The concubine in the medicine pot is charming again, and the sick and tyrant obediently confesses 272 I have always been good at leading the snake out of the hole
272 I have always been good at leading the snake out of the hole
The officials obviously listened to what Yu Gao said. Now that the matter has come to this, do they still have a choice?
No.
So Xiao Xiruo received the news that night that those black sheep actually led people to the junction of Su County and Qin County, the rocky mountain that was once occupied by countless bandits.
"The mountain roads are densely forested and there are many caves. Some of them were dug deliberately by the former bandits for quick escape and ambushes for officers and soldiers. According to the arrested Su Jun Shiye, Yu Gao, a disciple of Wang Zheng, once committed a massacre
He also helped the Wang family collect a lot of bribes. Most of the money, food, rice and noodles were transported to this rock mountain."
Bai Zhi reported the news sent by the secret guards to Xiao Xiruo, along with some sketches of the rock caves.
Even if it was just a simple map kept by the government, Xiao Xiruo could see the spaciousness and ingenuity of those caves, as well as the mediocrity and abomination of the government in the river.
Knowing that this rocky mountain has been occupied by bandits several times, knowing that these bandits can use the caves to deal with the officers and soldiers, it is often the officers and soldiers who go up the mountain and they come down...
But have these officials taken any precautions?
The mountain has not been sealed and the hole has not been filled. If it is just left there, it can be used as a private treasury for dirty silver and stolen goods.
clever.
They are all a bunch of smart people!
"Where are the soldiers and horses from the five counties? Is this a bit too much?"
Putting down the sketch, Xiao Xiruo decided to count the soldiers and horses in each county first and hold these soldiers firmly in his hands.
However, just when Bai Zhi wanted to report to Xiao Xiruo that each of the five counties had 2,000 soldiers and horses. Except for the 3,000 trusted followers gathered by Yu Gao and others, the other soldiers and horses were still at the same place. There were secret guards outside the door in a hurry.
Come.
The news brought by the other party directly made Xiao Xiruo curl up his lips.
"The subordinates and others don't know how these officials got the news. They only know that they abandoned their houses in large numbers and fled with their families outside the city under the protection of a group of trusted officers and soldiers."
The secret guard's voice was a little hoarse, obviously he didn't expect such a turn of events.
If they had stopped the person who reported the news earlier, these people might not have fled in large numbers.
These secret guards are indeed very skilled in martial arts, but no matter how strong they are, they can only number a hundred people, and they are scattered across five counties.
They could chase and kill some of the fleeing officials, but if they wanted to catch them back, that would be a fantasy.
"It's okay. If they want to escape, let them escape."
Xiao Xiruo twisted her hair with one hand, her expression not changing at all due to lack of manpower and the fact that things were out of her control.
"If you don't do something wrong, don't be afraid of ghosts knocking on the door. Those who want to run away are naturally doing something wrong, and they are afraid that this evil spirit of this palace will come to their door and cause trouble for them. Instead of letting me catch them one by one, it is better to let them gather together.
Together."
"But Madam, they must have wanted to go to Yanshan to seek refuge with Yu Gao. By then, if more and more bandits gather together, won't they become rebels?"
Bai Zhi looked at her mother-in-law with some doubts. Although she knew she shouldn't question Shangfeng casually, she still said:
"Now that they haven't gone up the mountain yet, why don't we send people to kill most of them first to weaken the strength of this group of bandits?"
Xiao Xiruo smiled and shook her head. She didn't need to explain at all. Wen Susu on the side said:
"Xiao Zhi, there are twelve counties in this river, and there are as many corrupt officials as there are stars in the sky. The empress's killing of officials in three counties has attracted the attention of five counties. If she continues to kill them regardless of judgment, the remaining seven counties will also be killed.
It’s time to move.”
Killing corrupt officials is a great thing that benefits the country and the people.
But no matter how good things are, you can't act recklessly, especially when there are enough corrupt officials and your own foundation is not stable enough.
They can handle the five counties for the time being, but what about the twelve counties?
Therefore, instead of killing those fleeing county magistrate officials now and causing public outrage, it is better to be cautious and wait until the Yiluansi and the Xiao family's cavalry arrive.
After all, the officials of the other seven counties have not been affected yet, so if they no longer receive external stimulation in a short period of time, they should not act rashly.
They will wait and see, and their waiting is their time.
"Besides, with so many escaped officials, do you want to exhaust our people to death?"
Wen Susu smiled and poked Bai Zhi's head, then directly stuffed the cake in her hand into her mouth.
After hearing this, Bai Zhi smiled sheepishly and ate the pastry without saying anything.
It was only at this moment that Xiao Xiruo said lazily:
"Instead of worrying about where they fled and whether our people can catch up, we should be more concerned about how they got the news. It's just Yu Gao. He has learned how to make money from the Wang family, and he can also learn how to plant hidden lines to
Is it possible to inform all counties at such a fast speed?”
Wen Susu: "What do you mean, Madam?"
"Even if he can set up his spies in Su County, he can't spread his spies to other counties. So someone is helping him, and the only ones who can help him do this are the Beiyi spies hiding in the dark.
, who else could it be?”
Xiao Xiruo took a sip of her wolfberry and red date tea and secretly thought that she was arranging troops and the Beiyi spies were clearly not idle either.
It's hard to believe that the news of her arrival has already reached Sang Qing's ears.
While Xiao Xiruo and Wen Susu were chatting, Yu Gao on Yanshan Mountain also welcomed his own distinguished guest.
It was a man who wrapped himself in a black robe and even covered his face with a black scarf.
Yu Gao couldn't see the other person's appearance clearly, but it didn't prevent him from making friends with him.
Because after the Wang family was confiscated, this expert gave him unstinting guidance and taught him how to lead his colleagues.
Including the other party helping him send a message to various counties as soon as possible, allowing a group of county magistrates and government officials to flee with their troops.
Just now, several petty officials from Qin County and Su County, which are closest to here, have arrived at the foot of the mountain with their family members and soldiers.
If he relied on himself, he obviously wouldn't be able to do this.
"Master, when you come tonight, do you have any news about Concubine Xiao?"
Immediately, he ordered his servants to serve delicious wine and delicacies. Yu Gao apologized to the master and said that the cave was simple, while waiting for the master's next instructions.
And the expert did not disappoint him. Although he did not drink or eat food, he said in his strange voice that had obviously changed:
"Concubine Xiao is hiding her head but not her tail. Even I have a hard time determining her location. And I went up the mountain tonight to tell you some bad news."
"Bad news?"
Yu Gao was startled, and his heart suddenly rose to his throat.
"Three days ago, the champion Hou Xiaoyi came straight to the river with 10,000 soldiers and horses. In seven days at most, Concubine Xiao will be able to have 10,000 soldiers and horses and 1,000 Yiluan guards. By then, you will not be the only ones.
, the remaining seven counties cannot escape the fate of being bloodbathed."
"Crown, Champion..."
Hearing this, Yu Gao was no longer frightened, but his legs became weak.
As soon as the Xiao family's cavalry arrived, he couldn't defeat him even if he tried his best with all the thousands of flowers on his mountain.
"Master, master, since you are here, you must not only bring bad news. You can think of a way..."
The expert obviously expected Yu Gao's timidity, so he pretended for a long time before saying:
"Master Yu, anyway, you have already won over the officials of the five counties and embarked on the road of rebellion. From my perspective, the remaining seven counties are not a problem, right?"