Three Kingdoms

In the autumn of the first year of Yanping.

There was a fire in Jingzhao Yingetai. Although Shuilong tried his best to save it, it still burned down three warehouses where various documents were stored.

The next day, the three auxiliary nobles who received the news gathered in Chang'an. For various reasons, but anyway, they were just visiting friends. By chance, they happened to walk near the fire in the pavilion and see with their own eyes the houses that had been burned through the roof. The warehouse, those dark beams that were still smoking, the stone walls that were scorched by the smoke.

"Really burned?" Du Ji sat on the table, poured some drinks for Wei Duan, and then asked, "Yesterday, I went to investigate the Lantian Ba ​​Water Channel, and I heard about it as soon as I came back."

Du Ji and Wei Duan were relatively familiar with each other, so Wei Duan did not hide it. He nodded and said: "It is indeed a mistake. The slips were cut off. Ling Shi was paralyzed on the spot. He has been ordered by Pang Shijun. Throw him into prison and torture him for rigorous investigation."

Lingshi is the chief of the archives in the official cabinet and is responsible for the management of the entire archives warehouse. In addition to the problems with the pavilion, it is naturally difficult to escape the blame.

The archives management of the Han Dynasty was inherited from the Qin Dynasty, and starting from Liu Bang, under the suggestion of Xiao He, strict officials began to control the documents and materials in Guanzhong of the Qin Dynasty. Therefore, by the late Han Dynasty, a large number of slips and slips were already overwhelming. Piling up like a mountain naturally requires a certain search method.

When retrieving bamboo slips in the Han Dynasty, the first step is to compile official documents, which is similar to the notices issued in later generations. They all have a notification number, and then add some short chapter titles to compile them into a volume.

Then, for a certain important event, a single slip or a single volume of slips was integrated into the volume. One volume, one article, one thing, and then a large number of "checks" and "browns" were added to this basis. , for classification and sorting, "check" is the label, which is used to further subdivide the logo of the slip document and can also be used as the title of the official document, while "brown" is some small wooden stakes with special patterns, and some " "Brown" also has small holes in the middle that can be threaded with ropes for hanging.

Therefore, there are a large number of slips and slips, and the protection of these materials, mainly made of wood and bamboo, has become an important work item for Lingshi. Generally, in warehouses and the like, in addition to using wooden frames to isolate the ground to prevent moisture, they will also add Herbal medicines are used to ward off beetles. Originally, Lantai in Luoyang was named because the royal family used expensive orchids to ward off beetles, while ordinary warehouses mostly used rue.

In order to ensure the safety of the archives, most of them will use stone as the wall of the archives warehouse, and then dig ditches outside the stone wall to conduct water, leaving only a bridge in and out, which can prevent fire and theft...

But the problem is that no matter how good the warehouse is, it will be damp.

In the dry season of autumn, the ventilation of the warehouse will be turned on, the slips will be moved outdoors to ventilate and remove moisture, and then the straw bags used to prevent insects and beetles will be replaced, etc. At this time, these files that have been moved out to dry are Not in a tightly sealed stone warehouse, but in a general warehouse with a relatively poor security level.

This strange fire happened at this time.

Normally, there must be ditches around the warehouse for easy access to water and fire. But for some reason, when the fire started, there wasn't much water flow in the ditches. As a result, there was no time to rescue, and we could only watch the fire expand. , and finally burned down the warehouse.

Naturally, the first person responsible for Ling Shi was arrested on the spot, but anyone with a discerning eye knows that in fact, a small Ling Shi is not the key to this fire at all. The key point is the various buildings in the Sanfu area that were destroyed by the fire. file.

"Then the rumored land information will be destroyed this time..." Du Ji frowned and said, "Does Brother Wei know whether the rumors are true or false?"

Wei Duan was silent for a moment and said: "The inventory of slips and slips is in progress, and there is no conclusion yet on this matter... It's just that the part of the slips and slips burned are all for the 'inspection' of farming..."

After speaking, both of them fell silent.

Suddenly there was a commotion outside the courtyard, and Du Ji said: "Come here, go check and see what the commotion is about..."

Not long after, a servant came to report and said: "Pang Shijun ordered someone to post a message saying that the original records of the third auxiliary field in the warehouse had been destroyed in the fire. He asked Tian to take charge of the document and go to the government office within one month to re-establish it. Those who have not established a written ultimatum are all land without an owner. Therefore, everyone is in an uproar..."

