Three Kingdoms

Why do people live?

It is estimated that many people will not think about this question.

A shepherd boy.

Question: "Why are you herding sheep?" 』

Answer: "Make money." 』

Question: "What do you do to make money?" 』

Answer: "Get a wife." 』

Question: "What do you do with a wife?" 』

Answer: "Having a baby." 』

Question: "Why give birth to a baby?" 』

Answer: "Herding sheep!" 』

This is the answer given by most ordinary people to the question of why they are alive.

Just like the people of Yingchuan, they don't know why they are alive, and they also don't know why natural disasters and man-made disasters come to them again and again, and then bully them mercilessly, torture them, and destroy them. And they, like moths, fluttered above the flames of war and disputes, and then turned into a wisp of smoke, leaving no trace.

Yingchuan, heavy fog.

In the hazy fog, a group of people walked out.

Although this group of people wore custom-made clothes like soldiers, it was obvious that they were not soldiers, but similar to soldiers, or that they were originally just ordinary people who put on soldiers' clothes.

Moreover, the so-called soldier uniforms are not armor like soldiers, but just red and black shirts, and if you look closely, you can see some differences.

This is just a replica of the Han Dynasty's jersey. It is very different in terms of fabric and style.

The shirt is an imitation, and these "soldiers" are naturally imitations.

Of course, for ordinary people, they can't tell the difference.

"Ahead is Wangjiazhai..."

"Let's go!" Don't stop ahead! 』

"Move faster!" 』

"..."

Noisy sounds rang out in the queue. Although the captain seemed to be arranging the formation, there was no sign of order at all. It even seemed more scattered because of the uneven road.

In order to avoid the puddles on the dirt road, some people spread their legs and jumped left and right. Instead, they slipped and fell, and most of their bodies were immediately covered in yellow muddy water.

The farmers working outside Wangjiazhai couldn't help but laugh when they saw this, as if they saw a well-dressed gentleman stepping on a banana peel, but they didn't wait long for their happiness before they realized that something was wrong...

This group of people rushed directly to the Wangjiazhai on the hillside.

"What are these people... going to do?" "A farmer in the field lowered his hoe, holding it with both hands, and asked.

"I don't know..." was the same blank reply.

Soon, the noise in the village seemed to indicate some problems. The farmers working outside looked around, then put down what they were doing, and subconsciously followed them towards the village.

The noisy voice gradually became louder, and then mixed with crying.

"It seems to be Wang Laosan's side..."

"Walk! Take a look! 』

When the farmers arrived, they happened to see a group of soldiers dragging Wang Laosan and tying them with ropes.

"What to do?" What are you going to do? 』

"Daddy!" Woo hoo... daddy..."

"The child's father!" 』

A big mess.

In the outer circle stood a group of people from Wangjiazhai who stared at each other.

"What's wrong? 』

"have no idea. 』

"Did something happen?" 』

"have no idea. 』

"Then what do you know?" 』

"……have no idea. 』

The leader of the soldiers in the field shouted: "Disperse!" All spread out! What are you all doing around here? 』

"No, why are you arresting Wang Laosan?" ” Among the crowd, someone finally asked Jiang to come out.

"Stay nosy!" "The captain stared, "The boss ordered us to arrest him! 』

"Then why do you want to arrest me?" ” someone asked again.

"how could I know? This is what the higher ups want to catch! It’s not like I want to catch you! The captain was impatient and pointed to the place where the noise came from in the crowd, "Do you want to be arrested too?" Um? ! Trying to disobey an order? Um? ! 』

"..." The crowd fell silent.

Anyway, they are not here to arrest me...

Or, luckily, I wasn’t caught...

Seeing that everyone was silent, the captain of the soldiers became more and more arrogant, his eyes widened, and he yelled viciously: "Get out of the way!" If you don't let me go, I'll arrest you all too! Don't get in the way! Those who stand in the way will also be arrested for disobeying orders! 』

Some timid people shrank to the side when they heard the sound. Even if these people were not standing in the road originally, those who were standing in the road saw that their surroundings were thinner, and they could no longer stand. Likewise, Stepped aside.

