Changle Floating Life

After King Duan led his troops away, some survivors who escaped from Yunzhou City went to Qinghe County for help.Wu Xiaocun heard that the gangsters in the city were fighting among themselves because of the uneven distribution of spoils, and when they were killing each other, he immediately went to report to Pei Kai, the county magistrate of Qinghe.

Pei Kai's career has been ups and downs for many years, he has long been used to being wise and safe, and he knows that there is no way to hide this time, so he smiled wryly: "Sir, you already have a plan, why bother to ask me."

"That," Wu Xiaocun rubbed his hands, and said brazenly, "I want to borrow Mr. Pei's seal." Pei Kai had no choice but to untie the big seal on his waist, put it on the case angrily, and walked away.

Wu Xiaocun took his county magistrate's seal, recruited two thousand strong men in Qinghe County, and rushed to Yunzhou City immediately.Autumn was supposed to be a harvest season, but the scene along the way was even more miserable than the locusts crossing the border.There is no smoke for a hundred miles, the pillows of the dead, and the chickens and dogs are gone.When they arrived outside Yunzhou City, the patrolling people at the top of the city were relaxed. When they saw soldiers approaching the city, they all fled away.

As early as after Yuan Huaike swept up the armory and arsenal in the city, he regarded Yunzhou as a chicken rib, and took another elite and sturdy party to Xingping.Those left in the city are all rascals and refugees, and it is not difficult to subdue them.Wu Xiaocun took this team that was also hastily assembled, and it only took half a day to attack the city.The next step is to restore order, admit refugees, and punish lawbreakers.

At this time, Master Wu, who didn't know that he had won the first merit, was strolling around the city. Seeing the devastation everywhere, he couldn't help sighing: "The foundation of King Xing was destroyed once."

Besides, on Pei Zhaoye's side, he really met the rebellious party headed by Yuan Huaike.When Qiu Yu met, he was extremely jealous.All of a sudden, blood flowed and corpses were scattered across the field.Yuan Huaike led more than ten thousand people, who came from recklessness, and their arrogance was still alive, and they killed them with loud shouts.

Pei Zhaoye fought Yuan Huaike a few moves at the beginning, and the two were quickly separated in the chaos, but his eyes were always chasing Yuan Huaike.

Although the mob's heroism is commendable, but after a long time, it lacks stamina, and finally lost to the regular army.The thugs gathered for a long time, and the old teachers were tired of fighting. In the end, those who ran away ran away, those who surrendered surrendered, and the army was defeated.

Xu Shichen rushed to Pei Zhaoye and shouted: "Your Highness, they are all gone!" Pei Zhaoye gritted his teeth and said, "Keep an eye on Yuan Huaike, catch him alive!" Not afraid of death, he blazed a trail of blood.Pei Zhaoye followed closely behind, and rushed towards Yuan Huaike with his sword.

There were only a dozen or so horsemen and horses around Yuan Huaike, all of whom were cronies who followed him from the exile in the ice and snow.Someone shouted: "Brother, let's go, we can't stand it anymore!" Yuan Huaike swept his halberd left and right, and said, "Retreat slowly to the east, and I will cover you."

A group of people tried to break out of the encirclement, but Xu Shichen quickly caught up.Soon Pei Zhaoye also rushed over.When Yuan Huaike saw it, he sneered endlessly: "That's outside the hall of King Duan, who is delicate and fleshy. If we kill him, it's worth it."

It rained heavily all day and all night, and the rain had stopped for a while, but at this moment, there were lightning, thunder, and strong winds.The heavy rain was pouring, and both the enemy and us were so watered that we couldn't open our eyes.

What a day!

Xu Shichen's long halberd swept three or four people off their horses, Pei Zhaoye caught up with him and struck one with his sword.There are only two riders running ahead.There is a vast expanse of whiteness between the sky and the earth, and a huge old pagoda tree on the plain, Yue Zhi Yuan Ting, is generally clear as a landmark.The two riders rushed to the big tree, suddenly turned their heads and stopped.

