The Most Romantic of the Three Kingdoms

Duan Cong's invitation was placed on the desk. .

Xun Zhen lightly stroked his chin and short mustache, smiled and said to Xi Zhicai, "Gongda, do you think Yang Shen is going to pay his respects again today?"

"Yes."

"He just left Lang Zhongling's official temple on the front foot, and Lang Zhongling sent this invitation on the back foot, saying that he would like to celebrate for me, ... After I cut off the left beard last time, did Lang Zhongling say to celebrate for me? ?"

"no."

Xun You smiled and said: "This must be because Yang Shen is unwilling to pay for the food, so he went to beg Lang Zhongling, so Lang Zhongling invited the lieutenant to a banquet, thinking that he wanted to intercede for Yang Shen at the banquet."

Xun Zhen knew that Yang Shen was deeply dissatisfied with him, and privately connected the big and small in the county. All the actions of the Yang family today, including the fact that several sons of Yang Shen split up to invite the powerful surnames in the county to come to his house for a dinner in the evening, and Yang Shen entering the city to find Duan Cong, are all in his sight.

Duan Cong didn't give Xun Zhen a drink to invite Xun Zhen after he killed the left beard last time, but this time he sent an invitation to defeat the yellow beard, and it was at the sensitive moment of "raise food", after Yang Shen met him. Invitation to come.

Xi Zhicai and Xun You are both wise men, and they can see from a glance that there must be mystery in them. It's just that although the two of them are smart, they are not "wise and close to demons", and they failed to guess the real purpose of Duan Cong's invitation to Xun Zhen to the banquet.

But it doesn't matter, as long as you guess it has something to do with Yang Shen, that's enough.

Xi Zhicai asked Xun Zhen, "Lang Zhongling's celebration banquet, is the lieutenant going?"

"Lang Zhongling's kindness is to celebrate for me, how can I not go? Of course I will!"

Xun You said, "But..."

"But what?"

"But the lieutenant has just agreed to He Bo's request and wants to join forces with Yuan Benchu ​​to destroy the eunuch. Lang Zhongling is the son of Duan Gui, the permanent attendant of the middle school. If the lieutenant goes to his banquet, if the news spreads and He Boqiu and others learn it, will he? Do you think the lieutenant is head and mouse?"

"Haha, Gongda, you are overthinking it. I don't say that Lang Zhongling and I are officials in the same county, and it is normal for us to have some contacts with each other, but I say that the official and Qing Bo studied the art of war, don't you hear Sun Tzu's saying that soldiers are weird? Dao is also, so if you can, you can't show what you can't, and if you can use it, you can show it's not used'? Those who make good use of soldiers hide their appearance, and show what they don't have. True thoughts! A gentleman's friendship is more valuable than trust. He Boqiu and Yuan Benchu ​​should have heard about my conduct, and they will definitely not be suspicious of it."

"The lieutenant is right. I was overthinking it."

Xi Zhicai, like Xun Zhen, didn't think too much about whether to go to Duan Cong's banquet. He thought more about Yang Shen, his face darkened, and said : "Last time when the lieutenant Sha Taijun soldiers, the Yang family jumped up and down and connected everywhere. This time the lieutenant raised food, and it was the first one to jump out of the Yang family. Lieutenant, this Yang family lived in Handan. The Shaoqiang Sect's surname takes his family as the leader, and if he is determined to resist orders, he is afraid that it will be a big trouble."

Xi Zhicai is worried that if the Yang family refuses to comply with the resistance order, other powerful surnames will follow his family as an example, and they will not be able to refuse food.

"The matter of raising grain has been handed over to the public slaughter. I believe that with the ability of the public slaughter, such a thing will not happen."

"What if so?"

Xun Zhen did not immediately answer Xi Zhicai.

He picked up the invitation and handed it to Xuan Kang, who was standing by the case, to put it away. He got up from the table and walked slowly to the entrance of the hall. wash. Xi Zhicai, Xun You, and Xuan Kang were either kneeling or standing. Looking at his tall back, they heard him recite a poem leisurely: "Flying and flying, where is Gu Toad?"

...I don't know since when, Xun Zhen often likes to look at the sky from a distance, but he does not look at the sky for the sake of peace of mind. Every time he looks at the blue and boundless sky, he always sees a Fluttering eagles soared past.