The captain waved his arms arrogantly, threatening the people behind him, "Be more honest!" Disobeying orders will not bring you good results! Take a walk! take away! 』

A group of soldiers dragged Wang Laosan out.

Wang Laosan was tied up with rags, his mouth was gagged with rags, and he was dragged by the rope behind the queue while he was staggering.

After walking through the field ridge, the dirt road, and the official road, we arrived at a small inn.

The captain proudly stepped forward to hand over the order. "Chief of the pavilion, we have captured you!" 』

"I know, bring the people up!" "The pavilion chief nodded, then stretched out his arm, lifted up his sleeves, and shouted in front of Wang Laosan who was being escorted up, "Wang Laosan! Do you know that you have committed a crime? ! explain! Yesterday, who did you meet at the market the morning before yesterday, and what did you say? Who did you tell them to? And then went there again? Tell the truth! Otherwise, don’t blame me for punishing you! 』

Wang Laosan hesitated.

"Oh..." The captain finally reacted and stepped forward to tear off the rag blocking Wang Laosan's mouth.

"Cough cough cough..." Because he had been blocked for too long, Wang Laosan coughed and wheezed violently, curled up on the ground like a skinned sheep, and couldn't even scream.

"oh? "The pavilion chief sneered, "Are you still being tough? Someone is coming! Give me ten lashes first and then ask! 』

The captain smiled grimly and took the whip handed to him by his subordinates.

He liked this part the most. When he saw the helpless guy wailing under his whip, and seeing his flesh and blood become mangled when he whipped him, he became excited and felt that there was more than just a simple thing in his hand. A whip also represents something that he cannot express, but that makes him as excited as climbing into the sky...

"one! 』

"ah……"

"two! Three, four, haha..."

Wang Laosan was rolling around, trying to use his body to twist to avoid, but where could he escape?

Wherever the cowhide whip struck, it immediately became red and swollen, and blood seeped out, dyeing the gray-yellow ground red.

"stop! Stop! "The pavilion leader stretched out his hand and shouted, then lowered his voice, "Didn't I say ten lashes? How come you can't stop fighting? 』

"Uh..." The captain was stunned for a moment, "I couldn't help it... No, he was hiding here and there. If he hadn't been hiding, I wouldn't have forgotten to count!" 』

"Okay, let's not do this again!" ” The pavilion chief waved his hand and asked the question again.

Wang Laosan was panting violently, with snot and tears sticking to his face.

"Not honest?" The pavilion chief threatened, "Are you going to be beaten again?" 』

"No! No, no..." Wang Laosan shouted, "I don't know, I don't know..."

"Don't know yet? "The director of the pavilion said contemptuously, "I have received instructions from above. Someone reported that you openly spread disobedient words and slandered Prime Minister Cao at the Wang family gathering the day before yesterday..."

"I've never been to the Wang Family Market!" 』

"I didn't say you were going today, I was saying you were going the day before yesterday..."

"I didn't go the day before yesterday either! I didn’t go yesterday either! ” Wang Laosan shouted. His expression was genuine, "I really didn't go!" I haven't gone out for more than ten days! All in the fields! My family... no, the people in the village can testify! I'm all in the village! I haven't gone anywhere in the past ten days! 』

The pavilion chief was stunned for a moment.

There seems to be something wrong with this situation.

Wang Laosan said it with such certainty that it didn't look like he was lying. After all, a witness is easy to find. If you can see them in a village, they can all testify, and the possibility of collusion in advance is not very high...

It is inevitably a bit difficult to handle.

"Never been to the Wang Family Fair?" ” the pavilion chief asked again.

"I've never been there!" Wang Laosan kowtowed repeatedly to express his injustice, "Really not!" If I tell a lie, God will strike me to death with lightning! 』

The pavilion leader looked up at the sky.

The fog gradually dissipated and the sky became clear and clear.

The pavilion chief waved to the captain, and then the two men walked aside.

