After arriving at the Yamen of the state government, Zhou Guozuo was already waiting in front of the door. When he saw Ye An and others riding horses, he immediately stepped forward and asked anxiously: "Where is Fan Shizhi now?"
Chen Lin frowned dissatisfied. Zhou Guozuo's attitude was obviously a bit disrespectful to Ye An, the Marquis of the Song Dynasty, and also to everyone else. However, seeing his anxious look, her heart tightened. He turned over and dismounted and asked: "
I am the governor of the Yongxing Military Road Town, why is Zhou Zhizhou so panicked?"
Only then did Zhou Guozuo discover Chen Lin. He knew the identities of several people. After taking a look at Ye An, he whispered: "The situation in Huanzhou is uncertain. The Xiqiang people succeeded in besieging Pingyuan Village and killed the commanding deputy of Pingyuan Village."
We sent Liu Kang and a group of more than 500 soldiers! There were about 3,000 soldiers and civilians killed and wounded!"
"What?!"
Chen Lin was shocked. Five hundred soldiers and the commanding officer were killed in the battle. This was already a very heavy casualty. There were also more than 3,000 military and civilian casualties. Obviously, Zhou Guozuo did not have the situation in the war and did not dare to make false reports.
Ye An exclaimed: "Impossible! Pingyuan Village is only six or seven miles away from Fucheng Village. Why are there no reinforcements? How dare the Xiqiang people besiege Pingyuan Village?! Besides, there is the Maling River next to it. The terrain is dangerous and we must wait for reinforcements.
It’s not impossible. How could there be such a large number of casualties? Besides, the war has even reached your territory in Gyeongju, why didn’t you send troops to support?!”
Zhou Guozuo was dumbfounded by Ye An's series of questions. He didn't expect that Ye An knew the terrain of Huanzhou and Qingzhou so well, and he didn't expect that his words would hit the mark. He could only look at Chen Lin as if asking for help, hoping that he could get it out of it.
Talk about items.
Unexpectedly, Chen Lin was equally surprised. What Ye An said was very reasonable. No matter what, Zhou Guozuo could not escape the crime of delaying the rescue.
"Yehou is the deputy envoy of the body to appease the body. At present, the Fan Shi system has not yet arrived. I can only regard Yehou as my respecter and take charge of the pacification of Huanzhou. If Zhou Zhizhou has something to say, it is best to talk to Yehou!"
Cao Yi was impatient. Before coming back, Ye An told him and Chen Lin about the situation in Huanzhou and Qingzhou. He was very thorough. He even explained the local customs in detail. This shows that he
He already knew everything on the map well.
Zhou Guozuo had no choice but to cross his hands and said to Ye An: "The road to Pingyuan Village is high and far away, and the official road is rugged, even if it is..."
"Old Cao, do you think he is speaking human language? The mountains are high and the roads are far away, and the official roads are rugged. It can be said that it is a flat river from Anhua City to Fucheng Village. Although it is indeed a bit difficult to walk after Fucheng Village, you need to wade across the river.
Arrive at Pingyuan Village, but the walled city of Pingyuan Village is strong and there is plenty of food and grass. You can't even spend ten or eight days in time, right? Besides, why was Pingyuan Village defeated so easily by the Qiang people? Until now, you haven't.
Tell me why! Are you trying to deceive the superior officer and hide the military plane?!"
Ye An's words almost pushed Zhou Guozuo into the corner step by step, leaving him no chance to quibble. The only thing Ye An wants to know now is why Pingyuan Village was attacked by the Xiqiang people in such a short period of time.
You must know that in the official document of Chongwen Academy, it is written in black and white: "The two states of Huanqing are separated by a square canal, and the three villages of Fucheng are horns with each other and are closely connected. The walled city is high and the walls are strong. There are many soldiers and sufficient food and grass.
If we are attacked in one place, we will rush to help each other, and no enemy chiefs dare to attack!"
But when we arrived at Zhou Guozuo's place, it turned out to be broken in five days. It was simply vulnerable! Could it be that Pingyuan Village was made of paper?!
Cao Yi was also a little disbelieving. She stared at Zhou Guozuo and said, "You are also the chief official of a state. Why are you so ominous about the destruction of Pingyuan Stronghold? Or is there something hidden?!"
This is a big hat. Once he has anything to do with Zhou Guozuo, his official career has basically come to an end. For literati, being dismissed from office is as hard to accept as the death penalty.
Zhou Guozuo said in a trembling voice: "How can you defile someone's innocence when the sun shines brightly on the universe!"
