Delong

Chapter 426 Traveling to Mountains and Seas (3)

Early on the morning of the sixth day of February, the sky was gloomy, and there was a faint hint of spring rain.

This is the township of Guizhi in Wuyang County. On the official road three miles outside the city, a group of dozens of cavalry warriors are standing idle on the road, and their guards are young men from the Taiyuan-Wu'an coalition army camp by the Qingzhang River. Xuan Qiao, the scribe, was standing in front of the bulletin board at the intersection, staring at the notice above in a daze.

That's not to mention, after staring at the notice in a daze, he climbed a hill next to the mountain road that had completely turned green, and stared in a daze at the endless green fields around him like a chessboard.

In this way, I watched for a long time, and saw that the drizzle had already fallen, although it was not a problem at all, although it meant that I knew that this young Mr. Fang had a real big backer, and his background, knowledge, and ability were not low. However, due to a certain professional ethics and strong sense of ownership, Dou Li, who led this team of knights to join the army, still took the initiative to come forward and ask:
"What is Mr. Fang looking at? Why don't we go to the city? Will it delay things?"

Fang Xuanqiao looked back at the other party, as if in a daze, then cupped his hands and smiled: "To be honest with Dou, joining the army is just looking blindly. As for why blindly looking, it is to delay time and make a test... We went to the north of the city last night. The other party should have known about the place ten miles away, and under the leadership of Lord Yuanfu, Wuyang County has always been cunning. It's time to make a decision and see how he behaves."

Then Dou Li immediately understood... It's very reasonable to put on a show.

Seeing this, Fang Xuanqiao also smiled.

Sure enough, after waiting for more than an hour, as the drizzle fell like feathers across the fields outside Guixiang, a large group of people and horses poured out of Guixiang, hundreds of people, all of whom were well equipped on foot, cavalry, civil and military. , and even Chuichuidada came to the north of the city.

When he came up to him, it was Jun Cheng himself who brought someone out to greet him, and his words were humble and cautious, showing no doubt that he was ingratiating. At this time, Dou Li even admired Fang Xuanqiao a little.

In this way, when the two sides met, since Wuyang County heard that the British messenger had arrived, they did not dare to be negligent, and directly led the group into the city of Guixiang, and then came to the government office, where Fang and Dou saw all of them. Yuan Baocun, the governor of Wuyang, the warlord of Hebei, and the clan of the former dynasty, who has always stood firm in the Hebei tide.

The status, background and qualifications of the two parties were too different, even Dou Li began to be cautious when he came in front of this person.On the other hand, Fang Xuanqiao was still able to talk and laugh freely, greeted the other party, and could be said to be neither humble nor overbearing, which made Dou Li more convinced.

When the two parties came to sit down in the hall, Fang Xuanqiao presented the letter written by Bai Hengqiu and the documents of the Ministry of War issued by Duan Wei one by one.

Yuan Baocun read it carefully, sighed slightly in his heart, but did not change his face at all, and first asked some gossip: "You are the son of Duke Huai Tong, and your ancestral home is Qinghe? The Fang family of Qinghe?"

"Exactly." Fang Xuanqiao quickly got up and answered seriously. "Currently from Qi County, he traveled to Guanxi with his father and studied in Jin with his teacher."

"It's all alive." Yuan Baocun also laughed. "Sit down, where is Mr. Huaitong now?"

"At the place of General Xue Gong and Xue." Fang Xuanqiao sat down and answered.

"Where is General Xue?" Yuan Baocun continued to ask.

"I don't know." Fang Xuanqiao looked back at Dou Li who was sitting on his hands, nodded, and then returned to continue talking with Yuan Baocun. "However, based on the time, General Xue and my mentor were on the north bank of the Qingzhang River on the fourth day of the lunar new year, about a hundred miles away. If it's fast, we should arrive tomorrow or the day after."

Yuan Baocun nodded, thoughtfully: "So who is the messenger sent to General Xue? People from Li Ding or people from Dongdu?"

"It's Mr. Li's student..."

"Oh, I have the impression that he is quite a shrewd and capable young man..." At this point, the man suddenly asked. "How is the battle ahead? Has Zhang Xingke been captured?"

This is very offensive. Wuyang County is right behind the battlefield, otherwise Wuyang County would not be allowed to undertake the logistics transfer, and the time has passed for a whole day, and it is impossible for Yuan Baocun to not know the battle situation, even if it is I don't know, so what if I just read the letter?
Dou Li looked at Fang Xuanqiao worriedly.

