Three Kingdoms

The night breeze was blowing, but it was still a bit dull.

The clouds were a little thick, as if there was something hiding behind the clouds, gathering strength.

Money and violence can be said to be the most primitive desires of human beings. They are born together. No matter how technology advances and how the world develops, these two intertwined desires will not change. When people become accustomed to using violence to obtain money, money will inevitably awaken more greed, and in the end they will either die of violence or money.

Several military academy sergeants secretly gathered together without telling Gao Shun.

"That does not work. 』

"There is no money, and the brothers are all very dissatisfied. 』

"We have worked hard and risked our lives, but in the end we can't make money? 』

"Brothers are making a fuss and can't hold it down..."

"Ma Changsheng, you are most familiar with General Gao. What is going on?" 』

Ma Changsheng was silent for a long time, and then slowly said: "I haven't been with General Gao for a long time... It's just that as far as I know, General Gao is different from General Wei... He doesn't like money, he I just like fighting..."

"Isn't this better? Give me the money and I'll help him fight! 』

"Yep! 』

Ma Changsheng sighed, "The problem is that he doesn't like his subordinates who like money..."

"This... is difficult..."

"If you say something you shouldn't say, General Gao will easily lose his military morale..."

"Why don't you ask General Gao... to make an insinuation?" 』

"You might as well just say that..."

"..."

There was a moment of silence, and they looked at each other tentatively, with a dangerous and greedy look.

"First of all, let's confirm one thing. General Gao is a good man..." Ma Changsheng said slowly, his eyes scanning the faces of the people around him.

"That's true. General Gao is a good man. 』

"agree. 』

"Well, what then? 』

"The second thing is that General Gao just wants to fight and fulfill the orders of the Protector...right?" Ma Changsheng continued.

"There's so much nonsense, just tell me what you want to do!" 』

"That's right, fart quickly!" 』

Ma Changsheng was not annoyed. He nodded and said, "General Gao is a good guy, so we are the "bad guys"... We became the "bad guys", so of course we helped General Gao fight all the way to the Che Division's rear affairs Tu Valley!" As for those...General Gao just ordered us not to disturb the people, right? But if it weren't for the people... then we wouldn't have disobeyed General Gao's orders, and secondly... do you understand what I mean? 』

"You kid can do this special code!" 』

"That makes sense! 』

"Done!" 』

The people present were all familiar with each other from the military academy and were in charge of soldiers in the army. They were "violent and resolute" to the extreme. After finalizing the plan, they immediately split up to prepare. These military academies almost immediately unanimously agreed. Gao Shun is a good person, but good people cannot stop them from getting rich... Uh, no, even if they are good people, they should not go against "everyone's" opinions!

This is not a matter of one person, this is a matter of all of them, for brothers, for everyone!

Weah is tired of logging!

……ヽ()()……

In the darkness, Kaza unpacked some bundled torches and distributed them to his men.

Among the guys standing around Kaza, some were excited, some were eager to try, some were full of greed for getting rich, and some were full of uneasiness.

These vassal soldiers originally came for money. For money, they could sacrifice their lives for the Han people. Of course, they could also kill other people for money.

The night amplifies desire and conceals ugliness.

Kaza shouted in a low voice, explaining one by one, "If you want to get rich, be stricter!" Just do as I say! 』

"There is a lot of gold in the Gold City!" 』

"This is what it means to serve the Great Protector!" We do this for everyone! 』

A golden future seems to be unfolding before your eyes.

Kaza stood at the front of the queue, "Let me say it again, this is not a rebellion, this is an end to the chaos!" To put down the chaos, those charioteer boys were dissatisfied and wanted to murder the general! We are going to quell the chaos! Stir it up first, and then leave, do you understand? 』

"Understood……"

A group of people set off in the dark, and arrived outside Jinzihe City a moment later. The city gate was open, and in the dark night it seemed like a giant beast had opened its mouth.

Kaza looked back and saw that everything was quiet.

