eyes flashed, and she said excitedly: "I told you a long time ago, the emperor of Yecheng is no longer counted. Now it depends on who has the strongest fist. This is only the income of a city, and
As for the other cities, I think you can replace the officials in the other cities with our own people, and we won’t be short of these anyway."
"Let them all go make money for us."
"And those piers!"
"We have to replace our people!!"
After looking at his warehouse, Li Zuxun returned to the central hall with the support of his wife, where he met with many officials under his command.
Everyone had been waiting for them for a long time. When they saw Li Zuxun coming, everyone stood up and saluted. However, when they saw Cui next to him, displeasure flashed across their faces.
Mrs. Cui secretly remembered these people in her heart, but did not show them.
Li Zuxun gasped and struggled to sit on the upper seat.
He looked at everyone with a smile, "You are all anxious to see me, but what happened?"
"Prince Governor!! Liu Taozi rebelled against Qingzhou and Qingzhou officials fled, but were unable to enter the city. What's the reason?!"
You Changshi immediately asked.
Li Zuxun was stunned, stroking his beard, and said slowly: "The city gate tax is also set up to resist Liu Taozi."
"If we don't have money, how can we raise an army and attack Liu Taozi?"
"I have ordered the generals from various places to set up defenses near Jiaolai, dig ravines, and set up defensive horses, all in a steady stream."
"These tens of thousands of people are on the front line, and their daily food and drink expenses are sky-high. I am merciful, but I cannot force the people to continue paying taxes. Apart from the city gate tax, is there any other way?"
Everyone looked at each other, and Chang Shi said again: "Master Governor, Liu Taozi has captured the entire Qingzhou. The Governor has fled and has no intention of fighting anymore."
"The only way to resist Liu Thief at the moment is to contact the righteous people in the world and fight together!"
"As for the cost of the army, good people from all over Gwangju are willing to contribute money, food, and even their own private slaves to express their loyalty!!"
It can be seen that these people are very anxious.
The main reason is that they also know in their hearts that once Liu Taozi successfully captures Guangzhou, they will only die. In order to protect themselves and their clan, these powerful and noble officials who never care who their master is, do not care about the cost at this moment.
He wanted to keep Liu Taozi out of Guangzhou.
Everyone came up with a lot of strategies, and spent money that they couldn't collect in normal times, gritting their teeth to block the enemy.
The change of government has always had nothing to do with these kind people.
But this time it has something to do with it. The newly arrived government officials have trouble getting along with good people, so they can no longer be stingy, and they must at least spend 10% or 20% of their family property to resist, right?
Li Zuxun sat in the upper position and just nodded stiffly without any opinion.
Ms. Cui stood beside him, listening to everyone's discussion, and smiled even more happily.
It turns out these people are so afraid of Liu Taozi.
Can I earn more?
Towards the end of the meeting, nothing was achieved.
Everyone had no choice but to take spontaneous actions to resist Liu Taozi, and people everywhere were busy with this matter.
More and more young people are sending grain trucks to the front line.
There are also more and more money trucks sent to the government office.
Everyone is doing important things.
It was pitch black.
Not a single starlight could be seen in the sky.
The West Pier of Yexian County was deserted, with no swaying boats in sight.
The door of the inn directly opposite was closed, and there was no firelight inside.
The water waves kept hitting the pier, making a swishing sound.
A few people suddenly emerged from the shimmering moonlight water. They grabbed the wooden board and easily pulled themselves up. Then they immediately looked around with vigilance.
After making sure that there were no soldiers around, they slowly stood up.
They were all wet, had steel knives in their mouths, and carried a cowhide bag on their waists, wrapped in several thick layers and tightly.
They tiptoed forward, crossed the sand, and came to the left and right sides of the post house. Several warriors looked at each other, picked up their steel swords, kicked open the door suddenly, and broke in.
I only heard two screams coming from the house, and then it calmed down.
After a while, the warriors walked out of the post house, dispersed, and walked around.
After a long time, these people gathered together again.
"No one?"
"Except for the three in the house, I didn't see anyone else."
"Okay, do it!"
The warriors tore open the tightly wrapped bags and took out the flints they needed, etc.
Then, I saw several torches appearing here.