After years of hard work, how many days and nights he has done himself, how many times he has taken risks personally, he has finally attained the status he is today. He has thousands of cavalry under his command, and has a lot of good materials. His rank is more than 2,000 stone. After joining Yuan Shao's party, he saw that in a few years' time, the heroes of Kanto would join forces. At this critical moment, he would ruthlessly sweep away anyone or anything that stood in his way.

... That night, Xun Zhen went to Duan Cong's banquet, laughing and drinking, having fun, getting drunk with Duan Cong, and returning in the middle of the night.

The next day, at noon, Duan Cong woke up with a hangover and headache.

Although his head hurt, he was in a good mood, so he summoned Zhou Liang and said: "The lieutenant not only went to my banquet, but also drank happily until midnight, and I was drunk with him. If the lieutenant hurt my heart, how could it be? Will this be the case? Zhou Qing, don't slander the lieutenant again in the future!"

In the second half of Duan Cong's words, his tone turned stern. On a cold day, cold sweat broke out on Zhou Liang's forehead. After leaving Duan Cong's house, he looked at the lieutenant's mansion in the west of the city, and thought in frustration: "Yuzhou Er called me several times, and the joy and anger are not visible. I know his city mansion is deep, but I didn't expect his mind to go so deep. Such a level! How could He Boqiu come to see him for no reason? He must have come to discuss with the eunuchs as an enemy! It's a pity that he is so secretive, but it's a pity that Lang Zhongling can't see it."

Although he was unwilling, since Duan Cong could not be moved, even if he hated Xun Zhen again as a little Handan right officer, there was nothing he could do.

A limousine passed through the street, and one of Zhou Liang's servants said curiously, "Hey, isn't this the car of the minister, Cao Weijun? Where is he going?"

The carriage came from the direction of the Xiangfu, heading north.

The official suddenly realized, and then said: "Yes, Wei's parents live in the front house, Wei Jun must have gone to see his parents. Weird, I don't know why I went to see the parents at this time. ?"

"What else could it be? Today is not Mr. Wei's Huo Muzhi. He doesn't follow the prime minister in the prime minister's mansion, but he goes to see the parents of his family. What else could it be for the purpose of 'raising food'?"

Although Zhou Liang is a villain, he also has his strengths. He is in his fifties and has been in the officialdom for decades. In the words of later generations, he has long been an "old oily man", who is very capable of guessing people. psychology.

With this casual sentence, he was guessing the reason why Wei Chang went to visit the Wei family's parents.

Wei Chang was frail, and he was sick in bed a while ago. His condition was repeated, good and bad, and it was not until recently that he got better. He was the prime minister of the prime minister's mansion, and all the orders in the prime minister's mansion could not avoid him. When Xun Zhen asked Liu Heng to order food, he knew about it, and he wanted to go to the Hui clan to give some to the patriarch. The suggestion is that I was too busy at the time and couldn't find time to come out. It was delayed until today.

Sitting in the cab, he didn't see Zhou Liang on the side of the road. He knelt uprightly in the cab, recalling the scene after Xun Zhen invited Xun Zhen to leave the prime minister's mansion. He persuaded Liu Heng to Beware of Xun Zhen's encroachment on the prime minister.

He said: "The lieutenant fought a series of victories, his troops were powerful, he returned to his corps, and he showed more respect to the poor and lowly, and successively employed Cheng Jia, Cen Rong, and Chen Wu. Cheng Jia is called 'frozen pear' Chang', short and ugly, was not used by successive county magistrates, but the lieutenant used it alone. Cen Yan, whose mother has a long-standing reputation, is also well-known in the county, but because his family was poor, he could not be reused by the county, the lieutenant He used it alone. Chen Wu was fighting food at the town pavilion, and Xiang Guo ordered Yao Sheng not to push him, and the lieutenant used it alone.

"In the battle against the yellow beard, Cheng Jia and Chen Wu both made contributions. These three people, either ugly, poor, or not literate in scriptures, all have shortcomings, but the lieutenant can only use his talents, like the lieutenant, it can be said to know people well In terms of employment, and looking at the employment of the lieutenant, it can be seen that he has high ambitions, and he has high ambitions, and he has established military power and promoted talents. This is not someone who is willing to be subordinate to others. When he succeeds, he will say, "..., Lord Xiang, the power of Zhao County, Chang will be completely out of the lieutenant's mansion, and Lord Xiang will only be reserved!"