"Re-living the document?" Du Ji was stunned for a moment, then waved his hand to the servants to retreat, shook his head and said, "Pang Shijun is really... this fire is really strange..."

Wei Duan chuckled twice and said: "Someone thought something was wrong about this matter originally, but now it seems that it must be a trick of playing hard to get..."

Du Ji nodded and said: "If this happened in the past, the more the merrier, the more the better, falsely increasing the number of fields, and wishing to change all the surrounding acres into his own name, but now..."

Wei Duan continued: "Now is the time to pay the autumn tax. If you increase the number of acres, you will have to pay more autumn taxes... If you hide yourself, you will just have to follow the tide and it will truly become an ownerless land..."

The nobles of the Han Dynasty were not so pure that they only knew how to read the scriptures in books. They also knew a lot about these contingency strategies. If they were pure fools, they would have been swallowed up with all their skin and bones. How could they survive? Now?

Du Ji's eyes flashed for a few times and continued: "What's more, what if there was no leakage? Or if the burned documents were not farm documents, what kind of crime would be committed by those who made false reports?"

Wei Duan shook his head and said: "Even so, there will always be people in the world who are driven by interests and take risks, but what can be done? It's just that such deliberate and frame-up efforts are despicable."

Du Ji nodded, shook his head again, sighed, and said: "Brother Wei's words are different. Even if there is disaster, it is for oneself. How can one blame others? If we talk about means, there are no mausoleums around Chang'an. Whose method is it?"

This matter is tantamount to a big hole, and it is clear that the big hole has been dug. The problem is that all the noble nobles near Sanfu have to jump into it. This is what Wei Duan is most angry about.

But there is nothing to point at when you want to blame. If you are honest, there won't be much trouble. But people are always like this. Some people always think that they are the smartest and others are fools, and then they will try their best to take advantage. , but they don’t know that some of these bargains are equal to deadly bait.

Starting from Liu Bang in the Han Dynasty, there has been the habit of harvesting leeks from various places. However, if local powerful people cooperate obediently, not all of them may be on the blacklist of leeks. Therefore, although Pang Tong's current actions are somewhat of a trap to kill people, they are not too serious. It's outrageous. There are still three things to do before the new official takes office. What's more, Pang Tong is still young and many people haven't taken Pang Tong seriously yet. But after this incident...

To put it simply, if you don’t seek death, you won’t die.

The problem is that there are always people who think that others' actions are suicidal and their own actions are wise. For such people, even if Wei Duan and Du Ji see some tricks, they can't stop them.

Wei Duan frowned and couldn't help but shudder, but after a moment, he blinked and said, "What if..." Wei Duan stretched out his hand, made a fist, then spread his palm and pressed down.

Du Ji thought for a moment, then slowly shook his head, pointed upward, and said: "This move is not impossible, but it's better to be still than to move. Let's see if there are any follow-up measures..."

Wei Duanba smacked his lips twice, sighed, and finally remained silent.

The two of them were sitting in front of the hall, looking out at the courtyard. They could hear the noise on the street, and felt the autumn wind bleak and getting colder...

…………………………

People who will not die unless they seek death are not only found in the Sanfu area, but also in other places.

Gao Gan believes that he is a lucky person, at least that is the current position.

Before, I followed Lu Bu in the expedition to Montenegro and did nothing, but still got meritorious service. Now I am marching to Shangdang. Although the mountain road is said to be difficult, it can be regarded as a close call and I have made it out of Taihang.

Two days ago, Gao Gan's forward troops had left the Yangchang Saka Road and entered the Huguan area. However, this did not mean that Gao Gan had already captured Huguan. It was just that a part of the army left the mountain road and attacked the Huguan Party. The area is only slightly threatening, because we need to obtain food and grass supplements from the mountain road in the future. Before there is a stable foothold, the risk is still very high.

As soon as they came out of the mountain road, Gao Gan noticed something was wrong.

Normally speaking, if General Zhengxi dies, then the Shangdang area and the entire Bingbei area will be in a state of ownerlessness, and only local officials will govern it. Once they see the Yuan family's banner, they will bow to it even if they don't accept it. , they will send some personnel over to work for the army, to inquire about some opinions, and to establish some friendships, but so far, nothing...

Just like on the Liyuan opera stage, the general was supposed to come out and show off his driving skills, and then he would give some low-down applause to cheer people up, but in the end it was quiet, as if no one was watching. .

Food and grass are the stabilizer of military morale, and after the labor supplies that the senior officials expected were not delivered, the food and grass transferred from the mountain road cannot be guaranteed to be on call, so naturally there is some murmuring in the army.

