At this time, Zhang had fought with Wen Chou for more than thirty rounds, and his marksmanship gradually became scattered, and some of his strength was lost. Wen Chou's marksmanship tightened, and when he was about to make another killing move, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Yuan Shao being trapped in a tight siege, and he couldn't help but look panicked.
.
Although Zhang's martial arts skills were inferior to his, he was still a top master. How could he let go of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? He immediately roared and stabbed at him with his iron spear.
Wen Chou had quick eyes and quick hands. He ducked sideways, stretched out his left arm, and caught Zhang's iron spear under his arm. Wen Chou was concerned about Yuan Shao's safety, so he stabbed Zhang with a spear from his right hand like lightning.
The two horses were already very close at this time. If Zhang wanted to dodge, he had no choice but to abandon his iron spear. At the critical moment, he suddenly heard a "swish" sound through the air and saw Wen Chou's spear stopped halfway.
.
When Zhang looked up, he saw a wolf-fang arrow coming out of Wen Chou's chest. The arrow cluster was shining with a slight cold light. Not far away, Huang Zhong was slowly putting down the long bow in his hand. Zhang was overjoyed and took advantage of the situation to exert force.
With one draw, he had snatched back the iron spear and stabbed it out with his backhand, hitting Wen Chou's throat. Wen Chou staggered twice and fell off his horse. Soldiers had already come forward and cut off his head.
Seeing that the once arrogant Wen Chou had already lost his body, the soldiers around Yuan Shao abandoned their swords and guns, dismounted and surrendered. Even Feng Ji threw away his sword and knelt on the ground. Although Yuan Shao had such shortcomings,
But he had always been arrogant and arrogant. Seeing that the situation was over, he couldn't help but sigh up to the sky and wanted to draw his sword and kill himself. Only then did he realize that his sword had been given to his men to execute Gao Lan and them in prison.
The surrounding Han soldiers had already swarmed forward, dragged Yuan Shao off his horse, knocked him to the ground, and tied him up.
But he said that Shen Pei fled from the north gate and searched for Yuan Shao all the way here. When he saw Yuan Shao being captured alive by the Han army, he realized that he could not save himself. He put the sword on his neck. Before he could say a few impassioned words, he heard another sound in the air.
At the sound, his arm went numb, and his sword fell to the ground and broke into two pieces. However, Huang Zhong shot the sword into the blade.
The fighting lasted until dusk, and the whole Yecheng gradually calmed down. The people hid in their homes and did not dare to go out. Only rows of Han soldiers passed by on the streets from time to time. In fact, it is not appropriate to call it a battle. Most of them
All the time, the Han army was searching for the fleeing soldiers of Yuan's army and the civil and military officials under Yuan Shao.
Surrounded by the generals, Liu Xin entered Yecheng, and Xin Pi came out to greet him from a distance. He raised his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I have ordered people to clean up Yuan Shao's general's palace. Please move away and rest."
"
Zhang Fei scolded: "My eldest brother is the emperor today, why don't you free up Liu Biao's palace and live in some general's mansion?"
Xin Pi said sarcastically: "General Zhang doesn't know something. The most luxurious house in Yecheng is Yuan Shao's General's Mansion. That fake palace cannot be compared to it."
Although they were both emperors supported by others, Liu Biao was different from Liu Xie in one respect. He was not only a clan member of the Han Dynasty, but also a famous figure in the world, with far more influence than Liu Xie. Therefore, Yuan Shao had tighter control over Liu Biao, basically
The superior put him under house arrest. Not only did he have no real power, but his space for activities was also limited to a small area. Naturally, there was no need for a big house.
Of course Liu Xin understood that Liu Biao was the emperor in name, but in fact he was just a puppet supported by Yuan Shao. He couldn't help but nodded and said: "I haven't gone into battle to kill the enemy, so I don't need to rest. George, you are more familiar with the situation in the city.
, take me to visit people’s homes first.”
Xin Pi did not dare to neglect, pointed to the east and said: "Your Majesty, please see, the most famous gentry families in Yecheng and even the whole of Hebei live on that street."
Liu Xin waved her hand and said, "Take me to ordinary people's homes first."
Xinpi was stunned for a moment, turned around and walked to a nearby alley, and opened the door of a house. There were some firewood piled in the yard, a small well in the corner of the yard, and several low shabby rooms further inside.
There was no one in the thatched hut. Simpi said loudly: "Where are the family members? Come out quickly!"
Liu Xin glared at him dissatisfied and said, "Is there anyone here? Don't be afraid, we are the army of the Han Dynasty and we are here to protect the people of the Han Dynasty."
After a long while, there was still no movement in the yard. Xu Huang smiled and suddenly said: "It seems that this family has fled, why not give this yard to the soldiers for a temporary rest and stay for a few days."
As soon as he finished speaking, the pile of firewood suddenly started to move, and an old couple walked out of it tremblingly. They bowed to Liu Xin and others and said: "Come on, military masters, there is really nothing valuable at home."
Already."
Liu Xin walked over to support the two old people and said with a smile: "Old man, don't be afraid. I just said that we are all soldiers of the Han Dynasty. We are here to protect our Han people, not to rob property. What's going on at home?