Yuan Huaike looked at Pei Zhaoye who was galloping over, and said with a sneer, "Your Highness, don't come here without any problems."

Pei Zhaoye wiped the blood from his face, and said: "Yuan Huaike, you have lived through two dynasties, and the imperial court has shown great favor. Even after you committed a crime, His Majesty also extrajudicially mercifully spared your life. Why did you do this?" Is this something inferior to pigs and dogs?"

Yuan Huaike gritted his teeth and said, "You have to ask His Highness about that. I said that in the prison of Dali Temple that day, I only want Zuo Fengmian to pay for my son's life. But His Highness blindly shields him."

Pei Zhaoye held his breath in his chest, and it took him a long time to calm down: "I have already said it. Master Zuo is on behalf of the sky patrol hunter, and has the right to kill, so he can beheaded first and then played. Your son's death can't be blamed on others. You are so brooding. What's the use!"

In fact, his defense for Zuo Fengmian could not withstand careful scrutiny.Even if Yuan Shangqiu is guilty, Zuo Fengmian has the right to kill, but without a public trial, without giving the other party a chance to defend himself, and tempting people to death, it is not reasonable to say that killing them is not a crime.

Yuan Huaike kept on sneering: "You are in the same group, so naturally you are helping him to cover up."

It was raining heavily, non-stop.A big man beside Yuan Huaike said: "Youyun and the two prefectures suffered three years of severe drought and three years of floods, starving and dying everywhere, but the state capital has not opened a warehouse for a long time. The Lord has no way, the people are poor, and the thieves All over the world, there are battlefields outside Ganyang City. If His Highness really obeys the people's will, he should come with us to Xingping Cang to open a warehouse to release grain." He saw the needles, and never forgot to plot against King Duan.

"Shut up!" Pei Zhaoye reprimanded: "The national warehouse is being set up for the common people. When to open the warehouse is determined by the imperial court. How dare you intercept the warehouse and grab grain? How is it different from rebellion?"

The big man did not change his face and said: "Don't use this to prevaricate us. The common people only recognize one sentence: If you have milk, you are a mother. The world is waiting to be fed. Those who caress me will be the queen, and those who abuse me will be revenge. Everyone says that His Highness is wise, and His Highness will stand in the end." On which side?"

The rise and fall of a country is not based on how much millet it accumulates, but on the joy and sorrow of the people.Since ancient times, the common people have been worried and gathered together as thieves. There is no one who is not immortal in their country. Although the owner wants to pursue reform, he regrets it too late.

Pei Zhaoye's expression was extremely ugly, and there was no way to refute it, because the other party's words were reasonable.

Yuan Huaike, however, was too lazy to talk nonsense with him, and shook the halberd in his hand: "Your Highness, accept the move." As soon as he finished speaking, the burly man rushed towards Xu Shichen, and the two wrestled together, evenly matched.

Pei Zhaoye said: "Who are you in the capital? Is it the prince? If you tell me, I can spare your life."

"How can that stupid prince be with me?" Yuan Huaike said: "As long as Zuo Fengmian dies, I will tell you everything." The two fought with each other for more than ten moves, and the weapons confronted each other. Finally, King Duan couldn't help but said: "Do you know who Zuo Fengmian is?" "He is your lackey, guest in the curtain, steel knife for murder..." Yuan Huaike was full of obscenities.

Pei Zhaoye forced him back a few steps and shouted, "Fengmian is the son of Shi Qian who died at your hands 15 years ago."

With a strong palm, Yuan Huaike took a few steps back and stood still, with a dazed expression on his face, as if it took him a long time to remember who his old friend was.He covered his face with one hand, suddenly his whole body trembled, and he laughed loudly: "So that's it! Why is my face so familiar when I think that kid. It turns out that this is the law of heaven, and the retribution is not good!"

As if echoing his words, there was a sudden burst of thunder in the sky, and a bolt of lightning struck the big locust tree behind him.Pei Zhaoye had sharp eyesight and quick hands, rushed forward and rolled him into the muddy water with his arms in his arms.The lightning struck the big locust tree, and the tree was split in two instantly, and the branches were also burned.

