Farmer of Shu Han

Hedong County, Dongyuan County.

As a county seat with water and mountains behind it, Dongyuan at this time did not show the momentum to guard the danger.

The walled city built of loess, because it has not been maintained for a long time, coupled with the wars in the past few months, looks a little damaged and dilapidated at this time.

Many places look like a barren hill of loess.

The original manor houses near the outskirts of the city had long since disappeared.

Because of the arrival of winter, the dilapidated houses do not even have the sound of insects, and are as quiet as a ghost house.

The occasional figures of animals such as foxes and weasels flashing past add a bit of weirdness to this place.

Under the setting sun with no temperature, the shadow of the house was elongated, making it look gloomy.

"Crack"!

The dull sound of a rotten wood breaking was heard slightly.

A dozen or so figures appeared in the alley between the houses, walking and jumping cautiously.

After confirming that there was indeed no one in this abandoned residential house, these people found a high place and quietly crouched down.

Then began to look at the Middle East wall city shrouded in the setting sun.

"Not to mention cutting down the trees around the city, even the houses around the city have not been cleared. It can be seen that these rioters have not thought about how to defend the city at all."

Someone muttered.

"Always be careful."

The leader of the scout who was observing did not look back, and said:

"In matters of life and death before the battle, the more careful you are, the more chance you will survive. Swords and arrows don't have eyes."

"Hey, boss, I just said that casually."

The speaker stretched his neck and glanced at the city wall, and said again:

"Just don't say that there are tens of thousands of rioters in this city? It's fine if the city gate is not closed. Why are there no people guarding the city gate? The city wall has collapsed so badly, why don't you talk about repairing it?"

The leader of the scouts stared intently for a while, then smiled:

"Isn't this just right? When the sun sets, let's see if we can sneak into the city through those collapsed openings."

If it was Thief Wei, they naturally wouldn't dare to be so bold.

But as far as the rioters in the city are concerned, the outside of the city does not even have the most basic defenses, which shows the degree of laxity.

For well-trained elite scouts, as long as they act properly, they may not be unable to break through the wall.

After making a decision, they found another well-preserved private house. After setting up a warning, they began to drink water and eat dry food, and then rested.

It gets dark early in winter, and shortly after the sun sets, a layer of mist forms on the ground, and the sky and the earth suddenly become hazy.

This group of scouts spread out, stepped through the dry grass outside the city, and began to touch the city wall while taking advantage of the twilight.

The process of climbing over the wall was far smoother than imagined.

Not only did the rioters not think about repairing the collapsed city walls, they didn't even guard the gaps.

Or maybe the walls had collapsed so badly that they couldn't mend them at all.

From the gap in the city wall into the city, you can see that there seems to be a little light in the distance.

This team of scouts bent down, using the parapet of the city wall as cover, and kept groping to get closer. The gray-stacked large area of ​​houses closest to the bottom of the city wall seemed lifeless.

When approaching the houses with lights exposed, shouting, singing, cursing, laughing and crying could be heard coming from under the cave-like roof.

The shadows refracted by the lights are like living things walking in the dark alley like a tunnel.

It was easy to touch the edge of the enemy's core, leaving the elite team sent to investigate the situation a little at a loss:

How could he have the confidence to refuse Junhou's order to recruit security, just like an opponent like a bird?

"Check inside again to see if there are any other discoveries..."

The scout captain whispered an order, and more than a dozen people began to disperse.

After crossing the periphery and reaching under the inner city, the scouts discovered something strange.

Unlike the chaos of the outer city, not only the gates of the inner city are closed, but there are actually guards on the walls.

Although it looked unprofessional, there were still people standing under the firelight in such a loud manner at night, and they could even be seen talking and laughing with each other.

Isn't this the obvious target?

Although I don't know if there are hidden sentries in invisible places, but it depends on the arrangement of these clear sentries and the various actions of the soldiers on duty under the fire.

Coupled with the outer city and all kinds of things outside the city, the scout captain can easily judge:

Although the rioters in the inner city, or thieves in other words, had initially formed an organization, they still could not pose a threat to the Liangzhou army.

However, since there are guards in the inner city, and you are not familiar with the environment, it is not easy to continue to sneak in, the risk is too great.

Quietly exit the city by the same route, and the team gathers at the original place, and when they are all together, they can gather up the situation they have scouted and send it to the rear.

After Liu Hun received the news, he was not surprised at all.

He found Han Long:

"Master, I'm sorry."

