In just a moment, the tent became quiet again, but the silhouettes of people grew and grew, and you knew that the tent was surrounded by soldiers.
If you look closely, you can see that the sword has been unsheathed and the arrow has been cocked. But if there is even the slightest movement, the dozens of people in the tent may be shot into a sieve and minced into a pulp.
Suddenly there was another sound of shaking armor leaves, and a general of about thirty years old came into the tent. All the officials and squires were silent, not even daring to speak out.
"Zhao Xian Cheng conspired with the Xianyu County Lieutenant last night, and then discussed with the Lieutenant Commander and Yu Merit Cao before noon today... Before coming to find the County Lord, he also contacted Party Chief Feng, Lian Family Head, etc...."
Li Zhonghe pointed out everyone's whereabouts one by one, and found that they were all correct. Then he looked around and asked calmly: "You are thinking so hard, do you want to escape?"
"The general misunderstood!"
The county magistrate quickly stood up, and then bowed deeply, his sleeves hanging down had already touched the uppers of his shoes, "It's all County Magistrate Zhao who is good at making suggestions, and we don't know anything about it. I hope the general will be more considerate!"
"You pushed it cleanly?"
Li Zhonghe sighed slightly and said, "The day before I set off, the Army Sima and the Record Office repeatedly mentioned: What was your original position, and what is your position again after arriving at Xihai. How many fertile fields and houses were there before?
It's just a lot more. If the rest of the family property is missing or damaged, double compensation will be paid after arriving at Xihai... Now it seems that you all just turned a deaf ear and didn't even hear a word of it?"
These few words frightened everyone so much that cold sweat broke out on their foreheads, and they immediately fell to their knees: "General, calm down, we are just trying to trick the Prime Minister of Zhao County, saying that the Prime Minister of Zhao County has important matters to discuss with you, but there is no point in that."
If I dare to escape, I beg the general to spare me and wait for this time..."
"It's easy to handle once, but what if there is a next time?"
When they heard that there was a drama, everyone was overjoyed, and they all grabbed the ground with their heads: "If there is a next time, let the general do whatever he wants!"
"Okay!"
Li Zhonghe nodded and replied solemnly, "Remember what you said!"
After saying that, he left the tent and heard a few more shouts. The sound of trembling beetle leaves gradually faded away, and the shadows reflected on the tent disappeared in the blink of an eye.
With a "pop" sound, the county magistrate collapsed on the ground, sweating profusely.
"You're so confused...How dare you listen to that thief Zhao Sheng and risk your life?"
Dozens of people are like surviving a disaster, feeling terrified but not knowing how to explain it.
Who would have thought that there would be ambushes hidden everywhere in the seemingly unorganized camp, nor would they have expected that everyone in the tent would have been under intense surveillance for a long time, and no word, deed, or move would escape the opponent's eyes. It's ridiculous that they thought that as long as they planned well, they would be able to escape.
Just when I was speechless, I heard another noise outside the tent. I turned around suddenly and saw County Magistrate Zhao stumbling into the tent.
There are no wounds on his body, his hands and feet are not bound, and there are no pursuers behind him. It seems that he has been released?
His eyes were dull, his face was pale, and his lips were trembling, as if he was frightened.
The county magistrate was horrified: "He actually let you... back?"
Zhao Sheng nodded as if he had lost his soul and twisted his lips. He was trying to squeeze out a smile, but instead he cried and it was even more ugly.
"Soldiers, there are soldiers everywhere, with men and horses in armor, lights and shadows... Any warning can be transmitted dozens of miles away in the blink of an eye..."
It turned out that after being escorted out of the tent, Zhao Xiancheng was led outside the camp by the soldiers. The soldiers just whistled lightly, and no lights came on outside the camp.
There are only a thousand cavalry in Manchuria. It is impossible for there to be soldiers everywhere as Zhao Sheng said. However, Tangqi's message is very fast, and it stretches for more than ten miles in an instant. There are stars in all directions, so I can see that there are so many.
How can we escape?
Everyone's hearts trembled, and they gasped subconsciously.
"Anyone with eyes can see that all the armored cavalry in this battalion are tigers and wolves. You, a thief, really don't know it..."
The county magistrate asked again in a hissing voice, "I thought you were going to shed your skin even if you were immortal, so why did I let you back?"
Thinking of the general's warning look in his eyes, which was like looking at a dead person, Zhao Sheng suddenly said: "The general said, but next time, he will definitely kill him without mercy..."
……
Li Zhonghe returned to the central tent, and Li Xiaoyan was standing outside the tent, looking up at the half-shaped crescent moon in the sky.
