Qin Official

Lu Jia's hands were tied and he knelt beside the cauldron. He could feel its scalding heat and sweat broke out on his forehead!

The shape of the large bronze tripod in front of you is a round mouth with square lips, a bulging belly and a round bottom, three hoofed feet, and two ears on the side of the neck. The outer wall of the belly of the tripod is decorated with sun patterns, and the base of the feet is decorated with relief animal face patterns. Firewood is burning downwind. , the water is boiling almost overflowing.

Don't ask why he observed so carefully, because this will probably be his burial place!

The story started half a month ago. In early August, Lu Jia returned to Bazhong from Zigui and began to work with Danhu to gather Bashi's warriors and child servants and encourage the Bashi tribes along the river to join the Northern Expedition.

At the same time, Zhao Tuo had also joined forces with Wu Chen, and together with the Ba warriors recruited by Lu Jia, they had 20,000 soldiers.

General Feng Jie also had 20,000 people, but he was cautious, and the Northern soldiers were not used to the climate of Bashu, so there were many sick people, so they withdrew their troops to Jiangzhou County. The Northern Expedition took the opportunity to reoccupy Zhi County. The two sides were two hundred miles apart. They fought for half a month and fought several times, but they could not win.

Zhao Tuo, Wu Chen, and Lu Jia jointly believed that the situation in Bashu was even worse for the Northern Expeditionary Army. They were flowing into Ba in the opposite direction, and their rear was surrounded by mountains and rivers. The food they could obtain was limited, and they were about to die. Sit back and eat nothing.

Feng Jie had no such worries. The fertile Chengdu Plain was right behind him, and the governor of Shu County, Chang Yuan, could continuously provide Feng Jie with military supplies, enough to sustain him through the autumn and winter.

"If things continue like this, the Northern Expeditionary Army will definitely lose in the battle between Bazhong and Bazhong!"

The three of them disagreed on how to resolve the matter.

Zhao Tuo, the "deputy commander" of the Northern Expeditionary Army, thought that more Ba people should be recruited and directly launched a strong attack on Jiangzhou.

Wu Chen believed that he should bypass Jiangzhou, return to Quren County (Wanzhou District, Chongqing) upstream, take the trail of Bashi mining cinnabar, directly attack Danqu County (Qu County, Sichuan), mobilize the local ong people, and then follow Mi Cangdao, cross Daba Mountain and attack Hanzhong County!

Zhao Tuo disagreed: "The road to Micang is narrow. If the Guanzhong soldiers go south, and Feng Jie and the Shujun soldiers go north, our army will be attacked from two sides, and the entire army may be annihilated in Bazhong!"

Zhao Tuo has command power, and Wu Chen's plan is indeed too risky. At this time, Lu Jia received a secret letter from Wu Zhonghou...

The letter described the situation in Jianghan. The northern and southern armies were still facing off, with no winner or loser, but the northern army was larger, so Heifu urgently needed two divisions on the left and right to open up the situation.

He directly appointed Lu Jia as the "Governor of Ba County" and at the same time ordered him to go to Shu to lobby Chang Yin!

The two-thousand-stone seal of clothes and ribbons hit Lu Jia on the head, making his scalp numb. Two years ago, he was a commoner in Guizhou, but he suddenly became a minister. This leap made him deeply moved. Although he knew that it was dangerous to go there, he still wanted to go there. Lu Jia gritted his teeth and led ten people on the mountain road across the battlefield where the two armies were confronting each other and entered Shu County.

Bashu and Shu are one, and the mountains and rivers depend on each other. Lu Jia was bold. After entering the jurisdiction of Shu County, he went directly to Jiangyang County (Luzhou City, Sichuan). The magistrate of Jiangyang County was Chang Yan's nephew and got the secret. Escorted, after more than ten days of trekking, they arrived in Chengdu and met Chang Yan.

Chang County Magistrate of Jiangyang did not execute Lu Jia immediately, but sent him to Chengdu. This gave Lu Jia some hope of successful lobbying. But unexpectedly, Chang Yunfu did not wait for Lu Jia to speak when they met. A plump county guard talked about the art of food, then tied up Lu Jia, brought him to the big cauldron, and wanted to cook him...

Seeing the county soldiers and servants lifting Lu Jia up and about to throw him into the boiling cauldron, his mind went blank and he was speechless for a moment.

