Three Kingdoms

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Continue to hunt the horse thieves to the northeast?

Or should we follow the original plan to clear out the horse thieves' lair?

This became a problem before Zhang Liao.

It is obviously unrealistic to divide the troops.

And it is an approach that has been proven to be foolish, especially when fighting the barbarians in the desert. The Han Dynasty has used hundreds of years of blood and tears to fight against the Xiongnu to prove this problem.

"Call those Qiang people over!" Zhang Liao put away the map, folded it, patted it in the guard's hand, and asked the guard to put it away.

Let the Qiang people read the map?

I'm afraid only idiotic TV dramas would act like this.

The Qiang people knew the horse thieves' lair in the northwest. Although they couldn't tell the exact distance, they knew it. Because horse thieves are also human beings, they also know that no one can kill cattle and sheep for grazing. In order to have long-term food, drink and entertainment, after paying taxes and fees, the Qiang people are in a relatively safe state. It doesn't mean that if you bump into a horse thief, you will definitely be killed.

Therefore, the horse thief's lair is not a very strict secret.

In fact, these Qiang guides are not from the same tribe, but belong to two or three tribes respectively. Because Zhang Liao distributed the wealth in Wubao to these tribes, these tribes also gave these tribes. Several people were handed over to Zhang Liao.

The leader of the Qiang tribe believed that the goods and money were in exchange for this guide.

And these Qiang people thought so too, so they followed Zhang Liao without any resistance, but it was not clear to Zhang Liao whether they had any intention of escaping during the way. After all, they were not escaping now.

Several Qiang people came, looked at the traces of the battlefield around them, and then came to Zhang Liao. Their expressions changed slightly than before, and they seemed to be more nervous and awe...

"Northeast, this is the direction..." Zhang Liao pointed to the direction in which the horse thieves fled as reported by the scouts and asked, "Are there any grasshoppers?" Anything else special? 』

Zhang Liao knew some Qiang language, but Zhang Liao pretended not to know.

The Qiang translator on the side repeated it.

Several Qiang people looked at each other, and one of the Qiang people said hesitantly: "Caopaozi...there is...I have never been there..."

Caopaozi, in the Qiang language, is an oasis. Because oasis often looks like a circle of green mushrooms emerging from the ground around the water source, it is called Caopaozi.

"Oh, tell me..." Zhang Liao nodded and continued to ask, "Let them know as much as they want. It's okay, don't worry..."

Perhaps someone started the conversation first, or perhaps for some other reason. Several Qiang people chattered with each other, and then someone said: "Over there... there are two or three grasshoppers... very far away. I’ve never been there, I’ve only heard about it... I’ve also heard about it..."

The Qiang people looked at each other, hesitant, but finally said, "I heard that there is a divine spring over there... They are people of the gods. It will be fine if they drink it, but ordinary people will die if they drink it..."

"oh? Zhang Liao looked at the Qiang people's expressions, nodded, and waved his hand to let several Qiang people go down.

Divine spring? It's a poisonous spring!

This is undoubtedly a very important piece of information provided by these Qiang people.

Zhang Liao, who had been living in Binbei Yin Mountain for a while, was no stranger to Poison Spring. He even knew some related consultations because he was a senior member of the Hussar Military Group, and got some relevant knowledge about water sources from Fei Qian.

The toxicity of some spring water is biological poison, which will be weakened or even eliminated after boiling, but some are not. For example, the toxicity of various mineral poisons does not necessarily change much even if they are boiled, so Zhang Liao immediately understood that this was a horse thief who wanted to lure Zhang Liao to the poisonous spring road, and then use the poisonous spring to fight against it. Zhang Liao.

Of course, it cannot be ruled out that these horse thieves deliberately released false news to intimidate these Qiang people and make them afraid to go in the northeast direction.

Now the question arises, should we choose not to believe in the poisonous spring theory and pursue these horse thieves? Or pounce to the northwest, to the lair that is almost certainly empty?

Zhang Liao thought about it for a while and came up with an idea.

……(*`ェ′*)……

The horse gallops.

The billowing smoke looks like a long yellow dragon.

Zeng Dahu only felt that his mouth, throat, and even his heart, liver, and intestines were filled with wind and sand. His waist and legs were in severe pain, and the pain was getting worse.

"..." Zeng Dahu raised his arms. He originally wanted to shout an order, but found that he could not make a sound for a while. He could only shake his arms and signal his confidants to give orders on his behalf.

"stop! They all stopped! Get over there! Take a rest over there! 』

The queue of horse thieves slowly stopped and reached a dry grass bubble.

Because the underground river changes its course from time to time, the grass bubbles on the ground also rise and fall accordingly.

This place used to be a large grassland, but now it is about to dry up. All the surrounding trees are dead, with no leaves at all, and only some dry branches are left, like skinny arms stretching out to the sky. .