Wei Chang didn't know Xun Zhen's evaluation of him: Although he was wise, he didn't know Xun Zhen's ambition. From Xun Zhen's point of view, Wei Chang's worry that he will invade Liu Heng's prime minister's power is ridiculous, but from Wei Chang's point of view, Xun Zhen's reputation in the county is great, and it is reasonable to worry that he will invade the prime minister's power. ——It can only be said that Wei Chang and Xun Zhen stand at different heights, so they see different things.

However, although Wei Chang was loyal to Liu Heng, Liu Heng still did not listen to his advice as last time. Not only did he not obey, but he still praised Xun Zhen's military exploits and said, "The lieutenant came before Handan has lost a few times. The lieutenant is here now. The thieves dare not come out." In turn, he persuaded Wei Chang, "The lieutenant attacked the thief in order to protect the stability of Zhao's realm, and his family name is Zhao Junwang, so why are you in trouble with the lieutenant?"

Wei Chang had no choice but to do so.

——From this incident, two things can be seen: First, Xun Zhen's reputation in Zhao County is getting higher and higher, and second, Xun Zhen does have his strengths in interpersonal communication. He has always been very respectful, always abide by the duty of a lieutenant, and never overstepped his authority. In addition, his Xun family background and elegant speech and demeanor have won Liu Hengzhi's trust.

After Xun Zhen dispatched the county soldiers last time, Wei Chang went to visit Wei's parents and told Wei's parents in advance that Xun Zhen would definitely raise grain in the future, but this time he went again because he was worried about Wei's parents. Will offend Xun Zhen because of the pity of grain.

When he arrived at the home of Wei Song, the head of the Wei family, he cut to the chase and said: "For the sake of Anzhao County, the prime minister obeys the lieutenant. Although the lieutenant is modest on the outside, he is strong on the inside. He once killed the powerful third clan in the township. In Yingchuan County, he was regarded as a cruel official. Now he wants to attack the thief. This is indeed a matter of benefiting the county and the people. He is the Crown clan of Handan and the surname of Zhao Jun, so he can only obey in this matter, the clan father, please hand over the applied grain to the lieutenant's mansion as soon as possible."

Xun Zhen was strong inwardly, Liu Heng would not come forward to oppose him raising grain, and attacking thieves was indeed a good thing for the benefit of the county and the people. Raising grain was not a disorder, but if several aspects were added together, even if the Wei family was unwilling to offer grain, Can only accept.

... On the third day after Handan Rong passed down the grain-raising order, the Handan clan and the Wei clan successively accepted the grain.

The Handan clan was due to Handan Rong, and the Wei clan was because of Wei Chang's persuasion. Other nobles and tyrants did not have such easy access to food.

Handan Rong waited for two more days. During this period, only a few surnames who were good friends with the Handan and Wei clans handed in the grain, but none of the powerful clans such as the Yang clan and the Han clan came to pay. .

Xuankang was worried, rubbing his hands in the hall and turning around.

Xun Zhen was reviewing the military text that Xu Zhong handed over. The military text contained two aspects. One was that the injuries of He Yi and those seriously wounded were getting better, and the other was that the last time the yellow beard was hit, the troops lost some armor and swords. , which needs to be replenished as soon as possible.

It is a good thing that He Yi and other seriously wounded people are getting better, but Fan A healed all the serious injuries, which made Xun Zhen even more interested in recruiting Fan A under his command. It is not difficult to supplement the armor and swords. The county government has a warehouse, and it is necessary to write an official document and submit it to Liu Heng. Xun Zhen instructed Li Bo, who was sitting beside him, to be responsible for drafting the official document for Liu Heng. He raised his head and saw Xuan Kang going around.

He smiled and asked, "Uncle, why are you worried about it?"

"Xunjun, the order to raise grain has been down for five days, but few families have come to pay grain!"

"Haven't the Handan Clan, the Wei Clan and the others already handed in all the food?"

"Although the Handan family and the Wei family belong to the Handan crown clan, their family doesn't have much farmland, which is far less than that of the Yang family and the Han family. The grain they handed over is not enough for 3,000 people to eat in a month. What's the use?"

There is a difference between the gentry and the tyrannical. Many gentry do not accumulate wealth for the sake of the family's reputation. For example, the Chen family in Xu County is famous in the sea, but the family does not have much money. Another example is the Xun family, from the Xunshu family. From generation to generation, the Xun family distributed the wealth to relatives and friends whenever the family property increased. Although the Handan family and the Wei family were not as noble as the Chen family and the Xun family, there was not much land in the family.