But the latter just smiled slightly: "To tell you the truth, the Duke of England, Duan Shangshu, and Lord Li Fu have joined forces with [-] troops to surround the dragon thieves with [-] regiments. Flee, next, they are about to wipe out the Qinghe enemy's occupied city. At that time, it will not be impossible to escape, but a ten-fold siege with ten times the army supplemented by dozens of cities. Zhang Thief can only take the dragon The elite of the gang are waiting to die in fear by the Qingzhang River... and the separated parts of the Zhulong Gang are like remnants of severed heads, and I am afraid they will be slaughtered... or even worse."

"Eighty thousand...surrounded on all sides...the remnant body with severed heads...something makes sense." Yuan Bao was right, calm and composed. "But is Fulong Seal so powerful?"

"It's really amazing." Dou Li interjected.

"Actually, I still know a little about the affairs of the Chulong Gang." Yuan Chuang couldn't help but sighed. "Zhang Xing is a rare and generous person. He is rare in the world, but he has no great talent... It doesn't mean that he has no talent. He has talent. He is a genius and an all-rounder, but he has no great talent... He knows it himself, so On the one hand, he is always engaged in his Dragon Gang, using the system to bind people, but on the other hand, he is always eager to attract talents, regardless of his background, whether he is rich or talented, he can accept them all."

"As expected." Dou Li greeted him immediately. "Yuan Gong wants to say that he is too eager for talent, but ignores virtue, so that the members of the Dragon Gang are mixed together, and they may break up? My British Duke also said the same."

"It doesn't mean the same thing." Yuan Baocun waved his hands in response. "I mean, his actions like this will make those truly ambitious people quite restrained. Today's siege depends on whether his Dragon-Dragon Gang's structure can trap these people. If it can't be trapped, it will stand on its own. Self-reliance, defection, that is the situation you mentioned... There are quite a lot of such characters in the Dragon Clan."

"Yes..." Dou Li was embarrassed for a while.

Seeing this, Fang Xuanqiao quickly smiled and said, "This is a new theory, and most people think that it will be caused by the traffickers and pawns below."

"You guys are underestimating Zhang Xing, he is still very manipulative to the people below." Yuan Baocun also laughed, returning to be solemn. "Besides, to be honest, this kind of person who has great skills but has a humble background can live comfortably under his command... Even the lowest fighters, at least they don't need to count meritorious grades, right?"

At this point, Yuan Baocun suddenly passed Fang Xuanqiao to look at Dou Li: "Boy of the Dou family, what rank do you rank in the army?"

"Naturally the first class." Dou Li immediately stood up and answered boldly, and then wanted to speak.

"What about him?" Yuan Baocun didn't wait for the other party to speak, and pouted his mouth again to signal. "Where's this one from the Fang family?"

Dou Li thought about it carefully, and answered seriously: "Brother Fang has the best talents and virtues, and he is a disciple of Duke Huai Tong, but it is a pity that the military theory only looks at father and son, clan, not teacher. It's not Xungui, he himself has not been an official, so he can only be second class."

"Look." Yuan Baocunfu smiled and looked at Fang Xuanqiao. "A person like you is only the second class. When it comes to war, no one can rise faster."

Fang Xuanqiao couldn't help laughing.

In other words, what is the merits and grades in the military?

That is to say, the world has been in chaos for hundreds of years, and military merit is the most important, so the means of calculating military merit are already very developed and fair, but the military merit system is well developed, and it is difficult to cheat. In this way, even if it is necessary to discuss the origin, the emperor and the old man have to admit it, so what should we do?

It's very simple. According to the background, a coefficient is set in addition to the summarization of military merits. The sons of nobles, those with official status and titles are the first, and then they are arranged gradually. Basically, beheading one person from the first rank is equivalent to beheading ten from the bottom rank.

If it is a collective skill such as jumping and danggong (first ascending), basically all the children of the nobles can join the Chinese army as a member of the army.

In fact, there are a lot of similar things in Wei, including the classification of crimes, ups and downs, high and low class called a clear character, I am afraid that your class will jump or slip... But how to say it?In fact, it is still better than when the ancestors came to the east. At that time, it was still a typical aristocratic politics. Now, although the imperial examination can only be used as a minor official, you can be an official after all. Although crimes and promotions are graded, But after all, it is possible to punish nobles and promote ordinary people.