"It's likely to be windy in the afternoon tomorrow, so it shouldn't be too strong. But just in case, there will be a rebellion at the fifth watch, but when the sky is getting brighter, we will order the whole camp to set off. If we go faster, we can reach Hexi before noon.
Racecourse..."
Li Zhonghe looked up at the sky and saw the dim moonlight, as if covered with a veil, and knew that what he said was unnecessary.
They learned this trick from Li Chengzhi, otherwise how could they watch the moon and argue against the wind?
Li Zhonghe nodded: "It's better to walk faster, and avoid being blinded by the wind and someone taking advantage of the chaos to escape!"
"Uncle He is right!"
Li Xiaoyan was perfunctory, but he felt a little disapproving in his heart.
The west of Hexi is already desolate. It reaches Biaoyi in the west and the Yellow River in the east, which is nearly 1,500 miles away. However, there are only two counties and eight counties, covering a total of 200 miles, and only one city.
Now they have been robbed and robbed, and they are truly uninhabited. Even if they escape, how many days can they survive?
It's better to have a horse, but if you kill the horse on the way, you can still survive for a few days. If you escape in a steep step, you may not be able to survive even three to five days.
This is not something Li Xiaoyan takes for granted, but is the result of countless experiences.
When Li Chengzhi raised his army in Jingzhou, Li Xiaoyan, his father Li Hui, his eldest brother Li Xiaoxian, and his uncle Li Zhonghe were all leaders of the cavalry.
Later, he fled to Hexi with Li Songxun. Li Xiaoyan served as a pioneer in Li Liang's camp and suffered a lot.
Even though they had three horses, provisions, fodder, chariots, and tents, they did not encounter any enemies during the entire journey, let alone engage in battle. By the time they arrived to suppress the barbarians, nearly 20% of the soldiers and wounded in the front camp were injured.
Afterwards, Li Song sent him to the west of the county to support Zhang Jingzhi and Li Shixian. In just ten days, more than 15,000 refugees were smuggled to the West Sea.
They still had food and grass, vehicles and tents, but in just five or six hundred miles, the refugees lost as much as two thousand people.
This time it is not illness or injury, but death...
It was him again for the third time. Within a few months, he successively picked up the captured troops from Qin, Liang and Bogulu Town, transporting nearly 60,000 families of refugees to the West Sea.
This time the preparations were more complete, but nearly 10,000 people still died from the disease, which shows how difficult the journey was?
If it were not so easy to snatch people, Li Chengzhi knew that the officials and wealthy households in the county were the most restless people, so why would he need to explain to Li Xiaoyan in every possible way and let him watch and protect them, and it would be better to transport them to Zhenyi one by one?
I'm afraid that when I first entered the city, everything clicked.
Li Xiaoyan didn't have to use all his hard-earned tactics to get by, he just had to whip him out and let him die...
Li Zhong didn't know that Li Xiaoyan was perfunctory with him, so he just asked suspiciously: "Why does Mr. Lang indulge in these officials in every possible way?"
Not just officials, but also wealthy households!
Li Xiaoyan sighed secretly.
No wonder all the servants of the Li family were entrusted with important tasks, but Li Zhonghe was just a cavalry brigade commander.
It has been three years since I left Xihai, and I still haven’t even understood such a simple and easy-to-understand truth?
He pondered for a moment and then explained patiently: "Because all officials and wealthy households must be literate. Even if they cannot handle government affairs, they can still be used to teach stupid people, so the gentleman treats them with all kinds of courtesy and treats them like treasures." p>
Is this true?
Li Zhonghe thought about it for a while, but still couldn't understand: "In Xihai and Zhenyi, there are many nobles and county magistrates now, and there are also a lot of people who have officials above the county magistrate. Why don't you see Lang Jun explain it and go out of his way to be polite?"
Wait?"
How do you know that the husband has not confessed it?
Otherwise, why do you even know that Xihai only targets noble families and county officials?
Li Xiaoyan's words came to his lips but he didn't dare to say them out.
Most of the time, what kind of measures Li Chengzhi ordered Li Song to implement in Xihai would be explained in detail. But this point was kept secret. He just ordered Li Song to execute it with his old troops, but he didn't say a single word.
Not much to mention.
At the beginning, that is, after more than 15,000 households were brought to the West Sea, Li Chengzhi issued an explicit order prohibiting: No family, county magistrate, regardless of direct lineage or branch, former official of any rank, could not become a military or political official.
.
Fortunately, most of the Li family's retainers are literate, and some common people are employed, which is barely enough.
After the people of the two states of Later Qin and Liang came to Xihai, the number of households increased sharply by 50,000 to 60,000. With only the previous ones, even if they were tired and vomited blood, they could not manage it.