To say that Handan is really a big family with fields and grains, it has to be the Yang family and the Han family.

The Yang family has a hundred hectares of fertile land, and the Han family also has dozens of hectares.

Hundred hectares are ten thousand mu. In a good year, the Yang family can get tens of thousands of shi of grain a year, enough to support three thousand soldiers for half a year, excluding the income of disciples and disciples. Although there is no harvest this year, many of the grains in previous years have been sold long ago, but there is still a lot of grain in the Yang family. Handan Rong has calculated that if one fifth of the grain is raised, only the Yang family will pay. The food is enough to feed three thousand soldiers for two months.

How could the Yang family honestly hand over such a large amount of grain?

Xuankang said, "What if the Yang family and the Han family refuse to pay?"

Xun Zhen didn't seem to be worried about this, and smiled: "Let's see what the public slaughter means."

... Handan Rong's method is exactly the same as Xun Zhen's method of exterminating the third clan: collecting the illegal things of various families.

However, Xun Zhen collected the illegal deeds of the Third Clan in order to exterminate their clan, while Handan Rong was to force the families to hand over food.

——Speaking of which, the method used by Handan Rong to force the families to hand over food is the same as the method used by Xun Zhen to destroy the third clan. Holding power, if you want to achieve your goals, it is most convenient and quick to start with the law, and it will not fall into the hands of others.

Any tyrannical family must commit illegal acts. Handan Rong is a native of this county. , as long as a little effort can be collected enough evidence.

He waited for two days, and on the morning of the sixth day, he dispatched the officials and summoned the parents of all the surnames in the county to the lieutenant's mansion, but the Yang family and the Han family were not called.

Xunzhen arrived in Zhao County less than three months ago, and he attacked Zuo Xu and Huang Beard one after another. He was very famous. Although the parents of all the surnames depended on the Yang family, they also pretended to be confused and were happy not to. However, after being summoned by Handan Rong, he did not dare not to come.

The parents of more than ten families, big and small, powerful and gentry flocked to the lieutenant's mansion, entered the main book court, and sat opposite to the hall, waiting for Handan Rong.

After the families arrived, they waited for a long time, and at noon, Handan Rong appeared. He walked with his sword and strode up the hall, passed the parents of the families sitting on opposite sides, and walked straight to the case in their eyes. Before he picked up a scroll of bamboo slips that had been placed on the case beforehand, without sitting or entering the case, he turned around in front of the case, faced the parents, and read it.

His voice was already loud, like the sound of gold and stone. At this time, it reverberated in the hall and fell into the ears of everyone, and it was even more like the roar of bells and drums. He was reading one of the parents of the family. After reading the illegal things, he did not look at everyone, turned a page of bamboo slips, and then read on, but it was the illegal things of another patriarch present. After reading it again, he raised his eyes and said succinctly: " Sent to prison!"

Handan Zuo Li Cang, who did not know when he was outside the hall, immediately brought the county officials in, immediately detained the two patriarchs, and escorted them back to the county temple.

Everyone in the room was terrified.

Handan Rong looked around the rest of the people, raised the bamboo slip in his right hand, and said, "There are more than fifty slips in this scroll of bamboo slips, and what I have read just now is only one-tenth of them, although I have not read the rest, but The princes should also know what it is, and know what it is!"

The people present looked at each other in dismay, some were sweating like puddles, some were angry, some were at a loss, and some were surprised.

One of them took courage and said, "Although the lieutenant is in charge of the book, you are also from Zhao, and we are also from Zhao, why bother to fry each other?"

Handan Rong pressed his sword and waved his sleeves, and said angrily, "The person I've fried is a thief! Lords, please return, and tomorrow I will call you again." After speaking, regardless of the different expressions of the people present, Not to give everyone a chance to speak, he walked out of the hall with a bamboo slip and walked away.

That afternoon, in the prison of the temple in Handan County, there were endless screams of torture.

The patriarchs of all surnames have connections in the county and temple, and they were all afraid when they found out the news. Many people scolded Handan Rong, and Yang Shen was one of them.