"Head," the person behind asked, "What's wrong?" 』

The muscles on Kaza's face were beating, and then he gritted his teeth and said, "Nothing!" There is gold before your eyes! Rush in, it's ours! By killing those charioteers and thieves, we are working for the general to quell the chaos and for the protection of the general! Enter the city! 』

Kaza almost roared at the last two words, and then took the lead to move forward.

When one person lifts a foot, everyone moves.

The vassal soldiers following Kaza rushed toward the upper city area of ​​​​Jinzihe City with a bang. The sounds of footsteps sounded chaotically, mixed with unclear shouts, and the silence in the city was immediately shattered. Thoroughly mince it!

Jinzihe City is divided into upper city area and lower city area, which are actually the rich area and the poor area, but they have just been renamed. Kaza and others naturally had no interest in the lower city, so they rushed directly along the street to the upper city.

Greed dyed his eyes red, and flames rose.

Although Jinzihe City is not big, it is a gold producing area, so gold products are basically available in every household in Shangcheng District. Various utensils, accessories, etc., under the light of torches, Shining with an alluring luster.

There was tearing everywhere, shouting everywhere, shouting everywhere. The whole order is completely chaotic.

If they were in a city with normal order, these people might not make much noise, but in such a defeated and undefended environment, the desire for destruction is growing unscrupulously. The idea of ​​just taking some and leaving later turned into wanting more, more and more...

The crowd started to commotion even more wildly, and the fire started to roll and jump.

Kaza shouted, "Let's go!" Don't stop! 』

But except for the vassals who are closer to Kaza, the others are all unemployed idlers. If there is any excitement inside, they are the guys who want to fish in troubled waters. Although Kaza was before They have repeatedly told him not to stay for a long time, but when these guys see Jin, they are closer than their own parents, and they have long thrown Kaza's words out of the sky.

Seeing that Kaza couldn't call back, he didn't care much, so he could only take the people he could gather and go straight to the north of the city.

At this time, outside the city gate, Ma Changsheng and others had already lined up. When they saw the fire, they waved their arms and said, "The charioteers are causing trouble!" Become a thief with someone! 』

This is a robbery with a clear division of labor.

This is also the best embodiment of collaboration between teams.

The only problem is if the target is not gold, but a real enemy...

The sky was covered with dark clouds, and there was a faint sound of thunder.

The fire on the ground flickered, and the cries and screams resounded through the night sky, but they quickly stopped as the blood spread.

Jinzihe City is not very big, and there are not many car masters left in the upper city area. In addition, Ma Changsheng and others have a clear division of labor. Those who kill, those who pack, and those who pack, can move from top to bottom almost in the blink of an eye. The slaughter went from one end of the city to the other.

Gao Shun got the news, but by the time he gathered his troops from the camp outside the city and rushed to the city, the whole incident was coming to an end.

The heads of the "thiefs" were beheaded and laid out in the street.

As for other "things", they were placed next to these heads in large and small packages...

Gao Shun stood in front of Ma Changsheng and others, his face as dark as water.

Is it robbery and murder? It was indeed robbery and killing, but the things were left on the ground.

Is it disobeying orders and killing innocent people indiscriminately? However, some Cheshi weapons were also found among the Cheshi people in the upper city...

Of course, there is nothing strange about these weapons. After all, these days, rich people don’t have many guards with swords and guns around them. If they are alone, they may disappear not far from the city.

Gao Shun stood in front of the queue.

The smell of blood is pungent, and the thick blood is soaked in the street and seeping along the sand.

The dark clouds in the sky were billowing, and there was no starlight at all. Only the torches were pulling in the night wind, and they were also pulling at the figures around them, as if they were trying to pull people out of their ghost state.

There is no need for Ma Changsheng and others to provide any "additional" explanation. Just take a look at the current situation and then look at the heads of those "thieves", and you can basically understand what is going on, but Gao Shun still can't understand it. He suppressed the anger in his heart and asked in a deep voice: "Why?" ! 』

"..." The military schools were silent.

Gao Shun slowly pulled out the sword, and the blade of the sword shone with a faint cold light in the firelight. "Gao Shun never thought that one day this sword would be stained with Pao Ze's blood!" explain! Why? ! 』

Ma Changsheng raised his head slightly, "General, I have a blind mother and a lame brother at home..."