In the light night fog, the light of the torches seemed weak, so they boarded the watchtower, which was also empty. After lighting the brazier on the watchtower, the firelight became slightly clearer.
On the calm water surface, some ripples gradually appeared.
A dark shadow appeared vaguely in the distance, approaching the pier on the shore.
The ripples in the waves grew bigger and bigger. Several large ships broke through the night fog and suddenly appeared in the distance.
The leader was a huge warship. It was a three-story building. The top was full of burning fire. The ferocious beast on the bow opened its bloody mouth. It was weird and terrifying. Countless small warships appeared around it.
, following this behemoth, slowly driving towards the shore.
The planks were pushed all the way from the warship to the dock.
Wang Lin was fully armed, holding a steel sword, and quickly stepped off the warship. Behind him, there were many soldiers.
More and more soldiers appeared here, and they began to enforce martial law around the area and dig shallow ravines as temporary defenses.
A warrior led a war horse and got off the ship.
Wang Lin sprayed mist from her mouth, looked around, summoned several officers, and took out the map.
He looked east and then looked at the map in his hand.
"The county seat is only three miles away from here."
"We have to rush outside the city as soon as possible and take down Li Zuxun and others before the enemy is prepared!"
"Ask everyone not to take a rest, assemble the charging vehicles immediately, and prepare to attack quickly!!"
"only!!"
But Yexian is not the same as before.
There were no longer so many fleeing people outside the city. As officials began to arrest people everywhere to send to the front line, the dead did not even dare to go this way.
It was quiet outside the city.
The city gate was closed tightly, and several guards on the city wall were sitting back to back, their heads hanging down, half dead.
In the silence, a group of people were approaching quickly.
One of the soldiers yawned, rubbed his eyes, stood up, and knocked down the person leaning on him.
The man cursed, but the soldier ignored him. He walked to the top of the city and took off his lower clothes for convenience.
The next moment, he saw countless torches in the distance.
Those torches were approaching the city silently.
The soldier was shaking all over. He pointed to the outside of the city, screamed and ran back without even lifting his clothes. The soldier was also frightened when he saw him running towards him with his naked body exposed.
"Enemy attack!!"
"Enemy attack!!"
There were screams of exclamation on the city wall, and finally someone lit a torch and someone started beating the war drum.
Wang Lin completely ignored the chaos on the city wall, slowly drew out her long knife, and pointed it forward.
"attack!!!"
"kill!!!"
The soldiers roared and charged forward, the crossbowmen fired continuously to suppress them, while the infantry raised their shields and protected the chariot as they rushed towards the city gate.
The entire county suddenly woke up at this moment, and the sound of war drums continued to spread, waking up everyone in the city.
Cries and howls sounded from all over the place, and the turmoil further expanded.
The streets were full of people running wildly.
Li Zuxun was lying in the house, hugging his wife and sleeping soundly.
Suddenly, there was a scream outside the door, which made Li Zuxun wake up suddenly. Cui woke up at the same time. The two looked at each other. Cui put on her clothes and rushed out of the house.
"What happened?!"
"Mother!! It's Thief Liu! Thief Liu's army is attacking the city!!"
"What?!"
Ms. Cui's little eyes widened and she cursed: "Bullshit! That Liu thief's army is still in Jiaolai, why are they here?!"
"Whoever spreads rumors here to cause trouble, I must have kidnapped him."
"Boom~~~"
There was a violent sound from a distance, like something was being pushed down.
Mrs. Cui's face gradually turned panic-stricken, and she immediately grabbed the slave in front of her, "Quick, quick!! Call everyone in! Go to the backyard warehouse and move things! Move things!!"
There was chaos in the Governor's Mansion. Mrs. Cui led her people to the warehouse and took matters into her own hands. She carried the babies out and asked the boys to load them into the car.
Everyone was busy loading and unloading, loading one car after another.
The shouts of killing are getting closer and closer.
"Mother! Leave quickly! If you don't leave, it will be too late!"
"No! Baby! My baby! How can it fall into the hands of thieves!"
"Get another one!"
“Just get one more thing!!”
Cui's face was ferocious and her eyes were bloodshot. She stepped forward and hugged the jade Buddha, which was half a man's height, and did not let go.
Chapter completed!