ps: Thanks to Brother Douban for the reward, and fellow comrades for their monthly votes for encouragement.
In Youzhou, it’s freezing cold.
More than ten horses entered from the south gate and galloped towards Jiedu Mansion in the city. The horses' hooves stepped on them, splashing up mixed black and white slush, which separated the pedestrians on both sides of the road like splashing water. Anyone who could not get out of the way was hurriedly rolled away.
, narrowly dodged the collision of the horses, but the rider, who didn't care, still rushed straight away, jumping to his feet and shouting curses.
The cavalry rushed to the gate of Jiedu Mansion. Liu Zhiwen flew down, threw the reins to the Jiedu Mansion guards who were waiting outside the gate, stepped up the steps, and rushed in. Several staff members Zuo Er followed behind him.
At this time, he had time to dismount, and together with a few soldiers, he entered the gatehouse and waited.
The Jiedu Mansion was already covered in white linen. Feng Chang, who was preparing for the funeral, led Liu Zhiwen to a side room and summoned several maids to bathe him hastily. After a brief wash, the maids changed his linen clothes and put them in his clothes.
The bun was loosened and tied up. Liu Zhiwen urged impatiently. As soon as he was fully dressed, he couldn't wait to leave the side room and go straight to the mourning hall in the middle hall.
The general judge Guo Bingcheng was waiting outside the mourning hall. When he saw Liu Zhiwen with a livid face, he couldn't help but feel a sudden shock in his heart. He cupped his hands and said: "The servant is back. There are many things, and I still need the servant to take charge of the cooking."
Liu Zhiwen was originally a judge in the Jiedu Prefecture. After the Da'an Mountain Mutiny, he was recommended by Zhu Quanzhong, King of Dongping, as a Shizhong. However, the position of "Shizhong" still needed to be approved by the Zhengshitang in Chang'an. Although the official position recommended by King Dongping, the Emperor and the Zhengshitang
There is no reason to deny it, but given the current chaotic situation in Chang'an, the approval of this appointment will not be available in one month, but two months. I am afraid it will have to be delayed until the end of the year. But in any case, all officials in Youzhou City, big and small, have already
He began to refer to this powerful figure in Lulongjie as "Servant", not to mention Guo Bingcheng, who already had ulterior motives.
Liu Zhiwen ignored Guo Bingcheng and went straight forward. He stared at the memorial tablets of Liu Rengong and his wife Qi and stood there for a long time. Then he took the burning incense amidst the chants of the monks and bowed respectfully.
There are more than ten coffins in the back hall. The largest three-layer thick wooden coffin contains the body of Liu Rengong, the prince of Liaodong County. The slightly smaller one is that of Princess Qi, and the smaller wooden coffin behind it contains the body of Liu Rengong.
several concubines.
Liu Zhiwen stared blankly for a while at Liu Rengong, who was lying quietly in the coffin with a face as bright as gold paper. He sighed deeply and waved his hand. The handymen on the side quickly closed the three-layer coffin one by one.
"Suppose there are many people in the future who are short of food and clothing, who do not obey their wishes, who may suffer from many diseases, who may suffer from severe decline, whose homes may be uneasy, whose dependents may be scattered, who may do many unruly things, who may disobey the body, and who may be frightened in their sleep or dreams.
Horrible. People like this. Hear the name of Ksitigarbha and see the form of Ksitigarbha..."
The wooden fish and bells sounded loudly. The monks chanted "Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's Original Vow Sutra" over and over again, which made Liu Zhiwen irritable. He stepped out of the mourning hall, looked up at the hazy sky with his hands behind his hands, and after a moment, asked: "Great
Where is the handsomeness?"
Guo Bingcheng said hurriedly: "Commander...the pain cannot be suppressed, and he has been busy with filial piety and hard work recently. At this moment...he is resting in the back house. Someone has sent someone to report to the commander quickly. The commander knows that the servant is back.
He will definitely be here immediately, so please wait a moment."