At this time Xu Shichen had subdued the villain, and when he heard the thunder, he immediately turned to rescue him.He kicked away the long halberd, plunged the sword into the muddy water above Yuan Huaike's head, and shouted: "Be calm!"

Pei Zhaoye got up from the ground, looked down at Yuan Huaike, who was covered in mud, and gritted his teeth, "Don't die! You owe Fengmian and Jianqing an answer! You owe the people of Yunzhou who have been dragged down by you an answer!"

Yuan Huaike was lying on the ground with big characters, his face was ashen and he looked up at the sky. It was the first time he noticed that the smell of rain was so salty and cold.

At this time, the dispersed subordinates of King Duan gathered one after another.A person came forward with a letter box and said, "Your Highness, Lord Wu Xiaocun has led people to capture Yunzhou City." After Pei Zhaoye opened the letter box, he only glanced at it, and then frowned tightly: "There is no food in Yunzhou City. There are 20 hungry people."

"Nonsense!" Xu Shichen yelled: "The foundation of Longxing in Yunzhou has tens of thousands of strong soldiers, ten years of food support, and enough warehouses to prepare for evil years. How can there be no food?!"

In Wu Xiaocun's letter, he didn't explain much. He only said that most of the granaries were old grains that could not be eaten, and that there were many wounded and hungry people in the city, and there were still a large number of refugees who had to be resettled. People had been sent to nearby counties to borrow grain.

The emperor is not short of hungry soldiers.How Yunzhou City fell, I am afraid there is still an inside story.Pei Zhaoye felt cold in his heart, pinched the center of his eyebrows hard, and said loudly to his subordinates: "Follow me to Xingpingcang!"

Since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Xingping warehouses have been set up on the border of Youyun to store grain transported from the south of the Yangtze River via the Grand Canal and sea routes.Xingping Granary can store 3000 million tons of grain, and it is the largest granary in the whole of the north. Rice can be transported to Kyoto via the canal and Ganshui, and the land can meet the transfer and transportation needs of any place in the north.

After Pei Zhaoye arrived in Xingping County, he first met the county magistrate and grain officials.The other party was happy to hear that Yunzhou had recovered, but he started to prevaricate when he heard that he wanted to borrow food.The county magistrate of Xingping said: "Your Highness, we are also very concerned about the affairs of Yunzhou when Youyun is in the border. But for cross-border grain adjustment, the Ministry of Household Affairs must come forward."

Pei Zhaoye said: "I have sent people back to Beijing to ask Father for an order. Both of you are the first-class heroes in recovering Yunzhou. I will definitely speak well in front of Father."

The county magistrate of Xingping has been immersed in the officialdom for many years, how could he be fooled by his few words that are understated, but he couldn't refuse directly, so he signaled the food officer to speak.The food officer Zhangtoushumu said with a smile: "Your Highness, this Xingping warehouse is prepared for the capital, and it is also a military food transfer station in northern Xinjiang. How can it be used by ordinary people casually. What if there is any change in the barbarians? Yunzhou If there is a shortage of food, you can temporarily borrow it from the surrounding counties. If there is a famine in one city or one town, and the army rations are needed, it will be a mess. Your Highness should not embarrass me."

Pei Zhaoye glared at him angrily: "The country is based on the people, how can you love Cangsu and sit back and watch it die?"

The food official didn't see the county magistrate winking at him desperately, and he still said nonsense: "The unreasonable people are weak when they are cold and hungry. The country stores millet in case of danger, so how can they be scattered to feed the weak?"

How Yunzhou fell, he finally understood.The common people have been neglected to the extreme, and the country's society will be difficult to protect.

Pei Zhaoye pointed to the grain officer and said to the left and right: "Arrest him and open the warehouse to release the grain. I will bear the responsibility for the crime!"

The county magistrate of Xingping had a mournful face, and Pei Zhaoye grabbed one arm and went to the grain depot.There is an earthen city built outside Xingping Cang, and there are more than [-] miles around it. There are [-] grain cellars, each of which can store thousands of grains.Pei Zhaoye ordered someone to open one of the cellars. There were only two or three out of ten grains in the cellar, and it smelled musty.Xu Shichen went in and came out with a handful of rice, all of which were black and moldy, it was old grain from many years ago.

