Chapter 531: Bandits in Jingzhou

Although Li Qing'an allowed Guo Ziyi to lead 3,000 troops into the capital, Guo Ziyi finally gave up this opportunity and never entered Guanzhong. Soon, Li Qing'an received news that Guo Ziyi had led a hundred thousand troops to Lingzhou and the North Guannei Road, and there was no more garrison in the states near Guanzhong.

This news made Li Qingan feel a little surprised. He understood what Guo Ziyi meant. Guo Ziyi probably gave the inner road to the court. On the afternoon of the day when he received the news, Li Qingan immediately ordered someone to find Yan Zhuang, who supervised the distribution of land in the Weinan Royal Village.

In the big tent, Li Qing'an paced back and forth with his hands behind his back. He was repeatedly considering Guo Ziyi's intentions. Why did Guo Ziyi give up the way of the inner tent? Is he weak to himself? Or is he deliberately testing himself?

"I want to hear what the general thinks first!" Yan Zhuang sat aside and smiled.

Li Qing'an frowned slightly and said, "I'm wondering which side Guo Ziyi belongs. At least he will definitely not be loyal to me. So who is he loyal to? Is it the little emperor who is less than two years old, the empress dowager? Or the court? This is the first thing we need to determine."

Yan Zhuang nodded and said, "I think Guo Ziyi is still on the lookout now, and he should not have decided his belongings yet."

"This is the problem!"

Li Qingan continued his words: "If Guo Ziyi does not decide his own ownership, then strength is his greatest capital. Only with strong strength can he have the capital to bargain. Since that is the case, why did Guo Ziyi give up the inner road?"

"What the general means is that Guo Ziyi has made a decision?"

"Yes! It should be so, otherwise he would have a hundred thousand troops in his hands, and without the inner road of the Guannei, what would he use to support these troops?"

Yan Zhuang was also silent. He also felt that Li Qing'an's analysis was very reasonable. The most important thing was that if Guo Ziyi really gave up the inner path of the Guannei, what would he use to support the 100,000 army? Moreover, he was likely to surrender to the court. If he surrendered to Li Longji, the food would not be able to be transported here.

At this time, Li Qingan said again: "Now I think there should be two possibilities. One is that he intends to serve the court and deliberately makes concessions to me. The second is that he is doing a test to see if I will send troops to occupy the inner road immediately."

"General, I think there are both possible. The key now is what the general plans to do?"

Li Qing'an walked to the door of the tent, looked at the direction of the inner road in the northern pass, and slowly said: "This is also the main reason why I invited Mr. I hope he can give me a suggestion."

Yan Zhuang pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "It's better for the general to test Guo Ziyi."

Li Qingan turned around and asked, "How to test it?"

"It can be created by an abnormal means."

Yan Zhuang whispered a few words to Li Qing'an. Li Qing'an pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "This method can be tried."

After saying that, he immediately turned around and said to his personal soldiers: "Tell me my order and order Hu Peiyun to come to see me quickly!"

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Guannei Road is the vast hinterland surrounded by the shape of the Yellow River in northern Shaanxi and Ningxia today, north of the Guanzhong Plain. The Guannei Road of the Tang Dynasty was humid and there were large areas of dense forests everywhere. The land was fertile and the population was large. It has always been a strategic place for abundant grain. Having Guannei Road means sufficient food and military sources. An Lushan planned to occupy Guannei Road first, use Guannei Road as a springboard and base, and then march towards Guanzhong.

Since Guo Ziyi was ordered to guard the inner road of Guan'an, his troops gradually increased, from 50,000 to 100,000. Moreover, his army was of high quality and strong combat. Although he could not compare with Li Qing'an's Anxi Army, he was more than enough to be more than Li Heng's Guanzhong Army.

But since Li Qing'an supported the new emperor Li Xun ascended the throne, Guo Ziyi suddenly gave up the Guannei Road and withdrew his troops to the front line of Lingzhou and Guannei North Road, which made all the prefectures and counties in Guannei Road unable to adapt.

Anding County, Jingzhou is also the prefecture of Jingzhou. At that time, the Anxi Army wiped out An Lushan's vanguard troops here. This area is the remnant of Liupan Mountain. The mountains are towering and stretching, with high mountains and deep valleys. Many fugitives live in the mountains.

These so-called fugitive mountain people were also ordinary farmers in Guanzhong or Guandidao. Because their land was annexed, they could not bear to become serfs or tenants, and were forced to flee the land and became fugitive mountain people. Fugitive households were extremely serious social problems since the Middle Tang Dynasty. On the one hand, the land was annexed, and on the other hand, the owner of the large manor transferred heavy taxes to them, making it difficult for them to live, and had to escape into the mountains with their families.