The pavilion chief lowered his voice and said, "Let me ask you, where did you catch the person?" 』

"Wang's village!" 』

"Hi! It's Li's Village! 』

"ha? ! 』

"The order from above is for the Li Family Village!" 』

"plum? Li's village? 』

"Um. 』

"No, this, what, why is it the Li Family Village? Wang Laosan of Li Family Village? Shouldn't Wang Laosan be in Wang's Village? 』

"The order from above is the Li Family Village!" How do I know why it is Wang Laosan of Lijiazhaizi! 』

『……』X2

The captain and the pavilion chief secretly turned their heads and glanced at Wang Lao San from Wang's Village on the other side. Then they both turned their heads at the same time and got together.

"What about this...this?" 』

"..." The pavilion director was silent for a moment, "What else can we do?" They've all been arrested...lock them up first and then talk about it...after all, what if you can't catch Wang Laosan from the Li family village? When the time comes and it really doesn’t work, just use this one to top it up..."

"high! Just do it! ” The captain held out two thumbs up and praised, “Brilliant! You are so tall! 』

……(o▽)bb……

Something happened to Yingyin, and the officials in the surrounding counties and towns around Yingchuan were so frightened that they almost flew away.

In other words, it started to move...

Yingyin County Magistrate, County Cheng, and a large number of people all had their heads dropped to the ground.

These people quickly distanced themselves from each other and immediately began to praise Cao Cao.

That's all on the surface.

"No one can speak ill of Prime Minister Cao!" 』

"No one can criticize the government!" 』

"Anyone who dares to discuss Ying Yin's affairs will be arrested!" 』

"Anyone who spreads rumors must be severely punished!" 』

Suddenly, all the county soldiers, thieves, and police officers were dispatched!

Do you want a good meal? It's not shabby.

The shabby ones are those who throw shit into the pot while eating.

In order to prove that they have never thrown shit, these people began to grit their teeth and assign fatal tasks to the people below, that is, the kind of tasks that they have to do whether they do it or not, regardless of whether they can do it or not.

This is also a tradition in Chinese politics. When I first had time, I was too lazy to explain it. Later, when the situation was urgent, I didn't have time to explain it, so I simply didn't explain it at all.

During normal operations, everyone is in peace, harmony, safety, and smoothness, and everything is so beautiful. However, only in emergencies can we discern what the real bottom line is. What is the appropriate model and what can better ensure the survival of the people?

Is it to protect the "people" or the "public"?

In Dahan, these are two completely different concepts.

But there are still people who can't tell the difference, or even know where they should stand?

Under the surface of respecting Cao Cao, obeying orders, and even doing everything to protect Cao Cao's reputation, there are still some hidden things hidden, like darkness under the light.

In the gloom and gloom, demons and monsters gathered together to discuss countermeasures with each other.

After taking off the outer human skin robe, it was like Lucifer dropped the camouflaged white feathers and exposed his fleshy wings.

"Put on Xiahou's clothes!" Go beat people, go kill people, go set fire to surrounding villages and fields! 』

"And the flag!" Flags are important too! Let people see that it is Xiahou's flag! 』

"right! I heard that Xiahou soldiers will be here soon! You must move quickly! Before they arrive, the markets and villages must be disrupted! 』

"We have no way to compete with them. Only by raising those heads can we compete with them!" 』

"The rice is stuck and the caravan is stopped!" Let’s just say that these spies involved in the caravan cannot be released until they are thoroughly investigated, and no one is allowed to transport even a grain of rice! 』

"That's right!" Since they don't want us to live well, we want chaos in the world! 』

"The world is in chaos!" 』

So, almost quickly, the two sides of information spread like crazy.

They "protected" Cao Cao's reputation without giving any reason and indiscriminately, and encouraged ordinary people to report each other, and even fabricated groundless reports, and threw them in jail after being caught. Anyway, the point is not really to protect Cao Cao's reputation. It's to show that you are doing something and working hard.

