I don't know when, a gray sheep bone suddenly appeared on Liu Pi's hand. It shone with a dull light in the dim moonlight. It was exactly one that fell off during the fight among the prisoners on the first night. The small piece was quietly picked up by Liu Pi when no one was prepared. Now, the bone has been sharpened to an extremely sharp level. Liu Pi secretly sharpened it every night when the Han army was training, and the loud shouts of killing were just enough to cover it up. I heard the sound of him grinding the bones, but he was doing it in a hurry, and the incision was not very smooth.
Liu Pi whispered to Lao Wang: "Extend your hand."
Lao Wang couldn't help but feel moved. He wanted to let him go first! Lao Wang quickly stretched out his hand and said in a low voice: "Liu Da, thank you very much. I will cut it for you later."
These prisoners usually chatted together, but most of them would not tell their real names and the crimes they committed. After all, crime is not a glorious thing. Liu Pi committed the crime of treason, so naturally he did not dare to tell others He only said that his surname was Liu and he was the eldest in the family, so everyone called him Liu Da.
"Liu Da" smiled faintly, walked over, and carefully cut the rope from Lao Wang's hand. He was not worried that Lao Wang would escape quietly by himself. Don't look at these twelve people tied to a rope. , usually anyone who wants to escape seems to have difficulty moving, but Liu Pi knows very well that as long as the rope on one person's hand is untied, everyone else can be liberated. Moreover, Liu Pi has no intention of just being with Lao Wang. He wanted to escape together with the thousands of prisoners surrounding the camp. By then, the camp would be in chaos, and then he could fish in troubled waters.[
Since Liu Pi did not dare to make too big movements, the uneven incision played a vital role at this time. Such an incision is somewhat similar to a sawtooth shape. As it comes and goes, the rope tied to Lao Wang's hand Gradually relaxed.
Although Liu Pi was very careful in his movements, these twelve people were tied together after all, and the others were inevitably awakened by him. However, Liu Pi was not worried because he had originally planned to let these people go together. , not to mention who doesn’t want to be free? Liu Pi didn’t have to worry about anyone among them snitching.
Soon, with a soft "pop" sound, the rope tied to Lao Wang's hands broke. Liu Pi let out a long breath, moved his shoulders slightly, and the rope on his hands also loosened. Lao Wang, on the other hand, True to his word, he dropped the rope from his hand and immediately came to help. Liu Pi was completely freed in three strokes. Without saying a word, Liu Pi grabbed the "bone knife" and began to rescue other victims.
These days, Liu Pi has found out clearly that among these fellow prisoners, there are many who have done anything, but none of them have actually rebelled. Based on his years of experience, as long as so many people are in chaos, even if they are surrounded by guards, The Han army could arrive in time and no one else could escape, so he was sure to escape.
Just when Liu Pi was secretly happy, something unexpected happened. Except for him and Lao Wang, the two groups of prisoners who had just been rescued by their own hands had 22 other people pounce on them almost at the same time. Other prisoners around him also shouted in unison: "Come quickly! Someone is trying to escape!"
As a result, Liu Pi and Lao Wang were arrested inexplicably, and the people who arrested them turned out to be fellow inmates who were going to do labor together. Liu Pi looked around in surprise, but the faces of the fellow inmates had an uncontrollable look on their faces. excited.
The drills that lasted for many days worked. The soldiers living in the tents reacted extremely quickly. When they heard the commotion from the prisoners, they jumped out almost subconsciously and quickly secretly controlled various strategic locations around them. The sword is on the string and the sword is unsheathed. In this case, even if all the prisoners riot together, it is impossible for anyone to escape.
Liu Xin also walked out of the tent with her clothes on, looked at the camp that was gradually returning to calm, and turned back. After a while, Dian Wei led a group of personal guards and escorted Liu Pi and Lao Wang in.
Lao Wang's face turned pale. As soon as he entered the tent, he shouted that he was wronged, saying that it was Liu Da who forced him to run away. He didn't want to leave, and it was Liu Da who forced him.
Liu Xin turned to look at "Liu Da". It turned out that this prisoner actually knew him, so she couldn't help but smile and said: "Liu Pi, I have been very lenient with you, but you don't regret it and don't take part in the reform through labor. It's really terrible." It is your own fault and you will not live!"
Liu Pi knew that he was going to die, so he sighed and said, "I just can't figure out one thing. I helped them escape together, why did they come back to arrest me?"
Liu Xin laughed loudly and said: "It seems that you were not very active when you were participating in the training in Xiangyang. Didn't you hear that prisoners serving hard labor can get a reduced sentence as long as they perform meritorious services? Those who run away can be credited with a major meritorious deed, and their sentence will be reduced even more. With such a good opportunity, if it were you, would you arrest him or not?"
Liu Pi unconsciously lowered his head and glared at Lao Wang in annoyance. He had been thinking about looking for opportunities to escape all day long, and he really didn't pay attention to the lectures. Of course he didn't know the rules, but why didn't Lao Wang pay attention to the lectures? But he had already There was no time to figure out these things. As Liu Xin waved his hand gently, several personal guards stepped forward and dragged him and Lao Wang out.