"Shi Qi once said that when things work out, you will be a minister, and when things don't work out, you will be cooked. Am I the same?"

But at this thin line between life and death, Chang Yan stopped and said cheerfully:

"Second and Third Son, is this Confucian scholar incontinent?"

The subordinate touched Lu Jia's lower body and said with a smile: "Junjun, although his two legs are fighting, he has never lost control."

Lu Jia immediately realized that Chang Yan was trying to scare him. His mind was spinning rapidly and he burst out laughing:

"Chief Chang, you underestimate scholars too much!"

"Lu Jia, a commoner in Huainan, was not able to eat in a cauldron when he was alive, but he was cooked in a cauldron when he died, which is enough comfort. Why should he be afraid? It's a pity..."

"If you live without food, you will die with food... You are brave enough to beg for money, and you are a strong man. Let him go. By the way, you just said, what's the regret?"

Chang Yan asked someone to put Lu Jia down. Just now he was acting, but he had no intention of killing Lu Jia.

Lu Jia took a few deep breaths and felt that he was covered in sweat, but it did not delay his words at all: "I'm just sorry that Commander Chang will be cooked by this cauldron in the future!"

"Be bold!"

They were about to teach Lu Jia a lesson, but Chang Yan stopped them and asked slowly, "Why?"

Lu Jia was still tied up and could not bow, so he could only lower his head slightly: "Dare you ask Governor Chang if you know where the world belongs? Now that the country is divided into north and south, who is strong and who is weak?"

Chang Yan said matter-of-factly: "Naturally, the north is strong and the south is weak."

"The north is the imperial court of the Qin Dynasty, and the First Emperor's decree for the second emperor to succeed him is justified. The south is the rebels, and Hei Fu betrayed the trust of the First Emperor and supported his troops to cause rebellion. The south is at a disadvantage just in terms of honor and morality, so this is the way to win. "

"The land in Guanzhong is a country with four fortresses. It has hundreds of thousands of halberds, enough food for three years, and a large number of soldiers. It can be attacked when advancing and defended when retreating. Even if the north is exhausted, it can also exhaust the south. This is a victory. .”

"Now Tongwuhou has led an army of 200,000 troops and marched south to Jianghan. As far as I know, Hei Fu has only 100,000 troops under his command. If he divides his troops and defends them, this army will win."

Chang Yan said: "In my opinion, by next year at most, the rebellion in the south will soon subside. By then, the rebels will probably follow in your footsteps and be cooked one after another. Mr. Lu, you will not be alone under the spring!"

Lu Jia shook his head and said, "Chief Chang, you are totally wrong."

"The south has the name of Jingnan, and has the title of imperial edict. Wuzhonghou could not bear the treacherous ministers and rebellious sons, so he revived Yunmeng to mourn the first emperor and be the first in the world. Wuchang's first uprising, Jingzhou gathered to respond. Within a few months, it had been taken. Eleven counties, and half of Chen and Ba, combined with twelve counties!"

"There are four points in the world, and Marquis Wu Zhong gets one point!"

"It's really impressive to be able to conquer more than ten counties in a few months." Chang Yan nodded slightly and signaled to his subordinates: "Let Mr. Lu loosen his bonds."

Lu Jia was tied up for a long time and his hands were numb. Finally he was able to untie him. He rubbed his arms and said:

"Secondly, although the terrain in Guanzhong is superior, the geographical advantages are not as good as the people. Hu Hai did not care about the people's strength and fished all the way. The battle of Lishan has not stopped. Hundreds of thousands of people toiled all day long, and he recruited 200,000 people into the army. I am a husband of the people in the middle, but I am exhausted in the pass."

"At the beginning of his ascension to the throne, Hu Hai claimed to follow the example of Marquis Wu Zhong and reduce rents and tax exemptions, but now his true nature has been revealed. Before and after the autumn, he imposed several oral tributes in succession and went back on his words. The people deeply hated him because of the frequent oral tributes. The people hang themselves in celebration of death, has Governor Chang ever heard of such a Guanzhong ballad?"

Chang Yan touched his chin and did not answer. Lu Jia raised his head and read the ballad loudly:

"If you don't wash it with the Wei water, your mouth will be rich!"

"I dare to say that if the Northern Expeditionary Army enters Guanzhong at this time, the leaders of Guanzhong and Guizhou will definitely turn against each other and carry pots and pulp to welcome them!"