At this time, he was still struggling to argue. Ye An's voice was like cold electricity: "If you are innocent, we will find out if you are innocent. We only need to find out how the soldiers and civilians of Pingyuan Village don't know the truth? If there is something hidden, it is better to reveal it as soon as possible. Don't be exposed.
When the secret is revealed, don’t blame me for being a gentleman and punishing you for being “accommodating the wrong”!”
Following Ye An's words, the hairs on the necks of Cao Yi and Chen Lin stood up. Only then did they understand the meaning of Ye An's previous story! Scholar-officials killed people, just like Confucius killed Zhao Zhengmao and attacked his colleagues!
Zhou Guozuo was so frightened by Ye An's awe-inspiring appearance that his legs trembled slightly and he could hardly speak: "You... dare to kill me?!"
"Did you plead guilty?!"
"This...I..."
Chen Lin gave Ye An a meaningful look and said coldly: "Yehou is the deputy envoy to comfort the body. At present, Fan Shizhi has not arrived. The military and political affairs in Huanzhou, Qingzhou and other places are free. Yehou alone makes the decision, and Zhou Guozuo has not yet arrived."
Reply quickly! Are you willing to tell the truth only when you are attacked by swords and axes?"
No matter it is Ye An, Chen Lin or Cao Yi, none of the three of them is a being that Zhou Guozuo can fight against. Moreover, he himself also knows how far the Huanzhou Rebellion has reached. It is completely different from what the princes in the court imagined.
That way.
Helplessly sitting on the stone steps in front of the government office, he smiled miserably and said: "What else can be done? The war in Huanzhou has reached a fever pitch. No one expected that the Xiqiang people's attack was so violent that it would lead to rebellion.
I thought I would still be afraid that the imperial court would restrain itself, but I could plunder the countryside and retreat. Who would have thought that I would be so rebellious and besiege the city..."
Ye An sat down next to him impatiently and looked at him as if he were a fool: "Just tell me the reason directly. Why did Liu Kang die in the battle? Didn't he know that if he persisted, he would have a way to survive? What I am most curious about now is
Why did Pingyuan Village break through its defenses so quickly? There were so many casualties!"
Seeing that Ye An revealed the mystery in a few words, Zhou Guozuo had no intention of covering it up. He shook his head slightly and said: "This is where Cui Jien's military order is. Huanzhou used chaos as an excuse to avoid Qingzhou from repeating the same mistakes. He ordered the military strongholds in Huanqing and Qingzhou not to move without authorization. I will write a book and stick to Qingzhou."
If the state is not lost, if there is a police officer in the military camp adjacent to it...if there is a warning signal...avoid any help..."
"Idiot! You are harming the country!" Ye An was still in shock, while Cao Yi and Chen Lin screamed in horror. The magistrate of Qingzhou actually didn't know the meaning of death and coldness, and watched helplessly as Pingyuan Village was surrounded without rushing to help.
In this way, Liu Kang, who had died in the battle, had no choice but to open the city wall and lead the soldiers and civilians to break out. Holding the city was the best way, but without reinforcements, holding the city was meaningless, and the entire army would even be annihilated.
And once all the Song troops defending the city were killed, the people in the city would also be slaughtered by the Xiqiang people who paid a heavy price. Then there would be an even more miserable end. It was better to do everything possible to save the people and break out of the encirclement!
That's why Liu Kang died in battle, which can be regarded as sacrificing his life for his country... Ye An clenched his fist, but never hit Zhou Guozuo's face. At this time, he only felt that Liu Kang's death was not worth it.
"From now on, you are a guilty person. Take good care of your Qingzhou, mobilize all available garrison troops to move north, and protect all military strongholds. As for the fallen Pingyuan stronghold... just start from
Then start the counterattack!"
"No! Not even Ye Hou! Pingyuan Stronghold has been lost, and even the Western Qiang people will not stay for long. Rather than attack, it is better to wait for the Western Qiang people to withdraw. As for our Qingzhou garrison, there are still more than 2,000 people, but they are all here
There are no troops to mobilize in the defense of the military village! What if the city is empty and the Western Qiang people go south?!"
Ye An turned around and put a strong kick on Zhou Guozuo's shoulder, making him roll over on the steps before leaning forward and grabbing his front and saying coldly: "If the chaos in Huanzhou cannot be calmed down within a period of time,
Then your Qingzhou can break through its defenses at any time, what can more than two thousand people hold? Once the Dangxiang people's cavalry goes south, not to mention your Qingzhou, Ningzhou, Fangzhou, and even Jingzhao Mansion will be in danger!"