"It is the one who has been reckless for three years and is regarded by Bai Gong as the enemy of the world." Fang Xuanqiao sighed after laughing. "You are still so young, you must have your own means, how can you underestimate it? It's just Yuan Gong, let me ask one more question, if you say it like this, what if there is no ambition but a genius with him?"

Yuan Baocun paused, thought for a while, and then answered seriously: "If this is the case, I'm afraid it's like a fish in water... What he wants is this kind of person, and this kind of person can show their talents under him, otherwise you think Why is he so devoted to Li Ding and the Li Fujun, admiring Bai Sanniang and Sima Erlang, and Wei Xuanding, Xiong Bonan, Cui Suchen, Chen Bin, Shan Tonghai and others are also so loyal to him?"

Fang Xuanqiao was slightly taken aback, but didn't say anything.

"Is Wei Xuanding also loyal to Zhang Thief?" Dou Li, who had obviously done some homework, took the initiative to speak out.

"At least that's what he told me." Yuan Baocun didn't hide it, but he didn't continue on this issue either. "Just now you said Bai Gong, Duan Gong, and Li Silang, totaling more than [-] people? And it's not enough to use only soldiers and horses, and we are going to sweep the entire county of Qinghe, so that we can share the essence of the Dragon Clan with Wuyang, Wu'an, and Xindu. Consumed here?"

"Yes." Fang Xuanqiao seemed to have recovered. "More than [-] people, sweep the entire county of Qinghe."

"And then said that General Xue Changxiong will be here in two days?"

"Correct!"

"How many soldiers does General Xue have?"

"Thirty thousand." Fang Xuanqiao blurted out. "This point can be guaranteed."

"That's right." Yuan Baocun bowed his head on the main seat. "General Xue should have this force, it's hard for you to persuade him."

Fang Xuanqiao didn't speak, but looked back at Dou Li again.

Dou Li seemed to understand, and immediately added: "I don't want to hide from Duke Yuan, Duke Feng, and a leader of the rebel army who defected to our British Duke before, called Wang Chenkuo, will also join the army, and there are estimated to be 2 people... In addition, it was heard that our Baigong came out of the Red Mountain, and Hebei was terrified. Luo Shu, the head of Youzhou, sent an envoy, saying that he would personally lead Youzhou Tuqi to meet him... Hebei heroes from all over Hebei came. Now, Thief Zhang must die without a place to bury him."

"Youzhou Tuqi?! Luo Shu?!" Yuan Baocun finally laughed, while the officials standing in front of the gate turned pale. "Does it seem that I don't know how to be flattering? People are so far away and they are eager to lean towards them, but I am motionless at the door. Will I be captured and punished?"

"It's not like that." Dou Li hurriedly comforted him. "Yuan Gong has another reason here, but as long as Yuan Gong's transfer is done properly, no one will treat Yuan Gong as an outsider."

"Oh." Yuan Bao's status suddenly dawned. "Is it okay to transfer properly?"

"Yes."

"Then do you know how much effort it takes to transport the food and fodder of an army of 150 to [-] people across a distance of [-] miles?" Yuan Baocun sneered. "The food left in Liyang warehouse is enough, but I'm afraid there won't be enough people in Wuyang county!"

"Wuyang County has more than a million people and 30 adults?!" Dou Li seriously argued. "It's only ten days of service."

"Don't you need spring plowing?" Yuan Baocun finally snapped.

Dou Li was stunned for a moment, he really hadn't thought about this issue, or, in his heart, he thought that Chun Geng was incomparable with the current war... This is a war that will play a key role in the general trend of the world.

"Yuan Gong, there are some things that need to be chosen." After thinking this, the noble son of the Dou family earnestly persuaded him. "Both Duke Ying and Duke Duan have said that the only thing in the world that can shake Guanlong is Hebei, and the rest of Hebei is not good enough, or they are their own people. Only one dragon thief is the most important thing, so this battle is of great importance. , how can we delay major events because of mere spring plowing?"

"The reason why the Great Wei Dynasty is today is because of the recruitment of civilian husbands, and because of major events that delayed the spring plowing..." Yuan Baocun replied quietly. "I have been in Hebei for five or six years, and this is what impressed me the most."

Dou Li didn't know what to say, he didn't dare to act like Yuan Baocun, so he could only go and see Fang Xuanqiao.