It was daylight and the team had assembled and continued to march towards Chang'an. Under the morning sun, the two heads hanging under the camp gate looked particularly ferocious.
Outside the south gate of Chang'an City, a large number of officials were already waiting there. Liu Xin, surrounded by Xu Huang, Huang Zhong, Xiang Lang, Jia Xu and others, entered this magnificent Han capital. In the carriage, Yan Rui watched The familiar and unfamiliar scenes around her were silently dazed, but Lu Qiling was obviously a little excited. A slight smile appeared on the corner of Diao Chan's mouth. She knew that her future home would be here.
Just one year later, Chang'an City has changed a lot. The city wall is still the same, but when you walk into the city, the neat and wide roads are eye-catching. Busy construction sites can be seen everywhere on both sides of the road, and people wearing uniforms are everywhere. Engineer soldiers, civilian husbands in patched coarse clothes, and prisoners with numbers on their vests, the entire city of Chang'an has turned into a large construction site, and many buildings have begun to take shape. Liu Xin couldn't help but admired: "It's huge, it's so fast. It’s pretty fast.”
Xiang Lang cupped his hands and said: "Reporting to my lord, the city wall of Chang'an is almost not damaged, and my subordinates only repaired and reinforced it appropriately. The roads in the city were repaired by the soldiers in the snow. After the snow melted this year, they were laid with stone slabs and fine bricks. Street trees have also been planted on both sides of the road. Now the main streets have been built. If the required materials can be supplied in time, I will present a brand-new Chang'an in front of the Lord before the end of the year."
Liu Xin saw that there was no excitement at all on Xiang Lang's face, and knowing that there was something in his words, she nodded and said, "Juda, are there any difficulties with the materials?"
Xiang Lang smiled bitterly and said: "I can't hide anything from my lord. A clever woman can't make rice out of the rice. Now not only the bricks and stones, but also the wood need to be transported from outside the customs. Sometimes when we are working, we run out of materials, and the project can only be stopped." Not only that, but a batch of materials must be transported to the grassland. If we don’t think of a way, this year I’m afraid...”[
Liu Xin waved his hand and said: "Juda, do you want to open brick kilns, build stone quarries, and cut down trees in Guanzhong? I can tell you clearly that you don't have to think about these things! However, the shortage of materials is also a fact. I An additional army will be dispatched to speed up the transfer of materials from Guandong. However, no matter how difficult it is, Prairie New City must be completed before winter, and all materials must be given priority to ensure the construction of Prairie New City. If this is not possible, the construction of Chang'an City must be Stop for a moment!"
When Jia Xu and others heard this, they couldn't help but look at each other. Although Liu Xin had been emphasizing that he would wait until the world was peaceful before appointing another Mingjun, his subordinates couldn't wait any longer, and they all hoped to support him on the day when the capital was moved to Chang'an. Liu Xin ascended the throne. If the construction of Chang'an City is delayed, it means that the date of Liu Xin's accession to the throne will also be postponed. Naturally, they will have to wait for some time for their wife to be granted the throne.
Almost everyone present had this idea in mind, but they did not communicate with each other, and no one said it out loud. They just buried it silently in their hearts and waited until the right day to put it into action. They and Yang Biao, Huang Wan and other old court officials are different. They are all Liu Xin's cronies, old men who followed Liu Xin to conquer the world. They don't need to cheer for Liu Xin to become emperor like Yang Biao and others. Liu Xin will not forget them. meritorious.
However, Jia Xu still couldn't restrain his anxious mood. He took a step forward, raised his hands and said: "My lord, the forests in Guanzhong are luxuriant. It won't be a big deal even if some are cut down. It can also save a lot of time, especially a lot of money." Manpower and financial resources. Why would my lord choose the distant place at the expense of the near?"
In fact, the reason is very simple. Liu Xin came from later generations and knew that if the trees on the mountains were cut down and the soil from the ground was used to bake bricks, serious ecological damage would be caused. , even the entire Guanzhong is no longer livable. However, these truths could not be explained to them for a while, so Liu Xin had to laugh and said: "For no other reason, just because I like the green water and green mountains here. !”
This reason is strong enough. He is the master here. Naturally, others dare not destroy the things he likes, so no one dares to raise any opinions. However, everyone still murmurs secretly in their hearts, just to see more of the green water. Qingshan would waste so much human and financial resources. When did Liu Xin, who had always been frugal, become so extravagant? They didn't know that such fresh air and clear river water would have been so valuable in Liu Xin's original era. Luxuries that no matter how much money you spend, you can’t buy them!
Of course Liu Xin also understood what everyone was thinking. Seeing Xiang Lang's somewhat sad look, Liu Xin patted his shoulder gently and said with a smile: "How to solve the problem of material shortage, we might as well change our thinking."