Gao Shun sneered and raised the sword slightly, "Then what?" Is your family background the reason why you disobey orders and kill wantonly? 』

Ma Changsheng said: "No, I just want to tell the general that I came to the Western Regions so that my blind old mother and lame brother can have a meal at home!" 』

"You bastard!" Isn’t the military salary enough for your mother and brother? You are the leader of the song, and you will fight for twenty! Monthly salary of five hundred! Clothes, materials and utensils are all provided by the army. Isn’t this enough for you to eat and drink, and not enough for you to support your family? Gao Shun felt that Ma Changsheng was quibbling, "If you spend excessively, even thousands of dollars won't be enough!" 』

Regardless of whether it is the Han Dynasty or other feudal dynasties, the grain in salary is calculated based on unhusked grains. Generally speaking, grains such as brown rice with the husks removed are only 60 to 70% of the original weight. Although Qu Chang's salary can't be considered a lot, it is still quite a lot. After all, in the Hussars, basically everything needed is rationed. Only personal extra expenses need to be spent, so if you want to save a little, don't say To support a family of three or five people, even seven or eight people can make ends meet.

"General!" "Ma Changsheng suddenly tore off the armor silk ribbon on his body, which immediately alerted Gao Shun's guards, and then all the swords and guns were pointed in front of Ma Changsheng, but Ma Changsheng did not make any dangerous move, nor did he take it out from his arms. It wasn't a dagger or other murderous weapon, but a battle robe with several patches on the back of the armor was revealed. "The whole body is covered with humble work, and this is the only piece of armor the new collar has!" This shirt was issued the year before last, and there have been no new ones since! Because of his humble position, he did not drink alcohol and did not engage in prostitution and gambling. He only kept half of the military salary he received for his own use, and the rest was transferred back to his hometown in Longxi through the Qingyin Store! Not to mention excessive spending, it’s just wine and meat. The last time I ate it was as a reward from the Great Protector in the New Year! General, it’s not that you hold a humble position and don’t want to support your family, it’s that you really have no money to spare! 』

The torch was swaying, but one could clearly see that Ma Changsheng's shirt behind the armor did have many patches of different colors.

Gao Shun waved his hand, put away his sword, and asked the guards to step back a little, "What about your military pay?" 』

Ma Changsheng slowly took out a small piece of wooden sign from his arms, and then put his hands on his head, "General, please look carefully, this is the salary that the humble post of Taixing receives every seven years..."

Guard Gao Shun stepped forward, took it, and delivered it to Gao Shun.

Gao Shun looked through the firelight and saw written on the wooden sign, "Three thousand discounts for unpaid wages"...

Gao Shun's eyes moved slightly.

As Ma Changsheng delivered the wooden sign, the other military schools also raised the wooden sign IOUs in their hands.

The guards stepped forward to collect the wooden plaques of the remaining military academy sergeants and delivered them to Gao Shun.

The amount of the wooden sign's debts varies, some are more, some are less, the most is eight thousand, and the least is one thousand and five.

"Since last year, there have been arrears one after another..." Ma Changsheng said, "Even when it comes time to cash out these arrears, they are often not enough. It would be great to get 70% to 80% of the arrears. Most of them can only get half... or even less, and it's common to only be able to cash out 30 to 40 percent..."

"You...you...haven't paid the soldiers for all these years?" ! Gao Shun held the wooden sign and looked at the ink characters on the wooden sign. Suddenly he felt it was very dazzling and his voice started to tremble.

Gao Shun knew there was a problem, but he didn't expect it to be so serious.

Ma Changsheng lowered his head, "This year... I only gave it to three months... I gave it when the allocation started..."

"..." Gao Shun didn't know what to say for a moment.

There was a crackling sound from the torches.

This is true for the team leaders and commanders, so ordinary soldiers can guess what they are doing.