"Open it again! Look again!" Pei Zhaoye looked gloomy.Afterwards, more than [-] cellars were opened, but there was only a grain base left, let alone a full warehouse, and none of the warehouses were half full, and they all smelled musty and musty, and I don't know how many years they haven't been replaced.

"Is this the food and grass to prepare the capital and defend the northern border? Is this what the soldiers of the Great Zhou eat to fight?"

The county magistrate of Xingping was so frightened that he knelt down on the ground and said tremblingly: "Your Highness, Youzhou has not harvested for six years, and there is no other way if the harvest is not enough. The rice in the south of the Yangtze River has not arrived this autumn, and there is no time to replace it. It will be gone in winter." alright."

"Then why didn't you report to the imperial court or report to His Majesty? You have to cause a riot, and you still have to cover it up? The collection is not enough? Then how do you spend the national money allocated by the Ministry of Households every year? Add money and money every year. Where did all the fire consumption go?" Pei Zhaoye grabbed his lapel and yelled at him.

Duan Wang is indeed as Wu Xiaocun said, with his own bloody storm.

The violence all over his body, as if he wanted to eat human flesh, scared the magistrate of Xingping County and the people around him to the ground.He signaled Xu Shichen to bring the food officer up, drew his sword out of its sheath and pointed at him, "What do you have to explain?"

When the food official came to an end, he went all out, and said loudly: "Your Highness wants to imitate Cao Cao and kill me to suffocate people's mouths. It's just a crime. The harvest has not been harvested for many years, and it is difficult for a clever woman to cook without rice. The public funds are deducted, and the Ministry of Households will only give one hundred thousand Fifty thousand. Your Highness only wants to please people and buy people's hearts, not for the sake of the state, and he is not a loyal minister!"

"Okay, okay!" Pei Zhaoye smiled instead of anger: "If I kill you today, you will inevitably refuse to accept it. I will put you in prison first, and you will be dealt with by the law of the country. I have pierced the sky left and right. Now I will ask you: How many people are there in the warehouse?" Let me give you a real number of food that can be eaten.”

The food officer hesitated for a moment, then stretched out two fingers. "2000 million tons?" The other party licked his lips. "200 million dan?" The grain officer glanced around. "Isn't it [-] Dan?" The other party remained silent.

Pei Zhaoye put his hands on his forehead, completely losing his confidence: "Two thousand or two hundred, you decide."

"Two thousand dan."

Not enough to relieve a medium-sized county.

The general trend is gone.Pei Zhaoye looked up at the sky and thought to himself: Jianqing, how are you doing in the capital, you know that this place is like hell...

The situation in Beijing is really not much better.

After Ye Jianqing discovered the tunnel in Daxiangguo Temple that day, he sent people to check it out.After waiting for a meal, the previous investigators came back from where they were, and said: "The inside is very narrow, and there is nothing. The exit is outside the temple to the river bank of the Vajra Bridge."

Do you want to go by water?Zuo Fengmian immediately ordered people to close the shipping sluice.Ye Jianqing and him searched outside the temple, and the exit was next to a family's hut.Everyone endured the stench and found a few footprints, and chased them to the river bank.

There were intermittent bloodstains on the bank, and a group of people chased after Li Xu, and saw a person lying under the embankment not far away.Ye Jianqing's heart skipped a beat, and he ran away.It was a man in casual clothes. Turning it over, it was the traitor Pei Shouye they were looking for everywhere.

There were sword wounds all over his body, his face was pale, and he should have lost too much blood to death.Zuo Fengmian touched the corpse and said, "It's not stiff yet, it's not long since I died. It should be when we just arrived outside Daxiangguo Temple."