Panting heavily, Zeng Dahu rolled off his horse and sat under a dead tree. He stretched out his feet, shook his legs, and then glanced behind him, "Are you catching up?" Where are people? 』

Zeng Dahu, um, Zeng Xiao, forget it, he is still a big man. He was also a horse racing man when he was young. He was also very tough back then. Otherwise, he would not have pulled up such a large group of horse thieves. But these years, Nian After all, I am a little older, and I have some problems from my waist to my legs and feet. I usually don't notice it, but running at such a high intensity now has exposed my weaknesses.

The horse thief whistled, and then the sentry behind him hurried forward and arrived in front of Zeng Dahu, "Report!" I didn’t see the pursuers! 』

"Didn't see it?" ! Zeng Dahu was stunned for a moment, "Didn't you catch up?" 』

The confidant next to him said, "Could it be that we ran too fast and lost track of him?" 』

"impossible! Zeng Dahu frowned, stood up with support on the dead tree trunk, shook his legs, and then pointed to the horse hoof prints on the ground, "Such an obvious mark can be seen by a blind man. How can they not see it?" 』

"Then...is the matter about our spring water leaked?" "The confidant said, "But how did they know? 』

Zeng Dahu stared and gasped a few times, "Wait and see... If they really don't come... we will be in the dark... Haha, hehe, we will kill behind them when the time comes!" See what they do! 』

"Let me out, detective!" Keep an eye out! ”Zeng Dahu shouted loudly, “Other people take turns to rest! Don't touch those clear spring waters! Let the horse drink that muddy water! 』

"I know, big boss..."

Zeng Dahu put his hands on his hips and squinted his eyes in the south direction. After a while, he murmured, "Don't take the bait?" Um? What do these people want to do? 』

The horse thief's lair, that is, the military stronghold, is not unimportant, but the problem is that in the Gobi Desert, talent is obviously the most important. As long as there are people under his command, that place cannot be used as a new lair? If the old nest is lost, just occupy a new nest.

Therefore, Zeng Dahu felt that Zhang Liao would definitely catch up.

But now...

Could it be that this time the so-called hussar generals, who were rumored to be so great, were just like the generals during the reign of Emperor Han Ling, who were just here for a formality? Just to gain some achievements?

Wouldn't that be easier to do?

But, will this really be the case?

For some reason, Zeng Dahu suddenly became worried. It was like holding a handful of yellow sand. It was leaking no matter whether he was using force or not. In the end, it might leak completely and nothing would be left...

……（o′?□?`o）……

Beigong was also a little confused, and he couldn't figure out what Zhang Liao was doing.

"My lord, should we take action now?" "A Qiang-headed man came over and said, "The Han people stopped and let us go. Are they going to take the opportunity to gather us all together and kill them all? How about we just take action first? 』

Beigong snorted, "There are only two people in your tribe?" The Han people only want two or three people from a tribe to go. When will they say that the entire tribe has to go? 』

"ah? ” The Qiang-headed man was stunned for a moment, “Are there only two or three? Why should I go if I hear about it? 』

"That means all tribes have to send people there, and within a tribe, only two or three people need to go..." Another Qiang-headed man said.

"Uh...oh...hehe, haha, I'm sorry, I heard it wrong, I heard it wrong..."

Beigong was too lazy to pay attention to him, still thinking about what Zhang Liao's move meant.

hostage?

There are two or three Qiang people, but they haven't designated them as important. Of course, even if Zhang Liao designated them as important, Beigong and the others may not just follow them. The total number of the various tribes is only over a hundred, and these two What can Bai do?

Fighting for the Han people?

One or two hundred people...

If it were really a big scene, even one charge wouldn't be enough.

"Your Majesty..." said a Qiang leader, "over there at Zeng Dahu..."

Beigong waved his hand, "Don't worry about him for now. Let's deal with our own problems first." 』Although Beigong and people like Zeng Dahu have a certain agreement, for Beigong, only when Zeng Dahu and Zhang Liao come forward to determine the winner can they obtain the greatest benefits.

Zeng Dahu won, and Beigong worked together to clean up the mess and maintain the original balance. Zhang Liao won, and Beigong chose according to the situation whether to take the opportunity to sneak attack Zhang Liao or simply abandon Zeng Dahu. But as it is now, it is still in a state of Without a clear winner, Beigong was of course unwilling to throw out his trump card easily.

so……

"group! ” Beigong made a decision, “Just follow what the Han people said, send two from each tribe! Aren't they just two people? Go and see what the Han people are up to! 』

Even if it is true that every tribe has lost two people, the problem is of course very serious for the families to which the Qiang people belong, but for the entire tribe, even tribes like Beigong that already have some preliminary For a community with signs of alliance, even the loss of one or two hundred people is basically not a big deal. If the price of these two hundred people can be exchanged for some detailed information about the Han people, Beigong feels that it is quite worth it. transaction.

trade?

Yes, for the superiors, human life is also a kind of resource. Since it is a kind of resource, it is just a thing. Why can't it be traded?

……⊙﹏⊙……

Zhang Liao advanced in the front, while Han Guo behind him led his troops into Guzang County.

In the courtyard of the Guzang County Government, standing on one side was a somewhat uneasy clerk in soap clothes, with his head lowered and his eyes fixed on the ground, while on the other side stood the man brought by Han Guo. The young auditor raised his head and glanced back and forth at the sealed box in the courtyard and the soap-coated clerk opposite.