Han Long nodded and sighed: "I hope they can wake up in time."

The Wulin League put forward the slogan "The Great Hero, Serve the Country and the People" during the Great Cleansing of the River East, which is quite a reputation.

I came into contact with a lot of rangers, so I searched and turned around, found a few ways to get in touch with the leaders of the rioters, sent the Zhao'an order to them, and at the same time tried my best to persuade them to surrender as soon as possible.

This time, it was the deadline set by the emperor.

Obviously, Junhou no longer wanted to waste any more time on the rioters in Dongyuan.

Liu Hun nodded, but judging from the news sent back by the scouts, he had given up hope.

"Then I'll go back to the army first."

The rioters in the inner city of Dongyuan were completely unaware that a large army was already making final preparations less than a hundred miles away.

In other words, they didn't expect that a certain prince who had been admiring the scenery on the bank of the big river suddenly set his sights on one of the easternmost counties in Hedong County.

Liu Asi, the leader of the rioters in Dongyuan City, got up after three poles in the sun, served by a maid.

He was originally a low-level official in the Tuntian Hakka Mansion. When the news came that Bingzhou was attacked by the Shu captives, all the Tuntian Hakkas in the counties in Hedong were mobilized.

It's just that the Shu captives came too fast, which was beyond everyone's expectations.

Liu Asi was originally assigned to send a group of farmers to Anyi to serve as guards, but before he had gone halfway, he got the news that the Shu captives had already broken through the Guanjuejin Valley and went straight to the hinterland of the River East.

At that time, the news of Hedong changed three times a day, and people were panicked.

Before Liu Asi led the people to continue to move forward, the Shu captives had already arrived at the city of Anyi.

Well, this time, even if the road to Anyi is completely cut off.

As a small official in the Tuntian Hakka Mansion, Liu Asi often dealt with the Tuntian Hakkas, and knew very well the sufferings of the low-level Tuntian Hakkas.

Over the years, the farmers have either fled into the mountains, or seized the city to cause chaos, and various incidents have emerged one after another.

If it weren't for the suppression of the large army, there would have been many troubles in the past few years in such an important area like Hedong.

From Liu Ahsi's point of view, when the Shu captives entered Hedong, it was like being poured a bucket of oil on dry firewood that was sparking everywhere.

If he led these people back in this way, as long as the news of the Shu captives entering Hedong spread widely, he might have his head cut off in the middle of the night before he returned to Dongyuan.

And even if he could return to Dongyuan safely, it was unknown whether he would be charged with failing to rescue him because he didn't arrive in Anyi in time.

After coming to this conclusion, Liu Ahsi gritted his teeth and immediately gave up. He called everyone together.

It is only said that Anyi has been occupied by the Shu captives, and the people like myself are not able to rescue them, and I am afraid that they will be severely punished according to the law.

But if he continued to move forward, with people like himself, if he arrived in Anyi, he might also be sent to death.

Although the Tuntian Hakka Mansion can barely be regarded as a semi-military management, compared with the real garrison, it is not the slightest bit worse.

The garrisons in Bingzhou and Hedong couldn't stop the Shu captives, so how could they be the opponents of the Shu captives?

Bewitched by Liu Asi's half-truths, half-truths, threats and threats, thousands of villagers only knew that they had nowhere to go.

They were deeply oppressed in Japan, and Liu Ahsi took the opportunity to raise his arms in this situation, and these farmers directly turned against him.

They robbed the nearest small county seat, and then found a mountain, and used it as a temporary hiding place.

The subsequent development of the situation in Hedong was as expected by Liu Ah Si.

No, the chaos in Hedong was more violent than Liu Ah Si thought.

Shu captives entered the country, civil unrest broke out everywhere, the government surrendered, and some fled. Who would remember Liu Ahsi and the others?

Taking advantage of the chaos, Liu Ahsi led the villagers back to the familiar Dongyuan, and easily captured the county seat.

Naturally, the semi-militarized farmer can't compare with the regular garrison, but it has many advantages for the unorganized mob.

With a place to live, the surrounding rioters were either annexed by Liu Ah Si, or they took the initiative to surrender. At that time, more than 30,000 rioters gathered in Dongyuan City.

Liu Ahsi first anticipated the situation in Hedong, and in the past few months, he took advantage of the situation and his power continued to expand, so he suddenly became a little flustered:

Chen Sheng and Wu Guang can only be called kings if they only lead 900 people. I can call myself "General Zhenhedong" at any rate, right?