The story of "harsh government is more powerful than tigers" tells the tragic life of fleeing households. In addition to fleeing households, in addition to farmers, some fleeing soldiers also hid in the deep mountains. Some opened up wastelands and farmed, and lived a primitive life of slash-and-burn farming, while some fierce people occupied the mountain and became kings, becoming bandits who harmed the people of one side.

And in the deep mountains of Anding County, there was a group of bandits active. The bandit leader's surname was Miao. The officers and soldiers went into the mountains several times to clear them out, but they all returned without success. It was not that they could not defeat them, but that they could not find their shadow at all.

It is already mid-June, and the wheat harvest season in Anding County is about to reach its peak. This is also the most worrying moment for Anding County. The wheat harvest season every year is the most active time for bandits.

That night, the night was dark and the wind was high, and the moon was passing through the thin dark clouds. The world was sometimes shrouded in a dark and dark place, and sometimes it was as bright as silver. The light of the full moon shones on the earth.

There are several huge warehouses on the bank of the Jinghe River south of Anding County. Since you can enter Guanzhong by water, Anding County has also become one of the main transit stations for more than a dozen nearby counties to transport grain to Guanzhong.

Although the summer grain has not been harvested yet, the warehouses on the banks of the Jinghe River still store 30,000 stones of grain and a lot of light goods such as silk and hemp that were not transported last year.

This warehouse was originally stationed and guarded by Guo Ziyi's army. Due to the sudden evacuation of Guo Ziyi's army, these warehouses immediately lost supervision. Pei Ju, the prefect of Jingzhou, was afraid that something might happen to the warehouse. On the one hand, he organized a large number of civilians to transport food and supplies into the city, and on the other hand, he sent more than 100 yamen runners to watch at the warehouse.

After moving for five days, there was no more grain stored in the warehouse, and less than three thousand stones of grain were stored. The warehouse guards also became relaxed. After five days of hard work, many yamen runners finally couldn't help it and sneaked back to the city to find fun.

But on the evening of the fifth day, a team of about 800 people appeared five miles outside the warehouse. This was a team wearing mottled and messy clothes. Some of them were wearing military uniforms, some were wearing peasants' short shirts and trousers, some were wearing scholars' robes, holding various weapons, swords, spears, bows and arrows, and hoes.

If they were caught by the people of Anding County, someone would definitely shout: "Bandits!"

Judging from their outfits and uneven weapons, they are indeed very similar to bandits in Liupan Mountain, but these 800 people are all agile and walk like flying, many times stronger than bandits in the tumultuous circles. Their goal is very clear, and they are five large warehouses on the banks of the Jingshui River.

At this time, eight hundred people were not far from the warehouse, and there was only less than a mile away. The bandit leader stared at the warehouse with bright and sharp eyes. At this time, the moon emerged from the thin clouds, and a faint silver light once again illuminated the earth. Five huge warehouses stood on the banks of the Jinghe River, like five black giant statues. They were about thirty steps away from each other, without fences, and there were only a row of bungalows next to them. They lived by the people who were looking after the warehouse. Recently, there were more than 100 prefecture and county yamen runners, and tonight there were only more than thirty people left.

The room was brightly lit, and the figures were shaking on the frosted paper on the windows. Only the yamen runners' gambling shouts came from time to time in the room, "Lu! Lu!"

The time came, and the bandit leader waved his hand and whispered: "Go!"

Eight hundred people were like eight hundred arrows that took off the strings and shot quickly at five large warehouses. At this moment, a yamen runner came out to Xiao Jie and saw a dense crowd of people running towards the warehouse and them. They were so scared that they shouted: "Bandits! The Bandits are here!"

He turned around and ran away with his pants. His shouting made the house seem to have exploded. Some of the dozens of yamen run away from the window, and some rushed out of the house and ran wildly into the forest behind. In just a blink of an eye, more than thirty yamen run away cleanly, without a single one.

"Damn it! Run faster than a rabbit."

The bandit leader looked at the empty room and cursed in a low voice. He immediately ordered: "Light up and burn the warehouse!"

In a moment, five warehouses were lit at the same time, and the blazing fire rushed straight into the sky. The fire was soaring that it reflected the sky south of Anding County into red.

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On the walls of Anding County, more than a dozen prefectures and county officials rushed to the top of the city after hearing the news. Each of them was extremely shocked. Although the bandits surnamed Miao were fierce, they never did anything to fish in the lake. They usually robbed some food and went back. They never burned the warehouse like today. Do they not want to rob food again in the future?

Pei Ju, the prefect of Jingzhou, looked at the five groups of burning fires, and anger flashed in his eyes. He had a little sympathy for these mountain villagers and fugitives, but now, these bastards actually dared to burn the official warehouse. They really wanted to rebel.