It’s just you two, where are the others? Call them all out, we won’t hurt you.”
Seeing that Liu Xin kept looking friendly, the expressions of the old couple softened a little. The old man sighed, shook his head and said, "The military master doesn't know something. The little old man has three sons. The eldest son fought last year.
He died in Liyang, and not even his body was found. The second son was drafted to Liyang this year and has not returned yet. The younger son also went to the top of the city two days ago, and now his life or death is uncertain. Only our old couple are left.
I can’t live my life well, alas…”
Liu Xin consoled them: "Don't worry. Although they were their own masters in the past, they are also the people of the Han Dynasty. We will not make things difficult for them. As long as they do not die in the battle, they should be able to come back in a few days."
The old couple bowed to Liu Xin repeatedly and said: "Thank you, Master..."
Xin Pi scolded: "What kind of military master? This is our big man..."
Liu Xin waved her hand, stopped Xinpi, and said, "Don't be afraid. If you have any difficulties in the future, just go to the local government. Even if your two children cannot come back, the government will try their best to take care of your lives."
The two old men were grateful, but Liu Xin also knew that people have been afraid of officials since ancient times. Even if they were in trouble and couldn't survive, they would not dare to ask the government for help. He turned around and said: "Zhiji, I will appoint you as the prefect of Wei County now.
Yecheng will be managed by you. Soon, I will allocate a batch of supplies to ensure that the people can have enough food and clothing to spend this winter safely."
Weijun is the largest county in Hebei, and Yecheng is the seat of Weijun. It is also close to Sili, so its location is very important. But now Liu Xin actually handed over the management of this place to Xinpi. Xinpi couldn't help being flattered, and he repeatedly promised
Be sure to follow Liu Xin's orders.
After leaving this house, Xin Pi led Liu Xin to visit several nearby houses. The situation was similar. Only the old, weak, women and children were left in these people's homes. All the young and middle-aged people were sent to the front line, and the houses were in dilapidated condition.
The food at home could not last more than a few days, and savings were out of the question.
Seeing such a scene, Liu Xin looked solemn, turned around and said to the people around him: "Now you understand why Yuan Shao lost so quickly, right? The people were suffering from the war, but Yuan Shao didn't know how to be considerate of the people, and instead blindly
How can we be undefeated if we resort to military means? Remembering the past is the guide for the future. The people are like water, and the court is like a boat. Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it. Remember, remember!"
All the generals were convinced. Xin Pi, who had just become the governor of Wei County, lowered his head and thought hard about the meaning of Liu Xin's words.
But Liu Xin waved his hand and said: "Everyone has seen the situation of the common people. Let's go and see what kind of life those noble families live."
Each city has its own unique layout, and people of different classes often live in different areas. Most of the nobles in Yecheng are concentrated in the East City area, including Xinpi himself, Yuan Shao's civil and military officials and many wealthy families live here.
Looking at it, they are all high-end families, and the streets are wider than other places. However, the entire East City is now completely controlled by the Han army. No one is allowed to enter or leave, but the Han army did not break into the homes of these wealthy families.
Xinpi pointed to a large house on the roadside and said, "Your Majesty, this is the residence of Xu You and Xu Ziyuan."
Xu You was once criticized by Xun Xun for being "greedy but unruly" in history. Liu Xin couldn't help but become interested and wanted to see how much money he had embezzled under Yuan Shao. So she waved her hand and said, "Let's go to his house."
have a look."
Ordinary noble families are better off. The homes of several important advisers and generals under Yuan Shao have long been guarded by Han soldiers, and their families have been escorted aside. The personal guards are easy to do, and they don't even have to close the door and leave.
He stepped forward and pushed the pair of red lacquered doors to both sides, and Liu Xin and others entered with their heads held high.
Xu You's house was in a mess. Packages and boxes were piled everywhere in the yard. They contained all the fine gold and silver that Xu You asked his family to pack up in a hurry after the Han army besieged the city. If you opened any one, they would be dazzling.
Liu Xin frowned and said: "The people have no food to eat, but here there is a mountain of gold and silver. The people's wealth and wealth have been looted by the officials. Do you still expect the people to work hard for them? Yuan Shao was not unjustly defeated!"
All the generals nodded slightly, but Xinpi looked ashamed. Although Xu You was greedy the most, Xinpi was not an innocent person either. The difference between the two was only fifty steps and a hundred steps. At this point,
Xin Pi felt that he had understood Liu Xin's intention. He couldn't help wiping a cold sweat, and raised his hands to Liu Xin and said: "Your Majesty, many humble ministers were greedy in the past and were willing to spend all their wealth to help the people."
Liu Xin waved her hand and said: "That's not necessary. I just want you to understand the sufferings of the people. Once you serve as an official, you must benefit one party. You must find ways to let the people live a good life, instead of asking you to live in poverty. Let's go.
Well, let’s go to the next one and have a look.”
After leaving the Xu Mansion, Xin Pi pointed across the street and said, "Your Majesty, that is the house of the Zhen family, a prominent family in Hebei."