May of the 20th year of Jian'an.
Jiaozhou, Hepu County.
The former prefect of Hepu County was Shi Xie's younger brother Shi Yi. Shi Yi was also a famous scholar in Jiaozhou. When he was young, he was the supervisor of Cangwu County. Because of his diligence and dedication, he was valued by Ding Gong, the governor of Jiaozhi. Later, Ding Gong was conscripted back to the court. Before leaving, he told Shi Yi that if he could get the position of the Three Dukes, he would send someone to take charge.
Later, Ding Gong did become Situ, so he followed his promise and sent envoys to recruit Shi Yi. Unfortunately, after Shi Yi arrived in Luoyang, he was about to encounter Dong Zhuo in rebellion. He did not dare to delay in the chaos of the Central Plains, so he died and returned to his hometown. Later, he was elected as the prefect of Hepu by his brother Shi Xie.
He was a scholar, knowledgeable, talented, diligent, and supported by the huge clan power of the Shi family. Such a prefect can always achieve results in governing the local area as long as he does not act indiscriminately. What's more, Hepu County has won the Haimao and Zhuguan? Therefore, several years ago, Hepu County has become the fourth largest county in Jiaozhou after Cangwu, Nanhai and Jiaozhi.
During the period when Shi Xie died and the clan power was destroyed, Hepu County was looted by local bandits. However, after the partial general Guo actually served as the prefect of Hepu and led 3,000 elite troops to enter, the place was quickly rebuilt and roughly restored its old view.
Today it was light rain, Lei Yuan and Guo Jing walked in the city with umbrellas and looked at the buildings along the way.
If the buildings in Cangwu, Nanhai and other places are generally based on the Han specifications, they only use southern customs, and when they come to Hepu, they are almost in a completely southern style. Even the city walls of the county city do not require rammed earth, but are arranged side by side with thick wood, and then cut thorns with thorns to tie them into fences.
What’s important is that when binding thorns, they will deliberately tie a section of the thorns into the soil. So after the rainy season, many thorns will grow, circling along the wooden fence, making the entire wooden fence like a forbidden area, unable to touch the feet or reach the hands. From a distance, it is simply a bit weird and terrifying.
Fortunately, the distance is not far away, and there is a fortress built with lime and sand. The fortress is in a serious Chinese style, with four squares and four corners, which makes people feel a little more comfortable.
There are many waters around Hepu, so the city relies on the waterway to make the thunder river, and the city has three gates. At the north gate, Guo Jing relies on the prefect's mansion built by Shi Yi to rammed earth and bricks to form a large and solid castle. With two inner and outer walls, and with the elite of Guo Jing's headquarters, Hepu City can be nailed to Jiaozhi and the newly established Gaoliang and the two counties, which are enough to monitor the south of Jiaozhou.
"I just found out that there is no market in your city? Is it thrown outside the city?" Lei Yuan looked for a while and asked with a smile.
"Hepu has pearls, tortoiseshells and corals, and there must be a lot of caravans. These days, there are less than a dozen business trips from Jingzhou, and our Lujiang Lei family is stationed." Guo Jing said: "However, in addition to Jingzhou caravans, there are also people from Jiangdong and people from foreign lands who come from floating on the sea... I think these people are unreliable, so it is safer to put them outside the city."
"Let's go and have a look."
"Sect Master, please follow me."
The two of them rode on their horses and galloped through the south gate that was still under construction, and they saw the market three or four miles away from the city.
It is known as the market, but it is actually a camp, with about a scale of more than a thousand people stationed there. There are a large number of residences and warehouses in the camp. In order to set fire, building materials include bricks, stones and rammed earth.
The market is located on the edge of a platform. Its appearance is irregular pentagonal based on the terrain. The walls are not high, about a meter tall. Because the edges of the platform are twisted, the walls above are also concave and convex, forming many corners, and watchtowers are built on each corner.