In the past two days, Gao Gan did not launch any offensive. There were many reasons. One was that he had just walked out of the mountain road. The army was very tired and needed some time to repair. The other was that he was also surprised why there was no movement around Huguan. The third was that he He is also waiting for the subsequent soldiers to catch up. More importantly, since Yuan Shao has appointed him as the governor of Bingzhou, he must show his authority in the first battle and establish his reputation as the governor of Bingzhou. Otherwise, how will he govern in the future? place?

The current situation in Jizhou is very favorable to Yuan Shao. With the support of the Jizhou nobles and some powerful rightists in Youzhou, Gongsun Zan is alive in a few days. Therefore, as Yuan Shao's nephew, he naturally knows that the focus of Yuan Shao's entire strategy must be from north to south. Transfer, prepare to decide the outcome with Yuan Shu, and then Yuan Shao alone has the final say. When the time comes, Yuan Shao wants to depose the emperor and reestablish the imperial line, but Yi Xian can change his mind and honor the emperor again.

When Yuan Shao's power rose, the high-ranking cadres would naturally lift all boats. There was no doubt about this, but the problem was that the high-ranking cadres first had to take root in Shangdang Taiyuan, Bingzhou.

As for the noble families in Shangdang Taiyuan, the Wang family, the Wen family, the Linghu family and others, even if General Zhengxi is not around, will these people be willing to have another ruler above them?

Based on this point, it seems reasonable for the local gentry in Shangdang Taiyuan to unite and reach some kind of tacit understanding, and to turn a blind eye when the high-ranking cadres unified the army. Therefore, in order to fight the first battle well and ensure victory, it became inevitable for senior officials to stop and repair and accumulate strength after leaving the mountain road.

Senior officials are waiting, Jia Qu and Zhang Liao are also waiting, but everyone knows that this state of silence cannot last for a long time.

Deputy General Yuan Yu returned from inspecting the surrounding area and returned his orders to the senior official. Yuan Yu's courtesy name was Chunqing, and he was of the same clan as Yuan Shao, from the Yuan family in Runan. This time, Gao Gan was the chief general and Yuan Yu was the deputy general, and they came here together.

"Chun Qing, have you gained anything?" Gao Gan pointed to the Hu stool beside him and asked him while beckoning him to sit down.

"Your Majesty," Yuan Yugong raised his hand, stood up again, and then sat down again at the signal of Gao Gan. Although he was also a member of the Yuan family in Runan, it did not mean that he was more in love with Yuan Shao than Gao Gan. After all, Gao Gan is Yuan Shao's nephew, and he is just a member of the same clan. "Thirty miles to the northwest, there is a village. Although it has been abandoned for a long time, it can be used as a garrison..."

Because there are Hu people in the Bingbei area and Heishan behind them, it is reasonable that some villages that were originally close to the Taihang Mountains were abandoned and have not been restored to this day.

Yuan Yu described the mountains, rivers and landforms around Zhuangzhai, and gave Gao Gan a rough idea.

"Thirty miles to the northwest...well..." Gao Gan was not someone who knew nothing about military affairs, so he naturally knew how to choose a camp. Therefore, he patrolled the map spread out on the table for a while, and used his fingers to He nodded, made some gestures and then said, "That's fine, we will move here tomorrow. By the way, is there any other news?"

"The news..." Yuan Yu hesitated for a moment, and finally said, "After a certain person arrived at the abandoned village, he sent scouts to investigate..."

Gao Gan nodded and signaled Yuan Yu to continue. After all, investigating the surrounding area was a prudent move.

"...The scouts reported that they seemed to have seen the soldiers of General Zhengxi twenty miles northwest of the village..." Yuan Yu said.

"It seems?" Gao Ganyi frowned.

Yuan Yu cupped his hands and said: "When our troops arrived, they had already retreated. We only saw their flags. If we pursued them, we were afraid of being ambushed by them, so we retreated temporarily. We left a hundred people in the village for follow-up investigation..."

"Shan." Gao Gan nodded and looked at the map again, "Twenty miles to the northwest... um..."

At this moment, several scouts suddenly rushed outside the camp. When they arrived in front of the camp, they jumped down quickly without waiting for the horses to stop. They stumbled a few times and almost fell to the ground. They rushed straight to the central army, sweating profusely, with a look of panic on their faces. Reported: "General, general! Oh no! That Zhengxi is coming!"