Although Yang Shen was not among the summons of Handan Rong today, he was well informed. He heard about it at noon, and when he heard about the two patriarchs who had been arrested and looted by Li Cang, he immediately heard about it. He shouted loudly: "Handan kid is determined to be the eagle dog of Zhao County for Yuzhou kid!" Immediately, he told his sons to go to the homes of the parents and cheer them on.

It's a pity that the parents of all the surnames have been frightened by Handan Rong's reckless and resolute actions, and have lost the courage to resist Xun Zhen. Even Yang Shen's sons vomit lotus flowers and can't save the situation. .

The next day, all the parents who were summoned by Handan Rong to the lieutenant's mansion yesterday all brought in slaves to drive food to the lieutenant's warehouse.

Like the Yang and Han families, the parents of the Le family, another noble clan in Handan County, had not been summoned by Handan Rong to meet them, but they did not dare to delay any further and handed in the food honestly.

So far, the families in the county still haven't handed in food, only the Yang family and the Han family are left.

Han watched for a long time. Before the afternoon, news came from the temple in Handan County that the two parents who were arrested and imprisoned were tortured and looted to death in prison. The patriarch of the Han family turned pale with shock, and then heard that Handan Rong had sent Li Cang to the home of the two patriarchs, and declared that his sons and clan members were illegal, and they were all imprisoned. All the goods are in the official possession. This is simply a replica of Xun Zhen's execution of the third clan back then, and it was even more brutal than Xun Zhen's method in the past, and he directly executed the two patriarchs in prison.

The parents of the Han family were frightened and did not dare to push hard any more.

Hearing that the Han family offered food, Handan Rong came to see Xun Zhen, bowed to the ground and said, "Except for the Wei family, the rest of the families have borrowed food."

——Xun Zhen had to have a saying for raising food, it could not be taken in vain, and the name used was "borrowing", although everyone knew that if there was "borrowing", there would be no "return", at least when Xun Zhen was in office, Don't think that he will return these grains.

"Oh? All the families have already borrowed food? Gongzai, I didn't expect that in just a few days, all the families will send the food. Okay, you did a good job in this matter!"

"It's just that the Yang family still refuses to borrow it!"

"It's called 'borrowing' if you want it. If his family doesn't want to, then don't borrow it." Xun Zhen paused for a while, then said lightly, "But then again, the lieutenant's house borrowed food to fight thieves and protect the country. It is also for the safety of all the families in the county. Since the Yang family is unwilling to borrow food, if there are thieves and bandits intruding on his family, I am afraid that we will be powerless."

Whether it is a county or a county, for the chief officials, the biggest obstacle to local governance is the local tyrants.

For example, tyrants are the thorns on the thorns. If you don’t rectify them to be obedient~www.wuxiaspot.com~, the decree will not be smooth, and if you want to rectify them, it will bleed just like the thorns pierce your hands, and there will be no bleeding. Events are impossible to keep them honest.

Take Xixiang, where Xun Zhen once worked, for example, Gao Su beat up Xixiang Xiangzuo, who was equivalent to the deputy mayor of later generations. If the third clan is killed decisively, then no one will obey his decrees in Xixiang. A small Xixiang is still like this, what about a county or a prefecture?

In the Han Dynasty, the influence of etiquette was not deep, and the warring states were still strong. The people were brave and strong, and the wealthy were rampant in the prefectures. Only to promote virtue, but also to be able to specialize in arrogance, and have the courage to destroy and annihilate the track. Although the term "cruel official" was not a compliment in the Han Dynasty, it was not a derogatory one. For example, Dong Xuan, who was praised by later generations as a strong commander, was a famous "crucial officer" during the reign of Emperor Guangwu. Zhenxun, the capital is called "Crouching Tiger".

Since Xun Zhen took office in Zhao County, he has been busy training troops and fighting thieves. He abides by his duties as a lieutenant and does not interfere with civil affairs. If the tycoons in the county do not hinder his affairs, no matter how arrogant or domineering they are, he will not pay attention to them. The thing that hinders him is "flying and stepping, where is Gu Toad"!

As Yang Shen said, since Handan Rong joined Xun Zhen's family, in order to revive his family, he was determined to be Xun Zhen's eagle dog. He said eagerly: "A month ago, when the lieutenant traveled to the county in Weifu, and when he left Handan county, he saw Yang Shen's horse in and around Lang Zhongling's house, and he praised it as a good horse twice. If the clan refuses to hand over food and does not destroy it, the lieutenant's prestige will not be able to be extended. I will definitely get that good horse for you!"