During the day, these county soldiers would wear formal clothes, and then declare righteously that there should be no chaos, no panic, everything is stable, everything is under control, don't believe those rumors, don't listen to them Those rumors, those are all false!

"What rumor?" ” Some people were confused, “What happened recently? 』

"Aha?" You don’t know? 』

"have no idea. 』

Immediately, enthusiastic "people" began to tell the story vividly, and at the end they would definitely add, "It is said that this is a rumor, don't believe it..."

The people who heard this swallowed their saliva and rolled their eyes a few times. When they wanted to ask for more details, they saw that the enthusiastic person had already left.

"what did he say? What do you know? ’ Another person came over.

"I know...you don't know?" 』

"I have no idea. 』

"Oh, let me tell you then..."

As a result, the news that hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of people in Yingchuan died spread like this, all the way to Guanzhong.

Naturally, it also spread to Xu County, to the Chancellery, and to Cao Cao, Xun Yu and Guo Jia.

Guo Jia smiled and put the information in his hands on the table one after another, and said in a teasing tone:

"Look, this is saying that Xiahou's men robbed people's property on the street, smashed and smashed people, and even killed and injured people... There are four witnesses and two victims, which can prove it..."

"Look, this is about Qingzhou soldiers who robbed caravans in the countryside, bought and sold by force, bullied and raped civilian women... Some witnesses said that they have a Qingzhou accent without a doubt!" 』

"Look, this means..."

Every time Guo Jia read a letter, Xun Yu's face turned pale.

"So, are you still protecting them?" ” Guo Jia patted the information on the desk, and then turned slightly towards Cao Cao’s direction, “Where are the Qingzhou soldiers stationed under the lord’s command? Don't you know? There were actually Qingzhou soldiers who came to Yingchuan to rob the caravan? Not only did they rob property, but they also committed adultery and plunder! This matter... tsk tsk, and there happened to be witnesses... who were still alive... tsk tsk tsk..."

"..." Xun Yu's face was extremely pale.

"The military discipline of the Qingzhou soldiers is indeed not good. ” Guo Jia bowed his hand to Cao Cao, while Cao Cao narrowed his eyes and waved his hand, saying it was okay, “Even if the Qingzhou soldiers really did this... I am assuming that if they really did it, they should be arrested. He deserves to be punished and killed! But the question is...should it be publicized at this point in time? 』

"What should we do now?" Preserve the autumn harvest! Stabilize the people! 』

“In the current situation, what are these people doing? 』

"Look at these censors and officials, all of them speak righteously and righteously. They all seem to be asking for orders for the people, but what on earth are they doing? 』

"Look, this book says that Xiahou soldiers burned Zhuanghe and plundered villages!" Do you think these Xiahou clan soldiers are really that stupid? Can’t even tell what the focus should be at the moment? 』

"besides……"

Xun Yu closed his eyes and said, "Stop talking." 』

There was a silence in the Shangshutai Festival Hall.

Outside the festival hall, the sky is clear and the wind is light and the clouds are light.

Cao Cao raised his head and stroked his beard slightly, wondering what he was thinking about.

Guo Jia slowly stacked up the imperial censor's impeachment forms one after another in his hand, like bricks and stones on a city wall, or like stacking a high tower.

"These guys are not well-raised...when they have meat to eat, they will smile at you." When there is no meat to eat, he will pounce on you and bite your flesh! You think they are loyal and docilely circling under your feet, haha, they are just thinking about which piece of meat on your body is more delicious! 』

"That's the only way..." Guo Jia gently pushed the stacked watch stamps, and they collapsed and scattered in all directions, "It's time to close the net!" 』

These matters were originally in Cao Cao and Guo Jia's plans.

Lifting Yingyin high and putting it down gently can actually be called luring the snake out of its hole...

Xun Yu turned around and bowed to Cao Cao, kowtowing to the ground, "My lord... let me leave this matter to you..."

Cao Cao pondered for a moment, then stepped forward to help Xun Yu up, "Wen Ruo, this matter won't be difficult for you. Don't worry, just pretend that you don't know what to do..."