Who dares to kill the prince, Ye Jianqing's eyebrows were tangled for a moment, and he was at a loss.As expected of being from Dali Temple, Zuo Fengmian didn't feel panicked at all, so he asked Wu Zuo to do a restraint autopsy, and sent people to look for clues... Seeing that the sky was bright and the night had passed, he said to Ye Jianqing: "Master, I want to go back Gong reports to His Majesty, will you go with me?"

After this thrilling night, not only did the clouds of suspicion not dissipate, but they became thicker, piling up in the sky above the imperial city, as if Mount Tai was overwhelming.

Today's regular court has stopped.Pei Zhan also stayed up all night.After listening to Zuo Fengmian's report, he didn't move for almost a quarter of an hour.

Just when Ye Jianqing thought he was about to collapse, the emperor suddenly said: "Understood, you will be fully responsible for this matter. Tell me your thoughts, do you have any doubts?"

Zuo Fengmian was about to speak, when a voice suddenly came from outside the hall: "The minister, Gu Tingrang, has something to report to His Majesty."

Both Ye Jianqing and Zuo Fengmian's expressions changed abruptly, the air in the hall was as cold as a sword glow, and even Pei Zhan realized something, and said in a trembling voice, "Come in."

Gu Tingrang was quite implicated in the assassination of the prince during the day yesterday.Although he did not often walk around the inner court, he still had the duty of commander in front of the palace, so he was redeploying and deploying the troops of the Forbidden Palace day and night.

He entered the hall to greet him as usual, and reported to Pei Zhan the situation of the guards' shifts in the ban.After the report was completed, there was no reply from the emperor's encouragement or "kneeling down" or any reply.The four people in the hall froze like puppets.

After a long time, Pei Zhan said, "Zuo Fengmian, do you have something to say to Mr. Gu?"

Gu Tingrang looked up at Zuo Fengmian strangely, the latter's expression was unpredictable, unable to distinguish between joy and sorrow.Gu Tingrang had no choice but to say: "Master Zuo, long time no see, what can I ask?"

Zuo Fengmian saw that his expression did not seem to be fake, and said: "Your Majesty Gu forgets things, didn't we just meet?"

Gu Tingrang frowned and said: "I entered the palace at noon yesterday, and I haven't been out of the inner court so far. When did I meet Mr. Zuo?"

Zuo Fengmian stared at him firmly, and asked: "Master Gu said that he has never been out of the palace, is there any proof?"

Gu Tingrang said spontaneously: "All my subordinates can testify, even Your Majesty..." After he finished speaking, he couldn't help but look up at Pei Zhan. He had an audience with him in the palace last night, and Pei Zhan had a brief conversation with him.

Pei Zhan was noncommittal, flicking a finger on the imperial table, and said to Zuo Fengmian: "Zuo Jingzhao, you said that at midnight in the Xifang of the capital, outside the Daxiangguo Temple, you saw Mr. Gu leading a night patrol, is it true? "

Without waiting for Zuo Fengmian's answer, Ye Jianqing stepped forward: "Your Majesty, Lord Zuo and I both saw it. There are dozens of soldiers from Jingzhao Mansion who can also testify that it is Lord Gu. If Your Majesty has any doubts , you can investigate the Habayashi Army and Jingzhao Mansion soldiers who patrolled the night last night."

"I was on duty last night, and I never patrolled the capital." Rao even Gu Tingrang felt dangerous: "What happened?"

Zuo Fengmian glanced at Yuqian, sure that the emperor didn't hesitate, and said: "His Royal Highness King Ning was murdered last night."

The situation changed suddenly overnight.The day before they were still guessing who assassinated the prince, and the day before they were still arguing about whether King Duan had conspired against him or not.But within a few days and nights, he was suspected of murdering the prince.

Everyone participates in setting up the game, and everyone is caught in the game.

Gu Tingrang couldn't help clapping his hands and laughing: "It's such a great show, it's wonderful! Young Lord, you want to borrow Tingrang's head, just come and get it, why do you involve the Third Highness?"

"You don't spout blood!" Ye Jianqing said coldly: "Last night we chased from the Daxiangguo Temple to the riverside. King Ning just passed away not long ago. Before that, we only met you on the road."

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