Fang Xuanqiao smiled when he heard the words: "Duke Yuan, have you been bewitched by the dragon thief, or simply fell into someone else's scheme? I was reading the notice on the road, and there was an announcement on spring plowing announced by the dragon thief a few days ago... We have been informed of possible wars, and if we don’t pay close attention to spring plowing, we won’t be able to last until next year just by relying on the grain released at the end of the year...is this the case?”

"That's the notice issued by Zhang Xing, who was surrounded by you and walked forward to Jiangling Xingtai, and it was posted by patrol riders." Yuan Baocun narrowed his eyes. "And you just came today. Before that, should I tear it down for no reason? What's more, it's the beginning of February, which is the time for spring plowing. They posted spring plowing notices in accordance with the weather, but you let me Go against the sky!"

Fang Xuanqiao was silent for a while, and then slowly asked after a while: "Then what does Duke Yuan mean?"

This time it was Yuan Baocun's turn to be silent.

"Then I'll take the liberty to say a few words." Fang Xuanqiao sighed. "Truth is truth, swords and guns are swords and guns... The current situation is, Yuan Gong, as a messenger, I have to say something no matter what, today's matter is not up to you and me, please don't get angry, Yuan Gong, just do what you have to do." Do it, because the swords and guns are right there; secondly, reasoning, the morality of this world is that each individual has his own reasoning, Yuan Gong, as the governor of the county, stayed in Wuyang for five or six years in troubled times, and now this matter, It’s digging your roots, of course you have grievances, but let’s not talk about British Duke and Duan Gong, even Dou Jianjun next to him, his reasoning is completely opposite to yours, you can’t fundamentally convince anyone with reasoning; in the end , that is, please write down your reasoning, your reasoning, and we will forward it to Baigong."

Yuan Baocun sighed quietly: "I will do things, and I will write down the truth, but I still have to say something that I dare not say in the letter...Bai Gong is really like Cao Che! If this continues, Zhang will be defeated for a while. Okay, as long as they are alive, they can make a comeback in a moment, and Hebei will never be stable."

"Why do you want him to be stable?" Seeing that the other party was subdued, Dou Li, who only felt comfortable all over, stood up, and after skipping a certain sentence, he was right. "It's best to keep Hebei from being stable forever, otherwise how can Guan'an be stable? Why should you think about Hebei because of the status of Duke Yuan?"

Yuan Baocun was taken aback for a moment, but he became a little dazed.

On the contrary, Fang Xuanqiao, who sat there and returned to normal, couldn't help laughing.

Spring rain is as expensive as oil, Fang Xuanqiao "smoothly" completed the task, and left the chaotic and uneasy Guixiang with the letter from Yuan Baocun. He stopped like a ghost, and then stepped forward to check the bulletin board again, only to find that the notice was still there.

After looking at it twice, I saw a hand reaching out again, and tore off the notice right in front of Fang Xuanqiao.

"It should be torn up when we go." Dou Li sneered. "It's even more inappropriate to keep it at this time."

Fang Xuanqiao glanced at the other party, without changing his expression, he just turned around, got on his horse, looked at the farmers in the fields along the way, and walked slowly.

This spring rain not only fell on a mere county of Wuyang, but also not only the surrounding areas. In fact, there were many spring rains falling on the upper and lower reaches of the river.Even in the eastern capital, hundreds of miles away, it was rare for a spring rain to fall.

However, while the people in other places were instinctively rejoicing for the spring rain, a huge shadow was shrouded in Dongdu, with both undercurrents and fierce conflicts... It was also the reason, the lag of news among different classes caused everything.

After the expedition, the eastern capital was empty, causing some kind of panic, which is the first floor;
The situation in Hebei has changed drastically, and the black tower collapsed, which is another layer;
It is conceivable that in two days, the news of the battle in Hebei will produce a new wave of fluctuations;
However, right now, a newer incident has stirred up troubles in the Eastern Capital earlier... because this incident happened in the Eastern Capital.

"Zhongcheng is back!" At noon on the sixth day, Li Qingchen sat on the manger in the backyard of a small house in Chengfufang, looked at the rain outside the shed, and said something earth-shattering. "But dying."

Qin Bao, who was shirtless and lowered his head to mix the horse feed, finally stopped.

ps: Thank you Master Zhang Daling for your alliance!
　"The blind man catches the knife man, ten thousand level Loulan slashes, invincible!" "

Killing decisively and refreshingly, Never the Holy Mother, a new book by an outstation boutique old author, the text is concise and powerful, very cool, if you are interested, you can try it out!
　
(End of this chapter)