Liu Zhiwen let out a loud "snort" and wanted to reprimand him, but he still held back. Of course he knew exactly what kind of temper this young marshal was. To say that Liu Shouguang was lazy and carefree at the moment, and even had sex with the late prince.
He actually believed that his beloved concubine Luo Shi was so arrogant that his words about "uncontrollable pain" and "obeying filial piety and working hard" were all nonsense. But Liu Zhiwen, as a judge of Jiedu, could not do it in front of his subordinates.
The face refers to the handsome man of his own family.
Turning around and facing Guo Bingcheng, Liu Zhiwen asked in a low voice: "How did the prince die?"
Guo Bingcheng's heart skipped a beat again, he lowered his head and said, "According to the investigation, the kitchen used moldy beans when cooking..."
"Nonsense!" Liu Zhiwen finally couldn't bear it anymore and shouted: "Guo Tongpan, these lies are just to deceive others. Do you want to deceive even someone? What are the details, and how long do you want to hide them?"
Guo Bingcheng suddenly broke out in a cold sweat, but he did not hesitate at all. He gritted his teeth and said: "The doctor has already checked, the work has been verified, and physical evidence has been found in the kitchen. This is true, but I don't know what the waiter said.
What do you mean? If there is any falsehood to conceal, the servant can order a detailed investigation. How dare a small general judge speak nonsense?"
Liu Zhiwen stared at Guo Bingcheng coldly and said for a long time: "I hope it is as you said."
Guo Bingcheng bowed again: "The servant is tired from the long journey, why not rest in the side hall first? I will go and make arrangements."
Liu Zhiwen shook his head: "No, I'm just waiting here for the commander-in-chief. Guo Tongban doesn't need to accompany me, and he can go and do his own business."
Guo Bingcheng nodded: "In this case, I will excuse myself."
After Guo Bingcheng left, Liu Zhiwen sighed heavily, thinking about the extremely complicated situation in front of him, and couldn't help but feel sad.
Liu Shouguang came to the study room full of dissatisfaction. After Liu Rengong's death, he could finally be with Luo Shi without any scruples. They had been living happily these past few days, to the point where they could not be separated for a moment. So much happened.
He also knew that Liu Zhiwen would come back, but he didn't expect that Liu Zhiwen would come back so quickly. He had no choice but to get up from the bed and wait in the study room without noticing the makeup on his face.
Liu Zhiwen was invited into the study. The person sitting here was the commander-in-chief Liu Rengong. Since the mutiny, Liu Shouguang did not dare to face his biological mother Qi. He rarely even entered Jiedu Mansion, so he had been idle for two months. At this moment, the study
The owner changed again, which made Liu Zhiwen feel a little confused.
When he saw Liu Shouguang's cheeks that he had not yet had time to wash, Liu Zhiwen felt irritated again, and his face instantly turned darker.
Liu Shouguang felt a little guilty. He saw the stern look on the face of the first counselor who relied on him to help him. He was afraid that the other party would talk about his personal affairs. He quickly put on a smile and said first: "The servant returned so quickly. I didn't know it, but
I'm just waiting for you. I wonder how we can go to Weizhou?"
When Liu Zhiwen heard the other party asking about business, he temporarily suppressed his displeasure and said: "I went to Weizhou and met Huangfu Jun. They discussed the truce between the two sides. He agreed to return Shenzhou, Mozhou and Yingzhou, but Jizhou
He Dezhou will not come back. Jizhou can be returned, but the commander-in-chief still needs to appease General Zhao. Among the three states that belong to Yichang Military Town, in addition to Wei Bo who wants to occupy Dezhou, Xuanwu also wants Dizhou."
Liu Shouguang perked up and said, "Really? Oh, it's really... I'm so busy serving you. I'm going to serve wine tonight to congratulate you! As for General Zhao... well, let's think of a way. That's it for now, General."
So what?"