"These...you guys, why didn't you tell me earlier?" Gao Shun held the wooden sign and said, "Why don't you go to Daduhu and tell him?" ! 』

Ma Changsheng replied: "I have gone, a brother has gone... The Protector-General was very angry, and then a junior official said that he made a mistake in keeping accounts. The Protector-General had someone beat the junior official, and the brother's military salary was replenished... ...But later, when the brother was on patrol, he was said to have encountered a wild wolf at night, and his body was not found..."

"Wild wolf?" Gao Shun asked.

Chen Sanlang said on the side: "I know there is another one who also went to beg for military pay, and the money was coming back. But when he went to the market the next day, he was stabbed by a madman... Then the madman killed him on the spot. Killed..."

"Madman..." No matter how stupid Gao Shun was, he still knew how unbelievable it was for a so-called knife-wielding madman to suddenly appear in a busy city.

The breeze that was originally blowing stopped at some point. The clouds were like lead weights on the top of the head, seeming to block the arrival of dawn. The dull air was like stones, which pressed against the chest that was already a little stuffy on the Western Region Plateau. It was as if he was stuffed with these stones, and even breathing was extremely difficult.

"Everything is bitter and the world is difficult," Gao Shun raised his head and said in a low voice, "But it cannot be the reason for you to do evil!" In the past, the Yellow Turban thieves also had many grievances. They were hungry, had no food, and had no clothes. But this did not become the reason for those Yellow Turban thieves to rob other counties and rob places! Why don't you wait..."

Gao Shun paused halfway through speaking. He originally wanted to say that even if there were these military salary arrears, the rewards would not be less after the war...

But Gao Shun soon realized that even if he could owe military wages, what could he not owe?

"You shouldn't do this!" Gao Shun said in a deep voice, "What's the difference between doing this and being a bandit?" ! Don’t worry, I will collect the money you owe, and when it’s time to turn around, I will ask for it on your behalf! You will not be short of money at all. Even if most of you are unable to pay, I, Gao Shun, will still subsidize you! 』

The reason why he couldn't do it was not that Gao Shun was so loving and holy to Che Shi, but because of the so-called "killing prisoners is ominous". In a sense, since the Cheshi people in Jinzihe City finally chose to surrender, these surrendered people can be dealt with to a certain extent, but they cannot all be killed, so that the people in the subsequent cities will be willing to surrender. , otherwise the Cheshi people will know that surrender is also death, which means that no Cheshi people will surrender in future battles...

This also means that the battles Gao Shun and others will face will be more difficult, there will be more deadly battles, and the casualties will naturally be greater. Originally, it was only necessary to fight against a part of the chariot division's officials and generals, but in the end, it may become a situation where more chariot divisions have to be dealt with, and it may even become a situation where all the chariot division's soldiers are involved.

The immediate money may lead to the deterioration of the subsequent war situation, and these military academies do not listen to orders and do not comply with constraints. This is the biggest reason for Gao Shun's anger.

"General!" "Although Gao Shun said this, Ma Changsheng did not show any joy on his face. Instead, he shook his head and said, "The general is a good man, we all know it... But when we tell the general this, we have no intention of asking the general to ask for advance payment... ...What's more, these arrears of pay are not one or two, let alone a month or a year... The general's subordinates also have to pay for food and drink. Even if the general can advance for a while, he will not be able to advance for a lifetime... Unless the general can remonstrate with the general, and then kill him Already..."

"presumptuous! Gao Shun shouted angrily.

Ma Changsheng lowered his head, remained silent for a while, and then prostrated himself on the ground, "Begging for one's position is overstepping the bounds of duty... It is a capital crime for one to be beneath one's position." In my humble position, I dare not say anything to get away with it. I just ask the general, for the sake of the family and the children, to use this money to make up for the military pay we owe... In my humble position, I am committing a capital crime and following the general. Even if I die on the battlefield, it is useless. regret! I beg you, General, to make it happen! 』

The other military academies also prostrated one after another and said in unison: "I beg you, General!" 』

The cold rain finally fell.

It hit the armor, flowed on the armor, and fell to the ground.

In the rain, Gao Shun looked up at the sky, silent...