This is also the reason why he did not accept the recruitment order:

I have already taken the name of the town of Hedong, and if I want to surrender, I have to promise the position of county guard no matter what. Who are you trying to fool with that field?

Compared with Zhiguan, the Han army is really stingy.

After eating, I don't know if it was breakfast or lunch, but Liu Ahsi received a report from the servants:

"General, the Han army has sent someone to send a security order."

Picking his teeth, Liu Ah Si casually asked:

"What about the conditions?"

"It's still the same as last time."

"Bah!" Liu Ahsi spat out the food residue in his mouth and expressed his disdain at the same time.

"General, this time it's Chief Liu from Hei'er Village, do you want to meet, General?"

The so-called chief Liu is a village owner of the manor at the foot of the mountain in the south of Dongyuan.

Since they have the same surname, and their ancestors have been in Dongyuan for three generations, the two of them really have to be counted, and they are barely related.

This Chief Liu has a big family and a great business. He has taken in many followers before, and there are even knight-errants in and out of him. He is a prominent figure in this area.

After the chaos in the east of the river, although Liu Zhaizhu, a local snake, did not occupy the city like Liu Asi, but he pulled some people and horses, built a stronghold, and guarded against the mountain, that is the foundation.

"Even he plans to join the Han army?"

Liu Ah Si was a little impatient, "Forget it, let's meet."

Calling him Chief Liu is just to save him face.

In fact, it's not that he didn't think about detaining Chief Liu and annexing Hei'er Village.

But there are quite a few rangers in Hei Er's cottage, if something happened to Chief Liu, he might have to face the assassination of rangers.

From Liu Ah Si's point of view, he is now at the moment of laying the foundation for his great cause.

For a village with only two or three hundred people, not only ruined his reputation, but also let himself be missed by the ranger, it's not worth it.

It's just that Chief Liu came here in person this time, and he was destined to return disappointed.

Unlike Chief Liu who was lonely when he left, Liu Ah Si standing at the head of the inner city was full of ambition.

Although the rioters in the outer city were chaotic, in his eyes, they were his private parts and his wealth.

Liu Ahsi watched Chief Liu and several of his subordinates disappear outside the city, his eyes casually looked into the distance, and suddenly his body froze!

At the limit of the line of sight, it seems to be different from the past.

"what is that?"

Liu Asi murmured to himself.

The inner city is not too high, and the outer city wall and various obstacles outside the city seriously blocked his sight.

Along with the change in sight, there seemed to be a faint sound of thunder.

Hu Qi still kept the habits of their tribe, roaring in the wilderness, making all kinds of strange calls.

Someone rolled and climbed up the inner city wall:

"General, general, it's not good, there is an enemy outside the city, the enemy..."

He spoke incoherently, as if he had been frightened stupid.

Standing there, Liu Ahsi looked at the crowds of people in the distance outside the city, like black monsters rushing towards Dongyuan City, his face turned pale.

It's not that he never thought that one day, the Han army or the Wei army might appear under Dongyuan City.

But in the past few months, defeating nearly ten groups of rebels gave him a powerful illusion.

More importantly, isn't the Han army at a stalemate with the Wei army by the river?

The Wei army at Zhiguan has never dared to come out. Even if they dared to come out, the first goal would only be to flank the Han army.

So where did the army coming towards Dongyuan come from?

Liu Hun raised his binoculars and looked at Dongyuan City. As the scouts said, many parts of the city wall could be passed by a horse, and they couldn't stop them at all.

"Pass down the order, find a way to drive out all the people from the outer city, gather them in one place, and then surround the inner city!"

"promise!"

...

"Wow!"

The door of the shed was pushed open, and some cold air leaked in, but the person who came quickly closed the door again.

"Mom, I'm back."

The fourteen-year-old boy has a duck voice unique to his age.

"Are you back? Are you hungry? There is food left by the fire pit, wash your hands first."

A woman answered while pouring some hot water into the tub.

The young man responded, walked over to wash his hands, then sat down by the firepit, and started to gobble it up.

Compared with the meals he had eaten before, the meals at this time can only be regarded as crude.

But the mother and son seem to have gotten used to this kind of life.

"Are you hungry? Why did you come back so late?"

The woman looked at her son with pity and guilt.

"Something happened in the military..."

The young man answered vaguely while eating his supper.