At this moment, someone suddenly pointed to the distance and shouted: "Look, everyone, they are here!"

I saw dense shadows appearing in the darkness, with as many as thousands of people. The leaders were three horse-riding people. They were not hidden, but rushed towards the county town.

The chief of Jingzhou Zhao Xuming was so scared that he shouted: "Hurry! Close the city gate and pull up the suspension bridge!"

"Shi Changshi Zhao!"

Pei Ju glanced at him dissatisfiedly. He really looked down on Zhao Changshi. Although his knowledge was good, he had a low character. All officials in Guannei Boycotted Li Heng ascended the throne. Although Zhao Xuming kept calling for boycott, he actually gave Li Heng a private praise of his merits and was appreciated by Li Heng. He was promoted from Panyin County to Jingzhou Changshi, which was really disgusting.

Pei Ju frightened him to panic when he saw a group of small thieves. He couldn't help but look even more despised. He said coldly: "You are a governor and historian, don't forget your identity."

"Yes! This is the first time Xiaguan has seen a bandit, and he has lost his composure."

Zhao Xuming didn't dare to shout anymore. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "What do these bandits want to do? Do they rebel?"

"When they saw the army withdraw, they came to demonstrate to us. Humph! More than a thousand people wanted to rob the county town if they didn't know the heights of the sky and the earth!"

Zhao Xuming laughed dryly and said, "Envoy Pei is right. We don't need to pay attention to this little thief. They can't steal the county town and will naturally retreat. Pei Jun, I don't think we have to alarm the court anymore. What do you think?"

Pei Ju understood Zhao Xuming's thoughts. He was afraid that the court would settle him. Pei Ju sneered in her heart, but ignored him.

Zhao Xuming touched a nail, his face was very embarrassed, and he cursed Pei Ju in his heart. At this time, nearly a thousand bandits rushed forward and shot arrows at the fire. Dozens of arrows roared at the officials on the top of the city. The arrows were strong, and the officials were so scared that they hurriedly dodged.

Zhao Xuming was almost shot by an arrow. He screamed in shock, squatted on the wall with his head in his arms, trembling with fear, and shouted in a crying voice: "It's over, I'm finished this time!"

Seeing that Zhao Xuming was extremely embarrassed, Pei Ju was so angry that he stomped his feet heavily, and turned around and went down the city. In the dark night, he only ordered the yamen runners to say, "Go to inform the people from door to door, let everyone work together to kill the thief, kill a thief and give him 50 stags of money!"

Pei Ju went back to the prefecture yamen first. Pei Ju is Pei Min's clan brother. He is about 40 years old this year. He was originally the chief of Yanzhou. Because he was promoted to the prefect of Jingzhou by Li Yu because he had been the Ministry of Personnel for three consecutive years.

Pei Ju is a straightforward person, stern and upright person, and has a very high reputation among the people. He is another hope star in the officialdom of the Pei family after Pei Min. Tonight, although he scolded Zhao Xuming for being timid and timid, and contemptuously called the bandits a mob, he was actually worried. Even if these bandits could not defeat the city, the people living outside the city would suffer. Alas! As soon as Guo Ziyi's army retreated, these bandits became rampant.

As soon as he walked to the front of the state yamen, a yamen runner came up and reported with a strange expression: "Encourt, someone is looking for you, are you waiting in the state yamen?"

"Who is it?"

"I don't know, he said he came from Jingli."

‘Beijing?’ Pei Ju was a little confused. Could it be that his brother Pei Min sent someone here? He also received news a few days ago that Li Qing'an led a large army into Guanzhong, and the pseudo-Emperor Li Heng had already fled.

Although Pei Ju was a little dissatisfied with Li Qing'an's two-year-old son becoming emperor, he did not supervise Li Qing'an and handed over power to the Zhengshi Hall. The seven people in the Zhengshi Hall were all famous ministers, such as his brothers Pei Min, Zhang Hao, Wang Jin and others, who were honest and upright. In addition, Li Qing'an once led the Anxi Army to expel An Lushan, who invaded the Guannei Road, which made him always be grateful.

Pei Ju thought that Pei Min sent someone to deliver a letter to him, and in ten days it will be Pei Kuan's 99th Festival, and he will go to Beijing to attend the Pei family's gathering.

He walked into the guest room of the provincial yamen. As soon as he entered the door, he saw a man in his thirties sitting in the room. He was tall and burly and handsome. When he saw Pei Ju enter the door, he bowed and smiled, "I have been waiting for the envoy Pei for a long time."

"Who are you....."

Pei Ju saw that this person was very strange and had never seen him before, so he asked in surprise: "Who are you?"
To be continued...