No wonder Liu Shouguang was excited. In fact, Shenzhou, Mozhou and Yingzhou under the jurisdiction of Lu Long's army, and most of Dezhou, Dizhou and Cangzhou under the jurisdiction of Yichang army have been captured by the Wei, Bo and Xuanwu coalition forces. They can regain Shenzhou this time.
Mo, in the three states of Ying, it is already extremely difficult. But there is no such thing as pie in the sky. Since you get something, you must give something.
Sure enough, Liu Zhiwen sighed: "The land of these three states is not easy to get. Huangfu Jun wants 50,000 shi of grain, 3,000 bolts of silk, 2,000 war horses, and 100,000 guan of money, which must be sent to Wei before the end of January next year."
When will it be delivered to Zhouzhou, and when will Wei Bobing be sent back?"
Liu Shouguang took a breath of air-conditioning and paid back the food, silk, and money. Although it cost half of Youzhou's current family fortune, he could still afford it, but the war horses were really a headache. After the Da'an Mountain Mutiny, Liu Shouguang gained a lot.
More than 3,000 war horses were all sent to the front of the army by Li Chengzhong before, and most of them were given to Ba Duqi on the spot. Do you want to ask Zhao Ba to get them back again? You have occupied two states, and you still have to pay compensation.
Ma, how can Liu Shouguang speak?
Liu Shouguang frowned and asked again: "Xuanwu...King Dongping..." He hesitated a few words, but gritted his teeth and did not dare to ask any more. He heard clearly just now that this was only a request from Wei Bo.
Not including Xuanwu, even Wei Bo has put forward so many conditions. As the main force, what kind of strict requirements will Xuanwu put forward?
Liu Zhiwen continued to sigh: "The people who came to Xuanwu were Yuan Xiangxian and Yang Shihou. They didn't ask for that many things. They also asked for fifty thousand shi of grain. They didn't ask for silk, horses, or money..."
Before Liu Zhiwen could finish speaking, Liu Shouguang breathed a sigh of relief, patted his chest and said, "It's okay, it's okay."
Liu Zhiwen smiled bitterly and said: "We don't need many things. The Xuanwu land is vast and rich. They don't lack these. They want soldiers, ten thousand soldiers!"
Liu Shouguang immediately shouted: "How did the servant respond? We have discussed it. Now that Lulong's army is short of strength and has suffered a series of defeats, where are there any sergeants for them? The servant will not agree, right?"
Liu Zhiwen was helpless and nodded slowly: "I refused. Yuan Xiang was able to talk to him first, but Yang Shihou was difficult to deal with. He insisted that even if there were 10,000 sergeants, not one person would be missing."
Liu Shouguang said: "But we still have to deal with Li Chengzhong. After handing over 10,000 sergeants, our military strength will be greatly reduced. What can we do to deter Yingzhou? Li Chengzhong has not expressed his position so far. Why doesn't the servant argue with reason?"
According to Youzhou's speculation, the Yingzhou Army is estimated to have 5,000 soldiers and 5,000 servants of various ethnic groups, which is 10,000. After the Da'an Mountain Mutiny, Liu Shouguang's volunteer army now has more than 10,000 people, and Badu Cavalry
The strongest among the prisoners were also selected to join, and the number reached more than 5,000. Together with more than 6,000 Jizhou soldiers and the Yameni army being organized, the total number was less than 25,000. If 10,000 were transferred, it would be very difficult.
It's too tight.
Liu Zhiwen remained silent and just stared at Liu Shouguang as if he was an idiot.
After a while, Liu Shouguang finally understood and his face turned red. When a robber broke into your front yard and was about to rob you, you told him to wait because your backyard was on fire. Isn't this a fool?
"Even if we don't tell them, they will know it sooner or later, right?" Liu Shouguang murmured an explanation to cover up the naivety he showed just now.
"Maybe, but no matter what, we can't expose it ourselves, and we must try to resolve the matter before the news spreads to the south! So I told Yang Shihou that we Lulong can send troops, but not until the end of January next year. So,
We only have one month left..." (To be continued.)