It was only after Li Shixian and Li Shiliang made the final decision and rushed 800 miles to report to Li Chengzhi that this harsh order was slightly relaxed.
But it’s just a little bit: if a son of a noble family is an official, he cannot be better than the party leader in politics, and he cannot be better than the brigade commander in the army...
The brigade commander is nothing more than a rank, and the size can be regarded as a rank. The party leader only manages 125 households, and is not even an official.
The Li family is already a powerful family and has been passed down for hundreds of years. By doing this, wouldn’t Li Chengzhi be forgetting his ancestors?
I don’t know what Li Chengzhi’s intentions were. Most of the retainers had secretly speculated, but they couldn’t guess the reason even after racking their brains.
But fortunately, the prestige has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and even Li Shixian did not dare to say anything. Therefore, the execution of the Xihai is quite thorough.
Li Xiaoyan thought for a while and made up an excuse at random: "Everyone who enters our Hexi area is a criminal exiled. All nobles and county officials are all rebels. How dare you re-employ such traitors?"
Does that seem to be the case?
Li Zhonghe's reaction was a little slow, and he always felt that something was wrong. After a while, he finally thought about it: not all the nobles in the West Sea followed the rebellion, and many of them just suffered unreasonable disasters.
When he looked up, Li Xiaoyan was no longer in sight.
Although he was a clan uncle, he was only recognized by his rank in the army, regardless of his relative status, so Li Zhonghe did not dare to ask Li Xiaoyan where he had gone.
After standing still for a while, he scratched the back of his head and went to patrol the camp.
He is on duty tonight. If something goes wrong, even if he is a clan uncle, Li Xiaoyan will definitely comply with the punishment...
……
A moment later, Li Xiaoyan and dozens of others arrived in Dongying.
This is the rear camp. There are only two teams of soldiers, but there are many chariots accompanying them, most of whom are pulling provisions.
In addition to the large array on the outside, about seven or eight vehicles formed a circle in the center and set up a small array. There were several felt tents in the array, but only one had a faint light.
"Stay here!"
When he arrived at Chenmen, Li Xiao dismounted first, then left all his followers behind, and entered the carriage formation alone.
Li Xiaoxian gently knocked on the door: "Langjun, Xiaoyan is here!"
"Come in!"
Li Chengzhi replied and put down the charcoal in his hand.
Li Xiaoyan bowed respectfully, took the Hu Qi brought by Li Cong, sat on Li Chengzhi's right hand, and began to report the news in a leisurely manner.
"Two moments ago, the county magistrate Zhao Sheng seduced seven county officials and six wealthy people, and they all came to the tent of the county magistrate Du Rong. When he wanted to plot something evil, Du Rong broke his plan..."
Was Du Rong drunk and ruined his plan?
Doesn't it mean that the county magistrate and the county have already noticed this?
Just see through it, it doesn't matter.
The scene just now was not his intention. Nowadays, there are nearly one hundred thousand households in Xihai. Even if it is not a mess, it is not going anywhere. He can't take care of so many major things. How can he have time to care about these more than a thousand households?
How many honest people are there and how many cunning people are there?
The human heart cannot withstand temptation. To these officials and rich people, Li is undoubtedly a robber. How can he make them sincerely surrender with just a few words?
If he were to be replaced by Li Chengzhi, he would definitely not be able to rack his brains and would have to escape.
This is just an old practice. Li Song has been making good use of this trick since he crossed the border and headed to the West Sea two years ago.
Although it is simple, it is somewhat effective. At least it is possible to select some honest and useful people in a short period of time. For example, the officials and wealthy households who are not influenced by Zhao Sheng's encouragement today will be assigned corresponding positions after the barbarians are suppressed.
, Acting in civil affairs.
Seeing that Li Chengzhi was noncommittal, Li Xiaoyan reported tomorrow's itinerary again. But as soon as he started, he was interrupted by Li Chengzhi's wave:
"I told you a long time ago that all the military matters are decided by you, and there is no need to repay me... I just don't want Li Liang to separate his troops and send troops to escort him, so I go with you. If it's not urgent, I won't do it.
Pay attention..."
After a pause, Li Chengzhi raised his eyebrows again, "You won't make a special trip to see me for such a trivial matter?"
Before he finished speaking, Li Chengzhi was even more convinced when he saw the panic on Li Xiaoyan's face.
He suddenly felt helpless: "You and I are of the same generation, and even if we are close, I still want to call you brother. Why do you dare not say it directly, but why do you need to beat around the bush like this?"
It's okay not to say it. When he heard this sentence, Li Xiaoyan was shocked.