Lei Yuan himself is a big expert. You can tell at a glance that this is a place specially reserved for arrow-covering shooting. The archers stand on this corner of the wall, and can shoot in all directions, and can also cover each other with other towers. This is not like a common fortress in the Han family, nor is it the Qionglong style that Deng Tong's subordinates were used to, but like a bastion he raised in his early years... But I don't know how effective it is when it comes to combat?
"In this market, 300 elite troops are stationed in this city to strictly prevent people from causing trouble." Guo Jing explained: "If there is really a war, a thousand people can be stationed here as a stronghold outside Hepu City, restraining the enemy and echoing the defenders in the city. In addition, this road leads to the Zhuguan garrison. If there is any chaos there, it will be very quick to send troops there."
"How far is Zhuguan's station?"
"It's not far, about fifteen miles. When the sect leader came last time, he walked the nearest road to the east, so he didn't see this market."
Hepu Pearl is a well-known product that is well-known throughout the world. So Lei Yuan visited the first few stops of his patrol. At that time, he saw dozens of ships floating in the sea, hundreds of pearl pickers traveling back and forth in the deep water and ships, and fishing out the big shells that might have been formed from the sea.
"Is that pearl official still available?"
In the coastal area south of Hepu County, there are no counties or townships, but Zhuguan is responsible for it. The current Zhuguan has been in office here for more than 20 years. He has a very old experience and is very familiar with the various tricks of picking pearls. Therefore, Lei Yuan knew that this person was inevitably a little unbearable, but he still kept him in office.
"Although it's a bit smooth, I can still do things. When Fan Boyu came, it was still smooth to cooperate with him."
"That's good. Lao Guo, in the past few months, I will speed up the sale of various Jiaozhou specialties and collect grain and fodder and related materials. For Zhuguan, you should keep an eye on the spot. The output must be guaranteed, but you must also prevent Zhuguan from using us as a guise to squeeze the pearl pickers and cause additional trouble."
"Collapse the food and fodder?" Guo Jing keenly noticed the keyword.
He pulled his horse closer to Lei Yuan and asked in a low voice: "Sect Master, where is there anything to do to use troops?"
Lei Yuan replied: "Recently, there are rumors in the Central Plains that Cao Cao was seriously ill and could not be a director. He has not appeared in public for a long time."
After hearing this, Guo was surprised: "Take it serious?"
Lei Yuan nodded and shook his head again: "Maybe it's true, but... it may not be."
In his memory of his previous life, he had no impression of Cao Cao's lifespan, and he felt that he had not died early. At present, Cao Cao was only sixty years old, and it seemed that he was not that old. With his cunning, how could he have no plans? But the news from the north was very true. The sources of the news were even scattered in Xudu, Luoyang and even Yecheng, which could be confirmed by each other.
"Do you still remember Song Wan?" Lei Yuan asked.
"It's the guy who cheated Wenpin, I naturally remember it."
"A while ago, the Chengdu Central Committee sent a message, asking the caravan of the Lei family in Lujiang to help find out the situation. I asked Song Wan to find a solution. In Xiangyang, he took 300 fine pearls produced by Hepu County this season and bribed General Fenwei Man Chong's confidant subordinates. According to the subordinate, Man Chong intended to return to the court and wrote a letter to Cao Cao, and Cao Cao wrote a letter to him. The letter mentioned a few words about his body, which was roughly said that recently he had become old and sick, and he was gradually deteriorating and was often saved by medicine and stones, and he was afraid that the world would not be decided."
"this……"
"Anyway, let's make some preparations in advance." Lei Yuan said: "Kong Ming wrote to me before, and he meant that even if this matter was true, it would not take a day or a night to move. There were many complicated and complicated considerations. If the news gradually became clear, he would suggest that the center would ask me to take Qu Jing and others to Chengdu in the name of summoning the 2,000-stone teaching of Jiaozhou. Someone would also go to Chengdu with Jingzhou."
Chapter completed!