"In addition, Governor Chang must have heard that bandits are rampant in the hometown of the Six Kingdoms. The Xiang family has restored the Chu State. Liang, Chen, and Qi have also been in chaos. The bandits are gradually moving westward. Soon, all the people in Guandong will rebel against the imperial court. When the bandits from the Six Kingdoms approach Han Valley, will the north still be victorious by then?"

"What Mr. Lu said is true." Chang Yan sighed: "Give Mr. Lu a seat!"

His subordinates threw a straw mat on the ground, but Lu Jia didn't mind it. He knelt down and bowed to Chang Yan:

"Chief Chang thinks that Wang Ben will win? In fact, this is not the case. Although Wang Ben's soldiers are numerous, they have been blocked for three months in the north of Han Dynasty. If he wants to fight, he will not be able to win. If he attacks the city, he will be unable to do so. He can transfer his supplies thousands of miles away. Ying Sichuan and Sanchuan not only have to face the bandits of the Six Nations, but also the Northern Expeditionary Army Han Xin's attack. The people are tired and their morale has declined, so they can only stand in a stalemate and wait for other partial divisions."

"But Governor Chang should have known that Feng Jie was timid and had no boats, so he did not dare to go eastward. Instead, he was blocked by Zhao Tuo and Wu Chen in Jiangzhou. He had to rely on the support of Shu County to stabilize the situation. There is no way we can attack Nanjun together with Wang Ben."

"As for the soldiers in Sui County, they have also fallen into an ambush. They were defeated by Dongmen Bao and Ji Ying's tribe. They have retreated to Tang Dynasty and are hesitant to advance. Wang Ben's outflanking has failed."

"This is not the case for the Northern Expeditionary Army. Jianghan's food and grass are close at hand. The governor of Xiao He County goes northward day and night with troops and food to supply Wu Zhonghou. He builds deep ditches and barriers, and separates his troops to guard the fortresses. In this way, the Northern Army becomes more and more exhausted as it fights, and the food supply also decreases. It is difficult to sustain, but the southern army is full of food all day long, waiting for work. When winter comes, Wang Ben will not be able to attack if he advances, and he will not be able to retreat if he retreats, fearing a major defeat! Therefore, it is said that the northern army is not enough to rely on. "

Chang Yan sneered: "Wang Ben is not trustworthy? If that were true, you would not go to Sichuan to lobby me."

Lu Jia admitted: "It is true that although the south will win the north if it is delayed, Wu Zhonghou cannot bear the chaos in the world and let the Six Kingdoms get an advantage. Instead, he attacked Hangu first, so he sent me to Shu to pay an audience with Changjun. Shou."

"The situation in the world is already very clear. If the north and the south cannot decide the winner for a long time, the blood of the soldiers from the north and south of Qin will eventually be shed, and Qin Sheji will eventually be destroyed by the remnants of the Six Kingdoms."

"If we can end this war as soon as possible, unite the south with the north, have Wu Zhonghou take control of Xianyang, and establish a new king, we can work together to deal with the bandits in the east, continue the work of the First Emperor, and let the Qin Dynasty rule the world again!"

Lu Jia prostrated himself on the ground: "Whether I am a sinner of the Qin Dynasty for all eternity, or whether I am a noble minister, nobleman, prince, general, or minister who can rebuild the world, it all depends on Shu County and Chang County Governor!"

Chang Yan stood up with hesitation on his face: "You Confucian scholar, after all your talk, you still want to tempt me to rebel against the imperial court. I have guarded the border for the country for more than ten years, punished traitors, pacified the Di and Qiang, built five-foot roads, and opened up the southwestern barbarians. Even though it’s not a big deal, it can still go down in history. How can I ruin my posthumous reputation just because of a few words from you..."

As he spoke, he pointed at Lu Jia: "Put him on a soft couch."

Lu Jia touched the soft couch under his knees, feeling a big stone fall in his heart.

He knew that Chang Yan was about to be persuaded, so he laughed and said:

"Chief Chang, Commander Chang, you don't know something. You are a loyal minister of the Qin Dynasty, but in the eyes of Hu Hai and Zhao Gao, you are actually no different from the likes of Meng Tian and Zhang Han!"

"If we don't take action first, the envoys carrying Hu Hai's secret edict and holding poisonous wine will probably enter Shu!"