Han Guo raised his hand to the Guzang County Magistrate and said, "Jiang Lingjun, I'm sorry..."

The magistrate of Guzang County, Jiang Yin, returned the salute with some shame, then stood in front of the steps and said in a deep voice: "Today, Hussar has envoys to verify the accounts. Counties and townships in various places are not allowed to conceal or make false claims, and are not allowed to make false claims. If there are any false claims, Wherever you go, you will be severely punished! Did you hear that clearly? ! 』

A row of soap-coated clerks responded in unison.

Jiang Yin nodded, then turned around with a slightly apologetic smile on his face, "Envoy Han, please..."

Han Guo also returned the gift, took two steps forward, and then looked around.

"Where are the divine officials?" ! Han Guo asked in a deep voice.

"My subordinates are here," a petty official from Shenwu County bowed and replied.

"Are all the accounts prepared?" 』

Shenwu's clerk almost put his head on the ground, "If I get back to the envoy, the accounts of Shenwu County total twelve boxes, totaling 468 volumes, and they are all here..."

"First team out!" Han Guo said in a deep voice, "Unpack, count, count, and prepare files!" 』

Immediately, five people walked out from the queue on the side, then took the order, stepped forward and started to register and check the accounts brought by Shenwu County...

"Where is the official of Changsong?" ” Han Guo continued to ask.

"My subordinate is..."

…

Jiang Yin, the magistrate of Guzang County, couldn't help but twitching at the corners of his eyes as he watched. This is not an ordinary clerk. He is just like the military...

Both Jiang Yin and Jiang Ji belong to the same clan, but Jiang Ji belongs to Tianshui, and Jiang Yin belongs to Hanyang. It sounds like they are two places, but in fact Hanyang is northwest of Tianshui, not far apart.

After Jiang Ji came to power, some people in the Jiang family naturally got better promotion channels, including Jiang Xu, Jiang Yin and others. Just because there are good promotion channels does not mean that these people must have stronger abilities and means than ordinary people. Therefore, Jiang Yin is somewhat lagging behind in handling the verification of accounts in various places.

It's not that there is anything wrong with Jiang Yin personally. After all, Jiang is also raising horses for Fei Qian. He doesn't care much about petty profits. It's just because he is used to the usual routines and there are some people around him who are raising their eyebrows. Friends who don't bow their heads to see each other, relatives who are all over the place, etc., so when it comes to carrying out orders, they can't be tough.

They are all relatives, or they all have some relationship, which is indeed useful at certain times. After all, one person's affairs are everyone's affairs, so we can help each other, but in other cases, when everyone When Guang Jiangyin didn't think it was a big deal, he was worried alone and couldn't get up.

General Hussar ordered the verification of the accounts very early, and later ordered the use of the four-pillar accounting method. Although Jiang Yin did not have any objections, he did not understand the things in these accounting accounts. ,so……

This is also a common problem among most older managers.

I know a little bit about arithmetic, but not very well, so most of the accounts are handed over to the chief bookkeeper, or to the household clerk, warehouse clerk, etc. to calculate and manage them, and then they just check them. Even so, there are often problems when checking, and sometimes it just goes through the motions.

The chief official has authority, but fails to implement it, which gives the officials below the opportunity to fish in troubled waters. So muddying the water is almost every common way to get into trouble.

Look, the water is so muddy. Can you clearly see how many fish there are when standing on the shore?

Of course, those who fish in the water are these petty officials.

However, Han Guo leads such a large group of accounting and accounting officials who are managed almost in a military way. Most of them are students trained by the academy in recent years, and about half are upcoming students from poor families. For graduates with a Bachelor of Engineering and a Bachelor of Agriculture, accounting is basically a compulsory course...

Now, the seemingly complicated running accounts of these counties and villages are being sorted out one by one, one by one, to form new accounts, four-column accounts, and under such accounts, many things cannot be hidden.

One box after another was opened, money transactions were registered one after another, more than a dozen desks were lined up, and abacuses were placed. Amidst the crackling sounds, the officials in soap clothes from various counties in the corridor couldn't help but They all trembled a little.

As local officials, they actually know some things in their hearts, but they dare not speak out. This time I came here with some luck. I felt that it was impossible to calculate such complicated accounts clearly. Even the master of the Cangcao household had to calculate for a long time. If he was not careful, he would have to do it again. They recalculated, but looking at the formation in front of them, their original luck was like ice and snow under the scorching sun, which was rapidly melting.

One person will re-copy and register, and one person will seal the original after checking and confirming it. Then another person will re-copy the running account and record it into the four-column account according to the format. The second person will then check the overall accounting to obtain a monthly table and a chronological table, and finally form a general table, which will be handed over to the corps leader or other commander. , and then the team leader will check...

The movement of pens and dragons is like cleaning up the debris on the water surface little by little, making the water flow clean. It is also like a regular queue on the battlefield, and then the whole team is organized, some weird and unconventional. The accounts, even those that make no sense, are revealed as if the truth is coming to light.