Guiyang and Lingling counties are close neighbors, and Pang Ji and Zhang Zi have some interactions on weekdays. It was almost dusk when Chong Ji's team arrived at Lingling City, and they would definitely have to rest in Lingling City tonight.
In this case, of course he had to pay a visit to Zhang Zi. Pang Ji knew that Liu Xin's letter could not be given to him alone. At this time, Zhang Zi should have received Liu Xin's letter long ago.
He just came to see Zhang Zi to reminisce about old times and to see what Zhang Zi had planned. Pang Ji was not sure what Zhang Zi would do. Maybe he had already set off for Wuling at this time, or maybe he was still staying at home and thinking about good ideas. So Pang Ji
He arranged for his followers to go to the prefect's mansion to report the news, while he himself led the team to the post house to settle down.
After entering the city, Pang Ji found that the atmosphere on the street was a bit tense. Rows of soldiers were passing by on the street from time to time, and the people on the road were also in a hurry. Then he remembered that the interrogation at the city gate just now seemed to be more serious than before.
It was much stricter in the past.
When they arrived at the post house, Pang Ji had just sat down on the floor when he heard a loud voice coming from outside the door: "Where is Mr. Pang? I see you are here, Lao Zhang."
Pang Ji quickly stood up and went out, only to see a fat middle-aged man standing outside. He had three long beards and thin eyes. He seemed to be smiling no matter who he looked at. He hurriedly raised his hands and said: "
How dare you visit Mr. Lao Zhang personally? It's disrespectful, disrespectful."
Zhang Zi still said with a cheerful face: "What did Pang Da say? If you come to Lingling, you think highly of me. Come on, I have prepared a reception banquet for you in the house. Let's come and get drunk tonight.
Just rest."
Pang Ji brought a few followers and followed Zhang Zi to the prefect's mansion. The two parties sat down separately.
Zhang Zi put away his smile, stepped back, and then asked: "How come Mr. Pang Da has the time to come here today?"
Pang Ji said with a smile: "Didn't Mr. Zhang receive the letter from the lord?"
Zhang Zi was surprised and said: "Lord? Which lord?"
Pang Ji arched his hands and said, "That's Lord Mu Liu of Jingzhou."
Zhang Zi pondered: "So, Pang Pang is planning to hand over Guiyang to Liu Xin? It turns out that Pang Pang is not here to see me, Lao Zhang, but is passing by."
Pang Ji smiled and said: "Master Zhang, what you said is wrong. What does it mean to give Guiyang to the lord? He is the shepherd of Jingzhou, and my Guiyang County is under his jurisdiction. Yes, I responded to the lord's call.
Head to Wuling."
Zhang Zi laughed and said, "Don't you worry about the dangers ahead?"
Pang Ji's heart tightened and he asked, "How can Mr. Zhang say this?"
Zhang Zi smiled and said: "Yes, I also received a letter from Liu Xin. If you and I go to Wuling like this, we will be slaughtered by others and I will be slaughtered by others. Such a stupid thing,
I, Lao Zhang, don’t want to do it.”
Pang Ji was silent for a moment and said: "Does Mr. Zhang have any good ideas? Listen to my advice. The examples of Huang Zu of Jiangxia and Cao Yu of Wuling are there. Even with the combined efforts of you and me, it is difficult for us to fight against each other. It's better to do it early."
It is the best policy to surrender to the lord."
Zhang Zi stared at Pang Ji for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter and said: "Pang Pang, what Lao Zhang just said was just a test. How can I, Lao Zhang, not see clearly what the situation is now? But I am really worried.
.I have already compiled a letter and am preparing to have it sent to Wuling tomorrow, asking Jingzhou Mu and his entourage to come to Lingling for a briefing. Why don't you wait here with me for a few days?"
After hearing this, Pang Ji's face changed. After a long time, he said: "Pang decided to go to Wuling to pay homage to the lord first. Please forgive me, Mr. Zhang."
Zhang Zi said with a smile: "Ren Pangda wants to go to Wuling first, so what? If you and I all serve Lord Zhoumu in the future, then we are our own family. From now on, we need to get closer and closer. Come, come, come,
Let’s drink this cup to the fullest.”
Pang Ji did not dare to stay in Lingling for a long time. Early the next morning, before the sky was bright, he urged the team to set off.
Zhang Zi did not continue to persuade him to stay, but handed a letter to Pang Ji and said, "Mr. Pangda, since you insist on going to Wuling first, please help me bring this letter to you. We will see you later."
Pang Ji said goodbye to Zhang Zi on the horse, and continued on the road with his team. After walking for another two days, he arrived at Wuling.
Spring comes early in Jiangnan. Although it is only February, the fields are already green, unknown wildflowers on the roadside are blooming with bright smiles, the branches of the trees on both sides of the road have turned green, and the birds are singing happily.
Such beautiful scenery could not dissuade Pang Ji from being full of thoughts. Zhang Zi's words always lingered in his mind, and he did not know whether this trip was auspicious or unlucky.
Further forward, there were gradually more and more people on the road. These people were neither merchants on their way nor farmers who got up early. They were all carrying shovels and picks, carrying rocks and earthwork, and were busy going back and forth on the road. Pang Ji felt that
It was strange that the servants came forward and asked, only to find out that these people were widening and building the road connecting Wuling and Lingling.