After eating, he poured himself another bowl of hot water, took two sips, and then said:

"Mother, the army is now going to select some locals to help manage the place. I, I want to try."

The woman who lowered her head and took advantage of the flames to mend clothes did not expect her son to say this, she suddenly raised her head:

"no!"

"Why?"

"Your surname is Pei. How many people in Hedong haven't heard your name? If you act like this, don't you vote for..."

When the woman said this, she glanced at the door subconsciously, and then lowered her voice:

"Thieves?"

Pei Xiu smiled wryly:

"Mother, what is the difference between us now and surrendering to the thieves, cough, I mean, what is the difference between us now and surrendering to the Han army?"

"It's not the same." The woman wrinkled the clothes in her hands vigorously, and at the same time, she emphasized her tone, as if she was persuading the child and comforting herself:

"We are forced now. Even if we return to the Pei family in the future, others will not blame us. But if we take the initiative to surrender, the Pei family will no longer be able to accept us."

Pei Xiu, on the other hand, was somewhat disapproving of what Grandma said:

"What are you doing back home? The Pei family is now... hum!"

Seeing her son's dissatisfaction, the woman persuaded:

"Although I come from a humble background, you will inherit the title in the future, how can you belittle yourself?"

It turned out that Pei Xiu's aunt's mother died early, and Pei Xiu was known as a "backward leader", so although he was a concubine, if nothing else happened, there is a high probability that he would succeed his father Pei Qian's title.

Therefore, what the mother and son said to the outside world is really half-truth and half-false.

The reason why they fell into the hands of the rioters in the country manor was actually because Pei Xiu's grandfather passed away. They were rushing to the funeral, but they didn't expect to encounter military riots on the way.

It's just that what Pei Xiu saw and heard in the army in the past few months made him think otherwise:

"Mum, it's hard to say whether I can inherit the title of your lord in the future!"

The woman is a little confused.

Pei Xiu got up, walked to the door, looked out quietly, and made sure there was no one, then came back and said in a low voice:

"Today I heard news that Feng Junhou led the army back to Anyi."

"It's that Feng ghost... Feng thief, no, I mean, that Feng Junhou?"

Pei Xiu nodded: "Not only is Feng Junhou back, but he also brought back a piece of news."

He paused:

"Da Sima has been defeated and is now leading the army out of Guanzhong."

"What?!"

Pei Xiu looked at Grandma and said seriously:

"Mother, you also know that Feng Junhou has been standing by the river in front of him, confronting Da Sima."

"Now that he led the army back to Anyi, he not only promulgated an order to stabilize Hedong, but also selected local people to help manage the place. What does that mean?"

There was a sudden silence between mother and son.

After a long time, Pei Xiu quietly asked and answered herself:

"It means that the news that Da Sima withdrew from Guanzhong is very likely to be true, and the big man is already preparing to manage Hedong..."

Ever since Pei Xiu could remember, Great Wei had lost Longyou and Liangzhou.

Now Bingzhou is lost, Hedong is lost, and Guanzhong is lost...

No matter what Wei Guo said that he is the most righteous in the world, it is an indisputable fact that he has fallen behind in the competition with Han in these years.

So it's hard to say how attractive Wei's title is.

"Mother, our Pei family, we don't know how much energy we have left in this turmoil. Instead of relying on the adults, we might as well find a way to save ourselves."

After hearing Pei Xiu's words, the woman raised her head:

"You have to think about it. You are different from the rest of the Pei family. You are a late leader with a good reputation. Once you make a decision, it will affect many people in the Pei family."

Pei Xiu nodded:

"It is precisely because I am the late leader of the Pei family that I want to try."

The woman was silent again.

"Well, since you've made up your mind, I won't stop you. You're right, the Pei family should think of a way out."

PS:

In the previous chapter, a book friend pointed out that the population of Hedong was wrong. I took a look and it was indeed a problem.

Because when I wrote it, my mind was full of three rivers, and I thought of Hedong as the whole of the three rivers.

According to the peak population statistics of the Western and Eastern Han Dynasties, plus the proportion of population loss at the end of the Han Dynasty, and the real population estimate after the unification of the Jin Dynasty, I personally think that the real population of the land of three rivers (namely Hedong, Hanoi, and Henan), including the hidden population, should be There are more than one million.

Henan is the most, followed by Hanoi, and Hedong is the last, but the difference between the three is not too big.

So the total population of Hedong has been changed to 300,000, thanks to the book friends for their corrections.