Pang Ji had been a prefect for many years, so he naturally knew that building roads was a hugely expensive project. Some of these roads were built during the Qin Shihuang era and were already in dilapidated condition, but no one in the local government was willing to bother with this expensive task.
The same goes for Pang Ji. During his years in Guiyang, he also knew that the roads were difficult to travel, but he never thought of repairing them. Unexpectedly, when Liu Xin occupied Wuling, the first thing he did was to repair the roads!
Going further, in the fields on both sides, we can already see hard-working farmers in twos and threes. They are sweating profusely and singing loudly. It seems that they are not doing hard work, but doing something very happy.
.As a relatively competent prefect, Pang Ji often went to the fields to see and understand the sufferings of the people, but he had never seen farmers farming so happily.
He couldn't help but rein in his horse and asked an old man who was walking happily past them carrying a hoe: "I dare to ask this old man, is there any happy event here today? Why are everyone so happy?"
The old man stopped and looked at Pang Ji. Looking at his clothes, he knew that he was a high official, so he smiled and said: "My lord is from other places. You don't know yet, the reduction of taxes implemented in those places in Xiangyang in the past
We can't even think about rent and tax cuts. Now that Lord Zhou Mu is in charge of Wuling, we ordinary people now have a way to live and no longer have to worry about our livelihood. Do you think everyone can be unhappy?"
Pang Ji nodded thoughtfully and said, "That is, that is. Thank you very much, old man."
The old man said hurriedly: "No thank you, no thank you, sir, you have a good trip."
Pang Ji watched the old man walking happily into the fields. He no longer hesitated and turned around and said loudly to the team: "Everyone, move quickly and try to reach Wuling tonight."
The advance speed of the team suddenly accelerated, raising a cloud of dust. The closer we got to Wuling City, the smoother the road became. The road here had obviously just been repaired. It could be seen that it was just a roadbed, and it would definitely need to be further heightened in the future.
Although it is wide, the roads in Lingling are much easier to walk than in Guiyang.
After walking for a short time after noon, Wuling City was already in sight. Pang Ji felt nervous, a little anxious and a little expectant. The closer he got to the city, the more pedestrians on the road became more and more, and the city gate was already close.
In front of me, the entrance was bustling with people, and it could be seen that there were many caravans among them.
Pang Ji and his party were large in number, with many horses and vehicles. The soldiers guarding the gate became alert and blocked their way.
He did not dare to ask for help, so he quickly jumped off his horse and said, "I am Pang Ji, the prefect of Guiyang. I have been summoned by the lord to come to see you."
The soldier guarding the gate did not dare to neglect and hurriedly reported to the superior officer. After a while, a man who looked like a school captain came in a hurry, clasped his fists and said: "It turns out to be Pang Pang. The last general of Wuling City Gate, Sun Ke, the school captain, was ordered by the Lord.
I have been waiting here for many days. My lord has an order that no one is allowed to enter the city on horseback. I also ask Pang Da to dismount and accompany me."
When Pang Ji reached this point, there was no way out. He did not hesitate at all, dismounted from his horse, and without handing over the reins to his entourage, he took the horse and walked with Sun Ke.
Seeing this, Sun Ke winked at the soldiers on the side. The soldiers quickly came over, took the reins from Pang Ji, and helped him hold his mount.
Walking on the streets of Wuling, you can see busy people everywhere, and people come in and out of the shops on both sides from time to time. It seems that the business is not bad, and the whole Wuling City is peaceful. It seems that it has not been disturbed because of the change of owner.
bring any uneasiness and confusion.
Pang Ji looked at everything in front of him, pretending to think of something casually, and said: "I have been to this Wuling City a few years ago. I remember that there were not as many shops on both sides of this street in the past, and the business was relatively small.
Qing Dan, I didn’t expect that such a big change has taken place in just a few years, and it is much more prosperous than Guiyang.”
Sun Ke smiled and said: "Master Pang, if you had come half a month earlier, this place would not be like this. Since the Lord came, this market has really become more lively day by day."
"Oh, it turns out that's the case. No wonder, no wonder." Pang Ji chuckled, changed the subject, and asked, "General Sun is resting in a high post? I looked at him with a sharp eye."
Sun Ke said embarrassedly: "To be honest with you, the general was just a commander in the Wuling army in the past. Naturally, you have never seen me. After my lord came to Wuling, he reorganized the army. It turned out that there were seven thousand
The people's Wuling army was screened at all levels, leaving only 2,500 people. Five hundred people were the guards of the prefect and were directly dispatched by the prefect. There were also 2,000 people who were under the command of the captain and were responsible for the city defense and granary.
Guard. The last general was proficient in martial arts and was promoted by a superior officer, so he became the captain of the city gate."
In fact, some of what Sun Ke said involves military secrets. Although the level of secrets is not high, under normal circumstances, he would not tell outsiders so much. But Liu Xin has an order. If Pang Ji
Or when Zhang Zi comes, he should answer all questions and answer them in as much detail as possible.
Liu Xin had already stated in his letter that he wanted to take back Pang Ji's military power, so Pang Ji was not surprised that Liu Xin would reorganize Wuling's army. He was surprised that there were only so few troops left in the entire Wuling city.
At this moment, there was a sound of horse hoofbeats coming from ahead.